Aspendale

Gardens News
Autumn
2015

The Official Newsletter of AGRA,

Aspendale Gardens Residents Association

Distributed to over 2300 h omes in Aspendale Gardens www.facebook.com/agra3195

Kingston launches Youth Cove,

teenagers declare it awesome

City of Kingston is working with the Aspendale Gardens

Community Centre to trial an after-school youth space.

The community centre plans to open the Cove on

Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays after school. A range of
activities for young people will be offered, targeting ages
12 and up.

What used to be lots of babies is starting to grow into lots

of young people said Cr Tamsin Bearsley. Our aim is to
provide a hub where young people can have a sense of
identity and ownership, where they can find
entertainment, recreation and support if needed, in a local
environment that parents can feel confident about.

I think it will be fantastic, said Cr John Ronke. Its a 12

month trial, so its an opportunity to check out the value
that the community find in it, and well see where it goes
from there.

A qualified Youth Worker from Kingston Youth and Family

Services will lead the program, in partnership with
Aspendale Gardens Community Service.

The Youth Cove was introduced at the recent Community

Centre day, and will be officially launched on Tuesday 14th
April at 4.30pm with the official speech made by the
Kingston Mayor Geoff Gledhill. Young people who are
interested about the free programs can contact the
Aspendale Gardens Community Service directly or on
facebook (email: enquiries@agsinc.org.au).

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 1

Presidents Report

Editors Bit

The secret to a good life, Im discovering, is three-fold. Acts

of service, building relationships, and watching trees grow
seem to be the key.

The first part is service. As volunteers, the work we do in

AGRA is in service to the local community. We all love
Aspendale Gardens. We all want to make our community a
better place. Were all time poor, but you know what, its
time well spent anyway.

Welcome to the 2015 Autumn edition of Aspendale

Gardens News!

Our recent community survey reconfirmed that AGRA have

been focusing on the issues that are important to the
residents of Aspendale Gardens. Although there weren't a
lot of responses to the survey, there were some fantastic
new ideas that residents would like to see addressed.
Youll find some of the survey results in this newsletter.

The second part is relationships. Its often said that AGRAs

success is due to the relationships we build with our
council, state and federal representatives. We need John,
Mark, Tamsin, David and now Tim to stand up for us and
compete for resources for our community. Its a largely
thankless task, and when they do it well I believe we
should recognise them for it.

The third part is watching trees grow especially gum

trees that youve planted yourself. We have more planting
days coming up, and we need all the help we can get. That
means you. Like us on Facebook to keep in touch, get
involved, and Ill see you soon.

We reached out to our new Victorian MP Tim Richardson

and asked him to write an article. Youll find that in this
newsletter as well.

Cheers, Andy Bearsley, AGRA VP and Editor.

Your AGRA Committee

We say farewell and thankyou to committee members

Barbara Hasseloff and Adam Bedikan who are leaving due
to other commitments.

We are seeking enthusiastic new members to join the

AGRA committee and join us in working towards goals that
our Aspendale Gardens community has identified. If you
have an open mind, a community spirit and an hour per
week, please contact us via our Facebook page or website.

Tony Firman
Andrew Bearsley
John Zeccola
Mark Bruce
Helen Smithwick

Also Cameron Davies, Reny Frighetto,

Serge Yan & Henry Warren

Kind regards, Tony Firman, AGRA President

Facebook:
Email:
Web:

President, Chairperson
Advertising
Vice President, Editor
Treasurer
Assistant Treasurer
Minute Secretary

www.facebook.com/agra3195
agrasecretary@gmail.com
www.agrainc.org.au

AGRA meets on the last Tuesday of the month

except December. All welcome. 7:30pm at the
Aspendale Gardens Community Centre

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 2

Your Local,
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Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 3

Get to Know Your Neighbours

Our local traders at Aspendale Gardens Shopping Centre

are the heart of our community. Nathan Arrowsmith of
Buxton finds out what they love and what makes them
tick.

What do you enjoying doing when you are not working?

