Community Grants Program

Visual: Exterior and front entrance of She Shed Cairns building.

Audio: My name's Noelle Halpin, and I'm the She Shed Cairns president.

Visual: Women gather in the shed, talking warmly and moving into shared workspaces.

Audio: We have created a welcoming space for women to come together.

Visual: Interview with Noelle Halpin in the workshop, with tools and timber visible.

Audio: We're a member-based organisation. We're here for community, connection and creation really — so they are our three things.

Visual: Women participating in the workshop.

Audio: It's ladies only, obviously.

Visual: Close-ups of workshop supplies and materials laid out for participants.

Audio: We were very happy to receive the community grant. That grant enabled us to purchase supplies, materials, tools and equipment.

Visual: Facilitator guiding participants through woodworking tasks at benches.

Audio: As well as a facilitator, to be able to run this Woodworking For Life program.

Visual: Interview with Kylie Burke in or near the workshop environment.

Audio: My name is Kylie Burke. With the Australia Post grant, it allowed me to write a five week program to scaffold a series of skills and tools.

Visual: Footage of women learning practical making skills.

Audio: What's really important for this type of program is empowering women with skills and tools.

Visual: Women confidently using drills and hand tools with supervision.

Audio: Allowing them to pick up the pieces after things like natural disasters.

Visual: Tropical Cairns context and workshop imagery.

Audio: We're in a cyclone-prone climate — we're used to that. People have cyclone kits, but those practical repair skills aren’t always accessible.

Visual: Demonstration footage of a drill and timber being positioned for repairs.

Audio: Even knowing how to use a drill to secure plywood over a broken window — something as simple as that.

Visual: Busy workshop with women working independently and together.

Audio: This woodworking program proved very popular. Many women may not have someone at home to help with these kinds of tasks — and that's what we've found is the number one need.

Visual: Return to Noelle Halpin speaking to camera.

Audio: It's about getting out of the house, forming connections and being part of a community.

Visual: Participants proudly working on wooden items.

Audio: Creating something you can be proud of — but really, it's about being part of a community.

Visual: Interview with Jo, community engagement manager, with Garden Village setting.

Audio: Hi, my name's Jo. I'm the community engagement manager at Garden Village. Garden Village is a retirement living and aged care home in Port Macquarie on the beautiful mid-north coast. We support over 400 residents to age well at every stage of ageing, with a strong focus on resident wellbeing.

Visual: Seniors and students interacting together.

Audio: We saw an opportunity to bring this program to life by including a local school, inviting 10 students to join us for the Virtual Voyagers eight-week program.

Visual: Participants using VR headsets and engaging in paired activities.

Audio: Each week, seniors and students take part in a virtual reality experience, followed by a real-life activity to match.

Visual: Speaker is Casey Baldwin, FOunder and CEO of Intergenconnect. Group participating in a VR kayaking experience.

Audio: Today, we’re travelling to the Gorge de Tarn in France — we’re actually going kayaking.

Visual: Seniors and students interacting, laughing and working together.

Audio: These shared experiences are important because we’re doing things for the first time together.

Visual: Speaker is Jo, community engagement manager, with Garden Village. Wide shots showing age diversity in the group.

Audio: The oldest participant was born in the 1930s and the youngest in 2012.

Audio (continued): Programs like this create valuable opportunities for generations to connect.

Visual: Seniors smiling and engaging with students, joining in activities together.

Audio: Seniors say they look forward to the program each week, and students say it’s a place where they can be themselves and love visiting Garden Village.

Visual: Quiet moments contrasted with lively group sessions.

Audio: Many seniors don’t have close family nearby, or their families live in different parts of the country or world.
Visual: Close-up of a senior participant Karen Newell speaking.

Audio: I don’t have any family, and it’s so wonderful when they come — they bring such joy to us seniors.

Visual: Close-up for student participant Milla B speaking. Students participating confidently in activities.

Audio: I really love this program. It’s been really beneficial for me, especially my confidence. I feel more confident around my friends.

