HAVE you ever stopped to consider the main advantages of living in the country, away from the maddening crowds, but still within easy reach of our regional city, Bendigo?
Do we really have to go to Melbourne for most anything?
Just consider – we do have access to nearly all facilities, medical and professional. They are at our disposal in Bendigo.
Our only handicap is distance.
I do really enjoy good music and great shows are quite often available in Bendigo, but one music group that has always intrigued me is The Beatles.
John Lennon wrote some really great stuff but to me his standout is Imagine.
Could I get you to ‘imagine’ what a difference it would be to have an additional rail service to the present one, which leaves Swan Hill at 6.56am, Kerang at 7.59am, and arrives around two hours later in Bendigo,
an additional new one that departs Swan Hill at, say, 8.45am and Kerang at 9.30am, arriving in Bendigo at 11.30am?
Then returning at 4pm, with a two-hour service to Kerang arriving at around 6pm.
Plenty of time for that trip to a medical appointment, eye clinic, business appointment, to catch up with friends, all within daylight hours. Can you imagine?
We see roads having enormous amounts spent on them – for example, Lake Charm-Lake Boga.
I do wonder what the profusion of semis and B-doubles will do to their condition and how much upkeep there will be.
Could we imagine our government upgrading our regional rail system to enable the handling of container freight?
Could we imagine the difference it would make to our roads? Could we imagine the extra activity and employment that could be created by container terminals in Kerang and Swan Hill?
It is unnecessary to imagine where these terminals could go – they are already there in the unused rail yards in both Kerang and Swan Hill.
Neil Diamond, another of my favourites, sang ‘Lookin’ to the Future’.
You may think that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one!
Neil Gannon,
Kerang
Patchell ward candidate
