On a warm summer day people took the opportunity to venture out and enjoy themselves at the first Foster market for 2021. Huge crowds and parking spots for streets around the park were full as was the grass parking in the reserve itself.
A man has died after being shot by police in Drouin this morning. Police were initially called to the intersection of Baths Road and Strzelecki Highway at Mirboo North to reports of an armed carjacking about 7.40am. Investigators have been told a man armed with a knife made threats to a man before stealing his silver Audi station wagon.
Well, after well over 12 months the landslip sites of 2019 are nearing completion.
Best looking site so far would be the Griggs Road site and probably because this has the most affected locals needing access through this access point. The other two sites can be avoided on reasonably good other roads.
In food production, Soil Biology is responsible for making nutrients in the ground bioavailable to the plants and in turn, to the animals – and humans – eating those plants. Lack of Soil Biology creates foods deficient in nutrients.
The nutrient losses in our food during the last 50 years are astounding.
Council met with the Mirboo North Pool Committee last week and discussed the opening date for the pool which was initially set for mid-Feb, 2021. The three photographs here show that the pool is a fair way of being ready for an opening. Piles of soil, gravel heaps and workers starting work tiling the pool walls and base.
The building is much closer to completion and as this image shows, should look quite stunning when completed. Best estimates from Council are they don’t know when the pool will be open. The normal end of season for the pool is around week two in March. Perhaps the opening will sneak in just before the season closes. Perhaps, with the uncertainty around an opening date and the short time period before the season would close, that Council schedules the opening for the first day of the next season at the end of this year.
The inviting Tarwin Lower Bowls Club Inc. embraces community gatherings and family fun, while playing lawn bowls in a stunning, rural location. After pleasurable bowling experiences, mesmerising, ever-changing sunsets take centre stage to complete the day.
Lawn bowls is a low impact, therapeutic exercise promoting fitness, coordination, skill, confidence, and community connectedness. Bowls is played for the challenge of competition, for personal, outdoor enjoyment and for social interaction.
The Venus Bay Community Centre is thrilled that their grant application to South Gippsland Shire Council for the RIVER POLES project was successful! The application is to install 20 poles with graphic signage along the Tarwin River Venus Bay bike path and the signage will include information about local flora, fauna, cultural heritage, and river geomorphology.
I am drawn to Moroccan cuisine. My mother was an avid fan of American-born Robert Carrier, a leading food writer who was prominent on the food revolution in UK in the 1960s. He was one of the first Europeans to take on an in-depth look at the cuisine of Morocco and the culture that has inspired the Taste of Morocco in 1987. He also produced his Moroccan cookbook well before its popularity.
Resolution of Council from Dec 2019 by the three administrators was to provide a bi-annual report to Council on the progress towards achieving the outcomes required by the Commission of Inquiry recommendations.
Good luck fella, stay safe’: a snake catcher explains why our fear of brown snakes is misplaced
Sun, sea … snakes: all three are synonymous with the Australian summer, but only the first two are broadly welcomed. And of all Australia’s snake species, brown snakes are among the most feared.
To some degree, this is understandable. Brown snakes are alert, nervy and lightning-fast over short distances. When threatened, they put on a spectacular (and intimidating) defensive display, lifting the front half of their body vertically, ready to strike.
On Monday 25th January, Fish Creek will become a hive of circus activity for all ages when six elite circus performers and professionals descend upon the region to share their skills and expertise with our community. The day will have a carnival feel with free workshops for kids, music, and food of a daytime and a cheeky cabaret for adults in the evening. Kids circus workshops will be free including free workshops designed for young people with disability run in collaboration with local company (it’s no) drama. In the evening, The Fish Creek Hotel will host a fun filled cabaret show for adults to enjoy as they nibble on cheese boards from Berry’s Creek. It’s the perfect way to end the long weekend.
Great Southern Ride is an eBike and bike hire service recently establishing in Leongatha a short distance from the start of the rail trail opposite Horticulture Park. The joint owners are Amanda Godridge and Paul Zezula. Amanda has ties to Leongatha as her father used to be a Shire Engineer so when the idea came to them to establish the venture it took little time to come to the decision and make the move.
Early before sunrise in an area renowned as one of the most outstanding farming regions in the country, Barry Charlton from Berry’s Creek Cheese lights up his 600 square metre factory in Fish Creek. He then goes to work crafting hundreds of litres of milk into some of Australia’s most renowned cheeses. He selectively sources his cow and buffalo milk from a few selected farmers in the area and is the primary ingredient in his award-winning product – which he has collected hundreds of ribbons and trophies over his career as a local producer.
Another under-utilised public space in South Gippsland has been transformed thanks to the Girls Own Space project. The latest activity involved painting a blank wall at the Foster Showgrounds with an attractive and colourful mural that can be enjoyed by the local community.
