Sometimes in a country town, you know a lot about the residents in the general scheme of things, but a great deal can remain unsaid. Passing people at the petrol station or supermarket, saying, “Good thanks” or “Been busy” doesn’t convey the layers of life, particularly when raising little ones. The nights can be long, the subtle joys life affirming and the monotony of tasks draining. Emotions rise and fall, come and pass, but in a few hours, things change, along with the tide. That is why, a small outlet, where you can let go and float along, connecting with others along the way, is worth being part of.
Whether it is a sports club or a coffee date, or a ten-minute chat to the neighbour over the fence, the daily interactions we have generate meaning- these incidentals are the stuff of life.
A morning at playgroup can have a similar benefit. Playgroup can have the power to shift the mood of the day, or change the narrative. It can recharge batteries and refocus the lens of play and the ability play has to lift us and help us learn- and in different forms- creates a channel to converse and love.
The Romsey playgroup has been around since 1987, changing locations in town during that time. Flash forward to 2024, families meet within ‘The Hub’- a central gathering spot in the main street that houses the library, neighbourhood house and toy library, among other things.
Families make their way through the library to a brightly coloured room, welcoming with lots of natural light and an open outdoor play area. There are vibrant artworks and play spaces for the children to explore and enjoy.
Community members have pitched in over the years, keeping the playgroup energized and engaged.
Romsey’s current treasurer and acting president, Paige Kohler, said that locals Tamara, Mahdi, and Mahdi’s husband Adam, have been a great support for the community playgroup.
Tamara Manski initially joined in 2015, and while she later came off the committee, Paige said she stayed available to pass on any assistance needed by the brand-new committee that followed, “often answering odd questions at odd hours.”
“Tam spent many days alone in the outdoor play space weeding the garden, filling large council green bins each time. Often Tam was the only contact for the playgroup and led a skeleton committee for many years, even ensuring the playgroup stayed afloat over the Covid shut down period and harsh lockdowns in Victoria.”
“We are grateful that our playgroup was safe in Tams hands for so long,” said Paige.
There have been many Bunnings BBQ’s and grant applications submitted for fundraising, to bring the playgroup to life and improve the offerings.
Mahdi Nosatti has been a big advocate, at the forefront, finding ways to raise funds for the group. Many of the toys have been generational and kept, but the group continues to seek new resources on Facebook Marketplace and the like.
“Mahdi and her husband Adam have been a part of Romsey Playgroup for two calendar years and have raised thousands of dollars in fundraising at bake sales, sausage sizzles, all the trimmings, open days and grant applications all going towards building the children and families of Romsey Playgroup a new outdoor playground to replace our old rotted wooden pirate ship,” said Paige. “We are so grateful to have the Nosatti family in our community.”
Mahdi- with an honorable mention to her husband Adam- were awarded a Playgroup Champion award in 2024, as too was Tamara. This state-wide recognition acts to thank each family for their local efforts, bringing the playgroup together.
“I found my village through playgroup,” said Tamara. “I really connected with the parents and grandparents I met at playgroup, developing a rich support network. We would mind each other’s children, socialise outside of playgroup and offer advice or pearls of wisdom in our parenting journey.”
Tamara said that the playgroup has given families a chance to connect, for friendships to form. She also said that the group makes links with the wider community via The Hub.
“It’s also a chance for kids to develop their social, emotional and imaginative skills within a secure and familiar environment. It allows them to build independence whilst maintaining close ties with their carers.”
Tamara feels a great honour to be part of the playgroup and felt humbled by the “capable and motivated” committee who have continued to support the playgroup.
“I’d like to acknowledge those hard-working volunteers that came before and after me as they are the true spirit of Romsey Playgroup and the reason it continues to thrive today.”
While Tamara is no longer an active member, Mahdi has found great comfort being part of the playgroup on a weekly basis.
Mahdi’s family and in-laws are not locals in the area. As such Mahdi has had to build a sense of belonging, in amongst the disconnection that arose during the pandemic, and losing touch with mothers group members. This is not an isolated story.
“This is me creating my village and I’m hoping to be able to do that for other people and just helping, giving access to activities for families that might be really busy or a bit overwhelmed in the family space- if the play dough is already here then it gives those kids that chance to play with their fine motor skills and development.”
“This is helping to bring that back together. Connecting with other families,” said Mahdi.
