The Governor of Victoria, the Hon. Linda Dessau AC, has written a message of support to the community.

You can download and read the letter at the link below.

The Order of Australia is the most prestigious means of recognising outstanding members of the community at a national level.

It identifies role models who have made valuable contributions at all levels and in all spheres of the community.

Congratulations to all of Manningham’s award recipients for 2015.

Member of the Order of Australia (AM)

Professor Milton Hearn, Bulleen - For significant service to science through major contributions to advances in chemical manufacturing.

Kevin Stevenson, Park Orchards - For significant service to business and commerce through reform in national and international accounting standards.

Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)

Dick Davies, Warrandyte - For service to the Community of Warrandyte.

Kirsten Deane, Doncaster - For services to people with a disability through support organisations.

Paul Mavroudis, Bulleen - For services to the Greek Community of Victoria.

Agnes Zillner, Doncaster - For service to community health through support for people with Tourette Syndrome.

This week we have all welcomed new easing of COVID-19 restrictions which has seen many local businesses reopen, more opportunities to reconnect with friends and family and for some outdoor sport to resume.

We are now in the Third Step of the Victorian Government’s roadmap for reopening. This supports indoor and outdoor seated service for hospitality, reopening of retail and beauty/personal care where a face covering can be worn.

There is no restrictions on reasons to leave your home and you can have up to two people from the same household visit you at your home. You can only have one visit per day and must not travel more than 25km to do this.

In Manningham, we’re excited to see more people out and about enjoying our community, supporting our local business and we look forward to reopening our customer service centre next week.

Our front counter will reopen at the Civic Centre from Wednesday 4 November, please check our website or contact us for details. 

We are pleased to see more people being able to enjoy areas and some sport and recreation activities across Manningham.

This week Aquarena has increased its booking capacity for the outdoor 50m pool. Outdoor sport for under 18 players and outdoor non-contact sport for adults can now also resume in line with COVID safe practices. Please contact your local club for further information.
While there are a number of relaxations announced, many COVID safe practices still remain including:

• where you can work from home you should still work from home
• mask wearing remains compulsory
• physical distancing is still in place
• personal hygiene practices are as important as ever

Stay up to date with changes to local services and facilities in Manningham by visiting our website.

Manningham residents are reminded that under new State Government Tobacco Reforms smoking is prohibited within four metres of an entrance to all Victorian children’s indoor play centres, public hospitals, registered community health centres and certain Victorian Government buildings.

The smoking ban applied from 13 April 2015 and aims to:

• Protect the community from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke
• Further de-normalise smoking in the community. The more people see smoking in public places the more they will tend to think smoking is okay, rather than harmful
• Support people who have quit or are trying to quit smoking.

There is strong community support for banning smoking at public places and Manningham Council is supporting the State Government initiative by assisting with the education campaign to inform the community of the recently introduced changes.

While it is expected that most people will voluntarily comply with the smoking ban, Council Local Laws officers are authorised under the Tobacco Act 1987 to enforce the new smoking ban when necessary.

For more information, visit the Tobacco Reforms website.

Manningham Council invites you to virtually attend the online inaugural Meeting of Council to swear in Councillors elect and to elect the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. 

When: Tuesday 10 November 2020, 7.00pm

Where: This meeting will be held in person, with physical distancing in place.

COVID-19 restrictions: Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, guests will not be in attendance.

Livestream: The meeting will be livestreamed on our website. 

Our opening hours are Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 5.00pm.

This will continue over the Christmas and New Year period, with a few exceptions. Our opening hours over this period are:

• Monday 23 December: 8.00am to 5.00pm
• Tuesday 24 December (Christmas Eve): 8.00am to 12.30pm
• Wednesday 25 December (Christmas Day): closed
• Thursday 26 December (Boxing Day): closed
• Friday 27 December: 8.00am to 5.00pm
• Monday 30 December: 8.00am to 5.00pm
• Tuesday 31 December: 8.00am to 5.00pm
• Wednesday 1 January (New Year’s Day): closed
• Thursday 2 January: 8.00am to 5.00pm

Please note some services may be reduced during the Christmas and New Year period.

