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OUT AND ABOUT INDIGO Shire was alive with tourists throughout the New Year period, increasing by 30 per cent on the 2019/20 season. High Grove Berries (pictured) was among a number of popular locations for young families to visit.  Story page 4.

PHOTO: Jeff Zeuschner

Local heroes fly north Page 3

Display dismay

Indigo Interview Page 9

Christmas h eff fforts to b build ld on p positive ffeedback db k d despite p alleged ll g d theft h fts THE alleged theft of festive decorations erected throughout the Beechworth CBD for the Christmas period has been labelled “soul destroying”, in the wake of positive praise for the initiative from within the community.

Coordinated by Beechworth Inc, Ford and Camp streets have been awash with red and green since the beginning of December, with a host of new decorations and volunteer-driven displays on

BY RYAN MALCOLM rmalcolm@ nemedia.com.au

show, including an installation in the centre of the town’s major roundabout.

Despite being widely lauded by many members of the public, Beechworth Inc president Katrina Witherow said the initiative had been hamstrung by a series of

alleged thefts and instances of vandalism.

A light display established in the “hero tree” of the Beechworth Town Hall Gardens was said to have been vandalised at least twice.

“We spend all these volunteer hours putting things up so that people can enjoy it and then some people just come along and think they have the right to take our hard work and the work that volunteers have done,” she said.

“The yarn bombing was taken off the bollards around the centre of the roundabout and some of the Christmas presents we did up in the centre were taken.

“All of our ladies knitted profusely to get the decorations put on the bollards, there was a whole group of us who did it and were really excited, and the feedback we got was unbelievable and the support from the community was fantastic.

■ Continued page 4

Wanderers left stunned Sport

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Workshops to help survivors of family and sexual violence WANGARATTA’S Centre Against Violence (CAV) will run its Wellbeing Workshop Series to help empower survivors of family and sexual violence from mid-February in Wangaratta.

CAV’s intake and therapeutic services manager, Lucy Lee, said the workshop series, funded by the Kyamba Foundation, will provide survivors with a safe and supportive space to embark on their journey of healing and recovery.

“We are delighted to extend a warm invitation to individuals who have experienced family and/or sexual violence to join our free Wellbeing Workshop Series,” she said.

“This program is designed to address various aspects of survivors’ wellbeing, offering practical tools, emotional support, and a sense of community throughout the healing process.”

Ms Lee said the Kyamba Foundation’s invaluable contribution has made it possible to provide free workshops covering a range of topics crucial to survivors’ empowerment, such as financial empowerment, parenting support, art therapy, legal guidance and mindfulness and meditation.

“Recovery after leaving an abusive relationship or experiencing violence is a lengthy process, and education is a powerful tool to help victim survivors create a brighter future for themselves,” Ms Lee said.

“Our workshops aim to build a supportive community where survivors can find comfort, encouragement, and essential tools to help rebuild their lives.”

The Wangaratta workshop series will start mid-February, with the series to run in Wodonga mid-year.

Participants can attend one or all sessions, depending on their preferences and needs.

To register for the wellbeing workshops go to https://events.humanitix.com/wellbeingworkshops.

ONCOLOGY MOVE: The oncology unit at NHW has moved back to the main hospital and welcomed its first patients on Monday, January 8.

Oncology service move NORTHEAST Health Wangaratta’s (NHW) Oncology unit has moved back to the main hospital building at Green Street after a three year relocation to the Community Care Centre during redevelopment works in the Emergency Department and the COVID pandemic.

The Oncology unit provides day chemotherapy, immunotherapy, medical infusions and other supportive treatments for people with cancer and other

medical conditions such as neurology, immunology and gastroenterology.

Executive director of clinical services, Bernadette Hammond said the relocation of the unit back to the main hospital building would improve patient access to advanced care if required.

“The location of our unit back in the main hospital building provides rapid access to clinicians if a patient needs addition-

al care during their treatment and to our emergency department if required,” she said.

Samantha Cooper is one of the nurse unit managers of the cancer and wellness service and said the relocation was smooth and the team is ready to go.

