The local boating and fishing community gathered in Rhyll on Friday night, to check out Better Boating Victoria’s draft plans for the Rhyll boating facility upgrade. Representatives from Maritime Safety Victoria and the Victorian Fisheries Authority were also on hand on the night, to answer questions, provide a barbecue and they even put on a live flare demonstration! The community feedback received on the night will be used to develop the final plans for the upgrade, which will see a number of improvements made to the safety and useability of the current facility. If you couldn’t make it to the drop in session on Friday, jump on to Better Boating Victoria’s Facebook page to participate in the online consultation.

The Rail Trail Illumination Project, which received $198,000 through the State Government’s Pick My Project community grant initiative, was officially launched on Friday night. Forty-eight solar lights have now been installed along the Bass Coast Rail Trail between McKenzie Street and South Dudley Road, including in the car park and community space behind Apex Park. It is so great to see this fantastic community driven Project come to fruition, which will benefit trail users as well as the wider community. The lights have improved visibility, increased access and convenience and are bound to give Trail users a better sense of security. A special shout out to Karen Thorp and Max Richter, who submitted the original application for consideration.

Yesterday marked the start of the United Nation’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign. The campaign takes place every year between the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November and International Human Rights Day on 10 December. In Australia, the statistics around violence against women are alarming. On average, one woman is murdered by a current or former partner each week. Everyone has a role to play to help stop gender-based violence in Australia. If you see something, call it out.