Sunday 31 December 2017

Happy New Year To All 'Whyilovemountdruitt' Readers for 2018

As the main author and editor of 'whyilovemountdruitt blogspot', I would like to offer a warm and friendly wishes to everyone in and around Mount Druitt and as far wide as ever.  Every year we hope that it is not only  just a prosperous  New Year for 2018 but provides good living style and health to everyone.

 And to our very own community, we ask that we live in peace and harmony as we  receive proper infrastructure that enhances our community's living standards.

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Sunday 17 December 2017

Compliments To Hon Edmond Atalla Reaching Out To The Community With 'The Mount Druitt Gazette'

It is sad to see one of our local newspapers that I know closing down, 'The St Marys -Mount Druitt Star' and this is due to  the local media being more on line, in tune and recently using social media avenues to get their news across.

Now, we have our local politicians also getting into social networks and  now the first local State Member for Mount Druitt, to issue an online newspaper.  I would like to compliment, NSW State Member of Mount Druitt, Hon. Edmond Atalla, to create the 1st Edition of 'The Mount Druitt Gazette'.  Sounds like the first newspaper  ever issued in Mount Druitt.

At first there is important content relating to important arears of improvements Edmond has been working on. We mustn't forget this is his first term  in office and by using the  electronic media technology, this is get his showcasing his out to the wider community. On behalf of our  community  we compliment you on this great inniative.

Click here for post on 'The Mount Druitt Gazette'

Click her on previous post on 'St Marys - Druitt Star'





Thank you, Hon. Edmond Atalla.

Saturday 16 December 2017

1st Edition of 'The Mount Druitt Gazette' - Hon. Edmond Atalla - NSW Member For Mount Druitt





       Rooty Hill Trains Station Finally Sees Progress



In my latest press release, I was able to announce that after 2 years on hold, Rooty Hill Train Station has finally progressed into the next stage of planning. The current station is outdated, and does not meet current standards of disability access. The upgrade includes a multi-storey carpark, four new lifts, a family accessible toilet, a bush shelter, and a new footbridge, and will bring the train station to the modern age. 

Community members and commuters can now view the Review of Environmental Factors (REF), which can be foundonline at www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects-tap. These can also be viewed physically at;
  • Blacktown City Council Customer Service Centre, 62 Flushcombe Road, Blacktown
  • Our Library @ Mt Druitt Hub, Ayres Grove, Mt Druitt
  • Transport for NSW, Zenith Centre, 821 Pacific Highway



Local Organisations Granted Funding from Community Building Partnership Program

I am pleased to announce that a variety of organisations which work to support our local area have been granted funding to continue their contribution to our society. In total, $300,000 has been allocated which will benefit countless residents of the Mount Druitt electorate.

Organisations that have been included in the funding for the 2017 Program are;



  • The Endeavour Foundation
  • The Ted Noffs Foundation Inc. 
  • Australian Foundation for Disability
  • The Mount Druitt Town Rangers Football Club
  • SecondBite
  • Mission Australia Housing 
  • Rooty Hill and District Lapidary Club Inc.
  • The Trustee for Blacktown and Mount Druitt Hospitals   Foundation Trust
  • Seventh Day Adventist Church 


  • I welcome this funding greatly, and look forward to the positive outcomes it will have for our great community.

    Community Opportunities

    Are you a young person who enjoys public speaking, meeting new people, helping your community, and would like to represent the youth of Blacktown? The Youth Ambassador Program applications are now open and will close Friday, the 23rd of March 2018. Online application cn be found at www.blacktown.nsw.gov.au/Community/Youth-Ambassador-Program
     
    Not-for-profit grassroots Sporting Clubs in NSW are invited to apply for a grant to assist in the purchase and maintenance of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDS).

