Mayoral Column 23 January 2017

Published on 23 January 2017

Celebrate Australia Day in Loddon Shire

While most of us look forward to a public holiday on Australia Day I’d encourage you to consider the opportunity it presents to thank those of all ages and backgrounds who have contributed to making our communities, our Shire and our country all it is today.

Our Australia Day Committees are no exception, having worked tirelessly to arrange a variety of events across the Shire from breakfasts, morning teas, barbecue lunches and teas, through to swimming carnivals, merry-go-rounds and live music at some locations.

Each year I look forward to seeing some of the municipality’s most valued residents recognised for all they do at the annual Australia Day presentations which are made across a range of categories at each of our community celebrations.

Wherever you are on Australia Day there is also an opportunity to listen to an Australia Day ambassador share their experiences of what it means to be Australian.

While the guest speakers at our community events come from a variety of backgrounds, in some instances their experiences should prove particularly interesting to the community they’re visiting.

A good example of this is having businessman Huss Mustafa OAM (Victoria) scheduled to speak at Pyramid Hill.

Huss has a Turkish Cypriot heritage with very humble beginnings, having migrated to Australia with his family at the age of 10.

He is currently a senior executive at Commonwealth Bank of Australia and has a passion for supporting and celebrating multiculturalism in Australia that recognizes the contribution and benefits of cultural diversity.

Hopefully the story Huss shares on Australia Day will provide encouragement to many within Pyramid Hill’s growing Filipino community.

Join in celebrating all that makes us proud to be Australian at Arnold Hall at 6.30pm, Nolan Park in Boort at 9.15am, Sloan Park in Bridgewater at 8am, the Eddington Community Centre at 8am, Inglewood Swimming Pool at 11am, Newbridge Hall at 11.30am, Pyramid Hill Hall at 6pm, Rudkin’s Reserve at Serpentine at 8.30am and Jacka Park in Wedderburn at 5pm.

Creative Australia Day entries on display

Loddon Shire’s annual Australia Day festivities will include the presentation of prizes for a literature, colouring and photography competition organised in partnership with primary and secondary schools across the municipality.

It’s wonderful to see creativity is alive and well in Loddon Shire, with a wonderful variety of entries being produced in response to the themes which centre around A Great Australian in the literary section and Local Flora and Fauna in the photography and colouring competition sections.

This year we’ve also had a good response to the open photography competition and it’s pleasing to see people of all ages sharing their passion.

In fact over the last couple of months some 600 creative Australia Day competition entries have flowed into the office.

A selection of entries received are currently on display at the Inglewood and Pyramid Hill IGA supermarkets, The Boort Resource and Information Centre, Tarnagulla Community Centre and the window of the old milk bar in Wedderburn’s High Street.

Residents enjoying Australia Day at the Bridgewater, Serpentine and Newbridge community celebration will also be able to view a variety of entries displayed there on the day.

Winning and highly commended entries will feature at The Coach House Gallery in Wedderburn throughout February.

Share your bumper crop photos

Loddon’s farmers boast some bumper crops this season.

With high yields coming in, now is the time to sign up to a new two-way system alerting growers to early and actionable pest, disease and weed warnings, as well as national bio-security alerts.

Grow Notes Alert is an Agriculture Victoria co-funded program to which grain growers and advisors across the country have been sending photos of suspected pest, disease and weed issues, as well as highlighting their healthy crops.

I encourage farmers across the municipality to consider signing up and sharing their crop photos, to help feed vital data into the system designed to develop a better picture of our grain growing areas, especially over the harvest period.

With many growers storing grain on-farm this year, it’s important they are on the look-out for grain pests and infestations to better anticipate any quarantine or other matters that may impact of grain marketability.

By connecting with Grow Notes Alert during the pilot period you will also be placed in a draw which may win you a drone.

For further information about Grow Notes Alert visit www.grdc.com.au/grownotesalert or email grownotesalert@ecodev.vic.gov.au