Managing director of Ebono Institute and major sponsor of The Generator, Geoff Ebbs, is running against Kevin Rudd in the seat of Griffith at the next Federal election. By the expression on their faces in this candid shot it looks like a pretty dull campaign. Read on
Civic Video has provided the West End community with home entertainment for more than eight years — the last video rental store in West End will sadly be closing its doors.
Craig and Paula Sheehan opened Civic Video September 2006 in West End.
In mid–2014 Civic Video lost the fight with Internet technology. Craig Sheehan tells the Westender they thought Civic Video would be viable three to five years, as the Internet was affecting the video rental market from the very start. “I used to look at the Internet as a threat, and then I just looked at it as the environment which I operate.” It is actually the loss in consumer confidence, Craig continues, that has affected Civic Video the most.
“People are saving money, not spending money. A lot of retailers are feeling that.” Australia’s economy is not “a disaster, other than what our politicians tell us … and the mainstream media play on that.”
Civic Video is not just a loss of a place for the community to meet, but also a loss of employment for locals, especially for the West End youth. Craig is not too worried about his future.
He is more worried for his employees, which he is working hard to find new employment for in West End. He remembers something that happened the first year or two that made him understand why West End is such an amazing community to operate a business in.
“[One of] our members of staff, didn’t turn up [one day]. [A weekend] afternoon I got a phone call from one of our customers I knew personally and he said, Craig, your store is not open and people are taking DVDs out of the return bin.”
“For the next week we tracked how many movies that had been stolen — none.”The return bin was full and people were taking out the DVDs to return them later.
“People here [in West End], there is a sense of community, a sense of honesty.”
Joe Hurley second from right accepting his Westender Local Legend award
When he was presented with The Westender Kurilpa Local Legend award in May, Joe Hurley was described as a “guiding light” in the West End Community House. Now he is leaving, not by choice, but because the government’s funding model for community houses is changing.
Dr Kay Pearse, Chairperson of the West End Community House (WECH) Board said budgetary constraints forced its hand and it reluctantly decided that it could no longer afford to keep Joe on as coordinator and manager.
“West End Community House and the West End Community, have a great debt to Joe.” she said. “He’s been around for almost 20 years serving the community and he will be sorely missed. It was a terrible decision for the board to restructure: we had to do it, we had no choice, but we will miss him terribly. The House will miss him, and the community will miss him”.
Norma aged 89 and a volunteer at the Community House for about 10 years summed up the feelings of many when she said,
“It’s impossible to describe the beauty of a person like Joe. There is something special about him that we will never see again.”
As to the future of WECH, Norma added, “Joe has set us a great example and I’m sure that somehow we will keep it going”.
When I spoke with him, Mr Hurley was philosophical about his move, and his focus was on ensuring WECH services have a future.
Cooking breakfast at WECH
“I am leaving because we need to change here. The organisation needs to find a sustainable footing, and part of that is reducing the costs of the organisation”, Mr Hurley said. “But,” he added, “It’s also a good opportunity for me to change. If I hadn’t had this motivation I might be sitting here for another 10 years”.
Mr Hurley said he is driven by a belief in social justice. He said he started his working life in the property sector, in valuation and property administration, and through that he came to the affordable housing world. “And that’s when I realised, wow, that’s what I’d like to be contributing to in the future, rather than just the economics of the property game.”
He describes WECH as: “a place of comfort and support, a place of opportunity… and something that contributes positively to people’s lives and outcomes, no matter what circumstances they might be in.”
As part of its support services, a Centrelink representative and Anglicare support workers attend the Thursday morning breakfasts. In addition to these services the WECH works with Queensland Public Interest Law Clearing House to provide a homeless person’s legal service. WECH has a therapeutic arts program on Fridays, predominantly for people with a mental illness and those living in supported accommodation, as well as a women’s group and a computer literacy program.
“It’s a gateway to support” Mr Hurley said. “The way that plays out is having an open house for the large part of everyday so people can just walk through the door and ask questions, have a cup of tea, and hopefully get the informed and supportive assistance to get them where they need to be.”
Norma – volunteer at WEC
Mr Hurley will continue to work for a time with WECH on a contractual basis. He has a particular passion for the development at the Croquet Club in Musgrave Park. ” We’ve spent two and a half years getting a development application approved on a very sensitive site, with a very sensitive development, that we hope will be a legacy for the community… a meeting space that hopefully will be accessed for decades to come. I’m really very keen to see that come to fruition. And certainly I will continue to work to support our Annerley and Yeronga services: I’ve got a lot of affection for them, so it will be hard to let them go.”
About his own future Mr Hurley said, “I am definitely looking to keep working around some of the social justice issues that I have a passion for. I have had a focus for a lot of my career on tenancy and affordable housing issues and I’d like to see what sort of contributions I could make to that sector. I am also just looking to put a bit of time into my family”.
