15 JANUARY, 2025
Regatta win is not taboo
Sailors, Peter Kiely (6th Element), Matt Stone (The Joker), Shannon and Jack Wilson (Taboo) and Steve Short (Slingshot) celebrate their victories in the Arrow and Mosquito Class National Titles. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 452352_03
Some of Australia’s best sailors took to the waters off Altona Beach last week for the Arrow and Mosquito Class National Titles. More than 45 boats travelled from across the country to compete in the regatta from January 5 to 10. Among the winners were Hobsons Bay locals and father-son duo, Shannon and Jack Wilson, who took out the Mosquito Sloop Division in their boat Taboo. Having won his first national titles with his father Robert, this time Shannon teamed with his 10-year -old son Jack to claim another championship, more than 30 years after his first. Altona Yacht Club Commodore Paul Lindemann said he was proud of the effort club members put into hosting the event. “It was a great regatta,” he said. “I want to thank especially our canteen volunteers, our shore crew helping sailors launch and our powerboat crews on start and rescue boat.” Altona Yacht Club is hosting training days for those wanting to take up sailing each Saturday morning from February 1 to April 5. Details: training@altonayachtclub. org.au
Closures rile residents By Cade Lucas
12533599-HC07-22
Inner-west residents are fed up with the ongoing disruption caused by the West Gate Tunnel Project as extensive road closures take effect to allow for final construction works. Beginning on the evening of Monday, January 6, a series of lanes and ramps connecting major inner-west thoroughfares to the West Gate Bridge and West Gate Freeway were closed as construction crews took advantage of the summer holiday period to finish key parts of the project. The construction of the tunnel’s exit structure, the laying of asphalt on the new freeway and the addition of new inbound express lanes, permanent road barriers
and signage are among the works being undertaken until March 8, with freeway ramps at Millers Road, Williamstown Road and Grieve Parade among the roads affected. President of Spotswood and Kingsville Residents association, Better West, Rosa McKenna, said the problem wasn’t so much the road closures, but the way they’d been explained. “It’s the timing, it’s the poor communication,” said Ms McKenna, who argued that rather than a lack of information, the West Gate Tunnel Project and the state government had provided too much. “People have found it all quite confusing. We’re getting stuff in our mail and email, so getting information is great, but the information is too difficult and too
confusing.” The road closures span from January 6 to March 8, but some lanes and ramps will reopen others will close in the meantime. “It depends on where you live,” said Ms McKenna. “One bit of information might be important to you but the rest won’t be. It could’ve been better targeted.“ While these complaints might seem pedantic, Ms McKenna said locals had been putting up with disruptions from the tunnel project for 7 years. “People are very fatigued by the whole process,” she said. “We understand the works have to be done, but the timing could be better. Why close multiple lanes and multiple ramps at the same time?”
A spokesperson for the West Gate Tunnel Project said the summer works were needed in order for the project to be finished by the end of the year. “We will continue to inform locals on upcoming works through a wide range of communication channels that detail closures and detours in their surrounding area,“ the spokesperson said. Williamstown MP Melissa Horne said she’d had discussions with the transport department to ensure that safety for vulnerable road users was paramount during the closure period. She acknowledged the disruption and thanked residents for their patience saying the project will “deliver benefits by taking trucks off local roads and cutting travel times”.
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