Loddon Shire Mayoral Column

Published on 02 March 2020

Women on Farms Gathering

Inglewood will be this year’s host for the annual Women on Farms Gathering (WOFG) from 27 to 29 March. Keynote speakers will focus on the theme of ‘Revitalised’ with many participants directly affected by the recent fires.

For over thirty years, WOFG has brought women together to share ideas and build networks, while promoting the essential role that women play in Australia’s agricultural sector and in rural communities.

Over time, the focus has shifted to address the changing needs of farming women with an emphasis on education and training, the value of networking as well as strategies to overcome isolation.

This year’s event will offer a great opportunity to showcase the Loddon Valley with activities including visits to our historic towns, agricultural enterprises and the natural landscape, as well as artistic and cultural experiences.

To find out more about WOFG and to book tickets visit www.wofg2020.org.au.

Be part of the conversation about land, water and biodiversity

A series of roundtable sessions will take place in March to encourage community input into the renewal of the Catchment Management Authority’s 2021-2027 Regional Catchment Strategy and DELWP’s Regional Biodiversity Response Planning.

The involvement of locals regarding what they value about land, water and biodiversity will help guide the process of updating these documents.

Sessions in our local area include Thursday 19 March at Kerang Memorial Hall, Tuesday 24 March at Charlton Memorial Hall and Thursday 26 March at the Inglewood Football Pavilion. Sessions run from 6pm to 8.30pm. To book a place, go to www.nccma.vic.gov.au/media-events/events.

Works around the Shire

Works will begin shortly to refresh the fence and memorial gates at the Soldiers’ Memorial Park in Wedderburn. The gates will be removed while work is undertaken. Both fence and gates will be sandblasted and repainted in a close approximation to the current colour. Repairs to the fence and render will also be undertaken. Work is expected to take about two weeks.

Works on footpaths are now complete in Boort, while footpath projects are currently underway in Inglewood, Wedderburn and Bridgewater.

I am pleased to say that safety upgrade work on the Old Inglewood Reservoir is scheduled to commence in the middle of March.

As part of Council’s commitment to enhance the sustainability and liveability of our Shire, a program has been undertaken to install 130kW solar panels at 13 high-use Council buildings. In addition, work has commenced to upgrade LED light installations at 19 Council buildings.

In other works; the tender has been awarded for the Pyramid Hill culvert replacement work, on-ground works are scheduled to commence in April for the Sloans Bridge project and a variety of reseal work is taking place around the Shire.

March Loddon Bulletin

The March edition of the Loddon Bulletin is arriving in letterboxes throughout the Shire this week. The Bulletin provides information and news that is relevant to all residents and is a great source of useful dates and contacts.

This issue celebrates our Australia Day events and highlights the Visitor Information Centre.

There are now so many easy ways to keep up with news and events in our region by simply following us on one of our social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and our new-look website. You will find all the links on our website https://www.loddon.vic.gov.au/Home.

If you need a copy of the Bulletin, you can pick one up from our offices or download a copy from our website https://www.loddon.vic.gov.au/News-and-public-notices/Loddon-Bulletins.

Award for local business

Congratulations Miller’s Ag Supplies of Pyramid Hill. This family-owned business has not only been named Australian Independent Rural Retailers (AIRR) Member of the Year for Victoria and Tasmania but also took out the AIRR Business Development Award for 2020.

Welcome new citizens

Prior to this week’s Council Meeting, I had the pleasure of conducting a citizenship ceremony at the Council Chambers.

Tony Conti formalised his love of Australia when he took the pledge, after living in Australia for over 50 years. Tony moved to Australia from Italy with his parents when he was a child.

David and Barbara Thomas were drawn to Australia from Great Britain to be near their children and grandchildren. Since living in the area, they have both been active in the local community and enjoy travelling throughout Australia.

Welcome Tony, David and Barbara as new citizens and thank you for choosing to make Australia and the Loddon Shire your home.

Did you know

Council conducts a number of citizenship ceremonies throughout the year; in Council Chambers prior to monthly meetings and also at Australia Day events in January.

Since 2011, 57% of our new citizens have come from the Philippines. The 2015/16 financial year saw the most citizens pledged with 13 of 20 new citizens coming from the Philippines that year. Across the Shire, the top five countries of birth other than Australia are: England, Philippines, New Zealand, Netherlands and Germany.