Mayoral Column 20 July 2015
Published on 20 July 2015
A special week for the Mayor
This week I have had the great pleasure of welcoming eight new Australian citizens, opening an invaluable community service facility and the opportunity to speak to a number of key stakeholders in a variety of projects during Council’s full-day forum.
One of the greatest honours I have as Mayor is being able to conduct citizenship ceremonies in our Shire. This week I joined with my fellow Councillor Cheryl McKinnon, as we welcomed eight new Australian citizens in Pyramid Hill in front of a large audience of more than 70 members of the community.
It was a special ceremony where we welcomed Eustaquia Dela Tonga, Richard Fernandez, Selvelyn Rivera and Jeffrey and Loida Pacala and their three children Aleeza, Jeff and Keziah.
These are valued members of our community who have already entrenched themselves in our area. We welcome anyone who would like to become an Australian Citizen to contact the shire office. We will organise a ceremony around the most suitable time for you.
Last Sunday I also had the great honour of being present at the opening of the new Woosang fire shed and handing over the keys to their new fire truck. The Woosang fire brigade has a strong foothold in the area, with a dedicated committee. The fire brigade has been in operation since 1926. I was thrilled to participate in the ceremony were the keys to the facility and the truck were presented to Captain Jeff Round by CFA Board Member Michael Tudball in the presence of Chief Fire Officer Uan Ferguson.
This week, Council also held its forum, which was quite extensive. Goulburn-Murray Water Connections Project general manager Ian Rodgers gave us an update of the project, the Boort District Health Service committee and executive outlined their hospital redevelopment project and we also had a frequent visitor to our Council forums, Loddon Shire Council’s friend, Dr Sharman Stone Member for Murray. We spoke to Dr Stone on a number of issues and thanked her for the Roads to Recovery funding boost that Council received.
Loddon receives the gift of life
Photo: Four year-old Lucy Pascoe with Dingee Bush Nursing Centre’s Kerry Hanrahan, Loddon Shire Council’s immunisation nurses, Cindy McKay and Melisa Kennedy, Loddon Shire Council’s Early Years Coordinator Alycia O’Sullivan and Dingee Bush Nursing center manager Karen Penny.
Loddon Shire Council’s immunisation service has benefited from the donation of an automatic defibrillator device.
Council sincerely thanks the Dingee Bush Nursing Centre for its generous donation.
The addition of the defibrillator to the visiting team’s equipment ensures they are well equipped for any emergency possible while out on the road.
Both organisations realise the importance of children receiving their vital immunisations within the best practice principles and guidelines. Only one child in a million may have a life threatening anaphylactic reaction to a vaccine.
If anaphylaxis is not treated immediately it can lead to a cardiac arrest, thereby requiring the use of a defibrillator.
The defibrillator can increase a person’s survival greatly.
The device can be used on both children and adults and will accompany Loddon’s immunisation team while they are out on the road in the shire.
Events calendar published
Council is proud to produce the annual 2015/2016 Calendar of Events, which showcases the next 12 months of activities within our municipality.
Loddon Shire put a call out to community groups and event organisers earlier this year to finalise the calendar which will be available in information centres within 200kms of Loddon’s boundaries.
The calendar is a way for event organisers to gain a wide exposure for community events.
For more information or to obtain a copy, visit Loddon Visitor Information Centre or call 5494 1257 or email your request to loddonvisitorinformaiton@loddon.vic.gov.au.