July Focus: NAIDOC Week –
The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy
NAIDOC WEEK Theme Video
NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee) Week 2025
The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy
This year marks the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC. While we celebrate the strength and vision of First Nations communities, we also reflect on heartbreaking truths — nearly 600 deaths in custody, two in the last month alone, and a rising number of Indigenous youth in detention. The news of the sentencing of the two individuals convicted of Cassius Turvey’s murder is a welcome step toward justice. I shared a post on LinkedIn to pay my respects to his mother, Mrs Turvey (Read the article ‘I Wonder’ in the column ‘From the Desk of Bibi’ reporting the tragedy in Dec 2022).
At last, justice for this gentle giant. I wept for Mrs Turvey and her incredible strength in calming tensions in the wake of such an unthinkable crime.
‘Cassius – forever FIFTEEN.’ Your bright smile and kindness will remain in my heart for a long time.” Dr Bibiana Chan.
At a recent Youth Mental Health Forum, the National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollands said it clearly: adults have failed our children.
At CFS, we ask: What can we do—together—to build a fairer Australia for the next generation?
There are activities at The Discovery Museum at The Rocks, Sydney and at The NSW Art Gallery and some fun Mindfulness NAIDOC Week Crafts for all ages!
The poster of this year’s theme is the work of Indigenous artist Jeremy Morgan Worrall. Read his artist statement HERE.
Reflecting on past events
Event of the Month for June
Photos from our CFS’ Book Club Launch at Chatswood Youth Centre. Here is a warm, welcoming message from our host, Caroline T.
“Hi everyone, welcome to CFS first Book Club chat group. My name is Caroline, the group convener. For this Saturday’s first gathering, please bring along a book (or books) of your choice, to share and discuss with fellow book lovers. Please treat the book club as more of a social and comfortable space with like-minded friends who happen to enjoy reading.
Thank you Bibi for the photos and thank you everyone who attended our first book club meet. It was a wonderful gathering and sharing of our favourite reads. In such a welcoming space where we can all explore literature together. I’m already looking forward to our next meeting and discussing our upcoming selection.
Date of the next Book Club catch up will be announced soon. In the meantime, please spread the word ☺️ and encourage your friends to come join us. Have a lovely weekend, Caroline
PTSD Awareness Pop-up Stall
WHAT’S ON in June & July 2025?
Youth Mentoring Program
Dr Bibiana Chan, CF, and other CFS members in various professions are available to mentor young people, share their work experiences. Topics covered: study skills, time management, goal setting, getting motivated, write a resume that stands out of the crowd, job interviewing skills and assertive communication, etc.
If would like to refer any young people (12 – 30 year) whom you recently started a ‘RUOK?’ conversation to our FREE Youth Mental Health Program, please contact Dr Bibi via email: communityflowerstudio@yahoo.com or call 0412-613-073. Check out KYDS (Free Youth Mental Counselling) for their services.
NAIDOC Week Pop-up Stall on Sat 12th July Single stems of Leucadendrons will be handed out to passers- by to ‘petal-it-forward’ to someone who may like to chat about the theme of this year’s NAIDOC week. Find us at the corner of Willoughby Rd and French’s Rd (outside Little Giant Roaster Cafe). Come and meet our friendly volunteers and talk about the health benefits of receiving (and giving) flowers .
Laughter Yoga Spring and Autumn Program
The first class the 2025 Laughter Yoga Spring Program is scheduled for Tues, 25th March to coincide with Harmony Month. (see the photos below). The last class is 1st July. We will return on 9th Sept to celebrate RUOK? Week. Willoughby Girls High School students will co-lead with Bibi. Join us for some great exercises and a good laugh! Click HERE to register.
