Month: August 2009

Rotary Club of Ringwood – August Board meeting

Posted on by alex

The Rotary Club of Ringwood meets each Wednesday evening at Club Ringwood at the corners of Oban Road and Maroondah Highway.

The Rotary Club is governed by a board with board members being responsible for specific aspects of the Club. As an example, I am responsible for Fellowship, which involves organising club activities within the broader community.

One of the initiatives of the club this year is to hold open board meetings, whereby all members are able to hear the reports presented during the board meeting and comment on specific proposals.

As part of tonight’s board meeting I encouraged members to volunteer ideas for Fellowship activities, as well as highlighting the club’s website and to ensure that it is viewed as an integrated component within the club’s broader promotional and marketing initiatives.

This year there will be an emphasis on community engagement within the Rotary Club to ensure that all members have input into club activities.

Returning to speak at the Kerrabee Club

Posted on by alex

This morning I was invited to speak to the Wednesday attendees of the Kerrabee Club, a social group available to recipients of Maroondah City Council’s Home and Community Care, as well as providing respite to their Carers.

When I speak to community groups, I prefer interactive discussion so that the topics I am speaking about are of interest to the members of the group. As a result today’s discussion focused on public transport and the redevelopment of Ringwood.

Public transport is an issue for many people in our community, including members of the Kerrabee Club who are often reliant on public transport for their mobility. Social inclusion is critical to ensuring the health and wellbeing of our community and public transport that is frequent and readily available can help ensure that people are connected and involved.

Likewise the redevelopment of Ringwood provides a unique opportunity to deliver community facilities and provide an inclusive urban centre with opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. This is why the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into an accessible and integrated transport hub is critical to the success of Ringwood.

The Kerrabee Club is one example of a council service that aims to provide inclusiveness for people within our community. For further details please visit the Maroondah City Council Planned Activity Groups website.

Delegates' Report: Ringwood Spiders entering the finals and community inclusion within the community

Posted on by alex

On the 2nd of August I attended the Ringwood Spider’s final home game for the 2009 Football Season. The Ringwood Spiders, is a football team for people with disabilities and compete in the Football Integration Development Association League, which consists of fourteen teams across Victoria.

The Ringwood Spiders continued their winning streak and are well positioned to compete in the Division Two Grand Finals, which will be held this Sunday on the 23rd of August. This is a momentous occasion for the Spiders, since the last time they competed within the finals was back in 1994, when they were known at the Ringwood Blues.

While the Spiders will be playing at Glen Waverley for the finals, I am sure that we will all be wishing them well and a speedy victory for the Premiership Cup.

On the 3rd of August, I along with my two Mullum Ward colleagues, Cr. Lamont and Cr. Fraser attended a tour of St Stephens Community Living Centre, located in Ringwood East. The Community Living Centre, operates from several rooms at St Stephens Church and provides a similar environment to a community house, through the provision of courses and classes for local residents.

In particular The Community Living Centre has an emphasis on community wellbeing and provides a range of classes covering health, fitness and creativity. Ringwood East is without a community house and the St Stephens Living Centre fills this void by providing a range of unique courses for local residents.

Lastly, on the 14th of August I spoke at the Kerrabee Club, a Planned Activity Group operated by Maroondah Council. The Kerrabee Club provides activities and events for the frail aged and people with disabilities, as well as providing respite for carers. These activities include gardening, games, exercises, outings, guest speakers and other social activities, aimed to enhance the social and emotional wellbeing of participants. In addition a Men’s Shed also operates on the site.

The Kerrabee Club is one example of the support Maroondah offers to Home and Community Care clients and I would like to extend my congratulations to the staff and volunteers who are involved with the program.

Speaking at the Kerrabee Club

Posted on by alex

The Kerrabee Club, located in Croydon, is a Planned Activity Group for the frail aged and people with disabilities. The Club is operated by the City of Maroondah and is available for eligible recipients of Home and Community Care (HACC).

This morning I was invited to speak to the Kerrabee Club about my role as a Councillor for Maroondah City Council. I discussed the plans for Ringwood and the need for the complete redevelopment of Ringwood Station to ensure that it is an accessible, integrated and easy to use transport interchange.

I spoke briefly about my background with public transport advocacy including the need for further improvements to bus services. A number of the attendees of the Club do not drive, meaning that accessible and frequent public transport is essential to ensure mobility and maintain socially connected within society.

The Kerrabee Club provides activities to enhance the emotional and social wellbeing of its participants, as well as providing respite for carers. For further information on the Kerrabee Club please visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au/PlannedActivityGroups.aspx

Eastern Volunteers – Annual Event Working Groups

Posted on by alex

This morning I met with Eastern Volunteers to finalise the working groups for the organisation’s upcoming annual events.

