Page 2992 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 20 September 2006
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
When Doug was eventually elected and became minister for the interior, he had responsibility for the development of Canberra. Much of what we know as Canberra today is owed to the work of Doug Anthony. Sir Robert Menzies was also a dedicated supporter of the development of Canberra—unlike the current Prime Minister, I might add. While I may not have agreed with much of Menzies’s policies and ideas, we can recognise his contribution to the Canberra we live in today. It was through his prime ministership that so much of that initial planning work occurred. I understand that he drove a large amount of it.
Going back to that day in 1966, it was a momentous day. Arthur Caldwell, the then Leader of the Opposition, had been shot a few days earlier in Sydney, so security was heightened even at this small, albeit significant, gathering. But even through that uncertainty, dignitaries and local residents gathered in Aranda. Doug Anthony told those gathered of his vision and hope for the newest part of Canberra. He took his silver spade and turned the first sod.
From then on, Belconnen grew at a distinctly rapid pace. In December 1967, John Gorton turned the first sod of the Canberra College of Advanced Education, now the University of Canberra. Early in November that year, Peter Dixon, the then minister for the interior, had a busy day. He opened the newly constructed Belconnen Way and then handed over the keys to the first government house built in Belconnen to a Mr and Mrs Bennie.
Belconnen went quite literally from fields to a population of 30,000 in little more than six years. The first residential leases for Aranda were offered for auction in March 1967. In June, both Aranda and Macquarie were gazetted. In that same year, detailed planning occurred and provision was made for the initial infrastructure of the Belconnen town centre. In 1968, Bruce, Higgins, Cook, Latham, Page and Scullin were also gazetted. The traditional owners of Belconnen, the Ngunnawal people, have great ties to the area. There are approximately 25 sites of Aboriginal significance in Belconnen. These include places of artefact scatterings, axe-grinding groves, pathways and a scarred tree.
Belconnen, like most of Canberra, has a wonderful sense of community. Those of us that live there know that. The Belconnen Community Festival, which will be the official celebration of the 40th anniversary of Belconnen later this year, is a perfect example of Belconnen’s community spirit. We all know that community is so much more than buildings and sod-turning. Community is about people. The festival is a wonderful example of the people of Belconnen working together to further build and develop that sense of community. The festival grows from strength to strength, as does the Charnwood Carnival, known fondly amongst us that live around there as the “charny carny”, another fine example of the life of the region.
Last year and early this year I spent time training with all of the community fire units in Belconnen and Hall. The CFUs are yet another example of Belconnen’s community spirit—people working together to help and support the rest of their community, through their training and their readiness in the event of a fire at the suburban edge. Through the time I have spent with the CFUs in Belconnen I have, once again, been very impressed by the way the people of Belconnen work together.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .