REVITALISING

OUR TOWN

CENTRE

BRIMBANK.VIC.GOV.AU

SUNSHINE

RISING

ISSUE 48, SPRING 2023

LIGHTING UP

SUNSHINE

The Bennet Street windows at Sunshine Library, corner of Hampshire Road, are

shining bright – night and day – with the Wild Flowers of Kororoit installation.

This project was a collaboration between Brimbank City Council and the Friends

of the Kororoit Creek. The Friends provided images of wild flowers that grow

along the creek, which were then transformed into artistic lighting, providing

an additional attraction for Sunshine and illuminating the footpath between

Hampshire Road and the Bennet Street carpark.

INSIDE

THIS ISSUE

•

Lighting Up Sunshine

•

Shine a Light on You

– Original Crew Barbershop,

Durham Road, Sunshine

•

Sunshine Place

Manager Update

•

Brimbank

Business Update

SUNSHINE

RISING

COVER STORY CONTINUED

We interviewed Jessica Gerger, President of the Friends of the Kororoit Creek, to learn

more about these wild flowers and why it’s important that we all keep our streets free

from litter, like cigarette butts, and help look after our local environment.

Most of the flowers bloom anytime

from spring to autumn, but some of

the toughies like the bluebells started

to flower in July. If you visit the creek

in spring you will see them in all their

glory, and if you are careful, and can

get close to these plants, you will see

how truly beautiful and fascinating

these tiny floral jewels are.

Many of the wildflowers and plants

that we work with are threatened

or endangered. These flowers

would have grown abundantly

across the Victorian Volcanic Plains

Grasslands, which once covered a

third of Victoria, but are now critically

endangered. Recently an adorable

little lizard, the Victorian Grassland

Earless Dragon, was rediscovered

after having been thought to be

extinct for 50 years.

Our water ways need protecting from

contamination and we can do this

by making sure that street litter like

cigarette butts and other pollutants

don’t enter the creek. Kororoit Creek

is often inundated by the flow of

water and this washes away plants,

macroinvertebrate life and nests.

So the more rainwater tanks, water

sensitive design, swales and wetlands

we have the better for our creek life.

The FOKC is always happy to give

people tours of our sites to look at

the plants in action and everyone is

very welcome at our planting events

and weekly working bees.

www.fokc.org.au/our-team

www.facebook.com/

friendsofkororoitcreek/

All of these indigenous flowers attract

insects, which is hugely important.

Insect numbers are declining

worldwide. Many of these plants also

work beautifully in residential gardens,

and by planting them people may be

helping a species come back from

the brink. Many of these plants are

available in local nurseries, such as the

Newport Lakes Native Nursery.

BRIMBANK.VIC.GOV.AU

SHINE A LIGHT ON YOU – ORIGINAL CREW

BARBERSHOP – DURHAM ROAD SUNSHINE

Viet and his sister came to Australia

over 17 years ago and while most

of their family still live in Vietnam,

near Hanoi, they visit Sunshine a lot.

Their mum has visited Sunshine five

times to date. Viet attended Scotch

College and then a college in Queen

Street in Melbourne. After completing

his tertiary education, Viet set up

shop in Sunshine after finding his

perfect location which is next to a

park, adjacent a bus stop, close to the

train station and part of a residential

apartment block.

Like so many businesses, Viet managed

to get through the COVID lockdowns

by adapting and pivoting his service.

Coming out of the lockdowns, Viet was

determined that his point of difference

would be ‘having a place where the

community could chill’.

Viet noticed a local person called

Jericho on Instagram, who was always

posting about good coffee. Jericho, had

been working as a barista at Starbucks

and other cafes in Altona and the

Docklands, while dreaming of one day

opening his own café. Viet contacted

him and offered him the opportunity

to fit out and run his own cafe, inside

the barber shop. It was, as they say, a

match made in Sunshine.

Jericho’s family came from Baguio

on Luzon Island, in the Philippines.

