Mail - Upper Yarra Star Mail - 6th September 2022

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Upper Yarra

Tuesday, 6 September, 2022

Mail

Youth share their desires for the region

Push for new visa program in the valley

Family searches high and low for lost pet

New fire danger rating goes live

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A Star News Group Publication

Phone: 5957 3700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808

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Rise in abuse By Callum Ludwig A crossing supervisor has shared the ups and downs of the job as schools across the Yarra Ranges suffer a shortage of our lollipop people. Yarra Ranges Council has received reports recently of parents and motorists verbally abusing School Crossing Supervisors while they perform their vital role. Gaby Mathews, who ushers students across Monbulk Road outside Mt Evelyn Primary School, said she is nearing seven years in the role. “I love the job, especially as I haven’t worked in many years. I do the training of new crossing supervisors as well. Every crossing is different, but I love the kids, love the parents and love the community,” she said. “I sent my two boys to this school and who would have thought all these years later I’d be the crossing supervisor.” In the last two years, Ms Mathews has also been nominated for school crossing supervisor of the year. However, it’s a role that comes with some difficulties as Ms Mathews said a few cars push the boundaries. “They’ve just got to wait for everyone to cross because it’s very dangerous on the road, and we try to do it as safe as we can but a few people get angry. I tend not to get abused because I just go with the flow, but they get caught eventually, and at the end of the day we aren’t police officers, we can’t tell them what to do,” she said. “We’ve had quite a few speeding through, my friend this morning almost got hit by a car. She had a stop sign out ready to cross and was on the crossing, but the woman just kept going. People have been abused, spat at and

Mount Evelyn primary School have even had 3d crossing designs to encourage drivers to slow down around the school. Picture: SUPPLIED thrown rubbish at. We’re just trying to do this job, this is our workspace and we’re just trying to do the right thing for everyone.” Mt Evelyn Primary School has two crossings, one of which is guarded by Ms Mathews and the other by her friend Mary, with both doing their best to keep a steady flow of traffic on both Monbulk Raod and Clegg Road. Ms Mathews said despite it all she adores the job and feels very loved by those who care about her. “I look forward to when the new preppies come for the new year, they come across with the kinder teachers and we explain that we are important for crossing, who we are and tell them to wait till we go to the middle of the crossing and give two whistles,” she said. “If it wasn’t for this job I would probably be sat at home doing nothing. I’m very well known to the school and they put a big banner up and I got lots of presents for my 60th birthday, it was very overwhelming. But whenever I have a sick day or am gone for a bit and come back they say ‘We were worried you’d retired!’ But I sat ‘I will never retire. You’ll never lose your favourite crossing lady.’”

Isabelle Anderson is raising hygiene product donations for those in need. 297040 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

Helping hygiene inequality A grade 11 student from Edinburgh College is raising donations for teen hygiene products to give back to a charity supporting those in need. Isabelle Anderson from the Upper Yarra is seeking donations from her peers in order

to create teen hygiene packs for Pinchapoo, a not for profit which provides more than 8.5 million personal hygiene products to disadvantaged men, women and children yearly. Read the full story on page 11

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