The Weekly Times | TWT | 30 March 2022

6 THE WEEKLY TIMES Wednesday 30 March, 2022
Rowe Street East Car Park officially opened
Labor announces Laxale as its candidate for Bennelong
Labor has announced Jerome Laxale as its candidate for
Bennelong for the upcoming federal election.
Opposition Leader Anthony
Albanese made
the announcement on
Saturday morning in a
media doorstop with
selected invited outlets,
which did not include
The Weekly Times.
“This morning I announced
Jerome Laxale
as Labor’s candidate for
Bennelong,” Mr Albanese
said.
Mr Albanese described
the group of
around 20 people who
were photographed at
the launch as “a huge
crowd of community
members (who) turned
out to show their support
for him.”
“It’s clear how deeply
The City of Ryde officially
opened the new Rowe Street
East Car Park to the public
last week.
It will help address parking demand
in Eastwood and provide a
much-needed boost for the local
economy.
The new multi-level, short-stay
car park provides 146 spaces
with entry and exit points via
Rowe Street, and an exit via
Rowe Lane.
The car park also features a
range of modern and accessible
features including EV charging
stations, a passenger lift, number
plate recognition car park
management system and accessible
car spaces.
City of Ryde Mayor, Clr Jordan
Lane, said the new Rowe Street
East Car Park would support
small businesses in Eastwood.
“The new Rowe Street East car
park will address chronic parking
shortages in Eastwood, which
will in turn encourage more people
to visit the town centre to
shop, dine out or attend any of
the hundreds of wonderful businesses
located here,” Clr Lane
said.
“The City of Ryde is determined
to provide as much support
to our local businesses as
possible, and this new car park
is a prime example of how we
he cares about this area
and how loved he is by
the people here. Jerome
will deliver cheaper
childcare, strengthen
Medicare and lift wages
to build a better future
for Bennelong.”
Mr Albanese extended
his best wishes to
the retiring Member for
Bennelong, John Alexander
OAM, for his future
outside of politics.
“I want to pay tribute
to John Alexander. John
Alexander has made
representations to myself
when I was a Minister
in the Government,”
he said.
“He has also been a
strong advocate on issues
like high speed
rail, issues of which we
are in agreement. And
he’s also a mate who’s
greatly improved my
second serve.
“And that has been
important and has encouraged
me to be a bit
quicker round the court
these days.”
He said Mr Alexander
could be proud of his
work as a member for
Bennelong.
“But Bennelong needs
a new member. And I
was very determined
that Bennelong would
get the best member
possible,” Mr Albanese
said.
“And the best member
are going to achieve that.”
“I would like to thank the community
for its support with this
project and look forward to
working with them as we continue
to enhance the Eastwood
town centre as well as town centres
across the City of Ryde.”
The Rowe Street East car park
will be open 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
During the day, motorists can
enjoy two hours of free parking
with incremental rate increases
after that point.
An evening flat rate of $5 for
more than two hours parking applies
for vehicles that enter the
carpark after 6pm.
possible for this area of
Sydney is the person
standing next to me. Jerome
Laxale is a committed
local.
“He served as the
Mayor of Ryde and
continues to serve as a
councillor with a record
of achievement.”
Clr Laxale said Bennelong
was his home and
had been for the last 15
years.
“I’ve had an absolute
pleasure serving on
council for the last nine
years and as mayor for
five years of that entire
time,” he said.
“I live here, been here
15 years, my kids go to
school here and it would
be an absolute honor to
be part of the Albanese
Labor Government in a
couple of weeks’ time.”
☐ The Korean Drum Group, Ryde councillors and community members at last Wednesday’s official
opening of the Rowe Street East Car Park.
Dual nationality
issue clarified
Clr Laxale also clarified
the issue of the potential
hurdle his dual French citizenship
had on his candidacy.
In November 2017, Mr
Alexander resigned as
Member for Bennelong
before successfully recontesting
the seat at a
byelection, after discovering
he was a dual British
citizen and was ineligible
to sit in Parliament.
“Like many people in
this electorate, I held dual
nationality,” Clr Laxale
said.
“So, when Albo rang I
needed to go through a
process to get rid of those
dual nationalities.
“The story that I’ve got
is very similar to the stories
of many people in this
electorate. My parents
were both born overseas,
they moved to Australia
as a land of hope and opportunity.
“They worked hard, sent
me to school and university.
This is the story of Bennelong.
That came with
it, that second passport,
which I’ve now thankfully
extinguished, enabling
(me) to announce here today.
That’s why I’ve left it
a little bit late.”
Clr Laxale’s mother,
Roselyne, was born in
Reunion Island, a French
state. Her husband Alain
was born in Mauritius,
which has French heritage.
Clr Laxale was born in
Australia and remains fluent
in French which he
learned before English.
His candidacy had been
kept secret in recent
weeks, but a Labor Party
media spokesperson
jumped the gun on Thursday
morning, announcing
it to media before Mr Albanese
could.
☐ Pictured at the Greek flag raising ceremony at Kissing Point on Friday
are Clr Sarkis Yedelian OAM, Effie Kara, Estia Foundation of Australia
CEO the Very Reverend Angelo Alifierakis, City of Ryde General Manager
George Dedes, Deputy Mayor Roy Maggio, Arthur Kopsias, Tina
Kopsias, Clr Penny Pedersen, Anna Agoratsos, Anastasia Agoratsos and
Clr Katie O’Reilly. TWT on-the-spot PHOTO
Greek flag raised at Kissing Point
Two hundred and
one years of Greek
independence was
commemorated at
Kissing Point Park on
Friday.
The commemoration
featured the raising of
the National Flag of
Greece in line with a
council motion introduced
by City of Ryde
Deputy Mayor Roy
Maggio to recognise
the contribution the
estimated six thousand
Greek speaking local
citizens have made to
economic, civic and
community life.
Council’s general
manager George
Dedes, who is of Greek
descent, also attended
the commemoration.
“The Greek War of
Independence, also
known as the Greek
Revolution of 1821,
was a successful war
of independence by
Greek revolutionaries
against the Ottoman
Empire between 1821
and 1829,” Mr Dedes
told The Weekly Times.
“The war led to the
formation of modern
Greece. The revolution
is celebrated by
Greeks around the
world as independence
day on 25 March.
“The City of Ryde has
a strong connection to
Greece with more than
6,000 residents with
Greek heritage and
ancestry, so it is fitting
that as a Council we
are able to pay tribute
to Greece, its rich history
and its wonderful
people.”
The motion also requires
the Council to
promote this contribution
through its media
and community relations
networks.
Arthur Kopsias
thanked the Council
during his speech at
the flag raising ceremony
and noted that
the event was the first
time any Sydney council
had commemorated
Greek Independence
Day.
He said last year’s
historic anniversary
was not celebrated
due to the pandemic
and he invited neighbouring
Hunter’s Hill
Council to take part
in future commemorations.
The Greeks revolted
against the Ottoman
Turks following more
than 400 years of occupation,
repression
and massacres but
Europe did not officially
recognise the
new Greek state until
the London Protocol
of 1830, three years
after a decisive victory
against the Turks in the
Battle of Navarino.