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Around the traps with Gus Underwood

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Colin Petersen behind the kit.

Last Saturday night’s ‘The Best of the Bee Gees’ Greatest Hits tour appearance at Riverlinks Eastbank in Shepparton featured the famous band’s original drummer, Colin Peterson.

Peterson is also known for his starring role as Smiley in the Australian-produced 1956 film of the same name.

Smiley was filmed in the outback town of Augathella in western Queensland, where there is an iconic mural tribute to the movie.

While it was Peterson who won the role, Kyabram’s Lindsay Wickham made the short list all those years ago.

Smiley tells the story of a young boy who is determined to buy a bicycle for four pounds, despite many misadventures along the way.

Kyabram locals with a few miles under their belt might also remember The Bee Gees in their early days performing gigs in Kyabram before they became superstar global household names.

A movie poster for Smiley, introducing Colin Petersen.

Pankhurst buys tavern

Former Campaspe Shire mayor Neil Pankhurst is going into the entertainment business.

He and Barmah’s Kerry Bruce purchased the 130-year-old Wunghnu Tavern after it fell below its reserve price of $450,000 at auction recently.

The Wunghnu Tavern has new owners.

The new owners plan to re-open the business as a licensed premises.

Thief’s Facebook blunder

Not the wisest of decisions when a Shepparton man turned to Facebook Marketplace to try to sell water-ski gear he had stolen.

Andrew Bolton, 35, faced charges of stealing an estimated $45,000 worth of gear from Mulwala in August last year.

But when he put photos of the gear for sale on Facebook Marketplace from his personal account the owners of the gear recognised it. This led to his arrest and a subsequent $1200 fine in a recent Shepparton Magistrates’ Court sitting.

Man fined for stealing water

A Shepparton man was fined $2500 for water theft and tampering with Goulburn-Murray Water equipment when the charges were heard at Shepparton Magistrates’ Court.

The offender was charged with both unauthorised taking and use of water and interfering with the property of an authority.

G-MW commenced the prosecution after discovering both a regulator and meter outlet had been switched from automatic mode into local mode, subsequently allowing water to be rerouted without an order being placed.

The manipulation of the regulator triggered an alarm, leading to G-MW distribution staff inspecting the site.

The staff found the water was being diverted to two neighbouring paddocks. The water taken at the time was unauthorised and unmetered.

Eddy puts hand up

Undera man Keiron Eddy has put his hat into the ring for the Greater Shepparton City Council elections in October.

Eddy has spent the past nine years in Undera but is a Greater Shepparton resident of 47 years.

He is standing for the lower Goulburn Ward “because I live in it”.

He said he had decided to run for council because he had a passion for local issues and would like to be part of trying to solve problems.

Contribute to action plan

Strathbogie Shire Council is inviting Kirwans Bridge residents to share their local knowledge to produce an emergency action plan.

Local emergency action plans have already been developed in Violet Town, Avenel and Euroa and plans are in progress for Nagambie and Strathbogie Tableland to get them.

Interest must be registered before Friday, August 23, for the proposed Kirwans Bridge plan.

Square dinkum

G’day.

People used to laugh at me when I said that one day I wanted to be a comedian ... well, no-one is laughing now.

Hooroo!