On Wednesday, July 17, the Oatlands community celebrated a significant milestone with the official opening of a new community hub. This vibrant and welcoming space is set to become the heart of the community, offering essential services, and fostering social connections among residents. The opening ceremony was graced by the Local Member for Lyons, Jane Howlett, who expressed her enthusiasm for the hub’s potential to transform the lives of many in Oatlands and surrounding areas.
“The Hub will help the Oatlands community to be more connected and to become a gateway for services, providing a base for referrals to services and for services to be able to link to the community,”
said Minister Howlett. She highlighted the multifaceted role the hub will play, stating,
“It will also help the community encourage social participation and assist in improving the economic and personal wellbeing of community members by providing many worthwhile services including emergency food relief and children’s activities.”
The new hub is a collaborative effort funded by Communities for Children and Hobart City Mission, supported by generous community donations. Mary-Ann, the Community Development Officer at Hobart City Mission, has been a driving force behind the hub’s development and daily operations. With a background as a chaplain at Oatlands District High School and extensive experience in community work, Mary-Ann brings a deep understanding of the community’s needs.
I started in this position in January 2022,” shared Mary-Ann. “I used to do this work before I became a chaplain, so it’s nice to get back into it.” Her role involves identifying gaps in services and activities in Oatlands and the surrounding towns, ensuring that the community’s needs are met. “We offer emergency relief, food relief through the free pantry in conjunction with the Oatlands Community Association, monthly shopping trips, social Scrabble group, and various after-school and holiday activities,” she explained.
Mary-Ann’s dedication to building trust within the community has been pivotal.
“The hub is about building trust back again in the community. It is here to stay, not just for five minutes and then step back out again like some services have done in the past,”
she emphasised. This trust is essential for the hub to function as a conduit for accessing services and fostering sustainable programs.
Looking ahead, Mary-Ann is optimistic about the hub’s future. “We’re going to expand by using a Healthy Together Grant that Hobart City Mission secured. That’ll help provide a project officer, so I won’t be working alone. It will be interesting and a huge undertaking, spreading out even further than just Oatlands to the whole of the Southern Midlands,” she said.
A successful outcome for the Oatlands Community Hub, according to Mary-Ann, involves sustainable programs, building trust, and a thorough understanding of the community’s needs. ‘We are here to listen to the community voices, to be led by them and to build partnerships along the way.’
Mary-Ann also highlighted the significant disparity in service availability between Oatlands and other areas. “Oatlands totally lacks services. Our community are often required to travel for an hour or so to get to services that are easily accessible in other local councils closer to the cities. This lack of services underscores the importance of the hub in providing essential activities and support, such as the monthly shopping trips for residents who cannot travel to Hobart.”
“The shopping trips have been a godsend for a lot of people in the community. It’s a big tick for us,”
said Mary-Ann. The hub’s efforts to secure more funding aim to offer additional opportunities for social engagement, such as trips to the movies, which many residents currently find inaccessible.
The new community hub stands as a testament to the resilience and resourcefulness of the Oatlands community, providing a beacon of hope and connection for all its members.
The building has been freshly painted and is a comfortable and welcoming place. Mary-Ann is an incredible artist and there are many unique artworks throughout the building that she painted to make the space feel warm and comfortable. There are rooms specifically set up for children to play with a huge assortment of Lego whilst mums and dads can join in or relax and have a chat and a cuppa.
The Oatlands Community Hub is usually open on Mondays, Tuesday mornings and Wednesdays at 9 Barrack Street, Oatlands.
