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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2023
Allen joins Centenarian Club
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■ Avonlea Grange resident Allen Parker is the latest member to join Bolton Clarke’s Centenarian Club, marking his 100th birthday surrounded by friends and family at his home in Mentone. Allen was born on a soldier settlers' block in Birchip. His mother, Lucy, had a novel way of alerting her nearest neighbour, Mrs McLaughlin, who lived a kilometre away, of her children's imminent birth and need for assistance - she would wave a bright yellow flag. The family of six siblings moved to Cranbourne, Dingley and Mentone in the 20s, before settling in Beaumaris when he was 10. Beaumaris Primary School was okay, but Allen preferred time in the neighbouring orchard, where he often enjoyed a surreptitious feast. An enterprising child in impoverished times, he sold ice creams along the beach for Ricketts Point Teahouse and caught rabbits for the school principal at two shillings a pop. At 14 he joined Keefers Engineering, working on the turret lathe to make screw nipples, nuts and bolts for aeroplanes. He helped establish the plant’s inaugural cricket team but cut short an engineering course at Caulfield Tech to join the war effort. As an able seaman, Allen served as a gunner on supply ships to the north of Australia, travelling as far as East Timor. After the war, he was a linesman for the State Electric-
● Allen Parker celebrated his 100th birthday at Bolton Clarke’s Avonlea Grange, Mentone. ity Commission, a builders end) and regularly hosted solabourer working on spec cial gatherings for a wide nethomes in Rye and a fencing work of friends. contractor. “I loved gardening, and I Horse racing was a lifelong loved going floundering at night passion and he ran quadrellas and catching fresh fish to barfor a syndicate at his final work- becue,” he said. place, SEMCO, where he overHe and Leila were active saw grounds and maintenance members of the Early Planand had a little luck. ning and Retirement Club of His biggest win, however, Sandringham, where Allen was the heart of a Bayside lass played tennis and table tennis called Leila, whom Allen met until he was 90. at a Hampton dance in 1948. “The best advice is to live "Have you been to the races cleanly,” he said. “Everything today?" she intuitively asked in moderation.” him. Sure enough, he had. Allen celebrated his 100thAllen and Leila enjoyed 64 year milestone at Avonlea happy years together. He never Grange on September 28, surquite shook the Depression rounded by proud friends and years, making sure to save and family and plenty of happy never spending frivolously, in- birthday singalongs. cluding sticking to strict betting Interestingly, Allen’s Aunt limits. was Constance Tatham, the For decades he famously President of the Melbourne grew and shared fresh fruit and District Nursing Society which vegetables (Leilas's jams and became Bolton Clarke. chutneys were the stuff of leg- Aimee Bonfield
MALVERN POLICE CRISIS
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● Michael O’Brien, Malvern MLA
■ Malvern desperately requires more Police officers, local MLA Michael O’Brien told State Parliament last week. “I have been contacted by a number of my constituents in recent weeks who are, sadly, feeling unsafe. They are worried for themselves, and they are worried for their children. “There have been a number of high-profile incidents at Chadstone Shopping Centre and Glenferrie Rd involving attacks on school students, while break-ins mean that people are increasingly feeling unsafe in their homes. “Last week’s crime statistics reported a 42.6 per cent increase in burglaries across the Malvern electorate in just the past 12 months. “Despite these undeniable facts, a lack of local police numbers means the Malvern Police Station, which is supposed to be open 24 hours a day, has at times been closed to the public. This is completely unacceptable. “This Labor Government has allowed crime to increase while shutting our local police station,” Mr O’Brien said.
Highett Skyrail unwanted: MLA
■ Sandringham MLA Brad Rowswell says Transport Infrastructure Minister Danny Pearson needs to show show greater empathy and understanding of the Highett community when it comes to the level crossing removal at Highett Rd and Wickham Rd. Mr Rowswell said the State Government is committed to sky rail at Highett Rd against the wishes of the communit. “I say to the new Minister for Transport Infrastructure: please do the right thing by the residents of Highett. “Please listen to the residents of Highett. Please come down to Highett and hear firsthand the concerns of the Highett community, who do not want their community divided by sky rail. “They also want the level crossings removed quicker than by 2029, which is the current commitment of the new Allan Labor Government. “Further, the Government wrongly plans to do away with half of the Sir William Fry Reserve in Highett. “The Sir William Fry Reserve of course is the start of the Suburban Rail Loop, but at the same time they have plans to develop, with 26-metre-high residential towers, the former Gas and Fuel land on the Nepean Highway in Highett. “What the Highett area actually needs at the moment is master planning of that area, which is why I have called on the Government to pull together a cross-agency working group to get this right for my community,” Mr Rowswell said.
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