Somehow, the goddess Fortuna smiled to save her eponymous gift to our heritage from the tragic ravages of the recent fires.

Perhaps this is a timely wake-up call, to the necessity to act on a golden opportunity to preserve the Fortuna Villa for the benefit of all Bendigonians as a very special resource, community space, and tourist attraction.

Such has been achieved by councils and communities working together elsewhere in this state and indeed overseas.

The Abbotsford Convent, Castlemaine Gaol, Wangaratta Art Gallery, Daylesford Convent, Maribyrnong Arts Space and Community Centre and Montsalvat, not to mention a range of former inner Melbourne city tenements, workshops and warehouses, present but a few examples and models of culturally and historically significant properties that have been re-developed as living, working community spaces for the inspiration, appreciation, education and welfare, and greater benefit of the community at large.

Fate has recently played her hand to save Fortuna from a natural disaster.

I urge Bendigonians to lend support to the Villa Fortuna Action Group (www.villafortuna.org.au) so that we don’t now lose this unique resource - which embraces Bendigo’s past and potentially will inspire our present and future - to a political, decision making disaster.

MARION WRIGHT, Quarry Hill