Tag: radio

Acknowleding the Wyreena Committee of Management

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The Wyreena Community Arts Centre is a Council facility located in Hull Road, Croydon, which provides a range of art and cultural activities for people within Maroondah.

Wyreena was formed due to the dedication of the Croydon community which fought to save the historic building from demolition in the 1970s. A committee was formed which successfully saved Wyreena and was constituted as a Committee of Management to oversee the direction and planning of the Centre. In recent years, the involvement in the Committee of Management has diminished and Council is now forming User Groups, which will provide ongoing community involvement in the planning of Wyreena Community Arts Centre.

This afternoon Council hosted an afternoon tea to acknowledge the dedication of members from the Committee of Management, including the efforts of former Councillors Maureen Naylor and Peter O’Callaghan. Over the past thirty years Wyreena has grown to include a community art gallery, cafe, art based classes and the studios of 98.1 Radio Eastern FM and this is due to the partnership formed between Council and the community to deliver these facilities.

Eastern FM – discussing Council’s advocacy role

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Radio Eastern FM is a community radio station that broadcasts on 98.1 FM from studios at Wyreena Community Arts Centre. The radio station has a variety of programs, including interviews with Councillors on the first Friday of each month.

This month I was interviewed on Radio Eastern FM to discuss Council’s role in advocating on behalf of the community and to provide further details on Council’s campaign calling on all political parties to commit to the upgrade and redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

The State Election in November provides the ideal opportunity to secure a commitment towards Ringwood Station, so that it becomes an accessible, safe and integrated transit interchange. While the State Government has committed $39 million to redevelop the bus interchange and station forecourt, further funding is required to improve the station itself, including ramps that fail disability compliance standards.

The redevelopment of Ringwood Station is essential to transforming it into a vibrant, sustainable and accessible urban centre. Ringwood will only be successful as a Central Activities District if it is provided with public transport infrastructure and services that are accessible, safe and easy to utilise. The current station does not meet this criteria and needs a State Government commitment to secure its redevelopment and upgrade.

Council is working in partnership with the community to secure the upgrade of Ringwood Station. A petition is available at Council Service Centres, as well as online at www.maroondah.vic.gov.au so that community members can demonstrate their support for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

In addition, I will be writing to community groups to outline how they can get involved in the campaign and assist in securing a commitment from all political parties towards the vital redevelopment of Ringwood Station.

Council will be continuing this campaign in the lead-up to the State Election and will be holding an official launch in mid October. Regular updates will be provided on the progress of this Campaign and I look forward to working with the community to advocate for a safe, accessible and integrated Ringwood Transit Interchange.

Tour of Eastern FM’s studios and Interview

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Eastern FM is a community radio station based at Wyreena Community Arts Centre in Croydon.  The station broadcasts on 98.1 FM and has coverage throughout Maroondah, Knox and the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

Eastern FM broadcasts to over 600,000 people in region and approximately 200,000 listeners.  This afternoon I was invited to a tour of the station’s studios and facilities, along with Wyreena Ward Councillors, Michael Macdonald and Rob Steane.

Eastern FM began full-time broadcasting on the 23rd of February 1991 from its studios at Wyreena and outside broadcasts at community events. Like many other community organisations, Eastern FM has plans to grow and continue meeting the needs of the municipality and the region. In particular the station is keen to develop additional studio space and further expand its outside broadcast program.

After the tour I joined Michael and Rob for an interview with Peter McArthur, a presenter at Eastern FM on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday mornings. The interview discussed the year ahead and looked back on 2009.

A recording of the interview was kindly provided by Eastern FM and is available from this website:

[flv width=”400″ height=”50″]http://www.alexmakin.com.au/audio/2009-12-24-eastern-fm.mp3[/flv]

Eastern FM – Interview with the Mayor

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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.

Eastern FM Annual General Meeting 2009

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After the EV’s Youth Volunteer Recognition Evening I attended the 2009 Annual General Meeting of Eastern FM, a community radio station that broadcasts on 98.1 FM.

Like many community based organisations, Eastern FM has been undertaking strategic planning for the future, particularly in regard to the introduction of Digital Radio and encouraging new audiences through web-based streaming.

Over the past twelve months, Eastern FM has expanded its outside broadcasting schedule to ensure a visible presence in the community and is looking to further expand this initiative.

Eastern FM continues to enjoy strong growth and a loyal listening base. The organisation and its studios are based at the Wyreena Community Arts Centre in Croydon. For further information please visit www.www.easternfm.com.au.

Media Release: Tell the story of your street

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The Maroondah community are invited to tell the story of their street in a search by ABC Radio National for a new multimedia project.

Councillor Alex Makin believes the possibilities are endless and encourages Maroondah residents to think about telling the stories that belong on their street in either words, pictures, video or sound.

“Many streets throughout Maroondah have a story to tell, from an historical perspective and from a human perspective. This is a great opportunity to not only tell those stories, but to have them shared by a wide Australian audience,” said Cr Makin.

ABC Radio National’s Street Stories program tells the stories of local community streets through My Street, a new multimedia project that will be heard every Sunday at 1.30pm (repeat 8pm) or as audio on demand and podcast at www.abc.net.au/rn/streetstories.

My Street stories need to be told in no more than seven minutes using video, audio, images or up to 700 words of text. You can record it on your mobile phone, an MP3 player, a video or digital camera. Or you could submit an animation, a story, a photo montage – the choice is yours.

