Wins for the northern suburbs

THE adoption of the 2024-25 budget on Tuesday was the culmination of months of hard work from councillors and officers.

Among the many highlights were several wins for the northern suburbs.

Two projects that stood out for me were funding for Windsor Park ($2.5 million, split into $2 million from the Victorian Government and $500,000 from Council), home of North Shore Football Netball Club and North Shore Seagulls Cricket Club, and the $1.6 million funded entirely by Council for stage 1 of the redevelopment of Norlane Community Centre to match the previous upgrades and redevelopments of other community centres in the north.

These organisations have done great things for the people of Norlane and the northern suburbs for many years, and to give back to them so they continue their work is essential.

The community-first approach both groups have adopted in how they operate was reinforced at a recent meeting I attended to hear about an upcoming program aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of women in our northern suburbs.

The program is a collaboration between the North Shore Football Netball Club and Norlane Community Centre and was conceived after Council provided a research grant for the project in 2023.

The research that was undertaken revealed some telling insights, including that only approximately 10 percent of the population attend a mainstream health and fitness centre, and a great many people in our northern suburbs lack the confidence and financial capacity to step foot into these spaces.

Respondents to an independent survey suggested that often the environment can be intimidating to a particular cohort of people and, additionally, many people in lower socio-economical areas cannot afford the cost of a membership to a gym or fitness centre.

The research also found that more women have these feelings of intimidation owing to issues around body image and self-consciousness, lack of representation and that gyms can often be male-dominated spaces.

Barriers to nutritional eating also needed to be improved across the board in lower socio-economic areas.

On the back of this, a pilot program has now been devised, and North Shore Football Netball Club and Norlane Community Centre want to hear from women who meet the criteria and are keen to transform their lives.

The target audience is women aged 18 and older who lack the confidence and financial means to join a mainstream health facility.

North Shore Football Netball Club is making its recently renovated gym and fitness facility available for the program free of charge, and specialised programs have been developed in collaboration with contemporarily skilled consultants to allow women and those lacking confidence to attend a mainstream fitness facility. Norlane Community Centre is assisting in attracting participants and leading the project.

This is a fantastic collaboration from these two organisations, and they need your help with the pilot. They are seeking funding support from sponsors and philanthropic bodies who wish to improve the health and wellbeing of women living in our northern suburbs. They are also looking for participants. Do you know anybody that might benefit? Maybe you could?

It is always so encouraging to see community groups working together to make a positive difference in people’s lives, and this is a wonderful example of why it is so vital that we properly fund projects that benefit those who experience disadvantage and isolation. If you can help or wish to be involved, please contact Norlane Community Centre by phoning 5275 8124 or emailing [email protected]

Cr Anthony Aitken

Windermere Ward,

City of Greater Geelong