Mayoral Column 29 September 2014
Published on 29 September 2014
CAPTION FOR PICTURE: Loddon Shire Mayor Cr Gavan Holt officially launched Council’s new Facebook page during last week’s meeting at Serpentine.
Find us on Facebook
Last Tuesday, during the latest Council meeting in Serpentine, I had the pleasure of performing a live launch of Loddon Shire’s brand-new Facebook page.
The Shire’s move to beef up its online presence was sparked by comments from the community last year when Loddon Shire was formulating its latest Council Plan.
The Council Plan for 2013/2017 has as one of its stated objectives the establishment of an online presence in order to communicate more effectively and immediately with the Loddon community.
Our Facebook page, which may become interactive in time, will have the latest in news and events, office closure times, service information and emergency bulletins, often directing people to more information on the website.
Please join us at https://www.facebook.com/LoddonShire
Just for the seniors
Today (29 Sept.) signals the start of Loddon Shire’s Seniors Festival for 2014 – a great opportunity for our valued older citizens to get out and really enjoy themselves.
The first two items on the program are mystery trips – one tomorrow (30 September) and the second on 13 October. To find out more, check Council’s printed guide, visit our website or phone the Serpentine office on 5437 7999.
Next up is a high tea at The Hotel Windsor in Melbourne on 7 October. The cost of $60 includes the coach trip and the high tea, but it’s BYO lunch or you can buy something in the city.
Bookings for this outing close next Thursday, 2 October.
On 9 October, a free trip has been organised to a show called “Sentimental Journey – an afternoon of laughs and songs” at Campbell’s Creek, near Castlemaine.
The feature event of the festival is Gala Day on Wednesday 15 October at the Boort Memorial Hall, with entertainment provided by a show called Ada & Elsie: Wacko-the-diddle-oh!
The characters Ada and Elsie were stars of Australian live radio in the 1940s who played to two audiences – those listening on the wireless and those gathered together at a live venue. In the show, the audience gets to experience what it was like to help create the atmosphere for the radio listeners.
Gala Day runs from 1pm to 3pm and entry is free. Afternoon tea will be served after the show and transport is available at $5 per person.
Don’t forget the annual Naturally Loddon Festival is on at the same time, so be sure to obtain a copy of the festival program and take part in events wherever you can.
Get out in the bush
Next Friday (3 Oct.) marks the start of this year’s Terrick Terrick National Park Activities Weekend, part of the annual Naturally Loddon Spring Festival.
The weekend, which is hosted by the Friends of Terrick Terrick National Park, opens about 4pm on Friday with a display of local wildflowers and a working bee, followed by dinner and three short talks.
Saturday’s program kicks off at 7.15am with an early morning bird-watching session, before several mini-bus tours and nature walks, working bees, some presentations and a “jam session” with the “Terricks Bush Orchestra”.
Sunday’s activities begin at 9am, when Russell Shawcross will host a shearing demonstration, following which there will be a mini-bus tour to sites of historical interest and another to selected bird survey sites in and near the park.
All activities start from the Davies Homestead site on Mitiamo-Kow Swamp Rd, just south of the Jungaburra Rd intersection.
All activities are free and camping is available alongside Davies Homestead, where the machinery shed used for displays and presentations has power and water connected.
BYO drinking water, food, plates and camping gear, but the committee will supply afternoon tea on Saturday. For more details, phone 5480 9254.
Big day out in Tarnagulla
Cupcake decorating for adults, a cycle race, four book launches and an all-town garage sale are just some of the new features of this weekend’s (4-5 October) Out ’n’ About in Tarnagulla.
Now in its fourth year, the bustling family weekend fills the old gold mining town with colour and movement, as hundreds of visitors pour in to enjoy a day out.
Out ’n’ About in Tarnagulla is part of this year’s Naturally Loddon Festival, a seven-week celebration of Loddon Shire’s natural environment put together by Council and a number of diverse community groups.
Opening hours of the Tarnagulla event are 1pm to 4pm on Saturday and 9am to 3pm on Sunday.
A major highlight is the annual detector key hunt, sponsored by Inglewood & Districts Community Bendigo Bank. Entry costs $10 and prizes this year include a Minelab X-Terra 705 detector.
Another “first” on Saturday will be a display by the Tarnagulla History Group in the Victoria Theatre, with an old-fashioned afternoon tea on offer.
Other features will include book launches by local historians Ken and Edna Arnold and David Gordon, wildflower walks, vintage motorbikes, live music and children’s activities.
On Sunday, the Central Victorian Veterans Cycling Club will stage a series of criterion races from 9am to noon around the town’s streets.
The club, which is open to men aged 35 years and over and women 30 and up, is based at Woodstock Hall, but members have raced at Newbridge, Emu Creek, Inglewood, Bridgewater, Melville Caves, Laanecoorie and other locations.
For further information on the weekend, phone the Loddon Visitor Information Centre on 5494 3489.
Graduation day
Next Friday (3 October), Wedderburn Community House will host an open day to celebrate the completion of the 10th annual Wedderburn Shearing School.
Running from 10am to 3pm, with a barbecue lunch provided by the local Lions Club, the event will take place at Nardoo Creek Farm, at 423 Calder Highway.
The course covers accredited modules in wool handling and basic shearing shed skills and is available to students who qualify under the Skills Victoria regulations for training modules in this area.
Starting last Monday and concluding this Friday, the program requires students to complete eight core units and one elective, involving some 200 hours of training, to receive a Certificate II in Shearing and Certificate II in Wool Handling.
That qualification is sufficient to be able to shear sheep to an acceptable industry standard and to win a job as a shearer or wool handler anywhere.
For more details, phone Marg Van Veen on 5494 3489.