AUG – OCT 2016 Edition 5

COMMUNITYColac Otway

MattersMAKE A DIFFERENCE

join the C ouncil election race

IMMERSE YOURSELF

at the C olac Library

GET ONLINEwith C ouncil ’s new websites

Photo: Luka Kauzlaric

Are you passionate about your community? Council elections will be held on 22 October 2016 and people from all walks of life are encouraged to consider standing to become a Councillor.Anyone who is 18 years or older and who is on the electoral role may be eligible to nominate as a potential election candidate.

Councillors represent the community in the Council decision making process and have influence and involvement in the planning and development of the shire’s future direction.

Mayor Frank Buchanan said becoming a Councillor was a great opportunity to contribute to, and give something back to the community.

“Councillors play an important role as community leaders to represent our ratepayers, provide good governance and act as role models to foster community cohesion and encourage active participation in decision making.

“The opportunity to work with a group of fellow Councillors to make good decisions on behalf of our residents which improve our shire and community wellbeing is deeply rewarding,” he said.

For more information about standing for Council, visit www.colacotway.vic.gov.au

In just over six months since the devastating bushfires at Wye River and Separation Creek, the clean-up of the 109 destroyed houses is complete and rebuilding works have started on the first house.Mayor Frank Buchanan said these were significant milestones and showed how committed Council and other government agencies had been to helping the community recover from the fire.“A great deal of work has gone into the prompt clean-up of Wye River and Separation Creek by Grocon because we understand the importance of removing the visual scars of the fire to assist residents move forward and begin the process of rebuilding their homes and reconnecting with their community.”Council has also been working in partnership with Emergency Management Victoria and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning to fast track the planning process.

“The One Stop Shops are working closely with residents to speed up their planning applications and this resulted in the first planning permit being issued and building work starting less than six months after the fire,” he said.“Emotional support has also been a priority, and the Department of Health and Human Services has provided more than $270,000 in personal hardship assistance grants while Lorne Community Hospital is providing free health checks and counselling services.”The Community Resilience Committee (CRC) has also established four working groups to focus on connection and wellbeing; flora, fauna and beachscape; planning, building and fire; and business and tourism.

Cr Buchanan said these groups were working closely with the CRC to provide input from the community and be a voice in the resettlement and reconnection of Wye River and Separation Creek.“It’s fantastic to see residents come together and take part in local initiatives such as planting days and other activities to give these townships new life,” he said.“This community has shown incredible resilience and Council is proud to continue to support their recovery journey.”

2 | Colac Otway COMMUNITY MATTERS

Make a difference

Bushfire recovery

– join the Council election race

MILESTONES

Key dates

Wednesday 14 SeptemberElection offices open to the public

Thursday 15 SeptemberOpening of nominations

Tuesday 20 SeptemberClose of nominations at midday

Ballot draw to determine the ballot paper orders

Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 OctoberMailout of ballot packs

Friday 21 OctoberClose of voting for postal elections at 6pm

Saturday 22 OctoberElection day

Colac Otway COMMUNITY MATTERS | 3

There is so much to discover at the Colac Community Library and Learning Centre!The popular facility at 173 Queen Street offers something for all ages, and is a hit with the shire’s youngest residents like Mickey and Eammanuel Mathoat (bottom right) who can take advantage of a range of creative and engaging programs like Rhyme Time, Storytime, Storytime with Sticky Stuff and Baby Bounce.

These sessions provide pre-school aged children and their carers the opportunity to explore storytelling, movement, song and crafts with experienced enthusiastic staff and guest storytellers.

Chair of the Corangamite Regional Library Corporation, and Colac Otway Shire Councillor Stephen Hart said the Colac library had something for everyone.

“From the very young to our more senior members of the community, our library caters for everyone’s needs.

“It’s spacious, well-lit, has quiet reading

spaces and a collection of approximately 48,000 items for borrowing,” he said.

“Since the closure of the Colac Library Annexe a range of initiatives have also been undertaken to support annexe users to transition to the Queen Street library.

“These include improved signage, the furnishing of a reading room and creation of a new bus stop at the existing interchange at Colac Secondary College allowing the bus to stop closer to the library entrance, with bus shelter infrastructure already in place.

“A central returns chute has also been installed at Council’s Rae Street customer service area and free wifi and newspapers have been placed at COPACC for people to enjoy.”

Free wifi is also available at the Colac library for users and the facility offers a range of information and technology services including public internet and word processing computers; online resources; newspapers; printing and self-serve photocopying.

“Those who are keen to explore their past can also access the library’s local and family history resources,” Cr Hart said.

The facility also offers five meeting rooms for use by groups and members of the public, which are available both during and outside library opening hours.

