This afternoon I was invited to participate in a panel session on social media to discuss my experiences in utilising social media within community organisations. The panel explored the usage of social media tools, including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and LinkedIn to reach volunteers and encourage community participation.

It is important that social media is used to complement other forms of marketing and communication that are undertaken by an organisation. The benefits of social media are best realised that they are used in conjunction with other forms of marketing, ensuring a consistent approach in reaching potential volunteers and promoting the organisation.

Resourcing is also an important consideration when utilising social media. Given that most community based organisations work within considerable resource constraints it is imperative that social media is utilised efficiently and effectively. Fortunately social media tools, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Youtube can be integrated ensuring a consistent and easy to maintain presence across these networks. Furthermore, new website content can be integrated with these tools extending the reach of a website and providing further content for social media.

Social media networks do need to be maintained and kept up-to-date with new content, integrating these tools and combining them with website updates ensuring an active presence and multiple opportunities to engage people via these networks.

The session was well attended, with excellent questions from attendees and I commend Volunteering Victoria for organising a dedicated session on social media. Community organisations can clearly benefit from social media tools if utilised effectively and integrated to provide a consistent and efficient marketing approach.

The program covers public speaking, confidence and teamwork, with the aim of developing leadership skills. At the end of the course the participants organise a presentation evening, which includes the presentation of certificates from Council.

This evening I was invited to speak about the program and to formally congratulate the students for their completion of the course. The speech delivered during the presentation is available within this post:

Good evening and welcome to EV’s Youth Centre, I would like to congratulate once again the participants of the Young Leaders program, as well as the parents, teachers and schools that support these students and this program.

Maroondah City Council, in the spirit of reconciliation, acknowledges that we are meeting on the land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on Land which the indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

I would also like to welcome our fellow Council colleague, Cr Natalie Thomas, who will be assisting in the presentation of certificates this evening.

I would like to congratulate all the Young Leaders for their efforts throughout the entire week and for tonight’s presentation. Well done for accepting this challenge with such enthusiasm. I can see that this experience has been a positive one and hope you can now confidently implement your learning into everyday life, and develop as young leaders in our community.

I’d like to also take this opportunity to specifically thank the following teachers and participating schools for seeing the potential in their young leaders and their willingness to work with the wider community and give opportunities like this to their students;

• Sharlene Agnew –School Wellbeing Coordinator at Ringwood Secondary College,
• Gary George –Leadership Coordinator at Norwood Secondary College,
• Assistant Principal John Baston at Croydon Secondary College,
• Dean Hewitt – Year 10 coordinator at Heathmont College,
• Lauren Moulynox – Year 10 coordinator and Jo Kirby -School Wellbeing coordinator at Maroondah Secondary College,
• Heather Ruckert –Year 10 coordinator at Tintern Schools,
• Ann Adams – School wellbeing coordinator at Parkwood Secondary College,
• David Hurley – Year 10 coordinator at Luther College,
• Daniel Wightman –Year 10 coordinator at Aquinas College

I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Council’s Youth Services Team who have worked hard putting this program together, including facilitating the program and ensuring tonight’s event runs smoothly.

Young Leaders is one of many great programs and events run by Council’s Youth Services Team, so please take the time to speak with a team member later tonight if you would like any further information on the great services they provide.

Congratulations Young Leaders of 2011. I wish you all the very best for the future, and hope you enjoy putting what you have learned from this week into practice!

The Annual Fun Run, which is held each March, is one of the major fundraising and community events held by Eastern Volunteers, with the event attracting over 500 participants and significant business support.

Alex as Master of Ceremonies for the Eastern Volunteers Annual Fun Run

This morning I served as the Master of Ceremonies for the event, providing instructions for participants, as well as acknowledging the major sponsors and supporters.

This year’s Fun Run included three major sponsors, who were invited to participate on the day. As the Master of Ceremonies I introduced the major sponsors, as well as Terry Avery, the Mayor of the Yarra Ranges Shire Council and board members from Eastern Volunteers, including the chairperson Terry Macdonald.

