Tag: central ringwood community house

Media Release: Maroondah prepares to celebrate National Reconciliation Week

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A program of events and workshops has been organised by Council to celebrate National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June) in Maroondah.

Mayor of Maroondah, Cr Alex Makin, said the program would focus on providing a variety of opportunities to explore Indigenous culture and heritage.

“I’d like to extend an invitation to the community to attend Maroondah’s Reconciliation Week Launch from 10.30am at Maroondah Federation Estate on National Sorry Day (26 May),” Cr Makin said.

“The Launch will be held on National Sorry Day to recognise the suffering and hardship suffered by Indigenous communities. It will mark the beginning of Maroondah’s Reconciliation Week activities,” Cr Makin said.

“The launch will include a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, a flag ceremony, the unveiling of Council’s new Indigenous artwork acquisition. Entertainment will feature a mesmerising didgeridoo performance by Indigenous performer Alan Brown,” Cr Makin said.

School workshops will run throughout the week and students will have the opportunity to participate in didgeridoo playing, traditional dance, Indigenous art making and learn about cultural awareness.

The program will conclude on Thursday 3 June with the presentation of an Indigenous documentary film focusing on Aboriginal history in Victoria. The documentary will be presented by Maroondah Movement for Reconciliation.

One of the week’s highlights will be Council’s acquisition of an artwork by Indigenous Elder Ray Ken titled Tali, which will be placed on display in the foyer of Maroondah Federation Estate until 30 July.

Visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au for the full schedule of Reconciliation Week events and to find out how you can become involved.

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Maroondah Relay for Life – Information Evening

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The Relay for Life began in 1985 in the United States and has since been held in 21 countries worldwide, including Australia.  This year a local Maroondah family will be organising a Relay for Life in Maroondah, which will be held on the 20th and 21st of November at Town Park Athletic Track in Croydon.  The Relay for Life is held over the two days, where Cancer survivors, carers, family and friends participate in the event to raise funds for Cancer research and support.

This evening an information session was held at the Maroondah City Council, whereby a committee was formed to organise and oversee the event.  While the Relay for Life is a community based event, Maroondah Council  is providing assistance, ensuring that we are working in partnership to help raise funds and awareness for this cause.

I urge the Maroondah community to support this event, either through volunteering, raising funds or participating in the relay on the 20th and 21st of November at Town Park Athletic Track in Croydon,

Media Release: Striking a chord with stroke

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Council is calling on interested parties to participate in a new initiative aimed at improving the quality of life of people living with aphasia, a language difficulty caused by damage to the brain.

Mayor of Maroondah, Cr Alex Makin, said a choir was currently being formed to allow people with limited or no speech to experience something positive and joyful with their voice in a social and understanding environment.

“Imagine not being able to speak but having the ability to sing perfectly. This is the reality experienced by a number of people living with aphasia,” Cr Makin said.

“After learning during Stroke Week 2008 that several people in Maroondah were living with aphasia, Council took the first tentative steps towards the formation of a choir for people with the condition,” Cr Makin said.

“I’m proud to say that with the help of a number of external organisations, that vision is set to become a reality in the early half of 2010,” Cr Makin said.

A qualified music therapist will be engaged to work with the choir, named Stroke a Chord, thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Helen Macpherson Smith Fund.

The initiative is a partnership between Council, Yooralla, Royal Talbot Hospital, University of Queensland, Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Croydon Stroke Support Group and Melbourne University.

If you or someone you know would like to find out more about Stroke a Chord, phone Jack Mulholland on 1300 88 22 33 or email jack.mulholland@maroondah.vic.gov.au.

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

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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.

Tour of Maroondah’s Community Facilities – Ringwood

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The council tour of community facilities continued this evening to include several community and leisure facilities located within Ringwood.

The first destination was the Karralyka Centre, which is Maroondah’s home to theatre and the performing arts. The Karralyka Centre also serves as a performance space to local groups and schools and also provides function rooms for events.

While the location of Karralyka is not ideal, it is accessible through bus route 670 along Maroondah Highway and hopefully the State Government will introduce a new direct service from along Mount Dandenong Road as part of the bus service reviews.

The tour continued through to Central Ringwood Community House, which is located in Bedford Road, Ringwood in close proximity to Ringwood Station. Central Ringwood Community House is part of Bedford Park and manages the community hall that is located on the site.

Central Ringwood Community House. includes a number of classrooms and permanent computer training facilities. The Community House is the recipient of the Federal Government’s Better Regions Program which will be utilised to improve accessibility and provide new classrooms.

