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6 SEPTEMBER, 2023
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Greek spirit in Footscray The Footscray community has collaborated to celebrate Greek culture in the west, with the unveiling of a new mural in Yewers Street. The team at Greek Youth Generator has been working on ‘Footscray’s Hidden Hellenism’ for the last two years. Project manager Dean Kotsianis said the mural, which was unveiled on Saturday, September 9, celebrates the suburb’s forgotten Greek history. “We conducted a large- scale community consultation to encapsulate storytelling in a mural,” he said. “This mural uses real photos, real memories and real people to show the realest representation of that story.” The community consultation involved Dean and the team meeting people in their houses, looking at family archives and collecting imagery to then compile into the mural. “We commissioned a design which we thought celebrated their successes and some of their hardships , things that are undeniably part of Footscray’s Greek history.“ Spanning 250 square metres, the mural represents 10-12 families. Project manager Dean Kotsianis with the community mural in Footscray. (Damjan Janevski) 357413_02
‘Wakeup call’ on poverty By Jennifer Pittorino
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Eighteen per cent of people in Braybrook are living in poverty. This is one of many statistics revealed by the Victorian Council of Social Services (VCOSS) that shows around 3100 people in Braybrook are living in economic disadvantage. The ‘Mapping Poverty in Victoria’ report conducted in conjunction with economic modelling group, NATSEM, found there are over 600,000 people living in poverty in Melbourne, including 164,600 children. VCOSS spokesman Ryan Sheales said people living in Braybrook have a poverty rate
almost double the surrounding area. “The highest rates of poverty in Braybrook are among people living alone, solo parents and unemployed people,” he said. “These figures should serve as a wakeup call.” VCOSS chief executive Emma King said people in the outer suburbs faced more pressures having to travel for work, not being close to public transport and services which impacted people financially. Ms King said with the changing environment since the last census including the cost of food, energy and other essentials rising dramatically means it is likely there are more people living in poverty than the report
indicated. “If the census was done tomorrow, there would be more people living in poverty in Victoria,“ she said. She said changes in the workforce have pushed many in the outer suburbs into casual jobs, further aggravating their economic disadvantage. “Finding a job that pays enough and has enough hours to make ends meet is hard. If they’re on income support they are more likely to be in poverty.” The nearby suburbs, Maribyrnong (11 per cent) and West Footscray (10 per cent) had the next highest poverty rates, while further
south in Altona North (14 per cent) showed similar results, recording the highest poverty rate in Hobsons Bay. In a statement, The Salvation Army said it has been experiencing a growing demand on services since the pandemic. “In June this year the Salvation Army assisted more than 20,500 people nationally and provided more than 27,000 sessions of care to those in need of emergency relief and material aid,” he said. “This represents a 14 per cent increase in the number of people assisted and 21per cent increase in sessions of care provided to people in need compared to the same time last year.”
Kenyon-Smith Denture Clinic A family tradition for 60 years 100 Pier Street, Altona 9315 9231 • 27 Old Geelong Road, Hoppers Crossing 9748 8204
Dental Prosthetists Full dentures, Partial dentures, Repairs - relines • Victorian Denture Scheme • Veterans’ Affairs John, Andrew, Simon and Paul Kenyon-Smith