While a Jindera woman performed CPR on her husband she was stressed, but to find out later the ambulance had driven to the wrong end of the street first was overwhelming. Greater Hume Shire Councillor Denise Osborne had to perform CPR on her husband when he stopped breathing. After arriving the ambulance drivers told her they had driven to the wrong end of the street before finding the house due to the split streets. It was that personal experience which made Cr Osborne raise the issue of split streets with council.
“I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through what I did,” she said.
“I don’t know if it will get up or not but I had to raise it.”
The five streets in Jindera which are split include Jindera Street, Wood Street, Fallon Street, Creek Street and Gibson Street.
“It’s not until you're in the street when you can tell if you’re at the right end or not,” Cr Osborne said.
The fire service is also affected by the split streets adding critical minutes to the arrival time.
Jindera Rural Fire Service Captain Graham Yensch said the split streets have caused “some confusion”.
“It has taken longer to get there than it should,” he said.
“A couple of cases we have had small kitchen fires where there isn’t a lot of smoke so you can’t see it.”
Mr Yensch hopes people will put thought into the change and “go with it”.
“I believe there are some people worried about changing their address but it was only a few years ago we got rural addressing and I had to change mine.
“I know from personal experience it’s not hard.”
Greater Hume Shire delivered a survey to each household in Jindera to get a response on the proposed changes. At this stage the survey was to gauge what the community would be happy with. Council received the results of the survey on April 1 and will form a report to take to the May or June council meeting. Following the meeting council will continue community consultation with Jindera residents.
