SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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The art of kindness Keilor Downs sisters Lily and Pepper have been spreading some joy during the COVID lockdown with their kindness project. The duo have spent the past six weeks creating more than 600 pet rocks and delivering them around their neighbourhood. Mum Kim Shaw said her daughters spent an hour a day hand-painting each “kindness rock” to give it some personality. “We have been keeping busy in lockdown with lots of art and craft, and I suggested that we create pet rocks. The girls asked if they could make pet rocks for all the neighbours in our street as well,” she said. “I …quickly realised it was a great opportunity for them to reach out to more people in the community and share some kindness. “We’ve been keeping a log of the girls learning and craft during lockdown, which they used to create a blog about their project.” The girls deliver the rocks into letter boxes with a note that has a link to their blog so recipients can learn more about the kindness project. Details: bit.ly/2GDD8VY PEPPER, 8, AND LILY, 11
Esther Lauaki
Call to back Brimbank By Esther Lauaki State and federal governments need to step up support for Brimbank’s COVID-19 community recovery plan in the light of devastating extended restrictions, mayor Georgina Papafotiou says. Cr Papafotiou last week called for more support after metropolitan Melbourne’s stage four lockdown restrictions were extended. She said that while supporting the current restrictions was important, local businesses, families and communities were still heavily impacted. Brimbank is one of the two hardest hit areas
in the state with a number of outbreaks in industry, aged care and community. “We understand the frustrations and concerns of businesses and industry in trying to survive the consequences of restrictions as part of our collective efforts to keep our own community safe,” Cr Papafotiou said. “We should acknowledge the work of community members and businesses to reduce the cases of coronavirus in our municipality and I ask that people continue to do the right thing despite how hard it may seem. “As well as business and employment impacts, we have a number of education
challenges including the need to ensure students in the west don’t continue to suffer disadvantage under school closures and with limited access to the tools they need to be able to study remotely.” Cr Papafotiou said while the pandemic had reconfirmed the area’s challenges, it had also re-focused efforts at all levels of government on the need to support the growth of Brimbank. “Brimbank council has one eye on the immediate community support required in the grip of the coronavirus pandemic, and one on the longer term future, with the aim of emerging stronger as part of its strategic
recovery,” she said. Cr Papafotiou said that leveraging the longer-term opportunities such as the North-West City Deal, Sunshine Priority Precinct, Sunshine Super Hub and Melbourne Airport Rail projects in the wake of COVID-19 were more important than ever. “We have a pathway for economic and social recovery from COVID-19 but we can’t do it alone. We need the state and federal governments to work with us to deliver positive social, economic and environmental benefits for Brimbank and the surrounding regions,” Cr Papafotiou said.
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