The magic of Millgrove left its community feeling “fuzzy and beautiful” after around 500 people took part in this year’s Millgrove Open Day.
Organised by the Millgrove Residents Action Group (MRAG), the Millgrove Open Day took place on Sunday 12 October where local organisations, businesses and emergency services held stalls, demonstrations and more.
MRAG vice president Phil Pomaroff said MRAG had “certainly upped the ante” this year, with the day bringing in lots of locals and out-of-towners together.
“That’s one of the big things we’d like to emphasize is how it brought the community together, and helped people find out what’s going on in the community.
“The variety of community and the interactions were really good this year and I think people stayed longer and went and talked to people,” Mr Pomaroff said.
The Upper Yarra SES’s Jaws of Life demonstration offered a unique insight into how the life-saving tool works while the Wesburn-Millgrove CFA got residents bushfire ready with the assistance of Captain Koala.
Many lauded the chai and scones from the Koha Community Cafe stall, the Upper Yarra Rotary’s sausage sizzle was a hit and coffee by Brewed Awakening Jacci came in clutch for those needing a caffeine hit.
With support from the Community Bank Warburton-Yarra Junction, Mr Pomaroff said there was little demand to spend lots of money.
“The funding just allows people to come and enjoy the day without having to put in their pockets, apart from maybe buying a sausage.
It enabled MRAG to host a variety of entertainment options for all ages on the day, including face painting, a snake stall, show bags, a jumping castle and much more.
Ms Halit said MRAG was thankful for the support from local organisations as it demonstrated the mutual trust between groups and businesses in the community.
“It’s very rewarding to feel that they have the trust in us. They keep supporting us year after year because we’re obviously doing a good job and advertising them and thanking them along the way,” Ms Halit said.
Local Millgrove cartoonist Nick Love also brought in many interested viewers with his caricature drawings.
Mr Pomaroff said Mr Love was very happy to be back in Millgrove and interacting with the community.
“He’s just so pleased to be back and helping Millgrove, it’s very heartfelt and he just loves helping the community.”
Ms Halit said showcasing the emergency services helped inform the community on what they do.
“It’s such a great thing for them to be there because you might drive past the CFA, you might drive past the SES, but you would never stop to ask what they actually do.”
AusNet were also at the event where they showcased one of their Emergency Management Mobile Assistance vehicles (EMMAs) which will be deployed to communities impacted by future large scale unplanned outages.
EMMAs are fitted with charging points for mobile devices, satellite internet access and crucial first aid.
The open day had been a year in the works for MRAG, but president Maureen Halit said the efforts paid off.
“It was a huge job, but then to bring it together at the last minute, it is major pressure but it’s all worth it when you see the connections made between all the different storeholders and community groups,” Ms Halit said.
