Deloraine House 30 plus!

Photo by Mike Moores

Elena Olah and Debbie Smith with Deloraine House’s new bird bath.

ON THE last day in August, Deloraine House celebrated 30 years in the community and the little house on the corner was filled with laughter and stories of days gone by.

Over the day, close to 200 people came through the door, walking the halls and rooms that were covered in photos of the last three decades.

With music from the Ukarythmics, Lisa Yeates and Rob van der Elst, food from the Deloraine Lions Club and delicious apple juice from the Meander Valley Harvest Helpers, the back yard was a buzz of busy children running around and having fun. Adults sat around chatting and taking in the delectable smells of the vegetarian BBQ cooked by former volunteer Geoff Zwar.

Special thanks go to Deloraine Golden Opportunity Shop whose kind donations funded the event and the Deloraine Bendigo Bank for donations that went towards the children’s activities.

Some highlights were the unveiling of a mosaic bird bath by Niecy Brown and the sharing of memories from people including Polly Fowler, Nell Carr, Julie Roach and Sue Chaston.

The event wouldn’t have been possible without the wonderful Deloraine House volunteers, who put many hours into creating a fantastic event. Charlie Keane made a huge cake for all to share, as well as spending a whole day cooking soup and other things with Elena Olah and Jan Post.

Kristina Nicklason, Marilyn Day and Jan Post deserve a special mention as they worked so hard to bring everything together.

It was wonderful to see so many people celebrating the strength and connections in the community. It is exciting to dream of how the community will shape Deloraine House into the future.