Success! Annerley Uncovered Community Expo

It was a rainy day on Saturday 23rd of August but the organiser's of Annerley Uncovered remained positive as they set up for a huge community expo in Annerley Hall on Waldheim Street. More marquees were located and set up in the car park, helpers turned out in their droves to lend a hand and the hall was soon looking festive, warm and inviting.

Inside the hall, there was a fantastic cake sale in aid of Annerley Community Plus+ and all the great work they are doing in the suburb to showcase community groups and assist with networking and bonding. This was a huge success and it was sometimes difficult to get to the table to choose your sweets!

The Annerley Baptist Church was making dumplings for a savoury lunch or treat which was funding a van for the Nepalese support group. These were delicious and sold out by the end of the day.

The Stephens District History Group and Fairfield Walking Tour showcased some of the amazing photos of the area to very interested and enthusiastic locals. The 'Frank Corley' exhibition was also a huge draw card where locals were invited to see if they could locate their house among a select few of over 65,000 local photos in the John Oxley Library.

Close by, Braille House showed how a vintage braille typewriter worked and you could ask the typist to write your name on a bookmark to take home with you.
Speaking of books! The Annerley Community Bookstore hosted a book swap alongside the local Op Shop clothing swap supported by Aid for the Blind, Vintage Revival, the Asthma Foundation and Southside Antiques. Customers were invited to bring books, clothes and collectibles along to swap with other items or donate gold coins for each item they took home. This was a huge success and many came back multiple times throughout the day to see what was new!

In the next room was the Junction Yarn Jammers showing off their skills in crochet and knitting. These ladies meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month in the Annerley Community Bookstore and just craft and chat with a pizza and home-cooked treats.

The wonderful Helen was 'art jamming' in the final room of the hall with children and adults alike invited to write in an 'Annerley Zine' and make their own reusable paper bag with their own artwork on the side. This room was often full to bursting with excited people making and creating with Helen's helpful advice.

Heading out into the carpark you could grab a sausage sanger as part of the Annerley Community Plus+ fundraising while you listened to the sounds of local band, The Rosenbury's.

After your lunch, the Stephens Croquet Club had a tent for you to have a go at swinging a mallet and learn more about the group. They also had free Cherry Ripes!

The Australian Breastfeeding Association had a stall with children's activities to keep the littlies occupied and were giving out some great prizes for taking part.

Two films were shown on the day, Brave New World and Friends of Hatcliff, with many asking for them to be repeated at another time so that they could sit and enjoy the whole movie. 

There were a few great workshops during the day including a chicken raising lecture and Serious Gardening talk in the back carpark.

All in all, it was one of the best and brightest days that Annerley has seen in recent years despite the rain. There were over 500 people who turned out to support and learn more about their neighbourhood and it warmed the cockles of our hearts and souls.

Thank you Annerley for being so awesome!