Nary: Quality time with my two sons and also walking. I
love my kids, walking and our business.

What is your favorite drink? Nary: Ginger Beer!

What are our biggest Tattslotto wins? Nary: A young

couple with a baby won $42,000.00 and we also had
Division 2 (5 times) and Division 3 (10 times).

What is your current biggest challenge that you would

love the locals to assist with? Nary: We have been trying
for a long time to get a full license for a Post Office. We
need to show our Post Office sales figures up to the end of
July. If these numbers are enough Australia Post may issue
a Post Office License to the Aspendale Gardens
Community.

The Supermarkets now also sell Newspapers and

magazines, which has had a dramatic impact on our sales.
Please show your support and always purchase your
newspapers and magazines from your local Newsagent.
We are currently selling Newspapers in the Fruit Shop also
on Sundays.

Nathan: Please visit Nary and mention this interview. Nary

has an amazing energy that will keep you coming back for
more. Hope you enjoyed your local Q&A!

Meet Nary, owner of the News and Lotto Shop in

Aspendale Gardens Shopping Centre.

Nary and Leang moved from Cambodia to Melbourne over

15 years ago. They have two sons aged 3 and 4 years old.

Nathan Arrowsmith
Buxton
(m: 0411 149 921, e: narrowsmith@buxton.com.au)

Aspendale
Gardens

What do you love about Aspendale Gardens? Nary: The

people are really nice and its a great community. We live
in Springvale South at the moment, but we feel it is a very
strong and close community so we would love to move
here.

News & Lotto

Now with Bill Payments,
Couriers & Parcel Post

How long have you been in business? Nary: For one year
now. It was the friendly people that attracted us. Before
we bought this business I was a book keeper for 6 years.
My husband still works full time for a printing company
and then helps me after hours.

How many hours do you work per week? Nary: Many! I

work from 7.30am - 7.30pm 6 days a week. I get to take
Sundays off.

Gifts, Toys & Stationery

Stamps & Envelopes
Express Post Satchels

Why do believe your product is the best out there?

Nary: Because I have a passion for customer service and
they will always get a great experience for free!

What is your Favorite place to holiday? Nary: I love

Queensland, the Great Ocean Road and Geelong. Any
place near the water is good!

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 4

Melbourne Water unveils next

step for grassland makeover

The grassland south of Aspendale Gardens is set to get

more plantings in autumn of 2015, as revealed in plans
that Melbourne Water shared with AGRA.

Ive done a number of site visits with a landscape

architect said Kylie Swingler, River Health Officer at
Melbourne Water. What were doing generally is low-
lying grasses and revegetation beds, to maintain sight lines
and safety while improving visual amenity.

The planting of approximately 1500 plants will further

build on the September 2014 initiative where Kingston
Council and Melbourne Water came together with local
community, primary schools and volunteer groups to plant
5000 trees in the grassland.

Were planning on two community planting days, and

wed also like to do planting days with local primary
schools said Kylie.

The grassland sits within a high priority area in Melbourne

Waters Healthy Waterways Strategy. Known
affectionately by locals as Ronkes Reserve, Secondary
Drain or the grassland out the back, the grassland
stretches for 1.7kms connecting Yammerbook Reserve to
the RAMSAR protected Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands.

Planting beds will be divided into a number of zones based

on feedback from the landscape architect. These have
been carefully designed to be consistent with the current
look of the area. The beds will contain native plants that
will thrive in the varying site conditions.

Zone A will include ground cover planting to allow views

across the zone and canopy trees of River Red Gums
outside of the floodplain alignment easement. Plant
species include tufted forms such as Black-anther Flax-Lily,
Common Tussock-Grass and Spiny-headed Mat-rush.

Zone B will consist of shrubs and groundcovers such as

Black Wattle, Black Sheoak, Hop Goodenia and Grey
Tussock-Grass.

Zone C will complement Councils recent plantings with

two additional revegetation beds to compromise of
canopy and mid-storey vegetation. The plant species will
consist of Blackwood, Hedge Wattle, Swamp Paperbark
and Tree Everlasting.

