Kaleidoscope is the name of an art exhibition hosted by Scope, which showcases the artistic talents of people with disabilities. The exhibition, which is being held across the State, includes a series of exhibits at the Long Gallery at Maroondah Federation Estate.
This morning I was invited to open the Exhibition at Maroondah Federation Estate to encourage members of the community to view artworks that were submitted under the theme of ‘Inspiration Works’. The launch was accompanied by ambient music provided by members of Scope, showcasing musical, as well as artistic talents.
Alex with the first prize winner of the Kaleidoscope Exhibition
The Kaleidoscope Exhibition was widely attended with several members travelling across Victoria to be present at the opening. It was wonderful to be a part of the exhibition and to see Scope celebrating the artistic talents of its members.
Following an extensive study of options, Maroondah City Council has agreed to set aside space at Quambee Reserve as the future location for the North Ringwood Community House, subject to further consultation.
Council will provide $20,000 in the 2011/12 Budget towards the development of a master plan to further investigate a proposed relocation of the House to Quambee Reserve.
Maroondah Mayor Councillor Alex Makin said the community house has outgrown the current premises at the rear of Holy Spirit Parish in Oban Road.
“Council and the Department of Planning and Community Development funded a Relocation Feasibility Study which found that the current premises were aged, undersized, poorly situated, had no disability access and had traffic and parking issues,” Cr Makin said.
“Council investigated several sites in the North Ringwood areas, identifying Quambee Reserve as the most appropriate venue for the House to relocate,” Cr Makin said.
“Council will provide $20,000 in the 2011/12 Budget for the development of a master plan which will include consultation with Community House staff, user groups and local residents as well as traffic and parking assessments, a design scope of the facility requirements and further design works,” Cr Makin said.
“North Ringwood Community House is an important community hub which provides a range of activities for various groups and individuals within the Maroondah community. Council will continue to work with the House’s Committee of Management to ensure that it can continue to meet the changing needs of our community,” Cr Makin said.
North Ringwood Community House Manager Sue McDermott said all those involved with the House were absolutely thrilled with Council’s decision.
“This decision will ensure we will have a future after a long period of uncertainty. I thank the Mayor and Councillors for their support throughout this process,” she said.
“On behalf of the Maroondah community I would like to congratulate the Liberal Party for listening to the community’s concerns and pledging $60million to upgrade Ringwood Station,” Maroondah City Council Mayor Councillor Alex Makin said.
“I thank our local members of parliament Ryan Smith and Heidi Victoria for advocating strongly on behalf of the Maroondah community and securing not only the funding, but a commitment to start the project within the next term of Parliament,” Cr Makin said.
“The Liberal Party’s commitment follows last week’s announcement by the Greens who pledged their support to transform Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated public transport hub,” Cr Makin said.
“We have now secured a promise from two of the major political parties to upgrade Ringwood Station. I now call on the Labor Party to join with their colleagues and commit to an upgrade of Ringwood Station to improve the future prosperity of Ringwood and Melbourne’s eastern region”, Cr Makin said.
“A safe, vibrant and integrated Ringwood Station is the missing piece of the State Government’s own Ringwood Activities District and to date Council has collected more than 2000 signatures on a petition calling on all major parties to commit to funding an upgrade to Ringwood Station within the term of the next government,” Cr Makin said.
“During the course of Council’s campaign calling for the Ringwood Station upgrade we have received support from many members of the community including several disability advocates. A video was produced and uploaded to YouTube which highlighted the concerns people with a disability have about accessing Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.
“This video was an important part of the campaign and I thank those people who were willing to share their personal stories as a way of highlighting the inadequacies of the current station layout,” Cr Makin said.
“The community support has been critical in demonstrating the need for improvements to Ringwood Station. I congratulate people for standing up for what they believe in and making the political parties realise that they can no longer ignore the needs of the Maroondah community,” Cr Makin said.
Monkami is a not-for-profit community organisation that provides services for people with an intellectual disability, including employment and educational opportunities for their clients.
As part of its development programs, Monkami has had a strong emphasis on the arts and recently secured a lease for the former Croydon Fire Station, which will be used to showcase artworks from Monkami’s clients.