“On average, we support 80 patients in a typical week through our service and are looking forward to continuing this care in our new location,” she said.

“Our team has been in touch with patients to communicate the return to the main hospital building and how to access the unit, which is now through the main hospital entry on Green Street.

“A visitor map is on our website and patient parking is available adjacent to the main entry.”

The unit welcomed its first patients in the new area from Monday, January 8.

WELCOME TO 2024 Temporary Disruption to Services Primary Health January/February 2024

BHS is undergoing flooring upgrades in January 2024 to the main administration building that will interrupt the availability of Primary Health Services for the community.

The front building usual entrance will be closed 4 January – 20 January 2024. ғ A temporary reception is established. Please follow on site signage to access reception. ғ Entry to reception will be from the side of the Administration building

located along the pathway from the front car park.

Any changes to these arrangements will be posted via on-site signage as the flooring replacement works progresses.

Partial return to Primary Health Services is planned to commence as of 29 January – 5 February 2024.

For further information please note on-site signage, contact reception on 03 5728 0200 or see our Facebook page for updates.

Beechworth Community Christmas Lunch 2023 Thank you

Call for Carer Project -Advisory Group Members: Expressions of Interest

Thank you to all the volunteers for your support and assistance with the Beechworth Community Christmas Lunch. This is a volunteer coordinated and conducted event and was enjoyed by many this year. A special thank you to Christine CansfieldSmith once again for your warmth, energy and commitment to running the day.

Volunteers assisted with so many duties: ғ Setting up and decorating the hall

ғ Packing hampers

Connecting Carers in Indigo Project

ғ Welcoming our guests

We are currently seeking unpaid carers who are interested in becoming members of an advisory group to design a project to connect carers in their community.

ғ Plating, preparing and serving the meals ғ Collecting and handing out meals

If you are keen to be part of this innovative project, please contact Tanya at Beechworth Health Service on 0357280200 or tanya.grant@beechworthhealth.org.au

ғ Washing up and clearing up ғ Musicians Thank you to all the guests who attended and made it an enjoyable day for all.

Wishing you all the best for 2024.

Beechworth Health Service is your local partner in providing acute and sub - acute care, primary health services, community health promotion, aged care and visiting specialist services.

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THE ADVERTISER, Friday, January 12, 2024 - Page 3

TEAM EFFORT: SES and CFA members gather at the Gold Coast City SES base last week, amid the devastating storms which saw 4200 calls for assistance in the community.

Local firefighters fly flag on storm front A LOCAL emergency service contingent dropped into the middle of the devastating New Year’s storms on the Gold Coast returned as heroes at the weekend, having worked to protect and save thousands of livelihoods in the area.

Arriving on day five of the major storm cell, which is expected to cost the Queensland Government around $2b in repairs, Chiltern CFA members Elizabeth Gill and Peter Hooper, as well as emergency service members from Yackandandah and Baranduda, were buffeted by 402mm of rain on just their second day in the Mount Tamborine community.

The crew spent three days on the ground, assisting residents to minimise the scale of their damage, as emer-

BY RYAN MALCOLM rmalcolm@ nemedia.com.au

gency service members across the state responded to 4200 calls for assistance in a single week.

“We were soaked by lunchtime, standing outside putting tarps over things,” Ms Gill recalled.

“It was just unrelentingly wet – once you’re completely soaked through it just doesn’t seem to bother you as much because you can’t get any wetter, and it doesn’t matter how wet we are because the people we were helping were trying to cope with that amount of wet coming through their garage or their lounge room.

“There were elderly peo-

ple and people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and you needed to be aware of people’s need to talk, and not everybody’s capable of picking up the phone and saying they need the SES’ help because they’ve got this problem.

“So it was about loitering with intent a little bit to try and make those connections as well, and being able to give them the phone numbers to ring to get themselves on the list for specific help from the SES and the support services. “(We were helping) a lot of people who just don’t understand how to respond in emergency situations.”

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working at heights training, Ms Gill said the team had spent three exhausting days working on residential rooves and placing sandbags in the area in trying conditions, which also included sweltering heat.

