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New garden raises spirit Tom Parry
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SMCA DAY 1 WRAP SPORT
A NEW sensory garden has officially been opened at the George Gray Centre in Maffra. The opening took place on Thursday, December 1 and was attended by employees and clients of the centre, their families and local dignitaries. The Acting CEO of the centre, Sonya Dunn, presided over the event, telling the Gippsland Times it felt “really special” to see the garden completed and open. “It feels nice because we have seen the changes, and… it just keeps looking better and better,” Ms Dunn said of the sensory garden. “And that’s the great thing about it – it will just keep getting better and better.” The event began at 4pm with a performance from the centre’s “Funky Beats” choir and a dance routine, followed by a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony from Gunai Kurnai elders. Speeches were then heard from Ms Dunn, Wellington Shire Council Mayor Ian Bye and Longford gas plant manager Clinton Gentle. Finally, Cr Bye and Mr Gentle participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, flanked by choir members, declaring the sensory garden open. The new garden sits on what was previously a “barren space” on the centre’s property, constantly waterlogged and unable to be used. Senior disability support worker at the centre, Wendy McLaren, envisaged transforming the space into something more accessible. “I was thinking we needed something here for physical health, exercise, mental health during the pandemic, so I looked at a few things and came up with the sensory garden idea, due to people with autism and other disabilities really get a lot out of using their sensors,” Ms McLaren said. The project took two years and $80,000 to complete, with most funding provided by the Gippsland Basin Joint Venture operators, Esso and Woodside Energy. The revitalised space now contains walking paths, garden beds, a standing vegetable patch, a dry creek-bed, manual water pump, soft basketball court, a wheelchair-accessible swing and
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“So it’s been great – (a) fantastic space for our participants, but also for the community, which has been really good.” The sensory garden will now enter “Phase Two” of construction, which will feature the installation of shade sails worth $11,000, and secure fencing. The George Gray Centre is located on the corner of Foster and Queen Streets in Maffra.
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Green tinge Stefan Bradley GIPPSLAND may seem a little greener after this election, according to the lead Victorian Greens candidate for the state upper house, Mat Morgan. Mr Morgan, who was on the ballot for the Eastern Victoria region, said the party achieved strong results throughout Gippsland. “The Greens have achieved around a two per cent swing in the Eastern Vic region whilst both major parties have had swings away from them,” he said. “All across Gippsland we saw The Greens vote hold strong in many seats where the Labor and Liberal votes fell. “This shows The Greens are a real force in our political landscape.” Mr Morgan said the group voting system, which allows political parties to direct preferences on “above the line” votes for the upper house, was a “blight on our democracy”. In a video posted to TikTok, he said the group voting system was a way for other parties to keep the Greens out of the upper house in favour of others with a much lower vote. Mr Morgan was not elected to the upper house, despite the Greens receiving almost eight per cent of the vote at the time of writing for the Eastern Victoria region, which was the third highest, after the Liberal/Nationals and Labor. “This election we saw sham parties set up with the sole purpose of directing preferences,” Mat Morgan said. “And we saw highly unethical preferencing which saw supposedly ‘left wing’ parties handing their preferences to conservative parties.” “We are looking at having Jeff Bourman of the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party re-elected for a third term despite him only receiving three per cent of the vote, it’s simply disgraceful.” The Coalition and some minor parties also called for abolishing group tickets. Asked to reflect on Labor’s re-election, Mr Morgan said he was pleased that the Coalition did not succeed. In the Lower House, the Greens gained one seat, adding to a total of four.
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outdoor xylophone, all set against the backdrop of two colourful murals from artist Simon White. Even before the official opening, the sensory gardens had drawn a keen interest from passers-by. “It’s really opened up our doors and let people know who we are and that we’re here,” Ms Dunn said. “We’ve had people stop and ask to come in, take photos (and) ask if they can walk through the gardens.
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George Gray Centre’s Wendy McLaren stands proudly with the sensory garden she helped to create. Photo: Tom Parry
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