2013 Casey Apprentice/Trainee of the Year Award Winners
Blake Collings and Jayden Battaglene are the joint winners of the 4th Annual Casey Apprentice/Trainee of the Year Awards held in Montrose last night.
In 2009 I initiated the Awards to recognise and reward excellence and achievement and to encourage careers in local trades and small business.
Four local prominent business leaders again kindly volunteered their time to sift through the nominations and select those they thought most deserving.
Phil Munday of Phil Munday’s Panel Works chaired the independent judging panel, that included Sue O’Brien of Chateau Yering, Nick Fraraccio of Stevens Glass and Clive Larkman of Larkman Nurseries.
Industries represented this year included horticulture, landscaping, carpentry, electrical, glazing and hairdressing.
From the applications received, the judging panel decided upon 10 finalists.
From the ten finalists, the panel chose two Overall Winners of the 2013 Award - 18 year old Blake Collings from Wesburn, who is a Horticulture apprentice at Oz Watergardens in Monbulk, and 17 year old Jayden Battaglene, from Chirnside Park, who is a Landscape Construction apprentice at Coolabah Landscaping in Rowville.
The Runner-up Award was won by 20 year old David Graham from Monbulk who is an apprentice electrician with Everyday Air & Electrical Solutions in Seville.
The panel chose 21 year old Ryan Adams from Mooroolbark, who is an apprentice carpenter with MN Constructions in Warrandyte to receive the Encouragement Award.
Congratulations again to all finalists, the award winners, and the panel who gave generously of their time to choose some young locals who are excelling in their chosen field and deserve the recognition and encouragement the Awards provide.
2 May 2013
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Space for cyber feedback
During the many meetings and mobile office visits I conduct throughout our local community I often hear parents expressing concerns about internet safety.
And it was because of those concerns that late last year I held a public forum on internet security designed to help community members protect themselves and their families from online predators. The forum featured a presentation by Alastair MacGibbon, an internationally known expert on internet fraud and cyberspace security.
A former agent with the Australian Federal Police, Alastair was the founding director of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre. And his ‘Internet Safety: Surf between the Flags’ forum provided parents with simple, commonsense tools to ward off many of those threats.
Tony Smith Hosts Community Internet Safety Forum
Cyber-crime is a growing threat in our hyper-linked society. But over 100 local residents, community group representatives and small business owners are better equipped to deal with this problem after attending an internet safety seminar held on Wednesday night in Chirnside Park.
I was very pleased to organise and host this instructional forum given by Director of the Centre for Internet Safety at the University of Canberra Alastair MacGibbon. A former AFP officer with 15-years of law enforcement experience, Alastair is an internationally respected authority on internet fraud and computer crime. His final assignment with the AFP was as the founding Director of the Australian High Tech Crime Centre. He was also head of Trust & Safety at eBay Australia.
Those who attended the seminar received valuable advice on avoiding the pitfalls of computer fraud and some important tips on how to reduce online risks. But if you were unable to attend and want additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact my office or access http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/ the Australian government’s internet safety website.
15 November 2012
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ted Lapkin
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0411 221 392
The first week of November in Victoria tends to be dominated by the glitz and excitement of the racing season that culminates in the Melbourne Cup. But during the second week of that month, the Yarra Ranges community is focused on another sort of race – a race that never ends.
Over 18 hours on the 10th and 11th of November, the 2012 Yarra Ranges Relay for Life will take place at the Don Road Sporting Complex in Healesville. This event features teams of dedicated volunteers who engage in a relay-style walk/run to celebrate cancer survivors, remember those lost to this disease and raise funds for ground breaking research.
Sponsored by the Cancer Council-Australia, the Relay for Life provides a wonderful opportunity to promote cancer awareness and help move forward towards a cure.
Last Sunday week we remembered our country’s involvement in the Vietnam War with Vietnam Veterans Day.
This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Australia’s engagement in that conflict. 10 days ago I was proud to participate in the Yarra Valley Vietnam Veterans Day Remembrance Service in Yarra Glen. It was a very well attended event that included RSLs from our entire Yarra Valley region.
From 1962 to 1972, over 60,000 Australian troops saw active duty in Vietnam and over 500 lost their lives. Thousands were physically injured. Thousands of them also came home bearing the unseen emotional scars of war.
Vietnam was one of the hot fronts of an otherwise Cold War. It was also a controversial war. Australian troops in Vietnam faced battle-hardened enemies seasoned by twenty years of tough combat.
