BERWICK
Thursday, 9 May, 2024
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Budget brings education boom
Thinking on South East future Jobs and skills were on the minds of more than 200 business and community leaders including Simon McKeon, Emma Dawson, Honi Walker with MC Michael Rowland from the ABC at a Greater South East Melbourne (GSEM) summit at Bunjil Place on Friday 3 May. Among the topics on the agenda were opportunities transitioning to net-zero, future trends in the South East and breaking down barriers to work. More on pages 12 and 13
Michael Rowland (MC) with panelist Emma Dawson (executive director of Per Capita). 403587 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
Reception relief By Ethan Benedicto Residents of Clyde, Clyde North and surrounds are finally receiving their long-awaited upgrades on cell reception, with Telstra and Optus confirming new towers - some within the year. Ari Ross, a worker at Clyde North’s Deoro Cafe said “it’s about time”. “I live just down the road, and I only have one bar in my whole house it’s terrible, so I think it’s about time honestly,” she said.
Her difficulties are well-known and a common sentiment for a majority of residents in Clyde and Clyde North, with Maree Cullinan, executive officer at Balla Balla Community Centre saying that “we agree that community members are very frustrated with the lack of coverage in the area”. A Telstra spokesperson told 9News last week that three projects are currently underway as part of the Connecting Victoria Mobile program to improve 4G and 5G connectivity in the local area.
With two new mobile stations and an upgrade for an existing one in the books, the spokesperson said that “Telstra expects to have one new mobile base station in Clyde East constructed during May and operational by the end of June this year”. Optus is in the same boat, with three new sites operational in the last year and covering parts of Casey Stadium and Clyde North. “We are working hard to bring residents of Casey improved mobile coverage,” an Optus spokesperson said.
“Optus is working on an additional eight towers in the area - seven of these are part of the Connecting Victoria Mobile Program to improve mobile connectivity in Clyde, including Clyde North, Cranbourne, Berwick and Hallam.” For Ms Ross, the additional towers are more than just a weight off her shoulders, lamenting that “I can’t FaceTime my parents, I can’t call anyone, I can’t watch [on] too many devices at once - if I’m on my TV and my phone and my laptop, one of them will stop working”. Continued page 10
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