The Weekly Advertiser – Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Photo has been digitally altered.

Mine EES approval sparks debate

BY LAUREN HENRY

The fallout continues from the State Government’s approval of the Environmental Effects Statement for Avonbank mineral sands mine at Dooen.

Planning Minister Sonia Kilkenny announced last week that she had approved the EES for the WIM Resource mine and the Goschen Rare Earth and Mineral Sands Project near Swan Hill, but further approvals such as a mining licence and mine work plan were still required for the mine to proceed.

The 36-year Avonbank mine, expected to produce about 311 tonnes of minerals including zircon, titanium, and rare earth minerals – used in a variety of products, including renewable energy projects, is forecast to inject $3.5-billion into the region.

Several affected Dooen landowners who oppose the mine were shocked to find out via email the EES was approved, and were disgusted by the timing of the announcement – in the middle of harvest and just before Christmas.

But Federal Member for Mallee Anne Webster said it was not the end of the matter, with a federal review set to look at the environment and radiation from the mine.

Street art mix in skate bowl

Horsham Skate Park’s main bowl is the focus of Blender Studios’ latest collaboration with Horsham’s youth groups – it is being painted in a street art theme.

Blender Studios director Adrian Doyle said he had led several workshops with youth in Horsham.

“I have a good, strong connection to the young people here and we’re lucky enough to get this project approved and done,” he said.

“It’s going to be space-changing for the location and for the place, the young people will have a sense of ownership over the space.

“It’s a youth space, essentially, that’s what a skate park should be.”

Horsham Rural City Council communities and place director Kevin O’Brien said he was excited to work alongside Blender Studios again.

“The likely Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act considerations for both projects are threatened species and radiation elements, with VHM also needing to demonstrate their project will have no significant impact on Ramsar wetlands,” she said.

“I wrote to Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Shadow Minister Jono Duniam, whom I also spoke with, to highlight the two projects’ significant concerns that must be considered by the current, or potentially future, minister.”

Dr Webster said she understood the

Victorian Minister would refer the projects to Ms Plibersek, who must then obtain a report from the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, DCCEEW, and then make a decision within 20 to 40 days about what conditions to impose on the projects to prevent significant adverse environmental impacts.

“I am also advised that under Victorian mining law, if a mining licence is approved, farmers can apply to the Victorian minister to exclude their farm from the licence,” she said.

“The minister can exclude the land if the mining licensee consents to the exclusion, or if there would be a greater economic benefit to Victoria

in continuing agricultural use of the land. I cannot help but agree with farmers who have highlighted that Western Australian mining legislation gives farmers a right of veto, and that has not stopped WA reaping huge royalties from significant mining operations.”

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy said despite making dozens of approaches to the Planning Minister, the government had failed to provide reliable information to the community about mining approval processes, bond and land rehabilitation, and safeguards around radiation, dust and protection of farm activities.

“We need a government office of earth resources to be established in the Wimmera, so that local people can access up-to-date information around mining near to them and current mining regulations and they can make an informed decision based on fact,” she said.

Agricultural advocacy leader and Rupanyup farmer Andrew Weidemann said he had invited Premier Jacinta Allan to visit the Wimmera to hear the farmers’ concerns.

“I’ve been receiving so many calls, messages from people distraught, distressed about what they’re seeing and hearing, and the government needs to stand up,” he said.

“I don’t believe that the decisionmakers in Melbourne understand exactly where this is actually located.”

Mr Weidemann was at the Premier’s launch of the Economic Growth Statement last week, and he said it was ‘quite clear the state’s broke and they want to remove all the red tapes so they can pour money into the state’.

As part of its Economic Growth Statement, the government announced major changes to its EES process, cutting red tape to speed up the approval of major projects.

Mr Weidemann said discussions about potential activism by farmers was ‘real’.

“There’s no doubt there will be protests on this, maybe locally, but also in Melbourne at some stage early next year, unless we get some  level of respect from the government, because the only way that it seems to be available to us is to actually pressure the government,” he said.

Mr Weidemann said the farming community planned to ramp up their pressure on companies responsible for the projects, and associated businesses.

“Any of the businesses that have supported mining coming into the region will probably not be supported by the agricultural sector,” he said.

“That’s just a consequence of the

with artists from the awardwinning Blender Studios in Melbourne visiting to liven up the area with young Horsham artists, including Mahli Harris.

outcomes of a poorly-led and poorlyinformed process around the development of the EES.”

Meanwhile, the Wimmera Machinery Field Days, WMFD, committee has decided to reject future sponsorship from all mining and renewable energy projects. However the companies will be allowed to be an exhibitor at the field days.

“We were contacted by the local VFF branch and have had discussions with them regarding the impact of potential mining and energy related developments in the region,” a WMFD spokesperson said.

“In light of these discussions the committee has decided to not accept or pursue sponsorship from these companies for the 2025 field days.”

WIM Resource project director Michael Winternitz said its goal was to make sure the community felt heard and was ‘valued at every stage of the project’.

“We understand that projects like the Avonbank mine can bring concerns and questions, and WIM is certainly committed to addressing these transparently and collaboratively,” he said.

“We’re committed to engaging with impacted landowners regarding land access. WIM is committed to addressing these concerns transparently and collaboratively moving forward.”

Lightning ignites fires

Fires at Kadnook, Apsley and Glenorchy were among several to break out across the state on Monday, a day of total fire ban in most districts, with wind speeds and temperatures in the 40s.

Leaf fall within the burnt blue gums at Kadnook reignited, causing a further 1293 hectares to burn. Several on-ground and aerial firefighting appliances were deployed to contain the blaze and yesterday were still patrolling the area.

A lightning storm ignited three separate fires – one south of Apsley that burnt about 10 hectares, one at Powers Creek, and another at Dorodong.

Mr O’Brien said the initiative was part of a new strategy council was developing to combat graffiti vandalism.

“Street art will make the area more appealing to the skaters, help deter vandalism, while helping council de-

“We have a group of local young people who have been doing amazing capacity and skill building activities with the artists throughout the year, and to reward their growth with this opportunity to leave a legacy in the city is special,” he said.

velop a stronger relationship with our younger community,” he said.

“Council believes engaging local young people in a graffiti street art mural project will reduce the social impact of graffiti vandalism, as well the high cost of its removal.”

Mr Doyle said he hoped the area’s youth felt proud of the project.

“Hopefully we’ve beautified it and made them feel proud of it and added something that is unusual,” he said.

“Hopefully it will become part of the silo trail – people will come to check it out because it is unusual.”

Horsham Skate Park will be closed until Friday while the project is underway.

A fire started at Grampians’ Goat Track, 20 kilometres south of Wartook, just before 6pm and was quickly contained by Forest Fire Management Victoria crews, burning only 0.1 of a hectare. The Glenorchy community was advised to leave by the CFA when a fire started just after 7pm. It burnt about 39 hectares before being brought under control by about 27 fire trucks in 35 minutes.

SPLASH OF COLOUR: Horsham Skate Park has received a fresh coat of colour

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

HRCC NEWS

Pavilion construction underway

The concrete slab for the new community netball pavilion is now being poured.

The pavilion will feature two main change rooms, an accessible change room, umpire facilities, a medical room, a social space and kiosk.

Framing work is set to begin in mid-January.

The project is being made possible thanks to funding from Sport and Recreation Victoria and the federal government.

Advent calendar locations this week

The Roaming Advent Calendar will be coming to these businesses this week. Purchase from a participating business on their day to go into the draw to win a $200 voucher.

December 18: Horsham Florist

December 19: Wimmera Spas & Pools

December 20: JRS Workshop

December 21: Lattanzio's

December 22: Country Kitchen

December 23: Imeldas

December 24: Horsham RSL

Transfer station change of hours

Transfer stations will have revised hours on Wednesday 18 December.

• Dooen Landfill

7.30am – 2.30pm

• Kenny Rd Transfer Station 10.00am – 2.30pm

• Quantong Transfer Station 11.00am – 2.00pm

Kerbside collection will proceed as normal.

Free parking in central Horsham for six months

Council has announced that parking will be free in central Horsham for the next six months.

The decision, resolved at Monday night’s December Council Meeting, aims to facilitate a comprehensive review of parking meter operations within the city.

Mayor Cr Ian Ross said the initiative, effective immediately, would provide free parking during the festive season and beyond.

“We have listened to feedback from our community,” he said.

“We want our residents to have easy access to parking in the city centre, which in turn supports our local businesses.

“Not having to put money into meters will make it more convenient for people to shop, dine, and enjoy the festive season in Horsham,” Cr Ross said.

Signage will be placed on parking meters.

App users will be notified of the change and HRCC is now working with the supplier Blinkay to disable the payment function.

Cr Ross said time limits as indicated by zoned signage would still apply and be enforced to ensure sufficient turnover of parking bays.

“This measure is crucial to maintaining access for customers to retail businesses in the city,” Cr Ross said.

Council wishes you a safe and happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year. There will be some changes to opening hours and services in December/January.

The Council Civic Centre and depot will be closed from 3pm on Tuesday 24 December 2024 and reopen on Thursday 2 January 2025.

For urgent enquiries during this time, please call (03) 5382 9777.

• Waste Collections

There will be no waste collections on Christmas Day.

If your bins are emptied Wednesdays, please have your bins out by 6am on Tuesday 24 December.

All other collection days are unchanged during the holiday period.

• Transfer Stations

Dooen Landfill and all transfer stations are closed Christmas Day.

They operate from 10am to 2pm on Boxing Day and New Years Day.

• Visitor Information Centre

Closed Christmas Day.

• Kalkee Road Children's and Community Hub

Closing Tuesday 24 December at 3pm.

Re-opening Thursday 2 January at 9am.

New baby service available by appointment only.

Maternal and Child Health Line - call 13 22 29 Families with children from birth to school age can speak to an MCH nurse for advice and support.

• Horsham Library

Closed from 4pm Tuesday 24 December.

Re-opens Thursday 2 January.

• Horsham Aquatic Centre (YMCA)

Closed Christmas Day.

Boxing Day: Open 8am-4pm.

New Year's Day: Open 8am-4pm.

• Community Safety

For dog attacks and contained animals call 03 5382 9777 for referral to Council's after hours service – matter will be directed to a ranger.

For all other urgent matters, lodge a service request on Council's website.

• Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange

The weekly livestock markets will restart on Wednesday 15 January 2025.

TENDERS AND RFQ

INTEGRATED PLANNING DELIBERATIVE ENGAGEMENT Closes Thursday 19 December

CITY OVAL PLAY SPACE LANDSCAPING Closes Wednesday 18 December

RCCC PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR PROJECT FINAL EVALUATION Closes Thursday 19 December

DIGITAL IMAGE RECORD OF ROAD NETWORK Closes Wednesday 8 January NATIMUK TOP TINY TOURISM TOWN CAMPAIGN Closes Friday 3 January

ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITOR APPOINTMENT Closes Wednesday 18 December

All tender, EOI and RFQ details at hrcc.vic.gov.au

Special Concert to Showcase

Music enthusiasts are in for a treat as The Wesley Committee invites the community to a special concert, “Come Schimmel with Us!” on 1 March 2025.

The exclusive event will be held in the Horsham Art Gallery Foyer, featuring the exquisite Schimmel “Hidden Beauty” Grand Piano. With only two sessions and limited seats available, early booking is highly recommended.

The Schimmel “Hidden Beauty” Grand Piano is renowned for its stunning French Burr walnut inlay on the underside of the lid and music rest, complemented by a striking gold frame and string finish inside the piano. This unique instrument, part of the Konzert Series, boasts exceptional sound and tone qualities, making it perfect for concert performances.

Remarkably, this is the only Schimmel “Hidden Beauty” in Australia, one of just 10 produced at the Schimmel factory in Braunschweig, Germany.

This concert was made possible through a grant from the Robert Salzer Foundation, and will feature performances from renowned soloists Gavin Fry, Teagan Rudolph and Sean Hallam, all of whom are from Horsham and surrounds.

Date: March 1 2025

Matinee: 2pm - 3.30pm

Evening: 7pm - 8.30pm

Location: Horsham Art Gallery Foyer

Cost: $25

Book your tickets early at the Horsham Town Hall Box Office at 71 Pysent Street.

Join us for an unforgettable musical experience and celebrate the hidden beauty of this magnificent instrument.

Next Council Meeting: January 28, 2024 - 5.30pm Horsham Rural City Council: 18 Roberts Avenue Horsham | Postal address: PO Box 511 Horsham VIC 3402 | Phone: (03) 5382 9777 | Email: council@hrcc.vic.gov.au | Web: www.hrcc.vic.gov.au

December 18, 2024 edition

Schimmel Grand Piano at HRAG

Aerial view of construction along Hocking Street.

The Schimmel "Hidden Beauty" donated by Wendy Weight in October 2004, in memory of her late husband, William John Weight.

Paid parking review

BY LAUREN HENRY

Horsham Rural City Coun-

cil has suspended its parking meter operations until June 30, 2025, to undertake a review.

There will still be two-hour limits to parking in Horsham’s Central Business District.

Cr Cam McDonald moved a notice of motion at Monday night’s council meeting to suspend the operations immediately, with the free parking starting yesterday.

Councillors voted unanimously to support the motion.

The reason for the immediacy was to offer free parking in the festive season, and hopefully encourage more shoppers to visit main street businesses.

Cr McDonald said there were four reasons behind his motion.

“One – there is community dissatisfaction due to the difficulty in using the parking meters, including confusion and time wasting,” he said.

“Parking meters are now a financially questionable enterprise, and this enterprise is putting pressure on community satisfaction.

“Three, this parking meter enterprise penalises our most vulnerable in our society who are spiralling the debt regime, adding

to an already existing financial burden.”

Cr McDonald’s fourth reason was that parking meters also placed a disadvantage to Firebrace Street traders who were competing with car parking at Horsham Plaza, Target, Bunnings, Harvey Norman, Betta, Coles, Woolworths, and the library.

He thanked council’s communities and place director Kevin O’Brien and chief executive Craig Niemann for their assistance in research and seeking information from other councils, including Mildura, about their experiences with parking meters.

“The ratepayers and shoppers do need to know that parking will be free for two hours, beyond that if you overstay, penalties will apply,” Cr McDonald said.

“So my advice there is to set an alarm on your phone when you’re doing your shopping and make sure you’re back in time.”

Cr Munn seconded the motion, which she described as ‘sound’, particularly when some CBD traders were facing tough times.

“I think something like this can only help and support our traders,” she said.

“I also think it’s important for the people, including visitors who come during this summer period.

Community lunch

People are invited to Horsham Uniting Church’s annual Community Christmas lunch, a 15year tradition that ensures everyone has the opportunity to spend Christmas with others.

Organisers welcome those who might be alone on Christmas day – individuals, couples with children elsewhere, singles parents and children without family support, and any person seeking company on the day.

The event is supported by the church and the wider community.

People are asked to register attendance and dietary requirements with Mandy Kirsopp on 0408 826 727 or the church office on 5382 4380.

Doors will open at the Pynsent Street church at 11.30am, for a noon lunch service.

Transport within Horsham is available, and a donation of $5 for lunch is appreciated.

– Bronwyn Hastings

“I think undertaking the review is particularly a good idea because if we are to put it in permanently, we need to engage with our community that this is something that the community actually want.”

Cr Rebecca Sluggett said parking meters were raised a lot during the campaign period prior to local government elections.

“People in Horsham are quite passionate about the parking meters being reviewed or removed so to make sure we are doing our due diligence that we do undertake a review into whether they are feasible and not required for Horsham,” she said.

“Personally, myself, I do tend to avoid the main street if I can, which is unfortunate, or I’ll come down on the last half an hour of the day.”

The modernised parking meter system was installed in January 2023, with the new ‘smart city system’, which integrated with the council’s corporate system, costing $735,359 plus GST.

The new parking meters caused an outcry in the community last year, prompting council to undertake a six-month review of its parking strategy.

The council netted $64,000 in revenue from the parking meters last year.

WINNING ENTRY: Horsham student Jack Devlin produced the winning entry of Toyworld and The Weekly Advertiser Christmas colouring competition, winning a prize pack that included toys and novelties, including a zombie burrito game. Jack, aged 10, said he enjoyed colouring and had won a couple of competitions before. Competition organisers said they were pleased with the response, with entries from all ages. Jack is pictured with The Weekly Advertiser journalist Bronwyn Hastings and Toyworld’s Madie Coutts. Picture: PAUL

Uniting Church’s annual

CARRACHER

Theft charges

Horsham Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged a man following a series of theft-related offences in the Horsham, Stawell, Warracknabeal and Melbourne areas. The incidents occurred between October 27 and Wednesday last week.

Detectives attended a home in Horsham on Wednesday after receiving intelligence a man wanted on warrants was at the address.

A man was located at the address and arrested. The Minyip man, 38, has been charged with 53 offences including theft of motor vehicle, theft, deception in Melbourne, shop theft in Horsham, theft from motor vehicle, criminal damage, burglary and resist arrest. He was remanded in custody to appear in Horsham Magistrates Court on January 6.

Dridan to face trial

Wendouree man Bryce Dridan, 29, will face trial in relation to three charges following the death of Pimpinio man Trent DeZoete at Stawell in November last year.

The charges include ‘driving a vehicle in a manner that was dangerous to the public’ and ‘recklessly engage in conduct driving into a pedestrian food court area that placed person/s in danger of death’. Dridan pleaded not guilty.

ALL WELCOME: From left, Mandy Kirsopp, Sally Mewett and Fran Robinson prepare for the Horsham

Christmas lunch.

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Building on sports

Wimmera sports and recreation organisations will receive more than $5.5-million in Federal Government funding designed to make it easier for women and girls to be active.

The $200-million Play Our Way program is designed to remove barriers, address discrimination and promote equality for women and girls to participate in sport and physical activity, with 166 organisations across Australia receiving the funding.

Minyip-Murtoa Football

Netball Club will receive $1,992,750 to build new changerooms and upgrade the safety of their Minyip netball courts, including adding a second court; Goroke Community Complex will benefit from $1,389,119 to construct a multi-sport court surface with provision for two new netball and three new tennis courts, new facilities and fencing and accessible footpaths; Ararat Pony Club have secured close to $1.5-million to help construct a covered equine arena, complete with lighting; and Pimpinio Football and Netball will receive a $685,432 for the construction of a second netball court and installation of lighting on both courts.

The grant will enable the long-awaited construction of a second netball court at Pimpinio Recreation Reserve – the

project of more than $1-million will be funded through the federal grant, in-kind labour, and proceeds from the sale of Pimpinio Primary School site.

The construction of the second netball court is expected to commence next year, serving as a space for training, matches, and community events.

Pimpinio president Jock Baker emphasised the importance of the new court, noting how the club’s focus had evolved to support all sports equally.

“Our netballers deserve facilities that are up to scratch and reflect the commitment they bring to the club every week,” he said.

“This grant means we can finally give our netball players the facilities they’ve waited for, without having to pull so heavily on our members.”

Netball director Renee Clarkson described the journey to secure funding as a long and sometimes difficult road, with club officials spending almost a decade of trying.

“As a committee, we had decided to go ahead with the project without funding, but this way it can be completed in its entirety, and we don’t need to pull on our members as much,” she said.

“I am excited for our young players who will be playing on this new court and those longer-suffering players who are probably more excited than the girls.”

For Minyip-Murtoa Football

Netball Club, it is the second major government funding win this year after receiving $918,998 in State Government funding to build new netball and tennis courts at Murtoa.

Ararat Pony Club president Helen Spencer said the new facilities would also benefit a broad range of other users, including nearby pony clubs and other horse-related activities, as well as other sports, community and educational initiatives.

“We greatly appreciate the opportunity to receive the Play Our Way Grant. We would like to thank Ararat Rural City Council for being so supportive of our application,” she said.

“It’s amazing to be able to have an all-weather undercover area. This will enable the club to plan more activities which aren’t weather dependent. It has been on our wish list for many years so it’s great to see it coming to fruition.”

Ararat Mayor Jo Armstrong said the council, in partnership with the pony club, had helped secure the $1.5-million grant, which would help fund a covered equine arena to provide a climate-controlled riding space that is protected from rain and sunlight.

“Local sports are an integral part of rural communities. This new facility will help to provide more opportunities for women and girls to get involved with our local sporting groups,” she said.

Railway workers to reunite

People who worked at Horsham Railway Station and freight centre, as well as at neighbouring stations, are invited to a V/Line reunion at Horsham next year.

Reunion organiser Tony Kernick said drivers, shunters, guards, signalmen, clerks, platform staff – anyone who worked at the centre – are welcome.

“We were the busiest freight centre in the region, it was a big operation back in the day. We had 54 staff at one stage,” he said.

Mr Kernick said the employer had a range of names and roles across its 114 years.

“It was Victorian Railways, Vic Rail, then in 1983 it became V/Line, then V/Line Freight, then Freight Australia,” he said.

“As roles dwindled, people transferred to Dimboola and other places, the station closed in August 1993, and the freight centre finally closed in March of 1998.”

Mr Kernick said he enjoyed his roles on the railways, starting in the goods shed as a hand trucker, then working as a yard assistant and a

guard before taking on an occupational health and safety role for Horsham region. He was also sub-branch secretary of the union.

“It was a very enjoyable job over my 20 years. You’d meet a lot of people, we were a big family, but there were some sad and bad times too,” he said.

Mr Kernick said past employees and their partners were welcome to attend the February 15 event.

“We will tour the old station from 10am, then we will head to the White Hart Hotel at noon for a light lunch and a catch-up,” he said.

“Past staff from Dimboola are welcome too – we worked alongside a lot of people at Dimboola, you’d get to know people while you were waiting for your changeover train.

“The more the merrier – we’ll probably make a weekend of it.”

People can find more information on Horsham Railway and Freight Centre Reunion Facebook group, or call Mr Kernick on 0402 693 444 for more information or to register attendance.

ALL WELCOME: Former Horsham railway workers, from left, Tony Kernick, Kevin Smith, Stan Bolwell, Gino Roiter, Dean Arnott and Tony Ward are hosting a reunion in February 2025.

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

www.ararat.vic.gov.au

Do you know someone who has made a truly significant contribution to Ararat Rural City? Someone who goes above and beyond to improve the quality of residents' lives, or exceeds expectations in making our community a better place?

The Australia Day Awards are your chance to ensure that person is recognised for their outstanding efforts. Ararat Rural City Council is now accepting nominations within four categories for the 2025 Australia Day Awards, the winners of which will be announced on Australia Day (26 January) 2025.

Scan the QR code to submit your

WASTE SERVICES DURING CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR PERIOD

Mon 23 Dec: Usual waste collection schedule.

Tue 24 Dec: Usual waste collection schedule.

Wed 25 Dec (Christmas Day): No waste collection.

Thu 26 Dec: Ararat South West & South West Rural run.

Fri 27 Dec: Ararat West & Willaura/Norval Rural run.

Resource Recovery Centres

Christmas Day: CLOSED

Boxing Day : CLOSED

New Years Day: CLOSED

Open all other days as scheduled. The Elmhurst Resource Recovery Centre will be CLOSED on Sunday 12 Jan 2025.

@araratruralcitycouncil

Dust off your goggles! Entry into all Ararat Rural City outdoor pools is FREE this summer!

The Ararat Olympic Outdoor Swimming Pool, Lake Bolac Peter O’Rorke Memorial Swimming Pool and Willaura Outdoor Memorial Pool are now open for the 2024/25 summer season.

Please note: all outdoor pools will close if the weather reaches below 23 degrees.

Scan the QR code for opening time information.

Station opens

BY BRONWYN HASTINGS

Horsham youth centre The Station’s official opening showcased a range of youth-informed resources and features, the culmination of a project four years in the making.

Horsham Rural City Council youth councillors Tom Luke and Shivansh Bhutani welcomed dignitaries, youth organisation representatives and site contractors to the event, including artists Luke and Beau Ladlow, who created the hand sculpture featured at the front of the site.

Project leader and council youth services planning and engagement officer Louise Kelly said consultations with the youth council and school representative councils were part of the design phase.

“More than 200 young people were consulted after the youth strategy was born in 2018,” she said.

“A blackboard was installed on the

front of the building for people to write ideas for the site, and in 2019 the site was renamed ‘The Station’ by the then-youth council to honour the previous life of the building, as a fire station.”

Ms Kelly said a competition the same year found a design for the mural on the front of the building.

“Paris Fiedler won, with her depiction of four hands, representing multiculturalism and inclusivity, that many hands make light work, and recognising that young people can be an important part of shaping the world,” she said.

The hall’s youth-designed features allow for the showing of movies and activities, and the yard gives people somewhere to sit, charge their phones, and play basketball, while keeping the first nation’s works and Nexus artworks to acknowledge the memories and youth before them.

Mayor Ian Ross said funding had been contributed to the project from

a variety of stakeholders. “Our funding has come from state and federal governments, Regional Development Victoria Living Locals Program and Handbury Youth Trust. We also thank our stakeholders,” he said.

“So far this year we have had about 508 individual visitations by young people, and our ongoing program by the youth team is to encourage diverse interests. It’s really good news for the youth.”

Andrea Cross has been a youth trust member for 20 years, and has seen many purposes and looks at the site.

“When I started there was a café in the old house, and when my youngest son was at kindergarten we did a fundraiser, and we used the back for a photo shoot for up-and-coming young models who were raising money for the kindergarten,” she said.

“Back then, the building was black and there were music studios, it was

CHRISTMAS CLEAN-UPS!

all about music. Just to see it now, this space being so bright and airy, it’s a delight.

“So you guys have got a great place to be. I hope my grandchildren, when they’re old enough to come here, that they’ll use this space as well. It’s been a pleasure to be connected.”

The opening on December 6 was followed by an all-ages block party, featuring a silent disco, open mic, basketball, games and photobooth.

ALOHA 2025: Party-goers will have the chance to bring in the New Year at a Beach Party in Horsham on December 31. Two Horsham bands, DeRailed and Fahrenheit, will host the party at Horsham Table Tennis Centre, in Harriett Street, near the Kalkee Road overpass. People are encouraged to dress in beach-themed attire, and to bring their own snacks but not alcohol – as the venue is licensed. Tickets, $30, can be purchased online from Eventbrite. If all tickets are not sold prior, limited tickets will be available at the door. Pictured are De’Railed and Farenheit band members Mark Kellett, Andrew Horvat, Jason Herbert, Daryl Elliott, Vince Rosello, Dean Lawson and Mark Cottrell.

