Village Shut Down for Hours, Shop Windows Smashed In
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Edition 485, September 2021 Village shut down for hours, shop windows smashed in ARMED HOSTAGE DRAMA All roads leading into Buninyong and the Bendigo were closed down by police for some Bank building five hours on 17 August following before dragging a major incident in which a firearm the woman along was used to threaten a young woman the middle of and at least two locals. Learmonth Street and crossing the The drama erupted in Learmonth Street road to the corner about 1.30 am when, after hearing of Eyre Street. screams from the front of the Buninyong Bakehouse premises, a baker who went to Shot fired investigate was confronted and allegedly Shortly afterwards threatened by a man wielding a rifle and a nearby resident Above: Brad Mahoney and his dogs. assaulting a young woman. Brad Mahoney was awakened by ‘a Left: Windows smashed along Warrenheip loud bang’ now believed to be a shot. Street. CCTV cameras show the man allegedly After watching the couple on his security Dog Squad. A base was set up at the continuing to assault the woman along cameras and hearing the woman’s Buninyong Newsagency. The Ballarat the business strip of Warrenheip Street. screams for help, Mr Mahoney confronted woman, aged 19, stayed in the house until Using the rifle, he smashed windows at the rifle-wielding man who threatened him. police later arrived to assist. Mr Mahoney Maggie & Kates Café, the Post Office said the woman’s clothing was “soaked” While he was distracted and she had two large raised bruises on by dropping the rifle, the her face and head. accused released his hold on the woman who jumped over Search a 1.5m security fence and After an extensive search, members of the raced past four wildly barking Critical Incident Response Team together blue heeler dogs, into the with the Dog Squad, located a male in Mahoney house and hid in a the front yard of a residence in Geelong bedroom. The man ran off in Road, Mount Helen. The 29 year old man an easterly direction along reportedly sustained injuries resulting from a Eyre Street. dog bite from a police dog during the arrest. Several 000 calls were made Later that morning teams of SES volunteers to police who responded were involved in a search for evidence with regular patrols, the relating to the incident. The rifle butt and heavily armed Critical Incident telescopic sight were later recovered from Response Team and the a drain near Jim Vagg’s Garage. LOCAL NEWS New life for the former Goose Coffee, bikes and bagels In 2011 Cass and Trent Johnston opened their fledgling cycle business, Trialsbikes, in hard-to-find premises tucked away at the back of a row of shops on Warrenheip Street north, (best known for it having a laundromat and a fish shop). Little did they know then what their future in Buninyong would bring. But eleven years later with a booming cycle business now known as Dynamite Cycles, they are about to embark on a brave new business venture by taking over the prominent former premises of the Pig & Goose Food Store, converting it into a new-look cycle shop combined with a coffee and pastry business. The new business will be known as Dynamite Cycles & Cafe. Plans “We plan to renovate the wooden outside deck for continued al fresco use for coffee drinkers – we will be featuring Seven Seeds coffee – and for snacks and light lunches of pastry options such as bagels, cakes, slices and gourmet pies and pasties. There will also be seating at benches inside looking out of the windows across the deck area to Warrenheip Street,” Cass said. displays. The area along the Forest Street place their present pop-up shop at the She added that they have engaged a local side will also be devoted to the cycle Delacombe Town Centre will be closed, pastry cook who will deliver the baked business. and the former shop further north on products fresh each day. Warrenheip Street will be used as a Renovations at the store are now largely workshop and storage facility with the The double doors leading to the former complete and an opening in mid- rear section continuing as their fitness main restaurant area will be closed and September is planned. When this takes the area mainly used for street-front cycle laboratory. 2 Buninyong & District Community News Edition 485, September 2021 LOCAL NEWS STOP PRESS: VCAT rejects Mount development BARRELS BID ROLLED After five days of hearings VCAT agreed with the case commencing in May, the Victorian put by these objectors Civil and Administrative Tribunal that the proposal (VCAT) has refused the application ran counter to the by Clifftop at Hepburn Pty Ltd to objectives of the planning construct five barrel shaped cabins scheme that requires and other infrastructure on the developments to “protect southern slopes of Mount Buninyong. and enhance the visual amenity of the valued rural In a 27 page determination delivered on landscape.” 