Lloyd Polkinghorne, The Koondrook and Barham Bridge Newspaper

Kirstin Nicholson. Ali Bohn. Ernie O'Rourke from Leitchville has a strong connection to the Melbourne Football Club, playing for the Demons in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1945 to 1948. Ernie was part of two grand final teams in 1946 and 1948, both games against Essendon ... Ernie watched Saturday’s grand final match from his lounge room with his partner, Gwen, who is a long-time Footscray supporter.  

The Pattisons, from 'Minmi' at Burraboi, market their beef directly through the Pattison Pastoral brand, tapping into consumer demand for sustainably raised beef with provenance. Hayley is excited by the opportunities the new micro abattoir will bring. “It will do wonders for my brand to have local processing ... With my paddock to plate business, the welfare of the animals is so important."

The Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, says regional Victorian students – especially those at smaller schools – will be left at a significant disadvantage under the Andrews Labor Government’s staggered return to school plan ... Research released by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute found lockdowns and school closures – not COVID – are the main risks to children and adolescent health in this pandemic.

Kendall Jennings. With recreation placed on hold due to New South Wales and Victorian restrictions, sport in the area has either been put on hold or cancelled. Local forest closures and watering have also hindered social riding of motorcycles, making the Koondrook Ride Park the place to be last weekend.

Kendall Jennings. Koondrook Barham was graced with a visit by the paddlesteamer Emmylou on Tuesday afternoon, September 14. Built in Barham in the 1980s and named after American country singer Emmylou Harris, the vessel is a small motel catering for 16 passengers and a small crew of three or four. This was the first visit from PS Emmylou in 38 years and was shadowed by the Pride of the Murray on its Echuca return leg. The Pride of the Murray is returning from Swan Hill, where it was in the dry dock for maintenance.

Mice have been a reoccurring theme for Darcy Hare in this year’s canola crop. “This will be our fifth treatment, four from the ground and a fifth from the air,” said Mr Hare. The Hare family have 290 hectares of canola planted and the mice have damaged 60% of their crops reducing yield by an estimated 15-25%.

Kirstin Nicholson. Regardless of the weather, runners and walkers can be seen pounding the paths of Garden and Gilrule Parks in Cohuna every Saturday morning. They are part of a global organisation called parkrun. parkrun is a free, timed 5km event held every Saturday morning, not just in Cohuna, but all over the world, originating in England in 2004. Runners and walkers of all ages and fitness levels are welcome and it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are.