Lancaster completed a fairtyale finish to the Kyabram District Football League season with a committed team effort, upsetting hot favourite Murchison-Toolamba in the grand final on a saturated Mooroopna oval in late September.
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The Wombats adapted to the deplorable conditions — rain and a soggy surface for most for the game — far more skilfully than the Grasshoppers and thoroughly deserved their slogging 10-point win — 6.10 (46) to 5.6 (36).
While there were only two kicks in at the final siren Lancaster never allowed its opponent to get a decent sniff, answering every challenge with gritty resilience of a rare kind.
And one that wins premierships.
Kyabram District League officials launched an investigation into an incident that occurred moments after the final siren of the senior football grand final.
A brawl involving players and spectators began when spectators ran into the middle of Mooroopna Recreation Reserve after the grand final.
The melee lasted for several minutes and flared up several times, despite the best attempts of members of both clubs to pull people apart.
It’s still unclear exactly how the brawl started.
Police arrived on the scene about 30 minutes after the fracas.
KDL apology to Stanhope
Kyabram District Football League apologised to Stanhope Football Netball Club in a September 21 letter providing updated advice on star Ryan Semmel’s eligibility for the senior league competition best and fairest award.
It was the first correspondence between the league and club concerning the August 6 report of Semmel, for striking against Murchison-Toolamba in the second-last home-and-away round of the season, since August 12.
He was initially offered a two-week penalty, but that was challenged by the club — hence the tribunal hearing.
Semmel pleaded not guilty to the charge of intentionally striking the Murchison player and after vision of the incident was viewed by the tribunal he was still found guilty, but given a reprimand — and not suspended.
On August 12 the club received an email from the league — having made contact concerning a potential appeal of the decision on August 11 — explaining that Semmel was still eligible for the best and fairest award.
The final correspondence (on September 21) was in the form of an “updated advice’’ letter.
It was received by Stanhope Football Netball Club president Jason Leocata just six days before the virtual league vote count and included an apology to the club for providing incorrect advice six weeks earlier regarding Semmel’s eligibility for the award.
Free pool entry decision
Nine months after placard-carrying protestors stood on the doorstep of Echuca’s Campaspe Shire headquarters opposing the proposed closure of the shire’s seven outdoor pools, the nine-member council last week rubber-stamped a proposal to make entry into the pools free for the 2022-23 season.
At its January 19 meeting council decided to delay a decision on the future closure of the seven pools — Tongala, Kyabram, Rochester, Lockington, Rushworth, Stanhope and Colbinabbin — until May 2023.
It was the third time in six years a decision on the future of the outdoor pools had been delayed; the first was in August 2016 and the second was in April 2019.
Council has also agreed to wear the $88,000 loss that accompanies the decision to discard previous charges that applied to the use of the seven outdoor pools.
Last week the goalposts were moved again in regard to the future of the outdoor pools, council not only deciding to throw the gates of all seven pools open for free this swim season, but also alter the opening dates.
Among six recommendations made to the meeting was to introduce free general admission to the seven outdoor pools for the 2022-23 season, which were slated as potentially the last for the operation of the council-owned pools.
Further recommendations were to delay the opening of the pool season by two weeks to November 26, and to alter operational hours to solve consistent staffing problems and the impact of cold weather.
Pell’s a GVL medallist
Kyabram did not walk away empty handed from the Goulburn Valley Football Netball League’s night of nights, teenage netballer Ava Pell crowned the best player of the 2022 15 and Under competition.
She and two-time Kyabram district league best and fairest winner, Kaine Herbert, were among a handful of players to feature prominently in medal counts, along with reserves star Caleb Williams, A-grade netballer Hollie Reid and Under-18 captain Liam Francis.
Herbert, Williams, Reid and Francis all finished second in their respective vote counts.
Kyabram did have a further connection to the awards, with Bree Hanslow and mother Di — now based with Mooroopna Football Netball Club — crowned the Netball Vic youth and senior netball coaches of the year.
Seymour’s Ben Rigoni and Shepparton United’s Jessie Barnes were recognised as the Morrison and Wellman Family medallists for 2022.
Rigoni polled 22 votes to finish one clear of Kyabram’s Kaine Herbert, while Zac Keogh rounded out the top three on 18.
Water Tank Mural opening
Allan Weeks was the focus of a community celebration when Kyabram’s Water Tank Mural was officially opened.
The rising 81-year-old president of the Kyabram Project Committee saw the project from its start — five years ago — through two years of COVID-19 complications and to the strongly patronised opening last week, marking the project’s near completion.
Mr Weeks, the organisations secretary/treasurer Joy Salter (along with her partner Phil Chalmers) and Barry Churches were the three major drivers of the project, which has attracted thousands of visitors to the water tank, its picnic area and viewing platform.
Such was the importance of the occasion to Mr Weeks and his executive team, that they used two camper vans to stay overnight on the Monday to ensure the troublesome vandals that have been a constant source of frustration, did not affect what was a smooth running ceremony.
No permit for estate
Campaspe Shire has knocked back a permit application for the second stage of Kyabram’s Sunrise Estate development, on the back of a suggestion by the Department of Transport that traffic lights should be installed at the Allan St and Breen Ave intersection.
The permit for the 32-lot subdivision was refused based on advice from the Department of Transport, suggesting the development would result in “unacceptable road safety outcomes”.
Council’s “public safety” concerns about the subdivision relate directly to the complicated intersection, which has two entries into Breen Ave and a railway line as part of the consideration.
The permit’s refusal on the road-safety grounds has been decided despite the intersection being half a kilometre from the development.
If installed the traffic lights would be a first for Kyabram as, apart from pedestrian crossing lights, there are no permanent traffic lights in the town.
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