Community Groups

For anyone in the Canberra region with Welsh background or an interest in Wales and Welsh culture, customs, history and/or language.

Southside Rock and Roll Club Inc. started in 1990 and has been running continually in Canberra since then.

The Club had its humble beginnings at the Dutch Club in Mawson when 6 couples turned up for 6 weeks of lessons and quickly grew into a much larger group of dancers from all over the ACT, Queanbeyan and nearby areas.

Our Club had its home at The Burns Club in Kambah for around 15 years. Then the Austrian Club. Now at the Harmonie German Club, in Narrabundah, where we have regular social dancing on Sundays where members exchange new moves and practice our old ones.

Principles of U3A

• To provide affordable learning opportunities for older people, using the skills and abilities of the members themselves;
• Those who learn shall teach and those who teach shall learn, and there shall be no distinction between the two;
• There shall be no qualification for membership, and no awards, degrees and diplomas shall be given;
• The emphasis shall be on learning for the love of it, and shall include an emphasis on the values of making things and improving skills of all kinds;
• Learning shall take place in a friendly, supportive and social environment;
• Those joining U3A shall pay for its upkeep;
• There shall be no payment to any person (member or non-member) for teaching or providing a service to members except in the case of reimbursement for such expenses as travel, photocopying, etc.;
• The curriculum of a U3A shall be determined by the needs/preferences of members and according to the resources available to it; and
• To be at all times, non-political and non-sectarian in our approach.

Get in touch with Cellina Benassi at 0408004585 for more information.

CHOG has about 150 members and growing, mainly made up of Canberrans, but also coming from country areas up to 400km away.

The club is very active in riding and interacting with the local community. The club rides to most state rallies held in Australian and the national rally held each year. The club gets actively involved with local community and charities and has raised well over $40,000 over the last ten years for different local charities.

The main purpose of the club is to ride and have fun; ride our Harleys and have fun.

CDAS Inc. is a not-for-profit community group of aquatic enthusiasts run by volunteers. We conduct regular meetings on the third Tuesday of every month where we hold raffles, provide access to some specialty items via the trade table, and share knowledge and experiences via aquarium related talks.

All ages and levels of experience are catered for. Beginners and advanced aquarists will find plenty to enjoy by getting involved with CDAS. You will find people in CDAS with lots of knowledge in all areas of the aquarium hobby – from goldfish to coral and planted tanks to breeding rare fish.

The club was founded in the 1960s, as the “Canberra Aquarium Society”, and we continue now to strive to achieve our primary aims:

• To further the study of all forms of aquatic life
• To promote interest in and disseminate information pertaining to the aquarium hobby in all its aspects
• To hold regular Meetings at which Members may exchange ideas and experience and engage in other activities related to the hobby
• To encourage the maintenance, breeding and display of aquatic life
• To provide and maintain a library for the use of Members
• To provide a venue at which Members and the Society may offer articles for sale or auction
• In furtherance of the aims of the Society, to affiliate with and/or correspond with kindred organisations
• To support the conservation of native and endangered aquatic species
• To publish a regular journal

The Austrian Choir Canberra is a SATB choir and was formed in 1981 shortly after the Austrian Australian Club Inc. in Mawson, opened its doors. This highly respected Choir is a major force in the promotion of Austrian culture and music in Canberra and the wider community in Australia. It has an extensive repertoire of Austrian, German, English and International songs, ranging from serious compositions and traditional music to the more modern ‘Heimatlieder’ and other folk music, ballads and the unforgettable Viennese waltzes. The Choir gains immense pleasure in providing its audiences with enjoyment and, at times, some nostalgia.

The Choirs’ main objective is to have fun and enjoy the musical experience while at the same time achieving a high level of excellence in its performances. The Choir is fortunate to have a number of talented singers and musicians, which enables it to present solos, duets, quartets and instrumental pieces. Many of our singers do not speak German nor read music, but this is never an issue as we assist with pronunciation and provide translations of songs.

The Choir has performed at the Wesley Music Centre Lunchtime Concert Series, at the High Court, Floriade and the Multicultural Food and Dance Festivals and sings regularly at Churches, Nursing Homes and Hospitals. It is invited every year to celebrate the Austrian National Day at the Austrian Embassy.

The Choir is a member of the Australischer Saengerbund (the German Choral Association of Australia Inc.) and has participated in its triennial Saengerfests since 1991. We were proud hosts of Saengerfest in Canberra over the weekend of October 4-6, 2014. See the Saengerfest page. The Choir is also a member of ANCA (the Australian National Choral Association).

Under the name ‘Austrian Australian Choir’ we toured Austria and the Czech Republic in 2007 with standing ovations at each concert. In 2010 we had a very successful ‘encore’ tour to Germany and Austria and again in 2013 where we sang in St Peter’s Basilica and St Ignatius in Rome and presented concerts in Zurich, Salzburg and Vienna.

If you love to sing, please feel free to call in and listen to our rehearsals, which are held on Wednesday evenings from 7.15 to 9pm at the Harmonie German Club, 49 Jerrabomberra Avenue, Narrabundah. Alternatively, ring any one of the Committee members for more information. We do not require you to audition just a genuine desire to sing and join with this wonderful musical family.

Visit their website for rehearsal and contact details!

The Australian Electric Vehicle Association Inc. (AEVA) is a volunteer run, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the cause of switching Australia’s transport networks to electric drive as quickly as possible.  We all share a common interest in Electric Vehicles (EVs) and EV technology.  Formed after the oil price shocks of 1973, the AEVA is the longest continuously running EV society in the world.

Our purpose is to provide a forum for social and technical communication in the EV field, create greater awareness of EVs and encourage their use, to foster further research and development in EV technology, and to be an official source of information on EVs in Australia.

For many decades the only way to access an electric vehicle was to build or convert your own.  The AEVA played a leading role in the establishment of national guidelines for electric vehicle modifications (NCOP14) and continues to advice DIY builders and registered training organisations alike.  Since the late 2000’s, commercially available electric cars and bikes have been trickling into Australia.  We represent all EV users and enthusiasts, and are more than happy to offer jargon-free advice on which EV is right for you.  We also make regular submissions to government and industry about policies which will help transition to electric drive, and away from imported fossil fuels for transport.