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Centre Talk
16 February 2025
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Monday 17 February - Classes begin
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Friday 21 February - Centre Liaison Group Meeting
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Friday 14 March - Centre Presents Talk
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Friday 21 March - Centre Lunch
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Friday 28 March - General Meeting
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Welcome back for 2025 - classes start on Monday 17 February!!
Whatever class brings you to the KCLC you can be guaranteed of the following: renewal of friendships; create new friendships; humour; passionate tutors; new skills to learn or hone the ones you already have; and enjoy the conversations that arise especially when you indulge in morning or afternoon tea.
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This can be a time to disengage from world events, which you can ponder or discuss, but feel lucky to live in the Perth Hills.
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Enjoy the year, hope it brings you joy, and remember you are never too old to learn and create those new interconnections in your brain.
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From the Executive...
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Welcome
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A very warm welcome to everyone for the first semester of 2025.
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We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New year Holiday break and are now looking forward to your classes.
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A special welcome to new members who are joining us for the first time. If you have any problems, please speak to Reception where your enquiries will be directed to a Duty Coordinator, Registrar or Office Manager.
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Additional information concerning tea and coffee breaks, workplace health and safety, etc., will be provided to you during your first class.
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Keeping the Centre Running
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We are sure the majority of Kalamunda Community Learning Centre’s members know the history behind the Centre’s years of successful operation, particularly as a large number of you have been involved in some way or another for many years.
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It was started in 1977 after a lot of hard work by four women who found the Centre its first home in the old golf clubhouse in Jorgensen Park. The Centre officially opened its doors for the first time in 1978 with a playhouse for the children.
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After a lot more hard work, KCLC successfully grew into the Learning Centre we now have. A wonderful new building emerged and opened its doors in March 2021 housing one of the largest Learning Centres in Western Australia today, continuing to operate on the strong volunteer ethos on which it started – a true example of the Learning Centre movement.
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A fuller history of Kalamunda Community Learning Centre is available on our website and also in the KCLC Handbook.
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We now have approximately 800 plus members and the running of the Centre is overseen in a number of ways.
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We have the Annual General Meeting and General Meetings during the year open to all members.
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At the Annual General Meeting, members of the Executive Team are elected – currently there are seven (Principal Coordinator, Coordinators x 2, Treasurer, Registrar, WHS Officer and Secretary). They meet on a regular basis to ensure the day-to-day running of the Centre and work on issues requiring approval by the membership.
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The Centre Liaison Group is a monthly meeting of all Workgroup Leaders, Assistant Coordinators, the Office Manager and Receptionists that links into the Executive Team. This Group aims to identify and find solutions to challenges encountered by the Workgroup Leaders and members to assist the Executive Team in ensuring things run smoothly.
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It has now been decided to open up the Centre Liaison Group to all members who may be interested in becoming more involved and wish to know a little more about the way issues are dealt with and decisions are made. Please email the Secretary if you wish to attend the monthly Friday meetings. If you are unable to make a meeting but wish to present an idea or comment for discussion, please also email the Secretary. The first meeting for 2025 will be held on Friday 21 February at 10.30am.
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The Centre is extremely successful but as a result a lot more work is involved in the day to day running. All KCLC members are asked to volunteer for a Workgroup at the Centre and every little task undertaken helps to make the Centre successful. However, we need members to consider stepping up into some of the more responsible roles. Any member stepping up to take on these roles will be provided with full assistance and training.
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If you would like to consider taking on a more active role at the Centre or attend the Centre Liaison Group meetings, please email the Secretary at secretary@kclc.org.au.
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Thanks from the Executive
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Calling all KCLC artists!!
Following a recent meeting of the Centre Liaison Group, its been suggested that we furnish the reception area with a 'Welcome' sign. The suggestions were either a wooden sign for the desk saying 'Reception' to sit on the counter and/or a painted sign to be displayed on an easel in front of the desk.
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Dimensions for works of art:
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- Wooden sign would need to be a rectangular shape, approximately 14 cm x 30 cm, and easily removable.
- Painting would be a colourful canvas approximately 70 cms x 50 cms and sit on an easel at reception saying Welcome!
Therefore, we're calling for volunteer artists and craftsmen to step forward to undertake the project.
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Please forward names, ideas and any further queries to the KCLC inbox kclc@kclc.org.au
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Thank you, KCLC Executive
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Centre Presents Talk...
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Join us for the first Centre Presents of the year on Friday 14 March as Michelle Lekhoathy, Community Development Team Leader from Advocare, presents an engaging and informative session on how Advocare can assist you in navigating your aged care journey.