Alex with Terry Avery, Mayor the Yarra Ranges Shire Council and Terry Macdonald. Chairperson of Eastern Volunteers

Fortunately the rain held off until the afternoon, providing ideal conditions for the 2011 Annual Fun Run. The event was a success with a record number of participants and significant support from the business community. As Master of Ceremonies it was my responsibility to direct participants to the registration desks and starting positions, as well as acknowledge sponsors and their support.

At the conclusion of the race I assisted Terry who conducted the formalities and presentation of awards as Chairperson of Eastern Volunteers. I also ensured there was an opportunity for sponsors to speak to the participants, reinforcing the value that business partners received from the event.

Alex with Terry Macdonald, Chairperson of Eastern Volunteers during the presentation of awards

Eastern Volunteers hold two major community events each year, with the Fun Run being held in March and the Multicultural Festival which will be returning in October.

This evening Maroondah City Council acknowledged the service of its volunteers who dedicate their time to the community. The reception also provides an opportunity to thank volunteers who have achieved milestones in their contributions, including several who have been volunteering through Council for 35 years.

Alex with Council's CEO, Frank Dixon and volunteers who were recognised for 35 years of voluntary service to the Maroondah community.

The strength of a community can be measured by the number of volunteers and I would to thank everyone that has dedicated their time to volunteering within the municipality. The speech provided during the reception is available within this post:

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen,

Welcome to the 2010 official Thank You Reception for Volunteers for the Maroondah City Council. This function is to publicly thank and acknowledge all of our wonderful volunteers.

I would like to begin with the Acknowledge of Country, whereby Maroondah City Council, in the spirit of reconciliation, acknowledges that we are meeting on the land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries.

I would also like to welcome and introduce my fellow Councillors who are here tonight joining me in thanking you for your contribution:

• Cr Tony Dib
• Cr Ann Fraser
• Cr Nora Lamont
• Cr Paul Macdonald
• Cr Rob Steane
• Cr Natalie Thomas
• Cr Les Willmott

Our volunteers are simply amazing! They help to deliver the services provided by Council, and in turn, support the community of Maroondah. As volunteers you make a wonderful contribution and I am honoured to be making the official thank you to each and every one of you on behalf of Council and the community.

Over 500 volunteers were invited to be here this evening and more than half are involved with the delivery of our Meals on Wheels. Without them, this essential service of Council simply could not operate. It is not just the meals but also the warmth of human contact and kindness that is immeasurable.

Alex with Council's CEO, Frank Dixon and Brian Carruthers, a volunteer who was recognised for 35 years of service to the Maroondah community.

Volunteers also give fantastic support to Council services such as:

• the Kerrabee Club for the frail aged.
• Library and shopping trips to assist Aged and Disability Services
• Maroondah Bushlinks and the Friends groups of reserves and parks
• The Maroondah Art Gallery
• and Special Committees which manage some Council reserves and facilities

We would like you to know that your contribution is always valued, and that the community of Maroondah thanks you. Tonight, we will be making presentations to Volunteers who have achieved service milestones during 2010.

The dedication and compassion for our community that you have shown by your incredible contribution to others is truly amazing. Few people achieve those lengths of service in paid work, and to do so in a voluntary context is truly commendable.

I would now like to invite Frank Dixon, Maroondah’s Chief Executive Officer, to read out the names of the recipients so that I can present each volunteer with a framed letter of recognition for their years of service.

The weather remained largely pleasant throughout the day, providing a contrast to the hot weather experienced in previous years. The new location at Town Park also provides additional shade and ensures that activities are closer together making the festival easier to attend.

As the Mayor I delivered the opening speech for the Maroondah Festival, welcoming community members and highlights the partners that assisted in delivering the event:

Alex at the opening of the 2010 Maroondah Festival.

On behalf of the Maroondah City Council I would like to welcome everyone to the 2010 Maroondah Festival.

In the spirit of Reconciliation, we acknowledge that we are meeting on land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on land which the Indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

We, Maroondah City Council, accept, respect and have shared with the Wurundjeri people in their customs of welcome.

The Wurundjeri people support the coming together of all people, respecting their individuality to focus on a unified and cohesive nation.

