Loddon Shire Mayoral Column 11 May

Published on 11 May 2021

Wedderburn Open Air Gallery Mural Project launch

It was an honour last Thursday to launch the Wedderburn Open Air Gallery Mural Project “Birds Eye View”, at the Uniting Church grounds.

On behalf of Council, l would like to congratulate the working group, the artists Andrew Bourke, Jimmy Dvate, Bryan Itch and the community of Wedderburn on this fantastic project.

The Wedderburn Open Air Gallery project originated from local artist Ross Currie, who approached Wedderburn Tourism regarding developing murals around the town. Following initial feedback, the project’s working group identified the Wedderburn Streetscape Improvement Project vicinity as the initial location for the murals.

Wedderburn Community House, in conjunction with the working group, sourced funding from Creative Victoria to establish five murals – forming the open-air gallery and providing a point of difference for visitors to explore the town. The theme is “Birds Eye View”, due to Wedderburn being identified as a mecca for birdlife.

Wedderburn’s Uniting Church features the project’s sixth mural. The mural was funded by the local community and Council’s Community Grants scheme.

The event last week also saw the launch of the Storytown “Birds Eye View” podcast, which is designed to provide an entertaining experience for both travelling tourists and locals alike.

The podcast tells the story of the Mistletoe Bird mural on the Wedderburn Newsagency wall. It also features local conservationist and amateur ornithologist Jeroen van Veen and artist Andrew Bourke telling the story of Jimmy Dvate who painted the mural.

Visitors and locals can listen to the podcast via social media or the Visit Loddon Valley website.

Get your event featured in the 2021/2022 calendar

Event organisers and local community groups who would like their event featured in the 2021/2022 calendar of events brochure are asked to submit their events to Council by Thursday 27 May 2021. 

To include your event in the brochure please submit the:

• Event date and time
• Event description (at least 250 characters)
• Price
• Event location
• Contact details of the event host, including telephone number, website, email, Facebook page address or website address.

A high-quality image, in landscape orientation, must also be provided.

You can provide your event submission to loddonvisitorinformation@loddon.vic.gov.au or register your event online.

Health and Wellbeing Plan survey

Council is currently preparing its Public Health and Wellbeing Plan 2021-25 and is inviting you to help shape its development. The plan will identify and set out the main health and wellbeing priorities for our community for the next four years. 

To help develop a plan that responds to challenges facing local communities, Council is keen to know what you think the main health and wellbeing issues facing our community are.

Community members are being asked to fill out a short survey and share your thoughts.

The survey will only take five to ten minutes to complete, and I thank our community in advance for taking the time to fill out the survey.

You can complete the survey here.

Changes to Disabled Parking Permit Applications

The Victorian Government has made changes to disability parking to create an easier and fairer system for all. 

A new disability parking permit scheme known as the Accessible Parking Permit (APP) scheme is now in effect. The new APP Scheme will streamline the application process, making it easier, simpler and consistent across the state.

Loddon Shire Council transitioned to the new APP scheme from last month. Residents and organisations who require a new permit, or need to renew or replace a permit, will need to apply with the new application process by visiting the Accessible Parking Permits website. 

You can also apply for renewals, replacements and cancellations to your current permit via this process.

If you require assistance through the application process, please contact Council’s customer support team on (03) 5494 1201.

Community Engagement Policy adopted

A new policy adopted by Council at its Ordinary Meeting in February encourages greater engagement by the community. 

The Community Engagement Policy, which is a requirement under the new Local Government Act, aims to communicate how Council will inform, consult with, involve, collaborate and empower the community in various engagement activities undertaken by Council.

A group of community members assisted with the development of the policy and will continue to monitor and review the policy over the next six months.

A copy of the Community Engagement Policy is available on Council’s website.

Feedback on the policy is welcome anytime and can be provided via loddon@loddon.vic.gov.au or by calling Council on (03) 5494 1200.