An estimated 1000 homes and businesses are believed to have been impacted by the storm, with the Australian Defence Force mobilised earlier this week to support local emergency providers.

“There was an article on the ABC website saying it was going to take years to address the storm damage from just this set of storms, and from what I saw that is absolutely correct,” Ms Gill said.

“We’re not builders, we’re not there to actually fix the problems from a structural perspective, but we’re there

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Chiltern’s A members including BIG JOB: SES and CF yellow) tackled a range of re, nd on Peter Hooper (cent ree days on the grou OTO: CFA th eir th g rin PH tasks du Mount Tamborine.

to remediate and prevent further damage and make things safe.

“By the time we got there it was day five (of the weather event) so the huge amount of branches and trees that were on roads had been moved off roads, and the local units were pretty exhausted by the time we got there, so they were pleased to go home to their own beds.”

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Ms Gill said 40 CFA members from across Victoria had travelled as part of the deployment, with fellow brigade member Mr Hooper an important support throughout.

“He deserves a huge accolade as well because he’s the type who just does stuff, doesn’t expect anything for it but just gets in and does it and he’s amazing to have on your team.”

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Higher spend, lower visitation seen throughout Indigo Shire

By LEAH ANDERSON-BYRNE BEECHWORTH tourism is still in its recovery trajectory, with visitation down from 2022 numbers but the New Year was on the up compared to the 2019/20 bushfire-impacted festive season.

Indigo Shire Council manager tourism, Susannah Doyle, said the New Year was up 30 per cent from December 2019.

“Accommodation enquiries were quite solid, but our information centre staff were able to find accommo-

dation for last minute bookings,” she said.

“International visitors are on the rise, as well as camping, perhaps due to the current cost of living considerations.

“We did see a higher spend between Christmas and New Year this year.

“In Rutherglen the numbers for December were up 3 per cent compared to 2022 and were particularly strong between Christmas and New Year.

“Leading up to Christmas numbers were somewhat down, however, we saw a 57

per cent increase in information centre visitors between December 22 and 31, compared to 2022.

“Accommodation bookings were steady, but we did find visitors were booking at the last minute, which is quite a distinct post-pandemic trend.

“Cycle hire was up this year.

“Visitors noticed the increase in retail and dining options in the main street and we received a lot of positive feedback.

“We saw a lot of people between the Christmas/

New Year period stopping in as they travel between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

“Yackandandah looked like ‘cycle-central’ on many days with the majority of cars sporting bike racks and many bikes on the street.

“Chiltern was also a hive of activity during the festive season with the main street looking vibrant and busy.”

The family-run High Grove Berries farm in Stanley saw one of their busiest seasons ever, according to the business’ Tony Iaria.

“There were lots of peo-

ple about, we’re very happy with the crowd we saw,” he said.

“We had bumper crops last year, both in quantity and quality so I think word of mouth got through to a lot of people.

“Raspberries are always a favourite, followed by blueberries and blackberries.

“In 2022 we didn’t have a bumper crop in berries; lots of varieties ran out early which people do hear about.

“We also opened much later that year, on December 29, but last year (2023)

we opened on December 3 which is a significant period, and we’ll go through to around January 26.

“By having a good season you feel more motivated to do much of the same for the next year and hope it will be the same.

“Weather plays a big part and last year the weather was perfect for berries.”

“We’ve been lucky here in Stanley and the storms have missed us so we’re fortunate so far this year.

“A big thanks to everyone who takes the effort to come up and pick quality fruit.”

Christmas efforts to build on positive feedback despite alleged thefts ■ From page 1

“It’s such a disappointment that we’ve got people in our community who don’t understand the hard work that volunteers put in.”

Bolstered by $50,000 in funding courtesy of Indigo Shire Council, Community Bank Beechworth and District (Bendigo Bank), Billson’s Brewery and Bridge Road Brewers, as well as the tireless work of volunteers in the area, Ms Witherow said the decorations would remain on show until later this month.

“It’s been a fantastic project and this is only the beginning – we hope to build from this and more projects will come along,” she said.

