Tag: ringwood historical society

Mullum Ward Picnic in the Park at Maroondah Federation Estate

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Maroondah Federation Estate celebrated its 10th birthday with a range of activities highlighting the Maroondah Art Gallery and the range of community groups that utilise the facility.

The celebrations coincided with a picnic in the park, providing a free barbecue and the opportunity to meet the Mullum Ward Councillors. Like previous picnic in the parks, today’s event was a great opportunity to meet members of the Maroondah community and I would like to thank the many people I spoke to throughout the day.

The celebrations also focused on the history of Maroondah Federation Estate, which began as a primary school, through photographs supplied by the Ringwood Historical Society. Other photographs covering Ringwood’s early history were also provided by the Ringwood Historical Society.

Ringwood Historical Society – Early Jewish Settlers in the Colony of Victoria

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The Ringwood Historical Society meets on a monthly basis with guest speakers discussing aspects of history.

Tonight’s guest speaker discussed the growing cultural diversity in the early days of the Colony of Victoria through Jewish migration into the settlement. Victoria and Melbourne have a long tradition of cultural diversity and in its early Colonial history Jewish communities were also evident in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Shepparton.

The guest speaker also discussed the difficulties in tracing family histories, particularly due to name changes and a lack of complete records. Fortunately resources exist to assist members in tracing their family histories and to piece together some of the missing pieces.

The Ringwood Historical Society meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 8pm at Maroondah Federation Estate. For details please visit www.rhs.org.au.

Maroondah Leader: Plan to put new hub at reserve

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North Ringwood Community House, is based at 120 Oban Road in Ringwood North and is currently not situated on council land. This limits its ability to secure grants and has resulted in facilities that are unable to meet modern needs.

The Community House recently completed a feasibility study into its relocation, with the report suggesting Norwood Reserve, along Warrandyte in Ringwood North as the preferred location.

The Maroondah Leader has provided an update on the feasibility study and the next steps for this project:

Mayor Alex Makin said council officers would assess the proposed relocation and consult with user groups and report to the council in July.

State and federal funding would be needed, he said.

The community hub proposal will cost several million dollars and as such requires a partnership between local, state and federal governments. The location of Norwood Reserve, would mean that the needs of the existing community groups, including North Ringwood Seniors, Enjoying Planned Retirement, Ringwood U3A, Ringwood Historical Society, Ringwood Arts Society and the North Ringwood Community Children’s Centre, could all be addressed through this project.

Council will be further discussing this proposal in July once an initial assessment has been undertaken. This assessment will consider traffic and building ramifications, as well as initial consultation with existing user groups that are already on the site.

Ringwood Historical Society – 50th anniversary of the City of Ringwood

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The City of Ringwood was proclaimed a City on the 19th of March 1960 and tonight’s Ringwood Historical Society meeting paid tribute to the proclamation of the City of Ringwood, through a birthday cake, which included the two logos used by the former City.

The City of Ringwood was in existence until the 15th of December 1994, when it was amalgamated with the City of Croydon to form the City of Maroondah. The birthday cake was accompanied by historical records of the City of Ringwood,  including the former Council members and Council documents.

While Ringwood may no longer exist as a separate entity, the decisions made by the City of Ringwood, still have a bearing on the City of Maroondah.  Examples include the sporting grounds at Jubilee Park, the location of Eastland and the lack of footpaths within the municipality.

Tonight’s meeting also included a tribute to Henry Lawson portrayed by Jim Howard of the Henry Lawson Literary Society.  Jim portrayed the life and stories of Henry Lawson, providing an entertaining evening for members of the Ringwood Historical Society.

The Ringwood Historical Society meets from 8pm on the fourth Tuesday of each month at Federation Estate.  For details please visit www.rhs.org.au.

Maroondah Journal: House vision takes shape

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The Maroondah Journal has reported on the completion of North Ringwood Community House’s feasibility study into its relocation.

Mayor Alex Makin said the new site would allow the house to be part of a community house.

“The house is calling on Council to commit to a master plan, which will explore the needs of current users, as well as looking at the needs of North Ringwood Community House.”

The study, which was funded through the State Government, Maroondah City Council and North Ringwood Community House, has recommended Norwood Reserve in Warrandyte Road as the preferred site.

The masterplan will enable Council to develop and holistic approach to Norwood Reserve and the existing facilities.  The site is home to a number of organisations, including the North Ringwood Senior Citizens, Enjoying Planned Retirement, Ringwood U3A, the Ringwood Arts Society, the Ringwood Historical Society and the North Ringwood Children’s Community Centre.

“The house is not located on council land so it restricts the house’s ability to apply for infrastructure grants, not only through council but other levels of government.  This puts them at a severe disadvantage.”

“As a result the house hasn’t been able to expand and that’s really restricted their ability to introduce programs.”

With the changing character of Ringwood and Ringwood North it is imperative that  facilities are able to meet the diverse needs of our municipality.  The feasibility study underpins the importance of the relocation to meet these community needs.

Maroondah Journal: bid to restore cottage

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The Ringwood Miner’s Cottage, a reminder of Ringwood’s history with antimony mining, was tragically destroyed by arsonists on the 20th of November.

The Maroondah Journal has reported on the aftermath of the cottage’s destruction and council’s efforts to date:

Mayor Alex Makin said discussions between the council and the historical society would take place early next year.

Maroondah Council will be considering options to restore the cottage in consultation with the Ringwood and Croydon Historical Societies. This will ensure that any replacement to the cottage is relevant to Ringwood’s history, as well as being prominent and accessible to the wider community.

“These discussions will also consider the location of the building to ensure it has greater viability and accessibility. Unfortunately there’s little that remains of Ringwood’s history and it’s therefore critical that we have some ability to recollect and remember the past.”

