50 years ago December 1974
Sue Weber of Southern California, who is a guest of the Lockington Young Farmers Club as part of her Australia-wide tour, on Wednesday night met former International Farm Youth Exchange Bruce Lloyd, the Federal Member for Murray.
Bruce spent six months in the United States 12 years ago under the same program, studying agriculture and rural life.
Miss Weber has been billeted for the last two weeks with Mr and Mrs Hewlett at Lockington.
Mr Lloyd and Miss Weber discussed changes in farming in Australia and the US.
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Planning of a campaign to kill mosquito larvae throughout the Murray Valley has been completed by Victorian health authorities, but the campaign will not start until the Federal Government agrees to meet the cost.
The campaign involves the baiting of all stagnant water in the Murray Valley with a pesticide mixed with sand and the cost has been estimated by the Victorian assistant chief officer of public health Dr W. N. Sloan at $500,000.
He said similar campaigns were being organised in NSW and South Australia and the authorities in each state were prepared to go ahead immediately the Federal Government agreed to meet the cost.
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Echuca Football Club’s coach for the 1975 season will be Michael Demaine, 26, who this year coached the Surfers Paradise team to a premiership.
Demaine’s appointment was announced by the club’s secretary, Bill Vagg, who said the committee was delighted to have obtained his services.
The new appointment will maintain Echuca’s contact with the Hawthorn Football Club established by Graham Arthur, who retired from the coaching position this year, and was first appointed six years ago.
Demaine played a season with Hawthorn when he was 17, but was forced into retirement by a back injury.
He did not play football for a couple of years, but then joined the Mt Eliza club as a player for four years and then took over the coaching of the Surfers Paradise club this year.
25 years ago December 1999
The opening up of Picnic Point to cars is set to widen a dispute between the Murray Shire and the proprietors of the Picnic Point Caravan Park.
Acting against environmental services director Barry McMillan’s recommendation, at its planning and development meeting last week, council resolved to allow car parking on half of the grassed picnic reserve on the point.
The arrangement will be trialled for one summer on the request of the Picnic Point Committee, formed earlier this year to decide on issues regarding the point.
A car park has been hotly debated issue, with a previous plan for a six-space car park approved and then withdrawn earlier this year.
Proposals have been constrained by the lack of available space on the narrow strip of land alongside the caravan park.
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The Murray River at Echuca-Moama is off-limits to users following the discovery of a blue-green algae bloom.
The Murray Regional Algal Co-ordinating Committee has issued a high blue-green algae alert for Echuca-Moama.
The water supplies of Echuca, Moama and Mathoura are now being treated with carbon to ensure they remain drinkable.
Water users are advised to avoid discoloured water that has a musty or septic colour. Blue-green algae can cause skin and eye irritation if swallowed.
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Students from Echuca’s three secondary schools breathed a sigh of relief on Friday with the release of VCE results.
Many students took advantage of the telephone and internet result service, while others have chosen to wait for the traditional mail delivery to come today.
In an outstanding effort, St Joseph’s Secondary College student Brendan Whiting has posted a near-perfect ENTER score of 99.85, putting him in the top 0.01 per cent of all Victorian students.
The secondary college’s dux for 1999 is Daniel Archard with an ENTER of 91.85.
Achieving an ENTER of 97.2 has seen Rhys Munzel take the honour of being Echuca High School’s dux.
10 years ago December 2014
Crime is getting solved quicker, our police are being managed better and a trial roster system has been given a big tick by Campaspe police service area boss Inspector Paul Margetts.
The PSA covers a 24-2 hour station in Echuca, three 16-hour stations at Kyabram, Rochester and Rushworth and three eight-hour stations at Gunbower, Stanhope and Tongala.
The new roster means officers in Rochester, Rushworth and Kyabram are no longer on call, leaving the towns without immediate police support for up to 16 hours a day.
With Echuca left holding the bag and covering the outlying towns.
Insp Margetts said the trial was introduced because of the reducing number of members who could be rostered ‘on call’, based on where they lived.
‘‘In my opinion, this presented a safety risk to the community and a health risk to members,’’ he said.
‘‘The trial has seen a far more co-ordinated approach to rostering the stations in the Campaspe PSA to meet demand.’’
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A group of passionate locals are working to put Picola back on the map — starting with upgrades to Picola Heritage Park.
The upgrades, officially opened on November 30, included the unveiling of a set of signs which tell the history of the area.
The event included an axe chop, a farmer who demonstrated the art of hand-sewing wheat bags, miniature swing saws and a display of historic photographs.
For Picola and District Improvement Group president Jeanette Holland, the completion of park work is satisfying because it has been two years in the making.
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Cassidy McGill has jetted off to the US for the Miss Global beauty pageant — and plans on bringing the crown home.
The Echuca beauty, 19, is the only Australian contestant.
The competition is only in its second year and is ‘an extravagant and prestigious competition beyond just the physical beauty. The contestants are encouraged to express their individuality with poise, grace, and wits.
Ms McGill completed two rounds of casting and ‘‘then I got an email from the Miss Global team telling me that I’d been chosen to represent Australia’’, she said.
‘‘I can definitely feel the weight of Australia on my shoulders. I’m super excited about what’s happening. I’m still getting my head around it.’’