“We’ve got great support and we’ve got a fantastic committee which is really passionate about doing things which can help our business sector and our community.

“There have been a lot of businesses come and go (in Beechworth), and long-standing businesses have closed their doors, so we’re trying to band together to see how we can continue on and trying to be positive and get things going for the town.”

LIGHTS OUT: Fairy lights erected in the Town Hall IN THE SPIRIT: A number of large Christmas ‘gifts’ adorning Gardens’ ‘hero tree’ were alleged to have been vandalised at least twice before being lit just Beechworth’s Ford and Camp street roundabout were reportedly stolen over the festive season.

PHOTO: Coral Cooksley before Christmas.

PHOTO: Beechworth Inc.

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Watching grass dry critical to keeping Victorians safe this summer

By BAILEY ZIMMERMANN CFA is calling on North East residents to become ‘citizen scientists’ to help contribute critical information about the state’s fire risk.

The 2023-24 fire season is expected to be hotter and drier than recent years and grassland curing observers play a vital role in collecting ground information.

The ground observations are combined with satellite imagery to produce maps that show how dry the grass is across Victoria.

CFA remote sensing analyst, Danielle Wright, said CFA needs more observers trained to provide readings of grass curing.

“There are parts of the state where we really need more eyes on the ground like the North East, where we have fewer observers participating,” Dr Wright said.

“Our volunteer grassland observers are an incredibly valuable resource that helps to inform a lot of our decision-making over the fire season.

“We can’t rely on satellite imagery alone.

“It is the best performing model available to us, but it can overestimate and underestimate the curing levels.

“Across bare sand and soil, the model over-estimates curing.

“In areas of new growth

from rainfall, the satellite sensor can pick up the green growth and underestimate curing.

“Observers can adjust the satellite readings which means we can provide more accurate information to inform decision making when it comes to fire risk over summer.”

Melissa Hughes is a volunteer with Wattle Glen Fire Brigade and is a grassland observer.

Ms Hughes said the online training module took about 30 minutes to complete and it gave her everything she needed to become a citizen scientist.

“I love the data and the science that goes into this

grassland observation,” she said.

“The course was so easy and CFA gives you great tools to support the role.

“This really is citizen science at its best, the information we observers gather has an immediate benefit to the community.

“I don’t just see grass anymore when I am out on the road, I see so much more detail.

“It might be dry at the top but still green at the bottom, and I know exactly where it is in the curing process no matter where I am.”

For more information: visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au/grass or email grassland@cfa.vic. gov.au.

HELP THE FIRE RISK: CFA Victoria is calling on more grassland observers in the North East like Melissa Hughes with Wattle Glen Fire Brigade.

Crime falls across shire

Offending g drops p towards decade average, g , remains second-highest g tallyy since 2014

By RYAN MALCOLM B CRIMINAL offending throughout Indigo Shire has been dashed by almost eight per cent, with a marked drop in Beechworth-based offending leading the charge according to recent Crime Statistics Victoria (CSV) data.

Figures recently released for the year ending September 2023 showed a

77.7pc 7 d t l off ffences drop iin ttotal recorded across the shire, with offending gravitating towards the shire’s mean after reaching a decade-high in 2022.

The news comes just weeks after Indigo Shire councillors voted in support of the purchase of two portable CCTV cameras for use throughout the shire to further cut down on crime, with a particular focus on

d ti violence i l ffendd domestic off ing.

Some 657 offences were recorded as part of CSV’s most recent data, 55 less than the previous year, however, the figure still marked the shire’s second-highest return since 2014.

In Beechworth, some 36 fewer criminal offences were recorded (197), the bulk of which involved theft (74), property damage

(23) or assault lt (22) (22).

An additional 22 criminal offences (149) were recorded in Rutherglen as compared to last year’s figures, while Chiltern saw a slight decrease in offending.

Across the shire, family violence order breaches were the most common criminal offence (101), while theft from motor vehicles (80), criminal damage (61) and

id ti l non-aggranon-residential, vated burglary (39) each experienced increases.

Sexual offending (28) saw the largest percentage decrease, after equaling 2018’s decade-high 77 offences in 2022.

