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COMMUNITY CONNECT | page 12 Hail to the bus driver | page 14 Classifieds | pages 15,16+17 7 Day TV Guide | page 18 /SheppartonAdviser

REMEMBERING DAIRY INNOVATOR, RAY DUCAT PAGE 13

No 1:1550

SPECIAL STUDENTS GET HELP BEING HEARD

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021

CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN ON $6.5M PROJECT

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BIG WEEKEND OF SPORT Sport Adviser

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Urgent aged care overhaul

By Steve Hutcheson T HE Royal Commission report into Aged Care Quality and Safety has now been released and is a critical watershed moment in Australia’s quest for a fair and just system that gives older people the care and choice they need and deserve, according to the nation’s aged care providers.

Sp e a k i ng col le c t ively u nder t he Australian Aged Care Collaboration (AACC) banner, providers said the design of the current aged care system was structurally flawed.

Continued Page 6

STAYING AHEAD OF THE DEMAND... Hotondo Homes Shepparton co-owner, Colin Mintern, is keeping busy with a construction boom in the Shepparton region. Photo: Steve Hutcheson.

Construction is booming and the dollars are flowing

By Steve Hutcheson THE pandemic, for all its woes, has had one positive outcome in that more money is being spent domestically.

The construction industry, through several Federal and State Government

incentives to kick start the economy, is working at a breakneck pace.

One of those incentives is a commitment by the State Government to spend $5.3B on the Big Housing Build across the state on social and affordable housing.

$532M in fast-start projects will build more than 1,000 new homes and kick start the program which will deliver more than 12,000 new homes and create 10,000 jobs a year, each year over the next four years.

Continued Page 8

NEWS

Water buybacks no longer at risk This is a great result, and one that people in the local water industry have been calling for. local Member for Nicholls, Damian Drum

By Steve Hutcheson IN a presentation last year, the Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Keith Pitt, made a declaration that water buybacks from the rural sector would not be on the table to secure the 450GL target of additional water for river health outcomes that the government is committed to recovering.

Du ring a visit to Sheppar ton last week, the Federal Government delivering on its commitment to focus on off-farm projects to recover environmental water in the Murray-Darling Basin, the Minister announced that the Water Efficiency Program (W E P) would close and be replaced by a water saving program that does not impact farmers’ water entitlements.

“My priority is to put communities back at the heart of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and this is another step in that process,” Mr Pitt said.

“The WEP has recovered just 0.2GL since 2019 – that’s 0.04 per cent of the 450GL. “We are closing the prog ram and

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WEP SCRAPPED... Federal Water Minister Keith Pitt (centre) was in Shepparton last week, meeting with Rubicon chief executive officer Bruce Rodgerson (left) and Member for Nicholls, Damian Drum. Photo: Struan Jones

replacing it with a new approach that will focus the more than $1.5 billion available in the Water for the Environment Special Account on securing water by improving the efficiency of off-farm irrigation infrastructure.

“Off-farm water recovery means we can actually progress our river health targets and, unlike on-farm programs we do not reduce water availability in the consumptive pool.”

The local Member for Nicholls, Damian Drum, said the new approach was a big win for local irrigators.

“This is a great result, and one that

people in the local water industry have been calling for and it’s fantastic to see our government put the focus back on local communities and irrigators,” Mr Drum said.

“This is a common-sense change that will keep water in the consumptive pool and provide farmers with the certainty they need to plan for the future.”

“Through the new Off-Farm Efficiency Program, we will make $1.33 billion available for state-led off- farm projects, as well as $150 million in direct grants,” Mr Pitt said.

NEWS

Shovel goes in on new $6.5M medical educational facility PROUD PROGRESS... The ceremonial shovel went in last Thursday with (back l-r) Professor Robert Pike, Provost of the College of Science, Health and Engineering at La Trobe University, Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Cr Kim O’Keeffe, La Trobe student Georgia Hunt of Mooroopna, and Professor Julian Wright, head of the University of Melbourne’s Department of Rural Health. Sitting are Doctor of Medicine postgraduate students Jasraaj Singh and Emily Bugeja. Photo: Struan Jones

By Struan Jones THE University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health, based in Shepparton, is a step closer to realising expansion with construction about to begin on a $6.5M building project.

Local company Moretto Building will construct the student accommodation and expanded teaching spaces which will provide accommodation for up to 30 more students, making it a total of 96 beds and a suite of new teaching and learning facilities that will enhance those already available for use by the

local community.

