karralyka Archives

Eastern Transport Coalition – September 2010 meeting

Posted on 16 September 2010 by alex

The Eastern Transport Coalition is a regional based council advocacy group, which includes Melbourne’s seven outer eastern Councils. I attended tonight’s meeting to provide members with an update on Council’s campaign to secure the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated interchange.

The Eastern Transport Coalition is planning a series of candidate forums across each Council to provide the community with an opportunity to discuss public transport issues in the lead up to the State Election. Maroondah’s Candidate Forum will be held on Wednesday the 13th of October at 6.30 pm at the Karralyka Centre in Ringwood East.

This date will coincide with Maroondah City Council’s launch of its Ringwood Station – the missing piece campaign, where we will be calling on all political parties to commit to delivering an accessible, safe and integrated transit interchange for Ringwood. The current station, which fails disability compliance standards, is an essential part of Ringwood and must be upgraded to ensure the creation of a vibrant urban centre.

The Ringwood Station – the missing piece campaign will be held at 6pm at the Karralyka Centre on Wednesday the 13th of October.

Media Release: Ringwood Station petition well supported

Posted on 15 September 2010 by alex

Maroondah City Council’s petition calling on all state political parties to commit to a redevelopment of Ringwood Station in the next term of government has received generous support from the community.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said to date more than 150 people had signed the petition, some choosing to leave comments on Council’s website.

“It has been great to hear how strongly the community feel about the need for an upgrade to the station. Last week Council released a video on our website which highlights the difficulties people who rely on a mobility device have in accessing the station,” Cr Makin said.

“The amount of community support our campaign has received to date speaks for itself. People are fed up with the current state of the station and are willing to speak out to campaign for change,” Cr Makin said.

“I urge those who haven’t already signed the petition to visit one of Council’s service centres or website and support our campaign. The more community support we can generate the greater the impact it will have when we present the petition to the political parties,” Cr Makin said.

Some of the comments posted on Council’s online petition:

“Every time I walk up or down this station I wonder how people with disabilities, pregnant women or mums with prams get up and down the walkway to go over the tracks. It’s a big worry, and I feel unsafe walking there and nothing is even wrong with me.” Georgia, Mount Evelyn

“Ringwood Station needs to be more user friendly for all Maroondah residents. More and more residents are relying on Ringwood Station than ever before. It is time to invest.” Emily, Ringwood.

“This is discrimination, clear and simple.” Aidan, Bayswater North

“I use Ringwood Station daily for commuting to work in the city and the Ringwood Station is a joke….. The ramps are quite steep and falling over on icy conditions is not uncommon, I have done it a couple of times. We need action fast.” Sandy, Ringwood.

“The sooner the better, waited too long,” Ringwood East couple

“I have a 19-year-old intellectually and physically disabled daughter. It is IMPOSSIBLE for us to use Ringwood Station due to the appalling lack of disabled facilities. Is it not part of the State Disability Plan to ensure ALL Government sites have disabled access? Surely the Department of Transport is remiss in its responsibility to ensure that Ringwood Station (as a major transport hub) is accessible for all people, not just the able bodied. Karen, Ringwood East.

“It is appalling that people who use public transport should be subjected to an unsafe and intimidating environment at their local station. Ringwood Station is an anachronism that the Government should be ashamed of, and improve if it has any sense of social conscious.” Nick

Go online to watch the video, to complete an online submission or to download a copy of the petition:
Maroondah Council website – www.maroondah.vic.gov.au
Maroondah Youth Services website www.maroondahyouthservices.com.au

To sign the petition or find out more about the campaign:
Visit one of Council’s service centres:
City Offices Service Centre
Braeside Avenue, Ringwood

Eastland Service Centre
Level 2, Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood
Croydon Service Centre
Civic Square, Croydon

Visit one of Council’s facilities:
Arrabri Community Centre
Allambanan Drive, Bayswater North.

Croydon Library
Civic Square, Mount Dandenong Road, Croydon.

Karralyka Centre
Mines Road, Ringwood.

Maroondah Federation Estate
Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood.

Ringwood Library
4 Ringwood Street Mall, Ringwood
(Adjacent to Eastland Shopping Centre).

Wyreena Community Arts Centre
13-23 Hull Road, Croydon.

– ENDS –

Media Release: Video highlights Ringwood Station inadequacies

Posted on 13 September 2010 by alex

Maroondah City Council has stepped up the Ringwood Station advocacy campaign launching an online video highlighting major accessibility issues at the station.

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said the video highlighted the shocking state of the station.

