April at GBCC....

14/3/2024

Each year we tell ourselves at Team GBCC that the first Term is the toughest, the busiest and feels like the longest - Term 1 has certainly been THAT !!
We have been so busy out and about in the community and working behind the scenes with units and Brigade that before we knew it - EASTER had crept up!
Over the years we have built such an amazing community with strong connections to our external stakeholders as well as setting the bar high for our programs and activities. This means that Term 1 has now become the pace setter for the rest of the year - we are already working on June/July Holidays and forecasting into our next funding period for July-December.
There has never been a better time to be posted to Brisbane and part of our community.

From the coordinator...

WOW - that was quite the month!

We jammed so much into March it was CRAZY ! Including working out if you can eat an Oreo without using your hands!

We continue to welcome and meet new families, this year has seen our memberships exceed previous years for the same period by a substantial amount which means our hard work getting our face out and about in the community is working. The annual DMFS welcome event is always one that brings both old and new faces to visit us at our stand, I left Lone Pine with my hug bucket FULL after seeing so many of our regular families all while sharing the amazing programs and activities we have on offer with families who had no idea we existed.

We kicked off our Youth Zone again and welcomed new and returning families to the program, a few of my little ones who flew the playgroup nest to start school this year transitioned to this program and with just one Term of school behind them it felt like they had aged 12 months into these super cool big kids who had such familiarity with the centre they eased straight into the program like they had always been a Youth Zoner. Youth Zone will continue as a regular program every 6-8 weeks for this year so stay tuned for the fun we have planned.

The next few months are jammed packed, our annual Mothers Day High Tea (SOLD OUT but set the record for the quickest event to sell out EVER in my time at GBCC), First Aid course, a creativity workshop, youth zone and our regular programming with a few surprise visitors from units on base (stay tuned for our upcoming visit with music and fun at our Playgroup) all of this before we clock over another financial year in July - might even be able to squeeze in another adult event mid year so stay tuned.

RED HOT TIP from me - the calendar attached to our newsletter is regularly updated by me as I lock in events and visitors so be sure to keep this tagged as your favourites to stay as up to date as I am !!

Until next month - Vonnie xx

From the committee...

Throughout the year Team GBCC engages in a variety fundraising activities, both inside and outside of the centre. Your purchases such as family memberships, drinks and cookies, session fees, plus recycling our drink containers, all add up! We also have some large fundraising events such as the sausage sizzles that we provide for the Base Open Day and the Brigade Christmas Carols. The funds that we raise allow us to invest in the running of the community centre, as well as purchases of new items to meet the needs of our members. We have previously invested in a brand new, automatic coffee machine (which has been celebrated by our playgroup and Mums and Bubs attendees!), some large eskies to support our events, and a deep freezer to store BBQ supplies.
This year we would like to expand the range of items you can borrow from GBCC! We understand that purchasing, storing and transporting large items around the country can be overwhelming, especially if they are used infrequently! Or perhaps there are some things you'd like to "try before you buy", to make sure they are going to be value for money for your family. Team GBCC has come up with some suggestions, but we'd love to hear from our members about what they would be interested in or find useful to borrow (for free!) from our centre.

Gardening tools like a battery-operated mower, snipper, blower and hedger- for those times when the usual 'outdoor-chore' person is away?
Camping equipment like a tent, sleeping bags, cooking utensils- to trial the 'camping with kids' idea before fully investing?
Sports and outdoor equipment like stand-up paddle boards and fishing- to use until the family outgrows them?
Kitchen appliances like a food processor, stand mixer or icecream maker- for those times when your catering needs are larger than what your cabinets can store?
Something else that we haven't thought of? We are always open to ideas!

Please us know your thoughts on the post in our Facebook group, or by filling out the survey below, so that we can be sure that we are meeting the needs of our community.