Lynne has been actively involved in a variety of community activities for a number of years. She sees the importance of the local community being the focus point for many people to establish relationships and networks that help to enhance our society.

She was involved with Neighbourhood Houses when they were first being established as part of her Welfare Studies within the local rural community. Lynne had always intended to become more involved again. Her changing work situation has now enabled her to do this at ESNLC.

Lynne moved to Elwood over ten years ago and has also been involved with the establishment of a community garden, called “Poets’ Garden” that has enabled her to combine her interests in gardening and networking into the wider local community.

Ingrid is a new local to Elwood and was very keen to see the Community Garden, and lucky enough to have met Lynne and allocated a plot. Gardening and sustainability are a passion of hers and she is very grateful to have this in her life.

Her background first started in an Accounting firm where she learnt about tax and bookkeeping whilst going to Swinburne University. Then there was the period of having her three children and working part time for clients, then another accounting firm.

Ingrid’s family business grew so much that she decided to leave her paid job to work alongside her husband at the time and see the business grow exponentially. Fast forward a few more years and she is now living with her son and working in the Renewable Energy Sector 4 days a week as an Accounts Manager and Payroll Officer.

Mary has lived in City of Port Phillip for 31 years and been actively involved in community activities for a number of years. Her children have attended the local kindergartens and schools. Her involvement in voluntary work started with the Emerald Hill Toy Library. She has also been involved at Liardet Community Centre and secretary for Balaclava Toast Masters as well as an interest in migrant resettlement, women issues and volunteer recruitment

Her professional background has been in the Community Sector working with Department of Health and Human Services, The Port Phillip City Council and The Not For Profit Sector. She has qualifications in Community Development, Adult Education, Disability and Aged Care.

Mary is looking forward to being a member of the management committee for the ESNLC contributing and making a difference.

Penny has been involved with the ESNLC for 28 years teaching yoga. She didn’t realize it was this long until a student reminded her that that’s how long she’s been coming to class. She has been on the committee for about 26 years.

What Penny loves about the house is the diversity of students/people that use the centre; people that perhaps may not feel so comfortable and welcome in many other places. This makes it a true centre for the whole community.

Penny works at the Queen Victoria Market in retail and teachs yoga at the Gita International School of Yoga in Abbotsford.

Jacqui Bridge has been an Elwood resident since 2001 and was first involved with the ESNLC through the fabulous toy library that provides local families the opportunity to borrow toys, games and puzzles. Jacqui now has two teenage daughters and during the past 10 years has been involved with volunteer activities for Elwood Primary and 1st Elwood Cubs and Scouts. She is keen to contribute to the local community through volunteering and supporting local activities and believes the ESNLC provides a terrific resource that supports the interests of a diverse range of community members.

Jacqui is an Industrial Engineering working in the energy sector. She is passionate about the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and arrest climate change. Jacqui is actively involved, through her work, in planning the electricity networks to enable the transition to cleaner energy. She has skills and experience in strategy development, electricity network planning and asset management. Jacqui hobbies include yoga, regaining, cycling and travelling.

Helen is a long time resident in Port Phillip and has volunteered and worked at the Elwood Neighbourhood House so she is very familiar with the Centre operations. Helen is extremely thorough and accurate so her administration skills will certainly benefit the Centre.

Ruth has a Bachelor of Education, has been a Student Welfare officer but now dedicates her life as a Feldenkrais Practioner for movements solutions. Ruth also is an expert in Reiki, Reflexology and Pranic Healing.

Ruth has volunteered in different organisations and brings a wealth of knowledge in community development. She has a deep interest in supporting people and organisations who love sharing good will in our local area and community.

Simon has worked as Elwood Toy Library’s coordinator since 2009. The toy library has operated out of ESNLC since the 80s.

Simone joined the ESNLC team in 2013 and brings with her many years of community and adult education experience. Simone studied Health Science and Arts at Deakin and facilitated community development projects in Bass Coast and Melbourne. After being accepted in the Toyota Community Foundation Mentoring Program 2016 Simone was appointed manager of ESNLC in early 2017.

Simone is originally from the Bass Coast and has a passion for languages and travel. She thrives on meeting new people and will always greet you with a smile.

Sheryl has been a bookkeeper for over 11 years working both in employment and as a contractor. She works one day a week at ESNLC and 3 days for a landscape design studio. Sheryl lives with her husband, 2 kidadults, a cat and a dog. Being active, walking, travelling, crafting and seeing live music make her very happy. And she’s just a little more excited by spreadsheets and balance sheets than she possibly should be!

Melanie is a qualified Social Worker with a very varied history. She began as a family therapist in Hobart then moved to England where she worked with the voluntary sector. She then moved into training, writing the education material for the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors as well as delivering the diploma of Welfare to international students. She volunteered with ESNLC to do a research project on how the City of Port Phillip recruit and celebrate volunteers. Melanie loved being at the ESNLC so much she applied for the Education Coordinator position. She loves meeting new people and seeing the regulars at the neighbourhood centre making work fun and interesting every day.

Lisa joined the ESNLC team in 2017 and is responsible for data entry and the quarterly uploading of stats. She has been involved in the Neighbourhood House Sector for over 19 years, working in administration, as well as teaching adult classes in drawing, calligraphy, pen and ink and floral art. Lisa loves working within the community house environment, meeting new people and experiencing all the challenges and rewards that come with it.

