A Farewell from Meredith
After nearly five years at Lalor Neighbourhood House, and a decade working across Epping and Lalor, it’s with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to this incredible community.
Lalor is so vibrant, diverse and welcoming, and I’ve truly loved working with everyone here.
After starting out as an Occupational Therapist focused on health, I’ve been lucky to have a wonderfully varied career more broadly in Community Development.
Spanning from Melbourne’s western suburbs to Timor-Leste, Zambia, statewide programs and finally in the fabulous Northern Suburbs,
it has all been very rewarding thanks to the amazing communities I’ve worked among. And so, Lalor Neighbourhood House has been a really special way to finish my career.
I’ve loved working with our fantastic committee, our dedicated childcare educators, ACFE teachers, the After School Tutoring and the Homework Club teams, our incredibly creative DSS project crew and our brilliant management and admin team – both old and new.And the growing number of amazing volunteers and students who join us! All such smart, fun, generous people.
I’m proud of how we’ve transformed LNH from a tired old building and weedy front garden into a stunning space surrounded by beautiful gardens, enveloped in art that celebrate both the environment and cultural diversity—my two great passions. It’s not just the murals or gardens that make LNH special, but the creative, kind people who fill it every day. As someone said the other day, LNH is such a vibrant and busy place these days!
I’ll still pop back now and then, to volunteer in the garden, collect Josh’s eggs for food relief and shop at the best shopping center in Melbourne. But I’m looking forward to spending more time in my own more rural communities and getting more connected locally. Because, as I have learnt over the years – community connection is the best medicine for us all!
And thank you all for making my last five years so much fun!
