Around Point Cook 124

Issue 124, July y 2020

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page REFLECTIONS: MY 6 YEAR

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WRITING STINT WITH A MUCHLOVED COMMUNITY PAPER

The Around Point Cook Community Newspaper is distributed in Point Cook

page 13 YEARS

page HOW TO BE

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BEFORE THE WORLD CHANGED

RESILIENT IN TOUGH TIMES

COMMUNITY BANK GETS BEHIND COMMUNITY

The need for food relief more than tripled during the course of this pandemic.

Jamieson Way Community Centre were originally assisting 5 local families with food packages, but that number quickly grew to 16. Demand went up across the country, which meant supply began to buckle under the strain.

While everyone stayed home, Warren, Melinda and the team at Jam Way continued to work through (under restrictions,) offering much-needed assistance to all who asked.

Concern grew as weeks turned into months - perhaps the food relief program would not be sustainable for much longer. Would there be enough food to carry on?

Food Bank was running low. Second Bite was stretched thin. Council’s support about to come to an end...

Enter the local Community Bank!

The Board behind the Altona, Laverton & Point Cook

Community Bank (Bendigo Bank) were trying to come up with meaningful ways to assist the communities they represent. Everywhere you look, there are people struggling to cope with this new normal.

What could they do to really make a difference?

The Board recognised the incredible effort of the Jamieson Way Community Centre, as well as Laverton Community Integrated Services, and Latitude – all offering food relief programs throughout these trying times.

A $5000 IGA voucher has been supplied to each of these community groups, not only helping to feed locals in need, but supporting local business in the process doubly effective.

Well done to all involved – continue to support each other, in small ways when you can. Shop local. Bank local. Love Local.

Please redistribute rather than discard this paper - give it to your friends, family or neighbours!

Melissa Longo 1

ONE LAST LETTER FROM THE EDITOR...

Hey Readers, It is with great sadness that I confirm what I’ve feared for awhile...

The papers will come to an end after this final issue – our July edition.

I can’t tell you what these papers have meant to me these past 7-8 years.

I discovered Around Point Cook at a time in my life, when I felt completely lost and with no clue what I was going to do next.

A little paper arrived in my letter box, with a call out for volunteer writers, and the rest is history.

Daniel Allen was the editor back then, and he and Nella immediately gave me a community to belong to.

I was sure that this would put me in great stead to become a real-life Lois Lane...

When Daniel stepped away and offered me a shot at being editor, I was honoured, if not a little overwhelmed.

These papers have given me so much.

Confidence, community and the opportunity to publish as many photos of my kids as I wanted lol. They have always gotten a thrill from that.

To the writers: I’m so blessed to have lead this team. I inherited some of you from past editors, and some of you read our papers and felt compelled to join our ‘Around’ family - we are nothing without you! I have put out the call each month, and you’ve always answered it, with professionalism and enthusiasm – I will be forever grateful for your kindness and loyalty to our vision.

To the volunteers - you have all played your part in these papers - often without much thanks or direction. I have appreciated every one that has made it all possible.

Finally, to our readers – thank you so much for every single time you picked up one of our papers. Every time I spotted you reading a paper in the food court at the Point Cook Town Centre, or found a pile in a waiting room, or library in Hobsons Bay, you supported our

little paper that could. It made us all feel special. It made us feel like writers, and photographers – storytellers, telling your stories – it was a thrill and an honour.

I’m so proud of what we did here.

See you Around, Melissa Longo P.S. If you’ll miss reading good positive stories about the great stuff happening in the west, subscribe to www. inkcloud.co - good news deserves a spotlight.

ABN 78 809 543 573

Will: 0449 834 359 Email: will@aroundpointcook.com Louise: 0403 191 084 Email: ml.goegan@gmail.com

www.aroundpointcook.com

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Advertising: will@aroundpointcook.com

Contributions: editorpointcook@gmail.com

NO ONE PREDICTED THE COMING OF THE CORONAVIRUS THAT CHANGED OUR LIVES...

Physical distancing is everywhere, to limit the spread of the virus. We practice nodding, elbow-bumping and foot-to-foot tapping.

Suddenly, we gained the importance of personal hygiene.

