treasure vase for the dandenongs

Today I joined with Khentrul Rinpoche and members of the Tibetan Buddhist Rime Institute to participate in a Treasure Vase Ceremony for the Dandenong Ranges. I was invited along as the community representative for the Dandenongs.

The ceremony was lead by Khentrul Rinpoche with the day including two special celebrations, one to generate blessings for the local community and rejuvenation of the environment, the other to celebrate the birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama tomorrow.

The Treasure Vase is filled with jewels, medicines and holy relics, blessed and buried. Community members were invited to join in and contribute their own items as well as special 'dirt pills' and blessings prepared by Rinpoche.

Participants were also given a mantra to bestow on them good wishes and blessings in the Buddhist tradition.

It was a beautiful ceremony and a reminder of the great diversity we enjoy in this country. Our community is certainly spiritually richer for their contribution.

cockatoos still crunching

I visited Kallista Market this weekend, the weather was terrible and stall holders thin on the ground, but the visit gave me a good chance to inspect the latest damage by the cockatoos.

Sadly the birds are continuing their chewing at the Kallista Village Green, they've also started on the Kallista Community House and the Preschool.

A meeting will be held this week to see what can be done to address the issue. So far confirmations have been received from James Merlino MP - Member for Monbulk, the DSE, City of Knox and the Shire of Yarra Ranges. Watch this space for outcomes of the meeting.

Many residents have told me they have visited James Merlino's office to discuss the issue, I'm advised by them his counter staff have requested photos of the cockatoo damage. I will be sure to send him copies of the many photos I have of the extensive damage I have seen over the last month, I encourage you to email him your photos and stories too at(james.merlino@parliament.vic.gov.au).

budget endorsed for 2009/10

report from the round table - 30th June

Last night saw council ratify the budget for 2009/10. I'm pleased that the following projects have been secured for the Lyster ward.

$80,000 Belgrave Pool Car Park Improvements - Belgrave
$70,000 Birdsland Caretakers Cottage - Belgrave Heights
$32,000 Belgrave Avenue Drainage improvements - Belgrave
$16,000 Belgrave Hallam Road Drainage improvements - Belgrave South
$14,000 Borang Avenue Drainage improvements - Selby
$96,000 Elgin Road Drainage improvements - Belgrave South
$25,000 Belgrave Hallam Service Road Footpath staircase reconstruction - Belgrave
$30,000 Belgrave Recreation Reserve replacement of sleeper seating - Belgrave
$15,000 Minak Reserve - Selby
$385,000 Selby Aura Road improvements - Selby
$115,000 Streetscape improvements - Belgrave South
$40,000 Streetscape improvements stage 4 - Belgrave
$25,500 Monbulk Pool redevelopment - Monbulk
$20,000 Belgrave hub feasibility project - Belgrave
$75,000 Footpath construction Sandells Rd - Tecoma
$25,000 Wellington Road equestrian trail - Belgrave South

The Selby Aura Road in Selby has been crying out for improvements, the project has commenced with funding of $395,000 from the 2008/09 budget and $385,000 from the 2009/10 budget.

Also for construction in Lyster:
Bayview Road Roundabout - Belgrave
$2.4million Monbulk Pool - Monbulk

And for the Dandenong Ranges, a project that I have been very active and passionate about:
$7.4million Childrens Hub - Upwey

The Birdsland Reserve carpark is undergoing significant upgrade works due to funding I secured in the 2008/09 budget.

In our consideration of fees and charges I was concerned about a proposed increase in tree inspection fees which would have seen a considerable hike in the amount charged. I moved a motion to keep the tree inspection fees at their current level which is a much better outcome for residents.

jobs - fundraiser at earthly pleasures - 5 aug

Join with me and Dr Richard Di Natale (Green's Senate candidate) to hear about how we can secure a prosperous future for the country and tackle climate change at the same time.

Hear Richard talk about the Green economy, whilst my focus will be on Green jobs.

It will be a great night at Earthly Pleasures Cafe in Belgrave, $30 per head will get you a fabulous organic feast, music as well as Richard and I.

click on image for more info

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If you'd like to make a booking contact:

samanthadunn@vic.greens.org.au

or

linda@webassets.com.au
or book online at

http://cgn.org.au/

Authorised by:Linda Hamilton - The Australian Greens Victoria Inc

377 Little Bourke StreetMelbourne Vic 3000

what do you think of your waterway?

The Queensland University of Technology and Victoria University are conducting a survey to find out what you think about the health of Victoria’s waterways, especially in your region.This survey is being conducted on behalf of the bodies responsible for the health of Victoria’s waterways;

* Victoria's Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs)

* Melbourne Water and

* Victoria's Department of Sustainability and Environment.

I just completed the survey, it's well worth doing although I found it frustrating that my comments were limited to a couple of waterways only. In an area like the Dandenong Ranges which is abundant with many waterways it was difficult to know which ones to focus on.

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According to QUT and VU the information provided in this survey will help Victorian government agencies to understand your views and take them into account when seeking to improve the health of Victoria’s waterways.

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This is your opportunity to tell the government what you think about your local waterways, lets hope that they take your views into account.

Visit: www.surveymonkey.com/myvicwaterway to complete your survey.

cockies top the talk

I was invited to chair the Triennial General Meeting of the Kallista Mechanics Hall Committee of Management, which was held last Thursday. The committee have done a fine job managing the hall and have done much to increase the number of bookings for the hall.

I also had the job of presiding over the elections and was pleased to announce John Lloyd as the President and Venetia Barnard as the Secretary/Bookings Officer for the next three years.

There was much talk about many things, the committee is starting to focus on the centennial of the hall coming up in 2014, an exciting time, which will be a great celebration of a much loved community hall.

Hot topic of the night was the cockatoos and their unrelenting attacks on the hall. Since I last visited the hall the cockatoos have managed to chew completely through to the top finial (see blog 21 June 09), in a matter of only days it has gone completely.

As reported in an earlier blog entry I am seeking a meeting of agencies and MPs so something can be done to address this issue. To date the Shire is waiting to hear back on availability.

In my most recent visit to Kallista on Saturday (27 June) I noted that the committee have since covered their railings with metal capping in an attempt to stop the damage. The scattered chips of wood over the stairs showed how much damage the cockatoos had done to the banisters.


These cockatoos have no fear and weren’t concerned about me being close to them at all. The cockatoos have become so used to people they could be considered semi-tame.

This is a upright at Kallista Village Green, the cockatoos have done an extreme amount of damage to the infrastructure in this area.

The Kallista Mechanics Hall, now without its finial, the cost of replacement places an unfair burden on the Committee of Management and their very tight budget. Only days ago this finial was intact.

The same day I decided to visit Grant’s Picnic Ground to see what the cockatoos were up to there, this group were chewing away on a retaining wall well away from the feeding area.

How much longer can our community be expected to pay for this damage?

free internet at upwey

Did you know you can access free public internet access at the Yarra Ranges Community Link in Upwey?

This is the internet station at the Shire's Community Link in Upwey. It provides a great working space for those who need internet access.

Earlier this year the Shire was granted funding to allow for free access to the internet for two years. There is also access to other software programs such as Word. If you’d like to use the service phone the community link on 9752 6054 to book a time slot or pop in to find out more.

The Yarra Ranges Upwey Community Link is located at 40 Main Street, Upwey.

telstra tower trouble

report from the roundtable - 23 June

At the council meeting this week, Mr Frank Smith, President of MEEPPA, submitted to council about the installation of a Telstra Mobile tower at Pembroke Secondary College.

No one in the community has been consulted about the installation, with Telstra believing that the installation is low impact and exempt from permit permission as it is a replacement of a tower and/or co-location of services. However that is not strictly correct even though Telstra are still complying within the Code of Practice. The current tower on the school is not a mobile tower, it is an intranet connection with the senior campus of Pembroke.

Telstra are planning to "swap out the mast" with a higher tower which will see the existing 27mt lattice mast replaced by a 32mt mast with 1.6mt panel antennas affixed to it. To say this is replacement or co-location is really pushing the envelope. As mentioned earlier the existing mast is located at Pembroke Secondary College, next door is the Mt Evelyn Special School and Fernhill Kindergarten, what are considered to be sensitive locations under the Code of Practice.

Cr Heenan moved a motion to strongly recommend to Telstra they the conduct further and extensive consultation. I was happy to second the motion.

I think this is scandalous. Telstra is using a loophole exemption to get away with installing a mobile tower in a sensitive location with no community consultation at all. An intranet tower is not a mobile tower, this is not a replacement nor a co-location. Telstra has shown a complete disdain for our community and we must communicate to Telstra in the strongest possible terms that they consult with the community.

The motion was supported unanimously.

police resources for yarra ranges

report from the roundtable - 23 June

At this week's council meeting Cr Warren moved a motion demanding more police resources for Yarra Ranges.

I was happy to support the motion. I relayed a story that was told to me by a local trader about how difficult it was to contact the local police in Belgrave due to the lack of personnel available. It seems that the issue has since been addressed in Belgrave but policing levels are far from optimal in other parts of the shire.

The Yarra Ranges community is entitled to a reasonable level of policing - I'm not convinced they get it.

The Police are entitled to a reasonable level of resources to do their job - I'm not convinced they get it.

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We must pressure government to ensure that more resources are directed towards Yarra Ranges so we get the level of policing we deserve.

public transport in the east

report from the roundtable - 23 June

Tonight I moved a motion that council writes to our local MPs seeking their support for the Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) in advocating to the state government for funding for improvements to the public transport system in the outer east.

