Biggest Morning Tea

Thursday 23rd May 2013

Warren Arts & Crafts Group and the Shire of Manjimup Home and Community Care (HACC) are joining forces to bring you Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea.

HACC Activities Officer, Sharmane MacDonald said “everyone is invited to come and join us at the Manjimup Town Hall from 10.00am – 12.00pm. There’s nothing like a warm drink, a home baked cake and a catch up with your friends whilst making your cup count in the fight against cancer.”

$5.00 entry fee will get you a cuppa and delicious bites and the chance to win the door prize.
• Musical entertainment
• Raffles and great prizes - $1.00 per ticket
• Craft and Cake Stall

All funds raised will go to the Cancer Council to support vital work in cancer research, education programs and patient support services.

New playground equipment has arrived

Construction of the new Manjimup Timber and Heritage Park Playground, one of Manjimup’s SuperTown funded projects, is well underway.

The new equipment for the playground has arrived and assembly has started.

    
Pictured above: Quokka Sculpture, Kangaroo Sculpture and part of the playground equipment

The specialised play equipment, which has been custom made for Manjimup, consists of a 40m long tandem flying fox, a 7m tall climbing net, water play, cubbies, slides, swings, rides, diggers, spinning disks and sculptures of our local animals.

Shire President, Wade De Campo said, “It is exciting to see this project coming together. We wanted a playground that is unique, but also complementary to the beautiful surrounds of Manjimup’s Timber & Heritage Park. This playground will be enjoyed by countless children and families for generations to come.”

The playground design is a culmination of efforts from Shire staff, the Shire’s consulting landscape architect and community representatives. The finished plan will see a playground sympathetic to the timber heritage honoured by the park and will be a ‘must do’ destination for all visitors coming to Manjimup.

The playground construction is currently running on schedule, completion in for June 2013.

This new $1.14 million multi-aged playground forms part of the Royalties for Regions SuperTown funded Manjimup Town Centre Revitalisation Project. The Manjimup Town Centre Revitalisation Project will result in a $5.17 million investment into the redevelopment of the Manjimup Town Centre.

Public Comment Sought on Draft Arts & Culture Strategic Plan

Council is seeking community feedback on what will be its first official Arts & Culture Strategic Plan since the Shire was formed in 1908.

“Art and culture can provide a powerful vehicle to transform communities” said Shire President, Wade DeCampo.

The absence of an Arts & Culture Strategic Plan was identified as a key gap in Council’s long term planning. The Strategic Plan also responds to the Customer Satisfaction Survey which identified 'arts & culture' as an area poorly serviced and a priority for improvement.

“Our community has a rich and diverse but unique culture that should be encouraged, celebrated and promoted for everyone to enjoy”, said Shire President, Wade DeCampo. “Our heritage is fascinating, we host great cultural events, we are the home of renowned artists and we have many opportunities to integrate artistic elements into our physical environment.”

The draft Arts and Culture Strategic Plan is now available for download through the link below or for collection from the Shire’s Manjimup Administration Centre or viewing at the Shire’s public libraries. Community feedback workshops are planned for Manjimup, Pemberton, Northcliffe and Walpole.

Shire of Manjimup Draft Arts and Culture Strategic Plan

Submissions on the draft Strategic Plan should be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer Shire of Manjimup, PO Box 1, Manjimup WA 6258 or by email to info@manjimup.wa.gov.au on or before Wednesday 1 May 2013. Council will have regard to all comments received when it considers final adoption of the Strategic Plan.

For further information, or workshop bookings, please contact the Shire’s Community Development section on 9771 7777.

Statement ends.

Authorised by Jeremy Hubble, Chief Executive Officer, Shire of Manjimup.
Contact: 9771 7777
Contact for comment: Wade DeCampo; Shire President.
Contact: 0427 094 081

Residents and visitors encouraged to

While drinking alcohol is commonly associated with celebrations, Shire of Manjimup drinkers are encouraged to ‘drink safe’ over Easter.

Research shows there are many short term problems linked to excessive or binge drinking such as passing out, vomiting, drink driving and other risky behaviours. A number of tips to stay safe if drinking alcohol include eating before drinking, not allowing people to top up your drinks and drinking in moderation.

The drink safe message is echoed by Manjimup’s Sergeant, Paul Williams, who warns, “Over the Easter period we will be implementing a road safety campaign and staffing levels will be at a maximum. Every driver who is stopped will be breath-tested. We advise don’t drink and drive and to drive safely”.

“For many people, Easter is a time of eating lots of chocolate which, coupled with an over-indulgence of alcohol, can lead to weight gain,” says the Shire of Manjimup’s Alcohol Management Project Officer, Assunta Di Francesco. “Alcohol is high in ‘empty’ calories, which means it has no nutritional value. To avoid weight gain, alternate alcoholic drinks with low calorie non-alcoholic drinks or water.”

