Tag: community participation

North Ringwood Community House – End of Year Barbecue

Posted on by alex

North Ringwood Community House is currently situated at the rear of the Holy Spirit Primary School at 120 Oban Road.  The organisation provides a range of courses and is the only Community House that is accredited as a Registered Training Organisation within the City of Maroondah.

Alex with Cr. Nora Lamont, Ryan Smith MLA and Lorraine (Chairperson of the NRCH Committee of Management) at the North Ringwood Community House End of Year Barecue
Alex with Cr. Nora Lamont, Ryan Smith MLA and Lorraine (Chairperson of the NRCH Committee of Management) at the North Ringwood Community House End of Year Barecue

This accreditation means that North Ringwood Community House is able to provide courses that deliver Certificate III and IV qualifications, ensuring a range of new skills and training opportunities for our community.

This afternoon the Committee and Staff of North Ringwood Community House organised an end of year barbecue for staff and students.  Community Houses promote social inclusion, as well as the opportunity to learn skills and the barbecue reinforced the friendly atmosphere of the House.

Alex with Cr. Nora Lamont, Ryan Smith MLA and Cr. Ann Fraser at the North Ringwood Community House End of Year Barbecue
Alex with Cr. Nora Lamont, Ryan Smith MLA and Cr. Ann Fraser at the North Ringwood Community House End of Year Barbecue

I was joined by my fellow ward Councillors Nora Lamont and Ann Fraser, as well as Ryan Smith the Member of Warrandyte. It was great to see such a strong presence at the barbecue, demonstrating the community house’s importance to the City of Maroondah.

The feasibility study exploring options for the relocation of North Ringwood Community House is expected by February next year where it will be considered by Council and other levels of government.

Eastern FM – Interview with the Mayor

Posted on by alex

My first official Mayoral duty was an interview with Eastern FM at their studios based at the Wyreena Arts Centre.

Eastern FM broadcasts on 98.1 FM and has a monthly radio segment scheduled for the first Friday of month, where interviews are conducted with one of the Councillors.  As the newly elected Mayor I was invited to attend the the December interview and to discuss my vision for the oncoming year.

Topics included the need to encourage community participation, through a conversation of the values shared by the Maroondah community.   Council has already begun working towards this through the Maroondah Community Wellbeing Plan but there is a need to keep the community engaged in this discussion.

I also spoke about the need for further work on Ringwood Station to ensure an accessible and integrated transport interchange that encourages sustainable forms of transport and serves as the catalyst for the transformation of Ringwood.

As the Mayor I will not be using the Mayoral Car so as to demonstrate that public transport is a viable form within our municipality.   While further public transport improvements, such as more frequent buses and train services, are required to further encourage sustainable transport within Maroondah, I believe I will be able to undertake  my Mayoral duties using public transport.

As the Mayor of Maroondah I welcome community discussion and debate.  Please contact me on alex.makin@maroondah.vic.gov.au if you would like to discuss life within the City of Maroondah.

Public Forum on the Sustainable Living Space

Posted on by alex

The Sustainable Living Space is a partnership project between North Ringwood Community House, Maroondah City Council and Eastern Volunteers, which aims to provide a central information service on sustainability.

Tonight a public forum was held to invite community participation within the project and to encourage involvement. The forum provided background information on the project, including the survey data that indicated a high level of community interest in sustainability.

The project aims to establish a community working group, whereby members of the community can shape the future of the Sustainable Living Space. Details on the community working group and the nomination process will be released shortly.

For further information please visit www.sustainablelivingspace.org.au.

Review of Maroondah Tourism and Heritage Advisory Board

Posted on by alex

While I am not a member of the Maroondah Tourism and Heritage Advisory Board for this year I did serve as a member during 2008. This afternoon former members were invited to a meeting to discuss the board and the projects it has initiated.

The Maroondah Tourism and Heritage Advisory Board includes representation from Councillors, departments within Council and external members from businesses, Maroondah’s two Historical Societies and art based community groups.

The Board has delivered a number of projects throughout its existence, including funding for the JA Turner Artist Trail, the opening of the Miners Cottage at Ringwood Lake increasing the prominence at arts and cultural events at Karralyka, Federation Estate and Wyreena Community Arts Centre.

The review provided an opportunity to reflect on these projects and to identify other projects that should be considered into the future. Members of the group will be seeking input from their respective organisations to assist in identifying these projects, which will in turn be considered by the Board and Council.

Inaugural Eastern Volunteers Community Conference – Day One

Posted on by alex

Eastern Volunteers has a vision of leading the way in community services, and this was demonstrated through the organisation’s inaugural community conference.

The two-day event, which was entitled Social Inclusion and Community Well-being in the World’s Most Liveable City, was designed to assist in capacity building for the not-for-profit and community sectors.

The conference included presentations from several not-for-profit organisations to discuss the challenges the sector is facing, as well as potential solutions.

The topics on the first day included the challenges facing volunteer recruitment, establishing community partnerships and the difference that is made through volunteering.

As a member of the Eastern Volunteers board and part of the conference organising committee I facilitated the Volunteering – making a difference panel session, where the two speakers discussed the critical role of volunteers within their organisations. This also included a discussion around the challenges in developing good governance and ensuring the wellbeing of volunteers within a growing organisation.

