1980's | ||
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The first Friends group formed in 1984, until 1987, as an action group to stop The City of Williamstown plans to turn the northern lake into a tip. There were many disputes within Council and the public against using the area as a tip as local newspapers of the time show. On 27/2/1984, Council held a public meeting in the Town Hall supper room to discuss the future use of the Newport quarries. Council planned to use all the remaining holes as a "regional refuse disposal facility" (or a garbage tip in common language) to bring in a lot of income for council and reduce rates. Some councillors and the majority of the angry members of the local community at the meeting, were bitterly opposed to this and wanted the whole area kept as a public park. |
At a subsequent council meeting, Labour Councillors Geraldine Schutt and Mary Burbidge voted against the caucus decision to fill the holes with garbage. Finally a compromise was reached to fill the north-west hole and to use the income from tipping fees to develop the other holes as a bushland park. Work to re-claim the land started in 1987. The holes were originally nine metres deep, but quarry operations reduced this considerably. The North-West Hole operated as a tip from 30 September 1987 until 1995. It accepted putresible and non-putresible waste from the public and the cities of Altona, Richmond, Williamstown and Port Melbourne. In 1989, the Pavey's Park playground was built and Pavey's Hole opened as a park. | |