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Parkland wanted Continued from Page 1 Ms Booth said “open public space in Mentone has been a bone of contention” for decades. She, like several other speakers on Monday evening, noted Mentone has less than the 2.4 hectares per thousand people of open space as desired in council’s Kingston Open Space Strategy. While most submitters wanted Collins St to be used for parkland, not all agreed. Mordialloc Community Nursing Home secretary Arthur Shearman said the nursing home “supports the council’s decision to sell 101-103 Collins St and to lease the Northcliffe Lodge, Nixon Home and the nursing home to a professional aged care provider which is legally obliged and bound to provide good quality aged care”. “The decision which has been made is the best decision available,” Mr Shearman said. Homestyle Aged Care CEO Brian Hewitt backed the Collins St sale plan, claiming he had “no vested interest” in a new aged care home’s location. However, when questioned by Cr Rosemary West, he admitted the private aged care provider may bid for the council tender. “[Councillors] will experience public pushback in the period of what you’re doing, but our experience is that your constituents will thank you dearly when a private operator comes in and very efficiently operates your aged care facilities and provides a high standard of care at no cost to local taxpayers,” Mr Hewitt said. Crs Tamara Barth, Tamsin Bearsley, Ron Brownlees, David Eden, Paul Peulich, Steve Staikos and mayor Cr Geoff Gledhill supported a push by Cr West for council officers to report on the possibility of upgrading the MCNH Remo St facility. Cr John Ronke abstained. Councillors will discuss the matter at next Monday’s final council meeting of the year.
Rest easy: Longbeach RSL members formed a guard of honour for Charlie Scales, above right, in Chelsea Heights yesterday. Pictures: Gary Sissons
Fond farewell for a ‘Rat of Tobruk’ Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au A PROUD soldier thought to be one if the last remaining ‘Rats of Tobruk’ was farewelled by his wife, friends and RSL colleagues at Gateway/Grant funerals in Chelsea Heights yesterday. Richard Charles Scales died on 3 December aged 92. He was an enthusiastic member of the Chelsea Longbeach RSL but not an advocate of war itself: “I just want to promote the memory of the 2/24th Battalion and the Rats of Tobruk,” he said when interviewed by The News two years ago (‘Remembering Charlie’s war’, The News 14/11/12). Mr Scales, who is survived by his wife, Loris, was a member of 2/24th Battalion which was involved in two of the most decisive battles of the war - at Tobruk, in modern day Libya, where they became known as the ‘Rats of Tobruk’, and at El Alamein, on the shores of the Mediterranean in Egypt. The battles are acknowledged to have halted German General Rommel’s advance into Africa and
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After the war he could not settle down - until he met love-of-his-life Loris at a New Year’s Eve ball. “I don’t know where I would be without her,” he had said at our interview. Longbeach RSL welfare officer John Morris described Mr Scales as “one in a million”. “He never gave much away though,” he said, much like a lot of old soldiers. “I knew him for 10 years and, even though he never spoke much, I thought him an exceptional bloke.” Rats of Tobruk Association members convey their deepest sympathies to relatives who have suffered the sad bereavement of a loved one.
brought strategic and morale-boosting success just when the Allies were experiencing heavy losses and setbacks elsewhere. “The holding of Tobruk was one of the major turning points in the war and El Alamein stopped Rommel getting hold of a deep water port in North Africa,” he told us then. At 16 when war broke out in 1939, the trainee storeman ran away to be a soldier – as his dad, Bill, and uncle, Joe, had been in the Great War – but was deemed too young and sent home. Doing his penance and sent back to Corryong he bided his time until another opportunity presented itself. Enlisting again at Wangaratta in 1940 he found himself in the Middle East training for desert warfare. There, the Army’s successes were tempered by terrible losses and Mr Scales lost many of his mates and commanding officers. “Of the 700 who went in to the battle at El Alamein only 59 came out on the truck at the end of it,” he later recalled. Wounded himself he recuperated in a British war hospital in Egypt.
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VALE Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o’er. Sleep the sleep, that knows no breaking Dream of battlefields no more, Days of danger, nights of waking. -- Sir Walter Scott
Official Journal of the City of Kingston • Decemb er 2014 / January 2015
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HOW TO GET THERE Parking is available at Westfield Southland Multiple bus routes service the Southland Bus Interchange. For more information see ptv.vic.gov.au
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Bring your own picnic or enjoy the food available at the event! You can buy woodfired pizza, food from the Rotary Club barbecue, coffee and ice creams. Check out Kingston Your City December / January edition for the official sing-along lift out!
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Carols by Kingston 2014 will be Auslan interpreted Carols by Kingston is an accessible event. An accessible seating area will be available near the front of the stage.
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Ben Kavanagh Reserve
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Council has developed a draft plan to transform Mordialloc’s Ben Kavanagh Reserve over a number of years with an expanded community sports pavilion, improved fencing, playground make over, landscaping and safer traffic access. The draft Master Plan includes 26 recommendations and Council is inviting comment by Friday 23 January. kingston.vic.gov.au/haveyoursay
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Council’s holiday hours Over the festive period, the operating hours of Council services will change. There will also be changes to the customer service functions at Council's Mentone office from 24 December. For details see kingston.vic.gov.au/christmashours
Ordinary Council Meeting Monday 15 December 7pm To watch Council meetings live or view previous Council meetings go to kingston.vic.gov.au
Kingston community radio hour Tune into Council’s next monthly radio hour on 18 December at 1pm on Southern FM 88.3
Kingston’s Annual Report Track Council’s progress by reading our Annual Report
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Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News 10 December 2014
CITY OF KINGSTON ANNUAL REPO RT
2013/14
Kingston Councillors and staff wish everyone peace and happiness for the festive season and a prosperous New Year. Please stay safe on our roads and enjoy Kingston's many parks and foreshore areas this holiday period.