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Holiday bonanza
Celebrating 120 Years TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2010 $1.20
The Star celebrates the last edition for 2010 today with its
biggest issue of the year, a bumper 104 page edition, including the
44 page South Coast Tourist News liftout inside.
The Star will not publish next Tuesday, De-cember 28. The rst
issue for the New Year will be Wednesday, January 5, one day later
due to the
public holiday on Monday, January 3.Our of ce will close today
(Tuesday, Decem-
ber 21) at 5pm, re-opening on Thursday, Decem-ber 30 and Friday,
December 31. Classi eds and late sport can be received on Tuesday
morning, January 4 before noon.
The management and staff of The Star thank
you all for your support throughout 2010. It has been a big year
culminating in our newspaper re-ceiving a state award for
journalism for the second year running.
We wish all our readers, contributors and ad-vertisers a happy
Christmas, and a safe and enjoy-able holiday period.
Seasons Greetings to readers
Inside todayInside today
All ready: Inverloch surf lifesavers Jake Lurati, Bec Morris and
Candice Richardson are prepared for a big summer.
By Jane Ross and Tessa Hayward
TOURISM is worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the local
economy.
In South Gippsland Shire alone, the gure is $223 million a
year.
And were right at the height of the
season, which runs from Melbourne Cup Day to the end of
Easter.
Caravan and holiday parks are booked out from Christmas until
the end of January.
But paramedics are alarmed by the apparent lack of extra
ambulances for the peak season.
Ambulance Employees Association secretary Steve McGhie, said
that there had
been no word about the usual increase.He said the only way extra
ambu-
lances can be staffed is for paramedics to be called in on
overtime and to date, that has not occurred.
Its a worry, he said.Ambulance Victoria was not avail-
able for comment before going to print.Tourism employs 1800
people in
South Gippsland Shire alone, includ-
ing extras put on during the peak season.
Well over a million people visit the shire every year and the
councils tourism co-ordinator Christian Stefani, said tourists stay
an average of three nights, spending $366 per visitor while they
are here.
Continued on page 49.
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PAGE 2 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Merry Christmas
Cecilia and the team thank all their customers for making 2010
an exciting year of Scandinavian flair!
peace happiness good health goodwill
Shops 2 & 4, IGA Ritchies Arcade, 158 Graham Street,
Wonthaggi. Telephone: 03 5672 5553 www.nordicdesignshome.com.au
Santa Claus came to town!LEONGATHAS Carols in the Drome was a
big hit on Saturday night, with Santa Claus, Christmas carollers
and the South Gippsland Shire Brass Band all taking centre
stage.
Retiring nativity director Marg Aes-
chlimann made the show one to remember. But she was ably backed
by a rocking band, school children in full voice, the Adult Choir,
the astounding Jen Monk and Elly Poletti and the smooth baritone
stylings of Aaron Gale.
The reworks display made sure the night ended with a bang.
Christmas babes: Susan Jacobs with six-month-old Olivia and
Tenneale Grayden with three-month-old Logan.
Happy girls: Amelia Dunn, Jessica Geary, Britney Thomas, Kelly
Geary and Siobhan Beecroft shared some Christmas spirit.
Well made up: face paint artist Susan Morrow with
SophieClarkson.
Band stander: South Gippsland Shire Brass Bands second
cornetplayer Doug Appleton blew up astorm.
Rocking out: the South Gippsland Shire Brass Band, including
Simon Jones, was a big hit.
Ready to rock: Leongatha Primary Schools Tom Evans and Tyson
Chandler were ready to hit the stage as part of the school
choir.
Santa Claus: the jolly old fellow made a special appearance,
arriving with the CFA.
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 3
By Matt Dunn
CASH-STRAPPED schools are using the guarantee of parents tax
returns to buy computers.
Principals say their schools are suffering from a massive
shortfall in funding and have used the Federal Governments
Education Tax Refund program which allows parents to claim on out
of pocket expenses for computers and related items to make sure
their schools have enough tech equipment to go around.
Korumburra Primary School principal Bill Jeffs has drafted a
letter for parents of chil-dren entering Grade 4 next year, asking
them to lease Acer Aspire netbooks. Buying the computers without
parental help is beyond the schools modest means.
The children will own the $840 comput-ers at the end of Grade 6.
They will be loaded with $900 worth of software, courtesy of the
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
Weve had a public meeting and the peo-ple who attended were
heavily in favour of us having these netbook computers for the
kids, Mr Jeffs said.
Parents can claim expenses back through the Education Tax
Refund.
The maximum claim allowable is $780 for each eligible child in
primary school (with a re-fund of $390) and $1558 for each eligible
child in secondary school (with a refund of $779).
All weve done is said thats up to them to investigate, but we
dont give advice about tax matters. Our understanding is you can
claim a lot of this money back, but youll have to nd out from the
tax department, Mr Jeffs said.
Leongatha Primary School has a similar scheme, but has
incorporated the expense for computers into its voluntary
contributions payments.
The parents payments have risen sharply in the past two years,
but because they now
incorporate ICT (information communications technology) fees can
also be claimed back, in part, under the Education Tax Refund.
Principal Rob Higgins said the previous state government had
left his school woefully under-funded when it came to computer
equipment.
The previous government would say, you got grants for costs
related to computers. My computer grants were $6000 a year. That
was for $120 computers. To turn those over and keep them
state-of-the artthe mathematics just didnt add up, he said.
But that was the previous government. Were in a brave new world
now.
A written statement from the school council said funds were
resourced from all possible sources.
Next year we have restructured our parental contributions so
that we can provide the maximum resources for the school while
allowing the parents the opportunity to receive the optimum rebates
to which they are entitled, the statement said.
Many of our families who receive Education Maintenance Allowance
will only need to contribute $20 for the whole year. Those families
who are eligible for the Federal Government Education Tax Offset
will contribute $250 per annum but will receive half of this back
in rebate.
Victorian Education Union president Mary Bluett was not
surprised by the revelations.
Victoria remains the lowest funded state in the nation and there
is a growing gap between what the government funds and what the
com-munity expects of a 21st century education, she said.
Ms Bluett said there was a growing gap between the haves and the
have-nots in the school community.
Those schools in communities that have the capacity to pay are
able to set much higher voluntary contributions than those in
poorer communities, she said.
Some principals dont set any voluntary fees because they know
parents would struggle to pay and they would go without things
be-cause they wanted to look after their schools.
The tax rebate stuff is welcome but the underlying issue is the
level of funding for our government primary schools and secondary
schools, and the need to signi cantly boost it.
The State Governments new Education Minister, Martin Dixon,
declined to answer questions from The Star, including whether more
funding would be provided to Victorian schools under the
Coalition.
Schools under pressure
Tech savvy: Korumburra Primary School Grade 6 student Liiam
Miller has been road testing one of the schools Acer As-pire
netbooks.
By Isaac McCallum
A POSTER depicting a bikini clad woman on a surf shop win-dow in
Leongatha was spray-painted with the word RESPECT over the
weekend.
The vandal also paint-ed a pink T-shirt over the models
chest.
Shop owner Mick Horell has received com-plaints about the poster
in the past, but has generally found customers were not
offended.
Ive had an anonymous letter complaining about the poster, and
another guy came in and said I was sell-ing sex. Im not, Im
sell-ing bathers, he said.
Everyone else that has come in has been ne with it. Im well
within my legal rights to have that poster there.
Mr Horell is not set on blaming either of the two
Bikini poster vandalisedcomplainants just yet, but said someone
has a prob-
lem with the poster. Its de nitely deliber-
Respect: Milie Surf Wear shop owner Mick Horell.
ate. Theyve written RE-SPECT. Obviously they think Im not
respectful, but theres nothing wrong
with it, he said.Mr Horell will order a
replacement poster. Police are investigating.
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PAGE 4 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 5
By Brad Lester
PEOPLE across South Gippsland could subsidise the cost of
sewer-ing Nyora unless smaller blocks are approved for the
town.
Planning consultant and former mayor Nigel Hutchinson-Brooks
said land north of the existing Nyora township should be subdivided
into blocks of up to half an acre.
If not, other South Gippsland Wa-ter customers would subsidise
the cost through higher service fees, Mr Hutchin-son-Brooks
said.
That claim was con rmed by South Gippsland Water managing
director, Steve Evans.
The expensive costs developers would face in providing sewerage
to larger blocks would also render development unviable.
Low density zoning is proposed for the subject land, between the
town boundary and south of Glovers Road, in the Nyora Structure
Plan discussion pa-per released by South Gippsland Shire Council
recently. That zoning requires minimum lots of one acre.
Nyora, together with Loch and Poo-wong, is due to be sewered at
a total cost of $15 million.
If we have proper sized blocks, that
will help ease the cost of sewerage in the town for everyone
else in the shire as they will be paying for it, Mr
Hutchinson-Brooks told council last Wednesday.
Please dont put it into low density. It will not work.
Mr Hutchinson-Brooks is undertaking consulting work for the
developer of the land and wants the land zoned Residential One.
To date, there has been no consider-ation of the economic
viability of what is being proposed, he said.
The structure plan discussion paper states that if the land was
to be zoned Residential One, excess residential land supply would
result if all land became
available in the short term.Mr Evans said smaller blocks
would
result in less fees.He said sewerage schemes are paid for
by $800 landowner contributions in the towns being sewered; a
government grant; and the shortfall covered by South Gippsland
Waters general revenue, which would ulti-mately be paid for by all
customers.
