A mother’s heartfelt letter to her soldier son, a young daughter’s tribute to her “hero” father and a Vietnam veteran’s personal account of conflict held a large crowd spellbound at this morning’s Point Lonsdale ANZAC Day service.

Judy Hassell gave an insight into the mixture of pride and constant trepidation she felt when her son was called up for his second tour of duty Afghanistan.

Her letter was penned before he arrived in the Middle East; “so when you arrive in Afghanistan it will be waiting for you and you will know we are thinking of you from day one.

“When you rang and said you were being deployed... my heart cried out, ‘but you have been to Afghanistan, you have already done your tour of duty over there,’ but the thought was replaced with the sensible words  ‘when do you go?’”

Mrs Hassell’s letter tells of the emotional toll on his extended family, including three young sons, and of the support provided by Point Lonsdale friends.

“We worried constantly, worried you worked too hard – 7am til after midnight seven days a week – we worried your health would suffer… we worried the stress would effect you. Even the radio could effect me if suddenly a news report came through about another attack. I would freeze on the spot and wait to here where, was it near you,” the letter continued.

Upwards of 500 people attended the Lonsdale tribute. Many more stood in silence in perfect conditions at Queenscliff’s dawn service and  lined Hesse Street for the traditional mid morning march.

Former Malaysia and Vietnam veteran Jed Hart gave an account of his first time as a helicopter pilot in a small experimental unit in the Mekong Delta, while Point Lonsdale Primary school captain Angelica Daniels spoke of her father, an Army Infantry Warrant Officer of 30 years. 
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“He’s been sent to war zones all around the world. I am so proud of my dad for what he is doing for this country. It is because of this that I take any opportunity to speak about my Dad, my hero. He is a loving dad and a committed member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF),” she said. 

Queenscliff’s maritime history will feature   in the highly popular television series of Coast Australia. 

Filming for the third series has been underway at local locations in recent days and has included footage of our Maritime Weekend.
 
The documentary series explores Australia’s coastline with local stories about heritage, geography, culture, characters industry and nature. 

Scottish historian and author Neil Oliver hosts the program, along with a local team who use their expertise to present stories within each episode. 

Coast Australia follows the format of the BAFTA award-winning UK ‘Coast’ and in its first season in 2013 became the highest ever rating program on Foxtel’s History channel and the highest rating documentary series on subscription television in Australia. 

BBC television bought the first series before it had aired locally, and is keen to continue the success of the first two series with a third season. 

The upcoming third will devote an entire episode to coastline form Port Phillip to Portland
It will again be aired on Foxtel’s History channel in Australia and New Zealand and on BBC Television in the UK.  
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The series will also be sold into the US, Europe, Asia, and other regions, providing a potential international viewing audience of millions and invaluable tourism exposure to our twin townships.

Queenscliffe’s Neil Laws has been honoured with one of the highest prizes at the Real Estate Institute of Australia’s National Awards for Excellence. 

The Kerleys Coastal Real Estate agent was presented with the prestigious President’s Award, recognising his significant contribution to the profession. 

Laws has been in real estate for over 40 years and an REIV member since 1987. He has served in various senior positions at the REIV, including one as President, two terms as Chairman of Members Council, nearly eight years as Chairman of the Board of Realestateview.com.au, and on the Estate Agents Council. 
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“He is a committed member of the REIV Auctioneering Chapter, judging and convening Australasian Auctioneering Competitions for many years,” the institute said.

The redevelopment of Queenscliff’s Shortland’s Bluff and the creation of a new cultural hub in the town’s centre have emerged as priority projects on a Borough of Queenscliffe's federal election wish list. 

Liberal and Labor candidates Sarah Henderson and Libby Coker have both been briefed on the projects, which total close to $10 million. 

With talk of an election as early as July 2, CEO Lenny Jenner and Councillor Bob Merriman have also sought the support of senior government members from both parties during a recent G21 delegation to Canberra. 