Zone D will include revegetation beds with Golden Spray,

Sweet Bursaria, Blue Flax-Lily, Weeping Grass and groups
of River Red Gums.

To find out more about the planting days, Like the AGRA
Facebook page or join the AGRA mailing list on
www.agrainc.org.au.

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 5

Introducing Tim Richardson MP

in our local schools to ensure our children are given every

opportunity to reach their full potential. With
unemployment reaching 7% in recent times and youth
unemployment at record levels in parts of Victoria, we
must also invest more in our TAFEs, particularly after the
recent cutbacks of the previous government.

Health & ambulances: Another key personal priority was

ending the ambulance dispute by working with paramedics
to fix the ambulance crisis to ensure we find the minutes
that save lives.

It is going to take some time to address the crisis in

Victorias ambulance system, with response times now
worse than ever, but our paramedics are among the most
dedicated and hardest working people in our community.
They deserve our respect and to be supported so that they
can save lives and do what they do best.

Tell us a bit about who Tim Richardson is and how you

came to represent the Labor party at the last election.
I have lived in the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne my
entire life and reside in Chelsea Heights with my wife
Lauren. We thoroughly enjoy our local community, from
the wonderful beaches, local services and open
environmental spaces.

I graduated from Deakin University with degrees in law

and commerce and prior to becoming the Member for
Mordialloc I worked for a number of years in both State
and Federal governments, however I found myself wanting
to contribute more to our local community and decided to
try my hand at becoming a local Member of Parliament.

I am also a supporter of the Essendon Football Club (dont

hold that against me) and enjoy the occasional round of
golf, although it is a bit harder to find time these days.

How is your life different as an elected member of

parliament? Life hasn't changed too much for us. Lauren
and I got married at the start of 2014 going into the
election year, so things have been pretty busy for us and
have continued to be busy throughout this year.

I really enjoy working in our local community. The best

thing about being a Member of Parliament is the ability to
get involved in local issues, advocating on behalf or
residents and community groups and delivering outcomes
for our community. I have a job to do like everyone else
and want to do the best I can for our community.

What are your priorities coming into this role?

I want to ensure our community has the facilities and
services it needs and deserves going into the future. In
reality governments change over the course of years and I
ask myself the question, what do you want achieve in the
time you are the representative for the area?

Supporting education & TAFE: I am passionate about

education and believe everyone has the right to a quality
education. I was raised for part of my life by a single mum
who stressed the importance of getting a good education
and was the first in my family afforded the opportunity to
go to university. I believe we need to prioritise investment

I have been fortunate enough met with many local

paramedics and recently attended a roundtable in
Cheltenham to hear firsthand the challenges they face and
ways we can work together to improve response times.

Public transport & roads: Another key priority is improving

our public transport and roads networks to ease
congestion. Population in the City of Kingston is expected
to grow by up to 20% in the coming decade. As a result we
need to invest more in our road, rail and bus
infrastructure.

As you might recall, I strongly opposed the decision to

remove Richmond and Flinders Street stations from the
Frankston train line. I am happy to say this has been
defeated and will not happen. The Government has
committed to removing 50 dangerous and congested
railways level crossings over the coming eight years,
including Edithvale Road, Edithvale.

At present one in nine people catch public transport and

we need to find ways to make it easier to use public
transport and encourage more people onto the network.
The Government has commenced planning the Melbourne
Metro Rail Tunnel, which will provide a second rail tunnel
network and double the capacity of the city loop when
completed.

Local road congestion is also a key issue raised with me by

residents. The extension of the Mornington Peninsula
Freeway has been road reserved for a number of decades
and community consultation has occurred in the past.

The previous government undertook a feasibility study into

the extension of the freeway, which was due for release in
November 2013, but unfortunately, came a year later. The
previous government then allocated further funding to
commence further planning, environmental and feasibility
works for the coming few years.

