Strathalbyn Christian College joins the Country Week

/

For the first time Strathalbyn Christian College will be sending a team of over 50 students to Country Week which will be held in Perth at the end of this month.

The week-long event will provide an opportunity for our students to meet, and play against, other students from regional centres in specific disciplines such as netball, basketball, volleyball and hockey.

They also have a dance team that will have the opportunity to learn a wide range of dances such as Indigenous Contemporary, Ukranianian Cossack and Commercial along with ballet, pilates and Wu Tao.  The Dance program is coordinated by AusDance with students using the studios at WAAPA.

To mark this special occasional the College appointed Overall Team Captains Calli-Rose Woods and Alyse White who have assisted staff with preparation for the event.  Students were also nominated as Sports Captains by their peers: Calli-Rose Woods (Girls Basketball), Bella Davidson (Dance), Jesse McKoy (Hockey), Rene Brand (Netball), Levi Moore (Boys Basketball) and Evan Gilbert (Volleyball).   Each Captain has assisted the Team Coach to organise team practises, assisted with fundraising/promoting and informing students about details about Country Week.  The students participated in fundraising activities to assist with their Country Week expenses.

Calli-Rose Woods and her mother, Julie Woods, helped to design the Country Week Polo Shirts which have an Aboriginal theme.  All elements of the shirt design have special meaning, for example the circle on the front represents the meeting place (of Country Week) and the message stick is symbolic of Welcome to Country

Strathalbyn Christian College students will be stepping out in style in our newly designed Country Week sports uniform. Created with the help of Cooper Teamwear, this design captures the Strath uniform colours of green, blue and white in a unique way. ‘Working with Cooper Teamwear during the design phase of the project was very easy and they were able to meet our short deadline without any problems. The students love the new design and are excited to be representing Strathalbyn Christian College at Country Week” said Anna Hollander, Marketing and Community Relations Manager.

Leading up to Country Week, the students have been playing scratch-matches against Geraldton Senior High School and Geraldton Grammar School which assisted with their team skills.

Blue bin contamination continues

/

The blue plastic recycling bins in Sunset Beach are being relocated due to ongoing contamination.

The bins currently located on the west side of Chapman Road across from the Glenfield Shopping Centre will be moved 200m to the south to the turning bay in front of the Spalding Horse and Pony Club on the east side of Chapman Road on Monday 1 July 2019.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the ongoing contamination was very discouraging.

“Over the past six months the City has been reminding the community to do the right thing by putting only types 1 and 2 plastics into the blue bins,” he said.

“When other plastics and non-recyclable materials are placed in these bins they become contaminated and the whole lot goes to landfill.

“We’ve already had to relocate the blue plastic bins in Drummond Cove due to contamination and hopefully moving the bins away from the cardboard recycling containers and rubbish bins at their current location will stop the ongoing contamination.

“It’s really frustrating as we are trying to provide a service the community wants and it’s unfortunate that their recycling efforts are actually going to waste.”

To identify what plastics are type 1 and 2, look for the symbol on the item. Plastics include soft drink, juice and water bottles as well as common white or coloured plastic such as milk containers and shampoo bottles.

People are also reminded to remove bottle lids and rinse them out before recycling.

The locations of the bins are:

  • Beachlands Primary School – Corner of Whitfield St and Bradley St

  • Bluff Point Primary School – 18 Mitchell St

  • Drummond Cove – 19 Parkvista Square

  • Geraldton Primary School – Augustus St

  • Geraldton Surf Lifesaving Club – 260 Willcock Drive

  • Leaning Tree Community School – 15 Bayly Street

  • Mt Tarcoola Primary School – Acacia Street

  • Paringa Park – Paringa Street, Mount Tarcoola

  • PCYC – 105 Pass Street, Wonthella

  • QEII Seniors and Community Centre Carpark – 88 Durlacher Street

  • Strathalbyn Christian College – 15 Cedar Crescent

  • Tip Shop - 61 Landfill Lane, Narngulu

  • Waggrakine Primary School – Hall Road

  • Wandina Primary School – 29 Ajax Drive

For more information about recycling in Geraldton, head to www.cgg.wa.gov.au

City makes film friendly pledge

/

In a bid to become a ‘film friendly’ location, the City of Greater Geraldton has introduced a new process to help encourage organisations and businesses who are looking to commercially film in Geraldton.

Following suit from many other local governments, organisations looking to commercially film in Geraldton can now visit the City’s website and fill out a Commercial Filming Form in order to receive a permit to film in Geraldton.

A point of difference for Greater Geraldton – filming permits are free!

