NEWS DESK
Scouts build barrier to ‘save’ beach Keith Platt keith@baysidenews.com.au THREATS to a scout hall caused by waves at Canadian Bay, Mt Eliza have been overcome with a beach protection barrier designed by engineer, John Scholes. The building, previously occupied by sea scouts and since taken over by the Baden Powell Park Scout Group, was in danger of being undermined when waves eroded the sand dune in was sitting on. Mr Scholes, “a civil engineer, not a hydraulics man”, saw the danger erosion was causing to the hall in 2009. His solution was to design a sandfilled wooden beach protection barrier that is being credited with stabilising the beach and saving a coastal Banksia tree believed to be at least 120 years old. A 14.4 metre long trial of the wave barriers proved so successful that the scout group has now extended it to 43 metres. The barriers designed by Mr Scholes followed efforts to protect the eroding sand dune with sand filled geotextile “pillows”, which were eventually swept aside by waves. In 2015, he designed a wooden ramp to deflect wave energy. A long-time surf fisherman, Mr Scholes said he had seen wave energy quickly diminish along steep sandy beaches. The treated pine boards of which his beach protection barriers are made are fixed to 2.4 metre triangular frames. The timber wall sections are
John Scholes and Mike Beadle of the Baden Powell Park Scout Group standing on the sand dune that has been renourished and protected by wooden barriers designed by Mr Scholes and built by the scouts (above). Pictures: Yanni (main) and supplied.
lined with geotextile and filled with beach sand. “Sloping ribbed capping exhausts wave energy, by lifting and backspinning the wave,” he said. “The sand behind these walls is trapped by the geotextile and capping, and gives the wall its mass and strength. The area above the wall was then filled with sand and carefully planted using site indigenous [plant] species grown on site [with a Depart-
ment of Environment, Land, Water and Planning permit.” Making the barriers was organised as a “hands-on” skills development project for scouts using materials costing about $90 a lineal metre by venturer scouts leader, Tony Gustus. Mr Scholes said the project involved scouts from Baden Powell Park Scout Group, the Friends of Williams Road Beach, Mt Eliza Association for Environmental Care and Mornington
Peninsula Shire. The Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the DELWP helped gain approvals and permits. Although only completely finished in autumn, Mr Scholes said the first barrier survived “recent winters [without] any physical damage or movement of the structure, nor has there been any scouring of the sand behind the structure”. “While the sand on the beach comes
and goes according to season, the overall effect has been an accretion of sand against the structure, with the beach becoming steeper,” he said. “In places, much of the structure has become buried. It is hoped that in time the structure may become part of a newly formed primary dune.” The 30 degree sloping structure was also being used “as impromptu seating” with people also “respecting” vegetation above the wall”.
Postcode pointer to school success Stephen Taylor steve@baysidenews.com.au NEW research shows the postcode you’re born in can radically impact your whole future. That’s the finding of research conducted by Teach For Australia which shows that, even before starting school, children from low socioeconomic backgrounds are much more likely to be developmentally unready compared to their higher socioeconomic peers. The not-for-profit organisation says it seeks to improve the educational outcomes for all children by “rigor-
ously recruiting Australia’s top talent and training them to be exceptional teachers and leaders in schools and communities with the highest need”. The results of the research show a mix of good and bad outcomes for schools on the Mornington Peninsula. Mornington rates as disadvantaged when it comes to educational opportunities, coming in a 386th out of 667 areas, while Mt Eliza rates among the most advantaged at 151st. Dromana and Rosebud rate as disadvantaged (369th and 467th) while Sorrento rates as most advantaged at 86th. Red Hill South and Balnarring rate most advantaged at 25th and 39th
while Hastings at 597th and Somerville at 416th rate most disadvantaged. Teach For Australia last week launched an interactive postcode search tool that delves into the levels of educational possibilities in postcodes Australia-wide. “The tool showed clearly that many experience strong educational outcomes. However, complex educational disadvantage is experienced by a small but persistent number of locations,” CEO Melodie Potts Rosevear said. “We know that by age 15 children from the lowest socioeconomic households are, on average, almost
three years behind in school than children from the highest socioeconomic households. “There’s no excuse for an unequal education system. Research shows a school in a rural community offers half as many academic subjects as schools in metropolitan areas. “The postcode study was compiled using a number of indicators of educational disadvantage, including readiness for schooling, qualifications post-schooling, NAPLAN performance and school leavers before the age of 15. “Together with Jesuit Social Services and with the help of data from the Dropping off the Edge (DOTE)
report, we have mapped out the levels of educational outcomes throughout Australia to give a greater perspective on the need to ensure that all children achieve their potential.” Ms Potts Rosevear said the 10-yearold organisation had placed about 830 teachers in schools across Australia, impacting on the performance of more than 230,000 students. “We believe in an Australia where all children, regardless of background, attain an excellent education,” she said. “A postcode shouldn’t define a child’s future, but a great teacher can.” Details: teachforaustralia.org.
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Frankston Times 2 July 2019
Bayside