Family forum to ponder services

By Melissa Meehan
THE NEED for tertiary education options, community funding and child services were on the agenda on Tuesday at a family forum held at the Cardinia Cultural Centre.
Members of the community were invited to have their say at the forum held by local Liberal candidate Brad Battin and Member for Eastern Victoria Region Edward O’Donohue about how family life could be better in Cardinia Shire.
Emerald Community House co-ordinator Mary Farrow highlighted the need for more funding for her organisation and others like hers.
“We are the backbone for our community,” she said.
“Especially since we are so far away from services in Pakenham and other areas.”
Pakenham U3A’s Ron Topp said without funding services like the U3A were limited in what they could offer the community.
“We are a total volunteer organisation – we work five days a week without pay,” he said.
“But we are often taking up the slack of the culturally diverse that have higher needs than some others – in Pakenham. We have a Brazilian and Sudanese population and without funding it’s difficult to provide them with what they need.”