Welcome To KANDO. The Kinglake Action Network & Development Organisation Inc Website Enjoy your visit, stay awhile, have your say, register.

Do you have a rebuilding project you need help with, do you want to build up new skills, get a Certificate & have fun with others?

The Kinglake Ranges Community Work Engagement Program (KRCWEP) is now in full swing having commenced on 7 June with nearly 50 people already enrolled.

The KRCWEP emerged from KANDO’s partnership with project management team, Kunexion, and our community partners, Kinglake Ranges Men’s Shed, Kinglake Ranges Neighbourhood House, Kinglake Ranges Community Dining, and Firefoxes. The Program runs each Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for a total of 26 weeks (school holidays excluded).  Our project based learning courses currently host four interdependent and creative projects around: timber; gardening; catering; and film-making.  Our local Project Leaders are Ingrid Lehman, Jodie Thorneycroft, Heath Collins, Norman Archibald and Kate Jones.  A heart-felt thanks and congratulations go to all our community project partners for making this life-changing opportunity possible.  Interested and want to learn more?  Please contact Project Manager, John Shone 0408 429 095.

Following the success of our Kinglake Ranges Water Forum earlier this year, a Water Action Group has formed and continues to meet to pursue strategies for ensuring the long term sustainable use of our districts unique and highly valued water resources. If you are interested in hearing more then drop us a line.

Our ‘Ready for Anything’ Film Festival commences on Tuesday 6 July at the Kinglake Village Hall. Drinks and Nibbles will be available from 7:00pm with the film commencing at 7:30pm. The first film we are showing is the acclaimed ‘The End of Suburbia - Oil Depletion and the Collapse of the American Dream.’

Ready for Anything will screen films such as ‘The Power of Community’, ‘Flow’, ‘Out of the Blue’, ‘Food Inc’, ‘Soil’, ‘Burn Up’ and ‘Six Degrees’ which highlight community preparedness and transitions to resilience issues and successful actions.  For more details and RSVP via email at: readyforanything@yahoo.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Last, but by no means least, is a reminder to everyone about the important commencement of the Kinglake Ranges Flowerdale & Toolangi Master Planning process. This is our chance to secure a long term vision and strategic plans for the development of our townships of Kinglake West-Pheasant Creek and Kinglake.

While we’re all suffering “meeting & over-consultation fatigue” please try to have your say and keep your eye out for upcoming community consultations. Thanks especially must go to Bill Gale and the KRCRC for all the hard work that has gone into ensuring we will finally have a coherent land use and settlement plan for the Kinglake Ranges.

KANDO CONTACT
Secretary, Will Polak – 0407 866 691    kinglake.kando@gmail.com

KINGLAKE RANGES WATER FORUM REPORT – 13-14 MARCH 2010

KANDO & the Murrindindi Climate Network (MCN) held a fabulous 2 Day Water Forum for the Kinglake Ranges at the Community Village last month.  The Forum was supported by the Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority (GBCMA) and Cr Sally Abbott Smith, who holds the Portfolio for Climate Change & Natural Environment at Murrindindi Shire Council (MSC).

Matt Parsons, Manager of Development and Environmental Services at MSC, discussed the How, Why and What of “waste” water treatment systems.  A number of manufacturers were on hand to explain how their different products work.  Essentially, most modern “water treatment packages” incorporate a standard septic system (a single chamber divided by a partition called a “baffle” that holds solids on one side and allowing liquids to pass out the other) with an additional aerated chamber.  More advanced systems will have a third process that kills any remaining pathogens using chemicals or ultraviolet light.  The level of treatment will determine how the treated water can be reused in your garden.  An alternate “package” was demonstrated by A&A worm farms, a complete water treatment system that processes all of a household’s kitchen and garden waste as well as paper, cardboard and effluent!

Stuart Maquire of Green Makeover showed us how any home can be made into a super-efficient, energy creating, water saving, food growing island of independence – take a look at http://www.greenmakeover.com.au/.

We were privileged to have a group of world-renowned water experts come from across Australia to discuss Kinglake’s strengths and vulnerabilities within the wider Australian water system and in the contexts of bushfire and climate change.  These were Simon Cowan, Manager of Groundwater and Unregulated Systems from Goulburn Murray Water; Juliet LeFeuvre, Manager of Environment Victoria; Bernard Eddy from the Australian Water Network; Jason Alexandra who has worked for a wide range of non-government, government and private sector organisations on many diverse projects, (including environmental research and policy, sustainable land-use and natural resources management); and Dr Richard Evans, Principal Hydrogeologist at Sinclair Knight Merz Consulting.

Each of the speakers reminded us of the challenges facing Australian river systems, irrigators and urban water supplies.  Participants engaged the presenters to discuss with vigour the tensions between environmental, domestic and commercial water uses, together with the complexities of water governance at local, catchment, state and national levels.

While their views and perspectives were different, the advice of the expert panel to the Kinglake Ranges communities was shared: the Kinglake Ranges with its high rainfall and high quality surface and groundwater system is a valuable water rich community.

Each panel member stressed the point that Kinglake Ranges citizens need to decide together how local water resources should be best used, and include our water aspirations in an integrated vision for Kinglake Ranges. We should also embed ground and surface water use stewardship and governance, food production, land-use and community development as central planks in the Kinglake Ranges Masterplan.

We wish to thank former MSC Mayor, Lyn Gunter for Moderating.  Lyn has vast experience and knowledge to share surrounding the water topic, and is a long term Board Member of the GBCMA.

Much genuine appreciation goes to Mary Hall and Duncan Hall from the MCN, and Rhiannon Apted of the GBCMA for their support and assistance.  A big thanks too to Community Dining, and in particular Lucy Filor, for the extra food and help with cleanup and photography.

To find out more about the KANDO Water Action Group, to receive a copy of the (amateur) DVD and presentations of the day & join the email discussions on water issues please contact kinglake.kando@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or  phone Vicki Ruhr 0488 978 033.

Kinglake Ranges Work Experience Project

A community partnership has been formed to deliver the

KINGLAKE RANGES WORK EXPERIENCE PROJECT.

This is a staged employment pathways program involving work experience over two days and accredited training on a third day for 26 weeks from 8 March 2010.

The free program is open to Kinglake Ranges residents 16+ whose workforce participation is still disrupted by the Black Saturday February 2009 Bushfires.

Positions are available for project supervisors and trainers.

The project is centred around timber and food as part of the launch of

NUMBER ONE CREEK TIMBER KINGLAKE AUSTRALIA.

Contact/Enquiries - Vicki Ruhr, President KANDO

M: 0488 978 033

E: vicki.ruhr@kinglakeolivegrove.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

SMS or EMAIL YOUR INTEREST NOW!

March 13, 2010 9:30 am

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March 14, 2010 4:00 pm

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Understanding the Water Cycle and Our Impact on the Catchment

Co-Hosted by the Kinglake Action Network & Development Organisation, Inc & the Murrindindi Climate Network, Inc.

Saturday & Sunday 13-14 March 2010
Community Centre at the Kinglake Temporary Village
All welcome - free entry

continue reading "Kinglake Ranges Water Expo"