The money has to come from some-where so it will come from the
total rev-enue base, he said.
No matter what, we make up the difference for the project so if
there are more people connecting in, we have more people sharing in
the costs.
But Mr Evans said the savings were
not proportional to the number of extracustomers, as more people
equated to moresewerage and ultimately greater treatmentcosts, such
as a bigger basin.
Trish Fleming of the Nyora andDistrict Development Association
toldcouncil the towns structure plan omitsthe need for a transport
interchange, fu-ture emergency services, the expansionof Nyora
Primary School, bigger sport-ing facilities, and the future of the
NyoraSpeedway.
In addressing council last week, MrsFleming also called for a
bigger BusinessOne zone around Mitchell Street and thevalue of
retaining a paddock in the centreof town.
Shes cruising: Judy Johnstone was surrounded by grandchildren
Nicolas, Brook and Chloe as she was farewelled from Saint Laurences
Primary School, Leongatha, last week. She received owers and gifts
that included a ducky ring and oaties, in reference to her plans to
sail around Australia with her husband Lyle. More St Laurences
coverage on page 23.
Subsidy risk smells foul
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PAGE 6 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
adornments.On Sunday, December
12 at about 12.30am, three boys were seen in the Pric-es garden
vandalising and thieving the lights.
The boys were not caught, but the lights were returned the next
day.
My husband takes great pride and pleasure in decorating our
garden so that it is full of Christmas lights for everyone to
en-joy, Mrs Price said.
Every year, the decora-tion display grows and much time is
invested for the joy of families passing at night.
I painted a sign beg-
ging for our decorations back and by 11am Mon-day, they had been
re-turned, Mrs Price said.
But the lights were re-turned damaged.
The thieves had not disconnected the lights properly and had
pulled out the wiring.
I truly dont under-stand this. It is not only us that is upset
but so are all the people who got great pleasure in driving by with
their children to see Santa and his reindeer in our gar-den, she
said.
Mrs Price asked the thieves: Where is your Christmas spirit?
Christmas cheer goneBy Tessa Hayward
GAVIN Price put hours of effort in to decorating his Le-
ongatha house and garden with Christ-mas lights, only for
someone to break and steal the
Community help: Debbie and Gavin Price with some of the returned
and damaged decorations, and the sign they painted, pleading for
the decorations back.
A SOUTH Gippsland student was dux of a prestigious War-ragul
school.
Arawata resident Amelia Harrison scored an ATAR of 99.5 at St
Pauls An-glican Grammar School.
It was a well deserved result after a sometimes stressful
year.
The 18-year-old hopes to take a gap year in 2011 then study
medicine at Mo-nash University in 2012.
I just think it would be a really in-teresting and challenging
career that I would really enjoy, Amelia said.
I didnt really know what I want-ed to do up until Year 10 after
reading Never Say Die by brain surgeon Chris OBrien.
Her gap year will raise money for accommodation and hopefully
include some travelling.
Amelia went to Leongatha Primary School and then St Pauls after
winning a scholarship.
She did chemistry, French, literature, health and human
development, maths methods and biology.
Amelia plans to spend the summer relaxing, with some work at
Korum-burra IGA.
I didnt have a great time in Year 12. I thought it was pretty
stressful. I was glad when it was over, she said.
I would say (to future Year 12s) give yourself some time to
relax and take time out from study to hang out with your
friends.
Top scorers our own
Schools over: Arawata resident Amelia Harrison, the dux of St
Pauls in Warragul, is glad Year 12 is over.
By Jane Ross
THE festive season can be a dif cult time for those dealing with
grief.
Its very sad that we cant support people far better than we do,
says Bev Morphett, a social worker with Bass Coast Regional
Health.
In todays fast society, you get a weeks comfort when someone
close to you dies and thats it.
People forget where you are and whats happened.
Our society is no longer a village society and we dont support
people appropriately.
Life and death are about having some sort of reality, but we
dont like to confront our mortality.
Bev suggests that having a little candle lighting ceremony
during Christmas celebrations helps those who are bereaved because
it means the death is not ignored, but neither is it taking over
the days festivities.
Bevs colleague Jill Ryan, said Christmas always brings loss to
the fore because it is supposed to be a time of sharing.
All it needs is for people to rec-ognise its a normal part of
grieving. Others want to jolly people up, but
they need to be allowed to verbalise their feelings and not feel
pressured to be cheery.
Jill says grief is exacerbated at Christmas, but all it needs is
for people to recognise that its normal.
Others want to jolly them up, but if those who are grieving are
allowed to verbalise their feelings and not feel pres-sured to be
cheery, they cope a lot better.
Jill believes that maintaining an ex-ercise regime is
helpful.
When youre out walking and breathing in fresh air, you feel a
lot bet-ter. Exercise is something you do have control over. I
think when you smell nature and see birds making nests, its a
reminder that life goes on.
Or, sit on the beach and watch oth-er people, listening to
relaxation tapes or music can be very soothing. Treat-ing ourselves
to a massage or hair ap-pointment can make us feel good about
ourselves.
Jill said dealing with grief is a time to be true to
yourself.
It takes a lot of strength to learn to say no to people, not to
disappoint them. But you need to do what is in-herently right for
you, not what others think is right.
She said there are those who cant deal with death and dying
stuff and if youre grieving, you need to lter out
those who arent helpful.Bev said grief is a really dif cult
thing which affects us all differently. Some people are
frightened of funer-als, others cannot sit with loved ones who are
dying.
But, if you can do that, it leaves you more positive about
yourself in the end. Its really important to the griev-ing
process.
Funerals belong with the grieving process too, because they meet
the need of those who are left.
I understand why people have private (funeral) servic-es, but
they can be very lonely.Supporting those who are grieving is
important.
Just be around, said Bev, have a cup of coffee. No words will
make it easier. There will be grief and it has to be acknowledged.
Its so important that people dont hold back.
Not showing your emotions is a pile of rubbish.
Native societies do proper griev-ing and can move on more
easily.
She said caring for a sick relative can be exhausting.
Youre walking a tight rope all the time.
The important thing with grief, said Bev, is not to ignore it,
because it al-ways comes back.
Celebrate but recognise grief too
GWEN Derrick, the founda-tion stone of Wonthaggi The-atre Group,
has received a prestigious theatre award.
She was presented with the Edith Harry Award for outstanding
contribution to musical theatre at the Music Theatre Guild of
Victoria awards.
In 2009, the Wonthaggi Theatrical Group celebrated its 40th
anniversary and Gwen has been involved in the administration of the
group through all that time as well as working as a performer,
director, costume manager, milliner, mentor and font of theatrical
knowledge.
Gwen was delighted to be presented with her glass Bruce
brick and was most surprised.Chatting to friends at the
after
party, Gwen had many stories of happy moments in the ups and
downs of her theatrical life.
She is looking forward with much enthusiasm to her involvement
in Wonthaggi Theatrical Groups next project, the Fred Ebb/John
Kander musical, Cabaret.
Theatre stalwart honoured
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 7
80 blocks.Mr Lawrie said more
people are becoming aware of Venus Bay.
Whenever there is a write up on coastal prop-erties, Venus Bay
will get a mention and thats been prominent in the last two to
three years, he said.
Before that, one of the
reasons Venus Bay didnt take off is because it was unknown.
There is a great-
er awareness of people in Melbourne about Venus Bay today.
By Chris Brown
COASTAL property prices are buoyant as the summer selling season
begins.
Southcoast First Na-tional director Blair Hodg-es said strong
growth in Inverloch had continued over the past 12 months.
Theres been the rental demand from the desal. Also, the younger
desal workforce took advantage of the stimulus package (and bought)
and we had quite a few young people from Western Australia come and
buy property, he said.
Block prices in Inver-loch are now a minimum of $185,000 with an
aver-age in the mid-$200,000s.
The higher price of land is pushing up the value of everything
in the town.
For houses the average price is $450,000 plus.
Mr Hodges said the market was showing good growth because
In-verloch was now a week-end destination.
Its on the map as a place to come and you see so many new faces
in town, he said.
Along the coast has been pretty constant, be-cause its an
hour-and-a-
half out of Melbourne.Unlike coastal towns
such as Cape Paterson or Venus Bay, Inverloch has its own
commercial centre and social opportunities at hotels and
restaurants.
In Venus Bay it seems the only way for prices is up as well.
Robb Lawrie at Alex Scott and Staff Venus Bay said his gures
show the median price this year at Venus Bay is about $250,000,
compared to $212,500 at the same time last year.
If I look at blocks this time last year they were selling
between $79,000
and $85,000. Of the last dozen blocks, at least 10 of them have
been over $100,000, he said.
I still think that Venus Bay is the cheapest coastal area within
two hours of Melbourne, he said.
We get a lot of peo-ple who come in and say I want to buy a
holiday house and it doesnt need to make a lot of money.
The Venus Bay agency was busy in December, which is
traditionally a quiet period though there are fewer properties for
sale this year than last.
Alex Scott and Staff has about 46 houses and
Coastal prices strong
By Matt Dunn
A RECENT week-long sale at Leongathas Memorial Hall has local
traders seething, with accusations that valuable Christmas dollars
were taken by a Melbourne company.
Traders were disgusted. The council shouldnt do it. They want
the town to support them and theyre letting outsiders come in and
take away our business, said one angry local trader, who wished to
remain anonymous.