He and his two sisters grew up in

Truganina and attended Caroline

Chisholm College.

Jericho runs the café six days a week.

He brews Espresso Vivo coffee and

toasts thick cut sandwiches that are

stuffed full of yummy ingredients,

and crispy fluffy croissant that use

premium Dutch butter and are baked

in North Melbourne. You can also

buy hair and shaving products, coffee

beans and holistic health products

such as Lions Mane.

So what makes Original Crew,

original? You can have a coffee and

a croissant in the sunshine while you

wait for your barber. You can play a

game of Mario Kart while you wait

for your turn in the barber’s chair.

You can try on merchandise, peruse

the range of wellbeing products,

or just relax on the comfortable

couches. This is one of those rare

places, where you don’t feel under

pressure to purchase something or

leave straight after you have finished.

BRIMBANK.VIC.GOV.AU

BRIMBANK

BUSINESS

UPDATE

The Sunshine Business Association has been busy

planning its Halloween Street Party planned for Tuesday

31 October from 4 - 7pm along Hampshire Road between

Sunshine Market Place and Devonshire Road.

The event will include Trick or Treat, face painting,

costume parade and street performers.

Do you want to be part of the Sunshine Business

Association Committee? This is a great opportunity for

a business owner who has a few hours spare a month to

contribute to the Sunshine Town Centre.

If you are interested please contact the president

Mr Vu Du for a chat.

Mobile:

0402 844 279

Email:

Vu.Du@aussie.com.au

To find out more about the SBA’s events and business

support programs visit or follow:

Sunshine Rising Newsletter Survey

We need your feedback to see if the newsletter

is useful and informative for your business.

To take this quick survey click on the link

I

, or scan the QR code.

We don’t ask or collect any personal,

IP or business information, just your

opinion.

Bản tin “Sunshine Rising” (Sunshine Vươn lên) được Hội đồng Thành phố Brimbank

Telephone

9249 4000

ấn hành mỗi ba tháng là một phần trong chương trình “Sunshine Vươn lên”, một

sáng kiến nhằm cải tiến khu Trung tâm Thành phố Sunshine. Bản tin đăng tải các

đề án, công tác phát triển, doanh nghiệp, những sự kiện quan trọng và các công

tác trong Trung tâm thành phố. Muốn được thông dịch viên Việt nam giúp đỡ, xin

gọi số 131 450.

GRAB IT IN DIGITAL

to receive this quarterly Newsletter publication via

https://www.brimbank.vic.gov.au/sunshine-rising-newsletter-subscription.

If you already receive this newsletter electronically, and believe this would be of interest

to a business in the Sunshine Town Centre, please feel free to share and encourage them to subscribe.

Sunshine’s Shop Front Improvements Program

Council’s Sunshine Rising Place Management Program is looking

to work with businesses in Sunshine who want to improve their

shop fronts.

The program involves Council working with the business

manager to identify what can be done to improve the

presentation of the shop front, agree on a plan and share

the costs. Improvements can include way finding, window

presentation and signage. If you are interested, please make

contact with the Sunshine Place Manager.

Welcome to Sunshine

Four new shops have opened in Sunshine since the last edition.

• Tinkune Momo and Sekuwa House

– 31b Sun Crescent, Sunshine

• An Nam Corner Vietnamese restaurant

– 248 Hampshire Road, Sunshine

• Ahadu Ethiopian Restaurant

–

195 Hampshire Road, Sunshine

• JNR Boss

– Homewares, toys, stationary

– Market Place, Sunshine

Did you know that you can sign up for

the Business Brimbank Update?

The e-Bulletin has information about business events,

resourcing, networking and skill development opportunities and

workshops. To sign up, just email

ecodev@brimbank.vic.gov.au

To contact the Sunshine Place Manager

email

sunshinerising@brimbank.vic.gov.au

or call

0437 593 893

SUNSHINE PLACE

MANAGER UPDATE