April 2009

Maroondah Journal: campaign for cameras

Posted on 21 April 2009 by alex

The Maroondah Journal has reported on the continued efforts by local business people, police and State MPs to secure the installation of live-feed security cameras at Ringwood Station.

The installation of of closed-circuit live-feed security cameras would help prevent anti-social behaviour at Ringwood Station and have proved to be successful at both Lilydale and Croydon Stations.

Mullum Ward councillor Alex Makin said that while the cameras were important, the development of the station was crucial. “Access needs to be improved and the general look of the station needs an overhaul.
“The cameras would be a big part of that as they would help improve safety for the community.”

While the installation of security cameras are extremely important for Ringwood Station they should not neglect the need for the redevelopment of the station into a safe, accessible and easy to use transport interchange.

Delegates' Report: Community Houses, water conservation and upcoming conferences

Posted on 20 April 2009 by alex

On the 24th of March I attended the Ringwood Precinct Open House, which provided an opportunity for residents living within the Ringwood Central Activities District and namely the residential area to the west of Ringwood to actively engage council and discuss any concerns they may have.

It was great to see a strong interest from the community and discussion with council around areas such as Eastland, Ringwood Station, open space and traffic. I would like to thank the many staff across all areas of council who engaged the community and took the time to hear and provide feedback.

There were three annual general meetings that I attended over the past month, including the North Ringwood Community House on the 24th of March. North Ringwood Community House is the only community house in Maroondah which is a registered training organisation and as a result they provide TAFE accredited Certificate III and IV training courses, in areas such as Aged Care, Palliative Care and Disability Services.

As I’ve reported previously, the priority for the house is to find a new location which will improve its accessibility and provide additional rooms to cater for increasing enrolments. The house recently submitted its grant application for feasibility study funding through the Department of Planning and Community Development.

The following day on the 25th of March I attended the annual general meeting for Central Ringwood Community House based in Bedford Park in Ringwood. Central Ringwood Community House provides an emphasis on computer training courses, as well as educational services to migrant communities and many other areas of interest for our community. The house is continuing to experience ongoing growth and has plans to improve accessibility and provide additional classroom facilities.

The Maroondah Citizens Advice Bureau AGM was held on the 1st of April and provided an opportunity for its membership to meet their new office manager and report on the ongoing growth in their emergency food relief. The guest speaker for the meeting was from the Primary Care Partnerships who spoke about food security and the difficulties some households are experiencing in purchasing fresh and nutritious food.

On the 4th of April I attended the launch of the Ringwood Bowls Club Water Reclamation Facility. The project provides three water tanks and a water retention system collecting water from the roof, adjacent roadways, the car park and their greens resulting in a capacity of 280,000 litres. It is estimated that the facility will conserve 1.5 million litres providing significant water savings. This project was the culmination of cooperation between all levels of government, Federal, State and Local, which included a grant from Council’s Water Sustainability Fund.

Lastly, Eastern Volunteers have organised a conference for the 13th and 14th of May exploring volunteer, social inclusion and community wellbeing. For details, including registration and the conference program, please visit their website at www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

2009 Anzac Parade and Memorial Service

Posted on 19 April 2009 by alex

The Ringwood RSL organises an Anzac Parade and Memorial Service on the weekend before Anzac Day to march through Ringwood to the Clocktower and onto the RSL for a commemoration service.

The Parade provides a chance for Veterans to attend a local service while being able to participate in the City Parade at the Shrine of Remembrance for Anzac Day. Councillors and local MPs are invited to participate in the parade, along with Veterans, their families and other guests.

Alex with Councillors Nora Lamont and Peter Gurr at the Anzac Parade

A commemoration service followed the Parade, with the address provided by a serving commanding officer from Iraq, who discussed the ongoing importance and significance of Anzac Day.

Anzac Day Services at the Ringwood Clocktower will be held from 5:30 am on Saturday the 25th of April.

Eastern Transport Coalition – Action Plan for Public Transport

Posted on 16 April 2009 by alex

Tonight’s Eastern Transport Coalition meeting developed an action plan to achieve the objectives identified at previous meetings.

As Australia and Melbourne enters a climate of economic uncertainty coupled with the ongoing need to reduce rising greenhouse emissions, an expanded State Government commitment to public transport infrastructure would not only stimulate economic activity but provide alternatives to car dependence as well as enhancing social inclusion and environmental sustainability.

The Eastern Transport Coalition, comprising of one million residents as a collective of Melbourne’s seven outer eastern councils, is well positioned to advocate for these public transport improvements.

The State and Federal Budgets are both due in early May and it is imperative that there is a substantial commitment to public transport infrastructure.

Community Wellbeing Plan – Judging for the drawing competition

Posted on 15 April 2009 by alex

Maroondah’s Community Wellbeing Plan will shape the council’s priorities and actions for working towards an inclusive, healthy and safe municipality. The Wellbeing Plan is one of council’s highest level documents and as such extensive consultation and engagement across all ages is critical to ensuring that it reflects the viewpoints of our community.

To encourage participation from schoolchildren, council recently held a drawing competition to discover the particular qualities primary schoolchildren like about living within Maroondah. This evening myself and Cr. Nora Lamont judged the drawings and to discover the topics identified by these schoolchildren.

Most of the students identified Maroondah’s parks and sporting facilities as the main reason they liked living within Maroondah. In particular there was an emphasis on the close proximity of playgrounds, as well as football and swimming facilities. This feedback will help reinforce the strong value our community places on green open space and will be utilised to provide input into the Community Wellbeing Plan.