Federation Estate was the next destination and is located along Greenwood Avenue near Jubilee Park and Ringwood’s main sporting precinct. Federation Estate includes the Maroondah Art Gallery, which features several prominent exhibitions, including local artists. The arts are further reinforced through an artist in residency program where artists are able to complete their artwork within Federation Estate.

The facility also includes several meeting rooms available to community groups and the Amazing Space playground, which is a fully accessible playground focusing on the senses and imagination. Amazing Space is a unique sensory focused playground and has received a number of awards and positive reviews.

The Maroondah Indoor Sports Stadium, was the next destination and is located along Canterbury Road. The facility provides four basketball courts and recently introduced martial arts lessons. The stadium is extremely well utilised by a number of basketball and netball clubs.

Ringwood Golf Course, is next door to the Maroondah Indoor Sports Stadium and is an eighteen hole public golf course. The golf course includes a cafe, which caters to both golf patrons and external functions with views overlooking the course. Ringwood Golf Course offers coaching and golf lessons, as well as a golf shop which stocks a wide range of golfing equipment.

After the golf course the tour continued through to the Jubilee Park Ringwood Soccer Pavilion. Council has applied for federal funding to redevelop the soccer pavilion and to provide facilities for the MVC Boxing Club. Should this grant be approved it will provide premiere soccer facilities within Maroondah, as well as introduce new sports within the Jubilee Park sporting precinct.

Ringwood Aquatic Centre was the last destination of the tour. The Aquatic Centre provides a 50 metre indoor pool, as well as a hydrotherapy pool and general purpose swimming facilities. The floor of the aquatic centre is currently being re-tiled and funding was successful to introduce a co-generation plant to reduce the facility’s energy consumption.

While Ringwood is fortunate to include several prominent sporting and cultural facilities that are only a short five or ten minute walk from the centre of Ringwood, improvements to wayfinding and signage would assist in re-connecting these facilities.

Central Ringwood Community Centre2009 AGM

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Central Ringwood Community Centre is located within Bedford Park in Ringwood and provides a range of educational courses, as well as workshops for newly arrived migrants and meeting rooms for a variety of community groups.

Due to the new ward boundaries, I am fortunate to have two community houses within the Mullum Ward, Central Ringwood Community Centre and North Ringwood Community House.

The houses cater to different needs within the community while also working in partnership to deliver joint courses. Central Ringwood Community Centre, with its location in Bedford Road has worked closely with newly arrived migrants, including the Sudanese and Burmese communities, as well as providing a number of computer courses and several social groups.

Today’s annual general meeting confirmed the committee of management for the upcoming year and provided an update on the House’s successful application to the Federal Government’s Better Regions Program. This funding will improve the accessibility of the house and create new classrooms to further expand its services.

The Federal Government should be congratulated for recognising the importance of community houses and the services they provide.

Community Houses provide a critical service within a community through encouraging social inclusion and delivering new skills and educational opportunities.

I look forward to working closely with Central Ringwood Community Centre as it continues to serve the Ringwood community.

For further information on Central Ringwood Community Centre please visit www.crccinc.org.au.

Media Release: Enjoy Summer in Maroondah

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Get a copy of Maroondah’s Summer Events Series brochure and make a date with one of the many things to do in Maroondah across the summer months.

Councillor Alex Makin said the calendar of events lists art and craft exhibitions, musical performances, art classes, historic buildings and a number of major community events.

“Wyreena Community Arts Centre has an exhibition by Amanda Ruck commencing on Wednesday 4 February. Enjoy her exquisite collection of paintings capturing the subject of clouds,” said Cr Makin.

“Central Ringwood Community Centre will be holding art classes during the first school term in 2009. Book now to learn the craft of leadlighting or patchwork, or the delicate art of watercolours,” said Cr Makin.

“And if watercolour painting is something you’ve always yearned to try, then the beginner classes at North Ringwood Community House will set you on your way during February and March,” said Cr Makin.

“Come along to the Yarrunga Community Centre with your best voice and join in for an evening of Community Singing on Wednesday 18 March, 2009. They promise a great evening where no singing experience is necessary,” said Cr Makin.

“Balmoral Highland Dancers are holding a highland dancing competition on Saturday 14 March, and Wyreena Music Café begins for 2009 with a range of talented and diverse artists performing on Friday 27 February and 27 March,” said Cr Makin.

Details on these events and many more can be found in Maroondah’s Summer Events Series brochures, available from Council’s Service Centres, the Ringwood and Croydon libraries and other Council facilities. For more information, call Council on 1300 882 233.

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