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Matter of Fact
October 2014
A free monthly community newspaper for Venus Bay, Tarwin Lower and district.
Published by Venus Bay Community Centre.Vol 7. Issue No 10
Local view..
No one would question that
we need renewable energy,
but the way in which the
infrastructure around the
project has been handled has
caused much community
concern over the last month.
All the relevant stakeholders
may have ticked the boxes
with planning and potential
offsets, additional planting
and permits, however cutting
established trees that are part
of identified habitat for native
animals, particularly koalas,
has enraged community
members over the last month.
A range of community
witnesses stood by near the
Tarwin cemetery with signs
and posters to ensure that
some of the valuable
understory was maintained, as they watched the trees go down. While there may not have been many folk on the
ground, the story and pictures went viral on social media sites; hundreds of people expressed their outrage through
comments and sharing on Facebook.
Letter to the Editor,
It is extraordinary that a project intended to be a plus for the environment could be so devastating in its execution.
The need to connect the huge 54 turbine Bald Hills wind farm under construction near Tarwin Lower to an electrical
substation at Leongatha South has resulted in the removal of hundreds of mature eucalypts from road reserves on the
Tarwin Lower/Walkervile and Tarwin Lower/Inverloch roads.
These trees, habitat to a variety of species including koalas, are being replaced by huge, incongruous concrete
transmission poles, densely spaced and in many cases, dangerously close to traffic, especially on the Walkerville road.
The change to the attractiveness of these important tourist thoroughfares is very sad.
The project partners, agencies and decision makers involved in this travesty should be condemned for their failure to
negotiate a more suitable path for the power lines, either a direct line across open farmland or better still, underground.
It is clear the cheapest solution was paramount in their decisions to the detriment of the environment and the
community.
This roadside blight will stand as a perpetual monument to their insensitivity and incompetence.
Colin Suggett
President
Tarwin Lower Venus Bay Association inc
In response to community concerns about removal of vegetation near the Tarwin Lower
Cemetery, the Bald Hills Wind Farm have undertaken a commitment to re-vegetate certain
sections of the roadside near Tarwin Lower Cemetery where significant amounts of vegetation
have been removed by BHWF for the construction of the powerline. Proposed areas to revegetate are shown in the attached diagram. Area 1) is an approximately 700m long section
on the east side of Inverloch Venus Bay Rd just north of the Telstra tower, Area 2) is an
approximately 300m long section on the east side of Inverloch Venus Bay Rd just north of
Cherry Tree Downs driveway entrance and Area 3) is an approximately 200m long section on
the east side of Inverloch Venus Bay Rd just south of Cherry Tree Downs driveway.
Flora and fauna consultants are preparing a plan for the re-vegetation selecting species that
are indigenous to the area and suitable as understory planting under powerlines; these will not
be able to include plants that typically grow higher than 3.5m. The vegetation plan is expected
in the next 2-3 weeks and will be subject to VicRoads and South Gippsland Shire Council
approval.
Bald Hills Wind Farm proposes to share the plan when available and will ask for comments and
recommendations for plantings from community members.
BOOK CLUB IN A BOX….with wine and cheese!
Would you like to be in a book club? We are participating with the West Gippsland Regional Library’s Book in a Box
program.
We will meet on the second Monday of the month from 5pm to 6pm.
First session Monday 10th October.
First Book: BURIAL RITES; Hannah Kent.
Come in to the Centre to pick up your copy. You will need to be a member of the library,
however we can organize this for you, and it’s free!
Waste Issues
Did you know you are able to purchase a 6 month period of waste collection
from the Shire? This includes weekly rubbish collection and fortnightly
recycling kerbside collection. The service is offered from 1 November until 30
April and costs $109.70. A 12 month service is also available. If you are
renting, you will need to get your landlord or agent to submit the request.
For more information, contact the Shire on 5662 9200 or go to their website
GREEN WASTE AMNESTY
In response to community feedback, the Shire will provide an
amnesty on green waste taken to the Venus Bay transfer
station from 1 November until end of December. Currently
charges apply to drop green waste, during the above period
this will be FREE! It is still free to collect green waste from the
transfer station.
Please see notices at transfer station regarding exclusions for
noxious weeds.
Beach Access update
With the wild weather over the last few months, there has been significant erosion along the
dunes at the Venus Bay beach. This has severely impacted the ramp area access point at
Beach 1. Parks Victoria have undertaken works to allow a pathway for the current school
holiday period and plan to undertake more significant works to repair the vehicle access point
before the November long weekend.
IS YOUR NUMBER UP?
Can emergency services find your house?