Waste collections during the holiday season

Your rubbish, recycle and garden waste bin collections will continue as normal without interruption throughout the Christmas and New Year period. 

Maternal Child Health Centres opening hours

For parenting support, call the Maternal and Child Health line 13 22 29 (available 24 hours) or contact your local GP.

Dates we are closed

• Tuesday 24 December 2019 (from 12.00pm)
• Wednesday 25 December 2019 (Christmas Day)
• Thursday 26 December 2019 (Boxing Day)
• Friday 27 December 2019
• Wednesday 1 January 2020 (New Years Day)

Our Baby Hub open sessions will resume at Deep Creek on Thursday 9 January 2020 at 1.30pm and 3.30pm.

For more information, about our MCH centre opening hours please phone 9840 9188 between 9.00am to 4.00pm.

The hottest trends in sustainable fashion are expected to be set at Manningham Art Gallery’s upcoming exhibition, Beach Couture: A Haute Mess.  

The exhibition from 27 February to 30 March will feature wearable pieces, created by international artist Marina DeBris, from objects and rubbish collected from suburban beaches.  

Beach Couture: A Haute Mess encourages viewers to reflect on the use of single-use materials and ‘fast fashion’, and the ability of materials to be transformed and reworked for new purposes. It is an area of growing interest and responsibility in the fashion industry. 

Manningham Mayor Cr Paula Piccinini said the exhibition highlighted the ever-growing problem of pollution in our waterways, created in part by our contemporary reliance on single-use items. 

“We can all play a part in preserving and protecting our waterways,” she said. 

“What enters the stormwater systems finds its way to smaller creek and eventually down the Yarra River and into Port Phillip Bay. Everything is connected and everything we do impact the waterways.”

Marina Debris said this exhibition also challenged audiences to question their own efforts in sustainability. 

“I really want people to think about reducing, reusing, recycling and repurposing or re-gifting fashion, rather than dump them on the street and see them end up as beach pollution or landfill,” she said.  

The exhibition also includes two public programs: a Fashion Conscious Tour that visits the Costume Collection in Bulleen, exploring the social history of Australian Fashion and a free Fashion Drawing Workshop led by an artist from the Manningham Art Studios. 

Beach Couture: A Haute Mess is part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival Arts Program.  
For more information about the Exhibition and public program bookings, visit manningham.vic.gov.au/beach-couture-a-haute-mess. 
 

Held on Monday 3 December, the 2018 theme for International Day of People with Disability was ‘Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality’.

In Manningham, 5% of people report needing help in their day-to-day lives due to disability. We run a host of activities, programs and initiatives that create a more inclusive community.

Maysa Abouzeid is vision impaired and was a panel member at our Inclusion@Work breakfast earlier in the year, which encourages businesses to employ people with a disability in our community. “When a person with a disability enters the workforce and has the opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way, they often take great ownership of the role and treasure the opportunity. If employers can have an open mind and keep the lines of communication open, then a person with a disability can be an asset to their business,” Maysa said.

For more information, visit idpwd's website or visit our metro-access page.

*Source: profile.id.com.au/manningham

Manningham Council is calling on the community to shine a light on a local hero and nominate them for a 2019 Manningham Civic Award.

Nominations for the Civic Awards officially opened on Saturday 1 December with five categories, including:

• Citizen of the Year
• Young Citizen of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Sports Achiever of the Year
• Community Achievement Award.

Manningham Mayor, Cr Paula Piccinini, said the awards provide the perfect platform to recognise those who have made an outstanding contribution to our local community.

“Every day, there are people volunteering in our local sporting clubs, community groups and other programs, who make a huge difference to the lives of others. This is our chance to say thank you and to celebrate them”.