This evening I was invited to launch Alarming Art, the new Monkami Centre gallery, located at 14A Croydon Road in Croydon. While plans for Alarming Art are still being developed, Monkami plans to host exhibitions for its clients.
The launch of Alarming Art is part of Monkami’s ongoing focus on inclusion, demonstrating that people with intellectual disabilities are able to contribute positively to the community. This has been evident through Monkami’s arts programs, the nursery and clients that volunteer to improve the ambience of the Croydon Main Street.
Alarming Art will further highlight the work of Monkami’s clients and enhance the organisation’s focus on the community. I congratulate Monkami on securing tenure at the former Croydon Fire Station and for developing Alarming Art.
The Eastern Transport Coalition is a council initiated advocacy group, covering Melbourne’s seven outer eastern Councils; Greater Dandenong, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.
As part of its advocacy campaign, the Eastern Transport Coalition is holding a series of candidate forums, throughout each of the member councils. The evening was attended by representatives of each of the three major parties, the Australian Labor Party, the Victorian Liberal Party and the Victorian Greens.
I provided the introduction to tonight’s forum to highlight the current public transport deficiencies within Maroondah. The speech is available within this entry:
Welcome candidates and the community to the Maroondah City Council Eastern Transport Coalition Public Transport Forum.
Maroondah City Council, in the spirit of reconciliation, acknowledges that we are meeting on the 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 are fortunate tonight to have secured Mr Clay Lucas as our independent moderator. Clay may be well known to some of you as he is part of The Age’s city team having worked The Age and The Sunday Age since 2005 as a city reporter. This role sees Clay reporting on a range of topics across the transport sector, including roads, public transport, planning and development. In 2009 Clay won a Quill for transport reporting with Age investigative reporter Royce Millar.
Before I hand over to Clay to get the evening underway I just want to provide a quick overview of the public transport issues that Maroondah sees as important to the community and help set the context of public transport in the east.
Regional Perspective
The eastern region is an established area experiencing significant economic and population growth.
This growth is mainly occurring through infill and consolidation of existing residential, commercial and employment areas.
The network is struggling to keep up with demand and provide services that the community require to carry out their day to day activities as viable alternatives to the motor vehicle.
The Victorian Transport Plan – Does not deliver for the east
To keep pace with the population and economic growth the current public transport system needs to expand.
The Victorian Transport Plan does not adequately consider or respond to the needs of the East and greater investment is still required, if the eastern suburbs are to continue to be liveable and met the State’s land use and transport plans as outlined in Melbourne @ 5 million.
The high household car ownership in the City of Maroondah is evidence of the public transport systems inability to provide a service that allows our community to undertake their daily activities. The ETC and Maroondah City Council call on the government for the development of a long term regional public transport strategy for the Eastern region.
Ringwood Station Upgrade
Ringwood is identified as one of six Central Activity Districts which will offer CBD type services in suburban locations. In recent MTF public survey, Ringwood Station was voted as Melbourne’s second worse station, after Richmond.
The current Ringwood Station is difficult to access with steep ramps to station platforms that fail the State Government’s Disability Discrimination Act requirements.
The footpath access from each side of the station is not safe, particularly for people in wheel chairs and there is not direct wheel chair access to the car park which is located at the bottom of a steep stairway.
There has been no significant upgrade to the station in more than 50 years and it is desperately needing to be modernised.
For Ringwood Station to be truly accessible to all and permit convenient transferring between transport services, it is imperative that it is clean, comfortable, accessible and safe and secure.
Triplication for the Belgrave/Lilydale line
As Central Melbourne will continue to be a major location for employment, the arts, culture, sport and leisure, central Melbourne should be conveniently accessible by public transport for all Melbournians.
The demand on the Belgrave/Lilydale lines, with approximately 93,000 daily boardings, make these lines one of Melbourne’s most highly patronised rail corridors.
The patronage of both lines is reaching capacity with overcrowding a regular passenger experience. To facilitate more efficient and comfortable commuting for those passengers coming from beyond Ringwood Station, the triplication of the line between Box Hill and Ringwood is required.
