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Sydney Morning Herald
02-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Global soul drives Dandenong through highs and lows
'As I was living in the UK, we could see some sort of prejudice,' says Steve Khan, who runs an Indian grocer. But in Dandenong 'we all have a sense – if I see another person, I know he too has migrated. We don't have that prejudice.' Racial conflict is often fuelled by fears new immigrants will take jobs or resources. But rather than fear, many locals see hope of a new, better future. Migrant entrepreneurs line the streets. Makonese tells me she felt she had to buy her shop because she could see so many other migrants buying up property. 'Walk into any of these shops and ask them about their story,' says Jim Memeti. 'They would have come here with nothing. And they have established themselves now.' Memeti is a case in point. By 19 he had his own poultry shop – eventually he would own 20. Now he's the mayor. 'Australia has been a really good country for me and my family,' he says. He is one of the rare mayors who does not complain about crowded local roads or infrastructure delivery. 'We're pretty happy, actually,' he says with a laugh. The city is well served for transport. The recently widened Monash Freeway runs straight into the city, and EastLink offers an orbital route. There is a large train and bus interchange. 'It's so close to everything,' says Louise Noy, who has sold pet goods at the market for 24 years. 'You've got your hospitals here. You've got all your services here. Why would you not want to go here?' The ability to buy a slice of the Australian dream surrounded by a white picket fence is a major draw. Dandenong remains relatively affordable to rent and buy in compared with other nearby areas, but prices continue to grow. The average house price rose from $475,000 in 2016 to $734,000 in 2025. Average weekly rents have climbed more steeply, up from $395 in 2023 to $530 – an increase many can't afford. The city is now a hotspot for homelessness and rough sleeping. A global suburb Dandenong is a global suburb, so it is exposed to the tides and eddies of the global economy, for good and ill. The long postwar boom ended in the '70s, and the federal government's move to slash tariffs exposed local factories to competition from low-paid foreign workforces. International Harvester went broke, the GM factory closed in 1991 and Heinz in 2000. Working-class families reliant on those jobs, who could once afford to buy homes and cars and whitegoods, found themselves pushed into poverty. Unemployment at Doveton, a social-housing estate that neighbours Dandenong, reached 19 per cent in 1991; poverty rates jumped from 10 per cent to 37 per cent. This once comfortably middle-class suburb is now stuck in the poverty trap. Unemployment hit 21 per cent there in 2015, almost four times higher than the national average. 'In Doveton we have the third generation of a household that does not have a job,' says Gabrielle Williams, the state MP for Dandenong. 'That's extraordinarily concerning' and very hard to fix, she says. Refugees face a different problem – many are prevented from working because of the conditions of their visas. Eventually, the kindness of friends and family runs out and many find themselves homeless. The local Asylum Seeker Resource Centre is directly supporting 160 refugees, and a further 400 people use its food bank. Poverty can foment criminality. In the early '90s Dandenong became pockmarked by urban blight: dying retail strips, vacant buildings, smashed storefronts. Dandenong still has the 12th highest rate of offences per head of population of any Victorian postcode. Most locals say they don't feel safe walking around the suburb after dark. It is Melbourne's most disadvantaged local government area. News Corp christened it the 'the worst place in Melbourne' in 2015. Then came media focus on gang violence and the Apex Gang, a group of young men based in Dandenong who were responsible for a wave of carjackings and burglaries across the state (despite the police saying no such gang existed). Cameron Prins, local area police commander for Greater Dandenong, says: 'Certainly that is the history. But greater Dandenong is a safe place to live and to visit – and that's an important message the community need to understand.' But disadvantage is not the driver of local crime, he says. 'We look at it from the perspective of the community being a little bit more susceptible,' he says. Steve Khan was one of those who lost his job in the early '90s recession. With few other options, he agreed to go into business with a family friend. Their first shop, on Mason Street, 'had been vacant for god knows how many years – not a single windowpane was intact', he says. They sold Indian groceries and rented videos, across from another store selling Indian sweets. One store on a deserted street is a risk, but two is a sign of success. Soon, more Indian stores came, selling Punjab suits and sarees, biryanis, gulab jamun and mustard oil. By the late '90s, Little India was thriving (Khan is now vice president of the traders' association). Their success seems to have sparked a new identity for the suburb. Little India now abuts a thriving Afghan precinct in Thomas Street, where nearly every trader would have once come as a refugee, the mayor says. An inaugural Ramadan Night Market in April was so successful the council plans to bring it back for a whole month next year. At Shams Restaurant, my table is soon laden with chicken and lamb smoky from the charcoal grill, maunto dumplings stuffed with meat and spices, and cups of green tea sweetened with small fruit candies. 