Tag: website

Media Release: Kids rule the roost come festival time

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Some of the most exciting childrens entertainment on Maroondah’s 2009 social calendar can be found at Kids Kingdom – a much anticipated feature of the annual Maroondah Festival.

Kids Kingdom features a huge range of free activities, rides and entertainment for young ones.

Councillor Alex Makin said festival organisers had jammed as much fun as possible into this year’s program.

“It’s kids only at Kids Kingdom, but mums and dads are welcome of course!” Cr Makin said.

“The entire family could easily spend a day out at the festival exploring Kids Kingdom alone. Entertainment ranges from live performances to farmyard animals, cupcake decorating, rides and much more,” Cr Makin said.

“So make sure you mark Sunday 8 November in your diary to avoid missing out,” Cr Makin said.

One of the highlights of Kids Kingdom will be the Kids Stage, which will host performances from 11am by Yarra Road Primary School, Village School, Ruskin Park Primary School and the festival’s featured act The Workers.

Elsewhere, children will have the opportunity to participate in an activity presented by Brentwood Park Kindergarten, join the fun of the farmyard area (complete with animal farm, hay bales, scarecrows, animal craft activity and roving cowboy Slim Tim), and visit the snake handler’s live reptile display where they can learn about Charlie the Crocodile, venomous snakes, stumpy tails, bearded dragons and many more weird and wonderful creatures.

For something a little more sedate, children can try their hand at painting terracotta pots containing plants native to Maroondah. Once finished, children can take the plants and pots home.

To celebrate the festival’s 20th birthday children will be invited to join a special cupcake decorating activity. But you’ll have to be on-site early as there will be a limited number of cupcakes available.

“And if your child wants to get their hands a little bit dirty, the festival’s interactive play area is the place to be. Have a ball in the giant sandpit, and discover the fun of play dough, slime and bubbles at this popular section of Kids Kingdom,” Cr Makin said.

The Croydon Library will be open and will host special author readings through the day. Be sure to visit the Fairy Garden in front of the library at 12.30 and 3.30pm for special storytime sessions by authors Richard Galbraith and Leigh Hobbs.

Many childrens service providers servicing Maroondah exhibit at Kids Kingdom. Nursing mothers, lost children and baby change facilities are also located at Kids Kingdom for your convenience.

The Maroondah Festival is proudly presented by Maroondah City Council in conjunction with Ringwood Honda. The festival is held at Town Park, Croydon from 10am to 5pm on Sunday 8 November.

Be sure to visit the festival website www.maroondahfestival.com or contact the festival hotline on 9294 5604 for more information.

Eastern Volunteers 2009 AGM

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Eastern Volunteers is a not-for-profit community organisation that provides volunteer referral services and transport for people with disabilities and the frail-aged within Maroondah, Whitehorse and parts of the Yarra Ranges.

This morning the organisation held its annual general meeting to elect board members for the next twelve months.  I have been re-elected to the Eastern Volunteers Board and Management and will continue to Chair the organisation’s event working groups.

The guest speaker was Phil Turner, the Director of Major Projects and City Development, who discussed the Ringwood Central Activity District and the Council’s vision for Ringwood. This vision will only be successful if it incorporates community facilities for the centre of Ringwood.

Eastern Volunteers is continuing with its goal of purchasing its own premises to facilitate its continued growth and provide a hub for other community organisations.  While this is a longer-term vision Eastern Volunteers has already begun to raise funding for its vital project.

For further information on Eastern Volunteers please visit www.easternvolunteers.org.au.

North Ringwood Tennis Club – official opening of water tanks

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Like many aspects of our community, sporting clubs have had to adapt to climate change and water restrictions. It is imperative that our community groups focus on environmental sustainability to ensure that they can continue to remain viable into the future.

As a result, Maroondah City Council launched its Sustainability Fund in 2007 to provide sporting clubs with the ability to apply for grants to assist in improving their environmental sustainability.

North Ringwood Tennis Club was one of the successful recipients of this $10,000 grant which allowed for the installation of water tanks and court treatments when combined with a Commonwealth Government of $50,000.

This afternoon the North Ringwood Tennis Club officially opened the water tanks and I had the opportunity to congratulate the club on its foresight and emphasis on environmental sustainability.

It is fantastic to see that our sporting community is taking steps to reduce its environmental footprint and to ensure a sustainable future.

