Gunsmoke 70...Gunsmoke 70...October / November 2002
AMAROO SCHOOLS - Burdekin and Katherine Avenues, Amaroo - catering for preschool, primary school and high school studentsThe Department of Education, Youth and Family Services is planning for new government school facilities for the suburb of Amaroo. Architects Bilgh, Voller, Nield are developing designs and a working party is participating in the design process, with representatives coming from the Gungahlin Community Council and a range of other union, principals’, parents’ and citizens’, and other associations.
The new complex will cater for students from preschool to year 10. The school will cater for 420 primary level students in permanent buildings and will be able to be expanded through the provision of transportable classrooms, up to a maximum enrolment of 700. The primary school will serve the suburb of Amaroo, and part of Ngunnawal with access from Paul Coe Crescent. At high school level, permanent buildings will accommodate 800 students, with transportable classrooms allowing for expansion up to 1000. The catchment area includes Amaroo, the part of Ngunnawal with access from Paul Coe Crescent and proposed residential development in suburbs of Bonner and Forde.
The preschool will open at the start of 2003, the primary school at the start of 2004 and the high school at the start of 2005.
Primary school facilities will be designed to cater for students from Kindergarten to year 5. The preschool will be adjacent to the primary school and the design will be similar to the Palmerston Preschool.
The high school is planned for years 6 to 10, including facilities specifically designed to allow “middle school” teaching and learning concepts for students in years 6 to 8. Facilities for years 9 and 10 will be similar in design to recently built high schools.
The school will occupy one site, have one principal and share common facilities, including administration, library, gymnasium, hall and canteen. These facilities will be designed to allow for the needs of the differing age groups and staff requirements. Separate playground areas are planned for primary and high school students and there is a close linkage with adjoining neighbourhood ovals and district playing fields.
The buildings will be fully cabled to meet the IT needs of the various class areas including local computer networks and internet access.
As with other schools, a range of facilities will be available for community use.
The plans for the school will be on display in the Gungahlin town centre in coming weeks. [Return to top]
St. Nicholas Christmas Trees - Supporting "Sids and Kids"St. Nicholas Christmas Trees is the brain-child of two mothers, who would like to return to a time, when Christmas meant something other than plastic toys and throw-away wrappings. When traditions meant something other than frantic shopping and compassion meant something other than giving the family pet the ham bone on Christmas day.
St. Nicholas Christmas Trees aims to rekindle the benefits and traditions of having a real tree in the home at Christmas time. Many families have forgotten the joy of choosing the Christmas tree together, decorating it, assembling gifts under it, and enjoying the lovely smell of real, fresh pine throughout the house.
The tradition of helping others at Christmas time is alive and well, with approximately 20 per cent of the sale price of every St. Nicholas Christmas tree going towards SIDS and Kids ACT– in order to help them provide their services to the ACT community and surrounding region.
Real Christmas trees have the added benefit of being able to be used as mulch on the garden, and are renewable and recyclable. St. Nicholas Christmas Trees are sustainably plantation grown just outside Canberra, and for every tree harvested, two or three are planted in its place.
St. Nicholas Christmas Trees will be on sale at Exhibition Park (in the Gummeroo Pavilion)
7–24 December 2002.
For more information contact St. Nicholas Christmas Trees on phone: 0438 946739, or email: info@stnicholaschristmastrees.com.au
You can also visit the St. Nicholas Christmas Trees website at: www.stnicholaschristmastrees.com.au [Return to top]
Mentoring ProgrammeDo you have an hour or two to spare during the week?
Are you keen to help others in our local community?
The Mentoring Program is an initiative of several local schools - Gold Creek, Holy Spirit, Palmerston and Ngunnawal - and Gungahlin Regional Community Services and Youth Service, to find mentors for young people at school, as well as volunteers to assist in the wider community.
Many students need extra support, ranging from help with homework to developing basic reading, writing and mathematical skills. Sometimes it is just good to have a friendly adult who can listen while students "unload". For many students, a helping hand with technical skills, hobbies or interests means the difference between completing their schooling or dropping out. Could you give a student a hand for an hour a week?
