NEWS DESK
Councils united Poetry reaches on regional plan for the stars Continued from Page 1 The SEM Group’s regional plan, released last week, “supports a polycentric city approach” and nominates Dandenong, Frankston and Narre Warren-Fountain Gate as “centres for employment” to ease pressure on public transport since “a high proportion of our residents travel long distances to find suitable employment”. Delays in rolling out high-speed broadband internet services have also been identified in the plan as “an impediment to economic growth”. Other aims of the regional plan include: Establishment of a manufacturing connectivity centre in Dandenong South Progress the planning for South Eastern Airport Funding for east-west road linkages including upgrading and extension of Thompsons Rd through to Pakenham Upgrade the Frankston transit interchange, including the train station, and redevelopment of surrounding land The plan is pushing for the establishment of “a regional boating facility” in Frankston despite Frankston Council CEO Dennis Hovenden admitting a boating marina at Olivers Hill is a lower priority than other infrastructure projects (‘‘No chance’ for marina plan’, The Times 15/12/14). Tourism is also been pushed as a growth industry for Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula as part of the regional plan. Cr Mayer and Mornington Peninsula Shire deputy mayor Graham Pittock and council officers attended a Victorian Visitor Information Centre Summit at the RACV Cape Schanck resort organised by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council. Shire business development team leader Tania Treasure said “the summit is a great economic benefit to our region, attracting 120 delegates from throughout Victoria to our region at a time of the year that is traditionally quiet for our tourism industry”. Ms Treasure said council representatives visited tourism businesses during the summit held on 12-14 August to learn about “best practice in managing and operating a visitor information centre and trends in servicing our visitors”.
A POET from Frankston’s past has inspired poetry about the present with the compilation of several love poems about Frankston and its people. Author and poet Avril Bradley compiled City of Stars: An anthology of love poems for Frankston after researching the life and times of 1920s poet and entrepreneur Annie May (Nan) McClelland. Nan McClelland and her brother Harry McClelland moved to Long Island in 1912 and established a bohemian scene of creative artists in Frankston by the next decade. Ms McClelland also drove a Frankston Hospital ambulance and hosted the first children’s show on ABC radio during a varied life. The McClelland Sculpture Park & Gallery in Langwarrin is named in their honour and it was the sculpture of Nan McClelland’s desk by David Murphy, part of the Frankston local arts trail, that prompted Bradley to compile and edit the City of Stars poems anthology. “It began as a book of my own poetry and then I met a lot of talented poets in the Frankston area,” Bradley said. Frankston resident Bradley, originally from Middlesbrough in northern England, notes “everyone in Frankston speaks to you and smiles and says ‘hello’ and people are generally very friendly” so she wanted to put together a “love letter” in the form of a poetry book to the city. Dealing with other poets while working through submissions was not without its challenges. “We all have big egos. Creative artists are the worst to work with. You have to be extremely careful,” she said. “There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. I hate writing rejection letters but I wanted the poems not to be ‘happy’ adverts like ‘I love Frankston’ without substance so I had to disappoint a few poets.” Although some of the rejected poems had merit in their own right Ms Bradley says ultimately some did
The book of love: Author Avril Bradley reads the City of Stars poetry anthology featuring poems expressing love for Frankston. Picture: Gary Sissons
not fit the book project’s brief. “These poems have veracity about them and recognise it’s tough at times. I also wanted some of the poems to come to grips with the history of Frankston.” Personal highlights in City of Stars for Bradley include a poem mentioning “a fellow who used to go around the beach selling blocks on the beach for $50” and areas of Frankston such as Heatherhill turning out to be poetic thanks to “a lovely poem about ladies playing tennis there”. City of Stars: An anthology of love poems for Frankston, published by Ginninderra Press will be launched at McClelland Sculpture Park & Gallery, McClelland Drive, Langwarrin on Sunday 27 September, 2-4pm. Entry $20 includes a copy of the book. Light refreshments provided. Neil Walker
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