18 August VCAT found that “the siting, design and configuration of the proposed Amenity impact cabins amplifies the impacts to the point Further, the objectors where the development fails to adequately pointed to “unacceptable protect and enhance the landscape values amenity impacts” and and open rural vistas.” questioned whether the proposed development The Applicant had taken the matter directly would be safe given the to VCAT on the grounds that the City of known bushfire risk in this Ballarat had not considered his proposal area. within the statutory sixty day period. No from Council The Applicant had claimed that the sky-barrel cabins In its statement to VCAT the City of Ballarat would provide a unique said that “had it been in a position to do “luxury” tourist product so”, it would have refused the application aimed at attracting visitors on six grounds relating to planning, zoning to take advantage of the and it being an inappropriate development site’s “spectacular views.” for the site. VCAT stated that it gave Formal objectors who made written “no great weight” to this submissions and appeared before the assertion. decision. “I have put in many hundreds of Tribunal were neighbouring property hours and, along with some other locals, In summary VCAT found that it considered owners Andrew and Elizabeth spent thousands of dollars fighting this. the proposal “is not an acceptable Lorensene, Michael and Michele This determination gives me faith that outcome, and that, when assessed Pearson, and Peter Coburn together the justice system will take account of against all relevant policies it does not, on with Barry Fitzgerald and community concerns of community members and balance, achieve a net community benefit.” groups the BDCA, the Buninyong & District groups facing powerful developers and Historical Society and the Royal Historical Principal objector Andrew Lorensene their teams of highly paid legal and other Society of Victoria. was “overwhelmed with relief” at the experts,” he said. Love Buninyong? BUNINYONG Support our BUSINESS NETWORK “Bringing Business to Buninyong” local businesses [email protected] Edition 485, September 2021 Buninyong & District Community News 3 LOCALOPINION NEWS Mixed up and messy HEAVY STUFF. A directive received We know that when the (Victorian) well in obtaining funding for wide-ranging recently by the Cemetery Trust from Electoral Boundaries Commission projects and activities in the present the Department of Health. concerned sets out to review State electoral relatively-compressed and relatively- the new ban on the release of balloons boundaries it must comply with compatible electorate. at any funeral because they are now legislated procedures and principles. Under the proposed changes, such deemed as “littering and illegal” – a And yes, we know a little about what they political visibility and accessibility in breach carrying a $991 fine. Fair are required to do by the Act. Every five the Buninyong electorate may well be a enough! But thank goodness no fun years (or after two elections) they must thing of the past. The local member will police were watching at the 2020 try to keep the number of voters in each be called upon to be seen at all kinds of burial of Collingwood FC tragic Bill electorate to plus or minus ten per cent functions and listen to electors’ concerns Innes when dozens of black and white of the average across the State – now across an electorate spanning some balloons were sent soaring. some 48,600 voters. 10,000 square kilometres. WHEN THEY WERE MARRIED and But they are also required by the Act to Other matters had their wedding reception in Sue’s take account if other social factors. And While the Act does focus on the ‘10 per Den (later the Pig & Goose) restaurant it’s nonsensical when their concern about cent’ rule, it also requires the Commission in 2012, Cass and Trent Johnston balancing numbers fails to reflect the to take account of matters such as had lots of plans for their personal many other social characteristics that “community or diversity of interests”, and business lives that lay ahead. But happen to fall within the lines they have “physical features of terrain”, and “means returning to the corner of Forest and drawn with an eye to the numbers. of travel and communication”. The Warrenheip Streets in 2021 now as the Huge Commission’s report proudly says that owners of the new cycle/cafe business its proposed new map has resulted in an The map (below) shows that there’s certainly was not one of them. Exciting electorate which is just 2.98 per cent about 115 km from east to west, and move! lower than the State average.