This year marks the 21st anniversary of this wonderful community event and we invite you and your families enjoy the beautiful sunshine and take part in the huge array of activities available here today, including some fresh new initiatives and of course the old favourites.

I would especially like to extend a warm welcome to Ringwood Honda as the principal sponsor of the 2010 Maroondah Festival. Be sure to visit the Ringwood Honda stand next to the Information tent to collect your free Honda merchandise and check out the latest range of Honda vehicles on display. There will also be an opportunity to talk to the friendly staff from Ringwood Honda and enter the draw to win some fantastic prizes including a Honda lawn mower valued at over $800.

At the Festival today, over 150 local groups and businesses have come together to provide information on their networks, goods and services. With their continued support, the Maroondah Festival has grown to become the most well supported community Festival in Melbourne’s east.

I invite everyone to visit the Denso Australia Group – Community Expo today and learn more about the valuable work undertaken by our fantastic local community groups.

We are also fortunate that we have many businesses in our municipality who support the Maroondah Festival. I would like to thank the following businesses for their generous sponsorship at this year’s festival:

• Ringwood Honda: The principal sponsor of the Maroondah Festival
• Bankwest – sponsor of the Main Stage
• Denso Australia Group – sponsor of the Community Expo
• Maroondah Weekly – our media partner
• Anaconda – sponsor of the Fun and Fitness Arena
• Ventura – sponsor of the Park n Ride service
• Jalna – sponsor of the Fun and Fitness Walk breakfast

An event the size of Maroondah Festival requires a lot of planning and hard work and I would especially like to extend a huge thank you to all of the volunteers and staff assembled here today. In particular I would like to acknowledge the assistance of St John Ambulance and Victoria Police, and I would also like to thank the staff of Maroondah City Council and Fruitbowl Productions.

I hope that you enjoy the rest of the day, visit the Festival Information tent to find out about the huge array of activities on offer and be sure to take advantage of the free sunscreen.

Thank you all for being part of this fantastic event and celebrating our wonderful Maroondah community.

I would now like to welcome to the stage, the Yarra Valley School band.

Tonight’s citizenship ceremony is the last ceremony for 2010 and my last as Mayor. The speech delivered for citizenship ceremonies is included in this entry:

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

Maroondah City Council, in the spirit of reconciliation, acknowledges that we are meeting on land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on land which the Indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

I am delighted to welcome you all on behalf of the Maroondah City Council; particularly we welcome the 90 adults and children who will tonight receive Australian Citizenship.

I am pleased that so many of you here this evening have come along to support a member of your family or a friend who is participating in this ceremony

Taking up Australian Citizenship is a serious step. It is a symbol of your commitment to the country which you have chosen to make your home.

Just as importantly, the conferment of Citizenship is a symbol of Australia’s commitment to you, as it is the step which makes you full and equal members of the Australian community.

The Parliament recognises that Australian citizenship represents full and formal membership of the Commonwealth of Australia, and Australian citizenship is a common bond, involving reciprocal rights and obligations, uniting all Australians while respecting their diversity.

The Parliament recognises that persons conferred Australia citizenship enjoy these rights, and undertake to accept these obligations:-

• by pledging loyalty to Australia and its people; and
• by sharing their democratic beliefs; and
• by respecting their rights and liberties; and
• by upholding and obeying the laws of Australia.

The Australian citizenship pledge calls upon new citizens to make a commitment of loyalty to Australia and its people.

As an Australian citizen, you are entitled under Australian law to the same rights that are enjoyed by people born in Australia:

• You have the right to apply for appointment to any public office, or to stand for election as a Member of Parliament.
• When Local Government elections are held in the City of Maroondah in the future, you will also have the right to stand for those elections.
• As a voter, you have the right to help elect Australia’s governments
• You gain the right to apply for an Australian passport, and to leave and re-enter Australia without applying for a resident return visa
• and you have the right to protection by Australian diplomatic representatives while overseas.