In nearby Wodonga shire, criminal offending rose to a decade-high, following a 16.8pc increase driven by spikes in thefts from motor vehicles, family violence

b h th ft and d obtain bt i breaches, theft benefit by deception offending.

Wangaratta also recorded its second-highest criminal offending rate in a decade, in the wake of a 25pc increase in offending which saw some 2760 offences cited.

Some 2262 of the recorded offences were reported as having occurred in Wangaratta.

Page 6 - THE ADVERTISER, Friday, January 12, 2024

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North East wine zone: Is there a bubbly future ahead?

THIS special report is by guest writer Dennis O’Neill.

The Glenrowan resident was chair of the Wangaratta Economic Development and Tourism Advisory Committee for two years after a varied public and private sector career, including 11 years as CEO of the Australian Council for Infrastructure Development covering policy and investments in energy, water and transport sectors.

R

EPORTS late last year that China will review its punitive tariff regime on Australian wine imports and that Australia has walked away from negotiations over an EU Free Trade deal are a timely reminder of the serial challenges impacting the North East wine zone since 2019.

The zone, covering both viticulture (grape growing) and winemaking, comprises six geographical indicators (or GI’s) – Alpine Valleys, Beechworth, Glenrowan, King Valley, Rutherglen and ‘other’, with a total economic output in 2021 of $331.5m, 70 per cent of which is from the King Valley.

So how have our regional grape growers and wineries managed following the accumulated trauma of bushfires, COVID, China’s imposition of wine tariffs and the efforts by the EU to constrain the use of the term ‘Prosecco’ to all but Italian producers of that iconic bubbly drop?

Unlike the recent bushfire experience of some Adelaide Hills vineyards, where vines were fire damaged or lost, the threat to North East vineyards came primarily from smoke, sometimes conveyed over long distances.

As North East vineyard fruit began to mature in late 2019 and into early 2020, fires in the alpine areas resulted in the absorption of unwanted chemical components of

CRITICAL INDUSTRY: Vineyards dot the North East countryside and contribute hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the local economy. the smoke into the grape skins leading to undesirable impacts on the taste of any resulting wine.

Not a new phenomenon, smoke taint hit Rutherglen grapes in 2003 after the Black Saturday fires and remains a regular threat even from fuel reduction burns in adjacent national parks.

That impact led to early technical efforts to understand chemically how smoke impacts grapes and adds unwanted flavours to wines produced from affected grapes.

Some winemakers made wine in 2003 and this wine found a market for blending in small proportions with better wine, eventually released to market in the lower quality price bracket.

However premium winemakers had no tolerance for any compromise on quality and elected to plough tainted grapes into the ground.

The knowledge gained over the past 20 years of research now contributes to a better understanding of the potential remediating role of insurance and how broadly to seek coverage.

However, if fires occur, it becomes a matter of good

fortune and meteorology as to what impacts may be incurred.

In general only three days of smoke exposure may lead to terminating grape contracts, something that is now more accurately measured with an array of sensors in vineyards.

There is also new technology that may be applied to impacted wine to remove unwanted taint chemicals.

The resulting ‘cleaned’ wine is of lower quality and possibly only for distillation to produce wine spirit.

There is no silver bullet.

Alpine Valleys, Beechworth and upper King Valley vineyards remain most at risk with red varietals generally more at risk than white.

Recovery from the 2019 fires is still under way, with some vineyards losing a complete 2020 vintage, and the recovery process expected to take up to 10 years.

B

eyond the regular threat of fires and smoke, the key strategic threat to North East region grape growers is climate change.

On a year by year scale,

some growers say that there is little evidence of change given the natural variability of annual weather patterns.

On a longer time scale, however, it is becoming clear that vintages are advancing steadily, fruit is maturing earlier and harvest time arrives earlier, creating labour challenges.

Adding to this is the shortage of regional shortterm accommodation.

Increasingly water is also a key issue, with increased evaporation the problem.

Work has already commenced to plant less sensitive grape varieties.

As to future investment, there is insufficient suitable land for large scale expansion.

