Postcard project brightens up Brown Hill

DESCRIBED by its creator as a “rainbow project,” Brown Hill’s meet-a-neighbour postcard initiative is spreading love and friendliness around the suburb and beyond.

A project of graphic designer and illustrator Kelsie White, it launched just after she became a “Brown Hillian” in March, moving to Ballarat from Melbourne’s West.

“We lived in Footscray for three years, and there’s a really big sense of community and heart that I loved there,” she said.

“The first thing I wanted to do when we came here was connect to my community, get involved and volunteer, but that wasn’t possible because of COVID. It was really tough,” she said.

“I couldn’t take my neighbours fresh, baked goods or flowers, but with my professional design and community development backgrounds, I decided to print little cards and drop them into my neighbours’ letterboxes.”

Walking her dogs, Ms White got to know Brown Hill very well, and quite quickly, but had a desire to get to know its personalities even more.

“There are so many beautiful homes and gardens that I wanted to compliment. I couldn’t knock on doors, introduce myself and meet people that way face-to face, but I could drop them a little postcard.”

A member of the Brown Hill Progress Association and social media manager for the Brown Hill Community Newsletter, Ms White has been able to spread the word about her cards by writing a piece for the publication and including a card in newsletter delivery bundles.

“With restrictions lifting, we thought it would be a really good time to print more and get them out and about. Some people even sent them to friends in Melbourne’s lockdown, so it hasn’t just stayed within the postcode.

“In case people wanted some extras to spread some more love around, we dropped stacks of cards to cafes, who were delighted to have them,” she said.

“Some people have sent me through some really beautiful photos of kids writing letters to their neighbours, running off and delivering them.”

Whether the postcards are delivered with a signature, or are anonymous, Ms White is glad Brown Hill has embraced the project to “make people smile.”

“I hope it has inspired others to find a way to connect with their neighbours in a friendly way,” she said.

Ms White is grateful locals have also engaged with her creative work, discovering her business through the letter-drop.

Any Brown Hill local interested in writing a community-centric piece for the newsletter about a project they are working on is encouraged to engage with the editorial team.

“It’s fun, easy and not a huge commitment.”

Visit facebook.com/BrownHillCommunityNewsletter and kelsiewhitedesigns.com.