I rise today to talk about all of the great stuff happening in Yerrabi, and there is much to cover. In January, I was very lucky to drop in to the recently opened Gunners Place, on Gribble Street in the Gungahlin town centre. I would like to thank Shaun Hodson and the team at Gunners Place for inviting me to check out this incredible space that the ACT government, in partnership with a range of community organisations, have set up to serve Yerrabi as a new youth and community hub and a base from which other groups can support the community. Gunners Place has been a long-term goal and a passion project for many people, and I am very pleased to see it up and running.
It was also fantastic to drop in to the Canberra Environment Centre and see how they have settled into their new home at Gungaderra Homestead in Harrison. Their reinvigorated community garden, recycling and sustainable education programs are welcome assets and are highly appreciated by the local community.
As always, Yerrabi’s multicultural community have been quite active. They really got involved in Australia Day activities, which I note is also India’s Republic Day. I was very glad to join FINACT at the Margaret Hendry primary school to celebrate the day and also to meet the new High Commissioner to Australia from India. On the same day, I also had the pleasure of attending the Afro-Aboriginal Cultural Showcase at the Yerrabi Pond, and saw a bunch of great performances from many local groups.
In March, I was delighted to attend FINACT’s annual AusIndia Fair at EPIC, an event that continues to bring together a large part of our Indian community and celebrates all of the different things going on in the community. I very much enjoyed attending the BAPS inauguration festival for the new temple in Taylor and the Nagar Yatra parade, a big celebration leading to the opening of the temple.
Another great event that I had the pleasure of attending was the golf day of Skye and her family for the Children’s Tumour Foundation, which was held at Gungahlin Lakes club. It was a great day where everyone got involved and had a few shots. No balls went missing, but there were a lot of fun times and a lot of money was raised.
Lastly, I would like to note that I attended the CMC’s iftar and dinner at the Gungahlin mosque, just the other weekend, and it was wonderful to see the community coming together and celebrating.
March was also a great month for updates on the Giralang shops. There was a little bit of activity around some stuff that has been going on there. Everyone is quite happy to see that development progressing. A lease variation has been put in, which I had a number of people ask me about, and I have confirmed with the developer that it is for a Pilates studio that was interested in operating in the shops. We have also had confirmed a cake shop and a supermarket, and everything is progressing. I understand that the development is on track, subject to finalisation of approvals, and that we will start to see that one finally open.
Finally, while it has only been April for a few days, Yerrabi has still managed to pack in one last honourable mention. This Monday, in my own suburb of Franklin, I attended the first sod turn to mark the beginning of construction of the new fenced dog park. Even though my cat Portia will not let me bring home a puppy, I have long been a proponent of the park, as it is necessary infrastructure for Franklin, which, like the rest of Canberra, has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the country. This was reflected in the government’s 2022 community consultation, in which Franklin residents confirmed the need and enthusiastic support for the park. I am, along with just about every dog in Franklin, very much looking forward to its completion.
