50 years ago
June 1974
Echuca District Hospital hopes to raise at least $3000 from a doorknock campaign to be held on Sunday with the annual 3SR Radio Hospital Appeal.
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It will be the first doorknock campaign held for the hospital since a successful Building Fund Appeal was held some years ago.
Purpose of the doorknock appeal is to raise extra funds to assist in the upgrading and replacement of old equipment to improve conditions and amenities at the hospital.
Manager-secretary of the hospital, Mr Eeon Macauley said that inflationary trends had caused a sharp increase in the costs of replacement equipment and that he hoped for a good response from the public.
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Another warning against the removal of levee banks erected to protect areas of Echuca from the recent floods was issued by Echuca City Engineer, Mr L.S. Robertson, and the Civil Defence Controller, Mr J. Prentice.
Both men said they were deeply concerned at reports that sandbags in some sections of the levee banks have been removed, emptied and burnt.
Mr Robertson said there had been suggestions that sandbags were being removed to provide top dressing for some local gardens and this made the incidents more serious.
‘’People removing the sandbags are actually committing an offence, as technically, the bags and their contents are still the property of the Echuca City Council.’’
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Preliminary steps needed to assist in the provision of suitable facilities at Moama for the Moama Water Sports Club are to be taken by Murray Shire Council.
The club told Tuesday’s meeting of the council that it hopes to have water-skiing facilities available for the commencement of the 1974-75 summer period and this would require construction of a suitable building for protection of equipment.
It suggested the building could be erected on land in the Horseshow Lagoon area about 150 yards upstream from the Riverside caravan park band and that a boat ramp could be established in a nearby area.
25 years ago
June 1999
With the aim of providing greater communication between retainers and council, Liz Rickard has been appointed as the Campaspe Shire’s retail enterprise facilitator.
Mrs Rickard comes to the position with a background in sales and marketing and is looking forward to her involvement with the retain community.
She will be based at the shire’s Rochester office and will be working closely with local trader organisations through the shire and Moama.
‘’My first priority is to establish a close working relationship with the retail traders and assist them with business development,’’ she said.
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Dog and cat owners in the Murray Shire will be required to microchip and lifetime register their pets under changes to NSW legislation.
The Companions Animals Act, which came into effect on July 1, 1998, requires dog and many cat owners to microchip and lifetime register their animals with council by July 1 this year.
Environmental services officer Michael Keys said all dogs currently registered with council can still register under the current system (i.e. from each September for 12 months) for the next three years.
Those people who currently own cats do not need to microchip or register their cat. However, any cat which is sold or given away and all kittens must be microchipped and lifetime registered from July 1, 1999.
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Fighting back a tear, The Riv’s promotions manager Jocelyn Adam looked on as workers demolished her grandfather’s home.
‘’But that’s progress,’’ she said as the house she recalls many fond memories of came apart, piece by piece.
Jocelyn’s grandfather William Exell, a woodwork teacher at Echuca, and his father, William Exell Snr, a master builder, built the house in Ogilvie Ave in about 1929 — next door to what is now KFC.
It was the second time the property had been sacrificed to make way for progress.
The first was to cut back the front yard for extensions to the new double lane highway.
10 years ago
June 2014
The NSW Government has taken another step forward in its commitment to building a second Murray River crossing at EchucaMoama.
It has announced an $800,000 allocation to cover the cost of designing and planning the approach to the crossing once the Victorian Government settles on its route.
The Bridges for the Bush program allocation followed a surprise $60 million announcement, towards bridge construction costs, in October 2012.
The Victorian Government has yet to announce a price-tag for the three route options left on the table and has yet to allocate funds to continue with design and planning, despite making promises. Member for Rodney Paul Weller said he could not provide a timeline for a Victorian Government announcement.
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Echuca’s Biggest Morning Tea has raised almost $20,000.
In all, 309 people turned out at Radcliffe’s Restaurant on May 8 to help fight cancer.
This year, four new organisers took the reins — Andrea Velt, Melissa Sellars, Robyn Galvin and Libby Jacobs.
‘‘We’ve raised altogether $19,337.80,’’ Ms Velt said.
‘‘Cancer Council has received a cheque from us for $12,017.80, and we’re going to give the rest to Echuca Regional Health’s oncology unit.’’
This portion of the money will be spent on a third treatment chair, which allows patients to recover after extended periods of treatment.
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Echuca musician Benny Walker will swap his guitar for a football on Sunday when he competes in the 2014 Reclink Community Cup.
The cup is an annual fixture on the rock and roll, football and charity event calendars in Melbourne.
It will raise funds for Reclink Australia, which uses sport and the arts to enhance the lives of those who are disadvantaged.
This may include people experiencing mental illness, disability, homelessness, substance abuse, addiction or social or economic hardship.
Mr Walker said all money raised from the match would go towards Reclink, which suffered significant funding cuts as a result of the Federal Budget.
RIV Herald