I highlighted to councillors the recent work of the ETC, in particular the inquiry the ETC are seeking. The ETC has written to all MPs in the region to request their support for a parliamentary inquiry to establish whether the Victorian Transport Plan (VTP) delivers on the long term public transport needs of the eastern suburbs.

Despite some positive initiatives in the VTP, the ETC believes that insufficient consideration has been given to the needs of the eastern and south-eastern regions of Melbourne. The ETC is seeking support for a parliamentary inquiry to study the detailed transport needs of the area to ensure that a full and proper understanding of the economic and social needs of the region is factored against the constantly growing transport requirements.

I also reported back on meetings I've already had with local MPs to discuss the work of the ETC (see blog).

Our public transport system in Yarra Ranges is far from adequate, our communities suffer a great deal of disadvantage having to deal with poorly connected and infrequent services, where they exist. It is important our MPs understand the situation. I'm pleased to report that the motion was carried unanimously.

Report from the roundtable is my regular blog entry on items of interest from the Yarra Ranges council meeting (held twice monthly).

weedy waterways tackled

Earlier this week I was invited to tour weed control works at Monbulk Creek at the Belgrave Lake section of the waterway. This project has been a long time in the making and is well supported by the local Friends Of Groups, the Shire of Yarra Ranges and Parks Victoria.

Me and Mark Coffey, Project Manager with the Waterways Alliance. These works will assist greatly in improving the environment in and around Monbulk Creek and Belgrave Lake.

The works are being undertaken by the Waterways Alliance, an alliance between Ecodynamics, Fulton Hogan, SMEC and Melbourne Water. It’s a 3 year project which will see the Willows, Tree Tobacco and Sweet Pittosporum removed. Regular ongoing inspections will ensure that any new woody weeds will be removed to give the native vegetation a chance to regenerate. Over 4,700 local native plants will also be planted to restore sections of the creek.

The works compliment the wonderful efforts of the local Friends Of Groups who are tenacious in their weeding activities.

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We are very lucky that we share our environment with populations of nesting birds and platypus who live along the banks of Monbulk Creek. The works are being timed to ensure there are minimal impacts during breeding season and trees will be left as habitat for the birds.

The removal of these woody weeds will see improved water quality and flow as well as providing a much enhanced habitat for our wildlife and better food sources for our fish and platypus.

The project has provided an opportunity for Water Alliance personnel to chat to property owners along the creek about taking an active role in managing and improving their local waterway.

It’s terrific to see this work being undertaken, already the area is looking better and there will be plenty more to look forward to in the future.

healesville rounds out bus review

Today saw the final bus service review workshop for Yarra Ranges. Since my last entry about the workshops in Upwey and Mooroolbark (see blog), further workshops have been held in Yarra Junction and Healesville. It has been an interesting process attending all four workshops across Yarra Ranges. The community and their needs are broad, however everyone wants to see greater frequency and span of hours for our bus services.

Changes proposed to route 697 include the service going through to Fountain Gate Shopping Centre - this change was well received by the community at the Upwey workshop.

The community of Yarra Junction had these things to say on the recommendations presented by the consultants, Booz & Co:
The span of hours and frequency of service must be increased on route 683 (the bus from Lilydale to Warburton/East Warburton). This service is seen as a good service for the community, however so popular at peak times that overcrowding was a significant issue.
The country fare continues to be one of the most critical issues to the community along the Upper Yarra corridor and it was mentioned many times as unfair and inequitable.
note: people travelling on this route have to pay the 'country' fare and also purchase a met ticket for the latter part of their journey to Lilydale.
There were concerns about the safety at the transport terminus at Lilydale.
There should be more low floor buses available.
The alternate route 683A along Clegg Road was seen as very positive change for those in the retirment village in Mt Evelyn.

The Healesville community had these things to say about the recommendations:
There needed to be an increase in frequency and span of operation on route 685 (Healesville to Lilydale) and route 663 (Lilydale to Monbulk to Belgrave) needed to operate 7 days a week.
The proposed 685 express was seen as a good idea, running from Lilydale to Healesville.
There were concerns about the loss of service to Chum Creek.
There was mention of the need to improve connections with rail services.
The issue of the country fare was also raised at this workshop (along with Yarra Junction).

The buses lined up on Belgrave Gembrook Road. It is proposed that route 693 terminates at Upper Ferntree Gully (instead of Belgrave) as the new extension to route 695 will run from Gembrook to Belgrave and through to Knox City. The community was very pleased with this recommendation.
Route 694 is proposed to be discontinued, this will see no bus service along Sherbrooke Road, this was met with a great degree of opposition from the community at the Upwey workshop.

Now that the workshops in Yarra Ranges have concluded the consultants will review and consider all the feedback from the community and draft a final report for the Department of Transport.

The recommendations from that report will be measured up against the transport priorities across Melbourne. I hope from this process that our community will see some improvements to local services. I am concerned that an expectation has been built that may never be delivered. We must make sure that our local MPs are reminded that this review is about improving local services which mustn't be traded off against other Melbourne priorities.

cockies continue the crunch

I have been overwhelmed by calls from concerned residents reporting cockatoo damage to their homes after the article in last week’s local paper. It seems that most of the cockatoo activity is currently located in Kallista and Menzies Creek at the moment.

People are frustrated and agree that something needs to be done at a state level. It was reported to me last week that the cockatoos have started chewing the Kallista Mechanics Hall.









The Hall was opened in 1914 and came about after the formation of the Kallista Progress Association in 1910. It housed the first school in the township as well as Church of England and Methodist services for the area. It is a significant local building and part of our heritage.

It is sad to see such damage to our heritage buildings along with the damage to private and public property which is continuing at a rapid rate.

Council has agreed to urgently convene a meeting of local MP’s, Agencies, Shire Officers and Councillors to discuss the management of cockatoos so as to reduce ongoing damage to private and public property. I look forward to discussing the issue with our local MPs, the power to respond to this issue is in their hands.

There is the potential to blame the cockatoos for their actions, but they are responding to human interference with their natural environment. We know that feeding the birds creates these problems. We need to rethink how we interact with wildlife and change our expectations around what is appropriate. This is challenging and confronts many past practices, but when you look at the damage, year after year, how much longer can we condone feeding cockatoos?

belgrave big and bright

The community came out in droves to watch or walk in the lantern parade in Belgrave tonight. Once again there were lanterns of all shapes and sizes as people braved a chilly night in the Dandenongs to celebrate the winter solstice. The main street was packed with onlookers and traders did a roaring trade with the influx of visitors to the town.

The Mater Christi band provided entertainment for onlookers, this is me with Mary Fitz-Gerald, Principal of Mater Christi.

Louis and Nathan couldn't keep up with demand, they sold around 500 snags, whilst Rotary who had a sausage sizzle at the other end of town sold out of 15kgs of sausages.

Local circus performers entertained people waiting for the parade.


Simon Duiker, local artist, put together this amazing Cockie.
This whale lantern was spectacular, created by lantern maker extraordinaire, Renata.

The stegasaurus was an amazing feat of construction.

The lantern parade inspires locals in many ways, this lantern was amazing.

Me, with my lantern.

The crowd were out in force to watch or walk in the parade.

The lantern parade is a great excuse to dress up.

Lanterns came in many shapes and sizes, there is no limit to imagination for this parade.

The fire twirling in the town park was spectacular.

It was a great event, one our community has wholeheartedly embraced.

belgrave south says what it thinks

Today the Belgrave South community were invited to comment on some proposals for streetscape improvements in the shopping centre on Colby Drive. The shire has been talking about a number of options for the township with key stakeholders, including community, primary school, community house, traders and the CFA.

This is me with Derek Naylor, passionate Belgrave South community member and Belgrave South primary school councillor and Ozlem from the Urban Design Unit. Derek is keen to see a mural painted on the fence behind us.

A key issue in the township is walkability particularly crossing Colby Drive as it is far from optimal at the moment. The most popular project to suggest for broader consulation from the project steering group was the installation of a pedestrian crossing with the inclusion of some community space for people to enjoy.


























The project got some great feedback with community members very supportive of the idea of a pedestrian crossing, new public space and traffic calming along Colby Drive.

If you'd like to have your say but missed out today you can see a 3D model of the project at Belgrave South Primary School and either lodge your feedback form there or the Bakery across the road. You can also contact Ozlem in our Urban Design Unit for more information on 1300 368 333 or email o.akgun@yarraranges.vic.gov.au.

kids take off at kinder

Earlier this week, I was pleased to be MC for the launch of Kids take off at Kindergarten, a project aimed around breaking down the barriers to family participation in kindergarten.

Yarra Ranges has a very high proportion of 0 to 6 year olds (9%) and currently around 86% of our families go to 4 year old kinder. Yarra Ranges were selected by the DEECD to develop a took kit to assist local kinders with breaking those barriers to kinder. There is a great deal of evidence to support the benefits of access to good quality early childhood education.

Kindergarten is a very important stage in a child's life. Not only are children learning to recognise words, write their names, they learn physical and social skills too. Kindergarten is laying down the foundation of those vital life skills that will see a child get the very best start and provides a critical and important link to a smooth transition to primary school.

This is Selby Pre School, one of the shire's 42 kindergartens, offering children a great start in life.

The Shire has 42 stand alone kindergartens as well as Montessori, Steiner and Regio kinders. Those who are missing out on kindergarten are the vulnerable in our community, those who are disadvantaged and those whose cultural background experience doesn't recognise the role of kindergarten in a child's life.