The Gungahlin Schools and Community Mentoring Program also provides many opportunities for volunteers to support those in the wider community who need some help with transport, shopping or just having a chat over a cup of tea. It may be that you would prefer to assist with administrative or office work for a short time each week, or that you would like to help at the Youth Centre.
All volunteers selected for the program attend an orientation workshop so they understand the objectives of the program, know how schools and community services work, and ensure that the arrangements for the program are mutually agreeable.
Enquiries are most welcome. Project co-ordinators Peter and Helen can be contacted on 6205 1750. They will be pleased to hear from you and can answer any questions you may have. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 12.00 noon. We hope to hear from you soon! [Return to top]
Online DirectoryLet everyone know about your local Gungahlin region based community association or group on the Gungahlin Community Council Website!
We want to promote Gungahlin based groups on the “Gungahlin Region Community Resources and Groups” in the Links section of our web site.
If you are part of a Gungahlin based Residents Group, Community Service Group, Religious and Spiritual Group or other local Special Interest Group we want to hear from you!
We need a brief generic* description of what your group does (in no more than 100 words), a contact phone number and/or contact e-mail or website address to create your entry in our online directory.
Please send the details of your group to the GCC via normal mail or e-mail info@gcc.asn.au. (We apologise that we are unable to accept submissions over the phone.) * We are attempting to minimise the amount of administration involved in providing this service. Details should be worded such that they do NOT need regular updating. Naturally we will make changes to entries when absolutely necessary or contact details change. [Return to top]
GARDENING - "Yippee, it’s raining"
Lisa KaveneyAs I write this, rain is tumbling down outside, making me feel better about gardening and all that it includes. And he that thinks he must be obeyed will breathe a sigh of relief, that maybe he wont have to feed his sheep all summer. What this rain will do is provide us with the much needed deep soaking rain that reaches into the subsoil levels and allows us to now mulch, mulch, mulch. Hopefully we will now have follow-up rain. Spring is a great time to fertilise your entire garden, the best time is just before it rains, and the worst time is the night before a big frost. The extra moisture in the air brings with it seasonal pests and diseases, my advice to their treatment is to only treat when absolutely necessary. The chemicals that many of us use, not only kill the bad pests but also many of the good ones. There are of course lots of alternative choices and some examples are: - Vacuum cleaner dust on your pear and cherry slug.
- A saucer of beer for snails.
I pay the children to collect them by hand into a hot bucket of water or simply squash them. My mother-in-law swears by eggshells as a good preventative method. Apparently snails cant stand going across them. Snail bait is absolutely essential when planting punnet seedlings; snails simply cannot resist the delicious foliage. Ducks are also great, if you can tolerate the poo at your front door.
- Aphids are really easy to gently squash on the bud, and this for some reason seems to discourage more coming back. The first season may take some time but I have discovered that aphid numbers are almost non-existent after a couple of years.
JOBS FOR OCT/NOV - Clip box hedge.
- Feed and mulch azaleas and camellias as they finish flowering, prune to promote vigorous growth.
- Prune Banksia roses after flowering.
- Plant summer’s salad; tomato seedlings, basil (still with evening protection) and gourmet lettuce.
- Plant dahlia tubers.
- Be vigilant against snails, slugs and caterpillars.
- Feed and mulch roses and keep and eye out for aphid.
- Divide chrysanthemums.
- Plant passionfruit- and annuals to disguise the dying bulb leaves- and don’t remove bulbs until the foliage has completely died away.
- Stake tall perennials such as delphiniums and phlox.
- Fertilise fruit trees.
- Train climbers early to encourage horizontal growth and more blooms.
- Keep vegetable seedlings moist- don’t water the leaves of tomatoes.
- Tip-prune spring-flowering shrubs.
- Water roses deeply once a week and deadhead regularly.
- Sow bean, carrot and sweet corn seeds.
- Deadhead rhododendrons and camellias.
- Prune natives - flowering or not.
