Myall Coast Toy Library is open for play in Tea Gardens Myall Coast Myall Coast - popup ad Myall Coast News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - October 24, 2023 Mothers, kids and volunteers keep the Toy Library running. (L-R) Katie, Jan, Joanna, April, and Jenny. TOY stories are playing out in the Myall Coast Toy Library at the Tea Gardens Uniting Church Hall every third Thursday and Saturday of the month. News Of The Area was invited to witness the Toy Library brimming with life and fun things to do, with its well-organised array of hundreds of age-appropriate toys and games. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Registered with Toy Libraries Australia, and run independently by locals, the Toy Library was originally set up more than ten years ago by Lissa Macilquham, who also acquired most of the original toys. The lockdowns kept people away, but mothers, fathers and grandparents come in from as far away as Nerong, North Arm Cove, Carrington and Pindimar, the only other nearest registered Toy Libraries being in Newcastle and Cessnock. Kids can play together, then borrow to take home and bring them back the next month when they are ready. “Toy Library is an opportunity to play and borrow toys, not have to buy them, and a social experience for the parents and grandparents, too,” Toy Library President Joanna Lim told NOTA. Joanna was ecstatic to learn of the Toy Library’s existence a year ago, and similarly disappointed to hear that the Library was shutting down after COVID. Since becoming President in late 2022, she was pleased to announce that membership has more than tripled. “COVID really mucked it up, these ladies have really injected new life into it,” Ms Macilquham told NOTA. “Other mums I knew banded together, no one person could have done this alone, and we thank Lissa for starting it all in the first place,” Ms Lim said. Tea Gardens’ status as the ‘oldest demographic’ in Australia, according to census data, means younger family-oriented services like the Toy Library are vital to keep alive and attract more young families, ensuring a future for the region. With a clear objective to grow, the Toy Library is seeking more parents and likely volunteers to join in this rejuvenation of a fantastic local initiative. By Thomas O’KEEFE Myall Coast Toy Library opens at Tea Gardens Uniting Church. Presidents, past and present: Lissa Macilquham originally set up the Myall Coast Toy Library, and Joanna Lim has presided since 2022.
