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Tuesday 15 December 2020
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Quick snip a year in the making
Lopped locks: Lucy and Alyssa show off their new cuts and the hair that will be donated to make wigs. Picture: Yanni
LUCY (12) and Alyssa (11) have just had the haircut to beat all haircuts, lopping off around 35 centimetres to donate for the making of wigs. Going into grade six at the start of the year at St Macartan’s Parish Primary School, the students are allocated a “prep buddy”. Lucy’s “prep buddy” was Ava. In the midst of her battle with leukaemia, Lucy was inspired by Ava’s courage, bravery and zest for life. Teaming up with friend Alyssa, the two girls decided to grow their hair all year to enable them to donate the hair at the end of the school year. Along the way, they also decided to raise money for Challenge; an organisation that supports kids with cancer and their families. They have currently raised $4475. “Challenge had been a great help to Ava and her family, so the girls really wanted to give back to them”, said Lucy’s mother, Sallie Thomas. “It has been a great lesson for the girls too; learning that it is valuable to give back in this world and help where you can”. Also donating their time was Mr Fox HairSkin-Body in Mt Martha to assist with the snip. Donations to Lucy and Alyssa’s fundraising can be made at www.mycause.com.au and search “Cuts for Cancer”.
God purged from council ‘prayer’ Cameron McCullough cameron@mpnews.com.au THE 150-year-old tradition of reciting a prayer before local government meetings on the Mornington Peninsula has been scrapped after a motion by rookie councillor Anthony Marsh. His notice of motion, tabled at Mornington Peninsula Shire’s 8 December meeting and passed with a
6-5 majority, replaces the “prayer” with a “pledge” by councillors to act in the best interests of the community. Council officers advised that the existing prayer was in the governance rules of the council and that, under the Local Government Act, could not be dropped without community consultation. It could, however, be altered, and Cr Marsh’s notice of motion suggested just that. The National Secular Lobby was
quick to celebrate the removal of God from the prayer, releasing a press release on the night of the council meeting stating, “Tonight’s push to remove Christian prayers from council meetings at the Mornington Peninsula Shire has succeeded!” The president of the lobby group, Peter Monk, claimed the outcome as a “win for secularism” and that “the [shire] is the first council or parliament to be removed from our list of
government institutions that impose prayers on elected representatives”. Cr Antonella Celi told The News that the thrust of the debate at the meeting was not about the removal of God from the prayer, but the lack of community consultation and engagement on what was an ingrained community issue. “Not one of the councillors was elected on a mandate to make this change,” Cr Celi said. “I am most
concerned about the precedent for future decisions. What’s the next thing that will be changed without community consultation?” Cr Marsh did not return calls from The News. In favour of the change were Crs Marsh, Sarah Race, the mayor Despi O’Connor, Lisa Dixon, Paul Mercurio and Kerri McCafferty. Against were Crs Celi, David Gill, Debra Mar, Hugh Fraser and Steve Holland.
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