Support Group

🎉 **Melbourne AWS User Group – April Meetup** 🎉 📅 Wednesday, 29 April 📍 NAB Events Hub – 395 Bourke Street, Melbourne ⏰ Food at 6:00 pm, talks from 6:30 pm (with live stream) Join us for our April meetup as we dive into real-world AWS architecture and cutting-edge AI workloads on Kubernetes. This month, we’re exploring how organisations make practical architecture decisions on AWS, and how modern AI tooling and GPU-powered platforms are enabling scalable, real-time applications. This month’s lineup features: • Trent Hornibrook sharing how Bell Financial approaches architecture decisions on AWS. • Yongkang He is presenting a live demo on building and scaling Stable Diffusion on Amazon EKS. A huge thank you to our sponsors: 🥇 Mantel Group – Gold Sponsor, 🥈 Cevo – Silver Sponsor, 🏛 NAB – Venue Sponsor The event will be live-streamed on YouTube as always: https://www.youtube.com/@AWSMelb/streams *** 🗓️ **Agenda** 6:00 pm – Food & Socialising 6:30 pm – Introductions 6:40 pm – What’s New in AWS 6:55 pm – How Bell Financial Architects on AWS (Level 200); Speaker: Trent Hornibrook 7:25 pm – Building and Scaling Stable Diffusion with Amazon EKS (Level 300); Speaker: Yongkang He 7:55 pm – Marketplace (Who’s Hiring) 8:00 pm – Networking + Close *** 🎤 **Talk Details** **How Bell Financial Architects on AWS** Speaker: Trent Hornibrook Level: 200 In this session, Trent will share how Bell Financial approaches architecture decisions and the key choices they’ve made when designing and operating workloads on AWS. This talk provides practical insight into real-world decision-making, trade-offs, and architectural patterns used in a financial services environment. *** **Building and Scaling Stable Diffusion with Amazon EKS** Speaker: Yongkang He Level: 300 Imagine generating AI images from text prompts — powered by Kubernetes, GPUs, and built with the help of Amazon Kiro. In this session (with live demo), we’ll walk through building and deploying a full AI image generator using Stable Diffusion XL on Amazon EKS. From containerisation and GPU nodes to scaling inference and pushing to Amazon ECR, you’ll see how it all comes together in a real-world setup. 💡 Key takeaways: • Build and scale Stable Diffusion on EKS • Use Kiro to accelerate development from code to deployment • Understand GPU scheduling and autoscaling in Kubernetes • Live demo of real-time image generation on AWS *** 🙌 **Want to Speak at a Future Meetup?** We’re always looking for new speakers and believe everyone has an interesting talk waiting to be shared. If you’d like to present at a future event, reach out at the meetup or via our website: https://melb.awsug.org.au/speak/

**You are invited to our men's conversation group, the Men Being Well program** run by Relationships Australia Victoria and Life Is Foundation. This free program is for men to meet, discuss and explore wellbeing through **connection**, **reflection** and **peer support**. **IN-PERSON Men's Gathering on Wed 29th APRIL at 7 to 9 PM** Men Being Well hosts monthly Men’s Gatherings or conversation groups and several all-day Men’s Retreats throughout the year. Our events are aimed at positive mental health and wellbeing for men and include regular discussion about life issues and challenges. The relaxed format is welcoming and a safe place to reflect on your personal journey. We hope you can join us in Canterbury, Melbourne and look forward to relaxed and thoughtful discussion. *Please contact us via email (or message us on Meetup) for address details and a brief chat if you are coming along for the first time.* Please email us and join our mailing list as well: **menbeingwell@rav.org.au** Visit our webpage for more dates and information about the Men Being Well program: [www.relationshipsvictoria.org.au/relationships-wellbeing-courses/men-being-well/](https://www.relationshipsvictoria.org.au/relationships-wellbeing-courses/men-being-well/) Regards from your Men Being Well Program Facilitators