Know where your nearest access streets are to give a description
on the phone when directing services; make sure your home is
clearly numbered, ideally with reflective numbers.
COMMUNITY ENERGY…..want to know more?
Report from the inspiring information session recently held at the
Bunurong Environment Centre in Inverloch
The idea of Community Energy (Community owned Renewable Energy
Generation) is attracting interest across Australia (around 50 projects
currently under consideration). Such projects are largely based on Wind and
Solar energy and aim to return financial benefits to members as well as reduce carbon emissions.
Wind and solar are popular in Australia because more people are familiar with them, but community energy
can be very broad. Community Energy can include heating, cooling, wood allotments, biogas, energy
reduction, sharing opportunities for renewable energy generation and more; it can be tailored to the specific
needs of a community e.g. in cold climate countries heating is a big part of community energy projects. If you
can't generate the energy on your own property, you can buy or trade a share of community renewable
energy. A big plus is that you are purchasing renewable (reducing carbon emissions), community owned
therefore not subject to price fluctuations and the consumers have control.
All the speakers were excellent and all had attended the Community Energy Congress, June 2014 in Canberra.
They said it was one of the most positive, energetic and inspiring events they have ever been to.
There was a lot of information about how Community Energy might benefit our region. The current lack of
political support is seen by creative and
dedicated people as an opportunity to
plan and prepare, and be ready to take
action when conditions improve. Lots
more information can be found on the
Energy Innovation Co-Operative website.
http://www.eico-op.com.au
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 03 5657 3108
LandCare Grants
The Australian Government's 25th Anniversary Landcare Grants 2014-15, which are part of the National Landcare
Program, are now open.
Project funding: applications are being sought for projects of between $5,000 to $20,000.
Project duration: projects will need to be completed by June 2016
Who can apply:
 Landcare groups/networks
 Friends of groups
 Farmer/producer groups
 Indigenous groups
 Individuals
Application form, guidelines & FAQs: go to
http://www.nrm.gov.au/national/25th-anniversary-landcare-grants
Applications close: 2pm Monday 20 October 2014
More information: phone 1800 552 008 or email: [email protected]
Plant of the month: Small-leaved Clematis Clematis microphylla
Small-leaved Clematis Clematis microphylla is a variable dense medium-sized climber to 5 metres high,
common at Venus Bay. The leaves are opposite, light green and finely divided 2-3 times, with 9 leaflets in
groups of 3, up to around 5 cm x 2 cm. The stalks twine around other stems. The plants are dioecious (male
and female flowers on separate plants). Masses of scented, cream starry flowers, downy below, smooth
above, form in axillary (coming from the junction between the stem and the leaf) or terminal clusters, from
July to October. The seeds have fluffy ‘beards’, providing another common name ‘Old Man’s Beard’, for the
genus.
The vigorous, tangled climbing habit of Small-leaved Clematis make it a desirable place for nest building. The
perfumed winter flowers attract a variety of insect life including small flies, a bonanza which is appreciated by
small, insectivorous birds at a difficult time of year. The old seeds make valuable nest building material.
Pruning back hard will encourage new growth and keep the climber from becoming too unwieldy. The plant
likes well-drained soil and will grow in full or part sun. Propagation is from seed, which may take several
months to germinate, or stem cuttings.
The leaves can relieve skin irritation but may cause blisters unless used in moderation. The Aborigines ate the
peppery-tasting young roots raw. The roots were also cooked and kneaded into dough.
Small-leaved Clematis belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. The genus name comes from the Greek
‘klematis’, a branch or twig, a diminutive of ‘klema’ a vine branch, alluding to the climbing habit. Microphylla,
as the name suggests, means small leaf. There are four native species of Clematis in Victoria.
For further information please visit FVBP website above. Photo: Lorraine Norden.
P
R E - S C H O O L E R S
C O O K
N
B O O K
T h u r s d a y s
1 0 . 0 0
–
1 2 . 0 0
This is a relaxed and fun playgroup for under school age children and their
families.
Every second week Jo from Inverloch Library comes
with Books/magazines/dvd’s to borrow and does a
story time session/baby rhyme time with the
children and parents.
We always make something to share for morning
tea.
Everyone welcome, please bring a piece of fruit and $2.
Check out the Venus Bay Cook n Book Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/venusbayscooknbook?ref=hl
Expressions of Interest
BICYCLE REPAIR PROGRAM
We want to host a bicycle share and repair program at the Centre.
Learn to look after your own bicycle or borrow one of ours. We already
have about 15 bicycles in need of some love and repair and hope to get this
iniative up and running by summer.
BUT...we need someone to commit to about 2 paid hours each week,
probably on a Saturday to get it off the ground.
