Its Paradise here! Love Warrandyte! Best Parade! Love the Warrandyte Diary!’ ‘Feeling blessed to live here!’- some of the comments on the Warrandyte Community Association’s ‘Writers Wall’ at the Festival.
Passers bye chalked up responses to the question: ‘What’s on your mind in Warrandyte?” while children drew pictures filling up eight large panels.
‘There’s a strong sense that people love Warrandyte as it is, without too much change – whether it be development, traffic density or even security,’ WCA President Dick Davies said.
Being Warrandyte, comment was not without humour – ‘$50 Bridge Toll for Non-Residents!’ and ‘Build a Wall – and make Templestowe pay for it!’ also featured.
Traffic problems featured prominently, ‘Stop Trucks’, ‘Leave the Bridge alone’, ‘Fix Traffic on Warrandyte Ringwood Road’, ‘Zebra Crossing at Police Street’.
Recreationalists called for ‘Bike track from Beasleys’, ‘More sports’, ‘Girls footy’, ‘Warrandyte soccer club’.
Concerns about overdevelopment and inappropriate subdivision focused attention on the threat to the ‘Green Wedge’ – ‘Protect North Warrandyte from Nillumbik Shire Council’, ‘No Doncastration of North Warrandyte’ and ‘No Doncastration of South Warrandyte’. (What about Warrandyte!)
Dick Davies said it was both heartening and saddening to meet so many previous residents who return at the Festival with nostalgia and regret about leaving.
‘This is why WCA teamed up with the Warrandyte Community Retirement Housing Cooperative (formerly a WCA sub-committee) to publicise proposed new retirement units in West End Road.
‘The more appropriate housing for older residents the better – then they don’t have to leave after living here for so long’.
Dick Davies
President, WCA
