McDonald’s Tecoma, Wantirna caravan park development among biggest community protests in the east
From the McDonald’s Tecoma bunfight to Wantirna caravan park’s closure, the east has had no shortage of proposed controversial developments. From rooftop vigils to dancing to Beyonce, here’s the largest — and strangest — protests.
Outer East
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There’s been no shortage of controversial developments in the east, but perhaps none had the outrage and community passion which rocked the hills township of Tecoma over plans for a McDonald’s restaurant.
From community rallies, knitting nannies, rooftop vigils and even a trip to McDonald’s headquarters in Chicago, it was the bunfight that made headlines around the world.
A determined group of protesters left nothing on the table in their fight to stop the fast-food giant opening its first restaurant in the Dandenong Ranges.
Macca’s dumped plans for a restaurant in Terrys Ave Belgrave in August 1994 after a protracted and bitter four-year battle to open up in town.
But Macca’s returned for a second crack in 2011, with plans for a restaurant on Burwood Highway in Tecoma.
Hundreds of angry hills residents attended community meetings to fight the plans and ‘Save Tecoma’ signs appeared on power poles throughout the hills.
The signs, eventually removed by power company SP Ausnet, had a number of anti-McDonald’s messages including ‘Kick Maccas in the Knackers.’
Residents’ concerns included the restaurant being opposite a preschool and primary school, traffic congestion and litter.
At a super-sized Yarra Ranges Council meeting in October 2011 a packed crowd of more than 600 people erupted with joy as councillors unanimously rejected the application. But VCAT overruled the decision the next year, despite receiving a record 1100 objections.
But protesters didn’t give up and kept an around the clock vigil at the site, holding demonstrations and even planting a community garden.
Belgrave police were called to the site on October 16 2012 after about 100 protesters gathered.
The owner of the block asked contractors to erect a fence around the site after protesters decorated it with colourful streamers.
In 2013, McDonald’s protester Janine Watson, who had planned on spending her 50th birthday relaxing in a hot spa, instead was part of a rooftop vigil protesting against the burger giant.
That same year police removed five protesters who sat in front of a construction truck to stop it from entering the Tecoma McDonald’s work site.
A group of protesters also took their fight against the restaurant to McDonald’s headquarters in Chicago.
Another protester went to the Ferntree Gully Maccas, going through the drive-through asking the attendant: “I want no McDonald’s in Tecoma please”.
The protests made international headlines on the BBC and CNN.
But the controversial restaurant finally opened in April 2014 — and proving not everyone was against the outlet some locals lined up for hours to be the first in the store on opening day.
Customers were let into the restaurant in small groups just after 11am, as angry protesters continued to chant their disapproval.
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Owner James Currie said at the time he would not take issue with the protesters as long as they stuck to “peaceful and legal” demonstration and did not harass customers.
Mr Currie, 53, told News Corp he was confident the people of Tecoma would embrace the restaurant, which would employ 100 locals.
But the bunfight over Tecoma McDonald’s took a sinister turn in 2015, with outraged residents furious over “obscene signs” and a protester dangling a Ronald McDonald doll in a hangman’s noose.
Protesters continued to gather outside the restaurant well after its opening and popular Belgrave wizard Baba Desi spent his 85th birthday doing what he loves best — protesting outside the McDonald’s in Tecoma.
People also made their opposition known by scrawling chalk on footpaths and putting gnomes around the town as part of the “Gnome Maccas in Tecoma” campaign.
A group known as the Picket Knitters also came together to fight McDonalds.
Victoria Police was ordered to pay court costs after a magistrate dismissed a case against a Tecoma McDonald’s protester in 2015.
Richard Pearson, of Ferntree Gully, appeared at Ringwood Magistrates’ Court to find out whether he would be punished for drawing on a footpath with chalk outside the McDonald’s restaurant. Police had charged Mr Pearson with bill posting.
But Magistrate Susan Armour said she did not believe Mr Pearson had defaced the footpath.
“The charge is dismissed, “ Mrs Armour said, which led to applause from members of the No McDonald’s in Tecoma group, who were in court to support Mr Pearson.
WANTIRNA CARAVAN PARK
Residents of Wantirna Caravan Park took to the streets to protest the park’s closure in 2017.
