Reflections

Grass along the railway line near Anderson Rd, which a local firefighter says is longer than when a devastating grass fire broke out in February, has been dismissed by V/Line as a low priority.

The February 23 fire burnt about 130 hectares.

It threatened houses and drew on the services of close to 80 firefighters.

The fire was believed to have been sparked by a freight train passing through the area.

Echuca Village firefighter Brian Quinn, who was Echuca Village fire brigade captain at the time of the fire, feared what would happen if the grass was to ignite again.

“If a train came along there and threw a spark we'd be in a far worse situation,” he said.

Temperatures are set to be in the high 30s and low 40s until Wednesday, prompting statewide CFA warnings.

Mr Quinn said if a fire did break out again in the area, it would be more likely to threaten residential areas because of the increased fuel load.

“I think anything we would throw at it locally would be insignificant to what Mother Nature would throw at us,” he said.

Mr Quinn said there had been no fuel reduction burn prior to summer as there had been before last season.

“If you were going to do something it should have been done about in October, it's too dangerous to do it now,” he said.

A V/Line spokesperson yesterday said the area could not be sprayed and slashed, as it was within a “sensitive environmental area”, but could be burnt off at the right time of year.

VISITOR BOOKINGS STRONG

Echuca-Moama has been bustling with tourists since Boxing Day in what is traditionally one of the most popular times of the year to visit.

Echuca-Moama Accommodation Association president Grant Casbolt said all hotel beds were full on the two nights the Murray Marathon was in town.

He described the figures, similar to last year, as “fantastic”.

“Accommodation’s been strong. There’s plenty of people coming to the town,” he said.

“You couldn't find a room when the Murray Marathon was on (on December 28 and 29). The duty motels ran out of places.

“Overall, we're happy.”

Echuca-Moama and District Tourism chief executive Pete White said accommodation bookings made by the Echuca-Moama Visitor Information Centre for December were almost identical to, if not slightly up, on 2011.

“After speaking to several local businesses, the general consensus was everyone was happy with the number of visitors to the region,” he said.

“If we look at the past few days, there has been very little available in respect to accommodation and solid reports coming through from the clubs, pubs and cafés.”

Mr White said the number of visitors walking into the Echuca-Moama Visitor Information Centre during December was marginally down on the previous year.

But people booking tickets at the Visitor Information Centre for local attractions was up by more than 50 per cent on December 2011.

While Echuca-Moama had attracted plenty of visitors between Boxing Day and New Year's Day, Mr White said more tourists would come to the area this month.

“We generally get a new flood of people in the first week of January for a week or two, then usually (another) new group in mid-January,” he said.

Mr White said the hot weather forecast for the next few days could deter some visitors.

“The short-term forecast for several consecutive days of over 40 degrees is likely to discourage a lot of campers from remaining in the region,” he said.

“Furthermore, it is also likely to put off potential visitors from coming to our region that haven't already booked.

“It will be an interesting few days ahead.”

ESCAPE THE HEAT AT POOLS

Campaspe Shire Council has rostered on extra lifeguards at its eight public swimming pools this weekend.

In addition to the indoor swimming pool at Echuca War Memorial Aquatic Centre, the shire has seven outdoor swimming pools — Kyabram, Lockington, Rochester, Rushworth, Tongala, Stanhope and Colbinabbin.

Mayor Ian Maddison encouraged residents to make use of the public pools during the heatwave.

‘‘Council has rostered on additional lifeguards at all local swimming pools in anticipation of higher patronage with the predicted hot weather,” he said.

“All pools will also stay open for an extra hour if there are sufficient patrons.

‘‘The aquatic facilities are a great place to go and stay cool. All venues sell cold drinks and ice creams and have shade, so it is the perfect place to take the family on a hot day.

‘‘It’s important to remember though, that pool lifeguards are not babysitters. Children under 10 cannot enter the pools without a parent or guardian aged 16 or over. Also, any child under five must be within arm’s reach of a parent or guardian at all times.’’

FUN FACT: A senior meteorologist tipped a week of blistering temperatures similar to those in the lead-up to the Black Saturday bushfires in 2009 in the first week of 2013. Tom Saunders, a senior meteorologist with The Weather Channel, said he expected six consecutive days of weather exceeding 37.5°C.

25 YEARS AGO

ROCKIN ALL OVER THE WORLD

“You don’t need drugs to get high.”

That’s the message eight young Echuca people will spread when they visit England and Sweden.