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said it was important commercial filming was easy and accessible in the region. 

“We want to encourage all sorts of filming and promotion here in Geraldton with everything from documentaries, TV shows, feature films and everything in between,” he said. 

“Every month we get requests for filming here in our beautiful region, with everything from tourism promotion, fishing shows and much more.

“While some local governments charge for commercial filming permits, we feel having no cost and keeping the process as easy as possible will foster Geraldton being on the big screen more and more!” 

Geraldton has featured in many on-screen features, most recently a visit from Network Ten’s iFish crew, which showcased the Midwest’s best fishing spots including Greenough River, local beaches and the Abrolhos.

The Abrolhos episode will air this Sunday 23 June on Network Ten at 5pm.  

Geraldton was also featured in Our State on a Plate where The Broady, Illegal Tender Rum Co and Sun City Produce shone. 

“Not only does commercial filming have great flow on effects for tourism, but it also gives local businesses a chance to showcase themselves,” Mayor Van Styn added. 

“We live in such a unique part of the world and we want to show that to the world.”

For more information on commercial filming in Geraldton or to obtain a permit, head to https://www.cgg.wa.gov.au/work/doing-business-in-greater-geraldton/film-friendly-geraldton.aspx


City seals deal with Radio Mama

/

Radio Mama’s Pete Fiorenza, City CEO Ross McKim and Mayor Shane Van Styn with Radio Mama Manager Barry Anderson.

Locals can continue to tune in and listen to various sporting broadcasts after the City of Greater Geraldton recently entered into an Everlasting Partnership with local radio station Radio Mama.

As part of the deal, Radio Mama will receive $5,000 a year for three years from the City, to support the broadcast of the Great Northern Football League and Geraldton Buccaneers home games.

The sponsorship also supports SHL Radio which is a weekly segment focusing on local sport, health and lifestyle.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said it was important local sport and news was available to the community.

“We think it’s imperative to keep local broadcasting alive in our community,” he said.

“Especially being such a sporting mad City, it’s great that people from all over the world can tune in and listen to the local footy matches and SBL games.

“The City is proud to support Radio Mama and encourages the community to tune into the local shows.”

GNFL is broadcasted every match weekend as well as Country Week games and all Geraldton Buccaneers home games are also live broadcasted. 

Radio Mama welcomes Pete Fiorenza for SHL every Sunday morning with a range of different guest speakers every week. 

Radio Mama Manager Barry Anderson said the funding was vital to keep the broadcasts going.

“We love what we can do for the Geraldton community and we get so much great feedback from listeners about our live broadcasts,” he said. 

“People from as far as America tune in to listen to the Buccs matches as the families of import players want to listen to the games live.

“We’d like to thank the City for this ongoing support for us to continue to offer live broadcasting.”

Listeners can tune into Radio Mama on 100.5FM or stream the station via Radio Mama’s website or the SHL Radio app which is available for free download.

SHL is every Sunday from 10am and you can also get updates on SHL’s Facebook page. 

For more information about the City’s Everlasting Partnership program, head to www.cgg.wa.gov.au


Seacrest Way rock removal

/

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise works to remove the rocks on the beach at Seacrest Way in Drummond Cove will take place between Wednesday 19 June and Thursday 20 June 2019.

These works are the final rehabilitation works on the former leasehold foreshore area in Drummond Cove.

The anticipated hours of work will be between 7am and 6pm. Access to the beach at Seacrest Way will be restricted for the duration of the works.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Building demolition on Lester Avenue

/

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will be demolishing the aged building situated at 203 Lester Avenue between Fitzgerald Street and Cathedral Avenue to develop additional off-street parking in the CBD.

Works are scheduled to commence on Wednesday 12 June 2019 for a period of approximately three days.  The anticipated hours of work will be between 7.00am and 6.00pm and traffic management will be in place during the works.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

ARTS Day is being held at Geraldton Grammar School

/

The inaugural ARTS Day is being held at Geraldton Grammar School on Friday 28 June 2019.  

There will be various music pieces and a drama performance being staged on the day along with photography, stand-up comedy, art exhibitions, cake decorating and local artists creating beautiful painting before your eyes.

An array of hot and cold, sweet and savoury food will be on sale throughout the day as well as hot and cold drinks.

The ARTS Day event is open to all spectators from within our school and the wider community, so circle the calendar and come along to support our students and get immersed in the thriving ARTS culture of Geraldton Grammar School.

Commitment to Disability Access and Inclusion reaffirmed

/

Beach matting installed at Town Beach at the end of the mobility ramp improved ocean access for everyone during the summer months.