Immediately, people became interested in gardening and do-it-yourself projects to do during lockdown. There was a long queue at Bunnings Warehouse for people trying to buy seeds, vegetables, plants, or materials for DIY.

The water is cloudy, from the many boats passing through. Now, the clarity of the water has improved.

We are now starting to look after our neighbours, checking in on them. One day, my next-door neighbour gave me 24 rolls of toilet tissues. When I asked him how much, he said, “Free.� How thoughtful!

We just hope and pray that we stay safe, and that soon, a vaccine will be discovered for Coronavirus.

Maria Pagunsan

When I visited Venice in 2016, the water was cloudy from the many boats passing through. Now the clarity of the water has improved.

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REFLECTIONS: MY 6 YEAR WRITING STINT WITH A MUCH-LOVED COMMUNITY PAPER

It is hard to believe that in the 6 years I have written for the Around Point Cook paper as a volunteer writer, that I would be writing my final piece with such sadness. I still remember in 2014, when I bravely sent an email offering myself to be involved, and to have attended some of the group meetings, was a great way to meet like-minded people and to work with them.

Getting their stories out really shows the diversity and expertise that are available to us. It enabled me to increase my local networks as well.

There were two main propositions given to us – an opportunity to contribute to local news and an opportunity to showcase our writing talents. For me, this was just the tip of the iceberg. As I look back on the time I have been with the team, I now reflect on some of the benefits that the paper provided me.

I have increased my self-confidence and felt at home in the community. Back then, I felt it was tough moving to a new country, and volunteering was a way for me to feel right at home. Writing gave me a sense of purpose and contribution. And so, I was determined to write as consistently as possible, despite a busy work and family life.

The hunt for local news. There is a lot going on in the community for sure, but I did try my best to find events that would be interesting to cover. It really allowed me to be in the thick of the events themselves. The most memorable were the children’s festival, pet expo, and the community protest that happened around the issue of the youth detention centre, landing that piece as a cover story.

Meeting community leaders and other personalities. I have interviewed a number of people who have interesting profiles and roles in the community.

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I launched my children’s book in 2018 with an article in the paper. I was fortunate to share my book launch through a piece I did in 2018. I really appreciate the support of the editorial team for this.

There’s a lot more that the paper gave me than what I could possibly write here. With gratitude, please let me thank you - the Around Point Cook Paper and team for believing in me. It was a joy to write for you, with several articles under my belt, and where 6 were featured as cover stories. I hope that we could reconnect sometime in the future, I would be glad to do everything all over again. Your presence in the community will be missed, but never forgotten.

By Mimi Laurilla

Photo page IT’S BEEN THE BEST OF TIMES...

What a journey!

Photos tell the story of a community that shared.

When you open a community paper, you meet your community – one story or photo at a time. With any luck, you see your own face, or someone that you know – because that is what community papers are for – a little local acknowledgement.

We have met mayors, chefs, singers and writers. We have been there for protests and parties. Festivals and intimate gatherings. We’ve remembered the way things used to be, and marvelled at how we are travelling. We have witnessed growth and development in our time, and more will certainly come.

Around Point Cook, Hoppers Crossing, Altona and beyond, we have been there, trying to capture it all – what a journey...

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13 YEARS BEFORE THE WORLD CHANGED

Jill Brooks started it all.

It was the summer of 2006/2007 and I was a regular visitor to her Harrington Square bookshop - WestSide Stories. I was also spending a lot of time at the Altona Meadows Aged Care, where my parents had moved. Jill donated a ton of books to the hostel, so that they could have a library and to thank her, I created a whimsical graphic of her shop with Mr. Squiggle in his little red armchair, flying through the air.

Jill showed it to her other regulars, including Bruce McCubbery - a local who like me, loved the shop for both the books and his conversations with Jill. That was what WestSide Stories was about. Children and students would get her advice on any and every topic you could think of. She was always on the lookout for ways to ignite their passion in reading and encouraged them to question what they read and heard; to have a voice and what’s more, an informed opinion. It was no surprise that she was one of the first financial supporters of Around Altona.

When Bruce McCubbery saw my artwork, he requested that he meet the artist. He and his friend Bill McPherson were interested in Altona having its own communityrun newspaper. Black and white, printed on a risograph;

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supported by local businesses and filled with stories that would interest locals.