I am advised by VicRoads that this detailed feasibility and

planning works is ongoing and I am waiting for a further
detailed briefing from VicRoads on the future priorities and
plans to ease congestion in our region.
Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 6


What are the key deliverables from promises made at the
state election that are most relevant to residents of
Aspendale Gardens ? In addition to some of the key
priorities regarding education, TAFE, ambulance services
and local transport, we have a few key local commitments
as well, which include:
Supporting local jobs and skills: The Government has
introduced its Back to Work plan, which will provide up to
$100 million in relief to businesses hiring unemployed
youth, the long-term unemployed and retrenched workers,
to help create at least 100,000 jobs.
Protecting our open space and Green Wedge: We are
committed to maintaining and strengthening the integrity
of Victoria's Green Wedges, and legislating for a
permanent urban growth boundary. The Green Wedges
are the result of careful long term planning to preserve the
livability of Melbourne and are the lungs of the city,
encompassing important agricultural land and natural
conservation areas as well as various major utilities and
small towns.
Rebuilding Edithvale CFA Fire Station: The Government has
committed $2.5 million to rebuild Edithvale CFA and
support our hard working firefighters who work tirelessly
to keep the local community safe. Recently, I had the
opportunity to again visit the Edithvale CFA with the
Minister for Emergency Services to reaffirm the
Governments commitment to the project giving certainty
to the brigade and more than 100 volunteer members
regarding their long term future.

tim.richardson@parliament.vic.gov.au or by calling 9772

4544. If there is anything you would like to share with me,
please don't hesitate to get in contact with me. Over the
coming months I will continue to work in our electorate,
talking to local residents about their priorities and
concerns.

Capping Council rates: The Government will implement its

plan to cap City of Kingston Council rates increases and
ensure more transparency and accountability for local
residents. Any council proposing an increase above
inflation will need to justify its spending to the Essential
Services Commission. For families trying to meet day to
day expenses, it's only fair that council explain where their
rates are going.

How would you like to get feedback from residents on

issues?
As residents might know we are based at 374 Nepean
Highway, Chelsea. I am keen to hear the thoughts and
views of Aspendale Gardens residents about how we can
make our local area even better. The best way to reach me
is by popping into the office, sending me an email at

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 7

Aspendale Gardens
Primary School News
Osborne
Principals Report from Dr Cheryle

Alannah and Madeline Foundation

We had a fabulous Buddy Bear picnic with our Foundation
students and their families. The weather was perfect and
Buddy Bear was certainly a huge hit with our new
students.

Term 1, 2015

Harmony Day

It is with great pleasure that I welcome back our students,

especially our new Foundation students, families and
teachers to another fun filled and educationally
stimulating year at AGPS. We look forward to an amazing
learning journey for the students and the teachers that we
are very excited about.

We are commencing our journey towards a programme
which emphases the Inquiry approach to learning, which
we have always adopted at Aspendale Gardens Primary.
Inquiry involves students formulating questions about a
topic and then using an array of methods to investigate the
answers. This enables students to explore authentic, real
life experiences and allows them to engage in deeper,
higher order thinking. The consequences are powerful
learning experiences that engage students. The
programme further develops this approach and looks at
the whole child and therefore their social, academic and
emotional wellbeing. It develops personal values that
provide children with the capacity to be internationally
minded and to adapt and thrive in the global world that we
have become a part of. We believe this programme is
something that will set our students apart in a
continuously changing world.

School Council Representatives
I would like to congratulate and welcome our parent
representatives on our School Council John Zeccola
(President), Matthew Hill, Adam Maltman, Melinda
Freestone, Jamie Sweatman, Taso Tounis, Stephen Turner
and Dan. Our staff representatives are Kelly Cornelius,
Jonathan Baker and Helenor Regester. We are looking
forward to working together to create a fabulous school
for everyone.

Our Harmony Day celebrations once again were fantastic.

