News blog, March 8; Women’s Award recipient announced; Wunghnu crash victim identified
Hi Goulburn Valley,
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It’s Anna McGuinness taking you through today’s news on a lovely Tuesday, heading towards a partly cloudy top of 27°C in Shepparton.
Happy International Women’s Day to those celebrating and let us know what you get up to.
UPDATE, 4.10pm: International Women’s Day award announced
In case you missed it, today is International Women’s Day and to celebrate the 2022 Women’s Award recipient is... drumroll please... Arti Shah.
The award, by the Greater Shepparton Women’s Charter Advisory Committee, celebrates women who make a difference in the community and positively impact others.
Ms Shah founded the Human Book Club in Shepparton and created the volunteer Communicate with Confidence program to help culturally and linguistically diverse people build their skills.
“International Women’s Day is an opportunity to both celebrate our local women, to seek out a better understanding of their stories and pave the way for the younger generations of women to #BreakTheBias,” City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Kim O’Keeffe said.
We’ll have more on Ms Shah and her fantastic achievement in tomorrow’s Shepp News.
UPDATE, 2.15pm: Muster Dogs star reveals all
Switching to our friends at the Country News now who have been keeping an eye on the ABC’s Muster Dogs program, Victorian sheep grazier Rob Tuncks provided journalist Daneka Hill a look behind the scenes of the show.
He said the show pulled back the curtain on the relationship between farmers and their working dogs.
“I’m not embarrassed to admit my older dogs come inside the house, but there are a lot of farmers out there who say their dogs are outside only, but you know those dogs are coming inside,” he said.
Read the full interview here, for his experience on the show.
UPDATE, 12.25pm: An original Sapphire returns to Shepparton
Caitlyn Grant sat down with an incredible lady recently, with a voice to match, and you may recognise her name; Laurel Robinson.
Laurel, Beverly Briggs, Naomi Mayers and Lois Peeler, all Yorta Yorta women, were the original Sapphires — later dramatised in the film starring Jessica Mauboy.
Now 73, Laurel has returned to Shepparton and shared her experience in the band and where it took her in the years beyond their war-time tour of Vietnam.
Read her story here — I can’t recommend it enough.
UPDATE, 10.25am: Another day, another virus.
A case of Japanese encephalitis virus has been confirmed at a piggery in City of Greater Shepparton.
Agriculture Victoria said six cases have now been found in the shires of Loddon, Campaspe, Wangaratta, Gannawarra, greater Shepparton and greater Bendigo.
Japanese encephalitis occurs most commonly in pigs and horses and could cause reproductive losses for susceptible animal species.
Humans could be impacted by the disease if bitten by an infected mosquito — so slip, slop, slap on the insect repellent and cover up in loose-fitting clothing if you’re heading outside.
The good news is people can’t be infected by eating pig meat so pork meat or pork products are still safe to consume.
UPDATE, 10.07am: These buns are the best in Aus
North End Bakehouse has done it again — it’s hot cross buns have been crowned Australia’s best.
It’s the second year in a row Shepparton North bakers Matt and Shekiah Aylett have taken out the title.
They also received first place in the innovative category for its vanilla slice hot cross buns.
If you want to try these award-winning buns, you’ll have to get in quick with the bakery selling out most days by the early afternoon.
UPDATE, 9am: Police identify fatal crash victim
This morning police have identified a 47-year-old Wunghnu man as the driver involved in a fatal, single-car accident yesterday.
About 5am on Monday, a passer-by discovered the scene of the crash on Boundary Rd, Wunghnu.
UPDATE, 8.45am: Hearings behind closed doors
Yesterday was the first of two days of hearings by Greater Shepparton City Council on the proposed social housing development above a Shepparton carpark.
As News journalist Darren Linton discovered, the hearing — where councillors hear submissions from community members — was closed to the media and the public.
As Darren writes, historically ratepayers would also make their submissions at formal meetings open to the public.
You can read our thoughts on the issue in today’s editorial here.