Are you a parent or carer and not sure how to talk to your young person about vaping?

Join a panel of experts as they unpack the known health implications of vaping and what the recent legal reforms will mean for young people.

This online seminar will also cover ways to facilitate conversations, strengthen communication and minimise harm when talking about vaping with the young people in your life.

Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and will be given information about where to go for further help.

This event is a collaboration with Manningham, Monash, Kingston, Boroondara and Yarra Ranges Councils.

Meet the panel members

Sharon Torpey from Drug Education Australia

Sharon Torpey is the Founder and Director of Drug Education Australia, a leading provider of high quality, factual drug education. Sharon is a qualified Physical Education and Health Teacher, with 25 years’ experience connecting with young people and their parents.

Amanda Low from Healthy Communities Coordinator, Prevention Division at Quit

With a background in Public Health and as the Healthy Communities Coordinator at Quit, Amanda Low leads prevention strategies to reduce harm caused by smoking and vaping within communities and settings. 

As part of the Inspired Living Series and National Recycling Week, Nina Gbor and fellow panel members will discuss sustainable fashion in a circular economy at the Manningham Function Centre.

Nina Gbor:

Nina is a sustainable fashion educator, international speaker, sustainability consultant, and Founder of Eco Styles. Nina is also the Director of the Circular Economy and Waste Program at The Australia Institute and has been featured on the ABC's War on Waste. Nina will talk about her journey into sustainable fashion and discuss the collaborative effort needed to address sustainability challenges in the fashion industry.

Courtney Holm:

Courtney is a circular fashion systems designer, thought leader and entrepreneur. She founded experimental circular fashion label A.BCH in 2017 and built it into a world leading example of what circular fashion could aspire to. In early 2024, she made a strategic decision to step away from making new clothes in order to focus on industry wide solutions. Courtney is the founder and CEO of Circular Sourcing - a climate tech platform turning surplus textile waste into resource. Courtney's expertise is in circular design for clothing, material flows and circular systems design. The heart of her practice is industry transformation for sustainable and equitable futures.

Jenna Flood:

Jenna is a slow fashion advocate whose main focus is helping people understand the issues that surround fast fashion. She advocates for sustainable alternatives such as pre-loved, vintage and clothing made with sustainable practices. Jenna believes in slowing down our clothing consumption by curating capsule wardrobes and buying for long term investments instead of purchasing on a whim or following short trends. She hopes that in the future, more people invest in the sharing economy by renting or borrowing garments instead of owning them.

Inspired Living Series - keynote speaker events

The Inspired Living Series - keynote speaker events showcases five insightful, not-to-be-missed evenings at the iconic Manningham Function Centre.

The series will introduce you to a diverse line-up of local and international keynote speakers offering unique insights on how we can all shift to a greener future.

Topics range from permaculture to sustainable fashion. Each speaker will inspire and motivate simple, positive lifestyle choices, connection to nature and growing a thriving community in the midst dynamic change.

A fun and inclusive day of activities connecting children with disabilities to local sport and active recreation opportunities.

Variety Activate Inclusion Sports Day (AISD) gives kids the opportunity to try sports they might otherwise miss out on.

Aimed at kids aged 5 to 18 years with learning difficulties, intellectual, sensory and physical disabilities. This is an opportunity to have a go in a fun and inclusive environment. 

The day involves:

• a range of sports to try
• specialised coaching
• adaptive equipment
• showbags
• water and fruit
• local sporting club exhibitors
• access to community services
• opportunities to network

Benefits of attending the day:

• the health benefits of physical activity
• building social wellbeing and friendship
• strengthening balance, coordination and mobility skills
• working as part of a team, collaborating and planning
• increased self-esteem through a sense of achievement

This event is delivered in conjunction with Disability Sports Australia.

Disability Sports Australia aims to get more Australians with a disability more active, more often while working nationally to support sport and active recreation participation. 

Variety the Children's Charity believes all kids deserve a fair go. They provide practical and essential support to kids who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs.

Join local ecologist John Harris as he takes you on a journey through Warrandyte State Park’s Fourth Hill.

John will undertake a bird survey and help you identify birds found in the Warrandyte area. 

Walk rating: 3km moderate walk, includes steep and narrow sections, creek crossing, slippery sections and tripping hazards.

Food and snacks

A light breakfast will be provided at the end of the walk. 

If you have any special dietary requirements, we recommend bringing your own food and snacks. 

What to bring and wear 

Bring a water bottle, wear solid shoes, weather appropriate clothing and bring your own binoculars so you don't miss a thing!

Download the Aussie Bird Count Smartphone Application on Android and Apple before the walk and bring your smartphone on the day.

Where to meet

The meeting place will be at Gold Memorial Drive Picnic Ground. 10 minutes before the walk starts.

Please note: the nature walk could be cancelled due to extreme weather.

This event is part our Manningham Spring Outdoors Series, where we offer a range of fun outdoor activities across Manningham.

You can also check what’s happening across other Councils by visiting the Spring Outdoors website.

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Modern all-electric homes use clean energy and have lower energy bills. They can also be more comfortable and healthy to live in.

