Shire news for Raymond Islanders

NEST: East Gippsland Youth Space

East Gippsland Shire Council, along with the Youth Ambassadors and Freeza will be running a ‘Youth Space’ pilot program for ages 12-25 years. This initiative has been called ‘Nest’ and is aiming to determine whether there is a need for a generalized youth service in the Bairnsdale area. On the last Friday for the coming three months, beginning on the 29th of July at 5pm, Nest will encourage young people to engage with youth workers, participate in fun, safe and exciting activities, also offering live music and local DJs. 

The aim of the pilot program is to offer all young people from diverse background a chance to socialize in a safe and supportive environment. Each session will offer local young people different activities and opportunities to connect with other young people and learn new skills. The first session will offer Tie Dyed T-shirts, a set by a local DJ and all you can play board games! Not to mention FREE pizza and other food! There will also be free transport to and from the event for anyone who may have trouble getting there. And who knows, you may even catch a sneaky Pokémon or two!

Shire supports ‘I Love Leftovers’ campaign

A campaign encouraging people to reduce their food waste The Victorian Government is encouraging people to love their leftovers with a new promotion by Sustainability Victoria’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign. The ‘I Love Leftovers’ promotion shares tips, advice and recipes to help Victorian households reduce their food waste by making the most of their leftovers. 

Victorian households throw away an estimated 250,000 tonnes of wasted food a year, enough to fill the Eureka Tower. It’s also hitting their hip pocket, costing families $2200 a year on average. The promotion aims to help Victorian households take simple steps to reduce the amount of food they throw away by seeing the beauty in their leftovers.

Sustainability Victoria CEO Stan Krpan said by turning leftovers into lunches or new meals Victorian households will waste less food, save money and do a little bit for the environment while they’re at it. “The way food waste breaks down in landfill can create methane, a greenhouse gas which can lead to potential environmental and public health risks,” Mr Krpan said. “Avoidable food waste disposed of to landfill from Victorian households has the potential to generate up to 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent per year. Wasting food has a significant impact on our precious resources too. When we waste food, we also waste the resources used to grow our food and the energy used to process, package and transport food from markets to our homes. “Through the I Love Leftovers promotion Victorians can do little things at home every day that could save them a small fortune and do the environment a big favour,” Mr Krpan said.

East Gippsland Shire Council Mayor, Cr Marianne Pelz, said Victorian households throw out $4 billion worth of food each year which could feed 367,000 families for a year. “Victorians can adopt easy methods to help them reduce their food waste, while also getting more from their grocery bill,” Cr Pelz said. “There are practical ways to get more from your leftovers – from last night’s dinner to the last few mushrooms in your fridge.”

Globally, one third of all food produced is wasted, so get involved with the promotion by following the Love Food Hate Waste Victoria Facebook page or visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.vic.gov.au to find tips, advice and recipes to help your family get more from your food.

Council a finalist in innovation awards
East Gippsland Shire Council has been announced as a finalist for this year’s Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo Council Innovation Awards. The awards celebrate councils who pursue innovation in waste management. They recognise councils that create and implement waste strategies and deliver economic, social and environmental benefits to their communities and drive innovation across the industry.

The Shire is a finalist for the innovative design of its split waste and recycling trailers. Created for use in remote locations throughout East Gippsland, the trailers are eight cubic metres in size. Shire Acting Chief Executive Officer, Chris Waites, said the trailers were designed to introduce a better, safer, environmentally sound and financially viable waste service to the Shire’s more remote communities and introduce recycling to these areas.

“Each split trailer is caged, enclosed with a swivel-style partition and comes with a hydraulic tipper,” Mr Waites said. "The bin has two caged doors on each side (one for recycling and the other for general waste) that are locked. These bins are only accessible to local residents who have been provided with keys and pay an annual fee for this service.

The award winners will be announced at the Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo, to be held in Sydney in mid-August.

Council elections coming up

Local government elections are being held later this year across Victoria and this is your opportunity to stand for East Gippsland Shire Council. Information on how to run as a candidate for Council is now available from the shire, the Municipal Association of Victoria, and the Victorian Electoral Commission.