Better Buses
Buses are the largest public transport option available to residents within Maroondah and the neighbouring municipalities. Bus patronage is growing, particularly on services with long operation and high frequency of service, i.e. the SmartBus Routes.
The recently conducted Metropolitan Bus Service Reviews was a step in the right direction with identifying inadequate service and generating regional specific solutions. However, very few of the recommendations have been implemented and they have only been small route extensions or minimal frequency and duration improvements.
Bus services in Maroondah remain poor with limited out of peak services and long wait times between services throughout most of the day. Improving bus services in coverage, service frequency and duration will provide real alternatives to the private vehicle and enable the community of Maroondah to have real choice in transport.
Conclusion
The provision of a more equitable, accessible public transport will reduce the detrimental effects of poor access to public transport in the eastern region, such as, social isolation, high car dependency, reduced financial freedom or the inability to access services.
A truly integrated and accessible transport network will also reduce the regions vulnerability to changes in the environment, such as climate change and peak oil.
I thank you for your attendance tonight and look forward to hearing how the candidates respond to your issues.
I’ll now hand you over to Clay to get the evening underway.
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 Maroondah community has overwhelmingly supported Maroondah City Council’s campaign to secure funding for an upgrade to Ringwood Station.
Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said to date Council had collected more than 2000 signatures on a petition calling on all major parties to commit to funding an upgrade to Ringwood Station within the term of the next government.
He said Council had been overwhelmed with the support it had received throughout the campaign.
“Maroondah residents Dawn Oliffe and Margaret Stevens have both volunteered their time to collect signatures at Ringwood Station and Eastland,” Cr Makin said.
“Dawn spent one day at Ringwood Station collecting more than 100 signatures from commuters and Margaret organised to set up a stall at Eastland for an entire week which resulted in her collecting more than 400 signatures,” Cr Makin said.
“This is a phenomenal effort from two of our community members, and their dedication to the campaign shows how strongly they feel about the need for an upgrade to Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.
“Margaret also volunteered her time with a number of other disability advocates to be involved with a video filmed by Council highlighting the difficulty people with a disability, parents with prams, and people using wheelchairs and scooters have using the station ramps,” Cr Makin said.
“The video has been a successful aspect of Council’s campaign with more than 780 people having watched it via Council’s website or YouTube. A Facebook page has also generated a lot of debate and to date has 110 followers,” Cr Makin said.
Cr Makin said Council will enter the next phase of the campaign with the launch of ‘’The Missing Piece”. This will be immediately prior to the Eastern Transport Coalition Forum.
“Significant investment and development continues in Ringwood, with support from the State Government and private enterprise, and the commitment to fund the redevelopment of Ringwood Station remains the missing piece of the vision for the Ringwood Central Activities District,” Cr Makin said.
“I hope the community will join us at The Missing Piece launch and show their support for Council’s campaign to secure an upgrade to Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.
The Missing Piece launch is on at 6pm, Wednesday October 13 at Karralyka Centre, Mines Road, Ringwood.
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.
Maroondah’s campaign to secure a commitment for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into a safe, accessible and integrated transport interchange is continuing, with many members of the community dedicating their time to encourage signatures on the petition calling for the upgrade.
One of the areas of concern of Ringwood Station is safety, due to the outdated station design and narrow ramps and walkways, which also fail to meet disability compliance standards.
The Maroondah Leader has reported on the ongoing safety concerns at Ringwood:
Maroondah’s Mayor says people are bypassing Ringwood railway station because they feel it is unsafe. Cr Alex Makin said he had spoken to people who chose to use another station rather than wait alone at Ringwood.
While the Police have been proactive in increasing patrols at Ringwood Station, the Station design, which has not been updated in over 50 years, does not create a safe atmosphere.
Cr Makin said many people had highlighted safety concerns.
“Ringwood is a safe area but people have commented on their sense of insecurity at the station at night,” he said. “The proposed upgrade to the station would open the whole area up to scrutiny and act as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour.”
The City of Maroondah and the eastern region deserves a Station that is safe, accessible and integrated with facilities. Our community should feel confident and safe in using Ringwood Station and sustainable forms of transport and it is incumbent on all political parties to commit to delivering this improvement.
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.