The students wore some wonderful national costumes and
we celebrated our schools cultural diversity. International
mindedness is a major part of the IB PYP approach to
education which totally fits into our Harmony Day
activities. We also promoted support for our Chores for
Charity fundraising event for the orphanage we support in
Cambodia. We are hoping to raise $5000 to fund an
annexe school outside Siem Reap in Cambodia. Another
highlight and very special treat on the day was the landing
of the Westpac helicopter on our school oval. The students
had an information session with the pilots and really
enjoyed witnessing the landing and take-off. It was
brilliant!

Canberra Trip

The Year 6 students have had a brilliant time in Canberra.

The weather was fantastic and the educational program
the students experienced was amazing. This is certainly an
outstanding trip for the students and one that really
develops their knowledge of our Australian Parliament and
our Nations Capital.

Dr Cheryle Osborne
Principal

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 8

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Mercedes Benz for Men 75ml

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$45!

Shop 21 Aspendale Gardens S/C, Aspendale Gardens 9587 5566

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 9

Community Survey:
The results are in
In late 2014 and early 2015, AGRA conducted the second

Number two issue is internet access and speed.

Aspendale Gardens Community Survey. Thanks to all those

residents that undertook the survey. In this article we
outline the biggest issues and some of the great ideas that
were presented by residents.

What do we love about Aspendale Gardens?

NBN not currently available for Aspendale Gardens

Residents are frustrated with the lack of speed they

experience and want the NBN rolled out as a priority.

Number three was improvements to parks and reserves.

Three things stood out for residents

The surroundings. The parks, wetlands and open space

that we are very fortunate to have around us.
The people. The community feeling of Aspendale
Gardens was almost universally mentioned as
residents choice for what they loved about living here.
Being close to the beach and having great community,
sporting and shopping facilities were also highly valued.

Playgrounds on Kearney Drive and L.L. Stevenson need an upgrade

Most mentioned were improvements to playground

equipment and to recreationally cater for teens, as well as
for toddlers. People thought the plantings in our parks and
reserves needed more attention, and they also wanted
BBQs and picnic tables. At the Aspendale Gardens
sportsground, toilets and change rooms were raised.

What are the big issues?

Number one issue is the traffic on Wells Road.

What about the post office? Getting a Post Office at

Aspendale Gardens didnt come up as much as it did in the
last survey, which was a little surprising. Maybe thats
because it has been a long road with little result.

Wells Rd traffic at evening (source: Google Street View)

Mornington Peninsula through-traffic splits our community

in half and it makes getting in and out of our suburb,
especially during peak time, quite difficult.

Linked with the building of the Mordialloc Bypass, this also

received many responses although there were a couple of
people living on the Mordialloc Creek side of Aspendale
Gardens who didnt want a freeway behind their homes.

Some good ideas:

Fitness stations on the walking trails
AFL goal posts on the Aspendale Gardens Sports Ground
Lights on the path from the Aspendale Gardens Primary
school to Tarongo Drive in Aspendale for those residents
that walk to Aspendale train station
What will AGRA do with all this feedback?
We will add all the detailed feedback to the AGRA website.
We will share all the detailed feedback with councillors,
City of Kingston and our state MP as soon as we can. In the
meantime if youd like to contribute to the discussion,
contact us on our Facebook page or website .
www.facebook.com/agra3195
www.agrainc.org.au
Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 10

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 11

Aspendale Gardens
Community Service Update

Update from David Tonge, Community Service Manager

It is exciting times for Aspendale Gardens Community

Service as we progress through the year. Term 2 sees the
launch of some new interesting programs and services for
our local community. We are always looking to expand
what we offer to the community, so please get in touch if
you have any specific requests or ideas.

Aspendale Gardens Youth Cove
We have been working with a volunteer committee of
local young people to name, establish and launch a new
space for young people aged 12 years and above.

With Councils Maternal Child Health Services relocating to

the newly constructed Edithvale Family and Childrens
Centre, this venue provided an ideal space to develop and
create a local youth based initiative.

Aspendale Gardens Community Service has partnered with

Kingston Youth and Family Services to develop this
localised 12-month trial youth project. The generous
support from Council has contributed to the re-
development of the space and the funding of a qualified
Youth Worker who will oversee the project.

