JUNE 9, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
Sewing for a cause Western suburbs volunteers have answered a call for help from the local health service. When Western Health put a call out for more surgical gowns to keep up with demand, a partnership between Melton council and Network West quickly assembled a team of volunteers to deliver some relief. The result was 50 hand-sewn gowns which were handed over to Western Health last week to be distributed to its surgical clinics. Council invited members of local sewing groups to participate, gathering a team of 15 volunteers who were instructed by sewing teacher Elizabeth Charlton. Melton mayor Lara Carli said she was grateful to the volunteers who spent hours sewing the urgently-needed gowns. “These gowns will not only serve the surgeons who will wear them but their patients who rely on safe care and treatment,” Cr Carli said. “This project is a wonderful example of the generosity within our community and I thank our volunteer sewers for their hard work and commitment.” Ewen McRae
Sewing teacher Elizabeth Charlton (front) with Melton mayor Lara Carli and Wyndham mayor Josh Gilligan. (Damjan Janevski) 2209404_02
Hopes of market rebound By Tate Papworth he COVID-19 crisis may have sent shockwaves through the property market, but local agents remain conident of a strong bounce back. New quarterly research released by RPM Real Estate Group Review paints a dark picture of a property market on ‘pause’ immediately following the federal government’s declaration of a national state of emergency. However, the research showed that the market had begun a steady climb back ater bottoming out in April. Concerned that the market may fall further,
the federal government last week announced a new HomeBuilder package. Eligible residents will be ofered $25,000 to build or substantially renovate a home in a bid to boost the lagging construction industry. he $688 million HomeBuilder program is designed to spark a “tradie-led recovery”, and ofers one-of cash payments to eligible owner-occupiers and irst home buyers from July 4 to December 31 to entice investment. Barry Plant Taylors Lakes director Jim Hatsimoisis said the market has held up remarkably well. “For two weeks we were in a state of lux …
nobody knew what was happening or what the landscape would look like,” Mr Hatsimoisis said. “But since early April it’s been busy … the biggest issue we’ve had is supply. “First home buyers bounced back in May and we’ve really seen conidence building, there just hasn’t been that supply.” Mr Hatsimoisis said the current landscape gave him hope that the market would rapidly recover. “In 2017-18, coming onto 2019, lending was really tight,” he said. “Straight ater the election we saw a lit and light in the market. As we
started this year it was kicking of exactly the same way. “I’m conident that we’ll see a lit in seller conidence with easing of restrictions and people getting back into normality. “I think now people will be keen to get on with whatever their plans were before all this happened.” Mr Hatsimoisis said signs of recovery may come as soon as July. “July is typically quiet and then picks up again through September. But with restrictions easing I think July might become the new September.”
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