Sale items included toys, plants and hardware items.
Leongatha Chamber of Com-merce president Darryl McGannon
said he was disappointed by the sale and many chamber members
were angered.
I know some of the traders were dirty about it, but at the end
of the day we cant do much about it, he said.
But you just hope that locals will support local businesses, not
out-of-towners. I was disappointed they were, because they dont put
anything back into the community.
From the chambers point of view, we were disappointed they were
able to come into town. We feel strongly about supporting local
businesses and putting the money back into our com-munity and not
someone elses.
But Memorial Hall manager Graeme Heath said fair trading laws
forbade him from disallowing opera-tors the chance to sell their
wares at
the hall, regardless of where they came from.
I couldnt stop Mr Myer com-ing in for a week if he wanted to, he
said.
Mr Heath spoke of a furniture sale in the hall going back ve or
six years ago that caused angst among some local traders.
So council thought about it and got the council solicitor
involved. He went through all the local and state legislation.
Basically, wed be in bigger trouble if we didnt allow them to
trade, he said.
The only way to stop people trading in the hall is to ban all
com-mercial use. That would wipe out the bridal expo and all other
sales.
The traders spent $3000 hiring the hall.
Hall sale angers traders
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PAGE 8 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
By Isaac McCallum
JUST as tourist numbers will grow over the next month, so too
will the number of police of cers.
Cowes, San Remo, Inverloch and Fos-ter stations will be
supplemented with more police and a station will be set up at Tidal
River.
The numbers will be increased until the end of January in an
attempt to com-bat the prospect of crime in the densely populated
tourist areas.
Extra resources will be called in for New Years Eve celebrations
at Cowes and Inverloch.
Inspector Glenn Weir of the Bass Coast and South Gippsland
Police Ser-vice Area believes the extra numbers will be
adequate.
Well be organising signi cant effort from the Operation Response
team for New Years Eve but the numbers will be suf cient for the
rest of the summer, he said.
Were primarily concerned with public order. People want to have
a good time and they want to do it without being threatened with
violence.
The Pyramid Rock festival will be on again at Phillip Island,
with more than 12,000 people expected to ow on to the Island.
The police will be forced to run a traf- c operation to combat
the masses of traf c leaving the festival on New Years Day.
Insp. Weir said the police are fully prepared and will be
dedicated to carrying out the requirements of their roles while in
South Gippsland and the Bass Coast.
Volunteers disgusted: vandals have wrecked the wall of a toilet
block at the Korumburra Show-grounds, outraging the members of the
Korumburra Agricultural and Pastoral Society.
The society is also concerned about the many pot-holes forming
in the road around the reserve, caused by motorists and truck
drivers taking shortcuts through the reserve, between the highway
and Victoria Street. Driv-ers are urged to keep to main roads.
Surfed carA MAN was airlifted to hospital in Melbourne after a
car sur ng incident at Sandy Point on Saturday night.
The police saw the Melbourne man, in his early 20s, riding on
the boot of a car along the foreshore.
He fell off the car onto the sand and was treated for serious
head injuries at Foster hospital before being own to Melbourne.
Police believe there were up to ve men aged in their early 20s
involved.
The driver has been interviewed and released pending a summons
to appear before a court.
The car has been impounded.
Serious condition A PASSENGER in a car that collided with a tree
at Mirboo North has been taken to hospital in Melbourne in a
serious condition.
The driver of the vehicle, who is being interviewed by police
for drink driving, lost control and swerved before the car collided
with the tree in Old Thorpdale Road.
Bike stolenA MONKEY bike worth $850 was stolen from a garage on
Grand Ridge Road, Mirboo North between December 17 and 19.
The pint sized 70cc bike was red. Police have asked the public
for help.
Gaming theftTHIEVES broke into a unit in McCartin Street,
Leongatha and stole $250 worth of gaming equipment.
The theft occurred between December 11 and 13. The offenders
forced the front door and broke glass photo frames on their way
inside.
Bicycle probePOLICE are investigating the theft of a bike from a
house in ONeill Street, Leongatha.
The bike was taken between Wednesday, December 8 and Monday,
December13.
POLICE BRIEFSPOLICE BRIEFSPolice boost
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 9
By Matt Dunn
FISHERIES Victoria has been using undercover agents to patrol
beaches around Venus Bay as the summer pipi sea-son hots up.
Despite the use of these secret operatives, Fisheries Victoria
has been favouring a media campaign that highlights the positive
aspects of the family recreational activity.
While publicly talking up the annual pipi twist as a sign of
Vic-torias vibrant and growing mul-ticultural shing community, the
government department has covert operatives keeping a close eye on
those collecting the shell sh.
A two-month blitz that ended on Sunday, saw 285 random
inspections by the of cers, which led to 24 in-fringement notices
being issued, to-gether with a number of of cial and verbal
warnings.
Eastern Fisheries operations manager Peter Courtney said
patrols
of the area would continue.We need to ensure this resource
is being utilised both responsibly and sustainably, Mr Courtney
said.
Fisheries Victoria has had a compliance presence at Venus Bay
and surrounding areas since late Oc-tober of this year which has
resulted in positive interaction with both lo-cals and visitors to
the area.
Offences included exceeding the bag limit, using digging
implements to take pipis and not having a current recreational
shing licence.
Mr Courtney said a daily catch limit of two litres per day
applies to collectors.
Of cers will continue to have a presence at Venus Bay throughout
the rest of summer and we will not hesitate to prosecute people who
out the regulations, he said.
Last week four men from Mel-bourne were convicted and ned $800
each when they appeared at the Korumburra Magistrates Court. A
woman who failed to appear was also convicted and ned $800.
The group had travelled from St Albans in Melbourne last August
and used hand held digging imple-ments to take pipis in the
inter-tidal zone, Mr Courtney said.
When intercepted the group ran and hid in the dunes. Six bags
were recovered with a total of 75.5 litres of pipis which were
seized along with digging tools and other equip-ment including
rucksacks.
Magistrate Raleigh said it was his belief that the pipis had
been taken for sale.
The annual in ux of large groups from Melbourne has been a point
of simmering tension between local residents many of whom attest
be-lief in an organised, commercial op-eration and people who
descend on the beaches.
Pipis are rumoured to sell for up to $18 a kilogram in Melbourne
and are a favourite in many Asian dishes.
Anyone observing illegal sh-ing activity is encouraged to call
the 24-hour reporting line 13-FISH (13-3474).
Undercover patrols
By Brad Lester
A HEALTH clinic dedicated to helping young people needs more
funding to continue.
Demand for the Access Youth Clinic in Leongatha has risen since
opening seven months ago, but more investment is needed to ensure
the service can continue.
The clinic is part of Leongatha Healthcare, and offers bulk
billed and con dential healthcare to the children and teenagers of
South Gippsland, including psychology, and drug and alcohol
counselling.
Clinic staff appealed to South Gippsland Shire Council for
fund-ing at last Wednesdays public presentation.
But Cr Jennie Deane said health funding was a matter for the
state and federal governments.
Dr Sinead De Gooyer said more money was vital to providing a
ser-vice that is warranted.
Unless we are auspiced by a not-for-pro t organisation, its dif
cult to get extra funding, she said.
The clinic sees more than 15 chil-dren a week, with 76 per cent
female. Sixty per cent are aged 16-18, 14 per cent 19-21, 17 per
cent 14-15 and six per cent 12-13. Three per cent were aged 22 or
older.
While most patients were living at home, 15 per cent were living
in share accommodation and two per
cent were homeless. The high cost of private rental properties
in Leon-gatha was a concern for patients.
Mental health was a major reason for patients presenting.
Gippsland Southern Health Ser-vices health promotion of cer
Julia Lomas said the service supported the clinic.
Nearly 14 per cent of the popula-tion in South Gippsland is aged
be-tween 10 and 19, and almost 17 per
cent of children aged 16 and under live in a welfare dependent
or low income family.
The clinics furniture has been acquired from St Vincent de Paul
Society and the Leongatha Lions Club has helped with the cost of
pre-scriptions. Kelvin Johns Retravision has supplied goods at cost
price and donated a secondhand television.
The clinic is located on the rst oor of 3 Lyon Street,
Leongatha.
Support please: the Youth Access Clinics Anna Close-Mewett, Dr
Sinead De Gooyer and Gippsland Southern Health Services Julia
Lomas.
Youth health rides on funding
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PAGE 10 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
SOUTH Gippsland FOCAS (Fo-cus on Care and Support) concluded the
annual day of People with Dis-ability celebrations with a barbecue
on Wednesday, December 8. Despite cloudy skies, the day went ahead
at Guide Park in Wonthaggi. Around 40 members and supporters turned
up for a delicious barbecue. Ham-pers and Christmas gifts were won
after everyone received a free ticket in the raf e.
THERE are only four days until Christmas! Santa has prepared his
sleigh and the reindeer are all set for the big round the world
trip.
OUT of the 19 border collie pup-pies born in October, (11 were
born on October 11), there are three pup-pies left to be sold. The
family de-cided to keep two dogs and since advertising and word of
mouth three weeks ago, they have sold 14 pup-
pies. Owner Maria Roberts said the dogs have their own
personalities and are energetic.
WOORAYL Golf Club will celebrate its rst 50 years in April 2011.
