The Span project

The Melbourne suburb of Northcote is a typical egalitarian Australian community. Its residential areas were mainly settled between the wars and are now populated by a higher proportion of retired people than the suburban average. Northcote was chosen by the Brotherhood of St. Laurence as the site for an innovative program designed to involve local older people in self help welfare and community service. Once a week a dozen or so participants in the project run craft classes for local primary school children. Here the children are able to learn skills such as: woodwork; cookery; sewing; knitting; and crochet.