30 years to 1987
Like many Year 11 honours students, Danielle Ellett of Pakenham had no particular ambition but to complete her VCE. But Danielle’s English teacher at Kooweerup High School was Garfield horse trainer Lee Bennewith. He was so impressed with her track riding skills when she worked casually for him on weekends that he offered her a full-time job. Danielle, who grew up on her parents’ 160 acre property in Pakenham South, went on to become Pakenham’s first female apprentice jockey – one of eight girls attending the apprentice school at Caulfield racecourse.
20 years to 1997
Cardinia Shire admitted a degree of insensitivity in demanding traders pay $50 for the use of sandwich boards outside their shops. The council had hand-delivered a note informing traders of the new payment, which took traders by surprise. In a follow-up letter to Pakenham and Kooweerup traders, the council apologized for the heavy-handedness and said the notes could have been worded more sensitively. “The introduction of a permit requirement has been put on hold temporarily pending a review, meaning traders can continue to display their signs until the issue is further clarified,” the letter said. “It wasn’t council’s intention to prejudice opportunities to advertise goods, but simply to ensure that the objectives of the local law were met. Those objectives include safe, obstruction-free access to retail areas, an attractive clutter-free streetscape and protection against liability claims as a result of damage or injury.”
10 years to 2007
Community members were celebrating after land developer Peet abandoned controversial plans to purchase land at the Pakenham Golf Course. Cardinia Mayor Kate Lempriere said the council had called a special meeting to terminate the contract with Peet but it was cancelled when the developer exercised its own option to rescind the contract. Cardinia Ratepayers and Residents Association president Gloria O’Connor said the champagne had not yet come off the ice but that people were pleased with the news. There was concern that Peet had planned to purchase the golf course site for a 600-lot residential and parkland development but council CEO Garry McQuillan said there were no plans to sell the land at the golf club, whose lease did not expire until 2014. Ms O’Connor, meanwhile, said she would seek Central Ward funds to compensate her group for the campaign, saying that getting together the 1400 signature petition had been a costly exercise. “It would be nice to get some of that back,” she said.
