Tragic tale book launched
nowhere to serve
Helping hand: City Life helps clients, right, such as Anmar, above, juggle the cost of meals and accommodation. Pictures: Elsie Bath
far, none has been found. Whitby estimates the kitchen alone will cost $100,000 to move. Then there’s the op shop and Ispirato Café that both provide the main source of income for the organisation, care centre and meal room, the main office and other rooms needed for meetings and counselling. It won’t be easy. If City Life fails to find another suitable location to house its many facilities in central Frankston, this will not only be detrimental to the community members using its service, but to the other social services that will have to pick up the slack.
A key requirement is public transport, but many, like Cheryle, would not take the bus at night anyway: “If it moves too far away I just won’t be able to go, it’s as simple as that,” she said. Things are, hopefully, looking up for Anmar: he’s almost finished his plumbing training and, with the help of care centre manager Nycey, has begun applying for apprenticeships. Along with everyone else he sits down to his warm meal. Despite being busy, CEO Whitby – who is figuratively (and literally) larger than life for many of the people here – walks through occasion-
ally, saying hello to the regulars and checking up on the progress of the evening. Nycey is confident that, when it is time to inform every one of the new location, his boss will be able to instil assurance in their clients. No one will feel left behind. After all, Whitby sees this as a new chapter for City Life: “I think this building was brilliant for us to develop [as an organisation] but I think the next building will be even better.” Elsie Bath is a Deakin University journalism and photography student.
THE Rosie and Luke Batty story was launched yesterday in Melbourne and Australians will again be forced to confront the reality of family violence. Rosie Batty: A Mother’s Story tells the harrowing story of the events of Wednesday 12 February 2014 at Tyabb Central Recreation Reserve and the 18 months since. Peninsula resident Ms Batty rose to unwanted prominence following the killing of her son Luke by his father at cricket practice in Tyabb on that day. Greg Anderson was shot dead by one of four police officers from Mornington police station soon after when he confronted them with a knife. He had earlier threatened ambulance officers. Ms Batty rose above her personal grief and has become the public face of a campaign against family violence in Australia. She was named 2015 Australian of the Year and has used the position to galvanise public opinion behind a call for more to be done to combat a rising tide of family conflict. Ms Batty will hold a book signing in Mornington early next month. It has been sold out for more than three weeks. The signing has been organised by Peninsula Voice, a relatively new alliance of peninsula churches and community support groups tackling family violence and other damaging social issues such as drug and alcohol abuse. Ms Batty was a keynote speaker at the group’s family violence forum in Mornington’s Peninsula Community Theatre
s e i g e V r e Summ in now
last September. The book signing is also in the 400-seat theatre and Ms Batty will be interviewed by Melbourne radio presenter Jon Faine. Peter Orton of Peninsula Voice said “Rosie has become an outspoken crusader against family violence, winning hearts and minds with her compassion, courage, grace and forgiveness”. Rosie Batty: A Mother’s Story (Harper Collins, $32.99) was launched in Carlton on Monday. Ms Batty is attending events at the RACV Club, Deakin University, Bendigo Town Hall, National Library of Australia in Canberra, in Perth and Sydney before she returns to the peninsula for the 8 October event at Mornington. Mike Hast
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Phone: 5977 8912 Frankston Times 21 September 2015
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