We will fight on
Over four years ago the Warrnambool and District Drag Racing Association (WADDRA) was advised that they would be unable to continue to use the Warrnambool airport for legal off street drag racing. Warrnambool City Council and Moyne shire made a commitment to help WADDRA, who had been without a home for some 20 years, to find a permanent site for their purpose built motorsport facility. Three years ago Moyne shire advised WADDRA it had found a suitable site and pending a rezoning petition it would meet all the conditions required. The old Koroit racecourse was to be our new home. Moyne Shire assisted WADDRA with grant applications, ASF registration and in conjunction with WCC, a consultant to assist with the compilation of a planning permit application. On the advice of this consultant WCC, Moyne Shire and WADDRA all paid for numerous studies into the site. Environmental impact assessment, waste water treatment assessment, noise assessment, traffic management assessment, land capacity assessment, flora and fauna assessment and a landscape study. You do the math on a consultant, a strategic planning officer and numerous studies (over three years). This culminated in an over a 400-page planning permit being submitted to Moyne Shire planning department. It was accepted and put into the public domain. The application received 10 objections. Some multiple ones from the same families. These objections were responded to by WADDRA. More studies were done and paid for. This resulted in 52 conditions being placed on the permit for it to go ahead. WADDRA acquiesced to all but three of these and they were to do with minor issues like line marking of the car parking area which was grassed. Moyne Shire planning department recommended approval of the planning permit and it was presented at the last shire meeting. We went to the shire meeting with the expectation of a fair hearing. We had jumped all the hurdles, paid all the money and put in all the ground work. Moyne Shire’s own planning department had recommended approval. WADDRA had the funds to commence building immediately. Unfortunately we underestimated the environment that perhaps surrounds an imminent council election and how people’s emotions can override their sensibilities. We perhaps should have lobbied councillors harder, cried some more tears and begged for the opportunity to grow the Koroit economy. We won’t cry foul or chuck the towel in. WADDRA has the support of the Koroit business community, the drag racing fraternity and fair minded people everywhere who still believe if you get in and have a go your work is eventually rewarded. Thank you to all our supporters, you have been fantastic. We will spend some more of our hard earned money, put in some more hard work and we will fight on. Watch this space.
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Tony Frost, WADDRA president
CFA issue battle continues
The CFA issue hasn’t gone away or been forgotten about. I am still fighting. With James Merlino and Daniel Andrews’ hand-picked CFA board now in place and the court injunction expired, it’s only a matter of time before this union appeasing deal is signed off on. I want to make it perfectly clear that I value the role of career firefighters – they are an essential part of Victoria’s fire service. But the balance between career and volunteer firefighters has to be correct and this deal does nothing to address that balance. This deal does nothing to improve safety for firefighters – career or volunteers –it flies in the face of the CFA’s volunteer charter and fails when it comes to equal opportunity. The deal is nothing more than a way for Daniel Andrews to pay back his union mates that helped make him Premier. People deny that, but how do they explain successive senior figures “resigning” from various roles. Rather than backing a flawed deal which takes power away from CFA management and hands it to the United Firefighters Union, they acted ethically, with integrity and refused to comply. In return, the Premier forced them out, for no other reason than because they wouldn’t agree with him. This fight is far from over and I won’t back away.
Roma Britnell, South West Coast MP
Lest we forget
In the past week, we paid our respects to soldiers lost 100 years ago in two significant battles of World War I. I was honoured to attend dignified remembrance ceremonies at Fromelles and Pozières, France, on July 19 and July 23. It was particularly touching to share the services with people from my local electorate of Ovens Valley and see them given a chance to pay their respects to their ancestors, who died so far from home. At the Battle of Fromelles, we lost more than 5500 Australian troops in just 14 hours. The Australian War Memorial describes it as ‘the worst 24 hours in Australia’s entire history’. It was the first major battle on the Western Front our soldiers fought in, intended to divert attention from the Somme offensive. But it was a complete failure, with 5533 Australian and 1547 British casualties. Some 400 soldiers were captured. By comparison, the German casualties numbered little more than 1000. The Battle of Pozières, lasting about two weeks, was just as devastating. The centenary service at Pozières was a moving experience, one of those utterly sobering moments that bring home with clarity the sacrifice our troops made. I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck as the march on the colours and the catafalque party went by. We lost so many brave Australians; there were so many young lives lost. While in France, and at the request of family members, I visited the grave sites of our fallen soldiers. The sheer numbers are breathtaking, but it is not until you see the rows and rows of crosses that you start to understand what the numbers mean.
Tim McCurdy, state opposition spokesman for veterans