A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NUNAWADING TOY LIBRARY INCORPORATED

The Nunawading Toy Library was formed in 1975 by parents and carers of the area formerly known as the Parish of Nunawading, which now comprises a large chunk in the City of Whitehorse. It is managed by a voluntary committee and all members are required to participate in its operation.

The toy library, as far as we can determine, has always been a member of the Toy Libraries Association of Victoria (now known as Toy Libraries Victoria Inc.) and was modelled on its example, which in itself is modelled on the UK version which began in the late 1960’s. As far as we know, the first toy library was formed in Norway in the early 1960’s.

NTL was incorporated in 1987, which is where our available records start and as you can imagine, everything was typed on a good old-fashioned typewriter and/or handwritten. The first year’s financial statement recorded a balance of $126.76 (with turnover of about $4000!), 113 members and 10 committee members. It was open on Thursdays only and in 1990 due to increased demand, opened a Saturday session. Fundraising of the time comprised lamington and shortbread sales, sausage sizzles, Christmas hampers, sock sales, paint and paper sales, market research (!), and, of all things, soup tasting! The committee of the time started assembling the picture catalogues as well, a show of great foresight as they’re still in use today, although the committee updated them completely during the stocktake of 2003-4.

The Toy Library celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2000, by hosting a children’s concert at the Nunawading Recreation Centre. The weather was foul but the day was well attended by members and supported by local bodies and resulted in break-even success.

One theme that has remained constant throughout the years has been the challenges presented by being housed in the Apex Hall. From lack of storage to problems with the sharing of facilities, it appears there has always been something to overcome at one time or another. Some remarkable measures have been taken in response, such as obtaining a grant for the shelving, and use of the “roving box” system. The latter is not ideal but certainly workable and is an example of the ingenuity and dedication shown by committee members over the years.

In 2002, it was recognised that electronic forms of communication and the Internet were valuable means of accessibility and exposure, so a basic free-provider’s website and e-mail address were set up in response to this. NTL now has a professionally designed website and owns its own domain name which is linked to numerous useful sites to stay up to date in such a fast-paced society.

There are numerous innovations which all make up the running of a very good and busy toy library, a credit to all involved over the years, since without such energetic volunteers it could not exist. It is always a struggle to recruit willing volunteers but somehow it is always done, and NTL continues to provide an essential service to its community.

This year, we have the privilege of celebrating another milestone—30 years!

Lek Koswig, March 2005