The club would like to hear from anyone who may have pho-tos,
memorabilia or stories to tell. If you have any or know of anyone
who could help, contact the club on 5662 4187.
THE LEONGATHA and Dis-trict Historical Society will be closed
from December 17 until January 3.
The Mechanics Institute Mu-seum will be open throughout January
for visitors to enjoy from noon to 4pm. To round off 2010, members
gathered at the home of Pat and Jim Spinks for an end of year
lunch. A delicious meal was
enjoyed by all thanks to the con-tributions of all the great
member cooks.
On Australia Day, the society will hold a cemetery walk at the
Leon-gatha Cemetery at 11.30am. Mem-bers of the public will be
welcome to attend.
THE Anglican Church in Le-ongatha underwent some mainte-nance in
the past couple of weeks. The guttering was replaced and some parts
of the building were re-painted. Reverend Janet Wallis was happy
with the new paint job. On-going preservation is always needed for
old buildings.
LEONGATHA Gymnastics Club and Kinder Gym have calendars for sale
with gymnasts posing as the let-ters in each month. This a great
pres-ent for family. Phone Miranda on 0429 647 399 or Tegan on 0400
594 331.
Academic honour: Char-lotte Newcome of Wara-tah North graduated
with honours from a Bachelor of Radiography and Medi-cal Imaging
from Monash University, Clayton.
Charlotte attended St Laurences Primary School and Mary
MacKillop Col-lege in Leongatha and is now working as a
radiog-rapher in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales.
Watch me, kids: Meeniyan identity Fay Sinclair treated Grade 6
students at Tarwin Valley Primary School to Christmas cake
decorating recently.
Each year, Fay volunteers her skills and time to show students
how to decorate a traditional Christmas cake which is treasured by
the students and their families.
A WHITE Cockatiel bird has been at the start of the rail trail
in Leon-gatha. A couple found the bird there two days in a row, and
have decided to rescue it and place it in a makeshift cage at home.
If you know anything, or are the owner of this bird, please call
5662 4510.
ARE you a young person looking for a social outlet?
The Tarwin Junction Rovers could be for you.
Af liated with the scouting fraternity, the group offers social
and adventure activi-ties for young people aged 18-26.
Rovers meet every Friday at the Leon-
gatha Scout Hall at 7.30pm and also takepart in other activities
such as mud buggyracing, fundraising and interact with otherRovers
and also scout groups throughout theregion.
They are also set to renovate a hall at theBell Park Scout
Camp.
To nd out more, phone Trevor Wyhoonon 0429 421 126.
Good time guaranteedMaking money: Tarwin Junction Rovers Trevor
Wyhoon, Ben Browning andMel Wolswinkel at the Farmers Market at
Koonwarra.
Memorable night: Louise Dower and Maddie Dale enjoyed the
Gippsland Associated Theatre awards in Leongatha recently.
THE members of the Leongatha Branch of Cake Decorating have been
busy icing and decorating 32 cakes for those less fortunate at
Christmas.
Volunteers have also made 80 individual plum puddings to give to
residents at Woorayl Lodge and Koo-rooman House, Leongatha.
The club is a small, butproud, keen, versatile, youngand mature
group of decora-tors. Members meet regularlyat members houses and
withdifferent themes, go homewith masterpieces.
Anyone interested in join-ing should contact secretaryFay
Sinclair 5664 4354.
We always say the morethe merrier and its good tocompare but
better to share,she said.
Decorators give
Thinking of others: cake decorators, front, Astrid Cecil, Jacob
Cecil, Amy Tudor, Jasmine Mackie and Judith Pettigrew. Back: Twila
Cecil, Judy Ball, Fay Sinclair, Heather Bruce and Ethel Hanks.
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 11
Deputy Premier and Gippsland South MLA, Peter Ryan
I WOULD like to take the opportunity to wish the residents of
Gippsland South a merry Christmas and happy and productive New
Year.
This has been a year to remember for many reasons.
We had drought break-ing rain across much of Victoria, with
Mel-bournes water storages rising above 50 per cent for the rst
time since 2006, and of course there was a change of govern-ment in
Victoria with the
Liberal Nationals Coali-tion winning both houses of
Parliament.
After such an eventful year, the Christmas and the New Year
period is a time where we can relax with our friends, our fam-ily
and loved ones and
also re ect on the year that has been.
The festive season is also a time when we travel more on our
roads, wheth-er that is to attend a Christ-mas party or getting
away on that much deserved summer holiday.
I urge everyone who is planning to use our roads to take care
and to be es-pecially aware of children on school holidays.
The Christmas sea-son gives us the oppor-tunity to appreciate
what we have, our family and our friends, and also our
community.
I wish all Gippsland South residents an enjoy-able and safe
Christmas and New Year and look forward to a great 2011.
Leongatha 5662 3601Compass Arcade, 16 McCartin Street,
LeongathaEmail: [email protected] Lic No. 30655
Sat., December 25 - Closed
Sun., December 26 - Closed
Mon., December 27 - Closed
Tues., December 28 - Closed
Sat., January 1, 2011 - Closed
Sun., January 2, 2011 - Closed
Mon., January 3, 2011 - Closed
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By Tessa Hayward
STUDENTS of GippsTAFE Le-ongatha will no longer have to go off
campus for practical studies.
Their new facility will have every-thing they need.
GippsTAFE is moving from portable buildings to a
state-of-the-art facility fur-ther down Nerrena Road.
The new $7.2 million facility was in the making for 10 years and
now after 18 months of building, is ready for the 2011 intake of
students.
General manager corporate services, Jim Vivian, said staff would
move in early in the new year and the of cial opening should be
held by March.
It is fantastic. It opens up a whole range of opportunities for
students, he said.
GippsTAFE Leongatha now features: a high technology IT room that
will
eventually be open 24/7 to allow students access to a computer
whenever they need it;
a hairdressing area for students to practise cutting, colouring
and styling hair;
a nursing facility to teach students how to tend to
patients;
a restaurant called Wild ower with a big kitchen to help
hospitality students with their studies; and
wireless internet to enable students
to access the internet wherever they are on site.
General manager of the Leongatha campus Stuart Cooper was
overwhelmed by the new facility.
It is brilliant and we are very fortu-nate to have the building,
he said.
It is designed to meet environmen-tal standards and GippsTAFE
hopes to achieve the ve star green star rating.
We nd out in February but I am optimistic we will get it,
architect Paul Morgan said.
He believed it was very important to focus on the
environment.
I believe it will be the rst regional TAFE building in the state
which will have a ve star green star if we succeed, he said.
In designing the building, Mr Morgan considered the surrounding
elements and energy suf ciency.
It is an aerodynamic shape with wind scoops to help ventilation
and to utilise air ows inside, he said.
The facility was built by Traralgon based company Kirway
Constructions.
Builder James Fisher said it was a challenge to build, but
fun.
The maximum workers we had on the job one day was 45 and most of
them are from around this area, he said.
Mr Cooper is looking forward to wel-coming students to the new
building when classes begin in February next year.
Modern look: GippsTAFE general manager corporate service Jim
Vivian, architect Paul Morgan and Kirway Constructions James Fisher
were satis ed with the nished building.
Christmas message
Deputy Premier, Peter Ryan.
TAFE to open at last
Pick freshALFIE, Maddi, Col-leen, Sulli and Harry Herbert picked
fresh berries at the familys Herbert Hills Berry Farm,
Leongatha.
People are welcome to pick young, silvan, logan and boysen
berries at the farm at 5 Sawyer Street.
Its open all day on weekends and by appoint-ment Monday to
Friday. For more information con-tact Dane or Colleen Her-bert on
5662 4801
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PAGE 12 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Letters guidelinesALL letters should be kept to 400 words or
less.The Star reserves the right to edit all letters for length and
style. Writers details, including full name, address and phone
number (not for publication), must be included.
VOXVOXPOP!
E D I T O R I A LIN RESPONSE to receiving the 2010 Yooralla
Sis-ter Faith Award, we whole-heartedly thank Rever-end Dennis
Simmons and the Leongatha Uniting Church council for opening their
hearts and doors to this long standing program.
With their support on issues of integration, we established the
U Music Cafe, a live music venue run by young adults with
disability. These ne musicians have used the cafe to hone their
performance and social skills.
Next year the U Music Cafe will be open to the community to
access, enjoy and integrate. We invite original musicians to
consider this performing space and be active in raising awareness
on broad issues.
Our deep thanks goes to the parents of the U Music members for
their boundless support and love which enables us all to grow.
We also take this time to thank and recognise the various
community houses in South Gippsland and Bass Coast shires who have
auspiced our programs over the past nine years.
As an independent volunteer service without funding, we have
maintained our policy that children and local youth be given the
opportunity to discover music without the stress of tuition fees
impacting on the family home.
Thanks to the support of these good people many young people did
discover music. The U Music Cafe hopes to see you all next
year.
Dennis Kadmon and Anne-Marie Becu,Kongwak
Just to say thanks
Worthy winners: Dennis Kadmon and Anne-Marie Becu.
investigate the contents/issues in the 2009 survey report and
develop strategies, plans and implement those changes in The South
Gippsland Shire Council 2010 Policy.
This Local Government Community Satisfaction Survey reveals the
strengths and weaknesses of this current shire council. The
strengths identify recre-ational facilities 70/100, the cleaning up
of public areas 71/100, customer services 70/100, health and
community services 70/100 and local laws 63/100 as being the
positives of this council. What about the negative stances on this
council under its former mayor Cr Jim Fawcett?