There will be a special afternoon tea on Tues 1st July to conclude the 2025 Autumn program. “Laughter is the Best Medicine!” Health benefits of Laughter Yoga includes: lifting your mood, improving physical health, connecting socially & managing life challenges with laughter. Each session runs for about 45 min. of laughter, gentle exercise and dancing (suits various fitness – sitting down is OK) and 15 min. informal chat & refreshment. Hear from Dr Kataria, the founder of Laughter Yoga about the benefits of laughter yoga! Dr Kataria often emphasises the importance of laughing for at least 10 min. each day to reap the health benefits of laughter yoga. Dr Bibi suggested laughing along Dr Kataria’s YouTube clip, you will feel so relax and happy that you will be hooked! Try it yourself or join us at the next laughter yoga class.
CFS Event of the Month for July 2025
CFS Event of the Month for 2025
We are currently seeking an Event Organiser to coordinate these monthly events, each hosted by a different member with prior experience in organizing similar activities. Bibi will soon circulate a Google Doc to create a roster for 2025. We warmly welcome your ideas and suggestions—feel free to email them to Bibi!
Two Creative Workshop for Young People and their Families this school holidays.
Resin Art Workshop for youth and their family. Click HERE for more details and how to register.
Succulents in Colour-Sand Glass Workshop. Click HERE to learn more and register.
Event of the Month for July
Date: Sun 26 July
Spot a Fern – Rail to River Bushwalk along Ferndale Park
Hidden behind suburban streets, Ferndale Park provides a
bush backyard for local residents. The walk along the
fern filled Swaines Creek reveals a quieter, more serene and peaceful part of Chatswood.
Track length: Approximately a 4 km return trip.
Track grade: Easy to medium (Level 2, see notes below) – on unsealed bush tracks with steep steps in sections. Sturdy shoes are required.
All are welcome, bring your friends along. Click HERE to register.
Event of the Month for August
Social Enterprise Festival 2025 at UTS on Sat 16 August!
CFS offered free creative workshops at the last 2 years of the Social Enterprise Festival. This year, CFS will take a break so our members can enjoy the festival! Bibi, however, will share her success in securing small community grants!
If you feel like supporting youth mental health, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to CFS. Your support will help young people learn life skills and find meaningful employment.
Michelle Benson published in LinkedIn an article entitled “𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿? “She is referring to the term “non-profit” which is a tax reference, that unfortunately grew legs and became a label.
Bibiana Chan responded, “Absolutely. Perhaps a better terminology is ‘For-Purpose’. The Community Flower Studio is a youth-focused charity with a mission to help youth learn life skills and find meaningful employment. Your generous donations are tax-deductible.”
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Download the Return & Earn App onto your phone and nominate ‘Petal-it-Forward’ as the charity campaign for your refund to go. An anonymous sponsor will match the amount donated, so your contribution will be doubled!
Good news!!!
As of 28/6/25, we raised $573.5 A total of $573.5 donation was made by our anonymous sponsor to support our ‘PETAL-IT-FORWARD’ CAMPAIGN.
Your generous donations are much appreciated. The Community Flower Studio is a charity registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission (ACNC). Donations of over $2 will receive tax deductions. Please kindly make a donation to the Community Flower Studio (CFS) by direct debit. Our NAB account details are as follows: BSB No.: 082-212, Acc No.: 729-933-729
There are many ways to support CFS: become a member or contribute to the columns here. I’m always looking for a great recipe passed down from generation to generation. If you have a story to share, either write a short piece around 250 words or shoot us some photos. If there is a book or a movie you want to write a review, the CFS e-Newsletter will be happy to share with our e-Newsletter subscribers. Contact Bibi on communityflowerstudio@yahoo.com
If you would like to purchase a DIY Succulent Terrarium Kit for a loved one or a friend as a present, order online here ! This is also a ‘Succulents in Colour-Sand Glass’ DIY Kit which comes with a youth-approved instruction sheet and a QR code to the YouTube clip of previous workshops. Available here. You can also purchase a DIY Flower Kit from our online shop, click Flower Crown
Flower of the Month
Alliums
By Bibi
Alliums (Ornamental Onions) If you’ve ever seen a purple pompom floating above a garden bed like a firework on a stick—you’ve likely admired an Allium. These bold, globe-shaped flowers, part of the onion and garlic family, bring a sense of whimsy and structure to the garden. Their architectural form and long-lasting blooms make them a favourite in formal gardens, like those at Olympic Park in Montreal.
