Annandale on the Web

Anecdotal History of Annandale

Annandale Neighbourhood Centre turns 30!

1979: local residents and community workers in Annandale persuaded Leichhardt Council to convert the Annandale Council Chamber building into a community Centre. They envisaged the centre would provide information, entertainment, child care, informal social opportunities, classes and activities for yourn and old! - Annandale Neighbourhood Centre, A Commemorative History 1980 -2010.

1980: Council agreed to allow the management committee to retain money paid for room hire.

By 1981, there were Yoga, Jazz Ballet, Physical Culture, Portuguese, meditation, counselling, Suzuki Violin, Ante-natal (home-birth) and self defence classes at the Centre. Annandale Pensioners, Annandale Association, 3 playgroups, singing, gardners, Mothes with first babies, ALP, Overeaters Anonymous, Twelve Steps programs, Stretch-A-Family, Pipi, Storm Theatre Company and Ethinic Arts and Crafts Co-operative also met at the centre. Functions, protest planning meetings and performances also took place in the upstairs hall - Annandale Neighbourhood Centre, A Commemorative History 1980 -2010.

1983: The Annandale Mothers' Groups started and with the assistance of Glebe Community Care and Youth and Community Services wrote and published "They Never Said it Would be Like This" - written by mothers for new mothers.

Annonymous Quotes from the 1997 Annual Report: "The Neighbourhood Centre was a way of breaking out of the house after the birth of the children". "After my mother died and I had no-one to talk to, I came here and was referred to people who could help me"

1996: "The Annandale Neighbourhood centre offers a wonderful room where unamplified music is heard to best advantage by an appreciative and participatory audience whose quiet, attentive supportiveness and warmth are rare and invaluable, treasured by performers" - Richard Mills, The Loaded Dog

1998:In this time of change and uncertainty we know there is one thing in the neighbourhood that is unchanged - our Centre. Driven by people, for people, and not for profit, with activities, information and help when we need it. It is not an accident that we call our Neighbourhood Centre "The Centre" - Dee Peters, Chairperson's Report

In this year, "The Centre" first published their program on the recently established Annandale on the Web.

2010: Playgroups have long been at the ANC, and insome years, as many as five sessions a week would take place. In 2010, there are 160 families associated with playgroups at the ANC, a Fathers' playgroup, and a German-speaking playgroup.

Activities at the Centre have changed with the times. The Aunties and Uncles Charity rents a small room in the Centre as to use as their administrative offices.

At the Centre you can do Tai Chi, Martial Arts, Scottish Dance, Qigong, Pre-Natal Yoga, School Holiday Programmes, Stress Management and Becoming Confident and Assertive, Art Attack Jewellery and mask making, Easter Wax Resist Painting, Australian Heritage Dancers, Chic Business for ages 10+, Swoop Physical Theatre and Dare to Draw!

30 years on "The Centre", at 79 Johnston St is a thriving focus of community life in Annandale, offering a full and diverse program of activities, to suit many tastes and well and truly meets it's 1979 objective of "accelerating community development".

This page www.ramin.com.au/annandale/story-ANC-30years-old.shtml last Updated: 14 November 2011.