50 years ago, September 1975
Two men were jailed, and three others fined in Echuca Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday following the hearing of a charge relating to the unlawful possession of beer.
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Five men, three from Echuca, one from Moama and another from Wharparilla, appeared before Mr J.A. Curtain, SM, on charges of unlawful possession of a number of cans and bottles of beer reasonably suspected to be stolen or unlawfully obtained.
Charges dated back to early October last year and extended over a six-month period, with some 400 dozen cans and bottles in question.
Pleas of guilty were submitted by all five men.
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Fitness, desire, weather conditions and, of course, ability will decide which team will win Saturday’s grand final of the Echuca Football League.
Naturally, coaches of both sides in the final feel that their teams will most aptly meet the necessary requirements.
Both coaches, Terry Stockton of Echuca South and Laurie Phillips of Mathoura, are confident of success for their teams.
Stockton, 26, is in his third year as coach for South. He describes his entire team, including himself, as ‘’pretty fit’’.
Phillips, 27, has a fitness problem, but despite this he is still confident of leading his team to a premiership. He injured his hamstring in the preliminary final.
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Echuca’s proposed new technical school appears to be as far from reality as it has ever been.
Facts indicating this appeared in a letter from the Education Department received at Monday’s meeting of the Echuca City Council.
The department indicated that it could not supply a master plan for the project and the funds were not available for the fencing on the site in Echuca south.
Council requested the department to supply plans and made a start on fencing at the site.
Although a master plan is not available, the department stated in its letter that a preliminary plan should be available later this month.
The letter stated that because of limited workforce and a large number of higher priority technical school building projects, the master plan has not been produced as rapidly as expected.
25 years ago, September 2000
An independent-living boarding house in Echuca will close in November, leaving its 17 residents with an uncertain future.
Domain Gardens on the Northern Hwy will be auctioned ‘’as soon as possible’’, according to Gavin Berkowitz, a spokesperson for the owner.
He said it had become apparent that the fees to operate Domain Gardens profitably to maintain the required services offered (that is, three meals a day) were ‘’unachievable in the Echuca region’’.
Residents of Domain Gardens were told of the closure last week.
Officers from Loddon Mallee Housing Services Limited visited residents on Friday to see what options were available to them.
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The Echuca Lions Club has helped transport a ute to East Timor.
Donated by a Mildura resident, the 1979 Ford Falcon ute was driven to Echuca by Mildura and Kerang Lions Club members.
Local Lions Club members Frank Sanderson and Brendon Loftus collected the ute in Echuca on Friday and took it to Yarrawonga.
The ute is part of a container load of goods going to East Timor.
The container will be taken to East Timor by 86-year-old Yarrawonga resident Mavis Taylor, who has already taken one container load to Dili.
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Echuca junior driver Steven Lindberg was recently named ‘junior reinsperson of the year’ for the Bendigo district.
There is no junior driver award for the Echuca area, so Lindberg rides under the Bendigo division.
‘’I have been driving for about a year and a half now, and I am really enjoying it,’’ Lindberg said.
He helps to train his father Peter's horses.
‘’We are training about eight horses at the moment,’’ Lindberg said.
The award is based on the driver's wins and placings throughout the year.
10 years ago, September 2015
Helen Dann wasn’t born into a road transport family but she has spent much of her life in the business.
More than 50 years after she gained her licence to drive semi-trailers, aged just 17, the Mathoura resident is among almost 300 new inductees to the National Road Transport Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame held a reunion in Alice Springs last month, marking 20 years of acknowledging Australians for their achievements and a lifetime commitment to the transport community.
Helen’s first job on the road was with Eddie Smith Livestock, driving around Victoria and frequently on the route between Niddrie and South Melbourne.
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Echuca rider Craig Rosendale enjoyed mixed results in the latest round of the Viper Vintage Motocross series at Yanakie.
Having never ridden there before, it took a few races until Rosendale became used to the fast and hard-packed track.
However he managed to secure two podium finishes in the Evolution races.
Unfortunately eagerness at the start line saw Rosendale get caught at the start gate in a Pre1985 All-Powers race to finished eighth, while he placed 12th in the Pre1990 over-45 class due to crashing out.
Overall, Rosendale is sitting third in Evolution class and Pre1985 class, but has dropped to sixth in the Pre1990 over-45-year-old class.
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Campaspe Shire Council will not take a position on same sex marriage.
Cr Adrian Weston offered a motion on Tuesday night for council to ‘‘publicly support marriage equally, irrespective of gender identity’’.
After a heated discussion the motion was lost 2-7, with only Cr Weston and Emma Bradbury declaring their support.
Cr Neil Pankhurst offered an alternative motion for council not to form a position on ‘‘marriage equality’’ and instead encourage community members to advocate with the relevant governments at their own discretion.
That motion was carried 7-2, with Crs Weston and Bradbury against the recommendation.