The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Victoria, Australia • Page 3

THE SUNDAY AGE InJIhAA'Q 3 December 2.4 im 2000 JOj, OUR NEW HCG Australian alert over mad cow disease Not the members! The trust steps in campaign mode but you need to get all the decision makers around the table to start with and then you don't have a fight when the announcement comes out," he said. The proposal was defended by historian Keith Dunstan, an MCC member for the past 55 years. He argued that it was the sporting memorabilia, photographs and art work that gave the Long Room its historic significance. The items will be moved to a new museum under the proposal. "The Melbourne Cricket Ground has a long history of being fairly ruthless with its old clubhouses. But if they want to keep pace with other stadiums they have to do this," he said. bers' inner sanctum. "As soon as you take the real thing away and replace it or put it somewhere else, there is no comparison. Heritage is about authenticity, and replication will undermine that," he said. Mr Church has tried to list the playing arena but not the stands with Heritage Victoria. The National Trust's move to nominate the whole stand would take this one step further and, if successful, could hamper the redevelopment. While acknowledging the need for an upgrade of the stand, which a recent study found did not meet the standards of other competition stadiums, Mr Bell said more consultation was needed. "The trust is not in the way of progress but that doesn't mean expediency should win out. We don't like to be in entire members' stand a' "state the decision carries no legal weight. A building must be registered with the Victorian Heritage Register to be officially considered a heritage site. According to National Trust chairman Randall Bell, the decision to bulldoze the members' stand was rushed and did not reflect public sentiment. On Friday, MCC president Bruce Church said 75 per cent of members supported the proposal. "I question the level of support quoted by the MCC," Mr Randall said yesterday. "The stand, and the Long Room in particular, have so many stories to tell. There are a lot of fantastic memories that go with the stand. By JAMES CHESSELL Ambitious $400 million plans to redevelop the Melbourne Cricket Ground may be disrupted by a National Trust bid to register the members' pavilion as a heritage building. The trust, frustrated by its exclusion from plans to redevelop the northern side of the MGG, is considering registering, the pavilion, including the historic Long Room, with Heritage Victoria as part of a campaign against the redevelopment plan revealed on Friday by the MCG Trust and the Melbourne Cricket Club. The trust, which claims to have seen plans in September that did not include demolition of the members' stand and Long Room, is raiaxi "Victorians are different, Victorians actually appreciate and cherish their history." Under the plan, more than half of the stadium would be rebuilt in time for the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The building work will disrupt up to four AFL Grand Finals and reduce the stadium's capacity to about 70,000. It would begin in 2002 and end in 2005. Premier Steve Bracks and MCG management have maintained the MCG's heritage value comes from the matches and public, not the buildings. But Mr Bell yesterday dismissed this view, and described proposals to replicate the Long Room in the new stand as an improper way to preserve the heritage of the mem was the height of discourtesy for young members to take block on the plush leather couches. They were reserved for the sagacious members of long standing who could recall at length the time that Hobbs and Sutcliffe put on 283 for England's first wicket against Australia in 1924-25. When Bradman was bowled for a duck by Bill Bowes (he made 103 not out in the second innings) during the infamous Bodyline series in 1932-33, and the famous occasion in 1951-52 when Doug Ring and Bill Johnston from Richmond cricket club put on 38 for the last wicket to give Australia a one-wicket win over the West Indies. Then there was Gabbo's long run in the 1964 Grand Final that almost sealed victory for Collingwood, and Jezza's soaring mark in the '70s. The Long Room went into recess during World War II, when American and Australian forces occupied the MCG. Legend has it that many an By BRENDAN NICHOLSON Australian health officials are monitoring the growth of BSE, or mad cow disease, after the World Health Organisation yesterday warned it may have spread beyond Europe and could be a global problem. WHO fears that the brain-destroying infection may have spread before European governments began taking measures to stop the sale of suspect meat and animal feed. Concern over BSE has sparked consumer panic in France, prompting the government to ban meat and bone-meal feed, take T-bone steaks off restaurant