APRIL 2020

Maling Ward

9835 7845 or 0409 267 902

jane.addis@boroondara.vic.gov.auCr Jane Addiswww.boroondara.vic.gov.au

For more information visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/mch or call 9278 4606.

100 Years of Maternal and Child Health serviceThis year we are celebrating the centenary of the Maternal and Child Health service in Boroondara. The first baby health centre in the City of Boroondara opened in November 1920 at Kew Town Hall. Maling Ward’s Balwyn Maternal and Child Health.

Today, the service offers free health and developmental checks for children aged 0 to 4 years and information for parents. There is also a range of support groups for first-time

parents, Mandarin-speaking families and those experiencing postnatal depression. Other programs available include:

• home visits for families experiencing early parenting difficulties

• a day-stay program that helps with settling, sleeping and feeding

• lactation clinics for families who need breastfeeding support.

This ward newsletter features stories which celebrate our history and our future.

The 1.4ha Surrey Gardens, which opened in 1907, was originally designed by William Guilfoyle, who also designed Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Soon, we will again be able to enjoy a rotunda in the historic Surrey Gardens. The new rotunda is modelled on the original 1912 Chinoiserie-style bandstand, which was destroyed by fire in 1973. When completed, the rotunda will provide another special place for the community to gather.

This newsletter also celebrates Canterbury’s past, with a story about the launch of a book

about the history of Canterbury, written by distinguished local historian, Don Gibb.

Looking to the future, I recently visited the Balwyn Community Centre to see the new facilities. With construction works now complete, programs will recommence this month.

Council’s Maling Road Placemaking project is progressing, and your responses tell us that you most value the heritage character, the mix of shops and the sense of being part of a local community. You can read about the next phase of this project over the page.

Finally, next month Council will launch a major enhancement to Boroondara’s waste collection services. Most residents will be able to send their combined food and garden waste for recycling. Thanks to ‘FOGO’, we can divert as much as 19,000 tonnes of waste from landfill every year. By working together we can make this new service a success.

Best wishes

Cr Jane Addis

Councillor update

For more information, contact the Placemaking team at placemaking@boroondara.vic.gov.au or call 9278 4640.

Enhancing Maling RoadThank you to the 1,200 residents, traders and visitors who shared their vision for Maling Road during the community consultation for our placemaking project to revitalise the area. Placemaking is about strengthening the relationship between people and place, and the best results are achieved in partnership with local communities.

When asked about what makes Maling Road unique, 60 per cent of respondents said it was the street’s heritage character, 52 per cent said that it was the mix and range of shops and services, and

ambience, and 28 per cent said they valued the sense of community; including feeling connected and known by shopkeepers.

The improvements sought included retail vibrancy (57 per cent), upgrading and maintaining the street and amenity (28 per cent), redesign of roads (26 per cent), activation and events (22 per cent), aesthetics (19 per cent), catering to all life stages (15 per cent) and greening of area (12 per cent).

Local traders are particularly excited about the project and eager to see the strip become even more vibrant. Chapter Three owner Sally, who recently acquired Flowers of Canterbury after realising that it had

closed over the Christmas holidays, said: “We are here to stay. Maling Road really is a beautiful street, with a diverse range of boutique shops that specialise in their own unique products.”

The next step in the placemaking process involves identifying and prioritising improvements that we can achieve together in the short and long term. Visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/maling-road-placemaking to view the Maling Road Place Vision this month. See how you can have your say through hands-on activities in the coming weeks. You can also sign up to the mailing list for regular updates about the project.

Help your local wildlife this autumnDid you know Maling Ward is home to a huge range of local wildlife including the eastern spinebill and spotted pardalote?

You can support our unique animals by creating a wildlife-friendly garden at home. You don’t need a big garden – just a small area for wildlife-friendly features.

A wildlife haven can require less maintenance and water compared to an exotic garden. If you get your neighbours involved, your gardens can become valuable stepping stones for native animals, which will be able to move safely between our parks and reserves.

You can start your native garden by planting dense shrubs where birds can shelter, nectar-rich plants for honeyeaters and daisies for butterflies. A warm, sheltered corner, including some rocks in the sun, will make your local lizards happy.

