Candidate rails for better transport

Greens candidate for the federal seat of Bendigo, Lachlan Slade, is calling for better transport services and better partnerships between state and federal governments.

Rachel Wattie

Greens candidate for the federal seat of Bendigo, Lachlan Slade, was talking public transport policy in Kyneton on Wednesday, calling for better services and better partnerships between state and federal governments.

Mr Slade said his party fully supports the recommendations of the V/Line Initial Strategic Directions Plan, which include duplicating the lines between Harcourt and Castlemaine, as well as between Taradale and Kyneton, and increasing V/Line carriages.

"It would mean peak services are stopping in Castlemaine half-hourly, and would allow for more consistent services with less delays and clock face scheduling," Mr Slade said.

"We would also like to see more frequent services to Bendigo and Melbourne, with express services that don't get caught up in Melbourne's metro service."

More money should also be invested into bus services, Mr Slade said.

"The ability for people to get out, socialise and improve their mental health means greater health outcomes for the community as well," he said.

There is not enough shared transport services linking the Macedon Ranges' five major centres - Kyneton, Woodend, Gisborne, Lancefield and Romsey, Mr Slade said.

"We need to see that change.

"Woodend does not have access to bus services, meaning that many elderly, low income and differently abled people in the area cannot get around as best they could.

"Kyneton needs a more frequent and longer running service than what we have already, some areas are getting as little as three services a day with no services at all four days a week. It's time our public transport system reflected the mobility needs of the township.

"Many transport initiatives are funded by Federal and State government and the Greens are keen to work across governments to make a better public transport system for the Macedon Ranges."

Residents agree that the V/Line rail service is "unreliable", "grim" and "frustrating".

Regular train commuter, Malmsbury resident Ruth Reid-Hobbs, said there is a malfunction or some sort of problem at least once a week, as well as a lack of seating when it's busy.

Melbourne barrister, Duncan Robertson, says the service could use a few more trains.

"They seem to be (running) at odd times," Mr Robertson said.

Facility to close

Kyneton District Health Service board president, Graham Jasper, and CEO, Jennifer Gale, this week announced the impending closure of the hospital's Thomas Hogan Aged Care wing.

Angela Crawford

Kyneton District Health Service has announced the impending closure of its Thomas Hogan Residential Aged Care wing.

The facility's 35 staff were notified on Wednesday morning, and the families of its 15 high-care residents were informed later that day.

It will cease operating as soon as July 1.

KDHS chief executive officer, Jennifer Gale, said the health service is hoping the move will free up about $150,000 operationally a year. These funds would enable the hospital to provide additional services aimed at keeping residents in their homes as long as possible, before they need to enter residential aged care.

"There will also be additional in-hospital services," she said.

"This change is part of an Australia-wide trend for public hospitals to move away from operating nursing homes to instead providing a range of services available to all elderly members of the community."

Ms Gale said that in recent years the facility had seen a steady decline in the number of residents, as people chose to stay at home for longer, or entered residential aged care at low-care stage, moving through to high care at the one facility. 

"At the same time there has been a growth in the number of beds provided locally by both private and not-for-profit operators, to the point where there is really no need for us to provide a nursing home," she said.

"We believe aged care is a service that we should provide to the whole community, and this will be a much better way for us to deliver that service.

"It is more rewarding for people to stay in their own homes, with appropriate support, for as long as possible, and we aim to ensure that is delivered in our region."

A daughter of one of the residents, however, pointed out that the hospital's idea to provide care that will enable more people to stay at home for longer, would actually mean that a higher number would end up going straight into high care.

"My mum doesn't want to move, she's settled in now," the daughter said. "She had the choice of going to three (facilities) and she picked Thomas Hogan because she knew people there and it was attached to the hospital.

"I think it's a shame that this well-equipped facility is not going to be utilised."

Ms Gale said the hospital will work closely with residents and families to enable a smooth transition of its residents to a new home.

"We've been discussing with them the future of our service for the last year, because we've been operating at 60 per cent occupancy with no waiting list (for the past three years)," she said.

"At 15 residents, it was approximately $50,000 a month that we were losing, about half a million a year at our current occupancy levels.

"Commonwealth and state subsidies still left a funding shortfall of about $250,000 a year, even when the facility was full."

Ms Gale said no determination has yet been made about the number of staff who will be made redundant. 

"That will be worked out with them individually over the next two weeks. At this stage, they all have positions until the 30th of June at least," she said. 

"Where we have vacancies within our service we'll look to redeploy them and we're talking to other facilities in our shire and within the Loddon Mallee to see where they may have vacancies so we'll be assisting the staff with transfers if that's what they want."

Kyneton Hospital's executive is currently undertaking a site masterplan which will determine how the Thomas Hogan wing will be used.

A time to reflect

Photo: Valerie Hornbuckle

From the chilly dawn service around Mount Macedon's Memorial Cross to the slightly warmer streets of Kyneton with the sun peeping through the clouds a few hours later, Anzac Day was honoured across the district by thousands of locals, who, if the Kyneton service was anything to go by, are coming out each year in increasing numbers as we approach the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Anzac spirit.

In Kyneton around the cenotaph, the catafalque party stood still and silent throughout the service as the 4th/19th Prince Of Wales regiment's Lt Col Ian Upjohn gave the Anzac Day address.

Former members of the armed forces including Vietnam veterans, a scattering of WWII vets and current members of the army, some wearing the distinctive Afghan campaign medal, gathered under the oak trees of the Mechanics Reserve to pay tribute to those who contributed so much to enable us to be who and what we are today.