Kids take off at Kindergarten provides some great resources for kinder committees to use to break down those barriers, whether they be financial, social or cultural. Our kinders offer children good quality play based learning which builds skills they can use for everyday living, for the rest of their life.

t5 on the way

Next week sees the Shire start the installation of new T5 energy efficient fluorescent tubes throughout our high energy use facilities. Included in the upgrade to the new efficient lighting is the Anderson Street Council Complex in Lilydale, the Chapel Street offices in Lilydale, Mooroolbark Community Centre, Upper Yarra Arts Centre, Kilsyth Pool, Yarra Pool and on a more local level Burrinja and the Monbulk Pool.

It is anticipated that the change will result in energy savings of more than 25% once the changeover is complete. It's an extensive task which will see more than 2000 tubes upgraded. The facilities were identified through an energy audit undertaken on shire facilities last year.

how far have we come?

Today Greens Senator, Sarah Hanson-Young, took her 2 year old daughter into the Senate chamber with her for an unexpected division. I was appauled to see that Senate President, John Hogg, ordered her daughter to be removed from the chamber.

In what was a very distressing scene, Senator Hanson-Young's daughter was taken from her arms and became very upset, a very understandable reaction from a babe.

Today's actions in the senate were atrocious. Do we want women with young children participating in politics? I think we do and we should be doing all we can to ensure that barriers to participation are removed, not children! This photo of Senator Hanson-Young was taken earlier this year at rally in Melbourne.

Yes there may be rules in the Senate, but really what impact would this 2 year old have on the debate or the vote? The answer is absolutely none. If we are serious about encouraging women into politics, particularly women with young children, we have to be far more flexible and far more family friendly.

All parents understand that sometimes we have our children with us, it just happens that way. Only last week, there was a curriculum day across Victoria on the same day as the Yarra Ranges Council had a breakfast meeting with our local state and federal politicians. I have a 7 year old who had to come with me to that breakfast. There was no issue from my councillor colleagues, state or federal politicians about my child being present.

Politics is different to most careers, it's not 9 to 5 and there is no knock off time. Your families become involved whether they want to or not, you are stopped in the street, at school, people approach you in cafe's and out and about, the hours are long and irregular. It's a challenging role and sometimes circumstances dictate that your child needs to be with you.

What happened today in the Senate challenges all of us to really think about how we feel about women with young children actively participating in politics. To have a truly representative democracy we need to ensure people of all walks of life are encouraged to participate and part of that means that we have to be flexible and family friendly.

This was a dark day, let us hope that the Senate President's actions do not represent the views of the broader community. Let's hope that we can see some changes to ensure that it never happens again.

yarra ranges bus review - the next instalment

Today I attended two follow up workshops for the Yarra Ranges Bus Services review, one in Upwey, the other in Mooroolbark. These workshops enabled the consultants running the review (Booz & Co) to present Draft Network Improvements Options to the community for their consideration.

(for history on the Yarra Ranges Bus Services review visit this blog entry).

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The removal of the 694 service from Sherbrooke Road is unacceptable. Low patronage has been given as a reason, but I suspect if frequencies were increased there would be greater take up of this service. One resident reported to me she often has to wait up to one hour in Belgrave to connect with this service. There is a direct correlation between the patronage of a service and the frequency in which it runs. We want more services in the hills not less.

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At the Upwey workshop there were some excellent recommendations that were well accepted by community members, being:
The extension of the 695 route to Knox City (currently running Gembrook to Belgrave).
The extension of the 663 route so it would provide a direct service from Belgrave to Lilydale taking in Monbulk and the Swinburne campus in Lilydale.
A new service which runs from Boronia to Sassafras through to Olinda and onto Monbulk then Emerald, providing the much needed missing link between Monbulk and Olinda.
Changes to the 697 route that will see the service run through to Fountain Gate Shopping Centre rather than terminating in Belgrave South.

The change that met with disapproval and was of greatest disappoinment was the deletion of route 694 which currently runs from Belgrave to Olinda using Sherbrooke Road as its route from Monbulk Road to the Tourist Road. Later conversations I had with the consultants revealed they will re-look at this issue but I will be bringing it up with our local member as the loss of services in this area is of great concern.

More frequency and greater span of hours were seen as key issues in services across the Dandenongs.

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Changes presented at the Mooroolbark workshop were generally received as positive moves, particularly the change to route 683A which will run via Clegg Road past the retirement village located there and also the proposal to increase peak services between Yarra Glen and the Lilydale Station. Many other options also presented in this workshop were seen as positive moves.

The span of hours of operation and frequency of services continue to be an issue raised across the board at both workshops. There are still two workshops to go, one in Yarra Junction tomorrow (1pm at the Upper Yarra Family Centre), the other in Healesville on Monday 22nd June at 1pm (Memo Hall).

If you're concerned about the bus services in Yarra Ranges and want to have your say I encourage you to go along to one of the remaining workshops.

From this round of workshops, Booz & Co will then refine the network improvements and provide a final report for consideration by the Department of Transport. However the consultant did make it clear that service improvements for Yarra Ranges would be implemented based on metropolitan priorities, lets hope that the Yarra Ranges does not get lost in a sea of competing priorities across Melbourne.

preselected for state elections

I learnt last week that I had successfully been preselected to run for the Greens as the lead upper house candidate for the Eastern Victoria region.


























I am humbled and honoured to be preselected as we head towards the state election in 2010. I am encouraged by the faith the members across Eastern Victoria have shown in my capacity to run a strong campaign and to ultimately represent them in the Victorian Parliament.

I would never have thought that my quest to save the council run childcare centre back in 2005 would lead me on a journey to nominate to run in the upcoming state elections. I have found holding public office to be a very rewarding experience. It’s a great privilege and I am very committed to my work on behalf of the community.

I will lead a strong and enthusiastic campaign, I’m proud to be representing the Greens as the lead candidate for Eastern Victoria. In the weeks to come I will be developing an alternate web presence for campaigning with my blog continuing to highlight my activities as Lyster Ward councillor for the Shire of Yarra Ranges.

If you’d like to help the campaign kick off come along to an election fundraiser at Earthly Pleasures in Belgrave on the 5th August to hear me and the Greens lead senate candidate, Dr Richard Di Natale speak, there will be fine food and entertainment too. Watch this space for more info soon.

Authorised by Jo Tenner - Convenor, AGV Eastern Victoria Upper House Election Campaign Committee
Australian Greens Victoria 377 Little Bourke Street Melbourne Vic 3000

climate emergency rally – melbourne

Today I marched with around 4,000 other Victorians from the State Library to Treasury Gardens to highlight to the federal government how flawed Kevin Rudd’s CPRS scheme is. There were many familiar and local faces amongst rally goers and it was good to see that people from all walks of life are concerned about state and federal government inaction on climate change.

It is always good to see Bob Brown visiting Melbourne.


The Yarra Valley Climate Action Group were there, travelling from the Yarra Valley to show their concern about the CPRS and man made global warming created from greenhouse gas emissions.

Cr Sam Gaylard from the City of Yarra was there.

This is me pictured with the Ashburner/Reid family from the Dandenong Ranges.

Seasoned climate campaigner Janet Rice was there.

Cam Walker from Friends of the Earth was there with his son.

Bob Brown led the march to the Melbourne Town Hall where the ALP were holding their state conference.

Cr Lynette Kelleher from the City of Casey was marching.

Ian Rainbow, dedicated environmental volunteer with Friends of Glenfern Valley, Upwey marching to Treasury Gardens.

The Sherbrooke Community School are very passionate about environmental issues, it was terrific to see them at today’s rally.

The Greens were proud supporters of today’s rally, here I am pictured with Geelong Green, Tory and Steve Meacher of the Healesville Greens. Steve is also chairperson of Healesville Environment Watch and was the driving force behind the establishment of local climate group in Healesville, C4.

The South West Greens were there highlighting forest issues, deforestation accounts for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

David Spratt, co-author of Climate Code Red, standing outside the ALP State Conference. David has also been working on a significant climate project, Safe Climate Australia, a not-for-profit group dedicated to planning the transition to a zero-carbon economy.

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Safe Climate Australia has been formed by a group of concerned climate scientists, community and business leaders with a shared understanding of the need for emergency action to restore a safe climate.

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Safe Climate Australia will be officially launched at an event for 1000 invited guests in Melbourne on July 13, with a keynote speech from Nobel Prize winner, Al Gore.

Safe Climate Australia is aiming to deepen community understanding about both the scientific imperatives that demand action at great speed, and about how we can plan the rapid transition to a zero-carbon economy. If you’d like to know more visit Safe Climate Australia.

bushfire after party

Tonight saw the Belgrave South community come together for the Bushfire After Party. It was an opportunity to reflect on the tragic bushfires earlier this year, give thanks to all those who have extended a helping hand and get together as a community to celebrate all that is community.

Me pictured with Lyn Young, coordinator of the Belgrave South Community House and organiser of the after party.

The Southern Sherbrooke Historical Society put together a very interesting history of fires in the Dandenong Ranges spanning right back to early settlement. Entertainment included performances by The Quickfix, made up of members who have grown up in Belgrave South and Yohosie, also with a local flavour having band members from Menzies Creek and Ferntree Gully.

It was a great night to be amongst community and share our experiences.

belgrave big and bright

I dropped in on the lantern making workshop at the Belgrave Library today, being held in preparation for Belgrave Big and Bright, the lantern festival to celebrate Winter Solstice.

People were enthusiastically taping together their lanterns with all sorts of elaborate designs being skilfully led by Renata who is a lantern maker extraordinaire, responsible for last year’s fabulous lyrebird lantern.

Me with Renata (left) - expert lantern maker and Rochelle (right) - one of the lantern festival organisers and Circus Artist with Circus Folk.

