AS the star of Australia’s beloved film The Castle, Michael Caton, took his stand against coal seam gas at Gunnedah’s AgQuip yesterday, one local resident was facing her own battle.
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Violeta Hiscock was still reeling from the shock of finding out her home is in the path of the recommended option for the new rail overpass.
Much like Michael Caton’s character, Darryl Kerrigan, Violeta Hiscock’s Barber Street home is her castle.
It is the first house the Phillipino-born Australian bought for herself, and she has lived there for about 20 years.
She has seen the Gunnedah Maize Mill come to life and her two children grow up and move away.
Her home, once a two-bedroom cottage, is much larger than its earlier days, and the garden boasts daisies and roses.
Mrs Hiscock, 63, said she had been visited by Roads and Maritime Services officials last Tuesday who told her no final decision had been made about the route for the overpass, but that she might be impacted.
The next day, she received a letter that said: “... based on the current design, your property is potentially directly effected by the recommended option, meaning there is a need for full or partial acquisition.”
The next thing Mrs Hiscock heard about the project was word from a friend telling her a route cutting through her property had been announced in the news.
The house next door was completely covered by a graphic showing revised access road to Barber Street.
Mrs Hiscock said she was disappointed at the lack of answers and honesty from Roads and Maritime Services.
A spokesperson for the Minister for Roads and Freight Duncan Gay said this morning the NSW government had “not made a decision” on the preferred route for Gunnedah’s second rail overpass.
“The community has been invited to comment on a recommended option, which includes direct access to and from Barber Street,” the spokesperson said.
“Roads and Maritime Services spoke with two potentially affected property owners by telephone on Wednesday, August 13 and met in person the next day to inform them of the recommended route.
“Roads and Maritime continues to be in contact with these property owners and a decision on the final route will not be made until all feedback by residents and business owners is considered.”
The recommended option for the rail overpass is west of the Gunnedah Maize Mill.
The route would connect the Oxley Highway roundabout with a new roundabout at the intersection of Conadilly and Warrabungle streets.
The overpass has been in the pipeline for some years, with Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson saying the overpass was vital as coal trains became longer and more frequent, delaying traffic and emergency services vehicles.
Work is expected to start by the end of the year.
Mrs Hiscock said she believed it was not necessary to reconfigure the Barber/ Warrabungle Street intersection at all, and said had she spoken up about the mill being built when she had the chance, she might not be facing the loss of her house today.
“This is my life,” Mrs Hiscock said.
“I worked so hard to pay off this house and now they are telling me to move out.
“It took me a year to find this house. I wanted easy access to town. I have just put in a new bathroom. I am getting ready for my old age.”
Mrs Hiscock, who has two part-time jobs and volunteers in the community, said she had devoted her “life and time” to Gunnedah people, particularly the elderly.
“What I am expecting is some decency from them [the government],” she said.
“Why don’t they just tell me, I am sorry to say you have to move out. I asked them, and they said there was no definite plan.”
Mrs Hiscock said she was asked to fill in a “feedback form”.
Community drop-in sessions will be held at Gunnedah Town Hall on Wednesday, August 27 from 4pm to 7pm, and Thursday, August 28 from 9am to 12 noon. Consultation on the recommended option will close at 5pm on Friday, September 12.
For more information, or to comment, contact the project team on the toll-free number 1800 029 585, or email secondroadoverrailbridge@kbr.com
