Gatt & Co is the physical embodiment of the Our Heartland principle that strong communities are happy communities where everyone has a place, and their unique gifts are recognised. Happy communities create the village in which children and families can thrive, where childhood is a safe and magical place, and where parenting is recognised as pivotal in healthy societies.
In a strong community different ways of living, diverse beliefs, preferences, values and needs are honoured, and the richness implicit in diversity is appreciated. They are home bases which celebrate individual and collective milestones, and welcome newcomers. Happy communities respect all phases of age, shape, health and ability. They are communities that honour their Elders, respect local first and offer trust to all comers. They work together for the common good.
Although the Our Heartland founders, Jacqui Blanch and Maree Rosier, recognised the need for a physical space to foster a strong community from the outset, in its first iteration the search for a base was at the behest of the local Arts community. They had been trying for a decade, without success, to engage with Council to establish a community Arts space, and came to us for assistance. We see the Arts as a wonderful mechanism for growing a sense of pride and appreciation in community, so it fitted with our mission perfectly.
With our urban design knowledge, we knew for it to be easily accessible to the wider community, it needed to be centrally placed. We approached the landlord of the then long untenanted Crazy Clarks building in Gatton, and secured occupancy for the cost of utilities, with a month’s notice to vacate. We were well on our way, making plans, when the Estate agent asked us for keys back, as they had an interested buyer. This made us realise how vulnerable a position we were in, and that we needed greater security of tenure. We made enquiries of the responsible State Departments regarding the Gatton Railway Station and the old Post Office building, but to no avail. We next put in a proposal to utilise the Gatton Shire Hall, which was built to replace the Gatton School of Arts when the decision was made by Council to demolish it. This seemingly perfect option was summarily dismissed by Council. In time, the Arts group was offered a lease on a Council owned, abandoned, childcare facility in Kensington Grove, and because of a looming deadline imposed by Council to relocate the kiln housed beneath the Shire Hall, the group took up the offer. They now have a thriving Arts community operating from this place.
The search, however, for a centrally located community space continued. We decided that our ideal location would be the old Cottones’ Restaurant building, which had been vacant for a few years, but could not find a way to fund the acquirement. One of our earliest, and greatest, supporters was Kirsten Kark, from LJ Hooker, who are also tenants of the building. She advocated on our behalf to the Landlord, but having resolved not to take part in the government grants system, because of the extraordinary amount of public money wasted on its administration, we were still at a loss.
As luck would have it, Maree Rosier who is a Director on the Helping Hands Network Foundation Board, invited the Board to meet in the Lockyer, to become acquainted with some of the projects they were funding for young children and families in the Lockyer Valley. During the tour, we passed the building, so Maree shared her vision for a community hub. Kirsten came out and invited us to have a look inside, and, to cut a long story short, the Board offered to contribute seed funding based on the ultimately self-sustaining model we had designed.
Inexpert in these things, we hired Gayle Barlow, a food technician of considerable experience to help us refurbish the kitchen and gain our food licence. We met, by accident, a wonderful Chef, Desney Thane, whose passion is locally grown and made in-house. We sourced second hand furniture off Marketplace and bought a coffee machine. Now we hope the rest of the story will be written by you.