    The Local Sport Defibrillator Grant Program gives local clubs the opportunity to acquire these life-saving devices at a reduced cost, increasing the safety of our local fields. Applications close 20th December 2017, and can be found at https://sport.nsw.gov.au/clubs/grants/defibrillator
     

    Now in its 22nd year, the Blacktown City Art Prize is a highly valued art prize, with acquisitive awards. The exhibition will be running from the 2nd of December 2017, to the 27th of January 2018, and is located at the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre. 

    Mount Druitt Community Photos


    What's Happening at Macquarie Street?


    Recently in Parliament, I was able to raise many local issues, and acknowledge some of our outstanding community members. Some of which include;

    • Mount Druitt Hospital and its services
    • Blacktown By-Election
    • The Mount Druitt Netball Carnival
    • A Tribute to Beverly Donovan
    • The Chifley College Science Expo

    I also asked many ministerial questions, including the following topics;

    • Mount Druitt Police and the Average Response Time for Domestic Violence Issues
    • Opal Cards
    • Mount Druitt Hospital
    • Commercial Developments at Eastern Creek Parkland
    • Elder Abuse in Aged Care Facilities

    If you would like further information on my debates and speeches to the NSW Parliament, please visit the Hansard on the following link;
    https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/Pages/Member-details.aspx?pk=104

     

    Community Updates


    Through this newsletter, I am able to advertise many of the wonderful activities that take place in the Mount Druitt Electorate. If you are aware of anything in the community that you would like advertised, please let my office know and I can promote them through my Facebook page and in the next edition of the Mount Druitt Gazette.
     
     
    Why Am I Receiving This? 
    If you have filled out the signup form which can be found on our Facebook page, your email would have been added to our list. If your email is listed on our office database, and reside in the Mount Druitt electorate, you will automatically receive our Gazette. Should you wish to unsubscribe, please select the link below. 
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    Sydney Story Factory Update


    Image result for sydney story factory
    Well, it's been quite a year at the Sydney Story Factory! In 2017 we started projects, including our two-year collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Unmapping, and an innovative partnership in Mt Druitt where local high school students are tutoring primary school students (it turns out they are incredible tutors!). We also finished projects, like State of Mind, which saw us work with teenagers all across NSW, as they wrote about things that are important to them. You can read more about some of these projects in our colourful and quite unusually exciting Annual Report 2016-17.

    Throughout all this, a small group of teenagers has been quietly gathering at Bankstown Arts Centre every Sunday morning for a year to write, write, write. Their aim was to produce not just a fistful of poems, or a story, or a script, but a fully realised novella. And they aced it! Seven students finished and we have just published six novellas (purchase the full set 
    here) with three more on their way.

    These wonderful books were launched last Sunday at the new, pre-renovation home of Sydney Story Factory in Parramatta. We were moved to tears by a speech given by Vivian Pham, a 16-year-old student in the program, who wrote
    The Coconut Children - at 93,000 words, a novel rather than a novella. She said:

    The Novella Project has changed the way I do things. It has somehow given me the courage to test my own boundaries and overcome the very things I always told myself were impossible. If you told me a year ago that I would soon write a 93,000 word story that I’m actually proud of, that I’d learn to have faith in the good of people again, that I’d be this senselessly happy all of the time, then I’d probably laugh in your face. But this is exactly what The Novella Project has done for me. Working on our novellas has taught us to listen to our own voices and trust that there’s value in what we have to say. It taught us that stories can change the world, one person at a time. It taught us that stories can change the world, and the world begins with us.

    Rally Against Incinerator - No Incerator Vigil



    Rally Against Incinerator Parliament House 6th Feb 2018

    This video is an operational waste to energy Incinerator at Weston point, Runcorn, England. This is what Sydney residents have to look forward to unless we stand up NOW to stop this.
    Filmed Monday 11/12/2017.
    Click here to view it

    If you have never protested before in your life, NOW is the time to start.

    If you get an RDO each month at work, make February 6th your next day off and join us.  We need EVERYONE to make a huge effort to be there.  We need everyone's help NOW to stop this.

    Together when we stand as one, we are the many & the government the few - Lets make our message clear.

    We will not let a waste to energy Incinerator be built near our homes and schools!