Council has reaffirmed its ongoing support of people with disability by unanimously endorsing the recently reviewed Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP).

The five-year plan outlines the ways in which the City of Greater Geraldton will ensure people with disabilities have equal access to its facilities and services.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said local governments play an important role supporting people with disability to have greater participation in the community.

“The City is committed to continually improving access to our information and providing quality services, facilities, programs and events for people with disability,” he said.

“Over the past five years the City has improved existing infrastructure and built new facilities which make public open spaces, our foreshores and our City more inclusive and welcoming.

“We have also worked behind the scenes incorporating readability features and Read speaker text to voice software on all our websites, built electric wheelchair and gopher recharging stations in City venues,  installed an audio loop in the QEII Lower Hall and provided sign language training for customer service staff.”

Over the next five years, the 2019 to 2023 DAIP will ensure the City continues to meet the needs and aspirations of people with disability.

“Revisions to the DAIP were informed by the results of an extensive Community Survey,” said Mayor Van Styn.

“The survey enabled people with disability, their carers, and their family and friends to tell us what we are doing right and where improvements still need to be made.

“Projects within our proposed Capital Works Plan and the renewals program in the 2019/20 Budget reflect the community’s feedback and will enable us to continue to improve access and inclusion across the City region.”

For more information on the DAIP visit www.cgg.wa.gov.au


Free parking set to further activate CBD

/

Two-hour free parking at Carparks 1-4 and free weekend parking at all CBD carparks will make it easier and cheaper for people to visit the City Centre from July 2019.

Following the successful 12-month trial of free, two-hour parking at Carpark 2 located behind the Geraldton Regional Library and Carpark 3 behind McDonalds, two-hour free parking will continue at these carparks whilst the ticket machines at Carpark 1 at the Post Office and Carpark 4 on the Foreshore across from Dome will be removed and revert to a maximum of two hours free parking to align with Foreshore Drive on-street parking.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the decision to allocate more free parking in key CBD locations is part of the bigger plan to activate the City centre.

“This Council is fully committed to making our CBD a vibrant place people want to visit,” he said.

“The Art Gallery is proving very popular with record numbers of people attending exhibitions and workshops and once the Rocks Laneway Project is completed we will have an ‘Instragramable’ streetscape locals and tourists alike will want to visit.

“Providing free two-hour parking at both ends of the Rocks Laneway and having free parking at all CBD carparks on weekends will make it much easier and cheaper for people to go shopping, meet friends for coffee or lunch or take part in activities and events taking place in and along the Rocks Laneway once its completed in September.”

Changes have also been made to on street parking in the City centre.

One-hour free parking will be provided in areas of the highest short-stay demand whilst two-hour will be provided for shoppers and visitors to the City centre who require longer periods of time to conduct their business.

The new parking regulations go into effect on Monday 1 July 2019. For more information on the changes to on-street and carpark parking visit www.cgg.wa.gov.au

Bob Davis leaves City after 10 years as Director

/

Director Bob Davis is leaving the City of Greater Geraldton after nearly 10 years of service.

Bob Davis will leave the City of Greater Geraldton this week after nearly 10 years as Director of Corporate and Commercial Services and a long list of successful projects under his belt.

Bob will be remembered for his passion for aviation and the Geraldton Airport, but also his dedication for the City’s Budget and getting it back in the black, and supporting the City’s system migration to the cloud.

While these are just a few of the legacies Bob will leave behind, he said he will miss City staff the most.

“The colleagues and work teams that I have mixed with every working day is what I will miss most,” Bob said.

“In a long career, the staff of this City rank with the very best, most capable, hard-working and nicest groups of people I have even been fortunate enough to work with.”

Bob joined the City from a government role in Canberra and has lived and worked in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Darwin and Hobart prior.

As a born and bred West Aussie, he saw the job in Geraldton as a great opportunity to, “come home”.

City of Greater Geraldton Chief Executive Officer Ross McKim thanked and congratulated Bob for his contribution to the organisation and to the community.

“Mr Davis has been an integral part of a lot of huge projects that have had massive positive outcomes for the community,” he said.

“From things such as working hard to get the City’s asset renewal backlog under control, delivering high quality finance plans year after year, budget and reports, and we can’t forget Bob’s unwavering dedication to the Airport and being pivotal in securing funding for the upgrade. 

“As well as Bob’s astute and witty personality, and an attention for detail like no other, on behalf of the City and the staff I would like to thank Bob and wish him all the very best on his next adventure!”

While he will be leaving his role at the City, Bob said retirement isn’t on his mind.