There appears to be further weakness-es in this council
considering the types of councillors we have representing us that
are unprofessional, dictatorial, despotic, undemocratic and utilise
manipulative values and practices to achieve their ob-jectives.
These actions and decisions in this council term speak for
itself.
This council on August 25 disallowed the functions of town
planning issues usually openly discussed and debated in the council
meetings to be nally handed over to the planning of cers, and
initiated the council meeting changes to the read-ing out of the
questions by the local resi-dents and ratepayers.
Other low scores included the urgent need to greatly improve
local roads and footpaths 50/100, shire council advocacy and
community representation and com-munication 57/100, community
engage-ments 57/100, road traf c and parking issues 58/100, waste
management issues 62/100, nancial and economic develop-ment
practices and protocols 52/100 and other speci c issues excluded
from the survey reveals the inadequacy of this council and the lack
of professionalism of its controlling councillors.
The response of Cr David Lewis is ac-curate in that he states:
If council wanted to improve, we only just have to bloody well read
it (survey results).Council needed to spend more money on roads,
rubbish and footpaths and less on of ce staff and buying buildings
in Leongatha, referring to councils $1.4 million pur-chase of the
Carinos Complex recently.
Paul Richardson,C48/51 Community WatchdogSouth Gippsland
Community
Watchdog
Volunteerseverywhere
I READ with interest Cr Fawcettspraises for the people who
recent-ly did drainage works on the Le-ongatha Recreation Reserve
andthey certainly deserved praise forall that voluntary work.
However Cr Fawcett, voluntary workwasnt invented by those people
you areso proud of.
Voluntary work has been around for along time. In the past most
of the sportinggrounds and venues were put in place bypeople who
worked long and hard to putthem there. All this was done by
volunteerswho were not helped with grants of money.
I can speak with some knowledge ofthe Koonwarra Recreation
Reserve whichreceived a facelift in the 1960s. The slop-ing ground,
which was the cricket oval,was levelled with a great deal of
helpfrom the Shire of Woorayl.
But, hows this for voluntary work CrFawcett?
We built the rotunda, toilets, completewith plumbing and water
pump systemfrom the river; tennis courts, cricket pitchand lots of
tree planting, all with volun-tary labour.
It is one of the best reserves in theshire.
Its rather dif cult to recall anythingmuch that the present
council has donethat we can be proud of. McIndoe Parkis perhaps one
thing done well. Probablycost thousands of dollars of Spring
Streetmoney, but a delightful place.
Incidentally, the Koonwarra hall wasbuilt with voluntary labour
as was one ofthe classrooms at the school.
All praise to volunteers; CFA, SESand many others who get
satisfaction forwork done for the bene t of others.
Don Cook,Koonwarra
Poor report cardTHE reputation of the South Gippsland Shire
Council, its management and the councillors who contributed to the
Local Government Community Satis-faction Survey.
The article in The Star on August 10, Re-port card released,
states, South Gippsland Shire Council has been rated adequate to
ex-cellent by the people in the municipality.
Why hadnt the councillors provided addi-tional supportive
actions to the recommendation rather than vote that the survey
results be noted?
Other supportive actions could have been included in the
recommendations towards the 2009 Survey Report to review the ndings
and adopt strategic practices as The South Gippsland Shire Council
2010 Policy.
Why didnt the councillors suggest fur-ther insertion clauses in
the recommendation to improve and follow up on the results into the
future? This recommendation should have stated that council of cers
further review and
b
p
bb
What is going to be your New Years resolution?
Heather PolettiFish Creek
My New Years reso-lution is to not have a resolution. I never
end up keeping them.
Peter HallInverloch
Im aiming to stay t and healthy by continuing to go to the
gym.
Matthew HoltChurchill
Im planning to do TAFE teaching at a Gipp-sTAFE campus.
Heidi PertzelChurchill
Im hoping to start my Bachelor of Arts degree next year.
WITH only days to nish ones Christmas shop-ping, no doubt people
will be ling through the doors of South Gippsland businesses.
While this time of year is a major trading period, there is a
way retailers in Leongatha could gain more business every day of
the year.
Central to a towns economic success is the accessibility of
shops and when it comes to Bair Street, there are opportunities to
improve.
Businesses at the southern end of the street, particularly on
the eastern side, are at a disadvantage, as parallel parking,
alongside essentially highway traf c, is an impediment to
customers.
Potential customers must either vie for limited parking in Bair
Street or park elsewhere, such as in the IGA supermarket carpark,
and then cross four lanes of highway traf c, all while avoiding
motorists attempting to park.
With four large new shops built on the site of the former
Gleesons Holden dealership and new businesses opening on the
eastern side of Bair Street, this commercial strip must be made
safer and more enticing to bring more customers to town.
Ideally, once trucks and buses are taken out of Bair Street when
the heavy vehicle alternate route is eventually built, Bair Street
would be remodelled.
Instead of four lanes of traf c, this could be reduced to two
(one in each direction), and the other lane and existing parallel
parking transformed into angle parking.
This would not only provide for easier and safer access, but
would also increase the number of parking spaces available.
If space permits, and it may well not, a pull-in lane could be
created alongside the angle parking, similar to what exists in
Yar-ram, to allow motorists to reverse out of parking bays
safely.
The existing four lanes help with traf c ow. But given two lanes
of traf c enter Bair Street from either end, suddenly giving
motorists the opportunity to pass in a vicinity where drivers are
turning and attempting to reverse park, and pedestrians are
cross-ing the road, is surely increasing the risk of collision.
Leongathas other main thoroughfare, McCartin Street, is safer
and more shopper-friendly. Surely Bair Street could be too.
Street deserves more attention
Most photos that appear in The Star
can be purchased by calling 5662 2294.
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 13
LAURIE Pincini is well known at Walk-erville and throughout both
local shires to all those that love rec-reational shing and
boating.
Laurie is a founding fa-ther of The Walkerville Blue Water
Boating and Angling Club, which was formed in early 1995. Laurie is
the im-mediate past president.
For 15 and a half years Laurie has fought tirelessly for the
boat club and its members.
His energies have been directed at efforts to obtain a boat ramp
that would lead to safer and easier launching and recovery of boats
for all boat operators.
Laurie has given an enor-mous amount of his time in these 15
years and it has come at a cost of a lot of hard work and on many
occasions cost from his own pocket.
He has given his time and effort unsel shly and generously for
what he believed could be a better way for all recreational boaters
and shermen.
If anyone was in trouble at Walkerville with boats or at sea,
the person that was turned to was usually Lau-rie. He has always
been willing to assist all others in any way he could.
About nine or 10 years ago, a boat had broken down in the lee of
Shellback Island.
A distress call had gone out from the broken down boat in the
early evening and the police boat, which was in Morwell at the
time, was coming to attend.
When the police boat did arrive at Walkerville the
tide was far to low to launch the boat. Laurie had also been
advised of the situation. Laurie launched his boat and about 9pm
set off, on his own, to Shellback and towed them back. This is only
one of many times when Laurie has gone to the aid of those in
distress.
His vision has not been limited to just a boat ramp but also for
facilities that would allow search and res-cue teams quick and
ready access to Waratah Bay in an emergency.
He has also a great concern for the safety of all other beach
users and has tried to see that boating operations could be carried
out safely with the lowest risk or incon-venience to all
others.
He had foreseen theneed to have boat launch-ing and retrieval
facilitythat was segregated fromother beach activities.
The original boat rampplan produced in 1996,largely through his
experi-ence and knowledge is ba-sically the same as the onewhich
was endorsed by anoverwhelming 78 per centin submissions to the
Fore-shore Committee CoastalErosion Study 2006.
Laurie has worked sohard for a facility whereit would be
relativelyeasy and safe to launchand recover a boat: a fa-cility
where one person,be they 15 or 90 or thosewith women and
children,had a reasonable chance oflaunching and recoveringa boat,
without being halfdrowned, wet, buffeted bywaves, uninjured and
with-out loss or damage to theirboat, vehicle or trailer.
He wanted all those whowent out in boats to have a
safe and enjoyable experience. Lauries strived for a de-cent
boat ramp which was for all boat operators.
A boat ramp has not come to fruition; this is not fromlack of
any effort on Lauries part but the sel sh meanspirited agenda and
duplicity of others.
Laurie, on behalf of the Walkerville Progress As-sociation I
sincerely thank you for your time, effort anddedication in the
pursuit of better facilities for all. Mayyou have many more long
and happy times in WaratahBay.
Steve Graham,President, Walkerville Progress Association.
Good on you, Laurie
Willing helper: Laurie Pincini with a ne catch.
Seeking detailsAT SOUTH Gippsland Shire Councils Ordinary
Meeting No 342, Cr Harding commented, Mr Peter Ryan MP has made
some positive promises to the eastern ward if elected.
It appears Cr Harding and Peter Ryan are the only pair in
possession of the details pertaining to the promises.
Now that the conditions have been honoured and Peter is Deputy
Premier of Victoria, does he and Cr Harding intend to ll the rest
of us in about what the promises actually were and the bene ts we
can anticipate look-ing forward to?
And will the Deputy Premier keep his pledge and deliver on the
secret promises?
Robert Field,Venus Bay.
Empty barkTHE letter from the Watchdog (Star December 14)
reminds me of the time I had a watchdog.