Last year’s Sports Achiever of the Year, Fiona Huber, was nominated by Templestowe Cricket Club where she has played for over 20 years and is heavily involved in volunteering.

“When I was nominated I was so overwhelmed. One of my greatest experiences as Sports Achiever of the Year was being given the opportunity to speak at the opening of the Mullum Mullum stadium. As a sportsperson that moment really meant a lot to me,” Fiona said.

Ms Huber said if someone knows a local hero, she would encourage them to make a nomination.
“It’s great to be recognised for the work you do and it makes all those early mornings, sacrifices and things like standing in the rain even more worth it,” she said.

For more information or to nominate, visit manningham.vic.gov.au/civicawards. Nominations close Tuesday 30 April 2019 at 4.00pm.

Our top priority for our new website is to make sure you can find what you are looking for.

Improved features include:

• Improved site navigation.
• Search functionality that provides relevant and up-to-date results.
• Concise and relevant content that displays correctly on mobile and desktop devices.
• More choices for you to resolve your enquiries using online forms.
• Suggestions for related content that you may be interested to read based on your current search.

We plan to continue improving the website throughout the year, based on your feedback and usage data. We hope that you enjoy exploring our new website!

Where have our most popular topics moved?

A proposal to realign the title boundary on Reynolds Road, between Springvale Road and Mullum Mullum Creek, Donvale.

At a recent council meeting, we proposed to change the location of the road reserve to correct the anomaly and realign the title boundaries to its correct alignment. We are doing this ahead of transferring road management responsibilities for Reynolds Road, between Springvale Road and Tindals Road, to the Department of Transport (DoT).

Despite ceasing face-to-face wellness and rehabilitation classes in March, MannaCare has continued to provide valuable care for oncology patients in Manningham by moving all of its sessions, seminars and counselling service online.

MannaCare’s 12-week program, called POWER (Program for Oncology Wellness and Exercise Rehabilitation), has serviced over 55 members of the community who have been affected by cancer since 2018. This program has since been expanded to offer in-home treatment options and ongoing strength and balance classes. These classes provide valuable social connections for members as well as the physical benefits.

POWER’s move to online Zoom classes means clients are continuing to receive the session’s physical, mental and social benefits, while maintaining a sense of routine with a clinician’s guidance. Wellness seminars are also being delivered online plus a free counselling service available to all POWER clients. Furthermore, POWER clinicians have worked with Ovarian Cancer Australia to provide tele-seminars to women around Australia with ovarian cancer to educate and support them in using exercise during and after their treatment.

POWER was a 2018 recipient of a Manningham Council Community Development Grant, as well as grants provided by Doncaster East and Templestowe Village Community Bank branches of Bendigo Bank. Find out more about the program at the MannaCare website.

Image: Jessica Freeman, exercise physiologist from POWER, delivering an online exercise session

TV and radio presenter Shelley Ware will join the Mayor, Cr Michelle Kleinert and facilitate a discussion with local women from all backgrounds and lived experiences to #BreaktheBias at this year's inclusive International Women’s Day event on Tuesday, 8 March 2022.

Shelley is a proud Yankunyjatjara and Wirangu woman and a strong advocate for women in sport and First Nations peoples. She will be joined by a panel of women from First Nations, LGBTQIA+, multicultural and disability communities. This lively panel discussion will unpack how we can break the bias and take action.

“I’m excited to host a morning tea for this year’s International Women’s Day,” said Mayor Cr Michelle Kleinert.

“#BreaktheBias is such an important theme, not only for women but the next generation of young girls.”

The free event is presented by Manningham Council and will be held in the Manningham Function Centre. It will include a presentation, panel discussion and morning tea.