Recreational boating will be made safer and more accessible for all Victorians with the Andrews Labor Government backing five new projects as part of the $5 million Boating Safety and Facilities Program. Minister for Fishing and Boating Melissa Horne today announced $627,000 has been allocated to projects in Greater Geelong, City of Casey and South Gippsland, with selected works already underway.
South Gippsland Shire Council has reviewed the results of the Community Engagement Review which was undertaken in recent weeks. Community members had the opportunity to share their preferences for future engagement opportunities via an online survey and review the Draft Community Engagement Policy in an online OurSay forum. The time for engaging in this exercise was limited to 14 days and limited “advertising” of this “exercise” was out out by Council.
Once upon a time, there was a happy land that had no need of heroes. It had its problems, of course, but there were very few whose solution could not be put off until next year, next decade, or next century. The Great Warming was the most difficult, but the kingdom’s rulers did not worry over this very much, trusting the future to look after itself.
In south eastern Australia, the early Spring weather is beginning to stabilise, with longer sequences of warmer days, but still interspersed by tempestuous stormy weather fronts. Increasing warmth and rain combine to imbue the forest with a beauty and ambience of colour, intoxicating scents and an intricate, rejuvenating life force.
Most of the resident bird population activities are dominated by the urgency of breeding. The early Spring dawn silence is broken by a chorus, or an explosion, of birdsong, proclaiming the determination, joys, and power of parenthood.
Police will prepare a report for the Coroner after the death of a woman at Venus Bay this evening.
Investigators have been told a young teenage girl was seen struggling in the water about 7.30pm. A number of people went out to assist the girl but a woman in her 20s got into difficulty.
The document below shows South Gippsland Council’s submission to the State Govt Rate Inquiry
The Andrews Labor Government will introduce reforms to improve the local government rates system in response to a major review. The Local Government Rating System Review, released on December 21st, provides an in-depth analysis of Victoria’s rates system. This review came about from a 2018 election commitment to assess the fairness and equity of the current system and recommend improvements. This commitment followed the implementation of the Fair Go Rates System in 2016, putting a stop to unsustainable rate rises by local governments in the previous decade. The Government received the Ministerial Panel’s final report on 31 March 2020.
The document below shows all 37 recommendations from the review and the Govt response to each with their own rationale as to why they will or will not implement each particular recommendation.
Working for Victoria aims to create jobs to aid regional and metropolitan recovery from COVID-19. As part of the initiative South Gippsland will receive funding to support 43 new full-time positions. All positions will be for six months’ duration and will be funded by the State Government.
The State Government does through the annual Local Government Performance Indicators on the Knowyourcouncil website.
The Local Government Performance Indicators website is a key initiative to improve the transparency and accountability of council performance to ratepayers and to provide a more meaningful set of information to the public. The framework is made up of 58 measures and a governance and management checklist of 24 items which together build a comprehensive picture of council performance.
South Gippsland Shire Council has successfully applied for a grant to assist with the design and construction of the new Early Learning Centre that will be built in Symmons Street, Leongatha.
The $2.38M grant has been awarded to Council as part of the Building Blocks Grant – Capacity Building program being rolled out by the Victorian School Building Authority, which is part of the Department of Education and Training.
Regenerative Land Management becomes increasingly popular. I want to clarify what it is, clean up with some of the myths and make it understandable and accessible for everybody.
Understanding the true nature of it, however, requires us having a look at the basics first. By definition, Regenerative Land Management describes practices that restore Soil Organic Matter in Topsoil. Soil Organic Matter is plant and animal matter in various stages of decomposition and provides the housing and food for our Soil Biology.
Australia’s COVID vaccine rollout will now begin in mid- to late February. Vaccination will commence with workers dealing with international arrivals or quarantine facilities, frontline health workers and those living in aged care or with a disability.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government “optimistically” aims to vaccinate 80,000 Australians a week, and four million by the end of March.
This is the first time Victoria has recorded zero daily cases since 29 December last year. The number of active cases in Victoria is now 38 including 28 locally acquired cases which is no change since yesterday and 10 cases in hotel quarantine, a decrease of three in the past 24 hours. The number of active cases linked to the Black Rock Restaurant cluster remains at 27. Yesterday’s reported positive case in a man aged in his 30s has now been genomically linked to the Northern Beaches outbreak. The source of acquisition for this case is still unknown and under investigation.
One of these new cases is a man aged in his 30s who has no current links to the Black Rock Restaurant Cluster. A number of possible acquisition sources are being investigated. The other two positive cases are in returned international travelers who are in hotel quarantine. One is a woman aged in her 20s and the other is a woman aged in her 40s.
