A 76-year-old Inglewood resident has made an unsuccessful last stand to save the town’s old ambulance station from being destroyed this morning.
Key points:
- Inglewood’s old ambulance station was demolished Monday
- The community wanted allied health services to repurpose the building
- A minister claimed the building contained asbestos, but the demolition crew had no PPE
Lone campaigner Howard Rochester broke through protective fencing to sit in a bulldozer assigned to the job.
Then, taking refuge inside the doomed building, he spoke to ABC Central Victoria, saying this was the first issue he felt strongly enough to protest about.
But after police arrived Mr Rochester said he was defeated.
“I’m going to go quietly, we can’t beat them,” he said.
“Yesterday on Facebook there was a lady saying that she’s got three kids in Inglewood and nowhere to live.
“Well this [building] has a house attached to the ambulance depot.”
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Mr Rochester avoided arrest and left the building before workers started knocking it down.
Questions over asbestos claim
Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said earlier this month that the building had asbestos inside and could not be re-purposed for community use for that reason.
On Monday, the demolition crew knocked down the building without personal protective equipment (PPE).
“One of the reasons they were going to pull it down was asbestos. The builder who built it is still alive and said there was no asbestos either,” Mr Rochester said.
Ambulance Victoria staff were in the building up until a fortnight ago before moving next door to a new building.
Earlier this month, the builder of the old ambulance station and its bricklayer said they did not believe asbestos was in the materials used in the construction of the ambulance station in 1986.
The Inglewood ambulance building became dear to the local community after the ambulance auxiliary op-shop helped raise funds to build it in the late 1970s and early 1980s, along with paying for furniture and equipment for paramedics.
The state government built a new ambulance building last year, and locals wanted the old building to be re-purposed for allied health services, office buildings, or community use.
“The old ambulance station was built by the ladies at the op-shop. Over the last 50 years they’ve put in over a million dollars to this building and it’s just going to go for nothing. It’s just not right,” Mr Rochester said.
The Health Minister said last month that it was important paramedics and ambulances had direct access to the hospital and any community use of the old ambulance building could jeopardise that.
Building ‘no longer fit for purpose’
A government spokesperson said the building was demolished because it was no longer fit for purpose and would limit the functionality of the new Inglewood Ambulance Station.
“Demolishing the old building means we can provide paramedics with new and improved vehicle access, giving them the modern home base they need and deserve to do what they do best – save lives,” the spokesperson said.
Regarding the issue of asbestos, the spokesperson said at the time Ms Thomas was interviewed, she had received advice from the Victorian Health Building Authority and Ambulance Victoria that asbestos was suspected within the building.
“Routine audits in 2016 and 2022 had indicated that, due to the age and construction of the building, asbestos-containing material may be present in the ceiling, but this area could not be accessed,” the spokesperson said.
“Following due diligence in preparation for demolition, this was further investigated and it was found that asbestos was not present.
“That does not change the fact that this building was demolished because it would have limited the functionality of the new station.”
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