There are 100 Community Hubs spread across four states in the country.
The three in Shepparton and Mooroopna are the only regional Community Hubs in Victoria. The rest are in metropolitan areas.
The hubs began as places of support for the school communities where they were based, but now they cater to the wider community.
With ever-changing timetables to allow flexibility for new guest speakers, various craft sessions and different seasons to nurture different produce in their gardens and honour various cultural celebrations, there are support, learning and connection opportunities for everyone.
However, not all hubs are the same, and despite being in the same locality, the three Greater Shepparton meeting spots vary greatly.
St George’s Rd Community Hub leader Liz Arcus says her participants come from 22 different cultural backgrounds and many can’t speak English.
But that’s not the barrier you might think it would be.
Wilmot Rd Community Hub leader Sarah Pearson says participants at her hub enjoy things such as its Friendship Café, where together they visit different places for picnics and outings.
Across the causeway in Mooroopna, Brooke Bowles, who runs the Mooroopna Park Community Hub, says her hub, like the others, helps fight social isolation, giving participants company and something to do when before they had nothing.
The Mooroopna hub has a program named ‘It Takes a Village’.
With that being the case, Greater Shepparton is in supportive hands, with its three hubs and their leaders open for business, facilitating the needs and interests of all their villagers.
In this Community Hub feature, News senior journalist Bree Harding takes a closer look at each one.
• Wilmot Rd Community Hub
• Mooroopna Park Primary School Community Hub
• St George’s Rd Primary School Community Hub
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