“The video really shows how bad the station is and how inaccessible it is for those who rely on wheelchairs or scooters as a mode of transport. Viewers will be able to see what these people go through every time they use Ringwood Station,” Cr Makin said.

“I have met with and spoken to many people in the past few weeks and they have all expressed their fear of using the station because of the accessibility issues,” Cr Makin said.

“In one case the ramps were so steep that the rear support wheels on their wheelchair lifted two or three centimetres off the ground while going down the ramps. Others cannot stop on the ramps because the brakes are not strong enough to cope with the inappropriate gradient,” Cr Makin said.

“These cases just highlight the station’s inadequacies and shows the personal impact it is having because it is not compliant with the State Government’s own Disability Discrimination Act. It is time that Ringwood Station receives the upgrade it deserves,” Cr Makin said.

“Since the start of the advocacy campaign, the amount of support and feedback Council has received has been phenomenal. This is something that the people of Maroondah feel strongly about, and Council has listened to their concerns and is doing everything possible to ensure our concerns are heard,” Cr Makin said.

Maroondah City Council is conducting a petition calling on all state political parties to commit to an upgrade of Ringwood Station within the term of the next government.

The video will be available via Maroondah City Council’s website from Tuesday September 13.

To sign the petition:

Visit one of Council’s service centres:
City Offices Service Centre
Braeside Avenue, Ringwood

Eastland Service Centre
Level 2, Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood

Croydon Service Centre
Civic Square, Croydon

Visit one of Council’s facilities:
Arrabri Community Centre
Allambanan Drive, Bayswater North.

Croydon Library
Civic Square, Mount Dandenong Road, Croydon.

Karralyka Centre
Mines Road, Ringwood.

Maroondah Federation Estate
Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood.

Ringwood Library
4 Ringwood Street Mall, Ringwood
(Adjacent to Eastland Shopping Centre).

Wyreena Community Arts Centre
13-23 Hull Road, Croydon.

– ENDS –

Eastern Regional Mayors and CEOs Forum – discussing regional priorities

Posted on 27 August 2010 by alex

The Eastern Regional Mayors and CEOs Forum, includes the Cities of Banyule, Boroondara, Dandenong, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Monash, Nilumbik, Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges, meets on a regular basis to advance priorities on behalf of the region.

Today’s meeting was hosted at the City of Maroondah and included sessions with MPs and Candidates from the Government, Opposition and The Greens to discuss six priorities facing the region:

Public transport;
early years;
street lighting;
school crossing supervision;
libraries;
and land use planning

The sessions included detailed presentations on each of these issues with the aim of ensuring that each attendee and Party was aware of the concerns held by the Councils in the region. It was encouraging to see strong representation from each of the parties, including Minsters and Shadow Ministers.

One of the key roles of local government is to advocate on behalf of the needs of its residents and communities and as such dialogue between Councils and Members of State Parliament is a necessity. Today’s forum, which was held at the Karralyka Centre, enabled this discussion to take place so that these members would be fully aware of the priorities and concerns of local government in the eastern region.

Media Release: Council staff celebrate milestone achievements

Posted on 23 June 2010 by alex

Long-serving members of Maroondah City Council staff will be honoured at a special celebratory reception at the Karralyka Centre, Mines Road, Ringwood on Wednesday 30 June.

Mayor of Maroondah Councillor Alex Makin said the Staff Milestones evening celebrates the dedicated service of 58 Council employees over 10 and 20 years.

Thirty-five staff have achieved 10 years of service, 22 achieved 20 years and one staff member has achieved 30 years of service.

“Service milestones are something that should be recognised and celebrated and at Maroondah we are proud to have staff who have served their community over a long period of time,” said Cr Makin.

“One of the strengths of any organisation is having continuity of staff – those who ‘know the ropes’ and have a sense of history and overview to draw on,” said Cr Makin.

The large number of service areas represented in the Service Milestones included Executive Support, Parks and Works, Neighbourhood Services, Children’s Services, Financial Services, Karralyka, Public Health and Major Leisure Facilities.

Staff members will be congratulated by Maroondah’s CEO, Frank Dixon and Mayor of Maroondah, Councillor Alex Makin who will present letters under seal from Council.

– ENDS –

Maroondah Citizenship Ceremony – May 2010

Posted on 20 May 2010 by alex

The City of Maroondah holds a series of Citizenship Ceremonies throughout the year, whereby candidates make a declaration of citizenship to Australia.

