About MotHs
Raising awareness, connecting mothers, supporting research and promoting local businesses since 2015.
Our Vision
Our vision is a future where mothers and families are connected, supported and empowered to overcome common challenges and thrive in a hills community.
Our Mission
Our mission is to advance social and public welfare by reducing the impact on mental health and wellbeing arising from social isolation experienced by mothers in and around the Yarra Ranges.
What is the Moths Association?
Mums of the Hills Inc (MotHs) is dedicated to supporting women through the years of motherhood, connecting mothers to services and promoting local businesses. MotHs was created as a local online private group in 2015. Likewise, MotH’s subsidiary groups including MotHs Market, MotHs Kitchen, Business Mums of the Hills, Single MotHs and LGBTQIA+ MotHs, are equally dedicated to the individual needs of our MotHs community. MotHs passion for supporting and advocating on local issues has been recognised online and off.
What sort of research and/or advocacy topics will you be looking into and/or solving?
We raise awareness and support research on the unique challenges that mothers experience living in the hills areas. Challenges include limited:
· access to local childcare,
· opportunities for family friendly employment,
· pram friendly infrastructure,
· availability of mental health practitioners and other medical experts,
· internet connection.
In addition, we advocate and support research on topics important to our community including domestic violence, education and natural disasters such as bushfires and storms.
Who Are We?
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Our little family moved to the Yarra Ranges in 2015. Long story short, I created Mums of the Hills after I fell off a ladder, home alone with my 2 young kids. In that moment I realised that the area’s isolation wasn’t just a drag on our social lives, but a barrier to surviving in this area.
We have loved the strength, creativity and resilience of this beautiful community and has been a wonderful place to live and bring up our two sons.. I’d like to think that Mums of the Hills has played a huge role in that.
I am passionate about community engagement, environmental awareness, gardens, gardening and anything to do with the great outdoors. I’ll gladly give anything sporty a go and you’ll find it hard to keep me off the dance floor. My PhD research in bushfire prevention and online/place-based communication strongly reflects my passion for community and tackling climate change.
In 2023 I was honoured to be the Victorian recipient of the Australian of the Year Award - Local Hero. This was in recognition of my work with Mums of the Hills, particularly through the COVID lockdowns and June 2021 storm disasters.
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Katerina is a mum who has raised her children in the Dandenong Ranges over the past 20 years. She is a keen hiker and Psychologist with a deep belief that by working together as a community, we can support each other to thrive.
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Caroline moved to the hills in 2015 and is a mother of three young children. Caroline is an FCPA and director of JHL Accounting. She began her career with EY and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne in the year 2000.
With over 20 years of experience in taxation and business services, Caroline has consulted across a broad range of industries specialising in complex high wealth groups, small business, superannuation and individual taxation.
JHL Accounting
PH: 03 9778 3245
Address: Suite 3, 175 Boronia Road, Boronia
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Annemarie moved to Australia in 2004 from southern England. She moved to Upwey in 2007 and had our daughter in 2012.
Feeling very alone and a world away from my family when I became a mum, I think it’s so important to connect with others who can become your family and support network.
I think it’s so important for organizations such as MotHs to facilitate community events and making sure new mums have access to all the services on offer. This is very important to me.
I’m also passionate about neurodiversity awareness, particularly female ADHD and how this can really effect the motherhood experience, and with the right support neurodivergent families can thrive
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Leslie moved to the hills with her family in 2014. She is a volcanologist and Earth Science educator with an intense passion for sharing her deep understanding of complex processes with students young and old in an accessible and engaging way. Leslie brings her measured approach to dealing with complexity and numbers to bolster the MotHs committee aims and objectives.
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Genevieve is Director of the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation in the Law Faculty at Monash University. Genevieve has an extensive track record of interdisciplinary research partnerships with government agencies, courts, compensation schemes, regulators and dispute resolution organisations. She has a PhD in public health and law from The University of Melbourne. Details of her recent research can be found on Google Scholar.
Mums of the Hills Structure
MotHs (Mums of the Hills) is not just an online group, it's an active community that has been making a positive impact since its founding in 2015. Our journey began with a simple goal: to support the wellbeing of mothers across the Yarra Ranges and alleviate the sense of isolation that can affect individuals, particularly mums. Over the years, MotHs has grown exponentially, becoming known as a space for connection and support for mothers navigating the challenges of modern life. More than simply supporting each other through these challenges, we’re working towards preventing them. The grassroots collective of MotHs online groups, under the incorporated banner of MotHs Inc.,takes the goal of ending isolation beyond the casual/digital realm directly into MP offices and beyond to the federal cabinet.
Become a Subscriber
MotHs goes above and beyond for its community. We advocate on the issues we see, hear about and directly experience within our community. Becoming a subscriber will help MotHs:
continue to advocate on issues that create isolation in our community including telecommunication, long day care, family violence, mental health including postnatal depression, and cost of living.
create workshops and events tailored to the needs of our community.
create and maintain useful hills-centric resources to support living and parenting in the diverse geography of the Yarra Ranges.
connect local families with necessary services.
maintain a place-based space for use by mums across the Yarra Ranges for connection, support, workshops and advice.;
maintain our online and place-based spaces that nurture safe and supportive cultures benefitting the whole community;