G'day from Verandah

Things have been busy in the Neighbour Day world. Our fantastic Ambassadors have been helping us look at new ways get the neighbourly word out there. More on that soon!

We know the strong link between the love of a pet and good mental health and that is why we warmly welcome a new Very Neighbourly Organisation - Pet Guardians, where all their proceeds go to support elderly people in our communities to have healthy pets. More good news as the very active Brimbank City Council joins with Neighbour Day as our first Local Council Very Neighbourly Organisation in Victoria.

Our website and downloadable free resource kits for Neighbour Day hosts, councils and community groups, and the workplace are also undergoing an update which should be ready by the end of October, 2015.

In this 2^nd edition, we catch up with Neighbour Day Ambassador Natalie Ahmat on the verandah; announce the Neighbour Day photography competition winners; hear from our Very Neighbourly Organisation Reachout.com with a reminder there is life after Year 12; check out a very fun library; and finish up with an update on Neighbour Day 2016.

Neighbour Day Ambassador Natalie Ahmat on the verandah

In my work as news reader with NITV News I am involved in some great neighbourly events. In Dubbo, NSW I was there for the roll out of the 2015 Koori Knockout. Over 48,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people came from communities across New South Wales to revel in some amazing footy at one of the biggest sports gatherings of Indigenous people in the world! It was a fantastic time for family, neighbours and the wider community to be together and connect.

Later that week, I MCd the Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra’s 40^th Anniversary Gala Dinner and Awards in Wollongong, NSW. It was a celebration of the work of some remarkable people from many different cultures who have worked to make our neighbourhoods and communities better for over 40 years. To me, community, connectedness, and culture go hand in hand… and that’s why being involved in Neighbour Day is a no-brainer. I encourage everyone to get out there, to introduce yourself to a neighbour you haven’t met before or to stop and yarn to someone in your street. You never know who you’ll meet and you may even make a new friend!

'WINNERS of 'my neighbours, my neighbourhood'
photography competition

Wonderful neighbours and neighbourhoods exist all over Australia. But what do they really look like? We have a much better idea now!

Thanks to all who entered and shared their great photos to help us show the diversity of our amazing neighbours and neighbourhoods – whether in the cities, suburbs, rural or remote Australia!

Winning entries for ‘my neighbours’ category are :
1st ‘Bathurst Copperwing Couple’ by Julia of NSW,
2^nd ‘Neighbours Cleanup’ by Maureen of WA,
3^rd ‘Sack Race’ by Sharon of VIC.

For the ‘my neighbourhood’ category winners are :
1^st ‘Blue Hills’ by Will of NSW,
2^nd ‘Quandong Tree’ by Sarah of NT, and
3^rd ‘Sunrise in Kingston Town’ by Renae of TAS.
Visit neighbourday.org to see more winning photos.

There's Life After Year 12 Exams

It is exam time across the country, so no doubt there are Year 12 students stressing about their results right up and down your street. Very Neighbourly Organisation ReachOut.com wants them to know that while it’s important they do their best, that their results will not define the rest of their lives.

Reach out to your neighbours studying hard and stressing out this month to let them know There’s Life After Year 12 Exams.

Very neighbourly libraries

Libraries are social hubs and welcome ALL members of the community. Your local library is a terrific place to find out what is going in your neighbourhood and a great way to meet the locals. Libraries offer so many useful services and resources and have super friendly staff to help you out. Very neighbourly we think!

Our friends at the Shoalhaven Library went to great lengths to explain exactly what libraries do in 2015. Things have really changed! This video Librarian Rhapsody (yes, think Queen!) has had over 135,000 views! #Check It Out! #Libraries Really Matter!

The home of Neighbour Day

At Relationships Australia we think Neighbour Day is important. By registering for Neighbour Day you are putting up your hand to show that you (and your neighbours) want to be a part of something bigger. By that we mean connected, healthy and resilient neighbourhoods.

Registration also tells us where and how many people have caught the neighbourly bug and that the neighbourly movement is growing. You may wish to celebrate on the day (it’s Easter Sunday this time around), or choose another day that suits you and your neighbours best.

Remember, the Neighbour Day 2016 e-kit will be launched by the end of October 2015. That gives you up to five months (!) to plan your event. Whether big or small, (perhaps mow your neighbour’s lawn!) – try to do something neighbourly to celebrate great neighbours and the strength of neighbourhoods.

When you register your event or activity (including which day you choose to do it) you can access our FREE e-kit with resources to help make participation easy.

The community you want starts at your front door. ™

Relationships Australia is the home of Neighbour Day

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@NeighbourDay

neighbourday.org