From the Archives: March 19-29

40 years ago

March 19, 1975

A new group has been formed aimed at ensuring community resources are efficiently used to benefit all Werribee residents. A meeting of the Community Resources Group was convened by Werribee Primary School principal Matt Myers last week following concerns Werribee Shire was one of the last councils in the state to appoint a community development officer. Mr Myers said the group would evaluate whether facilities, such as school buildings, could be more widely used by the community.

30 years ago

March 20, 1985

More than 100 years after Ned Kelly was hanged, a case involving his family has come before court. The case related to police statements and depositions from 1874 to 1904 – allegations of horse-stealing by Kelly’s younger brother, James, and friend Isiaih Wright – which were stolen from the Public Records repository in Laverton last year. Werribee Magistrates Court was told the woman accused of the theft was found in possession of the documents during a routine police traffic check on the Princes Highway. The woman pleaded guilty to the theft and was fined $500.

20 years ago

March 29, 1995

Work is under way on Werribee Plaza’s long-awaited $9.5 million cinema complex. The development will include 10 theatres, with seating for up to 2000 people, along with a World 4 Kids store and a 500 square metre family restaurant on the site of the former Billy Guyatts store. The plaza’s marketing manager said the complex, due to open in November, would provide hundreds of new jobs for local residents. The cinemas will be the first stage in a series of developments at the plaza over the next decade, with the centre to double in size.

10 years ago

March 23, 2005

Eight kindergartens are among 20 Wyndham Council buildings earmarked for asbestos removal. A report stated that the council had worked on removing the most dangerous asbestos from its buildings, but warned it was still present in walls, floor tiles and cement flues in some facilities which may need repair or renovation. Councillors voted to spend $263,000 on asbestos removal in 2005-06 in buildings classified as high risk by an audit and a further $336,600 in 2006-07.

From The Archives

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