Aspendale Gardens Youth Cove will target young people

who live work or play in the Aspendale Gardens and
surrounding area. We are inviting all young people to
contact us to find out about the free programs that can be
accessed. Contact us at the centre or message us on
Facebook.

Seniors
We are also excited to be offering a new free over 55s
Social Group each Friday from 1.30pm to 3pm,
th
commencing Friday, 24 April which will offer a chance to
meet people and have a chat over a cup of tea or coffee
and participate in activities such as carpet bowls, card
games, etc.

YOGA
Our recently launched Yoga classes have been a huge
success and we plan to continue to offer Yoga on Mondays
th
& Thursdays, 2-3pm (starts week commencing 13 April)
during term 2. We are also pleased to announce that we
will be launching a Yoga for Mums and Bubs on Tuesdays,
th
2-3pm (starts 14 April). This mums and toddlers yoga
class focuses on re-balancing your body and mind whilst
gaining strength and flexibility. It also provides a good
opportunity to bond and have fun with your child in a
relaxing, spiritual environment.

Courses
New course for this term - Just starting with your iPad, 8
st
weeks, starts on Tuesday, 21 April 12.30 to 3pm, and is
aimed at the beginner iPad user with very little experience.

We are also seeking expressions of Interest for any other

courses the community wants us to consider running at
the centre.

Volunteers
We are always interested in hearing from people in our
local community who would like to help out at the
Community Centre. We have a volunteer program in place
and could use assistance in the following areas:
General maintenance, gardening, landscaping
Youth Work
Teaching, Arts, Crafts or other skills
Office administration, Board membership
Events
If you think you might have some time to help us at the
Centre, please contact the office.

Thank you to all community members who have welcomed
me to the centre, the excellent staff at the centre and pre-
school and the supportive board of management. Feel free
to contact me to discuss any issues or ideas you have. We
are a Community Service and here to support you.

David Tonge,
Community Service Manager

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 12

Aspendale Gardens Community Service Open Day 22nd March 2015

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 13

Aspendale Gardens Community Service Pre-School Garden Plans

We have some pretty

amazing people in our
Aspendale
Gardens
community.

Katrina Harrison and

the
team
are
volunteers for the
Aspendale Gardens Community Service. Over the last two
years, Katrina and team have been researching and
speaking to community, educators and parents to
understand what they would like to see in the AG pre-
school garden and playground areas. The concept and
plans have now been completed. The theme is a move to
natural, imaginative play spaces including fairy gardens,

planting beds, digging patches, weaving frames, outdoor

kitchen, shaded classroom, sand and water play areas
said Katrina. Through working bees, weve made a start
on some sections already such as the fairy garden in the
wattle room playground.

Its the way forward said David Tonge, Community

Service Manager. Edithvale and Parkdale hubs are going
this way and they are just amazing.

The community service is looking for assistance from local

businesses and government to help turn the dream into a
reality. Anyone interested in helping are advised to contact
the Aspendale Gardens Community Service on Facebook,
enquiries@agcsinc.org.au, or 03 9587 5955.

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 14

Mordialloc Bypass Update

planning and project development over the next four

years.

Following the state election, a number of residents

have asked us what the results mean for the
proposed Mordialloc Bypass.

AGRA will work with Tim Richardson MP to keep a

track of this project, which is important to Victorias
southeast region from an economic, environmental
and safety perspective.

In October 2014, a VicRoads study found that a

bypass would be the optimal solution to solve traffic
issues around Aspendale Gardens and Mordialloc
associated with traffic flowing to and from the
Mornington Peninsula.

The current state government budget, when we

lastchecked, includes $10.6M allocated for detailed

If you dont know what were talking about, just try

to get out of Winners Circle safely into the oncoming
traffic at 5pm

Residents will remember Labor promised the

extension in 1999, to be completed by 2009. Better
late than never, we say.

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 15

Aspendale Gardens News, Autumn 2015 Page 16