Photo: Sergeant Williams advises residents and visitors to drink safely over Easter.

The National Guidelines for Alcohol Consumption recommend drinking no more than two standard drinks each day to avoid long term illnesses such as cancer, and drinking no more than four standard drinks on any single occasion to reduce the risk of short term harm.

For further information about the Manjimup Alcohol Management Project please contact Assunta Di Francesco on (08) 9771 7778 or email assunta.difrancesco@manjimup.wa.gov.au

Heritage & Timber Park and Community Garden enjoy mutual growth

The Manjimup Community Garden (MCG) has become a beneficiary of the new playground works being undertaken in the Manjimup Timber & Heritage Park (the Park).

The old playground has been removed and the site is now being excavated in preparation for the new one. Rather than carting all the excavated soil off to the tip, the soil was moved a few metres to the garden.

Shire President, Wade De Campo, said “It’s a win-win situation. We needed to excavate a significant amount of dirt and the MCG needed a significant amount of dirt to build up and raised garden allotments.”

Cassidy Newland, MCG Convenor, commented “We’re very happy to be in the right place at the right time. Rather than it just going into landfill we are able to take a waste product and use it to develop our garden.”

Another plus for the MCG was the need to relocate one of the Park’s wooden gazebos in the way of the excavation works. “We hope to raise funds for a pizza oven in the future and the gazebo will be a wonderful addition to our plans for an outdoor kitchen,” said Cassidy. The gazebo will soon be located within the MCG but will still be available for use by the general public.

The Shire of Manjimup is pleased to provide this support to the MCG. The Shire has provided the MCG a ¾ acre lease within the Park and a $1,400 community grant to put towards the purchase of a 110,000 litre water tank.

For more information about the works being undertaken in the Manjimup Timber & Heritage Park contact Town Centre Revitalisation Project Officer Rachel Croft on 9771 7766 or rachel.croft@manjimup.wa.gov.au

Seniors Expo for Manjimup

Manjimup Home and Community Care (HACC) will be holding a Seniors Expo on Monday 15 April 2013 at the Manjimup Town Hall between 10.00am and 3.00pm.

The Expo will provide seniors an opportunity to gain information on a range of services and products available to support their lifestyle and independent living at home.

The Expo will feature a number of organisations and businesses showcasing their products. Experienced representatives will be on hand to respond to questions and offer advice.

Exhibits will include the AquaCentre, Health Professionals from Warren Blackwood Community Services, how to access community services in the South West, what to do if you have a fall, Alzheimer Australia Memory Van, the Independent Living Van and the opportunity to try out useful aids and scooters mobility designed to make your life easier.

FREE individual health assessments will be available all day as well as FREE refreshments.
The key supporting agencies are:

• The Shire of Manjimup Home and Community Care;
• Alzheimer’s Australia; and
• The Independent Living Centre.

Shire President Wade DeCampo said “this is an excellent opportunity for senior’s in the community to be able to talk to professionals about the best solutions for their needs that will maximize their quality of life. With the free transport it’s also a great event for socially isolated seniors to come together in the community.”

A FREE bus service will be available to transport people to and from the Expo from Northcliffe, Pemberton, Quinninup and Walpole. Bookings for the bus service are essential and can be made through the HACC office on 9777 1455

Shire acknowledged local volunteers contribution fighting Kin Kin and King fires

Manjimup Shire President Wade DeCampo expressed “sincere appreciation for the efforts of our volunteers in fighting the recent Kin Kin and King fires”.

Seventy two Bush Fire Brigade volunteers from the Shire of Manjimup assisted the Department of Environment and Conservation and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services fight the Kin Kin and King fires over three days.
Those Bush Fire Brigades engaged in the action were:

• Balbarup/Wilgarrup
• Browns Road
• Dunreath
• Linfarne
• Northcliffe
• Quinninup Town
• Ringbarkers
• Seven Day Road
• Springfield
• Upper Warren
• Yanmah

Pictured above: Chief Bush Fire Control Officer Remo Pessotto

In addition, our local SES brigade members provided hundreds of hours of support assisting filling the water bombers.

The Shire President also wished to single out appreciation for the efforts of our Chief Bush Fire Control Officer, Remo Pessotto and assistant Eileen.

The loss of one of our residents in the fire was truly tragic. Whilst Police investigations of the circumstances surrounding the death are continuing, findings will likely be some time off. What is obvious however is the loss of property and life was minimised by the gallant efforts of volunteers and professions for which we as the community at large should be thankful.