The project is part of a series of programs funded by the Federal Government under the banner of the Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network and has been created to address shortages of doctors in regional and rural areas by training students from the regions, in the regions.

University of Melbourne (Shepparton) has partnered with La Trobe University to create an end-to-end rural medical program.

Students who successfully complete a three-year undergraduate Bachelor of

Biomedical Science (Medical) at La Trobe’s Bendigo or Albury-Wodonga campus will gain guaranteed entry into the University of Melbourne’s Doctor of Medicine postgraduate program in Shepparton.

The program will enable medical students and graduates to undertake their studies and training in regional Victoria, eliminating the need for them to move to metropolitan areas.

University of Melbourne Head of the Melbourne Medical School, Professor John Prins, said evidence shows that enrolling students from a rural background and having students undertake long-term rural training, increases the likelihood of rural practice.

“We know that the more time during training that doctors spend in regional areas, the more likely they are to continue their practice there as well,” Professor Prins said.

Construction will begin in March with the intention of housing all the new students for the start of the 2022 academic year.

Locally trained doctors the best medicine

By Struan Jones THE expansion of the University of Melbourne’s Department of Rural Health in Shepparton will open doors for aspiring doctors who don’t want or are unable to head to the city to study.

Mooroopna’s Georgia Hunt (pictured above), an associate nurse unit manager in psychogeriatric nursing at GV Health, is one such medical student looking to one day become a doctor without needing to leave her hometown.

As a mother of school-aged children, Ms Hunt has two more years of undergraduate study to complete at La Trobe University in Bendigo before she can commence the University of Melbourne’s Doctor of Medicine postgraduate program in Shepparton.

Speaking at the sod turning event of the new $6.5M expansion of Melbourne University’s Department of Rural Health last Thursday,

Ms Hunt said if she didn’t have the opportunity to study close to home, she wouldn’t be able to study at all.

“I was about to give up on my dream, because I thought it’s just not going to happen for me, but then this opportunity came up and it seemed too good to be true, I couldn’t believe it would be right here,” she said.

“I’m so excited. I’ve got children who go to school here, my mum just moved up from Melbourne to retire here, so being able to stay here is just amazing.

“I don’t think I’d be practicing medicine if I had to move.

“Country living just has so much to offer. People are more friendly and it’s a better lifestyle, so they should have these educational opportunities to keep doctors here.”

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The Adviser. Australia No.1:1550 Wednesday, March 10, 2021 – Page 3

NEWS

VicHealth grants open to support health and wellbeing

By Struan Jones GRASSROOTS organisations in Greater Shepparton are being encouraged to apply for funding from health promotion foundation VicHealth for projects which support young people and those hardest hit by Coronavirus lockdowns.

Applications for VicHealth’s Reimagining Health grants are open, with funding of $3K, $10K or $50K available for local organisations with ideas for supporting their community to access healthy, affordable food, be more active and build meaningful social connections.

Previous local grant recipients have included ConnectGV, the Shepparton & Youth Club United Cricket Club, Berry Street School Shepparton, Goulburn Valley Hockey Association Inc, and the Greater Shepparton City Council.

VicHealth chief executive officer, Dr Sandro Demaio, said Victorian communities are still grappling with the consequences of the pandemic.

“Although some aspects of our lives are back to normal, there are still many Victorians struggling to put fresh food on the table, to keep physically active and to reconnect to their community,” Dr Demaio said.

“Fortunately, there’s a diverse range of incredible local organisations who want to do more to support people in their community to reach their full health potential and VicHealth want to partner with them to bring their ideas to life.”

Reimagining Health: a VicHealth Partnership Grant opened last week with $3M available in funding.

Organisations are encouraged to apply for the grants through the VicHealth website. Applications close on Tuesday, March 23.

HANDS ON... Verney Road School speech pathologist, Laura Coyne, takes student, Tiffany Coe, through the new iPad software which will give her a voice. Photo: Struan Jones

BEARING CHARITY... State Schools Relief chief executive officer, Sue Karziz, delivered eight iPads to Shepparton’s Verney Road School last Wednesday. Photo: Struan Jones

Special students get help being heard

By Struan Jones COMMUNICATION has become a lot easier for eight non-verbal Verney Road School students after a donation of iPads from non-profit organisation State Schools Relief.

The iPads, which are eight of 350 being donated to nonverbal school children across the state, will be used with communication apps designed to give a voice to those who struggle with communication.

The apps, which use a visual representation of language, allow students to quickly and easily express themselves by selecting images of what they want to communicate, which the iPad expresses audibly.

