Save Our Bus Services - The Story so far!

You can blame me for starting up our group, when I walked to the corner of Bulolo Road and Ellengowan Crescent Bus Stop in Whalan and asked a lady what is the Whalan Community Action Group doing about saving our buses? I got an 'I don't know!' answer, 'But I used to be a member and can find out for you.' The bus services were going to be deleted by the following week.

I gave her my phone details, next thing I received a call from her within 2 days, advising me that one lady is drafting a petition up, one lady is member of the group waiting for my call, another is the Secretary and another is President of the Whalan Community Action Group.

The second lady said to me what have I done to stir up the first lady? I questioned myself! She said 'No, that's a good thing - we need community involvement!' - within days we had people placing signs on bus stops regarding a petition to retain 755 bus services on Bulolo Drive and West of Popondetta Road, Whalan. Next thing I know, our petition day was 10/10/09, outside of Whalan Shops. I met so many important local community people. Even one that was only interested to gain votes from myself and another man at the next Blacktown Council Election.

That threw me off! Then one person said we are doing the wrong thing as this should all go through the Labor party branches & that the Hon. Member for Londonderry has heard of us and was unable to make it that petitioning morning. The reception received from all other members was heart-warming - as we found a lot of other areas and suburbs were widely affected. What happened next, I was asked to be Chairperson for our new 'Save our Bus Services, Mount Druitt And Surrounding Suburbs'. Our group was formed the same day the new time tables commenced. With 9 new members, a new petition to cover all of Mount Druitt And Surrounding Suburbs, only because we realised the day before that we didn't cover other areas of Mount Druitt.

We decided to hold a Community Meeting at Whalan Community Centre 7/11/09 10-12 noon - my first big public chairing! All opportunities were provided to all community members: although I stuffed up the way the meeting was supposed to go and gained experiences also taking constructive criticism very nicely along the way. In preparation to the meeting, we were asked to invite Bus operators from Busways and Westbus as well and Members for Mount Druitt and Londonderry, we have had press releases in-between the both the St. Marys Star and Mount Druitt-St Marys Standard, over the last 2 months. From the petitioning we had done, the Hon. Member for Londonderry and the NSW Minister of Transport had organised limited bus services along Bulolo Drive, 6 each way Monday to Fridays, 2 each way Saturdays and 1 each way on Sundays. This service is also called 'Shopper Hoppers'! Community members are grateful we have this service (Westbus 674 to Windsor) but still say it is not enough! Until today there are no time tables along the bus stops of Bulolo Drive and there was 800 timetables printed originally and bus drivers do not have more to give out at present.

From the beginning, I will confirm that this cause is a passionate issue within me. I have not made it political and had no intentions to make it political - the politicians have made it political. In saying that a local Hon. State member of parliament accused me of making it 'political' by inviting the opposition to our meeting 7/11/09. I want to point out, that the opposition member of the NSW Government, Mr Ray Williams invited himself to our meeting through phone contacts left in the local press. So we didn't make it political - the government members did it themselves by not looking after affected areas from these deleted services. If they had ensured these bus services were not deleted then we would not be where we are today!

No bus operators came, no union representatives arrived yet we had local community members with banners flagging different bus route numbers. So we gathered all this information: Community members from Gasmatta wanted their service restored, it went on and on - both Local State members spoke and then Ray Williams invited himself to speak at our meeting and it became a little debate - with the community members happy with Mr. Ray Williams comments - they were also interested with The Hon. Member of Londonderry and Mount Druitt's resolution that they will take up our petitions and come back to our Community meeting of 28/11/09 at Dawson Mall, Mount Druitt, to provide feedback from the NSW Government. About 50 - 60 members of the community attended this meeting on 7/11/09. One Blacktown Councillor also spoke at our Meeting Jacqueline Donaldson and provided details of how Blacktown Council has had Transport Committees and invited members of our group to attend future meetings.

Since then, we have re-invited the same guests as before for 28/11/09. Only Mr. Ray Williams, Hon. Member Hawkesbury attended (as a guest) 80-90 members of the community attended this meeting and the outcome was for us not to give up our cause, to go to national press and take a delegation of members from our area to the Transport Minister office, presenting him with our petitions and our resolution.

I have filmed and interviewed members of the community within Whalan covering Bulolo Drive and west Popondetta Road. Last weekend members of the Community affected by the deletion of service along Gasmata, looking forward to film other members of the community as well. We have our own website, we can communicate to all group members and all community members, especially the ones that that internet facility.

Although, as an individual I am originally holding the 755 bus route flag - as a Chairperson I am waiving all the flags of the following bus routes: 739, 740,755,756,757,761,762,766,769, 774 & 782. It is hard to make everyone happy but we are working towards all routes being returned to community members bringing back better living standards. We have many members that are in our group flying their own bus route number banner and I have always given them time to speak.

This is my story as a chairperson, instigator to commence our group. I'm not running for politics. I am only fighting for this important cause as a passionate person. I will fear the day that when I am retired any Government takes away important local infrastructure which is within close reach.

We did not make it political. The government has made it political by turning a blind eye to important members of our community from children to the working to family to the elderly that struggle day to day to enjoy their life. To all of you community members we care! This all started from one voice which is now has over 15 other spokesperson voices and these other voices would have at least 5-6 people they know and so on and so on, relaying details to hundreds and thousands of members of within our community.