Mount Druitt Police Support Our Cause

We were blessed to have Sargent Busby from Mount Druitt Police, speaking at our meeting yesterday, regarding issues especially rock throwing around the area.

Although there are some recommendations on the 'Rock Throwing Report' presented by our Group Member, 'Wayne Lu' to Officer Busbsy, it appears that the recommendations we have may not be effective answers. The best answer is local knowledge provided by the community as soon there is a witnessed incident contacting the police. Who will do their best to catch the perpetrators.

I as well as others in our group, we have had our hearts dampened by what Office Busby had told us but yet we hold our heads high and proceed.

What we do believe is that that have been 4-5 charges against rock throwers around the area and this has placed a dampener on the rock throwing area around our area. We now believe that the word is getting around of these charges and this may stop these incidents that have previously caused harm.

Officer Busby has provide us with local police support as they like us do not want to see essential community transport services stopped or even cut.

Save our Bus Services Group Meeting May

Our Group will be meeting on 8th May 2010 - should anyone wish to come along and be part of a growing group - please contact us and we will provide you with further details.

There are a few issues to discuss - delayed 674 Gasmata Bus Service, pending issues Shalvey, Bidwill and also 'Blake's Way!'

This time we have asked members for any other issues/topics to be referred to us to be added on the agenda. Feedback from our group is always forthcoming.

We will push ahead for improvements for bus infrastructure around Mount Druitt suburbs. There will always be representation from the community to 'Better Mount Druitt Communities' for buses.

Group Meeting 20th March

Save Our Bus Services, Mount Druitt and Surrounding Suburbs are holding a meeting on the 20th March 2010.

In this meeting group Representatives will discuss the introduction of bus services, pending services 'pros and cons' and discus our plans for the future to Better the Community for Mount Druitt'!

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions they would like us to raise contact on the home page contact details on our website.

Save our Bus Services Group Meeting

Our Group will meet on 20th March 2010 to discuss the re-introduction of the 755 bus route - our wins and losses so far!

We will discuss strategy for the future as the Mount Druitt community has applauded all our efforts in what we have done for them!

Discussed will be reports from our representatives regarding the WSTUG meeting just recently held and future representations. We want to give a chance for everyone to come!

We will discuss future issues we will tackle as our job is not finished as yet!

Save Our Bus Services, Mount Druitt And Surrounding Suburbs Community Meeting - Report From Our Group Representatives - Ministers Meeting

Yes, Save our Bus Services, Mount Druitt And Surrounding Suburbs is having a a general community meeting this week on Saturday 6th February 2010 at 10.30am at Dawson Mall Centre Court, Mount Druitt.

This meeting will be presenting a report from our six Group Representatives that attended our meeting = the community, the community will be given a chance to ask questions to our representatives or to any members of the group and then - we will need to decided as a community what will be the result of the 'Campbell Comeback!'

Please feel free to bring any chairs and or seatings as our group is getting bigger and better and numbers will count.

All members of our community are welcome to attend, all bus banners are invited to be brought along all feedback is greatly appreciated!

SOBS Meeting At The W.A.S.H. House, Mount Druitt

Today, a group meeting was held at the Women's Activities & Self Help House at Mount Druitt (Otherwise known as the W.A.S.H. House. We greatly appreciate their use of the facilities as we are a voluntary group running on a shoe string budget. So anywhere and any organisation that can help we will gladly accept it.

This is where I come to a sudden halt. To organise a group of people that live all over Mount Druitt and to meet at a place that is practical is very hard in Mount Druitt. There is no Community hall or special community places to assist organisations like ourselves. Yes there is one in Mount Druitt Village! So anyone that reads, whom may have interest in this and can change this for Community organisations, please read between the lines and assist Mount Druitt to have a community Hall or community rooms meeting place!

Thank you to Catherine and her staff for assisting us to have an enjoyable day and make our group meeting now enjoyable! Debbie will place minutes of our meeting on our website soon!

NB: W.A.S.H. House is a community based resource centre for women. It is a place of support, information and a step to other services. They offer a range of programs and activities for all women. They can be contacted on 02 9677 1962 e-mail: admin@washhouse.org .au

Group Meeting Wiill Be Held 22/1/10 For Save Our Bus Services, Mount Duitt And Surrounding Suburbs

Although, we are sending representation to the minister of transport and infrastructure, Mr. David Campbell regarding our story 'Minister Campbell Accepts Our meeting on Bus Services 15th January 2010', we are still negotiating numbers of group members to represent us. We have invited the mayor of Blacktown City Council, but he is unable to meet next week with us. Also invited and is available is the President of Mount Combined Action Groups Ivy Roberson.

I have spoken to Ivy about passable reforming the process of Bus Reviews - where the micro suburb by suburb community groups are not directly involved within the Ministry of transport Pubic Forums for Western Sydney. Western Sydney is an extremely large part of group 1 and just to hold a forum at one suburb does not cover the hundreds of thousands that live within Western Sydney. So,this is where Community Groups like Mount Druitt CAG can attend forums with the bus review panel (every 6 months)and be part of the panel - from there any passable changes can be reported to the local communities via local press, possable websites that these groups may have,and provide feedback to the local community action groups.