If there were a 25 per cent increase in vineyard areas, there would be insufficient water in drought years.

The impact of the fires and the loss of cellar door trade was rapidly reinforced as COVID took hold in 2020 and visitors disappeared.

Pre-COVID visitor numbers are just beginning to restore in late 2023.

But the market is hesitant and cost of living inflationary impacts are being reinforced by lower price point pressures as

retailers seek more value.

A solution might lie in targeting restaurants and hotels based on the boutique and quality appeal of smaller North East region wineries.

During COVID, the export market to China disappeared as Chine imposed tariffs on Australian bottled wine.

Collectively, the North East region was not impacted as much as some other wine regions in Australia.

Although redirected to a small extent to other export markets, the bulk of the wine originally destined for China, 99 per cent of which is red wine, remains in tanks, still to be bottled.

It will likely add to a growing wine glut for the Australian domestic market, yet another point of price pressure for our regional wineries.

Although the wine war with China may be approaching a cease fire, recovery of this market for Australian wine is unlikely to return exports to the level and product mix seen previously.

The Chinese domestic economy is changing COVID had an impact there.

Inflation and reduced

manufacturing exports to the West have changed Chinese domestic buying power and discretionary spending.

Some wineries will have retreated with burnt fingers and may be unwilling to take the risk of re-entering China.

The quality end of the market, a feature of Australian wine exports to China, might endure.

The biggest unresolved risk in the region remains the use of the Prosecco descriptor, with potentially huge impacts for King Valley wine-makers, in particular.

Having walked away from negotiations with the EU over a Free Trade Agreement, Australia has maintained its position in favour of continued wide use based on use of the relevant grape varietal.

The EU wants this limited to wines made from Prosecco grapes in two regions of northern Italy near Venice.

This is a make or break issue for the Australian industry with tens of millions of dollars of potential new vineyard investment in the North East region, especially the King Valley, hanging on the final outcome.

The wine industry in general is very sensitive to emerging social and political pressure associated with sharpened concern about the health impacts of alcohol consumption.

Some winemakers who provided background for this overview can see potential for campaigns like those commenced over 50 years ago targeting cigarettes, starting with punitive taxation regimes based on alcohol content, as in the UK. So as the sector surfaces for air after the triple blows of fires, COVID and China, it must don new protection against a growing healthdominated challenge.

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Page 8 - THE ADVERTISER, Friday, January 12, 2024

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Copyright: All advertising and editorial content of this issue is the copyright of North East Media Pty Ltd and cannot be used without the company’s permission.

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Be inspired by a cool and compact Beechworth home WHEN Joan Simms and John Hennessy decided to downsize, they wanted to embrace practical living and focus on sustainability and energy efficiency.

They loved their old home in Beechworth, but began to realise it was becoming increasingly difficult - and no longer enjoyable - to manage its two and half acres of Provencal garden.

Joan’s professional background also made her keenly aware of what was required for older people to remain in their own homes, having access to community support and health services.

So the couple chose to move into an ultra-modern, compactdesigned home which sits on a small, flat block not far from the Chinese Gardens and just a short walk to town.

Built three years ago, their home is an award-winning certified passive house - the first of its kind to be built in the town and one of only a handful in the North East.

The couple describe their stunning, single bedroom, north facing home as easy to live in, quiet and compact, with definitive lines and simplicity of design, although it’s packed full of high performance features.

“We value the passive house features enormously, but we

EASY LIVING: Beechworth residents Joan Simms and John Hennessy take us inside their striking, certified passive house, in the latest edition of North East Living magazine.

PHOTO: Kurt Hickling also enjoy the functional design and accessibility,” said Joan.

Joan and John share their story in the latest edition of North East Living magazine and there are some handy tips for anyone interested in embracing energy efficient living.

We also meet Martin and Michael Schmidt at Australia’s

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Are you keeping safe this winter?

oldest strawberry winery in Yackandandah, find out what drew three-time AFL premiership player Steve Johnson back to North East Victoria, and learn about how the Into Our Hands Community Foundation is supporting important initiatives in the local community.