For more informatin or to register your interest, please contact Alyson on 5663 7499 or [email protected]
Fancy moving those feet and swaying those hips in a casual and fun environment? Come along
on Monday evenings from 13th October at 6pm to the Centre. There will be low key instruction
and a range of musical styles from twisting to boogie and beyond.
Suitable for all ages and stages!
EXERCISE CLASS Wednesday Night:
Choose to Move F i t n e s s
Paige Holness will be running a high energy fitness class this term,
Wednesday evening at Venus Bay Community Centre
From 6-7pm, cost $10 per class
Suitable for all ages and fitness levels
PIPI MONITORING UPDATE
Friends of Venus Bay Peninsula Inc. would like to sincerely thank everyone who donated to support the
December 2013 Pipi stock count by Marine Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd. 50% of the financial cost of this
research was funded from community donations; the other 50% was funded by Friends of Venus Bay
Peninsula. The community response indicates there is still considerable public concern about the cumulative
effects of intensive recreational pipi harvesting at Venus Bay.
Friends of Venus Bay Peninsula Inc. received valuable in-kind assistance from the Victorian National Parks
Association to undertake the pipi stock count, and Dr Greg Parry, Director of Marine Ecological Solutions
generously volunteered his time for this much needed study. The December 2013 stock count revealed that
the most accessible area of Venus Bay beach, which is more than 10km of the beach, is overfished and growth
overfished.
We are concerned that harvesters will now begin to move further along the beach searching for pipis, with the
potential for more unintentional damage to the beach ecosystem and sand dunes, and further depletion of
the already significantly impacted pipi population. Dr Greg Parry was so concerned about the results of the
2013 stock count that he met personally with senior Fisheries officers to discuss the findings. This meeting
resulted in no commitment to a change of management from Fisheries Victoria, however, we did receive a
support letter for a grant application seeking funding for monitoring.
Friends of Venus Bay Peninsula Inc., assisted by Dr. Greg Parry, submitted a well-researched grant application
to the February 2014 Recreational Fishing License funding round; our application included support letters
from Parks Victoria and Fisheries Victoria and sought funding to monitor the pipi population over three years,
with the intention of providing this information to Fisheries Victoria, Parks Victoria and the Venus Bay
community. Unfortunately the grant application was not successful.
With the November state elections only a few months away, we believe the most effective action now is to
support the Victorian National Parks Association to lobby election candidates for improved management of
Victoria's coast.
To support the Victorian National Parks Association's election campaign
http://vnpa.org.au/page/nature-conservation/marine-and-coastal
Reports by Marine Ecological Solutions Pty Ltd can be found at www.friendsofvenusbaypeninsula.org.au
Venus Bay Community Centre Inc
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Saturday 1 November at 10am.
All community members are
warmly invited to attend the
general meeting.
st
HEAD’S UP…SUMMER IS COMING!
For the third year, the Venus Bay Community Centre will be operating the Free Summer Beach Bus from
December 27 to January 12. Everyday day from 11am to 5pm….but we need YOUR HELP!
We need volunteer drivers to make this work; shifts are for 3 hours, either 11 – 2 or 2-5pm. All you need is a
current regular driving license and a sense of humour.
Please contact the Centre on 5663 7499 or [email protected] to find out how you can be involved.
Tarwin Lower & District
Community Health Centre Inc.
19 Walkerville Road,
Tarwin Lower VIC 3956
Telephone 03 5667 5680
OCTOBER 2014
Nurse attendanceThe District Nurses conduct daily clinics from 9am-11am from Monday to Friday. The Nurses are able to
provide a range of services including wound management, taking specimens for pathology and provision
of general health information. Please phone the Health Centre on 5667 5680 for appointments.
Doctor’s attendanceDr Grimes provides consultations on Wednesdays.
***Please note changed clinic times - appointments will be booked from 11am – 3pm on
Wednesdays. Phone 5667 5680 for appointments.
AcupunctureDr Kam’s provides acupuncture consultations on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8.30am5pm.Consultations are bulk billed. Phone 5667 5680 for appointments. ***Please note: Dr Kam will
be away from 24th September – 15th October inclusive. Next consultation on 16th October.
NaturopathNaturopath Maxine Macdonald provides consultations all day Mondays. Please telephone the Health
Centre for appointments on 5667 5680.
Maternal and Child HealthMaternal and Child Health Clinics are held at the Tarwin Lower Community Health Centre on the second
Tuesday morning of the month.
PodiatristNext podiatry clinic will be held Friday 7th November. Appointments can be made on 5667 5680.
