By MARG STORK
SUE Glen, of Springvale South, being community minded, has a busy
life working as a library technician at Hampton Park Secondary College
and is kept on her toes as district commissioner of Greater Dandenong
Scouts.
There are five Scout groups, which have about 250 members in the City of Greater Dandenong.
The Scouts range from the six and seven-year-olds who are Joeys,
to Cubs around age eight to 10, and then the Scouts for age 11 to 14.
Older members progress to Venturers and Rovers.
“Scouting is a fun way to learn life skills and have safe adventures,” Mrs Glen said.
During the past five years, the number of Scouts in Victoria has increased 20 per cent .
Mrs Glen said she met her husband, Rob, a district Scout leader, at a Scouting function.
She has also been on the Dandenong Show committee for many years
and, as junior vice-president of Dandenong Agricultural and Pastoral
Society, she is busily preparing for this year’s show, which is
scheduled for the second weekend of November.
A piece of history for sale
Margaret knows something about counters, having been the friendly,
helpful person behind the counter at the shop of treasures – formerly
Verey’s shoe shop – in busy Lonsdale Street, Dandenong, until she
retired three years ago.
In a letter out of the blue, Margaret tells me she has a counter
from the old Dandenong Post Office, stored in her garage. It’s “in the
way”, she says, so she wants to sell it.
“The foundation stone (from the old post office) on the new post
office says, ‘This memory stone was laid by the Hon J. B. Patterson, PM
General, on Monday 8th September 1879’. That makes the old counter 134
years old,” she writes.
“I had it valued when at the shop at $1000. I’ve had men drool
over the two beautiful boards which make the top. I purchased it from
Geoff Maggs quite a time ago now and I think he said his father
purchased it when the post office was rebuilt.
“It could tell some stories if it could talk.”
Anyone interested in buying Margaret’s historic post office counter can send their inquiries via me, using the details below.
Dishing up cooking ideas
Dandenong Market has opened a new demonstration area called The
Kitchen, where chef Russell Bald uses ingredients from the market to
demonstrate quick, healthy, affordable family meals.
The mayor Angela Long, said the initiative, funded by the federal government, was a roaring success.
“We have a world-class market with incredible facilities, amazing
produce, and a multicultural flavour that is second to none,” she said.
“Now, thanks to The Kitchen, our community can get a little extra help
to put all that fabulous fresh and exotic produce to good use at home.”
For more information about The Kitchen, phone the council’s health
and wellbeing team on 9239 5222 or send an email to
healthandwellbeing@cgd.vic.gov.au