The eight are part of a team of almost 200 young Australian and New Zealand students invited to take Rock Eisteddfod to Europe.

The tourists will perform a Rock Eisteddfod show with four themes and a finale in Sydney, Portsmouth, York, London and Stockholm.

They will also visit Paris and be given plenty of opportunity to sightsee wherever they go, besides make new friends.

This year’s Global Rock Challenge Tour is the third of its kind, the first two being to the United States.

Its aim is to “show teenagers in the UK and Sweden how Australian and New Zealand students can get their highs while being 100 per cent in control, and reach their maximum potential without the use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs”.

CLUB MOVES WITH THE TIMES

The minimum age for entry into the Moama Bowling Club has been lowered from 21 to 18 years.

Club manager Phillip Johnson said this decision was made at a special general meeting of members on December 22.

Mr Johnson said the primary reason for lowering the age limit was to comply with anti-discrimination legislation.

He said he was pleased the age limit had been lowered, as there were many 18- to 20-year-olds who wished to accompany their parents and relatives to the club.

The decision would also benefit the club because younger people would have an opportunity to play bowls, Mr Johnson said.

Additionally, increased patronage of the club would flow on to benefit the community.

The Moama Bowling Club had been the last club along the NSW side of the Murray River to permit entry to 18-year-olds.

GOOD START TO 1998

Thousands of people in Echuca-Moama celebrated the start of 1998 in style and, for the most part, safely and sensibly.

Echcua police arrested six people, three of them local, for drunkenness and street offences.

Senior Constable Roman Humenalk of Tongala police reported a quiet evening in Tongala with no arrests.

Moama police were kept busy all night but with “nothing untoward” occurring among the revellers.

Sergeant Steve Jordan described one person who stole a car from Annesley St, Echuca, and ran over white guide poles along Perricoota Rd and road signs in Merool Lane as a “bloody idiot”.

FUN FACT: A NSW Lotto winner won $10,690 in 1998, the equivalent to $18,934 today.

50 YEARS AGO

INCREASE IN POLICE FORCE FOR ECHUCA?

It is understood that the number of police stationed at Echuca could be increased by up to four officers early this year.

Annual statistics prepared this week show that the Echuca Police Station is handling a rapidly expanding workload.

As a result it is anticipated that up to four extra men, including a sergeant, may be appointed to the station in the near future.

If this move does eventuate then the total number of police officers at the station would be lifted from 11 to 15.

Statistics showing the marked increase were prepared from 1972 records by senior officers at the station for dispatch to police headquarters in Melbourne.

Clearly evident from the statistics was that there is a continuing upward trend in the volume of work handled by police in Echuca.

Senior Sergeant J. A. Stevens said: “All facets of police work throughout the Echuca police area increased during 1972.”

He said this was to be expected, as the population in the district was continuously growing.

At present the permanent population in the Echuca police district, which covers about 500 square miles, is estimated at 10,500 people.

DISTRICT MAN DUX OF COLLEGE

An Echuca district man is the dux of the Dookie Agricultural College for 1972.

To become dux of the college, Leslie Russell, 23, of Patho, gained five first class honours and 16 second class honours.

Leslie had been studying at the college since he enrolled in 1970.

He was educated to first year diploma level at the Echuca Technical School and then worked on his parents’ farm for a short period.

During the time he attended the technical school and worked on the farm, Leslie was an active member of the Young Farmer movement.

Leslie plans to continue his studies in science at a tertiary level during this year.

PRAISE FOR NEAT CITY CAMPAIGN

The Mayor of Echuca, Cr Geoff Evans, yesterday praised the Riverine Herald’s ‘Neat City’ campaign.

The campaign was launched this week by the Riverine Herald as a means of making Echuca Victoria’s neatest city in 1973.

Award certificates will be presented each month to people, organisations and under-takings which, in the opinion of this newspaper, contribute towards making Echuca a neat city.

Cr Evans said he was delighted to learn of the campaign and congratulated the Riverine Herald on its sponsorship.

“I feel certain much will be achieved through this campaign towards improving the overall appearance of our city,” he said.

“We are all justifiably proud of Echuca, and the newspaper’s campaign cannot do anything but make it a better and more pleasant place to live.

“I commend the campaign to all sections of the community and trust that all citizens will play their part in a spirit of co-operation to ensure its success.”

FUN FACT: The City of Echuca rate notices were late to be posted out to residents in 1973, due to computer and printing errors delaying the process. As a result, applications for instalment payments were to be made as soon as possible, due to the date on the notice being passed.