The plaque commemorating the opening of the Maltby By-pass has recently been stolen from its bluestone mount, on the corner of Old Geelong Road and Sneydes Road at Werribee. The Maltby By-pass, was opened by Sir Thomas Maltby and the plaque was unveiled by the Premier of Victoria, Henry Bolte, on June 16, 1961. The road was constructed by the Country Roads Board and provided a 10 kilometre by-pass of the town Werribee as well as completing the provision of dual carriageways on the Princes Highway from Melbourne to Geelong. It was the first freeway in Victoria.
Opening of the Maltby By-Pass
The Age, June 17 1961, p. 10 from newspapers.com
Sir Thomas Karran Maltby (1890-1976), after whom the by-pass road was named, served in the Australian Imperial Force in World War One and the Citizen Military Forces in World War Two. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly from 1929 until 1961, representing the electorates of Barwon and then Geelong and was the Minister for Public Works when the Maltby By-Pass opened.
Maltby By-pass plaque.
Photographer: Marcus Wong, taken on December 19, 2009.
Image has been photoshopped by the removal of some graffiti on the plaque.
Detail of Maltby By-pass plaque.
Photographer: Marcus Wong, taken on December 19, 2009.
It is easy to argue that this plaque is fairly standard and as evidenced by the photographs was in a neglected state and therefore its theft is only a minimal loss, but the plaque does have value as it tells the story of part of our history. The theft is an anti-social and selfish act.
References
Country Roads Board, 68th Annual report, 1980-1981
Sir Thomas Maltby - Australian Dictionary of Biography entry
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