HOBSONS Bay councillors are expected to defy a council officers’ report that recommends not changing the name of a street named after a paedophile Catholic priest because there’s insufficient support.
A report prepared for last night’s council meeting recommended against changing the name of Rubeo Avenue in Altona Meadows.
As reported exclusively in the Weekly on November 28, a mother and daughter petitioned for a name change.
Point Cook woman Christine Dunsmore and her mother Jen Austin, of Altona North, believe their former family priest Victor Rubeo “shouldn’t be revered in any way, shape or form”.
In October 1996, Rubeo pleaded guilty in the Ringwood Magistrates Court to two counts of indecent assault against Tony Hersbach and his twin Will, committed at Laverton in 1967 when the boys were 14.
Rubeo, 78, died on December 16, 2011, the day he was meant to front a committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on 30 child sex abuse charges committed against the twins.
The council sent 42 questionnaires to Rubeo Avenue owners and occupiers last November.
Of the 30 responses received, 21 opposed the name change, saying it would have a “significant short-term impact on owners and residents” but “there will be minimal impact on the broader community if the street name remains unchanged”. Many cited “cost and inconvenience” as the major factor in their decision.
Ms Dunsmore said she understood that it might be “a hassle”. “I get that, although as a society, what message are we sending by not changing it?”
Wetlands ward’s Cr Luba Grigorovitch told the Weekly she would move an amendment to try to get the avenue renamed.
Tony Hersbach’s wife, Lu, said the council had to show leadership. “At some point, council has to take a stand: you are glorifying paedophiles.”
