Locals gathered in Willetton last week for a shared meal and conversation as Rostrata Family Centre joined a nationwide effort to host Australia’s biggest community-led lunch.
The event was held as part of Neighbourhood Centre Week, which celebrates the role neighbourhood and community centres play in connecting people across the country.
Centres around Australia hosted local lunches throughout the week, with attendance numbers contributing to a national total.
Rostrata Family Centre manager said the event was another way to bring people together and open the doors to the wider community.
“Being in Willetton for 36 years we have always looked for ways to connect our community,” they said.
“Neighbourhood Centre Week is always the perfect opportunity to showcase what we do, and to invite people in.”
About 70 to 80 people attended the free lunch, which included food, drinks, music and conversation. And 170 lunches were served on the day, contributing to the total number of lunches served around Australia.
The manager said loneliness and isolation remained a growing issue in the community, particularly as cost-of-living pressures continued to affect many households.
“People are always looking for a good reason to get out – and food connects us all – it is the love language of the ages,” they said.
“And given cost of living pressures currently, people are going out less – so an event like this gives the perfect opportunity to get out and meet people without a cost involved.”
Opened officially by former WA premier Carmen Lawrence in 1990, the centre was created to provide a welcoming space where people could connect through programs, activities and support services.
Programs run throughout the year include exercise classes, arts and crafts, music, children’s activities, language and cultural groups, and social catch-ups.
The event also highlighted broader concerns around loneliness in Australia.
Figures from the World Health Organisation show loneliness affects nearly one in six people globally and contributes to hundreds of thousands of deaths each year.
Research from Ending Loneliness Together found Australians experiencing loneliness were significantly more likely to report depression and social anxiety.
The centre manager said the impact of community connection could be life-changing.
“We have many who would be happy to share their story about finding friendship and connection here at Rostrata,” they said.
“We do periodic feedback with all our people and have been told many times that ‘This centre saved my life’.”