The formal presentation of awards to the paticipating schoolchildren will be held within the next month.

EPR Activities – Bocci in April

Posted on 14 April 2009 by alex

Enjoying Planned Retirement, a seniors’ group based at the North Ringwood Senior Citizens Hall holds fortnightly bocci competitions between December and April each year.

Bocci is one of the many social events organised by the group to provide a range of activities for its members. This afternoon I attended their bocci competition to speak to members of the club and to partake in the event.

I also received an update on EPR’s recently stolen barbecue and the group is proceeding to finalise insurance details so it can be replaced. It is a shame that a group that encourages social inclusion and provides a wide range of activities to encourage active lifestyles should fall victim to theft.

I was fortunate to be partnered with a fairly strong bocci player and we made it into the semi-finals during this afternoon’s tournament. EPR has an emphasis on fun, friendship and entertainment and this shines through at each of the groups’ events.

Media Release: Free film night to discuss sustainability

Posted on 8 April 2009 by alex

A 1980’s cult film about the collision of urban life and technology versus the environment will be screened later this month as part of Councills Sustainable Living Space Project.

Cr Alex Makin said the film ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ – a Hopi Indian word meaning ‘life out of balance’ is a vision of the collision of two different worlds, and will be screened at Council’s Braeside Avenue offices on Tuesday 28 April.

“The film is by first-time director Godfrey Reggio, and has no dialogue and no actors.

“Instead there is music composed by Philip Glass (a composer of world renown for his ‘art music’) and images that range from majestic canyons and mountains to city lights and traffic patterns. The viewers are left to interpret their own meaning from the film,” said Cr Makin.

“The film shows time-lapse and slow motion photography of both natural and man made landscapes (mostly in the US) as a means of expressing the theme ‘life out of balance’,” said Cr Makin.

Cr Makin said the combination of the often fast moving images with the dramatic music creates a very powerful emotion of man’s impact on the planet.

The film was created between 1975 and 1982 and the music was written especially to go with the images. This film raises many questions about the human relationship with nature.

The film night will be held at Maroondah City Offices, Braeside Avenue, Ringwood on Tuesday 28 April. The movie starts at 7pm and is free.

Cr Makin said the Sustainable Living Space Project started in 2007 after discussions between community houses and councils about ways to involve the community in environmental sustainability. A film series was introduced in October 2008.

‘Koyaanisqatsi’ is the fifth film to be shown in the monthly series. The venues for the screenings alternate between Maroondah and Manningham Council areas.

Bookings are essential and can be made by contacting Sustainable Living Space Project volunteer Bernadette Thomas by phoning 0427 150 422 or by email bdettethomas@gmail.com.

– ENDS –

Maroondah Homebiz – the Art of Networking

Posted on 7 April 2009 by alex

Maroondah Homebiz is an organisation that aims to assist small and home-based businesses within Maroondah.

Tonight’s meeting featured Jen Harwood, a business coach and the author of the Art of Networking. Jen discussed the importance of networking in attracting new clients and the need to cultivate ongoing business relationships.

Jen spoke about a number of techniques to network effectively, including finding events targeted by prospective clients and promptly following up discussions.

Maroondah Homebiz, through grant funding received from the Maroondah Business Grants, will be holding regular sessions with speakers designed to educate and inform.

For more information on Maroondah Homebiz please visit www.homebiz.org.au.

Ringwood Bowls Club – Water Reclamation Facility Launch

Posted on 4 April 2009 by alex

The Ringwood Bowls Club began 1929 and has had a long association with Ringwood. The club has recently focused on sustainability and embarked on a water reclamation project aimed to increase its water self-sufficiency.

The Club began the project two years ago, through securing Council, State and Federal grants for the installation of three water tanks and a pumping system to collect water from its roof, car park, greens and adjoining roadways.

The system was officially launched this morning and has a capacity of 280,000 litres and is anticipated to reduce mains water usage by approximately 1,500,000 litres.

The Ringwood Bowls Club is to be commended for its strong emphasis on future sustainability and for being one of the first bowls clubs to embark on a project of this scale. In addition, the club has further plans to reduce its water usage, including the conversion of one of its grass greens to a type that uses 30 to 50% less water.

I worked closely with the club over the past few years to assist in the application of grants and was invited to speak at the launch this morning.

Please continue reading to view a copy of the speech delivered at the launch.

Continue reading “Ringwood Bowls Club – Water Reclamation Facility Launch”

Maroondah Art Gallery – Sidney Nolan and Claire Bridge's transit lounge

Posted on 3 April 2009 by alex

The Maroondah Art Gallery, located within Maroondah Federation Estate in Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood, is Maroondah’s premiere art exhibition space and features a wide variety of artists and artwork.

Tonight the Maroondah Art Gallery launched two exhibitions, including a collection of works by Sidney Nolan and local artist Claire Bridge. The Sidney Nolan collection entitled ‘a magnificent obsession’, reflecting Nolan’s fascination with Ned Kelly and for working on paper.

Alex at the opening of the Sidney Nolan and Transit Lounge Exhibitions

Claire Bridge is a local Ringwood resident and developed her work during an artist in residency program at Maroondah Federation Estate. Claire’s realism painting style reflects the many transitions undertaken by the human form and focuses on transition and change.

Both exhibitions close on the 2nd of May 2009. For details please visit www.artsinmaroondah.com.au.