Category: Accessibility

Monkami Luncheon – Introducing Alarming Art

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The Monkami Centre is located in Croydon and is a not-for-profit disability services provider for people with intellectual disabilities.  The Centre has a strong emphasis on empowering its clients and provides a range of educational, employment and community development activities.

This afternoon I attended a luncheon organised by the Monkami Centre to provide an introduction to their latest project, ‘Alarming Art’. The project includes the transforming of the former Croydon Fire Station into a community art space, featuring artwork from Monkami’s clients and other artists.

Today’s lunch also provided an opportunity for Monkami to discuss their other projects, including volunteer and employment opportunities that exist for their clients. These projects are critical in demonstrating that people with intellectual disabilities can contribute positively to our community and I commend Monkami for its emphasis on developing and enhancing the skills of its clients.

An official launch of Alarming Art is planned for 6.30 pm on Thursday the 14th of October at the former Croydon Fire Station, 14A Croydon Road in Croydon.

Maroondah Leader: Point of no slick churn

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The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) is a community based organisation that promotes improvements to public transport.

I served as the founder and Convenor of the Outer East Branch until 2008, forming the branch to provide local advocacy on public transport issues affecting Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Since 2008 Jeremy Lunn has served as the branch convenor and has performed tremendously in continuing to raise public transport issues effecting the the eastern region.

The Maroondah Leader has reported on ongoing concerns regarding the lack of frequent rail services along the Belgrave and Lilydale lines beyond Ringwood. I joined Jeremy in calling for more frequent services:

Public Transport Users Association outer east convenor Jeremy Lunn said passengers travelling on the Belgrave/Lilydale line beyond Ringwood were receiving services below urban standards.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said consistent 10 minute services were essential, given Ringwood’s status as a Central Activities District.

The use of sustainable forms of transport is critical to the success of Ringwood’s transformation into a Central Activities District and the current half services beyond Ringwood do not encourage public transport usage.

“For example, people are waiting up to 30 minutes for an eight minute train ride to and from Croydon,” Cr Makin said. “It is completely unacceptable to have long gaps in frequency, particularly when we want more people to use public transport in Ringwood.”

The Frankston line was recently provided with a consistent 10 minute off-peak service, providing a frequent service linking the Frankston Central Activities District. This a welcomed step and provides public transport services that minimise waiting times.

Ringwood and Box Hill are both Central Activities Districts and served by the Belgrave/Lilydale lines, it is clear that these services require similar frequency improvements. Outer eastern residents should not need to wait up to half an hour to connect them to Ringwood or Box Hill.

Media Release: Councillors show support for Ringwood Station petition

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Maroondah City Councillors have thrown their support behind the Ringwood Station Petition and are urging other members of the community to get behind the campaign.

All nine Maroondah Councillors have signed the petition which is calling on all state political parties to commit to an upgrade of Ringwood Station within the term of the next government.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin, who was the first signatory on the petition, thanked the community for their ongoing support of the campaign.

“There have been many community groups and individuals, who feel strongly about the station upgrade, circulating the petition around the region,” Cr Makin said.

“We appreciate the community support, but to make the signatures count, the petitions need to be returned to Council by Friday October 1,” Cr Makin said. “The petition will then be collated and presented to State Parliament in the final sitting week before the state election.”

“The more signatures and community support we can generate through the petition the stronger our voice is to ensure the funding commitment is made. So it’s not too late to sign the petition at one of Council’s service centres or on council’s website,’ Cr Makin said.

To sign the petition or find out more about the campaign:

Visit one of Council’s service centres:

City Offices Service Centre
Braeside Avenue, Ringwood

Eastland Service Centre
Level 2, Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood

Croydon Service Centre
Civic Square, Croydon

Go online to watch the video, to complete an online submission or to download a copy of the petition:
Maroondah Council website – www.maroondah.vic.gov.au
Maroondah Youth Services website www.maroondahyouthservices.com.au
Facebook – www.facebook.com/ringwoodstation

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Maroondah Weekly: Station upgrade high on wishlist

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Maroondah City Council’s campaign calling for the upgrade of Ringwood Station is continuing with a strong response to the petition calling on all political parties to commit to the redevelopment of the Station during the next term of Government.

The Maroondah Weekly has reported on Council’s campaign and the widespread community support it has received:

“It has been great to hear how strongly the community feels about the need for an upgrade to the station,” mayor Alex Makin said.  “People are fed up with the current state of the station and are willing to speak out to campaign for change.  The more community support we can generate, the greater the impact it will have when we present the petition to the political parties.”

The online petition enables community members to leave comments on their thoughts on the condition of Ringwood Station and Council has received many responses highlighting the accessibility and safety issues that exist at the station.