The lantern festival will be held next Saturday 20th June, details are:
* 4.00pm. Music in the streets from Mater Christi Youth band, Tang Jazz Band & Orphic Mystery
* 4.00pm – 8.00pm. Belgrave Library extended opening hours; with Rotary Sausage Sizzle in the forecourt.
* 4:45pm. Entertainment for lantern carriers at Assembly Point: St Thomas More's Parish carpark. Stax and Friends on didge; Holle & Power Youth Drumming group
* 5.00pm. Street performers; Circus Folk stilt walking & Creative Chaos wearable art
* 5.20pm. Join in the Community Singing with Barb McFarlane, Sassafras Singers and Sing Australia choirs at the assembly point before the Parade heads off.
* 5.30pm. Parade begins!
Enjoy Blazing Rhythm Fire Twirlers & Drummers, Gypsy Trance Belly Dancers, music and much more along the Parade route.
* 6.45pm. Parade Finale Song: join in a street long rendition of This Little Light of Mine, led by Barb McFarlane.
* 7.00pm: Enjoy all of the after Parade activities including Bedtime Stories at Belgrave Library; Lanterns & Singing with Barb at Earthly Pleasures; Tang Jazz at Oscars; Fire twirling, drumming and belly dancers in the Belgrave Town Park.
* 8.00pm: Caerleon Winter Solstice Celebration at Burrinja (Upwey)

This is a parade not to miss, beautiful to watch or to walk in.

As well as all of the events, Belgrave's unique cafes, venues and shops will be open before & after the parade for everyone to enjoy.

being public about public transport

I’ve spent a lot of time focussing on public transport of late. In my new role as chair of the Eastern Transport Coalition I’ve been busy chatting to MPs and advisors about upcoming activities planned by the ETC as part of our advocacy efforts for the community in the East.

So far I’ve spoken to Melanie Starr & Andrew Korr (Minister for Public Transport, Lynne Kosky’s advisors), David Hodgett (MP for Kilsyth), Terry Mulder (Shadow Minister for Public Transport ), James Merlino (MP for Monbulk and Minister for Sport, Recreation, Youth Affairs), Richard Dalla-Riva (MLC for Eastern Metro Region) with a planned meeting with Christine Fyffe (MP for Evelyn) in the near future.

Me and Davey Heller at the Public Transport Forum at Selby Community House.

Earlier this week I joined with Davey Heller to speak at a public transport forum at Selby Community House. Davey put forward a good case as to why a critical and important service such as public transport should be in public ownership not privatised as it currently is.

Back in March 2007 the Yarra Ranges Council supported the “Link Up Melbourne” campaign which sought to restore public control over public transport, as part of that campaign the Yarra Ranges Council signed an open letter to The Premier and the Minister for Public Transport calling for an end to privatisation of the train and tram services (see blog).

I spoke about the current research the shire has undertaken in relation to public transport, the research is being used to inform our key advocacy platform for the shire. From the research these key critical advocacy priorities were developed.

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Improved bus services in Yarra Ranges - Advocate for:
An increase in frequency of bus services across all routes
An extension of hours of operation for bus services across all routes
An increase in the number of express services
An increase in State Government funding to upgrade all buss stops and shelters across the Shire.

Improved Train Services in Yarra Ranges - Advocate for:
Significant improvements to public safety at all train stations and on board all trains at all times of the day
An increase of car parking facilities at all train stations in the Shire, in particular at the key locations of Lilydale, Belgrave and Mooroolbark, in particular the Shire should seek State Government funding for a feasibility of and design for the installation of a parking deck over the existing car park at the Belgrave train station.
An increase in frequency of train services on both the Belgrave and Lilydale lines

I also spoke about the activities of the ETC, the upcoming second round of workshops for the Bus Services review, issues around social and transport equity and the role of public activism. I also touched on the broader issues of climate change and peak oil. It’s great to talk at these local forums, it’s a good opportunity to have some genuine in depth conversation with community members about something they're passionate about.

young environmental protectors on tour

As part of our commitment to the environment and lightening our footprint the Shire runs the Learning for Sustainability (LfS) in schools throughout the Shire. LfS assists schools with sustainable initiatives both within the school grounds and in the broader community. LfS focuses on five key sustainability areas; Water, Energy, Materials, Biodiversity and Community.

This week the LfS Young Environmental Protectors (YEPs) went on tour to find out what other schools were doing as part of the LfS program. It’s a great opportunity for students across the region to learn what initiatives are happening in other schools, what worked, what didn’t work and what interesting discoveries were made along the way.

Part of the tour involved the children dressing up as ‘important people’ of the future - environmental scientists, I was pleased to kick off proceedings as the demonstration model!

I joined with the tour at Selby Primary School, where the grade 3 and 4s actively participate in the LfS program for the school. The SWAT team (Save Water and Trees) are passionate about what they do and have really embraced the first element of the five sustainability steps, Waste. Part of the information sharing was a competition between schools to see who could work out the ‘waste time line’.

Students from the Patch Primary, Macclesfield Primary, Mt Evelyn Primary, Mt Evelyn Christian School were given a range of waste materials from paper, various plastics, cotton, metals and glass and charged with the task of working out how long each material would take to break down along a time scale from 2 weeks to 10,000 years. Competition was fierce and proved to be challenging for students and teachers alike, but it was a great activity with much drama as the final results were revealed.

The next stop on the tour was the Patch Primary who have done wonderful things with their environmental education program. LfS is a great program and a good example of awareness raising at a local level, one Mum at Selby reported to me that she had stopped buying plastic wrap and gone to reusable containers because of her daughter’s participation in Selby’s LfS program. It’s a small step in the journey towards greater sustainability, but a step well worth taking.

cool for cats

Report from the roundtable - 9th June

Late last year council adopted the Domestic Animal Management Plan. The purpose of the plan is to increase the profile and importance of domestic animal management at a local level. One of the key actions from the plan was to make mandatory the compulsory desexing of cats.

I was happy to move a motion to formalise the compulsory desexing of cats.

This is me with our much beloved family pet. He's desexed, chipped, registered and always kept in at night per the Yarra Ranges cat curfew.

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I am sure that responsible cat owners would be more than happy to desex their animals. Feral animals, particularly cats, are a huge problem in the Dandenong Ranges. Cats are excellent predators and the wildlife losses are immense due to feral cat activity.

The statistics for unwanted cats are astounding, in 2006 53,000 cats were lodged with animal welfare centres across Australia with 35,000 of them being euthanised. That’s an awful lot of unwanted cats out there.

Anything we can do to try to stop unwanted animals is a positive move, anything that helps the feral cat population to decline is a positive move. It’s good for cats and it’s good for our wildlife too.

I’m pleased to report that the motion was supported unanimously by councillors.

cockies wreak havoc

report from the roundtable – 9th June

As reported in an earlier blog story the cockatoos have been relentlessly chewing their way through public and private property at an alarming rate. The damage seen at Kallista Village Green over the space of a couple of weeks has been extraordinary.

In an effort to raise awareness and seek much needed assistance from the State Government I moved the following motion:
That Council urgently convene a meeting of local MP’s, Agencies, Shire Officers and interested Councillors to discuss the management of cockatoos so as to reduce ongoing damage to private and public property.

There is no doubt that this is a State Government responsibility as it involves the management of Australian native wildlife. The situation has become untenable with residents facing large repair bills every year due to cockatoo damage.

There is an intrinsic link between feeding cockatoos and cockatoo damage, confirmed by the DSE’s cockatoo expert, Ian Tenby. After last year’s attack from cockatoos the Shire embarked on an education program. This may have worked to a small degree, however whilst large numbers of cockatoos are being fed, particularly at Grant’s Picnic Ground (in a national park no less), we will continue to see damage across the region.

We need the State Government to take responsibility. At the moment it is not illegal to feed the cockatoos (or any native wildlife for that matter), this is something that needs to be urgently addressed, no longer can we accept the continued damage to buildings and our natural assets as cockatoo populations explode out of all proportion.

Native bird feeding has been stopped in other national parks due to problem wildlife, Wilson’s Promontory is a good example of this. This needs to happen here, how much longer can residents endure the annual attacks to property, forking out hefty amounts to replace chewed timber, mortar and all manner of fixtures. How resilient is our forest to the continued chewing of trees and tree ferns.

I know that many residents also get pleasure out of feeding the birds, but given the extreme damage the cockatoos cause this must stop, they have become a problem that is well out of hand.

I am pleased to say that the motion was supported unanimously and I look forward to a positive way forward from our local MPs.

Note: the photos in this entry were taken on Tuesday 9th June, 2009.

cockies on the munch again

It seems that our cockatoo issue is rearing its ugly head again (see these past blog entries for history). I have had contact from local residents in the Belgrave and Kallista area all reporting that the birds have started gnawing away at wood, mortar and anything else that takes their fancy. They have also confirmed that the cockatoos are being fed near by.

This weekend I was frustrated to see the damage caused by cockatoos to the bollards at Kallista Market. The cockatoos have chewed every single bollard, not one is left unscathed. How much longer can local residents tolerate this same sort of damage to their houses?

In Victoria it is not illegal to feed wildlife and it is a serious shortfall of state legislation that this practice is allowed to continue.

Feeding wildlife, including cockatoos, results in a dependence on food sources supplied by people rather than natural sources. In the wild cockatoos need around 2 hours of foraging to get their fill of food, from a backyard feed they can get their fill in 15 minutes, this leaves cockatoos with plenty of spare time to wreak havoc.

Feeding wildlife results in a change of population which has consequences for other plants and animals in our natural environment. Our cockatoo population has exploded in recent years and has changed the natural balance of wildlife in the region.


























