Alex Makin - Councillor for Maroondah

Today’s Scoot Wheel n Move meeting discussed the future direction of the group, including the possibility of involving Eastern Access Community Health (EACH) as an auspice for the group.

While Scoot Wheel n Move has operated under the umbrella of Maroondah City Council, increased autonomy would strengthen the group’s ability to advocate for accessibility improvements, particularly in regard to Ringwood Station and the redevelopment of Eastland.

Scoot Wheel n Move has had tremendous success in previous years, through the establishment of a recharge program providing recharge points for motorised mobility aids, a mobility booklet and hosting a forum to discuss mobility issues within Maroondah. It is critical that this success continues so that we can further improve accessibility within Maroondah to provide a safe and comfortable environment for people with disabilities.

Eastern Access Community Health will present at the next meeting of Scoot Wheel n Move to discuss its ideas and vision for the group.

Tonight’s Ringwood Historical Society meeting included two topics, with the first speaker discussing the evolution of cameras followed by an examination of the historical architecture within Ringwood.

Greg Wade, a member of the society, displayed an impressive amount of historical cameras and traced the evolution of photography and film. Greg covered the early cameras, through to the mass commercialisation of photography and into the digital era that is prevalent today.

The discussion on architecture traced Ringwood’s history and development from the early Victorian era of 1840 through to the post-war development in the 1950s and beyond. Much of Ringwood’s early development, such as the Ringwood Railway Estate, reflected the 1920s interwar style of architecture, with brick featured chimneys, common at the time.

Following World War II another housing boom in Ringwood occurred with the settlement of returned soldiers and housing reflected a simpler design with contrasting colours. Throughout the 60s infill development occurred particularly in parts of Ringwood East and Ringwood North with an emphasis on flat roofs and native gardens.

While Ringwood may lack the traces of early architecture evident within inner Melbourne, there are still examples of historical housing, reflecting the changing character and pace of development within Ringwood.

This afternoon EV’s Youth Centre in Croydon hosted a presentation facilitated by the Migrant Information Centre and the Blackburn Language School to celebrate the Burmese culture introduced by refugees from the Chin, Karen and Zomi communities.

Democracy in Burma ended in 1962 and while elections were held in 1990 the results were not recognised by the ruling military junta which continued its grip on power. Burma is comprised of several ethnic groups many of whom have suffered immensely under the military regime.

Today’s presentation provided an opportunity to learn about Burmese culture, through traditional costumes, songs and dance and to hear first-hand the stories of migration from students at the Blackburn English Language School and the Migrant Information Centre.

Many of the refugees spoke about the pain and repression experienced at their homes in Burma and the difficulties in fleeing their homeland. Escaping Burma was not the end of their difficulties, with many of the speakers also discussing the hardship they experienced in countries such as Thailand or Malaysia or refugee camps.

Refugees and their families have escaped to Australia to start a better life. As a community it is imperative that we welcome these refugees so that they can partake in the many opportunities that exist within this country. Council through the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee, has recently established a working group to further improve the delivery of services to newly arrived migrants and refugees to assist them with their lives in Australia.

Hope City Mission was established in late 2004 to provide support for people in need through empowering positive change. The organisation, which is a registered charity, changed its name to Hope City Mission in March 2008 and was formerly known as Croydon Community Care.

Hope City Mission extends the delivery of emergency relief, by also looking after the wellbeing of people in need. The Mission organises extravaganza days, pamper days, training programs and workshops to provide a holistic approach to the support it offers.

The focus of Hope City Mission is on empowerment and their unique pamper days provides an opportunity for people in need to feel good about themselves. The Mission provides free hair dressing, a cafe and other beauty therapy treatments. Half of the attendees within the Pamper Day program live in crisis accommodation or refuges demonstrating the need to look after the wellbeing of participants.

The Mission has also partnered with a registered training organisation to provide an opportunity for people to re-focus their employment skills and re-enter the workforce. There is also an emphasis on resume writing and interviewing skills and self-esteem to assist people in finding work.

Alleviating the chronic shortage of short-term and crisis accommodation is another priority for Hope City Mission and the organisation aims to secure property and provide such services in the future.

Hope City Mission provides an amazing range of services to people in need to meet just not physical needs such as food but also the wellbeing of individuals. The mission is always in need of volunteers and community assistance so for further information please visit www.hopecitymission.net.au.

As the Deputy Chair of the Eastern Transport Coalition I accompanied the Mayors of the eastern region in the signing of a letter calling on the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition to attend the upcoming public transport summit on the 4th of July and to commit to improving public transport services and infrastructure within the region.

The fact that the seven Mayors have signed this letter demonstrates that the eastern region is united in its call for public transport improvements. Melbourne’s eastern suburbs is home to almost one million people and includes regional centres such as Box Hill, Ringwood and Dandenong. It is critical that Melbourne’s eastern suburbs be provided with a standard of public transport that provides an alternative to spiralling petrol prices and car dependence.

Doncaster and Rowville need rail lines to provide the infrastructure that should have been installed decades ago and centres like Box Hill, Ringwood and Dandenong need stations that are safe and accessible. Bus services should be frequent, readily available and coordinate with trains and other bus services.

Much needs to be done to improve public transport in the eastern suburbs and the joint letter demonstrates the region’s commitment to the advocacy of public transport improvements.

The ETC’s public transport summit will be held on Friday the 4th of July. For details please visit www.etc.org.au.