“I’m not going anywhere for now and there are some possible project opportunities that appeal to me,” he said.

“My wife Han Jie and I hope to do some traveling and we might actually find time to get our boat wet.”

 

Bob Davis’ last day with the City is this Friday 31 May.


FOGO trial will be considered in 2019/20 Budget

/

Kerbside collection of Food Organic and Garden Organic (FOGO) waste is one step closer to being implemented with Council agreeing to list a trial program for consideration in the 2019/20 Budget deliberations.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said collecting FOGO waste would be a win-win for everyone.

“We know our community wants us to take action on reducing waste,” he said.

“With recycling and waste modelling suggesting that up to 48% of the rubbish in our bins is made up of FOGO waste this would be the sensible place to start.

“If we can prevent almost half of our bin contents going to landfill we would prolong the use of our existing pit, and Cell 5 currently under construction, which would reduce long-term waste disposal costs.

“Collecting and turning this waste into quality compost that can be sold not only helps recover some of the costs involved in providing a second bin, it is something we can do ourselves, giving us complete control over the entire process which means external forces will have little to no impact on the viability of our program.”

Recent changes in the global recycling sector brought about by China’s crackdown on foreign waste has caused a national recycling crisis.

“Cities across Australia that have introduced recycling schemes are struggling to cope with their waste since China began restricting the import of plastics, textiles and mixed paper early last year due to high contamination rates,” Mayor Van Styn said.

“Some Councils in Melbourne and regional Victoria are now dumping their recyclables into landfill as there is no longer a market for them and stockpiling combustible materials can be dangerous and bad for the environment.

“This crisis requires a national strategy that resolves our waste problem here in Australia as shipping it off to other countries is clearly not the solution.”

The FOGO waste collection trial will be the first step the City could take towards meeting Western Australia State Strategy waste recovery target set to increase Municipal Solid Waste material recovery by 50% in major regional centres by 2020.

The small-scale FOGO trial would involve providing 500 randomly selected houses across City suburbs with a second bin for FOGO waste over a 12-month period.

The trial will also provide the City with an opportunity to gather realistic data regarding waste portions in our bins, residential participation uptake, local FOGO processing and to identify a local market for the end product.

FOGO is considered any food waste including fruit and vegetable scraps, processed food and leftovers from meals such as meat, fish, chicken, bread, egg, egg shells, dairy products, rice, pasta, coffee grounds and tea bags. Garden waste can include grass clippings, flowers, weeds, herbs, small branches and leaves. Paper towel, compostable plates, compostable bags and pizza boxes.


Brand Highway median works

/

The City of Greater Geraldton wishes to advise it will be undertaking landscape upgrade works between Fortyn Court and Durlacher Street on the Brand Highway median island commencing Monday 10 June 2019 for a period of approximately two weeks.

Works include the replacement of existing turf and synthetic grass with paving and are an extension of recent upgrades previously completed on the median to John Willcock Link.

The anticipated hours of work will be between 8am to 5pm daily. 

The inside traffic lane in both directions will be closed during works with speed limits reduced to 40km/hr. Motorists can expect delays and are asked to drive with care to maintain the safety of all road users and workers.

Members of the community are requested to exercise caution and obey all warning signs and directions from authorised City personnel and contractors.

The City apologises for any inconvenience these works may cause.

If you have any queries please contact the City on (08) 9956 6600 or email council@cgg.wa.gov.au.

Fines issued for illegal asbestos dumping

/

Asbestos sheets illegally dumped at Meru Waste Facility.

Hefty infringements have been issued to a Geraldton resident and a local business for the illegal dumping of asbestos at the Meru Waste Facility.

Caught burying the asbestos waste under metal in the metals recycling area, a local resident was fined $1000 and a local business was fined $4000 for illegally dumping asbestos in the builder’s waste area whilst a second resident was issued a warning for not declaring and properly disposing of the dangerous material.

City of Greater Geraldton Chief Executive Officer Ross McKim said illegally dumping asbestos can have both severe and costly consequences.

“The illegal dumping of asbestos is concerning because it is hazardous waste and needs to be handled correctly or it can pose a health risk to those handling it,” he said.

“Residents are only required to pay $15 per sheet to dispose of up to 10m2 of asbestos and businesses $150/tonne for correct disposal at Meru landfill.

“Attempting to avoid these fees by hiding asbestos in other piles of rubbish or worse in recyclable material areas is unacceptable.

“This illegal dumping could endanger the health of other users and Meru staff whose job it is to process and recover waste. It also contaminates the recyclable materials other residents and businesses have carefully separated.