We also meet Bright-based

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Because our treatments areguaranteed ƫɵ Ɏǝƺ ˡɮƺ ³ȅǣǼƺ xƏǸƺȒɮƺȸ³ɎƏȇƳƏȸƳɀً ɯƺ ƬȸƺƏɎƺ ȇƏɎɖȸƏǼǼɵ ƫƺƏɖɎǣǔɖǼɀȅǣǼƺɀ ɎǝƏɎ Əȸƺ ƳƺɀǣǕȇƺƳ ɎȒ ɀɖǣɎ ƺƏƬǝȵƏɎǣƺȇɎ‫ټ‬ɀ ǔƏƬƺ ƏȇƳ ɖȇǣȷɖƺ ǔƺƏɎɖȸƺɀِ

1.

Get your COVID-19 or flu vaccination if you are due for one.

To do this, we use 3D Facial Design.

2.

Practice social distancing or wear a mask if you can't.

3.

Stay at home if you are unwell. Make sure you avoid any sensitive settings, including hospitals and aged care facilities.

4.

Wash or santise your hands often.

5.

Cough or sneeze into your elbow.

For more public health advice, go to awh.org.au/omphu

pianist and composer Emili Rackemann, have a rest and refresh at All Saints Estate’s flagship restaurant KIN in Rutherglen, and explore some High Country bushwalks.

It’s all in the latest edition of North East Living magazine, available for $7.95 from local newsagencies.

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THE ADVERTISER, Friday, January 12, 2024 - Page 9

New variant prompts COVID prevention efforts

PASSIONATE VOLUNTEER: Beechworth’s Maureen Cooper has helped save Bimblebox Nature Refuge from potential coal mining destruction and can now focus on her fibre art interest with an aim to help other community organisations.

Maureen maintains strong connection to shire’s nature MAUREEN Cooper was born on Queensland’s Atherton Tablelands.

She spent her childhood in Gordonvale and then moved to Brisbane during high school years before a move with her family to Slade Point, Mackay where she lived until she married. Maureen then moved to Walkerston, a small town outside Mackay, and created Padaminka Nature Refuge on 184 acres of land. She moved to Woolshed Valley in 2011 and three years ago shifted to Beechworth.

What do you do workwise?

Over the last 14 years I have undertaken volunteer work for Bimblebox Nature Refuge and helped fundraise for our court case against Clive Palmer who wanted to mine the nature refuge for coal.

I have also been part of many bird surveys done for the refuge.

After winning our court case, I can concentrate on my fibre art experiments and am learning the art of natural fabric dyeing.

What brought you to your volunteer role?

While I was in the Mackay Bird Observers Club (now Birdlife Mackay), I was asked to conduct

Maureen Cooper bird surveys at several of the region’s coal mines. This was a soul-destroying job because our data was never used, and I saw first-hand the devastation which coal mines left behind. Bimblebox Nature Refuge covers 8000 hectares in the Desert Uplands of Queensland and when I was asked to help save it from mining, I did everything I could to prevent it from being destroyed by a coal mine.

What did you love about your volunteer work?

I have always enjoyed undertaking bird surveys for Birdlife Australia and over the years I have met so many dedicated people who are trying to save our environment. I have learnt much from Dr. Norm Duke and his students in the fight

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to save the mangroves around Mackay and who all stayed on my nature refuge during their survey periods. The selfless efforts of the people behind Bimblebox Alliance and the artists who gave their time to paint this wonderful Desert Upland landscape inspired me to keep fundraising to save this flora and fauna-filled refuge.

What do you do in the community?

As I no longer need to fundraise for Bimblebox, I am hoping to raise money for other local charities through my sewing and fibre art. Beechworth is a very community-minded town and I am filled with gratitude to the Beechworth Health Service ladies who take me to hydro therapy twice a week in Wangaratta. I would like to repay the kindness that has been given to me.

Is there an important community issue that you think needs addressing?

I would love to see a heated hydro pool set up in Beechworth.

There are so many other people with health problems who would benefit from it. However, I realise

that the cost of heating and upkeep would be enormous.

What do you see as one of the most important current world issues?