The Mayor officiates the Citizenship Ceremonies and this evening I had the pleasure of welcoming 88 new Citizens into Maroondah. This evening we had several Councillors in attendance, as well as State and Federal Members of Parliament and it was great to see the strong level of interest in Maroondah’s citizenship ceremonies.

The ceremony is held at the Karralyka Centre and includes entertainment form the Croydon Brass Band. One of the unique attributes of Maroondah is the strong level of volunteerism and community organisations and the Ceremonies provide a great introduction to the many groups that exist throughout the municipality.

Ringwood Cricket Club – 2010 Presentation Night

Posted on 30 April 2010 by alex

The Ringwood Cricket Club is based at Jubilee Park in Ringwood and fields four sides in Victorian Premier Cricket, as well as a fifth side in the Eastern Cricket Association. This evening I attended the Ringwood Cricket Club’s presentation evening where distinguished players were recognised for their cricketing skills over the season. The Club has a strong presence both on and off the field, whereby it is supported by volunteers and sponsors who provide valuable assistance to the Club and its activities.

The presentation evening held at the Karralyka Centre, provided an opportunity to reflect on these successes and to build a strong foundation for the upcoming Cricket Season. Jubilee Park, with a range of sporting activities including Aquatic, Football, Cricket, and Soccer, is one of Maroondah’s premiere sporting precincts. Council is replacing the grass at the second oval at Jubilee Park and will be increasing its water allocation, through other water savings, to ensure a playable surface for the upcoming season.

In addition, Council is undertaking a Management Plan of Jubilee Park, which will improve accessibility and the management of each of the facilities, as well as assessing the future needs for this precinct and Maroondah. Combined, these initiatives will help ensure that we continue to meet the sporting and recreational needs of the Maroondah community.

Maroondah’s April Citizenship Ceremony

Posted on 22 April 2010 by alex

The City of Maroondah provides at least four citizenship ceremonies per year to provide an opportunity for new Australians to become citizens of Australia.

The Mayor has the pleasure of conducting the ceremony and this evening the City of Maroondah welcomed 96 new citizens into the municipality. The Citizenship Ceremonies are held at the Karralyka Centre, with music provided by the Croydon Brass Band.

Alex welcoming new citizens into Maroondah

Maroondah is a diverse municipality and it is a wonderful experience to be able to welcome new citizens into the municipality. I trust that our new Australians will enjoy their life within Maroondah.

Opening the VAPAC Managers Meeting

Posted on 16 February 2010 by alex

The Victorian Association of Performing Arts Centres (VAPAC) promotes a cooperative network of performing arts centres across Victoria and Tasmania. This collaboration aims to achieve best practice in programming, management and operations to foster and develop the performing arts across Victoria and Tasmania.

The Karralyka Centre, a facility owned by the Maroondah City Council, is a member of VAPAC and I was invited to officially open the VAPAC Managers meeting, which was held at Karralyka this morning.

The Karralyka Centre opened in 1980 and the VAPAC meeting provides an opportunity to showcase the Centre. Please continue reading to view the speech delivered at the opening:

Continue reading “Opening the VAPAC Managers Meeting”

2010 Australia Day Awards and Citizenship

Posted on 26 January 2010 by alex

Australia Day is a significant event within Maroondah, with Council hosting a Citizenship Ceremony and the Australia Day Awards at Karralyka Centre. In addition, Council provides a barbecue and bands at Ringwood Lake for the afternoon.

As the Mayor of Maroondah, I officiated the proceedings this morning, as we announced the recipients of the Australia Day Awards and welcomed 37 new citizens in Maroondah. The Australia Day Awards provide an opportunity for the City of Maroondah to recognise service within our community and consist of three categories:

Maroondah Event of the Year
Maroondah Citizen of the Year
Maroondah Young Citizen of the Year

We were fortunate to receive a significant number of nominations this year across each of the categories and each participant reflects the strong sense of community that we are fortunate to possess within the City of Maroondah.

Likewise, the citizenship ceremony enables Council to welcome new citizens in Maroondah, each of whom were extremely delighted to have now been declared Australian Citizens. Citizenship Ceremonies are one of the most enjoyable council functions, as it is provides a welcome to new members of our community.

It is an absolute delight as Mayor to be able to welcome these new Australians, as well as to congratulate the many people who contribute to the wellbeing of our community.

One of the projects I discussed as part of my inaugural speech as Mayor was the need to discuss the values we hold as a member of the Maroondah Community and events like today help demonstrate just how important it is to maintain a sense of community within our municipality.

The City of Maroondah holds regular Citizenship Ceremonies throughout the year, providing an opportunity to welcome these new residents within our community.