North Ringwood Tennis Club is based at 12/182 Warrandyte Road and for further information please visit www.nrtc.com.au.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – August Board meeting

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The Rotary Club of Ringwood meets each Wednesday evening at Club Ringwood at the corners of Oban Road and Maroondah Highway.

The Rotary Club is governed by a board with board members being responsible for specific aspects of the Club. As an example, I am responsible for Fellowship, which involves organising club activities within the broader community.

One of the initiatives of the club this year is to hold open board meetings, whereby all members are able to hear the reports presented during the board meeting and comment on specific proposals.

As part of tonight’s board meeting I encouraged members to volunteer ideas for Fellowship activities, as well as highlighting the club’s website and to ensure that it is viewed as an integrated component within the club’s broader promotional and marketing initiatives.

This year there will be an emphasis on community engagement within the Rotary Club to ensure that all members have input into club activities.

Media Release: Recession proof your business

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Learn how to take steps to recession proof your business during a free two-hour information night at the Karralyka Centre in Ringwood East.

Councillor Alex Makin said a panel of business experts would be on hand to answer questions such as ‘Are you concerned about how your business might perform in the current economic climate?’ and ‘Are there measures you can take to limit the impact of the global marketplace?’.

“The session will also include a presentation by a local business about the changes they’ve implemented recently in response to market pressures,” Cr Makin said.

“The function will be jointly hosted by Council, the Victorian Business Centre Vermont and Yarra Ranges Shire Council,” Cr Makin said.

“A wealth of information will be provided so you’re guaranteed to learn something new to help your business,” Cr Makin said.

Other topics to be covered on the night include:

  • What can be provided locally.
  • How to make your business more profitable and sustainable.
  • How to access mentoring support and details about the many government programs available to assist businesses.

Recession Proof Your Business will be held at the Karralyka Centre, Mines Road, Ringwood East from 6 to 8pm on Wednesday 19 August. Bookings are essential.

For details on this information session, to make a booking or find out more about Council’s business support activities, phone 9298 4320 or visit the BizMaroondah website at www.bizmaroondah.com.au

Rotary Club of Ringwood – Unveiling the Club's Website

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Each year Rotary International sets a central theme to provide a core focus and guidance for the many individual Rotary Clubs that exist throughout the world.

This year’s theme is The Future of Rotary Is In Your Hands and reflects the ongoing need for the organisation to remain relevant and committed to its goals of community service.

At a local level the theme resonates within the Rotary Club of Ringwood as we explore new ways to engage the community and recruit members. As part of this focus I unveiled the Rotary Club of Ringwood website at tonight’s meeting to discuss the importance of using the Internet to engage our community and promote the Rotary cause.

The Rotary Club of Ringwood’s website provides a flexible platform to promote the Club and enables authorised members to maintain and add content to the site.

This makes it easier to keep the site up-to-date and ensures a sense of ownership meaning that members are actively involved with the website and its content.

Organisations that utilise the Internet will only find it useful if they have a relevant and timely web presence. A website needs to be consistent with other promotional and marketing tools used by an organisation so that they are clear about the aims of the group and what it offers to prospective members.

The website will enable the Club to receive enquiries from prospective members and community organisations and will include information on upcoming events and fundraising activities.

The Rotary Club of Ringwood website is available at www.ringwoodrotary.org.au.

Media Release: Key planning documents on public exhibition

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The community has the chance to give feedback on two key planning documents that will contribute toward Ringwood’s evolution into the Central Activities District and regional centre for Melbourne’s outer east.

The Ringwood Commercial Precinct Plan and the Ringwood North West Residential Precinct Plan provide the framework for achieving some of the goals set out in the Melbourne 2030 Update: Melbourne @ 5 million. This policy update responds to higher-than-anticipated population growth and requires a change to the structure of metropolitan Melbourne from its reliance on one major centre towards multiple major centres to reduce congestion and maintain Melbourne’s liveability.

Councillor Alex Makin said the precinct plans would ensure that all applicable future development would be undertaken in a manner consistent with the objectives of the Ringwood Transit City Urban Design Masterplan and Melbourne 2030 Update. Cr Makin said they would also provide a higher level of certainty for future outcomes to the local community and to developers.