Verney Road School speech pathologist, Laura Coyne, said the new technology would be useful for the students beyond the classroom.

“When the students develop that connection and that knowledge that this is their new voice, I think they’ll be pretty stoked to use that voice output feature to speak

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without having to have someone relay that message for them,” she said.

The distribution of iPads is into its second year after 191 iPads were provided to students in need across 29 specialist schools in 2019. The 2021 program is nearly double that.

State Schools Relief chief executive officer, Sue Karziz, said the feedback from 2019 was that students were thrilled to be able to use the technology.

“Being able to communicate with their parents, their siblings, their friends, it’s life-changing for those children and young people,” she said.

“We had a letter sent in by a parent who said that she’d heard her son express himself audibly for the first time asking for orange juice using the app, and that was really touching. It’s amazing what a difference technology can make.”

Funding worth $150,000 for the iPads come from Bank First in conjunction with Gandel Philanthropy.

NEWS

Junior Furphy Literary Award open for 2021

IT’S SHOWTIME... The McIntosh Centre at the Showgrounds is being prepared as a vaccine hub as Greater Shepparton prepares to roll up its sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine. Photo: Struan Jones

McIntosh Centre to be vaccine hub THE McIntosh Centre at the Shepparton Showgrounds will be used at the primary GV Health COVID-19 vaccine hub in Shepparton, with jabs to commence there next week.

The centre is seen as the ideal facility after its previous success as being used by GV Health for asymptomatic swabbing last October when testing numbers in Shepparton surged at news of three positive cases in the city.

Final preparations are underway at the McIntosh Centre, including the installation of specialised clinical equipment and resources

required to provide a large scale COVID-19 vaccination service in a community setting.

Priority 1a front-line healthcare workers will first receive the vaccine at the Graham Street campus of GV Health in Shepparton from this week, and the vaccine program will move to the McIntosh Centre once the premises is ready.

Other suitable sites across the GV Health vaccine hub catchment area are also being identified for delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination program across the region.

STORY telling is as old as man himself and young people have demonstrated numerous times, they are equal in holding their own in this respect.

The Furphy Foundation in partnership with the Greater Shepparton City Council, Latrobe University and the GV Library Group are encouraging students from across the Goulburn Valley to share their story for the Furphy Literary Awards.

Established in 1992, the literary awards promote and extend the tradition of storytelling, both factual and fictional, of Australian culture.

As from March 1, entries are now open for the four youth categories which are made up of Junior Short Story and Junior Poetry for writers 12 and under, Youth Short Story and Youth Poetry for writers aged 13 – 17.

Greater Shepparton City Council Mayor, Cr Kim O’Keeffe, said the awards are a great opportunity to recognise the talent of young writers across the region.

“The Furphy Literary Awards gives an incredible opportunity for the youth of the region to express their voices through literature and gain experience in writing short stories and poetry. We look forward to seeing many great collections of work

LOOKING FOR THE AUSTRALIAN STORY...

Furphy Literary Award board members, Adam Furphy and Sam Furphy at the memorial dedicated to Joseph Furphy in Welsford Street, Shepparton. Photo: Steve Hutcheson

from our community,” Cr O’Keeffe said.

Each category will have a first-place prize of $300, followed by second $100 and third $50.

Entries close on Monday, May 31. For more information on the awards and who is eligible to enter please visit http://www. furphyliteraryaward.com.au/junioryouth

The Adviser. Australia No.1:1550 Wednesday, March 10, 2021 – Page 5

NEWS

Aged care reform urgently requires overhaul continued from front page THE AACC represents more than 1,000 organisations who deliver 70 per cent of aged care services to 1.3 million Australians, either in their own homes or in communal residential settings.

In focusing on the problem, Australia spends $26B a year on aged care, $21B of which is in the form of governmentsubsidised care, and the remainder funded by individuals themselves, much of that coming through pensions. This is less than half of what comparable countries spend, as a percentage of GDP. At least 100,000 people are waiting for home support at their approved level, with those in need of the highest-level packages typically waiting at least 12 months.

It is estimated 78,000 extra workers are needed in the next 10 years to deal with the country’s ageing population.

64% of communal residential aged care homes operated at a loss in 2020, almost double the medium-term average of 33%.

The DP Jones Nursing Home in Murchison was one casualty of underfunding in this region.

When asked, Veronica Jamieson, CEO of Shepparton Villages said, “Any additional funding for the industry will be welcomed by all. However, the funding that has been announced by the Morrison Government is only a start to what is really needed for Australia to have a world class aged care system. In 2019/20 the government spent just over $26B on aged care. To catch up with the leading systems of the world we need to spend double that amount. So, there is a way for us as a nation to go.