MANY HANDS: At The Station official opening are, from left, Horsham Rural City Council youth services planning and engagement officer Louise Kelly, director of community and wellbeing Kevin O’Brien, Mayor Ian Ross, Cr Brian Klowss, youth trust’s Andrea Cross, Crs Tom Wilson and Dean O’Loughlin, and youth councillors Tom Luke and Shivansh Bhutani.

Picture: BRONWYN HASTINGS

“GET THE POWER!”

There’s no going back

It is with some distress that I have been following the ‘We Want Farms Not Mines’ plea of farmers in the Wimmera, Victoria.

News of mineral sand mining proposals in the Wimmera area have become known as far as north-west Australia – where we see on a daily basis the despair, poverty, distrust, anger and devastation left in the wake of mining.

Let me tell you – mining never gives back to the regions, or the area mined, what it takes from them in terms of useable land, permanent economic benefit, rewarding jobs and the things that make life worth living – family cohesion, community and happiness.

Mining companies may sometimes try but cannot possibly paint an accurate picture of the destruction caused by mining.

The size of the area mined – including that needed for infrastructure is usually the biggest shock to locals, even when told something like ‘it will be the size of 30 Optus Stadiums’ (Perth).

It’s simply too difficult to imagine the actual size of the destruction and therefore is a gut wrench when what has been approved becomes a reality. There is no going back.

Then there are the ‘jobs for locals’.

Mining companies do not hire direct but will engage large, well peopled workforce outfits, for example Monodelphus, APlus, etc.

They will prioritise skilled workers they already have on their books – not waste money training locals.

Mining companies will bribe the local community with sponsorship and funding – but they will not have a long-term support plan for any of the towns in the area after the life of the mine.

Note I don’t use the word ‘community’ because believe me, community no longer exists once mining moves in.

Farmers will have moved on – or passed on with broken hearts.

The land will not support the type of cropping currently being done in the Wimmera.

I have seen this, the land will be one big boggy wasteland, useless to anyone and certainly not a tourist attraction.

So much for economic benefit – short and sweet for the Chinese on the receiving end of it but empty pockets for the locals.

I ask, is the mining company CEO – and all of you who are willing to support mining, and I might add land taken for renewables – willing to have on your conscience and take personal responsibility for the total heart ache, despair, loss of income, loss of identity, mental illness and possibly worse that approvals for these projects are causing right at this very moment in time –and will ultimately result in?

I note the ESS for the Donald Mineral Sands project was approved in 2008 – in WA approvals only last five years – so does not meet current principles or legislation.

This mine has not been assessed by the EPA Act (2017) Environmental Reference Statement (ERS) because it commenced in July 2021.

The project at least needs to be approved against these current standards.

Finally – my work here is primarily with our Traditional Owners of the land, which mining occurs on here in WA.

These people feel great sadness and despair that their land is being taken, and more so because of the fact that they feel so helpless against the mining companies and the State Government who only see the dollar signs attached to the land.

One Elder recently told me with tears in his eyes ‘my heart is broken, because my country is broken. Our community is broken because our country is broken. We are trapped like a horse in the stockyard with nowhere to turn’.

I equate this to how the Victorian Wimmera farmers feel and that has prompted me, as a firsthand witness, to write this letter.

Vicki Long

Principal botanist ecologist

Broken system

I am writing about the recent council elections in Hindmarsh Shire.

My partner Liz Chivell won the majority of votes in the town of Jeparit, where she has been a resident for 15 years, but did not get a seat at the council table.

Liz is my partner so obviously I support her,

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

but the numbers don’t lie. Liz received 238 first preference votes, which equates to around 70 per cent of Jeparit residents and surrounding areas who voted for her campaign ‘Let’s get things done’.

Liz’s majority vote represents the will of the Jeparit people, yet the people of Jeparit will not have a representative on the Hindmarsh Shire Council.

This indicates the system is broken.

When a majority vote in one of the four main towns does not lead to a council seat it causes a loss of confidence in the democratic process.

North Ward includes two main towns that are Jeparit and Rainbow.

Rainbow has a significantly bigger population than Jeparit.

Rainbow was able to elect two Rainbow candidates and fill the two vacancies to the council.

But does Rainbow really need two councillors?

Jeparit also needs a councillor who is a local and understands the needs of the community.

As it turns out, Rainbow has three residents on the council.

As we know the well-known councillor Ron Ismay from Rainbow came out of retirement to fill the uncontested vacancy in Nhill and is now the newly appointed mayor.

This represents half of the council being Rainbow residents, which is an unrepresentative outcome for Hindmarsh Shire.

If politics is about perceptions then the perception is that Rainbow councillors who have their good and fine hearts in Rainbow will believe in their issues and not ours.

For instance will the Rainbow ‘block’ recognise the economic harm being done to Jeparit from the long-standing sole ownership structure of most retail spaces in the main street that is preventing the buildings from being used for commercial purposes?

Council’s current economic policy of the revitalisation of the town centres is not achievable in Jeparit while the deadlock remains.

I take the opportunity to say that the right to private property is not the right to harm others and it is certainly not the right to harm an entire town.

The Rainbow councillors should respect that the Jeparit people voted for their candidate of choice because they genuinely want to get things done.

John Mendoza, Jeparit

Increasingly feeling powerless

I am writing in response to Chris Sounness’ open letter published last week.

While I understand his position and agree that it is important for all parties to respectfully communicate, I feel it is equally important to address concerns regarding how communication has been handled thus far, particularly with landowners and the community.

When Chris calls for respectful communication, I believe it’s essential to consider how much these companies have engaged with landowners and the wider community.

I don’t consider town hall presentations given by recently employed mining representatives as ‘engagement’: they provide generalised information at best.

They do not provide concrete answers to locals’ concerns.

There is a growing sense of frustration among affected individuals who feel their concerns are not being heard.

If Chris were to look deeper into this situation, he would likely understand why many people are feeling unheard and disregarded in this process.

The publication of Chris’s letter is important in giving a voice to the challenges we face, but for true progress, it is equally crucial that all perspectives, particularly those of landowners and affected parties, are given the same platform and attention.

Additionally, I believe it’s time that we start publishing more articles addressing the impacts of mental health from a farmer’s perspective. Farmers are increasingly feeling powerless to protect their land from mining operations, with some facing the threat of forcible removal, along with their equipment, from their own farms. Basically our livelihoods and our future are about to be erased and we are not being heard. This is a real concern for many in the farming

community. We all need to take a step back and consider the far-reaching impacts of land being taken away for mining, solar, and wind farms.

While farmers are already facing the stresses of managing their crops, weather conditions, and future production, uncertainties they have managed for generations, they are now burdened with the more frightening unknown uncertainty of what will happen to their land in the future –and whether it will even be available for their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Furthermore, the mining companies cannot guarantee that the land will be restored to its current productive agricultural state after mining is completed.

Once the mining operations begin, it will be too late.

These companies are not going to stop, and in 40-plus years, what will we be left with?

Land that might only be suitable for grazing sheep, if that. We must consider the much bigger picture here.

Agricultural land is vital for food production, and once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

Mining companies are destroying this irreplaceable resource, and once the land is lost, we can’t get it back.

We have been made promises, but have yet to see an example of successful rehabilitation of a mined area to the cropping capacity we currently have here in the Wimmera.

When I first read Chris’s letter, it felt like another kick in the guts.

As farmers, we are constantly being hit from all angles.

With the Donald Mineral Sands project near our farm awaiting approval for mining, wind turbines and powerlines, we are fighting so many different companies just to continue farming.

It is a daily battle to protect our land, our livelihoods, and our future.

At the end of the day, agricultural land is essential to the food supply, both for Australia and the world.

Mining companies’ operations are destroying this land, and if this continues, what will we do when there is no more land left to grow food?

We farmers feel helpless to turn the tide against the power of mining companies and State Government: the least you can do is help us get our voice heard.

Sara Trotter Banyena

Stick to the facts

I want to set the record straight on reports regarding the CFA’s funding.

I know it has caused some fear and anger in our regional communities.

Reports of an almost $70-million cut from the CFA are wrong.

Every year, a certain amount of money within our emergency services’ budgets is earmarked for specific projects and services – like funding for the rollout of 18,000 new Motorola radios to brigades.

Setting aside these funds is not a cut. Every dollar of these quarantined amounts is spent on CFA – directly benefitting the CFA and their volunteers.

Government departments manage many of these projects and they pay the bill.

It streamlines administration and takes the burden off emergency services so they can focus on what they do best – keeping Victorians safe.

This year, more than $337-million in CFA base funding has been allocated – an increase of almost $17-million on the comparable figure last year.

This doesn’t include the money we invest on top of this on new trucks, uniforms and upgrading stations.

The Fire Services Property Levy funds almost 78 per cent of the CFA’s total funding needs –not 25 per cent.

I know National Party members are out there with their negativity trying to spin a false narrative about cuts.

They should support, not scare country communities and stick to the facts.

Labor has delivered 80 new tankers since 2018, 22 are being built and 15 pumpers are on order.

The Nationals did not fund a single truck in their last few years in government, and they slashed $66-million from the CFA budget while in office.

It’s disappointing that I must correct this unhelpful misinformation, but it’s a further opportunity to recognise and thank our amazing CFA brigades and all emergency services – I want you to know our government will always give you what you need to continue keeping Victorians safe.

Jaclyn Symes,

Minister for Emergency Services

At risk of extinction

I am writing in response to the article published in The Weekly Advertiser’s ‘AgLife’ on November 27, 2024, titled ‘Wild dog anguish continues’.

It’s important to clarify that the animals in question are dingoes, not ‘wild dogs’.

The term ‘wild dog’ is often used incorrectly, leading to confusion and misinformation.

It’s time everyone starts using the correct term to recognise the unique ecological role and cultural significance of dingoes.

Geoff Power’s recent comments regarding the protection of dingoes in northwest Victoria are both biased and ignorant.

His failure to acknowledge the critical risk of extinction facing the Big Desert dingo population is deeply concerning.

As someone who has been researching this population for over four years, I can attest to the fragility of their existence.

The decision to fully protect dingoes in the region was not taken lightly. It was based on extensive scientific research and expert advice. Allowing unprotection on private land would undoubtedly lead to the eradication of the remaining dingo population, a tragic loss for biodiversity and ecosystem health.

It’s clear that Power prioritises short-term economic interests over long-term ecological sustainability.

By advocating for the reinstatement of unprotection orders, he overlooks the devastating consequences such a move would have on this vulnerable species.

Power has contested the evidence-based nature of the government’s decision, yet he has failed to produce any credible scientific evidence to dispute the fact that there are fewer than 50 breeding adults in the Big Desert/Wyperfeld/ Ngarkat complex.

In contrast, two peer-reviewed scientific research articles have now confirmed that the population is genetically at risk of extinction. Power’s comments are not only ignorant but also slanderous to the dedicated scientists who have worked tirelessly to protect this endangered species.

It’s time for a more balanced and informed approach to dingo management.

Rather than resorting to outdated and harmful practices, we should focus on innovative solutions that protect both farmers’ livelihoods and native wildlife.

There are non-lethal control options available to livestock producers, such as specialised fencing, guard animals, and acoustic deterrents, that can be effectively implemented to minimise livestock losses.

By working together, we can find common ground and ensure a sustainable future for both agriculture and conservation.

Elisha Martion, Founder of Big Desert Dingo Research

welcomes your letters and contributions.

Please

Community Newsletter

Please join us in congratulating our Consultant Pharmacist, Brian Meier, who has been named the Victorian Pharmacist of the Year!! Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) Victoria President Doctor Amy Page (shown with Brian) said: “With decades of experience in providing Residential and Home Medication Reviews, Brian has successfully integrated into multidisciplinary care teams, improving patient outcomes.”

“His work in education and clinical governance in aged care and disability, bridging gaps in health care, has been invaluable in promoting advanced clinical pharmacy practice to health professionals and patients, especially in under-serviced rural and remote regions,” Dr Page said. Brian said he is both “incredibly proud”, and “deeply honoured” to have received the award. Describing the recognition as a significant milestone in his career, Brian thanked RNH for its unwavering support of his career and his endeavours to improve the lives of residents in aged care.

Hopetoun Director of Nursing Philip Vuong congratulated Brian on his award, commenting that he has been working hard and providing valuable information in his consultancy role as RNH works to improve its pharmacy service.

Care exceeds state average!

Three aspects of Rural Northwest Health’s care have been noted as higher than the Victorian average during the recent Victorian Healthcare Experience Survey.

A total of 92 people participated in the survey, which rated the care, communication, and support they received from the community health program.

RNH received a rating of 95.5% in the section “Overall, how would you rate the care you received from the service?”; slightly higher than the overall Victorian score of 93.4%.

The organisation also exceeded the state average in:

• “Did you feel that you were listened to and understood by staff?”: 85.7% compared to Victoria’s 84.2%.

• “Do you think using this Community Health Service has assisted you in being able to do the things that are important to you?”: 82.7%, compared to the Victorian rating of 78.1%

“Surveys are important and let us know how we’re going as an organisation,” CEO Jenni Masters said.

“We were pleased to record above the state average for these areas and will use the survey feedback to continue improving our services for the community to ensure they have access to the most suitable services for their needs,” she said.

Statement of Priorities signed

Our busy season seems to begin earlier each year!

A few weeks ago, CEO Jenni Masters and I went to Ballarat to sign the RNH Statement of Priorities (SoP).

We had a discussion lasting over an hour on several topics including aged care, community support packages, staff accommodation, and regional health promotion partnerships with a focus on mental health.

The SoP is the key accountability agreement between the State Government and Victorian publicly funded health, mental health and ambulance services, and is consistent with an organisation’s strategic plan and aligns to government policy directions and priorities.

Our Hopetoun housing project is now well under way with site preparation beginning last month, and completion on track for mid-2025.

I would like to thank all those involved with this project - hopefully we can attract a similar grant in the next funding round.

We are always looking for funding opportunities to provide staff housing in Warracknabeal, Beulah and Hopetoun. Finally, I would like to thank all team members for their dedication and hard work this year - we can’t quite shake off Covid, but we are managing it better and the outbreaks are shorter.

The RNH Board understands that there are still significant challenges to delivering quality health care for our community members and we thank you for your commitment in working to achieve this goal.

Dr John Aitken RNH Board Chair

Brian named Victorian Pharmacist of the Year

Find some peace this festive time

We seem to say it every year but hasn’t the year just flown by.

When I returned to the Wimmera in February, the region was battling catastrophic conditions and bushfires that hurt two of our communities.

It was a sign of what was a year brimming of major stories in our region – key issues of housing and childcare dominated much of the rural landscape.

But it wasn’t until midyear that Horsham Rural City Council started hitting the front page for all the wrong reasons.

The council saga leant itself to a series of stories – the failure to adopt a Budget on time; being referred to the Local Government Minister; the appointment of a municipal monitor; the resignation of its former chief executive; being reported to WorkSafe for allegedly providing an unsafe workplace; and former councillors outwardly criticising each other on numerous occasions.

It was a period of the council that many would rather forget – and our community deserved better.

Some said the timing of the local government election was perfect, and with a new council elected – all but one are first-time councillors – they have certainly a lot to prove to right the ship.

The big stories carried onto the second half of the year with the major projects across the region sparking increased opposition from many in our communities: proposed sand mines near Minyip and at Dooen; various renewable energy projects popping up in various locations across the region; and the Victoria-New South Wales Interconnector West project.

They’re projects that aren’t going away any-

EDITORIAL

By Lauren Henry

time soon, and are bound to be at the forefront of regional issues in 2025.

There were certainly some key stories in 2024 that unfortunately still linger – many were a concern when I lived in Horsham more than a decade ago – including some of the worst family violence rates in Victoria; the need for the Western Highway to be upgraded; and our region receiving bugger-all in the state and federal budgets.

And if the year wasn’t busy enough – the past two months has seen a flurry of stories that have put our region in the national news, including the proposal to ban many climbs at Mount Arapiles to protect Indigenous cultural heritage.

Despite it being a challenging time for many who have a head-on battle with individual proposals, and for many in our communities who face a bleak Christmas due to the rising costs of living, our wish is for everyone to find some comfort this Christmas time.

We hope the Christmas-New Year period can be a celebration with loved ones for all in our community – or a time to relax, get away and even enjoy an extra piece of plum pudding. May all our readers have a safe, healthy and merry Christmas, and we look forward to engaging with you all in 2025.

Realising a loved one needs to enter Aged Care is never easy and making that decision over the Christmas holidays can be especially emotional. Every family’s circumstances are unique. Seeking tailored financial advice prior to entry is the key to a smooth transition.

This Christmas, let our experts guide you with care and understanding. Dean Winfield and Richard Goudie are local trusted aged care advisors, they provide expert guidance on facility costs, Centrelink impacts, family home decisions and cashflow strategies. They’ll ensure your loved one’s best interests and needs are met with clarity and personalised support at every step. Contact us today to book your complimentary consultation.

DMD Christmas & New Year Trading Hours

Lauren Emblem

LL.B., B.A., GDLP M.App Law (Family Law)

Patrick Smith

Centre honours its member volunteers

Riding for the Disabled Horsham Centre announced a new life member and recognised 70 years of collective volunteer service with badge presentations at its end-of-year celebrations.

Riders were also presented with participation certificates.

Corrie Potter, who has given 20 years to the association, was made a life member, and Dot Frizon Memorial volunteer award recipient Margaret Howard was recognised for her 30 years’ service.

Liz Voigt, 15 years a volunteer, was awarded the inaugural Tina Pallot Memorial award for

outstanding service to the association, and Julie Monaghan was recognised for her five years.

At the presentation, president Jan Croser said the association’s volunteers reap just as many benefits as the riders.

“Our volunteers get the intrinsic rewards of seeing riders achieve their goals, and sometimes their life goals, not necessarily riding goals, but it’s equally important,” she said.

“We’re always looking for volunteers, people can visit our website or email rdahorsham@gmail. com for more information.”

– Bronwyn Hastings

Suspected toxic algae

Green Lake, southeast of Horsham, is closed to recreational use after potentially toxic blue-green algae was observed last week.

A Horsham Rural City Council spokesperson said samples of water from the lake had been taken for laboratory testing to confirm the species of algae.

In the meantime, authorities advice people who come into contact with the water to wash affected skin immediately in clean water. People are also advised not to use the affected water for cooking, drinking, washing or showering. Boiling the affected water will not make it safe to use.

Council staff will continue to monitor the lake for the presence of toxic algae, and update the status as required.

Waterway rules change

The council, in collaboration with Safe Transport Victoria, have reviewed and updated waterway rules at Green Lake.

Chief executive Craig Niemann said access lanes had been revised for safer vessel launching but the clockwise travel direction for boats had been maintained.

“We’ve created better buffer zones near the ramps and added a slalom course for skiers and simplified the rules based on community feedback,” he said.

“The clockwise direction of travel on the lake, albeit inconsistent with state rules, has been reviewed and deemed appropriate based on feedback from lake users as it avoids masters of recreational powerboats being unsighted by the location of the sun in relation to the access lanes. This has been formalised in the new rules.”

The changes accommodate motorised, wind-powered, and human-powered vessels, as well as swimmers, reducing conflicts.

Other improvements include renewed navigation aids. New signs were installed when the changes took effect on Friday.

Horsham Centre members and volunteers at the association’s annual awards day.

PERFECT PARTNERSHIP: Horsham Plaza partnered with Your Family Vet to raise money for rescue pets through its Santa Dog photographs. Customers paid a $20 booking fee, with the total of $1020 passed onto Lauren at Your Family Vet to distribute between Horsham Paws, Phoenix Animal Rescue and Catnap Kitten. It is the fourth year the partnership has existed between the plaza and the O’Callaghans Parade veterinary clinic. Pictured is Simon and Adele Rohde, with son Connor and dogs Hank and Stevie meeting Santa at Horsham Plaza.

Bowers Chiropractic Centre will close on Monday, December 23 at 1pm and Dr Pauline re-opens on Monday, January 6, 2025 at 1pm.

Wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to helping you in the New Year with your Chiropractic care and journey to better health.

Best wishes Pauline, Wally and the team

Dr. Pauline Walsh

RECOGNITION: Isabelle and Joanne Cuddy, front, with other Riding for the Disabled

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Warning for bushwalkers

Hikers and bushwalkers are being urged to take additional precautions after a spike in incidents requiring assistance from emergency services.

Grampians National Park is among several Victorian sites VICSES volunteers have performed high-profile search or rescue operations, including assisting paramedics with patient carryouts.

Mount Cole State Forest and Mount Langi Ghiran State Park are also wellknown hotspots, with several bushwalkers becoming injured on their descent.

In the Grampians, VICSES members are frequently dispatched to the Cool Chambers at the base of Pinnacle track, Bridal Veil Falls, and Mackenzie Falls.

Coinciding with an increase in tourism during summer, visitors to the features are urged to understand their limitations and avoid placing themselves or volunteer responders at risk.

For VICSES, each search requires about eight volunteers in three vehicles, for an average of four hours, amount-

ing to 32 hours of volunteer time per rescue. Assistance is also often required by Parks Victoria, Ambulance Victoria and Victoria Police Search and Rescue personnel.

Parks Victoria urges people to be well prepared and choose an appropriate hike for their abilities and the conditions, be aware of recent weather, and remember to pack food and water to consume during the activity.

Visitor guides on park-specific pages have maps and information about walking difficulty and estimated duration, based on the Australian Walking Track Grading System. They also include important and timely updates on park or track closures.

Hikers, bushwalkers and those planning to camp are also encouraged to stay informed and monitor emergency warnings through the VicEmergency app, website and hotline, 1800 226 226, and listen to emergency broadcasters such as radio stations and television news stations.

Pools, park contracts awarded

Management and operation contracts for Kaniva’s swimming pool and caravan park, and Edenhope’s swimming centre have been awarded to three separate contractors by West Wimmera Shire Council.

Opening dates for the pools are yet to be confirmed, arrangements in recruiting lifeguards and finalising all operational and safety measures are taking place.

Edenhope Swimming Centre will be operated by Nikiesha Pilgrim, Kaniva Poolside Caravan Park will be managed by Carters Dynamic Diggers – T and T Carter, and the Kaniva Memorial Swimming Pool contract has been awarded to Keith Pedler.

FESTIVE: Wimmera Filipino Australian Club celebrated Christmas and Year End with a community party at Horsham Town Hall earlier this month.

Pictured top is Maria Fitzpatrick, Mae Rosello, Sam Howard, Pam Labordo, Tere Moral, Josie Ponseco, Rubylyn McLey, Janeth Rebarbas, and Gwen Agustin. Left, Russ Mackley, Kobe Agustin, Jack Fitzpatrick, baby Liam Agustin held by Lander Rosello, Amara Agustin, Ruby-Rose Mackley, Rhian Mackley, top, Willow Agustin, Rossanna Mackley, Rylie Moral, Raj Moral and Rome Villafuerte. Pictures: KAREN REES

Season’s Greetings from the team at WIM Resource

PROJECT UPDATE

I am pleased to provide an update on the Avonbank Mine, outlining our next steps, our commitment to Community Benefits, the positive Environment Effects Statement (EES) decision, and highlighting our community partnerships over the past year.

The positive EES assessment marks a significant milestone for Avonbank’s development, it confirms that the environmental effects are acceptable, subject to the measures set out by the Minister. Avonbank will bring both change and opportunities to the region, and we continue to hear from local and regional businesses and individuals eager to understand opportunities that will arise from the mine.

POSITIVE ASSESSMENT OF EES

As recently announced, WIM has received a positive assessment of the Avonbank EES from the Victorian Planning Minister, the Honourable Sonya Kilkenny.

The positive Minister’s Assessment noted that on balance, the project has obvious merit and potential for significant economic benefits for the Wimmera Southern Mallee region and the State of Victoria. The environmental effects were assessed to be acceptable, subject to the measures set out by the Minister.

The EES process is the highest and most stringent level of environmental assessment in Victoria, and the Minister’s assessment represents a significant milestone for the Avonbank Project.

This favourable assessment not only marks a significant milestone for WIM but also aligns with the Victorian Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy by developing Victoria’s globally significant critical minerals endowment. A copy of our announcement can be viewed here

Producing Critical Minerals Required for a Green Economy

Avonbank will produce a range of critical minerals required for the future electrification of the global economy, as well as ceramics and paint pigment needed for everyday living. The mine will be a major supplier of zircon and titanium and minor by-products of rare earths. Click here to learn more.

Benefits for the State & Regional Economy

The mine will contribute significantly to the Victorian economy by creating and supporting nearly 1,000 FTE jobs. During operations, the project will inject $15 billion in gross revenue across a range of industries within the State and $3.5 billion in gross state product within the Wimmera Southern Mallee region. Click here to learn more.

Committed to the Community in Which We Operate

WIM has been an active business in the community for over a decade. It has a wide range of partnerships and sponsorships that reflect WIM’s steadfast commitment to being an active participant in the Wimmera Southern Mallee region. Click here to learn more.

The project represents a substantial investment in the region, delivering significant opportunities for local businesses and providing new business and employment opportunities for the region.

We are proud to launch the WIM in the Community Video Series, which showcases some of our community partnerships and demonstrates WIM’s strong commitment to working with the community. As a significant emerging local business, these partnerships reflect WIM’s core values and the positive impact we strive to achieve.

The impact of some of these initiatives is clear, and we are proud to be active members of this great community. We remain dedicated to supporting the region and contributing to its ongoing success.

Committed to Progressive Rehabilitation

WIM has committed to progressively rehabilitating the mined farmland back to its pre-mining land use within four years following disturbance.

The Avonbank demonstration trial, which was highlighted in the Victorian Government’s Critical Minerals Strategy Roadmap, has shown that farmland can be successfully rehabilitated back to a safe, stable and productive land use. Click here to learn more.

Job & Business Opportunities – For Regional Victorians

The Avonbank Project will generate a wide range of career and business opportunities.

WIM is committed to maximising the benefits for local businesses and people living in the Wimmera Southern Mallee region.

NEXT STEPS

While the positive EES assessment is a major step forward, it does not allow WIM to commence site construction or mining works yet.

WIM anticipates that the mine will most likely commence construction from 2026.

Secondary Approvals & Other Activities

A range of secondary approvals and other activities are required before construction and mining can commence.

WIM will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders as this process progresses. Some examples of the main activities planned for 2025 include:

♦ continued engagement with impacted landholders and other key stakeholders

♦ lodgement of the mining license application and work plan

♦ field-based pre-construction activities and surveys

♦ progression of engineering-related works.

