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Wednesday 13 November 2024
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Students sweep into action Students at Balnarring Primary School are rolling up their sleeves as they prepare for Schools Clean Up Day early next year. With tongs, buckets and gloves in hand, students are excited for the environmental event to be held on February 28 – with registrations having opened on 4 November. The event, which celebrates its 35th anniversary next year, is one of the most practical ways to engage kids in litter prevention, sustainability, community, and teamwork. Balnarring Primary School has a Balnarring Way program to care for the environment. They are a litter free school who run whole school working bees at least once a term to care for the school grounds. “Students will often just come and collect the buckets, tongs and gloves and spend some time at recess and lunch collecting rubbish,” Balnarring Primary School teacher Melanie Brooks said. Every Friday the school’s Balnarring Blitz crew also “look at what needs to be done around the school; we’ve put in our own drainage, we’ve ordered soil, and we created garden beds,” she said. “They take huge pride in it.” HAYDEN, Steel, Eddy, Principal Beth Jackson, Charlotte, Georgia. Picture: Yanni
Councillors decided as count comes to end Cameron McCullough cameron@mpnews.com.au All 11 wards that make up the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council have now been decided. Already declared last week were Kate Roper in Beek Beek Ward, Anthony Marsh in Briars Ward, Stephen Batty in Kackeraboite Ward, and Bruce Ranken in Moorooduc Ward. Last Friday (8 November), prefer-
ences were distributed for a further five wards where no single candidate polled greater than fifty percent of the primary votes. That resulted in the declaration of Max Patton in Benbenjie Ward, Patrick Binyon in Brokil Ward, David Gill in Coolart Ward, Paul Pingiaro in Tanti Ward and Cam Williams in Tootgarook Ward. On Monday (11 November), the final round of preference distribution
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resulted in the declaration of Andrea Allen in Nepean Ward and Michael Stephens in Warrangine Ward. A notable absence from the elected representatives is Antonella Celi, who bows out of council after losing Tootgarook Ward to Williams. Celi served as a councillor for over fourteen years, including stints as mayor and deputy mayor. Another notable absence is balanced gender representation with
only two female councillors elected across the 11 wards. This is at odds with the last council where seven of the 11 representatives were women. In other developments, newly elected councillor for Kackeraboite, Stephen Batty, told The News he had resigned his Liberal Party role as chairman of the Dunkley electorate. Batty would not elaborate, but said there were “a number of reasons” for
his departure, but that his “number one priority is to represent the people of the peninsula and ensure that council concentrates on local issues.” Also notable is the number of new councillors, with only three of the 11 newly elected councillors having served in the last council. Councillors will be sworn in at the council meeting on Tuesday 19 November.