JUNE 13, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Community at heart
(Damjan Janevski)
A Hoppers Crossing resident who has dedicated her career to helping those in need has been recognised in this year’s Queen’s Birthday honour. Former Uniting Wyndham chief executive Carol Muir has been honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia for her service to social welfare. Ms Muir said she was humbled to have received the honour. She said one of the greatest achievements of her career was helping to secure $15 million in state government funding for the H3 Wyndham Alliance to help more than 1700 people doing it tough in the area. “But in terms of achievements and career, sometimes it’s the smallest things that are wonderful,” she said. “When you work with vulnerable people, they have to make decisions and something that may seem really tiny for somebody else is a massive achievement that they might make. Those things are so important.” Ms Muir, who retired in October last year, said she wanted to keep working for the community and was considering her options. Charlene Macaulay
Classroom crush concern By Charlene Macaulay A Hoppers Crossing primary school that is using the foyer of its gym as a classroom is one of many schools suffering from space constraints due to Wyndham’s growing population. Tarneit Liberal candidate Glenn Goodfellow said he had been astounded to see that Cambridge Primary School, which was designed for 550 pupils, had more than 1000 enrolled. “To accommodate these students they are bringing in portable classrooms … [that] are placed on their oval and occupy the open space
the students use to run and play,” he said. “I was amazed to see that classes are also held in a foyer of a gym – surely this should not be happening in 2018.” Cambridge Primary School was contacted for comment. Mr Goodfellow said Cambridge was just one example of schools “busting at the seams” and relying on portable classrooms. “While we need to build new schools, we seem to forget about the good schools that have been around for many years and require continuing support,” he said. Tarneit Labor candidate Sarah Connolly said
a reliance on portables was among many issues principals and school leadership teams in the Tarneit electorate had raised with her. “I have spoken to certain schools about the number of portables they currently have and the need to invest in more permanent building structures,” she said. “I will work closely with these schools to ensure that these are delivered. “The new schools Labor is building will look and feel different to the ones I attended. “All new schools are designed so that they can grow with their communities, including through future upgrades and relocatable buildings.”
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Greens candidate Beck Sheffield-Brotherton said she was concerned by the reliance on portable classrooms. “Many of our schools are too large and the proliferation of portable classrooms is crowding school grounds,” she said. She said that while it was unlikely she would be elected in the November state election, she would push for the re-election of western metropolitan MP Huong Truong. “We need more parliamentarians who will push for fair, needs-based funding rather than throwing funds at marginal seats regardless of need,” she said.
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