art Archives

Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival

Posted on 9 October 2010 by alex

Eastern Volunteers is a community based not-for-profit organisation that provides volunteer assisted transport and volunteer recruitment across the Cities of Maroondah and Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

Alex with Terry Macdonald, Chairman of Eastern Volunteers and Cr. Natalie Thomas, at the Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival.

Throughout today Eastern Volunteers held a Multicultural Spring Festival at Ringwood Lake, bringing together the diverse communities within Maroondah. The festival included food, arts, rides, crafts and performers providing a range of activities throughout the day.

Alex opening the Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival as the Mayor of Maroondah.

As the Mayor of Maroondah I had the pleasure of opening the festival and congratulating Eastern Volunteers on organising Maroondah’s first large-scale multicultural festival. After opening the event I served as the Master of Ceremonies, introducing each performance and discussing the aims and role of Eastern Volunteers.

These sessions included discussions with volunteers on their involvement with Eastern Volunteers and the benefits they receive from volunteering. While volunteering provides benefits to the wider community, it can also deliver new skills, enhance employment prospects and expand networks for the volunteer. The Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival is an example of an event that utilised a wide variety of skills and teamwork to deliver Maroondah’s largest multicultural event.

Alex with volunteers and staff of Eastern Volunteers at the Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival

The Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival featured a wide variety of entertainment, including a roving performer, as well as a Chinese Lion Dance, Bollywood Dancers, the Police Rock Band, African Drumming from Rhythm of Life, the Karen Young Dancers, Reggae from Uprising Rebels, Scottish Highland Dancers and Japanese Drummers. In addition, Ultimate Martial Arts from Heathmont and Abandon Sane, local rock band also performed on the main stage. Vasili, from Vasili’s Garden on Channel 31 and 3AW, was also in attendance and provided a demonstration on making garden pots from recycled newspapers.

Alex with Vasili, from Vasili's Garden on Channel 31 and 3AW, at the Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival

Approximately 5000 people attended the festival and it was great to see the community embrace the festival and actively participate in the activities that were present throughout the day. Many volunteers and staff at Eastern Volunteers worked extensively on the Festival through organising the group’s largest event in its history. The Festival was only possible due to this work and the commitment of sponsors who saw the benefits of partnering with Eastern Volunteers.

Alex with sponsors (Power Balance, Ringwood Honda and Bendigo Bank) who contributed to the Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival.

For further information on Eastern Volunteers please visit www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

Alex with Natalia at the Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival, which was held on the 9th of October 2010.

Opening the Penumbra Centre

Posted on 5 October 2010 by alex

The Penumbra Centre was established in 1978 initially as a day program for people with a vision impairment. It has evolved over the years and now provides services to people with a wide variety of disabilities, where the Centre provides a range of art and craft activities, as well as a social outlet for its members.

Alex, with Peter Baird, chairman of the Penumbra Centre, as well as clients and staff at the launch of its new premises at Panfield Avenue in Ringwood. The Penumbra Centre provides services for people with a disability, as well as respite for carers.

This morning I was invited to launch the Penumbra Centre’s new premises at 42 Panfield Avenue in Ringwood where the Centre provides care and respite services each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The new premises provides an ongoing location for the Penumbra Centre, after formerly being located in Heathmont and then in another location within Ringwood.

Alex, with Bronwyn, a member of the Penumbra Centre at the launch of its new premises at Panfield Avenue in Ringwood. The Penumbra Centre provides services for people with a disability, as well as respite for carers.

The speech I delivered is available within this post:

I would like to congratulate the staff, members and volunteers at the Penumbra Centre for securing the new premises at Panfield Avenue and for managing the move. Moving locations is always a challenge, but today’s launch demonstrates that the Penumbra Centre will be successful and grow within this new location in Ringwood.

It is great to see that Penumbra’s new location is already filled with artwork from its members and the signgage at the front clearly shows that the Centre is ready to accommodate new members. I am sure that Penumbra will continue to grow from this new location and I commend the board, staff, volunteers and of course the members for their perseverance and determination during the transition to Panfield Avenue.

Thank you once again for the invitation and I look forward to the ongoing success of Penumbra and the social inclusion it provides.

Monkami Luncheon – Introducing Alarming Art

Posted on 29 September 2010 by alex

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.

Delegates’ Report: Disability Services and Community Partnerships

Posted on 20 September 2010 by alex

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.

Launch of Brush Strokes Exhibition from the Croydon Stroke Support Group

Posted on 14 September 2010 by alex

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

Signing the Ringwood Station Petition

Posted on 1 September 2010 by alex

The ongoing need for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station is a major priority for the Maroondah community and Council will be advocating very strongly to secure funding through the State Election in November.

The steep ramps at Ringwood Station do not meet disability compliance standards and the station itself does not provide the amenities required to encourage public transport usage.

It is critical that Council secures a commitment so that Ringwood Station is transformed into an accessible, integrated and safe transport interchange.

