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Rod Dalziel Testimonial — Resident of Mt Egerton for 58 years
To Whom It May Concern,
I have been a resident of the Mt. Egerton area for the last 58 years, being born in the area. I have seen numerous changes to the area known to me as the “Battery Sands” or Discovery Sand Pit. My earliest recollections of the area would have been at around 1950, when I was 6 years old. I recall playing with my cousins on the sand hills while our parents played or watched cricket on the oval. I recall sliding down the heaps on sheets of roofing iron or old car bonnets. At this time I believe the sand was piled up at least 30 ft. to 35 ft. High. (9 to 11 meters)
Over the next 20 or so years most of the sand was carted away and used in constructing numerous buildings in Ballarat. This left an untidy area between the oval and the Battery dam that during the winter months would be oozing water and and have a jelly like consistency. Some small areas were almost like quicksand and you had to steer clear of these spots. You could not drive a vehicle across most of the sand in the wet period. The smell in some of these areas was also quite nauseating and the water was very black and thick.
To the north of the main sand area there was a dam, known as the horse dam in my youth, that used to be a popular swimming hole for us in our early to mid teens. By the mid 1980’s this dam had silted up and filled with reeds and was no longer used for swimming. During the long, hot, dry summers (we used to have them then) the wind would blow sand over the tennis courts and sometimes onto the oval.
Tech- Sol during the time they have been processing on the site have, in my opinion, turned an unuseful parcel of land into something that may be an asset to the community in the future when the works are completed. Yes at times they have made a mess of the area, but similar to a house site, given time and co-operation from the community this area, if Tech-Sol’s rehab plans are completed, will turn out ok.
Sincerely,
Rod Dalziel
Sadly, Rod passed away in August 2016.
Environmental Award
CEO of Steadfast Mining Solutions, Terry Dehahunty, is passionate about environmental protection and conservation. As directing manager of Tech-Sol Pty Ltd, he received letters of support, appreciation and thanks from long time residents of the community of Mt Egerton.
Good Environmental Practice Award