Media Release

Friday, 9 October 2009

Wimmera-Mallee Tour

On Saturday, Cr Les McPhee and myself went on a tour of the Wimmera–Mallee region, first of all to Horsham for the Tidy Towns Awards on Saturday and then to Manangatang on Sunday for the opening of the 2009 Seniors Festival Week.

In Horsham it was great to see the Wimmera River flowing and the amount of people out and about enjoying their surrounds, including the local park. We also had a look around Horsham's CBD, which was very impressive, right down to its lighting and modern design. It was also a good chance to see what a similar regional centre in Victoria is doing in terms of their city.

On travelling from Horsham to Manangatang it was great to see that there is going to be some great crops this year. The recent rain has been a saviour for some of our farmers and was the icing on the cake for others.

As mentioned, we were fortunate to attend the Victorian Tidy Towns Awards on Saturday in Horsham and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Lake Boga for winning the Community Pride Award for the Dry Lake Bed Dinner and walk held earlier this year.

The Victorian Tidy Town Awards are a great way to recognise communities such as Lake Boga and I encourage other towns within our municipality to consider being a part of these awards. It's a fantastic opportunity to recognise our communities for their continued work in the area of sustainability – not to mention show the strong sense of community pride throughout our region.

Congratulations also go to Chloe Oxley from Lake Boga Primary School for being a finalist in the Sustainability Victoria Young Achiever Award.

Seniors Festival Week got off to a great start at Manangatang on the Sunday, with the official opening of the event providing plenty of entertainment including the Robinvale Secondary College Showband and the Tongan Christian Fellowship Youth Choir, which had everyone singing, dancing and tapping their feet.

The array of activities and events for Seniors Week will come to an end this Sunday at Lake Boga, with a traditional country hoedown. Entertainment on the day will be by the Muddy River Fellas with Sandra Jacobsen on vocals, while our seniors can also enjoy a delicious barbecue and see the 2009 Seniors Festival Week out in style.

And just a reminder to all our residents that the Murray River Challenge Cup Twenty20 cricket competition will be played this Sunday from 9am at the Swan Hill Recreation Oval. Former Australian cricketer Jason Gillespie is ambassador for the event and will present the trophy to the winning side as well as a medal named in his honour to the best player.

This will be a fantastic community event, with a range of activities on the day for the whole family to enjoy, so make sure you head down to the Swan Hill Recreation Oval this Sunday from 9am and see the sporting talent of tomorrow.

Fire Action Week

And finally, with Fire Action Week getting underway this Sunday until the 18 October, it is timely to remind our residents to ensure they start clearing their properties in order to get prepared for the coming fire season and to be aware that fire restrictions are likely to come in during the next few weeks.

Make sure you keep an eye out for a range of activities and information sessions hosted by the CFA during the coming week, Council will also have information available from its offices and the library regarding preparing for the coming fire season.

For more information regarding fire season preparation, please visit the CFA website at www.cfa.vic.gov.au.