50 YEARS AGO
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FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 1973
ENGINEERS LOOK AT CAMPASPE
Engineers of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission inspected the Campaspe River yesterday morning following proposals by a group of residents to construct trial weirs to help beautify it.
The senior executive engineer of the river improvement section of the SRWSC, Mr C. Turnbull, accompanied by Mr Phil Corbel, looked at five sites between the Crossenvale Bridge and the old collapsed weir.
With the engineers were interested residents and representatives of local organisations who would assist residents in the construction of the weirs.
Immediate reaction by the engineers was that they were pleased with proposals to weir the river, so long as any construction did not cause problems elsewhere.
IT’S THE LATEST
Through the efforts of a small group, the Echuca Hospital is now equipped with the most up-to-date portable cardiac arrest equipment.
Members of the Echuca Past Trainees Association have made funds available to buy the extra equipment.
The two items purchased, a heart rate alarm and a mobile trolley, complement equipment already in use at the hospital.
Total cost of the two items was nearly $1000, half of which was paid for by the past trainees and the remainder by the government.
APPEAL AGAINST EFL DECISION
An appeal against the decision of the Echuca Football League to reject its application for affiliation has been made by the Hay Football Club to the Victorian Country Football League.
Secretary of the Echuca League, Mr D. K Hicks, was advised of the appeal on Wednesday.
He said yesterday that the appeal will be heard by the VCFL Investigation Committee on Saturday, March 24, and the league has been asked to send representatives to present the reasons for refusal of Hay’s application.
Hay first made an application for affiliation with the Echuca League at the commencement of the 1972 season, but it was refused on a 4-4 vote.
A later application then failed when the vote was 5-3 in favour of acceptance, as a three-quarter majority was required under the league’s constitution for it to be adopted.
FUN FACT: The special, for that week only, was a brand new Kawasaki three cylinder 250cc bike, complete with 12 months’ registration, crash helmet and leather jacket, for $840 at Harrisons, located at 211 Pakenham St, Echuca.
25 YEARS AGO
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 1998
ANOMALIES FIGHT
Cross border anomalies that hinder the lives of residents in border towns are like a “sleeping giant”.
That was the phrase local NSW councils came up with when they joined forces on the weekend to fight the Federal Government on inconsistent cross border issues.
Murray Shire Mayor Brian Sharp proposed a formal motion to set up a high-level working party to investigate moves to remedy cross border anomalies that currently affect council businesses and communities at a country summit held in Wagga Wagga on Saturday.
Among the issues discussed were differences in health departments, dental and optometry services, inconsistent school and business hours, taxation, stamp duty, car registrations and third party insurance.
FISCHER IN TOWN
Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer is in town today to talk funding for new bridges across the Murray River.
Despite last week’s announcement to fund bridge maintenance, the meeting in Moama today with the Murray Crossings Group will attempt to rally replacement funding for several bridges in the region.
ECHUCA SCRAPES IN
Echuca and Mathoura progressed to the A grade grand final of the Campaspe Cricket Association.
Flag favourites and reigning premiers Echuca scraped home by the narrowest of margins in its semi-final, defeating Rochester United by two runs.
In the other semi-final, Mathoura had a bit more breathing space to account for Echuca South with three wickets in hand.
FUN FACT: You could have owned a Daewoo Lanos from only $56 per week at Echuca Motors.
10 YEARS AGO
FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013
USE IT, OR LOSE IT
Bendigo TAFE chief executive Maria Simpson says the Echuca campus is not paying its way and is unsure what the future looks like for the campus.
Ms Simpson said while she would not describe the future of the TAFE as bleak, there were uncertainties about the campus’s physical presence and how it might be managed in the future, as it was under-used.
One option the TAFE was considering was sharing the facility to help bear its running cost, she said.
Ms Simpson said the TAFE was looking at its assets — including the Echuca campus and three Bendigo campuses — in a “very considered and creative way and how it might better use and draw more revenue from the Echuca campus on Hare St”.
The TAFE is undertaking an asset review as part of a transition plan it began last year following a Victorian Government funding cut of about $300 million from the state’s TAFEs.
COUNCIL STANDS BY POOL CLOSURES
Campaspe Shire Council is standing by its decision to close seven outdoor pools across the shire this week.
Service executive manager Paul McKenzie said the Monday of the March long weekend had traditionally been a closing date for outdoor pools.
A Colbinabbin woman, who was also a qualified lifeguard, offered to keep her town’s pool open after Monday’s scheduled close.
Council refused to let the woman volunteer after hours so it could allow community groups to use the facility.
Instead, council charged groups $90 an hour to open the pool outside its scheduled hours.
Mr McKenzie said council would refuse to allow volunteers to operate outdoor pools, because it was not meeting council’s duty of care.
He also said $90 an hour was a standard rate charged to all community groups.
ROCHESTER’S DAY
A season of triumph, despair and individual brilliance has graced the grounds of Goulburn Murray Cricket in its inaugural inception and will come to a close at Rochester this weekend.
Old foes Rochester United and Rochester Tigers will compete for the town’s first A grade premiership in 20 years when they meet in the grand final at Windridge Oval.
And while the achievement of an all-Rochester finale is a romantic one for the township, one can be assured the players will be doing their utmost to clinch victory.
For United, it is the side’s third straight appearance in an A grade grand final after last season’s controversial no result in the Campaspe Cricket Association following its loss in 2010-11.
The Tigers’ last appearance was in 2008 when the team was defeated by CCA powerhouse Moama.
The two sides have never met in a grand final, while Tiger veterans Brad Major and Justin Cleary will be hoping to add to their 1993 premierships.
FUN FACT: Echuca-Moama geared up for a massive weekend of music, art, fun and entertainment for the annual Celtic festival. The event, then in its sixth year, celebrates the Celtic spirit, with a host of free activities throughout the town.
Gregor Mactaggart is the editor of the Riverine Herald.