Maryanne has worked with the Roomers group across the last three years as guest artist and occasional facilitator, and is now stepping into the role of ongoing facilitator. Maryanne is a writer, director and producer who loves working across diverse contexts and with diverse individuals and communities. She also enjoys being a creative matchmaker–bringing together the talents, experiences and journeys of all involved in a project or process in exciting and unexpected ways. Maryanne has worked across the arts, community and public sectors, including time as a Radio National producer, artist in residence at Malthouse Theatre, and a team member of reviews into the mental health of several large-scale public organisations. Maryanne is a local resident of St Kilda and the mother of teenage twins.

Vivien is an experienced teacher who has taught literacy to adults with an intellectual disability and English as an Additional Language. With more than ten years’ experience in this area, Vivien has embraced the opportunity to be abreast of the industry by taking a Cert. IV in TAE. Vivien has been teaching since 2006 at our centre and is passionate about training adults from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Her aim is to create a friendly learning environment in which her students can develop not only language abilities but also confidence to communicate in a conversational or written manner. Vivien is currently teaching pre accredited and accredited training.

Tanya has a special ability for teaching the use of computers or electronic devices using an operating system from absolute beginners through to experienced users.

Tanya’s skills expand into presentation software, electronic tablets, smartphones and equipment from the internet era.

Tanya has a defined methodology in guiding participants to obtain a clear understanding of computers and technology.

Tanya is our computers specialist at ESNLC.

Penny has been teaching Gita Style Hatha Yoga at ESNLC for over 30 years at ESNLC. Penny graduated as a Gita Yoga teacher in 1989, she originally did the course because she just loved the yoga practice taught at Gita Yoga and simply wanted to do more yoga. Throughout her career as a yoga teacher the Progressive Yoga Relaxation, the Hatha style of Gita Yoga combined with the Esoteric and philosophy classes became a constant in her life. Participants love her gentle form of teaching and she has many loyal followers.

Monica has been doing yoga off and on since she was little and she has had some great teachers along the way and one at CAE said, “My job is to make you love yoga so much you want to do it in your own home”. Monica’s formal training was at Gita which used to be in Abbotsford and was one of the first yoga schools in Melbourne. Along the way, she’s done yoga retreats and taken classes and workshops from others to continue to learn and grow. Her aim is to have an inclusive class so that if you’re just starting out you can come along and if you’ve been practising a long time you can be challenged as well. A quote which sums up Monica’s thinking right now is “Our mistake is that we think we have so much time.” Come along and find some further balance, strength and peace on Tuesdays with Monica.

Damian has been an Art as Therapy tutor at ESNLC for over 12 years. He has a dedicated class of all abilities students who attend every Friday to create art using different mediums. Damian himself has a background in sculpture of native birds using wood and also specialises in water colour.

Victoriya is an experienced ICT Tutor for adults with EAL. She has an extensive teaching experience in delivering Information Technology and related courses to university students in Europe. She is a Ph.D. in Information Technology. She has an excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, good communication and team-working skills. She always shows her enthusiasm at helping students to do their digital journey. Victoria is an acknowledged Computer teacher for a Russian-speaking Community in Melbourne.

Jesicka joined the ESNLC team in 2019 first as a volunteer EAL assistant by way of a returning to work after starting a little family. Jesicka was then appointed EAL beginner teacher in 2020. Jesicka’s teaching style is dynamic and all her students say they learn really fast because she gives them confidence.

Karen McKnight is a writer/performer/editor and small press publisher who has worked as a trainer, mentor and workshop facilitator with organisations such as Prahran Mission, Family Drug Help, Headway Victoria, Roomers Magazine, Women on the Waterfront Inc, Juvenile Justice and World Vision.

She has also designed and delivered many writing and career pathway projects through the Council of Adult Education, Local Councils, Health Centres, Community Neighbourhood Houses and Drop-in Centres.

She is the creator of therapeutic writing projects and career pathway programs that enable individuals and groups to access the healing power of writing and story, narrative motivational frameworks, and digital media and journalism to aide their recovery or reconnect with community. The projects Karen designs and facilitates have been seen to fill a gap in the service system for individuals who have been marginalised by circumstances, illness or disability.

Helena has been working with us as an on the job trainer/mentor with our ARCS program since 2015.
She has had many years’ experience working in retail, retail management, administration and reception roles.
Her qualifications include Certificate III in Business Administration, Certificate III in Community Services and Certificate IV in Frontline Management.
With her work experiences and qualifications, she can guide our students to find their strengths and confidence to reach their goals.

Lisa is volunteering in reception after completing the Applied Reception and Customer Service course earlier this year. She has a background in education and art therapy. She really enjoys engaging with the local community and learning about the wonderful services provided by our neighbourhood centre. She is looking to find work in a community setting in the future.

Tony has been a volunteer at ESLNC for just over a year. He began volunteering after completing Applied Reception and Customer Service (ARCS) course at the Learning Centre. Tony has spent many years in the administration, retail and customer service. Tony helps out in general reception and special projects.

Ryan is a current software development student, and is very excited to be helping out in the area. He has always been passionate about tech and enjoys volunteering for the centre by taking care of the website and keeping it up to date.

Carolyn has been assisting Vivien in the pre-intermediate English class since 2013.  A local Elwood resident, she enjoys walking to ESLNC each Monday to work with the wonderful international students on their term projects. Carolyn holds degrees in English and Communications and has produced videos and events. These days she finds volunteering to help students with their English much more fun!

Antonio has been a volunteer at ESNLC since early February. He has a background as an Arquitect/Builder. Antonio really enjoys helping take care of the ESLNC’s infrastructure and improve his knowledge around building maintanence.