Established in 1981 as the
proudly serving Sunbury and Macedon Ranges
21 MAY, 2024
Lighting up at the disco
Blue light disco organiser Kimberley Hunting (front) with some of the participants. (Damjan Janevski) 406434_04
Sunbury Blue Light Disco is back for another night of dance moves, music, friendship and retro outfits. The event will be held on May 24, from 6pm to 8pm, at Sunbury Memorial Hall. Primary School-aged children are invited to attend, and prep aged students are advised to come with a friend if it’s their first time. Organiser Kimberly James said the disco is retro-themed and encouraged all attendees to dress up for the night. “We have a poll on our Facebook with song suggestions for the night … [and] there’s a canteen and lots of door prizes,” she said. “The kids get very excited, especially with dressing up, we see some amazing costumes. In the past we’ve done retro and there have been a lot of crimped hair and shoulder pads, we’ve also done a onesie theme in winter, and a Halloween theme.” Ms James said they hold between four to six discos per year, depending on the hall availability. She said they are all volunteer run, and the parents don’t come into the event. “We have [the attendee numbers] capped at 250, as it all comes down to volunteer numbers,” she said. “We are in the process of getting more volunteers, it’s about three hours, four times a year, and volunteers will need a current Working with Children Check.” Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Sunbury Blue Light Disco.
Park future causes upset By Zoe Moffatt Macedon Ranges residents are speaking out against a council plan for Stanley Park, saying it inhibits public enjoyment of the park, which was the original intention. The six-hectare forest, grassland and recreation park is located just off Mount Macedon Road at 15 Salisbury Road, and is co-managed by council and a community asset committee (CAA). Council sought feedback on an infrastructure master plan until April 19. The plan proposed to provide a better balance of day tourism,
local recreation and protection of vulnerable environmental features, which will include the stage removal of existing infrastructure. This includes the existing play equipment, surrounding mowed grass and carpark, as the plan said they require replacement or renewal over time. Council said the areas would be rehabilitated within the footprint of existing, disturbed areas. Council also noted the plan should be read in conjunction with an environmental management plan, prepared in May, 2023. Mount Macedon resident Deborah Keniry, said the park used to be enjoyed by many
visitors, hosting family picnics, children’s birthday parties and more. “Back in 1919, the Upper Macedon Progress Association recognised the community benefit of acquiring this land and raised … the finances to do this, declaring the park a place for public recreation,” she said. “I see it as even more necessary for us today with our larger population, the decline in outdoor physical activity [and] a decline generally in the mental health and wellbeing of our communities.” Macedon Ranges council itself recognised that the land was acquired by public subscription
for the purposes of public recreation in its 2014 environment plan. Ms Keniry said she feels council has lost all perspective on the original intention for Stanley Park. “[It’s in a] miserable state [and has been] essentially relegated to ’no go’ status with its no go signage, fenced off areas, long grass and fallen trees. “This is the reality that I have had to watch with growing sadness over the past number of years. ■ Continued: Page 3.
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