Mums Gather Launch (in partnership with The Mother Village)
Our first gathering took place at Yirran muru, an Aboriginal Interpretive Playspace located at Shellharbour Civic Centre. This is a space that I was looking forward to visiting with my son, even though he is not yet old enough to appreciate the history, culture and lessons available to him here.
Yirran muru translates to ‘many pathways’ in local Dharawal language. This space offers children and families the opportunity to experience a cultural journey from the land to the sea, following the footsteps of local Aboriginal people.
Mums Gather 1 May, 2023
Natalie (founder of Mums Gather) and I were thrilled to find that four other women turned up with their little ones to join the conversation. Our first topic involved something very close to my heart, Community. I was keen to learn how other women connect to their motherhood community. What we discovered was that the majority of women present had found it difficult to meet and connect with other mums and this was not through lack of effort.
It seems that social interactions aren’t a given even though we each share motherhood in common and may evidently be in need of companionship. We aren’t always confident to start a conversation with strangers and we don’t always know how or where to connect. Only one mum out of the six of us is part of a successful, committed mothers group that hasn’t dissipated over time.
A few of us are new to the Illawarra region which has naturally made the transition to motherhood and finding community more challenging. While it is thoroughly exciting to me to explore and learn the lay of a ‘new’ land, I acknowledge that it is also very daunting particularly when isolated from past communities, no longer working, and spending 90% of our time with our little people.
It is common to hear that mothers are only connecting with other mothers once or twice weekly. We hope that mothers feel encouraged and welcome to join us as we work towards expanding our villages.
Meeting these women and creating the space for everyone to have their voices heard felt inspiring. I never believed that as a mother I would seek the company of other mothers but I was wrong. This community is vital, I now know why they say, “it takes a village”.
I look forward to experiencing and documenting future gatherings.
“There are multiple elements to interact with and encourage imaginative exploration. Visit Burri Burri, a four metre hand carved interactive timber whale, to hear the story of Gang man Gang; climb Merrigong (the Illawarra escarpment) and explore the amazing treehouse; canoe across Jubborsay (Lake Illawarra) and source local bush tucker!
The educational playspace will also have areas where the spoken words of the local Dharawal language can be heard and signage to learn more about cultural ties.”
Mums Gather Flyer Volume 1
Collaborations
Mums Gather is open to collaborations! If you have a business that you would like to share via our social media and flyer, please contact us via email: mumsgather@outlook.com or send a note here.
