Echuca CCTV is out for tender

The progress of this important project could not come at a better time given the disappointing and worrying trend of crime in Echuca’s CBD.

The prospective tenderers will have six weeks in which to submit proposals for the project and from there a small number will be chosen to present their tender to the C4EM board. Following the appointment of the successful tenderer, a timeline for completion of works will be established, along with plans for ongoing maintenance and operational costs.

With the year slipping away quickly, we have been busy organising our final events for the year and will soon start planning our 2027 calendar.

On Tuesday, November 17, Committee for Echuca Moama will host a candidate forum for the upcoming Victorian election.

All four candidates have been invited to the event, which will be held at Echuca Workers from 6pm.

Attendance is free, however bookings are essential. When booking, attendees will have the opportunity to submit a question online.

Questions will be reviewed and collated, with a selection of community-submitted questions posed to candidates during the forum.

The following night will be C4EM’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, November 18. It will be at the American Hotel, we’d love to see you there.

In December, keep an eye out for the book launch of A Snapshot in Time.

The book, which has profiled district women from the Murray River and Campaspe shires, is in the final production stages.

It has been exciting watching the process and we can’t wait to release this book which has been a labour of love for the past 18 months.

And don’t miss out on this year’s C4EM Christmas party at Bar Lee on Thursday, December 10. Look out for more information but in the meantime, mark the date in your calendar.

I was delighted to be part of the redevelopment at Crossenvale Community House on the weekend.

A huge thanks to O’Brien Plumbing, CED Group and D&B Civil who generously donated their time and all the materials for stage one of a project to create a versatile work and community precinct at the house.

While stages two and three will be dependent on funding applications, it will also be reliant on building permits.

If you are a local builder with an interest in supporting this project, I would love you to reach out and get in touch.

In other exciting news, plans are progressing well for the region’s newest event, Taste the Murray.

Junction Moama will host the opening of the event on Thursday, March 11, with the event being delivered in alignment with the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival’s Long Lunch in Echuca. Taste the Murray is a community event, celebrating local culinary culture while driving economic growth, fostering social connection, and building civic pride.

It is designed to celebrate and showcase the exceptional food, wine, spirits and agricultural produce of the Echuca-Moama region and surrounding Murray River districts.

The three-day event will bring together local restaurants, chefs, wineries, distillers, brewers, artisan producers and musicians in a vibrant waterfront setting at the iconic Echuca Wharf precinct.

Aiming to establish Echuca–Moama as a recognised regional food tourism destination, it will attract overnight visitors from Melbourne and surrounding regions and day trippers from more local areas such as Shepparton and Bendigo while creating strong economic benefits for local businesses.

Of critical importance, Taste the Murray will highlight the critical role agriculture, irrigation and food production play in supporting local jobs, businesses and communities.

If you’d like to learn more about C4EM, or discuss a challenge facing your business, please get in touch. We’d love to start a conversation.

Jayden Howe, C4EM chief executive