Visual: Speaker is Jo, community engagement manager, with Garden Village. Program activities in action.

Audio: Receiving the Australia Post grant was a very positive outcome for our community.

Visual: Seniors and students engaging in conversations and activities.

Audio: Students build communication skills and connect with seniors, while seniors get to share their life experiences.

Visual: Jo speaking to camera to conclude interview.

Audio: The program meets a real need by reducing social isolation and improving wellbeing.

Visuals: Drone footage flies above a two-storey warehouse building on a main road in Adelaide CBD. The camera cuts to two artists walking around the corner into the building. One is a man in overalls and a yellow and black check shirt, with a woman with dark hair wearing a bright floral jumper.

Script: The Mill is a multi arts hub based in Adelaide CBD. We support artists to thrive.

Visuals: The woman in the floral jumper is sitting at a desk in front of a computer screen speaking to camera. A title card appears with the name Katrina Lazaroff – CEO/ Artistic Director at The Mill Adelaide.

Script: We support artist to thrive. The idea is to give artists platforms to present their work in our galleries or in our performing arts space, to provide studios for artists to practice and small creative businesses to base here. So it’s a real thriving hub.

Visuals: The camera then cuts to 3 individuals who are talking and laughing in a room full of hats. One is wearing a hat and steaming another hat with an iron.

Script: The Art of Connection is a program we have developed in response to a lot of different artists really seeking further connection and between each other as artists in our arts centre. 

Visuals: The camera then shows shelves of colourful paint in containers, then cuts to two people sitting on the floor with a large dot painting in front of them. There is a First Nations woman laughing and explaining her painting, with a man sitting next to her listening and smiling.

Script:And the idea is to both celebrate who they are as artists, but also address some issues around feeling alone and unsure about futures. The project is really helping to connect people in our community, especially through the spotlight artist talks.

Visuals:The picture then changes to an older woman with a grey bun, sitting in front of a group of artists gesturing to photographs on a digital screen. The camera then cuts back to Katrina Lazaroff giving an interview about the program.

Script: When another artist is sharing their life and their life’s journey, through, you know, these talks and other artists are experiencing that sitting in a group together and they’re going, ‘wow, look at this person’s history and the challenges and struggles they’ve had, but also the wins they’ve had’.

Visuals: Small groups of artists stand in a gallery chatting and watching the spotlight artist talk.

Script: It’s actually brought out this sense of camaraderie and feeling of connection between each other that they haven’t had before.

Visuals: The camera cuts back to Katrina Lazaroff being interviewed.

Script: Receiving this grant was a great celebration on behalf of The Mill team because we’ve been spending the last year and a half really concentrating on nurturing our community here. 

Visuals: The camera zooms out on a wooden sign saying ‘The Mill – The Sum of All Arts’ - 154 Angas Street Kaurna Yarta. Then moves on to a shot from behind of two men editing video on two computer screens. The camera then zooms in on art supplies and paintings in progress on a table, followed by images of a group giving a man a gift and clapping, then flashes to some messy art desks covered in supplies.

Script: We have a very unique arts centre with, you know, resident artists here 365 days a year. It’s a very, we have a big responsibility and opportunity to take care of these artists based here. 

Visuals: We once again see the First Nations artist working on her dot painting with the man sitting on the floor next to her watching. The camera then switches to two artists standing underneath hanging art works and talking animatedly with their hands. The camera zooms in on the hanging art works, which are wiry and colourful, then pans down on the two artists speaking, one has short hair and is wearing all black, the other has long dark hair and is wearing a yellow skirt and black top.

Script: We’ve received feedback from artists quite enlightened by being given these opportunities and they’ve been kind of awakened by the especially the wellbeing workshops that some, some people have never done anything like that before.

Visuals: The image returns to Katrina Lazaroff at her desk being interviewed.

Script: It’s allowed us to do work that as staff that we haven’t had the facility or the resources to achieve. So we’re really grateful that these artists are being now triggered to share more with each other and they’ve been really excited by these spotlight sessions.
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