Developer LongRiver bought the park for $35.6 million in August 2016, and the park’s 200 residents, including 153 people who lived there permanently, were evicted without compensation in January 2018.
But the Wantirna Caravan Park Action Group didn’t let go without a fight, and set up a permanent protest outside the park on busy Mountain Highway.
Group spokesman Peter Gray told Knox Leader at the time they had dozens of residents offer encouragement, and drivers were beeping their horns in support.
The action group started a petition calling on the State Government to provide financial compensation “to cover costs of moving their homes or for resettling without homes elsewhere” and to “provide financial compensation and legal protection for residents of residential/tourist parks in the future through revision of the Residential Tenancies Act 1997”.
In April 2019 the State Government announced new reforms to make life easier for caravan and residential park residents.
Under the changes to the Act, if a park is due to be closed, park owners must apply to VCAT to determine the compensation payable to residents who own fixed dwellings in the park.
David Filliponi was the park’s last man standing after winning his own legal case to get an extension on his notice to vacate.
Mr Filliponi, 57, successfully argued at the tribunal in 2018 that he was not given a proper eviction notice and was granted another 12 months’ notice period — meaning he didn’t have to leave until March 2019.
Late last year the park site was put back up for sale, dubbed “Eastern Park — Melbourne’s ultimate development opportunity”, in a listing from real estate company Colliers International.
It said the sale was a unique opportunity to acquire a permit-approved site designed by Rothelowman Architects.
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LAKE KNOX
When news broke about plans to turn a Knoxfield lake into a wetland area, concerned locals began rallying to save it.
Dubbed “Lake Knox” by neighbours, it is next to the Blind Creek bike track on the corner of Burwood Highway and Scoresby Rd.
The lake is set to be decommissioned and turned into a wetland area under the State Government’s plans to develop the former Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning (DELWP) site.
More than 12,000 people have signed a petition calling for the lake to be saved.
A public rally was held in Knoxfield last year, with protesters carrying signs calling for the lake to be preserved.
Teenager Hunter also rallied his classmates to fight the State Government’s plan.
And environmentalist Darren Wallace recently paid for a mural to keep the Lake Knox fight in the public eye.
Development Victoria group head of property Neil Anderson said it had met with community and environment groups and was developing plans to create a new and expanded wetland that could be used by locals and provide a sustainable habitat for wildlife.
CHADSTONE BOWLS CLUB
Sassy lawn bowlers from Chadstone, Terry Foster, Janine Halls and Wyn Hewett shot to international stardom when their video adaptation of Beyonce’s hit song All the Single Ladies attracted more than one million views on social media.
The two minute clip, which sees the leading ladies, aged from their 60s to 82, shake their hips and sing about their club’s stoush with Stonnington Council over its bid to build a $25 million sport stadium at their home site, was viewed in countries as far away as Kenya.
The controversial multimillion-dollar stadium for Percy Treyvaud Memorial Park was given the go-ahead by Stonnington Council last May but protesters said their fight wasn’t over.
Leader reported last September the controversial stadium plan would head to the Supreme Court as the council tries to have historic restrictions altered so it can proceed.
HEALESVILLE HOSPITAL
Passionate Healesville residents fought to save their hospital in 2013 after Eastern Health announced it was reviewing services at the site, which included moving its surgical services to Yarra Ranges Health in Lilydale.
Kersten Gentle, part of the Save Healesville Hospital Action Group, said the hospital was important to the community and hundreds attended a community meeting and joined a Facebook group calling for it to be saved.
The passion of the Yarra Valley community spurred the State Government to commit to a huge $7.8 million expansion for the hospital later that year.
OLINDA POOL
News the beloved Olinda pool may close down in 2010, with plans to install a water adventure playground in its place, spurred locals into action.
The Shire of Yarra Ranges considered closing the town’s 25m outdoor pool on Olinda-Monbulk Rd in favour of the new attraction.
The pool was built after residents raised money for it in the early 1960s when bushfires tore through the town. The pool doubled up as a much-needed static water supply to fight fires.
Following months of campaigning by the Save the Olinda Pool group, the council voted in 2014 to repair and reopen it.
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