Clinical PsychologistDebbie Birkett, Clinical Psychologist is available for consultations at the Tarwin Lower Community Health
Centre on the first Tuesday, second Friday and third Wednesday of the month. Appointments can be
made by phoning 5662 4800.
Nurse Practitioner-
We are pleased to offer this service to our local community, holidaymakers and visitors.
Deb Garvey holds a Nurse Practioner’s Clinic Saturday mornings 8.30am-1pm.
Nurse



Practitioners are very highly qualified and are able to provide a wide range of services, including:
Medical Assessment
Diagnosis
Investigations (e.g. blood tests, specimen collection, order x-rays, pap smears, prostrate checks
etc.)
 Treatment (vaccinations, wound dressings, minor limb fractures, minor cuts and abrasions, urinary
tract infections, referrals etc.)
 Infections (cold and influenza symptoms, conjunctivitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis, middle ear and outer
ear infections, school sores, simple gastroenteritis, skin conditions and rashes etc.)
 Chronic Disease management
 Contraceptive Advice
 Prescription of medications
People of all ages can attend Deb’s clinics, and generally consultations will be bulk billed. Occasionally,
some procedures may be charged. Please phone the Tarwin Lower Health Centre between Mondays and
Thursdays on 5667 5680 for an appointment for the following Saturday. If you require an urgent
appointment after bookings close, please call Deb on 0467 841 782.
Play Group-
A Play Group for pre-schoolers is held from 9am-11am each Tuesday morning at the Health Centre. Good
weather brings happy children out to play in the sandpit and on the swings and slide. The morning rings
joyfully with their delight. For more information please contact Tracey on 0402995063.
HAPICome and get fit for the summer in an enjoyable atmosphere through the HAPI program. Gippsland
Southern Health instructors provide an exercise program for seniors that can meet individual needs within
a group setting. Sessions are held at the Health Centre on Wednesday afternoons 1pm-2pm. Enjoy a
convivial afternoon tea afterwards!
Phone the Health Centre on 5667 5680 for further information.
Friday Friendship Group.
This group meets every week on Fridays at the Tarwin Lower Community Health Centre. The group
caters for older people who have diagnosed health conditions, or who are socially isolated or family
carers. Activities are stimulating and enjoyable and include quizzes, guest speakers, discussions, games,
musical entertainment and fortnightly outings. A meal is provided and a small fee charged each week as
a contribution to costs. If you would like more information, please contact Michelle Tonello on
ph 5654 2791.
River and Dunes Book and DVD
Books and DVD’S of the performance can be ordered by phoning the Tarwin Lower Community Health
Centre on 5667 5680 or Dot Kennedy on 5663 5370.
TARWIN LOWER COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE COMMITTEE AGM THURSDAY OCTOBER
9TH – 11AM. Guest Speaker: Maxine Macdonald Naturopath. All welcome. Morning tea
will be served at the end of the meeting.
Developments this month through the Best
Start Partnership or Best Start funds
The Children’s Expo Working Group
continues planning the Expo at the State
Coal Mine on October 25. Local services,
local entertainment and free giveaways
have been secured for this event.
South Gippsland Shire Council Supported Playgroups is planning to celebrate the popular annual Children’s
Week event next month at an event to be held at Splash in Leongatha.
Prom Coast Centre’s for Children, South Gippsland plans to celebrate Children’s Week in October with an
event to launch the Fish Creek kindergarten community cookbook – “The Wooden Spoon”. This book contains
recipes from families involved with the kindergarten now and in the past.
The Supported School holiday Play Group facilitated by Scope, Interchange and Bass Coast Health will be
held at Wonthaggi Baptist Church hall on October 1st from 10-12.
An introduction to working therapeutically with Music: The response from 28 participating service providers
attending the Workshop on September 15 reported an overwhelming satisfaction with the content and
usefulness of the workshop.
The Best Start Partnership is currently working to identify new strategies which will achieve local measurable
& successful outcomes for children in South Coast.
S m a l l
B y t e s
Small Bytes – October
What is “Defragging” and should I do it ?
“Defragging” is short for “de-fragmenting” and it’s a process run on most hard drives to help make accessing
the files on that disk faster. Defragging rearranges the layout of files on your hard disk for faster access. It’s
something you should do periodically as files on the disk become more and more fragmented over time.
Think of a computer file as being like a bunch of pages in a book that it has to be kept track of individually.
Imagine the pages are randomly scattered throughout your house. You have a list of where each page is, so
when you want to read your book you go find page 1, then you look on the list for page 2 and go to that, then
look up page 3, and so on. In order to read your book in order, you’re racing around the house like crazy
because the pages are all over. That’s a fragmented file. The sectors that make up the file are scattered all over
the computer disk.