I will be raising the issue with local politicians at our next meeting. If you are concerned about the feeding of cockatoos and want to see some action from state government contact your local member:

James Merlino (Monbulk) james.merlino@parliament.vic.gov.au
1635 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave VIC 3160
or
Tammy Lobato (Gembrook) tammy.lobato@parliament.vic.gov.au
1/5 Gloucester Avenue, Berwick VIC 3806

It’s time the legislation in Victoria is changed permanently so this outmoded practice can stop forever.

the way of the brush - renewal

Today saw the second annual Chan Art Painting Exhibition at Burrinja. The Chan Academy, based in Upwey, continues the ancient tradition of Chan Painting with an Australian flavour. This year’s exhibition, Renewal, was inspired by the Australian Bush and its recovery after the bushfires.

Me with Frank Carter, Director and Anita Carter, Abbott of the Chan Academy/Buddhist Discussion Centre in Upwey.

Chan painting, is based on brushstrokes of the Chinese classics and the applied ethics of Chan Buddhism. The exhibition features two artists from the Academy, Melba Nielsen who practices the Chinese art of Chan and Jan Bennett who practices Sumi-e, a technique brought to China from Japan over 1,500 years ago.

It was a great opening, participants were given the opportunity to try their hand at traditional Chan Painting following a demonstration by Chan artist Melba Nielsen. Melba's years of perfecting her technique makes it look easy, but it's not!












It is a beautiful exhibition, the work is simple, elegant, uncomplicated and peaceful. I encourage you to go along and have a look for yourself. The exhibition is on till 21st June at the Jarmbi Gallery in Burrinja.

etc submits to train failure inquiry

Back in March the Legislative Council supported a Greens motion to set up an inquiry into the reasons for failures in the provision of metropolitan and VLine train services.

The Eastern Transport Coalition (ETC) took the opportunity to submit to that inquiry and outline it’s position in relation to failures of the train services.

Key points from the ETC submission include:

Historical underinvestment in rail infrastructure and services has led to a relative decline in public transport usage when compared to annual vehicle kilometres travelled in private vehicles. Much of eastern metropolitan Melbourne is characterised by very high levels of car ownership due to insufficient public transport options, causing an over – reliance on private vehicle use and infrequent and less reliable bus services – where they exist. The health, social and environmental costs associated with inadequate public transport services are growing due to this imbalance.

Investment in rail infrastructure and service improvements will substantially reduce economic costs caused by congestion, improve access and equity for outer suburban residents and provide substantial environmental benefits.

With the burgeoning financial and social impacts of an ageing population, along with rapid economic contraction requiring both stimulus spending and reskilling of the labour force, coupled with the health impacts of air pollution and the upcoming process of pricing carbon into the economy, the time is right for governments to take a generational opportunity to invest in sustainable transport.

A more integrated public transport network, across all modes throughout the day would serve to ease demand for limited car parking spaces at rail stations – a problem experienced by many commuters, and in some cases a disincentive to utilise the rail network.

The ETC asserts that the Victorian public transport system could be substantially improved by investing in:
• Rail Network Expansion;
• Rail Capacity Expansion; and
• Rail Operational Improvements.

The ETC calls on all parties to embrace the concept that a well resourced, well integrated and competitive rail network should be at the forefront of public transportation in the 21st century.

powershift for climate change

The Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) are running a youth climate summit, PowerShift at the University of Western Sydney from the 11th to 13th July.

The summit will bring together 3,000 young people from across Australia to stand up against climate change and demand stronger action from our leaders. AYCC have been able to get some eminent speakers for the summit, including Tim Flannery and Rajendra Pachauri (head of the IPCC and Nobel Peace Prize winner).

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The summit will be a tremendous opportunity for young people who want to actively participate to do something about climate change. AYCC hopes the summit will be a display of young people's commitment to finding stronger climate solutions and how they can work together to implement clear and ambitious plans of action.

PowerShift will be a key moment where the younger generation can demonstrate their power, assert that power and direct energy to force political change for a Power Shift to a clean energy future.

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Celebrate World Environment Day this year by registering your place at PowerShift.

oxfam benefit - tecoma

The Dandenong Ranges group of Oxfam have organised a benefit dinner for Oxfam Australia, which will be catered by MVHS Catering, who are members of Sri Vakrathunda Vinayagar Hindu temple of The Basin.


Where: Tecoma Uniting Church hall

When: Saturday 27 June at 6.45pm

Cost: $25 per head, drinks included, in this non-alcohol venue.

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Despite - or perhaps because of - the terrible humanitarian crisis unfolding in Sri Lanka due to recent intense fighting, it is good to honour our freedom and appreciate the beauty and cuisine of another culture, while at the same time raising money for Oxfam's work and advocacy in Sri Lanka, India and elsewhere.

The Oxfam group has formed a close relationship with temple members, who are registered caterers. They will prepare an authentic four-course Indian vegetarian meal.

Complementing the dinner are two beautiful entertainment acts: young Indian Classical dancers and Sri Lankan-born singer-songwriter Suzete Herft who performed to standing ovations at the National Folk Festival this year.

Seating is limited and bookings must be pre-paid by Tuesday, 23 June.

Please phone Judy on 9754 7090 or Kathy on 9755 1906 to book.

public transport in the hills - forum at selby community house

Who’s NOT dissatisfied with Melbourne’s public transport?

Who doesn’t want to reduce their carbon footprint and petrol expenses?

PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN THE HILLS – PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Join with me and Public transport campaigner Davey Heller to outline some answers in a public forum format in which everyone can participate.

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Where: Selby Community House, off Charles St. (Melways 75 K11)
When: 7 pm, Wednesday June 10
Cost: All warmly welcome. Gold coin donation. Light refreshments provided.

housing strategy endorsed

report from the roundtable - 26th May

This week's council meeting saw us consider the housing strategy which will provide a planning framework to deal with increased housing in the Shire over the next 20 years.

The strategy has been a long time coming. When I was first elected to council in 2005 it was already a work in progress some 3 years old. Since that time there has been extensive consultation about the housing strategy.

In the first iteration of the strategy increased housing densities were proposed in the Dandenong Ranges towns of Belgrave, Upwey and Tecoma. The community was outraged and rejected the notion of smaller lot sizes, pressure on the environment and increased housing densities in these areas.

This latest version of the Housing Strategy responds to those concerns and no increase in densities is proposed in these towns. The only increases in density that apply in these towns are ones that apply have always applied. There is a very limited corridor of Residential 1 zoned land and within that there is the potential to subdivide. This has always been a possibility and the Housing Strategy does not change this in any way. It must be noted that all land zoned Residential 1 in these towns is categorised as a 'least change precinct'.

No changes will be made to Low Density Residential Zones which covers the majority of residential areas in Belgrave and Tecoma (the towns I represent) and the controls in place in these areas will be maintained.

There was some confusion by some of our submitters that the background research document, housing.id, was what council was adopting. The paper referred to infill development in Belgrave and raised the alarm of some community members. However the research had only identified what has always* been possible in this town. *note: 'always' refers to the time since council amalgamations.

It was abundantly clear to me in our local consultations on the housing strategy that our community did not want changes to their townships (see blog & blog).

The Housing Strategy is an important step in guiding new housing in Yarra Ranges, particularly in the consolidation areas of Lilydale, Chirnside Park, Mooroolbark, Healesville, Yarra Junction, Kilsyth, Mt Evelyn and Yarra Glen. Yarra Ranges is the land of the single detached three bedroom home which does not meet the needs of the changing demographics and type of households in the Shire. The strategy will address housing diversity needs and it will encourage sustainability in house design with a focus on water and energy efficiencies.

Another important element of the Housing Strategy will see the implementation of our Neighborhood Character Study. In the past Yarra Ranges has seen many developments erode our neighborhood character. The Housing Strategy's residential planning framework will provide us with legislative framework in the planning scheme to protect and encourage our neighborhood character.

It was great to see the Housing Strategy endorsed unanimously by council, it has been a long time coming but certainly worth the wait.

budget 09/10

report from the roundtable - 26th may
The budget for 2009/10 was endorsed by council for public exhibition. This year's budget is a responsible yet progressive budget. It is framed around jobs and our local economy. The budget includes many exciting key community major projects throughout the Shire but also focuses on basic infrastructure needs such as footpaths and roads too.

The budget is framed with a backdrop of the most devastating tragic event in Yarra Ranges, the February bushfires.

It mirrors the actions of the Federal and State governments in that it is focused on building things, creating jobs and supporting communities in a difficult economic time.

It goes a long way to addressing the infrastructure gaps in the Shire and includes long overdue emphasis on issues such as weeds, an issue that is raised constantly by my constituency.

I think the Shire has dropped the ball on weeds in the past and it is good to see that this budget has significant amounts and new programs to address this most urgent and pressing issue. I hope by putting our money where our mouth is, it will provide a bit of leverage and see other levels of government coming to the party on weeds in Yarra Ranges. It must also be remembered that increased programs results in increased local employment opportunities too.

It's an exciting budget, progressive in its aims and it will certainly deliver positive outcomes for our community.

dacs out

report from the roundtable - 26th May
The State Government has proposed changes to the Planning Legislation Amendment Bill 2009 to establish Development Assessment committees (DACs).

The proposal is an attempt to remove councils from the planning process in activity and the widespread use of 'call in' powers for planning applications the Minister considers to be 'shovel ready'. As a further erosion of council's powers it is proposed that DACs would have 3 government appointees and 2 local government appointees, the numbers already against local government.

I was alarmed to learn of this proposal. We (councillors) have been elected as Local Government Councillors, we have been elected because our community has faith in us. By electing us our community has categorically stated they have faith in our ability to make decisions that represent the needs and aspirations of our local communities.