Share a story from your street with My Street, until 7 November, and the best entry will win the chance to work with the Street Stories team to produce a radio documentary about your street, or another mutually agreed topic. All entries will be available to view on the My Street website as soon as they are uploaded.

For everything you need to know about My Street and to view entries, visit www.abc.net.au/rn/streetstories

Eastern FM – discussing Maroondah's Youth Services

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Eastern FM is based at the Wyreena Community Arts Centre and broadcasts on 98.1 FM throughout Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

This morning I was invited to discuss Maroondah’s youth services and the many activities that are available for younger people, between the ages of 12 and 25 years, within Maroondah. While the youth services team may not have the profile of other council activities, Maroondah offers a range of unique and positive experiences for the many young people within our municipality. It was great to have an opportunity to raise awareness of these many activities on the eastern suburbs local radio station, Eastern FM.

EV’s, Maroondah’s Youth Centre, is based at 212 Mount Dandenong Road in Croydon (near the corner of Main Street and Mount Dandenong Road) and is a five minute walk from Croydon station and the bus interchange.

EV’s Youth Centre operates as a drop-in centre each Friday during the school term between 3:30 and 5:30 pm and includes a range of activities, including a jukebox, pool table, free Internet access and Xbox. Youth workers are also available on these Fridays, as well as Wednesdays between 1 and 5:30pm to provide advice and assistance for younger people.

Upcoming events include Metalfest on the 9th of May which is organised by Maroondah’s FreeZA group. FreeZA are responsible for organising a number of musical arts as part of the EV’s program.

Following the success of last year’s event, the Snippets Youth Short Festival will be held in September and registrations are now open. Snippets provides an opportunity for young film makers to showcase their productions at Hoyts in Eastland.

New to this year is the Youth Performing Arts Program, where young people will design their own production and perform it to the community later on this year. Participants will be able to undertake a range of tasks within the production, including on-stage and backstage roles.

It was great to be able to discuss Maroondah’s youth services on Eastern FM on the Friday morning program with Russ Read and Norm. Eastern FM provides a tremendous community service in promoting local events and discussing Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

For more information on Eastern FM please visit www.easternfm.com.au. For details on EV’s Youth Centre and Maroondah Youth Services please visit www.evsyouthcentre.com or contact 9298 4373.

Launch of Campaign Enable

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I was invited to officially launch Campaign Enable, a group established through the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, which aims to enable all people to participate within society.

Alex Makin at the launch of Campaign Enable

Campaign Enable marks a turning point in advocacy with the campaign being managed, organised and conducted by people with a disability.

At a national level Campaign Enable aims to achieve the following three goals:

  • Financial help for people with a disability looking for work or trying to keep a job.
  • The development of a National Disability Employment Strategy.
  • The introduction of an Access to Premises Standard.

While these areas are not the only issues that require attention, they are examples of where a national approach is required. Campaign Enable is not a campaign for special treatment – it is a campaign about ensuring that everyone has equal access about inclusiveness within society.

For further information on the Home
Australian Federation of Disability Organisations please visit www.afdo.org.au.

Please continue reading to view a copy of the speech I delivered for Campaign Enable.
Continue reading “Launch of Campaign Enable”

Eastern FM: Discussing the Eastern Transport Coalition

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Eastern FM (98.1 FM) is a local community radio station based at the Wyreena Community Arts Centre in Croydon.

I was invited to be interviewed on Eastern FM to discuss the Eastern Transport Coalition and the need for public transport improvements in the outer suburbs. The Eastern Transport Coalition represents approximately a million residents and includes the Box Hill, Ringwood and Dandenong Transit Cities.

Improved public transport, including better coordination for bus services and rail improvements such as extensions and duplications, is required to provide an alternative to car dependence and to mitigate rising traffic congestion.

Traffic congestion has been estimated to cost $2.44 billion in Melbourne’s eastern and southeastern suburbs causing a substantial loss of productivity. Furthermore, car dependence is responsible for 3,230 thousand tonnes of greenhouse emissions in Melbourne’s east and southeast.

I also discussed the need for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station, particularly given Ringwood’s status as a transit city. The current station is dark, perceived to be unsafe and fails to comply with accessibility standards.

Public transport improvements are crucial to the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and it is essential that all levels of government commit to the delivery of these much needed projects.

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

Media Release: Jacqui Rutten set to perform at Wyreena's Music Cafe

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Popular opera singer Jacqui Rutten is bringing her ‘Sacred Stage’ show to the Wyreena Music Cafe on Friday 25 May.

Councillor Alex Makin said Jacqui Rutten has a beautiful operatic voice that will take audiences on a moving and ethereal musical journey.

“Jacqui is one of Australia’s most accomplished opera singers and composers. She has been involved in various operatic productions including Chamber Made Opera, ABC Radio and a number of international music festivals,” said Cr Makin.

“Jacqui will entertain this month’s Music Cafe audience with a selection of music, using instruments and her wonderful voice that is strongly influenced by the Baroque style,” said Cr Makin.

Tickets for the evening are $20 for adults and $9 for children under 14 years.

Wyreena is a licensed venue, or you can bring your own bottle of wine to enjoy as you take in the show. A light supper is also provided on the night.

The Music Café in the Conservatory at Wyreena Community Arts Centre is located at 13-23 Hull Road, Croydon.

Bookings are essential. For further information or to make a booking contact Wyreena Community Arts Centre on 9294 5590.