“More funding is only part of the way forward. The system needs a complete overhauling in its structure and how care and services are delivered. It needs an overhaul of how it is governed. It needs a better career structure for its workforce. ”So, for Australia to end up with a better system, I have my eye on the long game. For real transformational change to occur it must start upstream with a new Aged Care Act and significant change to government policy. From there, real change can flow down through the regulatory bodies into the industry and to the people it cares for.

The Federal government has provided a relief package of $452M in response to

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AGED CARE IN NEED OF MORE FUNDING...

Shepparton Villages CEO, Veronica Jamison. Photo: Steve Hutcheson

the report to deal with immediate pressing concerns.

Successive governments have failed to respond to the needs of the aged over the years, treating the issues with political concerns rather than a duty of care to the aged.

One issue mentioned in the report was the need for fully trained aged care workers, perhaps operating within a national registry to avoid the transfer of care workers with a poor record moving from one facility to another. In addition, there needs to be an increase in the ratio of trained nurses operating in the facilities.

In the Goulburn Valley, more than 21 percent of the population are over 65 and with an aging population, this number is likely to grow significantly over the next decade with many needing some form of care.

The recommendations of the Aged Care Royal Commission will require significant additional funding in coming years, but at the same time, the aged care sector can do better and consumers need to acknowledge they too can play a part.

Whilst there is a role for government, there is also a role to be played by consumers who have a capacity to pay, to be willing to contribute to their care needs.

As part of the ongoing reform of aged care, government and providers must ensure regional, remote and indigenous communities receive the same level of care as the city.

The Adviser. Australia No.1:1550 Wednesday, March 10, 2021 – Page 7

NEWS

Bicycle count tallies riders on Shepparton roads

By Stephanie Holliday GREATER Shepparton's annual Super Tuesday Bicycle Count was held last week to record the number of cyclists on the road in the shire during the morning peak.

Local volunteers, engaged by the Bicycle Network, stood watch at 21 sites across the region between 7am and 9am to count the number, direction, and gender of people getting by one two wheels.

T he B ic ycle N e t work , a n at ion a l non-prof it

organisation, promotes active transport across the country. The Super Tuesday Count is the largest annual commuter bike count in Australia.

The results from 2020 counted 505 movements during the two-hour survey, which was an increase of 24 percent compared to the 2018 results. This year's results will be available in May. According to Council, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a renewed interest in cycling as a safe, cost-effective and

Shave for a cure at Shepparton Marketplace REGISTERED for the World’s Greatest Shave or know someone who has?

Why not bring your family and friends to watch t he a n nu a l She ppa r ton Marketplace World’s Greatest Shave Event?

This Saturday, March 13 will see the shopping centre come alive between 11am and 2pm with brave participants shaving or colouring their hair to raise much needed funds for the Leukaemia Foundation.

Theresa Lowe, Centre Manager for Shepparton Marketplace, said, “We are once again proud to be hosting this great annual community event with all proceeds from the day going directly to the Leukaemia Foundation.”

The Leukaemia Foundation is the only national charity dedicated to helping more Australians survive blood cancer and live a better quality of life.

For more information visit www. sheppartonmarketplace.com.au.

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convenient means of exercise and getting around.

The Super Tuesday Count provides data that informs Council policy to improve infrastructure required to increase the uptake of cycling across the region. This includes the 10-year capital works program that will ultimately construct on-road bike lanes and shared paths along with supporting infrastructure.

Construction is booming and the dollars are flowing continued from front page THE Shepparton region is scheduled to receive more than $45M from this funding.

The State Government’s Big Housing Build will boost social housing supply by 10 percent, providing a stable foundation for thousands of Victorians to build their lives. It will also drive Victoria’s recovery.

Colin Mintern from Hotondo Homes Shepparton expressed some concern for the government program pointing out that every builder in the region is currently snowed under with their existing contracts to want to take on a slow-moving government program.

“Just trying to get tradies is proving difficult at the moment, everyone is working flat out. A lot of people took advantage of the $25,000 grant last year and although it has dropped back to $15,000, it is still a great incentive,” Colin said.

“The next difficulty we are likely to come against is that of availability of land. There are no new developments scheduled to be complete until 2023 at the moment so that will put some pressure on the market later this year.

“We are getting two to three enquiries a day at the moment so I can’t see it slowing down until the end of this year at least.”

