Tag: health safety and wellbeing

Great Ryrie Primary – Drawing Competition Presentation

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This morning I was invited to the school assembly of Great Ryrie in Heathmont to announce the results of the community wellbeing plan drawing competition.

Maroondah is currently developing its Community Wellbeing Plan and the drawing competition was designed to encourage feedback from primary school students.

Like Croydon Hills Primary, Great Ryrie was another of the four schools that chose to participate in the competition. The assembly was conducted by school students and it was great to hear about the many initiatives the students and the school are undertaking.

All participants in the competition received a certificate and a prize to commend the work undertaken by the students.

Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee – new terms of reference

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The Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee meets on a bi-monthly basis and includes representation from council, as well as several external agencies, including Victoria Police, the Department of Human Services, the Primary Care Partnerships, Connex and the Royal District Nursing Association.

The committee’s priority over the course of this year is to oversee the establishment of Maroondah’s Community Wellbeing Plan, which will identify council’s priorities over the course of the next four years.

As a result today’s meeting provided an update on the plan, which is expected to be completed by November of this year. Council’s engagement and collaboration with the community is continuing and this feedback will guide the development of the plan.

An update was also provided in regard to the much needed security cameras at Ringwood Station, with Victoria Police working closely with Connex, Maroondah Council and Eastland to develop a proposal for funding consideration by the State Government.

The committee also formally adopted its revised terms of reference, which include a name change to the Maroondah Partners in Community Wellbeing Committee, to reflect its role in overseeing the development and implementation of the Wellbeing Plan.

Eastern FM – discussing the Community Wellbeing Plan

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Eastern FM, is based at Wyreena Community Arts Centre and broadcasts on 89.1 FM. The Friday morning breakfast program includes a number of community guests, with the first Friday of each month featuring a Councillor from the City of Maroondah.

This morning it was my turn as the guest for Eastern FM, where I discussed the purposes of the Community Wellbeing Plan and the opportunities that exist for community engagement.

A large number of responses were received from the Maroondah Focus survey, where residents had the opportunity to identify the top five issues relating to their views on community wellbeing. In addition, the online survey, which was available on the Council website, also attracted a large number of responses.

This feedback will be collated and assist council, as well as the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee in being able to ascertain the major concerns identified by the community.

Further opportunities also exist for input, with surveys being conducted as immunisation sessions and as part of Council’s Picnic in the Park program. The next Picnic in the Park is scheduled for Saturday the 16th of May at Brentwood park in Croydon, followed by Saturday the 23rd of May at McAlpin Reserve, off Wonga Road in Ringwood North.

Both events run from 10am to 1pm and will include activities and a sausage sizzle. The community will also have the chance to provide further feedback which will be incorporated into the Community Wellbeing Plan.

Participating within Eastern FM provides a further opportunity for the community to speak with their local councillors and it was encouraging to receive several calls while I was in the studio.

For further details on Eastern FM please visit www.easternfm.com.au.

Maroondah Journal: campaign for cameras

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The Maroondah Journal has reported on the continued efforts by local business people, police and State MPs to secure the installation of live-feed security cameras at Ringwood Station.

The installation of of closed-circuit live-feed security cameras would help prevent anti-social behaviour at Ringwood Station and have proved to be successful at both Lilydale and Croydon Stations.

Mullum Ward councillor Alex Makin said that while the cameras were important, the development of the station was crucial. “Access needs to be improved and the general look of the station needs an overhaul.

“The cameras would be a big part of that as they would help improve safety for the community.”

While the installation of security cameras are extremely important for Ringwood Station they should not neglect the need for the redevelopment of the station into a safe, accessible and easy to use transport interchange.

Community Wellbeing Plan – Judging for the drawing competition

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Maroondah’s Community Wellbeing Plan will shape the council’s priorities and actions for working towards an inclusive, healthy and safe municipality.  The Wellbeing Plan is one of council’s highest level documents and as such extensive consultation and engagement across all ages is critical to ensuring that it reflects the viewpoints of our community.

To encourage participation from schoolchildren, council recently held a drawing competition to discover the particular qualities primary schoolchildren like about living within Maroondah.  This evening myself and Cr. Nora Lamont judged the drawings and to discover the topics identified by these schoolchildren.

Most of the students identified Maroondah’s parks and sporting facilities as the main reason they liked living within Maroondah.  In particular there was an emphasis on the close proximity of playgrounds, as well as football and swimming facilities.  This feedback will help reinforce the strong value our community places on green open space and will be utilised to provide input into the Community Wellbeing Plan.

The formal presentation of awards to the paticipating schoolchildren will be held within the next month.

Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee returns for 2009

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The Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing committee meets on a bi-monthly basis to discuss projects and initiatives that deliver a positive impact to life within Maroondah.

This primary objective for the committee over the course of 2009 is to finalise the Maroondah Wellbeing Plan, a strategic document that will guide Maroondah’s priorities over the next four years.

Today’s meeting discussed community consultation for the plan, which will include surveys within the next edition of Maroondah Focus as well as via the council website. More in depth consultation will be available through sessions that will be held within Ringwood and Croydon.

The response to the devastating bushfires was also discussed, with Maroondah having a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Shire of Yarra Ranges. This enables Maroondah to send staff to the Shire of Yarra Ranges to provide emergency assistance. In addition council has donated $25,000 to the bushfire appeal and each councillor has also contributed $1,000 to provide further assistance.

The Maroondah Wellbeing Plan is intended to be ready for council adoption by the end of this year and will be accompanied by a yearly action plan. The composition of the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee and potential sub-committees will be guided by the newly developed plan.

Eastern Volunteers – end of year function

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This evening Eastern Volunteers hosted its end of year function, bringing together staff, volunteers and the board of management to celebrate their success in providing volunteer recruitment services and transport for the frail aged and people with disabilities.

Organisations like Eastern Volunteers assist in creating an inclusive community through encouraging volunteerism and providing mobility for people that would otherwise be isolated.

Eastern Volunteers has formed a number of partnerships, including the Seniors Register in conjunction with Maroondah City Council and the Maroondah Police. The Seniors Register provides regular phone contact for senior citizens and a safety audit of people’s homes to ensure that participants are safe and connected with their community.

The Seniors Register began through discussions held between members of the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee and demonstrates the strength of partnerships in improving the wellbeing of our community.

I will be continuing as one of three council delegates for the Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee within 2009.

Eastern Volunteers Brainstorming Session

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After this morning’s Eastern Volunteers board meeting I was invited to attend a brainstorming session involving staff, volunteers and the voluntary board of management. The session aimed to explore new ideas to assist Eastern Volunteers in diversifying its funding sources.

The discussion explored potential annual events, grant applications, sponsorship and potential business opportunities and the ideas generated will be formally examined by the organisation.

As a provider of transport services for the aged and people with disabilities and a referral service for volunteers across Maroodah, Whitehorse and the Yarra Ranges, Eastern Volunteers provides a critical service for our community by encouraging social inclusion.

In particular the organisation has a goal of raising $500,000 to purchase new premises to ensure the continued growth and development of the organisation and the ideas that were discussed this afternoon will assist in achieving this objective.

Women's Health East Annual General Meeting

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Located at 28 Warrandyte Road in Ringwood, Women’s Health East is a community based women’s health agency. The organisation aims to lead, promote and supports health initiatives for women within Melbourne’s eastern region.

Today’s annual general meeting discussed the Health Promotion Plan, which identified the key priorities over the next three years. The plan includes a focus on violence against women, reproductive health and mental health and wellbeing.

Women’s Health East has an emphasis on advocacy, as well as health promotion and the organisation’s first factsheet assists in both of these aims. The factsheet, which is on violence against women, identifies the reported cases of violence and ongoing concerns over the under-reporting of such crimes.

Local government has the potential to promote health and wellbeing and encourage gender equity. As a candidate in the council elections I recently signed my commitment to the Action Plan for Women’s Health 2008-2012 and Council’s Community Wellbeing Plan will be able to assist in implementing these aims.

Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee – final meeting for 2008

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This morning marked the final meeting of the bi-monthly Maroondah Partners in Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee for 2008. The committee includes council and a number of external bodies, including Victoria Police, Connex, Department of Human Services, Outer East Primary Care Partnerships and the Department of Education, to implement a collaborative approach to enhancing the health, safety and wellbeing of Maroondah.

Today’s meeting examined food security within the eastern region, exploring the effects of rising food costs and the level of access to nutritious food. While Maroondah may be relatively well served with supermarkets and fresh food outlets, there are some pockets where there is a lack of access, particularly for people without access to a car.

The rising cost of living has also had an impact, particularly for people on fixed incomes, such as pensions, who are sacrificing food so that they can pay for other living expenses, such as rent, electricity and water.

The Primary Care Partnerships will be finalising a report on their findings in regard to food security with the aim of alerting governments to the food security difficulties experienced within the eastern region.

An update was also provided in regard to the Maroondah Community Wellbeing Plan, where the feedback provided by service providers is currently being considered. Community engagement and discussion over the plan will begin early to mid next year to provide an opportunity for widespread public comment.

I would like to thank the members and organisations who have been a part of the committee over the past three years and also to Cr. Jo-anne Taylor who was the previous chair.