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18 MAY, 2022
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A shave of kindness for Ukraine Yarraville West Primary School pupil George Wakefield has shown what a big difference a small deed can make when he decided to shave his head to raise money for children in Ukraine. George has Ukrainian heritage, and he has been talking to his grandmother, or Baba, Sofia Mazur a lot about what has been happening overseas. During the term one school holidays, the grade 4 pupils decided to shave his hair and set up a UNICEF fund, which has so far raised over $1600 for children in war-torn Ukraine. Described by his school principal as an “agent of change for good”, the decision to shave off his hair to raise money came easy to George. “I was thinking about people in Ukraine, and last year I also shaved my head for the World’s Greatest Shave, and I raised some money then, so I thought it’d be a good idea to do it for Ukraine,” he said. George Wakefield and his grandmother Sofia Mazur. (Damjan Janevski) 280677_05
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Gellibrand ‘overlooked’ By Molly Magennis
12533599-HC07-22
Gellibrand has been left “high and dry” by both major parties ahead of the federal election, according to Hobsons Bay mayor Peter Hemphill. The electorate covers Hobsons Bay, as well as parts of Wyndham and Maribyrnong, and is considered a very safe Labor seat, with the party having won the seat at every election since 1972. Labor candidate Tim Watts, who has held the seat since 2013, has made only three commitments for Gellibrand if an Albanese government is elected on Saturday. If Labor is victorious, Mr Watts has
promised to cut electricity bills for Altona residents via a community battery, committed $500,000 upgrade to the women’s change room facilities at Downer Oval and said he will tackle the GP shortage crisis by making Wyndham a Distribution Priority Area. Liberal candidate Monica Clark has so far promised nothing. Council has been lobbying for funding for a state-of-the-art wetlands centre and the Western Aquatic and Leisure Centre. Council is seeking to fund these projects on a one-third split with the state and federal governments, having already committed $5 million towards the $16 million Hobsons
Bay Wetlands Centre and $20 million to the western aquatic project. “Much lobbying has been done by myself and the administration to promote the benefits of these two projects and others on our ‘wish list’,” Cr Hemphill said. Cr Hemphill labelled the funding commitments as dismal in comparison to funding pledges made in marginal electorates such as Chisholm and Dunkley. “We are now about a week out from the federal election and there has been little commitment from the major parties, particularly when you look at the cash splash in the eastern and south-eastern electorates,” he said last week.
“Disappointingly, it appears that this election campaign has again demonstrated that the less likely a seat is to change, the less likely it is to attract funding commitments from the major parties. “The west deserves better. Our community deserves better.” Mr Watts said if re-elected, he would continue to advocate for projects important to the community as he has done over the past nine years. “Only an Albanese Labor government will deliver for Melbourne’s west after nine years of being ignored by successive Liberal-National governments.” Ms Clark was contacted for comment.
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