Hospital is the main game
What a mess Baw Baw Council has made advocating for the most important issue facing our community – a new hospital.
A search of council meeting minutes and a new hospital barely rates a mention. Councillors have been asleep at the wheel.
Meanwhile council debates membership of One Gippsland for failing to rank a new hospital in its priority list. Considered at length at the last meeting many councillors contributed to the debate yet not a single word reported from the mayor, one of two council delegates, the other being the chief executive officer.
He had every right to speak on the item and if he fails to contribute and add value you have to wonder why the mayor is a delegate.
To have the council closely split on seeking an officer report ceasing membership of One Gippsland when the main game is a new hospital simply beggars belief. Thankfully the notice of motion was defeated and officer time will not be wasted on a report. If this was immature game playing it does nothing to help efforts for a new hospital.
During the debate one councillor suggested we have more in common with municipalities to our west and align with them. Take a deep breath and refrain from commenting for the sake of commenting. In a recent letter to the editor as to why this should not be pursued I raised some of the downsides of such a move. And remember Casey does not have councillors.
The other council mentioned, Cardinia, has a town planning committee, meeting monthly and open to the public, keeping their community well informed. The most recent meeting considered an agenda exceeding 240 pages – a council serious about sharing with the community this area of local government responsibility. A visit to observe the Cardinia town planning committee in action would enlighten our elected representatives.
What did the Andrew Wegener consultant report say on this aspect of town planning – was there a suggestion of a more open approach? Will council release the report?
Don McLean, Warragul
Political game
I am so glad that Danny Goss wants to disassociate with One Gippsland because it is clear they are going to be no use to us.
The last several weeks I have been treated at three different hospitals - Warragul, Casey and Moorabbin.
I have just had an operation at Casey Hospital at Berwick because Warragul was not equipped to deal with it. Casey is a one year old state of the art hospital with plenty of fully qualified and caring staff.
Warragul was decrepit and only made bearable because of its excellent staff. Moorabbin was in-between.
The reason why we haven’t got a new hospital is political. Because we are in the safest Liberal seat in the state, Andrews does not have to buy our votes. Because we are not a safe Labor seat, Andrews does not have to reward us.
As Andrews is going to win the election in November, it means another four years without
Warragul Drouin Gazette
a new hospital. The best we can do is embarrass the guts out of him.
I would like to write an article about the situation and ask everyone to send an email to him expressing their disappointment and disgust at his statement when elected that he would govern for all Victorians. He forgot to say, “unless you are in a safe Liberal seat.”
If we can get thousands of residents doing this you never know, he might change his mind. It will be a big might but nothing ventured nothing gained.
Labor has been handing out money for new hospitals, two last year both in Labor electorates. So it seems that if we are going to get a much needed new hospital we have to vote in a Labor member. And that is a fact.
Roger Marks, Drouin
Congratulations Chorale
I would like to congratulate all concerned with the West Gippsland Chorale’s recent performance, at Wesley, of Mozart Requiem and sacred music selections.
What a brilliant and moving performance. We are so lucky to have such a professional group in our midst. With the brilliant accompaniment of the pianist, Chis Sim and the guidance of new musical director, Nathan Byrne, one could not wish for a more enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
Also, a hearty thankyou to Rob Robson for the work you are doing at Wesley at Warragul
The up-and-coming concert “Butterflying” with Elena Kats-Chernin and Tamara Anna Cislowska. What a coup. I am so looking forward to it.
We are getting our fine music fix here not at the West Gippsland Arts Centre. What has happened there - tribute shows only?
Glenys Marriott, Warragul
Masterpiece performed
The West Gippsland Chorale was back on stage at Wesley of Warragul for its second 2022 concert with a program featuring Mozart’s Requiem and six shorter pieces of sacred music. A near-capacity audience for Sunday afternoon’s performance responded enthusiastically to a Chorale in fine voice under the direction of Nathan Byrne, with accompanist Chris Sim at the grand piano.
The program commenced fittingly with one of Mozart’s best-loved works, the ineffably beautiful motet Ave verum Corpus, and the first half ended with an equally lovely setting by Rachmaninov of words from the Liturgy of Vespers.
Between the Chorale’s first and second brackets, two guest students sang contrasting solos. Tessa Grubb, presently also singing with the Chorale’s alto section in her gap year, sang Mendelssohn’s O For the Wings of a Dove delightfully, followed by soprano Mary Ockerse’s commanding rendition of a modern Ave Maria. Their appearances continued the Chorale’s commendable practice of encouraging talented young musicians.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem was unfinished when he died in Vienna 1791. That, 230 years later, an audience on the other side of the globe was enraptured by its melodies, harmonies and searing musical invocations of belief, even without the benefit of the original orchestration, is testament to his sublime genius.
It’s been said that ‘the inner peace and serenity which were granted to Mozart illuminate the whole Requiem...it is a composition as transcendental as it is human, and out of tremor and guilt it leads us gently towards peace and salvation.’ The Chorale admirably conveyed this sense of ultimately resting in peace, and movingly encored the affecting Lacrimosa.
All concerned, including the five choristers singing in various combinations from solo to quartet, are to be commended for undertaking the daunting task of presenting Mozart’s Requiem, and for performing his masterpiece so well.
John Hart, Warragul
Laneway follies
For over four-and-a-half years I’ve had an ongoing dispute with Baw Baw Shire Council over the totally inadequate dimensions of three “supposed streets” within the Drouin Golf Club land development.
On August 3, 2022 I again wrote to all BBSC councillors, the BBS audit and risk committee and the new BBS planning director. However no one at BBS council acknowledges receipt of my letters, let alone ever attempts to provide proper answers to my very valid questions and road safety concerns.
It is unbelievable that any properly run Victorian local council could enforce a safety hazard like this 7m wide x 1.8km long “laneway” design with no footpaths or street parking, onto such a large low density residential zone development in a rural location like Drouin, rather than apply the industry accepted minimum of a “one-way access place” which would then comply with all Victorian and Australian Road Design and Road Safety Standards, Victorian and council planning provisions and BBS’s road safety.
Council’s engineering department, who opposed council’s 2018 decision regarding the use of “laneways” is now duty bound to support the decision.
At least 13 families need to use these narrow “laneways” as their only access.
A compliant “one-way access place” would require a slightly wider road carriageway with proper sized verges and an essential pedestrian footpath to accommodate all road users including pedestrians, children and mobility impaired users.
Ever since 2018 this contentious laneway matter has been controlled under “delegation” and accordingly has never again been reviewed at any open council meeting during the past fourand-a-half years.
This is a classic case which exemplifies why it was a gross mistake for Victoria’s State Government to transfer unrestricted “power of authority”, without any form of oversight, to Victorian local councils.
Why? - Because once they have “constricted”, (as opposed to constructed), an undesirable folly such as this one, there is no provision in the government systems for other “related authorities” such as Planning Victoria, to oversee or impose corrective measures on those local councils.
Consequently the only ones who are bound to suffer for decades into the future from such follies are the powerless, access restricted local constituents like us.
If urgent action is taken quickly, before stages four and five of this development begin, this serious road safety matter could still be corrected.
Surely, if council can delay another local residential development due to minor problems relating to the height of retaining walls, then it can certainly delay this development to resolve a much more serious problem of removing a dangerous road and public safety hazard.
I ask that council put this contentious 7m wide x 1.8km long “laneway design” up for review to be replaced by a fully compliant “oneway access place” design at an open council meeting with community involvement as early as possible.
Barry Dyson, Drouin