AVONBANK PROJECT NEWSLETTER

WIM is firmly committed to bringing the Avonbank mine into production and will continue to engage with stakeholders, including impacted landholders, to ensure that the Wimmera Southern Mallee region and the State of Victoria realise this unique economic opportunity.

Michael Winternitz Director of Projects

Community Support Strategy

A Community Support Strategy (CSS) will be developed and implemented in consultation with relevant stakeholders as the mine is developed and brought into production.

The objective of the CSS will be to detail and fund community support programs that reflect the needs and aspirations of the local community and will cover the following themes:

♦ Education and Leadership: Education, training and youth development.

♦ Social Wellbeing and Health: Community health, sport and recreation, family, and youth support.

♦ Economic Participation: Local employment and local business development.

♦ Resource and Environmental Sustainability: Environment, water and land management.

Landholder Engagement

WIM will continue to engage with impacted landholders in the new year following the completion of harvest and the holiday period.

We acknowledge and empathise that the Avonbank EES has been a very long process spanning around five years. We completely understand and are respectful that landholders may have differing views about Avonbank.

WIM was very appreciative to have some landholders appear at the EES Panel Hearing to speak to their submission and those we have engaged with over the past decade, including those involved in the Avonbank Community Reference Group.

We understand and respect the importance of agriculture to the region. The Avonbank mine demonstration rehabilitation trials have demonstrated that mining and farming can coexist and that these two very important industries can work together for the betterment of the region.

We wish everyone the very best for the festive season and a happy 2025

AVONBANK PROJECT NEWSLETTER

ENGAGEMENT & PARTNERSHIPS

The past year has seen WIM continue to engage with various stakeholders and support numerous community partnerships. Our ‘WIM in the Community’ Video showcases the impact of our support in the community (Click here to watch or scan the QR code).

Swim with WIM – Murtoa Swimming Pool Family Day

IIn February, WIM supported the ’Swim with WIM’ free pool party and family day at the Murtoa Pool. Over 200 locals enjoyed free entry, a BBQ, drinks, and icy poles.

Wimmera Machinery Field Days

WIM continued its long-term participation in the Wimmera Machinery Field Days. The interactive stand attracted many visitors interested in WIM’s projects. WIM also sponsored the ‘Ag Ed Quest’ Schools program, engaging over 400 students from fourteen regional schools.

Wimmera Schools Science & Engineering Challenge

As part of our focus on STEM, WIM has a continuing partnership with the Science and Engineering Challenge at Longerenong, coordinated by the Rotary Club of Horsham East. Over 200 students from twelve regional schools participated in this educational event.

Western Victorian Careers Expo

As part of our focus on workforce development and careers, WIM continued its support and partnership with the Western Victorian Careers Expo at Longerenong, attracting over 1,000 secondary students and hundreds of other patrons, which is one of the largest careerfocused events in Victoria.

Defying the Drift – Rotary District 9780

WIM continues as the Gold Sponsor of Rotary District 9780’s Defying the Drift initiative. The program encourages young people to strengthen their connection to rural and regional Victoria, develop communication skills, and consider further study options and career pathways. This year’s three-day program saw over thirty Year 10 and 11 students engage in farm tours, agri-business showcases, and meetings with local rural industry leaders.

Fundraising for community initiatives and sports clubs is becoming increasingly difficult in what are tough financial times for many clubs and small businesses. WIM remains steadfast in our commitment to support the community in which we operate.

Mallee Machinery Field Days

WIM attended the Mallee Machinery Field Days with a large exhibit, engaging with the community and providing project information to a range of interested stakeholders.

Murtoa Big Weekend & Lake Market

WIM supported the Murtoa Big Weekend and the popular Lake Market on the shores of Lake Marma. The WIM stand attracted many visitors interested in discussing WIM’s projects.

Horsham Rockets

We yet again were pleased to support the Horsham Rockets, who achieved outstanding results at the 2024 Tri State Games held in Portland this November. The week-long event celebrates the talents of all-abilities athletes from across Victoria, New South Wales, and South Australia. The team’s success highlights the importance of inclusivity and community support in fostering opportunities for all athletes to thrive.

Wimmera Art Fair – Rotary Club of Horsham East

WIM supported the Wimmera Art Fair, partnering with the Rotary Club of Horsham East. The event, which showcased and sold works from local and regional artists, raised funds for the Wesley Centre venue upgrade.

WIM Christmas Stakeholder Hampers

As a long-standing tradition, we have again sent Christmas hampers to a range of stakeholders, sourced from the Wimmera Grain Store. This year the hampers are being put together with the fantastic team at Woodbine, Warracknabeal, which is a not-for-profit disability provider that has been established for over 70 years.

Horsham Christian Emergency Food Centre

For a second year running, WIM is proud to support the Horsham Christian Emergency Food Centre by helping provide Christmas hampers to over 500 local families in need

Wimmera Health Care Group Foundation

WIM sponsored some racing ducks to contribute to the Wimmera Health Care Group Foundation’s annual Duck Race fundraiser.

TEST PIT REHABILITATION - CROP UPDATE

Test Pit Rehabilitation Trials

The WIM test pit site is in its fourth year of rehabilitation after completing a demonstration test pit and pilot plant in 2019.

Our demonstration trials at Avonbank confirm that rehabilitation of farmland at the mine site can be achieved, demonstrating that mining at Avonbank can co-exist with farming.

Despite a very dry and challenging year for the test pit paddock, we successfully harvested lentils in November 2024. This marks the fourth successive crop grown at the site, following an excellent wheat crop in 2023.

You can explore more about our proposed rehabilitation for the Avonbank mine by visiting the Community Information section of our website or click here to learn more.

GET IN TOUCH

For project related enquiries please contact Michael Winternitz at mwinternitz@wimresource.com.au

If you would like WIM to provide a project overview to your club or organisation, please contact Murray Wilson, Stakeholder & Community Liaison Officer, by email at mwilson@wimresource.com.au or freecall 1800 959 298.

Community Information Hub and WIM Regional Office: 83 Firebrace Street Horsham VIC 3000

Follow us on Facebook @WIMResource for Avonbank Project updates or visit www.wimresource.com.au

WIM’s Murray Wilson with some of the 2024 Defying the Drift participants

Members of the Horsham Rockets Team show off their medals at WIM’s Community hub after the recent Tri State Games

2024 WIM hampers prepared by the team at Woodbine, Warracknabeal

Snapshots from the 2024 lentil harvest on the Avonbank test pit

Collect a box, fill it with items from our list and support families in need this Christmas.

Food Centre Donation Box

Thank you so much for your donation. For storage purposes it is important that we can close each box so please keep to the item sizes listed.

Note: No glass please

■ Canned Fruit, up to 825g

■ Canned Baked Beans, up to 420g

■ Canned Spaghetti, up to 420g

■ Canned Soup, up to 420g

■ Packet Soup (eg. Cuppa Soup), 60g

■ 2 Min Noodles , 360g

■ Pasta Sauce (plastic/cans/ pouches), 350-500g

■ Pasta (any dry variety, 500g

■ Sugar, 1kg

■ SR Flour, 1kg

■ Plain Flour, 1kg

■ Rice, 1kg

■ Cake mix, Packet

■ Breakfast Cereal - Weetbix or similar, 350g

■ Peanut Butter (plastic jars/ tubes), 500g

■ Vegemite (plastic jars/tubes), 150g

■ Tomato Sauce, plastic bottles

■ Tomato Paste (plastic/sachets), packet

■ Ready to eat non-perishable meals (eg. avoured rice/pasta/ noodles and sauce), sachets/ pouches

■ Co ee (cans or sachets – no glass), 100 or 200g

■ Black Tea (no avoured varieties please), assorted sizes

■ Sweet biscuits, 200-250g

■ Savoury biscuits, 200-250g

■ Jelly crystals, packet

■ Toothbrushes, single or multipack

■ Toothpaste, up to 200g

Feedback from landholders and the community is critical to shape the VNI West project

How landholders can influence the location of infrastructure proposed for their properties?

Since October, we have been reaching out to landholders and neighbours to discuss the 70m preferred easement for the new VNI West transmission line. We want to understand how best to minimise the impacts of the project on your farm, your business and your future plans – but we need your help.

TCV’s dedicated Landholder Liaisons are available to meet and listen to your feedback: you are best placed to tell us how we can design the transmission lines and locate the towers, so they will cause the least possible disruption to your property and business.

These are important discussions, and the best way to ensure that your voice is heard and considered in the final project design.

Talking to TCV does not indicate your support for the project or allow us to access your land - but your early feedback on proposed tower locations is essential. Discussions are also critical to ensuring you receive fair and reasonable compensation, that considers your unique circumstances.

Have your say on EES assessments

The Environment Effects Statement (EES) is Victoria’s most rigorous assessment of potential environmental impacts for major projects. As part of the EES, independent specialists are undertaking studies on the potential impacts of the project on the environment, agriculture and the community. Local input is critical to informing these studies, and we strongly encourage people to get involved.

Agricultural Impact Assessment – EES Study

The agricultural impact assessment chapter will assess the impacts of the project on farming during construction and operation. It will also look at opportunities to minimise these impacts.

You can complete a brief online survey via: surveymonkey.com/r/VNIWestAgImpact_L

Social Impact Assessment – EES Study

The social impact assessment chapter will identify and evaluate the potential impacts of the project on people. For a one-on-one discussion, please email jamie@ socialaspect.com.au with your name and contact details.

You can complete an online survey via: vniwest.mysocialpinpoint.com.au/vni-west-survey

Environment Effects Statement Draft Scoping Requirements

This is your opportunity to have your say on what you think should be considered in the EES. You can provide feedback to DTP on the draft scoping requirements through the government website Engage Victoria: engage.vic.gov.au/vni-west-environment-effects-statement-eesdraftscoping-requirements until Wednesday 18 December 2024.

This year has been a busy one for the VNI West project and we really appreciate the time taken by everyone to engage with us – we know we have been seeking your feedback on a lot of topics and we appreciate your patience and generosity in providing valuable insights.

Web: transmissionvictoria.com.au Free call: 1800 824 221

Email: enquiries@transmissionvictoria.com.au

Facebook: @TransmissionVictoria

Honours for long-serving supporters

Two long-serving East Grampians Health Service supporters were named Life Governors at the health service’s 29th annual general meeting this month.

David Hosking and Pieter Pretorius were both named Life Governors – the most prestigious recognition of commitment and dedication and the highest honour the health service bestows.

Mr Hosking is a long-serving member of both the East Grampians Health Service, EGHS, board and EGHS Building for the Future Foundation.

He commenced as a board director in 2005 and served for six years through to 2010, during which time he served as treasurer from 2007 to 2010.

In August 2010, Mr Hosking was appointed as a consumer representative on the inaugural board of the EGHS Building for the Future Foundation, and in 2011 he was appointed as chair of the foundation.

Under his leadership the money under management increased to more than $3-million, while the foundation allocated more than $700,000 in scholarships and capital projects.

“David has enjoyed his association with East Grampians Health Service over the years, both as a board director and as a trustee of the Building for the Future Foundation and said it has been incredibly rewarding, both personally and professionally,” EGHS board vice-chair Cameron Evans said.

“All the trustees are very proud of the assistance the foundation has been able to provide the health service since its inception, and David said being the chair of the foundation was very enjoyable and never a chore.

erosity of the people who have bequeathed funds to the foundation that enables the foundation to do what it does.”

Mr Evans described Dr Pretorius as an invaluable asset to the Ararat and east Grampians community since his arrival from South Africa in 2004.

“Dr Pretorius’ guiding principle has always been, ‘we are rural doctors trained in medicine; we are expected to provide care to our patients. We cannot be on call or fail to provide service’,” Mr Evans said.

“This commitment has driven him to ensure that high-quality healthcare is always accessible to his community, regardless of the personal sacrifices

Mr Evans said EGHS’ obstetrics service was at risk in April 2012 when it suddenly lost its full-time surgeon, compromising the hospital’s ability to provide caesarean sections and other essential surgical procedures and threatening to displace more than 100 deliveries per year to facilities 100 kilometres away in Horsham or Ballarat.

“Dr Pretorius rose to the challenge, stepping in to provide vital obstetric caesarean cover for the hospital,” Mr Evans said.

“For nearly a year, from April 2012 through to February 2013, he worked tirelessly, covering weekdays and weekends without breaks to maintain

“His unyielding dedication ensured that East Grampians Health Service could continue to provide critical maternity care, safeguarding a vital community resource.”

Mr Evans said Dr Pretorius was equally respected for his leadership in medical education, having played a role in training medical students from Monash, Melbourne, and Deakin universities and teaching third-year students at Stawell and Ararat, as well as Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, RACGP, and Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine, ACRRM, registrars and GP interns.

“As a supervisor and mentor, Dr Pre-

ing locally and internationally trained doctors toward their RACGP Fellowship, often going above and beyond by involving students in practical cases during nights and weekends to enhance their learning,” he said.

“For his unwavering service, leadership, and contributions to healthcare and medical education, Dr Pretorius is highly deserving of the Life Governorship award.

“His efforts have profoundly impacted the community, ensuring continued access to vital medical services while nurturing the next generation of

HIGH ACHIEVER: Dr Pieter Pretorius receives his Life Governor’s award from East Grampians Health Service chief executive Nick Bush.

REWARD: David Hosking receives his Life Governor’s award from East Grampians Health Service board director Megan Shea.

Choices Flooring Ararat

PREPARED: Warracknabeal Secondary College students are busy fundraising for a trip to Japan. The college has not scheduled a trip to Japan in about 10 years – staff members Jessica Boyd and Shaune Winsall, pictured, both participated in the trip as students in 2004. Students attending include, back row from left, Rubiee Crisp, Justyn Bourke-Viney, Ollie Holland, Eedie Rowe, Georgia Evans, Dan Inkster, Sheltah Beney, Annabel Kuipiers, Jorja Healy and Jaiden Cooksley, and front, Tyler Preston, Nathaniel Clark, Max Lewis, Amy Holland, Sully Magee and Tazmin Shugg.

Picture: BRONWYN HASTINGS

Students baking their way to Japan

BY BRONWYN HASTINGS

Warracknabeal

Secondary College year-eight students are fundraising for next year’s school trip – they are aiming at a target of $20,000 to subsidise their 12day trip to Japan.

Learning the language is part of the college’s curriculum, and the lived experience of the country’s culture will perpetually inform the students’ learnings.

Student Ollie Holland said they were raising money with initiatives from bake sales and meat trays to appealing to local groups for donations.

“We have a bake sale in the canteen each Friday, and we have written letters to different groups in the community asking for help,” he said.

Students also sold meat tray raffle tickets at Taylor’s Palace Hotel each Friday during November, part of the hotel’s community fundraising initiative.

“We’re looking forward to seeing some sumo wrestling, eating real Japanese sushi, and going to Universal Studios,” Ollie said.

“We have a bake sale in the canteen each Friday, and we have written letters to different groups in the community asking for help,”

– Ollie Holland

The group will fly into Tokyo, before ‘cityhopping’, staying at hotels and travelling by bul let train to other attractions such as Kyoto, Peace Park at Hiroshima, Geo Museum, and Osaka.

Jessica Boyd, who has taught Japanese at the college since 2021, said the students had planned several fundraising initiatives.

Students signed up for swimming lessons at Stawell Sports and Aquatic Centre can enjoy free entry to the pool throughout the summer holidays.

Students enrolled for lessons by January 16 will receive free entry for themselves and a parent or guardian until the end of January.

Participants will also receive free access to one of the centre’s intensive swim programs, from January 6 to 10 or January 20 to 24.

Northern Grampians Shire Mayor Karen Hyslop encouraged the region’s residents to make the most of the promotion.

“Despite winding up classes for the year, our centre staff are already deep in preparations for 2025,” she said.

“We welcome all new and returning parents to take up this offer. Swimming is a life skill. Learning to swim is not only vital for safety around the water and preventing drowning, it also has a range of physical and mental health benefits.

“Our swimming staff at Stawell Sports and Aquatic Centre are highly regarded and run an excellent program.”

Cr Hyslop said participants would be ‘in good

“These guys have put in a lot of groundwork,” she said.

“The cost of the trip for each student is roughly $5000, depending on the Yen.

“What we would really love to do is bring down the cost by $1000 for each family.

“That’s our ultimate goal – that’s $20,000 – it’s a huge amount to be fundraising.”

People or groups that would like to contribute to the trip can contact Warracknabeal Secondary College.

Free swim opportunities in Stawell

hands’, with Stawell Sports and Aquatic Centre named Life Saving Victoria’s Swim and Survive Partner of the Year for 2024.

“Not only are we extremely proud of our team and its achievements – so is the governing body for swimming lessons in Victoria,” Cr Hyslop said.

“We already have families taking up this fan tastic opportunity.

“Don’t miss out, give the team a call today for more information – and enjoy a summer in the pool, on us.”

The offer is available to direct debit members and conditions apply. Direct debit payments start on January 23 and term one classes begin the week of February 3.

People can call the centre on 5358 0550 for more information or to sign up.

Stawell Sports and Aquatic Centre has released its summer events calendar, which includes pool parties, a family fun day and intensive swimming lessons.

People can visit the centre’s Facebook page or website www.ngshire.vic.gov.au/Sports-Recreation-and-Leisure/Stawell-Sports-and-AquaticCentre for more information.

Council hits the ground running

The new Northern Grampians Shire Council has hit the ground running after being sworn in last month.

The current council has four first-time councillors – Justine Hide, Jack Blake, Jenny Greenberger and Karen Probst.

First-time mayor Karen Hyslop was elected to the council in 2022, while Cr Murray Emerson has served since 2012.

Cr Hyslop said councillors had undergone training during the past few weeks to help them perform their roles to the best of their abilities.

“We had our first council meeting in St Arnaud on Monday and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from each councillor, as they detailed how they had spent the past few weeks representing their community,” she said.

“We have a diverse group of councillors, with different backgrounds and experiences, but we are keen to work together to progress Northern Grampians Shire – that was evident to anyone who attended or tuned into our first council meeting.

“It has been wonderful to see a unified group, with all decisions made to date being unanimous.”

The council set its meeting dates for 2025. Meetings are generally on the first Monday of each month and the venue alternates between St Arnaud and Stawell.

The 2025 council meeting schedule is: February 3, 12.30pm, Stawell; March 3, 12.30pm, St Arnaud; April 7, 12.30pm, Stawell; May 5, 12.30pm, St Arnaud; June 2, 12.20pm, Stawell; June 30, budget adoption, 12.30pm, St Arnaud; July 7, 12.30pm, Stawell; August 4, 12.30pm, St Arnaud; September 1, 12.30pm, Stawell; October 6, 12.30pm, St Arnaud; November 10, 12.30pm, Stawell; November 10, statutory meeting, 6pm, Stawell; and December 1, 12.30pm, St Arnaud.

All council meetings are open to the pub-

lic, livestreamed and recorded on the council’s YouTube channel. People can visit www.ngshire. vic.gov.au for more information.

At last week’s meeting the council also appointed councillor and officer delegates for 2025. The committee representative delegates are –

Internal council committees: audit and risk committee, Cr Hyslop and Cr Probst; chief executive employment and remuneration committee, all councillors; Queen Mary Gardens Advisory Group, Cr Probst chair; St Arnaud Recreation Advisory Group, Cr Emerson chair and Cr Probst; Stawell Recreation Advisory Group, Cr Hyslop chair and Cr Blake; Stawell Aerodrome Advisory Committee, Cr Blake and Cr Greenberger; and Walkers Lake Advisory Group, Cr Probst chair and Cr Emerson.

External committees: Stawell Gift Event Management, Cr Emerson and Cr Hyslop; Stawell Harness Racing Club Community Grants Panel, Cr Greenberger; and Sunraysia Highway Improvement Committee, Cr Probst.

Memberships: Grampians Tourism Board Inc, chief executive Brent McAlister; Municipal Association of Victoria, Cr Emerson delegate and Cr Blake substitute; MAV board, Cr Emerson; Rail Freight Alliance, Cr Blake; Western Highway Action Committee, Cr Blake; and Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional Transport Group, Cr Blake.

Supported groups: Central Grampians Local Learning and Employment Network board of management, Cr Blake; North Central LLEN St Arnaud, Cr Probst; Great Western Futures Committee, Cr Hide; Halls Gap Residents and Ratepayers Association, Cr Hide; Lake Fyans Recreation Area Committee of Management, Cr Hide; Victorian Local Governance Association, all councillors; and St Arnaud Community Access Network, Cr Emerson and Cr Probst.

Pelvic health clinics open

Grampians Health has opened pelvic health physiotherapy clinics in Stawell and Horsham as part of efforts to provide best-practice treatment for a range of pelvic health conditions.

The clinics are part of the first phase of a women’s health clinic project that aims to improve access to specialist care for women across Victoria, and recognises pelvic health physiotherapy as a first line of treatment for many pelvic health conditions.

The pelvic health physiotherapy clinics will offer assessment and evidence-based care for conditions such as pelvic floor disorders, pelvic pain and post-partum care, and will be open to all women and gender-diverse people in the Grampians area.

Upon initial consultation, each patient will receive a holistic assessment, and physiotherapists can connect them with other services available at Grampians Health.

Grampians Health clinical director of women’s and children’s services Natasha Frawley said analysis of an Inquiry into Women’s Pain survey, launched by the State Government this year, revealed the impact that conditions such as endometriosis and pelvic pain could have on the daily lives of women and girls.

She said the clinics aimed to help patients manage and treat conditions that could affect quality of life but were often overlooked.

“By making such a service accessible in the region, we hope to help those dealing with such conditions by intervening early on and providing the right care closer to home,” Dr Frawley said.

The clinics, which are currently accepting referrals, will operate once a week in the ambulatory rehabilitation settings at Horsham and Stawell, and are led by grade-three physiotherapists.

Grampians Health officials encouraged women to schedule an appointment if they were experiencing symptoms that could benefit from pelvic health treatment, including pelvic pain, heavy bleeding, prolapse and incontinence, contraception and menopause services.

A clinic to address heavy menstrual bleeding launched in Ballarat and aims to improve access to specialised care for women experiencing abnormal periods.

To schedule an appointment or to send referrals to pelvic health physiotherapy clinics, people can call 5358 8601 for the Stawell clinic and 5381 9333 for the Horsham clinic.

Brooke Warrick shows a miniature model of a pelvis.

Joint report sets direction

BY LAUREN HENRY

A joint report from Federa-

tion University Australia and Women’s Health Grampians reveals Wimmera-southern Mallee region’s gendered violence rates are among the highest in the state and need to be addressed.

Horsham Rural City has the seventh highest number of reported incidents per 100,000 in the five years to June 2022, while the Northern Grampians Shire occupies 12th place.

The report, titled ‘It doesn’t happen here: The impact of rurality on a community’s readiness to address gendered violence’, found that Wimmera-southern Mallee communities do not clearly recognise non-physical forms of gendered violence, such as coercive control or technology facilitated abuse.

Federation University PhD candidate Jessie Duncan is the lead researcher on the report.

“A lot of these non-physical forms of violence are difficult to identify, even if it is happening to you, but we do know that both physical and non-physical forms of violence are happening here and happening frequently,” she said.

“We are good at having these important conversations.

“As a community we have talked about mental health and farmer wellbeing, and now we need to speak up about the gendered violence that is happening right in front of us.”

Non-physical forms of gendered vio-

“A lot of these non-physical forms of violence are difficult to identify, even if it is happening to you, but we do know that both physical and non-physical forms of violence are happening here and happening frequently”

– Jessie Duncan

lence include a range of behaviours, which control and impact a victimsurvivors well-being.

Ms Duncan said examples could include put-downs and verbal abuse, people not being able to access their own money or needing permission to spend money, being monitored on social media, or being told who they can or cannot socialise with.

Women’s Health Grampians are cosponsoring the research, and chief executive Marianne Hendron said the information revealed in the report would inform their work in prevention of gendered violence.

“Using the available evidence, our focus is to address the drivers of gendered violence, beyond individual behaviours, looking at the social context in which it occurs,” she said.

“This research will provide insights to help us tailor our programs and work with our partners across the Grampians towards a shift in the data and in promoting communities where gendered violence is not tolerated.”

IN THE RUNNING: Ryan and Sophie are in the running to win prizes as part of the BIG Summer Read, on now at Stawell and St Arnaud library branches.

Prizes on offer in summer reading challenge

Northern Grampians Libraries staff are inviting families with young children to help them spend their summer holidays reading, with potential prizes on offer.

Stawell and St Arnaud library branches are again participating in the BIG Summer Read, an annual reading challenge created by Public Libraries Victoria.

The challenge started on December 1 and runs until January 31, encompassing all public library services in Victoria, along with services in New South Wales, Tasmania and Queensland.

In 2023, more than 16,000 young readers read more than 220,000 books as part of the challenge.

Northern Grampians Shire Mayor Karen Hyslop encouraged families to sign up for the challenge by visiting Stawell or St Arnaud library branches.

The challenge is open to partici-

pants up to the age of 18, including independent and non-independent readers.

“What a wonderful way to encourage reading over the holidays,”

Cr Hyslop said.

“Research shows the wide-ranging benefits of being read to, so we are also encouraging parents or caregivers to sign up their little ones and read aloud to them over the summer.

“They or their parents simply log every book they read, that is read to them or is listened to as an audio book.

“Return your reading logs to go in the draw for some great prizes, including the major prize of a $50 gift card at each library.”

Cr Hyslop said Public Libraries Victoria developed the BIG Summer Read in response to research identifying a loss of literacy skills during summer months when chil-

Look and Play

Horsham Town Hall & Regional Art Gallery

dren were not regularly reading in school.

“According to Public Libraries Victoria, it is estimated that on average, children will lose the equivalent of two to three months of reading proficiency if they do not engage with reading across the holiday period,” she said.

“Public libraries are in a great position to help combat the summer slide and I’m pleased to see we have already had interest in the BIG Summer Read from people in our library community.”

More than a dozen families have signed up since the start of December, including challenge newcomers and returning participants.

People can visit www.ngshire. vic.gov.au/Residents/Library-services for more information about the Stawell and St Arnaud library branches.

MINIMISE YOUR DOWNTIME

Merry Christmas! Peace on earth, and goodwill to all – that’s how the Christmas message goes, and my goodness, do we need to hear it this Christmas season! It is hard to recall, let alone imagine, a time in the last 2000-plus years that the Middle East has been so lacking in peace, so torn apart, as it is today.

