A pickleball session proved popular within the HER Wollongong community – and there are more experiences to enjoy. Photos: HER Wollongong.
An Illawarra social group is creating connections for nearly a hundred women from Wilton to Gerringong, with the variety of activities and the inclusive environment seeing the concept spike in popularity just a month after its first meeting.
Joanne Fernance had always had a passion for bringing people together and planning events but moving back to the Illawarra after three decades away made her quest for connection even more personal.
“I had a wrist injury about a year ago and decided to move back home here after 30 years away … and I was thinking what’s it going to look like for me as a 50-something-year-old,” Joanne said.
“Facebook social groups and that weren’t really calling me.
“I’d spoken to a few people about friendships and stuff and a lot of people were saying it is a bit harder when you get older … so it made me start thinking that I wanted to do something in that field.”
She started HER Wollongong – a group with inclusion and community at its core.
The idea is relatively simple, with Joanne planning events for women to come together regardless of lifestyle to forge connections while engaging in different activities.
“I wasn’t sure if it was going to work, to be honest, when I came up with this idea,” Joanne said.
“I knew I needed it, so I figured other people were probably feeling the way I was feeling too.”
And the interest in the community proved that she was onto something special – with 99 people joining within a month of the first event and seven weeks of its official launch.
Members range from 18 years old to 70-plus, with most participants in their 40s and 50s.
“Literally age is just a number – it’s for anyone who wants to get out and meet people,” Joanne said.
“I want it to be a place where people feel like they belong no matter who you are, what your life circumstances are, where you’re at in life.
“Just from conversations I’ve had with women, even though the Illawarra is quite small and cliquey in some ways I guess, there’s still a majority of people that are just feeling like they’re needing something a little bit more with connection.”
When Joanne moved back to Wollongong, she was determined to find a way to help forge friendships.
Joanne organises all the events – from pickleball to breathwork, floristry or bottomless brunches – and tries to support local businesses while taking away the planning pressure that can consume time and energy for participants.
The range of activities are regular and cater for small groups to ensure that crucial connection thrives while people enjoy doing things that spark their interest.
“Some people come to everything; some just pick and choose,” Joanne said.
“If you want to come to pickleball it’s going to be there for you but some people might prefer to have a coffee and a gentle stroll.
“I’m trying to make it a variety to bring more women in; hopefully they get to meet some new people and hopefully they get to build some nice friendships out of it.”
With such rapid growth in a small amount of time, Joanne is now deciding what the future might look like and ways the group can continue to adapt.
“I kind of want to do lots of different things, but also mother and daughter experiences – I have a really good relationship with my daughter and we were thinking we’d love to share that with other people,” she said.
“So just thinking outside the box a little bit and bringing families, communities and organisations together.”
As the HER Wollongong community evolves, Joanne hopes others will be a part of paving its path.
“It could go anywhere and I want to build it with the community as well,” she said.
“So if we do it together who knows where it will go.”
To find out more or to join the community, visit the HER Wollongong website.
