NOVEMBER 25, 2020 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
Turning over a new leaf By Alesha Capone
Point Cook siblings Atticus and Ashlea are cutting a path in the world of sailing. The brother and sister, aged 12 and 10 respectively, took up the sport two years ago. They won top spot for the Green Fleet at the Australia National Optimist Championships, and first girl and first boy for Green Fleet at the Victorian Optimist Championships, earlier this year. “Green Fleet” refers to a sailing program for primary school-aged children and “optimist” is the small, single-handed sailing dinghy used by children 15 years and under. The siblings’ mum Leah said the youngsters trained twice a week with the Victorian International Optimist Dinghy Association (VIODA). Leah, a VIODA volunteer, said the association was keen to get more children “into sailing in the beautiful waters in the west”. VIODA president Xavier Vandame said most children enjoyed the social aspect of sailing. “What they also learn about is being autonomous and independent, you make your own decisions – to go to the left, to go to the right, to pull the sail or not pull the sail,” he said. Mr Vandame said many young sailors also went on to become good drivers, after learning how to navigate among up to 50 boats in a regatta, plus deal with wind and the tide. Details: www.vioda.org.au/home/ Alesha Capone
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Siblings set sail
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Wyndham has the lowest level of green coverage in the nation, according to a new report. RMIT University and Greener Spaces Better Places – an organisation consisting of 417 partners including government, business, academic and community groups – released the Where Will All The Trees Be? report this month. The report assessed green coverage in 131 municipalities across the nation using the i-Tree sampling methodology (a software suite which analyses urban and forest areas), aerial imagery, reviews of state statutory planning policies and a survey of local government professionals working in urban forest management. The research ranked Wyndham as having the lowest green canopy in the nation, with just 5.4 per cent of the municipality covered by trees and shrubs. Melton placed second-lowest in the report, followed by Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay, Hume, Port Adelaide Enfield and Brimbank. RMIT lead researcher, associate professor Joe Hurley, said that in considering the results of the study, it was “important to recognise that place type and context really matters”. “Cairns Regional Council has Australia’s highest recorded level of green cover, with 82.9 per cent,” he said “Cairns have a higher than average rainfall and contain large areas of native forest whereas Wyndham contains large areas of grassland and agricultural land, limiting its opportunities for urban greening.” The report states that in areas such as Wyndham and Melton, population growth has “matched a significant increase in grey cover (hard surfaces) and loss or stagnation of green cover”. Wyndham city operations director Stephen Thorpe said the council commissioned a study last year which found tree coverage in the area increased by about 50 per cent between 2007 and 2017. He said the council was planning to plant 21,500 trees in the coming year. “Additionally, developers will plant more than 10,000 trees in the municipality,” he said. “It’s also important to note Wyndham City produced a record-planting season in the 2019-2020 financial year with just over 11,800 street trees planted and a further 31,000 shrubs and trees going into open space.”
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