We may be safely 13,400 kilometres away, but the same seeds of malice are being sown in our community. I was heartbroken to have Jewish people in Mallee tell me they don’t feel safe due to open anti-Semitism in the Australian community. We must condemn it. The fire-bombing of a Melbourne synagogue must shock us into consciously rebuilding the civility we used to take for granted in our country.

Thankfully, the Christmas message sets out the template for us – vulnerability, forgiveness and generosity come to mind. It might shock you to know, for instance, that while I am a member of The Nationals representing Mallee, I have people I consider friends on the Labor

side of politics. I have been overjoyed by what Dr Mike Freelander (a Sydney MP and medical doctor) and I have achieved as co-chairs of several Parliamentary Friends groups, particularly advocating for children dying with incurable cancers. Much of what this government has done to provide access to medicines and potential cures owes to that spirit of bipartisanship, where MPs work across the aisle for the common good. We agree often. You might not see it in the evening news, in the white-knuckle debates we have over critical topics like energy that our future hinges on – and you certainly don’t see it in Question Time. Aged care reform and protecting children online are recent bipartisan moments for the common good or ‘common-wealth’ if you like.

The Christmas truce on the Western Front in 1914 saw carolling soldiers lay down their weapons and see the humanity in their opponents. Our children, grandchildren and - if we are honest with ourselves – we, too, need to experience more peace and kindness. And so I wish you a safe and peaceful Christmas.

Maree Markby, Jillian Roberts and Krystyna Wesolek.

Celebration of health staff

Grampians Health Horsham and Dimboola celebrated the dedication and commitment of staff and community members at a special ceremony honouring people with significant periods of service.

The organisation honoured about 154 staff members who completed 10 or more years of service in 2023 and 2024 at the event.

Grampians Health chief executive Dale Fraser, along with members of the executive team and Grampians Health board, visited Horsham for award presentations.

A highlight of the event was the recognition of Jenny Thomson, who completed a remarkable 50 years of service at Wimmera Base Hospital this year.

Mr Fraser said Ms Thomson’s unwavering commitment to excellence in patient care and her leadership in the operating suite had made her an invaluable asset during her time at Grampians Health Horsham.

Awards also went to Anne Launer, Helen Batty, Susan Burns, Helen Greig and Frank Marklew for completing 45 years or more of service, with Jillian

Roberts, Krystyna Wesolek, Maree Markby and Leonie Hoskins awarded for completing 40 years of service.

Mr Fraser presented the service awards and expressed admiration and gratitude on behalf of the organisation.

“These individuals have dedicated their lives to the care and health of others, which is already a noteworthy path,” he said.

“It takes a great deal of character to remain with one organisation, growing and adapting over many years.

“It’s a credit to these staff, but also to the culture they’ve helped create; our Horsham community is in experienced and capable hands.”

Grampians Health also presented Life Governor awards – an honour bestowed on staff members, volunteers, donors or consumer representatives who demonstrate outstanding commitment, dedication, and support to the organisation.

Receiving Life Governor awards were Dale Russell, a founding member of the Horsham branch of the Blue Ribbon Foundation; Ann Stevens, vice-president and long-serving member of the Wimmera Base Hospital Ladies Auxiliary and a volunteer with

Health.

their unwavering dedi-

and service

Hindmarsh opportunity

Community groups and non-profit organisations can apply for funding under Hindmarsh Shire Council’s second round of community action grants.

Three categories – event sponsorship, small equipment and community assistance – are designed to assist groups to host community events, purchase necessary equipment and carry out minor upgrades to facilities.

Application documents, guidelines and all other necessary information is available on council’s website and can be downloaded or completed online at www.hindmarsh.vic.gov.au/Applyfor-Grants.

Round two of the grants program is open until Friday, February 28 next year.

Junior market

A children’s interest-based Christmas market at Warracknabeal on Friday will feature food, facepainting, playdough-making and henna tattoo kits, plus a variety of junior stall holders.

The General Store’s market will host Savannah’s jewellery and bookmarks, Tarshie’s scrunchies, Milla’s charms and keyrings, Milo’s art, Esmae’s crochet and art, and Eedie’s jewellery at 60 Scott Street from 5pm.

Cash is required at all stalls; entry is $5 for adults and free of charge for children.

Luna ball success

Hindmarsh Shire Youth Council’s Luna ball event at Nhill attracted about 90 young people from across the shire – the last event for the current youth council.

Youth councillors organised catering, entertainment, transport, decorations and supervision, supported by local businesses and individuals, in a theme of blue, gold and white.

Young people are invited to be part of youth council next year, and can contact 5391 4444 or youth@ hindmarsh.vic.gov.au for more information.

the WHCG Friends of the Foundation; and staff members Maree Markby and Leonie Hoskins for their contributions to Grampians

Mr Fraser said Grampians Health extended its heartfelt thanks to all honourees for

cation

HONOURED: From left, Helen Greig, Helen Batty and Frank Marklew have contributed 45 years or more of service to the health service.

UNWAVERING COMMITMENT: Jenny Thomson, holding up a poster commemorating Wimmera Base Hospital’s milestone 150 years, was celebrated for 50 years of service at the hospital.

AWARDED: Recognised for 40 years of service were, from left, Leonie Hoskins,

Service delivers despite challenges

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Abreak-even financial result for 2023-24 and an expansion of services were key points at West Wimmera Health Service’s annual general meeting at Jeparit.

WWHS board president Katherine Colbert said despite challenges caused by the State Government’s Health Services Plan and other factors, WWHS was able to achieve operational excellence in the past year.

“I’m proud that we were able to ensure our financial obligations were met without compromising the service we provide,” she said.

“Thanks to our dedicated staff across all divisions and sites, we’ve been able to ensure our region remains a place where people can access quality healthcare close

“Thanks to our dedicated staff across all divisions and sites, we’ve been able to ensure our region remains a place where people can access quality healthcare close to home”

– Katherine Colbert

to home.” Chief executive Ritchie Dodds said additional services the WWHS delivered in 2023-24 were created to ensure Wimmera residents had access to quality health care.

“We’ve taken big steps in expanding our service offering, including taking over the running of Commonwealth Home Support Packages across the Hindmarsh Shire, and have made good progress across our capital projects

such as the Rupanyup Nursing Home redevelopment and Nhill operating theatre and general infrastructure upgrades across all of our facilities,” he said.

“We’ve kept the ball rolling this year with the opening of an outside-school-hours care service, which provides more flexibility to our workforce, and we’re on track to take over the delivery of maternal and child health services across the Yarriambiack Shire, plus the possibility of resuming general surgery in Nhill in 2025.”

Mr Dodds thanked and commended all involved with WWHS during the 2023-2024 financial year.

People can view the full WWHS 2023-24 annual report online at www.wwhs.net.au/publications.

RE-ELECTED: Robert White was re-elected to the positions of Natimuk

Band president and musical director at the group’s annual general meeting. It is White’s 35th consecutive year as musical director. He said the band would play Christmas music at Natimuk’s nursing home for residents and members of the public from 6pm on Sunday.

Stawell chaplaincy goes into recess

A volunteer chaplaincy group that has supported Stawell’s secondary, primary and specialist schools across three decades has gone into temporary recess.

Stawell Chaplaincy Support Group members moved the motion at last month’s meeting, where long-standing members Karen Peacock, Robyn Anyo, and Jenny Dunn announced their resignations from the group.

The group began with a vision to provide students at Stawell Secondary School with a supportive presence, and has organised fundraising events, community outreach and fostered partnerships with local organisations to sustain the program.

Chaplains were integral to the communities of Stawell’s secondary school, primary school, west primary school and Skene Street Specialist School, offering support not only to students, but also to staff and families.

Brass

GRATEFUL: Retiring support group members Robyn Anyon, Jenny Dunn and Karen Peacock with KorusConnect’s Adrian Irwin.

RECOGNITION: Karen Peacock receives an award from Adrian Irwin, KorusConnect senior community manager of the north western region for her 30 years of support of chaplaincy.

When the festive crescendo ends...

The days leading to Christmas, holidays and celebrations are exciting, frenetic times. They’re a whirl of parties and social engagements, gifts and food to be purchased and travel arranged.

The rush to get things organised builds into a great festive crescendo then … well, it’s over.

If you’ve ever awoken on New Year’s Day feeling a tad flat, you’re not alone.

Don’t beat yourself up; the post-Christmas blues is a well-documented condition.

After the sparkle and colour of festivity, the hamster-wheel banality of real life seems pale and unappealing.

Worse, the weather is hot, the kids are bored and fractious, and taking decorations down is never as much fun as putting them up.

Then the bills arrive. The despondency you’re feeling is real, in fact, in a 2015 study by the National Alliance on Mental Illness – a US based mental health organisation – 64 per cent of people surveyed admitted to feelings of depression and anxiety after Christmas.

Symptoms include fatigue, tension, frustration, sadness and a sense of loss.

If you’re nodding while reading this, the good news is there are steps you can take to reduce the physical, emotional and financial impact of the post-Christmas blues. Following are some ideas. Exercise – exercise every day, even a walk around the block, and if you have people staying over get up early and take time out for yourself.

Get plenty of sleep – stick to a normal bedtime routine and ensure you don’t burn yourself out. Eat and drink in moderation – it’s not called the silly season for nothing. Moderation means enjoying yourself without overdoing it.

Maybe try these two simple guidelines:

• Never go to a party on an empty stomach.

FINANCE focus

with Robert Goudie CFP GradDipFP

Consortium Private Wealth

• Learn to love mineral water. If you feel pressured to drink alcohol, take mineral water and a slice of lime, over ice, in a spirits glass. They’ll never know the difference.

Gift buying and holiday arranging is exciting, and it’s easy to lose track of how much you’ve spent. We have 12 months lead time so planning ahead is your best strategy.

Consider these ideas: List who you’re buying for and set a spending limit; shop throughout the year at sales events; avoid credit cards and buynow pay-later schemes; make gifts, like baked goods, knitted items, potted plants; surprisingly, some banks still offer Christmas Club savings accounts. Check them out and put aside a small, manageable sum each pay.

If your credit card has taken a beating, speak to your adviser about a debt reduction plan. They’ll help you get back on track, and then structure a budget for the next year.

The December-January period can be difficult for many reasons. If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed, don’t soldier-on. Organisations like Lifeline Australia, 13 11 14, or Beyond Blue, 1300 22 46 36, are only a phone call away. Alternatively, if it’s a relaxing chat you’re looking for, why not ask a friend over for coffee? It may be just what they need too.

• The information in this article is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice.

DIGGING DEEP: Stawell Community Garden has purchased three new wicking garden beds, assisted by a Northern Grampians Shire Council community grant. Garden group members invite people to join the monthly working bees, quarterly meetings and social pizza meals, and can contact 0428 865 365 or visit the Stawell Community Garden Facebook page for more information.

Call for urgent corella control

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy is again calling on the State Government to take urgent action to control corella numbers.

Ms Kealy said despite the release of Labor’s long-awaited corella management strategy in June 2023, reports of corella damage to local community infrastructure continued.

Concerns include damage to native trees, swimming pool shade sails, bowling greens, holes in football grounds potentially causing human injury, and excessive noise, particularly in the early morning and evenings.

Ms Kealy said Lowan residents, sporting clubs

and councils were understandably increasingly frustrated in their efforts to respond to this escalating and expensive problem.

“My constituents are demanding that urgent action is taken,” she said.

“Despite the minister’s assurance that Labor’s corella management strategy will address this ongoing issue, little appears to have changed since its release over 12 months ago.

“Labor needs to act immediately to ensure the disruptive, damaging and expensive impacts of corellas across Lowan are addressed and I will not rest until appropriate action is taken.”

With music all day, summery

It’s not too

2024 END OF SCHOOL

Celebrating region’s top achievers

BY BRONWYN HASTINGS

Year 12 graduate Rebekah Wundke is among almost 62,000 school-leavers weighing up tertiary and career options following Thursday’s release of Victorian Certificate of Education results.

A student of Horsham’s Holy Trinity Lutheran College, Rebekah was announced Dux, she received an ATAR of 99, with a perfect study score of 50 in biology.

Rebekah plans to study speech pathology at Adelaide.

College acting principal Jason Przibilla said the score was a great result for both Rebekah and the school.

“Rebekah has put in a lot of hard work over the course of the year, she definitely deserves it,” he said.

“Now is a great time to celebrate all our students’ achievements – we tailor schooling to suit the student and from year 11 we ensure they find a pathway and we work to get them there.

“We celebrate the students who get the 99 just as much as those who get an apprenticeship, or find employment, or pursue an area of study that they want to get to.

“For some students the ATAR is vitally important and something that they do need as part of their next step, and for others, it’s just a little step along the way.”

Horsham College’s Lucy Scott topped her class with 95.8, after studying English, psychology, legal studies, general maths, and health and human development, where she achieved a study score of 48, putting her in the top one per cent of the state.

Lucy said the result was ‘a bit of a shock’.

“I’m very happy, and very surprised

as well. The plan for next year is to head over to Adelaide to do a Bachelor of Business and stay at a residential college,” she said.

“I’m very excited to have a fresh start and explore what my next chapter will bring.”

Horsham’s St Brigid’s College student Sean McDonald, one of 25 graduating VCE students, achieved a score

of 89.5, and plans to take a gap year before studying civil engineering at Monash University.

Ararat Marian College student William Edgar, who scored 93.75, will also take a year off, and would like to study engineering at Monash.

Warracknabeal Secondary College’s Ava Koschitzke, with a score of 91.95, has applied to study biomedi-

cine at Melbourne University. Stawell Secondary College Dux Tayla Field achieved 70.95 and aims to study biomedical science at Deakin University. Milly Keilar is Ararat College’s Dux and Jake Brady the vocational major Dux.

Edenhope College announced Mollie Reid the Dux, and Dimboola Memorial Secondary College student Jaidyn Scott top-scored his class. Jaidyn scored 80.9, after aiming to achieve a score of 80, and is looking to undertake a double degree in law and psychology next year.

Continued page 39

HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN COLLEGE: VCE Dux Rebekah Wundke and VCE Proxime Accessit Cameron Brito-Mutunayagam.

HORSHAM COLLEGE: Lucy Scott, front right, is Horsham College Dux, pictured with high-achievers, from back left, Jessica Flett, Emily Preston and Anika Watson, middle, Arkie Ellis, Sienna Walsgott, Hannah Weir and Rory Motton; and front, Olivia Koenig and Mikayla Seymour. Pictures: PAUL CARRACHER

ST BRIGID’S COLLEGE: Sean McDonald, front left, is St Brigid’s College Dux. Sean is pictured with highachievers, from left, Tom Sostheim, Danielle Laurie, Indilly Penny, Tom Luke, Scarlett Munday-Terry, Jorja Clode, Jarrah Martin, Ulani Hobbs and Keely Elliot.

Warracknabeal Secondary College Dux Ava Koschitzke

2024 END OF SCHOOL

New faces enjoying new places

BY BRONWYN HASTINGS

Prospective prep students visited Horsham Primary School’s 298 campus during last week’s state-wide transition day to experience their new-year learning spaces.

Teacher Britt Bacon said the 60 transitioning students would fill three classrooms.

“We’ve just had two grades in the past, but this past year we had three, and we’ve got three again,” she said.

“We have lots of siblings of existing students starting, but we also have a lot of new families, which is good. And some of them, I’ve taught their parents, which is a bit crazy.”

Ms Bacon said the students, feeding in from the town’s kindergartens, have visited the school several times during the transition process.

“Students came for half an hour with their kindergarten group, then the last transition we combined a couple of kindergartens,” she said.

“State-wide transition day gives them a full morning in the classroom they’ll be in, with the teacher they will have next year.”

Ms Bacon said the students would learn through traditional reading, writing and maths programs, as well as a play-based learning curriculum.

“We do developmental curriculum as part of their program, which will be really good because that’s not too different from kinder,” she said.

During transition day, the kindergarten students met current grade four students

“The grade fours made their buddies a little gift and wrote a personalised letter to them, telling them things like how excited they were to meet them, and that they’ll have a wonderful time at school,” Ms Bacon said.

The buddy system pairs prep and grade five students, giving the new students a point of contact and a familiar face in the playground.

“Next year the buddies will come and eat with the preps at recess and lunch. We wean them off as the year goes on, but at the start it’s almost every day,” Ms Bacon said.

“Today we had a little girl upset because her kindergarten friend is in a different classroom, so having a buddy gives her her own special person.

“Another good thing to help the preps get to know each other is if the grade five buddies are friends, then they will play

SPECIAL MEETING: Horsham Primary School

2025 prep and grade five buddies Gizem Askar and Heba Rahman. Pictures: BRONWYN HASTINGS

together, and the little kids get to know each other more.”

During the morning, the kindergarten students participated in a developmental curriculum session, and made countdown calendars, featuring a task or activity to do each day in the lead-up to the new school year.

“They drew a picture of themselves on the activity calendar, which has things like do a job for someone, listen to a story, give someone a hug and say I love you, count as high as you can, find five yellow things, practise putting on your shoes,” Ms Bacon said.

The students, among about 440 in the

Work

BIG DAY: Horsham Primary School buddies Mabel Roberts and Bella Walker during last week’s transition day.

END OF SCHOOL

The

Providing a future focused Christian education from Foundation to Year 12

Rebekah

2024 END OF SCHOOL Emily off on exchange

BY BRONWYN HASTINGS

Year

nine Horsham student

Emily Hutchinson is counting down the days until she departs Australia for a year in Germany.

The 15-year-old leaves for Netherlands-bordering Geldern on January 18 in a Horsham East Rotary Club-sponsored exchange.

“As soon as I found out where I was going, I jumped on Google Earth and started ‘walking around’, seeing what the houses looked like and where I might stay,” she said.

Emily has been to opposite ends of Australia, but the exchange will be her first overseas trip.

“I went to Tasmania when I was a little kid, and I’ve been to Queensland and Darwin,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to the adventure – getting to see more of the world and doing exciting things, and learning a new language as well.”

Emily learnt German at Horsham College after learning Auslan at primary school, and has had private lessons in the language.

“Heidi Holtkamp has been tutoring me. She was born and raised in Germany, and was a German teacher,” Emily said.

As well as living as a typical German teen, attending school and staying with a family, Emily will tour Europe.

“The tour starts in Paris and ends in Prague, and I will go to places like Vienna and Nice,” she said.

“Rotary exchange students from all over the world, who are staying in the

region, will come together and do the tour as a group.

“I’m looking forward to meeting the other kids who are over there. I know there’s someone from Columbia – Carlos – who will be leaving soon after I arrive, but that’s the timing of it from different places, I’ll make friends and they’ll leave, but more will come over.”

Expecting to stay with three or four families during the exchange, Emily said she would attend the one school during the year, and visit Rotary clubs around Geldern.

“I will present at the clubs, telling them about myself, Horsham and Australia,” she said.

“I have practised here at the Rotary

and Lions clubs. When I present in Germany, I will do it in English, but hopefully by the end I’ll be doing it in German.”

Days after arriving in Germany, Emily’s family will take her to a football – soccer – game.

“I think as soon as I get there they’re going to stick a football beanie on me and tell me which team to go for – I think they are famous teams, but I don’t know who they are yet,” Emily said.

Emily will miss a full Australian school year, but because she has studied in Horsham College’s accelerated learning program, will be able to enter year 11 when she returns in 2026.

Celebration of students

From page 35

Victoria’s overall VCE completion rate was 97.4 per cent; 13.3 per cent of those were vocational major students.

General achievement tests showed 95 per cent of students met the standards in reading, 98 per cent in writing, and 93 per cent in numeracy.

Reflecting on the year, Lucy said she was strategic in her approach to exams.

“I tried to do every subject each day in small increments, and I tried to do an essay a day for English, if not a full exam in the morning,” she said.

“I would really focus on studying in the times that you have your exam because my legal studies and health ones were both at 3pm, the time of day I like to switch off because it’s the end of the school day.”

Lucy advised next year’s VCE

students to find life balance.

“Try to enjoy it as much as you can – it’s a very tough year, but there’s also a lot of exciting things that happen,” she said.

“Try and enjoy it all, do it all. I found I didn’t burn myself out because I didn’t put all my focus into one area of my life.

“Work is important, and socialising and doing outside activities is also important.”

While many students are celebrating achieving their goals, some may find they need to take alternate pathways to desired outcomes.

Students can speak with their teachers, or visit websites such as www.vic.gov. au/students-mental-healthtoolkit and au.reachout. com/challenges-and-coping/ coping/how-to-deal-withdisappointment.

“Facta non Verba”

GERMANY AWAITS: Emily Hutchinson will leave for Germany next month, where she will spend a year with host families as part of a Horsham East Rotary Club exchange. Picture: BRONWYN HASTINGS

Stawell Secondary College Dux Tayla Field Ararat Marian College Dux William Edgar

WELCOME:

Education support staff member

Amanda Waters and literacy leader and teacher Lisa Ward with students, back, from left, Tiffany Skinner, Dylan Sevenich, Trevor GollanKennedy and Jacob Reed, and front, Elinor Choe, Sophie James and Robbie Muller.

Picture: BRONWYN HASTINGS

END OF SCHOOL

New chapter for school

Horsham Special School is using a $7000 Dymocks Children’s Charities library regeneration program grant and school funds to establish a library for its students.

The indigenous-themed space will feature books of all children’s genres, from multicultural to social and emotional learning, and picture books.

Originally applying to the charity for $5000, teacher Lisa Ward said the school was pleased with the additional funding.

“We have been able to get a lot of variety in the library,” she said.

“The kids have loved it, they’re really

happy, and they have helped with everything in the set-up – covering books, barcoding, transportation, everything.”

Students will be able to visit the library and read, or borrow books to take home.

Principal Ben Tait said the library would help give the school’s 110 students a love of reading.

“It’s fantastic to be able to put books in the hands of the young people, to inspire them to enjoy and love reading, as many, many students do,” he said.

“We were probably missing that little bit of the picture in not having a library, not having books on show to celebrate

with our youngsters, the same as many other mainstream schools do.”

Mr Tait said the school council supported the furnishing of the library.

“The school council helping make the library into a wonderful place to visit, and Dymocks supporting us in buying books, has enabled us to create a space which is all about the love of reading, which is really important and a great addition to the learning programs that we have here,” he said.

Dymocks Children’s Charities provides new books to disadvantaged children across Australia, last year supporting 39,160 children with 70,092 books.

new prep students

Under teacher Ros

will undertake structured learning to meet their individual goals in the areas of numeracy, literacy, communication, and personal and social capability. They will also enjoy sensory-based play, extracurricular activities and one-on-one intervention lessons such as speech therapy. Horsham Special School students travel to the school from across the area, as well as Nhill, Dimboola, Kaniva, Goroke, Edenhope and Serviceton. Students learn using a range of communication, community and curriculum resources tailored to their goals. The school’s enrolment is currently about 110, with students up to the age of 18 years.

Picture: BRONWYN HASTINGS

NEW FACES: Isabella Niblett-Bye and Raine Kilpatrick, pictured, are among seven

to start at Horsham Special School next year.

Gregor, children

I will miss having the one teacher. I am looking forward to seeing my friends from other schools.

Ss Michael and John’s

I will miss my friends and the subjects we do. I am looking forward to the canteen and more subjects.

Ss

and

I will miss the way we learn. I am looking forward to the new things I can do.

I will

and

I will miss how simple it is and my friends from year five. I am looking forward to catching up with current year sevens.

having

I will miss my year five friends and the teachers. I am looking forward to different classes and annoying my sister again.

I will miss most of my friends and teachers. I am looking forward to more activities at secondary school.

I will miss my teachers, I have had great teachers all the way through. I am looking forward to new subjects.

Chelsea Elliott Mercedes Paech

Jagger Smith

Ella Schultz

Horsham Primary School

Cruz Sudholz

Sophie Sparke

Michael

John’s

Abby Brassington Horsham Primary School

miss

the one teacher

the year fives. I am looking forward to seeing the current year sevens.

Will Barnett Horsham Primary School

Sierra Henderson Dimboola Primary School

Artie Avery Dimboola Primary School

Cooper Rentsch

Ss Michael and John’s

Adele Tucker Horsham Primary School

I will miss being the oldest at school. I am looking forward to seeing my friends from other schools.

Sophie Liersch Dimboola Primary School

I will miss my friends and the school camp, but I will see my other friends at secondary school.

END OF SCHOOL

Congratulations Class of 2024

our College community for your support throughout 2024. We look forward to continung our commitment in 2025. See you next year!

Want to know more about enrolment, Open Day, scholarships, or something else?

Scan the QR Code to leave an enquiry and we will be in touch!

At St Brigid’s College, we o er a range of fee relief options to ensure a quality St Brigid’s College education is a orded to all families. At St Brigid’s, we are guided by our motto of ‘Strength & Kindliness’. Every child is known, valued and respected, with a strong sense of belonging.

Edenhope College is committed to providing an exceptional education for young people.

We strive to support our students to prepare for their future challenges and adventures through a holistic approach to our teaching and learning programs. We not only focus on our students’ academic aspirations, but we also aim to develop their social, physical and emotional selves through a broad range of opportunities both in and out of the classroom.

We dare our young people to be curious, to explore the unknown and to discover their hidden talents. Our students are exposed to a broad range of academic and hands-on learning opportunities including our dynamic agricultural program from F-12. Students participate in an extensive array of co-curricular and learning activities throughout the day.

We have a strong wellbeing team and programs to support and empower students, giving them voice and meeting their wellbeing and engagement needs.

Edenhope College offers small class sizes and personalised learning programs that cater to the needs of the individual. For a small school, we punch above our weight with opportunities and outcomes.

We encourage and nurture student agency and voice, with involvement in programs such as School for Student Leadership and the Rural Youth Ambassadors Program.

Entertainers Mixed Pack – Great Northern Ginger Beer, Cougar and Bourbon, Hard Rated, Great Northern Super Crisp, Balter Cerveza, 10 pack

Johnnie

Smirnoff

Gordon’s Nucoo, Jim Beam

Positive end to turbulent season

Wail farmer Jeremy Barber finished harvest last week, ending a turbulent season. A late start, patchy late rain and hailstorms gave producers mixed results across the region. Mr Barber, in his scepter wheat crop, said his harvest met his average. Story, page 51.