Bruce introduced me to two inspirational men that year.

Before I knew it, I was designing the logo for Around Altona Community Newspaper, for its first editor and publisher Bill McPherson. Bill was involved with all sorts of projects including lobbying for a men’s shed at the old EPA site on Queen Street, recycling computers at Link Pumps and promoting the purchase of ‘Vision Quest’ - the yacht famous for the around-the-world adventures of yachtsman Vinny Lauwers.

On the front page of issue one was a column from our then local MP, the late, Honourable Lynne Kosky, looking forward to a long association with the paper. Those early contributors, councilors and politicians, organisations and businesses started the ‘community conversation’ that grew into a warm, inclusive chat, available in resident’s letterboxes or at the local libraries and one of its great epicentres of news, the Louis Joel Arts and Community Centre. In April, I met Jill Bilston who ran the Centre at the time. Looking back, I realize she immediately picked up on my anxiety, as an introverted writer so, that first interview with her was more of a dictation session, where she gave me the gift of her friendship, alongside a foot in the door of a community I will always treasure.

The early editions included a map of Altona, the copies of the business cards Bill picked up from local businesses; his ‘Wayne’s World’ style method of ‘if you book them they will come’!

At the time, I was studying journalism, so I was thrilled to become a contributor, but by May I had become its sub editor and layout artist and its editor a year later. It was a great privilege to serve the community in this way and an immeasurable gift to become part of Altona’s warm, welcoming community conversation.

Amazing, funny and inspiring voices filled the pages.

Curious and comical cartoons and poems by Gordon Lescinsky, the exquisite botanical drawings and articles from Helene Wild, contributions from local schools, book and movie reviews, a word find – if it was conversational and inclusive, it was in!

I must mention I am also grateful to Bruce, for his introduction to Daniel Allen, who at that time had done the layout for Around Altona, before handing it over to me. Who would have known 14 February 2007 would also be the anniversary of meeting my future husband!

As some of you know, Dan also took over as Editor of the paper in December 2012, alongside the Around Point Cook and Around Hoppers Crossing, before the incredible Mel Longo took the reins.

When you spend a good part of each week editing, writing and producing layouts of a publication, it almost morphs into a member of your family.

One sunny weekend, I decided the copies of the Arounds had started to take on their own life, becoming

an infrastructure of paper skyscrapers in our garage! I filed them by laying them out on our trampoline and realized just how many Altona moments intertwined with our personal lives.

I remember the photoshoot for the State Government $40,000 grant for the Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed was also the day my father died.

We had discussed the progress of the project from Bill’s early lobbying days and it was a heartwarming development to share with him that day.

We covered Altona’s great Bayside Festivals, art exhibitions, events and theatre productions; the anger surrounding the removal of the ‘Altona Loop’ stations from the main city route; the celebration of having our own, local Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

As a single mum, travelling around Altona was often something I’d do with my daughter Mia, and I’m grateful for the opportunity we both had coming into contact with community leaders and visionaries. Louis Joel’s Kim Reilly has known Mia since she was very short and now, as an adult Mia teaches Dramawerkz classes there.

I watched the conversation fly to new heights with Daniel’s editing of the papers from 2012, and when he passed the baton on to our super driven and talented, current editor Melissa Longo, the paper become stronger and better than ever. It’s time to wrap up Around Altona - Dan and I thank you for our time in your postbox. One thing we know about life ‘around Altona’ is that the community conversation will always be a wonderful chat.

Petronella Boonen

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A LITTLE RAY OF SUNSHINE FOR WINTER - VITAMIN D3: HOW MUCH VITAMIN D SHOULD YOU TAKE FOR OPTIMAL HEALTH?

Vitamin D3 is absolutely essential for good health.

Also known as the sunshine vitamin, it is made in your skin when exposed to sunlight. Nowadays, with our knowledge of skin cancers and particularly melanoma, we are wisely covering up and blocking out sunshine.

In spite of that, vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the world.

Vitamin D is particularly important for bone health and immune system function. It is a fat- soluble vitamin that functions like a steroid hormone in the body.

There are two forms of vitamin D in our diet: 1.Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol): found in some mushrooms 2. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol): found in oily fish, fish oil and egg yolks, dairy products etc.