The Maroondah community has waited for far too long for a safe, accessible transit interchange. The current layout of the station fails disability compliance standards – meaning it is difficult to access for people with a disability, the elderly and parents with prams.

Alex Makin adding the first signature to Maroondah City Council's petition for the redevelopment and upgrade of Ringwood Station.

This morning Council launched a petition calling on all political parties to commit to the redevelopment and upgrade of Ringwood Station. As the Mayor of Maroondah, I had the honour of being the first to sign the petition and I look forward joining with the community as we advocate for a safe, integrated and accessible transit interchange.

Please visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au/StationAdvocacy.aspx to complete the online petition, or visit Council’s Customer Services at Braeside Avenue, Ringwood Eastland or the Croydon Civic Centre.

Celebrating NAIDOC Week Initiatives at Marlborough Primary

Posted on 19 August 2010 by alex

NAIDOC week, which is held in the first full week of July each year celebrates Indigenous culture and has a strong educational focus during the week.

This afternoon I was invited to Marlborough Primary School, located in Heathmont, to attend the presentation of awards to two students who celebrated Indigenous culture through art. The students, in grades six and one, were selected from over 112,000 entries and represents the strong interest and respect Marlborough places on Indigenous culture.

As a former student of Marlborough it was great to be back at the school and congratulate these students on their achievements.

Media Release: Maroondah Interfaith Network gets a funding boost

Posted on 21 July 2010 by alex

Maroondah City Council has welcomed an $8800 Victorian Multicultural Commission grant which will assist the Maroondah Interfaith Network with its leadership training and education programs.

Maroondah Mayor Councillor Alex Makin accepted the grant last Wednesday.

“Since the Maroondah Interfaith Network was established in November 2009 it has grown to include more than 35 leaders from a range of faiths,” Cr Makin said.

“The $8800 grant will assist the network to launch a leadership training program which will target the areas of conflict resolution, project management and media relations,” Cr Makin said.

“Participants will be able to attend training sessions and neighbouring municipal interfaith networks will be encouraged to assist as mentors,” Cr Makin said.

“The funding will also allow the Interfaith Network to be more actively involved in the coordination and participation of events that promote tolerance and celebrate the diversity of faiths in Maroondah like faith-based seminars and conversation cafes,” Cr Makin said.

The Maroondah Interfaith Network aims to bring together diverse faith and cultural groups to promote community harmony, education and awareness of racial and religious diversity. It also hopes to increase understanding of varied faiths and cultures among the wider community.

– ENDS –

Media Release: Music funding a win for Maroondah youth

Posted on 14 July 2010 by alex

Maroondah Mayor Councillor Alex Makin has welcomed a $10,000 State Government music equipment grant saying it will give Maroondah’s budding young artists a chance to share their talents with the community.

Youth, Sport and Recreation Minister James Merlino announced the Victoria Rocks – Music Equipment Grant during a visit to EV’s Youth Centre in Croydon last Tuesday.

Cr Makin said the funding would allow Council’s Youth Services team to expand its already successful music programs.

“Maroondah has a very strong musical community and this funding will give Council more scope to nurture the interest of our young people and to strengthen the pathways between our community and the arts and entertainment industry,” Cr Makin said.

“The grant will provide greater access to instruments, training, rehearsal spaces and staging equipment for the young people of Maroondah,” Cr Makin said.

“As part of the funding application Council undertook consultation with young people and we uncovered a huge demand for the casual use of musical equipment,” Cr Makin said.

“With this funding we will now be able to offer more flexible access to equipment to address this unmet need,” Cr Makin said.

The $10,000 funding is part of a $1.3 million Victorian Government initiative. The funding initiative is based on the principles of participation, accessibility, partnership and diversity.

– ENDS –

Victoria Rocks – Music Equipment Grant

Posted on 13 July 2010 by alex

This morning I joined James Merlino, the Minister for Sport, Recreation and Youth Affairsm who announced a $10,000 grant to Maroondah City Council through the Victoria Rocks, Music Equipment Grant. The money received will fund a Council project called “Before the Gig”, which will provide a greater level of access to music equipment for young people in Maroondah.

The program will run through EV’s Youth Centre and will allow Council to purchase music equipment (including acoustic and electric guitars, a drum kit and portable amplifiers) that will be available for young people to use free of charge. Ultimately the project will create new opportunities for local young people to participate in the arts and to increase their music skills.

Alex with members of Maroondah's EV Youth Services participating in the Victoria Rocks program.

In addition, it will provide resources to support local partnerships between EV’s Youth Centre and several organisations, including Eastern Access Community Health (EACH), the Migrant Information Centre, Arrabri Community House and the Rock School at Croydon Community School.

I would like to thank the Minister and the State Government for the $10,000 grant. In addition, EV’s Youth Centre has been chosen as a venue for the State wide FReeZA Central Tour, which will feature a range of musical acts on Friday the 27th of August. This is a significant opportunity for young people in our community and it is fantastic to see the State Government recognise the importance of EV’s Youth Centre.