Kyabram Men’s Longest Lunch
The Kyabram Men’s Long Lunch fundraiser has been sold out.
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A capacity 180 seats at the Kyabram Club-hosted event on Friday week (February 25) have all been snapped up.
Guest speakers will be Kyabram home-grown products and former Melbourne footballers Garry Lyon and Kelly O’Donnell.
Run by the Kyabram Men’s Long Lunch Committee, a total of $72,000 has been raised in the past.
The money goes to the Kyabram District Health Service to be used in purchasing men’s health equipment and partially funding a men’s health worker.
No rain in sight
It’s been a dry argument weather wise in the area.
Kyabram has received no rain so far in February, with the last falls recorded on January 29 when 22.8mm was registered.
Maximum temperatures have been creeping up into the high 30s this week, with no reprieve until Friday when the top is expected to be 27°C.
Scratch gift from heaven?
A Shepparton man believes an instant scratchie win was a gift from heaven.
The man, who purchases $20 worth of scratchies each week, couldn’t believe it and was in shock when a ticket he scratched last week revealed he had won $150,000.
He said his family had been through some tough times lately and win was possibly ‘‘a sign from heaven’’.
He purchased the ticket at Centre Fair Lotto in Maude St, Shepparton, and plans to share his win with his brother.
Sharnie’s wombat surprise
Bit of a surprise for Tocumwal’s Sharnie Brasher when she pulled her curtains back to be greeted by a wombat.
The town is known for its koalas and kangaroos but wombats are not normally sighted in the area.
Local wildlife rescue squad Dutch Thunder Wildlife came to rescue and relocated the wombat to a safe and more suitable environment.
Elsworth missing mural fest
Rochester’s annual Mural Festival will be without a familiar face this year.
But renowned artist Elsworth Overton, who has been involved in all eight previous festivals, is still leaving his mark in the town.
He has produced an impressive painting titled The Giants of Sherbrooke which has been put on display at Rochester and Elmore District Health Service’s Yalukang Aged Care facility.
Tractor pull returns
Tractor pulls are returning to Elmore.
The town boasts staging the first Tractor pull in Australia 46 years ago at its famous field days and many towns and districts have staged similar competitions over the years.
With support from Rochester St Joseph’s Primary School and the Elmore Field Days Committee the Elmore Events Centre will host the event on Saturday, March 19.
The event involves modified tractors pulling a sled, which is progressively loaded with weight, along a dirt track 100m long. The first tractor over the line is dubbed the ‘‘full pull’’ winner.
Expo in Seymour
Another town preparing to stage a major event is Seymour, with its Alternative Farming Expo.
After being staged for 29 years on the third weekend in February the switch to an April timeslot last year was positive, according to McPherson Media Group event manager Jamie Gilbert.
This year’s expo is now listed for April 1 to 3, which coincides with school holidays and cooler temperatures.
Cactus Country wins gold
Strathmerton business Cactus Country has been awarded a gold medal in the Tourist Attraction category of the Victorian Tourism Awards.
Catcus Country beat five other finalists for the award and owners Julie and John Hall are stoked their prickly business has gained such recognition.
Beach ranked number 12
There’s no sea, just the magnificent Murray River flowing by, but Cobram’s Thompson’s Beach has figured prominently in Tourism Australia’s top 20 beaches.
From 11,000 listed beaches considered for the award it came in at number 12, one of only three Victorian beaches — the others were Loch Ard Gorge (5) and Mots Beach (14) — to make the top 20.
Topping the list was Misery Beach in Western Australia, which must be nicer than it sounds, followed by Horseshoe Bay (NSW) and The Spit (Queensland).
Libs fighting in Farrer
Things are heating up in the battle for the Federal seat of Farrer in NSW.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has entered the fray, accusing members of ‘‘playing games’’ with the Farrer branch of the Liberal Party, which has been reluctant to preselect long-time sitting member Sussan Ley.
‘‘If they can’t endorse Mrs Ley they should get out of the way and let the federal executive ensure that we can get that done,’’ Mr Morrison said.
Dissatisfaction over Mrs Ley’s handling of water issues and the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and a push for Deniliquin farmer Christian Ellis to contest preselection have caused factional fighting within Lib ranks in the electorate.
Don’t miss fishing classic
If you are thinking of throwing in a line to try to win some of the mega prizes at Deniliquin’s 25th annual Fishing Classic you better get your entry in pronto.
Back to the real thing after a virtual event last year, the classic is held over three days starting on Friday night and running through to noon on Sunday.
There is a big lure for fishing enthusiasts, with a tagged Murray cod named the Cod Father carrying a $20,000 windfall for any angler who can land him.
Go to www.denifishingclassic.com.au for more details.
While on fishing, Go-Fish Nagambie held its annual mega competition from February 10 to 13.
Elsie has a big family
Jerilderie’s Elsie Hawkins has plenty of family to boast about.
A First Nations Elder and a proud Barkindji woman, Elsie has five living generations of her family, which includes 10 children, 26 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren and 21 great-great-grandchildren.
Elsie was born at Steamer Point on the Darling River at Wilcannia in February 1928.
Fire frustration
Fire and Rescue NSW has answered criticism over a fire that destroyed the top storey of a Berrigan building in the early hours of Australia Day.
The local brigade was not summoned to the fire although its base was only 75 metres from the blaze.
But Fire and Rescue NSW said it did not have access to the necessary breathing equipment, which meant its members could not enter the building.
404km river paddle
The Massive Murray Paddle is on again.
It will be held from November 21 to 25 and will cover 404km of the Murray River from Yarrawonga to Swan Hill.
Last year’s event had to be called off due to COVID-19, and organisers have set a goal of 300 paddlers lining up at the starting line.
For more information visit www.massivemurraypaddle.org.au
Cannabis seizure
A police raid on a Toolamba property last week, which resulted in the seizure of cannabis plants, was one of the largest in Victoria’s history.
More than 8000 plants, with a street value of millions of dollars, were found in the raid.
Square Dinkum
A bloke I know was completely useless in the kitchen and wasn’t even capable of preparing a meal, or even going shopping.
Recently, when his wife was ill, he volunteered to go to the supermarket for her, something he had never done on his own.
She sent him off with a carefully prepared and numbered list of just seven items.
He returned shortly after, very pleased with himself, and began unloading the items.
He had 1 packet of sugar, 2 dozen eggs, 3 packets of sliced ham, 4 boxes of washing powder, 5 punnets of strawberries, 6 jars of gherkins, and 7 tins of tuna.
Seems he wasn’t as smart as she thought.
Hooroo!