Front page news: July 11-17, 2007-2015
A snapshot of news from across the years
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July 13, 2007: An Ararat person is currently banned for life from entering any of Ararat’s licensed premises, including liquor outlets, due to the work of the Ararat Liquor Accord.
The Ararat Liquor Accord is continuing to work towards making Ararat a safer place to live, work and socialise by monitoring those who use licensed premises.
All of Ararat’s seven hotels, as well as the Ararat RSL, Chalambar Golf Club, Sicilians Bar and Restaurant and Ararat Safeway and Coles liquor outlets are members of the Liquor Accord, while Ararat Police and a representative from Consumer Affairs Victoria Liquor Licensing are also members.
Formed in January 2005, the aim of the Accord is to encourage and promote best practice in licensed premises in the Ararat Rural City.
This includes licensees acting responsibly and operating within the obligations and conditions of their liquor licences and adhering to the spirit of the Accord.
July 17, 2007: Never has the bond between Ararat, its sister city Taishan and China in general been more evident than during the weekend’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
Ararat holds a special place in the hearts of many Chinese, both Australian born and those from Taishan, Ararat’s sister city in China, and this was demonstrated through a number of special events and ceremonies throughout the weekend.
Thousands of people attended the celebrations and inaugural appearance of the Gum San Community Dragon ‘Shen Long’ at the Ararat Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, including locals, those from the wider region and a number of buses of Chinese Australians from Melbourne.
July 14, 2009: Premier John Brumby paid tribute last Friday to those members of the Ararat community who kept up the fight over many years to have passenger rail return to Ararat.
Mr Brumby welcomed passengers alighting at the Ararat Station on Friday afternoon and joined in the celebrations marking the fifth anniversary of the return of passenger rail to Ararat.
Five years ago, when the first passenger train arrived in Ararat in more than 10 years, former Premier Steve Bracks told a crowd of around 3000 at the Ararat Station that taking the Ararat passenger service away was a ‘social and economic mistake’.
While the crowd greeting the train was much smaller on Friday, patronage figures from V/Line demonstrate that returning passenger rail travel to Ararat has provided an economic boost to the region.
More than 48,000 passengers have travelled on the V/Line service between Ararat and Ballarat in the last year (on average around 1000 a week), which is a 53 percent increase since the first year passenger rail returned in 2004.
Mr Brumby said the service was fantastic.
‘‘It’s a great service, a convenient service, an economical service and if you’ve got the choice of driving to Melbourne or catching the train, well you would always catch the train,’’ Mr Brumby said.
July 12, 2011: Ararat Police have thrown their support behind a new campaign aimed at reducing the state’s rising regional road toll.
Launched by Victoria Police last Thursday, ‘Driving Down the Country Road Toll’ is urging the community to take a stand against the leading causes of road trauma.
Acting Senior Sergeant Warren Groves said road deaths in regional Victoria increased by 13 percent last year, while fatalities in metropolitan Melbourne decreased by 15 percent.
“Regional deaths increased by almost as much as what the metro road toll decreased,” he said.
“Those are alarming statistics which we are very committed to reducing, but we need the community’s help as well.”
‘Driving Down the Country Road Toll’ is calling on country residents to change their driving behaviour after a police intelligence report into regional road trauma identified six major contributing factors to fatal and serious injury collisions.
A total of 163 people died on country roads in 2010, with speed, fatigue, distraction, alcohol and drugs, failure to wear a seatbelt and failure to give way among the causes.
July 13, 2012: Farmers from across the municipality have accused Ararat Rural City Council of reneging on a motion passed in May 2010 which would have seen the Farm Differential Rate reduced to 45 per cent of the general rate for the 2012/2013 year.
Council received more than 30 submissions in regard to its draft 2012/2013 budget, the majority of them from farmers protesting what they believe is an inequitable rating system that is unfair on the farming community.
A number of farmers also attended a special council meeting on Tuesday at which council received the submissions, with three providing verbal submissions.
In May 2010 Council adopted a Differential Rating Strategy which saw the introduction of a municipal charge to be phased in over three years and a Farm Differential Rate to be progressively reduced over three years.
The farm rate was reduced to 60 per cent of the general rate, or 0.60, in 2010/2011, dropping to 0.525 in 2011/2012 and should have reduced to 0.45 in 2012/13, however, in the draft budget adopted last month, the differential structure did not alter and remains at 0.525.
