Mayoral Column 20 April 2015
Published on 20 April 2015
Caption: Gemma Moulsdale holds the gold she found with her dad in Wedderburn.
Remembering our heroes
With the centenary of Anzac being commemorated this weekend, I am happy to report on a large number of ceremonies happening across the municipality.
On Anzac Day, Saturday 25 April, the communities of Boort, Bridgewater, Inglewood, Korong Vale, Calivil, Pyramid Hill, Newbridge and Wedderburn will be holding their own local ceremonies.
A Shire-wide ceremony, to be held on Friday 24 April at 10am at Serpentine, is this Council’s and our community’s, centerpiece event to remember the sacrifice of those who have gone before us.
This event has been organised with the strong support of our RSL clubs and our historical societies.
We are extremely excited that we have been able to attract The Honourable Tim Fischer AC, a former serviceman, formerly Australia’s Ambassador to the Holy See (the Vatican), former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, current Victorian and just a top citizen, will be our guest speaker at Serpentine.
Every school student in Loddon has been invited and will be attending the event, and in addition to those 1000 students, I am expecting approximately 500 community members.
This will be a huge event and I would encourage every citizen of the Loddon Shire that can attend to come along to Serpentine on Friday.
Anzac Day is a time to remember the absolute carnage that occurred in proportions that would not be tolerated today and the damage that was done to people, that at the time, was not recognised. There was no Post Traumatic Stress Disorder back then. We came back from those wars and got on with life as best as we could.
To view the Anzac Day ceremony list and times, visit Council’s website, www.loddon.vic.gov.au.
Gold found in Wedderburn
This week, I was excited to hear of another gold find within Loddon’s boundaries.
I congratulate Gemma Moulsdale and her dad Dean for finding 11 grams of gold while fossicking in our municipality.
Dean and Gemma, from Shepparton, spent two days fossicking in Wedderburn earlier this month before coming across their find.
This is the second report of gold found in our Council boundaries in recent months, with the last gold found weighing 2.7kg and worth $135,000.
Drainage works Nixon Street Inglewood
Council has undertaken works on a number of roads within the municipality, to improve drainage.
The Nixon Street and Potters Hill Lane intersection at Inglewood is one of the locations that received works under Council’s Urban Drainage Program.
Council has constructed a rock line drain to carry roadside drainage and overflow water from the retardation basin to the existing drainage network at the intersection.
Drainage culverts have been installed at property entrances and the road has received upgrades to facilitate effective drainage and all-weather access as part of the works.
The project cost $100,000 and was funded by the federal government’s Road to Recovery Program.
Fathers’ night at Boort preschool
The Boort preschool held its annual fathers’ night, to allow dads a chance to meet new faces and spend one-on-one time with their preschooler.
Eleven excited preschoolers brought their dads along for fun and games.
The dads got their hands dirty, playing with playdough, easel painting, foam finger painting, kinetic sand, clever sticks and block building.
The evening was finished off with some dancing, including the hokey pokey and a story, called Wombat Stew.