Solar Savers is a Council initiative set up to help you electrify your home simply with quality appliances. 

Do you have questions about all-electric homes, solar, batteries or efficient hot water or air conditioning? Want to find out about subsidies on offer for these products? 

Drop in and talk with us about how the Solar Savers program can make install easy for you.

Registration is not required. 

Kevin Heinze Grow’s Spring Celebration is back, and we invite you to join us for a fun family day out in support of our meaningful work.

What to expect:

• activities for all ages - enjoy a gardening workshop, pot decorating, and a scavenger hunt for the kids
• nursery and plant sale, including 9 varieties of heirloom tomato seedlings
• PhotoVoice exhibition - experience participant stories through Megan Dennis’ PhD research 
• self-led tour - learn about our impactful programs and services through the KHG gardens, at your own pace
• exclusive tour of our therapeutic gardens with Patrick Wain, KHG Therapeutic Horticulture Coordinator
• art exhibition - explore beautiful artwork created by our community
• food and refreshments - indulge in delicious treats from our café and cake stall
• raffle and prizes - support our cause and win amazing prizes
• support our mission - donate to help more people with disabilities access the therapeutic benefits of gardening. 

This event is for gardening enthusiasts, families, community members, KHG supporters, Therapeutic Horticulture professionals, and anyone interested in learning more about Kevin Heinze Grow.

Don't miss out. Come and be a part of our vibrant community. We look forward to celebrating spring with you at Kevin Heinze Grow.

Join The Men’s Table for an evening of food and laughter in celebration of Men's Health Week.

What can you expect from the evening?

• Food (included in the ticket price)
• Laughter
• Camaraderie
• Connection
• Did we mention food and laughter?
• And hear what is happening in your community to prioritise men’s health, not just in Men’s Health Week but all year round. 

Hear from The Men’s Table, a men’s peer support group that meets at The Grand Hotel over dinner once a month to share openly about their lives, their challenges, their highs and lows with a group of like-minded men.

No membership fee, just the cost of your meal each month.

This event is proudly supported by Manningham City Council and Aquarena Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

About the Men's Table

The Men’s Table creates a unique environment for men to share openly about their lives with other men.

The Men’s Table creates a sense of belonging, community, peer support and camaraderie that is lacking for many men, even for some who already have a group of mates.

The Men’s Table began in 2011 with 12 men who have met once a month for dinner and has since become a national charity and grown to 59 tables across Australia.

This evening will give you an insight into what it is like to be part of a Men’s Table and how it benefits the community as a whole. We’ll also provide details on how to join a Men’s Table for those men interested in joining.

Seeing small birds visit our gardens is a wonderful experience and there are many ways we can create our gardens to encourage their visits. 

This workshop will share some of the challenges small birds face in the urban environment and what can be done to create a safe and inviting home for them.  A few of the local small bird champions will also be introduced and the session includes tips for providing food, shelter, water and breeding sites to create habitat for birds.

Presenter: Charlotte Harrison from Sustainable Gardening Australia.

Supper is at 6.45pm, the seminar begins at 7.00pm sharp. 

Registration is essential. 

This is the final session of a four-part series on Gardening for Biodiversity. The series of workshops is run by Sustainable Gardening Australia and provides tips and tricks to garden for wildlife and support biodiversity in your local area. 

All gardens begin with fabulous soil. 

In this workshop we will take a deep dive into the world of soil and how to care for it. There are many simple ways to improve the soil in your garden and enable a productive and beautiful garden for all to enjoy.

This workshop will introduce you to the science of soil and provide tips and tricks on how to improve soil for a wildlife garden and benefit the environmental.

Bring a sample of your own soil to test pH.

Presenter: Charlotte Harrison from Sustainable Gardening Australia.

Supper is at 6.45pm, the seminar begins at 7.00pm sharp.

Registration is essential.

This is the second seminar of a four-part series on Gardening for Biodiversity. The series of workshops is run by Sustainable Gardening Australia and provides tips and tricks to garden for wildlife and support biodiversity in your local area. 

Solar Savers is a local government initiative helping households and businesses to install quality and affordable rooftop solar and batteries. This initiative is supported by Manningham Council in partnership with Solar Savers. 

Council provides subsidies to pensioners for roof top solar and to all residents who install batteries purchased through Solar Savers. This is an opportunity for pensioners to learn how to reduce their energy cost by installing roof top solar.  And for those who want to ensure their power stays on, even during blackouts, energy security for the home is now made more affordable.

In this interactive practical 60 minute presentation find out:

• what to consider when installing solar panels and batteries
• Council subsidies and other available rebates for rooftop solar and batteries through the Solar Savers program

Native Bees and butterflies are great pollinators and beautiful additions to any garden. There are many things you can do to attract them to your garden.

This workshop will introduce you to the wonderful world of native bees and butterflies. It will cover the role of insects in nature as pollinators and discuss practical ways you can attract them to your garden. You’ll be helping the environment while enjoying the splash of colour, movement and beauty native bees and butterflies bring to a garden.

