Eastern Volunteers is a not-for-profit community organisation that provides volunteer recruitment and community transport services across Maroondah, Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.
Eastern Volunteers has a voluntary board of management which establishes the strategic direction of the organisation, which has 14 staff and over 100 volunteers. I accepted the position of Manager of Marketing Services in late September and as a result did not seek re-nomination to the Eastern Volunteers Board of Management.
As part of the Annual General Meeting, myself and Eugene Wong, the Manager of Business Development, discussed Friends of EV, a new program developed by Eastern Volunteers to encourage community and business partnerships.
Friends of EV provides ongoing benefits to businesses, through consulting services, corporate volunteering and training, as well as providing an ongoing link to the community sector. Further details on Friends of EV is available at www.easternvolunteers.org.au.
Ringwood Station fails to meet disability compliance standards and is perceived to be unsafe due to the poor station design, including narrow and steep ramps. The community has continually called for the full redevelopment of Ringwood Station into a safe, accessible and integrated interchange that will meet the needs of Ringwood as a vibrant urban centre.
While public transport is a State Government responsibility, Council must advocate on behalf of its community and it is clear that Maroondah is seeking a commitment for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station.
Council has been circulating a petition for the past month which has now attracted over 2000 signatures with approximately 1000 visitations through social media tools, including Facebook and Youtube. This evening Council officially launched the Missing Piece campaign with a direct call to action for all political parities to commit to the station upgrade.
Alex with Margaret launching Maroondah's Missing Piece campaign calling for the upgrade of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated transport interchange
Ringwood Station is the Missing Piece in a vision for Ringwood, since a lack of commitment diminishes the residential, commercial and community investment that is taking place. Margaret Stevens, a renowned accessibility advocate who spent a week at Eastland collecting signatures for the petition, joined me in launching the campaign and calling on all political parties to commit to Ringwood’s future.
Council’s video highlighting the condition of Ringwood Station was displayed throughout the launch reinforcing the accessibility difficulties that exist.
The speech provided during the launch is available within this post:
In the spirit of Reconciliation, we acknowledge that we are meeting on land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on land which the Indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.
We, Maroondah City Council, accept, respect and have shared with the Wurundjeri people in their customs of welcome.
The Wurundjeri people support the coming together of all people, respecting their individuality to focus on a unified and cohesive nation.
As you have gathered here this evening, you will have seen the video playing overhead showing the difficulty people in our community, and particularly those with a disability, have accessing Ringwood Station and the 50 year old ramps leading to the station platforms.
This video has been an important element of an advocacy campaign Council has been running over the past six weeks.
The campaign is seeking a funding commitment from all state political parties in the lead up to the State election for the upgrade of Ringwood Station within the next term of government.
The campaign has been running for six weeks with significant support and media coverage from Maroondah’s two local papers, editorial has appeared each week for the past 6 weeks.
Community support has been extremely strong, and to date we have over 2000 signatures to the petition, from individuals and community groups.
One of these individuals is here with us tonight, and I would like to acknowledge Margaret Stevens for her dedication to the cause in securing over 600 signatures from the Maroondah community and beyond during a week at Eastland. In addition, several members of the community, including Dawn Oliffe spent time at Ringwood Station securing signatures for the petition.
Margaret is one of many voices demanding action for Ringwood Station. I have spoken with many people during the course of this campaign and the message from the community is clear, Maroondah residents are tired of waiting, they want a safe, integrated, accessible and vibrant Ringwood Station, and they want it in the term of the next government.
Tonight, Council is launching “The Missing Piece – Ringwood Station” in the lead up to this evening’s Eastern Transport Coalition Forum.
Alex with Margaret launching Maroondah's Missing Piece campaign calling for the upgrade of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated transport interchange.
Significant investment and development continues in Ringwood, with support from the State Government and private enterprise, however the commitment to fund the redevelopment of Ringwood Station remains the missing piece of the vision for the Ringwood Central Activities District.
As you can see within the Ringwood Central Activities District jigsaw, we have EastLink providing an important road transport corridor from Mitcham to Frankston, an area responsible for 40 percent of Victoria’s manufacturing output and over 1.3 million people living in the area and providing more than 350,000 jobs.
The sporting, recreational and leisure facilities that either currently exist (Maroondah Federation Estate/Maroondah Art Gallery, tennis, croquet, football and cricket), are under construction (Soccer), or awaiting funding (proposed Maroondah Aquatic and Leisure) in the Jubilee Park precinct are within walking distance from Ringwood Station and the Central Activities District.
New businesses and services are moving to Ringwood, bringing increased employment and spending, as evidenced by the Connect East building perched over EastLink.
Ringwood Lake Park is an icon of Ringwood, providing enormous leisure and recreational pleasure all year round for people of all ages and abilities.
