JANUARY 18, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Nick’s left a giant hole
(Damjan Janevski)
Footscray’s iconic Olympic Doughnuts is shutting up shop. The Footscray station institution, opened by Nick Tsiligiris in 1979, is wrapping up due to Mr Tsiligiris’s ongoing health issues. His daughter Gina Hasapis said it was a difficult decision to close, but Olympic Doughnuts and its 80-cent hot jam doughnuts was always about her father. “The decision had been made, long before Nick’s health issues, that when it came time for him to hang up his tongs so to speak, it would mean the end of an era,” she said. “It’s Nick’s legacy and we wanted it to remain that way.” Ms Hasapis said the public’s overwhelming support had left Nick and the family speechless. “Many times we have taken solace in the love and support shown not only to Nick but to the family,” she said. “That means the world to us.” The family was forced in October to quash rumours that Mr Tsiligiris had died after a ‘Rest in Peace’ poster was taped to the front of the Olympic Doughnuts stall, whose closure early last year was supposed to be temporary but has become permanent. A short film Olympic Nick: A Donutumentary will broadcast on ABC2 this Friday night. Benjamin Millar
Shelter plan for homeless By Benjamin Millar A groundbreaking deal has been struck on a housing project aimed at tackling homelessness in Melbourne’s west. Not-for-profit agency Launch Housing has applied to locate 57 one-bedroom townhouses across nine land parcels in Footscray and Maidstone. The relocatable homes would be set on VicRoads land in a $5 million project underpinned by a $4 million donation from businessmen Geoff and Brad Harris. The vacant land has been reserved for the possible future widening of Ballarat Road. Launch Housing deputy chief executive officer Heather Holst said the project could
serve as a pilot for addressing the need to house people experiencing homelessness. “It certainly is an exciting opportunity, not only because it provides 57 units for single people in well-designed accommodation but also as the start of a bigger roll-out of housing in other well-located areas.” While concerns have been raised on social media about the suitability of the location and the “clustering” of the homes, Ms Holst said people’s fears about housing for the homeless rarely eventuated. “People who have lost their home know the value of a home,” she said. Brad Harris said he and his father were putting up the money as they saw homelessness as one of Melbourne’s biggest issues. “It appealed because of the vast number of
which can be prefabricated at the rate of one per day at a cost of about $80,000 each. He said situating the homes across nine locations should help allay fears of people experiencing difficulty being clustered together. Acting Roads Minister Philip Dalidakis said the partnership would help those most in need in the community. Maribyrnong Council director of planning services Nigel Higgins said two of the nine applications had been approved, and up to five An artist’s impression of the transportable units objections had been lodged for each application. planned for Ballarat Road. (Launch Housing) “Applications will follow due process and a dwellings involved but also the scale – getting timeframe can’t be pre-empted, but council is the most number of people off the street. committed to a full and proper process for each Mr Harris said he was also attracted to the application.” A community meeting about the quality of the design and build of the units, project will be held in coming weeks.
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