East Gippsland Shire Council is represented by nine councillors, who are each elected for a four-year term. There are criteria to meet to be able to stand for council, and some people are not allowed to stand for council. These people include undischarged bankrupts, people disqualified from managing corporations, and others. Council creates opportunities for residents and ratepayers to influence and participate in the decisions that shape our society and local communities.

Being a councillor means talking to many people to understand the needs and wants of the community. East Gippsland covers a large area and not all townships will have the same issues or priorities. As well as making decisions on areas of council responsibility, councillors push for investment in local projects and infrastructure at state and national levels. They also raise issues of importance to the region, such as climate change, mining, and coal seam gas. Called advocacy, representing the community in this way aims to address issues that affect the wellbeing of the area. One of the main roles of a councillor is to work with other councillors to make decisions in the best interest of the community. Councillors will be given reports, background information and advice on each issue from council officers.

East Gippsland Shire Council generally meets formally once a month to consider these reports and make decisions. It is important that council’s decision-making process be open, accessible, and transparent, except in limited situations where confidentiality is needed. The time Councillors spend on their duties varies, but is usually between 10 to 20 hours a week. Councillors should expect to attend at least one meeting a week. 

To stand for council, you pay a $250 nomination fee to the Victorian Electoral Commission and complete a form. You will have the fee returned if you’re elected to Council or you receive at least four per cent of the total number of first preference votes. 

Nominations close on Tuesday, September 20 and the election will be conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission by postal ballot. For more information on the election, or standing as a candidate, visit www.eastgippsland.vic.gov.au/election.

Arts around the traps

Applications for the Production Team for Bairnsdale Production Line’s 2017 Musical, Beauty and the Beast are now open.
Call 0476 956 349 or email bairnsdaleproductionline@gmail.com to book an interview.
Interviews will be held 31st August from 7pm.

Kay Mooney visited a recent exhibition at East Gippsland Art Gallery showed the skills and artistry of embroidery, lace making, felt craft, quilting, working with paper, and probably some crafts I haven’t mentioned. The skill and imagination exhibited was just breathtaking. Unfortunately this Exhibition is closing on Saturday the 23rd July having been on tour, and I had only just heard about it. A fantastic experience.

Recommended reading
Retirement can turned Islanders into avid readers churning through a book every two days or less and haunting the ladies at the library. Other Islanders have always been a reader, as a child hidden under the bed cloths with a torch, now always with a book handy, on the ferry, waiting for something to cook or finish washing; playing hooky for an hour on the verandah. You can always have a quick few minutes with a good book. So, we would like to share, with others, books we have enjoyed and pass on the addiction.

DOLORES GORDON-SMITH has magically combined the talents of Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes to create JACK HALDEAN (a retired army officer)and Inspector BILL RACKHAM in a post world-war-one setting confronted with what appears to be a murder in a most puzzling manner. In the two books I have read; “Trouble Brewing”, and “After The Exhibition”, the two men sift through what appears to be an impossible task to solve these crimes. The characters and situations are fantastic and have the reader constantly changing their minds as to the outcome. Jack, in some way, reminds me of Christopher Fowlers Arthur Bryant. Both these books are guaranteed page turners, with brilliant endings. Definitely FOUR STARS, and a must read. Both these books are in the Paynesville Library. Just read them! JM

Sulari Gentill: The Rowland Sinclair Series
Stories set in the 1930s against the dark rise of Nazism. The Sinclairs are Australian “aristocracy” a wealthy landowning family. Rowland, the hero, is an artist with a band of eccentric friends who rally round to extricate him from various dangers and adventures while together trying to raise the alarm in regard to events in Germany. This is an ongoing theme through the books we have read, the stories interwoven with real background events and persons, bringing the times to real life. There are seven books to date with number eight due to hit the shops in 2017. It’s even printed in Australia - Hurrah! KM

M.C. Beaton: The Agatha Raisin Series
These are much more light hearted who-dunn-its with a blundering, and not always likeable, heroin Agatha. It has been made into a couple of T.V. episodes. Set in the picture perfect Cotswolds of England, it has a cast of very appealing characters and follows the transforming of Agatha from a monster of the Public Relations world of big business in London, to a more likable, and much happier, village dweller who solves the local crimes of country living, sometimes more by luck than skill. A lot of fun. KM

A global age-friendly community

East Gippsland Shire Council is one of seven Victorian councils to receive $100,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services to become an age-friendly community.