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Advocare is the Seniors Peak Body in WA and offers free, confidential and unbiased services to support older persons. Michelle will discuss topics including how advocacy can assist you, Advocare Services, accessing tailored support in your area, identifying elder abuse and how to address concerns.
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Date: Friday 14 March 2025
Time: 12.45pm to 2.45pm
Location: Kalamunda Community Centre Hall
Cost: $5 (incl. afternoon tea) to be paid at Kalamunda Community Learning Centre reception to confirm attendance.
Booking deadline: Wednesday 12 March unless sold out prior.
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Members and non members welcome to attend!
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Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
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In the 1960s, Betty Edwards as an art teacher in Los Angeles, first began to understand how best to teach drawing. Subsequently, these insights became her doctoral dissertation, and then the best-selling book. Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (first published in 1979; revised in 1989, 1999, and 2012) which demonstrated that creativity can be a learnt skill. The book has been used as a standard text book all around the world ever since.
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I could not draw before I first did this course in the early 1980s – After that course I found I could draw and have not stopped exploring my own creativity ever since!
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During 2024, I realised that a number of the KCLC members either had or knew about Betty’s book, but had not explored it in any detail. I approached the KCLC administrators as I was keen to offer a short course during the summer break based on the book and associated exercises from her workbook. The Centre called for expressions of interest and the response was amazing.
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Ultimately, 28 were on the roll and completed five morning sessions during January 2025. The formal programme associated with the book would usually take around 30 hours to deliver but I was able to produce a condensed version which covered the essence of each chapter. It was supported with a simple webpage that I produced especially for it.
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I was extremely impressed by how diligent the group were in following all instructions including pre-reading in their own time and maintaining silence during the exercises, something that several (silent!) visitors noted.
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Feedback from the participants after each session was very positive (see images). Success can be measured in that we started with 28 participants and finished with 27!
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Note from the Editor:
I attended this short course and, after having a quick glance at my drawings, reached the only conclusion possible; I can play the ukulele better than I can draw 😂😂. Maybe my left analytical side of the brain is too old to rewire?
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It was a pleasure to meet more KCLC members and appreciate Mavis's enthusiasm for the subject.
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Thanks to Anne-Marie (Co-ordinator) for some of the photos.
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Class News...
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Thursday Philosophy Circle
What is the Circle all about?
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Pretty easy really, we sit in a circle and talk philosophically. It’s not an educational course, but I hope we learn something every week. The idea is to question what somebody else reckons is good (or bad), and to ask yourself why you agree, or disagree.
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I try to find/write/make up short documents on a wide a range of subjects related to people – ourselves, others, societies, philosophers . . . . Some like to learn names and dates, but that is not a requirement. A little context is useful but you can pick that up along the way. We don’t do present day politics or dogma, as you don’t need to come to KCLC for that!
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A few of the subjects I am thinking about for this semester are chivalry, babies and child bearing, humour, development of ethics, fear, relaxation, Bertrand Russell and a few from the group.
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Have a think about joining – or join and have a think. Morning tea allows sanity to return.
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Official class news reporters
There are official class news reporters this semester - it is one of the workgroup volunteer choices. These members will be submitting a short snippet with a photo about their class. Each Centre Talk will include a selection of these class news. One way to find out about the diversity of interests members of the KCLC are undertaking.
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The submissions can be emailed to centre_talk@kclc.org.au or written notes handed in to KCLC office. Thank you to those who will contribute throughout the semester.
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Registrar's Rambles...
In this regular segment, I hope to address some enrolment FAQs and offer enrolment advice...
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I am pleased to say that enrolments went much more smoothly this semester than in the past. This was thanks to diagnostic testing of our website and subsequent tweaks and updates, an increased capacity of the server and improved connections at the Centre. Our many volunteers who assisted at the Centre also enhanced the experience for those who came in for assistance in enrolling. Thank you to all the helpers!
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On-line enrolments closed at 5pm last Monday. During enrolment week we processed almost 800 orders and welcomed 98 new members.
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During the first two weeks of the semester, we do not accept class visitors or late enrolments (except for new members and returning members with extenuating circumstances – a $10 administration fee is charged). This allows all the classes to settle in and any problems to be sorted out. From week three we will accept late enrolments for classes that have vacancies, but full course fees are charged.
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I wish everyone all the best as we come together again to learn, laugh and celebrate our community.
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In Memoriam...
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Shirley, a former Mahjong tutor for many years, passed away late December.
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She was passionate about the game of Mahjong, a very skilled player and well liked by her classes. She was very generous with her knowledge and time and will be sadly missed by the Kalamunda Learning Centre Community.
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