The Adviser. Australia No.1:1550 Wednesday, March 10, 2021 – Page 9

NEWS

Steph Ryan opposes second State of Emergency power grab THE State Government has the support of crossbench MPs in the Victorian Upper House passing its state of emergency laws.

Member for Euroa and Nationals’ deputy leader Steph Ryan has condemned the move as a “power grab”.

Speaking on the legislation in Parliament, Ms Ryan said the state of emergency powers give Daniel Andrews authority to make far-reaching decisions, including enforcing snap lockdowns, sp end i ng t a x payer dol la rs w it hout oversight of the Parliament and closing our state’s borders.

“There is a reason why we have a citizens assembly here in Parliament – not just to ensure that the government’s decisions are scrutinised but also to ensure that people have a voice,” Ms Ryan said.

“When the powers in this bill were first conceived back in 2008, no one ever thought that we would have a state of emergency that would run this long – it was supposed to have a threshold of six months.

“The government is now seeking to maintain this state of emergency for a year and a half – that is just not tenable to the Victorian public.”

“I can’t support this power grab that will force Victorians to spend the next nine months living in a state of uncertainty.

“Even now, the Government still refuses to release the public health advice behind

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OBJECTIONS RAISED... Member for Euroa, Steph Ryan, opposes the State Government extending the State of Emergency. Photo: Supplied.

the third lockdown.

Residents who wish to have their say on the Government’s State of Emergency extension can do so by visiting https://vic. nationals.org.au/have-your-say-laborsstate-of-emergency-extension/.

NEWS

Victorian Farmers Federation gets behind new safety campaign THE farming industry accounts for nearly one in five workplace deaths in Victoria over the last twelve months and influencing the hearts and minds of the industry on safety will be an important part of the WorkSafe Victoria's advertising campaign, 'It's never you, until it is'. The powerful advertisements are intended to influence the mindsets of the farming community.

Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) CEO, Jane Lovell said, "Although graphic and emotionally confronting, these ads are designed to challenge any complacency around safety.

"When watching these advertisements, we all need to think not just about our own safety, but also our employees and our families and the impacts on them if something goes wrong.

Employers have an important role to lead by example.

"We want farmers to consider whether poor safety practices are commonplace on their properties, and to take action."

For example, the advertisements also feature some common practices such as having seatbelts already buckled in behind the driver and passenger when using a side-by-side, which have been a feature in a number of serious farm related accidents.

"If the seatbelt is already buckled up before a worker even gets on the side by side, that reflects a poor entrenched safety practice" Ms Lovell said.

The VFF encourages farmers to take the time to engage with their employees about the advertisements in the days and weeks following.

The VFF Safety Team stands ready to assist farmers with the free farm safety audits and operational health and safety (OHS) consultancies which are available to all Victorian farmers courtesy of the 'Making our Farms Safer' Project.

In addition to supporting the industry by

highlighting commonplace farm safety hazards and educating employers on their OHS duties in the monthly 'Making our Farms Safer' newsletter, the Farm Safety Team will also in future write articles which will be targeted at influencing the safety culture and mindset of the industry.

To arrange a free safety consultancy contact the VFF Safety Team on 1300 882 833 or visit the VFF website at vff.org.au/project/ making-our-farms-safer/ FARM SAFETY IS EVERYONE’S CONCERN... Quad bikes have been one of the greatest areas of risk in farm accidents. Photo: Supplied by VFF.

S H E PPA R TO N

ROUND UP MARCH 2021

TEENS ARRESTED AFTER SCHOOL BRAWL

Shepparton Police arrested two teenagers last week as part of an investigation into an assault at a Shepparton school on Friday, February 26.

The pair, aged 15 and 18, have been interviewed in relation to affray and assault related matters following a report that a number of students from a Parkside Drive school were involved in a physical fight in the yard on February 26 about 11.50am.

The 15-year-old Kialla teen was released and is expected to be charged on summons.

The 18-year-old from Shepparton was charged with affray and assault related matters and was bailed to appear at Shepparton Magistrates’ Court in September.

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The Adviser. Australia No.1:1550 Wednesday, March 10, 2021 – Page 11

LETTERS

NEWS, OPINIONS AND EVENTS

Letters to the Editor EXPRESS POST IN SEVEN MONTHS Dear Editor, It is fairly common knowledge that the service now provided by Australia Post is a whole lot worse than it has ever been in

previous years. On July 24 last year I sent a small Express Post package to a then 90-year-old family friend in Sydney.

