The Kyabram Toy Library has closed after 41 years of serving the children of the community. The two volunteers that were left, Natalie Stephenson and Naomi Cartwright, were sad to make the decision, but it was something that had been brewing since COVID-19 began.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
Sitting on a shelf at the Kyabram Service Centre is a dust-covered, brown wooden box with the words ‘1st Toy’ written on it in black sharpie.
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The old train set that lies inside that box has been passed through hundreds of tiny hands over decades, each child using it to create new imagined worlds where anything was possible.
After 41 years of bringing joy to countless families, the cherished tradition of borrowing toys from Kyabram’s Toy Library has reached its final chapter.
On Wednesday, December 3, the two remaining volunteers of the library, Natalie Stephenson and Naomi Cartwright, announced the closure of the beloved service via Facebook.
The pair had been wrestling with the difficult decision for the past year as volunteer numbers dwindled to just the two of them.
The closure also came due to rising insurance costs paired with drooping membership figures.
Ms Stephenson, who also serves as the town librarian, has been volunteering with the Toy Library for the past 15 years, witnessing its slow death.
She said the service now served only three or four families regularly, a stark contrast to its bustling early years.
She said COVID-19 was the real culprit for a drop in membership, as parents became wary of sharing toys.
But 41 years ago, the service was revolutionary for the town.
Original committee members of the Kyabram Toy Library are listed in the archives.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
Archives of minutes from meetings show the Toy Library was established by the Kyabram Business and Professional Women’s Club in February 1984.
To get the library started, the group raised money and collected donations from several district service clubs and organisations for the initial purchase of the toys.
By the time the Toy Library committee was formed on March 2, 1984, the group had 20 toys with the aim of collecting more through fundraising means.
The Kyabram Community Centre agreed to be the administrator of future operations of the library, and the rest was history.
Today, behind a door in the Kyabram library, sit hundreds of bright, colourful toys.
From kitchen sets and tricycles to sandpit diggers, costumes, learning equipment and more – it’s like someone picked up a toy catalogue and shook it until everything tumbled out.
Back, Lara and Bryce with (front) Jacob Cartwright, Kade Mansfield, Ben Mathews, Emily Mathews and Rory Mansfield, who all enjoyed Kyabram Toy Library’s 30th birthday celebrations.
Photo by
Kyabram Free Press
Ms Stephenson said the most popular items that were borrowed were the party packs, where families could borrow themed play sets for parties, so they didn’t have to buy them to be played with only once.
Reactions to the closure all shared the same sentiment: it’s a sign of the times, and volunteer Ms Cartwright agreed.
“During my time with the Toy Library we have seen ups and downs with membership numbers it … has got harder since COVID, naturally, but the changing dynamics of life with parents going back to work earlier, the introduction of three-year-old kinder and children being in childcare for more times also hasn't helped,” she said.
But she believes the Toy Library has served the community when it needed it most.
These treasured toys will find new homes with local children's organisations, ensuring they continue bringing joy rather than gathering dust in storage.
“We have serviced the community well — I even remember a couple of times with articles in the paper — people just don’t have the time,” she said.
“We are donating some toys as well as any funds we had and hope these can be put to good use.”
The first toy in Kyabram’s Toy Library was a train set. It has been collecting dust for years, but holds the history of the library’s proud 40-year tenure in Kyabram.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
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