D3 is the more powerful of the two types and raises blood levels of Vitamin D almost twice as much as D2. Large amounts of Vitamin D can also be made in your skin when it is exposed to UV-rays from sunlight. Any excess vitamin D is stored in your body fat for later use. Every cell in your body has 12

a receptor for vitamin D. This vitamin is involved in many processes, including bone health, immune system function and protection against cancer.

HOW COMMON IS VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY? Vitamin D deficiency is a problem all over the world.

However, it is especially common in young women, infants, the elderly and people who have been ill and indoors without direct sunlight for some time.

If you live far north or south of the equator then your vitamin D levels may fluctuate, depending on the season. The levels may go down during the winter months, due to a lack of sufficient sunlight.

In adults, a vitamin D deficiency may cause muscle weakness, intensify bone loss and increase the risk of fractures. In children, a severe Vitamin D deficiency can cause delays in growth as well as rickets, a disease where the bones become soft.

HOW MUCH VITAMIN D SHOULD YOU TAKE? How much Vitamin D you need depends on many factors. These include age, race, latitude, season, sun exposure, clothing and more. The average daily intake of 1,000iu, is adequate for most individuals.

However, some studies have shown that the daily intake needs to be higher than that if you aren’t being exposed to sun. Studies in postmenopausal women with low Vitamin D levels, needed a higher dose of 2,000iu or more. Overweight or obese individuals may also need a higher amount of vitamin D.

level of Vitamin D up, it also acts as an immune stimulant and helps prevent infections. Not only is it a great D-fence but your skin and bones will thank you for it.

Yours in good health and well-being always, Cherie de Haas ND P.S I would like to say a huge thank you to our editor Melissa Longo, who gave 100% to make sure we had a great magazine each month. To all the readers who would come up to me and mention articles, not only ones that I had written, but other contributors also. It is very sad that this is our last edition, but a great opportunity to let you all know what it has meant to have crossed paths with so many of you.

My gratitude also to the patients who taught me so much and I know they will miss the magazine very much.

I wish you all a healthy and happy life and success in whatever life may bring your way.

Warm wishes to all, Cherie

VITAMIN D MYTHS D-bunked First, some facts: your body needs vitamin D. Its main job is to help the body absorb calcium from the intestines. This calcium is necessary to help “mineralise the skeleton” over the course of your lifetime and is a critical mineral for forming the hardened bone that keeps you strong and healthy.

SHOULD EVERYONE GET THEIR VITAMIN D LEVELS CHECKED? Most people should be fine. Testing is important only for certain individuals: for people who are institutionalised, for patients with a gastrointestinal disorder (like inflammatory bowel disease) or osteoporosis, those who have had weight loss surgery, those on anti-convulsant medication, and children who are immobilised and not outside and active. If you’re over seventy years, it is worthwhile having them checked.

With winter here and viruses abounding, keep the 13

HOW TO BE RESILIENT IN TOUGH TIMES

Knowing how to be resilient in tough times is a huge benefit and a blessing. You can recover from setbacks quickly, readily find your feet again, and easily bounce back with a better frame of mind.

Practicing resilience is empowering. You’re able to stay confident, optimistic and buoyant in the midst of difficult situations.

In emerging from home isolation, schooling and work, parents, kids, and workers have again been feeling the stress of adapting to new regimes. Feelings and finances are being stretched to the limit. However, there is good news. When life seems out of control, resilience helps you stay firmly on-track, keeps you mentally balanced, and in charge of your daily activities.

HOW TO BE RESILIENT To be a resilient person means to have a bend-notbreak attitude at home, school or work. It’s being flexible and adaptable, not thinking or acting in a rigid, inflexible manner. The key to being resilient is to embrace and practice bendability, flexibility and bounce-backability. These thought-qualities allow you to easily rebound from tough situations and recover readily from stress.

While the ability to rebound quickly and easily is sometimes thought to be a quirk of nature, or to be 14

inherited, it actually isn’t. Resilience is a spiritually mental capability which we all can express. It comes from a divine Source – the Bestower of all that’s good, and everyone has access to it.

TIPS TO HELP YOU BE RESILIENT • Be a bend-not-break person. When faced with hardship, draw on spiritual resilience to help you overcome it. Have the flexibility to bend with the winds of adversity and then expect to recover quickly and easily from trouble.

