Newsmakers, sports stars & top stories of 2022

The development group did, however, contribute significantly to an increased energy and enthusiasm in not only the business community, but also to the installation of plans developed during its discussions with Campaspe Shire Council.

In the first half of this year a new Kyabram website, along with a new logo, slogan and signage, will further underline the vitality and expertise of the group which has drawn strong membership from a variety of quarters in the community.

2. Stage one of the Parkland Golf Club re-development was completed, an extension to the existing clubhouse providing a new event venue for the Kyabram community.

The $1/2 million re-development was supported by both the Kyabram club and Kyabram Commnity Bank, along with contractors who significantly contributed to the club’s project “wish list’’ being fully ticked off.

More recently an announcement of a partnership with a Melbourne-based developer revealed details of a 200-plus lot housing development on the western border of the golf course

3. Campaspe shire’s monthly meetings rarely failed to produce a headline or two, the year starting in sensational fashion with the proposal — for a third time in six years — to close the seven outdoor pools.

Not only did the pools survive, but months later the council announced it would be throwing open the doors of the pools for free during the 2022-23 summer.

The response has been enormous, extended afternoon hours making up for a shortened swim season.

Then there was the hotly debated asset disposal document, which earmarked several buildings used by community groups as surplus to council’s needs.

Parting ways earlier than expected with chief executive officer Declan Moore significantly rocked the boat of the Echuca-based local government authority, although interim CEO Tim Tamlin steadied the ship in a four-month period.

It was Mr Tamlin, with the backing of councillors, who dampened the instalment of an overriding community panel to decide on the future of the pools.

Instead the shire went back to the drawing board on its Place Based Planning and Township Faciity Plan process, allowing further engagement with the community groups directly affected by its installation.

In late September the shire named community engagement expert Pauline Gordon as its new CEO.

4. Celebrate Stanhope provided the base of a spectacular 12 months for the southern Campaspe shire township, the food and wine festival among a variety of events showcasing the small town’s core of exceptional individuals.

The town was even included as an overnight stop on the Melbourne Cup Tour this year as the community again took control of managing the Campaspe shire pool kiosk and punched well above its weight on most sporting fronts.

5. Jen Savage and her Kyabram and Community Learning Centre not only provided a base for vaccinations, but spread its wings further to encompass the establishment of the Kyabram dementia organisation and managed the town’s support of flood recovery for victims of the Rochester event.

That was while continuing to offer its wide range of services from the Lake Rd facility, which continues to be a vital link to community and government services for Kyabram’s population.

6. Severly under the pump for most of the year with the ongoing complications, and regulations, associated with a third COVID wave, the Kyabam District Health Service still managed to tick off several goals in 2022. Among those the arrival of the Aldara Yenara Aboriginal community hub.

The on-site location of the hub meant less travel for Kyabram people, who had previously been serviced at Echuca (Njernda ) or Mooroopna (Rumbalara).

7. A handful of inspired individuals with a penchant for writing funding submissions have realised one of the district’s great new additions with the near completion of the Gargarro Regional Botanic Gardens.

With the completion of the Green Thumbs Cafe complex and soon-to-be-completed gardens, the facility is certain to attract visitors and resident alike to use the complex. Add the rail trail connection with Stanhope to the mix and it is a recipe for continued growth of the towns.

8. The tiny dairy farming town which is bolstered by a couple of large industrial businesses on its outskirts has again punched well above its weight in terms of attracting people to the town.

The Murray Ross and Lions Club inspired Tongala Town Square, the development group co-ordinated Eats and Beats Festival and Michael Thompson’s continued dedication to the town’s war memorials were a few of the highlights. Add the hay bale trail to the mix and the proactive work of the Tongala Development Group with the shire in regard to future planning and the future of the town looks in good hands.

9. Three football teams in grand finals is a feather in any club’s cap, but to claim two premierships was an extraordinary feat for Lancaster Football Netball Club. The club, in some ways, came from the clouds with both wins as coach Tom Davies and club president Steve Elliott combined with a chorus of volunteers to secure the Kyabram district league pennants. Elliott’s wife, Nicole, was also recognised as the league’s administrator of the year.