The $39million bus interchange is poised to change the face of Maroondah Highway, however, it does not provide an interface with the existing Ringwood Station.
Residential housing development is showing consistent growth within the Central Activities District with private building developers showing their support for the vision of Ringwood. The new 10 story co-operative housing development will soon be home to over 100 people early next year.
Eastland and the Ringwood Market site are expected to see construction and expansion of retail, community and business floorspace, changing the face of Ringwood significantly.
The Lake to Creek project will see pedestrian and cycling links between the Mullum Mullum Creek and Ringwood Lake, adding another vital layer to the accessibility of our city.
It is time to add the missing piece to the Ringwood Central Activities District jigsaw, a new Ringwood Station.
It is time for each state political party to not only acknowledge the need for an upgrade to Ringwood Station, but to actually stand up and commit to fund this important piece of public transport infrastructure that remains the missing piece of the vision for the State Government’s own Ringwood Central Activities District.
The 2010 Maroondah Business Week was held from the 4th of October through to the 8th and offered a range of events to develop skills and business promotion, concluded with a networking lunch, featuring model and author Tara Moss, as the guest speaker.
The lunch is aimed specifically at women in business and Tara spoke about her life growing up in Canada, as well as her transition into modelling and her development as an author. Tara discussed the need to persevere with dreams and highlighted her passion for writing, which she developed as a student in primary school.
Alex with Tara Moss and Phil Turner, Director City Development, at the 2010 Maroondah Business Lunch
The lunch marks the conclusion of the 2010 Maroondah Business Week and the speech I provided to welcome guests to this event is available within this post:
Maroondah Business Week is an annual Council initiated program that aims to promote and enhance businesses within the municipality. The Week consists of workshops, tours and networking events offering a range of activities to cater to the business sectors within Maroondah.
One of these events is the Maroondah Business Week Breakfast, which featured David Schwarz as the speaker. David was a former footballer and Vice-Captain for Melbourne Football Club and discussed the challenges he faced during this career, including a gambling addiction, which he spoke about candidly during the breakfast session.
Alex with David Schwarz and Cr Rob Steane at the 2010 Maroondah Business Week Breakfast
David’s openness set him apart from some of the speakers of other years and he spoke candidly about the difficulties in establishing a post football career. David’s comments reflect the need for ongoing perseverance and the advantages of networking within businesses and provided a number of parallels between his experiences and the challenges facing business.
As part of the proceedings I had the opportunity to introduce Maroondah Business Week and the speech I provided is available in this post:
Safety has become a key factor in Maroondah City Council’s push to secure a commitment to upgrade Ringwood Station within the next term of government.
Maroondah Councillor and Community Safety Reference Group representative Rob Steane said everyone deserved access to safe, accessible public transport.
“Media reports earlier this year highlighted Ringwood as having one of the highest levels of crimes across the metropolitan railway network. Regardless of whether or not these reports are a true reflection of Ringwood Station, they have resulted in a public perception that Ringwood Station is unsafe,” Cr Steane said.
“People have a right to feel safe when they are using public transport, and at the moment many people are scared to use Ringwood Station,” Cr Steane said.
“An upgrade to Ringwood Station would not only improve the amenities of the Station but it would also go a long way to improving public perceptions of safety,” Cr Steane said.
“The current layout of the station means there are many areas that are not visible from Maroondah Highway and Station Street, especially the ramps linking the platforms,” Cr Steane said.
Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said he had spoken to many people in the course of the campaign with most commenting on safety concerns.
“Most people have commented on their insecurity when using the station at night. Many choosing to continue onto another station rather than have the worry of being at the station alone,” Cr Makin said.
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“The proposed upgrade to the station would open the whole area up to scrutiny and therefore act as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour,” Cr Makin said.
“It will also provide a better link to the central retail and business district making the area a safer, more visually attractive and user-friendly public place,” Cr Makin said.
“Securing this funding for an upgrade is an important start to improving Ringwood’s transport interchange and town centre. We will continue to lobby the state political parties on behalf of the Maroondah community for a funding commitment,” Cr Makin concluded.
mecu is a credit union, which encompassed several other organisations including Maroondah Credit Union. As an organisation, mecu has a strong focus on sustainability, with expert advice provided to their board in regard to sustainability initiatives.
This morning I was invited to open their new Eastland Service Centre, mecu’s flagship store for the eastern suburbs. The Service Centre incorporates sustainable building materials and it is encouraging to see mecu’s commitment to sustainability. The Eastland Service Centre recognises Ringwood’s position as a regional centre, with mecu offering a full range of financial services as this flagship store.
Eastern Volunteers is a not-for-profit community based organisation, which provides transport services for eligible Home and Community Care recipients, as well as volunteer recruitment to provide pathways for people to participate in the wider community.