Panel members Asherly Bradac (disability advocate / Manningham Disability Advisory Committee), Varvara Ioannou (Food For Thought Network), Sally Goldner (Founding member of Transgender Victoria) and Aunty Irene Norman (Mullum Mullum Gathering Place) will really keep the discussion going. “It’s great to see the line-up of strong local women representing the diversity of our community,” said Cr Kleinert.

The IWD 2022 campaign features a powerful pose, asking people to cross their arms in solidarity for a gender equal world that’s free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. Together, we can forge a world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive, where difference is valued and celebrated.

Everyone can help break the bias by striking the IWD2022 pose and sharing their image on social media using the hashtags #IWD2022 and #BreakTheBias.

If a COVID safe in-person event is not possible due to Government restrictions, this event will be hosted through an online forum.

This is a free event with limited tickets available through Eventbrite. Ticket bookings close on Tuesday 1 March 2022. If you need assistance booking your ticket, please contact us on 9840 9333.

This will be an accessible and inclusive event. Access supports such as Auslan or language interpreters are available upon request.

More information can be found on International Women's Day Morning Tea.

Manningham Council has been awarded gold in the 2019 Australasian Reporting Awards (ARA) for its Annual Report 2017/18.

The award recognises overall excellence in annual reporting and endorses Manningham’s Annual Report as a model for similar organisations to follow. This is Manningham Council’s eighth ARA gold award.

The Annual Report is a key document that allows residents, businesses, community groups and organisations as well as state and federal government to stay informed on Council’s performance and future direction each year.

The 2018/19 report provides a comprehensive overview of our achievements and challenges throughout the year as well as our aspirations for the future.

To view Manningham Council’s Annual Report 2017/18, visit manningham.vic.gov.au/annual-report

Manningham Council is partnering with the Manningham Women’s Friendship Group at this year’s International Women’s Day lunch to fundraise for disadvantaged Cambodian women.

The event will feature guest speaker, Melissa Noonan, co-founder and CEO of Limbs4Life, sharing her story about being an above-knee amputee and the journey of amputees in a third-world country.  

Founder of Manningham Women’s Friendship Group, Helen Jurcevic OAM, said landmines remained a major problem in Cambodia. 

“After three decades of war, the country has one of the highest rates of amputees in the world,” she said. 

“More than 40,000 people have a missing limb as a result of stepping onto landmines.

“When a farmer ploughing a rice field steps on a landmine, they are killed or maimed and can no longer work to support their family.”

Money raised at the event will go towards helping young women develop new skills to make a living as they suddenly become the main breadwinner in their families. 

“We want to raise enough money to enable 25 impoverished girls at the Arrupe Centre to receive an education and elevate them out of their cycle of poverty,” Helen said. 

Manningham Mayor Cr Paula Piccinini said the day was more than celebrating the achievements of women around the world. 

“It’s also recognising the challenges women face locally and internationally,” she said. 

“We are very excited to welcome Melissa, as guest speaker and one of Australia’s most versatile media personalities, Lucy Holmes, as MC. 

“Our IWD event is an opportunity for our community to help make a difference in the lives of these young Cambodian women.”

The event will include a two-course lunch, drinks, raffle prizes and a live auction. Proceeds from raffles and the auction will go towards the initiative.

For more information and bookings, visit manningham.vic.gov.au/iwd

Event details 
Friday, 8 March, 12.00pm to 2.30pm
Manningham Function Centre, 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster 
$70 (including booking fee and $10 donation)

Manningham Council would like to congratulate local resident Faiza Rehman on her recent appointment to the Australian Multicultural Council (AMC).

Ms Rehman migrated to Doncaster from Pakistan in 1997, and is a valuable member of the Manningham community advocating for youth empowerment and inspiring young people to push their boundaries to achieve their goals.

Ms Rehman, a qualified lawyer, is currently a Youth Officer at the United Muslim Migrant Association. In 2005, she was nominated for the Young Muslim Australian of the Year for her community work, and in 2013 she was a contestant on MasterChef.

