By Tania Martin
MOUNT Evelyn’s Mark Rawson is hoping to lay a 30-year urban myth to rest by drilling a small hole in the car park of the town’s football ground.
For years locals have believed there was a World War II bunker beneath the car park.
“We don’t know if there is anything there, but we think it’s worth putting the myth to bed one way or another,” Mr Rawson said.
At a meeting last month, local environmentalists raised concerns over Mr Rawson’s request to drill a small hole in the car park in Tramway Road.
They fear that it could impact on the nearby Olinda Creek.
Mr Rawson, a WWII enthusiast, said this was the reason why it needed to be done.
Mr Rawson said if there was something under the car park it could be ecologically unsound and needed to be investigated.
“It’s only 20 metres from the creek so we need to find out if there is anything down there before it starts leaking,” Mr Rawson said.
“The sooner we find out either way, the better chance we have of cleaning up whatever’s down there.”
Mr Rawson is now waiting on a British company that has offered to provide satellite shots of the area free of charge.
He said this should be able to ascertain if there anything lies beneath the car park.
But Mr Rawson said it could take some time for this to happen.
In the meantime, he is calling for council and the football club to allow a four to five inch hole to be drilled.
“We would put a camera down the hole and see if there is anything to worry about,” Mr Rawson said.
“If there is something under there, we will probably have to excavate the area and call in the police and military to supervise.”
Mr Rawson said finding out if there was something down there is just the first step.
“We want to follow everything by the book, if there is something down there we go back to the council and go from there,” he said.
“No-one moves until it’s agreed what should be done.”
But Mr Rawson said it was all speculation at this stage which could be put to rest by drilling the hole.
He is now waiting to see if he can get the satellite images.
“We are happy to sit tight for another couple of weeks to see if the images come in but otherwise we will go back to the council to get permission to drill the hole,” he said.
He has been involved in a number of excavation projects over the past 12 years and even had a hand in uncovering a former military tunnel in Westgarth.
