Welcome to the first blog entry for FamilyConnect. Writing this first entry has been on my to-do list for a few weeks now."What do I write for the very first entry?" I had been asking myself for a few weeks and no effective answer was forthcoming.

Last night, with the question in the back of my mind, I watched a TV documentary on Stuart O'Grady, the Australian road cyclist. I was watching it with my husband, a passionate road cyclist, who has had his freedoms curtailed by a broken foot. (How did he break his foot? He would tell you he did it bouldering - he fell over a rock getting the kids out of the car.)

The documentary followed O'Grady's win at the 2007 Paris-Roubaix, a gruelling 260km road cycling race held over stretches of cobbled roads. I watched O'Grady, caked in dust and grit, pick himself up mentally and physically, his arms shaking from the pounding his body and bike was receiving from the cobblestones. His determination and warrior spirit were clear to see. During the documentary, a fellow rider quoted O'Grady as saying "pain is temporary, memories are forever". And that was O'Grady's mindset as he pushed his body and mind beyond its known limits to achieve first on the podium.

Wow! It was an inspiring story, and one that puts my challenge of writing this blog into perspective, making it a rather small cobblestone on the overall scale of life’s challenges and adventures. I realised as O'Grady stood at the podium precariously holding his "rock" of a trophy, that my pain in writing this blog was artificial, a product of anxiety. “What if what I say isn’t written well enough?”, "What if no one reads this blog?" "What if, what if, what if....?" Listening to O'Grady talk through his win, I realised my questions where questions a champion does not ask. Rather, a champion asks "How can I make this happen for me, right here, right now?"

As I pondered where I needed to apply this mindset to my own life, the documentary progressed to a scene of O'Grady, nearly in tears, being congratulated by his team, well wishers and family. Then, as he is being interviewed live on TV, Fabian Cancellara, O'Grady's team mate, having just finished the race, pushes his way forward through the crowd and with the enthusiasm and energy of someone who has just gotten out of bed. Cancellara congratulates O'Grady in an embrace of warmth and heart-felt joy. For me, seeing that exchange shows whilst O'Grady stood alone on the winner’s podium, he had a loyal and zealous team of mates supporting him along the way.

It is that depth of mateship, developed through familiarity and passion, of being there to celebrate the joys and the tears, which reminded me of the motivation to create FamilyConnect. In 2005, my husband and I, along with our 6 month old baby moved from Brisbane to Perth. I was lonely as I did not know other families in my area and I had yet to find the support services my child and I needed. And when the winter rain came, and it rained and rained and rained, I felt isolated. In a check-up with the Child Health Nurse she indicated that my test results showed a tendency towards Post Natal Depression. No, I cried out, I'm just feeling lonely and isolated! My mother had died when I was a teenager and my sister had died during my pregnancy. With a husband at work forging a new career, I was feeling alone in the challenge of raising a child!

That episode in my life made me realise just how important having a team and mates around us is. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child, however finding that village and our spot it in can take some time. So, out of that painful yet necessary experience, I created FamilyConnect | Helpmate to Local Parents as a friend and support resource to help parents, carers and grandparents to find and connect with the services and support they need from within their local village to raise healthy and happy adults.

Initially, we have a local directory so that you can find businesses and services quickly and easily, classifieds to buy, sell or free-trade your unwanted goods and an events calendar to ensure you are able to quickly find activities, courses and fun events to enjoy with your children. We shall soon expand our tools to include a forum, jobs board and many other tools to ensure local parents feel supported and connected. Our goal is to be your “local”, providing opportunities for parents to find out what is happening in their local village easily and effortlessly so that they spend more recreational time with their children and partner.

FamilyConnect is at the beginning of the journey, we don't have a set finish line or a time to beat. Some of the journey will be over hard cobblestones, some over smooth roads, however together will have fun, laugh and celebrate the milestones along the way.

FamilyConnect is your village and our service philosophy is simple - to be your helpmate. FamilyConnect is interactive. We invite you to add listings, comment, connect with other parents both online and in person to share what you know. If in doing so you reach out and create friendships, memories and legacies as achieved by legendary team mates such as O'Grady and Cancellara then I will be ecstatic.

How about you?