Manningham Mayor, Cr Paul McLeish, said Ms Rehman provides an important voice for our diverse population.

“Manningham is home to people from many different backgrounds, faiths and religions, and it is important that all of these views are represented.”

“I have no doubt Ms Rehman’s knowledge, enthusiasm, drive and compassion will make her a valuable asset to the AMC,” he said.

The AMC currently consists of six members who provide advice to the Federal Government on multicultural affairs policy and programs, including how to address racism and discrimination.

Manningham Council and the local community celebrated Australia Day at the Civic Offices with the traditional Citizenship Ceremony, singing of the national anthem and entertainment.

One of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the annual Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year Awards to citizens who have made outstanding contributions to the local community.

Manningham Mayor, Cr Jennifer Yang, announced that the 2016 Citizen of the Year is Mr Geoff Kloot and the Young Citizen of the Year is Chandler Lancaster.

“The spirit of Manningham is about giving to the community and again this year the Manningham Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year are two inspirational people who have enriched our community life.”

“On behalf of the local community I would like to congratulate both Geoff and Chandler on their achievement and thank them for their dedication and contribution to the lives of so many,” she said.

Citizen of the Year, Mr Geoff Kloot

Geoff has lived in Doncaster for more than 40 years and both during his career as a senior engineer at VicRoads and following his retirement he has been strongly involved in Neighbourhood Watch.

Thirty years ago Geoff was a founding member of  the Doncaster Area (Manningham) Neighbourhood Watch and has been strongly involved ever since, holding positions of chairman/secretary of various groups in Doncaster.

He has been on the board of Neighbourhood Watch Australasia and currently on the board of Neighbourhood Watch Victoria in the role of acting CEO and Secretary.

Geoff has given his time, advice, understanding, leadership and hands on involvement in liaison between police and residents, empowering them to become actively involved in preventing crime in the community

He has been actively involved in the development and implementation of a number of innovative neighbourhood security measures including:

• A children activity book (trialled at Serpell Primary School) to teach young children about safety and NHW
• A welcome pack for new residents
• Safe Plates – a program to replace screws on registration plates with security screws so that the plates cannot be stolen and used in crimes
• Working with Warrandyte and Donvale residents to set up NHW in those areas.

Further afield he works in the Carlton area to assist residents in social housing to run a Neighbourhood Watch to prevent crime

Young Citizen of the Year is Chandler Lancaster.

While not yet 17 years old, Chandler has shown a strong commitment to volunteering to enrich the lives of those people he meets.

Chandler has been a member of the 3rd Doncaster East Scout Group for four years and once he was old enough he completed the Scout Youth Helper course.

Chandler has chosen a path where volunteering plays an important part in his life, working as a volunteer and part time helper at Donvale Christian College assisting with general maintenance of the buildings and surrounding grounds.

He is a helper at the Mooroolbark East Primary School for special needs children and he is also an active member of the Warrandyte Uniting Church, where he helps with the Scripture Union’s Beach Mission at Torquay, assists in church working bees and operates the special sound system at Sunday schools.

He has already earned the Duke of Edinburgh International Award, Bronze level and is working towards the Silver level and the Queen’s Scout Award.

While these awards are about self development, there is a large component of the requirements where the young people volunteers their time to help others.

Chandler is a Youth Helper for the 3rd Doncaster East Cub Scout Pack, providing enormous support to the Leaders with his extensive knowledge of scouting technical skills and his leaderships skills in planning and delivering the program.

He has also earned the respect of Leaders within the District for his commitment and maturity when assisting on camps and training days.                                                  

The Citizen and Young Citizen of the Year awards are administered by Manningham Council, with the awards supplied by the Australia Day Committee (Victoria).

Manningham has held the Monster Community Raffle as an annual event for over 15 years. This year, we welcome the Templestowe Bowling Club as our raffle partner.

With an incredible $10,000 worth of prizes on offer, Manningham-based community groups, schools and sporting clubs are encouraged to get involved and take this opportunity to fundraise for their organisations and the Manningham Community Fund.

