Flood levels of 2011 were surpassed at the Rochester town gauge just after 9pm on Friday night, the second day of a five-day flood episode that has split the town in half for the best part of a week.
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In not a lot more than 24 hours the level of the Campaspe River at the Rochester town gauge rose from 111.23 to 115.66 — the height recorded just after midnight on Friday night.
Following the January 2011 flood in Rochester, a Flood-Management Plan was completed by the Campaspe Shire in consultation with the Rochester community.
The plan determined the potential impact of a range of flood events on Rochester and this information was used to improve flood warnings and enabled planning and emergency response actions in Rochester to be more effective.
The Campaspe River passed the 115.4 at the Rochester Town Gauge early on Friday evening. This was the level reached in January 2011.
The major flood level of 114.5 was passed early on Friday morning.
Free pool entry
Nine months after placard-carrying protestors stood on the doorstep of Echuca’s Campaspe shire headquarters — opposing the proposed closure of the shire’s seven outdoor pools — the nine-member council last week rubber stamped a proposal to make entry into the pools free for the 2022-23 season.
At its January 19 meeting council decided to delay a decision on the future closure of the seven pools — Tongala, Kyabram, Rochester, Lockington, Rushworth, Stanhope and Colbinabbin — until May 2023.
It was the third time in six years that a decision on the future of the outdoor pools had been delayed — the first was in August 2016 and the second was in April 2019.
And council has agreed to wear the $88,000 loss that accompanies the decision to discard previous charges that applied to the use of the seven outdoor pools.
Last week the goalposts were moved again in regard to the future of the outdoor pools, council not only deciding to throw the gates of all seven pools open for free this swim season, but also alter the opening dates.
Among six recommendations made to the meeting was to introduce free general admission to the seven outdoor pools for the 2022-23 season — which were slated as potentially the last for the operation of the council-owned pools.
Further recommendations were to delay the opening of the pool season by two weeks — to November 26 — and alter operational hours to solve consistent staffing problems and the impact of cold weather.
Heart-breaking grand final loss
A heart-breaking buzzer-beating goal by Seymour’s giant goal shooter Ruby Martin turned the mid-match elation of Rochester supporters, officials and players on its head at Deakin Reserve in the B-grade Goulburn Valley league grand final on Sunday.
Rochester led by as much as six goals early in the final quarter and with only minutes remaining still held a three-goal lead, despite the constant threat of Seymour’s Martin — who finished with 40 of her team’s 43 goals.
A roller-coaster of emotions for coaching staff and interchange players were obvious as they watched the Seymour comeback from the sidelines.
A series of intercepts by an inspired Seymour mid-court saw the ball land with Martin directly beneath the goaling ring and a penalty paid as the buzzer sounded to end the match.
The teams were tied on 42 apiece, but Martin converted and it was a 43-42 loss for Rochester.
A significant portion of the assembled audience were yellow and black as the B-grade netball outfit was the role representative of the Rochester Football Netball Club on grand final day.
It was in contrast to the six teams from Echuca that had qualified for the football and netball grand finals.
End of era at field days
A slightly sombre note was attached to the 2022 staging of the Elmore Field Days as Lorraine Trewick, mother-in-law to St Joseph’s Primary School principal at Rochester, Liz Trewick, ended a two-decade history of co-ordinating the Ag Art Wear fashion parade and competition.
Historic pieces from throughout the many years of the field days were modelled by Elmore, Bendigo and Rochester girls — who wore a variety of farming materials that had been fashioned into hats, gowns, shoes and even handbags for the Ag Art Wear show at the Holmberg pavilion.
Lorraine Trewick’s husband was a founding member of the organisation and Liz’s 22-year-old son strongly represents the third generation as the youngest member of the field days organising committee.
He has been on the committee since he was a teenager.
Liz herself has volunteered in a variety of roles since marrying into the family 27 years ago, enlisted by Lorraine — the long-time chair of general interest in the George Holmberg pavilion.
Liz was the master of ceremonies for the twice-daily fashion parades of the field days event — extremely popular given the rather inclement weather that evolved on Wednesday and Thursday at the field days centre.
St Joseph’s Primary School was among 20-plus community groups involved in providing manpower for the field days, having volunteers on the entry gates.
Thirty people from the school worked across the three days.
Shaun Atley Rochester’s best
Six weeks of international travel failed to impact Shaun Atley’s 2022 Goulburn Valley league season and he was rewarded on Saturday evening with the Rochester club’s senior football best and fairest award.
Atley, 30, returned to the Tigers after 234 AFL games with the Kangaroos and stormed home in the count to win by 19 votes from Chris Jansen. He polled 282 votes from his 12 games, while Jansen finished on 261 votes from 15 games.
Atley spent six weeks travelling Europe with his wife between rounds seven and 12 and when he rejoined the count in round 13 he was in fourth place — 28 votes behind eventual runner-up Chris Jansen.
Atley, who he will join his wife in Sweden later this month, polled votes in all of the Tigers’ final six home-and-away games — and its final — to win from Jansen, Jordan Harper and tough-tackling mid-fielder Adam McPhee.
Campaspe News