Labour of love a struggle

ALAN Penhall says he is down fifty per cent in visitors to his Avro Anson Museum at Ballarat Airport due to road works.

Mr Penhall, 81 years of age, has been running the museum at the airport, with the help of four or five mates, for 20 years.

He said the closure of Airport Road and drivers having to negotiate two roundabouts in the ongoing road works is having a devastating effect on his business.

The museum pays rent and a tourist levy to City of Ballarat.

“I have talked to the council but I don’t seem to get to far, I can’t get any information about how long the road works are going on for,” Mr Penhall said.

Mr Penhall started the museum to present the aviation history and heritage of the Ballarat Airport, based around the ongoing restoration of a World War II Avro Anson Mark 1 light bomber.

“They don’t seem to realise that they’ve got this history, it seems there is only one thing they promote in Ballarat,” Mr Penhall said.

“There are two air force museums interstate who want this plane, they would come and get it tomorrow.

“If Ballarat wants it, we need more support.”

City of Ballarat Development and Planning Director Angelique Lush said the roadworks currently underway near the Ballarat Airport are part of Stage 1B of the Ballarat West Employment Zone and will provide a north-south link from Liberator Drive through to Airport Road to access the new BWEZ lots “Unfortunately, despite lobbying the Federal Government over the past 12 months, we have not received any funding for the Ballarat Link Road Stage 1B so there is no date as yet on its completion,” Ms Lush said.