NOVEMBER 22, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Colourful run defines quest
(Joe Mastroianni)
Sunbury student Abbey Tiernan is not far off the next milestone in her Rovers journey. The 21-year-old has been working on her endurance for the past six months to compete in the Sportsgirl Color Run in Melbourne on November 27. Abbey decided to tackle the Colour Run to pass her physical test for a Baden Powell award for her Hanging Rock Rovers and Scouts crew. It’s been a four-year quest for Abbey to collect three of the six badges required for the award – the highest achievement for a Rover. “For my physical badge, I had to undertake a physical journey doing something that would challenge me,” she said. “This is the first time I’ve ever done the Colour Run … I’ve walked three kilometres a day, so I can work my way up to my five-kilometre goal.” For details about the Colour Run or to join in, go to www.thecolorrun.com.au Esther Lauaki
College permit questioned By Esther Lauaki Plans for Braemar College’s multi-million dollar middle school expansion near Woodend have been approved without reference to the local community. Macedon Ranges council officers approved the school’s second campus for years 5-8 students, on 130 hectares along the Romsey Road on September 20 – when the council was in caretaker mode in the lead-up to October’s local government elections. Macedon Ranges Residents Association secretary Christine Pruneau said the news would come as a surprise for many who originally opposed the development.
“This is big news for the school and big news for the town,” Ms Pruneau said. “One has to ask the question of why a project of this significance and of this scale was not first brought to a council meeting and put out for public comment.” Original plans to build on land at Woodend’s Villawood estate on Davies Hill sparked a public backlash in 2011. However, council’s planning and environment director Sophie Segafredo said the more recent proposal was on “the councillor list” on August 26, but was not “called-in” by councillors for consideration at the meeting. Nor was it listed on the public agenda for this last meeting of the old council.
“The normal business of council continues during caretaker mode, including the issuing of permits granted under delegation,” Ms Segafredo said. “As there were no objections and no councillor call-ins for consideration … this application was granted under delegated authority as per normal practice.” She said the permit cannot now be reconsidered by the council. Braemar principal Russell Deer said planning approval was “the culmination of nearly 20 years of dreaming, exploring and discussion”. He said the college needed a second campus to mitigate fire risk because its present location is surrounded by bushland.
“The college will be operating across both sites. However, the options for curriculum expansion, the steps towards reaching our vision of being an early learning to Year 12 College and the ability to mitigate our fire risk are all enabled by that planning permit.” He said works on the new Woodend campus will start in 2018. Mr Deer said the college would work with the Macedon Ranges council and community to plan and develop it. “The new location is just down the hill from the current campus, allowing for close interaction between the two sites. “The college is mindful of the requirement to maintain its character as a friendly and community centred school.”