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2 NOVEMBER, 2021
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Spooky Sunbury When asked to weigh in on the debate of whether Australians should celebrate Halloween, Patrick Blume had a simple response. “I don’t really care where it comes from. We’re here to have fun – and the last couple of years we haven’t had a chance for a lot of that,” Mr Blume said. “The kids always get into it, they love this stuff. But it’s especially pleasing to get the adults to enjoy themselves. Because how often do we adults get a chance to have silly fun?” And have fun, he does. Every October for the past five years, Mr Blume, a father of two, has poured hours into bringing his frightening fantasies to life. In 2019, he transformed his garage into a deathly butcher shop fitted with dismembered body parts and welcomed more than 1000 people eager to catch a glimpse of the gruesome display. “I’ve had parents tell me their kids come along and they’re still talking about it days later,” he said. “If I can get people to walk away from my house happy, that’s all that really matters to me.” Sunbury resident Patrick Blume with his Halloween creations. (Damjan Janevski) 255308
New market gets the nod By Oliver Lees A major outdoor market with a plant nursery is coming to Oaklands Junction following Hume council’s approval of the plan at a meeting held last week. ‘Oaklands Market’ at 230 Oaklands Road will be fitted with a total of 177 market stalls and an outdoor food court area. Traders will be encouraged to sell items including fruit, vegetables, bread, meats and more as part of the planned space that has been modelled on the design of inner-city markets such as those located in Preston and Prahran.
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The market is expected to generate 335 on-site employment opportunities, 415 indirect jobs and 47 construction related positions over the course of the project. Cr Karen Sherry said the market would bring a range of benefits to the community. “One of the uses of the Green Wedge Zone is to enhance tourism and recreation, and that’s what a market does. People want to go out to a market and have fun,” Cr Sherry said. The proposal received six objections from the public, which aired concerns that the site should not be used for this commercial purpose given its location within a Green Wedge Zone.
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Cr Jodi Jackson said she thought bringing such a market to Hume was “a great idea”, but argued that it should be located elsewhere. “… The Green Wedge zone requires open spacious views and minimal development showcasing a rural landscape,” Ms Jackson said. “This proposal is the antithesis of that, it has extensive built form and has an urban appearance and function. “I sincerely believe that allowing something like these to go ahead would be to the detriment of those who live in the Green Wedge.”
Hume council’s Rural Strategy document outlines that as well as providing benefits to the community, council’s Green Wedge Zones must also prioritise protecting Melbourne Airport when considering development opportunities. The council document identified that Melbourne Airport provided no objection to the proposal. Cr Jack Medcraft said the market would provide a boost for local commerce. “We want to see Hume kick on, we don’t want it to be held back in the dark ages,” Cr Medcraft said.
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