MARCH 10, 2015 \ MELTON.STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Moving ahead by leaps and bounces
(Kristian Scott)
Everyone’s encouraged to get bouncing this month to help raise awareness and funds for Cystic Fibrosis Victoria’s Big Bounce. It’s a national campaign which supports people like Melton’s Natalie Fry (pictured) who live with cystic fibrosis. Natalie, 13, was diagnosed when she was just six weeks old. Cystic fibrosis primarily affects the lungs and digestive system and is the most common genetic disease affecting young people in Australia. There is no cure. Trampolining every day is highly recommended for people with cystic fibrosis because the motion is good for keeping their lungs healthy and strong. “CF kids produce a lot of mucus in their lungs,” said Natalie’s mother, Carolyn. “Jumping on the trampoline gets the air in and out and helps her cough out that mucus.” Ms Fry said the jumping was part of Natalie’s physiotherapy but was also an activity she could do with brothers Jack and Benjamin. “She loves it. ” Natalie’s mum hopes to throw her a Big Bounce party for her 14th birthday at the end of this month. People are being encouraged to host a Big Bounce party at home or a local trampoline centre to get behind the cause. For more details or to register a party, visit www.bigbounce.org.au or call 96861811. Yasemin Talat
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(22.1 per cent). The state averages were 5.5 and 18.3 per cent, respectively. Australian Education Union vice-president Erin Aulich said one reason why teenagers in Melton were leaving school at higher rates was because of “under-funding in critical areas”. “We need to increase funding to enable targeted support programs in our schools,” Ms Aulich said. “It’s absolutely essential that all of our students, no matter where they live or what socio-economic status they come from, have access to the best possible education.”
Brimbank Melton Local Learning and Employment Networks executive officer Graeme Brown said the organisation worked tirelessly with schools and community organisations to enhance opportunities for students to take part in education and improve indigenous student participation in tertiary education. “My personal opinion is that a lot of the issues related to student disengagement stem from issues around expectations, family income, health and mental health, and low self-esteem,” Mr Brown said.
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Melton has the highest rate of school drop-outs in the western suburbs, according to a new report. More than 15 per cent of 17-year-olds in Melton have dropped out of school, a report released by HealthWest says. The Population Health Data, compiled from research conducted in the past five years, compared school retention rates in Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton and Wyndham.
Melton recorded the highest rate in the western suburbs, closely followed by Wyndham (13.6) and Brimbank (9.3). The state average was 10.5 per cent. “Within the HealthWest catchment, Melton residents aged 17 were least likely to be still attending secondary school and most likely to not be attending any educational institution,” the report states. While Melton’s 15 to 19-year-olds were more likely to be working full-time and not studying (6.4 per cent), they were also less likely to be “fully engaged” in work or study 1170057-DJ04-15 10020845-01
By Sumeyya Ilanbey