Council is trialling an extra day (three operating hours) for the Apollo Bay Library from 1 August 2016. Council will work with the community to finalise the new operating hours. For more information about all our library services visit www.crlc.vic.gov.au

Immerse yourself at the Colac library

Front page image: Ally Donovan

Pepita Marshall and Russell Adams at the library

Council was delighted with the first phase of community consultation for the Memorial Square masterplan development.About 100 people braved chilly conditions to speak to Council at the rotunda about their visions for the square.

Strong themes emerged from the consultation including a desire for more colour via flowers and feature

garden beds, finding better locations for seating and picnic tables, upgrading and improving the playspace, and the ongoing care of the Shrine of Remembrance.

Council’s Recreation and Open Space Coordinator Nicole Frampton said most people did not want to see major changes to the Memorial Square.

“We received some great feedback from the consultation and the online survey, which we are currently collating,” Ms Frampton said.

“Our next step is to consolidate the ideas for a second round of community consultation, where we’ll ask our community to prioritise those ideas so we can get a clear picture about what our community wants, and doesn’t want for the square.”

Council will promote further community consultation via its website, Facebook page and the local media.

For more information about the Memorial Square masterplan, visit www.colacotway.vic.gov.au.

Get involved in the Memorial Square masterplan

4 | Colac Otway COMMUNITY MATTERS

Council’s new customer-focussed sites were launched in April and have already had almost 80,000 visits from people taking up the opportunity to more easily interact with Council.www.colacotway.vic.gov.au www.bluewater.org.au www.copacc.com.auCEO Sue Wilkinson said Council was proud of its new websites, which were ‘mobile responsive’, meaning they would function just as well on a mobile phone or ipad as they would a desktop computer.“Our new websites further reinforce Council’s commitment to being more efficient and easy to deal with, as well as being as more accessible, open and transparent with our information.”Some of the features of Council’s new site include:• Bill paying for four bill types – rates

bills, general statements, general invoices and home care statements, with more types to come online soon.

• An events calendar, to showcase the rich diversity of events that take place in our shire.

• A ‘my neighbourhood’ module, which showcases all the different facilities and features near your address, including sports grounds and rubbish days.

• The ability to apply for jobs and tenders online.

• Tools to report an issue direct to Council, including ability to upload a photo to illustrate your issue.

Get online...with Council’s new websites

Finding out your

Did you know you can now pay your bills online, find out when your next rubbish collection day is, watch preview clips of upcoming shows at COPACC and find out when lap lanes are available at Bluewater, all thanks to Council’s three new websites?

Council will soon start widespread community consultation to seek input from residents to help plan the growth of Colac to the year 2050.

Mayor Frank Buchanan said Council was in the early phases of preparing the Colac 2050 Growth Plan to cater for the city’s targeted population growth from 12,000 to 20,000 by 2050.

“The purpose of the Growth Plan is to guide the way Colac grows over the coming years and position Council to proactively seek new investment and cater for the community’s future infrastructure and service needs, like schools, open spaces, land for development, power and water.

“This is an exciting opportunity to be proactive in capitalising on the city’s strengths and opportunities, like its affordability and diverse industries, to make Colac an even better place to live, work and invest,” he said.

During spring, Council will undertake variety of engagement activities to seek people’s views about growing Colac. The details of these activities will be provided closer to the time via Council’s website and Facebook page.

“Stay tuned for further information as we need local knowledge and residents’ passion about their community to help make the Colac 2050 Growth Plan a success,” Cr Buchanan said.

C olac 2050– have your say

Waste col lection weekThere are three ways to find out if your waste collection takes place on week one or week two:

1. Check your waste collection calendar from last year and if it’s blue, you are week one this year, and if it’s green you are week two.

2. Visit www.colacotway.vic.gov.au and enter your address into the ‘What’s in my neighbourhood’ module at the bottom of the page and it will show the dates of your next organics, recycling and general waste collection. From there you can work out if you are week one or week two on your calendar.

3. Call our customer service team on 5232 9400 and they can tell you which week you are.

Don’t forget to put your bin on the kerb the night before your collection day to ensure it gets emptied.

For more information about Council’s collection services visit www.colacotway.vic.gov.au

Make sure your details are up-to-date

Are you moving house? Changing mailing details? Changing your name? Changing your business? Make sure your details are up-to-date so Council can get in touch with you, especially in the event of emergencies like the Christmas Day bushfires.

Update your details including your email address online at www.colacotway.vic.gov.au, or call Council on 5232 9400.

Colac Otway COMMUNITY MATTERS | 5

Local builder Spence Construction won the contract and has scheduled the building program to minimise disruption to reserve users.

Works will include construction of a new pavilion, netball changerooms and grandstand refurbishment.