'In my community, I know lots of people, they are looking for shops to rent or to buy,' owner Murtaza Khoshiwal tells me over the food. 'They want to invest in Dandenong. Last week, one of my friends, he bought a house. I said, 'It's very old.' But he said, 'It does not matter because the location is good.'' Perhaps most important is that the state and federal governments embarked on a huge redevelopment program in 2006 to address urban decline and to try to turn Dandenong into a second CBD. Government and private investment totalling more than $1 billion has beautified the suburb's public spaces. The market and town hall have been redeveloped, there's a new theatre, community hub, library and public square, and a new $122.5 million pool is coming soon. A private developer has been tapped to deliver a $600 million redevelopment, turning a slice of the suburb into a mixed-use development of apartments, retail and businesses – a process that requires demolishing Little India. Unemployment is now down to 6 per cent, only a couple of points higher than the national average. That redevelopment has been slower than many stakeholders wanted, and remains incomplete. 'But my goodness, I wish we had more – the scale of investment in Dandenong outweighs almost anything else that's been done in Victoria,' says Dr Hayley Henderson, an Australian National University researcher who has studied Dandenong's rebuild. 'We haven't seen a comprehensive revitalisation program like it since.' And that's the story of Dandenong, really. One of rebuilding, one of striving for something better. Aman Najimi has lived in Dandenong for 25 years and runs the Sadaqat Halal Butcher on Thomas Street for 18. 'When we first came to this street, it was only one shop,' he says from behind the meat counter. 'People were scared to walk in this street. But now … all the shops are open. Since Afghan people came to this street, to Dandenong, everything has been good.'
The Age
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
Global soul drives Dandenong through highs and lows
'As I was living in the UK, we could see some sort of prejudice,' says Steve Khan, who runs an Indian grocer. But in Dandenong 'we all have a sense – if I see another person, I know he too has migrated. We don't have that prejudice.' Racial conflict is often fuelled by fears new immigrants will take jobs or resources. But rather than fear, many locals see hope of a new, better future. Migrant entrepreneurs line the streets. Makonese tells me she felt she had to buy her shop because she could see so many other migrants buying up property. 'Walk into any of these shops and ask them about their story,' says Jim Memeti. 'They would have come here with nothing. And they have established themselves now.' Memeti is a case in point. By 19 he had his own poultry shop – eventually he would own 20. Now he's the mayor. 'Australia has been a really good country for me and my family,' he says. He is one of the rare mayors who does not complain about crowded local roads or infrastructure delivery. 'We're pretty happy, actually,' he says with a laugh. The city is well served for transport. The recently widened Monash Freeway runs straight into the city, and EastLink offers an orbital route. There is a large train and bus interchange. 'It's so close to everything,' says Louise Noy, who has sold pet goods at the market for 24 years. 'You've got your hospitals here. You've got all your services here. Why would you not want to go here?' The ability to buy a slice of the Australian dream surrounded by a white picket fence is a major draw. Dandenong remains relatively affordable to rent and buy in compared with other nearby areas, but prices continue to grow. The average house price rose from $475,000 in 2016 to $734,000 in 2025. Average weekly rents have climbed more steeply, up from $395 in 2023 to $530 – an increase many can't afford. The city is now a hotspot for homelessness and rough sleeping. A global suburb Dandenong is a global suburb, so it is exposed to the tides and eddies of the global economy, for good and ill. The long postwar boom ended in the '70s, and the federal government's move to slash tariffs exposed local factories to competition from low-paid foreign workforces. International Harvester went broke, the GM factory closed in 1991 and Heinz in 2000. Working-class families reliant on those jobs, who could once afford to buy homes and cars and whitegoods, found themselves pushed into poverty. Unemployment at Doveton, a social-housing estate that neighbours Dandenong, reached 19 per cent in 1991; poverty rates jumped from 10 per cent to 37 per cent. This once comfortably middle-class suburb is now stuck in the poverty trap. Unemployment hit 21 per cent there in 2015, almost four times higher than the national average. 