50 years ago February 1975
An objection has been lodged to Echuca City Council’s beautification plan for the city’s historic High St.
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The manager of Shaws Echuca Stores, Mr A. Dalton, said in a letter to the council he was opposed to the proposal to establish nature strips and trees fronting business premises in High St.
His firm would not accept any responsibility for maintenance, he said.
‘’It is considered that, from the point of view of maintenance, cleanliness and easy access to shops, the area between the verandah posts and the kerb should be paved,’’ Mr Dalton said.
He strongly objected to the planting of trees because the council chose the wrong types.
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A welcome night was held in the Australian Army Reserve Officers mess, Shepparton, this week, for the new adjutant of 22 RVR, Capt P.B. Smith, of Puckapunyal.
Capt Smith was welcomed by the officer in command of C Coy. 22 RVR Major A. Stevens and W.O. Cochrane.
Major Stevens is the manager of the Commonwealth Bank in Echuca.
Major Stevens said if any men are interested in permanent part-time employment with the Australian Army Reserve they are welcome to contact Major Stevens or Bobdubbi Barracks, Ogilvie Ave, on a Monday night.
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Following the Goulburn Valley League’s decision to bar officials from the Melbourne Football Club from the league’s grounds in the coming season, three clubs have said they will not support the ban.
Firstly, the Shepparton United Club, through it’s president Neil Haymes, has disassociated itself from the league’s ruling.
Secondly, Euroa has unanimously agreed not to abide by the league’s ruling.
And thirdly, the Rochester club will not have a bar of the GVL decision.
Echuca club abstained from voting on the ban.
Club delegate, Mr Neil Vagg, said that the club was not interested in the move because Echuca was in Geelong club’s zone.
The rest of the Goulburn Valley teams were in Melbourne’s zone.
25 years ago February 2000
This year’s Southern 80 weekend has been hailed a success by organisers, with records being smashed on the water and in crowd numbers.
Skiing behind Top Shot, James Graziano and Justin Cadd completed the 80km course to win in 31 minutes and 23 seconds, smashing God’s Gift’s record of 32 minutes and two seconds set in 1998.
Moama Water Sports Club president and event organiser Noel Grant said while official figures were not yet available at the finish line, Saturday’s crowd was a record and Sunday’s was believed to be up on previous years.
The introduction of a big screen this year to show highlights of the race and interviews with skiers was an outstanding success.
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Scott Baker’s enthusiasm for Elvis Presley is paying off.
The Elvis-lookalike has a busy year ahead performing at various venues, including in his home territory of Echuca-Moama.
His ability was confirmed earlier this year at Parkes, NSW, which for the past eight years has played has played host to one of the liveliest Elvis festivals in the country.
Beginning on Friday night with a ‘’Harem Scarum’’ theme, local restaurant Graceland hosted a dinner.
Rock and roll dance competitions were contested, as was an Elvis lookalike contest at which Scott took out first place.
Scott again scooped the pool at the Saturday festivities, taking out first place in both the Elvis lookalike contest and the Elvis soundalike contest.
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The Campaspe Shire’s decision to deny approval to a cabin development adjacent to the Chelsworth Park estate has been applauded by estate residents.
Council refused the planning permit application due to the impact the proposal would have on surrounding properties.
The proposal for the Northern Hwy property, commonly known as Pambula, involved a 10-lot subdivision, including nine low density residential lots and a 14-unit development of cabin accommodation.
Before a contingent of about 25 residents, Cr Peter Williams moved an amendment suggesting the planning permit application be denied.
This went against the agenda’s original recommendation which suggested approval be granted subject to a number of conditions being met.
10 years ago February 2015
Once upon a time, those wanting a beer were spoilt for choice, Carlton or VB.
These days choosing a drink at a bar is about as difficult as selecting a meal off a restaurant menu.
Echuca’s Bandicoot Brewery is one of more than 500 breweries in Australia, competing for space on hotel beer lines and in fridges.
While competition for Bandicoot’s Bruce Green is stiff, warring beer giants are not playing nice.
The multinational companies invest heavily in hotels, often paying for the installation of beer lines, in the hope to sign hotels to flog their product, at the expense of independent breweries.
Mr Green, who launched Bandicoot into the market in December, said it was a tough market to crack.
Despite the resistance, it seems Australians are turning their back on the usual hotel staples, giving rise to independent breweries.
American Hotel publican Dean Oberin resisted the temptation of signing with the brewing giants in exchange for independence in his beer selection.
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After just two seasons of AFL football, Echuca’s Ollie Wines has already been sworn in as a leader of Port Adelaide Football Club.
Wines, 20, was included in the Power’s leadership group on Wednesday, joining Travis Boak (captain), Matthew Lobbe, Brad Ebert (joint vice-captains), Jackson Trengove, Hamish Hartlett and Tom Jonas in the seven-man panel.
Determined by the coaching and playing group, the carefully selected few are expected to set a benchmark for the rest to follow on and off the field.
Not a problem for the former Murray Bomber and Bendigo Pioneer, according to the Power’s skipper who lauded Wines on his maturity and immediate impact since debuting in 2013.
‘‘As soon as (Ollie) stepped through these doors, you knew he was a quality person,’’ Boak said.
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Rebel MP, anti-Abbott activist and Federal Member for Murray Sharman Stone is prepared to toe the party line and support embattled Prime Minister Tony Abbott — for now.
But she had no hesitation in voting in favour of a spill motion to set up a challenge for the top job.
Dr Stone was one of the few to publicly declare her hand ahead of Monday’s vote saying she would support the spill motion.
This week’s clash with the Prime Minister was certainly not Dr Stone's first.
She famously crossed the floor to support a motion to import the abortion drug RU-486.
During that time she was also publicly critical of Mr Abbott, the Health Minister of the day.
In recent times, she again crossed the floor in opposition to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
RIV Herald