Wednesday, 22 February, 2023
pakenham.starcommunity.com.au
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Berwick Show this weekend 8-PAGE LIFTOUT, INCLUDING PROGRAM AND MAP
Funds soon Firestorm reflections
Premier Daniel Andrews was swarmed by excited Pakenham Secondary College students asking for selfies during a campus visit on Wednesday 15 February. Mr Andrews visited the school to reaffirm the $11.3m funding promise to upgrade a block of antiquated facilities, made in the lead up to November’s State Election. Pakenham MP Emma Vulin joined Mr Andrews in touring classrooms, guided by principal Aaron Smith and student leaders. Mr Andrews spoke with various staff and students about their experiences at the school and showed particular interest in Block A which will be completely rebuilt with the funding. STORY PAGE 2
Upper Beaconsfield residents have shared their recollections of Ash Wednesday on the 40th anniversary of the catastrophic bushfire. The Upper Beaconsfield Fire Brigade’s exhibition Firestorm, which was on display to the public during the Upper Beaconsfield Village Festival, provided an opportunity to reflect on the past. STORY PAGE 15
Fed up with risky road Potholes, soft and eroding shoulders, fallen trees and corrugations are among the issues locals on Bessie Creek Road have to deal with every time they want to leave their homes. Residents say they are fed up with the lack of action to fix the “dangerous” stretch of road. Currently, orange mesh, cones and portable traffic lights are in place to warn motorists of points of concern along the unsealed road. STORY PAGE 5
Ian and Debbie Pinney spent hundreds of hours arranging Upper Beaconsfield CFA’s Firestorm exhibition, which captured the community’s Picture: ROB CAREW memories of Ash Wednesday. 320120
Return our $200M 03 9768 9164
“Narrow, corrugated roads with limited turning facilities limit the extent of safe access,” the petition reads. “We are one of the state’s highest risk bushfire regions. We have been severely impacted by major storms; the storm of 9 June, 2021, was the biggest on record.
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“Complicating matters further is a dangerous network of unsealed roadways. Removing this funding from the Sealing the Hills project will have a huge impact on the morale and the improvement in quality of life and wellbeing for residents across both municipalities.” STORY PAGE 3
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Project and Roads for Community Initiative. In 2019, the Commonwealth promised $300m to be split between Cardinia Shire Council and Yarra Ranges Shire Council to seal almost 300km of unsealed roads. The Federal Government withdrew $109 million for Cardinia, while Yarra Ranges Council lost more than $100 million.
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JASON WOOD MP
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More than 500 people have taken the opportunity to share their distress to the Federal Government over a $200 million funding cut to a road sealing project in the hills community. A petition has been created by passionate community members, calling on the Federal Government to reverse their decision to withdraw funding for the Sealing the Hills Road