'In Doveton we have the third generation of a household that does not have a job,' says Gabrielle Williams, the state MP for Dandenong. 'That's extraordinarily concerning' and very hard to fix, she says. Refugees face a different problem – many are prevented from working because of the conditions of their visas. Eventually, the kindness of friends and family runs out and many find themselves homeless. The local Asylum Seeker Resource Centre is directly supporting 160 refugees, and a further 400 people use its food bank. Poverty can foment criminality. In the early '90s Dandenong became pockmarked by urban blight: dying retail strips, vacant buildings, smashed storefronts. Dandenong still has the 12th highest rate of offences per head of population of any Victorian postcode. Most locals say they don't feel safe walking around the suburb after dark. It is Melbourne's most disadvantaged local government area. News Corp christened it the 'the worst place in Melbourne' in 2015. Then came media focus on gang violence and the Apex Gang, a group of young men based in Dandenong who were responsible for a wave of carjackings and burglaries across the state (despite the police saying no such gang existed). Cameron Prins, local area police commander for Greater Dandenong, says: 'Certainly that is the history. But greater Dandenong is a safe place to live and to visit – and that's an important message the community need to understand.' But disadvantage is not the driver of local crime, he says. 'We look at it from the perspective of the community being a little bit more susceptible,' he says. Steve Khan was one of those who lost his job in the early '90s recession. With few other options, he agreed to go into business with a family friend. Their first shop, on Mason Street, 'had been vacant for god knows how many years – not a single windowpane was intact', he says. They sold Indian groceries and rented videos, across from another store selling Indian sweets. One store on a deserted street is a risk, but two is a sign of success. Soon, more Indian stores came, selling Punjab suits and sarees, biryanis, gulab jamun and mustard oil. By the late '90s, Little India was thriving (Khan is now vice president of the traders' association). Their success seems to have sparked a new identity for the suburb. Little India now abuts a thriving Afghan precinct in Thomas Street, where nearly every trader would have once come as a refugee, the mayor says. An inaugural Ramadan Night Market in April was so successful the council plans to bring it back for a whole month next year. At Shams Restaurant, my table is soon laden with chicken and lamb smoky from the charcoal grill, maunto dumplings stuffed with meat and spices, and cups of green tea sweetened with small fruit candies. 'In my community, I know lots of people, they are looking for shops to rent or to buy,' owner Murtaza Khoshiwal tells me over the food. 'They want to invest in Dandenong. Last week, one of my friends, he bought a house. I said, 'It's very old.' But he said, 'It does not matter because the location is good.'' Perhaps most important is that the state and federal governments embarked on a huge redevelopment program in 2006 to address urban decline and to try to turn Dandenong into a second CBD. Government and private investment totalling more than $1 billion has beautified the suburb's public spaces. The market and town hall have been redeveloped, there's a new theatre, community hub, library and public square, and a new $122.5 million pool is coming soon. A private developer has been tapped to deliver a $600 million redevelopment, turning a slice of the suburb into a mixed-use development of apartments, retail and businesses – a process that requires demolishing Little India. Unemployment is now down to 6 per cent, only a couple of points higher than the national average. That redevelopment has been slower than many stakeholders wanted, and remains incomplete. 'But my goodness, I wish we had more – the scale of investment in Dandenong outweighs almost anything else that's been done in Victoria,' says Dr Hayley Henderson, an Australian National University researcher who has studied Dandenong's rebuild. 'We haven't seen a comprehensive revitalisation program like it since.' And that's the story of Dandenong, really. One of rebuilding, one of striving for something better. Aman Najimi has lived in Dandenong for 25 years and runs the Sadaqat Halal Butcher on Thomas Street for 18. 'When we first came to this street, it was only one shop,' he says from behind the meat counter. 'People were scared to walk in this street. But now … all the shops are open. Since Afghan people came to this street, to Dandenong, everything has been good.'
