THE CFA volunteers’ association believes diversity is vital to CFA and its work of protecting the community. Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria District 8 president Eric Collier says being a CFA volunteer is “about commitment, skills and professionalism”. “CFA brigades welcome volunteers of any gender, age or cultural background. The one thing we all have in common is a commitment to serve our communities,” Mr Collier said. “CFA Brigades are from the community and for the community. We want our membership to be as diverse as the communities of which we are part. “The jobs a volunteer can undertake are quite…
Author: Bayside News
By MELISSA WALSH FOR eight decades the neon Skipping Girl Vinegar sign has delighted children and adults as it lights up the streets of inner city Melbourne, at Abbotsford. The girl known as Little Audrey – the original Skipping Girl – lives at Sorrento. Irene Barron, 94, was the model for what became Australia’s first animated neon sign while working as a young artist for Neon Electric Signs. “I was nearly 14 when I started there after winning a drawing competition. The prize was you got to work there,” Mrs Barron said. “I was the smallest there and so they…
FRANKSTON Council will air a series of short films in support of Harmony Day on Wednesday 30 March. The diverse short films explore the success, challenges and nuances of migrant communities in Australia. The films focus on social inclusion and identity, and are designed for a family audience. Films include Father (2015) by Tresa Ponnor, a short documentary about two fathers; one physical, one spiritual. It follows the story of a young Vietnamese-Australian man as he explores his spiritual and religious commitments, and his relationship with his father; Gaffa (2013) by Adrian Castro & Craig Anderson, two sweatshop workers at…
The annual recipients of the Frankston Charitable Fund grants have been announced and eight local community groups have been selected to share in a pool of $27,000. According to Frankston mayor Cr James Dooley, the recipients all give back to the community in their own unique way. “From healthy eating programs for the disadvantaged, to concerts celebrating community members of all mobilities and a monthly free veterinary clinic for the pets of the homeless, the programs selected as recipients, all give something significant back to our wider community,” Cr Dooley said. The Frankston Charitable Fund is a sub-fund of the…
By DAVID HARRISON GETTING jet skis banned from Port Phillip could be a long, hard grind for its current sole public advocate, Cr Hugh Fraser. His first hurdle will be to persuade a majority of his council colleagues to support him. But Cr Fraser, veteran barrister at law, can be persuasive and determined. Mornington Peninsula Shire has no policy position on jet skis, says Cr Bev Colomb, currently president of the Association of Bayside Municipalities (ABM), through which Cr Fraser must advance his case for a ban. His first task will be to convince his councillor colleagues – a number…