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Bridge reinstated for isolated Traralgon South community

Residents of Taylors Road in Traralgon South were reconnected to road infrastructure early on Thursday afternoon, after a period of isolation caused by Wednesday night’s wild storms.

By Latrobe Shire Council - 7th February 2005 - Back to News

Gallery Director, Louise Tegart said that the exhibition of gentle lyrical photographs took the viewer on an unusual journey through the original hometowns of Italo-Australians.

"Presenting quiet moments in the daily life and rituals of these towns, from the Veneto to Sicily, the photographs are at once idiosyncratic and universal. Like film stills they simultaneously capture private moments and suggest a story," Ms Tegart explained.

"The photographs in the exhibition evoke a strong sense of familiarity and place, even for those who have not been to Italy. Most of us have memories, immediate or inherited from past generations, of other shores. These images explore that dimension of other places and the origins which define who we are as contemporary Australians," Ms Tegart said.

Ms Tegart explained that Italians began migrating to Australia en masse after World War Two. It was a time when Europe was war-ravaged; many infrastructures were badly damaged and unemployment was high.

"It was a time too when Australia was realising that to have a secure and viable future, it needed to populate," Ms Tegart said.

The Department of Immigration was newly formed, created by a Labor Government in 1945, and in April of 1951 the Australian and Italian Governments signed the Assisted Migration Agreement.

"Hundreds of thousands of Italians took the opportunity, and risk, of assisted passage and set off for an unpredictable new life in Australia," Ms Tegart explained.

"The majority of Italians migrated between 1945 and 1972; they numbered close to 400,000, a significant figure given that the population of Australia in 1945 was only 7.5 million. After the British, the Italians were the next largest group to migrate to Australia.

"Though there isn’t an official list of the towns the Italians left behind, it appears specific regions were targeted by Australian immigration officials. The valley running inland from the seaside city of Chieti in Abruzzo is a case-in-point. It is dotted with Australian connections," Ms Tegart added.

Ms Tegart said that before beginning her project Jane Burton Taylor spoke to members of the Italian community in Sydney, local associations, teachers and academics, to compile a list of these towns from Sicily to the Veneto.

"She made three trips to Italy and travelled thousands of kilometres by car the length and breadth of the country to photograph some thirty different hometowns of Italo-Australians.

"There are thousands of hometowns of Italian Australians. This exhibition is a journey through some of them. It is a slim but real connection between Australia and Italy, between Italo-Australians and their past, between contemporary Australians and their diverse, close or distant, origins," Ms Tegart concluded.

The exhibition continues at Latrobe Regional Gallery until Sunday 20 March.

The Latrobe Regional Gallery is located at 138 Commercial Road, Morwell, and is open Monday to Friday 10am-5pm, and on weekends 11am–4pm. The gallery is closed on Public Holidays. For further information about exhibitions at the gallery, please telephone 5128 5700.been constructed to temporarily provide a crossing over Traralgon Creek while the Taylors Road Bridge underwent refurbishment.

Latrobe City’s Manager Infrastructure Maintenance, Richard Brammall, said that floodwaters and debris dislodged two culverts, destroying the temporary crossing.

"Fortunately, although we had begun demolishing Taylors Road Bridge in preparation for its refurbishment, enough of the structure was in place to temporarily reinstate it," Mr Brammall explained.

"Decking from a central span had already been removed, but we took quick action on the Thursday morning to assess the materials we would need to reinstate the bridge, order the materials and have them delivered to the site.

"Once the materials were on site, crews worked hard to have the bridge open to local traffic as quickly as possible, and I’m happy to say this was achieved by 12.30pm that afternoon," Mr Brammall said.

Latrobe City Mayor, Cr Bruce Lougheed, said about twenty residents had been isolated on Taylors Road, and that reconnecting isolated communities with road access had been a top priority following the rain and storms.

"Emergency crews worked during the night as reports came in, putting out signage warning of road hazards," Cr Lougheed said.

"Crews and contractors worked from dawn throughout the day to make hazards safe and reopen roads to traffic. There were numerous reports of trees blocking roads from across the municipality, particularly on roads at the foot of the Strzeleckis and roads leading into the hills. Crews worked to initially reopen a path to traffic, and will return at a later stage to affected areas to clean up debris.

"By noon on Thursday a number of roads such as Whitelaws Track, Gilberts Road, Prosper Valley Road, Jeeralang North Road and Jeeralang West Road had been made passable to traffic, and most others such as Reidys Road, Fairbairns Road and Peel Road were open by late Thursday afternoon.

"Neaves Road Callignee presented a massive problem owing to the large number of fallen trees, but crews were working on clearing a way through the debris on Friday morning, and worked on reopening the Grand Ridge Road.

"There were still a few roads subjected to flooding on the Friday morning, but apart from erecting hazard warning signs, there is little that could be done but wait for nature to take its course and for the floodwaters to subside," Cr Lougheed said.

"It was a massive undertaking by all involved in recovery work, and I know I speak for many people in affected communities in expressing thanks to the crews and contractors for a job well done," Cr Lougheed added.

Latrobe City’s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Buckley, said the challenges met in tackling the extent of storm damage had been substantial.

"In reviewing how well we have met those challenges, I think it amply demonstrates that we have good systems in place to react effectively and immediately for the safety of the public. I have been impressed with the dedication and commitment exhibited by our drainage and tree crews in handling the emergency. Not only did our crews perform well, but our customer service staff also did an excellent job of receiving information from affected communities and keeping people informed of progress," Mr Buckley said.

"Every time we experience an event such as Wednesday night’s storm, we learn something that we can use to improve ways we react to emergencies in the future, but I think generally, our staff handled the situation well.

"I think it’s also important to thank the public for their assistance in notifying us about where problems had occurred, and their patience while remedial work was undertaken," Mr Buckley added.


Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com



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