IT’S three weeks today since the dreadful Black Saturday fires, and as I rush to complete this column before heading to the Schweppes Centre for the Fightback Fundraiser, to say that a lot has happened in the past three weeks would be the understatement of the year.
Since the tragic events of February 7, Australians have opened their hearts to the victims of the worst fires any of us have experienced. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been raised, and the fires captured world headlines as the scenes of utter devastation and destruction became apparent.
But Australians are incredibly resilient and determined and in true Aussie style, the long road back has begun in earnest. Such a difficult journey has been made slightly less so by the incredible support and generosity of a nation, and closer to home, the local community.
The more than $400,000 worth of goods and services offered for sale by the business community and its networks is unprecedented, while the expected crowd of more than 400 people for the gala auction night surpasses even the wildest expectations of event organisers.
This week, that same incredible fighting Bendigo spirit saw our local Women’s National Basketball League team, aptly named Bendigo Spirit, bow out of the finals of the premier female basketball competition in Australia.
In just its second season in the WNBL, the Spirit overcame controversy surrounding naming rights, and a slow start to the season to storm into the play-offs.
Losing to Adelaide was disappointing, but having achieved so much during the home and away season, the Spirit has every right to be very, very proud of itself and the lofty heights the team soared to during 2008-09.
Telstra’s decision to close its King Street call centre brought home a nasty sense of deja vu this week as I reflect back to my days as a senior reporter at The Addy.
I still remember the anger, disappointment and frustration when the Queen Street call centre was lost to our city in the late 1990s, and the events of the past few days bear more than a passing resemblance.
Sadly for the 133 local Telstra staff who lost jobs this week, the good local work Telstra and its many good local people do in this community has been overshadowed by a head office decision that will decimate the company’s goodwill in regional communities for some time.
The Bendigo Traders Association’s recent survey of its members regarding the Walk Bendigo project is equally troubling.
Any reasonable, qualified and experienced statistician knows the survey has no scientific basis, and it was always going to tell us nothing we did not already know.
That only 87 members anonymously replied to the survey is an issue, and woe betide anyone who looks to use the ‘survey’ outcomes as the foundation for any future policy or direction.
The time has come for all major stakeholders with a relevance to the CBD to put aside their various self interests, problems and concerns and start talking to one another about all the things that are important to maintaining and preserving a vibrant CBD.
Walk Bendigo and the need for additional car parking in the broader CBD area are no longer separate issues, and one will not be solved without the other.
It’s been easy fodder for the community to criticise both Walk Bendigo and the Hargreaves Mall, but there’s a desperate need for both opportunities to realise their full potential - for the good of the city, the traders and the community.
The emerging potential of a substantial car parking facility that could be part of a major development on High Street near the Sacred Heart Cathedral is the latest ingredient to this heady issue, and we look forward to the response from the BTA, as well as the Bendigo Business Council, to the innovative proposal put forward by the Catholic church.
The idea of a partially underground car park as part of a piazza style development was raised by Monsignor Frank Marriott at a private and informal luncheon shared with others some months ago.
The Monsignor’s willingness to explore new ideas was refreshing and it’s pleasing to see that the germ of an idea has grown, as subsequent talks with other parties enriched the idea to one that will now go to parishioners this week for discussion.
The sensitive topic of development such as that being considered, but not yet proposed, adjacent to this city’s most significant building, needs to be given the respect from all parties that it deserves.
Let’s not reject the idea outright before all the options are put forward, discussed and shared.
There’s too much at stake, both now and in the future, and we owe it to both our generation and those to come to protect and preserve our past, as well as to plan and prepare adequately for the future.
Email a friend