Ferntree Gully
Belgrave
Mail Covering the Dandenongs in the Yarra Ranges & Cardinia Shires
5 Tuesday, 5 August, 2014
Sleeping rough
9
Men’s shed delights
A Mail Newspaper Group publication
21-23
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By MELISSA MEEHAN THEY say you can’t keep a good man down, and that sentiment is true for the owners of the Micawber Tavern, which was squashed by a fallen tree over the weekend. After a week of seriously bad weather, a large tree flattened the office, storeroom, dry cellar and branches fell into the main dining area of the popular Belgrave restaurant in the early hours of Saturday morning. Owner Kristina Beatty said it was a freak
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chance of luck that she had sent staff home early on Friday night, otherwise the result could have been more devastating. “It was a fluke that we had a very quiet night, and I told the duty manager to pack up early and go home,” Ms Beatty said. “Normally, there would be people in all of the areas affected by the tree.” On Monday, Ms Beatty said an army of friends had been helping her cut the tree and clear the mess left behind. Salvaging what they could, Ms Beatty said
they were weeks away from reopening. “At the moment we are just making the area safe, and salvaging what we can - which isn’t much,” she said. “And my team of hardy workers are here to help.” The is not the first time the Micawber Tavern has been devastated by bad weather. Years ago after another week of heavy rain, floodwaters inundated the bottom level, forcing Ms Beatty, her family and friends to close for a week while they cleaned up the mess.
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Email: ferntreegull@ultratune.com.au
The office was completely squashed. The office was completely squashed.
Shop 1/107 Station St, Ferntree Gully
9758 4245
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A large tree has severely damaged the Micawber Tavern.
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CLASSES held in Ferntree Gully could be broadcast to small country towns in an effort to educate at-risk youth in remote communities. Coonara Community House in Ferntree Gully will connect with eight other local organisations in north-east Victoria after Minister for Higher Education and Skills, Nick Wakeling announced a $149,000 initiative on Friday. Manager of Coonara Community House Leanne Fitzgerald said the funding meant that community organisations could trial video technology in bringing classes to remote areas. “There could be only two or three people wanting to do a particular course at a community house in say, Euroa,” Ms Fitzgerald said. “That many people doesn’t make the class financially viable, so to be able to link in to another class either here at Ferntree Gully or Mansfield, it means we share the cost of one tutor and make these courses available to smaller communities.” Classes held at Coonara could also link into classes held in other towns as well. Ms Fitzgerald said like other community education providers, she had noticed an influx of people seeking to further their education and this meant more courses could become available thanks to the video link. “It’s all about keeping options open for members of our community,” she said. Mr Wakeling said that it was important to help people improve their skills which, in turn, improved employment prospects for an individual. “This initiative is about creating opportunities and pathways for people who are at risk of disengaging from more mainstream education programs,” he said. “They make a real difference for those who need it most.” Mr Wakeling also announced a grant of $40,000 that will support Coonara to provide training to older people who are at risk of being disadvantaged and isolated through a lack of digital literacy skills, as well as $100,000 for the Mountain District Learning Centre (MDLC). The funding boost for MDLC will help it to meet the needs of local youth who are at risk of disengaging from education and training.