• Boost your resilience. In the morning and during the day, affirm that you’re a resilient, flexible person whose been created to triumph over hard times and be successful at home, school or work.

• Have confidence. Don’t stay rigid with fear or despair. Take the next step forward with courage.

“We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up.”

Bible. II Corinthians 4:8.

• Be strong. Bounce back from disappointment or discouragement. Get up each day, mentally stronger than the day before. “The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares.”

Mary Baker Eddy. Science and Health p.574.

• Practice being resilient. Emulate the humble rubber-band, which being both pliable and elastic, can stretch a l-o-n-g way without breaking. You can

do likewise in tough times. No matter how far your stretched, with inner resilience you’ll be able to recover and rebound with ease, whenever times are tough.

Beverly Goldsmith writes on the connection between spirituality and health and is a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science healing.

A farewell tribute to Around Point Cook and Altona newspapers.

When I moved to Point Cook in July 2012, I was delighted to find in my letterbox, a free local newspaper written for the community, by people in the community. It was all positive stuff - including reports on local happenings, locals with interesting activities or ideas, as well as local people and organizations doing good things. I liked the paper’s tone and content very much. So, several months later, I tentatively sent in my first contribution. And since my life had been blessed through discovering the connection between spirituality and health, my first 450 words aimed to offer helpful tips and ideas on how to live a happy, healthy life. To my joy, it was accepted and published. Thus began my 7-year,

monthly journey, of sharing on a range of topics many of which were suggested in emails from our intrepid volunteer editor, Melissa Longo.

Now, after having 78 monthly articles regularly published in Around Point Cook – 36 of which were also shared in Around Altona, both papers are signing off. My July 2020 piece is my last. While it’s sad to see these community papers close in these unprecedented times, they can retire with pride, knowing that they have served both communities well.

So, now it’s time to say a heartfelt thank you: to all the volunteers who’ve worked tirelessly for the papers, giving freely of their time and effort; to the local businesses whose advertising dollars have enabled the papers to be printed and distributed in the community, as well as shared online via Issuu; to our editor, Melissa, for her untiring direction, encouragement, and hard work; and lastly to you, the readers, for your support. I hope that your life continues to be filled with happiness, health, and an abundance of divine Love’s riches and care.

With love, Beverly Goldsmith

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THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF FOOD MY 3 FAVORITE WAYS TO FIND THE BEST FOOD IN ANY CITY DITCH THE DIET: LIFE IS SHORT. EAT ICE CREAM AND DRINK SAKE

Illustration by Cynthia Marinakos.

One of my fondest memories of Christchurch in New Zealand was punting in a gondola, in my All Blacks top with my lovely tour guide-turned-friend, Kristy. My husband and I often lust over the huge, juicy, greenlipped mussels and crème caramel in St Germain, a quaint French restaurant that’s sadly been shut down since we visited last.

Bangkok took me 9 levels to heaven, where my feet were washed in sweet-smelling, rose-petaled water and a woman soothed every knot in my body, by using her body in ways I never imagined possible. And the food?

I expected green curry or pad thai would entice me. But no. Ecstasy came from a simple pork and basil omelet.

Vancouver, my second home is best remembered for rollerblading in beautiful Stanley Park — and the most incredible bottle of hot sake I’ve ever drunk.

I explore cities through food. I can’t imagine a better way to experience the culture, people, and places of a city, than to follow the scrumptious scents wafting enticingly through its streets.

There are many ways to find a good place to eat. My least preferred are tourist brochures, because they are typically a pay-to-be-included approach.

Then there are plane magazines and local newspapers.

I can’t help but get excited to read about an editor’s top picks in Singapore, or where the air hostesses like to eat Sunday brunch in Boston.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a hawker stall that only does pick up, a back-alley hole in the wall that only seats 8 people, or a fine dining restaurant. Good food is good food.

Here are my 3 favorite ways to find the best food in a city: 1. Ask the locals Grab a map and a pen, and shove it in front of a local.

Tell them to pinpoint their regular eating spots. But don’t stop there. Interrogate them about their favorite dishes.

