Around the Grounds with Mel, HIPPY Hervey Bay

If you had to sum up HIPPY in one word, what would it be?

The site has a motto, and Mel reaches for it first: meet them where they’re at.

"Rapport starts with meeting families where they are, without judgement. We don’t expect them to fit a particular mould, or to engage in exactly the same way. We might have three cups of coffee and a few conversations with a family before I even bring out what HIPPY is."

You need that authentic rapport for them to stay engaged, or to feel comfortable enough to say, ‘I don’t think I can do this anymore,’ before disengagement actually happens

Sometimes that looks like catching up with a family at the park, connecting at a community event, or simply checking in after a difficult week.

How would you describe Hervey Bay to someone who’s never been here?

"If you were to Google Hervey Bay, I guarantee the top two results would be whales or K’gari. Both are extremely important parts of Hervey Bay, but there is so much more."

I’d describe Hervey Bay as a community with a strong sense of strength, resilience, connection and enormous potential

There are so many passionate people and organisations who want to see children and parents thrive. There's also a real opportunity to strengthen collaboration between services, so families experience one connected community rather than a collection of individual organisations. For me, HIPPY has an important role in helping build those relationships.

Tell us about the Welcome to Baby Festival, how did it come together?

It started as an idea from the local alliance coordinator, who mentioned wanting to replicate an event she'd recently attended in North Queensland. A colleague supporting First Nations families from zero to five and I were at the meeting, and we were quick to recognise the opportunity it presented.

We could have leapt across the table; we were so excited

Mel recalls, "What began as an offhand conversation grew into a weekly working group of early-years services meeting for four months. The event was hosted by Act for Kids and Central Queensland Indigenous Development Ltd. (CQID)

It was backed by Butchulla Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC), Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation (BAC), Family & Child Connect, First Five Forever, Anglicare, Child Health, and Galangoor Duwalami Primary Healthcare, among others."

What did the day itself look like?

Held in Hervey Bay's botanical gardens and timed to land on National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day, the festival was built entirely around removing barriers. We picked the venue with the deliberate intention of providing a wide-open, calm, grounding outdoor space. Every stallholder brought a free, tangible activity that the family could take home. Most importantly, we ensured no family had to spend money, helping make the event accessible to everyone.

HIPPY's own contribution combined culture and craft: a pasta-necklace station using the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag colours, and an air-dry clay hand (and foot!) print station for the under-threes.

We took many factors into consideration: a local food vendor tailored her charcuterie cart to suit small children; there were free coffees for the first hundred people through the gate, a privacy-conscious breastfeeding tent, paramedics running quick first-aid tips, jumping castles and a petting zoo.

The day opened with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony led by Uncle Travis of BNTAC, followed by a BAC dance performance spanning toddlers who had just begun to walk to adults. "No one was forced to participate; it was very organic," Mel says of the ceremony, "but anyone who wanted to walk through and receive a blessing could."

That was just so beautiful to watch. So connected, and so well received by the community

Tell me more about what this has paved the way forward for

The event drew a multi-generational crowd, grandmothers, aunties and kinship carers as much as parents, and generated eight expressions of interest for next year's intake.

It was also valuable in the way it has reopened doors with other services.

It's opened up referral pathways and invitations

One community partner has since invited her to bring HIPPY along to their playgroup twice, with a return visit booked for late October.

"Some of them might not be ready for HIPPY yet because the children are too young, but it's building that reputation, so that when the time comes, they know where to find me."

I heard that you work very closely with the local library, who even drop into Gatherings, talk to me a bit more about this relationship

We have a standing partnership with Fraser Coast Libraries, through the First Five Forever program. They bring a mobile setup to the site’s Gatherings roughly once a month. They also bring an oversized picture book to read aloud, a couple of themed songs to get everyone moving, and usually hand puppets to arrest attention.

It is timed at the end of the session as a natural wind-down while the team quietly packs up.

They often leave things behind for parents to take home: craft packs, information flyers etc. For example, the latest one was themed around 'Five Speckled Frogs', and families received a set of puppets and music sheets,

It benefits everyone. Libraries meet their targets for families serviced; for us, it’s enrichment at no cost to us, and it’s promoting early literacy, that love of reading, in a really fun, play-based way

You have a small (and mighty) team at HIPPY Hervey Bay, tell us about your team.

This year I’ve had four Tutors, two in the Age 3 cohort and two in Age 4, all of whom have come through HIPPY themselves, either as graduated parents or current participants.