10. Whether it is providing a space for a quilting or art exhibition or acting as home base for the likes of the Kyabram Cannery Centenary, the Kyabram Town Hall committee has continued to provide an essential service to the community. This year the committee also recognised the Kyabram Reform Movement anniversary and was home base to some of the region’s best-known artists.

11. Deserving of a mention for their continual support of anything and everything in Kyabram, the Kyabram Club and Kyabram Community Bank often went dollar for dollar in their support of community events and innovations.

Both organisations provide a constant stream of funding to organisations with the development of Kyabram at the heart of their charter.

Top Free Press Stories

1. Record rainfall and devastating floods for the Goulburn Valley and Campaspe regions will dominate any historical reference to 2022. The township of Rochester was devastated when the Lake Eppalock storage facility and Campaspe River broke their banks. Echuca, Mooroopna and Shepparton were also devastated as Kyabram become somewhat of an island paradise and refuge for the residents of these towns.

2. Kyabram Fauna Park’s future was cemented when an announcement was made that it would become the fourth member of the Victorian Zoos family, joining the Melbourne zoo, Werribee and Healesville Sanctuary. The fauna park also opened its new cafe and administration area, along with a new Meerkat enclosure.

3. Not only were the objections to the potential closure of outdoor pools heard by the Campapse shire councillors, but the doors of the seven outdoor swimming facilities were thrown open for free for the 2022-23 season. Between January and November the story came full circle, from a shire officer recommendation to gradually decommission the pools to the September announcement that there would be no charge to use the pools during the summer.

4. Contentious issues such as the closure of the outdoor pools and a shift toward “user-pays’’ scenario for shire-owned buildings made Campaspe shire chief executive officer Declan Moore the subject of many community conversations. Not long after the decision to move away from the sale of the pools a decision was taken to have an ‘’early separation’’ with the CEO. Interim CEO Tim Tamlin spent the next four months in the role before Pauline Gordon was named CEO and started in mid-October.

5. Eleven candidates contested a hard-fought federal election for the seat of Nicholls. Nationals cadidate Sam Birrell was hoping to step straight into the shoes of retiring member Damian Drum, but had a fight on his hands with Independent Rob Priestly. It was later revealed that more than $700,000 was spent by the independent on his campaign, which saw him cut deep into the Nationals stronghold of the seat, but eventually lose.

6. Lancaster won both the reserve and senior football premierships of the Kyabram district league, contesting all three football grade grand finals. The grand final day made headlines for another season when an after-the-siren brawl instigated an investigation by the league. Merrigum and Stanhope were both netball premiers on grand final day.

7. Allan Weeks and his Kyabram Project Committee realised a dream when the water tank mural and railway station platform attraction was officially opened in front of a large gathering.

8. Barry Churches and his Kyabram Cannery Centenary committee drew hundreds of people to their recent celebration and have since created significant interest with the staging of an exhibition at the Kyabram Town Hall.

9. Kyabram P-12 College’s multi-million dollar wellbeing centre development and the St Augustine’s College revamp to its primary section — involving the establishment of a unique circular corridor — commenced and will continue into the new year.

Both colleges will provide a modern facility for education in Kyabram moving into the future with the completion of the projects.

10. Peter Walsh polled 75 per cent of the vote to comfortably return for a sixth term to parliament, but the Coalition was dominated at the state poll by the Dan Andrews-led Labor government. Mr Walsh’s Nationals improved their stake in parliament with wins in both the Euroa and Shepparton regions.

11. Tongala Bulls won the Campaspe Playing Area division one pennant bowls grand final with nine of its 12 members coming from three families. The Tinnings (Geoff, Brad, Peter, Jarryd and Barry), Lyons and Hammonds (Greg, Sam, Steve and Jack) were leading lights in the one-shot victory for the team.

