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Friday, 26 June, 2015 Page 3
geelong.starcommunity.com.au
Geelong owners face huge bills for repairs
In brief
Cancer ‘eats’ buildings
Man hunted
Geelong buildings NUMEROUS riddled with concrete cancer will cost owners millions of dollars in repairs, a property management company has warned. The warning follows discoveries of major concrete cancer issues on the Gold Coast and in other coastal regions. Ace Body Corporate Management cheif Stephen Raff said strata property stakeholders in Geelong should “get proactive” immediately. Mr Raff warned that delaying concrete cancer checks could result in crippling repair bills. A number of buildings in the re-
gion have already suffered serious concrete cancer issues, including Geelong Performing Arts Centre (GPAC), Civic Centre car park and Anglesea Surf Lifesaving Club. GPAC will undergo a $140 million upgrade after concrete cancer and other issues rendered it unsafe and unfit for hosting events, the Independent reported earlier this year. City Hall has listed $80,000 of works on the Civic Centre car park roof “to mitigate the need for urgent remedial work to fix major structural issues”. A report said extreme heat loading of the car park’s top level had caused excessive structural movement, cracking and flaking of concrete, which
promoted severe concrete cancer and a risk of further major repair work. Anglesea Surf Lifesaving Club faces a $4 million redevelopment plan because the lower level of the ageing complex, set for demolition, has cracked and broken brickwork and concrete cancer. Mr Raff said recent investigations confirmed what property sector leaders feared for more than a year, with numerous buildings on the Gold Coast found to be riddled with concrete cancer, or “spalling” as it is known to engineering experts. “The million dollar holes being gouged into the funds of Gold Coast bodies corporate and property owners should be a trigger for all Geelong stra-
ta stakeholders to get proactive now.” Hyrum Mohring, of North Geelong building repairs business Resourcity, told the Independent the region had many buildings fitting into the age and construction profile for concrete cancer. “Buildings that are 50-plus years old are at significant risk and Geelong still has a lot of buildings from the ‘50s and ‘60s.” Tim Stretton, of Grovedale’s Total Waterproofing Solutions said 30 per cent of his work was dealing with concrete cancer. “The repair costs are high, because you have to cut out the affected area and treat around it and they are difficult applications. It’s time consuming,” Mr Stretton said.
Ron’s backyard art tells the tale of Wathaurong’s fate By NOEL MURPHY RON MILLIGAN’S backyard has been Wathaurong country for 2000 generations. He lives near West Park, where a creek once ran from Herne Hill down toward Gordon Ave through Johnstone Park and into Corio Bay. The backyard, in the Milligan family for eight or nine generations, is the subject of his forthcoming exhibition on the bigger Wathaurong neighbourhood. The paintings begin with an unusual backyard barbecue at his Yuille St home - with blackfellas around a fire preparing to roast a kangaroo. A swing, a garden shed, fence, neat garden and well-clipped lawn remind the viewer what’s replaced the hunter-gather’s traditional homeland. Ron’s works are a poignant statement on the settlement of whites in the district, from John Murray in the Lady Nelson and two shootings of the locals to William Buckley, bunyip sightings, John Batman’s treaty, squatters, ineffective protectors and the loss of hunting grounds. “From Fyans’ count in ’37 only four in 10 remained, their living was denied them, their hunting grounds were claimed,” Milligan writes in accompanying texts. “Just 20 camped at Tooim Be-al, where the river redgum grew, on land no use to Stewart, in 1852. “Banished from the town each night, they walked in every day, sold their boomerangs in Yarra St for the pittance they were paid.” Milligan’s paintings show the stars of the southern sky, Wathaurong with Buckley and Batman’s camp, on the plains around the You Yangs and along the Barwon River, at Portarlington and on the coast. One verse is especially telling of the last Wathaurong’s fate: ‘Dan Dan Nook and Willem Ba Nip, Kings of nothing they surveyed, On the road to Bellarine, With nothing left to trade. Help Me Through The World, Was the name of the Moolap Inn But its patrons wouldn’t feed them, The last two of their kin.’ Gordon Gallery will host Milligan’s My Back Yard from 7 to 10 July.
Servo opposed A SERVICE station proposed for the top of Mt Duneed would be “out of character” with the area, according to Surf Coast Shire. The shire has objected to City of Greater Geelong over the service station’s siting at the intersection of Surf Coast Hwy and Mt Duneed Rd.
Man wanted A MAN wanted on 10 warrants for offences including threats to kill might be on the loose in Geelong. Police said 190cm Christopher Cornwill, 25, had no fixed place of abode but frequented St Albans Park, Norlane, Whittington and Belmont.
Sack call THE ABC must sack its Q&A executive producer for allowing a convicted criminal to make “offensive comments”, according to a local MP and former presenter for the station. Member for Corangamite, Sarah Henderson who spent nine years at the ABC, said Peter McEvoy’s “stunt” with Zaky Mallah put the audience and staff at risk.
Dolphin killed A FISHING trawler has returned to port in Geelong amid further controversy after killing another dolphin. Star of Geelong docked this week to offload its catch after increasing its known tally of accidental dolphin kills to nine during an operation off New South Wales last week.
Blast fear THE ANDREWS Labor Government has refused to rule out blasting Port Phillip Heads so larger ships can reach Port of Melbourne, according to South Barwon MP Andrew Katos. He said environmentally-damaging blasting and dredging would have to go ahead for larger ships to access Melbourne after Labor scuttled plans to develop a second container port, Bay West, near Geelong.
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By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
POLICE are hunting a man allegedly involved in an aggravated burglary and car theft at Norlane before an armed robbery at Belmont’s TAB agency. Police said the man’s alleged accomplice was in custody after the incidents on Wednesday night.