DECEMBER 7, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Willy fights for RSL By Goya Dmytryshchak
From behind the lense: a real beauty Altona Meadows resident Lucia Hou is not used to being on the other side of the lens, but she may have to get used to it. Ms Hou recently won the people’s choice award at the Mrs Globe Australia pageant. The Mrs Globe pageant is the largest charity event for the Women In Need (WIN) Foundation, and celebrates its 20th year this year. The pageant is open to women aged 25 and above and, for the past four years, the WIN Foundation has partnered with the Bully Zero Australia Foundation, which is how Ms Hou became involved. “I do photography at all of their (Bully Zero) events, and they asked me to apply for Mrs Globe,” Ms Hou said. “I actually resisted it three times. “I don’t wear make-up 90 per cent of the time, so I’d be the last person to apply for something like this. “But this pageant is more about inner beauty, so I guess it was a better fit.” From 25 contestants, Ms Hou won the Mrs Coral Sea title, as well as the peoples’ choice award, putting her in the limelight for the international title in Hainan, China. “It was a real eye-opener to be on the other side of the camera, and now it’s a real thrill to go to my father’s homeland for the first time for the international competition.” Ms Hou said she is especially proud to represent Australia on her first visit to China. “It’s a beautiful thing for me to represent Australia as a bit of an Asian-Australian fusion at this event,” Ms Hou said. “The best thing about Australia is we’re so multicultural, we’re the most liveable country in the world, with the best cafes and the best people, so I’m quite proud to represent all of that.” The winner of the Mrs Globe international contest will be announced on December 11.
(Shawn Smits)
The Williamstown community has vowed to keep its RSL sub-branch alive. Hundreds fronted a community meeting at the Williamstown RSL club on Monday night, where members voted unanimously to keep an active RSL sub-branch in Williamstown. Star Weekly has revealed that Williamstown RSL Club will close on January 3 due to a multi-million debt. Monday’s meeting heard that the club’s trading arm owed $1.77 million, while the sub-branch owed a further $1.738 million. RSL Victoria chief operations officer Brian Cairns told the meeting that the sub-branch must repay $1.77 million of its debt before it can re-establish. The meeting was told that the debt resulted from “bad trading practices” by the former committee of management, which resigned in October 2013. Williamstown MP Wade Noonan told the meeting that he could not imagine Williamstown without an RSL. “We as a community I think have to resolve to fight to retain the Williamstown RSL here in Williamstown, and that is something that I’m prepared to put my hand up for,” he said. Hobsons Bay councillor Peter Hemphill said the land had been gifted to the community in 1919, saying the community has “some sort of ownership to some degree of this land”. He said the council would do everything in its power to keep the RSL sub-branch in Williamstown and ensure it “not only functions as a club, but also has a place to call home … and we hope that it’s still here on this site”. Past Legacy president 99-year-old Ella Bambery said the club’s closure was very upsetting. “I look at this glorious room … our husbands’ photos on the wall, and I could cry.” Williamstown RSL vice-president Rob Rowe promised there would be no surrender. “My uncle’s up on that wall there too,” he said. “My father came back from the second world war and drank himself to death … aged 52. We know how important the RSL is. “I promise you, we will fight to keep the RSL in Williamstown.” The meeting heard that RSL Victoria had been working with Grocon to develop the club site, carpark and adjacent house – jointly valued at $4.5 million – into a five-storey apartment block, with the sub-branch at ground level, to pay off the debt. However, the meeting was told the project was not viable because the house was found to have a heritage overlay.
Ewen McRae
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