I was pleased to see Matthew Pines of Pennant Hills High School has been named the winner of the 2018 Premier’s Anzac Memorial Scholarship. Matthew is one of 20 outstanding Year 10 and 11 students from across NSW that will embark on a once in a lifetime tour of the battlefields and memorial sites of the Western Front in Europe in June and July this year.
The tour will include travel to Flanders in Belgium to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Hamel on 4 July. The 13-day tour will also take in other significant Australian battlefields including the Ypres Salient, Passchendaele and the Somme.
Matthew’s application stood out amongst the students at Pennant Hills High School. He visited Warren and followed the journey of his great-grandfather Martin Cleveland Pines who served in both wars. Matthew’s research into his great-grandfather and the video he produced were outstanding. He was able to capture the ANZAC spirit perfectly. Matthew also currently serves in the Navy Cadets and I wish him all the best for the trip.
To view Matthews submission prize winning video go to: https://youtu.be/fxdtLJrCVNg
I was also pleased to award Pennant Hills High School with a Community Building Partnership Grant of $15,000. The money was used to upgrade their kitchen facilities in the hall. This is now a top notch facility which can be used by the school and the community groups who hire the hall.
Hornsby Station Car Park
The George Street parking at Hornsby Station is back in full use again. The car park was turned into a work site in June last year to allow for work to be done to improve the Hornsby junction.
Commuters now have quite a few options for parking in Hornsby. There are 370 spots in the George Street car park as well as free parking from Monday to Friday at Westfield. This means customers now have access to more than 700 spaces during peak times close to Hornsby Station.
Transport for NSW is continuing to work with Hornsby Council to provide additional parking for commuters using Hornsby Station as part of broader plans for the precinct.
Free flu shots
Children aged between six months and five years old will be eligible for free flu jabs this year thanks to the $3.5million influenza vaccination program. The NSW State Government knows the community was hit hard last year by the flu season and wants to do something to help vulnerable members of our community.
We all know how horrendous the flu can be and is especially hard on the smallest members of our families. Little kids are also most likely to spread germs so a free flu jab will not only keep them safe, but will protect others they come into contact with.
Children who have never had a flu vaccination will need two doses, one month apart. The vaccine will cover four strains of influenza virus, two A strains and two B strains, likely to be circulating this winter.
Last year there were more than 12,000 confirmed cases of influenza in children under five, with many more likely not to have been tested. If you would like more information, see www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation
Article appeared in the Monthly Chronicle