West Australian
01-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Bombs, buckets and victory: Ruby Bales looks back on her life as she celebrates 100th birthday
Ruby Bales has been witness to some of history's defining moments. As she turned 100 on Thursday, Mrs Bales looked back on some of those events. Like her time as a fire officer in London during Britain's World War II struggle against German incendiary bombs. And joining crowds outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate VE Day — victory in Europe day, which marked the German surrender. And her time working at celebrated London florists, Longmans, which gave her an insight into the operation of the business which went on to prepare the future Queen Elizabeth's wedding and coronation bouquets. Mrs Bales was born in East Ham, London, on May 1, 1925. While still at school, she joined the war effort, aged 16. 'I was given a tin hat and an arm band,' she said. She was part of a team of three, equipped with a stirrup pump and a water bucket. 'I carried the buckets of water,' she said. They went into action during The Blitz, German aerial bombing attacks on British cities in 1940 and 1941. Her house was damaged when a landmine attached to a parachute dropped on the next block. 'We didn't have a roof for years, we had tarpaulins,' Mrs Bales said. 'We didn't have windows for years.' At the age of 17 she worked as a book-keeper at Longmans, before training as a comptometrist — using an early mechanical calculator — and then worked at International Harvester, a manufacturer of agricultural machinery. In 1943 she met Les Bales from Perth. In January 1945 they married, and were among the crowds celebrating VE Day outside the palace on May 8, 1945. 'There were crowds, they were climbing everything,' she said. 'Everyone was cheering, everything was pandemonium.' In 1946 Mrs and Mrs Bales and baby Keith, (Colin and Glenys would be born in later years) set sail for Perth, and their new life. Back in London the city celebrated again in 1947 when Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey. And Mrs Bales is well aware of the mystery around the day — what became of Queen Elizabeth's wedding bouquet, which had been made by Longmans. Some photos of the day show the Queen standing without the bouquet even though the bridesmaids carry theirs. In 2019 The Daily Express reported that because the bouquet — made by Martin Longman — went missing, the royal couple had to interrupt their honeymoon to pose for pictures with the Queen holding a replacement bouquet also made by Mr Longman. And so from then on all royal brides had two bouquets made, the paper said. Adding further intrigue, the Royal Family's site says that on the day after the wedding the bouquet was sent back to the abbey, where it was laid on the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. On her drive to Westminster Abbey for her coronation in 1953, Queen Elizabeth carried another bouquet made up by Martin Longman.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
7 companies you didn't know made firearms for the military
Today, legacy firearm manufacturing companies are well-established in the market. Names like Colt, Smith & Wesson, and Beretta are easily recognizable and their products known for military use. However, during times of war, it's not uncommon for companies that manufacture other goods to retool and produce military equipment in support of the war effort. Of course, this includes firearms. Here are seven companies that you may not have known made military firearms. It may come as a surprise to many customers that the same company that today offers computing software, cloud data services, and even artificial intelligence started in the early 20th century with analog punch card and sorting machines. Moreover, IBM was once in the firearms business with a contract to produce the M1 Carbine. Between August 1943 and May 1944, IBM made 346,500 carbines; this accounts for just under 6% of the 6,121,309 built during WWII. As a result of the short production run and recognizability of the brand, IBM M1 carbines are highly sought after by collectors and demand a premium over models made by the Inland Division of General Motors which produced over 2.6 million M1s. When country star and Army veteran Craig Morgan sang about his International Harvester, he was undoubtedly referring to a tractor. In addition to farm equipment, International Harvester is also known for its work trucks and construction equipment. Surprisingly, the company also produced one of the most iconic military firearms of all time: the M1 Garand rifle. During WWII, over 4 million M1s were produced by Springfield Armory in Massachusetts and Winchester nearby in Connecticut. Looking to disperse production in case of a nuclear strike against the United States, the Ordnance Department awarded a contract to International Harvester to produce rifles in Indiana. However, the manufacturing of firearms was different enough from vehicles that International Harvester M1s had glitches and flaws. As a result, Springfield and Harrington & Richardson supplied their own M1 parts to International Harvester. Beginning in 1951, International Harvester accepted contracts for a total of 418,443 rifles. However, the sale of the Indiana plant in 1955 forced the company to buy out the remainder of their contract; 337,623 International Harvester M1 Garands were actually produced. For reference, approximately 5.4 million M1s were produced in total. Jumping across the pond, Lines Bros was a well-known British toy manufacturer. In 1947, the company claimed