seniors Archives

2010 Maroondah Festival

Posted on 7 November 2010 by alex

The Maroondah Festival is one of the largest community events within Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, attracting approximately 30,000 attendees and featuring dedicated community, business, sustainability, fitness, teenagers and children.

The weather remained largely pleasant throughout the day, providing a contrast to the hot weather experienced in previous years. The new location at Town Park also provides additional shade and ensures that activities are closer together making the festival easier to attend.

As the Mayor I delivered the opening speech for the Maroondah Festival, welcoming community members and highlights the partners that assisted in delivering the event:

Alex at the opening of the 2010 Maroondah Festival.

On behalf of the Maroondah City Council I would like to welcome everyone to the 2010 Maroondah Festival.

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.

This year marks the 21st anniversary of this wonderful community event and we invite you and your families enjoy the beautiful sunshine and take part in the huge array of activities available here today, including some fresh new initiatives and of course the old favourites.

I would especially like to extend a warm welcome to Ringwood Honda as the principal sponsor of the 2010 Maroondah Festival. Be sure to visit the Ringwood Honda stand next to the Information tent to collect your free Honda merchandise and check out the latest range of Honda vehicles on display. There will also be an opportunity to talk to the friendly staff from Ringwood Honda and enter the draw to win some fantastic prizes including a Honda lawn mower valued at over $800.

At the Festival today, over 150 local groups and businesses have come together to provide information on their networks, goods and services. With their continued support, the Maroondah Festival has grown to become the most well supported community Festival in Melbourne’s east.

I invite everyone to visit the Denso Australia Group – Community Expo today and learn more about the valuable work undertaken by our fantastic local community groups.

We are also fortunate that we have many businesses in our municipality who support the Maroondah Festival. I would like to thank the following businesses for their generous sponsorship at this year’s festival:

Ringwood Honda: The principal sponsor of the Maroondah Festival
Bankwest – sponsor of the Main Stage
Denso Australia Group – sponsor of the Community Expo
Maroondah Weekly – our media partner
Anaconda – sponsor of the Fun and Fitness Arena
Ventura – sponsor of the Park n Ride service
Jalna – sponsor of the Fun and Fitness Walk breakfast

An event the size of Maroondah Festival requires a lot of planning and hard work and I would especially like to extend a huge thank you to all of the volunteers and staff assembled here today. In particular I would like to acknowledge the assistance of St John Ambulance and Victoria Police, and I would also like to thank the staff of Maroondah City Council and Fruitbowl Productions.

I hope that you enjoy the rest of the day, visit the Festival Information tent to find out about the huge array of activities on offer and be sure to take advantage of the free sunscreen.

Thank you all for being part of this fantastic event and celebrating our wonderful Maroondah community.

I would now like to welcome to the stage, the Yarra Valley School band.

The Maroondah Seniors Festival Expo

Posted on 13 October 2010 by alex

The Seniors Festival is held from the 3rd of October through to the 10th and Maroondah holds a range of activities for seniors throughout the festival.

The Seniors Festival is designed to empower seniors and to highlight the activities and groups that focus on the needs of senior residents. This morning I had the pleasure of launching Maroondah’s Seniors Expo, an information day held at Eastland and supported by many of the senior based groups within the municipality.

The speech I provided is available within this entry:

Continue reading “The Maroondah Seniors Festival Expo”

The 2010 Maroondah Seniors Jazz Concert

Posted on 10 October 2010 by alex

The Maroondah Seniors Jazz Concert, is an annual event organised through the Maroondah Healthy Ageing Network and is now in its second year. The Network comprises of over 30 senior groups and clubs, as well as service organisations and provides ongoing dialogue and collaboration for organisations that focus on the needs of senior citizens within Maroondah.