The establishment of DACs diminishes our ability to make decisions on behalf of our local communities and represents a loss in democratic process.

The establishment of DACs must be opposed in the strongest possible terms.

Council voted unanimously to write to the Premier and the Minister for Planning to express our concern. We will also write to our local MP, David Hodgett, taking up his offer to represent Council's position in parliament.

new mums and grand mums

Today I joined with women (and some men) from near and far to participate in the Birth Week festival in Kallista. Birth Week is a five day festival jam packed with speakers covering all manner of subjects relating to birth and parenting.
Birth Week is an opportunity to come together with other mothers, partners, pregnant women, support persons, doulas and midwives to share, explore, discover and celebrate birth.

I am pleased to support Birth Week, it gives families and families to be a great opportunity to explore a whole range of opportunities in what is one of the most important events of their lives.

Later in the day I had the great pleasure of speaking to the Belgrave branch of the Country Women’s Association. A small but dedicated group of women committed to making life better for our community.

The ladies were keen to hear about how the Shire supports our older residents and the volunteering opportunities in the Shire.






The Shire has a Positive Aging Strategy, originally endorsed in 2006. It is through this strategy that we support our older residents by providing a whole range of different services, the key objectives include:
- Promoting a positive attitude towards ageing
- Promoting active participation by older residents in all spheres of community life
- Supporting older residents to age well in their communities, by providing access to health services, physical activities and other services
- Providing lifelong learning opportunities
- Promoting senior-friendly environments, including safe and accessible streetscapes and buildings in our community

It was also a great opportunity to highlight a new initiative by the shire, Volunteer Xchange. Volunteer Xchange has been set up as a free service to connect community groups and their one off or short term projects with volunteers who would like to share their passion, skills and talents.

Community Groups can register their project with Volunteer Xchange to get their message out there that they need help. Keen and interested volunteers can register their interest and hey presto project and volunteers are matched and its all systems go!

Volunteering is very rewarding and helps to bond and strengthen our community. The range of volunteering opportunities and experiences is vast and Volunteer Xchange will provide a central point to help match you with your passion.

As part of my afternoon at the CWA I had the task of judging best bloom, best leaf and best memorabilia, it was a delightful way to spend my afternoon and I found the energy, commitment and compassion shown by the ladies inspiring.

bushfire after party - you're invited!

Belgrave South Community House are hosting a Bushfire After Party and you're invited. It should be a great night to get together, share your experiences and enjoy each other's company at a community BBQ while entertained by The Quickfix and Yohosie - all for FREE.


The night kicks off at 6:00pm with a BBQ and entertainment, The Quickfix are on at 8:00pm and Yohosie start at 9:00pm.

I'm looking forward to it, hope I see you there.

national climate emergency rally - 13 June

Click on image for more info,

I hope to see you there.

planning for puffing

Today was planning day for the Southern Ranges Environment Alliance. The day saw members of the group come together to plan the next steps in how to get better outcomes for our natural environment.

SREA communicates between the many volunteers, community groups, landholders, agencies that have given high priority to working on environmental assets along the Puffing Billy corridor and adjacent areas. They work to restore habitat and bio links stretching from Bunyip State Park to Dandenong Ranges National Park, to Yellingbo Reserve and Lysterfield State Park.

Made up of many local landcare and friends groups, today saw them come together to work out the where to from here. The day covered many elements, not only a visioning exercise, but an action list was created so there is a clear plan for future activities.

The depth of knowledge and level of enthusiasm in the room was overwhelming. We are very fortunate to have these dedicated volunteers, not only giving up their time to do the physical on the ground work, but forfeiting their Sunday to ensure the development of a cohesive plan for the future to improve our natural environment.

fernlea funded for now

Fernlea house held its open day today and what a buoyant occasion it was. After the announcement of funding to provide respite care last week (see blog) the Committee, staff and volunteers couldn't be happier.

Pictured left to right: Gerald Overton - committee member, Samantha Dunn - Lyster Ward Councillor, Shire of Yarra Ranges, Ann Davis - President, Peter Markes - Chairman, Upwey and District Bendigo Bank Helen Pike - Fernlea's manager, and Jan Lancaster - past President, it was Jan's vision that saw Fernlea House become a reality.

The funding will enable the house to provide 4 days a week on site respite care and 5 days a week in home services. The funding will mean the house will need to extend to ensure it has adequate space to provide even more services to our community.
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It was a great day to celebrate, the committee has done a great job advocating on behalf of the house and I congratulate them on their efforts. The big challenge now will be to raise the funds to build the extension, but there is much support for the house and I'm sure they will be successful.

richard di natale senate candidate

Yesterday Dr Richard Di Natale was announced as the successful Greens lead candidate for the Senate in the next federal election.

Me and Richard in Belgrave. Richard ran in the last federal election and visited our region often to speak to locals about their issues.

In a vote of Greens members across Victoria, Richard was elected to be lead Senate candidate in the next federal election campaign. This time the Greens chances of picking up a Senator for Victoria are high.

Richard will be visiting the Outer East soon to speak at a party fundraiser in Belgrave - watch this space for more info, but be sure to pencil 5th August in your diary!

e-waste recycling gets closer

Good news on e-waste! A national e-waste recycling scheme was given the go ahead at last week's meeting of the Environmental Heritage Protection Council, made up of Environment Ministers from across the country.

This is a very positive step forward in managing e-waste in Australia. Electronic waste is growing at three times the rate of general waste, filling landfill sites across the country, with the added potential of causing contamination at these sites.

A national e-waste recycling system will see the creation of substantial green jobs in the waste management sector and has been conservatively estimated to be worth $50million per year.

Recycling e-waste has many benefits, recycling would remove heavy metals from landfill sites and also enable the recovery of some of the more scarce materials that go into the make up of electronic equipment.

It's great to see the that the EHPC are listening to the community and to industry, both have a high level of support for electronic recycling, now the important thing is to get the best recycling scheme we can for electronic waste.

arts open up

Today saw the first day of the Dandenong Ranges Open Studio weekend. It was a great day out, artists threw open their doors to welcome visitors from near and far to chat, visit the studio, find out more about the artist and perhaps buy some work.

I managed to get around quite a few artists, seven studios in total, all welcoming with artists readily chatting about their work and the creative process.

This is me with artist Joy Serwylo (from Upwey). Joy's work is exquisite, intricate and detailed, using many different media in her creations. She has a great creativity and the political and social commentary in her works is engaging as well as thought provoking. Her studio is always worth a visit.

This year I also visited the studio of Karen Scott in Upwey. Karen does the most amazing mandalas and she has a particular passion for insects in her work. Her work is very precise, the colours rich and vibrant, it's quite stunning.

Here I am with Jenny Rowe, a sculptor based in Tecoma. Jenny's studio, set in a lush gully with towering tree ferns is wonderful. Her works are dotted throughout the garden and set quite a stunning sight. Her work inspires tranquility and her sculptures are steeped in mythology.

Dandenong Ranges Open Studio has a record 24 artists participating this year, their work diverse and covering many different media, themes and aesthetics all based on the theme 'regenerate'. If you want to see a snapshot of all the artists participating this year I highly recommend a quick visit to the Jarmbi Gallery at Burrinja, it's an impressive exhibition and reinforces the Dandenongs as an inspirational place for artists to live and work.

it’s lantern time again

Time to get creative and make your lantern for Belgrave’s Lantern Festival Big and Bright this year. Workshops are being held throughout June to ensure you’re well lit up for the parade through Belgrave on Saturday 20th June.

Details are:

BIG LANTERN MAKING DEMONSTRATIONS
Come and find out how to make a big lantern that your community group, school class or friends can work on together to make Belgrave ‘Big and Bright’ for the parade on June 20! The Demonstrations are FREE and no need to book.
Sunday 24th May: Burrinja (Glenfern Rd Upwey)
1.00pm to 4.00pm (with Open Studios!)

LITTLE LANTERN MAKING WORKSHOPS
Bookings ~ please phone: 9753 6234
Belgrave Library
Saturdays 9am - 12 noon
• 6th June
• 13th June
• 20th June
NB: people can also bring their lanterns from previous years for touch ups

Workshop Prices
$10 per person for bamboo lanterns,
$5 per person for decoupage lanterns or touch ups and repairs to existing lanterns.

For more information on the Belgrave Lantern Parade visit www.burrinja.org.au/lanternparade

telstra comes to the party

It was great news to hear that after months of communication with the Belgrave Trader's Association, Telstra have finally decided to put funding towards some public art on their building in Belgrave.

The side wall of the Telstra building has long been an eyesore in our town. It's in a prominent position, on a well used laneway, linking Safeway with the main street shops. It's a hot spot for tagging and is a mess - but not for much longer.

This wall is a dreadful eyesore in Belgrave. Tagging often creates feelings of insecurity and unsafeness for many members of our community.
It will be great to see some public art replace this blight on our town.

Telstra has agreed to fund a project which involves local young people, the shire and the Belgrave Trader's Association. Although still in the early stages of development the project will focus on local schools in the area, being assisted by a professional artist. My congratulations to the Belgrave Trader's Association, they have directed a lot of energy towards this project and their persistent efforts have paid off.

It's a great way to show Telstra can be a good corporate citizen. Their reputation has been in question in this town with the ongoing removal of public phone booths in Belgrave but this public art project is a positive move forward and a gesture of goodwill and I'm sure it will be a great feature of the town once completed.

out of the blue into the red

Friends of the Earth and Watershed Victoria are supporting a free screening of Out of the Blue into the Red, a documentary about the opposition to the Victorian Government's decision to build a desalination plant in Wonthaggi. It's a good opportunity to learn about the social, environmental and economic issues surrounding this decision.



