melba maroondah intersection

report from the roundtable - 14 april
The matter of the Maroondah & Melba Highway intersection came up to council again, this matter was originally considered by council on the 27th January this year (see blog).

After discussions with Vic Roads it seems there was no other option but traffic lights for this intersection.

A motion was put to install traffic lights at the site, I could not support this option.

This particular matter has been hijacked as an issue about a tree, but that's not what it's about, this matter is about how we manage traffic at the intersection.

I had an interesting conversation with an officer of Vic Roads who told me that in constrained areas the only option for traffic control is a roundabout as they need less space than traffic lights. For Vic Roads in this case to say there isn't enough room to install a roundabout is a bit of a furphy.

They could install a roundabout, if you can manage with roundabouts in constrained areas (and the roundabout in Belgrave comes to mind for me, it takes b-doubles, buses and all manner of vehicles) you could install one here in Coldstream. But there is no will from Vic Roads to do so.

I don't think traffic lights are the best outcome for managing traffic at this intersection, they are not safer, they impede traffic, they do not prevent accidents or fatalities. Traffic lights are not the be all and end all in traffic management and they won’t be here.

The vote was cast and a Division was called:
For: Crs Templer, Higgins, Warren, Heenan and Cox
Against: Crs Cliff, McRae, Avery and Dunn

celebrating strong women of the hills

What a great day I spent with some wonderful women of the hills. As part of the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage celebrations the Dandenong Ranges Music Council (DRMC) organised a history forum acknowledging the achievements of strong women of the hills. We heard some amazing stories about life back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. To survive in the Dandenongs then you really did need great strength and tenacity.

After the forum the floor was opened to participants to talk about their family experiences. One highlight was Mrs Doyle, a 91 year old from the Patch, who regaled with stories about her father and in particular one visit to the Lillydale Shire Hall to see Dame Nellie Melba on a very wet night, where Melba said “the angels are weeping because I’m going away from you”. To that Mrs Doyle pulled out a note to her father from Melba that she’d kept all this time.

A lady from the Ebbels family of Olinda spoke about life on the farm and how the girls of the family thought they were lucky because when they travelled to Box Hill Technical School they got home too late to milk the cows. I can only imagine the difficulties of getting to Box Hill from Olinda in those times.

It was a terrific learning experience and gave participants an insight into life in the hills at that time. The DRMC's program of events to celebrate the Centenary of Women’s Suffrage culminates in a grand finale at Burrinja on Saturday 8th November which will provide a musical and visual feast of local talent and prominent women of the region. If you’d like to know more contact the DRMC on 9754 6566.















Bev McAllister, me, Gwen De Lacy and Yvonne De Lacy. These ladies were the driving force behind the project and did a great job bringing our history to life. Bev is holding her copy of The Little Black Princess written by Mrs Aeneas (Jeannie) Gunn who was a significant woman in the region and worked tirelessly to support the servicemen of Monbulk who she referred to as 'my boys'.