Bendigo ratepayers to host family day

The Bendigo Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association (BRRA) will be hosting a family day at the Alfred Evans Hall in Sea Park on Monday, April 1 from 09:00 to 14:00.

It is an event geared around family and community, with games and Easter egg hunts for the children, a market and some lovely live music by young artists, a permaculture gardening demonstration, arts and crafts for all to join in, picnic baskets and lots of other activities.

Entrance is free, however, it also serves as a fundraiser for the Bendigo Food Drive, which feeds up to 50 families in the area.

Donations of non-perishable food items and canned food, a little treat for some of the children, and cash donations are welcome.

Chris Viljoen, the chairperson of BRRA, said the association is focused on getting the best service for residents, building a strong supportive community and developing the area for the benefit of all.

“We are blessed to have some active and caring residents who deal with most of their service reporting through their service groups. We boast a well-run clinic and curated library and our own Saps station,” he said.

Bendigo is also well represented on an environmental level boasting its own Bendigo Conservation Group, as well as environmental NGOs like Wessa and The Green Net. All of these are run and managed by volunteer residents.

He said they recently identified a need for a community centre, especially where their youth can come together through sports and other activities.

“Instead of putting the project together ourselves, we decided to make it a youth initiative where they can actively participate in the development of what they want their centre to be. We also chose to mandate them with community upliftment projects.”

The BRRA believes they are only as strong as the community they represent and that the youth is their future.

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