Being an Australian citizen also brings responsibilities:

• You must enrol on the electoral register and vote at elections for Members of the Australian and State Parliaments, Local Government elections and at Referenda
• You must serve on a jury if called on to do so
• and you must defend Australia should the need arise

By becoming an Australian, you are showing that you want to have a say in Australia’s future.

However, no-one who becomes an Australian citizen is expected to renounce their cultural identity.

The customs and traditions you have grown up with, are a part of your heritage. It is important that you maintain these links with your past, for this cultural mix is what makes Australia a unique and special country.

Today’s ceremony marks the final stage in your decision to become an Australian citizen, the greatest compliment you can make to the people of Australia.

Australian citizenship is the common bond which unites us all. Australia respects the diverse cultural inheritance of its citizens, and we are honoured that you have chosen to become an Australian citizen today.

With citizenship, comes responsibilities as well as rights. The greatest responsibility is to participate fully in our community, to strengthen the freedom and openness which makes Australia unique.

On behalf of the Australian Government I offer my warmest congratulations and best wishes for the years ahead.

We in Maroondah are delighted that you have chosen to make your home in our City. And I am sure that everyone here today will agree with me when I say that is truly a great place to live.

On behalf of the Councillors of the City of Maroondah, and all its people, I wish you good health, happiness and prosperity, and may you achieve your personal dreams for your future here in Australia.

Thank you.

The service has delivered not only improved health and wellbeing but social interaction and inclusion through the forming of friendships and support. This afternoon volunteers and participants celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the swimming bus program

The speech I delivered during the celebrations is available within this entry:

Good afternoon and welcome to the 10th anniversary of the Swimming Bus Program. I would like to welcome Cr Ann Fraser, as well as welcome past and present participants, volunteer drivers and aerobics instructors of the program from the past 10 years.

I’m very pleased to be here at the 10th anniversary of the swimming bus program which began on 9 October 2000. There has been approximately 43 residents participating in the program over the past 10 years.

Over 15 volunteer drivers have given their time enabling a large number of otherwise house bound older adults to access the Ringwood Aquatic Centre on a weekly basis for the Monday Swimming Program. This free service has played a vital role in both maintaining and improving health and providing an opportunity for socialisation. Many valuable long term friendships have been formed on these bus trips which has provided another support mechanism for these otherwise isolated residents.

Congratulations to everyone who has been involved in this program over the 10 years including the volunteers who provide the transport services, your dedication has improved the lives of many older Maroondah residents.

As part of its development programs, Monkami has had a strong emphasis on the arts and recently secured a lease for the former Croydon Fire Station, which will be used to showcase artworks from Monkami’s clients.

This evening I was invited to launch Alarming Art, the new Monkami Centre gallery, located at 14A Croydon Road in Croydon. While plans for Alarming Art are still being developed, Monkami plans to host exhibitions for its clients.

The launch of Alarming Art is part of Monkami’s ongoing focus on inclusion, demonstrating that people with intellectual disabilities are able to contribute positively to the community. This has been evident through Monkami’s arts programs, the nursery and clients that volunteer to improve the ambience of the Croydon Main Street.

Alarming Art will further highlight the work of Monkami’s clients and enhance the organisation’s focus on the community. I congratulate Monkami on securing tenure at the former Croydon Fire Station and for developing Alarming Art.

As part of its advocacy campaign, the Eastern Transport Coalition is holding a series of candidate forums, throughout each of the member councils. The evening was attended by representatives of each of the three major parties, the Australian Labor Party, the Victorian Liberal Party and the Victorian Greens.

I provided the introduction to tonight’s forum to highlight the current public transport deficiencies within Maroondah. The speech is available within this entry:

Welcome candidates and the community to the Maroondah City Council Eastern Transport Coalition Public Transport Forum.

Maroondah City Council, in the spirit of reconciliation, acknowledges that we are meeting on the land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on Land which the indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

We are fortunate tonight to have secured Mr Clay Lucas as our independent moderator. Clay may be well known to some of you as he is part of The Age’s city team having worked The Age and The Sunday Age since 2005 as a city reporter. This role sees Clay reporting on a range of topics across the transport sector, including roads, public transport, planning and development. In 2009 Clay won a Quill for transport reporting with Age investigative reporter Royce Millar.