2. Check reviews Get online and check real diner reviews. Don’t settle for anything less than 4 stars and check the most recent 5–10 comments to get the lowdown about food and service. Keep in mind there are always whingers, and 16

once in a while a server might have a bad day and get grumpy. Reviews will help get the gist of a place. Also, note what dishes people repeatedly mention.

3. Explore and peek inside I have a terrible sense of direction. I choose to go with the flow and embrace the adventure of getting lost. My reward is stumbling across rustic cafes in residential streets or carts in dingy neighbourhoods.

I quiver with anticipation when I see people in a cafe or restaurant with groundhog day eyes — and I don’t see anyone with a backpack. The more locals caught up in boredom of the daily grind, the better the food. Except if it’s cheap and nasty fast food like Wendys (a burger chain in North America) or crappy Starbucks coffee, of course.

In Hanoi, I learned that I’d rather shower next to a bucket of dirty dishes, than stay in a 5-star hotel alone.

And the street vendors forever tarnished my taste-buds with their soul-warming soup noodle dish, pho.

San Francisco found me dancing all night with whiskey in hand — then drooling on my plane ride to Vancouver in the morning. Also, as much as I’d like to, I’ll never forget what possessed me to try garlic ice cream from The Stinking Rose restaurant.

Back home in Australia, little Launceston surprised me with its quaint houses embedded in hills with milliondollar waterfront views for much less than that.

On my way up to Hobart, I hiked world heritage trails and fed possums in tree houses by night, along the way licking creamy, rich, lavender ice-cream from roaming cows that feast on the sweet, green grass.

And though I dined in 5-star restaurants, my favorite meal turned out to be a brisket burger with homemade mayo, from a humble charcoal grill stand in Salamanca market.

When these restrictions are over and we can again travel, go forth and find good food: Ask the locals. Check reviews. Get lost and peek inside.

Oh yeah, one more thing: Ditch the diet. Life is short. Eat ice cream and drink sake.

Cynthia Marinakos

A WORD FROM HON. JILL HENNESSY MP I was so saddened when I heard that this would be the last edition of Around Point Cook. This paper has become an iconic part of the local community and has provided people with a platform to share their stories and successes.

It has also served the invaluable role as a place for up and coming and aspiring writers and journalists to get a leg up and get published, and I’ve always been grateful for the opportunity this paper has given me in getting important information out to you about state government projects and initiatives.

listening to the stories of workers, we know that this is the reality all too often.

Now, with our Wage Theft Bill passing the Parliament, they'll have the full force of the law on their side. A fair day's pay for a fair day's work isn't a negotiable extra, it’s the law.

For more information on our Wage Theft laws, you can check out the Premier’s website at premier.vic. gov.au/new-laws-to-crack-down-on-wage-theft/ Coronavirus

With that being said, I’ve included some news below about some of the things the State Government has achieved in Parliament over the last month, as well as an update on how we’re tracking as we tackle coronavirus and work towards a COVID-normal future for Victorians.

My heartfelt thanks to the team at Around Point Cook for your hard work over the years - let’s hope we can see this special local paper back in our coffee shops and community centres soon.

We must remember that we are still in a pandemic.

If you do have to see people, keep your distance. Don’t share food or drinks. And if you’re feeling unwell – stay at home and keep your loved ones safe.

It is as important as ever to remain vigilant.

Remember - even if you only have mild cold/flu-like symptoms, you should go and get tested. It’s free. All you need is your Medicare card or another photo ID card such as a driver’s licence or student card.

Wage theft bill passes in Parliament No worker should ever have to stand on their own when it comes to being exploited by their bosses. But

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EDIBLE GARDENS WITH CRAIG CASTREE THE MYTH ABOUT GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD YOU DON’T NEED A VEGETABLE GARDEN

Over the past few months, I’ve shared easy ways to grow your own food. I really hope you’re now reaping the rewards from taking some of my advice on board and putting it to good use.

In this issue, I want to share tips, to make the most of your garden. Whether your garden is big or small, front, or back, you can grow food plants in these areas without having to turn your garden upside down. Or be a farmer to do so.

You don’t need a vegetable garden to grow food.

Most of my life, I’ve grown food for my family in our rental homes. I’ve had to grow food plants amongst plants in gardens that were not mine. It never ceased to amaze me how much these gardens produced.

