AUGUST 2, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Cash for trash passes By Charlene Macaulay
Callea sings city’s praises Things sure have changed since Anthony Callea lived in Werribee. Callea, who shot to fame in 2004 after coming runner-up in Australian Idol, said he had been amazed to see how much the area had changed when he drove into Werribee last week for an exclusive photo shoot with Star Weekly Weekly. The 34-year-old – who went to Corpus Christi Primary School and MacKillop College and worked as a waiter at Raffael’s cafe – said he drove past his family homes and reminisced. “It was such a surreal feeling stopping my car in front of these homes and thinking back to all the times and moments we had there, the memories that will last a lifetime … I was so tempted to knock on the door and see who was living there!” He also remembered performing at the Wyndham Cultural Centre and St Andrew’s Fair, as well as impromptu performances in his family home. “If you lived in Haven Court and were our neighbours, most afternoons you were treated to a concert whether you liked it or not. “My dad set us up a music room with a PA and between me singing, my brother Matt on the electric guitar and my sister Chris on the drum kit, I’m sure not only our neighbours but the entire street copped an ear full of music from our household.” Callea is set to release his seventh album, Aria Number One Hits in Symphony, on September 8, where he has recorded 12 hits – including Bleeding Love, End of the Road and Nothing Compares to You – with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. He promises the album will give listeners goosebumps. “This would have to be the most epic album I have ever recorded,” he said.
(Damjan Janevski)
A black market of Werribee tip passes has cropped up online. An investigation by Star Weekly revealed a number of residents trying to sell their Refuse Disposal Facility Waste Management passes before they expire on September 30. The passes, which were found on numerous Facebook buy, swap and sell pages, and on Gumtree, were selling for up to $40-$50 for one token, or $80 for two, and most were snapped up within 24 hours of being posted online. Wyndham council includes two tip passes with the rates notice, with the passes clearly stating they are security enabled and cannot be transferred or redeemable for cash. Star Weekly took to Facebook last week to ask residents why they were buying tip passes online. Many said it was a cheaper alternative to paying up-front at the tip. Ilona wrote: “I understand that it costs money to deal with our rubbish, but the tip prices are ridiculous.” Nancy added: “I think all residents who pay rates to the Werribee council should be able to visit the tip for free.” According to the Wyndham council website, tip entry fees start at $30 for a car or station wagon load of rubbish up to one tonne, and go as high as $158 for a ute with a single-axle heaped trailer. Many renters also complained landlords had not passed on the tip tokens. Tenant John wrote: “Our only way as a long-term resident to use the Werribee tip without having to take out a loan or sell our oldest child into slavery is to buy [a pass]” One resident even tried to sell her two tip passes in the Facebook thread. But Wyndham council city operations director Stephen Thorpe stressed that the tip passes were non-transferable, and warned that residents could face prosecution if they’re found using tip passes that are not legally theirs. “While council has not prosecuted anyone for selling tip passes recently, residents should be aware that each pass has a barcode that identifies the specific address it was issued to,” Mr Thorpe said. He said only 28.2 per cent of tip passes issued by the council during 2016-17 were actually used. According to Wyndham council’s waste and litter strategy, the council will reduce the number of tip tokens it issues to one per ratepayer by 2020, and increase the number of free bookable hard waste collections from two to three a year.
Charlene Macaulay
IPCH0002W
Wyndham Vale GP Super Clinic Call today for an appointment: 9216 7999 IPC Health is one of the largest providers of community health services in Victoria. We offer services for families and individuals such as general medical; chronic condition care; home-based aged care; family services; counselling; allied health services, such as dietetics, physio, podiatry etc. Dental services are available at our Hoppers Crossing site. We currently have Company Member vacancies, so if you would like to have your say and vote at our Annual General Meeting, visit our website for more information.
Apply for Company Membership: www.ipchealth.com.au/membership
www.ipchealth.com.au