Defragmentation is nothing more than pulling all the pages/sectors together in order, so that they’re close to
each other and easier and quicker to access by your computer.
Should I defrag my hard drive ?
If you have a computer that is Pre-Windows 7 then it is recommended to defrag at least once every month. To
do so Start Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E, or right-click on My Computer and click Open), right-click
on the drive you want to defrag, click Properties, click the Tools tab and then click Defragment Now….
However, for computers with Windows 7 or 8 installed the procedure is done automatically for you as a
scheduled task once a week. Importantly, if you use a Solid State Drive (SSD) then there is no practical
advantage in defragging. One again you can go to Properties ... Tools on your computer drive to determine the
type of hard drive and the current percentage of defragmentation.
Ebooks are slowly increasing in popularity especially with the advent of computer tablets. The convenience of reading
them on a portable device, coupled with ebooks becoming more affordable, has seen more and more people abandon
their traditional paper based reading. Most magazines, newspapers and journals are also now available in a digital
format, some of them free.
A few free ebook websites worth visiting are –
www.gutenberg.org/
www.archive.org
www.booksinmyphone.com
www.free-ebooks.net
www.manybooks.net
www.getfreeebooks.com
Are you thinking of getting a dedicated eReader device like a Kindle, Nook, Kobo ? Then here’s a review of the top 5 to
help you choose –
www.the-ebook-reader.com/best-ebook-reader.html
From time to time Microsoft provides free ebooks with tips and help for using their products. They have just released
another big batch. Topics covered include Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Office 2013, Office 365, Office 2010
and more. Follow this link if you’re interested –www.techsupportalert.com/content/large-collection-free-ebooksmicrosoft.htm
If you’re an eBay user you may have missed noticing that they are now holding“Sunday Sales and Discounts”.
Regularly on Sundays eBay offer good discounts on all purchases site wide. Recent examples have been a 15%
percent off sale, a $20 off sale and a 50% off sale on all BBQ’s. You just complete your purchase (auction or
Buy it Now) and take advantage of the discount. The Seller gets paid in full but you just pay the discounted
price. Ebay pay the difference. Keep an eye out for upcoming Sunday bargains.
Community Luncheon
NOW AT THE CAVITY, VENUS BAY
2 course meal includes Tea & Coffee,October 15th
12 noon til 2.30pm,Bookings essential
Contact Colin on 5663 5555
Give Golf a Go:Everyone can Learn
Meeniyan Golf Club
385 Promontory Road, Meeniyan
5 week Beginner Golf Clinics
Level 1 Open Clinic
(Level 1: for complete novice or people wishing to return to the game)
th
th
th
nd
th
Sundays 12 , 19 , 26 October,2 and 9 November 2014.
Time 10.00 to 11.00 am
Cost $100 for 5 week course.
Equipment provided – Dress Comfortably (flat shoes)
Contact Sue Hoskin 0429 932467
Meeniyan Golf Club
MATTER OF FACT
If you would like to contribute an article or some community news or
information to our newsletter, we would love to hear from you.
[email protected]
If you have an interest in helping to produce and distribute the newsletter
each month, please contact Alyson on 5663 7499.
FIND US ON fACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Venus-BayCommunity-Centre/121189768021814
The Centre’s Regular Groups
 Food Culture program Mondays 10-1
 Crafty Girls Tuesday 12-3
 Computer classes Wednesdays 11, 12 and 1pm.
 Cook n Book Thursday 10.00 to 12 noon
 Broadband for Seniors
 Public Internet access by donation
 Wednesday Winter Warmers: last Wednesday
of each month
 NEW FITNESS CLASS WEDNESDAY 6-7pm
Contact details for VBCC Inc
VBCC is at 27 Canterbury Rd, Venus Bay
Ph 56637499
Send mail to Post Office Box 786, Venus Bay, 3956
Email:[email protected]
Web site: www.vbcc.org.au
Office open Mondays, Wednesdays Thursdays from 9.30 to 3.00 (and many other times
depending on activities and volunteers)
Venus Bay Community Centre is supported by: South Gippsland Shire
Council
Department of Human Services (Victoria) and the Commonwealth
Government
Our Website is www.vbcc.org.au
You are able to find current and back issues of Matter of Fact on our
website.
Please contact us if you wish to be on our email distribution list.
O P S H O P
O u r C o m m u n i t y R e c y c l i
M o n d a y , W e d n e s d a y , T h
f r o m 1 0 a m
H
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u
t
O U R S
g O p S h o p
r s d a y a n d
o 2 p m .
i s o p e n :
S a t u r d a y
We are always looking for volunteers to help in the op-shop, come and see us to find out more