Hi everyone, Stella & Tarrant here 😃 It's board game and dinner time every 2nd Wednesdays! Everyone's welcome, new or experienced board gamer. Let's play board games together, meet new friends if you want, and also supporting local restaurant buying their food and drink, coz the event is free. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐑𝐒𝐕𝐏, 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐨 𝐬𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐜𝐨𝐳 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 Meetup will be in the separate room at the back of their venue! 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘: 6pm - 10pm (but the pub is open till later if you want to stay around) 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗢 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧: Meetup for dinner & drink while playing board games. Here's a one page PDF document explaining how it works - https://loom.ly/hTHo2cM. Basically, find some friends or make some new ones. 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚: Bring your own games or play our growing board games library, teach others or join others games. We have flag system to help you find people to play with you. Here is the list of our growing games library, categories and with short description - https://loom.ly/fOKuaM4 𝗙𝗘𝗘: Zero. Nada. It's a casual get together, we're helping facilitating the meetup. All I asked is to please order food & drink from the venue, don't bring your own food and eat there, as the venue is a pub, they are providing the venue for free So please help local business 😃 𝗢𝗥𝗚𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗘: Feel free to post in the comment if you have games you want to bring and teach others, try to organise people to play. Or if you want to join other people's game. We have a group via Aftergame (app/website) where you can organise a game as well here - https://aftergame.app/groups/we-play-board-games-melbourne-meetup-by-meeple-university-1386 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘: Melbourne Central, level 3. Melbourne Central station underneath. There are various public carpark Wilson 300 LaTrobe and Secure Parking in the city. Or the Wilson carpark under Melbourne Central, entry is a set price after 5pm (at the time of writing). And then plenty of public transport in the city 🙂 To connect more to fellow board gamers, you can join the Facebook group that started the event here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/WePlayBoardGames Thank you and hope to see you all then! Stella & Tarrant

**We all love a good laugh — but when it comes to public speaking, humour can feel like walking a tightrope.** Used well, it can elevate your speech, win over an audience, and make your message unforgettable. Used poorly… well, let’s just say silence isn’t always golden. **How do you actually *be funny* on purpose?** What gets a laugh? What falls flat? And how can you use humour in a way that feels natural, authentic, and effective — even if you’re not a “funny person”? In this playful and practical session, you’ll learn how humour works, how to use it to connect with your audience, and how a well-placed laugh can make your message more powerful and persuasive. Because once you’ve made people laugh, they’re far more likely to listen. Whether you're new to public speaking or just want to bring a little more sparkle to your delivery — this is a night you don’t want to miss! **THIS IS A CURATED GUEST EVENT** Join us tonight at Port Melbourne Toastmasters as we explore how to use humour to connect, engage, and leave your audience smiling — for all the right reasons. **Get ready for a session that will help you find your funny and speak with confidence and charisma.** Don’t miss this game-changing session! *Guests, Meetup Group members, and visiting Toastmasters attend for free.* 🌐 [www.portmelbournetoastmasters.org](http://www.portmelbournetoastmasters.org) 📍 Where: Find directions [here](https://www.portmelbournetoastmasters.org/directions.html) ***Port Melbourne Toastmasters is a club for people who are serious about developing their speaking, leadership, and personal presence.*** We offer limited, curated guest sessions throughout the year for prospective members. These sessions allow you to experience our high-engagement, growth-focused environment firsthand — without open access to every meeting.

