News blog, February 24: Maude St Mall reopened following gas leak, Shepparton to host new Illuminate festival at SAM
Gday Shepparton, Max Stainkamph with you for your Friday eve (more commonly known as Thursday) as we cover what’s happening around the Goulburn Valley.
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After an unpleasantly warm night (for yours truly at the very least), we’re racing to a humid and cloudy top of 34 degrees today.
UPDATE, 4.45 pm: Wrapping up with some uplifting stories
I’m popping down tools on the blog today — we had a busy morning with a gas leak and a new festival being announced (you can read the full wrap-up of that festival here) and then a bit of war in the afternoon.
As much as my instinctive reaction is to make silly jokes, gosh it’s sad — even half a world away. So, I’m going to leave you with some good news stories to finish off today’s blog.
First off the bat, the splendid Lachie Durling has written about a $150,000 donation from Peter Copulous to GV Health’s emergency department.
Six nurses will receive scholarships of $5000 a year for five years to assist with their postgraduate study in emergency/critical care nursing.
Incredible — a $150,000 donation. Wonderfully uplifting. Read the full story here.
This story from Daneka Hill has a spectacular headline — For the love of cod: Fyfe set to speak at Codference.
If headlines about fishing don’t scale up your excitement, I don’t know what will. See the fin-ished story here.
And, finally, Zac Standish has spoken to Raelee Thompson about her induction into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
Shepparton’s only test cricket captain — at least until my editor Tyler Maher gets his call-up to the baggy green — she played 16 tests and 23 ODIs and captained her country four times.
This is a lovely read, and if you want something local and uplifting to distract you from everything happening a world away, this is the yarn for you.
Stay safe, Shepparton — we’ll catch you on the flipside.
UPDATE, 3.30 pm: Ag visa scheme still a work in progress
Darren Linton has popped together a yarn on the Agricultural Worker Visa and how it’s yet to be completed despite the Nationals’ expectation it would be in place to support the Victorian harvest.
The new visa will allow for foreigners to work on Australian farms to help the agriculture sector improve its workforce, which was decimated by the closure of international borders during the pandemic.
UPDATE, 2.55 pm: Russian invasion of Ukraine
Well, we’ve been waiting for a few days but it looks like it’s happened: Russia has invaded Ukraine.
I’m hardly a foreign policy expert and if you’re after insightful analysis on the geopolitics of the situation you’re probably checking that out somewhere else, but it’s worth mentioning.
There have been reports of explosions near Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and Putin has announced troops will roll in.
UPDATE, 2.00 pm: World Day of Prayer comes around again
It’s that time of year! No, not Christmas, it’s time for the World Day of Prayer.
Churches across Shepparton are coming together to pray with churches across the world, as they do every year on the first Friday in March.
Nicola Ceccato had a chat to Lois Hardy about what it means. Read the full story here.
UPDATE, 12.45 pm: Rachele inks contract extension
Shepparton went bananas when our own Josh Rachele was picked with the fourth selection in last year’s AFL draft.
Now, before he’s even played a senior game, the exciting forward has extended his stay at West Lakes.
Zac Standish — who, as a disclaimer, is a mad Crows fan (don’t hold it against him) — has written up how Rachele’s reacted to his first preseason. Check out the full story here.
UPDATE, 12.15 pm: Treaty Day Out set to hit Yorta Yorta country
It’s been a big morning, so we’ll pop on some tunes and try and reset. Which tunes? Maybe some Briggs, some Archie Roach, chuck on some Scott Darlow for good measure.
If you’re a fan of them, all three of them are playing in Shepparton this weekend — how bloody good?
Caitlyn Grant has the low-down on the festival, which’ll be held at Rumbalara Football Netball Club on Saturday. Check out the full yarn here.
UPDATE, 11.10 am: Have you seen Tiearne?
Police are asking for public assistance to locate missing Shepparton 14-year-old Tiearne.
Shepparton police say a family member was supposed to pick up Tiearne from school on Hawdon St, Shepparton, on Wednesday, February 23.
She was still missing this morning, and family are concerned for her welfare, and urge anyone with information to contact Shepparton Police Station on 03 5820 5777.
The full story can be found here, outside the paywall, if you want to share it. That link also has a photo of her.
UPDATE, 10.50 am: Maude St Mall has been reopened
We’ve just had word the Maude St Mall has reopened and the gas leak has been plugged.
Foot traffic’s been allowed back in to the area.
UPDATE, 10.40 am: Shepparton to host new festival of lights
The Shepparton Art Museum will play host to a new two-day light festival called Illuminate in late March.
The festival, to be held around Victoria Park Lake, will feature lighting installations along the lake and food trucks and entertainment on March 25 and 26.
I’ve just been up to the launch and mayor Kim O’Keeffe is incredibly excited for it. I’ll have a bit more for you on the festival in a little while.
UPDATE, 10.30 am: The Deck manager still waiting for gas leak to clear
Journalist Youssef Saudie spoke to the Deck manager Madeline Watts while she waited for the gas leak to be resolved.
She was advised to evacuate the venue by police earlier this morning.
Ms Watts also works at Downtown and said when she went downstairs to set up, the smell of gas was “really bad” so she went back outside.
She said it has delayed her in setting up for The Deck tonight.
“I had to get things ready for them to open tonight so that's okay I'll wait a couple of hours and we'll see,” Ms Watts said.
“Obviously, it's something very serious.”
UPDATE, 9.30 am: Gas leak expected to clear Mall for some time
Youssef Saudie has spoken to a few people on the ground about the gas leak at Maude St — it’s not going to be a short fix, by the sound of it.
Business owners have been told to expect to be away from their shops for a few hours.
No roads have been closed at this stage, but the Vic Emergency Services app has just come up with an “explosive hazard” on Maude St. Love that for us.
However, the alert says there’s no current threat to the community, although you’ll continue smelling gas if you’re in the area.
UPDATE, 9.10 am: Gas leak at Maude St Mall
If you’re in the CBD, you can probably already smell it but a gas leak has shut down some pedestrian walkways around the Maude St Mall.
Youssef Saudie is on the scene and said he can actually hear it while standing on Maude St. I’m not an expert but that’s not good.
Georgia Rossiter has just called Fire Rescue Victoria, and senior station officer Paul McKendrick said the mall had been evacuated, although some shopkeepers are isolating in their shops.
He said three FRV appliances are on the scene and the gas department is there, while police are also on scene.
UPDATE, 9.00 am: Rental crisis hits the GV, 12-hour swim’s massive haul
We’re kicking this morning off with a bit of yin and yang, with some bad news and some good news.
We’ll start with the bad. As anyone who’s tried dipping their toe into the rental market at the moment knows, it’s really, really hard to find something out there.
Cobram resident Leigh Tomlin has been at it for a year and a half, looking for a home for her family of six.
She is the primary carer for her husband and four children, who live with autism.
Her husband had Guillain-Barré syndrome five years ago and a cardiac arrest two-and-a-half years ago.
Ms Tomlin has to maintain a “smiley face” and “keep going” when dealing with the pressure of finding a home.
Read the full story from Youssef Saudie here.
Meanwhile, in some more uplifting news, the Shepparton MS Mega Swim at Aquamoves raised more than $7000 for people with multiple sclerosis.
From 10am to 10pm, 41 participants in five teams swam a total of 122.5km as part of the 2022 Shepparton MS Mega Swim at Aquamoves.
As someone who struggles when they hit lap three, this is an incredible achievement. Check out Anna McGuinness’ wrap here.
Journalist