Vic

The border closure imposed by Victorian and New South Wales State Governments in response to COVID-19 not only had huge financial impacts but a great human cost.   The Victorian Ombudsman has found the narrow exercise of discretion under the border exemption scheme resulted in unjust outcomes, and recommended the Government publicly acknowledge the distress caused to affected people.

As you drive towards Bendigo, past Porcupine Village and the dredge, you will see a sign on the left hand side of the road; ‘Octagonal Gold Processing Plant’. This facility, referred to as “the Mill,”   is still operational and currently processing ore from Kaiser Reef A1 Gold Mine, located 23 kilometres from Jamieson.

A specialist CFA brigade has been called out to two incidents within a week, both involving the rescue of a dog from a mine shaft. Bendigo-based Oscar1 Brigade helped rescue Bruno the Bull-Arab on Sunday 5 December after he’d fallen down a mine shaft at Castlemaine Diggings National Park. Captain Daniel McMahon said it was quite unusual and surprising to receive another call less than six days later, this time to rescue Terry the Kelpie-cross from a mine shaft at Woodend.

Nancy Whittaker. Just down the road from me is the fabulously revitalised Methodist Church, which is now Cascade Art Gallery.  At the recent launch of Jeff Gardner’s book of poetry and prints Lucy the Dragon, Dr. Juliet O’Conor made a very insightful speech. She is a specialist in children’s book history, having curated a collection of five centuries of children’s books at the State Library of Victoria.

Tuesday, December 14 saw the official opening of the Koondrook All Abilities Playground. A dream of former councillor, Steve Tasker, to provide joy for children with limited mobility has resulted in the $592,000 Koondrook All Abilities Playground.

Ali Bohn. “I wanted to make the bathrooms a nice, bright space to go when you’re feeling flat and I thought a nice mural of flowers would look really good": Barham Public School Captain, Shaylah Carter.

“This idea is so ludicrous, that when it was first floated locals didn’t take it seriously – they simply didn’t believe it was for real. Unfortunately, they now know how crazy and contemptuous it is, so much so that 4000 people have signed a petition to stop it happening,” Mrs McArthur said.

The Morrison Government has announced a $1 billion defence contract for new Self-Propelled Howitzers for the Australian Army has been awarded to Hanwha Defense Australia. The contract signing was witnessed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea. Based in Greater Geelong, the contract will procure Self-Propelled Howitzers and Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehicles, under the LAND 8116 Phase 1 project.

The Museum of the Riverina is showcasing the link between artists and regenerative farmers in a new exhibition at the Museum’s Historic Council Chambers site. Earth Canvas touring exhibition explores the creative experiences of both regenerative farmers and artists, their respective engagement with the land, and their vision for a healthier world.

Founded and forged in the Victorian Goldfields, the Maldon Town Lamp has been perfectly recreated from the Victorian Gold Rush era, a time where most small towns made their own lamps locally and did so with limited resources.

A towering moving sculpture, light shows and late night trading in the heart of Castlemaine, lead Mount Alexander Shire Council’s invitation to residents to step out and celebrate the year’s end ... From Wednesday 8 December until Tuesday 4 January Taradale artist, Alex Sanson’s towering kinetic sculpture Spherophyte, will fold and unfold in hypnotic motion in Victory Park, Castlemaine.

Russell Healy. What a race. What a concept. What a result, the Maher Eustace trained Wil John powered over the top of Budd Fox after the gruelling 4600m contest to claim the fourth running of the Jericho Cup. Here at the farm, we cheered harder than most, having bred and sold both his dam and grand dam.

The Barham 2 Broome and Back virtual fundraising walk was held throughout November to raise money for the Local Health Medical Trust. The walk ended on Friday with a community walk and celebration ... Walkers signed up from right around our region, plus from as far away as Sydney and even Dubai!

Kirstin Nicholson. The Leitchville Bunyip Sporting Club Inc (LBSC) has been active over the weekend with its annual cod opening weekend and the North Central Catchment Management Authority’s ‘Catch a Carp’ day.

US-backed agricultural investment firm Laguna Bay is selling the Woorndoo Aggregation broadacre cropping portfolio in Victoria’s Western District for about $70 million to two local farming families. It marks the next step in Laguna Bay’s selldown of its Australian assets, arriving one year after it offloaded Banongill Station, also in the Western District, for $80 million to a consortium of local farming families.

Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio has officially launched the battery − developed by renewable energy specialist Neoen and located at the Moorabool Terminal Station near Geelong. The 300-megawatt Tesla system is the largest battery in the southern hemisphere and created more than 150 jobs during construction.

After a year of lockdowns the Moooving Art herd have broken loose to explore the region and the Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre needs your help rounding them up! Wandering away from their usual sites, the cheeky cattle have left behind a list of clues to solve before they return home. The treasure hunt consists of several cow locations around the region including Shepparton, Mooroopna, Merrigum, Murchison, Tatura and Dookie.