Devonport Times - 21-28 March 2008 - Devonport City Council

NEWSNew era rises inThe face and fortuneof East Devonport isfinally changing,SARAH LEARY reports.PHYLLIS Benson has seena lot of change in her life,none more so than in herhome town of East Devonport,where she has lived for 80years.‘‘I remember when the maintown precinct was in upperPardoe St,’’ Mrs Benson said.‘‘Where people shop today wasjust a bunch of paddocks, whichgrew maize.‘‘If you wanted to go across tothe other side of town you hadto catch the ferry which leftevery 15 minutes.’’She saw the area transformedfrom a rural community, whichhoused a couple of pubs, to theshipping port and a majorindustrial area that it is today.After watching developmentswith keen interest in recentmonths Mrs Benson is quiteimpressed by the latest changesto East Devonport.‘‘It’s a big improvement forthe area, a real move forward.’’When asked what it was aboutEast Devonport that she likedso much, she said it was theeasy going atmosphere and thefriendly customer service thatshe received when shopping intown.Similarly her daughter WendyHilditch grew up with this lovefor the area as well.It was where she attendedschool, played sport and madelife-long friends.‘‘It was a great place to growup because the community wasso close, I was alwayssurrounded by people I knew,’’she said.Ms Hilditch has recentlyreturned home to EastDevonport after living inQueensland for many years.‘‘I’m loving being back, andthe developments are great.‘‘It’s always been tooindustrial around here.‘‘We need to keep working atmaking our streetscape moreinviting not just for tourists butto locals as well.’’BIG CHANGE: These old photographs dating back as far as 1888 show East Devonport as a different township tothe one we know today. Pictures courtesy of the Devonport Maritime Museum.Next stage of development starts to shape upActing strategic projectsmanager Kate Fagan talksto the Devonport Timesabout the developmentHow are things progressingwith the Eastern Shoredevelopment?We are quite pleased with theprogress in Devonport East. TheStage 1 works on the commercialprecinct are almost finished. We arenow moving into preparations for thenext stage of implementation —which will be the foreshore. While thatis happening, significant progress hasbeen made on the new car park at thecorner of Wright St and Murray St.The car park is designed to cater forlocal shoppers, but will alsosignificantly address the issuesassociated with Spirit of Tasmaniatraffic looking for somewhere to stopwhile they are waiting to board.How much have the project plansaltered?Plans are by their very nature amoving feast. They evolve over timeas perceptions change and as issuesare solved. There is a strongdedication to the original ConnellWagner concept and we are confidentthat the final product will remain true‘‘If the level of local traffic inthe precinct is any guide, wewould say people are certainlyusing their village again.’’to the ideals of the project as thoseresidents who participated in the earlydesign workshops will attest.What feedback have you had fromthe development?We are finding that the retailers in thevillage precinct are pleased with theoutcome and we are sure they aremore than happy to see the workconcluding. While we accept that ithas been a long time in the making,there is a strong sense of localownership and pride emanating fromthe business community. I think theproof of this pudding is in the eatingand, if the level of local traffic in theprecinct is any guide, we would saypeople are certainly using their villageagain.Is a name change for EastDevonport still being considered?The Devonport Eastern Shore SpecialAdvisory Committee, whosemembership is made up of severalmembers of the local community,have since the beginning of thisproject been actively promoting thename Devonport East. In fact, if youlook above the Post Office you willnote it is actually called DevonportEast. Historical assimilation has away of simplifying things and we willactively encourage people to adoptthe name. The variation of EasternShore also seems to be a popularchoice as an alternative.$AVE $$ ON YOUR NEXTWhy throw your dollars away at expensivetaxi fares or fixed bus schedules. It’s yourholiday, do it in your time with All Coast Tarago Hire.Airport service available - Mob: 0414 256 619 - Quotes availableBook online @ www.accr.com.au - Unit 1/44 Bailey Crs, Southport QLD 4215CABGold Coast AustraliaPage 4 Devonport Times March 2008