APRIL 19, 2017 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + THE WEST’S BEST PROPERTY GUIDE
Plaques restored By Benjamin Millar More than 100 bronze plaques stolen from the Footscray Memorial Garden have been replaced in time for this year’s Anzac Day. Thieves stole 111 bronze memorial plaques around Remembrance Day in 2015, causing damage estimated to cost more than $50,000. At the time of the theft, Footscray RSL president Long Viet Nguyen said that it was devastating for the families of the fallen soldiers who sacrificed their lives for Australia. The families had paid for the plaques. Maribyrnong council has securely set 225 bronze memorial plaques in the garden, including 111 replacement plaques and 114 that had been removed for safe-keeping following the theft. The Memorial Column on the Avenue of Honour has also been restored, with improvements including a recast bronze wreath. The column, on Geelong Road near Footscray Park, was built in 1947 as a tribute to fallen World War I and World War II soldiers. Footscray MP Marsha Thomson said the state government provided $18,000 towards its restoration. “It’s great to see the Footscray Avenue of Honour restored to its former glory – honouring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” she said. “We know how important this is to our community, and we want to ensure that future generations can visit this memorial and pay their respects to our local servicemen and women.” Maribyrnong council has also finished planting 147 gum trees as part of the Anzac Centenary Boulevard Project. Mayor Catherine Cumming said it was important to complete the restorations in time for Anzac Day. “The Avenue of Honour is an area of great significance to council and our community and serves as an ongoing reminder of the devastating impact the two world wars had on our community.” Vana Thai, Canh Lam, Carmel Taig, Catherine Cumming, Long Viet Nguyen and Peter Doody at the Footscray Memorial Garden.
Bans split communities Hobsons Bay council has lashed out at the state government over its West Gate Tunnel project, saying it has pitted residents north and south of the bridge against each other over truck bans. The council wants trucks banned in Blackshaws Road, Hudsons Road, High Street, Mason Street and Kororoit Creek Road east of Millers Road, to stop toll-dodgers from the new truck-only tolled section of the West Gate Freeway. It also wants an exemption for the proposed truck ban along Francis Street, Yarraville, for a handful of eastbound trucks travelling to and from the Spotswood industrial precinct. Greens’ councillor Jonathon Marsden said the state government had used a “divide and conquer strategy” to pit the Maribyrnong Truck Action Group (MTAG) against Spotswood residents. “There’s a lack of transparency in community relations which leads to infighting among the various stakeholders, and we see that, evidently, between MTAG and the Spotswood residents,” he said. Cr Angela Altair said: “The poor old communities, because they’re trying to protect their own patch, are almost at loggerheads with each other”. “It’s grossly unfair,” she said. “Overall, I think it’s been a very demoralising exercise. “Sometimes you’ve got to wonder, whose side are these governments on?” Cr Peter Hemphill said Transurban should fund new rooms for Spotswood football and cricket clubs and Westgate Golf Club, which were impacted by the project. “I think they [Transurban] are going to be the biggest beneficiaries of all this,” he said. “I think they’re going to be making a killing out of this, and it’s only fair that they compensate us for the damage that they’re going to do in our local community.” Spotswood Football Club president and Spotswood Sporting Club board member Alan Given posted on Facebook that it was disappointing to hear suggestions on social media that they had been “complicit” in regards to the project. He posted that the club was talking about this back in 2015, trying to garner community support for McLean Reserve and the preservation of local sports clubs. Roads Minister Luke Donnellan confirmed to Star Weekly that a shared clubroom would be funded as part of the project. “Our local sports clubs are a vital part of our community and they’ll continue to operate while the West Gate Tunnel is being built.”
(Pictures: Damjan Janevski)
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