The package contained some muchneeded re-usable face masks for COVID-19

We welcome Letters to the Editor but they are not guaranteed to be included and may be edited for reasons of style or content. Letters will not be eligible for consideration if they contain defamatory material, or information of a personal nature which is not in the public domain. safety and a bar of chocolate to cheer her up in isolation. Despite many attempts to gain information from Australia Post, the package didn’t arrive. My now 91-year-old friend rang me on February 19 to let me know that finally the package had turned up.

Why does it take Australia Post seven months to deliver an Express Post anything from a large regional city to Sydney? It is beyond a joke and certainly a cause for

concern on the reputation of our postal service. Perhaps they could offer my friend a Cartier watch as compensation?

Name withheld Shepparton Want to have your say?

Email your letters to the editor to editorial@sheppartonadviser.com.au Please keep letters to under 200 words.

Lovell calls for funding commitment for Tech School THE Member for Northern Victoria, Wendy Lovell, has again called on the State Government to commit funding to construct a state-of-the-art Tech School in Greater Shepparton.

T h e r e a r e c u r r e n t l y t e n Te c h S chools i n Vic toria, i nclud i ng i n Ballarat and Bendigo, which focus on the development of skills in science, technology, engineering, and maths (known as STEM skills).

In a constituency question to the Minister for Education, James Merlino, in State Parliament last week, Ms Lovell said that the building of a Tech School in Greater Shepparton was originally included in the Shepparton Education Plan, but that the Government had

WANT to see your photos in the newspaper? We are calling on all our readers to send in their photos for the chance to have it selected to go to print.

Not exactly a bird's eye view, Shepparton's Tony Guseli snapped this photo of a magpie crowning a part of the iconic Shepparton Law Courts on the corner of High and Wyndham Streets. Built in 2018, the courts form the high point of the justice precinct with the police station to the west and the 1930s heritage Supreme Court building in the centre.

Please send your photos to photo@ sheppartonadviser.com.au or message it to us via our Facebook page 'The Shepparton Adviser'. If you are sending via email, please keep your email's total size to under 8MB.

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reneged on the plan.

Ms Lovell sought from the Minister a funding commitment to build a Tech School in Greater Shepparton to be included in the 2021-22 State Budget.

“Tech Schools are innovative, shared learning environments that are managed and operated in partnership with local schools, local government, TA F E , university and industry and our students would benefit enormously by such a facility being established in Greater Shepparton,” Ms Lovell said.

“I call on Mr Merlino to provide funding in the upcoming State Budget to build a Tech School and provide these new learning opportunities to Greater Shepparton students.”

send us your snaps

NEWS

Passing of a generous milk industry leader and innovator

By Wendy Brewer RAY Ducat was born on March 8, 1943, the fourth child born to Don and Em Ducat.

He grew up in the family home on the corner of Corio and Nixon Streets, next door to the family business, P. J. Ducat and Sons, a milk company which was started by Ray’s grandfather, Percy Ducat, with his sons Don and Syd. Ray attended the Fryers Street Primary School and was in the first intake of students at Gowrie Street School. He completed his secondary education at Shepparton High School.

After graduating dux of his class from the Chandler Institute of Technology, Ray returned to the dairy full time and soon became the manager of P. J. Ducat and Sons.

Under his management, Ducat’s milk became renowned as the best quality milk in Victoria.

Over time, Ray became known as a leader and innovator within the Australian beverage and food industry. One of his most popular and famous innovations was a cordial product packaged as Mr D’s Cola.

Another of his many notable achievements was the introduction of a frozen milk product in a plastic pouch called ‘Milky Freeze’. Four million were sold in just the first two years.

Ray is survived by his wife Carmel and children Michelle, Jacinta, Kylie, Rachel and A.J. and their families.

VALE RAY DUCAT...

The milk industry leader passed away on Monday, March 1. Photo: Supplied

According to Carmel, Ray was a very humble man, who put everyone else’s needs before his own and was always looking for ways to be of assistance to others.

Ray once told Carmel that he estimated he had donated more than a million dollars to local charities and sporting clubs over the years. Many thousands of dollars' worth of drink products was also given away, much of it to junior sport clubs which Ray was always especially keen to support.

Generous and kind-hearted, Ray was a man who hated to say no to anyone in need.

Asked to tell a story that sums up the kind of man Ray was, Carmel tells of being away on holidays in London, where they came across an old man with no legs who was on the street, begging.

Late in the afternoon, the wind was just starting to bite, and the old man was wearing just a thin jumper. Carmel and Ray surmised that he may have been from Romania. The man spoke no English and looked like he was freezing cold.

