Vol. No. Vol. 2118No. 20 27
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Wednesday, January 14, 13, 2018 2016 Wednesday, November
PROST! Sarah Hughes and Zack Currie can’t wait for Saturday’s MIXX FM Horsham German Fest at Horsham Showground. The festival has been revived after a hiatus last year. The festival will include live music performances, competitions and authentic German beer and food. Hundreds of patrons are expected to don their finest lederhosen and dirndls for the event, which is from 2pm to 10pm. For more on the Horsham German Fest, see page 6. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Rainbow radar T
BY DEAN LAWSON
he southern Mallee town of Rainbow will play an integral role in a multi-million-dollar project likely to add a new dimension to agricultural prosperity and potential across western Victoria.
Rainbow will be the site of a new real-time weather radar station that regional farmers and development leaders are confident will generate and save millions of dollars. The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed yesterday that Rainbow would be the home of the state-of-the-art dual polarised Doppler radar, which will be called the Rainbow Radar.
The bureau said the new radar station was under construction in Germany and was due to start operating in mid-2020, ‘if not sooner’. Some estimates are that having access to real-time weather information will generate $52.5-million in agricultural productivity alone during the anticipated 15-year life-span of the station. The announcement at Horsham Town Hall yesterday represented a major victory for Wimmera Development Association, which has driven the project since the late 2000s. Association executive director Ralph Kenyon said the project represented a ‘remarkable journey’ and thanked
everyone involved. “When preparing the business case for the weather radar, Wimmera Development Association was amazed at the potential cost savings and productivity benefits involved. It far exceeded our expectations,” he said. “Within the agriculture sector alone, we expect to have gains of close to $3.5-million a year over the life of the radar. “Considering the radar costs about $8.5-million in capital and operational expenses over a 15-year period, the radar will pay for itself in two and half years. “That is only in agriculture. That doesn’t include financial benefits that
might apply to managing emergencies, water resources and aviation.” The State Government provided $5-million to build the station and the Federal Government $3.2-million for operation and maintenance. The new radar will eliminate what regional leaders have described as a weather-forecasting ‘black hole’ between radar stations at Mildura and Mt Gambier. It means the region will have realtime access to critical information about approaching weather, which will heavily influence project planning and management. Project leaders, after an extensive and detailed process, chose Rainbow
as the site that would ‘best serve both the Wimmera and the wider Australian weather radar network’. Bureau of Meteorology Victorian state manager Dr Andrew Tupper said the project had been the result of cooperation. “The Federal Government, through the Bureau of Meteorology, and the State Government, represented by the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, have been working closely with Wimmera Development Association on this important infrastructure project,” Dr Tupper said. Continued page 5
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