MARCH 13, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
Waste crisis averted By Serena Seyfort The Macedon Ranges was faced with the prospect of a rubbish crisis last week when the shire’s waste collector called a snap strike. The council’s assets and operations director Dale Thornton said the council had no warning about Wheelie Waste’s strike action. He said he received a text message from the contractor about 5.45am on Wednesday notifying him that they were suspending rubbish collection in the shire immediately. Mr Thornton said Wheelie Waste was attempting to pressure the state government into revealing details of its financial assistance package for contractors affected by a recent recycling crisis. “The impact on residents in our shire could have been enormous – and in part it was,” he said. Mr Thornton said the council was in discussions with Wheelie Waste late into Wednesday evening. Wheelie Waste resumed its normal collection of waste, recycling and garden waste on Thursday. Extra drivers were put on for the rest of the week to catch up with services. Mr Thornton said he expected waste collection to be back to normal this week. Macedon Ranges council is one of several Victorian councils paying more for recycling collection as a result of a new policy introduced in China in January. Recycling giant Visy has faced increased costs to meet the new standards which has had a flow-on effect to waste collectors, such as Wheelie Waste, and the organisations it services. The state government last month announced a $13 million package to help councils offset the increased costs until June 30. Mr Thornton said Wheelie Waste representatives said the snap strike was in protest at a lack of detail regarding the government package. He said Wheelie Waste wanted reassurances the council would continue to use its service until June 30. However, Mr Thornton said the council did not have details of how much government support it would receive. He said the council would make a decision on whether it was able to continue using the contractor when the terms of the package were known. He said until then the council had committed to using the service at the additional cost of about $12,000 a week. Wheelie Waste declined to comment.
Marjorie 100 years young Marjorie Henry has spent most of her life caring for others, but last week it was her turn to be the centre of attention as she celebrated her 100th birthday. The centenarian was born in the Otways on March 6, 1918, the oldest of five children, and spent her momentous day celebrating with five generations of her growing family, many of whom live in Riddells Creek. Her only child, Joan Strawbridge, said Marjorie had spent most of her life as a serving sister in the priory of the St Johns Ambulance, among other jobs, including a seamstress. “She used to tell us stories about riding a horse to school, and about her family farm that she grew up on,” Ms Strawbridge said. “She lived in Colac, and then Pascoe Vale, before she started working at 16, and she was working on a farm in New Zealand when the war broke out. So her and her first husband came back to Australia on a black-out ship and I was born a couple of years later. “He left soon after, and she raised me with my grandparents. She’s a very strong woman.” Marjorie remarried in 1954, and when her second husband died in 1967 she moved in with her daughter. Later, Marjorie moved in with her mother to care for her, before returning to her daughter, and marrying for a third time. Watching her family grow to now include three grand children, seven great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson, she still refuses to call herself old. “She’s never said that she was old, even when she was in her 80s she just said she was ‘getting old’,” Ms Strawbridge said. “So when I asked her if she would be old when she turned 100, she thought about it and just said ‘maybe’.” Marjorie Henry with daughter Joan Strawbridge, granddaughter Karen Strawbridge, great-granddaughter Rebecca Galea and great-great-grandson Joey. (Mark Wilson)
Ewen McRae