The News Headlines

Wednesday May 9 2012

Letters to the Editor

Promaccom Fine Accommodation

From The Mirror,
May 13 1992

State budget blow to TAFEs cuts deep

$20,000 to link South Gippsland’s farmers’ markets

THE Victorian government is supporting with funding of $20,000 a project to link South Gippsland’s three farmers’ markets.
Announcing the funding injection, Deputy Premier and Member for Gippsland South Peter Ryan said there was vast community support for the three well established farmers’ markets at Foster, Koonwarra and Coal Creek, but there was no structured coordination between them.
“The South Gippsland Farmers’ Market and Produce Network believes it would be more professional and effective to work as a group where possible,” Mr Ryan said.
“Cross promotion would be a very effective tool to increase the number of stall holders participating and highlight the broader activities of the local food networks beyond the specific markets.
“This will directly address the new retail opportunities for farmed produce and value-added products and, with increased supply and recognition of local foods, boost the local economy.”
Mr Ryan said the South Gippsland Farmers’ Market and Produce Network project would also provide resources that could be accessed by all three markets.
“The resources include combined promotion, regional produce mapping and information about existing and prospective local stallholders,” he said.
“This would also help create linkages between the broader network of farmers’ market participants and the local hospitality, tourism and retail industry.”
Mr Ryan said farmers’ markets provided a fantastic opportunity for producers to sell their produce directly to consumers.
“Farmers’ markets provide a healthy, affordable and fresh food supply for the community, and enable people to get more information about the availability, seasonality and origins of their food,” he said.
“Farmers’ markets also provide producers in a region with an opportunity to work together in identifying new business prospects, particularly in relation to supply chains.”
Mr Ryan said the Victorian government funding for the South Gippsland Farmers’ Market and Produce Network project would be provided to South Gippsland Shire Council. He said the project was expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The Prom Country Farmers’ Market is held in the grounds of the Foster War Memorial Arts Centre on the third Saturday of each month. The next market will be on Saturday May 19 from 8am to 12 noon. A farmers’ market is held at Koonwarra on the first Saturday of each month and at Coal Creek Korumburra on the second Saturday.
 

A MEMORIAL TO CFA MEMBERS PAST

FISH Creek and District Fire Brigade now honour deceased members on a commemorative rock in a memorial garden behind the station.
The rock was unveiled last Sunday by Deputy Premier and Member for Gippsland South Peter Ryan, who is also the Minister for Police and Emergency Services.
Mr Ryan said the commemorative rock would be permanently displayed in the memorial gardens in recognition of the great work of CFA volunteers in the community.
The rock features the names of deceased members since the brigade’s foundation in 1944 as a permanent reminder of the vital service they have offered the community over many years.
“CFA volunteers give so much to Victorians and often their efforts go unnoticed by the broader community,” Mr Ryan said.
“This memorial reflects the deep gratitude of the residents of Fish Creek and the surrounding region for past members of the brigade and the work of the current 47 brigade members who serve the community.
“Emergency services volunteers help protect the lives and property of all Victorians and we are fortunate to be able to call upon these men and women in difficult times.”
Also in the landscaped memorial gardens are two large flag poles displaying the Australian and CFA flags.
“The memorial garden was created in recent months in an effort led by Fish Creek and District Brigade Captain Mick Dorling,” Mr Ryan said.
“The costs of these works were largely met by the brigade’s auxiliary fundraising efforts and I congratulate everyone involved on such a worthy achievement.”
More than 100 people came along to the unveiling of the rock, which was part of an Open Day, complete with afternoon tea, at the fire station. On display were fire tankers from the various brigades which form the South Gippsland Group, as well as CFA photographs from down the years.
Fish Creek Fire Station has been upgraded in recent years and now functions as a Divisional Command Centre.
“The Fish Creek and District Fire Brigade’s 47 volunteer members protect the communities of Fish Creek, Buffalo, Waratah North, Sandy Point and Waratah Bay,” said Mr Ryan.
“In addition to providing fire coverage in the district, the Fish Creek Brigade is also the accredited road accident rescue service provider. Last year, the brigade attended 39 emergency response calls, as well participating in community fire prevention and preparedness activities.”

