By Bruce Wardley
THE inclusion of public toilets at Olive Justice Place in Cowes has been fast-tracked by Bass Coast Council and will now be included in Stage 2 of the Cowes Streetscape Plan.
With tenders now being called for the $8 million dollar Cowes streetscape project planners have identified the need for an additional toilet block in the Cowes CBD.
Bass Coast Council was advised it should use this opportunity to construct a public toilet block at Olive Justice Place so it can be easily and unobtrusively tucked into the northwest corner of the site.
Island Ward Councillor Ron Bauer said Olive Justice Place was important to the community and what was needed were facilities to service residents and tourists alike.
“There is a toilet block on the beach at The Esplanade, but we desperately need a toilet block at the top end of Thompson Avenue at the intersection of Chapel Street,” said Cr Bauer.
“The current thinking is that people can go to the Cowes Cultural Centre, but I believe that is unrealistic, people will be too embarrassed to go to that imposing building to use the loos.”
“It is also not signposted as a convenience centre,” said Cr Bauer.
Cr Tim O’Brien said his personal feeling was that
Olive Justice Place with its fake plastic grass at one end, and a twenty foot shipping container chipped open on the other end, is not really a reflection of the generosity of the gift.
“Why not bring it into the second stage for people needing disability access?”
“Going down the hill, down Thompson Avenue to access the toilets at the bottom, for those in wheelchairs, perhaps is difficult,” said Cr O’Brien.
“As is going up to Berninneit or going around the back of the transit centre.”
Cr Tracey Bell said she didn’t believe there was a need for a toilet at Olive Justice Place.
“It’s only one block down to The Esplanade toilets, one block to Berninneit and then there’s another toilet at the transit centre,” said Cr Bell.
“I’m curious to know how far people have to walk in other townships to get to a toilet.
“I’m pretty sure it would be more than one block.”
As a disabled person Cr Jan Thompson said walking one or two blocks is a long way and if you need to use public facilities, you need it as close as possible.
“I personally would find it difficult to get down to the facilities at the other end,” said Cr Thompson.
Olive Justice Place was named in honour of Olive Justice a local identity and tourist guide who operated a guest house, ran the Newhaven Post Office and was perhaps the first woman on Phillip Island to obtain a driver’s licence.
Her family built their home at 70 Chapel Street in Cowes in the 1950s.
Olive died in March 1995 aged 99 and gifted her Chapel Street property to the Salvation Army which later sold the land to Bass Coast Council.
The original vision for the site was for it to become a place of peace and quiet reflection featuring colourful landscaping, seating areas and shelter.
Olive Justice was reportedly approached many times to sell the site for development but despite the large sums she was offered always refused.
Olive’s intended legacy was a small park with a facility where mothers could breastfeed their babies in privacy and pleasant surroundings, where people could get out of the weather without having to go to a cafe if they could not afford it, and where gardens would flourish for everyone’s enjoyment.
Council eventually paid $250,000 for the land with the proceeds going to the Salvation Army for the building of a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.