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

DMD Christmas & New Year Trading Hours

Jennie Mitchell

Brad Jackson Damon Bryce

David Puls

Karl Meyer

Heidi Lang

Marlu

Natalie Krause

Harvest a surprise packet

BY BRONWYN HASTINGS

Farmers across the state have produced a ‘surprising’ average harvest for the year, following winter-long doubt and adversity in a late break, hailstorms and frosts.

Warracknabeal farmer Richard Wilken said there seemed to be more in the paddocks than first thought.

“In general, and considering the amount of rain we’ve had, people are quietly surprised,” he said.

“There are certainly some quite reasonable areas, some average areas, and some below-average areas – and frost has been an issue in some of the low-lying areas, which has proven to be a little bit disappointing.”

Mr Wilken is among those finishing harvest before Christmas – Wail’s Jeremy Barber finished last week, and was also pleasantly surprised by his harvest’s result.

“It’s probably about average, but it’s a lot better than we thought it was going to be,” he said.

“We’ve had some pretty poor crops, but some crops have been outstanding. This last crop, scepter wheat, is fantastic.

“I can’t really say yet what it’s yielding, but I’m really happy with it.”

Mr Barber, who also owns land at Jeparit, said he found the rain to be patchy between his two properties.

“Some areas got a lot more than others – I got 100 millimetres more here at Wail than I did up there,” he said.

Taking a broader view, GrainCorp national operations manager Jason Shanley said Queensland had a ‘dream weather run’ with no

major rain delays until the end of the season.

“Looking to the far north, our Goondiwindi cluster alone took over a million tonnes, it was a very solid harvest up there, we are very happy with the result,” he said.

Mr Shanley said northern New South Wales had a bumper harvest, while the south of the state had been more of a ‘mixed bag’.

“They are still going in some areas, but SFW1 is the prominent grade we’re going with from a downgrade perspective, which is

more marketable than FED1,” he said.

“There’s still plenty of demand domestically and on the export front, and we’re seeing plenty of milling grade out there as well.”

Mr Shanley said the Wimmera had been the ‘surprise packet’, particularly following the weather events late in the season.

“A lot of the Wimmera escaped the really large downpours, and we are still seeing quality hold on a bit better in that region,” he said.

“There’s still a fair bit to come

Free guide supporting mental health

The Victorian Farmers Federation Making our Farms Safer Project is aiming to tackle the scourge of mental health in rural communities by launching the new ‘Harvesting Change’ handbook for farmers.

VFF vice-president and chair of the Making our Farmers Safer committee Danyel Cucinotta said the free handbook was available to all Victorian farmers and offered practical mental health tips, information and advice critical to saving lives.

“It’s a sobering reality that nearly half of Australian farmers say they have recently felt depressed, with almost two thirds of them experiencing anxiety,” she said.

“Almost half of Australian farmers have had thoughts of self-harm or suicide. That is absolutely devastating and this handbook is a great first step towards giving farming communities the support and resources they need.”

Ms Cucinotta said the much-needed handbook filled a hole within the industry.

“It has been written by farmers and industry

experts for farmers and our communities, while keeping front of mind the unique challenges that we face,” she said.

“It is available to all Victorian farmers and stands alone as the only fit-for-purpose mental health guidebook made specifically for farmers and rural Victorians.

“Mental health doesn’t just impact those suffering directly. It’s a huge issue for families and the community as a whole. This handbook is made for those people in mind and acts as a tool to begin those important conversations.”

The handbook has been created as part of the VFF Making Our Farms Safer project, a free farm safety education and support service for Victorian farmers, funded by Agriculture Victoria.

People can find the project on all social media platforms and download a free copy of the handbook at www.makingourfarmssafer.org.au.

• If you or anyone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Mixed views on new code

Nationals leader David Littleproud has hit out at the Federal Government for failing to support farmers by addressing supermarket prices.

In the final parliamentary sitting day of the year on November 28, the government passed a bundle of more than 30 bills including the Treasury Laws Amendment (Fairer for Families and Farmers and Other Measures) Bill 2024.

The new legislation will see the national Food and Grocery Code of Conduct made mandatory for supermarket chains, as well as introducing stiffer penalties for supermarkets that break the code.

Under the new bill, supermarkets found to be in violation of the code can be fined an amount up to the greater of $10 million; three times the value of the benefit gained from the contravening conduct; or 10 per cent of turnover in the preceding 12 months.

While the government hailed the new legislation as introducing ‘the highest corporate penalties under any industry code’, Mr Littleproud said it failed to go far enough.

“Labor has treated our families and farmers with disdain and contempt,” he said.

“Labor hasn’t given the critical issue of supermarket price gouging and its impact on families and farmers the respect it deserves.

“Labor is out of touch and has shoved the legislation in with a bunch of other issues and acted as if it is simply business as usual. It will not do one thing to fix supermarket prices.”

Mr Littleproud accused the government of failing to consult with farmers before introducing the legislation.

off, but the Wimmera, Mallee and Central Victoria are still running pretty strongly.

“It’s definitely picked up pace with a couple of hot days, and hopefully a few clear days ahead will see most growers get their crops off before Christmas.

“Everyone is pretty happy to see this decent weather so they can get a decent run at it.”

Mr Shanley said growers further south, in the Hamilton and Westmere areas, would likely finish harvest early January.

But National Farmers’ Federation president and Murra Warra farmer David Jochinke said he saw the bill as a step in the right direction.

“While we do not always agree on everything, it is important to acknowledge those areas where the government has made positive steps on behalf of farmers,” Mr Jochinke said.

“There’s still more work to be done to ensure the code better addresses power and negotiating imbalances that exist between growers and supply chain participants in the horticulture sector.

“We also want to see growers from the greenlife sector protected under the code. This sector is dominated by one retailer, Bunnings, who has a market share of around 70 per cent.”

ON TRACK: Warracknabeal farmer Richard Wilken, centre, with Anthony Wilken, left, and Hayden Crow, are on track to have harvest wrapped up before Christmas.

Research findings ‘encouraging’

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Grain growers are optimistic that findings from researchers at Horsham SmartFarm could yield a key to improving fallingnumber test results in wheat crops.

A falling-number test measures the level of sprout damage in grain crops, with a result rendered in seconds.

Agriculture Victoria crop-quality research leader Cass Walker said a falling-number result of more than 300 seconds generally indicated sound grain, while grains that recorded less than 300 seconds could be downgraded to feed quality.

Dr Walker led research into the effect of different storage methods on falling-number values in grain, and found encouraging results for weather-damaged wheat crops.

“We took part of the grain from replicated experiments where there had been weather damage or rainfall at harvest,” she said.

“Then we stored it at a range of temperatures and took samples over time and did falling number tests throughout the experiment.

“We found that temperatures above 25 degrees could increase falling number results by up to 50 seconds after about a four-to-six-month period.

“Avoiding the grain becoming mouldy is really the key. It’s all about low moisture.

“You really need to get the moisture down in the grain before you put it in the storage system, so you may need to dehydrate the grain or harvest it when the moisture is low in the field.

“Keep an eye on the moisture and make sure it’s at least below 12 per cent moisture, and low humidity in your storage is really important.”

While she recognised the results were encouraging, Dr Walker said more research was needed.

She said testing in a silo environment was yet to be completed and that the promising results achieved with wheat had not translated to barley.

“These are preliminary lab results

that we found that we felt were so important for growers, particularly at the current harvest. We have not assessed this in a silo system, yet,” she said.

“What we found was that anything that was below about 250 seconds did not move in falling number value with storage, so unfortunately if you have that lower value I think the damage in the grain is too much and you can’t recover that falling number value.

“I don’t know the reason the results do not work in barley either. It’s very curious.”

But while Dr Walker acknowledged more testing was required, industry body GrainGrowers expressed cau-

LEADERS: Cass Walker, left, and Pankaj Maharjan from Agriculture

Victoria Research Crop Quality team.

to be confirmed in on-farm storage conditions.

“The fact that the researchers temper expectations is understandable given the many variables that can occur in on-farm storage.”

Grains Research and Development Corporation, GRDC, grain storage extension team lead Chris Warrick said the results were encouraging but called for growers to exercise caution.

“We are sharing these early results to give growers the opportunity to decide if they want to try storing wheat that doesn’t quite make the 300 second falling number test and see if it improves with storage,” he said.

tious optimism. GrainGrowers chief executive Shona Gawel said with recent rain across Australia, the research results were encouraging and offered affected growers an opportunity to avoid downgrading their crops.

“If the right storage can help wheat maintain its quality, the returns of $50-150 a tonne would be welcomed by rain-affected growers,” she said.

“As with all work of this nature, growers should obtain advice and seek out the latest information to consider how it applies to their individual situation.

“While the findings are certainly positive, they are preliminary and yet

“We certainly don’t want to create an expectation that these results will be replicated in all conditions, there are still many variables and influences we need to understand through further research.”

Mr Warrick said growers should also prioritise safe grain-storage practices, including regular monitoring of grain temperature and moisture, and using a sieve and probe traps to detect insects.

“It would be counterproductive if we chase an increase in falling number at the expense of letting grain go mouldy or become damaged from insect pests such as weevils,” he said.

“We aim to cool grain immediately after harvest to maintain seed viability, preserve grain colour, prevent mould, and deter insects.”

VFF reminder: Farming is forever

BY LAUREN HENRY

The Victorian Farmers Federation, VFF, has welcomed the State Government recognising agribusiness as a priority sector to boost the state’s productivity, but says a clear strategy to protect important agricultural land is required.

In response to the Economic Growth Statement released last week, VFF president Emma Germano said a balanced approach to land use between competing priority sectors of the economy needed to be taken.

Ms Germano said the VFF had been consistent in calling on the government to implement a clear and robust strategy to identify and protect strategic agricultural land from inappropriate development.

“The acknowledgment that agribusiness is a priority for the state’s economic growth and competitiveness is very welcome and builds off the VFF’s conversations with government,” she said.

“Cutting red tape to drive productivity is a key focus for the VFF and we have already made it a priority for our policy work next year. It is positive to see the Victorian government has this shared commitment.

“While the statement recognises agribusiness as a priority, it overlooks the inherent conflict between agricultural land use and the demands of other priority sectors, such as critical minerals and renewable energy development.”

Ms Germano said the statement was ‘very heavy on seeing mining and renewable energy development’, on top of land Victorian farmers produced food for Australia and the world.

“Victoria produces 30 per cent of the nation’s food from just 1.5 per cent of Australia’s land mass,” she said.

“We are a huge economic contributor and can do more if we commit to protecting our most valuable agriculture farmland.

“Agricultural land is a finite resource, and the government must prioritise its long-term viability in any strategy aimed at growing the state’s economy.

“At the end of the day, solar panels and wind turbines have an end of life, and mines get filled in. Farming is forever.”

Statement

The State Government launched its new Economic Growth Statement last week, where Premier Jacinta Allan, Minister for Jobs and Industry Natalie Hutchins, and Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny visited a Dulux facto-

“However, the Economic Growth Statement is missing one key strategy that is required to protect and strengthen Victoria’s food and fibre production.

ry in Melbourne’s north to announce a 10-year plan to deliver 6000 hectares of more industrial land.

The Economic Growth Statement includes plans to establish a new investment coordinator-general next year in a bid to ensure agencies, regulators and statutory authorities meet all required approvals deadlines for major projects of state significance. It will also aim to reduce delays and enhance accountability across government departments and agencies.

As part of the statement, the government also announced plans to change the process for obtaining an Environ-

mental Effects Statement, EES, targeting an assessment review of no longer than 18 months.

Ms Kilkenny said the government planned to speed up the process through sharper assessment scopes, better use of environmental reports, more support for applicants, and speeding up the public engagement process by facilitating online engagement and more focused public inquiries and engagement phases.

“We’re making sure our processes are more efficient and giving business greater certainty, while maintaining our strong protections for the environ-

ment and managing project impacts,” she said.

As part of the statement, the government also released a Critical Minerals Roadmap document, which features a map showing three mineral sand mines in the Wimmera – Donald Mineral Sands near Minyip; Avonbank at Dooen; and WIM150, 20 kilometres south-east of Horsham.

The 36-page document also says the government will also convene an advisory group comprising industry, academics, and other stakeholders to advise on the establishment of a critical minerals downstream industry in regional Victoria.

Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the demand for materials used in renewable energy infrastructure was growing, with rare earth elements used in the construction of wind turbines, rechargeable batteries and electric vehicles a focus of the government as it strives towards netzero emissions by 2045.

“Victoria is home to the rare minerals that we need to make things like solar panels – which is why we’re backing this incredibly important sector,” she said.

To read the roadmap, visit https:// resources.vic.gov.au/geologyexploration/industry-investment/ key-resource-opportunities/VictorianCritical-Minerals-Roadmap.

VISIT: Premier Jacinta Allan, right, and Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio in the Wimmera last month. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

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Too little, too late, too much

Firstit was too little, then it was too late, and finally too much.

That would be rain of course. While New South Wales and Queensland are rejoicing at bumper crops, Victoria and the Riverina grain growers are counting their losses.

Thankfully the golden oil, canola, was largely harvested before the heavy rain. The big losses have been wheat crops.

Quambatook grain grower Brett Hosking – yes, that guy who is standing for presidency of the VFF to be announced December 20 – had harvested less than a third of his wheat crop before the skies opened.

The dreaded falling numbers told the story. Sixty-seven seconds. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s the moisture test for grain done at receiver sites and anything below 200 is downgraded to feed grain.

In the past month, most of Victoria and the Riverina have had more than 50 millimetres of rain, with more northern areas up to 200 millimetres, although much of the Wimmera had less than 25.

Not only was grain downgraded, but farmers couldn’t get their harvesters back onto crops due to bogging.

Agronomist and grain grower Scott Berger of Barham told Country Today one Sunday towards the end of November, it rained solidly for more than 24 hours.

“Sometimes you get this sort of rain, and if the sun comes out and you get some windy sort of weather, things can dry out pretty quick and it’s

Country Today

with Libby Price

not so much of problem … but, a big rain like that and it starts getting sticky, you could get it shot and sprung and then you’ve got the falling numbers test,” he said.

Research at Horsham SmartFarm funded by Grains Research and Development Corporation shows wheat can be dried and stored and the falling numbers improve to be above 300, that is, no longer feed quality.

For some growers this research presents an opportunity to avoid a significant price discount on weather damaged grain.

Country Today spoke to Cass Walker, Ag Victoria’s crop quality research leader at the SmartFarm. The key is that the falling numbers need to be above 250 seconds.

“Temperatures above 25 degrees could increase falling number results by up to 50 seconds after about a four to six month period,” she said. The trial was done in a laboratory, so how it would work in a grain silo is the next step. Plus there’s the problem of getting rid of the moisture.

“You have to get the moisture down in the grain before you put it in the storage system, so you might have to dehydrate the grain or harvest when moisture levels are low, keeping it at least below 12 percent moisture,” Ms Walker said. So not a silver bullet, but watch this space. For more information visit groundcover.grdc.com.au.

Green drought effects lingering

Farmers in Victoria’s southwest and southern Wimmera are still feeling the effects of their green drought, despite November being their wettest month of the year.

Pigeon Ponds lamb producer Tim Leeming told ACE Radio’s Country Today program that it was too late for many farmers, who had ‘hayed off from the spring’ but there were still some pockets of the region that were quite green.

“We’re still half green, our perennial grasses are going to get a really good benefit from this rain, but our clover and annual grasses were already hayed off,” he said.

“A number of producers would have some summer crops in, like we have, so we’ve got some summer feeding such as plantain and rapeseed and things like that back at the end of August.

“We’ve already been grazing those, and obviously this November rain is super beneficial for them.

“We’ll grow a really good amount of seed from this rain and then later top seeds such as planto, and again rye grasses, polaris and things like that –that are perennial plants – will get a real kick from this added moisture.”

Mr Leeming said after July lambing was a ‘breeze’ due to a mild winter.

“We had very little very high wind

chill weather, so the conditions were quite mild and our pasture growth was really good because we weren’t hydrated,” he said.

“We didn’t have any saturated soils obviously, we’ve only really had half our normal average rainfall for the year, so it was mild and from July through August and September, the lambing conditions were terrific. So that was a real blessing.

“It was just that April, May, June, was super, super tough for a lot of producers landing in there at that time.”

Mr Leeming said the November rain had been beneficial for soil profile.

“It’s a double edged sword. Often there’ll be some frustrated croppers who are trying to get a start to harvest and that really can be difficult for them and especially with humidity and things like that, getting back onto those paddocks, so that’ll be frustrating for them,” he said.

“But from a grazing point of view, there’s also a detriment of getting a late rain or a summer rain because it can really reduce the digestibility of all that dry feed.

“So normally when dry feed sort of hays off, it still maintains reasonable quality leading up until January generally, but when you get a big significant rainfall event, it actually reduces the digestibility significantly.

“So that’s the downside, but I’m

DOUBLE EDGED SWORD: Pigeon Ponds lamb producer Tim Leeming said November rain had been beneficial for soil profile.

pretty sure most farmers will be pretty happy.”

Mr Leeming said farmers had begun sowing crops such as sorghum to put in summer feed.

Drought help offered Farmers in drought-affected areas can register for a free consultation with a farm advisor, delivered as part of the State Government’s $13.53-million drought support package.

The one-on-one consultations are in addition to existing supports, including technical resources, workshops and field days available to farmers in the south-west.

Agriculture Victoria director Kate Linden said the program offered eligible farmers the opportunity to sit down with a consultant to discuss the best way forward for their business in the current season.

“Decision-making in times of stress,

such as when you’re dealing with the daily challenge of drought, can be overwhelming,” she said.

“Taking time to step back, take stock and talk through what you need to do for the next few months can help relieve some of the pressures and feelings of being overwhelmed.

“This might involve developing feed and water budgets to assess questions as: ‘How much feed and water have I got left?’, ‘How much is my stock going to need?’ and ‘What am I going to do if the two don’t line up?’

“Putting plans in place and acting early can make a big difference to your mental load and potentially financial bottom line – buying more hay now straight out of the paddock, moving stock off the property to agistment or selling more stock might be required.”

Interested farmers can register their expression of interest with Agriculture Victoria, and can nominate an advisor they would prefer to work with either on farm or off.

A follow-up one-hour phone consultation, after the initial face-to-face planning session, is also available.

For more information or to register an expression of interest in the program people can visit agriculture.vic. gov.au/dryseasons, phone 136 186 or email drought.support@agriculture. vic.gov.au.

all POLY REPAIRS & WELDING

Superannuation tax plan shelved

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

The National Farmers’ Federation, NFF, and federal opposition are celebrating after the Federal Government shelved a plan to increase tax on superannuation balances above $3-million.

The government deferred legislation to increase the tax on superannuation assets above $3-million from 15 per cent to 30 per cent, with the bill likely lacking the support required to pass parliament.

The bill remains in the senate, but political pundits believe the government is unlikely to try to pass it before next year’s federal election.

NFF president and Murra Warra farmer David Jochinke said the federation had repeatedly raised concerns about the potential impact of the tax on farming families in Australia.

“Thousands of farms across Australia are held in self-managed superannuation funds so they can be leased to the next generation, providing both retirement income and an opportunity for the next generation to take over the business,” he said.

Mr Jochinke said University of Adelaide modelling showed more than 3500 self-managed super funds, SMSFs, holding farming land would be impacted as soon as the tax was implemented, with more affected thereafter.

He said small-business owners would also be impacted, with more than 13,000 SMSFs holding business real property such as small business assets.

“The farm sector is particularly worried the taxation of unrealised gains may force primary producers to sell their farm just to pay off their new tax bill,” Mr Jochinke said.

“This tax spells disaster for the hardworking Aussie families who set up these funds in good faith, to give the next generation a leg up.

“We know farming and small businesses are the backbone of the Australian economy.”

Member for Mallee Anne Webster said the plan would have hurt farming communities, with many families having set up SMSFs as their future retirement and savings.

“Labor refused to rule out forcing farmers to pay tax on the unrealised capital gains of a farm in a SMSF, even if farmers have a bad season with no income,” she said.

“Time and again Labor acts like feudal lords, treating farmers like peasants who don’t really own their assets.

“They entice corporate raiders to take slices of the farm for transmission lines, energy or mining projects, or they eye off the farm nest egg farmers have set aside for tough seasons.”

Haystack fires prompt warning

Two separate haystack fires in different parts of the state have destroyed about 1700 bales, prompting Country Fire Authority to remind producers to monitor the conditions of stored hay.

A fire in Coonooer West, near Donald, claimed 1200 bales, a hayshed and several pieces of machinery, while a fire in Naring, near Numurkah, saw another 500 bales destroyed.

Haystack fires are often caused by spontaneous combustion when hay is baled with excess moisture, and combined with the compact nature of hay bales, can create internal heat, leading to ignition.

CFA District 16 assistant chief fire officer Stephen Alcock said the incidents served as a reminder for farmers to closely monitor their haystacks.

STILL IN FRONT!

“These fires demonstrate the devastating impact haystack fires can have,” he said.

“Once a fire starts, it spreads rapidly through the bales, making it extremely challenging to contain. High-moisture levels in hay, often from baling too early in the day when it’s dewy or after rain, are a major contributor to spontaneous combustion.”

Mr Alcock also stressed the dangers of storing machinery with hay bales.

“Storing machinery with hay bales is a recipe for disaster. If a fire starts in the haystack, it can quickly spread to nearby machinery, which can halt important farming operations until new equipment arrives,” he said.

“The safest option is to store hay in a separate area away from equipment and other buildings.”

Mr Alcock said haystack fires could spread to neighbouring farms and require extensive emergency services resources.

“Regular monitoring and proper storage can turn what might have been a major issue into something manageable,” he said.

To prevent combustion, producers should ensure hay is well-cured before baling; know the history of purchased hay; keep haystacks to a limited size and separate haystacks; monitor moisture and temperature; monitor for unusual odours; store hay in separate stacks or sheds away from equipment and buildings; cover stacks to keep dry; and don’t stack hay to the top of a shed.

For more information, people can visit CFA’s website for advice on haystack safety.

Safeguard your agribusiness

BY HUGO LE CLERC, ASSOCIATE, HARWOOD ANDREWS

Awell drafted set of terms and conditions is an important way to protect your agribusiness, manage risk, clarify expectations upfront, avoid misunderstandings and build trust with customers.

Terms and conditions define the rights and obligations of each party to a transaction and are often the starting point if something goes wrong. They can capture the nature of goods or services supplied, payment and delivery terms, dispute resolution mechanisms and warranties.

Generic off-the-shelf templates usually fail to address the risk, market and operational considerations for most businesses.

Terms and conditions should be tailored to the business, with clear and precise language to avoid ambiguity. For example, if your agribusiness is supplying goods, it is critical to clarify when title and risk in the goods pass from your business to a buyer.

Appropriate retention of title and security clauses are particularly important.

Without clear agreed terms upfront, misunderstandings can arise, leading to disputes regarding what terms were implied based on the parties’ conduct and correspondence.

Changes to Australia’s unfair contract terms regime under the Australian Consumer Law in November 2023 make it unlawful to rely

on unfair contract terms in standard form ‘take it or leave it’ contracts with individuals or small business.

If you transact with individuals or small businesses – less than 100 employees or $10-million turnover – your business is likely caught by the unfair contract terms, UCT, regime; a significant expansion of the class of small business that can rely on the UCT protections.

Terms may be unfair if they cause a significant imbalance in the rights or obligations of the parties, aren’t reasonably necessary to protect the legitimate interests of your business and would cause financial or other harm to the other party if enforced. Examples include terms that allow your business, but not the customer, to end the contract or unilaterally vary the contract terms.

Outdated terms and conditions that do not account for the UCT regime may expose your business to unnecessary risk.

For businesses that rely on non-negotiable standard form contracts, for example purchase order terms, on a regular basis, engaging a legal professional to review your terms and conditions is essential.

By investing in a tailored set of terms and conditions, you can safeguard your agribusiness, mitigate risk, ensure compliance with the legislative requirements and provide certainty for your customers.

ON THE JOB: Longerenong College students are learning in the field this harvest, gaining hands-on industry experience in blended apprenticeship and traineeship programs. Students are doing harvest assessments, including moisture testing and machinery checks, while gaining their Certificates III and IV in Agriculture. The college offers training blocks to students who are working or studying at school. Pictured are, clockwise from left, Mackinnon Rogers, left, 2024 Advanced Diploma of Agribusiness Management, and Ashby Rogers, 2024 Certificate III in Agriculture, Apprentice, at Wood Wood; Victoria; Tara Dunsmuir, 2024 Certificate III in Agriculture Apprentice, at Kalkee; Josh Tyas, 2024 Certificate III in Agriculture Apprentice, at Kaniva.

Potential wet, hot summer awaits

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Ahotter and wetter-than-average summer could be in the offing for Victoria, with both potential opportunities and drawbacks for the agriculture sector in 2025.

Agriculture Victoria seasonal-risk agronomist Dale Grey said recent wet weather had come too late for many growers across the Wimmera and Mallee, but that it could bode well for the following season.

“Ironically we’ve been looking for that for much of the season, and it’s come right at the end of the season, which for the croppers is no joy whatsoever,” he said.

“There has been plenty of rainfall in a lot of areas, both in the Mallee and in the north-east, where they had over 100 millimetres in a 15-day period, which has made things very wet.

“Unsurprisingly soil-moisture probes in those areas have gone up.

“A lot of those Mallee areas have now risen up to 75 or 80 per cent soil moisture, which is no joy for the current time, but if even half of that moisture can be saved for next year, it’s augering well in terms of stored soil moisture.

“Moisture probes in the south-west are essentially unchanged or are still going down. There hasn’t been as much rainfall south of the divide, but

what has fallen has been useful. In Hamilton I’m hearing a lot of reports that there’s a lot of hay on the ground – more than normal – so the fact that there has been enough pasture to cut for hay is a good sign.”

Mr Grey said waters north of Australia, including the Indian Ocean, Timor Sea and Coral Sea, were hotter than average, with the Timor Sea experiencing record-high temperatures.

“There’s no shortage of moisture to the north of us and if we can manage to get some sort of triggering mechanism, such as low pressures or the fronts coming through … now there’s a process for those wetter predictions potentially coming through,” he said.

“What’s interesting is that while we have no La Nina and we have no negative Indian Ocean dipole in terms of the ocean, the atmosphere above those seas to the north-east and north-west of us are behaving La Nina-like.”

In addition to the potential for a wet summer, Mr Grey said it was likely to be hot.

