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The Moorabool News – 5 July, 2022 Page 11
Grand prize for school art
Holding the $1000 cheque is Village Shopping Centre Manager Jenni Buller, with BMPS students and (right) Marketing Manager Matt Dworakowski. As for the students: back 4 are Guy, Rebecca, Ami and Mikita, middle 4 are Oscar, Andi, Braxton and Logan, and front 4 are Madi, Adel, Taylor and Lucy. Photos - The Village Shopping Centre By Lachlan Ellis Students from six local schools have taken part in an art exhibition for Education Week, with a public vote determining which school would win a $1,000 prize. Education Week was celebrated from 22 to 28 May this year, but the exhibition, which was held by Bacchus Marsh’s Village Shopping Centre, displayed the students’ artwork for three weeks, from Monday 23 May to Monday 13 June. Bacchus Marsh Grammar, Bacchus Marsh, Exford, Myrniong, Pentland, and St Bernard’s Parish Primary Schools all submitted art under the theme ‘celebrating 150 years of public education’, with Bacchus Marsh Primary School being voted the winner. All six art pieces were exhibited outside Australia Post, with the community able to scan a QR code at the display to vote for their favourite art piece. Over 1,000 people voted during the three-week period. Bacchus Marsh Primary School received a $1,000 Officeworks voucher, funded by The Village Shopping Centre, and five lucky voters also won a $50 dining voucher to be spent at cafes and restaurants at the Centre. Marketing Manager at The Village Shopping Centre, Matt Dworakowski, congratulated school students and staff.
“It was absolutely incredible to see the passion and creativity students put in towards their respective art pieces. All the students and teachers involved should be very proud of the work they created, and we certainly look forward to working with our local schools on future projects and initiatives,” Mr Dworakowski said. “The Education Week initiative was an opportunity to foster and further strengthen the Centre’s relationships with local stakeholders and community groups. The team and I thought that this would be a fun and creative way to bring colour, creativity and community spirit to the Centre, and showcase the talent of our local schools in an engaging way.” Visual Arts teacher at Bacchus Marsh Primary, Megan Fromholtz, said the winning art piece was a collaborative effort between students, teachers, and even parents and grandparents of BMPS students. “The Art Captain team collaborated on some ideas and together with myself, and with the amazing support of a BMPS grandparent, Cecelia Clarke, we were able to measure up the space, creating small boxes which allowed students to participate in their moment of history that they chose. Recycling was an important concept, so items encouraged to create in the art we're cardboard boxes, reused materials, and upcycled objects,” Ms Fromholtz said.
“Students from Prep to Grade 6 were encouraged to work with families, to then bring more ideas into the whole piece. The collaboration was amazing on so many levels. From students working with mum and gran sharing memories, to a team putting it together during a late-night working bee.” The school was also conscious of celebrating diversity and inclusion, including First Nations peoples in the piece as “education really started thousands of years ago”. “We know this piece was covering the start of free public education in Victoria, but we were keen to acknowledge Aboriginal Land first, and the changes to policies affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait learners and families along the way,” Ms Fromholtz said. “We hope that many conversations were had reminiscing about the past. It's the best thing having an art project that means something: an art project that involves many voices and shares ideas. Art can be pretty and skilfully created, but does it mean something?” And as for what the $1,000 Officeworks voucher will go towards, ideas are already flowing from excited BMPS students, including styluses for iPads for more detailed digital art, and other supportive technology to develop the digital/media area of the school’s curriculum.
Get hooked on fishing Hundreds of rainbow trout have been stocked across the region, and with the school holidays still active, it is the perfect time to get into fishing. The Victorian Fisheries Authority have stocked almost 8,000 catchable sized rainbow trout into 24 lakes across Western Victoria – with the hope to get families outdoors and land their first ever fish. They move quick; however, the rainbow trout are great for fishers of all ages and skill levels because they’re easy to catch and take a variety of baits and lures. Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle said this is exciting for families and kids with so many of the local waters now stocked with rainbow trout. “It includes The Gong in Buninyong, Lethbridge Lake in Lethbridge and Esmond Lake in Ballarat – which are great spots for those wanting to wet a line – close to home,” she said.
The stocked rainbow trout have been grown by the Victorian Fisheries Authority at the Snobs Creek hatchery near Eildon. The stockings have been funded by recreational fishing licence fees and form part of the Andrews Labor Government’s $35 million Go Fishing Victoria plan to get more people fishing, more often. A daily bag limit of five trout applies in lakes, of which only two trout can exceed 35 centimeters. A total of 35,000 catchable sized rainbow trout have been stocked into more than 70 waters state-wide. Some of the closest waterways to be stocked with rainbow trout include: The Gong in Buninyong (200); Lethbridge Lake in Lethbridge (300);Esmond Lake in Ballarat (250); and Jubilee Lake - Daylesford (200). For the full list of state-wide waterways stocked for these school holidays visit: www.vfa.vic.gov.au/holidaytrout
Michaela Settle MP helps in the release of rainbow trout. Photo - submitted