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Gungahlin Regional Community Services - UpdateANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
6.30pm Tuesday 22nd October 2002 The 5th Annual General Meeting of Gungahlin Regional Community Service will be held at the Gungahlin Community Resource Centre at 6.30pm on Tuesday 22nd October 2002. Guest speaker will be Mr Bill Wood, MLA and Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services. All members and residents are invited to attend for light refreshments from 5.30pm. BOARD MEMBERS REQUIRED Gungahlin Regional Community Service would like to invite residents and/or people with an interest in Gungahlin to volunteer for positions on the Board of Management. Enquiries to the Executive Director by 18th October on 6228 9200. NEW GROUPS Walk & Talk Are you interested in increasing your fitness through regular walking? Why not join ‘Walk & Talk’ on Thursday mornings, 9.30am to 11.00am at the Gungahlin Community Resource Centre. Multicultural Social & English Conversation Group Provides people with the opportunity to improve conversation skills, assist with conversation development and improve access to mainstream services. If you are interested in attending either of the above groups, contact Amanda on 6242 6077. SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAMS Gungahlin Youth Centre Are you aged between 11 and 18 ?
If you want something that is fun and different to do in the school holidays, why not visit the Gungahlin Youth Centre? There’s all sorts of exciting events happening throughout the holidays FREE or low-cost, with trips to the coast, Go-carting, crazy craft, karaoke and pool competitions.
All activities are fully supervised and run in a safe and friendly environment. We are located behind the library, so why not drop-in, or phone us on 6228 9211 and find out what is happening these holidays. Gungahlin Out Of School Hours Care Two school holiday programs will be held from Monday 30th September to Friday 11th October for primary school children. Activities will include movies, putt putt golf and puppet making. - Gungahlin School Holiday Program is located at Gold Creek and Holy Spirit Primary Schools, Nicholls. Hours 7.30am to 6pm.
- Burgmann Anglican School is located on the corner of Gungahlin Drive and Valley Ave, Gungahlin. Hours 8am to 6pm.
For enrolment forms or more information, please phone Kirsti on 6242 4811.
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Environment NewsAre you having problems with improper car access and litter being dumped in the open spaces and parks around your area?
It was recently brought to the attention of the council that cars were accessing the hilltop park area in Ngunnawal and litter (broken bottles) was left there. This incident was reported to Canberra Urban Parks and Places (CUPP) who arranged for their contractor to ensure that access for unauthorised vehicles was blocked and the area cleaned up.
If you have problems in and around your area, especially with litter being dumped in open spaces and the public parks, please ring the CUPP hotline on 6207-2500 to report the incident.
The Canberra Urban Parks and Places Website can be found on the Internet: at the following address:
www.parksandplaces.act.gov.au [Return to top]
PALM Update - A regular update on planning issues from Planning and Land ManagementNew building rules New rules about private open space came into effect on 1 September, 2002. But buyers of house and land packages in Gungahlin will not have to comply with these rules until April next year.
Buyers of house and land packages in Canberra’s green-field suburbs will have their building plans assessed under the former rules for private open space if they lodge their plans by 30 May, 2003.
The previous rules required 35 per cent of private open space for blocks of land up to 450 square metres, and 40 per cent of private open space for blocks over 450 square metres. All other new development applications must meet the new private open space rules that were set out in the Draft ‘Garden City’ Variation 200.
DV200 proposes that private open space be increased. It proposes that it be assessed on a sliding scale, for example, 50 per cent open space for a block of 400 square metres, 60 per cent for blocks of 800 square metres and 63.33 per cent for a 1200 square metre block.
For information about DV200 visit PALM’s website at www.palm.act.gov.au or call into our shopfront at Dame Patties Menzies Building, 16 Challis Street, Dickson. Electronic files BEPCON Mitchell is converting the ACT’s 135,000 building files and 250,000 hydraulic files to electronic format.
Scanning of files is triggered by energy rating requests, making electronic versions available for subsequent requests such as conveyancing.
Building plans and documents are being received via the Internet from project partners Australian Valuation Office and ACTPRO Building Consultants.
Scanned hydraulic files include sewerage, stormwater easement and tie information (showing where a block’s utility connections meet mains services). City Management – Roads ACT is helping with this project.
