History repeated with the awful drowning of Fariba Hussainzada, 33, and her son Farzad, 7, in Dandenong Creek on 10 November, after the son was said to escape during a visit to a Doveton park.
It prompted a family member Saleha Hassainzada to call for fences along the creek, adding this tragic incident “shouldn’t have happened”.
“The area (near the creek) is very steep so even without rain, anyone can easily slip and fall.
“It’s got nothing to do about not knowing how to swim.
“I know a lot of people in our Afghan community lack swimming knowledge as is the case in other CALD communities, but this is a wider safety issue.”
Former Greater Dandenong councillor Peter Brown said it was “like deja vu” upon hearing the most recent heartbreaking drownings in the swift-flowing creek.
In 2015, Brown called for fencing to cordon off creekside parkland off Keneally Street and Dalgety Street after a three-year-old boy Ishnael Bagaie drowned in the waters rushing by a Dandenong Park playground.
The trio are among at least five victims drowning in the creek in the past 18 years, including a 12-year-old boy swimming near Kidds Road bridge, Doveton in 2008.
This week, Brown says 1.5-metre-high fencing should extend across all populated areas along the creek.
It would deter a small child running or falling down the steep levee banks into the creek, he said.
“I don’t think it would be that costly. What’s a life worth?
“If anything the risks are greater now than 2015 because of the increased population and development along the creek area.”
Fencing and signage has since encircled playgrounds in Keneally Reserve and Dandenong Park.
However, there are no barriers in front of a nearby stepped platform and picnic-barbecue areas at Keneally Reserve, a playground at Dalgety Reserve and picnic-barbecue areas at Dandenong Park.
Meanwhile, about a kilometre upstream in Doveton, Betula Reserve is currently being upgraded by Casey Council with no plans to upgrade its knee-high chain fence.
This is due to being “quite a distance from the creek” which is “separated by a road, the Dandenong Creek shared user trail and a 70-metre slope”.
A coronial report into Ishnael’s death has not been publicly released, but in 2020 Greater Dandenong Council stated no “specific recommendations” were made to the council.
The incident however prompted the council to install 25 metres of tall fencing at the Dandenong Park playground.
On a visit by Star News this week, a section of the fencing was flat on the ground. Greater Dandenong says it’s in the process of being repaired.
In 2020, former councillor and now Greens state candidate Matthew Kirwan called for the Dandenong Park fencing to be extended beyond its playgrounds.
“I saw children who were playing nearby, not at, the playground,” he told Star News this week.
“It’s not practical and desirable to fence Dandenong Creek all the way, just the areas known for having families and children.”
Kirwan also called for more alaming signage to drive home the message, including languages of the most common newly-arrived communities.
“We should also educate people about the dangers of Dandenong Creek, which is a particularly treacherous creek, one of the most dangerous in Melbourne.
“People see this very small creek on a normal day but it transforms with extensive rainfall in the Dandenong Ranges. It’s fast-flowing and it fills very rapidly.”
Greater Dandenong SES unit’s controller Daniel Pastean said the creek’s waters were treacherous last week – rated as ‘swift’ or ‘above walking pace’.
“The creek wasn’t overflowing at the time. It was within its concrete (channel) banks.
“But waters that are faster than walking pace can take a person away easily, if they fall or slip in.
“When you go down near the edge, people are putting themselves at risk.
Former councillor Angela Long recalled her then-four-year-old son being saved after being pulled unconscious from a basin at a cement depot in Doveton. It showed her how quickly children can be at peril.
“Fencing around those playgrounds would be a start.
“Because of our diverse population, I think picture drawings showing ‘No Swimming’ should be installed.”
Greater Dandenong Council chief executive Jacqui Weatherill said the council undergoes “ongoing auditing and assessment of our playgrounds” to ensure they are safe and meeting Australian standards.
“We use a framework to determine level of risk and intervention required around all Council play spaces.
“Our community is mourning the tragic loss of a mother and her son in terrible circumstances this week and we stand beside every one of you at this most challenging time.
“It is natural to search for answers.
“At Council, we too are awaiting the findings from the coroner’s report to better understand the factors that led to this tragedy, and to brief our Councillors.
“Until then it is important we don’t draw any conclusions about what happened.”
Casey city asset and planning manager Keri New said families’ safety at playgrounds was a “top priority”.
“That is why we work hard to make sure these spaces are safe and enjoyable.
“We conduct assessments of our playgrounds to consider safety measures, and when our checks show that a fence or barrier is the best way to reduce risk — we install one that suits the location.
“Many of our playgrounds near busy roads, lakes, rivers, and streams have fencing for this reason.”
Melbourne Water has no plans to modify the creek’s concrete channel or banks.
Its service delivery acting executive general manager David Norman said the water authority was “working with authorities and the Coroner to understand what happened”.
“The team at Melbourne Water is deeply saddened by this tragic incident and we send our heartfelt condolences to the family and the community involved during this devastating time.”
