An invitation to community members to attend the local

ANZAC Day Dawn Service Thursday, 25th April, 2019

Assemble @ 5:45am for 6am sharp

The Shrine, SURREY GARDENS

88-90 Union Road SURREY HILLS, Vic

The community service will feature:

A Bugler playing 'The Last Post' & 'Reveille'Songs and poetry associated with ANZAC DayEx member of the armed services reading ‘The Ode’School children reading stories about local residents who served in the Defence forces and lived in Surrey Hills and Mont AlbertAustralian Defence Force Catafalque party will tend flag dutiesCommunity members will be invited to lay wreaths at the CenotaphAt the conclusion of the commemoration, refreshments will be served

*Enquiries &/or requests for ‘Priority Seating’, please email: enquiries@surreyhillsnc.org.au

More information from the Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre www.surreyhillsnc.org.au or phone 9890 2467

GARDENING BEE at the Salvation Army Hall 26th August 2018.

By Lynette Giddings, Chief Taskmaster.

Thank you to members from SHPA and the Salvation Army Church Chinese Corps for attending the Gardening Day. Excellent teamwork was shown today (even if I needed to get the whip out at one stage... Haha!).

Thanks to our generous Hosts Amy & Alan for the delicious ‘Arvo Tea’.

The weather was kind to us and it allowed us to move and spread 4 cubic metres of mulch into the gardens. We planted about 2 dozen indigenous plants (Thanks to Euan for buying those on behalf of SHPA) and some succulents and hardy bulbs in parts of the garden where it is drier.

It was remiss of me not to thank our SHPA Guest Gardener Lyn Hayward for her hard work and great shovelling skills.

I might mention that Ewan Warmsley wasn’t in the group photo because he had just left when we remembered to take photos for inclusion on the SHPA website.

Shame we didn’t take an earlier photo of the MOUNTAIN of mulch before we moved it.

Grateful thanks to The Tree Company for supply and delivery of the mulch and to Geoff White for supplying and delivering bags of native planting mix.

We accomplished everything we planned and were finished by 4pm.

Local resident and Surrey Hills Historical Society member, Sandra Dexter has spent countless hours over the last four years researching the soldiers whose names are recorded on the Honour Roll of The Shrine in the Surrey Gardens. In the course of this she discovered many spelling and / or transcription errors.

Her work has informed new panels recently installed through a Victorian government grant received by the City of Boroondara. These panels also include the names of local nurses who served in WW1.

The Surrey Hills Historical Society and Sandra are hoping to publish her work and are looking for photos of local WW1 service men and women. So far approximately 60 out of the 500 have been sourced. If you can help, contact Sandra on surreygardensshrine@gmail.com

Photo: Sandra with Stuart Camp, son of Adrian Ernest Athol Camp pictured at the exhibition held to coincide with ANZAC Day 2018. Athol of Boundary (Warrigal) Road enlisted on 17 August 1914 and served with the 58th Battalion.

The 2018 Anzac Day service was very well. It has been estimated that there were at least 1,500 people in attendance.

Lynette Giddings received some lovely feedback following the service, including the following:

Thanks to members of the Surrey Hills Progress Association for organising the 2018 Anzac Day Dawn Service at the shrine in Surrey Gardens, Surrey Hills, Victoria. Large crowd in attendance including Cr Lisa Hollingsworth, Jane Addis and Hon. Jeff Kennett AC

Graham Watt MP

I just wanted to thank and congratulate you on a beautiful Dawn Service on ANZAC day thisi year. The way you put the war in context and made clear the importance of the day was wonderful.

I have attended a few local services over the years and this was by far the most moving and accessible. I have three children aged 12, 14 and 16 and they really appreciated and understood the significance of the day.

I have heard you will not be running a service next year. I am not sure about what goes on behind the scenes but many of us who attended the service would love for it to continue in the future.

Thanks for all your had work

Justine K

I just wanted to thank you for a very moving dawn service this morning.

The gentleman who spoke at the beginning spoke so well. I wonder whether he wrote the speech himself? It perfectly encapsulated the mood of the morning.

Everything went so smoothly, the sound was spot on and I particularly enjoyed hearing about soldiers who lived in the local streets - it felt like we really did know them.

Again congratulations on a terrifically organised morning.

Kate L

I really want to thank you. The dawn services was remarkable evidence of a huge amount of work by you behind the scenes. I got there early and was near the front with a delightful family with a grandmother, two little boys and a baby in a papoose! (I think their dad was somehow involved in the words spoken in the service) they represented the huge crowd from the surrounding houses to me in mocrocosm. I think, if it is the last one you are so responsible for, that it was the best service I have ever been to. A wonderful Tribute to those to whom we owe so much.