Cr Makin said the comments highlighted the station’s inadequacies and shows the personal impact it was having on rail users.

“It is not compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act and it is time that Ringwood Station receives the upgrade it deserves.  This is something the people of Maroondah feel strongly about. Council has listened to their concerns and is doing everything possible to ensure that these voices are heard.”

There is still time for members of the community to sign the petition which is available at Council’s Customer Service Centres or online at www.maroondah.vic.gov.au.

Delegates’ Report: Disability Services and Community Partnerships

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On the 3rd of September I had the pleasure of attending the Ringwood Spiders Trophy Presentation Evening, a football team for people with disabilities, which competes in the Football Integration Development Association (FIDA) league comprising of teams across Victoria.

The Trophy Presentation Evening provides an opportunity to reflect on the Spiders achievements throughout the year, including the formation of a second team and the continuation of their Junior Development Squad, which has seen new members over the past season. In addition, the Ringwood Spiders Cheerleader Squad continues to provide an opportunity for people unable to play football to still support and be a part of the team.

The Ringwood Spiders are eagerly awaiting the 2011 Football Season but have a range of activities planned over the summer months, including lawn bowls organised in partnership with the Ringwood Bowls Club. The Ringwood Bowls Club is one of the many organisations that have formed partnerships with the Ringwood Spiders and it was great to see the Trophy Presentation Evening held once again at the Bowls Club.

On the 9th of September I attended the Spring Formal of the Croydon Special Development School. The school specialises in education for people with disabilities while providing connections with the wider community. The Spring Formal demonstrated the strength of the school’s connections to the wider community, with several students from local high schools being partners to participants in the formal.

It was fantastic to see students from local high schools supporting students from the Croydon Special Development School and I commend each of them for their involvement in the Spring Formal.

On the 15th of September I attended the Eastern Volunteer Business Booster Breakfast, a new initiative of Eastern Volunteers designed to create mutually beneficial partnerships between the business and community sectors. The breakfast included the launch of Friends of EV, a new program which will create partnerships between Eastern Volunteers and the business community. It is worth noting that Eastern Volunteers is a stable organisation that has existed for 30 years, demonstrating its commitment to sustainable and positive outcomes for the community.

Lastly, on the 20th of September I participated in the filming of Monkami’s Drama Group, “Hey Hey It’s Monkami”, the fourth production from the Group. Hey Hey It’s Monkami, is the fourth performance of the group and will be performed on Thursday the 28th of September at the Karralyka Centre.

Filming for the Monkami Drama Production – Hey Hey Its Monkami

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Monkami is a not-for-profit disability service provider in Croydon, which provides educational, employment and lifestyle opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities.  Monkami has developed a strong arts based program to encourage confidence and expression with their participants, including the Monkami Drama Group, which is now in its fourth year of productions.

This afternoon I volunteered to be part of the filming for the Monkami Drama Groups, “Hey Hey Its Monkami”, the title and theme of this year’s production.  A scene takes place at the Council Chamber and will form part of the production that will be performed at the Karralyka Centre on the 28th of October.

Eastern Transport Coalition – September 2010 meeting

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The Eastern Transport Coalition is a regional based council advocacy group, which includes Melbourne’s seven outer eastern Councils. I attended tonight’s meeting to provide members with an update on Council’s campaign to secure the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated interchange.

The Eastern Transport Coalition is planning a series of candidate forums across each Council to provide the community with an opportunity to discuss public transport issues in the lead up to the State Election. Maroondah’s Candidate Forum will be held on Wednesday the 13th of October at 6.30 pm at the Karralyka Centre in Ringwood East.

This date will coincide with Maroondah City Council’s launch of its Ringwood Station – the missing piece campaign, where we will be calling on all political parties to commit to delivering an accessible, safe and integrated transit interchange for Ringwood. The current station, which fails disability compliance standards, is an essential part of Ringwood and must be upgraded to ensure the creation of a vibrant urban centre.

The Ringwood Station – the missing piece campaign will be held at 6pm at the Karralyka Centre on Wednesday the 13th of October.

Second Meeting with Central Activities District Mayors

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This afternoon the Mayors of Melbourne’s six Central Activity Districts; Dandenong, Frankston, Footscray, Hume, Maroondah and Whitehorse discussed the need for increased dialogue between each Council. The Central Activities Districts are six urban centres, that have been nominated for intensification and mixed use development, providing a range of housing, employment and community opportunities.

While senior Council Officers have regular discussions across these Councils, there has been little interaction between respective Mayors despite each municipality experiencing similar challenges in regard to public transport infrastructure and long-term commitments to the Central Activities Districts.