Click on image for more details










Where: ACMI - Federation Square
When: Sunday 24th May at 2:45pm
How much: FREE

kevin comes to town

Tonight the Federal Government held a Community Cabinet at Emerald Secondary School. Many familiar faces were there, some successful in gaining a one on one meeting with a minister after the public forum, others not so lucky.

Before the public forum I joined with a small but vocal group made up of the Sherbrooke Community School and others to protest about the government's fundamentally flawed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

Sherbrooke Community School is very committed to environmental issues and passionate about raising the profile of these in the community. Students and teachers joined to highlight the government's lack of action in addressing the issue of carbon emissions, the proposed road through Tasmania's Tarkine got a mention too.

The public forum started with a speech by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, who categorically stated the greatest challenge for his government was the global recession. Although I do not deny the seriousness of the global recession, I am disappointed to know that global warming was not on the radar as this government's greatest challenge. We will recover from the recession, but the continuing impact of climate change won’t stay on hold whilst we deal with an economic crisis.

There are many opportunities to respond to global warming and global recession in one hit, a greater emphasis on renewable energy, green jobs and transitioning our economy to a sustainable future would provide a better way forward and also provide the economic stimulus to respond to the global recession. And whilst building infrastructure is a good investment in our future and provides many job opportunities, building with a sustainable future in mind is a far better longer term investment in this country.

There were many questions from the floor covering topics as diverse as bank regulation, vocational education, troops in Afghanistan, solar feed in tariffs, Australia as a republic, project finance from Australian banks, foster care support but most interesting to me was a question asked by a young person about Peter Garrett's (Environment Minister) commitment to fund weed removal in the Dandenong Ranges prior to the election.

Minister Garrett responded by talking about the need for a national approach, the EPBC Act and the identification of key weeds causing problems across Australia. This approach does nothing for the Dandenong Ranges, most of our weeds are environmental weeds (as opposed to noxious), are not listed, yet cause untold damage to our natural environment and in some cases put people at risk (ivy destabilising trees).
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It is important that the Federal and State government understand that their criteria simply do not fit when considering environmental weeds in the Dandenongs.

After the public forum I was joined by the Shire's Director of Community and Economic Development to meet with Minister Joe Ludwig (Human Services) to highlight issues about families and young people in the Shire.

As an interface council (located on the perimeter of Melbourne) the Shire faces unique challenges in delivering human services to the area. The fact that our municipality is both urban and rural, that there are distinctly dispersed populations in isolated townships with poor public transport, we have a high number of families with young children makes service delivery very challenging.

Our region experiences significantly poorer health and wellbeing than our counterparts in metropolitan Melbourne, particularly noticeable with lower rates of school completion, lower Tertiary Entrance Ranking scores and a lower percentage of young people attending post secondary education.

There is a higher likelihood of young people disengaging from school and work in Yarra Ranges, with a greater prevalence of 'at risk' behaviors and higher use of alcohol and tobacco.

It is important that the Shire continues to highlight the significant issues we (and other interface councils) experience to ensure that governments of all levels continue to be aware of the very specific issues for families living in our region.

fernlea funded

stop press stop press stop press

At tonight's community cabinet in Emerald I learnt that Fernlea House had received an eleventh hour reprieve (again!) with funding of up to $479,000 per year for the next two years from the federal government.

My congratulations to all who were involved in the campaign to save Fernlea, it is a valuable palliative care service, providing a caring environment for those with life limiting illnesses. It is terrific news to know that Fernlea can continue to provide a service that is so precious in our local community.

For a campaign history visit:
fernlea fearful - 9 May 2009
yarra ranges minutes (page 11) - 24 March 2009
fernlea’s future in question - 4 October 2008
forests, arts, palliative care, scouts - a busy weekend out and about - 25 May 2008

tv takeback reborn

Environment Victoria and the Total Environment Centre have launched a new website, Reborn, in their campaign for a national e-waste recycling scheme. In April Environment Victoria contacted me to support a TV Take Back (e-waste) recycling scheme. There are many benefits and I was pleased to move a motion for Yarra Ranges to support the campaign (see blog) which was supported unanimously.

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If we are genuine about moving towards a zero waste society we must move quickly to implement a national e-waste recycling scheme. E-waste is growing at three times the rate of general waste even though there is a significant market opportunity for recycling old TVs. A recent study by VECCI conservatively indicated that the e-waste recycling market was worth around $50million per annum.

Recycling old TVs would be of great benefit by removing heavy metals from our landfill sites and recycling would also enable recovery of some of the more scarce materials that go into the make up of televisions.

As part of the campaign, a sticker has been produced so concerned citizens can make their mark by plastering them on e-waste piled up on countless nature strips throughout Melbourne waiting for hard rubbish collection. The sticker is to raise awareness about Reborn and to highlight that e-waste could be recycled. If you'd like some stickers email your address to: oldtv@envict.org.au.
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What else can you do to help? Write to the federal Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett and the state Minister too, Gavin Jennings to tell them you support a national e-waste recycling sytem and they should too.

Want to know more? click below for more info

a rare commodity in lilydale

report from the roundtable - 12 May

At the last meeting of council we had to consider a 26 lot subdivision in Lilydale. What made this subdivision application quite different to most council considers in Lilydale is that the land in question was covered by significant amounts of indigenous vegetation.

Planning officers had recommended a refusal of the subdivision and I readily seconded the motion to refuse the application.

The site is a rare commodity in Lilydale, it has high conservation significance due to the presence of habitat for the Powerful Owl and the rare Acacia Leprosa (Cinnamon Wattle).

I thought the subdivision was an overdevelopment of the site and the loss of vegetation was extensive. The proposal sought to remove over 170 indigenous canopy trees, 6 of them large trees, 4 very large trees under the native vegetation assessment.

The land is 250 metres from a know roosting site for the Powerful Owl, listed as vulnerable under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act.

These Powerful Owls (a juvenile and an adult) were photographed in Owl Land - Mt Evelyn. We are very lucky to have such magnificent creatures on our doorstep, its important we do what we can to protect their habitat. Many thanks to Francis Mayson-Smith of MEEPA for the image.

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I thought the application did not respond well to the significance of the site and no attempt was made to provide building envelopes on each lot to protect vegetation.

I am pleased to say that councillors supported the refusal unanimously.

10 cents can change the world

Today saw Greens MLC, Colleen Hartland, present over 4000 postcards to "the Minister for the Environment" supporting the Greens Container Deposit Legislation.

Gavin Jennings, Minister for the Environment, wasn't available so young Ewen stood in for him. Even before the legislation was introduced to parliament Minister Jennings indicated the government would not be supporting it.

In a rally on the steps of parliament, people came to hear Colleen speak about the benefits of a Container Deposit Scheme (CDS). A CDS puts money into the hands of community groups (the scouts in SA make $1 million a year!), uses less raw materials to make new containers, creates less greenhouse gas emissions, means much less recyclables in landfill and far less litter in our environment.

Last Thursday, Liz Ingham (Colleen's Electoral Officer), presented the benefits of a Container Deposit Scheme to a group of interested people in Warburton, the night was organised by the Upper Yarra Greens.

Julian Guess - Convenor of the Upper Yarra Greens, me and Liz Ingham - Colleen Hartland's Electoral Officer in Warburton. People were very supportive of the scheme, the benefits of restaurants having a financial incentive to recycle received a great response.

Today's rally on the steps of parliament to support the introduction of a Container Deposit Scheme. The Shire of Yarra Ranges supports the introduction of drink container deposits and recently voted to gain the broader support of all Victorian municipalities at the upcoming MAV State Conference.

94% of Victorians support a Container Deposit Scheme and if the legislation is successful it will see 83% of containers recycled, as it captures all those drinks consumed away from home. The Greens have conservatively estimated that the introduction of a CDS will mean $390,433 more dollars in Yarra Range's budget per annum.

Earlier this week Greens Senator, Scott Ludlum, introduced a federal bill for Container Deposit Legislation.

If you want to see 10cent refunds on drink containers contact your local MP and ask them to support the legislation.

climate change - our future is in our hands

Today I went along to Climate Change Human Sign event down on St Kilda beach, organised by L.I.V.E. (Locals into Victoria's Environment).

Thousands of people gathered on St Kilda beach to form this human sign. Many thanks to Aerofoto for supplying this image.
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Along with thousands of other Victorians I helped to form the message "Climate Change - Our Future is in Your Hands".

It was great to see Sherbrooke Community School at the event. The students and teachers have a great passion for sustainability and the environment, I congratulate them on their commitment.

There is an ongoing frustration within the community that all levels of government are not doing enough to reverse the dangerous effects of global warming with today's message aimed fairly and squarely at the Federal Government.

The Yarra Valley Climate Action Group were there, the group is made up of concerned citizens based in the Yarra Valley. These citizens, from various walks of life, are deeply concerned about the threat from man-made global warming arising from greenhouse gas pollution.

The Federal government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme was deeply flawed and now it is even more so with the latest announcement that the Government will delay the scheme by one year and deliver another $2.2 billion in compensation to Australia’s biggest polluters—in addition to $7.4 billion the polluters are already getting.

As the globe gets hotter more and more species are under threat of extinction.

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The Greens are prepared to support a minimum unconditional 25% target – the bare minimum required by science and the global community – to end 12 years of climate inaction.

After 11 years of climate inaction, Australia cannot afford to delay any longer on emissions trading. The future of our children, grandchildren and their children is at stake.

Me with Janet Rice and Greens MLC, Colleen Hartland.

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Climate action is URGENT. Urgent action is cheaper than delaying action and it provides the green jobs of the future.

