40 years ago
March 5, 1975
A group of 27 Altona youths were charged with drunk and disorderly behaviour following a police blitz in Werribee. The youths went to a Werribee hotel after closing time and police were called following a minor incident at a local milk bar. Officers found the group wandering nearby streets.The next morning, windows at Patersons furniture store and Taranto’s fruit mart were found to be broken, although these incidents could not be linked to the youths.
30 years ago
March 6, 1985
Werribee state MP Dr Ken Coghill has been re-elected despite a significant swing towards Liberal candidate Peter Hudson. Estimates on the size of the swing vary from Labor’s claim of about 5 per cent to the Liberal claim of 12 per cent, with Mr Hudson telling the Banner the swing was five times greater than the state average because of Dr Coghill’s poor performance.
20 years ago
March 8, 1995
More than 500 mourners gathered at St James The Apostle Church in Hoppers Crossing to farewell 12-year-old boy Darren Gauci, who was killed when the dinghy he was sitting in with his 10-year-old brother was hit by a power ski at Werribee South beach. More than 20 of his friends from The Grange Secondary College formed a guard of honour. The Port of Melbourne Authority will carry out an inquiry over its apparent failure to install warning signs at the beach. The cove where Darren was hit was zoned exclusively for power skis in July 1994 but signs hadn’t been installed.
10 years ago
March 9, 2005
The state government has defended the use of car immobilisers to keep drink-drivers off the road despite a Werribee man blowing more than four times the legal limit after using mouthwash. Kookaburra Avenue resident Ross Mullen recorded a reading of .221 when he blew into an interlock device fitted to his car after rinsing his mouth with Listerine during a controlled test witnessed by police outside court. A second test an hour later, recorded a zero reading. Mr Mullen, a repeat drink-driver, had earlier appeared in court to have the interlock device removed from his car.