Dr Pearse said that the WECH experience is not unique. “…the financial constraints that all community services are working within these days are severe. Budgets have been cut over the last two years … and now all community services are struggling with financial viability issues”.
“It’s been a very difficult time for staff to see their colleagues leave and go to other services”, Dr Pearse added.
Dr Pearse said the WECH has been lucky because a few years ago it was given funding to implement a regional model which has enabled it to support the community centres in Yeronga and Annerley as well is in the West End. But she said in the 2014/15 financial year the service has reached crunch time. “This has placed enormous pressures on staff as they face an incredibly uncertain future” she said.
Funding WECH and associated services comes from the three main services Dr Pearse said, “We get government support, but that’s not sufficient now to cover our operational and service delivery costs. We also do a lot of fundraising, and then we look to our residents and to corporates to support us”.
Both Dr Pearse and Mr Hurley said that WECH has had great support from local businesses over the years. Dr Pearse made particular mention of Jacobs and Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM), which has partnered with WECH to support the breakfast program and in a number of other ways as well.
Joe Hurley – winner of The Westender Award for 2014
While both Dr Pearse and Mr Hurley acknowledged that the changes in state government funding have been a critical issue, neither was critical of government, talking broadly about difficult times for all. Norma however had no hesitation in attaching blame to government.
“My greatest disappointment is the people in Government cannot see the worth of what we do. They don’t seem to understand the amount of money we could be saving them…I can’t understand any government that does what they’re doing here,” she said.
Dr Pearse said that the state government, “has a very clear agenda of professionalising non-government services and wanting them to be financially stable; to be multistranded. We need to collaborate and work with our other community services on the South Side if we are going to survive in these very tough times.”
In the meantime Dr Pearse said WECH is adjusting to the new word and is collaborating in particular with the Acacia Ridge and Mount Gravatt community centres, for example, by applying for grants together in an attempt to secure regional funding.
Dr Pearse said the board will also continue to look for alternative sources of funding in order for its services to continue.
“Vulnerable people, people who are not working, people who have mental health issues, they’re people who are sometimes hidden … we need to support them, they’re members of our community, and they are valued members of our community, so we can’t just close our doors.”
Elizabeth Bennett from Brisbane Youth Service receiving the 2014 Sanofi Pasteur Vaxigrant Awards.
Brisbane Youth Service is one of the five winners of the 2014 Sanofi Pasteur Vaxigrants.
At the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners PHAA 14th National Immunisation Conference Brisbane Youth Service received a $20,000 educational sponsorship from Sanofi Pasteur in Melbourne 19 June.
Brisbane Youth Service had entered the category for applying innovation in areas of low immunisation.
With the educational sponsorship Brisbane Youth Service will be able to provide preventative treatment against human papilloma virus (HPV) and hepatitis B diseases to an estimated 400 homeless or at risk young people who are not eligible under the Federal Government School Immunisation Program for HPV or Queensland Immunisation Program for hepatitis B.
Allowing them to focus on services such as Pap smear, HPV vaccination and hepatitis B vaccination and aim to reduce incidences of cervical cancer, warts and hepatitis infection to reduce waiting lists at public hospitals.
Sanofi Pasteur Medical & Regulatory Affairs Director Dr Andrea Forde said in a media release, “It’s a real privilege to sponsor Vaxigrants and we congratulate all five winners this year.”
“In Australia we generally have high rates of immunisation, but there are some communities and areas where the awareness of vaccines, and the diseases they prevent, could be stronger. We look forward to seeing the winning entries put their ideas into practice.”
With only 24 hours left until the end of the financial year, now is the ideal time to add your support to our access to justice campaign for environmental legal matters.
To ensure big business and mining interests don’t go unchallenged please support the Environmental Defenders Office Queensland and make a tax-deductible donation today.
Is it ok to build a new coal mine that will damage the environment if it brings jobs and prosperity? What if a proposed development that will provide houses for an expanding population is opposed by a community group trying to protect habitat for koalas?
There are always two sides to every argument and most often there are many different views on an issue. Yet any rational person will accept that all of the arguments need to be heard and, especially when they are legal matters, that both sides are able to access adequate support and legal representation. Indeed, access to justice is the cornerstone of a fair and just society like ours.
As ordinary people try to participate in the legal system, they are often overwhelmed and struggle to have their voices heard. So when I see an individual, community group or farmer confronted by a big company and their well-resourced legal team, I know exactly how I feel, and maybe you can guess!
Fortunately there is a solution. For over 20 years I’ve worked at the Environmental Defenders Office Queensland, the one place that anyone in the community can contact to seek advice and support for environmental legal matters. We help ordinary people gain access to justice and assist with their legal representation in court.
