Cr Kirsten Langford
Mayor
Kingsley Ward

Hello everyone and Happy Lunar New Year. I hope everyone had great start to the year
Exciting news Cape Café is opening in the old railway station building at Mont Albert Village Plaza. This new social enterprise café will enrich the coffee and food offerings for locals and visitors in Hamilton Street – please welcome them. The official opening celebration is planned for 12 March at 9.30am. I would love to see you there.

On 28 February, Mont Albert Village welcomed the Lunar New Year with a Dragon Dance wishing all the traders good luck for the year of the Horse. A BIG thankyou to Business Whitehorse for helping organise and to Mont Albert Business Group for their terrific efforts. 

Beatty Street Reserve has a new picnic table and new garden beds ready for planting season later this year (see photo). This lovely local park is a popular destination for families – check it out.

Facebook - Cr Kirsten Langford
Instagram - @crkirstenlangford
0423 445 390
Kirsten.Langford@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Cr Daniel Griffiths
Eley Ward

After months of disruption, Yarra Valley Water sewerage works along Holland Gully Reserve are scheduled to end next month (fingers crossed).
Roads behind Blackburn English Language School on Eley Rd have been resurfaced, and a new footpath now links Eley Park to the bus stop nearby. 

A new community group (English Corner) meets on Thursdays 8.30 to 10am at Burwood Brickworks (pictured). This welcoming  group helps native Mandarin speakers practise English.
I'm visiting every business along Canterbury Rd in Blackburn South to share the Council’s new permit support tools and discuss forming a trader’s association to bring the kind of vibrancy we see at Mont Albert’s Hamilton St and Blackburn Village.

Orchard Grove and Mirrabooka Reserve are seeing major capital works with the redevelopment of the new sport pavilion, community space and Orchard Grove Primary School upgrades.
Join us at 6.30pm on 12 March to celebrate completion of lighting works at Ballyshannassy Park in Burwood East.

0431 486 455
Daniel.Griffiths@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Cr Blair Barker
Elgar Ward

The excellent progress we've made on improving liveability through better and more useful public spaces has only been possible with your ideas and great work from Council staff.
Bushy Creek, Elgar Park (despite the North East Link occupying an oval), Springfield Park and new playgrounds are all enjoying unprecedented levels of use. The heritage hedge we saved and relocated at City Oval is also thriving and a living credit to Council’s Parks and Natural Environment team.

Keeping a lid on environmental and financial costs is sadly proving more difficult. I'm sad to report that in an 8-year period up to 2029, Council will pay nearly $65m in 'land fill' levies (a State Government tax on rubbish). $38m is paid by customers at the Recycling and Waste Centre, and $27m paid by ratepayers for kerbside garbage bins. This is equal to about $340 per household. I am certain you'd have a few priorities to spend that on, or Council could fund a new pool for Nunawading, build hundreds of netball or basketball courts or install thousands of solar park lights.

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0459 857 280
Blair.Barker@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Cr Ben Stennett
Walker Ward 

The first Whitehorse Twilight Market was held in Mitcham last month, kicking off an exciting new evening market series across Whitehorse. These family-friendly markets invite locals to shop, taste and explore as the sun sets. Featuring local food vendors, artisan stalls, traders and live entertainment, the markets create a vibrant atmosphere and encourage our community to enjoy Mitcham after hours. The next Mitcham Twilight Markets will be held on 20 March and 17 April from 5pm to 9pm.
I’m proud to have introduced this initiative to support local businesses and help revitalise our activity centres.

Council has adopted the Draft Walker Park Master Plan and is now inviting community feedback until 15 March. The Master Plan will guide the long-term vision and development of Walker Park, ensuring it meets the needs of our growing and changing community. I encourage residents to review the draft plan and share feedback, which will be carefully considered before a final decision is made. 

Mark your calendar for Saturday 21 March, 12pm to5pm at Antonio Park Primary School for their annual funfair. Enjoy food trucks a BBQ, rides, an animal farm, live entertainment and more. Bring the family, invite your friends and support local.

0448 375 937
Ben.Stennett@whitehorse.vic.gov.au

Cr Andrew Davenport
Wattle Ward

On 1 March, volunteers gathered at Gardiners Creek Reserve for Clean Up Australia Day, hosted by the Friends of Gardiners Creek. My sincere thanks to everyone who donated their time and energy to help preserve one of our city’s most loved waterways.

On 26 July, Council will participate in National Tree Day, building on the success of prior plantings and improving biodiversity in the city. Details will be available soon. For more information, visit nationaltreeday.org.au

Thankyou for your participation on the Draft Fenced Dog Park Guidelines consultation. I look forward to reviewing the feedback to inform the development of technical guidelines. Although no sites have been selected, a number of residents have contacted me, indicating they don’t support a Fenced Dog Park in Gardiners Creek, given most of the area is dog off-leash. I’ll keep the feedback in mind when considering investments in fenced dog parks. 

Whitehorse Council is currently developing the 2026/2027 budget and updating the Whitehorse Integrated Council Plan to implement actions that meet community needs. If you notice a service that could be provided to improve people’s lives, or areas of waste or overservicing that should be reviewed, please contact me.

0407 652 145
Andrew.Davenport@whitehorse.vic.gov.au