“We had an incredibly warm November. It was three to four degrees warmer in the eastern half of the state and two to three degrees warmer in the western half of the state every day of November,” he said.

“Whether the summer will be extremely hot is debatable at the moment. It’s certainly predicted to be

Ultimate Harvest EXPERIENCE

“A lot of those Mallee areas have now risen up to 75 or 80 per cent soil moisture, which is no joy for the current time, but if even half of that moisture can be saved for next year, it’s augering well in terms of stored soil moisture”

– Dale Grey, left

warmer, and I think that’s extremely likely with the fact that the oceans around Australia are well and truly warmer than normal and helping to pre-heat the air mass before it gets here by one or two degrees.”

Rural Bank senior manager industry affairs Neil Burgess said high rainfall in 2025, if it eventuated, was likely a positive sign for Australian growers.

“We’ve got two key drivers for Australian agriculture – consumer demand and the essential rainfall. Both are looking positive as we start moving into the first half of 2025,” he said.

But Mr Burgess said a volatile geopolitical environment could present unforeseen hazards to exporters.

“We have seen China lifting tariffs on wine and barley. Generally on the whole, our trading relationships with China are on the improve,” he said.

“We’ve still got the issues with Ukraine and Russia, there are difficult conditions in the Middle East, and then of course we’ve got the change of administration in the US with the incoming president Donald Trump.

“There is a lot of rhetoric, but it’s always a case of wait and see, and I guess we just have to expect the unexpected.

“Once Trump does come into office we will deal with whatever is placed in front of us, but it’s fair to say Australia has a good trading relationship with the US, particularly our beef exports, so hopefully that will be taken into consideration.”

Mr Burgess said while the croppers had endured a difficult season in 2024, the overall outlook was far from disastrous.

“There have been those drier conditions and the frost events,” he said.

“But in saying that, while Victoria has gone through a bit of a tough time, the numbers overall are still looking like Victoria is going to have some surplus crops to fulfil export obligations.

“There is a lift in beef production and we are seeing strong export demands, particularly from the US. This is giving more of a positive outlook.”

The Uniting Family Services team wish

pUZZLEs

Fill in the blank cells using numbers from 1 to 9. Each number can only appear once in each row, column and 3x3 block.

Quick Workout

Fit the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 into the hexagons so that where the hexagons touch, the numbers will be the same. No number is repeated in any hexagon.

Fit the given numbers into the hexagons so that where the hexagons touch, the numbers will be the same No number is repeated in any hexagon

© bmpuzzles Distributed by Knight Features

On This Day

From The Weekly Advertiser archives: December 18, 2004 –Jodie Mathews and her children William and Nadia Netherway are pictured outside their Dollar Avenue home, which won first prize in the Horsham Christmas City Lights competition. Almost 100 people entered their homes in the competition, which were judged on colour, overall theme, variety and symmetry.

10 years ago: December 23, 2014

Planning for a new $2-million children’s centre in Nhill was set to enter a more detailed stage after key consultation meetings with industry professionals and the community. The centre would be alongside Nhill’s P-12 College and provide 55 kindergarten places, daycare, maternal child health nurse, intervention services, playgroups and a toy library.

Five years ago: December 18, 2019

Warracknabeal Special Development School received a new bus from Variety the Children’s Charity, enabling students to extend their learning beyond the classroom with excursions. Principal Peter Clayton said the school’s 40 students were limited in their outings, having to walk a four-kilometre round trip to the town’s centre, which was not possible in adverse weather.

One year ago: December 20, 2023

Grampians Tourism hosted its biggest industry forum at Pomonal Estate Winery under the theme Investing in our Future, with more than 70 industry partners and stakeholders from across the Wimmera, Grampians and southern Mallee attending. Tourism, Sport and Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos inspected the new accommodation development at Pomonal Estate with Adam and Pep Atchinson, and heard about GROW Grampians Getaway, a new $24-million resort development, from Josephina McDonald.

TaKE a BrEaK

1. Born on this day in 1963, was which American actor, most famous for his movie roles in 12 Monkeys, Fight Club, and a mention in Shania Twain’s hit song ‘That Don’t Impress Me Much’, released in 1997?

2. Which national Christmas tradition and charity fundraising events started in Australia in 1937?

3. How many different species of dog are there worldwide –600, 800 or 1000?

4. To what year did Tchaikovsky dedicate a famous overture?

5. In Greek Mythology, who is considered the father of Greek drama?

6. Which former Mrs Michael Jackson married musician Michael Lockwood in 2006?

7. Which actor and musician, famous for television roles in Five Bedrooms and Jack Irish, also voices ‘Bandit’ in Bluey, and was part of band Custard?

8. Which author wrote biographies about Princess Diana, Tom Cruise and Monica Lewinsky?

9. Which animal has the longest gestation period?

10. According to international time zones, how many hours does it take Santa to deliver presents around the world –11, 21, 31 or 41?

5. Thespis – he was the world’s first known actor, and the origin of theatre term ‘thespian’. 6. Lisa-Marie Presley. 7. David -Mc Cormack. 8. Andrew Morton. 9. The elephant – an average of 22 months. 10. 31 hours.

Answers: 1. Brad Pitt. 2. Carols by Candlelight. 3. 800. 4. 1812.

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The publisher and general manager is Brendan O’Loughlin, C/- 2 Stawell Road, Horsham,

FOR THE WEEK DECEMBER 21 TO DECEMBER 27

ARIES (March 21 - April 20)

Lucky Colour: Blue; Lucky Day: Monday; Racing Numbers: 3.5.1.6; Lotto Numbers: 5.9.20.21.25.34

If you promise more than you can deliver, it could cause problems in your personal relationships. Be sure to give extra care to loved ones who rely on your help during this time. Small gestures can make a significant difference in maintaining harmony.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 20)

Lucky Colour: Aqua; Lucky Day: Wednesday; Racing Numbers: 5.3.2.7; Lotto Numbers: 6.10.18.20.22.25

Money matters may require more caution. Think twice before making any large purchases or financial commitments during this period. You may feel let down by someone you’ve relied on, but try not to let it impact your future decisions.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 21)

Lucky Colour: Orange; Lucky Day: Friday; Racing Numbers: 8.3.2.6; Lotto Numbers: 1.17.20.26.33.38

Legal documents or contracts should be carefully reviewed by an expert before signing. Domestic issues may surface, but it’s best to resolve these matters before making any final decisions. Clarity will come once the dust settles.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22)

Lucky Colour: Ochre; Lucky Day: Monday; Racing Numbers: 6.4.8.6; Lotto Numbers: 1.17.20.26.33.38

A better time for business and finances is ahead, with opportunities to increase your income. Surround yourself with positive influences and avoid those who might bring you down with their negativity.

LEO (July 23 - August 22)

Lucky Colour: Lavender Blue; Lucky Day: Tuesday; Racing Numbers: 9.1.2.3; Lotto Numbers: 8.13.20.22.26.31

This is a time to work harder to get your way with someone special. Pay close attention to health concerns and investigate any ongoing issues now. Romance is likely to be rewarding during this period.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 23)

Lucky Colour: Peppermint Green; Lucky Day: Thursday; Racing Numbers: 8.3.5.4; Lotto Numbers: 7.14.21.28.33.35

A friend may play a key role in bringing about changes to your routine. If you’re reconsidering decisions, ensure you thoroughly check all the details before moving forward.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23)

Lucky Colour: Rose Pink; Lucky Day: Monday; Racing Numbers: 8.1.4.3; Lotto Numbers: 6.11.20.26.36.41

Let people know how you feel during this period. There may be mechanical or technological issues that could cause delays, so be prepared. Clear communication will help avoid misunderstandings.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22)

Lucky Colour: Olive Green; Lucky Day: Sunday; Racing Numbers: 4.3.2.4; Lotto Numbers: 10.18.22.24.34.40

Now is an ideal time for mixing business with pleasure. You’ll likely see results from your past efforts. Make sure that all important information reaches the right people to maximise your gains.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 20)

Lucky Colour: Flame Red; Lucky Day: Friday; Racing Numbers: 4.2.9.6; Lotto Numbers: 7.16.19.23.41.44

Someone or something from your past may re-enter your life, disrupting your routine. Travel plans could be delayed or require further planning. Stay flexible, and things will fall into place.

CAPRICORN (December 21 - January 19)

Lucky Colour: Navy Blue; Lucky Day: Wednesday; Racing Numbers: 9.5.7.3; Lotto Numbers: 10.19.26.31.39.43

Good opportunities are on the horizon. Keep an eye out for an offer you can’t refuse. More work may come your way, but it will lead to personal and professional gains.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 19)

Lucky Colour: Primrose; Lucky Day: Saturday; Racing Numbers: 4.3.2.8; Lotto Numbers: 17.20.28.30.36.42

Avoid pushing too hard to get your way. A softer approach will yield better results, and you’ll find that others are more receptive. Your talents will shine if you remain patient and strategic.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20)

Lucky Colour: Khaki; Lucky Day: Monday; Racing Numbers: 6.9.3.1; Lotto Numbers: 6.11.20.25.30.36

New hobbies and interests may take up a lot of your time, but be careful not to neglect your existing responsibilities. Maintaining balance between your old and new activities will bring you the most success.

SHOP AT THESE PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES

Acacia Caravan Park

Allan & Trev’s Workwear

Ararat Auto & Ag

Ararat RSL

BJs Furniture and Bedding & Beds R Us

Cafe Chickpea

Cellarbrations Superstore

Centre for Participation

Cooks Of Horsham

Cosmetic Concreting

Curtains by Robyn and Abbey

DMD Horsham & Nhill

Dollar Curtains & Blinds Ararat

Dooen Hotel

Elite Podiatry Centre

Farrers Tyrepower

Forty Winks Horsham

Grampians Office Services

Harvey Norman Ararat

Harvey Norman Horsham

Hayley Maree Bridal

Hermans of Horsham

Holistic Haven

Horsham Amcal Pharmacy

Horsham Doors and Glass

Horsham Golf Club

Horsham Lanes and Games

Horsham RSL

Horsham Sports & Community Club

Intersport Horsham

J&A Shooting and Fishing

Kings Cars Ararat

KLM Concreting, Soil Yard & Nursery

Lardner Bros Locksmiths & Security

Laser Plumbing and Electrical Horsham

Martin’s Hose Repairs

Maxfab

McPhersons of Brim

Moe’s Mexican Bar & Grill

Network Mobility

Poolwerx Horsham

Priceline Pharmacy Ararat

Final Days!

Salon Mode

Schiers Cabinet Makers

Senor Mex

Spotlight Horsham

Stawell Lotto

Stawell Pharmacy

Telstra Horsham & Ararat Store

The Gums Dental

The Local 165 Cafe & Bar

The Victoria Hotel Horsham

Traction Ag

Tyrepower Ararat

Wade’s Horsham

Wilson Bolton

Wimmera Aquatrail

Wimmera Bearings

Wimmera Mallee Ag

Wimmera Outdoors

Wimmera Spas and Pools

Wimmera Truck Centre

YarriYak Cafe (Rural Northwest Health)

Jaecoo has confirmed the arrival of its J7 plug-in hybrid electric SUV, the model set to launch in Australia in the first quarter of 2025.

It will bring with it state-of-the-art super hybrid system technology the Chinese importer says will deliver an exceptional blend of power, efficiency and sustainability.

Jaecoo, a Chery-owned sub-brand, says the J7 PHEV was designed to meet the diverse needs of modern drivers, claiming the model would ‘redefine driving in Australia’, while being aimed at ‘urban commuters and adventure enthusiasts’ alike.

While pricing and detailed specifications are yet to be announced, the

importer says the J7 PHEV features an advanced, fifth-generation 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with fuel supply on demand to ‘optimise every drop of fuel’.

It is mated to a stepless electric hybrid transmission that, like most hybrid systems, offers pure electric, series and parallel operation, and energy recuperation modes.

Estimated combined range is listed at 1200 kilometres with an all-electric driving range of up to 90km, WLTP.

Electrical power is harnessed within a high-performance battery pack Jaecoo says offers durability, impact resistance and waterproofing, essential for Australian environments.

The unit offers a rapid-response safety mechanism – including a two-

millisecond power-off function in the event of a collision.

GoAuto understands the Jaecoo J7 will also be available in two and all-wheel drive configuration with a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine at the helm. That unit’s output is rated at 137kW and 275Nm with drive via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Standard equipment sees the J7 fitted with 19-inch alloy wheels framing red-painted brake callipers, a 14.8-inch infotainment array, 360-degree camera system, automatic LED headlights, electric tailgate, front fog lights, power-adjustable front seats, rain-sensing wipers, a wireless device charging pad, and ‘several advanced safety features’ including eight airbags.

Jaecoo will reveal additional details related to specification and pricing of the J7 range closer to the on-sale date in quarter one, 2025.

Jaecoo Australia chief executive Lewis Lu said the J7 PHEV was more than just an SUV.

“It’s a statement of our vision for a cleaner, greener future,” he said.

“We’re proud to offer our customers a solution that blends innovation, practicality and responsibility.”

Mr Lu gave no indication on the arrival of the J5 SUV, which is also slated for local showrooms in 2025.

That model is characterised by assertive styling that combines ‘modern styling cues with rugged touches’.

These include a prominent grille, slimline LED headlights, generous

ground clearance, subtly pronounced wheel arches at the front, and a ‘refined bumper’ and ‘upmarket lightbar incorporating tail-lights and the Jaecoo nameplate’ at the rear.

Riding on all independent suspension, the Jaecoo J5 is said to offer a smooth and supple ride allowing occupants to enjoy standard equipment offerings such as a 13.2-inch infotainment array, panoramic sunroof, two-tone leather upholstery, and extendable seats aimed at ‘prioritising a healthy and comfortable experience for four-legged companions’.

The HVAC system fitted to the J5 also offers a unique filtration system aimed at keeping pet hair from the system.

– Matt Brogan

• Six electrified models win top marks at ANCAP but Jeep and MG miss the mark — page 71

Tough times impact sales

Australian

new vehicle sales figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show continued softening demand when compared with the same month last year, coupled with continuing preference for hybrid and plug-in hybrid driveline technology.

New vehicle sales totalled 99,091 units across November, a decrease of 11.6 per cent or 13,050 units on the same period in 2023, and a number FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said was reflective of current market trends.

“From an historical perspective, the 2024 year-to-date result is strong,” he said.

“However, the market is starting to show a number of clear trends.

“The first half of 2024 recorded market growth of 8.7 per cent compared with 2023.

“Since July, we have seen the market decline by 8.2 per cent compared with 2023.

“The private buyer segment contin ues to struggle with a decline of 16.6 per cent on November 2023.

“This follows falls of 14.2 per cent

in October, 17.2 per cent in September and 15.9 per cent in August.

“This is a disturbing trend which illustrates how cost-of-living pressures are impacting households.

“Consumer preference remains clear with SUVs and light commercial vehicles making up the top 10 new vehicles sold, while passenger vehicles fell to a monthly market share of just 13.7 per cent.”

Mr Weber said November recorded another disappointing result for the sale of electric vehicles, while hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales accounted for 16.9 per cent of November sales compared with 9.9 per cent last year.

“The Australian experience with EVs is similar to many major markets overseas such as Europe, New Zealand and the USA,” he said.

“Car-makers are responding to regulatory settings that mandate an increase in the number of zero-emission

of more affordable, low emission vehicles while working alongside governments to address challenges such as recharging infrastructure, which is critical to building consumer confidence for the transition to low emission vehicles.”

Across 25.7 selling days in November 2024 – the same as for 2023 – FCAI noted a decrease of 507.8 unit sales per day.

Overall, it says the passenger vehicle market is down by 4898 units, or 26.3 per cent over the same month last year; the SUV market down by 1735 units, 2.8 per cent; the light commercial vehicle market down by 6228 units, 23.3 per cent, and the heavy commercial vehicle market down 238 units, 5.2 per cent versus November 2023.

Toyota again led the Australian new car market in November with sales of 20,562 units.

It led second-placed Ford by 11,842 units and 12 market share points, Ford tallying 8720 unit sales ahead of Mazda with 7588 unit sales, Kia, 6410, and Mitsubishi, 6205.

Toyota is likely to become Australia’s best-selling marque for a record 22 years, with 222,639 unit sales year-to-date.

It is now likely that Toyota will break its all-time new vehicle sales record set in 2008 of 238,983 units, the importer doubling hybrid RAV sales against the same time last year, and clocking more than 100,000 hybrid sales for the year to date.

Popular new vehicle sellers for the month of November include the Toyo-

ta RAV4 with 5526 unit sales ahead of the Ford Ranger, 4981, Toyota LandCruiser Prado, 3590, Toyota HiLux, 3572 and MG ZS, 2794.

Across the regions, the ACT is down 18.1 per cent to 1333 unit sales, New South Wales down 12.2 per cent to 30,490 units, Northern Territory down 21.1 per cent to 727 units, Queensland down 12.1 per cent to 21,320 units, South Australia down 9.5 per cent to 6591 units, Tasmania down 18.8 per cent to 1642 units, Victoria down 9.8 per cent to 26,729 units, and Western Australia down 12.2 per cent to 10,259 units.

Australia’s total new vehicle sales for the year now tally 1,137,621 units.

Five stars for six new energy models

Sixnew models, all with available hybrid or battery-electric drive, have been awarded top marks in the latest safety ratings by independent Australasian vehicle crash-test authority, ANCAP.

Three of the models represented the first from new manufacturers on the Australian market – Leapmotor, Zeekr and XPeng.

ANCAP reported all six received the maximum five-star rating.

The Lexus LBX and Volvo EX30 small SUVs upheld their respective brands safety credentials, while hybrid variants of the new Hyundai Santa Fe large SUV were awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating.

ANCAP reported some concerns were noted for both model’s performance in destructive crash tests, with penalties applied to both for potential injury from hard structures behind the dashboard in the frontal offset, MBDB, test.

“Like the Lexus LBX and Volvo EX30, the Hyundai Santa Fe hybrid demonstrated good results in tests of its collision avoidance capabilities with other road users,” the report said.

“In the crash tests, full points were awarded for the Santa Fe’s protection of the driver in the full width and side impact tests, and children in the frontal offset and side impact test.

“Petrol variants of the Hyundai Santa Fe are currently unrated.”

ANCAP reported the Leapmotor C10 electric SUV had entered the market with a five-star safety rating, and for child occupant protection earned maximum points in the frontal offset and side impact tests, with protection for both child dummies rated as ‘good’.

The recently-introduced Leapmotor C10, Zeekr X and XPeng G6 electric SUVs also earned five-star ANCAP safety ratings.

ANCAP reported the Zeekr X was awarded maximum points for the protection of occupants in the side impact crash test, while the front structure of the Zeekr X presented a moderate risk to occupants of an oncoming vehicle in the MPDB test – which evaluates vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility.

Similarly, XPeng’s inaugural G6 model, which recently launched in Australia and New Zealand, also received strong scores for its ability to avoid collisions, with high marks achieved for AEB performance with another vehicle, pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcyclist.

High scores were awarded for the XPeng G6’s protection of the driver and passenger occupants in the frontal offset, side, and oblique pole test.

The XPeng G6 is fitted with a centre airbag to prevent injuries to front seat occupants in a side impact crash, which was assessed as ‘adequate’ for prevention of excursion – movement towards the other side of the vehicle – in the far side impact tests, however minor head contact was noted in the

TOP MARKS:

Six electrified models have won top marks during ANCAP testing, but Jeep and MG missed the mark.

occupant-to-occupant scenario and a penalty was applied.

ANCAP also tested two other models – the latest MG ZS and new Jeep Avenger – which received a four-star and a three-star rating respectively.

Separately, the European NCAP safety body awarded a five-star safety rating for the Maxus e-Terron 9 electric ute. It scored 91 per cent for adult occupant protection; 85 per cent for child protection; 84 per cent for vulnerable road users – pedestrians, cyclists, etc; and 83 per cent for its safety assist equipment.

This vehicle will form the basis of the upcoming LDV e-Terron 9 electric ute expected to be in Australian showrooms in the first half of 2025.

ANCAP chief executive Carla

Hoorweg said there were almost 100 current five-star ANCAP ratings for alternate-powered vehicles.

“Most manufacturers are proving that new models can be both safe and green,” she said.

But not all recent arrivals have met the five-star expectations.

ANCAP said the new MG ZS hybrid received a four star safety rating, unable to reach five-stars through its performance in the assessment area of adult occupant protection.

Ms Hoorweg said the rating underscored the need for strong and balanced safety performance across all crash protection and prevention areas.

“While the vehicle demonstrated strong performance in certain crash tests, improvements in adult occupant protection – such as incorporating features like a centre airbag and enhancing rear seatbelt performance – would help elevate its safety outcomes to better meet the expectations of today’s market,” she said.

The Jeep Avenger EV small SUV received a three-star safety rating, unable to reach the five-star threshold in any area of assessment.

Ms Hoorweg said as an all-new model, it was disheartening to see.

“With many electric SUVs entering the market and receiving five-star ANCAP ratings, we know manufacturers can prioritise top-tier safety,” she said. – Neil Dowling

as the new director, continuing the exceptional service and innovation.

Our showroom features the latest energyefficient appliances, including solar hot water systems. Whether you’re upgrading appliances, renovating, or building a new home, our team is here to help you find the right solution that fits your budget and needs.

We’re proud to employ 35 staff members at our Pynsent Street location, supporting 35 local families. We also give back to our community through sponsorships of sports clubs and charities. We stock trusted brands like Daikin, Reclaim, Braemar, Rinnai, Heat & Glo, and Quadra-Fire, so you can be sure that every product we offer is top quality. We are service agents for all brands we sell. We can source spare parts, install them and attend to any warranty issues.

Wade’s have friendly, knowledgeable and qualified staff who will give you the right advice to ensure your needs are fully covered and can help you with the process of applying for any rebates that are available.

Our qualified plumbers and electricians have over 100 years of experience between them. This means your units are installed and operate properly.

Call in today and see us at 18-20 Pynsent Street, Horsham or phone us on 5382 3823. We look forward to helping you for another 40 years!

Based on unprecedented reader and listener demand, we encourage regional trade-based businesses to become part of The Weekly Advertiserʼs Local Trade Directory.

The Local Trade Directory offers the only true multimedia platform combining print, radio and online services for businesses to ʻspread the wordʼ in across the Wimmera, Mallee and Grampians. It’s affordable and effective! For a small weekly investment you will receive an advertisement (as above) PLUS... Receive bonus radio credit mentions on MIXX FM and 3WM throughout your paper advertising period.

Classifieds

KELLERHARDMAN

John and Ann Keller of Horsham, happily announce the engagement of their daughter, Katelyn to Tom, son of Graeme and Jeanette Hardman of Horsham

PECK (nee Ward), Margaret Mary

31-3-1934 to 15-12-2024

Dearly loved wife of Ken.

Adored mother of Helen, Valerie, Suzie and Jennifer. Mother-in-law to Locky and Andrew.

Nanna to 9 Grandchildren and Old Nanna to 16 GreatGrandchildren. Forever in our hearts.

Horsham & District Funerals

Dylan & Amity Hartwich 5382 1149

SCOTT, Shirley May of Hopetoun on December 15, 2024

FREW, Eric of Buderim formerly Horsham. Passed peacefully on 12-12-2024, aged 84

Loved brother of Neil, Ron, Gary, Joanne and families.

Reunited with Heather

KETTLE, Alan Ernest

20-6-1947 to 15-12-2024

Dearly loved husband to Ann for 53 years.

Loving father to Ross (dec), Peter & Judith. Father-in-law to Quentin.

Loved Grandfather to Nemi, Zeke, Jazmine, Neve, Maya & Alex.

In accordance with Alan’s wishes a private cremation will be held.

A gathering to remember Alan will be held at Trackside Function Centre (78 Patrick St, Stawell) on Monday, December 20, 2024 from 11am. In the care of Fred Crouch & Son STAWELL 5358 1043

MIATKE, Eric Mervyn

29-5-1938 to 13-12-2024, aged 86

Devoted husband of Ila (dec 1999) & Glenys.

Proud Dad to David & Linda, Russell & Meredith, Michael & Kim.

Pa to Phil & EJ, Emma & Steve, Ella, Jed & Matilda.

Great Pa to Oscar & Joey & Lucas, Eden & Charlie.

Step-Dad/Pa to Trecy, Martin & Asher, Sherry, Jose, Sophia & Oscar.

Rest in Peace Dad. Much loved and gone too soon.

Resting peacefully now & sadly missed by all.

Loved wife of Laurie (dec) and loved mother & motherin-law of Kaylene & Col (dec), Dianne & Stephen, Sandra & John, Glenda & Gary.

Loved Grandmother of 9 and Great Grandmother of 6.

In keeping with family wishes a private funeral will be held.

SEL, Laslo “Les”

Passed away on December 15, 2024 aged 69 years.

Dearly loved partner of Heather.

Loving father and father-inlaw of Atilla & Joanne; Klara & Ervin; and Kristina.

Cherished step father and stepfather-in-law to Nicole & Shane; Phillipp (dec); Steven & Gabby.

Adored Tata/Tati to Kitana, Dante and Nikki; Kayla and Spencer; Phillipp (jnr), Kisara, Zarliah, Mace and Elora.

Rest In Peace Gone Fishing!

MIATKE, Eric Mervyn

Funeral arrangements for Eric Mervyn Miatke have not yet been finalised. Please see future papers for details.

Trevor Bysouth & Daughter Ph 5381 1444 AFDA Member

PECK (nee Ward), Margaret Mary

The funeral service to farewell the late Mrs Margaret Peck will be held at St John’s Anglican Church, Horsham, Monday, December 23 commencing at 1pm Interment to follow at the Horsham Lawn Cemetery.

Amity & Dylan Hartwich 5382 1149

SEL, Laslo

The Funeral of Laslo Sel will take place at the Horsham Church of Christ on Monday, 23 December 2024 commencing at 10am and will be followed by burial at the Dimboola Lawn Cemetery.

The service may also be viewed online at www. youtube.com/live/ GTJwPys0a6U

Trevor Bysouth & Daughter Ph 5381 1444 AFDA Member

Thank you

∞ AUSTIN ∞ Lorna Mavis

29th Aug 1923 - 29th Nov 2024

Aged 101 years & 3 months

Noel & Dawn, Heather & Daryl, Maree & Ian and Families would like to thank all those who sent flowers, cards, for phone calls and personal messages of sympathy and love following the passing of our dear mother.

