NEWS DESK
Creative forum
Fruits of past eras: Teacher Sue Robinson and students Runwei Li, left, Jye Ripari and Ilya Glinin inspect the new museum’s displays at Frankston High School. Picture: Yanni
Museum snapshot of school history STUDENTS at Frankston High can take a step back in time as they inspect exhibits at the school museum which opened Friday. The 91 year old school in Foot St, but previously in Quality St, celebrated its 90th birthday last year with a big function. Teacher Sue Robinson said the idea for the museum came about as current students “simply had no idea how old we are”. She said a revamp of the senior campus created space ideal for a museum “which could provide a snapshot of the school’s history”. Unfortunately, fires in the 1990s had destroyed many of the school’s archives. However, much is still available – and ideal for display.
“We have an honour board from 1924 with the first 10 duxes of the school, an old framed photo of (former PM) Bob Hawke, who visited in the late 1980s, old school uniforms, cups, students work – the list goes on.” Ms Robinson said she was contacted at least once a month by donors offering potential exhibits. Last week she received in the mail a blazer – complete with badges – from a former student now living in Western Australia. “The museum is intended as a teaching aid,” she said. “We hope to get classes through with activity sheets, with the students reflecting on what life was like at the school at varying stages in its past.” As the variety and scope of exhibits grows the material will be rotated, giving students a more complete view of the times – as they change. Stephen Taylor
A PUBLIC forum will be held in Frankston next month to discuss the state’s creative future following the release of the state government’s Let’s get creative about Victoria’s future report. The discussion paper explores a range of themes, looking at how to build audiences and markets, cultivate skills and innovation and harness the opportunities of digital technology. Victoria’s future across all the creative and cultural sectors – visual arts, screen, literature, performance, music, design, digital games and emerging cultural fields – is up for discussion, and everyone is invited to contribute. State government data shows creative industries contribute about $22.7 billion to the Victorian economy and support more than 200,000 jobs. The paper also discusses support for Aboriginal arts and culture, and for arts and performance in regional Victoria and outer metropolitan Melbourne. A Taskforce, led by Melbourne University Publishing CEO Louise Adler and supported by an Expert Reference Group, will provide independent advice and oversee the development of the strategy. A series of public forums will be held in Ballarat, Shepparton, Sale, Werribee, Frankston and Melbourne during June and July. A public forum will be held at the Frankston Arts Centre on Friday 3 July, 6pm. See strategy.creative.vic.gov.au for registration details.
Library still open THE Seaford Junior Library is not closed despite rumours to the contrary, Frankston Council says.
The library will open as usual next Tuesday and Thursday at 10am for storytime sessions and borrowing. In November 2013, the committee of the Seaford Junior Library signed over management of the library to council, and a significant redevelopment of its home at the Seaford Community Centre is about to take place. “Once works are complete a full branch library, open each weekday and Saturday mornings, will service the Seaford community, incorporating all the current services of the junior library and much more,” Frankston mayor Cr Sandra Mayer said. “During the renovations, which are expected to begin in August and take 3-4 months, the junior library’s storytime and borrowing services will be relocated to temporary sites to ensure the community does not miss out, and details of those sites will be released shortly.” A roof restoration, the first stage of the project, was completed last month. “Planning for the renovation of the Seaford Community Centre has involved consultation with all groups who use the centre, including two meetings this year with members of the former Seaford Junior Library committee to discuss building plans and the timetable for works,” Cr Mayer said. “Once the full project is completed the centre will host council’s Seaford Customer Service Centre, Seaford Library, community meeting rooms and amenities, and will be a modern new home for existing users like local seniors clubs, youth events and the Performance Academy of Dancing.”
Height fight fails to stop city plan Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au THE shape and height of things to come in the centre of Frankston was hotly debated at last month’s council meeting. Councillors voted to adopt the Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre Structure Plan but some had misgivings about the scale of development, particularly with regards to high-rise buildings, which could follow in its wake. The plan is a guide to future development and the use of public space in central Frankston including the Waterfront, Kananook Creek, Beauty Park, Monash University, Chisholm TAFE, Frankston Hospital, Bayside Shopping Centre, inner city Frankston homes,
Ebdale Hub and the Carrum Downs industrial estate. Council has asked Planning Minister Richard Wynne to authorise the exhibition of the Structure Plan, more than eight years after first debating its merits. At last month’s council meeting the mayor Cr Sandra Mayer said it was important to get on with finalising a plan since the imminent $110 million redevelopment of Frankston train station, Chisholm TAFE and the surrounding area will be part of the changing landscape of central Frankston. “We need a vision for the city ... we need to get on with it,” she said. Cr Glenn Aitken said residents valued Frankston as “a green place and appreciate the low scale of development” and believed a good balance of social and economic considerations
should be paramount. He slammed the plan as “a goldmine” for developers due to a lack of mandatory building height limits. “In the future we [council] will be condemned,” he said. Cr Aitken welcomed South East Water and its employees to the region but feared a repeat of the water authority’s towering building on Frankston’s coastline. “What that building has done to our coastal landscape in Frankston has been extremely regrettable.” Cr Suzette Tayler said she wished she had fought harder against the SEW building design. “It is the most disgusting building I’ve ever seen. I didn’t expect it to look like that. I’m quite horrified and shocked and every time I look at it I hate it.
“I don’t want to see ‘another South East Water building’ along Nepean Highway.” Crs Darrel Taylor and Colin Hampton backed the mayor’s push to put the Structure Plan to the Planning Minister. Cr Hampton said “there’s a long way to go” before it is finalised and the community will have several chances during the process to provide feedback. He said the plan is “good” overall despite having “things in this document I don’t agree with”. “Do we want to sit on our hands and do nothing?” he asked. Cr Taylor said Frankston should receive more funding from state governments if there is a formal plan for the city centre. “We’ve got to have a plan and strategic development ... otherwise it will be
a hotchpotch approach.” The plan was called “a farce” by Cr James Dooley since it referred to “preferred height limits” and not mandatory height restrictions for buildings. The mayor said planning ministers “do not like prescriptive planning conditions”. “This says we’re open for business ... you will never please everybody,” Cr Mayer said. Crs Hampton, Mayer, Michael O’Reilly, Rebekah Spelman and Darrel Taylor voted to adopt the Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre Structure Plan. Crs Aitken and Suzette Taylor opposed the plan while Cr Dooley abstained from voting. Visit frankston.vic.gov.au to read the Structure Plan and see details about future community consultation.
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Level crossing works will continue on the Stony Point line until the end of June. The works include engineering, installation, testing and commissioning of new track infrastructure at level crossings between Frankston and Stony Point stations. During this time buses will continue to replace all trains, running as close as possible to the regular timetable.
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Stony Point line travel update
Expected completion: June 2015
For more info call 1800 800 007 or visit ptv.vic.gov.au Frankston Times 15 June 2015
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