The latest from Parkville Gardens

Little by little the days are getting shorter and soon they’ll turn wintry. If that prospect dampens your spirits, here’s something to cheer you up …

Celebrate the winter solstice and shake off the blues. Come and join in the friendship and fun of our first Trivia Night, hosted by a professional Quiz-Meister!

We’re casting our net far and wide, so, dear readers, please sign up with your friends and come on down to the Reggio Calabria Club, on the corner of Brunswick Rd and Gibson Ave, at 7pm on the night of Thursday, June 23.

For the very modest sum of $20 per head ($15 for paid-up Parkville Gardens Residents’ Association (PGRA) members) you get to enjoy a generous two-course meal and all the fun of the festivities. International students are especially welcome.

Registration will be via Eventbrite – details in next month’s edition. Now’s the time to put the date in your diary.

It’s a pleasure to report that this year’s children’s Easter egg hunt was a great success.  Thanks to committee member Michael Thom for organising the event, and top marks for lining up such a lovely sunny autumn morning. It’s always great to see children and families enjoying themselves.

On the business side of things, there’s been a number of significant meetings. The Lord Mayor and councillors gathered at the Future Melbourne Committee meeting in Parkville on April 12. The meeting began with a resume of feedback received from Parkville residents and concluded with question time, but most of the meeting was devoted to planning matters in other parts of the City of Melbourne.

Another council initiative has been a regular meeting of the presidents of residents’ associations with the Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor and council staff. It brings home how diverse the neighbourhoods are that comprise the city. East Melbourne, Southbank, the CBD and Docklands, for example, are all quite distinct precincts. Parkville Gardens is unique in being a relatively small and outlying area that is entirely residential, with no businesses, educational facilities or industries, and just one small coffee shop/convenience store.

One of its distinctive features – having the Minister for Planning as the responsible authority ever since the 2006 Commonwealth Games – is no longer the case. Planning authority for Parkville Gardens has been returned to the City of Melbourne. However, all prior approvals for the development of the Freeway Apartments on the land between Galada Ave and CityLink remain in force. The principal change, therefore, is that other residents seeking planning permits will now submit their application to the City of Melbourne rather than the Minister’s Department of the Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

That big issue aside, the PGRA is determined to make progress on our bread-and-butter issues such as traffic and parking, school zoning and connecting with the community.

Following on the success of last year’s event, local resident Ajith Vasanthakumar hosted another morning tea in Cade Square on Saturday, May 14 to raise funds for the Cancer Council. Once again it was a welcome opportunity for neighbours to get together, enjoy homemade fare and contribute to a worthy cause.

The last word goes to the Trivia Night. Do join us on June 23 for a night of fun and friendship •

Residents can find us:

facebook.com/groups/pgrass or email [email protected].