For more tips on creating your wildlife-friendly space, download our Backyard Biodiversity booklet at www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/wildlife-friendly-garden.

Applications for the City of Boroondara Annual Community Strengthening Grants are open until Monday 13 April. Grants of up to $10,000 are available for new, one-off projects and initiatives that strengthen the Boroondara community. To apply visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/community-strengthening-grants.

The Canterbury History Group and the Royal Historical Society of Victoria have honoured a Canterbury local by publishing the book he was working on when he died.

Historian and academic Professor Don Gibb, a member of both organisations, passed away in 2017, leaving his manuscript for Canterbury: A History unfinished. Canterbury History Group commissioned highly-regarded historian, Jill Barnard, to continue Don’s research.

“We decided to publish his history out of our love and respect for Don who was really our guiding light over many years,” said Canterbury History Group committee member Libby Wilson.

Libby praised Jill’s contributions, adding: “Jill had the very difficult job of interpreting Don’s handwritten suggestions and ideas for further research, as well as doing her own research for the manuscript.”

With help from a $10,000 Boroondara Community Strengthening Grant, the book was published in December 2019 to the delight of Don’s loved ones and peers from the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and the Canterbury History Group.

The Canterbury History Group held a community celebration in Maling Road to mark the book’s launch.

Canterbury: A History details the story of the suburb of Canterbury from its Aboriginal history through to the late 1950s. The book covers topics including Aboriginal ownership, sale of the land for farming and creation of estates, the introduction of the railway, and the development of the suburb, which is known for its leafy streets and large houses.

Local group publishes Canterbury: A History as a tribute to Don Gibb

Council uses a cost-effective distribution method for this publication. This can sometimes mean you receive the newsletter of a neighbouring ward. If this happens, please contact comms@boroondara.vic.gov.au and we’ll post the correct newsletter.

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Postal address: Private Bag 1 Camberwell VIC 3124Call:

9278 4444

Web: boroondara.vic.gov.au

We are just weeks away from the launch of Council’s new Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) kerbside bin collection, one of Boroondara’s biggest service enhancements in decades.

FOGO is for properties that use Council kerbside collection services and is being rolled out in two phases. From Monday 4 May, residents in single-dwelling properties and units in blocks of up to three can put food and garden waste in the same bin, diverting an estimated 19,000 tonnes of waste away from landfill each year. That is just over seven waste trucks per day!

Your existing green waste bin has an orange lid. This will be replaced with a lime green lid, transforming this bin into your FOGO bin. Residents without a green bin will receive a 120L FOGO bin. Households will also receive a kitchen caddy to collect food, one year’s supply of caddy liners (150) and a FOGO information pack.

Please read the information pack and check our website to see what can and cannot be placed in your FOGO bin. This will help eliminate bin contamination, and prevent bin contents from going to landfill.

For more information visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/FOGO or call 9278 4444.

Food Organics and Garden Organics waste service launches next month

For more information visit www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/bcc-upgrade or call 9278 4822.

The new Balwyn Community Centre is hereConstruction work at the Balwyn Community Centre is now complete. The new centre features:

• six additional spaces for community programs and groups, including a demonstration kitchen, two new art rooms and a craft workshop

• Balwyn Maternal and Child Health Centre expanded to a two-nurse unit

• an upgraded 20-place occasional care centre

• 13,750 indigenous plants added throughout the parklands and Kergunyah Wetlands

• an upgraded function centre

• a refurbished full-sized tennis court

• a new recreation zone, including exercise equipment, a learn-to-cycle path and table tennis tables

• two additional community garden plots, a new shelter, shed and toilet for the gardeners.

The Balwyn Community Centre’s programs will resume at 412 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn, in April.

Deb Austin, Director of Balwyn Community Centre said, “We can’t wait to hit the ground running with new courses and workshops. We look forward to welcoming everyone, new and returning, into the new facilities.”

Council is proud to deliver new and upgraded buildings and wonderful outdoor areas, which have been designed to enhance the lives of our growing and diverse community.

You can find out more about the many programs and activities at the centre by visiting www.balwyncc.org.au.