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Sunday May 19, 2013

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A Tale of Two Cities: Sunbury 'bogans' vs the 'elite'

Posted by: Ellen Feely | 21 December, 2012 - 8:39 AM
Sunbury Station. (Photo: Wayne Taylor)

A petition to stop ‘bogan’ Sunbury residents from using V/Line rail services has gathered 75 signatures from residents of nearby towns, in what a local councillor has described as ‘A Tale of Two Cities’.

Speaking with 3AW Breakfast, Councillor Jack Medcraft, representative for Jacksons Creek Ward said his Sunbury constituents were the victims of discrimination at the hands of the Gisborne and Macedon ‘elite’.

After Sunbury locals were given access to Metro’s rail service following the completion of the Sunbury electrification project in November, fellow commuters on the V/Line Bendigo line have banded to ether to try to stop Subury residents from double dipping.

Cr Medcraft said V/Line’s staff were now also involved, trying to stop Sunbury residents from using the service.

"It's got to the stage now where conductors are forcing people off the train if they're going to Sunbury," he said.

"I'm a bit concerned that the elite, who think they're better up in Gisborne than Sunbury people, they've got the cheek to put a petition together and train to ban us from getting on the train."

Cr Medcraft said Macdeon’s local member Joanne Duncan MP had promised Sunbury’s access to V/Line services would remain after the Metro rail electrification was complete.

"So if the Gisborne people think they're more entitled to it, well, sorry guys, democracy says we can all use the same train," he said.

"A lot of people in Sunbury didn't want the Metro system, and they like the V/Line system because there's conductors and toilets."

LISTEN: Cr Jack Medcraft speaks with 3AW Breakfast:

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Blog comments Your Say

  • Good on you Rod. Thanks for capitalising "scumbury" in your comments. We're so thick we wouldn't have picked it up any other way.

    If you are from the Macedon Ranges, why are on the 3AW website anyway? A bit low brow isn't it? I thought all you elitists exclusively listened to the ABC?

    Reading through these comments, the posters from Sunbury have shown a level of class and maturity clearly beyond you and others of a similarly mean-spirited persuasion. You're behaviour and attitude is straight out of the schoolyard. An unhappy childhood was it?

    Ross Bates Monday 21 January, 2013 - 2:23 AM

  • Does the same thing happen on the Pakenham line? I know you can't take V/line from the city to Dandenong but can you to Pakenham.

    Ian Montgomery Tuesday 8 January, 2013 - 9:43 AM

  • We are all just trying to commute to the city. I don't see what the problem is.
    Of course I was disgusted by the popping of a champagne cork on the last Sunbury service before the metro services began, not to mention alcohol wouldn't have been acceptable by a Sunbury residence. The two times I've seen alcohol being consumes on vline services were both by parties going past the Sunbury station. Double standards.

    Andrew Monday 7 January, 2013 - 4:54 PM

  • Dear Anonymous (Wed 26th Dec)
    you now have extra trains to catch so you can choose not to get on a Sunbury train. Instead you can get on the train with all your unfriendly,small minded,foul mouthed commuters. And who would want to catch a Metro train that has been totally grafitted, smells like urine and is filthy. And I wander who has done that to the trains certainly not the Sunbury commuters as they were like that before we started using the service.

    AC Monday 7 January, 2013 - 10:35 AM

  • Interesting to note that early January Sunbury is being used by Bendigo and Macedon Rangers V/line commuters during rail line closures to use the Sunbury Station car park for the special v/line buses into the city. Yes unless they drive this is the only option but I do not see any complaints from Sunbury residents losing 100 car spaces to Bendigo line people for their buses when it suits them and not surprisingly they are mixing with us "bogans" by coming into the town.
    If Sunbury are not part of V/line why use our station as a changeover point?
    This makes this whole issue pointless and meaningless.

    Michael Monday 7 January, 2013 - 9:29 AM

  • Gisborne & Macedon Ranges Elite? Elite in what way exactly? And what is this term Scumbury? Is this a word game? Can I play? How about Gisborin or Macedon DeRanges. It seems comments such as those I have just read can only come from boring or deranged minds. It's time for the vocal, discriminating minority to get off their high horses, or ride-on mowers or whatever it is they get about on out there and find something better to do with their time, oh but wait.. there is nothing to do out there in the land of the supposed Elite. Is there now? No wonder.

    Confused Sunday 6 January, 2013 - 2:37 PM

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