You see, most people believe they must have a vegetable garden to grow vegetables. And grow everything in rows as farmers do!

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Farming is a lot of hard work. Ask the farmers, they will tell you. This method of farming is needed to feed the masses.

Growing like nature intended - in a food forest - is where a lot of our food plants started out. This means that plants of the same variety are not necessarily planted together. Instead, they’re planted amongst existing plants, trees, and shrubs in your front or back garden.

What’s exciting about this concept, is that you’re watering and looking after these spaces. Under-planting your garden with edibles means that you will get fewer weeds. When you fill the spaces, your trees and shrubs will benefit, as the shading they will give the soil or mulch will cause less evaporation.

You may think these plants/vegetables and herbs will take water from your gardens, but you’ll be watering and fertilizing more as a result of them being there.

Your whole garden will benefit.

Most of us don’t water our normal gardens much. That changes when you’re growing edibles. You will need to water more often, but there’s a win-win here: Your garden wins due to the food and water you will bring to it.

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You and your family win with fresh, organic produce.

Worth the effort, don’t you think?

For more info like this, grab a copy of my book at www.craigcastree.com.au or you could book a video consultation with me, no matter where in Australia you live. To book, call: 0411 720 283 Consultations include a copy of my book for the first session, mailed out to you.

Craig Craig loves talking to people about how to set up their own edible gardens and make healthier, more sustainable choices. He is also a cheesemaker, an apiarist, Published Author of “Edible Gardens a practical guide”, and regularly appears on ‘Vasili’s Garden to Kitchen’ program on Channel 44 and 7 TWO. Website: www. craigcastree.com.au

A TRAGIC LOSS TO THE POINT COOK COMMUNITY

The Point Cook Action Group (PCAG) is extremely disappointed to hear that our local paper Around Point Cook will cease production in July 2020. This paper has been managed by some very dedicated and committed community staff - Melissa, Will, Louise and Bill - who have done an outstanding job in managing, informing and promoting local activities and events, as well as supporting local businesses.

Major advocacy programs, which have received substantive coverage from Around Point Cook include our advocacy program for an upgrade of the intersection of Point Cook Road and Sneydes Road, and for the need

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of a community swimming pool in Point Cook.

Articles also published in Around Point Cook have been of great assistance in highlighting many PCAG activities, including our advocacy program for better infrastructure and services in Point Cook, for the very popular “Pop Up Park” project, for our tree planting and clean-up day initiatives, the anti-graffiti program and for the Wynbus project.

We would like to thank all Around Point Cook staff for all the assistance and support they have given the PCAG. It is greatly appreciated.

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AROUND POINT COOK DISAPPOINTMENT

The Point Cook Cultural (PCCC) committee, who have been actively involved in the planning for the Lunar New Year Festival in Point Cook, are shocked by the news that the Around Point Cook publication will not be continuing after the July edition.

The Around Point Cook newsletter has been an enormous assistance in promoting the Lunar New Year festival which, at the last festival in 2020, attracted 13,000 visitors and an approval rating of 9.2/10. Considerable credit for this large crowd was due to the great publicity we received from Around

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Point Cook, which actively promoted the numerous performances from our diverse range of cultural groups, the children’s rides, delicious food and information booths from the Wyndham City Council, Mercy Hospital Foundation and Western Ring Road project.

The PCCC would like to thank everyone at Around Point Cook - Melissa, Will, Louise and Bill, for providing such an excellent community paper, which has actively supported the Point Cook Lunar Festival over the past 5 years.

Jack's Corner

THINKING Thinking is the process of thought, And it’s thought that leads to knowledge.

It is knowledge that I was taught In those years I spent at college.

FAREWELL AND ADIEU

A little learning is dangerous; Or so said Alexander Pope.

I think that’s what he’s telling us, But without some knowledge, we can’t cope.

Now, on the subject of thinking, Something that I do all the time, It’s useful when versifying, And endeavouring to find a rhyme.

Thinking, according to Descartes, Is the proof of our existence.

Could it be that my beating heart, Is unreal and has no substance?

What philosophers do, is think About life and the Universe.

They record their thoughts with pen and ink, Sometimes expressed in metred verse.

“A penny for your thoughts”, folk say: You can have what I think for free.