This morning Eastern Volunteers held its inaugural business booster breakfast, aimed to strengthen connections between the business and community sectors. The breakfast introduced Eastern Volunteers to businesses within the community and launched Friends of EV, a program which will provide ongoing partnerships between the organisation and businesses.
Eastern Volunteers, which was formed in 1976 is a medium sized not-for-profit organisation, with approximately 20 staff members and over 100 volunteers, covering across Whitehorse, Maroondah and the Shire of Yarra Ranges. Eastern Volunteers is clearly a sustainable organisation and one which is able to provide beneficial partnerships with the business community.
The Footmen Club is a service based club supported through the local Maroondah business community, which provides assistance to individuals and groups throughout the municipality.
This afternoon the Footmen Club held a Foot Luncheon, featuring AFL Victoria CEO and former Hawthorn Player, Peter Schwab. Peter spoke about his football career and his experiences as CEO of AFL Victoria. Peter discussed the challenges that were facing Hawthorn at the time and how his abilities in football complemented the team.
The Footmen Club holds regular luncheons through the year featuring a variety of guest speakers while also helping people in need. For further information please visit www.footmen.org.au
The Maroondah Business Week 2010 brochure is now available, detailing the range of workshops, seminars and networking sessions open to business owners and operators who wish to participate in this year’s Maroondah Business Week activities.
Maroondah Councillor Alex Makin said anyone considering attending the range of networking and information sessions during Maroondah Business Week should decide what they would like to attend, and book early.
“We have introduced closing dates for our key events, so it is more important than ever that people get their tickets early,” Cr Makin said.
“There are a lot of opportunities for business owners and operators wanting to network with other local businesses, or learn new strategies to improve your business. Maroondah Business Week 2010 should not be missed,” said Cr Makin.
“Running from Monday 4 October to Friday 8 October, Maroondah Business Week covers everything you could want to know about doing business successfully in this city,” Cr Makin said.
Maroondah Business Week 2010 highlights include three guest speakers who will entertain and move you with their wealth of experience in life and in business:
Former Melbourne Football Club player David Schwarz will speak at the NAB Business Breakfast on 6 October at the Karralyka Centre from 7am until 9am.
Since retiring from the Melbourne Football Club after 11 years, David has pursued an active media career, co-hosting the sports radio program The Home Run and was a part of Channel 7’s AFL commentary team, but his reputation was tainted after revealing his had lost more than $4 million through gambling.
In 2007, the reformed gambler was appointed the Responsible Gambling Ambassador of the Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group.
“By speaking about his experiences on and off the field, David will provide an insight into how he overcame his inner demons and transformed them into new opportunities,” Cr Makin said.
Peter Alexander, best known for his range of sleepwear, will share his secrets of success at the RACV Business Insurance Networking Event from 5.30pm to 7.30pm on 7 October at the Karralyka Centre.
Peter is a true entrepreneur, launching his range of sleepwear as a single man working from his living room table. His name is now recognised around the globe and at the height of success his business profits were growing at up to 40 per cent a year.
“At the age of 24 Peter made the tough decision to go out on his own. While the start up phase was difficult he overcame everything that was thrown at him. There is no doubt that Peter has a wealth of information to share about establishing brand loyalty,” Cr Makin said.
Then you can join author and model Tara Moss at the Eastland Business Lunch from noon to 2pm on Friday 8 October at the Karralyka Centre.
Tara had her first novel published at the age of 24, and has since become the number one crime writer in Australia. As a model she has graced the covers of more than 30 magazines.
“Tara lives her life by the motto ‘life is too short to live the same day twice’ and I think that is something we could all take on board. So why not come along and gain an insight into how to transform your passions into a successful career,” Cr Makin said.
The vast majority of business opportunities are found through networking, so bring along plenty of business cards and a willingness to connect with like-minded business people and meet some of Maroondah’s most influential and ‘up and coming’ business professionals.
Bookings can now be made for all events and workshops.
Further information on the complete range of activities during Maroondah Business Week 2010 can be found in the brochure available at all Council Service Centres, or by visiting www.bizmaroondah.com.au
Maroondah City Council holds regular business breakfasts designed to encourage networking and knowledge leadership amongst businesses within the community.
This morning’s breakfast included a presentation from Denso Automotive Systems Australia (formerly Australian Automotive Air), one of the nation’s largest automotive manufacturers, who discussed their unique just-in-time systems to ensure maximum efficiency with their operations.
Maroondah’s next business breakfast is held during Maroondah Business Week. Details on all of the Maroondah Business Week events are available at www.bizmaroondah.com.au.
The speech I delivered at the opening of the Business Breakfast is available within this post:
