Murchison resident Paul Shaddix has taken his last drive on the Murchison-Tatura Rd after smashing two windscreens in a week.
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Mr Shaddix, who has used the road most days, said the condition has deteriorated to the point where he believes it has become too frightening to drive on.
“On my last drive I counted 35 places that were just dangerous, it is very scary,” he said.
Mr Shaddix said while the recent wet weather may have exacerbated the problems, some parts of the road had been temporarily patched and gave way again multiple times during the past year.
Speed limits of 60 km/h and warning signs have been placed at some sections, but Mr Shaddix said on Wednesday, October 13, he slowed to 40 km/h when he saw a truck coming the other way and a rock still flicked up and smashed through his windscreen, leaving a $1000 repair bill.
His images of sections of the road where the surface has disintegrated, leaving large potholes and loose bitumen, have prompted state Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell to raise the issue in Victorian Parliament, calling on Roads Minister Ben Carroll to intervene.
Talk about bearing fruit
A Kialla man is set to claim a world record for a single tree producing the most types of fruit.
Hussan Saraf is a master grafter and has nurtured a tree that has a staggering 10 fruits — white nectarine, white peach, blood plum, peachcot, yellow plum, almond, yellow peach, apricot, cherry and yellow nectarine.
The Guinness Book of World Records lists Chilean man Luis Carrasco as the current titleholder with five fruits — apricot, cherry, nectarine, plum and peach — he grafted on to a prune tree.
Originally Mr Saraf had seven fruits grafted but then added cherry, almond and nectarine to double the amount of the current world record.
‘‘If I’m going to break it (record) I’m going to break it well,’’ Mr Saraf said.
Mr Saraf learned how to graft as a young boy in Iraq but has only been working on multi-grafting since coming to Australia.
He knows within two days whether the grafts will take or not.
Mr Saraf is now in the final stages of authenticating his application for the world record judges.
Rebait your traps
Kyabram Lions Club will be rebaiting fruit traps this Saturday.
Members will be outside the Salvation Army Op Shop next to the Kyabram Fire Brigade from 9am to noon.
The cost is $5. Traps will also be on sale.
Timely reminder
It’s hay season and some of the first casualties have been recorded in the area.
A fire at Pine Lea near Deniliquin caused almost $100,000 worth of damage on October 1.
Up to 200 tonnes of hay was lost in a blaze, which took five days to burn out.
Over at Bamawn, CFA crews were called to a property on October 8 to tackle a blaze that destroyed 1000 bales of hay.
Both hay fires were ignited by spontaneous combustion.
Spontaneous combustion occurs by self-heating — and in the case of bailed hay, too much moisture in a confined area is a proven recipe for it to ignite.
Damp week
Kyabram has received 21.4mm of rain over the past week.
Overnight last Wednesday into Thursday produced 16mm of rain and a further 5.4mm was recorded in the following 48 hours.
The October total now stands at 31.6mm and the yearly total at 362.8mm, which is slightly below the long term average of 377.1mm.
Jackie’s still singing
Jackie Lee won’t be going around in the Melbourne Cup but she is a proven stayer.
The Cobram vocalist and her husband, Doug McKean, produce a weekly Facebook Live music show, which has run for a mammoth 71 weeks during COVID-19, with audiences tuning in from all over the world.
COVID restrictions have resulted in some of her performances being cancelled but she has managed to put on gigs at the Wunghnu Tavern.
You can catch up on Jackie’s Facebook videos at www.facebook.com/jackieleeaustralia/videos
Goal to revitalise park
The management committee of Seymour’s Australian Light Horse Memorial Park is keen to restore the area of the park to its original state.
It was one of the most important army bases in Australia up until the end of World War II before the army moved its base to Puckapunyal.
But all the trees and vegetation were removed before this happened and the committee of management wants to develop a plan to restore the ecological values of a 4ha area in the park.
You wouldn’t bee-lieve it!
Up at Jerilderie a woman was somewhat dumbfounded to see her hubby rushing from the shed to their house — stark naked.
What had happened was her hubby had been trimming bushes at the local golf club and aroused a swarm of bees, who took offence to it.
They took it out on their intruder, who made a quick dash for home but had enough time to make a wise decision not to bring his stinging friends inside.
So he shed his clothing in his man cave before making his final dash to safety — a bit worse for wear mind you, but everything still intact.
Course gets water boost
Those who love their round of golf at Moama’s famous Rich River Golf Club will be pleased to know that its west course is to have its watering system replaced.
The club will match a $783,000 grant through the NSW Building Better Regions Fund to replace the 42-year-old watering system on this course.
Timber company fined
Operators of former Euroa Timber Company have been hit with a $40,000 fine after a worker was injured.
Blue Collar Workforce Pty Ltd pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrate’s Court to failing to provide and maintain a plant that was safe and without risks to health in relation to docking saws at the workplace, as well as failing to provide information instructions and training to employees.
Police are searching for the culprit who attacked an 87-year-old and stole his trailer at Katunga last week.
The man had heard a noise in the early afternoon and when he went to investigate was assaulted and his box trailer stolen.
He had to be treated at the GV Base Hospital for head injuries.
Police belief the offender was towing the trailer — registration R36 379 — with a white ute.
Square Dinkum
G’day.
A group of bush walkers had embarked on an African safari trek and were high in the mountains of Tanzania, when it became obvious that they were lost.
They wandered about for several hours in total frustration, with a confused look on the face of their local guide.
They all blamed him for getting them lost, and the patience of the walkers was being sorely tested.
One of the walkers pointed his finger at the guide and wailed, ‘’You told us you were the best guide in all of Tanzania.’’
‘’I am,’’ replied the guide.
‘’But I’m pretty sure we are in Kenya now!’’
Hooroo!