By Ethan Benedicto
Living at the bottom of the hill comes with its own set of merits and problems, and for long-time Doveton resident Veronica Hill, it was only recently that the constant flooding at her home had been attended to.
First featured in an episode of A Current Affair roughly three weeks ago, it was revealed then that her home at Eugenia Street just off the entrance at Hawthorn Road had been the subject to constant flooding every time it rained due to the lack of a proper drainage system.
While it had not previously been an issue throughout her 57 years of stay in the area, it was around 20 years ago when local road reconstruction effectively changed the environment, and unfortunately, it was a turn for the worst for Veronica.
“The street was remade, and we had no problems whatsoever in the first, 30-odd years I suppose,” she said.
“Then they remade the street and there was no drainage at the bottom of the hill and ever since then, it’s been a problem.”
As can be seen during the episode, it was common for rainwater run-off to find its way into the driveway, and from there into the crevices of the home.
Veronica can also be observed gathering towels to bar the gaps under the doors to prevent them from leaking into the home.
The City of Casey became aware of the issue in 2021, and currently, Veronica has observed council officers coming in and out of Eugenia Street and inspecting the conditions.
Casey’s mayor, Stefan Koomen, said that prior to him becoming mayor and councillor, he had met Veronica when he was doing his door-to-door campaign, where she raised the issue with him and how the flooding had developed over the years.
“It captured me as an issue that I really wanted to deal with,” Koomen said.
“It spoke to the values of what a lot of residents were saying about making sure we get the balance right about how we maintain and improve existing suburbs, while at the same time, catering to the growth areas.
“About Veronica, she’s Casey’s 2015 citizen of the year, lived in Doveton for decades and has contributed a lot through her volunteering.
“We want to make sure that those long-term residents still love their community and feel like they’re being supported.”
Koomen said that as soon as he became aware of the video from A Current Affair, he has since raised the issue with council officers who are currently looking at some interim measures.
So far, additional drain cleaning and maintenance have been undertaken on several occasions, however, they have been unsuccessful in resolving the issue.
As of now, the council is working on identifying what other mitigation works can be undertaken to protect Veronica’s home from flooding caused by stormwater runoff; no timeline for the works is currently available.
Veronica currently has sandbags across her fence, stopping water from minor rains but adding that “they’ve deteriorated so there’s not much holding them together”.
“A really good downpour will wash them away, but the officers have looked at it and whether they’re going to replace them, I’m not sure.
“But it’s only the drainage issue that needs to be fixed now, and you know, I don’t have a problem with the council.
“We’ve got the new council in and I believe we’re going to have open and good representation, so I’m feeling very satisfied with the way things are moving,” she said.
In the episode, it was mentioned that years ago, both Veronica and her late husband Jim, had built a granny flat at the rear of the property for Jim’s mother, which, at that point, was “unliveable” and had “no services connected to it in the last two years”, she told A Current Affair.
Amenities were not running and at a certain stage of the episode, it detailed that an additional $300 was being charged by the council; the council has since rescinded this charge after re-inspection, labelling the flat now as a bungalow.
On what the works are to look like, Koomen said that “the drain does need to be fixed”.
“There’s capital works involved and we’ll be looking to see if that can be included in one of the future programs, but it’s definitely now on the agenda and I think that it’s important that Veronica is going to be heard,” he said.
For Veronica, “the rest has been sorted”, and now she is eagerly waiting for some major changes to the drainage issue.
