Page 1508 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 10 May 2006
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Labor Club and a local pharmacist. The plan is now in the process of being implemented. Very soon, we hope, West Belconnen will have a community health cooperative, as I said, thanks to the local community and local residents and stakeholders.
Building community links and partnerships actually builds our city. When people work together, they achieve magnificent things for Canberra. Not only are we becoming more inclusive and supportive as a community, but also we are developing important community links and Canberra initiatives and, at the same time, helping people realise their potential.
When I was elected, one of my goals was to work with the government on actively encouraging our community to build such networks, encouraging people to get to know their neighbours, developing a sense of community in their local areas, in the suburbs where they live, in their schools, in their churches and in their community groups. I wanted people to know the names of their neighbours, to be able to offer help and support when needed, to be involved with each other in sharing personal joys and celebrations as well as when things went wrong.
The idea is that strong links within the community create a stronger and more supportive community. This kind of community obviously is a more inclusive one. This kind of community makes sure that Mrs Jones, who is elderly and lives down the road, has some company during the week, is not alone all the time and maybe goes out with a neighbour. This kind of community may seem old-fashioned, but it is one that takes a casserole around to a neighbour when a family experiences trauma. This kind of community shares the job of driving the neighbourhood children to and from school, babysitting on a reciprocal basis, and making sure that the person next door’s yard, pets and mail are looked after when they are away.
Psychologist, social commentator and recent chair of the Community Inclusion Board, Hugh Mackay, discusses this subject at length in his book Turning Point. He says:
Our affection for the word “village” is a sign of our yearning to live in a more connected, interdependent community.
He went on to say that we are hoping for “closer connections with neighbourhood; the security of feeling ‘safe’ both physically and emotionally”.
A good example of how neighbourliness can be encouraged has been the formation of the community fire units in many suburbs, which, while training households to defend their own property, has the flow-on effect of building community in local streets. This is one of the best ways of encouraging the development of these strong links and partnerships and of a more connected and interdependent community than I have seen in a long time, bearing in mind my 30-year history in the community sector here.
Another example is the ’round town program of the Department of Urban Services. The ’round town program has established a range of community activities that provide a wonderful opportunity for people to get to know one another and for our community to develop those important links that I have been talking about. The other very important function of the ’round town program is the provision of opportunities for families to get together and spend time together in our busy day-to-day activities.
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