MAY 31, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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Tribute to rail victims By Ben Cameron A memorial at St Alban’s notorious Main Road level crossing will be a permanent reminder of the 16 lives lost, according to one victim’s mother. Dianne Dejanovic, whose son Christian died in 2012 when he was struck by a train, said the community’s 40 year battle to have the deadly crossing removed had come at a “huge cost”. “I want something there to acknowledge how many people lost their lives – and how hard the community of St Albans tried for 40 years to have this deadly crossing removed,” Ms Dejanovic said. “We need to remember the 16 lives lost. My son was killed trying to save a child. “It’s come at a huge cost … a cost that myself and all those other families will never be able to overcome.” St Albans MP Natalie Suleyman said in State Parliament on Tuesday there would be a memorial plaque and garden to honour the lives “tragically lost” at both the Main Road level crossing and the Furlong Road crossing in Sunshine where three people died in 2004.
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Gown biz is a winning proposal Aneta Pazeski was poolside in Phuket, Thailand, engrossed in Richard Branson’s biography, when she realised it was about time to return to her hotel room and wake her sleeping husband. Just three minutes later, a tsunami struck the island’s west coast. Had she not returned to the hotel room, she may not have survived her holiday. “I was minutes away from the first wave hitting me. It was just destiny that my husband asked me to wake him up,” she said. Ms Pazeski describes the escape 12 years ago as her “ah-ha” moment. “It made me realign my values.” Upon returning home safe and alive, the accountant was inspired to act on a long-held dream of a career in the fashion industry. After-hours, she started designing couture wedding gowns, but soon the “hobby” developed into a successful business. It didn’t take long before the business was providing a full-time career in the bridal industry. The arrival of Ms Pazeski’s second child prompted her to relaunch her Cairnlea business as Bridesmaids Dressing Room to cater for the growing demand for ready-to-wear bridesmaids’ dresses. This month, Ms Pazeski received further proof the decision was a good one. The mother-of-three’s business was named winner of the Australian Bridal Industry Academy’s ‘best bridesmaid gown supplier’ award. It was the third time in consecutive years her business has won the award.
It’s come at a huge cost, a cost that will never be … overcome
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Both crossings are part of the statewide level crossing removal program. Ms Dejanovic is part of a stakeholder liaison group that has been involved in discussions on how to honour those killed at the crossings. Parliamentary secretary for transport Shaun Leane told a public infrastructure inquiry on May 4 that the community had sought “some sort of marker” to reflect the crossing’s “unfortunate history”. At the time, Level Crossing Removal Authority chief executive Kevin Devlin told the inquiry it would consult “about an appropriate recognition of the history of those sites, whether that be community art or some sort of opportunity to provide a reminder of its history”. He said the authority would look to families of people killed at the crossing “to be part of that”. Mr Devlin said works at St Albans were “progressing well”. He said the crossing was expected to be removed by January and work at the station to be completed by the middle of next year.
(Shawn Smits)
- Dianne Dejanovic
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