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10 MARCH, 2026
Be transported through history Brimbank locals can travel back through time at the Keilor Historical Society’s (KHS) open day this month. This year’s theme is ‘early transport in the Keilor region’, giving locals the opportunity to learn about transport in the Keilor region from the 1850s to today. KHS general executive Fred Ackerman said an exhibition and publication on the topic will also be launched at the event. “Keilor was the first major stopping point on the track to the goldfields. People literally walked from the city and they stopped off at Keilor and were catered for there with [supplies],” Mr Ackerman said. The open day will feature information stalls, food and drinks, and guided tours of the historical Harrick’s Cottage and Police Hut. KHS is also hoping to recruit new members on the day. The KHS open day will run from 12.30-4.30pm on Sunday 14 March at Harrick’s Cottage and Police Hut, 152 Harrick Road. Keilor Park. Details: keilorhistoricalsociety.org.au/ membership/ Keilor Historical Society general executive Fred Ackerman and vice-president Susan Jennison. (Damjan Janevski) 535561_02
Clean-up complete After an operation lasting more than a year and costing millions of dollars, the site of Melbourne’s biggest industrial fire in nearly a decade has now been cleaned up, the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria has announced. In July 2024 a blaze broke out at the ACB Group’s chemical blending facility in Swann Drive, Derrimut, and burned for six hours before firefighters could bring it under control, using about three million litres of water and 40,000 litres of foam in the process. At the time of the fire, nearby residents were advised to remain indoors to avoid the smoke, and the blaze triggered an intense
EPA program of air and water quality monitoring. EPA said risks of impact to human and environmental health were fortunately found to be low. What was left were fire-damaged, unsafe buildings and thousands of burnt-out chemical drums, each of which had to be individually inspected before being removed. EPA west metropolitan regional manager Julia Gaitan said that as of late January 2026, there were no remaining environmental notices on the site. “It was the biggest fire clean-up in the west since the Tottenham blaze of 2018,” Ms
Gaitan said. “Not only was environmental harm reduced by the controlled removal of the waste, it was done in a very timely way given the challenges faced.” EPA was one of a suite of agencies that participated in the operation. WorkSafe, EPA, Energy Safe and Fire Rescue Victoria worked closely to ensure the health and safety of those directly involved in removing the waste, the EPA said. “It’s a great example of regulators uniting and using the most appropriate tools to ensure waste was safely removed,” Ms Gaitan said. EPA issued multiple improvement notices requiring waste to be assessed, removed and
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lawfully disposed of, as well as storm water to be contained to prevent contaminated runoff. The watchdog said it also wanted to make sure the public wasn’t left footing the bill after ACB Group, the company that operated the site at the time of the fire, went into liquidation. “EPA worked hard to ensure the liquidator and the landholder funded the clean-up,” Ms Gaitan said. “The clear message here is that organisations can’t evade their environmental obligations by going into liquidation.” EPA and WorkSafe investigations of the incident are ongoing.
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Kathy Danoucaras, Nick Danoucaras and Sam Robertson KND Denture Clinic, 192 Main Road East, St Albans 9364 3677 Also at: Suite 8, 242 Caroline Springs Boulevard, Caroline Springs. 8361 9722
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