“We simply cannot deliver major infrastructure improvements that are much needed locally such as the lighthouse reserves, Queenscliff Community Hub and Fort Queenscliff Activation without funding and leadership from the Federal Government,” said Mr Jenner.  

“Being part of the G21 delegation, provided the opportunity to advocate directly to Ministers and Shadow Ministers on the priorities for the Borough.”

'The Shortland’s Bluff Activation Project' falls under the umbrella of a broader ‘Destination Queenscliff’ strategy. The borough aims to link it to the adjacent $3m recreation reserve upgrade and proposed Fort Queenscliff initiatives to maximize tourism outcomes. 

It would include 10 accommodation units, upgrading of the Ocean View car park, lookout platforms, a new café and public toilets and improvements to support ANZAC Day celebrations. 

Council is seeking $4 million in Federal funding towards the estimated $7.15m works. 

“Destination Queenscliff will drive new tourism visitation, strengthening Queenscliff’s
destination appeal and be a stimulus for new tourism product, investment and employment creation,” Council's pitch to Canberra states. 

A further $2.05 million is being sought to help fund the Queenscliff cultural hub redevelopment. The proposal aims to create a multi-use community facility incorporating the Queenscliffe Historical Museum, library, and Visitor Information Centre.

Pre-election priorities identified by the G21 delegation include:
• Fort Queenscliff Activation
• Queenscliff Community Hub
• Queenscliff Lighthouse Reserve
• NBN connectivity for Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale
• Further Green Army Projects including native vegetation / weed removal at the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Reserve and along the Queenscliff Foreshore 
• The introduction of power efficient street Lighting throughout the Borough

The path has finally been cleared for a more than $3.5 million redevelopment of the Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club after the Borough officially handed over the title to an adjacent block of land. 

The one dollar transaction, formalised in recent days, means the club can now start work on designing and fundraising for the new facility. 

“The Building Committee can plan for this and proceed with 100 percent certainty and the fundraising committee can also start the significant task of fundraising with 100 percent certainty for donors,” said president Matthew Ponsford.

Plans for a new clubhouse were first floated in a 10-year strategic plan in 2007. A dedicated building committee spent the following years investigating as many as a dozen potential locations. 

“Very simplistically that was to look to see if there were any options for the club to relocate onto crown land and to be able to realise, to be able to sell this land,” Mr Ponsford said. 

“We looked at a whole range of sights and we had endless meetings with a whole range of government departments and obviously with the Borough of Queenscliffe along the way and it wasn’t until July two years ago when we got to the point where it was going to have to be this site. “

Alternative locations included coastal land opposite the club, the Rip View car park, the Springs and the Lakes Estate.  

Bellarine MP Lisa Neville was eventually brought in to help broker a stand-off between parties over the purchase of neighbouring BoQ owned land, already used by the club to house equipment. 

 “I think the obvious solution was of course this solution, that the club remain here. They were never going to build something in the dunes, it was just never going to happen. It needed to be here, with one of the roughest beaches around we needed the club here servicing the community…. In the end it was easy,” she said.

“It’s a real testament to the Council, to the club that we’ve got to this point and I think it’s a great outcome for this community. 
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Point Lonsdale is the only club in Victoria that owns the land its clubhouse is located on. 
Asbestos concerns ruled out any thoughts of the existing building being retained and renovated.

Bellarine Community Health has dramatically scaled down redevelopment plans for its Point Lonsdale facility, shelving for now a proposal for 66 townhouses, underground carpark and swimming pool.

​The new vision will instead focus solely on the renovation, rather than demolition, of the existing medical and community health centre.

The Eric Tolliday aged care units will also be excluded from any new works for the time being. 

Chief executive officer John Fendyk said the yet-to-be finalised, less ambitious proposal followed extensive community consultation. 

