Celebrating $250,000 of grants to the community

The Bowerbird Community Op Shop is celebrating its 10^th anniversary. We’ve come a long way in that time – but the journey isn’t finished yet.

We began the process of setting up the Cobargo Community Association in May 2015, finally opening the doors of our inaugural shop at the top end of the main street in July of that same year. Our goal was, and still is today, to raise money through the donation of goods, and then to use those funds to support local not-for-profits and community groups in the Triangle through grants. Our dedicated committee and volunteers – some have been with the Bowerbird since day one – work hard to make sure every valuable donation brings as much money as possible back to the community. At the same time we’re supporting another important goal, which is to reuse, reduce, and recycle.

We’ve certainly faced some challenges along the way – the Black Summer bushfires, COVID-19, and packing everything up and moving the whole operation down to the bottom end of the street. But we’ve stayed the course and, if anything, we’ve grown even bigger and better.

Our current location is big and bright and a great space for all the treasures the community and beyond regularly donate. The support of the Bowerbird has never wavered and continues to grow far and wide, becoming a regular stop for many visitors to the area, as well as a local icon. Importantly, this support has enabled us to distribute over $250,000 into the community in those 10 years. An amazing achievement for everyone involved. We’ve come so far, always evolving and growing, and I can’t wait to see where we are in another decade.

To celebrate our anniversary there will be some exciting activities and events spread out over the rest of the year. One of these will be a nomination grant round, where community members can put forward deserving not-for-profit community organisations for grants. These will be in addition to our usual applications, made directly by organisations themselves. The details and application process will feature in the next edition of The Triangle. Look out for details in the store and online.

Bowerbird on Facebook

Corrine Harris