LLINC launches link to

By Jade Lawton
PAKENHAM’S Living and Learning in Cardinia (LLINC) launched a book covering its 20-year history last week.
The timing, midway through Neighbourhood House Week, reflects the organisation’s humble beginnings as a Neighbourhood House open just a few half days a week at 27 Main Street, Pakenham.
LLINC volunteers and users, councillors, mayor Bill Pearson, Berwick-Pakenham Historical Society president Bill Ronald and Star News Group director Ian Thomas were among the well-wishers at the launch.
“I think it is appro-priate that in the Gazette’s centenary year, we are here to mark the history of Neighbourhood House,” Mr Thomas said.
“I can recall the time when Pakenham had a police station with one officer, whose mode of transport was a white horse … when ice creams were one penny each, and there were more houses than shops in Main Street.
“Since then the shire had exploded, with 65,000 plus people living in the area, and four new families moving in every week.”
Mr Thomas said LLINC served the shire’s growing population well.
“This excellent service has been praised frequently over the years,” he said. “LLINC has made a constant effort to maintain and improve the quality of service.”
Committee member John Goff, who compiled the book, said LLINC offered an invaluable service to the community.
“LLINC provides a service, which can not be expressed in print. It goes right to the grass roots of people, and it’s very hard to express this in writing,” he said.
The book tells the story of how LLINC began, when a group of community-minded women met to consider establishing a Neighbourhood House in Pakenham.
Cardinia Shire Council offered the women the then unused Welfare Centre building at 27 Main Street in January 1989 – but by then the group had shrunk to just one woman, Mary Tyrell, of Nar Nar Goon North.
Ms Tyrell’s account of the first days, reported at the first annual general meeting, did not reflect LLINC’s current success.
“I conned Wendy Daley in to helping me and we decided to organise Tuesday mornings for a coffee and a chat,” she said.
“We sat around for about a month twiddling our thumbs with the kettle on, waiting to pounce on the first person who walked in the door.”
Judith Brown joined the Neighbourhood House as a volunteer co-ordinator of the adult literacy and basic education program, starting a 19-year association.
In early 1990, the Neighbourhood House was moved to 50 John Street so the previous building could be demolished and replaced with car parking.
In May of 1991 the council wanted to remove the building to make way for landscaping around the new library.
It offered another property, next door, on the corner of John and Henry Street.
A wheelbarrow convoy moved the equipment and furniture from one location to the next, and the organisation made use of both houses.
The organisation changed its name in 1995 to Living and Learning Inc to avoid being confused with the community organisation “Neighbourhood Watch”.
More recently, it was changed to “Living and Learning in Cardinia” to reflect the wide scope of enrolments.
The next move was far more controversial, with the organisation obtaining state grants to build, only to lose the site.
Several options were discussed, including land in Dunbarton Drive, Lilypond House, and vacant land on the highway, and the site on P. B. Ronald Reserve.
Rumours circulated that LLINC would move to Lilypond House, and users, including the patchwork group, fly-fishing club and callisthenics club, called an emergency meeting amid concerns they would be turfed out.
Then-president John Goff issued a progress report in response to the rumours, saying LLINC was being pressured to accept the Lilypond House but did not think it was an appropriate home.
Then, in 2002, LLINC was told to vacate its premises within six months. With trepidation, the group decided to reinspect the old basketball stadium at P. B. Ronald Reserve.
“The inspection group consisted of LLINC man-ager Judith Brown, presid-ent John Goff, treasurer Marlene Allen, architect Geoff Sergeant and structural engineer Len Dalziel,” Mr Goff recalls.
“It was a dull, cold winter’s day and the drab interior of the stadium with its small high windows and feeling of emptiness, created a forbidding atmosphere.”