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Today, low level helicopter operations will be occurring near P&DARCS. All people flying are required to stay clear of full size aircraft and should land as soon as possible until aircraft leaves the area |
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Thanks to a huge effort by a number of committee members and club members the field is once again fit for flying.
The Main and Eastern runways, plus pits are mowed and are very soft but usable. The clubhouse can be used, but please stay off rolled up carpet, except for turning power on. Also be careful in kitchen, it is in use as a storeroom.
Thank you to all those who have helped out your assistance was greatly appreciated. One thing that stood out with the volunteers was that it was only the “Old Guys” of the club that put up their hands to help. Come on younger and fitter members come along and help out next time. It’s a great way to get to know your fellow club members. Volunteers are what we need to keep club fees at a reasonable level. We can’t really afford to get everything done by contractors.
One last item though do we have a carpet layer in the club that could lay the underlay and refit the carpet in the clubhouse ? Otherwise we will engage a contractor to do the job.
Regards
David
Prez
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The field was progressing nicely until we had minor flooding again last night which has again encroached on the runways but fortunately not into our buildings. Consequently the field is still un-flyable so will most likely not be open until next week at the earliest.
Also while we have the drainage contractor at the field and as it is closed Norm will be repairing the drain at the Gate entry as it currently is broken and isn’t functioning correctly as it is partially filled in. due to the current water level it will be an open Hole for a day or so. So if you are around the area for a nosey don’t drive into our driveway. It will be cordoned off but just in case be careful.
Norm has been at the field almost daily supervising drainage work and trying to get it up and running and we really appreciate his efforts . I know that it is disappointing that the field is still closed but unfortunately we have no control over mother nature . From what I am told quite a few field are unusable at the moment.
Regards
David
Prez
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Saturday Working bee update.
A small however dedicated team turned up Saturday to start the clean up from the flood. While not as bad as the last one, there was still plenty of work to be done. While there are still some more tidy up tasks to do, we are well on the recovery path.
The turnout was disappointing but a big thank-you to Alan Coleman, Doug Dorrat, Julian Sharp, Rob Till, Bill Reynolds, David Glossop, David Walsh, Norm Morrish, Paul Sumerville, Ivan Chiselett, Daniel Jenkins, Peter Harrison, and Paul Webber for a job well done
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The flood waters are receding fast. In fact fast enough for us to send in an advanced Navy team to assess the damage. Norm has reported that we may have been a little luckier this time as we only got 6 inches of water through the clubhouse itself and that was relatively clean water so a good carpet clean may be all that is required. The machinery has survived relatively unscathed apart from the cows eating part of the Kubota ignition wiring and a little water in the old fergy.
So thanks to the Efforts of Norm , Bruce and Glen on Friday the cost to the club should be minimal. I would also like to thank Norm Morrish Daniel Jenkins , Frank McPherson and Peter Harrison for swimming in today to assess and start some clean-up activities.
At this stage we will leave the field closed for probably a week at least to allow it to dry out a little and to clean up the clubhouse and other work to make the place safe again.
Now we probably also need to consider that these flood events may be coming more common in the future. The catchment areas that supply the creeks that run by our field have changed dramatically over the last few years with lots of hard surfaces ie roads and footpaths etc suddenly covering what were very recently farmers paddocks. The water which used to soak into the paddocks now flows off into the creeks and drainage channels at a much higher rate . I don't think that we can rely on Melb Water to come up with any speedy solutions so we may need to rethink how we protect our property and/or how our buildings are set up. I will get the committee together in the next week or so for a brainstorming session on some cost effective ways of improving our flood recovery.
Regards
David Walsh
Prez
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I have just.returned from the field and the waters are across.Ballarto Road. Fortunately I doesn't appear to be as deep as last time but still it's.deep enough to cause us grief. I can't see it receding for a few days so it will be a while before we can assess the damage.
I would also like to take this opportunity to praise the efforts of our field manager Norm Morrish, tennant farmer Bruce and our Drainage contractor Glenn. They all worked for almost 4 hours in freezing knee deep water to move our machinery to high ground and hopefully safety. A commendable and brave effort in rising flood waters . On behalf of the club I thank you all for a fantastic effort.
I will be back in touch when we can gain access to the field. In the meantime please stay away from the area as I don't think that the local community need tourists as there is a lot of flooding around the area and a lot of roads are closed
David Walsh
Prez
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The field is reopening Saturday morning 9th of June.
The ground will still be extremely wet under foot.
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Due to safety concerns the field has been temporarily CLOSED until further notice.
Yet again the water is rising. This time we got there in time. The machinery has been moved to high ground.
We will keep you posted via the Website and emails
Thanks to Norm Morrish and Paul Somerville for a sterling effort.