Almost every day we receive emails and calls from people seeking advice and support. Every Tuesday and Thursday evening we staff our community legal advice line and the phone rings constantly. Through providing this essential service we’ve helped thousands of individuals and community organisations and yet, this very service is now in jeopardy.
The Environmental Defenders Office Queensland has had all of our State and Federal government funding cut without warning and if we are to continue to provide access to justice, we need your support.
If I can’t raise a minimum of $120,000 by 30 June, I’ll need to make tough decisions on the continuation of our access to justice services for environmental legal matters.
Over the past six months we’ve managed to keep things going, but this cannot continue beyond early July, when the decision on the future of our access to justice services needs to happen.
Will you help the Environmental Defenders Office continue to provide access to justice.
Right now the Queensland mining industry is booming at an unprecedented rate with over 30 proposed coal mines, 30,000 proposed coal seam gas wells and new and expanded ports on the Great Barrier Reef. Uranium mining is also now permitted.
Our support helps landholders, individuals and community groups to understand and act on their legal rights. This in turn protects the natural environment and communities against the impacts of major coal mines and massive coastal developments.
We’re committed to keep providing these services for free in the interests of access to justice; however, without government funding our hands are severely tied. Your support is essential if we are to provide this vital legal service which is relied on by individuals and communities.
To keep operating, we need funds for staff wages, rent, internet, and telephone – the basic essential costs to keep the access to justice service alive. This will ensure we can keep the community legal advice line operational, provide our free legal information seminars and advocate on urgent law reform such as protecting long-standing community legal rights to object to proposed mines, and much more.
Please, will you make a tax-deductible donation today to help the Environmental Defenders Office continue to provide access to justice.
In the next 12 months, will big business and mining interests have their way and go unchallenged? In this David and Goliath struggle, will we hear but a squeak from the little guy?
Please join me in supporting access to justice by making a tax-deductible donation to this special end of financial year appeal.
Yours sincerely
Jo-Anne Bragg
Principal Solicitor
Environmental Defenders Office (Qld) Inc
PS. This really is a time of big decisions. Before 30 June, please choose to support the Environmental Defenders Office Queensland in our mission to provide access to justice by making a donation online today.
The Joynt went off over the weekend with a three day party to say goodbye to West End.
Friday night merged into Saturday night with the Grimm Brothers, Frank Sultana and Mojo Juju on stage in the evenings and in the jacuzzi for much of the time in-between.
All performers spoke eloquently about the role that Jodi Craig has played in nurturing the local music scene and musicians such as themselves. Jodi presided over proceedings for a large part of the evening from her high perch overlooking the band.
Nostalgic, sad and poignant, the weekend was a celebration of West End culture and an affirmation that we will find a way to build on the great work that Jodi has done at the Joynt.
Leading experts on how walking can help bolster a city’s health and sustainability are set to descend on Sydney for Walk21 – a three-day event to share policies, research and initiatives shaping walkable cities.
Co-hosted by the City of Sydney and the NSW Government, the event has attracted an impressive line-up of global policymakers, researchers and campaigners.
More than 500 delegates from the US, Asia, the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Australia will discuss the importance of walking to individuals and communities worldwide.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomed Walk21 to Sydney, saying it was the perfect location for this major event.
“Sydney is a global city made for walking, evidenced by the fact that in our city centre, more than 90 per cent of trips are made on foot,” the Lord Mayor said.
“Our world-famous harbour, landmark tourist attractions and great climate encourage Sydneysiders and visitors to get out in the fresh air and walk, whether they’re working, relaxing, shopping or exploring.
“The City is helping to encourage more people to walk more often by investing millions of dollars in developing a liveable green network of streets, paths and other infrastructure.”
As part of the City’s Sustainable Sydney 2030 vision, safe and attractive walking and cycling routes are being created to provide a liveable green network linking the City’s streets, parks and open spaces.
The Sydney Walk21 Conference will be staged at Luna Park from 21-23 October. Sydney is the 15th city to host the conference on walking and liveable communities, which launched in London in 2000.
International keynote speakers include respected planning and design experts Brent Toderian and Don Miskell, and transport management pioneer Rose McArthur.
They will join prominent local experts, including sustainability expert Professor Paul Newman, Professor Corrine Mulley and Professor Adrian Bauman, a leader in physical activity and health.
“Whether you are an architect, an engineer, work in the health sector or are a business owner, all of us can gain from Walk21,” the Lord Mayor said.
“This is a perfect opportunity to learn from one another and help make Sydney a world-class walking city.”
Civic Video has provided the West End community with home entertainment for more than eight years — the last video rental store in West End will sadly be closing its doors.
