By BEN CAMERON
30 years to 1984:
ALTHOUGH six fire units and more than 50 men battled for nearly two hours, Berwick football club social rooms were gutted in the early hours. Miraculously, the adjacent brick pavilion suffered only minor damage. It’s a major setback for the club, as the rooms were a valuable fundraising venue since Berwick’s entry into the VFA, while money had been spent on upgrades in recent years. A damage bill has yet to be estimated but equipment valued at over $40,000 was lost.
A MOVE to push for the introduction of compulsory helmets for bike riders failed at a Pakenham council meeting, deciding that individual freedom came first. Cr Ted Owen moved that council should write to the Federal Transport Minister with the view helmets should be compulsory. He said 100 people die every year in bicycle accidents according to the Federal Office of Road Safety, with 80 per cent from head injuries. However Shire President Russell Broadbent said parents must take more responsibility. “We don’t want governments stepping in and saying that ‘you must’ do it,” he said.
20 years to 1994:
THE Great Red Lettuce Company in Bunyip has had its entire crop of lettuces poisoned. The lettuces are grown hydroponically in about 20 plastic igloos on a property in Miles Road and police investigating the incident say the poison was added to the watering system. The lettuces were ready for picking and their loss is estimated at thousands of dollars.
THE time for action on Pakenham’s Main Street is long overdue according to Meadowvale resident Don McKenzie. He has presented council with photographic evidence that there are problems with pedestrians and cars in Main Street. “Our accelerating population growth can only intensify the problems of access and safety,” he said. He said unless problems were addressed, Pakenham traders will experience a rapidly declining clientele and the town will essentially become a town of commuters.
10 years to 2004:
PAKENHAM singer Megan Doherty has sung her way into the national heats of the Telstra Search for Tamworth Competition with an original composition. Her song Fine Things could prove to be a good omen for her. “This is the biggest thing to happen in my career to date,” she said. The winner will head to Nashville and record a single and a film clip on the Country Music Channel.
CLEAN-UP operations after a fire at Pakenham’s G and K O’Connor Export Abattoirs are likely to keep up to 280 people off work for a week. The abattoir, one of the state’s biggest export works and a major employer in town, is unlikely to resume production for at least four days as crews conduct repairs in the wake of the blaze. An electrical fault was believed to be responsible for the fire which left an estimated repair bill of $250,000.