Ray was wearing a warm, good quality, grey leather jacket that day. According to Carmel, Ray approached the gentleman and said, in his broad accent, very slowly and loudly: “I’m Australian. We’re going back to Australia, would you like this jacket?”

Carmel says, “You hear of people ripping a jacket off, well, he ripped it on! He was just beaming from ear to ear and nodding his thanks.”

As they left, Carmel could feel tears trickling down her face, Ray turned to her and said, in a voice that was squeaky with emotion, “That makes you feel good, doesn’t it?”

“The smile on the old man’s face was his reward, Ray just liked to make people feel good,” Carmel said.

Ray Ducat passed away on Monday, March 1, 2021.

He will be remembered as a person of integrity who exhibited a rare generosity of spirit and someone who was highly regarded by all those who were fortunate enough to meet or know him.

May he Rest in Peace.

Plant hire with a different attitude FOR contractors and builders, having that extra piece of plant readily available can change the nature of a job immeasurably, the grader you don’t have or an extra dozer can keep schedules in place.

Heavy machinery for hire has been the mainstay for ConX Hire yet on top of that, they have built up a range of smaller equipment that fits into the needs of tradies and DIYers who need that piece of specialist equipment they don’t have and don’t need beyond that job.

ConX Hire director, Sam Boda, sees this sector of the market needing reliable partners like ConX Hire with a range of gear that has low milage and will work without any problem.

From excavators and roller compactors to scissor lifts and floor sanders, the range is growing each day Sam said, “Our equipment is top of the range and all has low hours of use which provides much better reliability to our clients. Our state-of-theart fleet management system allows us to monitor our equipment remotely and we have a service team on the road providing support where it is needed.”

The company supplies equipment to contractors working over much of Victoria and southern New South Wales from its central location in Shepparton and Airport West depots.

ConX Hire is located at 7924 Goulburn Valley Highway, Kialla and can be contacted on 1300 266 944.

GOT THE GEAR... Some of the ConX Hire team, Darren Martin, Roz Russell, and Sam Boda. Photo: Steve Hutcheson

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MIGHTY VEHICLE... Without buses, urban life would almost be unimaginable, and we would never have gotten Otto from The Simpsons or Chris Farley as the bus driver in Billy Madison.

WELCOME ABOARD... Dysons bus driver, Dick Moroney, knows buses. Photos: Struan Jones.

Hail to the bus driver

By Struan Jones BUSES are perhaps the most democratic form of public transport. In every city anywhere in the world, buses will ply routes moving hordes of people around to where they need to be at the cheapest possible fare.

In Shepparton, Dick Moroney is one of the legends of public transport who brings hundreds of kids to and from school every week on his Dysons Bus route.

Dick is a long-time Shepparton local. He loves the place, is semi-retired, and finds driving a bus every morning and afternoon the perfect job to keep him busy.

His bus, the number 999 low floor Volvo which runs the Kingfisher route on the north side of town via St Luke’s and Notre Dame College’s Emmaus Campus, is a school

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before school for about 60 kids at a time.

Dick said it doesn’t take long to get to know the kids, and they get to know him.

“You see them every day virtually,” he said.

“So yeah, you get to know them by first name. They all call me Richard of course.

“You give and take a bit. You treat them with respect, and you get it back. I’ve got a good bunch of kids.”

Dick is an astute professional. It’s no small task taking the safety of 60 school kids on your shoulders every morning and evening, and every day starts with a thorough check of his bus – the lights, oil, water, and belts.

“You’ve got to be careful because there’s a heap of traffic out there and especially with 60 kids on board, so you’ve got to do the

right thing,” he said.

“I pick them up safe and get them home safe, as simple as that. You've got to be on the ball. You’ve got to have eyes everywhere, all the time.”

When not behind the wheel of his bus, he’s driving a Kia Sportage, but also has a special toy, a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. Dick’s not a diehard petrol head, but he likes his cars just as he likes his bus – spotlessly clean and in perfect working order.

If you, or anyone you know, is passionate about their car, motorbike, bicycle, or wheelbarrow (basically anything with wheels), please get in contact with The Adviser at editor@ sheppartonadviser.com.au. Happy driving!

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SPORT

Adviser Cricket Shepparton season reaches pointy end

HITTING OUT... Nagambie star Kyle Winter-Irving in action in last weekend’s Cricket Shepparton A-Grade T/20 final against Katandra. Winter-Irving finished with 34 from 29 balls but it wasn’t enough to get the Lakers over the line, with Katandra proving too strong in an upset victory. Photo: Struan Jones

Katandra claims T/20 final over ladder leaders

By Struan Jones KATANDR A has upset Nagambie by clinching this season’s Cricket Shepparton T/20 competition with a 7-run win in the final on the weekend.