RSVP on our GDG community platform -> https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-melbourne-presents-gdg-melbourne-april-meetup-4/ This event is hosted at the Mantel Group Office, with the recording of the talks to be shared afterwards on YouTube if you can't make it. There will be food, networking and some surprise swag!Agenda: 6:20 - Intro 6:30 - Talks 8:00 till late - networking & chat (& drinks optional)Speakers and Talks: Nicole Ellis, IT @ Monash (Games and Immersive Media) | Team Co-Lead @ MNET | Comms Officer @ MTS'Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt is the Real Barrier (Not Skill)' Most people in tech are not held back by a lack of ability; they are held back by intimidation. We avoid learning new tools and technologies not because we can’t, but because they feel too hard. We tell ourselves we’re “too busy,” we delay starting, and we stick to what feels comfortable. But often, what looks like procrastination is actually fear. Fear of failure, uncertainty, and self-doubt. Drawing from experience in education, esports, and leadership, this talk explores how hesitation shows up across different environments, and why it matters more than technical skill. This session reframes what it means for something to be “hard” and offers a practical approach to taking the first step towards the things you’ve been avoiding. Cameron Pavey, Principal Engineer | Technical Writer @ Rex 'Building systems that learn and grow' Most AI interactions start from zero every time. But what happens when you build systems that persist, accumulate context, and actually improve through use? This session explores the architecture of my long-running AI companion. Not a chatbot that forgets, but systems that learn your household's rhythms, anticipate needs, and develop genuine continuity over months and hopefully years, no OpenClaw required. We'll walk through the engineering decisions that make this possible: memory architecture that balances retrieval with synthesis, multi-facet coordination that lets different subsystems work in parallel, and the practical challenges of keeping a system coherent when it runs 24/7 across months of operation. Narendra Santhosh Nagarajan, Senior Backend Engineer @ TIG Freight Management 'Debugging my way through GCP'How to find us: Doors open at 5:45 PM at our host the Mantel Group, Level 2/452 Flinders St Melbourne. Message via Meetup or Slack if you are arriving after 6:00 as the lifts won't let you up.  This is an in-person only event. If you have any accessibility requirements please reach out via the Meetup or Slack to the organiser group to discuss and we will do our best to help you out. Agenda --- Hosted By Katie Barnett, GDE Android / GDG Organiser Katie is passionate about all things Android. She has taken on a wide variety of challenging projects including in the live event, media and travel space. Her favourite thing is to see someone having a delightful experience using something she has worked on. Katie is very active in the development community, she is a Google Developer Expert for Android, one of the organisers of GDG Melbourne and is a Women Techmakers Ambassador. She frequently runs events, speaks on technical and non-technical topics and enjoys writing blog posts to share her experience with others. Katie is based in Melbourne, Australia but loves to travel the world and outside of tech she enjoys boardgaming and attempting to finish many craft projects. Suesi Tran, Senior Flutter Developer Google Developer Expert in Dart, Flutter & Firebase, Women Techmaker Melbourne ambassador, GDG Melbourne & Flutter Melbourne co-organiser. In short: Flutter is love, and mobile is life. Poornima Sivakumar, GDG Organiser Lovee Jain, GDG Organiser Lovee is a Software Engineer at Prezzee, a GDG Melbourne Organiser and also a Women Techmakers Ambassador. A tech inquisitive philomath, she loves problem solving and solution design. She has worked at a city council where she developed a lot of useful system integrations and while at Prezzee she develops and works on multiple gift card solutions to cater the B2B2C market. Zach Jensz, GDG Organiser Passionate about the web, seamless UX and accessibility. I love attending meetups, find me and come say hi! Ujjawal Raj, GDG Organiser Bramley Turner-Jones, GDG Organiser Yuba Raj (UV) Panta, GDG Cloud Organiser Kartik Arora, Android Engineer Google Developer Expert in Android Android Engineer @ Bilue Carolyn Ai Chi Wong, Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-melbourne-presents-gdg-melbourne-april-meetup-4/.

A gentle invitation to the Sisterhood 🌿✨ If you’re a woman who has experienced trauma and are looking for a safe, supportive, and understanding community, then this is for you💛 Join us for a lighthearted, soul-nourishing evening designed to help you unwind, recharge, and connect with like-minded women. This is a relaxed, welcoming space to get to know the Sisterhood—where conversation flows easily, laughter is encouraged, and you can simply show up as you are. Sip on a warm herbal tea, settle in, and enjoy meaningful connection in a supportive and easygoing atmosphere. Whether you feel like sharing or just listening, you’re invited to be part of a circle that values warmth, authenticity, and togetherness. Due to the cost of living pressures, this will be a donation-based event so you only give what feels right for you. Come as you are. Leave feeling a little lighter, a little more connected, and gently recharged 💛

Come along and join an exclusive and empowering gathering created especially for us Amazing women aged 50+. Its an all inclusive gathering to connect, reflect, and be real about this powerful stage of life. Reaffirming that this phase is meant to be lived and enjoyed, not endured! This chapter often brings a mix of shifts, changing relationships, evolving identities, hormonal transitions, and a body that may feel unfamiliar at times. Many women are navigating children leaving home, redefining purpose, or simply asking, “What now?” Together, we’ll share stories, laughter, and honest conversation in a supportive and welcoming environment. This is a place to feel seen, understood, and uplifted — to explore what’s changing, what’s emerging, and what truly matters moving forward. You don’t need to have it all figured out or to silently navigate through this phase on your own. So come as you are, enjoy a glass of bubbles or if you prefer something non-alcoholic and connect with the Sisterhood. \- Due to the cost of living pressures\, this will be a 'Donation" based event so you only give what you feel is right for you\. Spots are limited so don't miss out, and I really look forward to meeting you then :))

Do you live in the Southern suburbs? Want to explore what the Southern suburbs has to offer? Or are you just interested to catch-up with like-minded people? Once a month Steph hosts our Southern socials. It is a great opportunity to meet others. Our emphasis is on fun whilst helping and supporting each other. The socials include drinks and chats, casual coffees, dinners and other activities suggested by members from time to time. Our socials are informal and open to all. We pay for own food and drinks individually and there is no charge for the organisation of the events. We hope to see you!

