ISSUE NO. 639 – Friday, December 18, 2009
BENDIGO’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER
Bendigo Weekly would like to wish all our readers a happy and safe Christmas Next edition January 1, 2010
Kicking off Christmas ROSALIND Park will come to life, and light, on Sunday for the annual Rotary Community Carols. Another crowd of more than 5000 is expected at the event, which will feature a who’s who of Bendigo. The city’s Australian Idol sweetheart, Kate de Araugo, and Australian singing royal Venetta Fields will kick the event off with a concert from 7pm.
Hospital hold-up
AMBO DELAY By ANTHONY RADFORD
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THE first delay in the Bendigo hospital redevelopment has been revealed. The state government this week named five new sites for the relocation of the Arnold Street ambulance station, which will be demolished to make way for part of the new hospital. At a press conference hosted by Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan this week, Ambulance Victoria acting regional general manager Ian Hunt said ambulance staff “would love to be in all of our new locations by December, 2010” when asked when the site would be vacated. “The hospital would love us to be in our new locations by December, 2010,” he said. Ms Allan agreed. However, in October, Bendigo Health Buildings and Infrastructure executive director David Walker, who is organising the redevelopment plan for the hospital, said the site needed to be vacated earlier. “We have timelines that site needs to be cleared by the middle of next year,” he said.
The Arnold Street site will be one of the first areas to be built on. That site will house the sub acute services currently on the Anne Caudle Centre campus. Once that is built, the demolition works will begin on the main hospital site. Ms Allan revealed four new ambulance stations would be built around Bendigo, with a new administration centre in Holdsworth Road. While the suburbs were revealed, the actual sites were not. Mr Hunt said the final sites were not known, but were being negotiated. “We certainly have some preferred sites and we are finalising planning and negotiation on those sites,” he said. Ms Allan said the new stations would allow for greater response times in some cases. “Four new branches will be located in Eaglehawk, Strathdale, Epsom and a new central Bendigo branch, along with a new regional office and vehicle workshop at Holdsworth Road,” she said.
TURN R U O S IT’
FUN TIME: Shaz, Cr James Reade, Cogho and Ben Jones are ready for the big day. Photo: ANDREW PERRYMAN
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• Local kids at risk – Page 3
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