You see I have never sought pay For thoughts expressed in poetry.

Thinking exercises the brain, Repository of wisdom and wit.

This process sometimes brings me pain, But I’ll keep doing it; I shan’t quit.

People say, “Look before you leap”.

This really means, “Think before you act”.

Well, thinking keeps me from my sleep: This I tell you, for it’s a fact.

We’re often asked a thought to spare For someone, something or other.

I’ll do that for those, for whom I care: Any good man can be my brother.

Jack Nystrom

Readers will know me as the Jack of Jack’s Corner, poetry segment of these papers. I have been a contributor since the day nine years ago, that I met for the first time, my good friend - Publisher Bill McPherson in Zoran and Mary’s coffee shop, Altona Meadows. That encounter led to the publication of my poem, “Altona Bay.” Since then, I have submitted a monthly poem.

Over the ensuing years, I also contributed articles on local history and issues of the day.

I have had a most enjoyable and satisfactory relationship with Editors Petronella Boonen, Daniel Allen and Melissa Longo.

It is with great regret that relationship must come to an end with the demise of the “Around” papers. I have regarded these papers as the voice of the Altona and Point Cook communities.

Good fortune and farewell my friends.

Jack Nystrom 21

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WELCOME TO JULY Yes folks, we are midway through winter. Slow cookers are living their best lives, open fires are stoked and roaring, and as I flip the calendar, I am reminded yet again, that my birthday is rapidly approaching. Being born in July bestows upon me certain gifts, that mean nothing to some and so much to others, depending on what you believe.

Rubies. Considered the king of gems and the most valuable of gemstones, they represent love, health, and wisdom. In ancient times, it was believed wearing a fine red ruby bought good fortune to its owner. I am still waiting.

Water Lilies. Flowers that represent joy and fickleness, sweetness and magic. Perfectly portrayed in Monet’s Garden, and ironically the ponds of the Williamstown Botanical Gardens, that hold so many fond memories from my childhood.

groups of people, and their healthy sense of humour makes them seriously fun to be around. Which is good to know, because often I have just thought of myself as annoying.

The tricky thing about celebrating a July birthday in Woodend, is that no matter how much you hope, no matter how often you dream, you will most likely never enjoy a barbeque or garden party on a warm sunny day with family and friends. On the flip side of the coin, that’s all the incentive I need to start planning my fiftieth birthday in Florence.

Dee xx You can now check out my cooking clips on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCzqLbLo5eZqQvtlZTnemtLw

Green, russet and red. The colour of my eyes, of my first dog Prince, and the colour I love so much, yet find it so difficult to wear.

July 23rd also makes me a Leo. People born under the sign of Leo are said to be natural born leaders, dramatic and creative. Often self-confident, dominant and extremely difficult to resist, a Leo often has many friends, for they are generous and loyal. Self-confident and attractive, they are capable of uniting different

THREE HUNDRED WORDS A few years ago, my Dad decided I didn’t have enough to do. I’m not sure why, because as a wife and mother I was working four days a week, living on a semi-rural property in country Victoria and enjoyed a number of hobbies in my spare time.

One of them just happened to be writing.

Fast forward to today and I’m still a wife and mum, now working full-time with a four-hour daily commute, still living in country Victoria, regularly engaging in extra-curricular activities, which now include meeting deadlines while writing for a community publication.

topic was nothing like the paper’s monthly theme.

Frequently I was not on the same page. Occasionally I was not even in the same book. But it never mattered.

Taking that leap of faith and putting myself out there has been a huge challenge for me. Presenting yourself for public criticism and judgement isn’t easy, but I don’t regret it for a moment.

Thank you for your encouragement, support and acceptance.

Three hundred words? Challenge accepted

Dee xx

To be completely honest, I wasn’t sure how things would work out. How would I find the time to submit a three-hundred-word piece each month? What would I write about? What if the editor didn’t like what I wrote, and was it the right decision to make a commitment to something that wasn’t even in my own backyard? All valid concerns but, looking back, I needn’t have worried.

I have learned that if you love something enough, you will always find the time. As a writer inspiration is never far away, and more often than not the challenge to limit your words is far greater than to find them.

Our esteemed leader and fabulous editor Mel, never knocked back anything I submitted, even when my 23

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