Mayoral Column 9 January 2017

Published on 09 January 2017

Council flood recovery office open

A flood recovery office has been established in Council’s Wedderburn Office with funding provided through the Natural Disaster Financial Assistance Program (NDFA).

Last week staff began prioritising the extensive list of restoration works needed to be completed following flooding events which impacted the Shire in September and October last year.

It’s encouraging to have reached this stage but I still ask residents to exercise patience.

After the program’s priority list is finalised we still have to go through the tender process and have designs prepared on a needs basis to ensure the program is coordinated in an efficient, timely manner.

At this stage it’s anticipated residents will begin to see on the ground restoration work begin in March, and continue through to the designated completion date of December 2018.

Join the six week Lap Swim Challenge

Is your name on the Lap Swim Challenge board at your Council run swimming pool?

If not, next time you visit have a look at what your friends and neighbours are achieving and it may inspire you to join the six week challenge to swim towards better health.

Participants are are able to choose any six week block during the summer swimming season to set a personal lap goal, log their progress and share a sense of achievement as their tally grows.

Swimmers are charted for a total of six weeks from the time of registration, but the lap log book and challenge board can record up to 12 weeks of activity, encouraging a continuation of the healthy routine.

Council’s community support team will award each registered swimmer who achieves their set goal with a prize at the end of the swimming season.

Make sure you pick a realistic goal not too far outside your comfort zone to experience success, and as your fitness increases you can work up from there.

You can collect an information sheet and register at your local pool or for further information contact Community Development Officer Carmel Pethick by phoning the Council’s Wedderburn Office on 5494 1200.

Grassfire serves as timely warning

A grassfire near Bridgewater which made Christmas Eve headlines has served as a timely reminder for residents to remain alert over the fire danger period.

Council’s Fire Prevention Officer wants every resident in the Shire to understand just how important it is for each household’s fire plan to be current, clear and close at hand.

It’s crucial for everyone in the family to know what the plan is ahead of time as making sound decisions in a crisis situation can be very difficult.

Leaving early is the safest way to survive a bushfire, particularly on Code Red, Extreme and Severe days.

It’s good to get into the routine of checking the fire danger rating which ranges from low-moderate to Code Red each day.

This can be readily achieved by keeping an eye on media reports, logging onto the CFA website or the VicEmergency app, which replaces FireReady app this fire season.