The first phase of work will focus on the new pavilion which will house home team changerooms, umpires’ amenities, a ground floor servery, and upstairs rooms for timekeepers, coaches, administrators and umpires featuring sweeping views of the football playing surface.

Council received $2.5 million from the Federal Government for the Central Reserve redevelopment, $300,000 from the State Government and $100,000 from Colac and District Football Netball League, and Colac Football Netball Club. Council has contributed $150,000 towards the project.

The Central Reserve attracts about 100,000 users each year, making it one of Council’s most utilised community assets.

For further information on the construction progress, or to find out about other upcoming works in your area visit www.colacotway.vic.gov.au.

Work has started on a major redevelopment of off-field facilities at Central Reserve in Colac.

Central Reserve redevelopment underway

NOW A WIFI HOTSPOT

WIN TICKETS TO BEYOND

Colac Otway Performing Arts & Cultural Centre has a strong reputation as a hotspot for entertainment and events and has now added free wifi to the mix.

Beyond is Circa’s bold new vision of contemporary circus which will be performed at COPACC on Friday, October 7.

From Friday, June 24, people visiting the centre can log in to the wifi hotspot for up to an hour thanks to a new Colac Otway Shire Council initiative.

Mayor Frank Buchanan said from 1 July COPACC will also have a range of local, state and national newspapers available daily in the COPACC foyer.

“Newspapers and free wifi have ordinarily been available at the Gellibrand Street Library Annexe and now that it’s closing they will be permanently available at COPACC,” Cr Buchanan said.

“So people can drop in, have a barista-made coffee, read the papers and log into wifi.

“This just further reinforces Council’s ongoing commitment to helping keep people connected locally and with the world from the centre of Colac.

“COPACC foyer is an inviting, friendly bright place to catch-up on social media, read the paper, meet up with friends and see the art exhibitions in the foyer.”

Centre manager Karen Patterson said a growing number of people made COPACC a part of their visit to town.

“They tell us they love seeing the exhibitions, we have the best baby change facilities in town, great disability access, people can recharge their mobility scooters, and they love our friendly staff. The COPACC team actively encourages people to meet up with friends or have a quiet relax in the COPACC foyer where they can catch up on the news or connect with friends and family via social media supported by the new free wifi,” she said.

Pictured right COPACC’s Karen Patterson and Mayor Frank Buchanan.

Beyond is warm, surreal and unexpectedly moving. Blending dynamic circus acts like trapeze and Chinese pole with cheeky feats of strength and multiple bunnyheads, set to a bewitching mix of show tunes, ballads and electronica, this creation delights and enchants.

This is a great chance to see seven world-standard performers up close and personal in the Civic Hall in an exciting new show by internationally renowned Queensland company Circa.

To win a double pass to this show, sponsored by Otway Fly, tell us the name of the company who created Beyond. Send your entry to Circus Competition, COPACC, PO Box 283, Colac 3250 by August 30 or email copacc@colacotway.vic.gov.au WIN

Cr Brian Crook, Mayor Frank Buchanan, Corangamite MP Sarah Henderson, Matt Gibson from Spence Construction

6 | Colac Otway COMMUNITY MATTERS

1181

30,129

2574

605

6841

2712

2090

1016

40

1874

2820

6.2

tonnes of waste material collected

number of visitors to Visitor Information Centres

native seedlings planted along Barongarook Creek in Colac

kilometres of urban and rural roads inspected

hours of home and personal care support provided to aged care clients

participants in Bluewater group dry fitness classes

meals delivered to people’s homes and also Senior Citizens’ Centre in Colac through Meals on Wheels

participants in aquatic fitness classes

kilometres of gravel re-sheeting completed on our roads

kilometres of kerbs swept

flower plantings in annual beds at the botanic gardens

tonnes of waste matter removed from gross pollutant traps

SERVICE HIGHLIGHT

WASTE MANAGEMENT

TOURISM

ENVIRONMENT

ROAD MANAGEMENT

SUPPORTING SENIORS

BLUEWATER LEISURE CENTRE

Service snapshotdelivering to our community APRIL–JUNE 2016

PLANNING AND BUILDING

4431

Election campaign advocacy

people have attended live performances

During the recent federal election campaign, Council undertook an extensive social media campaign to encourage candidates to commit funding for a range of priority projects for the shire, including the CBD and Entrances Project. As part of this campaign a range of Colac retailers recorded short videos calling on candidates to commit funding which received a massive 23,689 views – a record for Council. Council is proud to advocate on behalf of the community to ensure our political representatives understand the importance of projects to improve our community.

