Archive for May, 2008

Discussing the Croydon Conservation Society with Channel 31’s Eastern Newsbeat

Published by Alex Makin on Saturday 31st of May, 2008

This morning the Croydon Conservation Society was interviewed as part of Channel 31’s Eastern News Beat program. Participants in the interview included the President, Liz Sanzaro, the Secretary, Sandra Hardiman, committee member Margot Seidel and myself as the group’s Treasurer.

The interview covered topics such as the history of the Croydon Conservation Society, its successes over tree canopy protection and parkland improvements and current campaigns such as lobbying for the introduction of container deposit legislation, similar to the successful program that has been operating in South Australia.

I also discussed the Croydon Conservation Society’s involvement in the lobbying for public transport improvements, including the need for ongoing advocacy to ensure the redevelopment of Ringwood Station. The Society provides a crucial voice for the Maroondah community and assists in demonstrating the support that exists to improving the sustainability of our municipality.

Eastern News Beat is a weekly program that provides news and information from Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. The program is broadcast each Monday at 9.00am and on Thursday at 11.30am.

For more information on Channel 31 please visit www.channel31.org.au. For information on the Croydon Conservation Society please visit www.croydonconservation.org.au.

2008 Young Leaders Program Presentation Night

Published by Alex Makin on Friday 30th of May, 2008

This evening I had the privilege of officiating the 2008 Young Leaders Program hosted by EV’s Youth Centre in Croydon.

The Young Leaders Program is a week long program aimed towards year 10 students by providing them with a variety of leadership skills, such as public speaking, communication and conflict resolution. At the conclusion of the program the participants host a presentation evening to demonstrate the skills they have learnt.

It was fantastic to see each participant gain so much from the program and I hope that they will continue to use these leadership qualities in not just their school and employment pursuits but also within the broader community. Many community groups would welcome the input and dedication of younger people and it is imperative that our future generations step forward to continue the strong tradition of volunteering that we have within our community.

Please continue reading for a copy of the speech that I delivered this evening.

(Read more…)

Media Release: Get in early for teenage holiday action this winter

Published by Alex Makin on Wednesday 28th of May, 2008

There’s something for everyone these school holidays with an exciting range of entertainment and activities on offer in the Winter Teenage Holiday Program.

Maroondah City Council has planned a great holiday program for young people 12 to 16 years of age with six jampacked days of fun from Monday 30 June to Friday 11 July.

Councillor Alex Makin believes school holiday programs are a great way for young people to stay entertained while trying new activities and meeting new people their own age.

“To tie in with the winter theme, there’s a whole day of snow delight at Lake Mountain with all equipment provided, as well as a session of ice-skating at the touring rink at Waterfront City in the Docklands precinct,” said Cr Makin.

“Spend the 4th of July visiting the Melbourne Aquarium and Galactic Circus, Australia’s largest indoor interactive theme park with hundreds of the latest arcade games,” said Cr Makin.

“Other activities include cartooning workshop and movies; go karts and dodgem cars at Fun City; and a day of adventure golf and computer games,” said Cr Makin.

The cost for the holiday program varies between $17 to $32 per day, depending on the activity. For further information or to book activities, telephone Dure Morrell, Youth Program Worker on 9298 4252.

Bookings are essential and close on Friday 6 June, however enquiries may be made after this date in case any vacancies exist.

Ringwood Historical Society - Children of the Early Licensees of the Coach and Horses Hotel

Published by Alex Makin on Tuesday 27th of May, 2008

Tonight’s Ringwood Historical Society meeting featured a presentation from Anita Barker, who is submitting a thesis on the childhood toys that were uncovered at the original site of the Coach and Horses Hotel.

Anita’s research is unique to Australia and the world, with very little being researched in regard to historical toys, where she covers toys that were used during the early 1900s when the Coach and Horses was leased by the O’Meara family. Over 200 artefacts were excavated at the Coach and Horses site, which at the time was located along the southern side of Maroondah Highway.

The Coach and Horses, which was a log cabin structure at the time, was burnt down in a fire during 1907 and while the O’Meara family escaped the blaze, the hotel was completely destroyed. The toys that were excavated at the site were dated from the early 1900s through to the time of the fire. While some of the toys, such as tin soldiers would have melted under the heat of the fire, tea sets, marbles, writing slates and bisque dolls were able to be recovered.

In the early 1900s, toys were sold through the local post office as well as mail catalogue and the O’Meara family appeared keen to provide their children with some of the latest toys that were available at the time. Consumerism also appeared to be rife, with shops directly marketing to children through the use of coupons, brochures and toy makers that provided eye catching decorative designs. The intricate nature of the toys was remarkable, given that they would have been hand made and spent many months being shipped over from Europe.

The O’Meara family remained in Ringwood until the 1907 fire and later appeared to have relocated to the South Melbourne area.

Anita’s presentation is another example of the diverse topics that are discussed at the Ringwood Historical Society. Meetings are held on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 8pm at Federation Estate.

For further details please visit www.rhs.org.au.

Maroondah Journal: City cool on climate change

Published by Alex Makin on Tuesday 27th of May, 2008

Maroondah Council is currently considering its budget for the 2008 to 2009 financial year with expectations that the council will commit to reducing greenhouse emissions. Unfortunately much to the dissatisfaction of the community, council’s draft budget fails to provide funding to reduce greenhouse emissions.

The Maroondah Journal has reported on my attempts to further refine the budget prior to it being considered by council.

Cr Alex Makin opposed the release of the draft budget, saying it was incomplete.

While the proposed council budget has solid foundations it is currently incomplete since it does not allocate any new funds to improving our environmental sustainability and reducing greenhouse emissions. Council’s emissions are continuing to increase despite pledging to reduce emissions by 20% before the year 2010.

He said the council should release funding similar to the $1.05 million allocated to environmental sustainability in its 2007-08 budget.

Maroondah Council demonstrated leadership when it allocated over a million dollars to water sustainability and reducing its water usage. Similar measures are required in regard to energy usage to provide economic, social and environmental sustainability for future generations.

I call on my colleagues to not forget the need to honour our greenhouse reduction targets and to demonstrate ongoing leadership in the issue of environmental sustainability.

The proposed Council Budget is currently available for public comment. I urge the community to submit its thoughts and to demand that council meets and exceeds its greenhouse reduction commitments.

For further information please visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au.