Bringing People Together

Gemma & the Sanctuary Point Community Centre

We interviewed Gemma Hart from the Sanctuary Point Community Centre. Gemma gave us a brief history of the centre and also gave us an opportunity to get involved back with the community again. Gemma is a ‘community project worker’, where she gets to design various projects; Gemma’s main goal is to bring people together.

“I love this job”, says Gemma, “I love it because it allows me to be creative, I’m able to meet new people and I also get to source people’s gifts and help share them”.

Gemma goes on to tell us about the challenges she endures while being a part of the Sanctuary Point Community Centre. “I find red tape challenging”, Gemma stated. “I think that community and economies conflict with each other; and that conflict often gets in the way of a building a great community”.

Gemma then shares a little about her past, “I had worked in a crisis role for a very long time, helping young homeless people, then I started reading about ‘peak oil’, which Is where global oil supply will peak and then decline; and I realised how important the community was.”

Gemma then talks to us about the Sanctuary Point Community Centre. “The history is very significant”. She continues, “A young man was murdered in Sanctuary Point, the community came together to strengthen the community, and start fundraising for the Sanctuary Point Community Centre in 1991.

We then receive insight about what the community centre has to offer to the people of Jervis Bay and Basin. Gemma shares with us “We have an enormous range of immunisation, animal welfare, legal aid, activities for school groups, employment services, puppetry and local radio (92.7 Bay and Basin FM)”.

“The Sanctuary Point Community Centre is comprised of event developers and young people; we aim to promote a range of community services available to Sanctuary Point”.

Gemma tells us about a regular community event that is a youth organised dinner, to raise funds for any local community project within the Jervis Bay and Basin area. She also informs us about spring into Sanctuary Point, which is an annual festival; there are youth volunteers and different workshops for different age groups.

At the end of the day and in the early mornings, the Sanctuary point community centre is an open, caring and very resourceful part of the community.