2 July Newsletter Friends of Eaglemont Village
Membership Renewals 2023/24
Oh dear, here we are, a new financial year 2023/24.
Time for the tedium of tax returns - and annual FofEV membership renewal fees.
Time to dip into that "rainy day" tin on the kitchen mantle to pay your $10/ family/ year membership to Friends of Eaglemont Village. Not tax deductible, because we are not a charity.
Postpone the golf club renewal, look at the ladder before you send money to an AFL club naively hoping you can access finals tickets. Defer the hair appointment if necessary.
Read the semester reports before you stump up more school fees.
But do not dodge your FofEV membership. Unlike AFL clubs we do not promise you glory, unlike your Council we do not threaten punitive late payment penalties.
$10. Annual. Family rate.
BSB is 633000
A/c is 177492964
(Please add (surname) (postcode) as Description to help our rudimentary accounting system.)
This is the Bendigo Bank branch in East Ivanhoe, not Lagos, Nigeria.
Mothers and Babies this Wednesday
1:30 p.m., 1st and 3rd Wednesday each month. All welcome, free coffee and cake.
Sit & Sew this Thursday
2 p.m., Eaglemont Dish. All welcome, free coffee and cake.
School Holidays
On the first free weekday of the school holidays it was immediately apparent in the Village that parents were working from home or had taken holidays themselves.
Children we do not normally see in the cafes were out in force.
Not just parents either - grandparents were seen with young charges in tow.
This highlights a need for school holiday opportunities in the local area - a local park and a local community house for instance.
Community Facility for Eaglemont
On 26 June our FofEV petition of some 250+ local signatories was presented to Banyule Council.
I spoke for the allowed 2 minutes in support of the petition.
Council has thereby received and noted the petition; the primary petitioner has been notified - the petition and action relating to it now lies with the Sport Recreation and Community Infrastructure Team.
At the Council meeting Deputy Mayor Alida McKern asked a question (and a follow-up clarification) of Community Development Director Kath Brackett.
The answer could be fairly interpreted that the administration recognises a legitimate need for a community facility for the Eaglemont residents, and that practical steps are being taken now to secure an appropriate facility.
Tree planting activity for Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School will take place 10:30 to 12:30 Friday 28th July between the Sherwood Road Sub-station & Ashby Grove underpass.
Our community event will be on Sunday 30th July at Sherwood Road running east from the station entrance.
We will be clearing some more land beside the Bluestone bed, then planting in that area.
9:30 to 12:30, all welcome, tools and gloves supplied.
Snippets
Burst Water Pipes
"Business men had to go to their offices unshaven,"
The Argus, 01.03.1948, Page 4
IVANHOE HAS DROUGHT FOR A DAY
Bursting of a big water main in Sherwood rd left a large area of Ivanhoe without water from 7am to 10pm on Saturday.
The burst stopped the supply so suddenly that many homes had no drinking water.
Business men had to go to their offices unshaven, dishes were piled high in sinks, babies' laundry was neglected.
Because the Board of Works advised users that normal service might be expected by lunch time, many postponed the task of carrying water from unaffected areas until the position became desperate.
Bendigo Bank
Bendigo Bank has been a consistent sponsor of Friends of Eaglemont Village, making available funds, and also our sturdy market marquee.
Our most recent support from Bendigo Bank has been to underwrite an all-in-one touch screen computer for our use as an information kiosk.
We can promote Eaglemont, encourage visitors, advertise our FofEV landscaping and community development activities, entertain and inform kids at the markets.
More colour and movement - less hoarse throats from constantly talking on market days!
Bit untidy
Banksia Reserve
A small delegation of Friends of Eaglemont Village volunteers spent an hour on site at Banksia Reserve (off Sherwood Lane) last Monday morning discussing garden/landscaping options.
We met with Vanessa from Banyule Council's Parks group.
A chill wind took the edge off the site inspection but there was plenty of positivity.
We were approached by a young family living adjacent to the reserve - they were keen to enquire if we were there to do something about improving the park!
The mother explained she had already contacted Council but had not had any follow-up.
She was delighted to learn about FofEV, our newsletter and our range of community development activities - especially wanting to commence the process of upgrading Banksia Reserve to a fully fledged local park.
Following this clarification of Banyule Council's requirements re the garden/landscaping component, FofEV will modify and re-submit our environmental grant application to Council.
Essentially, we will submit a proposal that brings landscaping to the western edge of the reserve. A shallow triangle of land - including the large eucalypts - will become an Australian native garden in lieu of mown grass.
The gardened area will include paths (compacted crushed rock) and seating.
Mudstone rocks will be used th define the lower edge near the entrance chain, and where necessary to modify the slope.
Mudstone rocks are flat topped, doing double duty as low seating or as clamber opportunities for youngsters.
We have sought from Vanessa some "standard setting" examples of existing small parks in Banyule or elsewhere on which we could model our plans.
Key to the reserve upgrade will be environmental outcomes that justify the use of environmental grant funds - plants instead of mowed grass, bio-diversity replacing grass mono-culture, removal of weed species plants, getting people outside and active - appreciating and nurturing our environment - instead of being inside, sedentary & using electricity to the detriment of our environment!
Studley Road - Odenwald Road
The land FoEV wishes to use here for a better community amenity than 135 years of cut grass is actually rail land.
FofEV have gained rail authority permission to create bushland wildflower gardens on the site, but the rail authorities want to lease the land to Banyule Council which would sub-lease it to FoEV.
This sets up a mechanism to have the public land use kept consistent with Council's own parks and gardens works.
We are quite comfortable with this mechanism.
Vanessa proposed a different layout to that we last submitted to better recognise the future mowing around garden beds.
Again, as Council environmental funds are to be sought, there will need to be environmental outcomes factored in.
Member discussion