Front page news: July 25-31, 2007-2015
A snapshot of news from across the years
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July 25, 2007: A Wimmera business leader has predicted healthy grain crops in the Wimmera and southern Mallee could be worth $1.637 billion this season.
Wimmera Development Association chief Philip Sabien said if the Department of Primary Industries’ predictions of a record $3-billion harvest for Victoria were to happen, the Wimmera and southern Mallee would be in for a financial boon.
Mr Sabien said a grain harvest reaping $1.637 billion would mean farmers in Horsham municipality, Yarriambiack, Buloke, Northern Gampians, West Wimmera and Hindmarsh shires would pocket $88 million, while $963 million would go to businesses in the region.
Mr Sabien said it stood to be the largest financial boost for the region in the past five years.
‘‘Certainly I have not seen figures this high in the five years I have been here,’’ he said.
‘‘The money going to farmers will help to overcome the $1.2 billion loss from last year, which included livestock and crops.
‘‘It doesn’t account for the accumulative losses, which are quite substantial, but it does help to set things in the right direction.’’
July 25, 2008: Detectives have confirmed Monday’s fire at a Horsham hay business was an arson attack.
The fire at Johnson Asahi destroyed hay, forklifts, loaders and an x-ray machine, valued at more than $1.5 million.
Detective Sergeant Stephen Walker, of Horsham Criminal Investigation Unit, said the fire had been deliberately lit.
‘‘We have located evidence to indicate the fire was deliberate,’’ he said.
Sgt Walker said Horsham detectives had identified suspects.
‘‘We have already started talking to witnesses and persons of interest,’’ he said.
‘‘But we are still appealing for more public information.’’
Sgt Walker said an arson chemist from Melbourne was at the scene on Tuesday to collect samples to analyse.
He said the arson chemist was working with Horsham detectives to determine the exact cause.
Sgt Walker said the police air wing and crime scene investigators were scheduled to visit the Plumpton Road business today.
‘‘The helicopter will fly over the scene and take videos and photos, and use heat seeking equipment to show the hot spots and severe damage,’’ he said.
‘‘Crime scene investigators will record the crime scene in case we need to use it for a court case.’’
July 30, 2008: Five years after an attempted bombing of a stone masonry business an investigating detective has reflected on how police saved Stawell.
Detective Sergeant Stephen Walker, now in charge of Horsham’s Criminal Investigation Unit, was part of the investigating team which arrested Harry Buckle of Geelong, just as he was about to blow up a business competitor on June 7, 2003.
Buckle had underestimated the amount of explosives in the homemade bomb.
Large boulders of stone and granite, heavy equipment and machinery in the yard of Waites Robson Stonemasons, on the corner of Main Street and Napier Street in the centre of Stawell, would have blown apart, causing disaster and death.
Sgt Walker said a team of 20 Stawell and Ararat detectives and police officers, in conjunction with Geelong police, worked together to prevent the bomb from exploding, after receiving a tip-off from a member of the community.
‘‘Afterwards the arson chemist gave evidence that the bomb would have affected a one-kilometre radius of the stone masonry business,’’ he said.
‘‘People didn’t realise the damage it would have done to the town.
‘‘If it had gone off it would have been like the Bali bombings all over again.’’
July 29, 2009: Grampians Group of Fire Brigades has claimed the Remlaw fire could have been contained far more quickly if smaller CFA and private firefighting units had not been delayed by ‘inflexible’ and ‘restrictive’ police road blocks.
The claims form part of the group’s submission to the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.
The Remlaw fire burnt 2300 hectares, destroying 11 houses, Horsham golf clubhouse, 71 sheds, 148 kilometres of fencing and 52 head of stock.
The group includes Brimpaen, Green Lake, Laharum and Wonwondah rural fire brigades.
Deputy group officers Brendan Dunn, Robert McGennisken and Jamie Chandler, group secretary Jason Pymer and ex group officer and volunteer Russell Peucker compiled the submission.
The eight-page submission criticised the Guidelines for the Operation of Traffic Management Points during Wildfires, which was signed off by the CFA, Victoria Police and the Department of Sustainability and Environment in October 2007.
The group has called for the Royal Commission to recommend the State Government change its guidelines, including introducing another option where traffic be carefully monitored and restricted, streamlining access for private fire equipment and people with a pecuniary interest, and alleviating the incident controller from authorising each individual entry.
The group was damning of the 16 road blocks manned by police in the Remlaw fire.