After four rounds of T/20 cricket played through January, Nagambie and Katandra were the two unbeaten sides to advance through to a grand final which was delayed by last month’s snap lockdown, but held in Mooroopna on Sunday.

For context, Nagambie has finished the regular Haisman Shield A Grade season atop the ladder, while Katandra finished ninth. It just so happened that the two teams played off against each other in the final round of the regular season the day prior at Katandra, with Nagambie claiming the points by 8 runs.

On Sunday, Katandra batted first and seemed to struggle against Nagambie’s premier bowling attack.

Raymond Ireland top scored with 24 from 29 balls while the Eagles battled to 8/96 from their 20 overs.

In reply, the Lakers were looking strong at 3/65 with Kyle Winter-Irving (34 from 29) at the crease. From there though, the wheels started to fall off the Nagambie run chase.

Successive wickets exposed Nagambie’s lower order as the runs dried up and the overs ticked over. Katandra took 6/24 to close out the match, leaving Nagambie stuck 8 runs short of victory.

Corey Hickford set the tone with the ball, taking 2/13 from four overs at the top of the innings and Ireland closed out the match with 2/12 off his three.

For Katandra, it’s a sweet ending to a season which only produced four wins in the regular season. For Nagambie, a final hit out before finals start this Saturday.

By Struan Jones NAGAMBIE will head into the Cricket Shepparton A-Grade finals as minor premiers after a final round victory over Katandra.

The Lakers chalked up their seventh win for the season over the Eagles, posting 124 batting first with Luke Nolan top-scoring with a measured 40.

In reply, Katandra got off to a strong start, getting to 3/90 before Nagambie’s bowlers started to break through.

Katandra was skittled, losing 7/26 and stumbling to 116 all out in the 34th over.

Both Mark Nolan and Brayden Biggs took an impressive 3/22 each from their nine overs, while Harley Taylor-Lloyd finished with 3/28.

All Round 13 Haisman Shield A Grade results in brief: • Waaia v BYE • Central Pa rk /St Brendans 105 J McCarten 37, RR Yze 31, J Wright 2 / 13 , J G a s k i l l 2 / 19 DE F BY Mooroopna 5/108 B McDonald 63*, RR Yze 2/7, BA Scott 2/22 • Euroa 8/182 J Robertson 30 N Symes 29, L Callegari 4/19, C McCabe 2/22 DEF BY Old Students 184 F Odell 68, G Saracino 31, FR Ellis 3/22, AI

Crosbie 3/29 • Katandra 116 A Riordan 39, B Biggs 3/22, MC Nolan 3/22, H TaylorLloyd 3/28 DEF BY Nagambie 124 LD Nolan 40, H Sirett 3/17, A Riordan 3/25, JM Wright 2/21 • Numurkah 3/123 M Eckard 47*, D Grandell 35, T Braybon 27, A Young 2/16 DEF BY Kyabram 122 CR Mueller 42, A McKenzie 30, L Gledhill 3/19, M Eckard 3/31, M Cline 2/23 • S h e p p a r t o n U n i t e d 5/ 2 4 7 K Armstrong 117, C Rendina 80, A Tonks 32 , H Murdoch 2/31 DEF Tatura 9/164 H Murdoch 53*, C Vidanapathirana 2/13, M Jarrett 2/19 • Northerners 2/150 M Brett 57*, A Boyington 47*, B Bailey 2/39 DEF Karramomus 145 J Mandaradoni 50, S Walton 28, J Sidebottom 2/30 This Saturday’s qualifying finals include: • Nagambie (1) vs Kyabram (6) • Mooroopna (2) vs Numurkah (5) • Waaia (3) vs Northerners (4).

The three winners and the highest ladder-ranked losing team will continue into the next round of the finals.

Multi-Sport fun...

169 runners hit the track across three events as part of the Goulburn River Fun Run on Sunday as part of Shepparton’s inaugural Multi-Sport Weekend. A Saturday evening swim/ run Aquathlon in Lake Victoria, a 2km kids fun run, and a Sunday morning fun run combined to create a new event which organisers hope to become an annual feature on Shepparton’s sporting calendar. Joshua Sait took out the men’s 21.1km event in a time of 1:14:36 while Maddy Clarke blitzed the women’s field in a time of 1:25:54. Photo: Chelsea Nicholson.

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