Support, information

Central To Northern Hub Creation

LANDOWNERS suddenly caught in the proposed VNI West paths have formed a community hub to share information on AEMO’s plans.

Canary Island farmer Jo Bear said the hub would also support farmers in the district.

The hub’s creation follows a meeting in Canary Island last week with landowners coming from Boort, Pyramid Hill and Macorna.

“Community members were encouraged to regularly connect and support each other,” Jo said.

“We will continue to be accurately informed about AEMO and to complete submissions via the online VIN Interactive map.

“And we will be asking people to look after their own health and wellbeing and that of their families and neighbours during this time of uncertainty especially as the community is still recovering from the floods and to campaign heavily to both our state and federal parliament members about the outdated technology of these transmission towers.

Jo said the meeting was well attended. “With the sudden switch to the new route and many heads still spinning, the local community wanted to obtain reliable and up to date information,” she said.

“There were questions about why the towers need to be built, what does this mean for me and my community, what do I do if AEMO comes to my farm.”

She said there were powerful and succinct presentations from the Regional Victoria Power Alliance and the Victorian Farmers’ Federation taskforce.

“We were very grateful that so much work, information and research has been achieved over the past three years by some amazing, hard working and committed people involved with the alliance.

“Information that now can be utilised by the local Canary Island community and assist them in how to address the possibility of towers being built on farming land,” Jo said.

Identified land of interest is currently up to 50km wide. However, AEMO says this will be reduced to several hundred metres within weeks.

Canberra delegation makes inquiry push

FARMERS from the Loddon and surrounding areas were part of a delegation to Canberra on Tuesday calling for a Senate inquiry into transmission line projects.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said: “Labor’s reckless race to 82 per cent renewables by 2030 means 28,000km of transmission lines will rip up native vegetation and prime agricultural land.

“Labor can’t confirm how much land will be required, how much it will cost and who will be affected.

“Common sense needs to prevail. We’ve got sovereignty of all our resources. We don’t need to put in $80 billion dollars of transmission lines - stripping away prime agricultural land and knocking down native bushland in the process.

“The decision to rewire the nation and fast-track the project has been done with little consultation. Farmers in the region are understandably outraged.”

Mallee MP Anne Webster said: “I am deeply concerned for the region and fear Labor is irreversibly ripping up thousands of kilometres of prime farmland and irrigation districts for a project that will have an enormous cost blow-out and detrimental consequences”

Eat

WIN

Expo has students Tomorrow Bound

EAST Loddon P12 College students have explored career pathways at the Tomorrow Bound careers expo in Bendigo.

The Year 11 and 12 students also visited La Trobe University campus.

Senior sub-school leader Sarah Krahe said: “Local businesses, companies, organisations, TAFE, Universities, Army, Police, Ambulance, Mawsons, Fosterville Mine and more were all there with displays and information about career and job pathways.

“Our students visited a range of displays, asking questions and finding out about potential jobs, careers post-secondary school.”

She said the La Trobe visit looked at innovative ideas being designed and developed by the engineering team.

In a nursing tutorial, students tested out blood pressure machines, stethoscopes, bandaged each other up and challenged each other to a CPR race.

VOLUNTEERS spent the weekend preparing beds at Platform 1 - the old Bridgewater Railway Station - ready for students from Bridgewater Primary School to plant the first vegetables in the new community garden. The community garden is a project of Kooyoora Women’s Network and members were assisted by other volunteers spreading soil across the raised beds.

School Shorts

STUDENTS from Bridgewater, Inglewood and Raywood Primary Schools and St Mary’s Inglewood will tomorrow gather for a group day in Inglewood. “We will all be getting together to learn first aid skills from St John Ambulance, fire safety with the CFA and about the work of the SES,” said Bridgewater principal Linda Kingsley.

HAYDEN Rowley is acting assistant principal at Boort District School until next term when Tom Bleicher returns from leave.

WEDDERBURN College students last week participated in the annual attitude to schools survey on their experiences and perceptions of school.