The caretaker's cottage at Williamstown Mechanics' Institute is going to be restored.
I joined my fellow Strand Ward councillors, Peter Hemphill and Pamela Sutton-Legaud, after Council announced that $450,000 had been allocated in Hobsons Bay City Council's 2023/24 budget to refurbish the cottage.
The Mechanics Institute and the cottage have been a feature of Williamstown for well over a century. It's so important we celebrate and maintain these wonderful parts of the history of our city.
It's good for community morale to see works get underway to have the cottage become a usable space for our community once again.
Support our youth mental health campaign
Council has launched a vital campaign for improving mental health services for young people in Hobsons Bay.
But we need your help. We need you to help us show the state and federal governments how much our community supports this campaign.
Ten per cent of 15-25-year-olds in Hobsons Bay identify as having a long-term mental health condition, but the inner west is a desert for youth mental health services.
There are very few free or low-cost mental health services for young people in our region. The nearest headspace centres are in Werribee and Sunshine. They are more than an hour away by public transport.
Worse still, the average waiting time for an appointment is 12 months.
Council is looking to partner with the state and federal governments to provide accessible, affordable and timely mental health support for young people.
You can support our campaign on the Youth Mental Health Inner West website.
Let's celebrate National Tree Day
My favourite day of the year — National Tree Day — is on Sunday 30 July and Council is putting on a wonderful event at Altona Coastal Park.
You can join our conservation rangers to help plant 2,000 plants that will help provide a great habitat for our local wildlife.
The planting is on from 10am to 12pm, followed by a free barbecue lunch. There will also be a free coffee van.
Meet our team at Altona Coastal Park, Altona Road, Seaholme. There will be a shuttle bus from the car park if you need help getting to the planting site, which is a short walk away.
Photo: Councillors Peter Hemphill, Jonathon Marsden and Pamela Sutton-Legaud outside the Williamstown Mechanics' Institute cottage.