COPACC

23,689 people reached through Facebook federal election advocacy campaign

ADVOCACY

71planning permit applications determined

Watch advocacy videos online on the Colac Otway Shire Council facebook page

Have you signed up for the Love our Region Campaign yet? If you’re a Colac Otway Shire resident and 18 or older you can join for FREE!Council has teamed up with local businesses to bring you fantastic promotional deals, like free entry to the Cape Otway Lightstation, 50 per cent off your zip line booking at Otway Fly Tree Top Adventures, as well as a range of

discount offers on local accommodation, as well as food, beverage and retail outlets. Discover and explore our magnificent backyard and then share the experience with your friends and family. To join the Love our Region campaign, drop in to one of Council’s Visitor Information Centres in Colac or Apollo Bay.For more information, visit www.colacotway.vic.gov.au

join nowLove Our Region Winter Warmers

Colac Otway COMMUNITY MATTERS | 7

Your council lorsCr Frank Buchanan (Mayor) 0455 949 212 councillor.buchanan@colacotway.vic.gov.au

Cr Brian Crook 0448 352 583 councillor.crook@colacotway.vic.gov.au

Cr Michael Delahunty 0409 155 904 councillor.delahunty@colacotway.vic.gov.au

Cr Stephen Hart 0407 962 412 councillor.hart@colacotway.vic.gov.au

Cr Lyn Russel l 0419 326 624 councillor.russell@colacotway.vic.gov.au

Cr Chris Smith 0400 964 791 councillor.smith@colacotway.vic.gov.au

Cr Terry Woodcroft (Deputy Mayor) 0417 559 258 councillor.woodcroft@colacotway.vic.gov.au

Extra green waste collectionsCouncil will provide two extra green waste collections to help residents remove organic material from their properties in the lead up to the Fire Danger Period this year.Mayor Frank Buchanan said $40,000 had been allocated in the 2016-17 budget for the initiative in response to strong community support for the extra services.“The extra collections will be provided close to the start of the Fire Danger Period when residents are required to reduce their fuel loads by cutting and removing grass as well as tree and garden waste like bark and leaves,” he said.The extra collection services will be provided for residents who already receive a kerbside collection service. Council will notify residents of the exact dates once they are finalised.For more information, visit www.colacotway.vic.gov.au

WHAT’S ON Events

4th & 15th

Council immunisation sessionCOPACCwww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

10th

Council Planning Committee meetingCOPACCwww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

24th

Ordinary Council meetingCOPACCwww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

Early October

Extra green waste collectionswww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

6th & 17th

Council immunisation sessionCOPACCwww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

8th & 9th

Birregurra Festival & Art ShowBirregurrawww.birregurrafestival.com

8th & 9th

Colac Orchid Club Annual ShowColac Showgroundswww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

21st

Close of postal voting for Council electionswww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

22nd

Chase the Dog mountain bike eventForrest, Beech Forrest, Old Beechy Rail Trail, Gellibrand, Kawarrenwww.chasethedog.com.au

22nd

Council election daywww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

26th

Warrion Flower ShowWarrion Public Hallwww.facebook.com/Warrion-Flower-Show

There will be no Ordinary Council meeting in September and October due to the local government elections.

For more events, visit www.colacotway.vic.gov.au

AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER

8 | Colac Otway COMMUNITY MATTERS

1st & 19th

Council immunisation sessionCOPACCwww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

11th

Amy’s Gran FondoApollo Bay, Lorne, Barwon Downs, ForrestFor a full list of the road closures during this event, visit www.colacotway.vic.gov.au or the event website www.amysgranfondo.org.au

14th

Council Planning Committee meetingCOPACCwww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

15th

Opening of nominations for Council electionswww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

17th

Colac Garden & Lifestyle ExpoColac Showgroundswww.smcolac.catholic.edu.au

17th Sept – 2nd Oct

Hunt for the Golden GumbootOld Beechy Rail Trailwww.facebook.com/goldengumboot

20th

Close of nominations for Council election candidateswww.colacotway.vic.gov.au

REGULAR EventsApollo Bay Community MarketEvery SaturdayForeshore, Apollo Bay

Apollo Bay Farmers’ MarketThird Sunday of each monthApollo Bay Youth Club, Apollo Bay

Colac Lions Club MarketThird Sunday of each monthMemorial Square, Colac

Colac Regional SaleyardsStore sales: – First Friday of every monthFat cattle sales: – Every ThursdayBobby calf sales: – Every Thursday

Ways to engage with Council

Follow us on Facebook

Sign up to receive this newsletter electronically at inq@colacotway.vic.gov.au

Visit www.colacotway.vic.gov.au

Email inq@colacotway.vic.gov.au

Call 5232 9400

Four newsletters will be delivered to households each year. The August edition will be included with the rates notice, and the other three sent as unaddressed mail.