BERWICK
Thursday, 11 April, 2024
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PM in town Premier Jacinta Allan and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese were among a long list of VIPs at a Sikh Vaisakhi celebration at Bunjil Place on Sunday 7 April. The gala event also marked 10 years of community aid from the much-lauded Sikh Volunteers Australia (SVA) group. “During the pandemic they provided food for students who were in desperate need for that support,” Mr Albanese said. “During the bushfires, during floods. Wherever there are issues confronting Australians, we see the best of the Australian character and there’s no community organisation that has done more than Sikh Volunteers Australia.” Story page 2 Premier Jacinta Allan and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Slow them down By Ethan Benedicto Through speed humps, road islands and wet weather, Saffron Drive in Hallam continues to see its fair share of reckless drivers, or what Glenn Williams prefers to term, hoons. Village manager of Saffron Grove Retirement Village, Mr Williams is no stranger to the almost-daily dangerous driving on both Saffron Drive and Nettle Drive. These two roads surround the retirement village, and serve as what Mr Williams called a “rat run”. “[Drivers] try to avoid the lights at the corner of Hallam Road, so they come down Nettle Drive and then they go through Saffron Drive,” Mr Williams said. “One day somebody’s going to come down
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ner of the village, alongside the cameras that surround the area, Mr Williams gets a clear view of the comings and goings of vehicles on Saffron Drive. “The motorbikes go between the speed humps anyway, it doesn’t slow them down whatsoever. “For [drivers], there’s no point in slowing down because the cars are big enough to absorb them, and it’s more when they come into the driveway like that which concerns me enormously,” he said. Mr Williams can’t seem to wrap his mind around the ‘why’ of the incidents. “I don’t understand, realistically, why they are coming to this little area here to do their burnouts.” Coninued page 3
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are pretty much racing cones aren’t they? They go through those pretty quick,” Mr Williams said. According to Keri New, the City of Casey’s manager of city and asset planning, the council is “aware of community concerns regarding hooning and speeding along Nettle and Saffron Drive in Hallam”. “In response to this, council has programmed updated traffic surveys in the next school term at the area adjacent to the Retirement Village to determine current traffic volumes and speeds in these streets. “Should speed data prove concerning then this data will be forwarded to Victoria Police and a request for enforcement at these locations,” Ms New said. With his office situated at the front and cor-
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this road hard, hit the speed bumps, lose control and they’ll end up in the village.” While there are traffic management devices present on Saffron Drive, with multiple speed humps and islands, Mr Williams said they do little to hinder the frequency of these incidents. The pink brick entrance driveway of the retirement village is no stranger to tyre skid marks which for Mr Williams, “is insane”. “They just go over them, you stand here and you watch those cars going over those speed humps and they just fly over them. “My biggest concern is somebody exiting the village and another person is going to be coming up the end that quick, and just clean them up. “Because the little islands they have here
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