Eastern Volunteers will be undertaking three annual events over the course of 2010, with the aim of raising the organisation’s profile and capacity within the community.

The annual events include:

  • Eastern Volunteers Fun Run for March 2010
  • Eastern Volunteers Community Conference for June 2010
  • A new Multicultural Food Festival planned for October 2010

These events aim in furthering the aims of Eastern Volunteers as it seeks to purchase a premises to accommodate the growing needs of the organisation.

As a board member of Eastern Volunteers I will be chairing the three working groups and reporting through the Marketing Services Committee.

If you would like to assist Eastern Volunteers with these events please contact me on 0409 136 213 or email alex@alexmakin.com.au.

Media Release: Recession proof your business

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Learn how to take steps to recession proof your business during a free two-hour information night at the Karralyka Centre in Ringwood East.

Councillor Alex Makin said a panel of business experts would be on hand to answer questions such as ‘Are you concerned about how your business might perform in the current economic climate?’ and ‘Are there measures you can take to limit the impact of the global marketplace?’.

“The session will also include a presentation by a local business about the changes they’ve implemented recently in response to market pressures,” Cr Makin said.

“The function will be jointly hosted by Council, the Victorian Business Centre Vermont and Yarra Ranges Shire Council,” Cr Makin said.

“A wealth of information will be provided so you’re guaranteed to learn something new to help your business,” Cr Makin said.

Other topics to be covered on the night include:

  • What can be provided locally.
  • How to make your business more profitable and sustainable.
  • How to access mentoring support and details about the many government programs available to assist businesses.

Recession Proof Your Business will be held at the Karralyka Centre, Mines Road, Ringwood East from 6 to 8pm on Wednesday 19 August. Bookings are essential.

For details on this information session, to make a booking or find out more about Council’s business support activities, phone 9298 4320 or visit the BizMaroondah website at www.bizmaroondah.com.au

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Hub Captains and rebuilding after the bushfires

Posted on by alex

The Rotary Club of Ringwood has been assisting the bushfire affected areas of Victoria, through fundraising efforts and other initiative such as establishing a tool library in conjunction with the Lions Club of Marysville.

The Tool Library provides residents with the ability to hire tools required to assist in the rebuilding efforts, as they rebuild their homes and lives and communities. The Rotary Club of Ringwood has provided several trailers of equipment and tools for the people of Marysville and to stock the Tool Library.

Tonight’s guest speaker was the Hub Captain from Marysville, who is responsible for coordinating the bushfire relief efforts. Hub Captains have been appointed within each of the affected regions and it is their role to coordinate local, state and Federal government efforts within these regions.

The Hub Captains are funded through the State Government and assist in providing a centralised approach to Government services and assistance. The role entails working closely with the community as the towns embark on a rebuilding process.

The Rotary Club of Ringwood has worked closely with the Hub Captain of Marysville to assist in the rebuilding efforts, particularly in re-establishing and empowering the local community.

The rebuilding process is an enormous and complex task and it is therefore important that there is coordination between government and the community.

Maroondah Business Lunch with Billy Brownless

Posted on by alex

The Maroondah Business Lunches are a semi-regular functions designed to encourage networking amongst Maroondah’s business community.

Today’s guest speaker was Billy Brownless, former footballer for Geelong and regular on the Footy Show. Billy spoke about his experiences in football and the importance of team dynamics, as well as remaining focused under pressure.

The business lunch also provided an opportunity to officially launch the Maroondah Business Week which will be held between the 5th and 9th of October. For further information please visit www.bizmaroondah.com.au.

St Stephens Community Living Centre

Posted on by alex

St Stephens Community Living Centre, is located at 28 Freemen Street in Ringwood East and operates similarly to a Community House, with a range of classes being available within the facilities.

The Community Living Centre has an emphasis on community wellbeing and provides a range of classes covering health, fitness and creativity.

The Community Living Centre provides a community hub for residents of Ringwood East and a range of unique classes for the City of Maroondah. For further information please visit www.ssclc.websyte.com.au

Ringwood Spiders – Entering the season finals

Posted on by alex

The Ringwood Spiders returned to Jubilee Park to play their final home game for this year’s football season.

The Ringwood Spiders is a football club for people with disabilities and is part of the Football Integration Development Association, a league consisting of fourteen teams located across Victoria.

Today’s game was a fairly even matched contest, until the final quarter when the Ringwood Spiders achieved a convincing lead that led them to a resounding victory.

Today’s victory has further fuelled the success of the Ringwood Spiders, who are now on the top of the league’s ladder and very likely to be playing within the grand finals.

The development of the Ringwood Spiders, both on and off the field has reflected the success they have had throughout this season. The FIDA Division Two Grand Finals will be held on Sunday the 23rd of August in Glen Waverley.