Issue 5: Everyone Invited to Verve Neighbour Day
March 25th 2011
Verve is inviting everyone to join us to celebrate Neighbour Day this year on Sunday 27 March.
Never heard of Neighbour Day? It hasn’t received much attention previously in Tasmania and in fact we think ours may be the inaugural event in the State, but Neighbour Day was actually founded in Melbourne in March 2003. It was initiated by Andrew Heslop after the remains of an elderly woman were found inside her suburban home. Mrs Elsie Brown had been dead for two years – forgotten by her neighbours, her friends and her family.
It was not until a neighbour eventually realised she had not seen Mrs Brown for an extended period of time that Victoria Police were notified. Sadly when officers broke into her home they found Mrs Brown’s skeletal remains still wrapped in a blanket on her sofa.
It is estimated Mrs Brown had died sometime in January 2001. Remarkably the gas, electricity, telephone and water all remained connected. While Andrew did not know Mrs Brown he was appalled by the apparent ease in which the world had left her behind. Neighbours had watched piles of mail, store catalogues and newspapers build up at her front door but they did nothing.
Widespread local and national media interest followed and it was this coverage that prompted Andrew to suggest a ‘National Check on Your Neighbour Day’. The concept was refined and renamed, and on Sunday 30 March 2003 the first Neighbour Day was observed.
Since then the evolution of Neighbour Day has been quite remarkable. The Hon Kevin Rudd became the first Prime Minister to publicly endorse Neighbour Day in 2009 and 2010.
At a global level Neighbour Day has been endorsed by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former President Bill Clinton and HRH The Prince of Wales who described it as ‘a splendid idea’. It was through Mr Annan’s enthusiasm that Andrew Heslop was invited to speak about the development of Neighbour Day in Australia at the United Nations in May 2008.
Now there are plans to make Neighbour Day a truly global event as an official UN Observance Day following ratification by the General Assembly, which could lead to an International Year of Neighbourliness sometime in the future.
At Verve, we love the sound of increased neighbourliness and we also strongly support strengthened communities, so we embraced the opportunity to start the movement in Tasmania.
Our event will include live music from Dixieland Express and an opportunity to take a look at our developing site. Activities will include the chance to build some strength at the outdoor gym, have a game of outdoor chess, or try your skill at a game of bowls or petanque. Bring a picnic, and we’ll put on a sausage sizzle. We’ll also be launching our community garden on the day.
The band will play from 11am to 2pm, and everyone is welcome, so please join us.
Neighbour Day at Verve
11am – 2pm
Sunday 27 March 2011
Stanfield Drive, Old Beach
First drawings of the Verve Community Centre
It’s always exciting when we see updated drawings and plans for Verve, and this week, we invite you to take a look at the first plans for our community centre. The Verve community centre will be the indoor social hub for the Verve community, when residents feel like some company. Although it is located in Stage 4 of the development, the community centre will be built at the same time as apartments in Stages 1 to 3, so that all Verve residents will have access to the facility as soon as possible.
Once Stage 4 is completed, the community centre will be located near the outdoor gym, community garden and pergola.
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