Before I hand over to Clay to get the evening underway I just want to provide a quick overview of the public transport issues that Maroondah sees as important to the community and help set the context of public transport in the east.

Regional Perspective

The eastern region is an established area experiencing significant economic and population growth.
This growth is mainly occurring through infill and consolidation of existing residential, commercial and employment areas.

The network is struggling to keep up with demand and provide services that the community require to carry out their day to day activities as viable alternatives to the motor vehicle.

The Victorian Transport Plan – Does not deliver for the east

To keep pace with the population and economic growth the current public transport system needs to expand.

The Victorian Transport Plan does not adequately consider or respond to the needs of the East and greater investment is still required, if the eastern suburbs are to continue to be liveable and met the State’s land use and transport plans as outlined in Melbourne @ 5 million.

The high household car ownership in the City of Maroondah is evidence of the public transport systems inability to provide a service that allows our community to undertake their daily activities. The ETC and Maroondah City Council call on the government for the development of a long term regional public transport strategy for the Eastern region.

Ringwood Station Upgrade

Ringwood is identified as one of six Central Activity Districts which will offer CBD type services in suburban locations. In recent MTF public survey, Ringwood Station was voted as Melbourne’s second worse station, after Richmond.

The current Ringwood Station is difficult to access with steep ramps to station platforms that fail the State Government’s Disability Discrimination Act requirements.

The footpath access from each side of the station is not safe, particularly for people in wheel chairs and there is not direct wheel chair access to the car park which is located at the bottom of a steep stairway.
There has been no significant upgrade to the station in more than 50 years and it is desperately needing to be modernised.

For Ringwood Station to be truly accessible to all and permit convenient transferring between transport services, it is imperative that it is clean, comfortable, accessible and safe and secure.

Triplication for the Belgrave/Lilydale line

As Central Melbourne will continue to be a major location for employment, the arts, culture, sport and leisure, central Melbourne should be conveniently accessible by public transport for all Melbournians.
The demand on the Belgrave/Lilydale lines, with approximately 93,000 daily boardings, make these lines one of Melbourne’s most highly patronised rail corridors.

The patronage of both lines is reaching capacity with overcrowding a regular passenger experience. To facilitate more efficient and comfortable commuting for those passengers coming from beyond Ringwood Station, the triplication of the line between Box Hill and Ringwood is required.

Better Buses

Buses are the largest public transport option available to residents within Maroondah and the neighbouring municipalities. Bus patronage is growing, particularly on services with long operation and high frequency of service, i.e. the SmartBus Routes.

The recently conducted Metropolitan Bus Service Reviews was a step in the right direction with identifying inadequate service and generating regional specific solutions. However, very few of the recommendations have been implemented and they have only been small route extensions or minimal frequency and duration improvements.

Bus services in Maroondah remain poor with limited out of peak services and long wait times between services throughout most of the day. Improving bus services in coverage, service frequency and duration will provide real alternatives to the private vehicle and enable the community of Maroondah to have real choice in transport.

Conclusion

The provision of a more equitable, accessible public transport will reduce the detrimental effects of poor access to public transport in the eastern region, such as, social isolation, high car dependency, reduced financial freedom or the inability to access services.

A truly integrated and accessible transport network will also reduce the regions vulnerability to changes in the environment, such as climate change and peak oil.

I thank you for your attendance tonight and look forward to hearing how the candidates respond to your issues.

I’ll now hand you over to Clay to get the evening underway.

While public transport is a State Government responsibility, Council must advocate on behalf of its community and it is clear that Maroondah is seeking a commitment for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

Council has been circulating a petition for the past month which has now attracted over 2000 signatures with approximately 1000 visitations through social media tools, including Facebook and Youtube. This evening Council officially launched the Missing Piece campaign with a direct call to action for all political parities to commit to the station upgrade.

