The Winged Wonders take to the skies over Rosebud! You’re in for a treat if the breeze is up, as festival organisers are planning an even greater spectacle over the skies in Rosebud at this year event. In its eleventh year, the festival not only is packed with free family activities, circus workshops, kids carnival and roving entertainment but is also hosting a team of internationally acclaimed kite flying designers from both mainland Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. This year’s aero theme is the ‘Winged Wonders’ and the crowd won’t be disappointed with the appearance of Toothless, from ‘How to Train a Dragon’, Puff the Red Dragon and the graceful white Pegasus horse. These creatures will be supported by a collection of underwater sea creatures, dogs and cats, cartoon characters, spacemen and sharks. Flying high in the sky, against a backdrop of blue and with the Rosebud foreshore below, they never fail to impress. The big yellow circus tent will be there again packed with circus skills workshops, magic shows and story telling and right next door will be Blacksnake Productions with their reptile display – plenty of touchy opportunities for those with a brave heart! Meet Gemma the Giraffe, Coralie the mermaid and Tubby the Robot, as they wander through the festival, or chill out in front of the main stage for the great line up of local talent, including Trudy and the Cowboys, SugaTree and Heidi Luckhurst. Visit the Rosebud Kite Festival on Saturday 7th March for a preview of Maxi Kite displays from 10am-1pm while the main event is on Sunday 8th March from 11am-5pm will have a full program of entertainment. For more information www.rosebudkitefestival.com.au or 0403 889 559
Get the message: Amnesty International members Alice Opper and Kevin Bain hand out information about Australia’s detention policies to passersby on the streets of Frankston. Picture: Gary Sissons
‘Put children first’ plea to parties Neil Walker neil@baysidenews.com.au AMNESTY International has condemned both sides of Australian politics for the ongoing detention of children in offshore immigration processing centres. The federal Liberal and Labor parties blame each other for the situation (‘MPs trade blame over child detentions’, The News 18/2/15) but the human rights watch group is critical of each party. Amnesty International peninsula branch spokesman Kevin Bain said Dunkley MP and Small Business Minister Bruce Billson’s attempt to discredit The Forgotten Children report by the Australian Human Rights Commission “is weak political gamesmanship”. “The government sat on the report for three months, tabling it on the last possible day,” Mr Bain said. “Eight former Australians of the Year, including
experts in children and mental health such as Fiona Stanley and Patt McGorry, marked Australia Day this year by signing a plea for all children to be released.” Mr Bain said in the UK, the responsible Minister cannot detain a child for longer than 7 days, yet the average period for children and adults in locked detention facilities in Australia is 426 days. He said giving “discretionary power” to immigration ministers, no matter which political party is in power, reduced asylum seekers’ rights. “Labor also has hardly showered itself with glory over its past policies and performance. Will Isaacs federal MP Mark Dreyfus grasp the nettle and support this proposal which puts the interests of children first?” Mr Bain asked. According to the latest federal Coalition government figures, 135 children remain in detention on Nauru and a further 333 are being detained in immigration centres on the Australian mainland.
Create, make, take a trail of art A GROUP of Chelsea locals with a common interest in yarn bombing got together last year – and the result was the ‘Storybook Yarn Art Trail’. The trail was put together by schools, aged care facilities and community groups. The preparation of the event showed there was a lot of interest in textile and fibre arts, with people of all ages wanting to learn more. As a result, Longbeach Place is starting workshops under the banner of ‘Create, Make and Take’. Come-and-try workshops have been arranged to show participants what is on offer. This will be a great opportunity to gauge what other crafty pursuits the community would like to learn and develop. The first Come-and-try open day is on Wednesday 11 March. The morning session is 9.30-11.30am and the evening session 7–9pm. The venue is Longbeach Place, 15 Chelsea Rd, Chelsea, call 9776 1386 or see longbeachplace.org.au There is plenty of parking, and the hall is close to the train and bus services. For more information see facebook.com/createmaketake
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Proudly presented by Rosebud Chamber of Commerce www.rosebudkitefestival.com.au More info: 0403 889 559
PRESENTED BY: PLATINUM SPONSOR:
GOLD SPONSORS:
SILVER SPONSOR:
BRONZE SPONSORS:
CHARITY PARTNER:
Come and try: Longbeach Place visitors sit down for a good yarn.
Proudly presented by Rosebud Chamber of Commerce www.rosebudkitefestival.com.au More info: 0403 889 559 Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News 25 February 2015
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