The Bowral Community Hall was the venue for the 2021 Wingecarribee Community Services Expo on Thursday, February 25.
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Coordinated by Wingecarribee Council, the expo brought together 35 of the leading community service organisations within the shire.
Due to COVID, the usual October Expo was not held in 2020, and current space restrictions prevented quite the number who exhibited in 2019.
"This expo facilitates bringing together the many organisations working in a diverse range of support services in our community," said Cath Brennan, from Wingecarribee Council.
"It's vital to bring these teams together both for improved communication between each other, as well as showing shire residents the depth of services available."
Councillors Larry Whipper and Ian Scandrett were both in attendance, Cr Whipper also in his role with Community Links Wellbeing and ReFrame. ReFrame is a major youth counselling consultancy established in 2018, to enhance the mental health of the Shire's youth.
The services in the expo address the needs of all age groups, with organisations specialising in youth services, TAFE NSW, a broad range of health and wellbeing organisations, aged care and dementia services, to name but a few.
Simone Phillips from Argyle Housing spoke of the vital role that liaison between specialist organisations plays for residents of the 700 properties which Argyle Housing provides in this region.
She explained the importance of customised programs and response from TAFE NSW, to ensure that residents with varying social challenges and educational needs could get their required start in a safe and adaptable way.
TAFE services coordinator Michelle Pontello acknowledged those comments, noting the often very specific needs of individuals.
At the same time Ms Pontello pointed to the many job-ready educational services TAFE provided to Wingecarribee residents within the Kirkham Street, Moss Vale TAFE facility.
Elly Alcock, a transition nurse at HarbisonCare, located in both Burradoo and Moss Vale, spoke of the need to accommodate people at different life stages and ensure that as their circumstances changed the organisation supporting them helped adapt its services accordingly.
In coming months most of the organisations will continue to meet, to keep improving interaction and continue to deliver much needed health, social and housing services within the Wingecarribee community.
With planned works to modernise the Bowral Community Hall starting this March, a decision on a location for the next expo is yet to be announced.