Jenny N

The City of Boroondara has developed a Shopping Centre Improvement Plan, which identifies streetscape improvement opportunities at 42 shopping centres across the municipality.

Council is pleased to advise that Surrey Hills Shopping Centre is the next centre to be considered for improvements.

These improvements are intended to enhance the shopping centre’s appearance and character, and create a safe, functional and pedestrian‐friendly environment.

In turn, the local economy will benefit as more shoppers visit the area.

The draft concept design aims to:

showcase the heritage character of Surrey Hills by using attractive and appropriate signage, materials, furniture and plantsincrease pedestrian safety and amenity by creating raised pedestrian crossings at side streets improve streetscape appearance and deter graffiti by potentially commissioning a mural for the Neighbourhood Centreencourage longer visits to the area by revitalising the Neighbourhood Centre’s forecourt and potentially providing a public toilet at Croydon Road, subject to community feedback.

The Association's response to Council is shown below.

Surrey Hills Shopping Centre Improvement Plan Comments

Made on behalf of the Surrey Hills Progress Association Inc. (SHPA)

The basic plan has the support of the SHPA.

SHPA strongly supports provision of a public toilet in the Surrey Hills shopping precinct. Whilst our initial preferred site for the toilet was the station car park adjacent to the bike shed, we understand that there are a range of legal and practical issues that prohibit this. In the light of the limited availability of suitable sites, the SHPA supports the Croydon Road site adjacent to the Coles development, as noted on the draft streetscape design concept plan of April 2018. However, it is critical that the design of the toilet be respectful and responsive to the area’s heritage context.

The area under consideration for an upgrade is part of the heritage overlay HO 532 and the proposal must take into account the heritage nature and value of Union Road. SHPA has, over the past 8 years, undertaken a number of projects designed to enhance and emphasise the existing heritage and character. Any proposed changes must be in keeping with and augment the existing improvements.

Specifically in relation to the Surrey Hills Shopping Centre Improvement Plan proposal:-

1. It is critical that the design of the toilet be respectful and responsive to the area’s heritage context.

2. Any new fencing in the surrounds of the level crossing should be in simple white picketing to mirror the existing fencing.

3. Wayfinding signs in the Shopping Precinct should mirror the existing heritage style.

4. Any new murals should be in keeping with the existing heritage murals.

5. Consideration should be given, in keeping with the Design Intent of the Streetscape Design Concept Package to “increase pedestrian safety and comfort”, to the installation of a permanent 40Kph speed limit within the shopping precinct along Union Road, between Canterbury Road and Montrose Street.

A community strengthening grant has been awarded for the completion of the Union Road, Surrey Hills Heritage Project

Union Road Commercial Precinct is of local historical significance. It is a long-standing local commercial/retail shopping area in Surrey Hills. It is important for the local community to be aware of and be engaged in the heritage of Surrey Hills to strengthen community ties with the past and in the last 5 years the Association has been financing and promoting projects which advance and strengthen that heritage and neighbourhood character. This grant application seeks to complete the ongoing work already carried out, which lays the foundation of possible heritage walks around Union Road. The funding is to be used for purchase and installation of 4 additional History Boards and 2 mural plaques for the existing street art.

Work has commenced in conjunction with the Surrey Hills Historical Society to select suitable sites and suitable artwork for the boards and to gain permission for their erection on private property

“The Association strongly supports the Council proposal to site a public toilet in the Union Road Shopping Precinct and that the Council should proceed to fully evaluate all possible sites and to discuss the matter with interested parties. This is a critical piece of community infrastructure, and steps need to be taken for it to be provided on an increasingly urgent basis. This is particularly the case, given the proliferation of dining establishments in Union Road and the increasing popularity of this as a commercial precinct.”

A meeting of interested parties took place on 29th March 2018 to discuss the needs and siting of a toilet. The preferred site is adjacent to the Coles development in Croydon Road. The Council will continue to plan internally with an emphasis on the need to assess the impact of the toilet in a heritage area and seek further public opinion on the project.

An application for a planning permit to construct a multistorey mixed use apartment building at 3 Norfolk Road has been lodged with Boroondara Council.

It is a difficult block to develop and includes

5 storey development with setbacks on 4th & 5th storeys and one retail premises on the ground floor16.6m at highest pointEssentially a square box on the block covering most of the siteConfiguration: 1 x 1BR; 3 x 2BRs; 15 x 3BRs.

There are a number of issues in relation to the Boroondara Planning Scheme.

