Phillip Island's Vietnam Vets open the way to a new museum
THE people who opposed the construction of a new National Vietnam Veterans Museum on Phillip Island have potentially cost the group $35 million or more in future construction costs.
THE people who opposed the construction of a new National Vietnam Veterans Museum on Phillip Island have potentially cost the group $35 million or more in future construction costs.
Just as importantly, they’ve likely robbed the Vietnam Veterans, who now volunteer at the existing museum, the chance to see the new facility in their own lifetime.
As well as that, they’ve cost them the opportunity to collect valuable pieces of Vietnam War memorabilia, from the USA in particular, for the proposed museum.
But they’ve faced challenges before.
And they’re just getting on with it.
This week, observant visitors to Phillip Island, and locals, have noticed some relocatable works offices being positioned on the site of the new museum, opposite the old airport, beside Phillip Island Road.
Surely that means a start to works.
“Well, we’re not at that stage yet,” said general manager of the National Vietnam Veterans Museum, Braxton Laine.
“It’s a condition of the planning permit that we provide access to the site via the fourth arm of the roundabout at Woolamai Beach Road.
“The committee is yet to decide on a construction schedule after that.”
The cost of simply constructing a 40-metre section of the roundabout is not peanuts. It’s upwards of $1 million, we’re told, with pavement, kerb and channel and footpaths priced in.
Vietnam veteran and NVVM committee member, John Methven, said the alarming rise in construction costs, up from $35 million to $70 million-plus in the four years that the planning dispute was going on, could force the group into a fallback position,
“We might have to look at improving the existing museum and staying there for a bit longer,” said Mr Methven.
But, he says, the group is still committed to going ahead at sometime in the future. But it’s a big ask.
Mr Laine says there’s a meeting of the group later in February to decide a way forward, but acknowledges that the work on the roundabout to provide access to the new museum site is at least a positive sign.
