Pakenham
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BERWICK SKYRAIL Option divides community
HOON HELL Residents driven mad
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Wednesday, 19 July, 2017
A Star News Group publication Phone: 5945 0666 Classifieds: 1300 666 808
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Special Olympics a drawcard The weekend’s Victorian Special Olympic Games, held at Cardinia Life Leisure Centre, was an opportunity for athletes to prove they were so much more than their disability. And boy did they. The two-day event saw teams battle it out on the basketball court and bowling arena for a chance to qualify for the Special Olympics Australia National Games. Crowds packed the stadium to show their support for the local and interstate teams, who put on one cracking show.
Turn to page 4 for all the action.
Inspector Shane Smith lights the flame with Dylan Pace from the Tasmanian team. 170426 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
■ Council caves in to local pressure...
One Tree felled Cardinia Shire councillors have overturned a management decision to award its early years management (EYM) tender to Western Australiabased organisation One Tree following heavy campaigning by the local kindergarten community. A packed public gallery of parents and Kinders Together staff turned
out to the council’s 17 July general meeting, hoping to see councillors move a motion to restart the early years management expression of interest (EOI) process. They believe the EOI was “deeply flawed” due to a lack of community consultation. Instead, after a three-hour debate on the matter in which 35 public questions were heard, councillors
voted to accept a notice of motion put forward by Port Ward councillor Ray Brown to appoint Glen Waverley-based organisation Bestchance as the manager of the three centres previously allocated to One Tree. Bestchance is also the current operator of Officer’s Arena Child and Family Centre. The decision follows a commu-
nity information session on Thursday night organised by members of the Keep Kinders Together campaign and a kindergarten meet and greet on Monday where councillors stepped inside their local centres to hear firsthand from concerned staff who feared they would lose their jobs, come 2018. According to councillors, who
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Continued page 4 BERWICK
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had received “countless calls, texts, letters and emails” from concerned parties, it was clear there were three main issues with the process - parents and staff weren’t consulted; One Tree, a WA-based organisation subject to state tribunal disciplinary action, was appointed and local jobs would be lost to interstate workers.
DR SAHAR SHIRKHANLOO 48 Van der Haar Avenue, Berwick, Also at Arena Shopping Centre, 26/4 Cardinia Road Officer. 1300SUNPATROL For all appointments.
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By Bonny Burrows