Monitor
BY ROXPOOL AND YARD
The
MAINTENANCE
Your Community Newspaper ~ Roxby Downs
www.themonitor.com.au
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Volume 4, Thursday March 20th, 2008
TOWN REELS UNDER LOUTS
Vandals have rendered the Andamooka airstrip unusable putting at risk the lives of people in the small opal mining community. “This is the straw that broke the camels back,” President of the Andamooka Progress and Opal Miners Association Peter Allen said. The town has been hit by a spate of vandalism over the past three months. “We know who they are,” an irate Mr Allen said. “There’s a group of about 10 teenagers up to their early 20’s who are causing all of the mischief. “They have gone on what appears to be a drunken spree in their cars and have performed ‘donuts’ and burn outs all over the airstrip digging deep ruts into the gravel and dirt surface. “No aircraft can land here because of the damage, which means the Royal Flying Doctor Service would find it too dangerous to fly in and evacuate anyone needing their assistance,” he said. “This stupid act has put lives at risk.” The airstrip damage puts APOMA in an unenviable situation because it will need a vast amount of water to put on the airfield in order for the graders to scrape it and the steam roller to roll it. However because of the drought it doesn’t have enough water to do the job. “We’d need all of the water from both our dams which are 30 kilometres out of town to do the job,” Mr Allen explained. “But we only have water in one dam be-
cause of the drought, and then that’ll leave us in a precarious position if it doesn’t rain over winter. “We’ve notified the RFDS and are awaiting a reply from them about the problem.” In a show of disregard and antagonism the group of youths who damaged the airstrip heard that the town was upset, so they threw a blockade across the town’s main street last weekend. “They used tables from the local pub, a telstra frame, rubbish bins, anything they could get their hands on and barricaded the main street,” Mr Allen said. “They then went up onto a nearby hill to watch if any car would crash into it. “It has gone too far. “They town is angry and even other youths in town are angry because they’re being tarred with the same brush,” he said. “We’ve a temporary policewoman in town but she’s only here for three weeks and we don’t know when we’ll get another one. “This group of vandals knows that,” Mr Allen exclaimed. “We’re thinking of having a town meeting about the problem and how we’re going to solve it. “There have already been a number of informal small meetings of people discussing it, so you can see it’s a major problem. “It’s all going to come to a crunch sooner or later,” he warned.
For the perfect pool and yard call Yards 0418 859 637 or Pools 0447 839 635
Above: The Dirt Circuit Car Club has started its season in fine fashion. Photos on pages 7 and 8.
Roxby Rogues win an historic Grand Final in the Woomera and Districts Cricket Association competition at the weekend. Photos on page 16.
C
Alliance Airlines supports Roxby
ommunity groups in the Roxby Downs area will benefit from a community support program from Alliance Airlines as part of its contract to fly to Olympic Dam for BHP Billiton. As part of its community contribution requirement Alliance Airlines has established a Community Development Support Program (CDSP) which will provide a limited number of airfares per month to eligible community groups. Under the Qantaslink banner, Alliance Airlines operates the domestic passenger service between Adelaide and Olympic Dam carrying BHP Billiton staff and visitors as well
as regular public travellers from the surrounding communities. Guidelines and application forms for CDSP are available from the Alliance Airlines website at www. allianceairlines.com.au Scott McMillan, Managing Director of Alliance Airlines said how pleasing it was for his company to be able to contribute in such a positive manner to the way BHP Billiton supports local community groups. “In doing so we are honouring one of the requirements of the contract to fly for BHP Billiton to Olympic Dam. “In designing the CDSP we have taken into account the need to support community projects which provide sustainable benefit to the
community, and build capacity within the community.” Vice President of Finance for BHP Billiton Olympic Dam, Paul Dunn said an important part of awarding the contract to Alliance Airlines was ensuring there would also be benefits to the local community. “Throughout the tender and setup process, we have worked closely with Alliance in the creation of their Community Development Support Program, which will enable community organisations to apply for airfares to support community activities. “I urge all not-for-profit organisations to familiarise themselves with the criteria and apply to Alliance Airlines as needs arise,” Mr Dunn said.