Beacon Cove 1997

These photos were not taken with history in mind but with my 2016 eyes I see:

* an area I have walked through almost every week since 1992;
* what the 2nd stage of Beacon Cove looked like between the end of the site clean up and just after the start of construction;
* most importantly, no canals either built or in prospect.

With respect to this last point, had the Sandridge Development Corporation had its way, this photo should have shown a gated community surrounding a system of canals. As a member of the Bayside Development Action Group in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I did my best to ensure that did not occur.

While in the end the desired result occurred more as a result of luck than community action, it was something that did bring the Port Melbourne community together. BDAG was also arguably the parent of Friends of Port Melbourne Foreshore Inc in which I was active while the group was active 1992 – 2015 and also the catalyst for at least two significant careers in the local and federal spheres.

Ben Piper