Tecoma, Victoria

Tecoma Melbourne, Victoria
Tecoma railway station on McNicol Road
Tecoma Location in metropolitan Melbourne
Coordinates	37°54′22″S 145°20′38″E / 37.906°S 145.344°E / -37.906; 145.344Coordinates: 37°54′22″S 145°20′38″E / 37.906°S 145.344°E / -37.906; 145.344
Population	2,189 (2006)[1]
• Density	1,220/km2 (3,150/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	3160
Area	1.8 km2 (0.7 sq mi)
Location	33 km (21 mi) from Melbourne 2 km (1 mi) from Belgrave
LGA(s)	Shire of Yarra Ranges
State electorate(s)	Monbulk
Federal Division(s)	La Trobe
Suburbs around Tecoma: Ferny Creek Ferny Creek Sherbrooke Upwey Tecoma Belgrave Lysterfield Belgrave Heights Belgrave Heights

Tecoma is a town in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 34 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its local government area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Tecoma had a population of 2,189.

The town is named after the shrub Tecoma that grew in the area when the need was identified for a railway station for the timber mill that occupied the site where Tecoma Primary School now stands. The Post Office opened on 7 January 1929, closing in 1976.^[2]

Tecoma is a small town, nestled between Belgrave and Upwey, adjoining Sherbrooke Forest to the north. It is historically recognised as a foothill township of the Dandenong Ranges, an area of cultural significance and biodiversity.^[3]

McDonalds controversy

A plan by the multinational fast food chain McDonald's to build a 24-hour takeaway restaurant in the main street of Tecoma has met with such strong opposition from the local community that some academics consider the stand-off could be a turning point for grassroots campaigns against corporate might in Australia.

The affair started in 2011, when the Yarra Ranges Shire Council unanimously turned down the original planning request from McDonald's on 15 different grounds, but the firm won an appeal at a state planning tribunal. As of October 2013, work on the site is under way, while protests continue. Opponents feel that the restaurant would be too close to a pre-school and a primary school, would damage other businesses and disrupt the fabric of a leafy community known for its artists and wildlife. Nine out of ten of Tecoma's 2100 inhabitants would be against the restaurant, according to Garry Muratore, a spokesman for "No McDonald's in the Dandenong Ranges".^[4] On 3 July 2013 the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union issued a statement placing a work ban on the site, citing safety concerns arising from the escalating protests. The statement in part read, "In Tecoma, passionate local protesters are committed to preventing what they see as inappropriate development. In those circumstances it is not safe to put building workers in the middle."^[5] Later that day a 50-year-old female protestor, Janine Watson, was allegedly dragged from the roof by security guards, and suffered broken fingers, scratches and bruising.^[5] Victoria Police initially disputed Watson's claim, but the police statement was later withdrawn and the alleged assault is under investigation.^[6] On 16 July 2013, McDonald's representatives served Supreme Court writs on the protestors, seeking damages for security costs and building delays, reportedly at a rate of A$ 30,000 per week.^[7] On 5 August 2013, 50 police officers took control of the site, arresting a 24-year-old woman who was on the roof of the building.^[8] In September 2013, campaigners delivered a petition containing 97,000 signatures to the McDonalds global headquarters in Chicago.^[4] As of October 2014, the standoff is still ongoing, and protesters have vowed to continue with peaceful, non-violent protest for as long as McDonalds is there.

See also

• Tecoma railway station
• Website of "Burger Off", a local organisation protesting the arrival of a McDonalds outlet in Tecoma

References