National Families Week and Main Streets Australia Week

Published on 09 May 2023

Hindmarsh Shire Council is excited to host activities for National Families Week and Main Streets Australia Week which both run from Monday 15 to Sunday 21 May 2023.

The goal of Main Streets Australia Week is to celebrate all that our main streets and town centres have to offer and what they provide to the community.  Our local businesses, services, community groups, parks and more all contribute to our functionality, growth, and overall community wellbeing.  Our small local businesses are what keep our small towns thriving, as are the families that live, go to school, engage in sport, and support our towns in other ways.

The aim of National Families Week is to celebrate the vital role that families play in Australia society.  Both of these weeks occur at the same time and Hindmarsh Shire Council saw this as a wonderful opportunity to combine the two in a day of fun, celebration and recognition for our families and businesses.

To combine these important celebrations, Hindmarsh Shire Council will be hosting a Teddy Bear Picnic and invite children and families to attend from across the shire.  At the picnic, families can ice (and eat) teddy bear biscuits and make bear ears to wear for a bear hunt. These picnics will be hosted in all of our four libraries located in Nhill, Dimboola, Jeparit and Rainbow.  Following the picnic, there will be a teddy bear hunt around the main street where there will be a map handed out to children and families in attendance that will show clues to where hidden teddies are located.  Once the teddy is found you can tick it off on your map. 

Dates and Times:
Jeparit Library: Monday 15 May 2023, 10am onwards.
Nhill Library: Tuesday 16 May 2023, 10am onwards.
Dimboola Library: Wednesday 17 May 2023, 10am onwards.
Rainbow Library: Wednesday 17 May 2023, 2pm onwards.

Hindmarsh Shire Mayor, Cr Brett Ireland said, “Hindmarsh Shire Council recognise the importance that children and families hold within our Shire, as well as the opportunities that local businesses provide to our community – from jobs to food and produce, clothing and more.” He continued “we are excited to be hosting activities that should capture the interest of our young children and get them and their families out and about in all of our wonderful town centres and main streets.”

If you are planning to attend any of our Teddy Bear Picnics and have any dietary requirements, please let us know in advance by contacting us via email or phone number below and we are more than willing to accommodate for any dietary requirements, food allergies, etc.

For more information, please contact our Community Development Team on 03 5391 4444, or email info@hindmarsh.vic.gov.au.

Greg Wood
Chief Executive Officer