July 31, 2009: An Aubrey man, 79, will become Victoria’s oldest ‘hoon’ driver when police impound his car for speeding near Horsham on Wednesday.
Police will use Anti-Hoon Legislation to seize the man’s car after he was caught driving at 160 kilometres an hour along Blue Ribbon Road.
Police said the driver was aged 79 years and 10 months.
National media reports confirm the Aubrey man as the state’s oldest hoon driver.
The Herald Sun reported in May the oldest person to have their vehicle impounded under the Anti-Hoon Legislation was a 78-year-old Narre Warren man who lost his sports car after being caught driving at 170kmh during a car club event in January.
The Canberra Times reported at the time that the Narre Warren man was Australia’s oldest hoon.
Leading Senior Constable Tony Clark of Rainbow said he saw the man’s fawn Mitsubishi Magna sedan travelling south at a fast speed at 1.25pm on Wednesday.
Sen Const Clark said he chased the car for 24 kilometres but was unable to get close enough to use his radar gun.
Murtoa policeman Sergeant Pat Harrington, travelling out from Horsham, clocked the car at 160kmh and stopped the driver.
The Mail-Times understands the car came close to hitting Sgt Harrington before stopping.
Leading Sen Const Clark said the driver from Aubrey, west of Warracknabeal, had stated he was speeding because he was running late for an appointment.
‘‘When he was pulled over the driver said it was lucky his speed wasn’t checked earlier when he was going even faster,’’ Sen Const Clark said.
‘‘He pulled over as soon as the other unit signalled for him to do so, but he was so far ahead of me I would have only been a white dot in his mirror.’’
July 26, 2010: Police have cracked a juvenile crime gang allegedly responsible for break-ins at sporting clubs and cars in Horsham during the past month.
Horsham Detective Senior Constable Adam Rabone said a story in the Mail-Times on Wednesday sparked a number of calls to Crime Stoppers which led to the arrest of three juveniles aged 12 to 16.
“On Wednesday evening police interviewed a male, 16, in relation to a number of burglaries from sporting clubs and cars in Horsham during July,’’ he said.
‘‘A premises was searched and as a result a large amount of stolen items were located which relate to a number of thefts from motor vehicles.”
He said the young Horsham male was charged with 24 offences relating to theft and damage and was bailed to Children’s Court on August 9.
He said the crackdown on the gang of juveniles allegedly responsible for the series of thefts in the area continued on Friday morning.
“On Friday we arrested a 12-year-old male in relation to the same offences and he has been charged with one burglary and theft matter and was also bailed to appear at Children’s Court on August 9,” Det Sen Const Rabone said.
“On Friday afternoon we executed another search warrant in Horsham and arrested a 16-year-old male and located a small amount of stolen property.
“He has been interviewed and charged with nine offences and could be charged with other offences at a later date.
‘‘He has been bailed to appear at Children’s Court on August 9.
“At this stage we expect to interview another male in coming days in relation to the same offences and we have further offences we are pursuing.”
Det Sen Const Rabone thanked the community for their help.
July 28, 2010: After more than 40 years of campaigning for a better water supply, Natimuk residents finally have drinkable water.
GWMWater informed residents that the town’s water supply changed on Friday.
Service delivery executive manager Stephen Jewell said GWMWater was able to deliver the supply through the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline.
“We were able to combine some aspects together by changing the design of the pipeline a little bit so it ran through Horsham and connected to Natimuk,” he said.
He said the price of water use would increase 20 cents a kilolitre and the service charge would increase by $41 a year.
The Mail-Times has reported Natimuk’s water woes over many years.
In 1972, the Mail-Times reported Natimuk’s townspeople wanted an improved water supply and submitted a petition with 152 signatures to the Water Commission.
Problems continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including issues with water costs, water pressure, chlorine and storages full of mud and weeds.
In December 1999 a public meeting at Natimuk heard the town’s water supply was a major health hazard, containing high levels of E-coli, an indication of faecal contamination.
Complaints about foul-smelling, dirty water at Natimuk kept mounting and in 2001 Grampians Water shut down a Natimuk reservoir in the town’s east until the water quality improved.
In 2008 GWMWater announced it intended to supply Natimuk with a drinkable water supply through the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline.
Natimuk residents tried the new supply this week.
Natimuk resident Milly McClure said she had noticed a big difference in the water but she thought it had a bit too much chlorine in it.
She said she had lived in Natimuk for 24 years and thought it was about time something was done.