menus and institute a program of health tests for cattle. The European Union reacted to the growing anxiety earlier this month by ordering a blanket six-month ban on meat and bone meal in all animal feed, and calling for tests on all cattle older than 30 months from next July. The European Commission has threatened to ban some German sausages because of fears they may be contaminated. So far, all known cases have been reported in Europe, but WHO officials in Geneva said they were concerned that BSE-infected meat in animal feed may have been sold around the world. Spokesmen for Health Minister Michael Wooldridge and Agriculture Minister Warren Truss said they believed strict controls on the importation of meat products introduced several years ago made Australia a very low-risk area. Mr Wooldridge's spokesman said health authorities were maintaining a close watch on the. situation in Europe but did not believe there was need for further action at this stage. He said Australia imported a minuscule amount of beef from Europe. A WHO spokesman told the BBC that there was, so far, no proof of any cases outside Europe. But if BSE were to take hold in developing countries, the social and economic consequences would be devastating, the official said. The UK has by far the biggest number of cases in Europe, but BSE has also struck in France, Ireland, Portugal and Germany. Eighty-seven UK citizens have died from the brain-wasting human form of the disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vC)D), and the UK has spent billions of dollars trying to contain it. Prosecutors in Paris are investigating whether UK and French ministers could be charged with manslaughter over deaths linked to BSE. In October, a British inquiry was told successive government ministers repeatedly misled the public about the dangers to humans. The families of two French victims of vCJD want manslaughter charges brought against British officials for allowing the export of suspect animal feed after banning it at home in 1989 and against French officials for not stopping it. In the UK, there was a 10-year gap between the disease first surfacing and the export ban on its beef imposed in 1996. In their writ, the French families said Britain bore a heavy responsibility for "authorising the mass export of animal meal, which they recognise as being the main source of HANHtfK Not Long for this world? Tour guide Colin Bull in the MCG members' pavilion. Picture: JACK ATLEY hitch, so to speak, was the admittance of women to the pavilion and Long Room in 1983. Sometimes, however, the interpretation of dress codes got out of hand. At lunchtime one day a young woman, before being allowed to enter the Long Room, was asked to remove her elegant Italian leather coat. Its sin was that it had a zipper. "Imagine if I was wearing something inappropriate underneath," she said. Fortunately, she was a picture of Long Room fashion twin set, pearls and tartan skirt. Men, of course, are obliged to wear a jacket and tie. Mr Church, a realist and traditionalist, says the MCC "will bend over backwards, after considerable consultation with the members, to retain the heritage of the Long Room and everything it Not forgetting roast beef with a little pork crackling, much favored by many members, some not so old. Sometimes, you need a change to keep a tradition Threatened: The MCG members stand could be knocked down. angered by its exclusion from the consultative process. Trust officials said they would not rule out a protest during the Boxing Day Test match, similar to the 1997 "hands off our gallery campaign" rallies. Although the trust has given the Sunday roasts, and the Long Room at the MCC, are here to stay, says David Austin. Remember that hearty epicurean experience that sustained the British Empire the Sunday lunchtime roast? Beef, lamb or pork (with crackling), served with crisp baked potatoes, pumpkin and peas, all as nourishing and uplifting as watching an England batsman skittled by a fizzing googly? Like the six o'clock swill, bank tellers and tram conductors, and Bradmanesque wool prices, the roast may seem to belong to a bygone era. But all is not lost. At one of Melbourne's oldest and most loved institutions, the roast lunch or djnner is still inviolate. Welcome to New look By JOHN SILVESTER Victoria Police are set to lease two new twin-engine helicopters valued at $20 million as part of a major overhaul of the privatised air wing. The Kurocopter Dauphin 365 N3 helicopters will replace two older models, including the original Police Air 491 used in Victoria for the past 21 years. The second helicopter likely to be replaced is a Dauphin bought second-hand in 1986 and previously owned by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu. One of the new helicopters will be equipped as Victoria's air ambulance -i- although it will be flown by police pilots. The helicopters will