Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre

The 30th anniversary of the Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre was celebrated recently with a gathering in the Cottage at which some of its milestones were highlighted by in a speech by Bill Chandler and a DVD presentation of photos of some of the many community events held since opening day in July 1978.

Bill has been involved from the beginning as an initiator, a planner, coordinator of the original committee, member of the committee of management for 28 years and editor of this paper since its inception. The Chandler Room was named in his honour at the Centre's 20th anniversary and at the recent celebrations Robert Clark MLA spoke of the significance behind the names chosen for three rooms and two outdoor areas of the Centre.

The Swinnerton Room recognises the Centre's first permanent coordinator, Viv Swinnerton, but is also dedicated to our early volunteers and Viv's co-workers, Jo Lording, Ann Rowe and Lynette Clinch.

The Cerini Room acknowledges the role of Natale Cerini, an early resident of Surrey Hills and a community-spirited man involved in numerous activities from the 1920s until 1950. His daughter Jocelyn and son-in-law Ken Hall have been vitally involved in the preservation of the history of Surrey Hills and the development of the Centre's Heritage Collection.

The Maitland Room recalls the Zeplins, a musical family who owned a large allotment bound by Bedford Avenue, Union Road and Montrose Street and who were responsible for building both the Cottage and the house next door.

Outside, to the rear of the Cottage the small garden is now known as the Rumpf Rose Garden in honour of Jim Rumpf, a Camberwell Councillor and Mayor who had a keen interest in community and who was a great supporter of this Centre, and the Armitstead Courtyard adjacent to Union Road recalls the former use of the site as Armitstead's Wood yard from the early 1920s until the 1970s.