🌿 Care Instructions:
- Light: Alliums love full sun—at least 6 hours a day.
- Soil: Needs well-drained soil, ideally sandy or loamy. Avoid soggy roots!
- Watering: Moderate. Water when soil feels dry, especially in prolonged heat.
- Planting: Bulbs are usually planted in autumn, 2–3 times as deep as the bulb height.
- Bloom time: Most varieties flower in late spring to early summer, making them perfect for July gardens in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Maintenance: Once flowering ends, let the seed heads dry out—they’re beautiful and can be left for visual interest or cut for dried arrangements.
🌷 Fun Facts:
The iconic Allium giganteum can grow over a metre tall with blooms the size of softballs!
Alliums include culinary cousins like onions, garlic, leeks, and chives.
Bees and butterflies love them, but their oniony scent deters pests like rabbits and aphids.
Available in a rainbow of shades: purples, blues, whites, and even yellows.
The iconic Allium giganteum can grow over a metre tall with blooms the size of softballs!
Alliums are edible relatives of onions, but most ornamental varieties are grown purely for their show-stopping looks. Their starburst blooms and dried seed heads have inspired garden designers and florists around the world—including at Montreal’s Olympic Park!
Check out this YouTube clip on the rich colours and varieties of Alliums!
For a limited time only, ‘Pregnant Onion’ is available for sale at the CFS Flower Shop.
Plant of the Month
Correa ‘Dusky Bells’
By Bibi
Correa ‘Dusky Bells’ is a delightful Australian native shrub prized for its compact form and long-lasting, bell-shaped flowers. A hybrid between Correa reflexa and Correa pulchella, it typically produces dusky pink to red tubular blooms, though flower colours can vary from soft coral pinks to deep crimson, depending on growing conditions and plant strain. Some cultivars may even show subtle green or pale cream tips, adding to their ornamental appeal.
🌞 Care Instructions:
Correa ‘Dusky Bells’ is hardy and low-maintenance, ideal for beginner and seasoned gardeners alike. It thrives in well-drained soil and prefers full sun to part shade. Once established, it is drought-tolerant and only requires occasional deep watering during extended dry periods. It is also frost- and coastal-tolerant, making it suitable for a wide range of climates across Australia.
To encourage a dense, bushy habit, lightly prune after flowering. An annual application of slow-release native fertiliser in spring helps promote healthy growth and flowering. Mulching around the base helps retain soil moisture and suppress weeds—just be sure to keep mulch clear of the main stem.
Fun Facts:
Correa responds well to shaping, making it great for informal hedging or low screening.
Commonly known as “native fuchsia” due to its tubular flowers, Correa is unrelated to true fuchsias but similarly attractive.
The original ‘Dusky Bells’ cultivar was developed in the 1960s and remains popular for its adaptability and long flowering season (typically autumn through spring).
With a compact growth habit (0.5 to 1 metre tall and wide), it’s perfect for pots, borders, rockeries, and wildlife-friendly gardens.
The flowers attract honeyeaters and native bees, supporting local biodiversity.
Whether in pots, hanging baskets, or as a colourful border plant, Coleus adds a splash of personality and playfulness wherever it grows! It is extremely easy to propagate using water. Check out this YouTube clip.
With its range of flower colours, hardiness, and ecological benefits, Correa ‘Dusky Bells’ is a standout choice for Australian gardens.
Book Review
CFS Book Club Launch
The CFS Book Club Launch was well attended:
Caroline T (host) brought along her family, hubby ‘Bernard’ and daughter ‘McKay’. Tony (Ni) chatted well with Geoff T . Joey invited her neighbour Maggie to connect with CFS members. Bibi was relieved to find everyone was keen to share their favourite books. Each person talked about the deep connections with their own personal stories or passions.
Joey passionately shared the story behind the book ‘Welsh Narrow Gauge‘ co-authored by her father-in-law and her husband Paul and Graham Plowman.