“We’ve looked at the feedback we’ve received from the community and re-evaluated the financial commitment that the organisation wanted to make and this sits pretty comfortably in addressing the needs of that facility at this point in time,” Mr Fendyk said. 

“The priority is with the board’s decision to upgrade the existing community health centre. We haven’t lost sight of the masterplanning for the remainder of the site but we need to understand what spatial capacity we have and re-look at the modelling. 

“So some of the concepts we put up in the original masterplan are still on the agenda, but obviously not a community health centre.”

The original design, released to the public in September incorporated 66 two-level townhouses, a café, indoor swimming pool, 200 underground car parks and an entirely new medical and community health centre. 

The Eric Tolliday units were to have been demolished to make way for the new facility, fronting Lawrence Road. 

It was likely to cost in excess of $7m - $3m of which has been committed by the Federal Government.
 
However the vision was attacked by some within the community as being excessive and an improper use of money derived from the sale of the Coorabin and Ann Nichol aged care bed licences.

Mr Fendyk said his organisation was now focused on finalising a planning application for the revised project. 
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“We’ve had an estimation of the time for that and if all goes well that can be done by about March of 2018 and that’s exciting because that building is well overdue for an upgrade.”

The theft of a circus camel by three young Point Lonsdale surf life savers some 60 years ago has provided inspiration for a new book by award-winning author Dorothy Johnston. 

Former PLSLSC captain John Turner, Colin Macleod and Cliff Deacon carried out the bold heist in 1957, stealing the camel from the visiting circus, camped near the original surf club. 

Through a Camel’s Eye is the first book in Johnston’s new sea-change mystery series. 

A teenager in Point Lonsdale at the time, she clearly remembers hearing of the boys’ antics. 

“I remember it in the 60’s and in the way that things just sit at the back of your mind and then pop out. It popped out when I was thinking about how to start my mystery novel,” she said. 

“It is a very amusing story, I don’t think it’s the type of thing you could get away with today.

The camel was loosely tethered with a rope, it was pitch dark and the young men had quite a bit to drink, the story goes.

“He wanted to be stolen,” Mr Macleod reportedly stated.

The enterprising trio evidently thought the full-grown male beast would be perfect for hauling their belongings over the back beach sand dune. 

The abductee however proved uncooperative in the crime, sitting down and refusing to budge. 

When he did get up eventually, the problem became how to hide him. They tried a tent, and someone even had the idea of the Point Lonsdale lighthouse. Eventually the lads took the camel all the way to Ocean Grove.

All three remember the police appearing at their door next morning.  
“My story starts with the camel disappearing and they think they’ll find it very easily, but in my case it stays lost,” says Johnston.

“When I’m writing my novels I obviously draw on many, many memories. My main characters are two police constables who work out of the Queenscliff station – Chris Blackie and Anthea Merritt. 

“They are just two ordinary officers who stumble on what turns out to be a murder. “They don’t bare any resemblance to anyone in Queenscliff but the physical aspects are there like the police station itself, across the road from the black lighthouse.” 

Johnston is no stranger to the crime genre, having written a quartet of mysteries set in Canberra. The first of these, The Trojan Dog, was joint winner ACT Book of the Year. Two of her literary novels, One for the Master and Ruth, have been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award. She has published many short stories and essays and reviews fiction for Fairfax media.

“This is the first book that has been set entirely in Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale,” she said. “It’s got a light touch and hopefully a humorous element because there are quite a few eccentric locals who come into the story as we go. But there is also a dark side to it.”

The novel will be the first of three in the series. A potential television series is also not out of the question. 
Through a Camel’s Eye will be launched by Commissioner John Johnson, AO, at the Vue Grand Hotel, on Saturday April 23d from 4 PM. RSVP : thebookshopatqueenscliff@ gmail.com 

POSTSCRIPT: Back to the fate of the camel… It was returned to the circus safe and well with some (disputed) claims it had been painted black and yellow – Point Lonsdale Surf Club Colours!
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