100 years ago
7 February 1924
News
The opening of a “Dance Palasis” at Dandenong should mean big business for the promoters, although the summertime appears to me to be hardly the best period of the year to open a new dance hall. Young people will dance sooner or later, and it is just as well that they should be taught to do it properly. Dandenong is certainly lacking in public entertainments, the only regular fixtures being the pictures on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Encouragement should be given to good companies and concert parties to pay us an occasional visit by patronising them liberally when they give entertainments here. “La Fleurette” the name of our new dance hall in Foster Street should be the rendezvouses of a happy throng of “trippers of the light fantastic toe”, but its success is contingent on an important feature of the management.
50 years ago
5 February 1974
Massive protest
Massive protests are likely against stringent parking restrictions being imposed by the city council in the centre of Dandenong. Of 13 traders and businesspeople interviewed by the Journal only two were in Favor of the proposals which include introducing more half hour parking limits in the city centre. Mr Wally Cox who has been a businessman in electrical goods shop in Lonsdale St, described council’s parking cut as “very restrictive”. He said the move to reduce parking to half-an-hour would mean shoppers would go to near by centres and stay away from Dandenong. Very few people could do their shopping in half-an-hour.
20 years ago
2 February 2004
Home Pride
Springvale South residents have labelled Greater Dandenong councillor and real estate leasing consultant Paul Donovan a ‘pompous upstart’ for publicly criticising their area. The residents, who say their privacy and road safety are threatened by a planned AV Jenning housing estate, were offended by comments the former mayor made while praising the plan at last Tuesday’s council meeting. The offended residents live in Wirilda Court and Harold Road which along with Springvale Road run beside the former Natural Resources Conservation League of Victoria Nursery, earmarked for the development. They said Cr Donovan’s public support of the proposal was inappropriate, if not a “conflict of interest”. Cr Donovan, who said new “housing stock” would assist the city’s “gentrification,” rejected conflict of interest suggestions. “There’s no real conflict of interest as that property wasn’t listed by us and was sold by First National.”
5 years ago
4 February 2019
Leading the way to peace
A police officer formerly overseeing Dandenong is helping bring together young leaders in Melbourne’s South Sudanese community for peace. Superintendent Charles Allen, on leave from Victoria Police, is now working internationally and domestically with the research-based Institute for Economics and Peace. Recently he facilitated a four-day workshop with emerging Australian South Sudanese Leaders to inspire peaceful change here and abroad. Working with influential young leaders is a “grassroots” way of resolving conflict, based on research Mr Allen says. It’s a successful method, building on strengths not negatives that forms “sustainable, peaceful communities.”
Compiled by Dandenong & District Historical Society
