OCTOBER 24, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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Crossing breakthrough By Charlene Macaulay
Hands up for Joffa’s jacket
(Damjan Janevski)
Wyndham will be free of boom-gate pain by 2025 under a Labor Party plan to scrap the third and final level crossing in the city. The state government has announced that it will remove the Hoppers Crossing level crossing if it is re-elected at the upcoming state election, adding another 25 level crossing removals to its current schedule of 50. The Werribee and Cherry street crossings have already been earmarked for removal by 2022. Werribee MP Tim Pallas said the Old Geelong Road level crossing at Hoppers Crossing station had been identified for removal through a selection framework that prioritised level crossings that have high risks of incidents, cause excessive traffic congestion and impede access to important facilities. Mr Pallas said there had been three serious accidents at the level crossing since 2005 and 20 near-misses. About 18,000 vehicles travel through the level crossing each day. “What is clear is that this crossing meets this criteria, certainly in terms of safety, efficiency and community connectiveness,” he said. “From our perspective, one of the key issues here is the amount of time the boom gates are down – about 36 per cent of time during the morning peak.” A construction timeline for the level crossing removal is yet to be determined. Mr Pallas said it had been decided whether all three Wyndham crossings would be removed at the same time. He said that while the government’s preferred option to remove the level crossing was to add a road overpass over the rail line, it would consult the community before determining a design option. When asked why Hoppers Crossing didn’t make the original list of 50 removals, Mr Pallas said: “There was 180 of them in metropolitan Melbourne, and everybody has to get their fair share in this process”. Wyndham council has long campaigned for the government to add Hoppers Crossing to its level-crossing removals. On his mayoral Facebook account, Wyndham mayor Peter Maynard called the move a “game changer” for Hoppers Crossing. “The commitment will ease congestion issues that our community has dealt with for too many years,” Cr Maynard wrote.
The iconic gold jacket of extrovert Collingwood Football Club larrikin Joffa will be auctioned at a Hoppers Crossing fundraising event for Reclink Australia. Jeff “Joffa” Corfe has donated the jacket – which he will sign – to help raise money for Reclink’s Wyndham-based programs, which give disadvantaged people opportunities to participate in sport. Joffa will speak at the November 14 fundraising event, along with former Fremantle Dockers coach Chris Connolly. Joffa, a Footscray resident, said he became involved with Reclink after meeting its founder, Peter Cullen, about seven years ago. “The moment I met Peter, I couldn’t believe we had this organisation that helps the disabled, those with a mental illness, the homeless and, to some extent, the discarded people of society,” Joffa said. Every year since 2010, Joffa has purchased a new gold jacket which is destined for a good cause – this year was “Reclink’s turn”. “It’s not about me – the gold jacket today is all about people against the odds and people who have done it hard and against the circumstances,” he said. Mr Cullen described the gold jacket as “a unique piece of memorabilia”. “It means a lot from Reclink’s point of view, and for Reclink in Wyndham, for Joffa to generously donate his jacket for auction,” he said. The Hoppers Bowls Club will present the Reclink Mixed Sport Night at the Hoppers Crossing Club on Wednesday, November 14, from 7.30pm. Cost: $20 including finger food, bookings essential. Contact: 9749 4844 or reception@ hoppersclub.com.au. Alesha Capone