Alex with Margaret launching Maroondah's Missing Piece campaign calling for the upgrade of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated transport interchange

Ringwood Station is the Missing Piece in a vision for Ringwood, since a lack of commitment diminishes the residential, commercial and community investment that is taking place. Margaret Stevens, a renowned accessibility advocate who spent a week at Eastland collecting signatures for the petition, joined me in launching the campaign and calling on all political parties to commit to Ringwood’s future.

Council’s video highlighting the condition of Ringwood Station was displayed throughout the launch reinforcing the accessibility difficulties that exist.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The speech provided during the launch is available within this post:

In the spirit of Reconciliation, we acknowledge that we are meeting on land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on land which the Indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

We, Maroondah City Council, accept, respect and have shared with the Wurundjeri people in their customs of welcome.

The Wurundjeri people support the coming together of all people, respecting their individuality to focus on a unified and cohesive nation.

As you have gathered here this evening, you will have seen the video playing overhead showing the difficulty people in our community, and particularly those with a disability, have accessing Ringwood Station and the 50 year old ramps leading to the station platforms.

This video has been an important element of an advocacy campaign Council has been running over the past six weeks.

The campaign is seeking a funding commitment from all state political parties in the lead up to the State election for the upgrade of Ringwood Station within the next term of government.

The campaign has been running for six weeks with significant support and media coverage from Maroondah’s two local papers, editorial has appeared each week for the past 6 weeks.

Community support has been extremely strong, and to date we have over 2000 signatures to the petition, from individuals and community groups.

One of these individuals is here with us tonight, and I would like to acknowledge Margaret Stevens for her dedication to the cause in securing over 600 signatures from the Maroondah community and beyond during a week at Eastland. In addition, several members of the community, including Dawn Oliffe spent time at Ringwood Station securing signatures for the petition.

Margaret is one of many voices demanding action for Ringwood Station. I have spoken with many people during the course of this campaign and the message from the community is clear, Maroondah residents are tired of waiting, they want a safe, integrated, accessible and vibrant Ringwood Station, and they want it in the term of the next government.

Tonight, Council is launching “The Missing Piece – Ringwood Station” in the lead up to this evening’s Eastern Transport Coalition Forum.

Alex with Margaret launching Maroondah's Missing Piece campaign calling for the upgrade of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated transport interchange.

Significant investment and development continues in Ringwood, with support from the State Government and private enterprise, however the commitment to fund the redevelopment of Ringwood Station remains the missing piece of the vision for the Ringwood Central Activities District.

As you can see within the Ringwood Central Activities District jigsaw, we have EastLink providing an important road transport corridor from Mitcham to Frankston, an area responsible for 40 percent of Victoria’s manufacturing output and over 1.3 million people living in the area and providing more than 350,000 jobs.

The sporting, recreational and leisure facilities that either currently exist (Maroondah Federation Estate/Maroondah Art Gallery, tennis, croquet, football and cricket), are under construction (Soccer), or awaiting funding (proposed Maroondah Aquatic and Leisure) in the Jubilee Park precinct are within walking distance from Ringwood Station and the Central Activities District.

New businesses and services are moving to Ringwood, bringing increased employment and spending, as evidenced by the Connect East building perched over EastLink.

Ringwood Lake Park is an icon of Ringwood, providing enormous leisure and recreational pleasure all year round for people of all ages and abilities.

The $39million bus interchange is poised to change the face of Maroondah Highway, however, it does not provide an interface with the existing Ringwood Station.

Residential housing development is showing consistent growth within the Central Activities District with private building developers showing their support for the vision of Ringwood. The new 10 story co-operative housing development will soon be home to over 100 people early next year.

Eastland and the Ringwood Market site are expected to see construction and expansion of retail, community and business floorspace, changing the face of Ringwood significantly.

The Lake to Creek project will see pedestrian and cycling links between the Mullum Mullum Creek and Ringwood Lake, adding another vital layer to the accessibility of our city.

It is time to add the missing piece to the Ringwood Central Activities District jigsaw, a new Ringwood Station.

It is time for each state political party to not only acknowledge the need for an upgrade to Ringwood Station, but to actually stand up and commit to fund this important piece of public transport infrastructure that remains the missing piece of the vision for the State Government’s own Ringwood Central Activities District.