Shire on the right track to progress priority projects

PROGRESS is powering ahead on an alternative heavy vehicle route through Leongatha.
Construction will begin shortly on an extension of the Great Southern Rail Trail from Foster to Welshpool.
Construction of overtaking lanes on the Strzelecki Highway is set to take place, with funding set aside in the 2012-13 state budget.
South Gippsland Shire mayor Warren Raabe and chief executive officer Tim Tamlin talked about these and other priority projects at a meeting last Thursday between Member for Gippsland South (and Deputy Premier) Peter Ryan.
“It was our annual presentation of our priority projects,” said Cr Raabe, who emerged buoyant from the meeting, convinced that the strategic approach the shire is taking is the right way to go.
Cr Raabe and Mr Tamlin are doing their best to meet with all the local politicians, state and federal, upper and lower houses, from Peter Ryan, Peter Hall and Matt Viney to Johan Scheffer and Russell Broadbent.
“The meetings we have had so far have been very worthwhile,” said the mayor. “All the politicians bring different points to our meetings and we have been received very well. They say they are very pleased with how we are doing business.”
“We are going in with a short but diverse and essentially achievable list of priority projects. The list is deliberately kept to under ten items. It’s been very productive and I would encourage every council to do likewise. The things we’ve achieved have been amazing!”
Cr Raabe and Mr Tamlin thanked Mr Ryan for his government’s assistance so far. Already there has been state government funding for a detailed design for the heavy vehicle alternative route, funding (federal as well as state) for the rail trail extension, and the state government has given the go-ahead for rezoning of land to make way for an ecotourism development near the gates of Wilsons Promontory National Park.
Good progress, said the mayor, has been made on the Corner Inlet Tourism Development Project. A part of this involves the extension of the rail trail, which is now funded. “Since that has been achieved, we may now turn our attention to working with Parks Victoria to improve Agnes Falls as a tourist attraction.”
Other aspects of the Corner Inlet Tourism Development Project include the restoration of the Port Welshpool Long Jetty; improvements, in association with Gippsland Ports, to the berthing facilities at Port Welshpool; and dredging the Toora Channel to improve access to the boat ramp. “That is getting closer,” said the mayor confidently.
Other priority projects identified by the shire include a children’s services hub for Korumburra, of a similar model to the new facility at Foster, but on a larger scale given the much larger population of Korumburra. “We expect the cost of the development to be $3.5 million,” said Cr Raabe. “A piece of land has been identified. There is a dire need for a centre, so I hope it will be progressing soon.”
Also on the list is a development and feasibility plan for Coal Creek at Korumburra. “This has been a great success in its first phase. We’ve seen visitor numbers increase from 11,000 to 51,000 in the last four years. But this puts extra work load on staff. We need to implement some changes, work out how to control costs and where we go from here. We need a business plan,” explained the mayor.
On the agenda for talks specifically with the local federal member, Russell Broadbent, is broadband internet access, in particular how to prepare local businesses for a faster service and how they can make the most of it.
A concern for every level of government is the state of the roads, so this was also discussed with Mr Ryan. The shire, said Cr Raabe, has been just as disappointed as the public with VicRoads’ slow response to fixing its roads and he and the CEO expressed their disappointment to Mr Ryan. “We consider it inadequate. Tim [Tamlin] has a particular interest and expertise in this area after many years in the industry. We have had high level talks with VicRoads already and between these and our talks with Mr Ryan we are hopeful changes can be brought to improve repair response times.”
On a more positive note concerning roads, Cr Raabe and Mr Tamlin thanked Mr Ryan for the extra funding in the state budget for the Koo Wee Rup Bypass.
Cr Raabe commented: “I understand there will eventually – within the next decade – be a double lane link road from the South Gippsland Highway to the Princes Highway. The designs are being completed now. The link will greatly enhance travel between South Gippsland and Melbourne.”
 

Thousands have regional living in their sights

IF CROWD numbers each day at the Regional Victoria Living Expo are anything to go by, there is huge interest in country living – and for many people Gippsland is the go!
Each day thousands of people flocked to the expo, which ran at the Melbourne Convention Centre (‘Jeff’s Shed’) from Friday April 27 to Sunday April 29.
Gippsland’s was one of the most popular stands, at least partly because of the mouth-watering aromas wafting over from that direction, as a chef cooked up local produce including many items sourced from South Gippsland, from seafood and herbs to vegies, olive oil and Berrys Cheek cheese. This stand, which included displays of local products such as wine, was agreed by many to be the best of the regional stands.
Like the other Gippsland shires, South Gippsland was represented at the Gippsland stand, but the shire also had its own stand staffed by shire officers and community volunteers. There was also a Creative Gippsland stand promoting art and culture and another stand promoting educational opportunities, such as GippsTAFE.
“Everyone who participated in the expo loved it; they loved the opportunity to sell their shire,” said South Gippsland Shire Economic Development Coordinator Ken Fraser, instrumental in the shire’s involvement in the expo and very grateful to the community volunteers who assisted the shire staff.
South Gippsland’s participation was facilitated by a grant from the Victorian government.
“It was a great opportunity to showcase the great business and lifestyle opportunities of South Gippsland,” said Mr Fraser. “The event showed clearly that many people are looking to relocate to regional Victoria and lots of them have their focus clearly on Gippsland. We were provided with the perfect opportunity to market ourselves to our key target – people considering a move. This was far from a scattergun approach.”
Clever marketing saw visitors to the South Gippsland stand rewarded for filling in a survey seeking details about their interest in country living with the gift of a small furry toy (cow, sheep or horse) for the kids. Each little animal had a ribbon around its neck with the shire’s website address (made by Cash’s in Leongatha) and they soon became must-have items among the younger set – and their parents - at the expo.
Then there was the Gippsland Passport – if you collected a stamp from the stands of all six Gippsland shires you were in the running for a holiday.
At the South Gippsland stand the staff and volunteers were kept busy handing out promotional material, including town brochures, visitor guides and touring maps. They did their best to answer the multitude of questions, some general, some very specific, and refer visitors to sources of further information, such as the Foster website.
“Lots of people had clearly done their homework!” said Mr Fraser. “Many people had very detailed questions about relocating, purchasing houses, setting up businesses and holidaying in the area. Many were aware of Wilsons Promontory, some had specific towns in mind, while others were keen to know more about living in South Gippsland generally.”
“If they knew very little about South Gippsland, we’d suggest people come for a visit with a view to settling here one day. Hopefully, this exposure will be good for regional tourism – and the local economy. And maybe some people will make a more permanent move to the region.”
At time of speaking to ‘The Mirror,’ Mr Fraser and his colleagues had yet to fully collate the survey information and requests, but he did know that many of the visitors who expressed an interest in moving to South Gippsland said they worked in the health or education sectors. There were also tradesmen.
“Of course it would be ideal to see people coming here and establishing a business which creates more employment opportunities,” said Mr Fraser.
“Overall it was an incredibly successful weekend. It showed there’s a great interest in regional living. We will now be following up the many requests for further information.”
This was the first expo of its kind, but it is planned to make the Regional Victoria Living Expo an annual event.