It is imperative that Ringwood’s history is accessible to the wider community so that we can appreciate our local history.

“The destruction of the miner’s cottage demonstrates the need for our community to assess the values we hold and to demonstrate that unacceptable and destructive behaviour will not be tolerated.”

We have the right to expect that our history will be valued by everyone within our community. Discussions need to be started around civic pride so that we can demonstrate that such behaviour is not acceptable within our community.

Book Launch: From Horse Shoes to High Heels – The History of Eastland

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This evening I attended the launch of From Horse Shoes to High Heels, a history of the Eastland Shopping Centre site, written by Richard Carter, the former President of the Ringwood Historical Society.

The launch was held at the Urban Life Cafe in Ringwood and Richard was introduced by Phil Turner, Maroondah’s Director of City Development, who spoke about Richard’s knowledge of Ringwood and the municipality.

Richard discussed the significance that Eastland has had on Ringwood and the lobbying that was undertaken by the Ringwood Chamber of Commerce to secure a major shopping centre.  The book is timely given Ringwood’s status as a Central Activity District and the prominence of Eastland within these plans.

For further details on Richard’s book please contact the Ringwood Historical Society at www.rhs.org.au.

Delegates’ Report: Annual General Meetings and Seniors Week

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This month has marked the beginning of the Spring season for Annual General Meetings, and I had the pleasure of attending the Ringwood Historical Society AGM on the 22nd of September.

The Society documents the history of Ringwood and it is great to see renewed interest in our local history. The Ringwood Historical Society previously met on a quarterly basis, but now meets monthly covering a diverse range of topics within our community.

The Eastern Volunteers Annual General Meeting followed on the 24th of September and I was joined by Cr. Lamont and Cr. Macdonald in attending this event. Eastern Volunteers is continuing to grow strongly and is planning three major events over the course of the next year, its annual Fun Run for March, the return of its community conference in July and a Multicultural Festival planned for October.

The Ringwood Diving Club Annual General Meeting was held on the 11th of October and is a sporting club that encourages participation in diving based at the Ringwood Aquatic Centre.

Several special weeks all seemed to converge in October, including Mental Health Week, Maroondah Business Week and the Maroondah Seniors Festival.

On the 8th of October I attended a presentation on the National Seniors Association. The National Seniors Association is unique in that while it provides a social connection, it also provides significant policy advice and advocacy.

On the 9th of October I attended the Ringwood Bowls Club 80th anniversary and season launch. The Ringwood Bowls Club is a successful sporting club and has a strong community focus. The club has had an emphasis on environmental sustainability through the installation of a water retention system and is also focused on social sustainability, through developing partnerships with community organisations.

One of the partnerships the Bowls Club has developed is with the Ringwood Spiders and is great to see that the Club mentioned the Ringwood Spiders Trophy Presentation Night as one of its highlights. The Club is planning further community events including a jazz evening in November and partnerships with Eastern Volunteers.

Lastly, I attended a combined Ringwood U3A, North Ringwood Seniors and Enjoying Planned Retirement Luncheon on Saturday the 17th of October.

It is great to see the members of each group supporting each other and I would like to commend the committee members and members for the holistic view of the facility. In addition, I would also like to commend the council officers that have supported these groups and responded to the concerns that they have raised.

Norwood Hall Users Luncheon

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This afternoon I was invited to a luncheon for the committees of the groups that utilise Norwood Hall, located at Norwood Park along Warrandyte Road in Ringwood North.

Norwood Hall is one of Maroondah’s most highly utilised community buildings and houses several groups including Enjoying Planned Retirement, North Ringwood Seniors and Ringwood U3A. In addition, the Ringwood Arts Society and the Ringwood Historical Society are also located within the facility.

Ringwood U3A, Enjoying Planned Retirement and the North Ringwood Senior Citizens share the main facilities between themselves and with such a large number of users, it is important that the groups are able to cooperate and share facilities.

The luncheon, which is organised in turn by each of the groups, provides an opportunity for committee members to get to know one another and to discuss the aims of each groups. This year’s luncheon was hosted by Ringwood U3A and was extremely successful with each of the three groups speaking about the cooperation that exists within the facility.

While each of the groups do have a different focus, there are shared goals between the groups and it is encouraging to see this cooperation between them.

Open Forum with Enjoying Planned Retirement

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This evening I was invited to speak at Enjoying Planned Retirement’s members meeting to discuss council and my long interest and involvement with one of Maroondah’s largest seniors based groups.

Enjoying Planned Retirement is based at Norwood Hall and shares its facilities with Ringwood U3A and the North Ringwood Senior Citizens. The Ringwood Arts Society and the Ringwood Historical Society are also located as tenants within the building.

Enjoying Planned Retirement provides a diverse range of activities, including bocce, table tennis, card games and day trips.

The open forum provided an opportunity to discuss the group and the hall, as well as the cooperative nature of EPR as it shares facilities with other groups.

I also discussed the plans for the redevelopment of Ringwood, including the ongoing need for advocacy in regard to Ringwood Station. While the current State Government funding is a positive step forward, further commitments are required to ensure an accessible and integrated transport interchange.

I also discussed the feasibility study into the relocation of North Ringwood Community House and the need for continued improvements to our community facilities.

While the transformation of Ringwood will deliver opportunities to provide a community heart for the centre of Ringwood, it is also important that other suburbs retain local facilities that meet community needs.

Enjoying Planned Retirement is an example of a group that meets community needs, through having many members involved in organising activities and participating within the club. This enables the group to hold a diverse of range of activities through sharing the organising and responsibility.

Enjoying Planned Retirement now has a website, for further information please visit www.enjoywithepr.org.au