On the 23rd of September I attended the Ringwood Historical Society’s AGM. The Society meets each month at Federation Estate with the aim of preserving our heritage for the future. The society has developed extensive archives over its 50 year history and is one of the oldest historical society’s within the eastern suburbs.

In fact the Ringwood Historical Society celebrates its 50th birthday this month and I encourage the community to attend its 50th birthday celebrations on the 28th of October from 8pm at Federation Estate.

On the 26th of September I attended the Ringwood Bowls Club Season Launch. The occasion marked the beginning of the bowls season and also coincided with their water sustainability project.

Ringwood Bowls Club has been part of Ringwood’s history since 1929 and its current membership and executive are determined to ensure that it has a sustainable future. The bowls club has embarked on a project to install water tanks and rainwater retention systems to water its two grass greens. The club is in fact the first bowling green to retrofit its facilities for water sustainability.

It was encouraging to see all levels of government work together to achieve this outcome. A combination of Federal, State and council grants have assisted in providing the funding for this project to be undertaken. I congratulate the club on its foresight and its commitment to a sustainable future.

From the 3rd to the 5th of October I attended a number of events as part of the Maroondah Writers and Readers Festival. As some of you may recall, I’ve spoken previously about the Festival steering committee, and as a member of this committee it was great to see the positive public reception and involvement in the festival. We had a steering committee meeting this morning and Eastern Regional Libraries, as well as the community members were all amazed at the success of this inaugural event. Next year the festival will probably comprise of a series of events to cover a range of writing genres and to build on some of the community partnerships that were formed during this event. I am sure that details will be forthcoming once they are available and the events are organised.

I would like to thank the many people that attended events during the weekend and also to the hardworking people that were involved in preparing and organising the festival.

On the 8th of October I attended the Eastern Volunteers AGM with Cr. Jo-anne Taylor. Eastern Volunteers provides volunteer recruitment and transport services for the frail aged and people with disabilities. Eastern Volunteers is based in Ringwood and it is amazing to see how much they have grown since their inception in 1976. The organisation is currently renting a premises in New Street, Ringwood and its current priority is to purchase accommodation that will ensure it has a sustainable future in the longer-term.

Eastern Volunteers has established a building fund to assist with this project and will be embarking on a process to raise the funds necessary. All donations made to the Building Fund are tax deductible.

On the 10th of October I had the pleasure of opening Enjoying Planned Retirement’s annual Art and Craft Festival, along with Cr. Jo-anne Taylor. The festival, now its third year, provides an appropriate conclusion to the Maroondah Seniors Festival, as it is celebrates the many talents of Marondah’s seniors. EPR is an incredibly active organisation and the support and activities they provide for members is amazing.

Lastly, this morning and at quite a few times over the past month I have met with North Ringwood Community House to assist in their grant application for funding into a feasibility study to identify a new location for the services the community house provides. I am pleased to say that work on the application is advancing rapidly and we will be submitting the application to State Government shortly.

Community houses facilitate social connectedness and North Ringwood Community House, as a Registered Training Organisation also provides TAFE accredited courses to assist in providing new skills for the community. The house after 30 years has outgrown its current location and premises and this grant will begin the process in finding a new site.

I would like to thank the staff members who have assisted in the house with information and also to Cr. Jo-anne Taylor for writing a letter of support for this application.