    Please wear RED
    Bring a sign with your personal message to our Government
    (none saying build it somewhere else please, as we don't want Incinerators anywhere in Sydney)






    This is a waste to energy Incinerator.  

                      Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season.

    Friday 15 December 2017

    Royal Commission Insitutional Responses To Child Abuse

    Before, I have never raised this nationwide issue. Yet, now this is the time to reflect on the past and how some people may have been abused as a child by  adults in institutions , where they went outside there normal duties.

    This type of behaviour can cause depression and  breakdown  in life with families, once these people growing up realise what may have happened to them.

    Yes, it isn't what should have happened and I'm probably one of the many lucky ones, that it happened too and being affected. I am Catholic and have been since  I was born. I have been an altar boy at St Canice's Catholic Parish Rushcutters Bay and I was never touched or spoken too inappropriately by any religion leader: priest or nuns.

    If it happened to me, how do I feel? Do I lose my faith? Do I turn away from God? Do I lose faith in Jesus who died to forgive our sins on the Cross?

    The answer is no. I keep my faith. I pray to God that God's people understand that as adults, we must respect children as children and never abuse position of  being an adult, especially in a working environment or even any other type of environment. I pray that it never happens again and that my life has meanings and goals to get too.  Since it didn't affect myself  directly, as  an altar boy I still will keep my faith. Faith is what keeps us strong and  places us on the straight and narrow.

    The institutions that were affected with past history are all going through reviewing process where policies to prevent this happening in today's world, will assist.

    Click here for details of the report

    Where You Can See Christmas Lights In Blackown City....

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    Thursday 14 December 2017

    Results From Relationship Australia On Online Dating Survey - November 2017

    Here are the results from Relationship Australia on  'Online Dating Survey' completed in  November 2017 Click here for details


    Click here for December 2017 survey

    Blacktown City Councill - Media Release - Summer School Holiday Guide

    Media release
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    14 December, 2017

    Blacktown City Council’s Summer School Holiday Guide is packed with suggestions for families looking for activities and outings over the summer school holidays.

    “The guide is a comprehensive listing of all the fun and exciting activities on offer around Blacktown City this December and January,” said the Mayor of Blacktown City, Councillor Stephen Bali MP.

    “From tennis clinics to dive-in movies, there is something for everyone aged between 5 to 18 years old,” he said.
    “The International Sand Sculpting Exhibition, from 13-28 January, is a highlight of the program.

    “The event portrays the Lewis Carroll classic Alice in Wonderland in sand at Blacktown Showground.

    “Beloved characters on display include the Cheshire Cat, The Queen of Hearts, the Caterpillar and The Mad Hatter.”
    “The LEGO display at Rouse Hill House and Farm is also sure to be popular,” Mayor Bali said.

    “The Southern Hemisphere’s only LEGO-certified professional, Australian Ryan McNaught, will construct the historic Rouse Hill House, its outbuildings and stables from LEGO bricks.

    “For fans of LEGO and Rouse Hill House, this is an exhibition not to be missed.”

    Other activities in the guide include: Australia Day wildlife breakfast at Featherdale Wildlife Park, Kidz Blitz holiday program, tennis clinics, art and craft workshops, Aqua Learn to Swim program and a Western Sydney Wanderers Football Clinic.

    “Our vacation-care program runs exciting indoor and outdoor programs that feature arts and crafts, literacy, numeracy activities, construction, science, nature and drama activities and team games,” Mayor Bali said.

    “The guide is a really handy way of keeping the family entertained during the Summer holidays,” he said.
    To view the new digital Blacktown City School Holiday Guide Summer 2017/2018 click here.

    There is also a supplemental wall planner to help parents keep track of their children’s holiday activities which can be downloaded and printed from Council’s website here.  

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    The LEGO display at Rouse Hill House and Farm is one of the many fun events on offer these summer school holidays in Blacktown.



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    The Blacktown City School Holiday Guide has plenty of fun activities on offer these summer holidays.