BERWICK
Thursday, 16 May, 2024
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Thousands raised for griefstricken family
Time to rock out! By Ethan Benedicto
SOTV packed Pokerface to the brim, housing more than 150 guests for their performance.
Picture: PJ PANTELIS
Rock band SOTV played their first local gig at Pokerface, Berwick on Friday 10 May, following the release of their five-track EP Oblivion earlier this year. Their first of many shows in 2024, the night comes after their previous supporting performances for We The Kings and Reece Mastin, with the band now keen to bring their influence back home. Seeing that all band members were raised in the area, they all agree that “there are a lot of bands and art brewing“ back home. While it was exciting to headline their own show, SOTV is also looking to sow the seeds of more music and entertainment in the southeast. Story page 4
Lost in the post By Ethan Benedicto The scheduled closure of the post office branch at Fountain Gate shopping centre on 21 June has sparked major concern from the local community. A Narre Warren local for over 40 years, Elaine Bradford had made going to the Australia Post shopfront part of her weekly shopping run, where its shared nook with the nearby banks made a perfect starting point to pay her bills and send any mail. However, it’s not just herself that she’s concerned about, but her
daughter Emma - who has a disability - whom Ms Bradford provides care for on a round-theclock basis. “It just doesn’t make any sense why they’re closing a vital service. “It’s going to make [my] life very difficult, we’d have to go into Webb Street, which, obviously with winter coming, there’s no cover at the car park. “At least we can park undercover at the shopping centre, I can get her (Emma) out with a wheelchair and other bits and pieces and then just do everything that we need to
do,” Ms Bradford said. Emma, now 31-and-a-half years old, was diagnosed with Angelman’s Syndrome, which, generally, causes delayed development, speech and balance problems and mental disability. In addition to a number of other medical conditions, Emma also has scoliosis and epilepsy, which for her and Ms Bradford, make moving from one place to another all the more difficult. Sarb Mangat, Emma’s carer for roughly two years, echoes a similar sentiment, with the family relying on the ease of access the shopping centre gives them from parking
to banking and groceries. “It’s very hard, it’s a long distance from the shopping centre in Webb Street, they can’t walk during this winter you know?” she said. An Australia Post spokesperson said that they have made the “difficult decision” to close the branch following “a 29 per cent drop in customer visits over the past four years”. “The surrounding area is well-serviced, with six post offices within a five-kilometre radius, including the Narre Warren Post Office around a kilometre away,” they said. Continued page 4
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