Today’s concert, which was held at the Ringwood Bowls Club also served as a fundraiser for the Maroondah Hospital, with half the cost of hall hire being donated, as well as raffles. The event, which was booked out, was primarily organised through the Eastern Rangers Retirees Club, National Seniors Australia (Ringwood Branch), Life Activities Club, Enjoying Planned Retirement, and the Ringwood Bowls Club.

The jazz afternoon was an excellent event and provided not only an afternoon of jazz but also provided support for Maroondah Hospital, a major health service provider within the municipality and Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

Enjoying Planned Retirement – The Final Spotlighters Performance

Posted on 18 September 2010 by alex

Enjoying Planned Retirement is a community group, based at Norwood Hall in Ringwood North, that provides a range of activities for seniors. One of these activities is Spotlighters, an annual musical performance, which is organised by members.

This afternoon I attended the final Spotlighers Performance, which featured a range of musical talents, including tap dancing, musical acts and solo singing performances. All aspects of the performance, including the stage and costumes, are made by members of EPR over the 20 years of Spotlighters Performers.

While this years marks the final performance for Spotlighters, Enjoying Planned Retirement will be providing further performance activities over 2011 and beyond.

Media Release: Maroondah celebrates National Meals on Wheels Day

Posted on 18 August 2010 by alex

Maroondah City Council will be recognising the local heroes of its Meals on Wheels service on Wednesday 25 August as part of National Meals on Wheels Day.

Mayor of Maroondah, Councillor Alex Makin, and Councillor Nora Lamont will be joining volunteers to deliver the delicious meals to clients in and around Maroondah.

“It’s a pleasure working with a team of dedicated volunteers to ensure the Meals on Wheels service continues to offer nutritious meals while allowing clients to retain their independence,” Cr Makin said.

“There are approximately 190 Meals on Wheels volunteers in Maroondah delivering up to 1200 meals to 300 clients each week. Each volunteer is a valuable asset to Council and the community,” Cr Makin said.

“As well as enjoying a delicious meal, clients also receive the benefit of having a friendly volunteer checking on their well being and making sure they are alright,” Cr Makin said.

“On average 60,000 meals are made and delivered each year. Piping hot and fresh from the kitchen at Karralyka, the meals are delivered to those in our community who are having difficulty in preparing and cooking their own meals,” Cr Makin said.

Meals on Wheels menus offer a choice of three hot meals 5 days per week, chilled meals are also available and frozen meals are provided for weekends and public holidays.

Menus are developed with dietary guidelines in mind and some medical conditions, such as diabetes and coeliac disease may be catered for.

Meals on Wheels is a Council-run Home and Community Care service. To find out more about the service in Maroondah, phone Council on 1300 88 22 33 or visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au.

For more information on volunteering contact Aged and Disability Services Volunteer Coordinator Trish Matthes on 9298 4569.

– ENDS –

Presentation at the Maroondah Rugby Club

Posted on 7 August 2010 by alex

The Maroondah Rugby Club was founded in 1972 and is based at Griff Hunt Reserve in Croydon North. The club has a strong presence within both rugby and Maroondah and prides itself on its diversity through fielding senior, junior, Womens and veterans teams.

This afternoon I attended a seniors match, and presented a Letter Under Seal to foundation member Bill Genner. Bill participated in many facets of the club, including coaching, committee positions and player recruitment. In addition, Bill’s dedication was recognised through the Victorian Rugby Union’s Volunteer recognition award.

Bill Genner retired as a member of the Maroondah Rugby Club Committee after assisting the club for the past 38 years and the Letter Under Seal further recognises Bill’s dedication and efforts to Rugby and the Maroondah community.

Luncheon with Noeline Brown – Ambassador for Ageing

Posted on 28 July 2010 by alex

This afternoon I attended a luncheon organised by Yarrunga Community Centre, with Noeline Brown the Ambassador for Ageing. Noeline was appointed as the Ambassador for Ageing in 2008, which was a newly created position that aims to create a positive image for ageing.

Alex with Noeline Brown, the Ambassador for Ageing, and staff at Yarrunga Community Centre.

