Kinder heritage

By Russell Bennett
COCKATOO’S McBride Street kindergarten will receive heritage protection and become an Ash Wednesday bushfire tribute following a council backflip.
Cardinia Shire Council had previously insisted that nothing could be done to save the building, which sheltered hundreds of people as the 1983 blazes tore through the town.
At last week’s council meeting, residents turned up in their droves to see councillors carry a motion that will see them include $200,000 in their 2012-13 budget to develop an Ash Wednesday memorial at the site.
Councillors also vowed to amend the Cardinia Planning Scheme to place a Heritage Overlay on the former kindergarten.
The remarkable turnaround came after a heated community rally at the site in August stopped workers from tearing down the building after (then) Cardinia mayor George Blenkhorn insisted nothing could be done to save the kinder.
“An alternative building has been purchased and contracts signed,” he said at the time.
“Council has certainly consulted the township committee on this – it wasn’t just a council decision.”
But on Monday night, Cr Blenkhorn said the motion to provide money to restore the building was part of “council’s long-standing commitment” to a memorial in Cockatoo. “Council will be responding to Heritage Victoria and asking for another $200,000 and look to the community in Cockatoo for help with fund-raising and landscaping the site,” he said.
“We will get it developed when it’s funded but not until then.”
The overall cost of the memorial will be between $450,000 and $500,000.
Central Ward councillor Collin Ross said: “I’d like to think more people will come to support this now council has put its money where its mouth is.”
Cockatoo Ash Wednesday Memorial Project Committee president Graham Simpson praised Cardinia Shire CEO Garry McQuillan and Cr Blenkhorn for their roles in a working party with three committee members.
“It all started in December,” he said.
“We sat down as a working party and discussed a plan.
“It’s just great to see that we’ve gone from total demolition to where we are now.”
But Mr Simpson said the battle wasn’t over yet.
“We’ve kept knocking down the little fences in our way and this was one major hurdle, but we’ve got a long way to go yet.”
The council has started the Heritage Overlay process, which will take six months.