DANDENONG
dandenong.starcommunity.com.au
Tuesday, 16 April, 2024
/DandenongJournal
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Plea for pool re-design
Wellsprings funding limbo
Oyiti Cup success
Sharks attack Thunder
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Fields of passion The numbers don’t lie. Greater Dandenong mayor Lana Formoso, pictured with young players from Dandenong City Football Club, saw first-hand the surge in popularity of girls’ football at the inaugural Dandy Cup at Police Paddocks reserve last weekend. More on the story, turn to page 12
Greater Dandenong mayor Lana Formoso and Dandenong City players at the Dandy Cup.
Bell tolls for Cr By Sahar Foladi A Dandenong South manufacturer has fired back at City of Greater Dandenong councillor Rhonda Garad who addressed a pro-Palestine protest in front of its factory. Yvonne Bell from AW Bell said she intends to file a complaint to the Local Government Minister against Cr Garad after the most recent protest on 2 April. “I fully intend to put a report into the Minister of Local Government because there have been a lot of councillors who are stepping right outside the bounds of their roles as a local councillor,” Ms Bell said.
The manufacturing company had been targeted by pro-Palestine protesters for its role in the Lockheed Martin F-35 joint fighter program, which are used by Israel in the Gaza conflict. Two protests were held outside the company in the past month. “The Federal Government will not let these protesters close defence business down or any businesses that are legally running within Australia,” Ms Bell said. “This is crazy stuff.” Cr Garad says she was at the protest to raise awareness as any other individual
could. “I have a right as an individual to participate in a peaceful protest. “I’m a member of the Dandenong proPalestinian group as is my right and I never once forged myself as anything other than just an individual. “She can misrepresent my role, but I was there in an individual capacity, as a resident of Dandenong.” According to Ms Bell, the company had to endure financial loss due to stopping work on the days of the protests. “When we knew protests were on, we
stopped staff coming for the day because we don’t think they should be exposed to this in their workplace. “For the first time ever, we had security guards on the business all the time.” AW Bell supplies parts for Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, one of the most highly advanced and sophisticated fighter jets in the world. It is the only approved casting supplier of F-35 electronic warfare countermeasure magazines in the world.
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