Approximately 100 guests attended the luncheon, where Noeline spoke about the importance of healthy lifestyles and remaining socially included within our community. In addition, Noeline discussed her extensive film and theatrical experience, discussing the techniques she uses to memorise scripts and to develop the characters within the roles she performs.

Yarrunga Community Centre holds a range of programs for all members of all community, including extensive offerings specifically for Maroondah’s seniors. For further details please visit the Yarrunga Community Centre website at www.yarrunga.org.au.

Speaking to the Ringwood Heritage Seniors

Posted on 29 June 2010 by alex

The Ringwood Heritage Seniors are based at Maroodah Federation Estate and meet on a regular basis, providing a range of activities and speakers.

This afternoon I spoke with the Ringwood Heritage Seniors and discussed Council’s plans for the revitalisation of Ringwood, including the proposed redevelopment of the Ringwood Aquatic Centre.

There is a need for new community facilities to meet the needs of residents within Maroondah. As an example, the Aquatic Centre has reached the end of its functional life and is clearly not meeting the needs of the community, as evidenced by declining patronage.

Modern Aquatic Centres are multi-purpose facilities, with the gym and wellness centre components complementing the water facilities. In addition, the facilities will enhance the sporting precinct in Jubilee Park and offer a range of facilities for the Maroondah community.

Several of the members are frequent users of the existing Ringwood Aquatic Centre and are looking forward to the improvements.

In addition, the members cited concerns over the lack of a State Government commitment towards accessibility improvements at Ringwood Station. The vision for the revitalisation of Ringwood requires cooperation between all levels of government and it is imperative that the State Government supports this shared future through a commitment to fully redevelop Ringwood Station into an accessible, integrated and safe transport interchange.

Visiting the Home from Home Respite Program

Posted on 20 May 2010 by alex

The City of Maroondah operates a ‘Home from Home’ respite program in Ringwood East, to provide activities for clients with early stage dementia. The program provides activities that foster the interests of the clients, including outings and guest speakers.

This afternoon I spoke to attendees of the Home from Home Respite Program to discuss my role as a Councillor and as the current Mayor for the City of Maroondah. We also discussed some of the recent outings that were enjoyed by the participants and it was fantastic to see each of the members enjoy their time within the group.

These programs not only enhance social inclusion for some of Maroondah’s most isolated residents, but also provide an opportunity for carers to get some relaxation. The Home from Home Respite Program is available to eligible Home and Community Care Clients and has two groups on Thursday and Friday of each week.

Ringwood Clocktower Probus Club – 3rd Birthday Celebrations

Posted on 19 May 2010 by alex

The Ringwood Clocktower Probus Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month at the Ringwood RSL. The Club is one of Maroondah’s newer Probus Clubs and this afternoon I joined members in celebrating its third birthday.

Alex with members of the Ringwood Clocktower Probus Club

The Ringwood Clocktower Probus Club has a strong emphasis on social activities and has an active photography group, which had several of their photographs on display. One of the exhibitions provided a comparison of Melbourne through photographs taken fifty years ago and today, reflecting on the changes that have taken place over this time.

As part of the proceedings I spoke to the members where I congratulated them on the formation of the Club and for having such a strong and active membership. I also discussed Council’s vision for the future, including the redevelopment of Ringwood Aquatic Centre, into a modern facility that includes water and wellbeing components. The redeveloped facility will better cater to the needs of the Maroondah community through providing a facility that will offer a range of recreational activities.

Alex with Jan Kronberg, MLC for Eastern Metropolitan Region and members at the Ringwood Clocktower Probus Third Birthday

Probus Clubs provide a range of activities for their members and it is encouraging to see the Ringwood Clocktower Probus Club flourishing after three years. Importantly many of its members are also active in a number of other community organisations demonstrating the volunteering spirit that exists within Probus.

Alex drawing the raffle for the Ringwood Clocktower Probus Club