women in leadership, inspiring

Pictured from left to right: Deputy Dean Eddie Blass -
Swinburne, Cr Jeanette McRae - Ryrie Ward, 
Cr Samantha Dunn - Lyster Ward, Ronni Kahn -
Ozharvest, Margaret Brooks and Jessica Cruff. 

One of my favourite events in the calendar is the Women in Leadership, Be Inspired forum, a partnership between the Shire of Yarra Ranges and Swinburne - Lilydale.

This year's forum heard from Ronni Kahn, founder of OzHarvest Food Rescue, a non-denominational charity that rescues excess food which would otherwise be discarded. This excess food is distributed to charities supporting the vulnerable in Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide and Brisbane. Ronni is looking to set up in Melbourne soon.

Ronni's story certainly inspired women attending that night. Following Ronni's presentation was a panel session which included experiences, stories and advice from Yarra Ranges Councillor Jeanette McRae, Yarra Ranges Ian de la Rue Award recipient 2012 Margaret Brooks and 2012 Swinburne University Scholarship recipient Jessica Cruff.

I was delighted to be able to talk about the importance of women in local government, a topic that is dear to my heart. If you're thinking of running in the upcoming local government elections click here for more information. 

koha cafe back on the menu

The community came out in droves to support the Koha Cafe fundraiser, held at Wild Thyme in Warburton this weekend.


Cr Samantha Dunn, Suyin Chan of Cafe Koha
and Cr Jeanette McRae, at the Cafe Koha
Fundraiser at Wild Thyme in Warburton.

The fundraiser, organised by Michelle, Kate and Lily, was a great success with organisers reporting a whopping $3,799 raised to help the cafe continue it's operation.

The Yarra Ranges Councillors also contributed to the day, all of us donating funds from our community ward funds, making a total contribution from councillors $1,350. Our Deputy Mayor, Cr Jeanette McRae presented the cheque to Koha Cafe powerhouse, Suyin Chan.



African Dancing was part of the day's entertainment as
part of a terrific line up of local talent to celebrate this
well loved community cafe.

Cafe Koha is a community based project located in Yarra Junction. Anyone can come in and have a meal and pay what they can afford or what they think it's worth. The aim of Cafe Koha is to create community resilience and promote social inclusion. They do a great job and it was clear from the support received on the day, they are a very much loved community enterprise.

Well done to the organisers, you did a great job and have given the cafe much earned breathing space in terms of its operation. 

save sylvia creek

Today I joined with concerned community members, environment groups and my fellow Councillors, Crs Jeanette McRae and Tim Heenan in the forests of Toolangi.

We were there to show our objection to logging in this region, specifically Sylvia Creek, the coupes know as Freddo (297-826-0002) and Gun Barrel (297-526-0001). Over 100 people were in attendance, a show of real commitment given the chilly, wet conditions.

Yarra Ranges has had a long history of opposing logging in the Shire of Yarra Ranges. In 2007 we opposed logging in Melbourne's water catchments, in 2010 we opposed logging in the Toolangi region because of its impact on tourism, the local economy and environment and this year we signed the Ethical Paper Pledge, pledging to only purchase copy paper with no native forest content.

From left to right: Cr's Jeanette McRae, Samantha Dunn and Tim Heenan of the Shire of Yarra Ranges. Council feels strongly that the Ethical Paper Pledge is an accurate reflection of our commitment to sustainability, protection of the environment, corporate social responsibility and local community needs as outlined in our procurement policy.

This year council also submitted to the VicForests Timber Release Plan (TRP) to outline our concerns about the proposed logging in the region. It has been disappointing to learn that none of the issues raised by the Shire of Yarra Ranges have been taken into consideration by VicForests or the DSE.

In relation to the logging of this particular area council raised a number of issues, specifically around the protection of threatened species habitat.

Council is aware of the extensive impact of the 2009 bushfires on habitat required by threatened species. Coupled with the loss of habitat through logging operations over past decades, there is increasingly less area of suitable habitat for threatened species, including the state's faunal emblem, the Leadbeater's Possum.

In the foreground are concerned community members, this gives an idea of the scale of the forests being logged.

The impact of past logging and the 2009 bushfires has also resulted in a reduced area available for logging, potentially bringing the commercial needs of VicForests into more direct competition for habitat required for threatened species.

Council is keen to ensure that all Special Protection Zone (SPZ) areas are adequately conserved and protected. Council believes this should include avoiding logging operations immediately adjacent to SPZ areas to avoid accidental over logging and unexpected impacts from regeneration burns on habitat critical to the survival of threatened species.

As part of our TRP submission council sought assurances that no new coupes would be granted that have any potential to destroy SPZ forest, or any areas of Leadbeater's Possums' Permanent Reserve System, or other areas previously set aside to secure/conserve forest biodiversity. We haven't had a response to these specific concerns as yet from VicForests, the DSE or the Minister, but given the logging coupe visited today overlaps an SPZ area, I'm certain there's not going to be any consideration of this or the threatened species who call this forest home.

A number of speakers addressed the group including the Yarra Ranges Councillors, I spoke about our long history of opposing logging and the impact of logging on our local tourism industry, Cr McCrae talked about the loss of biodiversity whilst Cr Heenan's message was 'no jobs on a dead planet'.

Council does not support logging of these Sylvia Creek coupes, 297-826-0002 (Freddo) and 297-526-0001 (Gun Barrell), amongst a long list of other coupes that threaten forest biodiversity and species on the brink of extinction.

Council does not support the logging of any coupe either adjacent to Special Protection Zone areas and/or Leadbeater's Possum Permanent Reserve System.

report from the round table 10th June

Environment Strategy - we finally have one!
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A winter's morning - Sherbrooke Forest, Kallista.

It was great to be at council last week to move the motion to ratify the Environment Strategy. The strategy has been a massive effort from all concerned and several months of work has gone into the document. There has been endless meetings to consider the document and after the seventh reading of the entire document I was happy to finally see it before council.

It seems crazy that a municipality like Yarra Ranges never had an Environment Strategy, when you consider how much of the shire is environmentally precious, zoologically significant and home to endangered flora and fauna.

I was one of the councillors on the working group, a task I shared with Cr Jeanette McRae (Ryrie ward). I have been very proud to have a key role in steering this strategy, it's a document that cements Yarra Ranges' reputation as an environmental leader.

The purpose of the Yarra Ranges Environment Strategy is to provide strategic direction and guidance to the Yarra Ranges Shire Council in its:
• delivery of community and infrastructure services;
• management of land parcels that it owns;
• efforts to reduce its own corporate environmental impacts;
• regulation of community activity through planning and other permitting and compliance processes; and
• role as a community leader, advocate and educator in sustainable outcomes.

If you'd like to have a look visit: http://www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Files/08-06-10Item8-5.pdf