Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, it is fitting that you are here, and the members for Calwell, La Trobe and Holt. My sweetheart, Kate, and my children Alex, Madeleine, Zoe and Bella enjoyed a great experience on Sunday. It was the welcome back to the Mornington Railway Preservation Society, a wonderful group of people who are restoring old steam locomotives and making use of the disused Mornington railway line. It has a history of about 25 years. Mr Speaker, in your days when you spent quality time down the peninsula I am sure that you would have seen the fantastic work of this organisation, a dedicated group of people.

Their ambition was to reopen a heritage railway line, and they have achieved that ambition. They have focused particularly on steam-hauled passenger trains. In 1991, after seven years of hard work and lobbying, they were granted an order by the state government which gave them access to and operating rights along the line from Moorooduc to Mornington to operate a tourist railway.

In the years since that time, they have put in an incredible amount of effort, resources, sweat and occasionally tears into developing the concept, restoring and acquiring equipment, raising money to pay for capital works and managing the railway’s daily operations. On Sunday, that all came together in a very special moment. It was a welcome back ceremony. After much effort, their prize steam locomotive, K163, was reborn after many months of restoration work during which diesel services were provided. The hardworking efforts of the volunteers, who selflessly donate their time and expertise, came together—as it did to build this great heritage railway vision—to bring back K163. Malcolm Swaine, the President of the Mornington Peninsula Railway Preservation Society was chuffed. He was ebullient on Sunday. I was honoured to attend with my family.

In 2008, the society was disappointed to be informed by its boiler inspector that ongoing approval for the boiler in its steam locomotive, K163, could not be guaranteed beyond 2009-10 due to its deterioration. Interestingly, restoration of this boiler was very much a part of the original creation of the rail service. This steam locomotion, K163, used to be a static display at Jubilee Park Reserve in Frankston. There it sat with children playing on it. But concerns about liability and its deterioration caused the council to be advised that they had to remove it from that playground area. To the council’s credit, they decided to support its restoration.

At that time, the boiler was re-created. In fact, it was first steamed up while it was still in situ at the park. But, after many years of effort, that great K163, an integral part of the railway tourism product, was relocated to where it now operates an outstanding service. What we celebrated on the weekend were countless hours of volunteer effort. It is interesting to note that Malcolm Swaine, the president, said that if the Mornington Peninsula Railway Preservation Society had been required to pay for the work undertaken by the enthusiastic group of engineers, boilermakers and other skilled artisans—I am led to believe 12,000 hours of work were put into that project—at tradesman’s rates, the cost would have been more than $1 million.

The members of the engineering team that worked tirelessly on K163 included Gerald Spoor—he was the team leader—Peter Reyment, Lee Hayes, Ian Wilson, Robert Pill, Ray Pankhurst, Maurice Gilmour, Steve Perkins, Max Edbrooke, Ian Peters, Neil Hastings, Wayne McLaren, Stewart Walton, Dennis Hall, Ken Spillett, Brian Provost and Bruce Morton. Congratulations to each and every one of them on their success. Their efforts resulted in an enormous amount of enthusiasm on Sunday, as we were all able to travel down that section of rail line.

This was the culmination of work that began in March 2009. The gentlemen—mainly gentlemen—came two full days a week over that 20-month period to put this effort into restoration of K163. I am told not only that it was very therapeutic for the gentlemen involved but that many of their partners talked about the respite it provided them as well. So it was of great benefit to all concerned.

In the few seconds that are left, I will just put in a bit of a plug. Over the Christmas season—on the Sundays 5, 12 and 19 December—there are Santa specials running down the tourist rail line, starting at Mornington and Moorooduc. Is it not great that Santa has found the time to come down to the Mornington Railway Preservation Society to be a part of the steam locomotive experience? It is something quite special.

There are services right throughout the year. Do yourself a favour—come on down to the Mornington Peninsula. If it is not God’s country, it is mighty close to it; it must be a local call to God. One of the things that you could do is have a go on the steam locomotive and really enjoy your day.