The municipal charge has remained at $80 over the three years, instead of progressively rising to $150.
July 12, 2013: The merger of McGregor Community Services Ararat and Stawell Intertwine Services has been hailed an historic development in the delivery of high quality services to people with disabilities and their carers in the Ararat and Stawell region.
McGregor Community Services Ararat and Stawell Intertwine Services officially merged at the start of July and formed a new organisation, called Pinnacle Inc.
Staff of the two previous organisations transferred across to Pinnacle on July 1, with all current services maintained.
Brian Burke has been appointed to the new role of CEO while Kathryn Clayton has been appointed to the position of Director, Client Services.
Both of the executives have deep knowledge of the business and the need to provide excellent services to people with disabilities.
Mr Burke and Ms Clayton have expressed their great pleasure at being able to continue their close working relationship.
The pair said they look forward to providing a wider range of services, across a larger geographic area, for people with disabilities, their carers and the broader community.
Mr Burke said the merger was historic and will only enhance service delivery in the region.
“I am thrilled to be part of this historic event,” he said.
“I am confi dent that the merger will usher in new and even more successful service delivery to people who need our support in the community.”
July 16, 2013: Ararat businesses and the community in general are set to benefit from a 23 year contract to provide maintenance and building management services at the Hopkins Correctional Centre.
Programmed Facility Management has been awarded the 23 year contract and its priority is to use Ararat businesses, goods and services to facilitate its management of the Hopkins Correctional Centre once the expansion project is completed next year.
Ararat Community Enterprise facilitated a meeting between Programmed Facility Management and interested Ararat and district business people, at which chief executive Michael Waymark outlined the company’s plans to involve the community.
From 2014 to 2037 Programmed Facility Management will provide help desk support and administration to Hopkins Correctional Centre and Corella Place, building maintenance including electrical, mechanical, hydraulics, HVAC, security and energy management, building lifecycle replacement and facility upgrades, supply and maintenance of furniture, fixtures and equipment, waste management, cleaning and pest control, gardens and general landscaping, and minor building works and associated projects.
“Our overriding goal is to have everything sourced locally,” Mr Waymark said.
July 11, 2014: Yesterday marked 10 years to the day since passenger rail travel returned to Ararat and to celebrate the occasion outgoing Member for Ripon Joe Helper will host a celebration at the Ararat Railway Station tomorrow.
Mr Helper was a vocal advocate and one of the main drivers of the then Victorian Government’s promise to bring back rail services to the region, which eventually saw the fi rst V/Line train in more than 10 years make its way from Ballarat to Ararat on July 10, 2004.
“It was quite apparent to me and the government at the time that the community of Ararat and the district were very keen to use passenger rail and they were still very disappointed in the previous government for having taken it away,” Mr Helper told The Ararat Advertiser this week upon reflection.
“We had a commitment to return passenger rail to the region and we did so in response to that community desire.”
Mr Helper was a passenger on the first train, along with the former Victorian Premier Steve Bracks and former Transport Minister Peter Batchelor.
Waiting for them at the Ararat station were more than 3000 people, including Ararat Rural City Council Mayor Cr Paul Hooper, who also held the role at the time.
Cr Hooper said the response and feeling of celebration from the Ararat community on that day in 2004 came as quite a surprise.
“We knew that people would welcome the service back, but didn’t expect that sort of reception to be had,” he said.
“I was really surprised at the depth of feeling and the amount of people that turned up.
July 17, 2015: Ararat has been saddened by the death of a man simply trying to stay warm.
The 68-year-old was located deceased in a bed at his home in Barkly Street at around 4.30pm on Sunday.
Police suspect the man had been using a carbon monoxide emitting outdoor gas heater in his bedroom to keep warm.
Ararat police sergeant Shane Allgood said the death was particularly sad given it could have been prevented.
"It appears to be the case that a reasonably healthy person has died unnecessarily," he said.
Sgt Allgood said a neighbour raised the alarm after they became concerned for the man's welfare.
"The neighbour has removed a gas bottle from the room, which had an outdoor radiant heater attached to it," he said.
"Inspection of the house found the main heater in the lounge room wasn't working.
“We suspect the man has been using the outdoor radiant heater to keep warm and the toxic fumes from that have killed him."
Sgt Allgood said the most likely cause of death was from carbon monoxide poisoning.