Presenter: Charlotte Harrison from Sustainable Gardening Australia.

Supper is at 6.45pm, the seminar begins at 7.00pm sharp.

Registration is essential.

This is the third session of a four-part series on Gardening for Biodiversity. The following and final session will cover how to attract small birds into your garden. The series of workshops is run by Sustainable Gardening Australia and provides tips and tricks to garden for wildlife and support biodiversity in your local area. 

Meeting Date: 13 December 2022
Meeting Time: 7.00pm 
Location: Council Chamber, Civic Centre 699 Doncaster Road, Doncaster.         

Council meeting livestream

Time stamps

Learn how to conduct your own frog monitoring survey and identify local frog species with Ecologist/Zoologist David De Angelis and Melbourne Water's Frog Census Coordinator and Ecologist Jane Petch.

About the Frog Census

The Spring Frog Census program is an exciting community activity that is open to everyone. The program aims to involve large numbers of volunteers for frog monitoring in Manningham and the surrounding region.

To participate, simply come along to our free Frog Census training event, where you will learn all about our amphibian friends. You will receive training on our local frog species and how to use the Melbourne Water Frog Census App.

All frog call recordings collected by volunteers will be uploaded onto the Melbourne Water Frog Monitoring App to be assessed and identified by a frog expert. It’s easy and fun – and you don’t have to be a frog expert!

Information collected will be shared with participants and data used to help conservation efforts.

Why frog monitoring?

Frogs play an important role in waterway and wetland ecosystems and are unfortunately vulnerable to changes in their environment such as urbanisation. By helping collect data, you’ll be helping plan on ground action that will protect and conserve these valuable amphibians.

Program outline

• 6.45pm to 7.00pm - supper
• 7.00pm - local frog species presentations
• 8.30pm - optional night walk to the Currawong Bush Park Wetlands.

Special instructions

Download the Melbourne Water Frog Census App before coming to the session.

Please come prepared for the weather and an outdoor walk at night. Bring a torch and good quality shoes as the bush track to the wetlands can be steep and slippery.

The Warrandyte Historical Society invite you to come and learn about the discovery of gold in Warrandyte and how it shaped the township and community.

Warrandyte is justifiably proud of its place in the gold history of Victoria. Gold was first discovered at Anderson's Creek in June 1851. It was the first officially published goldfield, named the 'Victoria Field', in honour of the new Colony. It was also the first place in the Colony to issue gold mining licences.

This exhibit celebrates the 170th anniversary of the first discovery by Louis John Michel and his team. You'll find interesting and colourful banners on display inside and outside the Museum, showcasing
 the discovery of gold and how this has shaped the township and community. They share the lure of gold and excitement around the discovery that continues today. 

You can visit to see the outside banners placed on the fence-line of the Museum at any time during the Heritage Festival. To access the banners inside the Museum, please see the exhibition times.

This exhibition is open from 18 April to 22 May 2022.
The indoor exhibition inside the Museum, is open on Sundays, from 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm.

There is both on-street parking, and off-road car parks available on Yarra Street.

Is now the right time to go electric?

Join Rotary Manningham City for an Electric Vehicle Expo, vehicle display and free seminars. 

Local dealerships and importers, as well as members of the Australian EV Association (AEVA) and EV owners, will bring along hybrid and electric vehicles for you to inspect and explore. 

The range includes Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Mini, Subaru, Honda, Chery, GWM, Nissan, MG Ringwood, Toyota YV, Renault, EV Automotive van, Ford Mustang Ringwood, Tesla Owners Club, Peugeot Balwyn, BYD, Polestar, Volvo, Zeeker, and others. EV charging companies will also be on hand. 

Where else can you see all these EV’s in one place at one time!

Event details

The Expo and car show will be held between 10.00am and 4.00pm in the Manningham Civic Centre carpark.

The seminar program will be held at Manningham Civic Centre in the reception area on Level 1, at the times listed below. 

The seminars are free, but bookings are essential.

Seminar 1: Electric Vehicles industry trends, the key issues, and myths, and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.

 11.00am to 12.30pm 

• Chair Brian Negus - Ambassador ITS Australia, Formerly GM RACV
• Opening and Address - Andrew Day CEO City of Manningham
• Bryce Gatton – EV Choice Consulting and RENEW
• Riz Akhtar – The Driven and the Australian Electric Vehicle Assoc – AEVA.
• Xavier Vagedes, Engineering Manager Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, Robert Bosch (Australia) Pty. Ltd
• Q and A.
   

Seminar 2: Electric Vehicle Charging at Home and on the Go

 1.00pm to 2.30pm 

• Chair Brian Negus - Ambassador ITS Australia, Formerly GM RACV
• Nirav Thaker – Residential Delivery Manager, Jet Charge
• Rohan Smith – RACV Product Manager Home and Commercial EV Charging
• Nick Wodzinski - Head of Product, Chargefox
• Q and A.
   

The Electric Vehicle Expo and Seminars are brought to you by Rotary Manningham City, supported by Manningham's Community Grants Program.

For more information, go to Electric Vehicle Expo.