Bibi read out a letter to Qin Qin, the author of ‘Model Minority go Rouge (the original book review was published in CFS’ Dec 2024 issue. She was half-way through another book ‘The Nine’ by Gwen Strauss. ‘The Nine’ refers to nine extremely brave women who were among 5,000 prisoners marched out of a sub-camp of a n All-Women camp at Ravensbrück, north of Berlin at 2am on 14 April 1945. This was just weeks before the defeat of the Third Reich and the end of WWII. “We were like ants surprised by the destruction of their nest,” commented one of the women of the ‘Death March’. Here is a book review in Guardian.
Bibi invited each book lover to write a brief reflection or a full-length book review to share with CFS’ subscribers. Watch this space.
Recipe of the Month
Strawberry Cake by Annamaria C. (from Turin, Italy)
Ingredients:
2 eggs
150 gram Sugar
250 gram flour
100 ml. milk
100 ml. sunflower seed oil
8 gr baking powder
Grated lemon zest or
1/2 teaspoons of turmeric
strawberry 200 gr.
Instructions:
Beat the eggs with the sugar until it becomes froth.
Add milk and oil, grated lemon zest or turmeric.
Then add the flour and baking powder.
Finally add the chopped strawberries.
Bake at 180°C for 40 minutes. When the cake has cooled, decorate with icing sugar or whipped cream as desired.
From the Desk of Bibi
Public Funding of UFC Championship Event in Sydney
By Dr Bibiana Chan
A letter to Hon. MP Tim James
I am writing to express my deep concern and dismay regarding the NSW Government’s decision to financially support the recent UFC championship held in Sydney. After watching the Four Corners investigation (Fighting for Survival in the UFC) aired on ABC, I was appalled by the exploitative practices targeting UFC fighters, as well as the overtly misogynistic and violent culture that is being marketed—particularly to young men.
It is especially troubling to see how taxpayer funds, drawn from hard-working citizens like myself, are being used to legitimise and promote an industry that profits from physical harm and hyper-aggressive, anti-social behaviour. The documented cases of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and long-term psychological trauma among fighters are deeply disturbing. Equally alarming is the influence such events have on impressionable audiences—normalising violence, glorifying toxic masculinity, and promoting sexist attitudes. Continue reading HERE.
Subscriber’s Corner
Reflection on attending SECNA Quarterly Meetup
By Lulu Y.
Attending the SECNA (Social Enterprise Council NSW and ACT) Quarterly Meetup was such a valuable experience. The session deepened my understanding of funding options for social enterprises, particularly the differences between grants, debt, and equity. I appreciated how the panelists broke down complex financial concepts and made them more accessible, even for those new to the space.
One highlight for me was hearing Nina Yousefpour speak about the philanthropic landscape in Australia. Her insights into how funding relationships are built, especially through intermediaries and community foundations, really opened my eyes to the human side of funding. I also found the discussion around patient capital and the importance of aligning values between funders and enterprises very thought-provoking.
It was also inspiring to meet like-minded individuals, including entrepreneurs like Nandeeta from Goods4Good. Connecting with others who are passionate about using business for social good helped me feel more connected to the broader movement.
If I had to choose a least favourite part, it would be how overwhelming the capital landscape can feel at first, but the meetup made it much less intimidating.
I would absolutely recommend the SECNA Quarterly Meetup to any other young CFS members. It is not only informative but also energising!! It offers a rare space to learn, reflect, and feel part of a growing ecosystem of change makers.
COMMUNITY FLOWER STUDIO LOGO EXPLAINED
Community: CFS is a community to support young people facing mental health challenges.
Creative: CFS hosts events to unleash young people s creative talents.
Resource: CFS provides members with resources to enhance their wellbeing.
Support: CFS offers support to members to develop their potential.
Growth: CFS fosters a growth mindset which is helpful in dealing with challenges.
Recovery: CFS sees recovery as achievable and a journey to cherish.
CONTACT US
Email: Communityflowerstudio@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.communityflowerstudio.org Mobile: 0412 613 073
Like us on Facebook:Community Flower Studio Inc. Instagram: communityflowerstudio
Address: 10-12 Clanwilliam St., Willoughby, 2068, NSW, Australia.