to be the largest producer of toys in the world. Beginning with wooden toys in the early 20th century, Lines Bros eventually transitioned to metal toys like cars and trains. During WWII, children's toys were deemed non-essential. As a result, Lines Bros went from stamping metal toys to metal guns. The Sten Mk III submachine gun boasted a simple design with stamped metal components and minimal welding. This made it easy for companies like Lines Bros to produce. Stens were widely used by regular British forces and distributed extensively to resistance groups in occupied Europe. Lines Bros was the largest producer of the Mk III variant of the Sten with 876,886 made. Whirlpool is a staple brand in the home appliance market, specifically products like washers, dryers, refrigerators, and washing machines. While you won't find the Whirlpool name on a military-issued firearm, there is a connection that jumps from Europe back to North America. The Browning Hi-Power pistol design was started by John Moses Browning for FN Herstal. Following his death, the pistol was finished by Dieudonné Saive. While both Allied and Axis forces adopted the Hi-Power during WWII, the German occupation of Belgium restricted the supply of FN-produced pistols to the Allies. Before the FN plant fell into German hands, the Hi-Power design was brought to the UK and across the channel to Canada, where production was continued by John Inglis and Company in Toronto. In addition to the Hi-Power pistol, Inglis produced Bren machine guns and Polsten 20mm autocannons for British Commonwealth forces. After the war, Inglis returned to making home appliances and was eventually acquired by the Whirlpool Corporation in 1987. In 2001, Inglis was renamed to Whirlpool Canada, though the Inglis name lives on as a brand under the Whirlpool umbrella. The Singer Corporation is undoubtedly best-known for its sewing machines. However, prior to WWII, the company was given a production study by the U.S. government to prepare for the production of M1911A1 pistols in the event of war. Although Singer produced 500 pistols, their production rate fell short of the 100 guns per day required by the Ordnance Department. Still, the Singer pistols were well-made and the tooling was transferred to Remington Rand and the Ithaca Gun Company. About 1.75 million M1911A1s were produced during WWII making the Singer pistols extremely rare; one sold in 2017 for $414,000. During WWII, Singer supported the war effort by producing fire control systems for anti-aircraft guns. Speaking of Remington Rand, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this isn't an unusual company to produce firearms. After all, the Remington Model 700 rifle and 870 shotgun are two iconic military firearms from the company affectionately known as 'Big Green.' However, Remington Rand is not the same company. Founded in 1816, E. Remington and Sons was the manufacturer of the first commercial typewriter. The company later made revolvers and rifles for the military in the mid 19th century. In the late 19th century, E. Remington and Sons was split into Remington Arms, which continued the company's firearms line and later produced the aforementioned rifle and shotgun, and the Remington Typewriter Company. In 1927, the Remington Typewriter Company merged with the Rand Kardex Bureau to become Remington Rand. Known for making office equipment like typewriters, the company received a contract to produce the M1911A1 pistol during WWII. Remington Rand made 877,751 pistols during the war, exceeding the combined production of Colt and Ithaca. These pistols saw service through the 20th century and even into the Global War on Terror. As previously mentioned, GM's Inland Division produced M1 carbines. However, the Hydra-Matic Division is better connected to the automotive manufacturer with the first mass-produced, fully automatic transmission for passenger cars. Speaking of full-auto, Hydra-Matic was awarded a contract to produce the M16A1 rifle for the U.S. military during the Vietnam War to supplement production by Colt. The GM division previously manufactured M39 20mm cannons, but did not have experience with small arms. Still, Hydra-Matic rose to the challenge and shipped its 100,000th rifle to the government two months ahead of schedule. From 1968-1971 Hydra-Matic produced about 469,000 M16A1s.
CBS News
08-04-2025
- CBS News
Video shows moment train splits semi trailer in half in southern Minnesota
A dash camera captured the dramatic moment a train hit a semi, splitting its trailer in half and sending grain flying in southern Minnesota on Friday. The Brown County Sheriff's Office says the crash happened at 24170 U.S. Highway 14 in Sleepy Eye at approximately 2:13 p.m. A 24-year-old man from New Richmond, Minnesota, had been driving a 1996 International Harvester semi tractor-trailer combination westbound on Highway 14 when he attempted to turn into a business, according to the sheriff's office. That's when the semi was struck by a Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railroad train. Inside the train were two men, ages 56 and 57, both from Madison Lake, Minnesota. Authorities say they were treated on the scene for minor injuries. Both the semi and the train were damaged, while the grain trailer was totaled. The sheriff's office reminds drivers to slow down, stop and listen when approaching a railroad crossing, and to have patience and stay back if necessary. It adds that drivers should look both ways before crossing, avoid stopping on train tracks and never drive around or under gates or past flashing lights at a crossing.