Itd bark when the sun came up and bark when the sun went down,
and in between times hed bark.
He was at his best during the night the Man on the Moon sent him
into a frenzy.
No one ever knew why he barked but it was agreed he was a terri
c watchdog.
Ask them in Casey what they thought of my watchdog. Ask them in
Endeavour Hills, but please dont ask us about watchdogs in South
Gippsland. We enjoy putting them down.
F.A. Murphy,Leongatha.
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PAGE 14 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 15
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PAGE 16 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Making Victoria FireReady
For more information contact:1800 240 667 www.cfa.vic.gov.au
Victoria is a great place for a holiday, but its also one of the
worlds most re prone areas. So before heading off on a holiday
to
country or coastal areas, make sure you visit the CFA website
for information on how to prepare before you leave and what
to do when youre in a high risk bush re area. You can also call
the Victorian Bush re Information Line on 1800 240 667.
One site you shouldvisit these holidays.
www.cfa.vic.gov.au
By Tessa Hayward
WASTE management for the future is an important issue to the
community.
A recent public consultation forum received feedback from the
South Gippsland community on South Gippsland Shire Coun-cils
2010-11 Waste Management Strategy.
Waste and resource consultant from Meinhardt Infrastructure and
Environment, David Garner said: The aim of this presentation is to
get feedback and to go forward in the future.
Mr Garner announced the 2009-10 waste results.
There was an average of 282 kilograms of waste per person last
year, he said.
People at the forum were able to have a say in what they would
like to see happen.
On the issue of kerbside collec-tion, most people wanted to
maintain the current system and include high-er population rural
and coastal areas into the system.
When transfer stations were dis-cussed, the most popular option
was to maintain the location of transfer stations, however upgrade
them
against ResourceSmart Victoria best practice criteria.
This includes ensuring proper storage of materials and
increasing the range of materials diverted from land ll.
Catherine McGlead of Fish Creek said it is dif cult disposing of
waste as she has to travel to Foster or Walkerville transfer
stations.
It is confusing knowing what times and days the transfer
stations are open, she said.
Ms McGlead would be happy to take her rubbish out to the kerb to
be picked up.
The idea of a tip shop was also suggested.
Some people were confused by the strategy.
It is tricky to select an option, Heather Gregg, president of
the Poowong Community Consultative Committee, said.
I am speaking on behalf of Poo-wong. I am looking after the
towns interest so I have to make the right decision, she said.
In response to the issue of public litter bins and public place
recycling, people said they want recycling in-stalled in public
places alongside public litter bins.
The option chosen for kerbside green waste collection service
was
to provide a fortnightly kerbside green waste collection service
to all areas that receive a kerbside collec-tion service currently,
not including Venus or Waratah Bay.
The last issue to discuss was or-ganic waste treatment.
Some wanted an identi cation of a local composting enterprise
that could process green waste.
Another popular option was to evaluate requirements for the
coun-cil to operate or tender a South Gippsland based organic
treatments facility.
Others wanted to promote and subsidise home composting for all
households.
This includes compost bin sub-sidy provided in return for
attending a lesson on the operation of a com-post bin.
The strategy aims to provide an array of actions that will
en-able council to deliver a high level of waste management
services to residents and businesses while also achieving
environmental goals and nancial sustainability, councils waste
management co-ordinator, Geoff McKinnon said.
Mr Garner hopes to have a draft strategy written up soon.
By Sharni Gray
LEONGATHA Pri-mary School had its end of year Grade 6 graduation
dance on Monday, December 13 at Memorial Hall.
From the start of term four, we have been prac-tising the seven
dances.
We danced the Boot Scootin Boogie, Nut Bush, St Bernard,
Eve-ning Three Step, Pride of Erin, Tangoette and the Barn
Dance.
Memorial Hall was decorated with artwork that we had made in the
past term, including sil-houettes of ourselves and our graduation
heads.
All the girls wore nice dresses and shoes. The boys wore
tailored shirts and pants, and some wore ties. Every-one looked
great!
It was interesting when we danced with
Future planning: waste and resource consultant Dave Garner
(right) talked about the issues for discussion with Steve Finlay
(left).
What to do with waste
School dance: Grade 6 Leongatha Primary School students Branson
Ama-to, Jarrod Hoy, Kyle Cooper, Lisa Clark, Paige Matthews and
Remi Ryan danced the night away.
Dance marks eras endthe parents because they didnt know the
dances very well.
After we had nished dancing, we got in our lines on stage and
sang our graduation song called Shine by Shannon Noll.
The Grade 6s were
then presented with their graduation certi cates.
We then formed a large circle and sang Firework by Katy
Perry.
Our parents then joined us and took photos.
We were feeling very emotional because some
of our friends are going to Leongatha Secondary College, Mary
MacKil-lop, Newhaven or other schools in the area.
The evening ended with supper and goodbyes.
It was the end of an-other great year.
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 17
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PAGE 18 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 19
Left: Wish list: Maggie Adcock told Santa what she wanted for
Christmas during the Leongatha traders three hour sale last
Thursday.
Right: Colourful clown: Miki Hill-iar received a bal-loon ower
from Koko the clown and had her photo taken with him as he wandered
the streets of Leon-gatha during the three hour sale last
Thursday.
Left: Raising funds: SES vol-unteers put on a barbecue for the
public, to raise funds for the Leongatha SES Unit light appeal. SES
volunteer member Jacqui McDonnell had her photo taken with
Santa.
By Tessa Hayward
THE Returned and Services League (RSL), Leongatha has provided
Christ-mas hampers to war widows and veterans for a long time.
Sub-branch secretary Anne Davies said: I have been here for 17
years and the giving of the Christ-mas hampers started be-fore
me.
We give hampers to war veterans and widows as that is what the
RSL is here for.
The RSL was formed in 1916 by troops return-ing from World War
One to preserve the spirit of mateship, to honour the memory of the
fallen and to help each other.
The Leongatha RSL helps the war veterans and widows by giving
them a little Christmas cheer to share with family or have
Spreading Christmas cheer
by themselves.We are giving out
about 135 hampers this year. The hampers include food and drink
items that people might not necessar-ily buy for themselves, Ms
Davies said.
The Leongatha RSL also provides aged care facilities with
shortbread and drink as some veter-ans and widows are resid-ing
there.
A lot of people are on their own, we want to do
what we can to help them, Ms Davies said.
All items are purchased from IGA by the Leon-gatha RSL and are
packed and distributed before Christmas.
Sharing is caring: supervisor Ricky McNaughton with the
Christmas ham-pers to be given out.
L E O N G A T H A RSL has donated a cheque to the Woorayl Lodge
to assist with the costs of laying new vinyl in the dining
room.
Woorayls Gary Van Sinderen was impressed with the support shown,
but said that it comes as no surprise.
The RSL has been good to us over the years. Ten or 11 of our
residents are veterans or widows of veterans, he said.
Woorayl Lodge has also been busy welcom-ing new manager, Jo
White.
RSL cheques in
Thanks: Leongatha RSLs Peter Carruthers presents a cheque to
Woorayl Lodges Keith Marshman, new manager Jo White and residents
Hazel Mor-ley and Bertha Andrew.
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PAGE 20 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 21
By Jane Ross
ROSE Lodge in Won-thaggi has gained 30 new beds, bring-ing it to
a 100 place facility.
The lodge provides low care to the elderly, but 11 of the new
beds will be designated high care.
Staff are thrilled about that because residents will now be able
to remain in the one place if their health deteriorates.
It also means couples will be able to stay togeth-er in the
lodge even if one needs high care.
The new beds are ex-pected to cost up to $5 million and Rose
Lodge will be calling on the community to help raise some of that.
There is no capital assistance from government.
The new wing will be built onto and around the back of the
24-bed exten-sion that was opened last April.
It was constructed spe-ci cally to be able to ac-commodate
another wing.
Manager Ella Duder and immediate past com-mittee president Len
Jack-son, said they hope con-struction might start by the middle of
next year.
The beds are badly needed. Rose Lodge has a waiting list of
40.
That comes as no sur-prise because the facility has a special
atmosphere.
The rooms are homely, the passageways wide, the staff cheery and
friendly and an extraordinary band of well over 100 volun-teers.
There are two spa rooms and a therapy room where a quali ed masseur
volunteers her time two days a week.
The grounds are de-lightful, with the front taken over by rose
bushes of many a hue.
A smart coffee shop complete with espresso machine, is used by
resi-dents during activity out-ings. It was the idea of CEO Trevor
Godenzi, who has had to resign for health reasons.
He will be replaced by Beverley Walsh, who starts on February 1.
She is from Melbourne, but has had a holiday house in the area and
is moving down.
Ella said Rose Lodge has always been very well supported by the
Wont-haggi community.
Last Friday was a case in point. Representatives of the Powlett
Masonic Lodge visited to present a cheque for $3280.
30 new beds for Rose LodgeIve already spent it!
declared Ella.She bought a projec-
tor for staff training and a patient lifting machine, which came
at the request of Ambulance Victoria.
The Masons were in-vited for morning tea,
served in capacious mugs with saucers and delicious sandwiches,
jelly cakes, fruit cake and slices of White Christmas.
Its no surprise that none of the 70 residents ever complains
about the food at Rose Lodge.