Council has noted the following ‘merit issues’:

Significantly it exceeds the preferred height level of 11 mAdverse impact on public realm and the heritage overlay both in relation to land abutting (Surrey Gardens) and over the road (the Armenian Church and the heritage overlay HO670)Majority of the apartments are south facing abutting Surrey Gardens – this is poor from an energy efficiency standpoint & internal light amenityHarsh & overwhelming interface with the parkExcessive brutalist bulkOveruse of concrete as a finish which adds to the appearance of bulk

The Association lodged a strong objection with Council regarding this development. The Boroondara Council subsequently refused to grant a permit on five basic grounds. This refusal was appealed to VCAT by the developer. The Association will present details of our objections to VCAT at the hearing on the 8th August 2018.

This is the site between Red Rooster and the new development on the car wash site.

It was advertised by City of Boroondara on 28 May.

It consists of:-

4-storeys at the Red Rooster end stepping up to 5-storeys adjacent to the new development to the west. This is 6 m / 2-storeys higher than this apartment block.Allows for 42 apartments: 25 x 2BR; 4 x 1BR & 13 x 3BR on a c2500 sq m siteProvides 83 car spaces – so no requirement for dispensation re reduced number of car spaces.The development proposal includes roof top gardens but these are private spaces.

The Association lodged an objection of behalf of SHPA and circulated it to members in the immediate area. Basis for objection included:

Height and scale - maximum height is 17+m (ie. 50% higher than the preferred height)Interface with the Surrey GardensCommunal space overshadowed by the building all year round.

In relation to the communal space and light requirement, the developer relies on the area setback at Canterbury Road for future road widening for a second communal space (Public Acquisition Overlay). Long term retention of this cannot be assumed.

A decision on this proposed development by Boroondara is awaited.

The Boroondara Council is considering the construction of a new rotunda as a replacement of the original rotunda in Surrey Gardens and the Association attended a meeting together with other interested parties, including the Surrey Hills Historical Society and the Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre to discuss the draft plans. The proposal is in its early stages. The draft design is similar to the original but on a single level for maximum access.

Although minor repairs have been made in the past, at 100 years old the Shrine in Surrey Gardens needs to be maintained in good order to continue to be a fitting monument to the residents of Surrey Hills who fought and those that gave their lives in the Great War of 1914 to 1918. Works are required to address issues relating to the fabric of the building, the interior of the building, including conservation of the Blogg sculpture and updating of the lists of service personnel on the Honour Roll.

The City of Boroondara was successful this year in obtaining a grant of $20,000 from the State Government under the “Restoring Community Memorials” grants program with community support, including the Surrey Hills Progress Association. In part as a result, the notable John Kendrick Blogg Honour Roll has been restored and the panels of names of servicemen and nurses has been updated.

Further funds are being sought from the Federal Government by the City of Boroondara under the ‘Saluting Their Service’ Commemorative Grants Program, to fully conserve the exterior fabric of the Shrine.

The Dawn Service Committee is in the process of completing arrangements for the final commemorative dawn service marking the 100th anniversary of WW1 on Wednesday 25th April 2018 at 6am in Surrey Gardens. The service will feature a Bugler playing “The Last Post” and Reveille; poetry and songs associated with Anzac Day; a member of the armed services reading “the Ode”; school children reading stories about WW1 veterans who were residents of Surrey Hills and District; an Australian Defence Forces Catafalque party and wreath laying.

Tea and coffee will be served at the conclusion of the service.

An exhibition of WW1 memorabilia, a collaborative project of Surrey Hills Progress Association, Surrey Hills Historical Society and Sandra Dexter, a prime researcher of the servicemen and women of Surrey Hills, will be on display in the cottage in Surrey Gardens during April to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Shrine which occurred on the 7th April 1918.

An update of the data held on the Community Portal has now been completed and the portal has been included in the revamped SHPA website.

The SHPA website is old and the information has not been kept up to date. A program to bring the website up to date and easy to read, making it a useful resource for residents of Surrey Hills, has been initiated. The information had been expanded to cover more of the Associations activities, both past and present, data on the history of Surrey Hills and of the Association and Annual Reports for the last 5 years have been added. Pages on Heritage, Planning, Commercial Developments, Planning Permit Applications and Portal data have also been included.

The West of Elgar Residents Association Inc. (WERA) was recognised as a strong, professional and active voice of the residents in the area of Surrey Hills and Mont Albert in the City of Whitehorse. In 2017 the WERA group was disbanded. At a time when there is significant pressure on Government to increase the density of residential zoned land close to the City of Melbourne, active residents associations are necessary to ensure the protection of neighbourhood and heritage character of Surrey Hills. After discussions with the President of WERA, Geoff White, the Surrey Hills Progress Association has agreed to extend its sphere of operation to cover all of Surrey Hills and Mont Albert within the 3127 postcode.

Geoff has also agreed to join the SHPA committee and to act as the link to past members of WERA and the Whitehorse Council. The uptake of ex WERA members has to date been slow.