Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to talk about a suburb in my electorate that many people unfairly label. A neighbouring suburb of Dandenong was recently labelled by The Punch as one of the top 10 bogan places in Australia. Doveton unfortunately suffers from the same unfair description. Let me tell you about how one particular academic describes Doveton:

Who knows where Doveton is, and who cares? Is it an address to die for, like Pots Point or Peppermint Grove? You know it isn't. It's just another bogan suburb, out in the boondocks, whatever a boondock is; out in the sticks, or is it the Styx? What does Doveton have to show us about how those in the 'outer suburbs' might live? Doveton is dark, damp and quiet one morning early in winter. The Minaret College school bus pulls out of a driveway at 7.10 am. Around the corner a set of Venetian blinds have been pushed down diagonally by a terrier who sits on a chair behind the sill and barks enthusiastically at passers-by.

Let me tell you about the Doveton I know. It is a suburb with character, heart and a sense of community spirit. I know of the many warm and friendly community minded people that make Doveton a treasure of a suburb. These include people like Les Boyes, Jean Westerman and the late Heather Weston, whose contribution to Doveton I have raised in this place before.

Let me talk about Les. Community involvement has always been a passion of Les, who holds a life membership of the Oak Avenue Community Hall. The Oak Avenue Community Hall has held neighbourhood meetings and barbecues over the years to bring together the local neighbours. The 75-year-old is also a life member at Casey radio and on the committee of Myuna Farm. Every Thursday, Les and the other members at the Doveton club make children's toys out of egg cartons and cardboard boxes. Mr Boyes and his wife Helene have been living in their Oak Avenue home for 40 years. Les and Helene symbolise the Neighbour Day spirit—they have a tremendous amount of pride in their neighbourhood and a commitment to bring­ing people together to build a strong sense of community. I know Les is battling illness. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Jean Westerman has been involved in the community of Doveton for over 35 years, particularly in the local opportunity shop and at weekly luncheons at the Doveton Baptist Church. There is collectively a group called Salvo Access—volunteers who work at the Cranbourne Salvation Army opportunity shop, who devote a great deal of time to helping needy families in the area.

Heather Weston, was a Dovetonite thr­ough and through who, sadly, passed away in June of last year, but her legacy as a battler acts as an inspiration. She overcame the odds and her work influenced countless individ­uals who crossed her path. When Heather became involved with the Doveton Neighbourhood House she was, in her words, illiterate and often felt that she was 'good at nothing'. Not to be overcome by this, Heather quickly enrolled in basic English reading and writing courses at Doveton Neighbourhood House, forming an affinity with the centre that would see her spend 15 years on its committee, holding the positions of assistant to the treasurer, vice-president, secretary and president. In fact, Heather spent a total of three years as the centre's president. These are significant achievements in themselves, but Heather's true achievement—and, indeed, where her passion lay—was in inspiring and driving others. She used her success against her plight to empower others in the community to emulate her achievements.

One of the quintessential examples of Doveton community spirit is Ruth Murray. For over 10 years, Ruth and her daughter Jenny Colvin have run an annual Christmas BBQ for neighbours, local community members, family and old friends at their home in Power Road, Doveton. Over 150 people are invited to the local BBQ, which coincides with their amazing Christmas lights display.

After eight productive and memorable years, the Doveton Eumemmerring Neighbourhood Renewal project came to an end on 30 June 2011. There are so many achievements—I am going to run out of time talking about them—and successes of which the Doveton Eumemmerring community can be proud, including the formation of the Doveton Eumemmerring Township Assoc­iation and creating a community calendar filled with new events including the annual Doveton Show and Australia Day celebrat­ions, the monthly Open Mic night—thankfully I did not sing in that—the weekly fresh food market at Myuna Farm and establishing the Doveton Eumemmerring Resident of the Year Awards to recognise and celebrate the contributions of residents. Local parks, reserves, paths and facilities have been improved including development of the skate park and fitness stations at Waratah South Reserve, Linden Place playground, local pathway linkages, exten­sion to the Doveton Library and the Rowan Park House redevelopment.

A community infrastructure plan has been developed to understand current and future community needs. There have been more than 700 improvements to public housing properties and more than 600 residents have undertaken training or secured employment through supported programs. I have run out of time but this just shows what a great place it is, unlike what that person wrote in that damn book. (Time expired)