12. Kyabram Club launched a book, inspired by long-time director Peter Nelson, to commemorate its 60th anniversary and staged a well-attended function to toast the occasion at exactly the same time as the club was first launched in 1962.

Top 10 Sportspeople

1. After a superb 2022 season Tongala 17-year-old Harley Reid has been recognised as the early favourite to be taken at number one in November 2023 at the AFL National Draft.

Reid won the Jack Collins-Alan Schwab AFL Life Members Scholarship, was among VIc Country’s best players in the under-18 national championships, finished second in the Bendigo Pioneers best and fairest and was named as one of only two 17-year-olds in the All Australian team.

Reid played only two senior games for Tongala in the Murray league and polled five votes in the league best and fairest award.

2. Olivia Cartwright has done her family name proud, a regular with Victorian representative teams and only a month ago selected to be part of the richest bowls tournament in the world — the Ultimate Bowls Challenge.

She is now bowling in Premier League with Moama Steamers — as lead to Scottish legend Alex Marshall — and featured prominently in several categories of the recent Henselite Victorian Open.

3. A muddy oval on a rainy day at Longwood was a less-than-perfect scenario for a full forward needing 13 goals in the last home-and-away game of the season to notch 100 goals. Girgarre coach Damien Cupido, however, took it in his stride and bagged 14 to become the first Kangaroos player to kick a century of goals in a season.

It was also the first time in 21 years that Girgarre had made it to the Kyabram district league finals.

4. Lachlan Smith was crowned Kyabram football’s best and fairest player for 2022 after a season in which he recorded the most marks of any player in the Goulburn Valley league.

Smith moved from defence into attack late in the season and kicked a bag of 11 goals in a single match to underline his flexibility.

5. Kyabram’s leading clay-target shooter Gino D’Angelo dominated on the Goulburn Valley scene and narrowly missed a national title at the sporting shooters championships.

He had a fourth place at a national event to his credit in 2022 and missed winning the Australian five-stand championship by two shots — a title he won in 2017.

6. Ava Pell was named Goulburn Valley netball’s Jacqui Hudgson Medallist, winning the best and fairest for the league in the under-15 competition.

The all-round sports star was a standout for the Kyabram junior team and also picked up the club best and fairest award.

7. Tongala Bulls skipper Brad Tinning guided his team to victory in the division one Campaspe Playing Area grand final, finishing the season as the number one-ranked player of the seven team-100 player plus competition.

Tinning was one of five Tinnings, Geoff, Barry, Peter and Jarryd, who were involved in the premiership team with Tongala. He was also the playing coach of Lancaster’s Kyabram district league reserve grade premiership team.

8. Named in the centre position in the Goulburn Valley netball Team of the Year, Hollie Reid, was recognised as one of the best netballers in the competition.

She finished runner-up in the A-grade best and fairest award, the Wellman Family Medal, and also won the Kyabram best and fairest.

9. A 13th Kyabam Bowls Club singles championship for Greg Shilling was enough to ensure his spot on the list. He has continued to play an important role in the 2022-23 season with the arrival of four new skips to the club.

10. A spot in the Australian team that competed at the World Bocce Championships ensured Mary Greco was a walk-up start to the top sports performers of the region. While the results didn’t fall the way of the green and gold, she did Kyabram and her nation proud at the Turkey event.

11. Charlie Barnett’s future in football is assured, wherever that may be. The teenager played only one game for Kyabram last season, but was superb in that outing and he finished the year with a long list of achievements.

Among them was the best and fairest for his school, Xavier College, along with a part in two successful rounds of the AFL under-18 national championships with Vic Country. He was also a star with the Bendigo Pioneers.

12. A recent signing to Casey Demons under-19 outfit for the approaching Victorian Netball League season was no surprise for Kyabram VCE graduate and Mooroopna GVL netball star Jazmin Clark.

She travelled in 2022 to play with Geelong in the VNL and also won a Mooroopna club best and fairest award, playing with both the A- and B-grade preliminary final teams.