Extension: Rose Lodge manager Ella Duder (left) and new
committee secretary Margaret Tobin, dis-cuss plans for a new 30-bed
wing.
Community: this photograph evokes the community atmosphere of
Rose Lodge. From left are members of the Powlett Masonic Lodge,
Bryce Jeffrey, Glen Richards and Rev Phillips, clinical care
co-ordinator Helen Papadopou-los, personal carer Marg Hill and in
the lifting aid is Chloe Hagigeorgiou.Chloe, 10, is holidaying with
her grandparents John and Margaret Tobin, who has just become
secretary of the Rose Lodge committee. A donation from the Masons
paid for the lifting aid and projector.
Money: Powlett Lodge members Bryce Jeffrey (seated left) and Rev
Phil-lips (standing left) with Rose Lodge committee president Bill
Berry (seated) and his predecessor Len Jackson. The Masons
presented Rose Lodge with a cheque for $3280.
By Tessa Hayward
FOR those who have not yet bought their loved ones a Christ-mas
present, the Koonwarra Day Spa is the perfect place to buy a gift
voucher for a spa treatment.
The Koonwarra Day Spa features great specials over the Christmas
period.
The most popular treatment being purchased at the moment is the
one hour hot stone massage for $95, owner Linda Dunlop said.
This treatment also comes with a free half hour hydro spa.
All our treatments can be for indi-viduals or for couples, she
said.
Couple treatments are the spas spe-ciality.
The Koonwarra Day Spa will calm minds and soothe bodies with
gentle, re-laxing treatments that will ease any stress or
tension.
Ms Dunlop said the spa is set amongst peaceful bushland in the
eco-friendly tourist village of Koonwarra.
Other specials on offer this Christmas
are a 75 minute summer pedicure for $75, which includes a free
half an hour D-Tox spa and for $50, a half an hour aromatic cocoon
which includes a free mini-facial.
If a person purchases all three special packages for $220, it
becomes a half day pamper session and a free morning or af-ternoon
tea is included, Ms Dunlop said.
All of the treatments on special also feature free treatments
and refreshments.
Another promotion Ms Dunlop has announced is if a person spends
over $500 they receive a $50 gift voucher.
Buy your mother, sisters and friends presents in the same place
and receive a free gift voucher for yourself, she said.
The Koonwarra Day Spa features three therapists and offers
friendly, profes-sional service and a full range of reason-ably
priced day spa treatments.
We have sold a lot of gift vouchers and expect to be very busy
after Christmas, so people should get in quick and make an early
booking, Ms Dunlop said.
For more information contact the Koonwarra Day Spa on 5664 2332
or on their website www.koonwarraspa.com.au
By Tessa Hayward
POTTERY has been in Rob-ert Barrons life since he was born.
His mother was a potter and passed on the talent to her son.
Robert owns Gooseneck Pottery and has been operating the kiln
there for the past 25 years.
I built the kiln myself. It was
based on one I saw while travelling overseas, he said.
Robert completed his pottery apprenticeship at Cornwall Bridge
Pottery in Connecticut, USA, dur-ing his ve year journey across New
Zealand, North America, England, Europe and South Korea.
He worked with many wood ring potters and frequented work-shops,
art schools, galleries and museums.
Spa treatment: Emma Cope, Stacey Levey, Linda Dunlop and Judy
Stock-dale of the Koonwarra Day Spa.
Last minute gift ideas
Glazing the potteryRobert is now doing a lot more
teaching and speaking at conferences about pottery.
I recently got back from a con-ference in Germany, he said.
The Gooseneck kiln is one of the largest wood- red kilns in
Australia. It is red over a four to ve day pe-riod twice a
year.
It is exhausting. Once it is n-ished all I want to do is sleep,
Rob-ert said.
Roberts apprentice Jennifer Hal-li, from the USA, of cially
started in April this year and has been a great help.
I am learning lots and really en-joying it, she said.
Robert and Jennifer worked for three to four months making the
pottery.
They then had to stack it all into the kilns, which took weeks.
They red for ve days. The wood melted into a glaze over the
pottery.
It depends on where the pottery is placed to decide what it will
come out like, Robert said.
Robert and Jennifer nished r-ing on Wednesday, November 24.
It was a really good ring. We are very happy with the results,
Robert said.
They are now setting the pottery out on display in preparation
for their exhibitions over summer.
The price ranges from $2 to $5,800, Robert said.
He makes a lot of domestic items although he is starting to
produce much larger items as well.
Some of his pieces are in galler-ies overseas. Arizona
University has a few.
Robert and Jennifer are excited about the exhibitions over
summer and are hoping for good turnouts.
Gooseneck Potterys Christmas exhibition will be running on
De-cember 11-12, 10am until 5pm.
Teamwork: Robert Barron and his apprentice Jennifer Halli with
some of the pottery.
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PAGE 22 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
FAY Smallman has clocked up 50 years of continuous employ-ment
at Gippsland Southern Health Service.
A surprise breakfast to mark the occasion was held last Tuesday
and attended by many of Fays past and present colleagues, as well
as her hus-band John Smallman and sister Wilma Norton.
Fay was presented with a gold watch and owers by health service
di-rector of nursing, Neil Langstaff.
Health service CEO Gary Tem-pleton said her 50 years of service
to the Leongatha Memorial Hospi-tal and the service was a
remarkable achievement.
Not only has she spent her entire working life caring for people
and their families in the South Gippsland community, she has
continually updat-ed her nursing and management skills and is a
highly-valued member of our team, he said.
Fay completed her nursing training at the Gippsland Base
Hospital in Sale in the mid 1950s, followed by mid-wifery training
at the Queen Victoria Hospital in Launceston, Tasmania.
She joined the Woorayl District Nursing Hospital (now known as
the Leongatha Memorial Hospital) in No-vember 1960.
During her 50 year career, Fay has raised a family of three
children, spent 15 years running the family dairy farm while
husband John worked off-farm, as well as working night duty for the
past 45 years.
GIPPSLAND Southern Health Service last week honoured 43 staff
members who have accumulated 795 combined years of service.
Among them were Noel Owen, who was worked for the past 35 years
in radiology, and Jill Davies and Grace Adamo who have given 30
years of service.
Jill started in pathology and has worked in a number of
administrative roles across the service and is currently in the
Leongatha general ward.
Grace has worked in aged care and is currently at Koorooman
House.
Service recognition badges were presented to these three staff
members as well as 11 staff who have worked at the service for 10
years; seven staff for 15 years; 13 staff for 20 years and nine
staff for 25 years service.
Festive greetings, diary notesON behalf of council and staff, Id
like to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas.
Retailers are busy providing for the last minute rush so please
support them by shopping locally.
Young people whove been away from the district for education or
work are around town for the festive season.
Its a special time of the year for most people, but not all, so
keep an eye out for those who might appreciate being included in
the warmth of your family gathering (for many farmers the best
Christmas present this year would be a spell of dry weather to get
their hay in!)
Council of ces will be closed from Christmas Eve until Tuesday,
January 4. Details of holiday arrangements for services (such as
waste management, HACC) and emergency contact numbers are outlined
in the Council Noticeboard ad in this paper.
There are lots of markets and activities on over the holidays,
and a list of these can be downloaded from
www.visitpromcountry.com.au . Coal Creek and the Visitor
Information Centres (1800 630 704) at Foster and Korumburra will be
open on all days except Christmas Day.
Be sure to make use of our public swimming pools too. These are
facilities maintained with your rates dollars and as we nalise our
Aquatic Strategy, well be watching with interest to see how much
patronage these pools receive in ratio to their maintenance
costs.
Please note Wednesday, January 19 in your diaries for the
Australia Day Awards Ceremony in the Memorial Hall at 7.30pm.
Candidates have been nominated in the categories of South
Gippsland Citizen, Young Citizen and Community Event of the Year.
Its a terri c way to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of so
many people in our community and wed enjoy your support to show our
appreciation.
I attended the recent launch of the Loch Community Plan and was
pleased to note that some of the prioritised projects have already
been budgeted for by council, so its a quick start to realising
some of their goals.
By becoming involved in your local plan you help ensure that it
really does represent the wishes and needs of your community.
Have your re plan ready now: the long grass will quickly dry off
and may present South Gippsland with problems we normally do not
encounter. Please consider safety in all your holiday activities -
on the roads, in the water, hiking and extreme heat, to name a few.
No one ever expects to be a statistic, so lets lessen the odds. Be
patient on the roads and at times when we might have to queue for
service. Our visitors are supporting our economy so please make
them welcome in our world and encourage them to return.
I join my fellow councillors and staff in wishing you all a
wonderful 2011.
Warren RaabeMayor
JOY Johnson was awarded a life membership of the Probus Club of
Leongatha at the clubs Christmas luncheon at the Dakers Centre last
week.
President Leo Bleeser opened proceedings by announcing the
honour for the clubs foundation member.
Joy has dedicated a great deal of her time and expertise to
enhancing the friendship, fellowship and fun for all members.
She has kept the clubs membership records for all or most of the
21 years she has been a member, and during that time has been, and
still is, an enthusiastic committee member.
Her wealth of knowledge and experience is always valued and
appreciated.
Joy has also been busy in the wider community, involved in the
Leongatha Agricultural and Pastoral Society show, a judge of
cooking exhibits at the Royal Melbourne Show, and a long time
member of the Leongatha Horticultural Society, just to name a
few.