Being held this year in Moss Vale Park for Covid safety this event looks to be amazing. Costumes look fantastic and the setting for the play could not be more appropriate.
Holiday fun for the family. All the favourites such as Weasel, Mole, Rabbits, Ducks and Toad come together in this original take on the well known story. Our production features amazing costumes and characters supported by our marvellous musicians.
Release of Councillor submission documents by Minister for Local Government Office after VCAT application has now left the current administrators and Council administration in a pickle.
On May 8th, 2019 Councillors passed a motion at council which endorsed the Councillor good governance action plan and approved Council releasing the document after it had been released as promised by the then Minister for Local Govt Mr Adem Somyurek.
It’s official! The historic Riverview Hotel, overlooking the picturesque river in Tarwin Lower, is reopening its familiar doors any day now.
Local couples, Dean & Robyn Ellen, and Dene & Julie Shiels, have breathed fresh life into the iconic establishment with innovation and creativity. Without giving too much away, a stunning transformation has occurred, all the while retaining the rustic, cosy ambiance of the hotel with its spectacular, renowned fireplace.
This post will be updated throughout the day with updates as they are announced.
Of the 10 new cases, two were announced yesterday so only really another 8 new cases from yesterday
A case worked in the Fish Shop in Bair Street 26th and 27th Dec.
Fishing clubs and community groups across Victoria will have more access to funds to improve fishing in their local area thanks to a new category of Recreational Fishing Grants. Minister for Fishing and Boating Melissa Horne said the new intermediate category of grants was funded by fishing licence fees and complements the Andrews Labor Government’s $35 million Target One Million plan, to get more people fishing, more often, in more places.
A drive through testing site has been established in the car park of the Leongatha Hospital. The 8 confirmed cases are all linked from two groups of people who were all at the same restaurant on Dec 22nd. The close contacts are all linked to these groups as well. The Leongatha case is a recent move to Leongatha to a hioliday rental and may not have been contagious when they arrived in Leongatha the health spokesperson said during today’s live media conference.
If you have visited any of the locations listed in the table below during the date and time indicated you must get tested and isolate until you get a negative result.
The Venus Bay Community Centre are well underway planning for summer and looking at all the challenges ahead, they realise it will be a very different kind of summer ahead than normal. They need to continue to adapt to changing circumstances and consider the safety of their volunteers, staff and community members in everything they do.
It’s this time of year when appreciation and gratitude always tug at my heart strings. Christmas carols tend to have that power over me. The invaluable moments I was fortunate to enjoy among an agitated 2020, warmly gather in my mind and dominate my emotions. One of these pleasurable, reoccurring experiences was, and continues to be, the way I typically started my days around bouts of lockdown.
In March 2019, the previous Councillors approved a Council resolution authorising the CEO to ‘provide a future report on confidential documents that may be released relating to the Bald Hills Wind Farm matter.’ This was in line with their philosophy of openness and transparency, minimising the limiting of information wherever possible. As a high-profile case reflecting concerns in the wider community on wind farms and possible nuisance caused by their operation ratepayers and residents think this item is of public interest-hence the Councillors decision to make public any documents able to be released after the legal case was completed.
Local writers are invited to apply for a one-month residency program to be hosted in South Gippsland libraries during February. Five residencies are available in four West Gippsland Regional Libraries located in Korumburra, Leongatha, Mirboo North and Foster.
This Greek style dish is a meal in itself with a hint of lemon. Very tasty and filling. Lentils are a popular legume in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. They are high in fibre and protein and low in fat. Lentils are very versatile and are used for soups, salads, and entrees. Lentil and spinach soup combines healthy lentils with the leafy green spinach, but any leaf green will do or you can use a combination of greens.
A comparison of how three countries (USA, UK, and Australia) have dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic is something many in Australia may not be too aware of considering we have all gone through difficult times and only now are we having restrictions eased to something like pre-COVID-19 levels in many areas of our lives. We have all been concerned about events at home as is totally understandable.
How do you know that something you are looking for is not there? Looking for a needle in a haystack is fundamentally easy – however laborious and tedious – if you know it’s definitely there. Looking for something, not finding it, and therefore concluding it does not exist is a different problem.
In Victoria, at the time of writing, we have had 38 consecutive days of zero newly detected COVID-19 infections. But, obviously, not everyone in the state has been tested.
The then Minister for Local Government, Adem Somyurek wrote to Council on April 2nd, 2019 requesting Council to respond to his show cause letter asking why Council should not be suspended. In that letter he stated that the provided responses would be made public alongside the monitors report.
The submissions were made and expected to be released in Parliament as promised but they were never released. The documents provided the only response to allegations made against the Council by some in the community and should have been made available at least to the Parliament when they voted to dismiss the Council six weeks later.
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