Mahdi has an eye for spotting things that support community camaraderie- such as introducing families to the library with its abundant children’s story collection and things such as the printer- the local resources that make life easier- and fun. The little connections made in town send ripples, that loop one thing with another- most profoundly, each other.
“As a parent, you are busy and you are working and there is also the loneliness that comes with that because you are so focused on your kids and your career and trying to keep that boat rowing- and it just sort of gives you that place where you can come and connect with others to sort of alleviate some of the loneliness and that anxiety that comes with parenting. For me, that is what I see the playgroup doing because you get to create that connection.”
Romsey is a little township nestled in the Macedon Ranges, about an hour from Melbourne and around eight kms from Lancefield. It has rich agricultural land and has been a mainstay since the early gold rush of the mid-late 1800’s.
Macedon Ranges has one of the highest suicide rates in Australia. Mahdi said that the shire is working really hard, running a mental health first aid course in the area to help engage people to seek help- or, most crucially, to support others to be able to support someone else.
Living in a country community town, Mahdi said that the playgroup, and The Hub more broadly, help to ease the anxiety that comes with being a parent.
“It helps minimise that loneliness and all that comes, because it is a real concern.”
“..and for me this is it, this has helped me,” Mahdi said of the playgroup.
Several of the parents joke, but the playgroup does draw them into the present- not the jobs and chores that need to be attended to at home.
“I get…letting go of the cleanliness,” said Mahdi. “Not worrying so much about the dishes and just sitting in that play and following their lead and using our imagination- and seeing the joy as they play and engaging with them in that play on that level that they understand. It brings a lot more joy now that I have lent into it, I guess.”
“It gives you a real chance to connect with them.”
Mahdi talks about the rush that life sweeps you up in- “you spend so much of your childhood trying to be a teenager, an adult and then you become an adult and then you have kids and you go, I want to play a little bit more and be more in tune with the play of the child.”
“Just being really tactile and playing with things, being a bit experimental in the way that you could paint or draw or playing with food and getting out of the adult head- because we can make something today but we are just going to play and colour or whatever we find in the pantry, versus to what the measurement of success is, baking the cake no longer have to be the priority but just playing with the flour and water and doing that is enough- because that is all they care about.”
Mahdi smiles as she talks about the ways that playgroup has helped her to play, deepening her aptitude to play with her children.
“As littlies, that is how they communicate with you, words come second, but definitely play comes first for them.”
“It is a really nice space to block out all the other noise. If you are at home it’s really easy to say, I’m just going to do the laundry, they are just playing I don’t want to interfere I will just do the dishes but when you are here, this is my chance to sit and play with my children, engage with them and explore and engage with them in a way that you won’t do at home because all of those other responsibilities are there then also connecting with the rest of your community.”
Mahdi works at a pediatric occupational therapy clinic and finds that playgroup has helped her to become more acutely aware of the spread of typical development. Particularly as a first-time parent, playgroup allows a village of support and helps families to identify any concerns. While no child develops at the exact same time, Mahdi said that playgroup has provided a space for parents and carers to gauge how their children are going- and moreover, they are able to discuss the early years in a safe space.
“You are really recreating that village with people that you know.”
Mahdi watches on, observing how the children learn to advocate for themselves, engaging with other children, playing side-by-side or sharing. A big part of creating that comfort is becoming familiar with the space, the environment.
“They pass that anxiety being in a new place for the first time, they get familiar with engaging with other kids and helping to bridge that gap as well.”
Mahdi reflects that all the play and activities are positive and part of what makes playgroup- but at the end of the day, it is about showing up and being together.
“You never know who you are going to meet when you are here. I don’t know what it is like in the city but definitely, you are probably going to meet these families again- whether it is at school or whether it is going to be at sporting events if your kids are sporty and that will give you that chance to start creating those relationships really early and so that when you go into those things you have a familiar face and you already have a little connection for you to connect with people and then it is nice for all future children can keep connecting and building on those relationships.”
“Bringing people together, really bringing people together.”
The idiom ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ rings true at Romsey playgroup, but here too, the village cares for the adults and those who remain important to us- those who have come before, and those who have been. The village cares for the community- and those who are searching for support, for meaning, for fun, for a sense of belonging.
Connect with Romsey Playgroup: romseyplaygroup@gmail.com
Find Romsey Playgroup on Facebook HERE
Article by Sinead Halliday
Photography by Mylie Nauendorf and Romsey Playgroup