Road Side Signs
In 1981-82 a Tourist/Community Information Board was erected on the Highway near Purton Road. The Information Board stayed in place for many years and was regularly updated by the Council. Some Rotary working bees were held to ensure it remained in good order. It was removed few years ago but had served the community well.
As we travel around Victoria many Regional Towns have Community Signs at the town entrance depicting what services were active in the area. In 1995/96, we erected signs on the Princes Highway with a permit from the Cardinia Shire and Vic Roads. One East of Pakenham near Racecourse Road and one West of Pakenham opposite the current Police Station. The West sign was wrecked by a truck and the East sign was removed in 2018/19 because it was faded and not a good image for Rotary.
New signs were made with the expectation that we could rely on the original permit to replace the original signs. That was not to be. We have Council approval but as yet have been unable to get an answer from Vic Roads. After more than 18 months of trying, we now have members of Council and State Government helping to get this resolved. We are making progress. The original signs had 12 community groups displayed and the aim for the new signs is to be the same.
It is interesting to note that the original Highway Signs were done to match new signs that the Council had erected and not long after the Council removed their signs and erected signs that were completely different. At least it made the Rotary signs more distinctive.
Ken Rook 2021