Welcome: The Royal Hotel has been a part of the Seymour community for centuries.
SQUARE DINKUM
G’day
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I went to see a ‘Faith Healer’ at the convention centre last night…..he was absolutely dreadful….. even a bloke in a wheelchair got up and walked out.
Hooroo!!!
CHAIR VACANT BUT ROHAN IS STILL BUSY AS EVER
Yes, Rohan Aldous has vacated the Free Press editor’s chair.
He has landed a job as senior communication and engagement officer with Goulburn Valley Water, but as these pages highlight, he remains a regular contributor to the Free Press, where he has occupied the editor’s chair for the past two years.
McPherson Media Group is advertising for an editor to replace Rohan, but in the interim, the production of the paper will be overseen by Riverine Herald and Campaspe Valley News editor Gregor Mactaggart.
Reporter Shannon Colee has been seconded from The Riv, so anyone with possible story leads can contact her via shannon.colee@mmg.com.au or phone 5483 0508.
COME AND TRY DAY
Get those fishing rods ready.
Kyabram Fishing Club is organising a “Come and Try” fishing day for Sunday, October 29.
It will be held between 9am and 1pm at the corner of McEwen and Gray Rds on the town’s south west border.
Co-ordinator John Martin said the day was aimed at family participation and there would be prizes and give-aways up for grabs.
If there are any queries John can be contacted on 0417 532 645.
A barbecue lunch will be available.
TIMELY RAIN
If you had reservations that rain last week wasn’t timely read on…..
Andrew Weidman, Grain Producers Australia’s southern director and also a Victorian grain grower estimated the rain has put an extra $300 to $400 million on the State’s grain harvest.
His proviso though is that if there’s aren’t any destructive frosts between now and harvest time.
Falls of up close to 100mm were registered across parts of northern Victoria on Tuesday and Wednesday last week.
Kyabram recorded 54.6mm last Tuesday to take the total for October to 57mm which is well above the long term monthly average of 41mm.
But last week’s rain didn’t challenge the record rainfall for October which was a whopping 163mm in 1975.
The October totals have exceeded 100mm eight times.
ROO BEAUTY
Kyabram trots owners celebrated a feature race win at Melton last Friday night when young trotter Shes Ruby Roo claimed the $50,000 Need For Speed Princess final.
Local trainers Peter Hall and Graham Lyon plus Rob Whitford, Terry Nepean, Mark Schumann, Ross Meeking, Brendan McConnell and Tony Hansen, and former Kyabramite Steve Sharp race the three-year-old filly who upstaged the long odds-on favourite Rockinwithattitude in claiming the feature.
And another big pay day beckons this Saturday night at Melton when Shes Ruby Roo tackles the $75,000 Victoria Trotters Oaks.
Trained by Jesse Tubbs and driven by her husband Greg Sugars, Shes Ruby Roo has now won five of her 13 starts with five minor placings and has banked nearly $70,000 in stakemoney earnings.
GOT THE CITY COVERED
Traps reader who visited Melbourne last week said he was surprised to find fuel prices at a Tatura outlet were much cheaper than any outlet he had noticed in Melbourne.
‘‘I paid $1.99 per litre of unleaded petrol at Tat and the cheapest I could see in Melbourne was $2.07. Not often we upstage the city in fuel prices.’’
NEW STATION TAKES SHAPE
Rochester’s new ambulance station is nearing completion.
When finished it will boast a three bay garage for ambulances, two rest areas for paramedics, long term accommodation, training facilities, a kitchen, car parking and 24 hours a day security.
Since 2015 the State Government claims it has invested $279 million in 51 new ambulance stations in Victoria.
ROYAL ADVENTURE
Seymour’s historic pub, the Royal Hotel, is starting to win over believers about its ghostly history.
One story goes the pub once displayed the severed head of Bushranger Dan Morgan.
Built in the 1880s it has served as a local court, post office, fire station police lock-up and a market. Even a morgue.
All sorts of weird unexplained paranormal happenings have been experienced at the pub down the years by owners, staff and customers, including current licensees Leigh Bushell-Lowe and her husband Paul.
They recently ran a ghost tour of the premises which converted some non believers into firm believers.
LODGE BURNOFFS ON WEBSITE
Property owners preparing for a feared possible disastrous bushfire season are urged to register any planned burn-offs online through the Fire Permits Victoria website.
Using this system also ensures Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority’s (ESTA) fire call takers to focus their efforts on taking emergency triple zero calls.
Anyone seeking more information about safe burn-offs should visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au/burnoff/
Hungie Fangs: Apprentice baker Jake Taylor holding the Banana Chicken Curry Pie, head baker James Walker and apprentice baker Declan Cheong with the runner-up Potato Top Pie.
Photo by
Gabriel Garcia
TASTY RESULT
Cobram’s Hungie Fangs bakery obviously can make a mean banana chicken curry pie.
The pie was recently judged the winner of the Poultry Pie Category at the Official Great Aussie Pie annual competition.
It beat up to 600 entries in its category and overall the competition drew entries from 1500 bakeries across the country.
Hungie Fangs head baker James Walker revealed it took a month getting the exact measure of ingredients ‘spot on’ to make the award winning pie.
The bakery also produced the second placegetter in the potato pie category.
It can also produce a tasty vanilla slice with placings in the Great Australia Vanilla Slice Triumph conducted earlier this year at Merbein.
The runway at the Deniliquin Airport is under consideration for a major revamp.
RUNWAY EXTENSION PUSH IN DENI
Deniliquin has taken its case for an extended runway at its airport to the city.
It has received a promise from NSW Premier Chris Minns for an investigation to be carried out for an extension of 200 to 400 metres of the runway.
He made the commitment while in Deniliquin attending the recent Deni Ute Muster.
DATE CHANGE GATHERS MOMENTUM
Greater Shepparton City Council’s push to change the current date for Australia Day is gaining momentum.
This time last year the council resolved to advocate to the Federal Government for the current January 26 date to be changed for the national holiday.
At its recent meeting councillors voted to cease hosting and supporting Australia Day activities from next year.
DID YOU KNOW
1. Thinking they didn’t have enough deadly animals to scare tourists – mainstream institutions (including the Australia Museum) created the Drop Bear – which was/is said to drop from trees and attack people!
2. A wombat’s poop is cubed shaped.
3. Before the arrival of humans, Australia was home to megafauna: three-metre tall kangaroos, seven-metre long goannas, horse-sized ducks, and a marsupial lion the size of a leopard.
4. Australian wallabies have been known to break into opium crops, get high, and run around creating “crop circles”.
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