50 years ago June 1975
Echuca footballer Graham Arthur talked to third form boys at Echuca Technical School about courage in sport.
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And Graham gave the school the first chance to try out its new video tape recorder and television camera.
The school’s Parents, Teachers and Citizens’ Association and the canteen committee combined to buy the video tape and camera.
School librarian Jim Hermes is in charge of the outfit. He said he expected it to be used for between 20 and 30 school periods a week.
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Echuca hospital plans to build a 60-bed nursing home unit for aged patients and the outpatient diagnostic department.
This was announced by the hospital board of management. It was reported at the meeting that in the first week of June, 47 patients classified as long-term were occupying a small section of the hospital, causing concern to nursing staff and doctors.
Accommodation pressure has been mounting over the past two years to the point where today the problem was critical.
This is the first phase of a $3 million development plan, which was announced in March this year.
Extensive plans for the development of services and facilities at the hospital will be undertaken by the hospital over the next 25 years.
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A crowd of approximately 430 watched 17 Tongala St Patrick’s debutantes come out of a revolving pearl shell.
The official party included the Bishop of Sandhurst, Right Rev. B.D. Stewart, Deakin Shire president and wife, Mr and Mrs Ted Flanagan, Kyabram parish priest, Fr O’Reavy, Fr Dugan, Fr Wallace, president of the ball committee and wife, Mr and Mrs Neil Claridge, and trainers of the debs, Mr and Mrs D. Dicker.
Terri Saunderson was the flowergirl. Page boy who partnered Terri was Mark Seaton.
The debutantes and their partners are: Helen Mangan (Michael Weardon), Ann-Maree Dillon (Stephen Sharp), Valerie Walsh (Wayne Gemmill), Kerrie Mackrell (Brad Newman), Jenni Christy (Walter Davis), Helen Voonland (Kevin Usher), Lorrainne Walden (David Newman), Clare Seaton (Peter Carter), Elizabeth Olle (Kevin Dickens), Judy Ryan (Peter Vick), Donna Mulcahy (James Guinan), Bridget Fitzgerald (Michael Pemberton), Maree Wade (Tony Ryan), Jenny Christy (Con Scaicca), Christine Grant (Graham Brown), Kaye Whyte (Wayne Mulchay) and Helen McCrum (David McCrum).
25 years ago June 2000
Parking a car in Echuca’s central business district is to become more expensive following a review of parking fees by Campaspe Shire Council.
Brought on in part by the introduction of the GST, the review will see on-street car parking in Echuca now charged at a rate of 60c an hour.
Off-street parking in the High and Nish St car parks will increase by 10c, to 40c an hour, while the three-month permit for permanent off-street parking will go from $40 to $60.
The new fee structure has been adopted in line with the recommendations of the CBD masterplan, which suggested better utilisation of the off-street parks in High and Nish St in preference to on-street parking.
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A Reflections photo of the 1955 Echuca football team reunited two players.
Jim Clark (player-coach) who submitted the photo was surprised by a visit from Bob Gibson, a former teammate.
Mr Gibson, visiting from Albury, brought the team photo into The Riv office, not realising that it had appeared in the paper the week before.
‘’Each player in the photograph has a story connected to them and I thought people may be interested to see it,’’ Mr Gibson said.
The Echuca football team was originally part of the Bendigo league.
Jim, who came from Carlton to coach Echuca in 1952, was ‘’the master’’ and Bob the ‘’student’’.
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Echuca cyclist Brad Edmunds is among riders that have been selected for the Australian junior road training squad.
The riders are vying for selection into the Junior World Championships in France later this year.
His consistent performance and results in recent tours in Canberra, Wagga, Bright and Chelsea led to selection into the team.
Edmunds has recently completed a 10-day training camp in Tasmania and took part in a three-day event.
Bill Flower, who has been coaching Edmunds since he was 13 as part of the Echuca-Moama Cycling Club, believes that he could go all the way.
10 years ago June 2015
More than 400 people squeezed into Moama Bowling Club’s The Venue this week to hear a top cop and two former ice addicts tell their story.
Organised by Echuca-Moama’s Committee Against Drugs the forum was a combination of shock, heartache, frustration and hope.
Former Victoria Police Detective Inspector Jim O’Brien was head of the Purana Taskforce, dramatised in the TV series Underbelly.
And he pulled no punches when he told the huge audience not only do police not have the answers to the growing drug problem, the community is being let down by governments — state and federal.
‘‘In 2003, the cost of illicit drug use in Victoria was $845 million a year and now we’ve got this huge issue of ice and we’re going to throw $45 million at it? Well whacko,’’ he said.
‘‘How’s that a response? How fair dinkum are they about fixing the problem?
‘‘Unless it’s on the front page of the paper, they won’t do anything about it.’’
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Bunnaloo residents will soon share some good news — on a mobile phone.
The Federal Government has backed a Murray Shire application to have a mobile phone tower built at Bunnaloo.
The investment is a win for the farming region which has never had reliable mobile phone reception.
Member for Farrer Sussan Ley said fixing blackspots was a key election commitment.
‘‘This is great news for thousands of mobile users across the electorate, which will help them conduct everyday business, essential calls or simple and routine communication.’’
Murray Shire mayor Tom Weyrich said the announcement came after 10 years of work, fronted by general manager Margot Stork and her predecessor Greg Murdoch.
Cr Weyrich said it would mean so much for the Bunnaloo community.
‘‘This started about 10 years ago with Bob Caldwell and finally it has been promised,’’ he said.
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Former Echuca netballer Caitlyn Nevins (nee Strachan) has helped the Queensland Firebirds to ANZ Championship glory.
The Firebirds were crowned Trans-Tasman premiers following a stunning one-goal win over the NSW Swifts, 57-56.
The Swifts led for the entire match until the final 14 seconds when Firebirds goal attack Gretel Tippet sank the match-winning goal to steal the premiership trophy for her Queensland contingent.
NSW had the next centre pass but Laura Geitz’s defensive intercept in the Swifts circle sealed a comeback from as many as six goals down early in the third quarter.
It was a case of third time lucky for the Firebirds, who had been bridesmaids the past two years.
RIV Herald