What prizes are on offer?

The first prize is a $5,000 Coles Myer gift voucher.

There are also five runners up prizes, a $1,000 Coles Myer gift voucher.

Who can sell raffle tickets?

Any not-for-profit organisations in Manningham can take part in the raffle.

When is the raffle?

The Monster Community Raffle is held annually.

How much does it cost?

Not for profit community groups can order the ticket books from Council for free.

The only cost to the groups and organisations is the time it takes to sell the tickets.

100% of the proceeds are invested back into the community.

The raffle tickets are sold for $2.00 each. The community organisation will receive $1.50, and the remaining 50 cents will be donated to the Manningham Community Fund.

This fund supports the welfare services offered by charitable organisations within our community.

How to order your raffle ticket books

Community organisations can order their raffle tickets online. 

Order now

Once we receive your order, we will tell you when you can collect them from the Manningham Civic Centre at 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.

How to return your sold raffle tickets

There are two steps to return your sold raffle tickets:

1. Deposit all money collected into the below account. No money will be accepted in person.
    

   Monster Raffle account details

   Bank	Bendigo Bank
   BSB	633 000
   Account number	191523976
   Account name	Templestowe Bowling Club Inc
   Reference/ Description	The name of your organisation

2. Deliver your ticket books to Customer Service at the Manningham Civic Centre.

Last year's Raffle winners
 

Minor Gaming Permit Number: 10178/22

After an incredible fifteen-year stint partnering with the Kiwanis Club, this year we welcome the Templestowe Bowling Club as our new partner to deliver the Monster Community Raffle.

“Templestowe Bowling Club is the oldest Bowling Club in Manningham, and we celebrate our 75th Anniversary in 2023. The timing of the Monster Raffle partnership with Manningham Council is most appropriate, and we hope to remain partners for many years to come.” Said Club President, Eric Virgona.

In addition to providing bowling facilities, one of our core values is to engage with our local community, encouraging persons of all cultural backgrounds and abilities to foster a facility where multiculturism is a core component. We are delighted to provide our well-credentialed administration for this raffle that supports our community.“ said Mr Virgona.

The Monster Raffle is iconic in Manningham. Offering a massive $10,000 worth of prizes, the raffle allows our community organisations and groups to raise a significant amount of money for their members and Manningham’s disadvantaged communities.

Each year, we partner with a local organisation to deliver the raffle. We're very grateful for the Templestowe Bowling Club stepping up to help.

“We simply can’t run this initiative without a partner, and we’re so grateful for the Templestowe Bowling Club. They’re volunteering a lot of time and effort to support an initiative that always provides so many benefits to our community”, says Mayor Cr Michelle Kleinert.

Last year, 27 clubs participated in the raffle raising $34,000, with 100% percent of the proceeds going back into the community. Of this, 75% of the sales go straight back to the organisation that sold the tickets. The remaining 25% is donated to the Manningham Community Fund, to support activities through Community Fund Grants.

This year, the Community Fund aims to support initiatives for:

• Homelessness and affordable housing
• Healthy and resilient communities
• Education and employment
• Diversity and inclusion
• Environment and sustainability

Find out more or order raffle ticket booklets online. Tickets can be sold between 18 May and 30 August 2022.

Last week, we wrapped up the 2022 Volunteer Recognition Program with a reception event in the Manningham Function Centre. Our Mayor recognised and thanked the 59 community-nominated volunteers, presenting each with a gift voucher.

“We had volunteers from 31 different organisations nominated! The breadth of volunteer opportunities available in Manningham is extensive. This program allowed us to find and recognise some amazing people who roll their sleeves up and get involved in these opportunities that support our community,” said Mayor Cr Michelle Kleinert.

We had 85 people join the event, including nominators, nominees and representatives from many volunteer organisations.

See the full list of program recipients: