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15 DECEMBER, 2021
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Tanks for the display
(Damjan Janevski) 260039_05
Every year, Brett Lockwood transforms his front yard into a Christmas wonderland featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, fish in a tank, LEGO displays and more. Mr Lockwood said the festive display, in Aloma Avenue, Wyndham Vale, was popular with people of all ages both during the day and at night when the lights are on. He built Thomas, who can blow bubbles and project a movie onto a screen, by hand. Mr Lockwood first started decorating his property for Christmas 24 years ago. He said that he enjoyed standing âbehind the scenesâ and hearing viewersâ opinions of the display. âI like listening to people and hearing what they say about it,â he said. Mr Lockwood said his family was always supportive of the Christmas exhibit. His father-in-law Alan, who usually helps to put the display together, sadly died this year. Alan also liked to attend the Christmas showcase wearing a hat with âBah Humbugâ written on it. This year, Mr Lockwood will be wearing a âBah Humbugâ hat as a tribute to Alan.
Brett Lockwood with his Christmas display.
Huge jobs, freight boost By Alesha Capone Australiaâs largest private rail freight company has announced it will spend $20 million on the design and development of a new intermodal container terminal in Little River, which will support more 4200 jobs once it becomes operational. The funds will be spent to secure land options, and commence detailed planning and design works on the project. Pacific National chief executive Paul Scurrah said the aim is for the 80-hectare intermodal terminal to be operational by 2026. The company has secured an option for a
540-hectare site in Little River to construct the terminal and develop a surrounding logistics precinct on the existing interstate rail corridor west of Melbourneâs CBD and port. âIn the future, the broader logistics precinct â serviced by the rail terminal â will feature extensive warehousing, cold storage, and re-fuelling facilities, generating more than 4000 skilled jobs,â Mr Scurrah said. The terminal will also directly support more than 200 frontline rail freight jobs. A statement from Pacific National said that building the terminal in the west of Melbourne will reduce the freight sectorsâ total C02 emissions by almost 500,000 tonnes by 2031
and take 250,000 trucks off Melbourneâs road network each year. âPacific Nationalâs new Little River site is in a prime position on the main interstate rail line and close to the Princes Freeway, delivering efficient freight transport connectivity to nearby logistics companies, distribution centres, warehouses, shippers, and manufacturers,â Mr Scurrah said. âClose to Melbourneâs freight centre of gravity, Pacific Nationalâs plans for Little River will help to shift more freight from road to rail until delivery of the Western Interstate Freight Terminal (WIFT).â The state government is planning to
construct a intermodal freight precinct in either Truganina or the town of Beveridge in Melbourneâs north, with the federal and state governments currently developing a business case for the project. Mr Scurrah said several governmentsponsored studies have confirmed the best location for a major Victorian interstate rail terminal would be Truganina, rather than the north. He said that building an intermodal container terminal in Little River would complement a future WIFT in Truganina, with both sites helping to service Melbourneâs growing western freight zone.