Cr Rhonda Garad - Keysborough South Ward (Council News Article August 2023)

After eight years of community advocacy, construction of the Keysborough South Community Hub has finally begun.

Located at the corner of Chapel and Villiers Roads, the Hub will offer a range of services, programs and meeting spaces. Our Mayor and CEO, and State Government Ministers Stitt and Richardson, Dhani Chandra and Heather Louis, Council staff and I recently attended the 'turning of the sod'.

One of my greatest joys since joining Council was attending the soft launch of the One Tree Per Child initiative, where 70 Keysborough Gardens Primary School students braved the freezing weather. A sincere thanks to the Principal and staff for their support.

I introduced this initiative to Council with the vision that every child in Greater Dandenong will plant a tree while in primary school. We also held a second major event with the renowned John Dee (Planet Ark), who co-founded the One Tree Per Child initiative with the late Olivia Newton-John. As part of this program 800 students from 14 schools planted more than 2000 tree seedlings on National Tree Day for Schools.

Our two dog parks look fantastic, thanks to the incredible work of volunteers and Council's Parks team. We're initiating regular meetups with myself, Council staff and friends of the dog park to be safe and enjoyable places for all. Particular attention will be given to providing protection from weather for dogs and owners, and the transition of larger dogs from the old park.

Lastly, there may be some of you who are aware of plans to convert the Keysborough Golf Club into a housing development. This project has a long way to go, including passing an amendment in Parliament. I firmly believe the residents of Keysborough South should have a say in this and I'm pushing for a comprehensive consultation process. I'm also doorknocking on weekends. If you'd like me to visit your street, please let me know.

I'll keep you updated on all these issues and more on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ RhondaGarad4KeysboroughSouthWard/.

Feel free to contact me anytime via Facebook messenger, phone on 0435 107 584, or email at [email protected]