June wrap Up

June has been big for Mums of the Hills. From coming together at the beautiful Lantern Parade to sharing our story with other community groups, it has been a month of reminding ourselves why this community matters. We have also tackled the Facebook algorithm shift head-on and won! The craft night, self-defence classes and business networking events, provided more ways than ever to connect face to face through the cold and wet winter months. Thanks for showing up for each other and for this space. We are always better together.

Belgrave Lantern Festival - June 21

Mirtle 2.0 shone brightly in the Belgrave Lantern Festival on June 21.

The Belgrave Lantern Festival was a huge success, and so great to be part of it again. A massive thank you and congratulations to the organisers (and to Optus for sponsoring such a special event). The work that goes into making this happen is enormous, and it really shows. Thank you to our carriers too, Shani, Annemarie, Katerina, Shane, Catherine and Tom - we couldn't have done it without you.

The hundreds of hours poured into these lanterns? Worth it a hundred times over—especially when you hear little voices say things like:

“𝑊𝑜𝑎ℎℎℎℎ, 𝐼 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑒, 𝑀𝑢𝑚𝑚𝑦!”

This year, Mirtle Moth returned in her full 2.0 glory, now with a proper head, full wings, and some much-needed structural upgrades (last year’s version may or may not have been held together with a toilet roll...). Mirtle looked amazing, and we were so proud to carry her through the crowd.

Hearing people cheer “𝐺𝑜 𝑀𝑢𝑚𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠!” made our hearts swell. But the moment that really got us (well me at least) was when gorgeous Clio shouted out:

“𝑾𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆!”

A lump in the throat moment, for sure. Because she’s right. We’re here, we’re part of this community, and we’re not going anywhere. If you don't know what this all means, pop into our campaign here to find out.

Thanks to everyone who walked with us, waved at us, or helped make it all happen. What a beautiful way to light up the longest night.

Monbulk Community Bank Awards Night

President Belinda Young was asked to speak at the Monbulk Community Bank’s Awards Night in early June.

Early in June, President Belinda Young was asked to speak at a gathering of local community groups, the kind of people who get it. The late-night event planning, the sausage sizzles in sideways rain, and the “we’ll figure it out somehow” energy that keeps it all going.

I shared a bit about how Mums of the Hills started… with a fall off a ladder. (Not my proudest moment!) But it was a turning point. We’d moved to the Hills with no backup, no village, and that fall made it painfully clear how alone I felt. So, like many mums do, I turned chaos into connection and started a Facebook group.

That group became a lifeline for others, too.

Today, MotHs is a volunteer-run community of thousands. We run clothing swaps, self-defence classes, mental health events, resilience workshops, and yes, plenty of playdates and picnics too. We partner with councils, health services, local businesses, and we respond when it matters most, like in storms, fires, or missing person searches. It’s community response at its most human: fast, local and full of heart.

A big thank you to Community Bank Monbulk & District for helping us host free workshops and community events, like our lantern-making sessions and the beautiful moth lantern we’ll be bringing to life again at the Belgrave Lantern Festival.

At our core, we’re about holding space for new mums, tired mums, isolated mums, and every mum in between. No polish or perfection needed. Just show up.

The recent Facebook algorithm changes hit groups like ours hard. Posts disappeared from feeds and engagement dropped temporarily. With so much of our community connection happening online, that’s no small thing. Don’t get me wrong, our concerns aren’t about reach, that’s the least of our worries. It’s about the silencing of voices. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑒𝑙𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑔𝑜 𝑎𝑡 2𝑎𝑚 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤ℎ𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑛?

Because we need digital spaces that support care, connection and community. And we won’t let an algorithm take that away, because we’re not just doing this for the community.

We are the community.