My leadership style leans on modelling vulnerability rather than authority. "The more I show them it's okay to be human, to say, 'I'm having a rough morning, but I'll be okay', the easier it makes it for all of us to bring our whole selves to work, and everyone knows there is space for learning and asking questions."

Mel is deliberate about adapting to each Tutor rather than treating them the same

They’re as different as chalk and cheese and lift each other up in different ways. There are no assumptions or miscommunication

With one Age 4 Tutor recently moving into a full-time Family Wellbeing role within CQID, Mel's remaining Age 4 Tutor, Hailley, has stepped up to mentor the incoming Age 3 cohort, showing them "how to do the shopping, how to prep the food, because I'm not going to be here next year and you guys are going to step up."

Supporting Tutors to grow into their potential is probably my favourite part of HIPPY.

Because I want to say, yes you can and you will! You wait till a month from now, two months, three months; you’re not going to be the same person

Instead, I go at their pace, and then gently say, "Actually, no, you can," or "you might not be able to do it YET"

My standing argument is: "You deal with multiple personalities in your house; you deal with conflict and noise. Channel how you deal with that and apply it to the workplace."

I was told to specifically ask about your innovative thinking and the Street library mapping you and your team did. Please do share!

Mel laughs and gleefully shares: "The idea didn’t start as an idea at all, but an expression of interest from a parent who had found an old HIPPY activity pack in a local Street Library. This got us thinking: if one parent found us that way, why couldn’t we put HIPPY information in every Street Library? So, last year, the team mapped every street library in Hervey Bay, then went and put a 'Come-and-try HIPPY' pack in each one, with QR codes and flyers. It generated a run of expressions of interest!"

It was such a great idea, we'll do it again soon

Mel goes on to share that getting HIPPY known in Hervey Bay has been one of her biggest challenges. Plenty of families and organisations still haven’t heard of it, or don’t understand what makes it different. Her answer has been to be present at shopping centres, playgrounds, parenting rooms, community events, local Facebook groups. The team has also been rebuilding relationships with schools and early childhood services and worked to re-establish a local Early Years Network.

Is there a moment from a Gathering that’s stayed with you?

One of the things that has stayed with me is seeing parents discover how much learning can happen through something as simple as play.

At one Gathering, the team ran messy play and science activities in the park. The point wasn’t to entertain the children.

“We wanted parents to see how they could recreate these experiences at home. How they could use simple activities to encourage curiosity, language, problem-solving and connection. Watching parents see the excitement on their children’s faces, and then realise, I can do this at home, that was really powerful.”

That’s HIPPY for me. It’s not just giving a child an activity. It’s helping a parent realise how capable they already are

If you had to leave us with an inspiring HIPPY Hervey Bay story, what would it be?

One of the most inspiring Tutor pathways stories from the site belongs to Demi.

Demi joined HIPPY as a parent in 2023 and graduated at the end of 2024. She applied for a Tutor position soon after, beginning her journey as an Age 4 Tutor in 2025, quickly building strong relationships with families and approaching complex needs with compassion and professionalism. Partnering closely with a Family Wellbeing Officer on one family's case gave Demi a firsthand look at what coordinated, wrap-around support can achieve, and set her on a new path.

When a full-time role opened in CQID's Family Wellbeing Program in July 2026, Mel had no hesitation in backing her application. A six-week transition plan ensured continuity for HIPPY families while Demi built the skills for her new role. Demi is now thriving as a Family Wellbeing Case Officer.

Demi's story is a wonderful example of the HIPPY Pathways to Possibilities program. It demonstrates how, with encouragement, opportunity and support, parents can discover their strengths and build meaningful careers that create lasting impact in their communities

And finally, what’s your vision for HIPPY Hervey Bay?

"My vision is for HIPPY to be well known and embedded in the Hervey Bay early years community. I want a wait list from birth, and for every family, community service provider and early years provider to know who HIPPY Hervey Bay is."

I want families to hear the word HIPPY and immediately understand that it’s a place where they will be welcomed, supported and connected

She’s excited about strengthening the Early Years Network, building authentic First Nations community relationships, deepening connections with schools and early childhood services, and creating more ways for everyone to come together.

Ultimately, I want HIPPY Hervey Bay to be part of a community where no child is unknown and unsupported, and where parents feel confident knowing they don’t have to navigate the early years journey alone