Join us for Reconciliation Week 💬 How to improve your verge 🌱 Preparing for storm season 🌧️
Soundings eNews MAY 2023 | View this in your browser
Reconciliation Week (27 May - 3 June)
This year’s theme is 'Be a Voice for Generations'. It encourages all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation in our everyday lives — where we live, work and socialise.
The City continues to work towards reconciliation, and we remain connected to our community’s heritage by celebrating our First Nations culture and creating opportunities and events that highlight the long and rich history on Beeliar Boodja.
You are invited to come along to any of our Reconciliation Week events:
Breakfast and Flag Raising Thursday 25 May City of Cockburn Function Room, 9 Coleville Crescent, Spearwood
7.30am: Free breakfast begins 8-10am: Virtual event with Reconciliation WA including guest speakers 10.15-11am: Flag Raising
The City encourages residents, property owners, and managers to maintain their verges for a better-looking suburb and improved biodiversity and wildlife habitat.
Homeowners are responsible for mowing, mulching, pruning, weeding, and watering their verge and can install fruit and vegetable planters with prior approval from the City. The City is responsible for pruning residential verge trees, and residents can apply for a residential verge tree on the City'swebsite. You can also improve your verve by incorporating a waterwise design and plantings, low groundcovers, mulched gardens, and vegetable and fruit gardens, among other things. Visit our website to learnwhat is and is not allowed on your verge, and see below for details on the upcoming waterwise gardening events that can save you money and the environment.
Save the environment and your wallet
Come along to one of our waterwise gardening events this May and see the simple ways you can adapt your garden to our hot environment and reduce water consumption.Waterwise Workshop led by Chris Ferreira – 10am-noon, Thursday 18 May at the Spearwood LibraryWaterwise Workshop led by Chris Ferreira – 10am-noon, Saturday 20 May at the Spearwood LibraryPop-up waterwise garden and verge display – 15-22 May out the front of the Spearwood LibraryYou can also learn about the City’s Waterwise Verge Rebate which offers residents up to $250 and a range of gardening materials to improve their verges.
In the first quarter of the year, our Rangers handed out 24 fines to dog owners for not keeping their dogs on a lead, and for dog attacks including those that caused injury. Around 125,000 people and more than 16,000 dogs call Cockburn home so if you are a dog owner, please be responsible so we can all live safely together.
The stormy weather is here, so be prepared or feel the full force of mother nature! Here are some quick tips to get you started:
Trim branches around your home to prevent them from falling on your roof.Clear gutters and downpipes so they don't overflow after heavy rain.Store or weigh down loose objects around your home that could be picked up and thrown by strong winds, causing damage or injury.Prepare an emergency kit with a battery-operated radio, torch, spare batteries, and first aid kit.Organise an emergency plan, including a plan to evacuate your family and pets in case your home is flooded or badly damaged.
National Volunteer Week gives us the opportunity to collectively recognise the importance of volunteers and the vital work they do selflessly in our communities.
If you want to find out how you can become a volunteer in Cockburn and what volunteer roles are out there, or if you’re an organisation or business that wants to get involved, get in touch with our Cockburn Volunteer Resource Centre. They are open by appointment Monday to Friday, 9am-4pm. Call them on 08 9411 3490 or email [email protected].
Whether a personal tale of triumph, a heart-warming memory, or a lesson learned the hard way, your story deserves to be heard. And now, with the 'Stories of Cockburn Women' workshop, you can learn how to share it with others.
This free workshop will teach you how to identify and develop your story, and then communicate it with confidence and authenticity. Discover the power of personal storytelling, and how it can transform both you and your audience.
The workshop will take place on 24 May from 6-8pm, at the Coolbellup Community Hub, 90 Cordelia Avenue. And to make the experience even more enjoyable, dinner will be provided.
So why wait? Take the first step towards sharing your unique story. We can't wait to hear what you have to say.
Up-skill with our FREE Community Training Programs!
Are you a member of a Cockburn group, club or not-for-profit? Do you want to increase your awareness and understanding of disability in order to better support your volunteers and staff?
Then join us for our latest session on Disability Awareness! This FREE, fun and engaging workshop will be held on Wednesday 10 May at the City Administration building from 6-8pm.
During the session, we'll cover definitions and awareness of access and inclusion, strategies for inclusion for people of all abilities, and resources in the community to support people with a disability.
Our goal is to help you feel comfortable, inclusive and knowledgeable in supporting and managing volunteers or staff with disability. Don't miss out on this valuable opportunity to learn and grow!
Celebrate National Families Week with some good old-fashioned family fun!
Our annual family dance event is just around the corner, and you won't want to miss out.
Join us at the Len Packham Clubrooms on Friday 19 May at 5.30pm for a night of wholesome entertainment suitable for families with children up to 10 years old (though everyone is welcome to attend!).
Featuring the lively tunes of the Numguts Bush Band (pictured above), as well as a free sausage sizzle, tea and coffee, and a photo booth to capture your memories, this is an event that you won't forget. Bring the whole family and get ready to dance the night away!
The Water Corporation is constructing a new 2.6km water pipeline underneath Beeliar Drive and Armadale Road and then along Solomon Road in Treeby, to help meet the service demands of the new subdivision. Construction will start in May and take approximately six months to complete, with a staged approach to construction.
There will be construction impacts such as noise, dust, vibrations, and traffic interruptions. However, the impacted areas will be restored to their original condition and efforts will be made to minimise the impacts on the community.
The Local Government Panel has found that Councillor Michael Separovich, a Councillor for the City of Cockburn, breached Regulation 20 of the Local Government (Model Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021 when he threatened Mr Donald Mervyn Green, who was at the time the City’s Complaints Officer, in relation to a minor breach complaint that was made against him by a member of the public.
Councillor Separovich’s conduct was wrongful and inappropriate and deserving of a penalty and, further, his comments were likely to cause detriment to Mr Green.
The Panel censures Councillor Separovich for the breach of Regulation 20 of the Local Government (Model Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021.
