12477073-SG03-21
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proudly serving the Northern Suburbs
20 APRIL, 2021
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Proud to have served
(Damjan Janevski) 233778_05
John Gregory Ross is proud to have served his country. Following in his grandfather and father’s footsteps, Greg, as he is known, served in Vietnam, initially called to service in 1968. After completing his basic training at Puckapunyal, he joined 2 signal regiment in Melbourne. Greg was sent to Vietnam in April, 1971, where he served for close to 10 months. “I came back … on January 28, 1972. “[The experience] was long enough, I was glad to get home.” After returning to his previous job with the Victorian government, Greg completed his matriculation, eventually graduating as a teacher. He taught around Victoria until his retirement in 2009. Greg said Anzac Day was a time for veterans to “reminisce and think about the things we did while we were in the army, and the people who are no longer with us.” In particular, Greg thinks about his friend Larry. “When we went out to do the basic training … [there were] 16 people to a hut in four different sections. The little section that I was in… there were four of us … Johnny, John, Larry, and myself. ■ Continued:
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Soil legal action launched By Oliver Lees Hume council will take Bulla’s toxic soil fight to the Supreme Court. Last week, Hume councillors voted unanimously to have the council’s lawyers initiate legal proceedings to review a decision by Planning Minister Richard Wynne that could see testing and disposal of spoil from the West Gate Tunnel project at a site on Sunbury Road. As reported by Star Weekly, Mr Wynne approved Hi-Quality Group’s planning scheme amendment for the site on March 29. Council estimates the legal proceedings will cost $100,000 to $200,000, but noted that cost
could be higher if it were to lose the case. Council received 58 community submissions and more than 300 emails in relation to council officers’ recommendation to initiate legal proceedings. Cr Jodi Jackson said the number of submissions indicated the community is “highly engaged” in voicing its concerns about the project. “Our community is in the midst of a toxic soil crisis,” she said. “They have been highly engaged with this issue for a very long time.” All 58 submissions were read aloud by council staff during last Monday’s council meeting. In the submissions, community
members listed a number of concerns including the site’s proximity to new residential housing, the effect on housing prices, traffic congestion and odour. One submission warned councillors that the vote on the issue “could quite possibly be the most important vote of your careers”. Another stated: “Please fight for us and save our safe haven”. Mayor Joseph Haweil said there had been no process for the council to have a say on the issue since submitting a response to Hi-Quality’s planning scheme amendment in September, 2020. Cr Jarrod Bell said while he was supportive of
the legal action, council needed to be cognisant of the cost. “This is not an insignificant sum of money that could build new community facilities,” he said. Sunbury Residents Association (SRA) president Graham Williams said from a ratepayer’s perspective, this was the correct allocation of resources. “SRA has always been against the use of the Bulla site for the transport of contaminated soil so we’re very pleased to see the council challenging this decision,” Mr Williams said. “As a residents association we don’t like to see money go to waste, but this is the right thing to do.”
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