Page 4 The Moorabool News – 17 May, 2022
News
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Confusion over interlock condition Mr Goldson believed he had been given a six-month interlock period in 2012 and kept the interlock on for twoyears but didn’t realise he had to apply to have the interlock removed.
By Lachlan Ellis A man has had his case adjourned, after admitting to driving without an interlock, being unaware he still needed one at the time.
Since having the interlock condition put on his licence, Goldson had sold the car after a mechanic removed the interlock.
Brett Goldson appeared in the Bacchus Marsh Magistrates Court on Friday 6 May, admitting to driving without an interlock.
Magistrate Radford suggested the mechanic must have provided printouts from the interlock, and that if those were provided and all showed a 0.00 BAC, Mr Goldson could come back at a later date to have the interlock condition removed.
The police prosecutor told Magistrate Hugh Radford on Tuesday 14 April, 2020, at 12.09 pm, the accused was driving a motor vehicle, a ute, eastbound on Old Melbourne Road in Gordon. “No other passengers were onboard. At the same time, police were travelling in a marked police vehicle in the same location travelling the opposite direction towards the accused,” he said. “Police detected the accused driving at 117 km/h using a mobile radar. He was intercepted and police offered the accused to view the reading. He produced his driver’s licence – his licence indicated he was subjected to an alcohol interlock condition, an inspection of the vehicle the accused
was driving revealed there was no interlock device fitted.” The court heard the interlock condition was placed on Mr Goldson’s licence on the 12th of August 2012, and that he admitted to speeding on 14 April 2020, but not at 117 km/h, rather, “somewhere between 105 and 110”. He also admitted to knowing about the interlock condition but “had never made an application to have the condition removed”.
Mr Goldson’s lawyer told the court his client seems to think “his mother may have them [the interlock printouts] at the house.” “Good old mum,” Magistrate Radford said. “It’s amazing what mums keep…I’ll just stand the matter down, it may be that we adjourn this until we’ve got a note back from VicRoads to say the interlock condition has been removed, or you bring the application back to the court,” he said. The matter was adjourned until 17 June.
Fingers crossed for indoor pool By Lachlan Ellis The State Budget and the federal election has seen a flurry of funding commitments for a range of Moorabool projects, and politicians visiting to splash some cash – but a Bacchus Marsh woman has shared just how important one particular project is for her and her family. Ruth Baas’ daughter, 16-year-old Ella, is a state level swimmer, and also works as a lifeguard. Because there’s currently no pool available in Bacchus Marsh for nine months of the year, Ms Baas says, Ella travels out of Moorabool three mornings a week at 4.30 am. “She’s been a competitive swimmer since she was 11 … we travel to Gisborne three mornings a week for her to train. In the last year or so she’s reached state level and has competed at some big state events that Swimming Victoria run, which requires her to get some pretty tough qualifying times,” Ms Baas told the Moorabool News. “Having a pool in town would be so much better. She’d still be required to go to train under her coach, but to have the option to do extra training in town without relying on her parents to get her to places would be fantastic.” Ms Baas said she was grateful for the State Government providing $10 million for the indoor pool, but was concerned the Federal Government may not chip in and get the facility fully funded, given how long Marshians have been waiting for an indoor pool already. “We’ve always had to travel to find a pool, and I know there’s a lot of people saying ‘we don’t need a pool, we need this, we need that’…but we’ve been here for over 20 years and we definitely need a new pool. The town’s gotten so much bigger,” she said. “The State Government funding announcement was exciting, but $10 million’s not going to get it built. Ella was excited that there might be a facility here in town, but we’re
Ella representing Bacchus Marsh College at the State Championships.
Ella competing at MSAC. Photos - Ruth Haas.
assuming by the time it does finally get built, she won’t be interested in swimming anymore. The aim for Ella is nationals, her mother said. “But that all depends on being able to train more. We need the Federal Government to step up, we seem to be forgotten a bit out here.” Major party candidates for the new electorate of Hawke, which includes Bacchus Marsh, have stopped short of promising the required $15 million of Federal Government
funding for the pool if elected. Labor’s Sam Rae stated he is “very supportive of the Bacchus Marsh pool” and pledged to advocate for it, while the Liberal Party’s Enamul Haque did not respond to the Moorabool News for comment. The pool will form Stage 3 of the Moorabool Aquatic and Recreation Centre (MARC), which Council has committed close to $15 million to, alongside the State Government’s $10 million investment.
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