50 years ago November 1974
Workshop seminars to educate the local public in tourism in Echuca and district may be established following a resolution which was carried unanimously at a public meeting last night.
The meeting, called by the Echuca Regional Development Society to launch ‘’Operation Steaming Ahead’’, was held at the Echuca Civic Centre and proved most successful with about 60 people attending.
Moved by Mr Gordon Cumming, past president of ERDS, the resolution was seconded by Cr Jim Hickey, of Moama, and was given the meeting’s full support.
The resolution followed about two hours of open discussion in problems facing the tourist industry in Echuca and many suggestions on ways to improve the tourist facilities were made.
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About 500 people from all parts of Victoria and the Riverina, including many antique dealers and collectors, packed St Andrew’s Hall when antique furniture, clocks and other items passed under the auctioneer’s hammer for an amount in the vicinity of $18,000.
The sale, which was the largest of its kind in Echuca for many years, was conducted by Australian Estates Pty Ltd on behalf of the state of the late Mrs M.C. Slorach, of Hopwood St.
Competition was fierce in all sections of the sale, especially in the collectors’ items, furniture and clocks.
Highlight of the sale was the bidding for a Swiss musical cuckoo clock which was bought for $910.
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More information is to be sought by Echuca City Council before it makes a decision on a request for removal of the high diving board from the Echuca War Memorial Olympic swimming pool.
The request was one of four received by Monday night’s meeting of council from the Echuca Amateur Swimming Club.
Cr R. Dohnt said removal of the high diving board had been discussed by the public works and services committee with representatives of the club and the pool manager.
‘’They are concerned at the danger of swimmers being injured by people jumping or diving from the board and said there had already been many near accidents.’’
25 years ago November 1999
Echuca Village residents will be able to have their say on the proposed Moama levee bank at a public forum.
Councillor Neil Repacholi raised the proposal as a matter of urgent business at Campaspe Shire’s council meeting at Rushworth.
He said after inspecting the Moama levee bank plans at Murray Shire offices, he believed it would have flooding repercussions for Echuca Village.
He said the levee would reduce the size of the pond that water could spill into in a flood.
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Echuca hospital has benefited from a donation from this year’s Southern 80 ski race.
Organisers of the Southern 80, the Moama Water Sports Club, donated about $1800 to the hospital’s accident and emergency department.
The money was used to purchase three much needed pieces of equipment.
Among the equipment was a spinal board, to be used to move anyone who has been involved in a high impact accident and may have a fractured spine.
The purchase means that there will always be a spinal board at the hospital, whereas previously the one board had been shared between the hospital and the ambulance.
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Saturday saw 2320 cyclists gather at Echuca’s Victoria Park before heading off on the Great Victorian Bike Ride.
The cyclists gathered for registration before heading off towards Rochester, by way of Lockington, on a 62km leg of the 490km ride.
Yesterday’s ride saw the cyclists head from Rochester towards Bendigo with a lunch break at Goornong Recreation Reserve, where Bicycle Victoria event manager Noel Reid described it as ‘’a sea of cyclists’’.
The Great Victorian Bike Ride was aimed at people having a good time, making the most of their holidays and involved people who enjoyed cycling, he said.
10 years ago November 2014
Intimate partner violence is the major cause of death and disability of all Australian women aged 18 to 45.
Campaspe Shire is not immune to this problem with two charges of domestic violence laid every week while an intervention order is made every day on average.
Even more disturbing is children are present at 49 per cent of the attacks.
As recently as 1994 some parts of Australia still had no laws covering crimes such as rape in marriage.
The full horror of men’s violence against women – as told through documentary-maker Shaun Burke’s moving short film Weathered – was a powerful highlight of the Campaspe Shire’s White Ribbon Day event, which was attended by more than 100 people on Tuesday night.
Hosted by Campaspe Shire chief executive Keith Baillie, who recently became a White Ribbon ambassador, the free ‘Shine a Light’ event was on at the Moama Bowling Club.
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Hundreds of Moama’s Cobb Haven residents are being inundated with tumbleweeds, choking homes, driveways and verandahs.
And along with the paddocks from which they are coming, they are posing a serious fire risk in a season the Rural Fire Service is already forecasting as high risk.
With some residents in their 80s, the relentless clean-up is getting hard to bear.
‘‘We can’t keep up with picking them up,’’ resident Ann Lynch said.
‘‘And these ones banked up are just from the last hour.’’
She said some residents complained of back pain and an inability to keep their properties tidy and accessible because of the tumbleweeds.
‘‘We’re all exhausted and it’s got really bad lately,’’ Mrs Lynch said.
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Murray Shire mayor Tom Weyrich wants a new tertiary education facility to be built in his shire.
Cr Weyrich said given the shire’s growth and the increased popularity of Moama Anglican Grammar School, the time had come to talk about education options.
‘‘It is astounding to see the grammar school to have gone from 27 students to more than 750 in six years,’’ he said.
‘‘I think it would be worth our time writing to Charles Sturt University and two or three others and see if they would be interested in coming here.’’
While Bendigo is the closest university to Echuca-Moama, students wanting to stay in NSW have either Wagga Wagga or Albury-Wodonga as its closest options.