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Wednesday 8 December 2021
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Run for special kids SOMERVILLE resident Chris Renouf is training for the Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival next week to raise money for Very Special Kids. The children's charity provides professional support services to Victorian families who have a child with a life-threatening condition. In late 2019, Chris and his partner Tess lost their two-year-old son Reggie to complications stemming from infantile onset pompe disease. Since Reggie’s diagnosis, Very Special Kids has provided support to Chris and his family, helping them through what’s been described as a “devastating journey”. The charity continues to provide the services of a dedicated support practitioner, professional counselling services and peer support programs. The couple now have two healthy sons: Cameron, 2, and Robbie who was born earlier this year. Chris has run in the Melbourne Marathon Festival since 2018 and has so far raised more than $4000 for Very Special Kids. He expects to crack the $5000 mark this year to “help other Victorian families through tough times”. The Nike Melbourne Marathon Festival on 11-12 December will, for the first time in 42 years, be held across two days. Events on the Saturday include the Sri Lankan Airlines 10km Run, 5km Run and free 3km Walk. On Sunday, the Nike Melbourne Marathon, Nike Wheelchair Marathon, and Nike Half Marathon will be held, with start times an hour earlier than the previous day’s events to allow for the warmer weather. Stephen Taylor
Running man: Chris Renouf and partner Tess Baker with sons Robbie and Cameron. A photograph of Reggie is at right. Picture: Gary Sissons
‘Humane’ exit plan for kangaroos Keith Platt keith@mpnews.com.au A PERMIT is being sought to “humanely” remove kangaroos from a Cape Schanck property, instead of killing them. The land manager has agreed to wait an extra eight-weeks before the cull was about to start and, in the meantime, seek a permit under the Wildlife Act to move the kangaroos back through a fence into Mornington Peninsula National Park. The reprieve for the “several hundred” kangaroos was due to “determined work” by Mornington Peninsula Shire councillors and “tire-
less negotiation” by CEO John Baker, according to Paul Saunders of the Mornington Peninsula Greens. The first stay of execution was due to end last week (3 December). “This release [of the kangaroos into the national park] needs to happen within the next few weeks if the health of these animals is to not be further compromised,” Mr Saunders said. “Animal welfare experts and community members have offered to assist with this process which may require a group of individuals to calmly encourage the kangaroos to leave the property.” Mr Saunders said the land manager blamed vandals for breaking down
fences which saw the kangaroos enter the property (“Weary tracks tell tale of trapped kangaroos” The News 4/10/21). “Community members condemn such actions and support the council and land manager in calling for a halt to any such vandalism,” he said. Western Victoria Upper House Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick, said the system for controlling wildlife was “outdated, flawed, and sees our native animals cruelly killed by simply ticking a box”. “I'm calling on the Victorian government and Minister for Environment [Lily D’Ambrosio] to do the right thing and explore humane, non-lethal
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alternatives - such as relocation. This is what the local community wants,” he said. Cape Schanck resident Sally Baillieu said methods used to count kangaroos on the peninsula were based on “highly inaccurate information”. She said the Department for the Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP) had estimated there were 7000 kangaroos on the peninsula “without taking a single local observation”. “DELWP also have refused to accept, or even investigate, on-theground citizen-science observations demonstrating that the population is actually around 2500 animals. Far
smaller than their estimates,” Ms Baillieu said. She said there had been no commercial activity on the property where the kangaroos were stranded “for almost two decades”. “Both the inaccurate population estimate, and this lack of agricultural activity invalidates the issue of a culling permit,” Ms Baillieu said. “Despite being informed of this, DELWP have refused to retract the permit and indicated that the slaughter will go ahead.” “DELWP is charged with managing and protecting wildlife across Victoria. Sadly, they have failed badly in this situation.”
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