Mayoral Column 13 November 2017

Published on 13 November 2017

Looking forward

I’d firstly like to thank the outgoing Mayor Councillor Neil Beattie for his contribution and excellent leadership during the past two terms. I’d also like to acknowledge Cr Beattie’s strong advocacy work, particularly around water security, and I hope to continue on his good efforts in this area.

It’s an honour for me to be elected Mayor for the coming term and I am looking forward to progressing some of our priority projects. This includes flood levees for the towns of Boort, Pyramid Hill and Serpentine. The delay in construction we know is causing anxiety in our communities, however with most of the design work completed on these levees, we will continue to advocate for funding to protect our towns.

Other priority projects that I hope to make progress with include upgrading the streetscapes in Inglewood, Boort, Pyramid Hill and Bridgewater, upgrades for caravan parks and advocating for town water supply and sewerage for Newbridge.

Together with Council, I look forward to working with our communities in advancing these priority projects and continuing to improve the liveability of our towns, as well as growing our population.

Report suspect plant pests

Agriculture Victoria is reminding grain growers to report any suspect plant pests and symptoms as early as possible to stop the spread of diseases next cropping season.

Reporting of odd pest and plant symptoms can be done quickly and easily through the department’s crop surveillance program “CropSafe”. This field crop pest and disease surveillance system is linked to more than 200 major agribusiness companies and private agronomist networks.

CropSafe has become a critical tool in identifying potential exotic pests and disease threats to the state’s grains industry. The bigger the CropSafe network becomes, the better able it is to detect exotic pests and diseases in field crops – early detection is key.

For more information about CropSafe and how you can report suspect plant pests and symptoms visit http://go.vic.gov.au/PQRwiv.

Acknowledging our young achievers

Do you know an outstanding young person in our Shire? If so, you might consider nominating them for a 2018 Victorian Young Achiever Award.

Now in its seventh year, the awards, which are open to people aged up to 29 years, are another opportunity to recognise the achievements of a young person in our region. 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.

Award nominations close on 18 December, 2017. For more information or to nominate a young achiever, visit www.awardsaustralia.com/young-achiever-awards/vic