Age-friendly communities encourage active ageing and opportunities for good health, social and economic participation and personal security.

Mayor, Cr Marianne Pelz, said the Shire would embrace its potential to be a leading age-friendly community. “We will use the project to work towards membership of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities,” Cr Pelz said. “Council also recently became a signatory partner to the Age-Friendly Victoria Declaration in recognition of the need to take significant steps towards ensuring East Gippsland is a community which respects and works alongside our ageing population.”

Through the Age-friendly Communities grant, the Shire will consult with older community members to achieve the following aims:

· Enabling people of all ages to have an active role in their community;
· Treating people with respect, regardless of their age;
· Helping people of all ages to stay connected to their community;
· Ensuring East Gippsland is a place that helps people stay healthy and active, regardless of age; and
· Helping people of all ages to live with dignity and enjoyment.

Gippsland Primary Health Network, Heart Foundation Victoria and East Gippsland Primary Care Partnership are also supporters of the project, which will run until June 2018.

For more information on the Age-friendly Communities Project contact the Shire on 1300 555 886 or email feedback@egipps.vic.gov.au.

Paynesville Maritime Museum

Coming up

Aug 14 Open day at the PMM Display Facility in Gilsenan Reserve. 8.30 am to 12.30 pm

September 11—Open day at the PMM Display Facility in Gilsenan Reserve. 8.30 am to 12.30 pm

October 15 - PMM Annual General Meeting in Community Centre. 1.30pm

To further explain the crafts that the fishermen of the village needed access to we are presently building a display showing the sailmaker's art. A generous donation of an old cotton sail with hand worked corners and edges will underpin the display with a selection of sail making tools overlaid on top. We have some needles but are looking for a sailmaker's palm if you have one to spare - the older and gnarled the better.

Contented koala

Stella Sakkeus wrote:

Hi there - I know you would have masses of koala photos but I just wanted to share this one from our wander on the island yesterday. Such a contented koala enjoying the Winter sun. Bliss.

Mind games

A few chuckles and 'ooh ahs' for the week:

Bernadette Williams shared this web site link with one of our regular contributors:

Period: Traveling back in time - 1944 to 2014
Just click or click and hold on each photo, and then drag your mouse gently from left to right on the original photograph and it will be become a photo of the exact same location and view in 2014. Drag it back to the left and you are back in 1944! Scroll down for more of the same. Just fascinating!

Sign in the window of Wood St. Tiles:
SELECTION POLICY
HUSBANDS AND BOYFRIENDS
CHOOSING TILES
MUST HAVE A NOTE
FROM WIFE OR GIRLFRIEND'

Cockie's Corner.

There was a farmer with a wonderful orchard of apples that were growing splendidly. But he was disturbed by some of the local kids who would sneak into the orchard at night and eat the apples. He came up with a clever idea and he thought would scare the kids away. He made up a sign and posted in the field. The sigh read “ WARNING!! One of these apples on these trees have been injected with cyanide.” So the kids ran off home made up their own sign and posted next to the farmers sign. The farmer showed up the next day he look over the paddock and noticed not one apple was missing but a new sign stood next to his. He drove up and read the new sign and read “ Now there are two”.

and...

The rural school next door to farmer Tom's was a buzz. A new student was starting school today, a Russian boy named, Ivan Skivinski-Scavaa. To mark the occasion, and after introductions, the teacher, Miss. Jones, said: "Today's lesson will be about Victorian History, to help Ivan understand about our state heritage." Miss Jones's first question was: "In what year was the Eureka Stockade stand?" The whole class went quiet, except for Ivan Skivinski-Scavaa, “ Miss, the Eureka Stockade happened on December 3rd 1854. It was organized by Peter Lalor, to fight the colonial forces over mining rights." “Well done Ivan! It's actually unbelievable - you have only been here for 10 minutes and you can answer questions the class cannot." The next question was: "Who was the first Premier of Victoria?" Again, the class went quiet. Ivan put up his hand. “Miss, his name was William Haines and he was elected in 1857." The teacher was astonished. “Class," she asked, are you not ashamed? Here we have Ivan, who has been here a a very short time and can answer all my questions." From up the back of the class, a voice piped up: “Bugger the Russians!” "Who said that?" Miss Jones asked. Little Sally put up her hand - “Winston Churchill 1942".