Page 6 The Moorabool News – 7 December, 2021
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Family connection continues Vaccine mandate questioned
By Lachlan Ellis Another member of the Mullane family has been welcomed at a Ballan school, but not as a student. Peter Mullane has been a teacher for over 30-years and was recently appointed Performing Arts Teacher at St Brigid’s Primary School for 2022. Performing Arts has been part of home room teachers’ responsibilities until now, but Mr Mullane is excited to be the first dedicated Performing Arts Teacher, at the school that he himself attended. “The best thing about Performing Arts is that every child gets the chance to shine. Every child becomes a star. I’m looking forward to embracing the opportunity of coming back to where I learnt as a kid, coming back to a small rural community,” he told the Moorabool News. “I’ve always taught in bigger schools, from Melton to Bacchus Marsh and Ballarat, and now I’m starting to wind down. As Performing Arts Teacher I’ll be working on certain elements in Prep, varying as it goes up to Grade 6,” he said. The Mullane family have a strong connection with St Brigid’s, with Mr Mullane far from the first of his family to attend. His father Tom, started in 1930 at just six years old. Today, his great nephew Tom and great niece Ruby are currently St Brigid’s students also. Mr Mullane said he was proud of his
By Lachlan Ellis
Peter Mullane reading with his great nephew Tommy and great niece Ruby at St Brigid’s PS. Photo – Lachlan Ellis connection to the school, which he called “a hub of Ballan”. “When St Brigid’s first started it was a one-teacher school, I’m not sure how many students there were, Pop used to always talk about it. All these generations later, it’s pretty amazing to think there are still Mullane’s connected with the school,” he said. “It’s great to come back to the school, I have fond memories of this place. When I came here, it was two rooms
called the big room and the little room, that’s all it was. You were in the little room in Prep, Grade 1 and 2, and the big room in Grades 3, 4, 5 and 6.” Over a period of around 90 years, it’s believed that there was only one year without a Mullane at St Brigid’s – 1997. The ‘A Short History’ book published by St Brigid’s shows school photos of Mullane’s attending the school as far back as 1920.
Council has been asked why they are enforcing a vaccine mandate at the Bacchus Marsh Leisure Centre, in a written submission at the December meeting. Johanna Blaine’s submission was read out during Public Question Time, at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on Wednesday 1 December. “Why is the Council enforcing mandatory vaccinations for 16-year-olds and over to play community sport, when it is not a mandated direction from the Victorian Government? This is not mandated for attendance at school, yet children cannot play sport,” Ms Blaine wrote. General Manager of Community Strengthening, Sally Jones, responded to Ms Blaine’s submission on behalf of Council. “Bacchus Marsh Leisure Centre is located on the grounds of the Bacchus Marsh Secondary College, as a shared use arrangement between Council and the College,” Ms Jones said. “The current Department of Health directions for community sport state: ‘For community sport, the vaccination requirements do not apply in relation to any indoor space or outdoor space in a physical recreation premises, if that space is being operated only for the purpose of conducting a community sport activity’.” But because the Leisure Centre is not used solely for community sport activity, Ms Jones explained, a vaccine mandate was required. “Further advice related to schools also states, ‘compliance with current Department of Health advice is required, regardless of any pre-existing or previous arrangements agreed with a community sporting club or group’,” she said. “As the Leisure Centre is a shared facility with the school, Council require all users of the facility for the purposes of community sport to be vaccinated to ensure COVID-safe use for community and school members.”