Hobsons Bay City Council

We are right in the midst of Social Inclusion Week after following on from Inclusion at Work Week last week. Both weeks are an opportunity to connect and celebrate diversity, enabling everyone to feel included. 🙌 An amazing example of these values is our Pride Squad, who were recently honoured at our Staff Excellence Awards by winning the team award! 🌈 This team has been recognised for their exceptional efforts in responding to community needs, and advancing our work and presence within the LGBTQIA+ community. We are proud of the work we are doing both in the workplace and with the community to be more inclusive and celebrate diversity. Congratulations Pride Squad! 👏

Introducing our newly elected Hobsons Bay City Council. Congratulations to Cr Daria Kellander on being elected Mayor, and to Cr Rayane Hawli for being elected Deputy Mayor at Friday night's Council meeting. And congratulations to all of our new Councillors who were officially sworn in last Tuesday evening. Altona - Cr Daria Kellander Altona Meadows - Cr Diana Grima Altona North - Cr Rayane Hawli Laverton - Cr Paddy Keys-Macpherson Spotswood - Cr Kristin Bishop Williamstown North - Cr Michael Disbury Williamstown - Cr Lisa Bentley

♻️ Celebrating National Recycling Week with a repair café! 🧵 In recognition of #NationalRecyclingWeek, staff have brought in clothes and other textiles for mending at our pop-up repair café. 🧶 Learning to mend clothes and other textiles empowers people to repair items instead of replacing them — a small but powerful way to save money, reduce waste and support a more circular economy. Planet Ark’s National Recycling Week runs every year during the second week of November.

❤️🤝 Footy breaks down barriers – Last week the Tigers faced off against the Pelicans in a friendly footy game. The match, hosted by local housing and homelessness organisation, Latitude: Directions for Young People, was played with blended teams of Wynbay Tigers players, Victoria Police officers and Council staff from all across the organisation. The aim? To create connections and break down stereotypes. Latitude’s inclusive all-abilities football program and team Wynbay Tigers, in partnership with RecLink Australia and Victoria Police, provides an opportunity for those connected with these support services to come together in a safe space and build a sense of community, which is exactly what spectators witnessed as they cheered from the sidelines. As part of the program, Wynbay Tigers plays games and trains fortnightly. They have support workers as on-field mentors, and a police officer as their coach, which works to create positive and respectful relationships. The program forms a significant influence in participant's lives. It’s so much more than football! 🙌 Thank you to the West Gate Tunnel Neighbourhood Fund for supporting the game. To find out more about the vital work Latitude does for the community, visit ➡️ https://bit.ly/3ZrBXiJ

We have partnered with Western Chances to support young people and their journey to employment! As part of the partnership, we're currently hosting an intern for 12 weeks for the very first time. Mayor Matt Tyler recently joined our inaugural intern, Sarah, to discuss her time in the Arts, Culture and Community department, and to provide some insight into what working in local government is all about. Sarah, who is studying graphic design at RMIT, was able to utilise her current skillset to design marketing material and internal advertising, while also developing various new skills to take into the next phase of her bright career. Learn more about Western Chances and creating local opportunities for young people in the west ➡️ https://bit.ly/3XooMwl

👏💪 Last week, we witnessed a powerful performance from Carolyn who had been addicted to gambling, and Sunenna whose husband was addicted. The performance about their experiences of gambling harm was heartbreaking, raw and powerful. It was also a story of recovery and resilience, of hope and inspiration. Our staff were incredibly moved by the performance - ‘Amazing, moving, emotional rollercoaster performance. Very courageous. Loved it!’ ‘Very grateful for your raw, warm, honest accounts. Thank you.’ More than $46 million is lost in Hobsons Bay to poker machines each year. Our Gambling Harm Prevention Policy Statement aims to address the underlying causes of gambling harm in local communities. Since adopting the policy last year, we have delivered events to create awareness about gambling harm in the community and advocated for higher standards in the regulation of gambling to protect residents. A big thank you to Carolyn and Sunenna from Three Sides of the Coin for sharing their stories. Learn more about them ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gmJmHqNn

👨🏾🎨👩💻 Are you a creative, or start up business looking for a rent-free space? Mayor Matt Tyler has launched the Renew Williamstown project in partnership with Renew Australia. "This exciting project aims to transform vacant shopfronts into dynamic creative spaces, reinvigorating the iconic main streets of Williamstown" Mayor Tyler said. If you're interested in participating, find out more and apply ➡️ https://bit.ly/4dyUdL5

🍽️ Nothing like starting your day with eggs and a side of business networking in an iconic building. 🙌 A big thank you to everyone who attended the Business Breakfast this morning. It provided enriching business insights and networking opportunities for our local businesses. We got to hear Karla Fernee from Job Access and our keynote speaker, Simon Kuestenmacher from the Demographics Group, who made data and future trends as fun as it was informative. A special thanks to The Substation for hosting us, and our amazing local businesses for braving the cold July morning to be there. 📸: Ruth Schwarzenholz Photography

How fortunate we are to have amazing role models in our organisation. Our very own Rachel Sarah Lunn MRICS is a finalist for the Woman of the Built Environment Award at the RICS Australia Awards 2024. The award recognises the outstanding contributions and achievements of senior women in the planning and development industry, and celebrates inspirational leaders to inspire the next generation of diverse professionals. Good luck in September!

🌳 Are you a business in Hobsons Bay? You can apply for greening, habitat creation and pest management assistance through our free Green Industries program. The program aims to increase tree canopy cover and improve biodiversity corridors in our own backyard. For more info and to apply, visit: https://bit.ly/4eSnCRP Let’s green up Hobsons Bay, together!