Joys skill in cake decorating was on show at the Probus Clubs
20th anniversary celebrations; she decorated the beautiful
anniversary cake. She even made the stunning table decorations for
the recent Christmas lunch.
The announcement was greeted with applause and congratulations
from all. Well done Joy.
Members enjoyed an excellent two course meal, provided by the
hard working Stony Creek ladies. A great way to wind up 2010.
Fay cares for 50 years
Looking back: Fay Smallman with Jan Curtis, Jill Briscoe, Sybil
Smith, Wilma Norton and Marg Waldron. Jill works at the health
service with Fay and the other women are former nurses.
Fay now works night shift and is responsible for the running of
the gen-eral ward at Leongatha. She shows no sign of slowing
down.
Fays career at Gippsland South-ern Health Service began when she
returned from Launceston to learn her mother had put her name and
her sister Wilmas name down on the
staf ng register. Miss Jean McRae, the rst matron
at Woorayl, contacted and advised Fay and Wilma they were on the
roster and to report for duty immediately.
This all took place without any for-mal interviews or reference
checks, or indeed without either Fay or Wilma agreeing to accept
the offer of em-
ployment or discussing the work conditions.
Fay started in midwifery, an ex-tremely busy ward with 10 beds,
four of which were on the balcony of the old hospital.
The average length of stay for new mothers was eight to 10 days,
with ba-bies taken care of by the midwives in
the nursery and brought out for four-hourly feeds, then returned
to the nurs-ery. Demand feeding was unheard ofin the 1960s.
Fay recalled the long hours mid-wives and doctors were required
towork.
If you were rostered on the after-noon shift and there were
patients dueto give birth, you were automaticallyon call overnight.
There was only onecerti cate nursing sister on night dutywhich
meant that you could work 24hours in one shift and if you had
anearly shift the following day, youwere expected to present for
work asusual.
Re ecting on the major changes innursing at Leongatha Hospital
over thepast 50 years, Fay said patients stayedin the ward up to
two days instead ofseven days, and the volume of paper-work now
required takes up a greaterpart of each shift.
She also commented about the in-formality of todays workplace.
WhenFay started nursing, matrons werecalled Miss and doctors were
alwaysreferred to by their title, never their rst names. Now Fays
colleagues ad-dress each other by their rst namesregardless of
seniority and the healthservice has a male director of nursingfor
the rst time in its 50 years.
Often doctors worked all night atthe hospital without rest.
One doctor, whom I wont name,was accustomed to walking into
thekitchen and requesting at least fourslices of toast, topped with
eggs andbacon after each delivery.
Praised for dedication
Loyal trio: long term employees at Gippsland Southern Health
Service, Grace Adamo, Noel Owen and Jill Davies.
Probians surprise Joy
Outstanding dedication: Probus Club of Leongatha presi-dent, Leo
Bleeser, and the clubs newest life member, Joy Johnson.
Mayors messageWarren Raabe
Mayor
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THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - PAGE 23
By Tessa Hayward
LEAVING a school after 13 years of being principal is a daunting
task.
However Robyn Halliwell is up for the challenge.
An opportunity arose in special education at the Catholic
Education Of ce in Warragul which I decided to take, she said.
Ms Halliwell is very passion-ate about this area of education
and wants to ensure all children are hav-ing inclusive curriculum
at school.
She will be able to further her re-lationships with principals,
teachers, parents and students to better help them.
Her new job involves working in a team and liaising with schools
to implement national and state wide inclusive education
initiatives.
It will be different working in a team, but it is a welcome
change, she said.
Even though Ms Halliwell is leaving her position as principal at
St Laurences Primary School in Le-
ongatha, she will be working with schools and families to set
goals and strategies to help learning and be-havioural dif
culties.
Ms Halliwell is currently do-ing her graduate diploma of
psy-chological studies online at Deakin University.
I am doing this diploma as I am interested in the subject and it
will also assist me in meeting the needs of children, she said.
All schools have kids with needs and she wants to help them meet
those.
After graduating from Frank-ston Teachers College in 1978, her
rst teaching job was at St Patricks Primary School at Mentone and
then at St Marys Primary School, Hampton.
She became principal of St Marys Primary School, Yarram in 1989
and then moved to St Laurences as prin-cipal in 1997.
I have loved my 13 years at St Laurences. It has been a
rewarding and enriching experience, Ms Hal-liwell said.
Catholic primary schools give a
fully rounded education with spiri-tual and school education
learning, she believes.
The Christian values taught at school are needed in everyday
liv-ing, she said, naturally drawn to teaching at Catholic schools
because of her own faith.
Leaving St Laurences after 13 years will be hard for Ms
Halliwell as so many memories are shared there.
I am really going to miss the small everyday things, she
said.
A little boy ran up to her one day yelling: Theres a husband in
the toilet! The husband was actually a huntsman.
Its the little things I am going to miss; the new buildings are
great but the interaction with students and teachers was very
rewarding, she said.
Ms Halliwell said she couldnt have asked for a better team to
work with as they are a wonderful com-munity and she is very
fortunate.
The kids are so joyous and gen-erous; I am sad to go but am
looking forward to a change, she said.
Interaction: principal Robyn Halliwell is going to miss being
with studentsMadison, Aidan, Tanya, John and Chelsea.
Goodbye St Laurences
SAINT Laurences Primary School, Le-ongatha, held an end of
school Mass last Thursday.
Awards were presented and staff farewelled, in-cluding 13-year
principal Robyn Halliwell and Judy Johnson, after 25 years in the
of ce.
Robyn was presented with a beautiful painting by staff and
students had compiled a giant Good-bye Robyn card with all their
best wishes.
Award winners were: Mary MacKillop
Award: Caitlin Charles and Nicholas Brown;
Majellan Bursary: Phillipa Littlejohn and So-phie Thomas;
Sisters Of St Josephs Award: Janie Gordon;
RSL Sponsorship: Grade 6, Oliver Maclean; Grade 5, Sara Riseley;
Grade 4, Belinda Den-brok; Grade 3, Nata-lie Coombes; Grade 2,
Brooke Johnstone; Grade 1, Jesseme Jarvis; Prep, Liam Smart.
Farewell Mass success
Mary MacKillop award: deputy principal at Mary MacKillop
College, SamWright, with award recipients Nicholas Brown and
Caitlin Charles.
Special awards: Janie Gordon, Phillippa Littlejohn and Sophie
Thomas re-ceived awards.
Class awards: back row from left, Oliver Maclean (Grade 6), Liam
Smart(Grade Prep), Jesseme Jarvis (Grade 1). Front from left, Sara
Riseley (Grade 4), Belinda Denbrok (Grade 3), Natalie Coombes
(Grade 2), Brooke Johnstone (Grade 1).
STUDENTS from St Laurences, Leongatha and St Josephs Ko-rumburra
primary schools rode to Inverloch last Tuesday as the culmination
of their Bike Edu-cation Program.
Heading off from Leongatha, stu-dents, teachers and volunteer
parents took the route via Outtrim for lunch before nishing the
ride 39km later,
camping overnight at the Inverloch foreshore camping
grounds.
The group enjoyed ideal conditions for the ride and almost balmy
condi-tions for the overnight camp. An early start saw them all
pack their tents, tidy the grounds and enjoy breakfast.
They completed the almost 80km return trip to Leongatha in good
time just as the rst spits of rain started.
Outtrim stopover: getting ready to ride out after enjoying lunch
are Nico-las, Josie and Lauren.
Cycling feat accomplished
THE Grade 6 students of Wonthaggi North Primary School graduated
at a cer-emony last Thursday.
The event, held at the Wonthag-gi Union Community Arts Centre,
was conducted by the 2010 student leaders and special awards were
given by guest presenters, teachers and the principal team.
Family and friends were enter-tained with a dance, a recital of
the poem The Man From Ironbark and student performances. A
slideshow presentation of the year touched emotions throughout the
centre.
All students were presented with a graduation certi cate, while
several students received special awards for their outstanding
con-tributions and academic results across various subjects and the
school.
Emotions spill at graduation
Award winners: Aimee Tessari, female sports; Sophie Huther,
sci-ence; Alanna Stein, music; Imogen Kaye-Helmot, special award;
Jack Gow, social award; Logan Brann, mathematics; Jim Legione, male
sports; and Kai Jamieson, achievement. Absent: Beth Reggardo,
achievement; and Tiffany Johnstone-Purvis, English.
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PAGE 24 - THE STAR, Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Meals roster
(Leongatha)Reformed Church La-dies, Mr and Mrs Hogan and St
Peters Ladies Guild will be responsible for the delivery of meals
on wheels, the week be-ginning December 27, 2010.Rotary, Leongatha
Red Cross and S. Birch will be responsible for the delivery of
meals on wheels, the week begin-ning January 3, 2011.
By Tessa Hayward
HASSETT Street kindergarten stu-dents are very excited about
getting a visit from Santa the night before Christmas.
The Leongatha kindergarten has been making Christmas decorations
since No-vember and now has a very festive looking room.
We enjoy getting the kids excited about Christmas, teacher Jodie
McGannon said.
Students put on a Christmas concert for their families which
involved singing and dancing.
The kids really enjoyed it, they had little costumes, sang
Christmas carols and then danced with their family and friends, Mrs
McGannon said.
The concert was held at St Laurences Primary Schools new
performing arts and sport hub.
Students came out in graduation gowns and sang songs, and
then