Thank you to all those who attended her funeral last Wednesday 11th Dec it was very overwhelming the number who came to help celebrate her life and then join us for drinks and afternoon tea afterwards.

A Special Thank you to the wonderful staff at the Kaniva Nursing Home for the love and care you gave Mum, the 2 years she was with you, a beautiful & comfortable place for her to be, and enjoy life.

To Father Robert, thank you for the moving service commemorating Mum’s life.

To Emiley and Matt Bone, you helped make Mum’s funeral service a wonderful celebration of her 101 years. Thank you.

We’ll be forever grateful. Mum & Dad together again forever.

Noel, Heather, Maree and Families.

Beeamma White, Australian White Stud purebred rams, private sale on farm, BRUC, ACC, OJD, VAC, ewes available, Elders Alan Thompson 0427849779, Rod Donnell (08) 87582095

Birds for sale , princess parrots, cockatiels and bourkes, all colours Ph 0408535515 Stawell

Birds for Xmas, 3 young opaline Turks and mum $150 each, Pair Princess Lutino hen normal/blue male $300, Steel aviary bolt tog, 3m L 1.2w 1.8h $600 Ph 0492486058 Dimboola

Bristlenose catfish , great tank cleaners $5ea until sold out Ph 0474159010 after 6.30pm

Budgies , assorted colours $10 each Ph 0417533579

Budgies , pastel and standards $10 each Ph 0428010996 Horsham

The Weekly Advertiser welcomes your advertising.

We are required strictly by law to include specific information on some items when publishing your adv your obligations are as follows:

ANIMALS -

*All “for sale” or “to give away” advertisements, for either cats or dogs must include one of the following:

• Individual microchip numbers

• Vet certificate to exclude individual animals from needing microchips

• Domestic animal-business number

PLUS a source number from the Pet Exchange Register

LIVESTOCK -

*Selling, giving away or bartering of all livestock must include a Property Identification Code (PIC number) in the advertisement.

German (Aust) Koolie pups, 2 red male pup, 1 red speckled male pup, all vaccinated / microchipped, microchip# 956000017131984/1718 1902/17166017, source# MB258735, bred to work $500 Ph P Brown 53547632 or 0438522996 Ararat

Mini Foxy/Jack Russell pups 1 F 1M, vet checked, vacc, wormed, microchip# 953010006635905/95301000 6635913, source number # MB116953, ready at xmas Ph 0409350743 or 0458913225

Pembroke Corgi Pups, male & females, source# 262769, microchip 953010006873021, 953010006873006, 953010006857644 Ph 0400058264

Roosters, ducks and guinea fowl wanted to buy Ph 0469740723

Very pretty & young budgies, assorted colours, ready to go $10 each Ph 0423182267

Ronald Douglas 26-12-1999

25 years of missing you and loving you Dad! Jenny, Angela, Shane, Simon, Nick and families

1 Honey Boy and 1

956000016666706/6579578

Bereavement Thanks

Animals & Accessories

*The Weekly Advertiser reserves the right to accept or refuse advertisements.

Animals & Accessories

Animals & Accessories

Animals & Accessories

caravans

2013 Jurgens Lunagzer

J24, 6.3m/21', J2403, 2 berth, shower/toilet, air con, diesel heater, always shedded, VGC

$38,500 Ph 0418350445

2015 Ezytrail off road camper trailer, Coorong

GT forward fold, attachable annexe, queen bed, 4 burner stove, minimal mileage, VGC, $9,500/$12,000 with extras inc, Yamaha 2KVa inverter generator Ph 0458683879

2016 Supreme Spirit Limited

Ed 11, exterior black and white, 24'6", long full front wardrobe, cafe style kitchen, big ensuite toilet, shower, 5kg washing machine, 4 brand new tyres L/T, diesel heater, big fridge, lots of cupboards, annexes winter and summer solar power, 2 x 120 watt batteries plus more, medical reason for selling top unit

$70,000neg Ph 0427911765 or 0477138363

2017 Ezytrail Stirling, excellent condition, forward folding hard floor, full annex, 600w inverter, TV, 80lt WACO fridge, memory foam mattress topper, always stored undercover, $18,500 ono Ph 0439022870

2019 Crusader Musketeer Athos , one owner, low kilometres, EC, queen bed, ensuite, grey interior, washing machine, solar, diesel heater, bike rack, extras including cover. $60,000 Phone 0429931316

2022 Goldfields camper trailer as new, used once, loads of extras

$20,000 Ph 0438722796

Caravan 20' full length, solid annex, ensuite shower, basin toilet, on permanent site in Portland Seaside Caravan Park, fully furnished, for holidays or permanent living $5800ono Ph 0432544164

CUB Escape camper, 2020, Australian made, off road camper that will go anywhere, queen size bed, all canvas awnings, very good condition

$24,800 Ph 0490532715

Galaxy Scenic caravan , 2004, 19', EC, shower on outside $24,000ono Ph 0400603022

New Age 2013, queen bed, TV, large fridge, microwave, gas/electric hot plates, toilet, shower, washing machine, full annex, sway bars, $45,000 Ph 0427778747

Prattline Fremont pop-top 17', dual axle, island bed, A/C, solar, 2 deep cycle batteries & inverter, water tank with 12V pump, full annexe, registered, needs new pop-top struts, $4900 Ph Dan 0447323151

REDUCED 2006 Concept

Ascot pop-top, immac cond, shedded, low kms, new full annexe, R33763 $18,500 Ph Ray 0413445347

REDUCED 2016 New Age

Desert Rose , full off-road built tough, separate shower/ toilet, big fridge, lots of storage inside and out, solar power, loads of extras, diesel heater, full annexe, 20' plus draw bar, EC, $65,000 neg Ph 0409257256

REDUCED 2018 Dingo

Ultimate Camper , heavy duty top of the line off-road trailer including boat rack, fully enclosed annexe including ensuite, lots of storage, built-in instant gas hot water to sink and shower, dual AGM batteries and built-in inverter and charger, innerspring mattress and ability to make up second double bed, two new off-road tyres, VGC, Y76535 $16,500ono Ph 0407360212

REDUCED Isuzu Outback

Express Motorhome for sale, 2 seater, sleeps 3, 4ltr diesel engine, solar panels, auto, diesel, fridge, tv, shower, toilet, stove and lots more, have to see to believe, can drive on normal car licence, 3.1m long, RWC, $40,000 with 12mth rego and RWC Ph Phillip 0428173606 or Susan and ask for Phillp 0458727370 Horsham

REDUCED MDC Highside Cruiser 2019, 3 Ton McHitch, 110L fridge, excellent condition $11,500 Ph 0493394223

Toyota Coaster camper , 2 seater, diesel heater, 1hz motor, solar and 12v awning much more $40,000 Ph 0418325662

1997 Hercules Tipper $76,000 plus Gst Ph 0428386295

REDUCED 2022 Mahindra 6110, 60 HP, front end loader, 4 in 1 bucket, FWA, a/c cab, balance of new warranty, 368 hrs on clock $43,900 Ph 0428349401

REDUCED Versatile 555

Tractor, good working order $15,000 ono Ph 0493394223

Tradesman trailer, off road $4500 Ph 0407285097

Trailing Grain Feeder, with canopy, good condition, $1100 Ph 0400894020

Carryall 6' x 3', suit type 1 + 3 3PL $150 Ph 0429491426

Darche Panorama 2 with roof top tent $1000, Darche Eclipse 270 awning, drivers side, plus side walls $600 Ph 0428506423

Elvis Presley collection $250 firm Ph 53581800

Exercise treadmill, Tempo, VGC $200 Ph 0427518053

Flip Billard/ Air Hockey table , 110cm x 210cm.

Accessories included. $300. Trailer required. 0409 122968

Fuel tank, 1000ltrs $200 Ph 0419389693

REDUCED 4KW 240V

Generator, gauges and trolley $550 Ph 0428504558

REDUCED Firescreen , 1300mm opening, 1700mm including wings, plus tool set, all in EC $150 Ph 0408504633

REDUCED Pair of directors chairs with side tables new $100 Ph 0409799375

Royal Family collection $350 firm Ph 53581800

Sherwell PTO bin $1200 Ph 0428857312

, 6 chairs, 3 bar stools, blue colour, $130, Ph 0409822930 G4 Kirby Vacuum Cleaner, powerful motor plus extras, $80 Ph 0428391813

Matching tallboy and dresser $200 Ph 0428506423

Mattress $250 , single bed blackwood $250, as new Ph 0437688336

CAT , 955 K traxcavator

DROTT, ROPS, strong double ripper, GP bucket, D330T motor $35,000ono plus Gst Ph 0400603022

Cox ride on lawn mower $900 Ph 0407285097

Freight 40 ft trailer, full set containing pins, tri-axle, needs work, brakes, etc, $8000 inc Gst Ph 0419778181 Jeparit

Leith 7000 Gypsum and fertiliser spreader, spreader in good to very good condition, always shedded when not in use, comes with tarp and fertiliser bottom system, some surface rust as per photos standard due to the product used mainly gypsum, has had little use over the years and well maintained $30,000 plus Gst Ph 0428824316

Massey Ferguson Tractor, 3 cylinder, perkins hydraulics, safety cab, low hours $7000 Ph 0428822730

New Holland T8 360, 2250 hrs, one owner, non- smoker, never pulled an air-seeder, add blue switched off, linkage, UHF radio, auto steer ready, 50km box, excellent condition, upgraded to articulated, $270,000ono plus Gst $297,000 inc GST Ph 0418504408

12L weathershield Indian red , semi gloss $120 Ph 0419359501

A livemor electric massage chair and a proflex slider, $1100 ono for both Ph 0494077845

Archery equipment , 3 compound bows, 35 pound youth bow, 60 pound adult bow, 16 wheeler antique, 1 45 pound Samic longbow, arrows, tool boxes, apres and fletching jig $500 Ph 0429164375

Camping equipment, 2 dome tents, 10 man and 4 man, sleeping chair tent, 3 roll up tables, shower tent, 2 gas stoves, 4 spare bottles, camp kitchen, blow up q/bed $450 Ph 0429164375

CCE cage on wheels 6x4 well made $400, 500 gallon ex fuel tank $100, Coolgardie safe $100, Ute crate, 6x4 tub tight $50, Bailey extension ladder 5.3 extends to 6.3 $500, leith grain measuring sheep feeder $1000, new Holland Mower GC with parts, best offer Ph 0429857207

Hot potato mobile van , bought new 2018, never used $980 ono Ph 0432544164

Kuvings whole slow juicer, very good condition, no further use $300 Ph 0408823136

Large collection of Arnott & Anzac tins, old and new, 5 antique plough seats, corner TV cabinet, all negotiable Ph 0427857510

Moving sale , pine bookshelves $40, large green and gray rug $70, round dining table with 4 velvet chairs $340, bookshelves $100, TV cabinet $150 Ph 53824788

Pine Posts S/H, good order, $5 each Ph 0429954000

Rare 1895 Furphy tank, both casts are in good condition

$6000 Ph 0428519879

REDUCED 1 Bridgestone

Turanza Tyre , R35 55 R17, done 10,000kms $30 Ph0428504558

Spin bike $250 Ph 0428506423

Old wood burning stove, GC, located in Goroke, $200 ono Ph Mick 0400005266

Sunwagon Food Trailer , fully equipped for electric and gas cooking $16,500 Ph 0437581171

Tradies Trailer enclosed , containing shelving storage, power points $680 ono Ph 0432544164

Wagner fine finish spray gun Ph 0419359501

Yamaha Inverter Generator, EF2800i, never used, $1500 Ph 0474099355

18 Sep 2024 all in very good condition

$8250 Ph 0429924704

3.7 m boat and cover , QL624, an aussie made trailer P83061, Yamaha 15 HP motor, near new $4000 Ph 53582560

3.7m stacer aluminium 15HP

Yamaha

serial # 09185405, $4000 Ph 0437899398

Chair $100 Ph 0428506423

BoCam aluminium fold up boat trailer, EC, 50kg tare, GTM 250kg, $1650 Ph 0428990602

Pietscraft 3.5m Fishing Boat, 15hp, Johnson tilt trailer, boat cover, all accessories $5000 Ph 0428822730

1987 XF Falcon sedan S pack, manual, 5 speed gearbox, power steering. 181,000km, eng JG23HE97665C, $2500 Ph 0428501109

Ford XA 1972 era Panel Van with rust $1500 neg Ph 0428501109

Ford XF Wagon ,1985 6 cylinder $1000 Ph 0428501109

Palm tree for removal, free, located Goroke Ph Mick 0400005266

Aspire wheelchair, as new condition, barely used once a day for 3 months, extremely comfortable, cost $3500 from Action AIDS, reduced price $950 Ph 0427562913

Horsham

Shoprider Allrounder mobility scooter, 2yrs old, EC, hard canopy, weather proof fittings $4200 Ph 0419633821

Dimboola

Trek Bravo mobility scooter, new battery $1000, Freedom forearm walker $250, wheelchair $150 Ph 0437600095

2020 Harley Low Rider 107, FXLR 1745 cc, heaps of extras, EC, rego 3 monthly basis, 27,270 kms, 2K4ZJ $20,000 Ph 0409590596

BMW K1200 RS, 2010 model, comes with panniers, top box, reg til Aug, RW, BY136 $4800ono Ph 0419508310

Stawell area

BMW R1100 RT, EC, reg till 5/25, 123k kms, YD865 $4600 Ph 0409954491

REDUCED BMW RT1200

Solo, 2007, Ex SA Police, GO, HGR, EWS, CC, RW cond, unregistered, service manuals $3000 Ph 0428154961

1990 Nissan Patrol GQ 4.2petrol, 12months rego, 654000km, new tyres, JN1OWGY6OA0020221, 1YI5EW $10,000 neg Ph 0428501109

2001 Fairlane Ghia, AU11 series, meteorite colour, QFQ527 $3250 Ph53503220 2005 Toyota Corolla

Ascent, auto, EC, second owner, RWC, 4 new tyres, 107,000kms, UGX252 $7500 Ph 0429963559

2006 Nissan Navara 4WD , diesel, dual cab, manual, bull bar, vin# JMICNUD22A0050448, RWC, 200,000km, $8500ono Ph 0419821563

2008 Mazda 2 , deceased estate, manual, EC, 1 owner, RWC, 62,000kms, WSS633, $7500 Ph 0456381497

2012 Holden Cruze 2.0 lt r, diesel, auto, white, tidy condition, 163,000 kms, 1FG4PY $4250 Ph 0427957243

2013 Jeep Compass , reg serviced, suit first car buyer, reg til 7/25, 102,000kms 1PG7RK $8900ono Ph Peter 0428130555

Honda Civic , 1994, great condition with RWC, automatic & aircon, colour black, Vtech motor, vin JHME6548005203141

$10,000 Ph 0428501109

Mercedes S 350, silver, full service history, top of the range, 250,000kms ZIC400 $7500 Ph 0427828420

2005 Hilux Dual Cab 4x4 SR 3.0 D-4D Turbo Diesel Utility, 5 speed manual transmission, bull bar – Polycarbonate Smart Bar, 150lt fuel tank, has one small repair, four 16” x 7” rims on vehicle with Cooper LT245/75R16 tyres, 60% condition, one 16” x 6” rim with new Cooper LT225/75R16 tyre, front/ rear differential air lockers, registered until May 2025, RWC, other extras detailed on enquiry, 390,000kms $12,900 Ph 0491091115

2007 BMW 650i Coupe, 4.8 V8, auto,197,000 kms, reg Jan 2025 and RWC $10,500 Ph 0490364260

2018 Holden Colorado 4WD twin cab ute, good condition, RWC, 12 month reg, new battery, just been serviced, 190,000kms, 1OC8QD $19,500 ono Ph 0428149414

Kia Optima GT, 2016 fully optioned, sunroof, heated and cooled seats, sold with RWC, beautiful economical and safe car, ACJ085, $18,900 Ph 0427957243

Mitsubishi Delica Diesel van, 4x4, 1998, 260k kms, camper conversion, GC, ubu692, reg till 4/25 $14500 Ph 0409954491

REDUCED 2013 Toyota

ATARA, 2.5L sports sedan, auto, RWC, Toyota seat covers, only 2 owners, selling due to downsizing, 127,000kms, $13,500 Ph 0400728252

VW Toureg 2011 180 TDI auto, silver, one owner, good service history, one of few with low range transfer, centre & rear diff locks, no towing done, VGC, new tyres, reg till 2/25, YVD520 $10,500 Ph 0428528990

2016 Mitsubishi Triton Twin Cab, diesel, 5 speed auto, near new tyres, hard lid, H/D tow bar and plug, elect brakes, great tow vehicle, good condition, regularly serviced, 128,00km, Reg July,1EV1VA, $22,000 ONO, inspection invited Ph 0429491426

REDUCED 2019 Toyota

Hybrid Camry SL sedan, with all the luxury features of a top of the range Toyota, pearl white, full service history, RWC, 2AM8IL, $30,990 ONO Ph Eddy 0428922335

REDUCED Nissan Navarra, STX 4x4 2017, RWC, registered until July 2025, full leather seats, keyless entry, front heated seats, dual battery (in canopy), catch can, electronic breaks, small light bar, canopy airbags, 2" lift, dual Anderson plugs, tow bar, single owned, regularly serviced, regrettable sale, never had an issue with the car, 86,400kms $32,000 Ph 0413992594

Toyota Hilux 2022, 4 wheel drive, auto, diesel, new tyres, warranty, immaculate condition, 48,747kms, 1NV4FU $42,390 plus Gst Ph 0427858264

Massage service, very clean, full body massages available for both men and women, very discreet, you come to us or we can come to you, call for quote and booking, in the Wimmera area and beyond Ph 0404878963

Sheep slaughted at $15 per head Ph Andy 0494147556

Wanted Person to look after 10 yr old greyhound placid female, odd times, ongoing and will pay Ph David0427864628

Wanted, Land to "Share-Farm" or "Lease", anywhere south of Horsham and across to the Grampians, from 50 to 700 acres, cropping country preferred, Ph Roger Hallam at Mockinya 0418822700

Wanted Mackenzie punch and shear, have you got one in the shed not being used? Ph 0499911102

1999 Toyota Dual Cab Ute, 4x4 diesel with fold out camper

$12,500 Ph 0428822730

2003 XT Falcon, silver mint, airbags, a/c, full tank of premium petrol, good tyres, new battery, beautiful car to drive, elderly lady selling due to ill health, only genuine enquiries, 82,000 genuine kms, SGM816 $11,000 Ph 53824788

2004 VY SS Commodore, collectors item, black, RWC, immaculate cond, YKW598 $20,000ono Ph 0400603022

2003 Landcruiser , auto, factory turbo diesel, lots of accessories, HDJ100, 420,000km $29,500 Ph 0447159379

2014 Nissan Navara D22 2.5 turbo diesel 4X4 ute, registered until December with service books, low 91,600kms $22,500ono Ph 0492496448

2015 Nissan Navara, bbar, lbar, snkl, rrak, canopy,

Ararat man, 67 years old, interests include gym, fishing, camping, singing, acting, Lions Club, bushwalking, ballroom dancing, looking for a lady aged between 40-70 years old, Ph 0467791009

Ararat

wanted to buy

Dimboola Natimuk

Lutheran Parish

Christmas Eve

Goroke 7.30pm LR

Natimuk 7.30pm LR

Vectis 7.30pm LR

Dimboola 7.30pm Pr Levi

Christmas Day

Vectis: 8.00am HC

Visitors Welcome

New Ye ’s Eve Dance (Ballr m)

Dimboola Natimuk

Lutheran Parish

Sunday, December 22

Edenhope 5pm Carol Service

Goroke 10am LR

Natimuk 9am HC

Vectis Join Natimuk

Dimboola 11am HC

Sunday, December 29

Edenhope 10am LR

Goroke 9am HC

Natimuk 11am HC

Sunday, Janaury 5

Edenhope 9am HC

Goroke 11am HC

Natimuk 10am LR

Vectis 10am LR

Dimboola 10am LR

who lived on earth and then returned to Heaven where he still lives. Other religions have prophets (but not gods), or gods (but not humans) who walked the planet in time and place. What we are celebrating next week is remarkable: amazing if true. (And, it is true.)

Tann - St Matthew’s Stawell, and Pomonal Community Uniting Church

East Grampians Rural Pipeline

GWMWater is an innovative and progressive employer committed to contributing to the sustainable growth of communities within the Grampians, Wimmera and Mallee regions.

Team Leader People & Culture

Position number VG/6058

As Team Leader, you will oversee and manage all operational aspects of Human Resources, including recruitment, performance management, grievances, investigations and Workcover.

Success in this role requires a strong understanding of relevant legislation and industrial relations, along with the ability to advise and provide support on all employee relations matters.

If you possess these skills and have an enthusiastic and inclusive approach to leadership, we’d love to hear from you.

Applications close: Friday 10 January 2025

GWMWater contact: Tegan Rudolph, Manager People, Culture & Legal

Administration Officer

Part-time: 16 hours per week | Fixed term: 2 years

Position number VG/6059

Bus Driver - Part-time/Casual

Applications

Information

The Administration Officer provides general administrative support, including liaison with customers, contractors and GWMWater staff. This rewarding role reports to the Delivery Support Coordinator. As part of the Service Delivery Group, the role also assists with collating, verifying and analysing data to meet reporting requirements.

If you’re detail-oriented and can identify automation opportunities to streamline manual team processes, we want to hear from you.

Hours are flexible. This part-time role would be ideal for someone seeking work during school hours, three days a week.

Applications close: Friday 10 January 2025

GWMWater contact: Jess Brilliant, Delivery Support Coordinator

GWMWater is committed to achieving ‘Zero Harm’ across all operations. We prioritise a safe working environment, ensuring that everyone returns home safely every day.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, we are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. For confidential support throughout the application process, please contact our People, Talent, and Culture division at 1300 659 961 to ensure a fair and inclusive experience.

Subscribe to receive GWMWater job alert emails by visiting gwmwater.org.au/careers

Mark Williams Managing Director

11 McLachlan Street Horsham

Need help spreading the word?

Call The Weekly Advertiser on 03 5382 1351 or email weeklyadvertiser@team.aceradio.com.au

Administration Assistant Horsham Neighbourhood House has a vacancy for an Administration Assistant who will work closely with the Manager to assist in the promotion and advertising of the House, its services and programs.

The position will also include Customer Service and general o ce administrative tasks.

The applicant will have excellent communication skills, organisational and administrative skills. They will be able to work to timelines and be able to work independently and as part of a team. They will also have high level of computer skills and be social media pro cient.

The application must address the Key Selection Criteria. The position is a permanent part time role.

• 12hrs per week • $33.42per hour Applications close on 5pm Friday 20 December.

For a copy of the Position Description and Key Selection Criteria contact Manager Charlie Helyar on 5382 5352 or hello@horshamnh.com.au

Horsham Neighbourhood House is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and is committed to the principles of workplace diversity.

#horshamneighbourhoodhouse #TheHeartOfOurCommunity

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Are you considering a second income?

Semi-retired and looking to scale back the workload? Automotive interest and passionate about helping people?

Wilson Bolton is now seeking a casual RACV Roadside Assist person to join our team. RACV Roadside Assist provides its members with a 24/7 365 day breakdown service on our roads

To fulfil the duties of this role, you will need the following:

Availability to work on a roster

Ability to work weekends & outside of normal business hours

Truck licence MR or above

A mechanical mindset

Ability to work autonomously and problem solve

A natural ability to communicate with a range of people

Remuneration is very attractive and will vary depending on experience.

If this sounds like the ideal role for you, we'd love to discuss this with you in more detail. Contact:

St Brigid’s College Horsham

Vacant

Situations Vacant

Weekdays from 6am to 9am

Eagles’ patience pays off

Brim-Kellalac-Sheep

Hills took a steady-as-she-goes approach on day two of its Horsham Cricket Association

A Grade match against Colts at the weekend.

The Eagles entered the second day of the contest in a commanding position after bowling out the Colts for 110 and reaching 2-56 in reply on day one, but opening batsman Leigh Dovaston said securing first-innings points took precedence over a potentially risky attempt for an outright win.

“It was probably going to be hard, still being 50 or 60 runs behind, to try to get that lead and then get them back in,” he said.

“You always thought there was a possibility going into the day, but the wicket still had a bit in it and it was pretty tricky to bat on.

“We made sure we concentrated on getting the first-innings runs first and then anything from there we would work on after that.”

The Eagles’ patience proved well founded, with Dovaston’s opening partner Jeremy Preston made to work patiently for his match-winning innings of 76 not out from 166 balls.

“Jeremy had a couple of chances on the first day, but it was chanceless there on Saturday. He batted really well, and it was pretty hard batting so he just had to knuckle in there,” Dovaston said.

“We were able to get a little bit of support around him and got the job done.”

Brim-Kellalac-Sheep Hills ended the day 6-136, securing a first-innings win and maintaining second place on the A Grade ladder, with a match against Laharum to come this weekend before the Christmas-New Year break.

“Hopefully we can go alright again this weekend, but either way we’re very comfortable with where we’re sitting at the moment,” Dovaston said.

“Batting has been our main thing we’ve had to work on over the year, and that’s probably what we’ll focus on against Laharum.

“As long as we can put on a competitive score we’re pretty confident in our bowling.

“We’ve got a fair mixture of bowlers that we can use to try to restrict our opposition to a lower total.”

The round’s other matches yielded few day-two surprises, with Homers converting its strong day-one total of 246 into a 75-run win against Laharum.

The versatility of the Pigeons’ bowling attack was on display as Chaminda Gamage, 3-39, Adam Atwood, 2-45, and Baxter Perry, 1-33, shared in the wickets, while Gibson Perry starred with 4-27 in 12.3 overs.

Laharum opener Dayan Wilfred was brought undone by Gibson Perry after a promising start of 29, and thereafter only Demons skipper Josh Mahoney was able to do significant damage, reaching 42 from 58 balls before falling to Atwood.

Harrison Hoffmann, 24, and Spencer Weir, 20, contributed in the lower middle order, but it was too little, too late for Laharum, which was bowled out for 171.

A high-scoring contest at Horsham City Oval ended as many matches have this season – with a win for West Wimmera.

The Warriors batted superbly on day one to reach a first-innings total of 277, and while the opposing Horsham Tigers also made plenty of a flat wicket, they were bowled out 48 runs short of their target.