• What we'll do Hi Meetup members, we do not post any of our catch ups though Meetup.com anymore, once you've been approved for our private Facebook group, you will get all the details you need from us there. We have had to do this to protect our many members from fraudulent visitors. I hope you understand! Please still apply to join meetup, and then once approved through here, you will be sent the information required. • What to bring • Important to know

Damian Clark facilitates a ‘North Fitzroy Men’s walk and talk group’ for men in the inner city and northern suburbs interested in connecting with other men to develop meaningful and supportive connections, with the added health benefits of a walk in nature. The walks are supported by Holden Street Neighbourhood House - contact (03) 9489 9929 or admin@holdenstreet.org.au for queries. The walks are run FREE of charge on the 1st Saturday of each of month at 8.am. The walk will commence at the Holden Street Neighbourhood House then proceed to take in Park Street and Rushall Reserves in Fitzroy North. The group is for men of all ages. The benefits from participating in the men’s walk and talk group are: 1. A safe space to connect with other men. 2. Opportunity to be genuinely listened to. 3. Chance to express your feelings and thoughts free from judgement and criticism. 4. Make valuable and lasting friendships.

**The idea for this group is to build a community where men can gather together and build connections & learn and grow from each other.** How we start each meeting is by each of us checking in with our "roses and thorns" aka what are the good things and the bad things going on in your life recently? Then we will go into a topic discussion. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **COMMUNITY AGREEMENTS** \*\*THERE WILL BE A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY FOR NO-SHOWS. IF YOU RSVP TO A MEETING AND FAIL TO SHOW UP WITHOUT NOTICE, YOU'LL BE REMOVED FROM THE GROUP. THIS IS TO PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF THE GROUP\*\* 1. Confidentiality - EVERYTHING that is shared NEVER leaves this space so that this space remains safe and sacred. There is a zero tolerance policy for this. If a man is in violation of this, they will be permanently removed from the group. 2. Non-Judgement - we respect and honor every man’s truth so that we may receive the same from others. While we may not agree on everything, we commit to respecting every man’s perspectives and engaging in honorable discussion with one another. 3. Be committed - honor your commitment to this group and to yourself. If you attend a meeting, please commit yourself fully to the meeting. Also be committed to your own journey. When we fail, we own it & clean it up. 4. Speak from the heart - this is NOT a space to “look good”, have the “right” answers, and have it all together. Relax and know you are not alone. Be exactly who you are within the safety of this space. 5. Be supportive - This means always willing to provide encouragement to your fellow men, encourage action and momentum in each other’s lives.. Be willing to challenge each other. Be willing to hold each other accountable. 6. Participation - what you receive from this community will be a reflection of what you put into it. Period. We ask that you share your perspectives, reflect on others, and give/receive support when and where it’s needed.

This meeting will be a discussion about a proposed tour of the Ohio Theatre led by Mary Cecil, Tour Coordinator of the Ohio Theatre and Jane Ehrenfeld, Audio Describer. We will try to connect for a Conference Call option at (518) 263-8851.

Are you passionate about supporting other men on their mental health journey? We’re building a movement of virtual and in-person men’s groups across Ohio — and we’re looking for group leaders who want to make a real difference with us. As a group leader, you’ll create a safe space where men can connect, reflect, and grow together. Training and support are provided — you just need heart, presence, and a willingness to lead. **Apply now to lead a group in your area:** 👉 https://form.jotform.com/taketimespeakyourmind/sym-group-leader-application Speak Your Mind is a mental health non profit dedicated to bringing our community together to end the isolation that leads to mental struggle and suicide. Learn more about them here: https://linktr.ee/taketimespeakyourmind

Join Neurospicy Columbus at the Stauff's for coffee and then a stroll through the Book Loft nearby! This will be a friendly chat for like minded individuals with Autism and/or ADHD (or somewhere on the Neurodiverse Spectra).

You are cordially invited to a beautiful Ladies’ Tea Party. Whether you are a mother, daughter, sister, aunt, grandmother, or wife, this special gathering is a graceful celebration of you—the love you share, the strength you carry, and the elegance you embody. Join us for a refined afternoon of tea and light fare, filled with laughter, meaningful connection, and the opportunity to meet new friends in a warm and welcoming setting. You are also invited to bring your daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and cherished friends as we create a truly memorable experience together.