SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
(Damjan Janevski)
All eyes on the Olympics Yarraville St Nicholas Greek School students will attempt to run rings around their peers when they take part in the school’s Greek Olympics competition later this month. Running for more than a decade, the event has grown into a highly anticipated annual tradition for students at the Greek language school. School spokesman Father Alexandros Korlos said the event offers a chance for students to learn about the long history of the Olympic games in a fun and exciting way. “Students will learn about the history and traditions associated with the ancient Olympic games and give meaning to how the modern games are held today,” he said. “With Japan hosting the games in 2020, it couldn’t be a more appropriate time to learn about the games.” Students will try their hand at ancient sports alongside more modern variations, with events including a running marathon, javelin, a jumping race and a potato sack race. Father Alexandros said Yarraville’s St Nicholas Greek School was one of Melbourne’s first Greek schools. The Greek Olympics competition will be held at Yarraville Gardens on Saturday, September 21. ALIKI, 6, ELLANA, 7, AND SOPHIA, 8
Benjamin Millar
Firey’s toxic health fears Firefighters who battled the toxic Tottenham warehouse fire continue to suffer from a range of health effects one year on from the catastrophic blaze, it has been claimed. Hundreds of firefighters were exposed to highly toxic smoke and debris produced by the burning of a cocktail of dangerous chemicals as they spent days trying to extinguish the suspicious fire. The fire broke out in an asbestos-riddled warehouse filled with a large quantity of 44-gallon drums containing unknown chemical and industrial waste. Metropolitan Fire Brigade firefighters have
complained of ongoing nose bleeds, sore eyes, severe headaches and rashes, as well as exhaustion and memory loss. Other impacts include lung irritation, coughing, sore throats, sinus infections and flu-like symptoms. As of August 1 this year, 609 reports linked to the Tottenham fire had been entered into the MFB Safe system, which records incidents that result in injury or harm, generated by 467 individuals including 448 operational fire fighters. The impacts have been outlined in an interim report tabled last week by the Parliamentary committee holding an inquiry into a series of fires triggered by the unsafe stockpiling of
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industrial waste and recyclable materials. The report detailed 12 key findings, topped by the “serious risk” to emergency services personnel as a result of operators flouting regulations. The committee also expressed concern that some community members have reported adverse health impacts as a result of the fires. MFB acting deputy chief fire officer Adam Dalrymple told the inquiry that the fires reflect “blatant non-compliance” by industry. MFB officer Peter Stafford warned of a “phoenix system” of cowboy operators acquiring a block of land cheaply, stockpiling waste and walking away with the money while authorities were left to deal with the clean-up.
The United Firefighters Union (UFU) warned its members are being forced to attend fires that amount to “a premeditated ambush”. “Such ambushes increase the risk of injury, illness and potential death of first responders due to the complete lack of warning or placarding to alert them to what they have to confront in the firefight that they have been deployed to,” its submission stated. The Australian Workers’ Union told the Committee that recyclers are often given notice of intended EPA visits, which allows dodgy operators to hide or move products off-site. The final report is due at the end of November. ■ Stony
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