Today’s meeting furthered these discussions, with Councils working together to secure a long-term funding commitment and implementation plan from the State Government for each Central Activities District. This will ensure that all levels of government are working towards common goals and ensuring a strategic vision for each of these urban centres.

Media Release: Ringwood Station petition well supported

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Maroondah City Council’s petition calling on all state political parties to commit to a redevelopment of Ringwood Station in the next term of government has received generous support from the community.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said to date more than 150 people had signed the petition, some choosing to leave comments on Council’s website.

“It has been great to hear how strongly the community feel about the need for an upgrade to the station. Last week Council released a video on our website which highlights the difficulties people who rely on a mobility device have in accessing the station,” Cr Makin said.

“The amount of community support our campaign has received to date speaks for itself. People are fed up with the current state of the station and are willing to speak out to campaign for change,” Cr Makin said.

“I urge those who haven’t already signed the petition to visit one of Council’s service centres or website and support our campaign. The more community support we can generate the greater the impact it will have when we present the petition to the political parties,” Cr Makin said.

Some of the comments posted on Council’s online petition:

“Every time I walk up or down this station I wonder how people with disabilities, pregnant women or mums with prams get up and down the walkway to go over the tracks. It’s a big worry, and I feel unsafe walking there and nothing is even wrong with me.” Georgia, Mount Evelyn

“Ringwood Station needs to be more user friendly for all Maroondah residents. More and more residents are relying on Ringwood Station than ever before. It is time to invest.” Emily, Ringwood.

“This is discrimination, clear and simple.” Aidan, Bayswater North

“I use Ringwood Station daily for commuting to work in the city and the Ringwood Station is a joke….. The ramps are quite steep and falling over on icy conditions is not uncommon, I have done it a couple of times. We need action fast.” Sandy, Ringwood.

“The sooner the better, waited too long,” Ringwood East couple

“I have a 19-year-old intellectually and physically disabled daughter. It is IMPOSSIBLE for us to use Ringwood Station due to the appalling lack of disabled facilities. Is it not part of the State Disability Plan to ensure ALL Government sites have disabled access? Surely the Department of Transport is remiss in its responsibility to ensure that Ringwood Station (as a major transport hub) is accessible for all people, not just the able bodied. Karen, Ringwood East.

“It is appalling that people who use public transport should be subjected to an unsafe and intimidating environment at their local station. Ringwood Station is an anachronism that the Government should be ashamed of, and improve if it has any sense of social conscious.” Nick

Go online to watch the video, to complete an online submission or to download a copy of the petition:
Maroondah Council website – www.maroondah.vic.gov.au
Maroondah Youth Services website www.maroondahyouthservices.com.au

To sign the petition or find out more about the campaign:
Visit one of Council’s service centres:
City Offices Service Centre
Braeside Avenue, Ringwood

Eastland Service Centre
Level 2, Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood
Croydon Service Centre
Civic Square, Croydon

Visit one of Council’s facilities:
Arrabri Community Centre
Allambanan Drive, Bayswater North.

Croydon Library
Civic Square, Mount Dandenong Road, Croydon.

Karralyka Centre
Mines Road, Ringwood.

Maroondah Federation Estate
Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood.

Ringwood Library
4 Ringwood Street Mall, Ringwood
(Adjacent to Eastland Shopping Centre).

Wyreena Community Arts Centre
13-23 Hull Road, Croydon.

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Launch of Brush Strokes Exhibition from the Croydon Stroke Support Group

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The Croydon Stroke Support Group provides peer support to people with stroke and their carers. The group has a strong emphasis on social inclusion and provides a range of art based programs to restore confidence to people with stroke.

This morning I was invited to open the Croydon Stroke Support Group’s Brush Stroke exhibition, which is being exhibited at Maroondah Federation Estate in Greenwood Avenue in Ringwood. Brush Strokes, includes a range of mediums, including photography, sculpture and painting, some of which were collaborative pieces made by several members of the group.

Brush Strokes is the inaugural exhibition to be held in the Long Gallery, within the former school building of Ringwood Primary. The building, which is now used for community space will complement the existing cultural focus of Maroondah Federation Estate, providing additional space for the arts within Maroondah.

In addition, I had the pleasure of launching Left of Tomorrow, a book by Wendy Lyons, a person with stroke and a member of the Croydon Stroke Support Group. Wendy’s book details her experiences with stroke and the challenges she faced.

The Croydon Stroke Support Group has a strong focus on the arts and the restoring of confidence for people with stroke. In addition to photography, painting and sculpture, the group has also initiated a choir to provide people with stroke the ability to sing and regain their voices.

The Croydon Stroke Support Group meets each Thursday on a weekly basis, for details please visit www.strokeassociation.com.au/CroydonSSG.htm