A weak 5% target won’t stimulate long term investment in the clean, green jobs of the future.

Today's human sign transformed its message with the 'Y' becoming the underline of our. The future is in our hands, it is up to us to tell our leaders that we want serious action on climate change now.

Many thanks to Aerofoto for supplying this image

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Treasury modeling shows 25% target is affordable; by 2020 Australia’s GDP will be roughly three times the size it is today whether we have a ‘worse than useless’ 5% target or the minimum effective 25% target.

Australia will reduce its emissions by 4% on 1990 levels by 2020. The United Kingdom’s target is 34% on 1990 levels by 2020. It is clear who is leading the world on climate, and it is not Australia.

belgrave has its say

Saturday morning I hit the streets in downtown Belgrave to talk to locals about the Belgrave Township Enhancement Project (BTEP). It was a great opportunity to talk to residents about what they valued in Belgrave, what they thought was missing and what they thought should be fixed.

Here I am with Grace Reid-Simmons talking about the possibilities for Belgrave.

Time and time again people spoke about the sense of community in the township and that was what they valued the most.

There was a lot of talk about the difficulty of walking to the township of Belgrave, particularly crossing Belgrave Gembrook Road.

People really appreciated the opportunity to have their say and know that the council was serious about taking into account their views. It was a great way to capture a range of views, many of the people I spoke to would never put in a submission to council and taking it to the streets is a good way to communicate to a much wider range of community members.

open studio opens

Next weekend (23rd & 24th May) will see the annual Dandenong Ranges Open Studio event on for the 6th year. The weekend is an opportunity for artists to throw open their doors to the public, show (and hopefully sell) their works.

Me pictured with Tracey Roberts and Stax at the Jarmbi Gallery - Burrinja, both feature in next week's Open Studio.

It is a great way to spend your weekend, meandering from one artist to the next, throughout the spectacular Dandenong Ranges, which is looking amazing with all the autumn colour.

There were some very colourful characters providing entertainment at the launch.

Friday night was the official opening of the Open Studio exhibition at Burrinja. If you can't make it around to the studios, the Jarmbi Gallery has a great display of the many and varied works of the local artists involved with this year's Open Studio.

Me with Neil McLeod and Mark Westaway - that's Mark's work in the background.

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The Dandenong Ranges has long been a place of great creative inspiration and Open Studio reaffirms the links between artists and local region.

Tracey Roberts and me, with her work in the background, Tracey is exhibiting in Open Studios for the first time.

women at work

Earlier today I attended the Eastern Women's Business Forum, the second in a series of three forums across Yarra Ranges, Knox and Maroondah. The Forum is an opportunity to hear other women speak about their journey whilst sharing your own. Through networking women discover new techniques to apply to their own businesses and at the same time get valuable mentoring support from other business women.

Pictured left to right: Donna Donavan - Economic Development, Shire of Yarra Ranges, Trudy Lynam - Floriculture, Dee Lynam - Floriculture, Samantha Dunn - Councillor, Shire of Yarra Ranges, Rebecca McKenzie - Director Corporate Services, Shire of Yarra Ranges, Joanne Tate - Yarra Valley Winery Tours and Janine McClelland - The Remedy Group.

Today’s speakers were a wonderful group of women, all giving frank accounts of their journeys, the pitfalls, the highpoints and the lessons learnt.

Janine McClelland of The Remedy Group, was a relative newcomer to small business and gave a very frank account of the journey that lead her to homeopathy. Her start was difficult, her knowledge of small business limited and her future was looking grim, but she had a complete turnaround. The positive energy she invested into her vision for her business was inspiring and she is now reaping the benefits of that positive outlook.

Dee and Trudy Lynam of Floriculture spoke about how a random decision (influenced by a dog!) saw them end up in the cut flower and foliage industry. Hearing how their business had grown, their commitment to delivering a quality local product and their continual expansion of the business into new marketplaces was terrific. The use of the internet was one of the key tools in their success and expansion and they utilise many technologies across their business very well.

Dee Lynam went on to speak about her membership of the Wandin CWA and the core of CWA was about addressing social issues and their impact on women and children. She spoke of her recent work assisting bushfire victims with both material and emotional support. She went on to speak equally as passionately about her membership of Winhort, a group set up in 2002 aimed at encouraging rural women to become more involved in horticultural issues.

Her commitment to her volunteer work was outstanding and she is a fine role model for all women.

Joanne Tate of Yarra Valley Winery Tours spoke about her journey from learning about small business at Healesville's Living and Learning Centre through to taking courses in Box Hill about tourism, an industry she was very interested in developing locally. Her passion found her filling a gap, in what was a very thin tourism market 17 years ago. Her advice was very practical, don't overcapitalise, the web is very important (Joanne spends more on web development than advertising in print media) and never stop learning. Her enthusiasm for what she does was catching and she is a great motivator.

It was a wonderful morning, MC'd by the Shire's new director of Corporate Services, Rebecca McKenzie who did a great job. The value of networking can never be understated and at today's forum the women took full advantage of the learning opportunities, business tips and support proffered.

local plants launched

Early last week I went along to the launch of the Local Plants of the Shire of Yarra Ranges at Lillydale Lake. Although the directory was completed in early February, the bushfires set back the official launch date.

The online directory is very easy to use with a very useful link to the Shire's mapping system to work out what vegetation community you live in and what plants are indigenous to your area.


It is an amazing body of work covering over 900 plants in Yarra Ranges, with photos for most of them, an extraordinary effort in itself. Marilyn Gray (ex Curator of Karwarra Gardens) has spent many years compiling the work, tracking down photos of rare species and tirelessly walking around Yarra Ranges to track down various species.

Peter Kinchington photographed most of the plants in the directory and has done a marvellous job capturing plants whilst flowering, their leaf form and their growing habits.

It is a great online resource for anyone wanting to seek out more information about plants in Yarra Ranges, what plant community you live in and what is a suitable street tree for you. For more details including a link to the directory visit my earlier blog entry.

gardens all go at birdsland

Birdsland Reserve in Belgrave South will soon be home to the Shire of Yarra Ranges first demonstration gardens featuring innovative sustainable design. The gardens will be based on the shire’s Sustainable Gardening booklet and will be used by the shire’s Environment team to demonstrate a wide range of sustainable gardening techniques to school groups and visitors alike.

Me and Garrique Pergl at the Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery located in Birdsland, a great place to purchase very reasonably priced indigenous plants for your garden.

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It's the first time the shire has created sustainable gardens to use as demonstration tools. The Birdsland Education Centre already plays an important role in educating people about sustainability and these gardens will assist them in understanding what sustainability means in a practical on the ground way.

The gardens will provide living, breathing examples of how native plants can be used to create sustainable gardens in urban settings, as well as sustainable ways to create a other gardens such as rockeries and vegetable gardens. A self-sufficient sustainable irrigation system will also be installed in the gardens. The system will have a solar powered pump and will catch and store its own water.

As part of the upgrade the Birdsland Reserve Education Centre will also receive a new amphitheatre and access ramp. A bush fire recently burnt through extensive areas of Birdsland, but I'm told the bush is regenerating well and there has even been some mass germination of 'opportunistic' plants, one, a pelargonium, which in all likelihood hasn't been seen since the last fires in the region.The Education Centre remained unscathed by the fire, which is great news as it plays an important part in the education of school children through the Shire's Learning for Sustainability program.

I can't wait to see the gardens to pick up a few handy hints and techniques myself.

fernlea fearful

I went to Fernlea House earlier this week to join in an afternoon tea with friends of Fernlea. It was lovely to chat to the volunteers and committee, all who are all so dedicated to seeing Fernlea House continue.

Fernlea House provide palliative care services, but rather than apply a clinical model of care, they provide their care based on a more inclusive and wholistic social model. Their future is in jeopardy, with federal funding running out in June 2009. Although palliative care is a state responsibility, the state government refuses to fund Fernlea because they fail to meet the criteria.

Pictured left to right: Ann Davis - President Fernlea House, Helen Pike - Nurse/Manager Fernlea House, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell and me at Fernlea's open day last year.

Last year the Federal goverment took the decision to cease their funding, however after a significant amount of pressure via talkback radio Fernlea had a reprieve when their funding was reinstated. With this funding due to run out soon, the committee are doing all they can to source out new funding.

They are a valuable service to our community, providing them with wholistic care in times of a life limiting illness, I wish them well in their endeavours.

library lends a hand

Earlier this week, as chairperson of the Eastern Regional Libraries Corporation (ERL), I had the priviledge of handing over a donation to the CFA - Region 13. Bill Lahey from Region 13 attended on behalf of the CFA to accept the donation.

Earlier this year the ERL Board took the decision to donate one week's worth of late fees to the local CFA as way to show our thanks to the CFA volunteers. Collection tins were also put around the library network where further funds were collected. All in all $8,000 was donated to the CFA - Region 13, this money will be put to upgrading a smaller vehicle with more equipment so it is of greater use during emergency situations.

Pictured left to right: Cr Len Cox - Mayor Yarra Ranges and ERL Board member, Cr Paul McDonald - City of Maroondah and ERL Board member, me - Yarra Ranges councillor and Chairperson of ERL, Joseph Cullen - CEO ERL and Bill Lahey - Finance Manager CFA Region 13.

The CFA volunteers are an amazing group of people. In talking to my local brigade I was awed to hear than many of them had not been to work for two weeks straight at the time of Black Saturday. Most poignant and heart rendering for me was Drew, the CFA volunteer from Yarra Glen, who watched his own house go up in flames while he was out saving other people's homes. Their sacrifices are enormous, our thanks are great and heartfelt and this donation was a small way to say thank you from the library community.