The afternoon sessions discussed the topics of supporting older people, as well as connecting with the community. This session included the construction of a community led playground in Montrose and involving migrant communities within volunteering.

The first day of the conference was well received with the participants looking forward to its continuation on the second day.

Scoot Wheel n Move meeting

Posted on by alex

Scoot Wheel n Move is a community organisation, which is operating under the auspice of Eastern Access Community Health (EACH).

The group aims to improve accessibility for residents within Maroondah and Melbourne’s outer east, particularly for people with mobility aids, such as wheelchairs and motorised scooters.

Scoot Wheel n Move works closely with Maroondah City Council to achieve these aims and has organised events such as a mobility expo and forum to encourage wider community participation.

Maroondah Homebiz – the Art of Networking

Posted on by alex

Maroondah Homebiz is an organisation that aims to assist small and home-based businesses within Maroondah.

Tonight’s meeting featured Jen Harwood, a business coach and the author of the Art of Networking. Jen discussed the importance of networking in attracting new clients and the need to cultivate ongoing business relationships.

Jen spoke about a number of techniques to network effectively, including finding events targeted by prospective clients and promptly following up discussions.

Maroondah Homebiz, through grant funding received from the Maroondah Business Grants, will be holding regular sessions with speakers designed to educate and inform.

For more information on Maroondah Homebiz please visit www.homebiz.org.au.

Using Linux – free software alternatives to Windows

Posted on by alex

To my knowledge I am the only elected representative within Australia to use Linux and open source software such as KDE, Kontact, Openoffice.org and Firefox for my day-to-day computing requirements.

I choose to use Linux and open source software since I find it more responsive and stable than a Windows based system. Linux is an open source operating system that is available in various forms known as distributions.

Linux and the majority of software that operates on it are provided free of charge and are designed as well as supported through active community participation.

While there is undoubtedly a learning curve when trying anything new, Linux distributions such as OpenSUSE and Kubuntu tend to be extremely user friendly. Linux support for hardware continues to increase and there are many free programs that can easily replace existing Windows based software.

In addition, Linux tends to not have the security and virus issues that are far to commonplace within a Windows based environment.

While Linux and open source software may not be for everyone, I believe there is tremendous opportunity for the non-profit and community sector to investigate the use of Linux within their organisations.

The free cost of Linux and associated programs combined with the fact that it can still easily and efficiently operate on older computer hardware means it has the potential to reduce IT costs.

While there may be a requirement for initial training and configuration, this can be offset by reducing the cost of purchasing new software and hardware.

Free software such as Openoffice.org provides an easy to use Office suite and is largely compatible with Microsoft Office. Mozilla Firefox provides a more secure Internet browser than Internet Explorer and Kontact provides a full suite of information services, including a calendar, notes, email and address book features.

Linux provides a choice of graphical desktop environments and KDE with its associated applications exceeds the features and stability found within Windows XP and Vista. XFCE is another desktop environment and is well suited towards older computers that may still be present within an organisation.

If there are Windows based programs that an organisation is reliant upon, there is a program known as WINE which can allow such software to still operate within Linux.

I recently switched from OpenSUSE to Arch Linux, which is a distribution designed to be highly flexible and customisable. While Arch Linux requires more time to customise than other distributions, it does have the advantage of being extremely fast and stable.

Alternatively, distributions such as OpenSUSE and Kubuntu provide an easy to install and operational Linux environment with minimal need for customisation.

The use of Linux with its potential to reduce IT costs is certainly worth exploring.

The re-opening of Hutchinson Legal

Posted on by alex

This afternoon Hutchinson Legal celebrated its relocation to 10-12 Warrandyte Road, one of the oldest properties within Ringwood and which served as a former doctor’s clinic and later as part of Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC).

The building maintains its original facade and while the interior has been adapted for the requirements of a legal firm. Inside the there is extensive homage to the history of the area through photographs and a display of early typewriters and adding machines.

Ringwood has few historical buildings and it is important that we preserve the remaining heritage of the area. Like the Firehouse Cafe which remodelled the old Ringwood Fire Station, it is encouraging to see businesses like Hutchinson Legal respect and pay tribute to the history of Ringwood.

Historical Tour of Ringwood East

Posted on by alex

After launching Heathmont Recollections in 2006, the Ringwood Historical Society has followed up with the history of Ringwood East through organising a Historical Weekend to promote the history of the Ringwood’s oldest established areas.

On Saturday the society provided two bus tours of Ringwood East, both of which were completely booked out. I attended the morning tour which included thirteen stops discussing the history of Ringwood East, from its antimony mining and brick manufacturing origins, to the extensive orchards and streams that used to cover the area. Other stops included the former schools and churches within the district as well as Ringwood East station and the Army Barracks which were formed in the late 1950s.

The tour provided an interactive history of Ringwood East demonstrating how significantly the area has changed since the discovery of antimony in the late 1860s. Today, the industry and orchards that dominated the early history of Ringwood East have become residential homes and the bridge that gave Burnt Bridge its namesake has been long replaced by sealed roads.

It was great to see such a strong attendance for the bus tours and a growing appreciation for the history of Ringwood and Maroondah.