For more information contact Darrell Dinnen: Telephone 6207 7907 or Email darrell.dinnen@act.gov.au [Return to top]
POLICE TEAM OPERATING IN GUNGAHLIN
Sergeant Brian McGaheyThe Gungahlin Police Team has been working full time in the district since March this year. The team consists of ten constables working two twelve-hour patrol shifts with two part time members attending to the public from the office between 8am and 7pm Monday to Saturday.
As the team leader I endeavour to ensure a professional response to the local community and its many needs. Being located in the Joint Emergency Service Centre we are centrally based to a patrol district extending from Mitchell in the South to the NSW border in the North.
We are part of the North District Patrol, which encompasses all of Canberra north of Lake Burley Griffin. To enable the best use of scarce resources the Gungahlin patrol is used at times to respond to the community in either Belconnen or inner city locations. Likewise patrols from those locations are directed at times into Gungahlin.
In the short time I have been based as the Gungahlin sergeant, I have managed to develop in the current staff a pride in identification of themselves a part of the Gungahlin community emergency service. We strive to provide the full range of police services and through close liaison with the other emergency services, offer the local community the highest standard of care.
I have established networks with the Road Transport Authority and our traffic operations team so that the community will see a visible presence of persons working in the district to ensure road safety. Our high standard of local roads, combined with a youthful population, has resulted in some drivers behaving in an anti-social fashion while operating vehicles in local streets. I cannot tolerate behaviour likely to endanger local community members and all drivers can expect to be dealt with if offending.
The district is the fastest growing in eastern Australia with many houses under construction or newly completed. The result of this is some burglars see the opportunity to ply their trade in our area. Thanks to security systems and alert neighbours Police were able to arrest a male for two attempted daylight offences in Nicholls this month. We need such assistance from the community to enable us to do our work for you. [Return to top]
Secondary and Vocational Education in GungahlinThe GCC’s education committee has submitted comments in relation to secondary and vocational education to the Legislative Assembly’s education committee. The paper can be viewed on www.gcc.asn.au
Following is the summary report from the paper.
Secondary education for Gungahlin. Some issues for consideration The Gold Creek senior school (years 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10) is the only high school in Gungahlin. At this time there are no facilities for delivery of year 11 or 12 education in the Gungahlin district, with the Government facility not expected to be operational prior to 2009.
Due to the limited funding available to establish and maintain a quality secondary schooling model for Gungahlin, there will be a need to explore any options that can better utilise resources without compromising the quality of the education.
To introduce change into the existing college networks could meet with some resistance and may lead to conditions that are counterproductive. Gungahlin could offer an opportunity to revisit some of the established structures, to ensure that the best use of resources is achieved in Gungahlin, from the set-up stage.
Gungahlin offers an opportunity to consider if the current “College” model is suitable for the large percentage of students, who enroll in year 11, but will not continue from year 12 to university. Vocational education in Gungahlin. Some issues for consideration Vocational education courses are generally resource intensive to deliver. Training resources include extensive plant and equipment, in addition to needing teaching staff with specialised training and industry experience. Although some vocational courses are much more resource-intensive than others, moves towards rationalisation of resources have been limited.
For some vocational courses, outsourcing arrangements with other colleges, CIT and other training organisations can provide a model that offers transferable qualifications for students without requiring the school to be resourced for delivery of the training program. There are also economies of scale which allow training in courses that are unsuitable for delivery within the school environment and/or where student numbers do not justify the expenditure of establishing and maintaining a suitable training facility, teaching staff and training program.
Gungahlin offers the opportunity to consider the establishment of a true “combined middle school/ high school/ college” model, with students in years 6, 7, 8 in the middle school, years 9 and 10 in the high school and years 11 and 12 in the college environment.
The option of extending the Gold Creek school to provide year 11 and 12 facilities, could be a cost-effective and educationally sound option for Gungahlin. This model could offer continuity of vocational training for students in years 9, 10, 11 and 12, without requiring additional resources or specialised teaching staff. If you have any suggestions or comments related to this subject please contact: Julie Brodrick on 6262 2095 or email info@gcc.asn.au [Return to top] |
