Farmers, particularly grain growers, were hailing last week’s soaking rain as the best autumn break for years.
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At the Kyabram Weather Station some 37.4mm rain was recorded in the 24-hour period of Monday, April 17, to Tuesday, April 18, with a further 8.6mm recorded in the following 24 hours.
It took Kyabram’s April total to 59.2mm and the yearly figure to 162.2mm.
The Kyabram average rainfall for April is 37.4mm, and the wettest April on record was a whopping 160mm in 1939.
Silence broken
Just what was that boom that broke the silence and was heard in most parts of Kyabram last Wednesday night?
While the epicentre seemed to be in the Bond St area there were reports of it being heard clearly in most other parts of the town.
Some claimed they heard two loud bangs about 11pm.
Theories have ranged from gunshots and firecrackers to even a meteorite strike.
Brendan’s good buy
This is what you call a good buy.
Melbourne Cup jockey turned Lancaster hobby farmer and horse trainer Brendan Clements paid $2000 in an online thoroughbred sale about three months ago for a galloper called Steady Jam, who hadn’t won a race.
Steady Jam had his first start in a $25,000 maiden race for Brendan at last week’s Kilmore meeting and bolted in at 10/1.
And Brendan, all your mates at the Parkland Golf hope you are not too busy with the horses these days to drop in to see them. And of course, the shout’s on you.
Gus Underwood has the full story in his Sports Snaps column today.
Club supports causes
Kyabram Football Netball Club has supported two worthy causes in the past week.
After blanket appeals at the Kyabram-Rochester clash on Good Friday and the game against Echuca last Saturday night the club chipped in with $500 to both fundraisers.
The Good Friday night appeal benefitted the Kyabram Fire Brigade run Good Friday Royal Children’s Hospital Appeal while last Saturday night’s Anzac Day appeal benefited the Kyabram RSL sub branch.
Coffee with your mail
At Strathmerton these days you can pick up or post your mail … and enjoy a cup of coffee.
Following the tragic death of the town’s former postmaster last year, which left the town without a post office, the business has been taken over by Cindy Sheehan, who also runs the Nathalia Post Office.
The Strathmerton Post Office now has a new home — the town’s former fish and chip shop, which was gutted by fire but has been renovated — so two birds have been killed with the one stone with its reopening with the additional coffee service.
Dog breeding approval
Edward River Council has approved of a dog breeding property at Warragoon near Deniliquin.
This is in spite of 33 objections to the project in the 14-day exhibition period.
Five out of eight councillors approved the application.
Shepparton misses out
Shepparton has a right to be peeved with the recent announcement of other regional centres such as Ballarat and Bendigo being named for hosting events at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
After all, it was Shepparton that originally mooted the idea of the Games being brought to country venues.
Premier Daniel Andrews has pinched Shepparton’s idea to go regional with the Games, but has ignored the initiators of the concept.
Labor’s Lodwick returns
Bill Lodwick has again thrown his hat into the ring as the Labor candidate for Nicholls at the May 21 Federal Election.
Mr Lodwick contested the seat in the 2019 election and received 20 per cent of the primary vote. But he was beaten by the Nationals’ Damian Drum, who won the seat with 70.3 per cent of the two-party preferred vote to Labor’s 29.7 per cent.
And in election talk around the region, the word is that independent candidate Rob Priestly is a firmer to win the seat.
Shearing mystery
The fate of shearing blades in a property near Hay is still a mystery.
The blades were recently found lodged in a tree and legend has it they were embedded there by shearers called up for World War II duty.
The story goes they were to retrieve them on their return but no-one is sure whether they made it home.
Urban back at Ute Muster
World country music star Keith Urban is heading back to Ute Muster territory at Deniliquin — but not for a gig at the famous Muster, where he appeared in 2016, or the Play On The Plains Festival.
As part of his world tour, Urban has selected Deniliquin as one of the venues in his itinerary.
He’ll be back on the Ute Muster stage on Saturday, December 10, and tickets go on sale from tomorrow.
History awards
History groups are now eligible for the latest Victorian Community History Awards.
The awards are made available by the Public Record Office Victoria in partnership with the Royal Historical Society Victoria and cover 11 categories, with grants available from $500 to $5000.
Any groups seeking more information should contact the Royal Historical Society of Victoria on 9326 9288.
Square Dinkum
G’day
Last weekend on the way home from Melbourne I stopped at a roadside vendor who had an advertising sign saying ‘‘Lobster Tails $2 each’’.
So, I pulled in, paid my $2, and the bloke casually sat down on a stump, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said, ‘‘Once upon a time there was this lobster ...“
Hooroo!