We are meeting as a group and our group membership has increased to approximately 25 members. This meeting is not a public meeting as so - but is a group members meeting which our group members have approved the local press to attend. We will need to confirm all areas that have been affected , provide all documentation that can support our petition, include community members letters that have been received on top of petitions and will include. We have the following suburbs covered , Blackett, Bidwill, Wilmott, Lethbridge Park, Shalvey, Whalan, Mount Druitt South, Marsden Park, Emerton and Mount Druitt Village. TThese are a majority of suburbs that covers Mount Druitt

This will be the first opportunity the group members to meet since the community meeting on 28th November 2009. We will advise you of any further outcomes

Minister Campbell Accepts Our Meeting On Bus Services

We have received an e-mail today from the New South Wales Honorary Minster of Transport and Roads, Mr. David Campbell has accepted to meet our group within the next two weeks. He is only seeking to meet only 5 members of our group -which we feel is not enough to represent the whole area of Mount Druitt.

We will invite to the Mayor of Blacktown, Mr. Charlie Lowles, whom we respect as an upstanding community member of Mount Druitt and also in his role of Mayor of Blacktown.

We are still negotiating to provide 22 members to represent Mount Druitt And Surrounding Suburbs which has just on thirteen suburbs within the 2770 postcode:
Bidwill, Blackett, Dharruk, Emerton, Hebersham, Lethbridge Park, Minchinbury, Mount Druitt,
Mount Druitt Village, Shalvey, Tregear, Whalan, Willmot and surrounding suburb Marsden Park and Plumpton.

We will keeep you further informed!!!! This has come about from the hard work all our group members have done so far to bring our cause to recognition. A lot of community members and bus drivers said you'll never get your buses back - well we got back limited services 674 (former 755) via Bulolo Drive - that was only the start for us - I have known all along that one day the community will get success - this is a step in the right direction - a little late but it is here!

Is Minister of Transport Ready To Meet Us?

From the Community meeting that was held on 28th November 2009, the overwhelming eighty to ninety community members that met under the hot shade of the trees at the centre ground of Dawson Mall, wanted us to continue with our cause. Continue and go to National Press and meet with the Transport minister with our petitions. Well we have reach statewide press so far, we are doing collective filming of around the area, Whalan will be completed this afternoon, Marsden Park Thursday, Mount Druitt South, Blackett, Shalvey and Bidwill very soon as well!

We have sent an e-mail to The NSW Minister of Transport, Mr David Campbell, on 7th December 2009, and recently followed up last week as well chasing up an invitation of 22 members to represent Mount Druitt And Surrounding Suburbs and present our petitions to him. So far no response - there has been whispers from NSW Sate Members of Parliament that the NSW Minister of Transport will only meet 4 members of our community. Personally that is not a well representation of our area and we still sticking in him meeting him at NSW Parliament House or around Mount Druitt. We are still waiting for a response!!! We might get a response before the next transport annual review!!!!

We have got audios from Radio 2GB from Alan Jones, Hon, Member from Hawkesbury, Ray Williams and between Alana Jones and New Premier Christina Kenneally. So things are on the go with us, we haven't stopped and we won't stop looking after the community's concerns on the local buses.

We shall not be moved by the deleted bus services!

Unanswered Questions

We, as a Group have not had any direct answers to the following unanswered questions and statement that the community has provided to us for answers from the NSW Hon. Member of Londonderry and Mount Druitt and even The Minister of Transport. We list the issues raised at the first Save Our Bus Services, Mount Druitt And Surrounding Suburbs meeting on the 7th November 2009:

1...Why was it cut?
2...Why have they not got enough time tables?
3...What about the safety of the kids?
4...It is too hard for the elderly and disabled
5...It has been a very good bus route why change it?
6...It is making it harder for school kids
7...We need a bus back at Gasmata, most people have to walk up to 800 metres tor more to get a bus which is more than the 400 metres required by NSW State Government, from the place that you live.
8...We want the 739, 740, 755 , 759, 761,762, 766, 769 , 774, 776 and 782.
9...We need buses before six for people to get to work
10..Kids are having to wait around almost an hour to get a bus home from school...if they finish
before school ends this is just a disaster waiting to happen.
11..No bus shelters and seats at the new bus stops
12..Some bus stop are in dangerous spots...on very busy roads with no crossing for the kids or
elderly
13..Buses have been taken away from important places like medical centres schools and shops..
14..New units for the elderly have been built and now there easiest bus has been taken ..
15..Bus drivers attitudes are both dismissing and uncaring ...they now have to taken the brunt of
the Public anger which in turn angers the public even more..
16..We have used the same routes for almost 43 years and with very little fuss
17..Why do buses now terminate at Plumpton and Werrington instead of going through to St.
Marys?
18 Community members around Bidwil suburbs used to be able to go direct to Plumpton Shops
- now it takes longer as it is 2 trips - one bus to Mount Druitt and one bus from Mount
Druitt to Plumpton shopping Centre.

Once we receive a response, we will advise you - the only response we have so far is that the Hon. Minister of Transport has advised that ' Constituents comments' will be included in the annual review process undertaken by Busways,Westbus and NSW Transport and Infrastructure, as of 24th November 2009.

It appears that to have our deleted services as per pre - 11/10/09 time table and retaining new services that has been introduced suburbs around the area may take a long time,yet we will not give up.