“I remember being in the garden once and I went to wash my hands and the smell of the water was so bad,” she said.
July 30, 2010: Horsham police have caught two more people allegedly involved in a spate of thefts across Horsham West this month.
Horsham Senior Constable Adam Rabone said two Horsham males were arrested on Wednesday morning.
“As a result of the ongoing operation in relation to the recent crime spree involving theft from motor vehicles and burglaries in Horsham West, a 15-year-old male and a 19-year-old male were arrested on Wednesday morning,” Sen Const Rabone said.
“They were charged with alleged offences relating to thefts in Horsham West and as a result we searched their homes and found stolen property including a television and DVD player which was from a Bennett Road house where a car was also stolen and then dumped.
‘‘We also found imitation pistols, car keys and a stolen camera.”
Sen Const Rabone said the 15-year-old male was charged with 14 offences including burglary, aggravated burglary, theft of motor vehicles, arson and having possessed a handgun.
He was remanded in custody in an out-of-court bail hearing on Wednesday and appeared via video link in Children’s Court yesterday.
He was remanded in custody until August 9.
July 25, 2011: Support for a multi-storey car park in Horsham remains unclear after a cold reception at the launch of a project feasibility study.
Three members of the public attended the launch at Horsham Civic Centre on Thursday, prompting Horsham Rural City Council to call for more community involvement.
Chief executive Peter Brown said car parking was a hot topic in the city and he expected a larger turnout at the meeting.
He urged all residents and visitors to share their thoughts on the need for a multi-storey car park with study consultant Stuart Green.
“There has been a lot of community discussion about this issue and now is the time for people to make their thoughts known,” he said.
“I think some people may be leaving it up to council to have input but anyone with views on this needs to express them.”
Council also invited members of the community and business sector to make one-on-one appointments to speak to Mr Green on Friday, but no bookings were made.
Mr Green said the lack of support was disappointing, particularly after Horsham Rural City received a low score for community consultation in last year’s local government satisfaction survey.
He said public input was vital to determine the need and support for a multi-storey car park.
“The people of Horsham, the businesses, the people who come here to shop — they’re the people who know Horsham and know what it needs,” he said.
“I have the technical expertise to crunch the numbers and work out that side of it, but I need to know what people think and want.”
July 25, 2012: Wimmera residents will feature in a new television campaign to encourage the Aboriginal community to stand up against family violence and sexual assault.
The Speak Out Against Violence campaign, launched in Halls Gap yesterday, is a collaboration between Victoria Police, support agencies and Aboriginal communities.
The campaign encourages people to report violence and assaults and includes four television advertisements, which will air across Western Victoria from August 26.
Grampians Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee chair Larry Kanoa said people were aware of the issue but needed to take the next step.
“The key message is that people need to speak out about family violence and sexual assault,” he said.
“This issue has been hidden for a long time and not paid much attention but it is too big an issue to ignore.
“There is help.”
July 29, 2013: Wimmera drivers have demanded urgent upgrades for the Henty Highway.
Trucks were photographed last week driving in the oncoming traffic lane to avoid road conditions that would destabilise their loads.
“It is really a tragedy waiting to happen,” Rupanyup road safety advocate Dale Maggs said.
He photographed trucks on Thursday morning, midway between Horsham and Hamilton, on the wrong side of the road.
He said it was far from the only time and place he had seen truck drivers cross the road to avoid potholes and worn tarmac.
“The road is in a deteriorated state in nearly all sections of the Henty Highway, nearly right down to Portland,” Mr Maggs said.
“Drivers are selecting the best line along that road – the safest option – to handle a big rig.
“I commend drivers for their driving ability and judgment, but it’s really sad that they have to do that.”
Mr Maggs said he saw two trucks forced to deviate from the left lane when he was on the highway on Thursday.
“One driver was coming through from Casterton, who had the centre white line in the centre of the truck, because the ruts on either side of the road were causing problems,” he said.
“When you see a big 48-tonne rig coming at you, it’s a worry.
“Those ruts were putting both the truck drivers and other road users at risk.”
July 31, 2013: An expanded age exemption clause for medical practitioners applying for permanent Australian residency could mean Horsham doctor Mihaela Guguila is eligible to stay for as long as she likes.
But specific requirements mean the Department of Immigration will not consider the first 18 months she spent practising in regional Victoria.
A government spokeswoman said applicants had to have been working for the same sponsor for four years to be considered for permanent residency.