be bought by CHC Helicopters (Australia), who run the privatised air wing, and leased back to police on a standard lease believed to cost $16,000 a day jftifj officers' roast dinner was held in the Long Room while the servicemen on the oval tucked into bully beef. If it is possible to have a religious experience away from the House of God, it is the day a young member tip-toes diffidently into the Long Room for the first time, terrified of spilling roast lamb into the lap of the oldest member. Sir Robert Menzies described Lord's as the "Cathedral of It is no coincidence that the Long Room at the MCC was modelled on the one at Lord's. Sir Robert, a regular at the MCC during Tests, and when Carlton was playing, regarded the MCG as Melbourne's sporting cadiedral. He often had lunch in the committee dining room, to the left of the Long Room. On the right of the Long Room is a special area for those who have been members of the club for 50 years and more. One transition that went without a AGENDA 2, 3: Drug busts, disasters and dragnets, Daphne has done it all chopper wing "Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without you guys." the Long Room (circa early 1920s), the heartland of the MCC pavilion where on regular match days football and cricket staff keep up a steady flow of wholesome roasts. Some make special pilgrimages to eat in the Long Room, nostalgia and good talk often taking precedence over the action in the arena. But members, male and female, need not fear for the future. When, or if, the northern section of the MCG is rebuilt, the Long Room, in the words of MCC president Bruce Church, will be replicated as far as possible same clubby atmosphere with couches, bar, memorabilia, portraits of past presidents and a lot more space for diners than can be catered for now. Of course, there will be roast beef with Yorkshire pud and lashings of horseradish, as well as other cuisine for which Melbourne has become noted. In the 1960s and before then, it for police while on the ground. Extra fees will be charged based on flying hours. CHC Helicopters managing director Ian McBenth said the first new helicopter would be delivered in April to undergo a two-month refit to police specifications. The second would arrive in September. The new helicopters were more powerful, safer, faster and quieter. They would have a working life of between 20 and 25 years and one of the older Dauphins would be kept as a back-up. Chief Commissioner Neil Comrie said the new helicopters would be capable of carrying more medical and emergency equipment. "Over the years police at the air wing have saved countless lives and assisted in hundreds of rescues. The new helicopters will help provide a better service, especially in regional Victoria," he said. Rainbird Waterproof Jackets Snowgum Glenelg Polartec Fleece Pullover was '105 Selected Royal Robbins Travel Clothing AKU Colorado Suede Boots ITALIAN' MADE Cisco Systems (sso) Mbil COLGATE-PALMOLIVE There are still members who can recall the Bodyline series. Rocky ride for theft victim, 70 A 70-year-old woman clung to the bonnet of a car as she tried to stop thieves driving off with her handbag, police said yesterday. The woman, of Brighton, was on the way to a Brighton supermarket about 1 0.40am. She put up a struggle but was overpowered. The attacker snatched her handbag and jumped into a small, cream hatchback car that had pulled up alongside. The victim threw herself on to the bonnet to try to stop it driving off. The woman was taken to Sandringham Hospital and treated for shock and injuries to the head, arms and shoulders. Police said the car was an older model. The attacker was in her 30s and had a red pony-tail. Anyone with information should call CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000. AAP a way of ie. '4 MelbournjS'36i5 Lonsdale Street McWh1535 Wpitehdrse Road I Hawthorn 644 Glenferrie Road i Phone 0 I SNOWGUM SALE i Melbourne 1 Microsort (CfeMpower Australia Ptimnoirtn Australia EnergyAustralia- BOXING DA CLEARANCE Campaign 00 invent 10-50OFF EVERYTHING IN STORE Generous Monroe BT Financial Group MhZUJ iiiMfifJ AUSTRALIA STARTS WED 27TH DEC Sun 31st Dec (Metro) Sat 3Qth Dec (Country) Geelong stores open Boxins Day mmm Moorabbln 880 Nepean Hwy Malvern 200 Glenferrie Road Geelong Ballarat Bendlgo 96701177 The Smith Family would like to thank everyone who has been a part of our family this year. Especially our generous corporate donors who have helped our programs. In the words of one of the Australian children we support: "Christmas wouldn't be Christmas if you guys didn't help." To all donors, sponsors and volunteers, we say thanks for being so generous with your money, time and experience in 2000. We wish you all a very merry Christmas and a healthy and happy New Year. MorriB Partners S1329 MCi'I 10 MELBOURNE An Initiative of the City of Melbourne. everyone's family MEA A3