Vic

When we say Noel Graham has dedicated a lifetime to the rice and general agricultural industry, we mean it. He almost had no choice given his family history, but luckily, Noel is just as passionate about agriculture and rice as his forebears ... Concurrently, Noel also held roles within SunRice and Murray Irrigation.

A crowd of 40 gathered in the oldest town in the Riverina to celebrate the creativity and craftiness in the amateur 2023 Bush Sculpture Competition ... Materials to build the sculpture were plentiful on the farm at ‘Parkleigh’, located between Moulamein and Swan Hill...

The Upper Murray Community Recovery Committee (CRC) is partnering with Alpine Valleys Community Leadership (AVCL) to deliver a program for emerging and future community leaders of the Upper Murray region and other fire-affected areas of the Towong Shire ... "This program is an opportunity to develop leadership skills which will enable participants to effectively contribute to the community capacity building and economic development of the Upper Murray": Jo Mackinnon, Chair, UMI.

A number of Cudgewa North residents, concerned about the delays in rehabilitating the Bluff Falls tourism area following the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, claim that Parks Victoria is not doing enough to get the recovery project underway. They say that there has been a lack of communication about the works.

Dozens of concerned farmers have descended on Canberra, urging Federal Labor to rethink its plan to build hundreds of kilometres of poles and wires through regional Victoria. The farmers met with The Nationals leader David Littleproud and Federal Member for Mallee Dr Anne Webster, who echoed the group’s concerns.

Out now!

Out now!

Relationships, social support, physical fitness and a sense of belonging are key elements for positive mental health, and being part of a sporting community like the Birchip-Watchem Football, Netball and Hockey Club ticks all these boxes ... Following the headspace round, the National Centre for Farmer Mental Health also jumped on board and provided funding from its flood recovery program "Building Farm Spirit" ...

In recent weeks headspace Swan Hill has actively partnered with twenty-four local sporting clubs to deliver important mental health messages and strategies in three leagues across the North Central and Mallee communities.

Nhill had the honour of having two locals bestowed with an Order of Australia medal (OAM) in the King’s birthday honours announced on Monday. Hindmarsh Shire Councillor Rob Gersch for his service to local government and to the community and Kevin Bye for his service to lawn bowls and the community.

It's not actually real glass that clads the "newsagents" shop on the corner of Victoria and Macpherson Streets but a product called Opalite ... Opalite was a marketing name in Australia and was mainly used as an Art Deco enhancement on buildings and in 1903, it was chosen by architect J.B Barnes for the design of a butcher’s shop for Owen Edwards on the corner block that had become vacant after a fire.

This winter, a completed 40,320-piece jigsaw puzzle will be on display in Kaniva. "Mickey Through the Years" is confirmed by Guinness World Records as the largest commercially made puzzle in the world, both in number of pieces and overall size.

Out now!

Out now!

Victorian hobby farmers are sharing how they are safeguarding the state against emergency animal diseases by implementing biosecurity measures in their backyards. Minister for Agriculture Gayle Tierney launched the Andrews Labor Government’s ‘Biosecurity - it’s up to all of us’ campaign, which features a series of videos from four small-scale landholders, demonstrating the critical role everyone has in protecting Victoria’s biodiversity from disease threats.

Minister for Environment Ingrid Stitt launched the East and West Victoria Deer Control Plans, which are regional strategies aiming to reduce the threat deer pose to Victoria’s natural environment, Aboriginal cultural heritage and farming. The East and West Deer Control Plans are five-year plans that focus on preventing new populations from establishing, along with measures on how to effectively protect native species, waterways, national parks and reserves from deer.

“For the last four years, the VFF has consistently called for a coordinated approach to transmission infrastructure planning. The government has heeded our call and taken some action in formulating the Victorian Transmission Investment Framework. Disappointingly however, the framework continues to neglect farmer concerns. It does not speak about agricultural land use and the impact on food and fibre production”: VFF President Emma Germano.

Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio has launched the Victorian Transmission Investment Framework (VTIF) ... The Victorian Government body, VicGrid, will lead transmission project planning and development, and ensure local communities, landholders, Traditional Owners and other key stakeholders are consulted on these major projects from start to finish.

David Landini. The Federal Government Productivity Commission held one of a series of public consultation meetings at the Deniliquin RSL on 8/6/23 ... I took the opportunity to publicly describe the political problems associated with the Basin Plan.