40 years ago
March 12, 1975
Werribee Shire will be unable to spend a $120,000 federal grant earmarked to start building the proposed drain through Werribee and Hoppers Crossing before the grant expires on June 30 because of a delay in the release of a report by the Board of Works. Although the council has a $50,000 loan to help finance the first stage of the drain, shire engineer John Nicol said that until the Board of Works report was released to the council it was not in a position to determine the extent of the works which could be carried out with the available money.
30 years ago
March 13, 1985
Health Commissioners feared a deadly typhoid outbreak could spread throughout Werribee after it was confirmed a local man had contracted the disease by eating infected mussels taken from Werribee South. A second man who ate the mussels was admitted to hospital and his family members were tested but all were cleared. Health Minister Tom Roper last week warned people against eating mussels from the Werribee coastline after tests detected traces of bacteria and salmonella but not typhoid.
20 years ago
March 22, 1995
A new aquatics centre, possibly featuring a wave pool, may be built in Werribee, according to Wyndham’s commissioners. The council is spending $33,000 on a study to identify potential sites, designs and costings for the project, which may be modelled on the Melton Waves aquatic centre. A survey of 300 households and a public meeting in May will help gauge community interest. The city’s chief commissioner, Bernie Knight, said with a population of 75,000, Wyndham had inadequate swimming facilities.
10 years ago
March 16, 2005
Geelong mayor Shane Dowling will take over from Chief Inspector Wayne Carson as the head of police operations at Werribee later this year. Cr Dowling, a chief inspector with Victoria Police, will make the move at a time when tensions are high at Werribee because of a lack of frontline officers. Lobby group Wyndham Action Planners presented a petition with 10,000 signatures to Opposition police spokesman Kim Wells last week demanding more police numbers at Werribee.