“Both precincts were identified in the Ringwood Transit City Urban Design Masterplan as requiring additional planning work to stimulate appropriate development and to enable the provision of the necessary infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing city,” Cr Makin said.

“Potential currently exists to upgrade the image and presentation of Maroondah Highway and allow for a new regime of frontage showroom buildings and landscape treatments that can project a sense of pride along the route. This potential is harnessed by the Ringwood Commercial Precinct Plan,” Cr Makin said.

The Commercial Precinct is one of several precincts within the Ringwood Central Activities District area and is bound by Heatherdale Road to the west, Bond Street to the north, Mt Dandenong Road to the east and the Belgrave/Lilydale rail line to the south.

“The Commercial Precinct is considered important because of its location and role as a gateway between Melbourne’s Central Business District and the Yarra Valley,” Cr Makin said.

The Ringwood North West Residential Precinct has been identified as an area to accommodate a substantial level of change in the coming years.

“It will be one of very few locations in the outer east to develop higher density housing,” Cr Makin said.

This precinct comprises all residential land encompassed by Bond Street, New Street, Ringwood Street, the Ringwood Bypass and Eastlink. It also takes in the western side of Ringwood Street, north of Bond Street.

Both precinct plans are on exhibition until Friday 7 August. The plans are available for public inspection during office hours at the following locations:

Council Service Centres:

  • Braeside Avenue Service Centre, Ringwood
  • Eastland Service Centre, Level 2 Eastland Shopping Centre, Ringwood
  • Civic Square Shopping Centre, Civic Square, Croydon

Libraries:

  • Croydon Library, Civic Square, Croydon
  • Ringwood Library, Ringwood Plaza, Ringwood

Online:

Submissions can be made in writing until Friday 7 August and sent to:

Mr Phil Turner
Director City Development
Maroondah City Council
PO Box 156
Ringwood 3134

Submissions must be made in writing, stating the submitter’s name, address and daytime phone number, and including views on the precinct plan the submitter wishes to be put before Council. All submissions are public documents.

For more information phone Council on 1300 88 22 33.

Ringwood Bowls Club 2009 AGM

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This evening the Ringwood Bowls Club, located in Loughnan Road Ringwood, held its Annual General Meeting to elect its committee for the following year.

The Club, which was founded in 1928 has had a long association with Ringwood. In recent years the Club developed a strong emphasis on sustainability and has invested in water tanks and a reclamation facility to reduce its water consumption.

The Club is now planning to examine its two grass greens with plans to potentially convert them to other grass types to further reduce their water usage.

The club is complementing its environmental sustainability focus with community initiatives to increase participation in lawn bowls.

The Ringwood Bowls Club will be launching a Friday social bowls program and is working with other organisations, such as Eastern Volunteers, to encourage volunteer participation.

With an ongoing emphasis on environmental and social sustainability the Ringwood Bowls Club will continue to have a successful future and I congratulate the board and its members for their vision and dedication.

For further information on the Ringwood Bowls Club please visit www.ringwoodbowls.asn.au.

2009 Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow

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The Karralyka Centre is Maroondah’s premiere conference and theatrical venue, delivering a diverse theatre season for the enjoyment of Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs.

This evening I attended the Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow, which showcased the talents of several comedians that performed as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

The show was most enjoyable, with the comedians performing to a full venue. The calibre of the 2009 theatre season demonstrates the increasing significance of Karralyka within Melbourne’s arts and theatrical scene.

For further information on the 2009 Karralyka Theatre Season please visit www.karralyka.com.au

Eastern Community Legal Centre – Volunteers Dinner

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The Eastern Community Legal Centre, offers free legal assistance through its offices in Box Hill and Boronia, with a priority for people experiencing disadvantage.

In addition, the centre also has an emphasis on community development and empowerment, with the organisation’s volunteers dinner serving as a fundraiser for communities affected by the recent bushfires.

The dinner raised funds for Cameron House, a service that provides medical facilities for the Yarra Glen, which had been without a doctor since 2007.

The keynote speaker for the evening was Christine Nixon, Victoria’s former Police Commissioner and now Head of the Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority. Christine spoke about the challenges facing the Authority, including the need to rebuild the communities that were devastated by the bushfires.

While the Eastern Community Legal Centre does not have a direct presence within Maroondah, the organisation does provide services for Maroondah residents.

For more information on the Eastern Community Legal Centre please visit www.eclc.org.au.