“Her previous work with a different employer cannot be taken into account,” the spokeswoman said, although she could not detail why.
“That’s exactly what I was afraid of,” Dr Guguila said.
She arrived in Australia in June 2010, under the auspices of Ballarat Health Services, and worked at Ballarat Base Hospital.
In December 2011, Dr Guguila said she changed her nominating employer to enable her to start a skin cancer clinic in Horsham.
Under that visa, which expires in May 2014, she said she had been working part-time between two jobs.
In addition to working at Australian Skin Face Body, Dr Guguila said she worked at Lister House Clinic.
She has also been a consultant at Wimmera Base Hospital.
“What is the problem?” Dr Guguila asked. “I was employed in Ballarat, Victoria – a regional area.”
July 25, 2014: The first Wimmera residents will connect to the National Broadband Network before the end of the year.
Rupanyup, Minyip and Murtoa will be the Wimmera’s first towns to connect via fixed wireless towers in the town.
An NBN Co spokesman said the three towers would go live within the next three months. The towers will be the first to go live in the Wimmera.
The spokesman said these were the only Wimmera towns earmarked to go live this year.
NBN construction is heavy throughout the region, with works occurring in Horsham and Ararat rural cities and Northern Grampians and Yarriambiack shires.
Yarriambiack Shire Council infrastructure and planning director James Magee said the shire would increase its construction next year.
He said construction of towers at Hopetoun and Beulah would start mid-2015.
However, Yarriambiack council will continue to fi ght for further NBN options for its shire.
Woomelang was originally approved for wireless, but was later downgraded to satellite because of costs.
July 28, 2014: Horsham horse lovers are concerned there is no equine veterinarian in the city as foaling season approaches.
More than 100 people joined an ‘Equine vet for Horsham’ group on Facebook on Friday.
Horsham and Districts Equestrian Sports Club president Stephanie Martin said the nearest equine vets were two hours away in Ballarat.
She said a vet was required in emergency situations to help or euthanise an animal.
“It’s a huge issue. It’s a very dire position to be in,” she said.
Mrs Martin said many Horsham horse owners used a Ballarat veterinarian for non-emergency situations.
She said Warracknabeal veterinarian Brian Clarke was also popular, but busy.
“He’s pretty swamped,” she said.
Mrs Martin said she understood why Horsham veterinarians would refuse to take on larger animals such as horses and cows without the facilities or training.
“It’s really hard and it must be difficult for them,” she said.
“Ideally, it would be nice if one of the vets had someone who was helping to treat horses, or if a vet came to Horsham who was happy to treat large animals.
“We just need somebody to come who knows how to help you in an emergency.”
July 29, 2015: Former Horsham actor Alex Rathgeber has won one of musical theatre's top accolades for his role in Anything Goes.
Rathgeber was named best male actor in a supporting role in a musical at the 2015 Helpmann Awards on Monday.
He received the award for his performance as New York stockbroker Billy Crocker.
Rathgeber beat other nominees Eddie Muliaumaseali'i in Show Boat and Trevor Ashley and Chris Durling, both in Les Misérables, for the award.
Anything Goes was nominated for nine Helpmann awards and won three.
The Helpmanns are the Australian equivalent of America’s Tony Awards.
Rathgeber’s win was his first Helpmann award from his first nomination.
It topped off an exciting few months after he released his debut album in June.
Rathgeber said the award win was a whirlwind.
"I felt like when I was up there, I was accepting the award on behalf of the whole company,” he said.
"I feel so proud of all the people involved in the show.
"It's a great way of recognising the show as a whole and my career to date.”
Rathgeber said he had received overwhelming support from Wimmera friends and his family.
“It's made it all the more special and I really appreciate the support,” he said.
July 31, 2015: The Wimmera has weighed in on the controversy surrounding former Horsham footballer Adam Goodes.
The Sydney Swans player and dual Brownlow Medallist has been consistently booed at Australian Football League matches this year.
Goodes sparked controversy earlier this season when he celebrated a goal with a war dance. Teammate Lewis Jetta recreated the dance during the Swans’ match against West Coast at the weekend.
Wimmera Football League chief commissioner Greg Schultz said he felt for Goodes.
“I know Adam and his family very well. I have sent him some texts of support,” he said.
“People being vocal is part of the game, but it’s over the top with Adam, and I don’t like it or condone it.
“It's disappointing to see an ambassador from our area and an ambassador for the game being treated like that.”