Mayoral Column 11 December 2017

Published on 11 December 2017

Walk to School congratulations

Well done to the students and families in Loddon Shire who participated in Walk to School 2017.

October’s Walk to School program saw schools from Loddon Shire join hundreds of primary schools from across Victoria for a fun month of walking, riding and scooting to and from school.

As well as promoting physical activity for families, the month involved activity days for schools across the Shire, including Boort, Wedderburn, East Loddon, Pyramid Hill, Inglewood, Bridgewater and Tarnagulla.

This year Loddon Shire also ran a Walk to School Photo Competition, with entries received from six schools in the Shire.

I’d like to congratulate the winners of the photo competition including first prize winner Alby Bear from Boort District School. The Smyth family from Inglewood’s St Mary’s Catholic Primary School took out the second prize, with third prize winners the Murphy family from Inglewood Primary School.

Walk to School month, which is made possible thanks to funding from VicHealth, is a fun and easy way for Victorian primary school students to build healthy habits for life. Last year, more than 144,000 students took part and walked the equivalent of two return trips to the moon!

Walk to School month may be over, but that doesn’t mean your healthy habits have to stop. Why not make walking, riding and scooting to and from school part of your family’s regular routine?

A great time to shop locally

It’s hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner!

With just two weeks until Christmas Day, there are a number of local events taking place, bringing our community together in the lead up to Christmas. The festive season is also a great opportunity for our community to shop locally.

Our residents do a fantastic job of supporting our Shire’s businesses throughout the year by shopping locally and this Christmas it would be terrific to see this trend continue. Christmas is a busy time of year for all of us, and shopping locally not only saves time, but also supports our local economy.

Whether it’s a unique Christmas gift or local produce for Christmas lunch (as mentioned in last week’s column, we’ve got some wonderful, award-winning producers in our area), Loddon Shire has plenty of retail options for the holiday season.

What’s more, if you have family and friends coming to visit this Christmas, the holidays are a great time to showcase our Loddon region.

Be it enjoying a barbecue and a cool dip at one of the Shire’s swimming pools, revelling in the lakes, waterways, quiet fishing spots and bushwalks or exploring our historic towns, there’s much to see and do these holidays.

To find out more, drop by the Loddon Visitor Information Centre, one of the tourist stands across the Shire or go to www.loddon.vic.gov.au/visit.

Young Achiever Awards nominations closing shortly

With just a week to go until nominations close for the Victorian Young Achiever Awards, now is the time to take the opportunity to nominate an outstanding young person in our Shire.

Nominations for the awards close on 18 December and are open to people aged up to 29 years. It could be a young person who is achieving great results or who is actively involved in our community.

Categories for the Young Achiever Awards include regional and rural health, community services, arts and fashion, and small business achievement.

Each category winner receives $2,000 and a trophy. The Victorian Young Achiever of the Year will receive an additional $2,000 flight voucher and a state trophy.

For more information, including the full list of award categories or to nominate a young achiever, visit www.awardsaustralia.com/young-achiever-awards/vic