Angus Adams gave the Tigers

Brim-Kellalac-Sheep Hills’ Jeremy Preston made 76 not out.

hope with 63 runs batting fourth, but a masterful display from Warrior bowlers Xavier Bone, 5-81, and Nathan Alexander, 3-42, managed to curtail the home side’s momentum.

Contributions of 41 from Martyn Knight and 40 not out from David Puls further down the order were valuable, but Knight’s dismissal by Bone all but ended the Tigers’ chances.

Lubeck-Murtoa held on against Noradjuha-Toolondo in the closest match of the round, with the Bullants all out for 156 – 20 runs short of victory.

An 88-run third-wicket partnership gave the Bullants life, but

Colts bowler Logan Millar took 2-19.

Blake Turner struck with the first of his four wickets to remove Noradjuha-Toolondo’s Matt Combe, 41, and the visitors struggled thereafter.

Turner, 4-34, and Cameron Newell, 4-25, were standouts for the Mudlarks, who remain within striking distance of Laharum for fourth place on the ladder.

In the final round before the break, Bullants will host West Wimmera at Horsham City Oval, Brim-Kellalac-Sheep Hills is at home to Laharum, Lubeck-Murtoa travels to Sunnyside Recreation Reserve to play Homers and Horsham Saints return from a bye to welcome Colts to Coughlin Park.

Round 10 of Grampians Cricket Association A Grade competition on Saturday saw a thriller and a thumping.

Halls Gap and St Andrews fought out a close battle, with the Saints winning by one wicket.

Batting first, the Gappers got away to a promising start and at one stage were 2-130, but then lost a disastrous 7-31 to finish 9-161.

Charlie McIntosh again led the Gappers’ runs with 68, supported by Luke Stevens’ 30.

Change bowlers Dinesh Borase and James Hosking’s seven combined wickets turned the innings around for the Saints.

But in reply, St Andrews’ innings never really got going, with only Borase and Riley Taylor reaching the 30s.

Wickets continued to fall until the score had reached 9-158 – just three runs from victory – meaning Taylor and number 11 batsman Rahul Balijapally were the Saints’ last hope.

They managed to get their team over the line, enabling the Saints to retain top spot and displacing the Gappers from the top four for the first time this season. There was a thumping at Pomonal where the SwiftsGreat Western Combine defeated the Tigers by nine wickets with 40 overs to spare.

A depleted Pomonal outfit decided to bat and was out for 60, with Combine bowlers Zac Marrow, 4-7, and Marc Brilliant, 3-5, doing most of the damage. Tyler Cronin top scored with 19 runs.

A strengthened Combine outfit chased the total down in just 9.4 overs when Zac Marrow secured man-ofthe-match honours with an unbeaten 41 from 33 balls, including seven fours and a six.

The association will break for the Christmas-New Year period, with play resuming on January 11. Round 10 results: Swifts-Great Western 1-62 d Pomonal 10-60, St Andrews 9-164 d Halls Gap 9-161. Ladders: A Grade, St Andrews 39 points, SwiftsGreat Western 33, Pomonal 24, Rhymney-Moyston 21, Halls Gap 18; under-16, Tatyoon, Halls Gap, Swifts-Great Western; under-13, Navarre 39, SwiftsGreat Western 39, Tatyoon Maroon 33, Tatyoon Gold 30, Halls Gap 21, Pomonal 15, Buangor 9. – One Short

Solid start for Waves

A Western Waves under-16 boys team comprising junior cricketers from across the Wimmera and other parts of western Victoria was off to a perfect start at the Cricket Victoria Country Cup yesterday afternoon. The representative side had won each of its first three matches, beating the Central Highlanders by five wickets, Northern Rivers by 19 runs and the North East Knights by six wickets.

A match against the Mallee Murray Suns was in progress yesterday.

Horsham Cricket Association juniors in the Western Waves squad include Jobe Dickinson, Luke Miller, Hugh Weidemann, Harrison Hoffman and Phoenix Hopper.

The final round of pool matches will conclude today with finals to begin tomorrow.

spOrT

St Michaels shape ladder

BY BRONWYN HASTINGS

Horsham Lawn is now atop Central Wimmera Tennis Association’s pennant ladder despite having a bye on Saturday – Central Park missed out on the points needed to maintain top spot after its loss to St Michaels.

With the home ground advantage, St Michaels pulled through with some closely contested matches.

Only two players won all three of their sets for St Michaels – Nick Robertson and Kassie Peachey –while Willow Sainsbury won all her sets for Central Park.

St Michaels finished the day 8-86 ahead of Central Park’s 6-90.

Drung South had a great day out at home, winning all but one set against Kalkee.

While some sets produced clear winners, some were hotly contested – Drung South’s Dale Schmid and Aaron Jennings’ match against Aiden Richardson and Daniel Rogers came down to a tiebreak.

Kalkee’s Emily Polack and Debbie Lawson were the only players to enjoy a win, in the doubles against Hayley Reid and Sandra Casey, finishing 8-6.

Drung South 13-110 defeated Kalkee 1-46.

A Special competition saw Hor-

Brought to you by The Morning Rush

Weekdays from 6am

Seniors

Pennant: Drung South 13-110 d Kalkee 1-46; St Michaels 8-86 d Central Park 6-90.

A Special: Horsham Lawn Thompson 7-84 drew Central Park 7-84; Brimpaen 8-89 d Haven 6-71; Natimuk 8-92 d Homers 6-82.

A Grade: Central Park 6-68 d St Michaels 6-65; Horsham Lawn McGennisken 11-89 d Haven 1-62; Horsham Lawn O’Connor 7-83 d Drung South 5-75.

B Special: Drung South 13-89 d Central Park 3-53; Natimuk 10-71 d Laharum 6-55; Horsham Lawn Tigers 12-81 d Haven 4-49.

Juniors

Open: Homers forfeited to Central Park Blue; Central Park White 6-36 d Horsham Lawn Green 0-6; Quantong 5-33 d Horsham Lawn Gold 1-21. Section 1 Boys: Central Park Blue 5-32 d Horsham Lawn Green 1-21; Central Park White 5-30 d Homers 1-18; Horsham Lawn White 4-30 d Haven 2-16. Section 1 Girls: Central Park White 4-33 d Haven Red 2-20; Central Park Blue 5-31 d Haven Blue 1-12; Horsham Lawn Green 5-34 d Horsham Lawn Gold 1-14; Homers 5-32 d Horsham Lawn White 1-21. Section 2 Boys: Horsham Lawn Green 3-27 drew Central Park White 3-27; Haven 6-36 d Central Park Blue 0-12; Horsham Lawn Red 5-35 d Horsham Lawn White 1-17;

A SPECIAL: Horsham Lawn Thompson drew with Central Park in A Special competition on Saturday, seven sets, 84 games apiece. Paige Thompson, pictured, paired well with her mother Maree winning a set against Misha Wear and Amelie Shrive, 8-6.

sham Lawn Thompson host Central Park, with a drawn result at the end of the day, 7-84.

Mitchell Fromm and Maree Thompson won all their sets for Horsham Lawn Thompson, although Fromm’s doubles match with Shane Gillespie against Nathan Jensz and Rod Shurdington was close, ending in a tiebreak. In other A Special matches,

Brimpaen 8-89 defeated Haven 6-71 and Natimuk 8-92 was victorious against Homers 6-82.

A Grade saw Central Park 6-68 defeat St Michaels 6-65; Haven 1-62 was defeated by Horsham Lawn McGennisken 11-89; and Horsham Lawn O’Connor 7-83 defeated Drung South 5-75.

Drung South 13-89 defeated Central Park 3-53 in B Special;

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Natimuk 10-71 defeated Laharum 6-55 and Horsham Lawn Tigers 12-81 defeated Haven 4-49.

The final round before the Christmas break is on Saturday, while junior teams finished play at the weekend.

Both junior and senior competition resumes on February 1, with a finals series starting on March 1.

30th anniversary tournament threat

BY DAVID BERRY

Volleyball Horsham is in a ‘David versus Goliath’ battle with Volleyball Australia and the International Volleyball Federation over the staging of the 30th anniversary of the Horsham Tournament in 2025.

The battle comes with the timing of the tournament, which has been held in the middle of November since its inception, and next year happens to coincide with the World Beach Volleyball Championships, which will be held in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time in its history, running from November 13 to 23 in Adelaide.

Drawing inspiration from Paris 2024 where the beach volleyball was played in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower, the World Beach Championships will be played under the backdrop of the Adelaide city centre, with courts set up at Memorial Drive behind the iconic Adelaide Oval.

Volleyball Australia has invested significantly in the event and is doing everything in its power to ensure its investment is protected, placing a quarantine period of volleyball activity around the two weeks of the championships, both within Adelaide itself and surrounding neighboring states, to ensure volleyball enthusiasts place the event at the top of the list.

Volleyball Horsham’s head of men’s volleyball Tyler Snowden said Volleyball Victoria had already bowed to pressure from the national body, changing the dates and format of the Volleyball Victoria Junior Open tournament.

“The junior event will now run from November 11 to13, while the senior event will now run from November 25 to 27,” he said.

“Our tournament sits smack bang in the middle of the World’s with dates already locked in for November 14, 15 and 16.

“Given the amount of work Volleyball Horsham has put into our event, especially in the post-Covid period, we are extremely reluctant to change our dates, in what is already a packed calendar of events at that time of year.”

Volleyball Horsham will look to Volleyball Victoria for support should there be an escalation of the issue, with the issue no doubt sitting atop the agenda throughout meetings in 2025.

‘Invitation’ change

At its most recent meeting, the association decided the tournament would now be promoted as an ‘invitation tournament’ going forward to ensure numbers did not get out of control, as has been the case in recent years.

Leading female player Kara Johnson said the

Wortley wins day

David Wortley enjoyed success at the weekend, taking out Horsham Golf Croquet’s division one competition, with Sue Nicholls the runnerup.

Elaine Nicholls won division two, June Revere was runner-up, and Bev Keogh won division three ahead of Lorna Mills.

On Thursday, Brian Drendel won division one ahead of Marj Weidermann.

Rosemary Rees won division two, and Kerrie Brody and Rachel Cousins led division three.

move would keep numbers around the 46 to 50 mark, keeping it within manageable limits due to the lack of court space available.

“We found this year that by closing entries early and keeping it to the eight courts available in Horsham it was more manageable, especially from a volunteer perspective,” she said.

“We’ll look to invite clubs and associations that have traditionally supported us, and give them first option to participate, with any new entries going onto a waiting list.

“We have had some new teams over the past two years especially, fail to adhere to the playing conditions and spirit in which we hold our tournament, to the detriment of the event, and those teams will not be invited back, but should they want to participate, will have to wait for an opening in the draw to do so.”

Registrations open

Registrations are now being taken for the 2025 summer season, which is scheduled to commence in the final week of February.

Volleyball Horsham vice-president Matt McLoughlin said the early call to gain interest had come about due to the ever expanding numbers wanting to play, which reached an all time high in the season just finished.

“We had to move to a third night of competition to cater for the numbers last season, and we felt it necessary to get early indications in case we had to do the same again,” he said.

“At this stage juniors, B and C grades will run on Monday evenings, A Reserve on Tuesdays and women’s A and B and the flagship A Grade competition on Wednesdays next season.

“We know we were at capacity last season, and by getting team registrations in earlier, if we have to make hard decisions we can do so in a more timely manner.

“We will still give schools time to gain interest from their students, as we always do.

“Of course, we would love to hear from any new teams that might like to give volleyball a try, as we have a grade of competition that suits all.”

People interested in registering should visit the Volleyball Horsham website at www.volleyball horsham.com.au and register their interest.

On behalf of everyone involved with Volleyball Horsham we would like to wish all a merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous new year, and we thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you all again in 2025.

Santa Day Races

This Sunday’s MIXXFM Santa Day Races at Horsham offers an ideal venue to celebrate the festive season with friends, family or work colleagues.

Horsham and District Racing Club is offering patrons a chance to experience the magic of Christmas with upclose racing action in a vibrant atmosphere.

Family fun will be on offer, with live music, children’s activities, face painting and a special visit from Santa.

Whether organising a work Christmas party, a reunion with friends, or a catered cel-

ebration, there are packages that fit every need and budget.

There will also be an icy summery seltzer tent offering cool refreshments on what is forecast to be a sunny day, with a top of 27 degrees.

Patrons can also party after the last race with HeadRusH playing on the lawn until 7pm.

Gates open at 11.30am, with general admission from $20 for adults, while those under 16 are free.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/ HorshamDRC.

Hornets win grand final in thriller

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

The Horsham Hornets believed they were the best team in the Country Basketball League’s south-west division.

On Saturday night they proved it, defeating league powerhouse Mount Gambier 88-82 in an epic grand final at a packed Portland Basketball Stadium and atoning for last year’s grand final loss to the Lakers in the process. Forward Austin McKenzie capped a year of excellence with arguably his finest performance, scoring a seasonhigh 42 points – including 17 in the pivotal final quarter – to grab grand final MVP honours.

But McKenzie was far from a lone hand for the Hornets, with fellow forward Micah Livingstone – named season MVP after the match – playing a supporting role with 12 points and numerous timely rebounds, while newly minted three-time defensive player of the year Cody Bryan shone at that end of the court.

Horsham’s game plan was apparent from the opening tip as they played through McKenzie and Livingstone in the high post, allowing them to either attack themselves or create opportunities for team mates.

But while the Hornets had an early advantage, coach Scott Benbow admitted several missed free throws were ‘breaking his heart’.

The Lakers pulled ahead late in the quarter and appeared to have all the momentum before a half-court heave from Horsham captain Mitch Martin at the buzzer brought a strong travelling contingent of Hornets supporters roaring back to life.

“That one changed the momentum a bit. They were starting to get a run on and it was a nice way to finish the first quarter,” Benbow said.

Team stalwart Matt Lovel spurred Horsham further when, in his 200th game, he hit a jump shot to start the second quarter, again drawing cheers from the crowd.

The Hornets continued to ride their momentum, scrapping their way to a seven-point advantage by half time.

But in the third term the Lakers showed why they were the division’s two-time reigning premiers.

Mount Gambier guard Simon Berkefeld – a thorn in Horsham’s side in previous finals encounters – began to

break the Hornets’ defence down with an array of crafty moves off the dribble, either scoring himself or setting up shooters such as Kyle Tipene and Braiden Ousey.

Scores were knotted at 57 entering the final quarter as the entire stadium held its breath – with the apparent exception of McKenzie.

Time after time McKenzie finished strongly at the basket, and when he drew contact he finally managed to put the Hornets’ free-throw shooting woes behind them by calmly converting all three of his final-quarter attempts.

Bryan produced a highlight with a chasedown block on Tipene to prevent a fast-break layup, and when point guard Freddy Frew hit a layup of his own to extend Horsham’s lead to 8272 with less than two minutes remaining, the contest appeared all but over.

But Benbow urged his side not to underestimate an opposition that had won eight of the past 12 grand finals.

“At every break in play I was talking to the guys and saying ‘these guys aren’t going away – don’t rest, don’t relax, keep going’,” Benbow said.

“We just kept going with that message, but Mount Gambier found a way to get back in it.”

An overenthusiastic closeout from Bryan on the perimeter resulted in Laker Toby de Wit shooting three free throws, two of which he hit before promptly stealing the inbound pass and finding Berkefeld for a layup, trimming four points from Horsham’s lead in a matter of seconds.

After another Horsham turnover on the ensuing possession, Berkefeld nailed a three-pointer from the corner to cut the margin to three with a minute remaining.

With the game on the line in the final minute, Horsham stuck with what had worked for it all night long and threw Livingstone the ball at the top of the key, allowing him to attack Ousey one-on-one.

Livingstone drove left before spinning to the middle for a contested hook shot, and the basketball gods smiled on Horsham as the ball bounced three times on the rim before dropping through.

After a hurried three-point attempt fell short, the Lakers were forced to foul to extend the game.

Mitch Martin split a pair of freethrows to extend Horsham’s lead to six, but another corner three by Tipene halved the deficit with 17 seconds remaining.

The Lakers pressed, hoping to steal another inbound pass, but McKenzie found Frew on the run and Mount

“It was a bit of relief, a bit of excitement and a lot of pride – I’m really, really proud of them. It’s reward for all the hard work – the travelling, the time spent training and everything else. Everyone who took the floor played a role. It was a great team win”

– Scott Benbow

Gambier had no choice but to foul again.

Frew calmly sank two free throws, and when Tipene failed to connect on a hurried three-point attempt with seven seconds left, the game was effectively over.

Benbow said he felt a range of emotions as the final buzzer sounded.

“It was a bit of relief, a bit of excitement and a lot of pride – I’m really, really proud of them,” he said.

“It’s reward for all the hard work –the travelling, the time spent training and everything else.

“Everyone who took the floor played a role. It was a great team win.” Benbow was full of praise for McKenzie following his game-winning performance.

“He put the team on his back in that last quarter,” Benbow said.

“He really owned that last quarter and it’s a sign of how he’s matured into being a leader for our side.

“At the end of the game when they announced the MVP I thought it was going to be him, but when they said he had 42 points I said ‘wow’. I thought he might have had around 30, but it just shows that he quietly went about his job.”

Matt Lovel announced his retirement from the Hornets following the win, but Benbow said the rest of the team was eager to return and defend their premiership.

“Matty has decided he’s going to retire on that one. And what a way to retire – after a championship playing with his brother Jono and his cousin Freddy Frew.

“All the other boys have said they want to try to run it back again, and we’ve got another two or three players lined up to come back and play for us too.

“We should be a challenging side to play again next season.”

CELEBRATION: Horsham Hornets, with coach Scott Benbow, centre, celebrate their Country Basketball League south-west division grand final win on Saturday.

Ararat swimmers aggregate winners

Saturday’s District 12 Wimmera swim meet at Warracknabeal attracted 90 entrants and visiting clubs of Kerang, Ballarat GCO, Ballarat Gold and Maryborough, joining Ararat, Horsham, St Arnaud and Warracknabeal swimming clubs.

Ararat Swimming Club members entered 110 individual events and 12 relays, winning the Neil Ross Shield with the most aggregate points.

The club’s Emily Perazic was the best performing swimmer across four strokes in the female 17 years and above 50-metre events, winning the Geoff Ferguson Memorial trophy.

Perazic achieved times of 48.78 seconds in backstroke; 52.83 in butterfly; 49.94 in breaststroke; and 39.54 in freestyle, just ahead of second-placed Penny Penfold of Horsham, who had a time of 39.79.

St Arnaud Swimming Club’s Ebony Start won the W. Maroney perpetual trophy with her firstplacing time of 1:12.50 in the women’s open 100-metre freestyle.

Start also won the women’s 17-29 50-metre freestyle with a time of 33.34, milliseconds ahead of Ararat’s Ivana Donnan, with a time of 33.88. Donnan’s 38.64 in the 50-metre backstroke was also just shy of Start’s 38.40.

Donnan, however, enjoyed a short finish in a long race – she beat Ballarat Gold’s Ellua Boyd in the women’s open 200-metre medley with a time of 3:06.97 to Boyd’s 3:07.82.

Ararat’s Eva Brady was the fastest in the girls’ 10-11 years 50-metre butterfly, calculated

from two events, winning the Phillips perpetual trophy.

St Arnaud’s Jesse Amos continued his success, winning the Warracknabeal RSL perpetual trophy for his performance in the men’s 100-metre freestyle – he finished in 1:06.63, well ahead of second-placed Ararat’s Gabriel Tonks’ 1:17.53.

Amos and Tonks battled it out across four other men’s 17-29 years events and four open men’s events, with the same first-second placings.

Warracknabeal’s Charles Gregson found competition with Ararat’s Wilem Lovett in the boys’ eight and under 50-metre breaststroke, finishing within a second of each others’ 1:16.84 and 1:17.35.

The boys’ 13-14 years butterfly event was also close, times of 42.02 and 42.68 separated Ballarat Gold’s Flynn Dodson and Horsham’s Hylton Penfold.

Event co-ordinator Jenny Ough said Saturday’s meet saw competitors of all ages from six to 49.

“This year as a district we have noticed an increase in the number of families where the parents as well as the children are competing,” she said.

“It is fabulous to see entire families enjoying the meet, supporting each other in their respective individual events, and creating a lovely family and inclusive atmosphere.”

The next meet is after the Christmas break, swimmers will travel to Ararat on February 8, with the final three meets of the season at St Arnaud on February 15, Ararat on February 22 and Warracknabeal on March 1.

BULLDOGS ROAR: Western Bulldogs footballers hosted free AFL clinics at Horsham City Oval last week. Adam Treloar, left, former Horsham Saints junior and now Bulldog Joel Freijah, Josh Dolan and Dom Brew were among the players who led children through tackle-free drills and games on a smaller field. Clinics were also hosted at Ararat and Stawell, with some players visiting schools. The clinics across the region were part of a community camp at Ballarat, where the Bulldogs have an affiliation.

Clubs share in sporting grants

Sporting clubs across the Wimmera and Grampians have shared in more than $1.2-million of State Government funding announced last week.

Community Sport Minister Ros Spence announced the successful applicants under the first round of the government’s Sporting Clubs Grants Program for 2024-25, with 16 clubs and associations from the Wimmera and Grampians regions among the 875 total grant recipients.

The grants support clubs to purchase uniforms and equipment, upskill volunteers, coaches and officials, and improve their accessibility and engagement with local communities.

Ms Spence said the program was backed by the Regional Community Sport Development Fund.

“We want our local sporting clubs to be backing the next generation of local champions – and these grants provide them the chance to do just that,” she said.

Successful local grant recipients were –

Category one, on-field uniforms or equipment: Ararat Football Netball Club; Ararat VRI Bowls Club; Grampians Petanque Club; Horsham Amateur Basketball Association; Horsham Lawn Tennis Club; Laharum Cricket Club; Laharum Tennis Club; Lake Bolac and District Bowling Club; Natimuk Rifle Club; Natimuk Tennis Club; Pimpinio Football Netball Club; Stawell Soccer Club; Warracknabeal Amateur Basketball Association.

Category two, volunteers and officials: Climbing QTs.

Category three, access and engagement: Edenhope-Apsley Football Netball Club; MinyipMurtoa Football Netball Club.

Category four, competitors: Ararat Football Netball Club.

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History-making results for athletes

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Several young Wimmera athletes have ended 2024 on a high note, with success in state and national-level events.

Horsham West Primary School’s Jack Sawyer represented Victoria at the School Sport Australia Track and Field Championships in Sydney from November 28 to December 2, winning a bronze medal as part of the 11-year-old boys four-by-100-metre relay team.

Sawyer also competed in the tetrathlon – a combined event consisting of a 100-metre race, an 800-metre race, long jump and shot put – finishing seventh overall and recording the third-best 100-metre time.

In the 200-metre event Sawyer was second in his heat in a time of 26.96 seconds, qualifying him for the final where, despite running nearly 0.4 of a second faster with a time of 26.57 seconds, he finished eighth.

Sawyer also contested the individual 100-metre event, missing qualification for the final after running fifth in his heat.

Sawyer was also part of a historymaking team at the Little Athletics Victoria State Relay Championships in the Melbourne suburb of Epping at the weekend.

The Horsham Little Athletics Centre had never won a state-level relay medal in the 60-year history of Little

Athletics, but claimed two of them on Saturday.

Sawyer and fellow Horsham teammates Jett Hill, Jaxon Ellis and Benji Jowett were first in the final of the boys under-13 medley relay – an event consisting of one leg each of 100 metres, 200 metres, 300 metres and 400 metres.

The team finished in a time of 2:23.46 – more than a second faster

than runner-up Keilor. The same team also claimed Horsham’s second medal, finishing with a bronze in the final of the four-by-200-metre relay.

While Horsham celebrated the first Little Athletics relay medals in its history, the Western Country Region, WCR – which encompasses Horsham and other Wimmera and Grampiansbased Little Athletics clubs – celebrated its second.

The WCR had won only one relay medal in the 60-year history of Little Athletics, but got its second when

a girls under-15 team consisting of Horsham athletes Georgia Foster and Asha Meek, Stawell athlete Darcy Venn and Warrnambool athlete Sophie Burrow won bronze in the four-by200-metre relay.

Horsham Little Athletics Centre also celebrated news that Georgia will represent Little Athletics Victoria as part of an under-15 team at the 2025 North Island Games in New Zealand in January. She will compete against Australian and New Zealand athletes in 100-me-

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Requirements:

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tre, 200-metre and four-by-100-metre races, as well as long jump.

President Peta Foster said Horsham Little Athletics Centre was in ‘such a strong place – the strongest it has arguably ever been’.

“We have 150 families that travel not only from Horsham, but the whole Wimmera as far away as Nhill, Jeparit, Beulah, Warracknabeal, Dadwells Bridge and other surrounding districts,” she said.

“We have some very dedicated and talented athletes which is showing with the amazing results we are getting.”

Ms Foster praised the work of the centre’s committee to support the region’s young athletes.

“We have been working this season to try and incorporate multiclass athletes and athletes with a disability into the program, as we know that everyone is entitled to be a part of sport and a team,” she said.

“For that to happen, we desperately need an upgrade to facilities in Horsham.

“Although we have held talks with Horsham Rural City Council, who have plans to provide another grass track, we know it is imperative for every person in the Wimmera be able to access an all-weather, all-seasons, athletic club with a synthetic track that allows for athletes of all ages and all abilities to be able to use the facility.”

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The team at Skillinvest wish you all a joyous Christmas and Happy New Year.

Thank you to everyone who worked, partnered, trained or learned with our team this year, we look forward to seeing you again in the New Year.

Our offices will be closed from 25 December 2024 and will reopen on 2 January 2025.

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SUCCESS: Jack Sawyer competing in the School Sport Australia Track and Field Championships in Sydney.

MEDALISTS: Horsham Little Athletics Centre gold and silver medalists, from left, Benji Jowett, Jett Hill, Jack Sawyer and Jaxon Ellis.

December 18, 2024

Brim-Kellalac-Sheep Hills veteran batter Chris McPherson hears the death rattle of the ball against stumps as Colts bowler Logan Millar knocked over his castle during the Eagles’ win at Dudley Cornell Park in Horsham on Saturday. McPherson made 25 runs for the victors and teamed up for a 51-run partnership with Jeremy Preston, 76, to put the team in a strong position. The Eagles sit second on the A Grade

see

Chris castled

® Vol. 27 No. 25

ladder behind West Wimmera. Story,

page 81. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER