APRIL 3, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
New life for town centre By Tate Papworth The St Albans town centre will be reinvigorated under a proposed partnership between the Brimbank council and key stakeholders. The proposed group will work with the council to establish a vision for the St Albans town centre and advocate for investment and development. It will also hold discussions between key groups on a range of matters affecting the centre and provide feedback on proposed plans, strategies and projects that impact the area. Cr Bruce Lancashire said similar proposals had a proven track record of success in Brimbank.
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Hoops hopes on the rise If determination and work ethic have anything to do with it, Alieu Chol will be taking his basketball talent to the world. The 19-year-old has aspirations to study abroad and dreams of playing college basketball in the US, but says fees of $28,000 could be his biggest obstacle. Standing at 198 centimetres, Chol’s skills on court have caught the attention of Pennsylvania State University, McDaniel College in Maryland and a number of other institutions. “I’ve been playing basketball since 2012,” Chol said. “I started playing soccer when I was six to the age of 14, but I changed codes because of my height. “As a kid I would watch basketball and I always loved it. I look up to my brother Yuat, who is playing college basketball for Texas Christian University in America right now.” Chol knows that chasing dreams takes hard work and dedication, so he worked three jobs last year to save and help support his family. “Last year I worked at McDonalds, KFC and Tabcorp Park but it interfered with my studies, so I now work at Caltex and save money,” he said. “My mum is a single mum and doesn’t speak much English … she raises my younger siblings. I’m working my butt off now.” Chol has played for the Sunshine Longhorns and Western Pride in Footscray and has been selected for the Melton under-21 representative team. “I’m trying to do well there so that I get seen,” Chol said. He’s looking for sponsorship to help get him to America. Anyone interested can contact mikeool782@gmail.com
St Albans is the centre of culture and it’s - Bruce Lancashire unique
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“We’ve seen the result of this sort of investment in Sunshine and to now set up a similar arrangement in St Albans is certainly a wise move for what is the centre of our municipality,” he said. “St Albans is the centre of culture and it’s unique. “Work has already been done to improve the centre – the railway station has opened up, the shopping centre has a new look … this proposal is a very exciting opportunity for council to do for St Albans what we’ve done for Sunshine.” The group will include two councillors, the chief executive officer, one senior Victoria Police officer, a senior representative from Victoria University, a representative of the St Albans Business Association and four major business operators and commercial property owners in the town centre. It will also include two community/ service representatives from within or near the town centre and an independent chair. Cr Virginia Tachos will represent the council on the group and anticipates it will make a big impact. “St Albans is undergoing big changes, or I should say a renaissance of arts, culture and culinary excellence,” she said. “It is an exciting proposition that this group, which is committed and looking to harness this reinvigoration, will provide strategic direction, dialogue, feedback and opinion on … issues impacting the town.”
Alieu Chol is working hard to make his hoops dreams become a reality. (Joe Mastroianni)
Esther Lauaki
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