“The removal of the illegally dumped asbestos and then remediation of the site also comes at a cost which often isn’t totally recovered by the fines imposed,” he added.

Asbestos removal up to 10m2 does not require a licence to remove.  Asbestos amounting to more than 10m2 requires a licenced removalist to comply with the regulations. Legislation requires asbestos materials to be double wrapped with a minimum of 0.2mm of plastic and marked as asbestos.

Although undisturbed asbestos cement materials in good condition do not pose a health risk because the fibres are bound together, materials that have been damaged or are crumbling or is disturbed by breaking, cutting or drilling releases fibres into the air and can pose an extreme health risk when breathed into lungs.

City launches local plant propagation e-booklet

/

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn (middle) joins Geraldton Community Nursery volunteers to celebrate the launch of their Native Plant Propagation Guide e-booklet, available free on the City website.

The continued protection of local biodiversity has received a big helping hand following the official launch of the City of Greater Geraldton Community Nursery Native Plant Propagation Guide.

Following years of trials and testing on the collection and propagation of more than 120 different native plant species, Community Nursery volunteers decided to document their hard won knowledge for the benefit of the environment and the wider community.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the Native Plant Propagation Guide will be critical to ensuring a wide range of plant species can be grown to restore and revegetate the region’s bushland and coastal reserves.

“This year alone, Community Nursery volunteers are growing about 20,000 seedlings comprising 55 different species,” he said.

“Thanks to their research, the techniques they have developed have contributed to the successful propagation of important plant species such as the Scaevola tomentose,also known as Raggedleaf Fanflower, and the Westringia dampieri, which they were previously unable to reliably germinate or grow.”

To ensure the Native Plant Propagation Guide is always current, it has been published in e-booklet format.

“E-booklets make sense,” Mayor Van Styn said.

“Not only can they be quickly updated, as new volunteers join the team or management staff changes, the guide can be easily shared.

“This format also makes our native plant propagation information readily available to other nurseries from across our great state.”

The development of the Native Plant Propagation Guide was supported by Central Regional TAFE, The Drylands Foundation and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Herbarium with the Western Australian State Natural Resource Management program contributing $7,700 in grant funding towards the project.

The City of Greater Geraldton Community Nursery Native Plant Propagation Guide e-booklet is available on the City website www.cgg.wa.gov.au


Whitehill Road coastal reserve facelift begins

/

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn (left) and Drummond Cove Progress Association President Gavin Hirschhausen at fence around the Whitehill Road Coastal reserve which will be replaced with bollards and rails.

The Whitehill Road coastal reserve north of the John Batten Community Hall in Drummond Cove will undergo a facelift in the coming weeks as fences around the site are replaced with bollards and rails.

Following the coastal erosion of Whitehill Road in 2016, fences were erected around the reserve to ensure community safety whilst a medium term adaptation measure to mitigate on-going erosion could be identified and implemented.

City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said now that coastal works were completed the City is able to respond to requests from the community to improve the reserve.

“Late last year two, 40m long Geotextile Sand Container (GSC) groynes, which were consistent with community values identified via the City’s Coastal Hazard Risk Management and Adaptation Planning (CHRMAP) process, were constructed to help retain sand at the foreshore and reduce reliance on temporary sand nourishment,” he said.

“Although it is still very early days in the project, we are already seeing some initial success regarding the effectiveness of the groynes.

“This means we can now focus on requests from the community to make improvements to the coastal reserve to ensure the best outcomes for local residents are achieved.”

Drummond Cove Progress Association President Gavin Hirschhausen said the community was keen to see the project progress.

“The GSCs groynes are a good interim outcome and once we’ve observed a full swing of the year’s seasons, the next steps in the project will be more telling,” he said.

“In the meantime, enhancing the area is really important as it will enable the community to access the coastal reserve for recreational purposes.

“We will continue to work with the City to make further improvements to the Foreshore space which will increase community use of the area.”

In November 2018, and in accordance with Western Australia's Planning Policy No. 2.6 – State Coastal Planning Policy (SPP2.6), Council adopted the Geraldton CHRMAP Report.  The process of adapting to coastal erosion and inundation is currently in Stage 3, which involves the development of a local coastal planning policy.

High Quality Disability Housing in your Area

/

The Federal Government's National Disability Insurance Scheme ("NDIS") is providing funding toward specialised accommodation for disabled Australians. You or someone you know may be eligible for a fully funded, high-quality dwelling with added disability services.

Register your interest for NDIS housing at www.sdaliving.com.au or contact SDA Living on (08) 6323 7035