Climate change. It will create more migration of people from unliveable areas and possibly cause more wars for food, water and a space to live. We humans are now seeing and experiencing the devastating effects around the world with droughts, floods and fires causing starvation and sickness.

If the person you would most like to meet came to Indigo Shire – who would that be, what would you show them, and why?

I have kept in touch with Dr. Stacy Jupiter who did so much work on the mangrove dieback.

I would take her up Mount Pilot during one of the constellation events. It makes you realise that you are just a speck in this vast beautiful universe, and I think that Stacy would enjoy it immensely.

What book are you reading?

‘Homo Deus – A Brief History of Tomorrow’ by Yuval Noah Harari.

THE spread of new COVID 19 variant JN.1 has renewed calls from the State Government for community members to take steps to reduce the danger for at-risk demographics.

On Monday, Victorian chief health officer Clare Looker issued a health alert formally urging Victorians to wear a face mask if experiencing COVID symptoms or visiting high-risk settings, following a spike in JN.1-related hospitalisations in recent weeks.

According to Ms Looker, the current seven-day average hospitalisation figure of 377 had increased in recent weeks in the wake of high levels of COVID-19 hospitalisations in November, however, was yet to reach the peak (488) experienced during last year’s May and June wave.

She said the variant had been causing similar impacts internationally, and had quickly become the most prevalent single sub-variant identified in wastewater samples across the state.

“If you have symptoms, you should not visit people at risk of severe illness or sensitive settings such as hospitals and aged care facilities,” Ms Looker said in a statement.

“Sectors providing housing, care, or other services to people at increased risk of severe disease (senior Victorians, those with medical comorbities or disability) should consider activating policies to reduce transmission during this wave.

“This is particularly relevant to health services (including primary care), aged care, disability care and Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Organisations.

“These actions may include the use of N-95 masks in clinical care settings and use of recommended surveillance testing for patients, staff and/or visitors.”

Those with increased risk of severe disease are also urged to seek a COVID-19 booster vaccination, let fresh air in and meet outside where possible, take a rapid antigen test (RAT) and if positive, take antiviral medication if eligible.

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THE ADVERTISER, Friday, January 12, 2024 - Page 11

SPORT

Twilight golf off to strong start in new year

By DYLAN POOL LAST Thursday we had 19 players turn up to Beechworth Golf Club, which included four women for the first twilight competition of 2024.

The winner of the night was Jarryd Pritchard who used all his pluses well to win with 25 points (19+6), while the runner up for the club voucher was Graeme Cordy with 22 points (20+2).

Ball winners were Brian Pritchard with 21 and Emilio Miranda also with 21.

The winner of the women’s event was Zoe Gephart with 18 points.

Only one nearest the pin went off and that went to Graeme Cordy on the 5th.

Brian Cropley took home all the cash for the nearest chip on the 9th, by chipping in.

The Langs cleaned up the Drummond Golf voucher in the raffle.

Due to the inclement weather on Sunday there was no competition, however, four players still managed to get 18 holes in though.

This coming Sunday will be the second round of the Summer Cup. Don’t worry if you missed the first round, you are still in the hunt to win, as it is a best three out of four rounds.

Play starts at 11:30am for a midday hit off.

Twilight golf continues at the normal time on Thursday with hit off between 4:30pm and 5pm.

FRIENDLY COMPETITION: Twilight golf has formed as a popular addition to Beechworth Golf Club in recent years.

IN FORM: Richie Worcester (pictured) snagged figures of 5-22.

PHOTO: Janet Watt

Wanderers stunned at home ■ From back page

“They bowled pretty well, we didn’t help the situation by the way we batted but give them credit, they put the ball in some reasonable areas and they caught well.”

Being sent out to field first, the Wanderers had Benalla on the ropes at 4-13 thanks to a searing opening spell from Gareth Taylor and Richie Worcester, who dismissed three of the Bushrangers’ top four batters for ducks.

A minor middle order resurgence brought Benalla to 5-70, before Worcester re-entered the attack to clean up the tail and finish with figures of 5-22, to go with Taylor’s 3-17 off their eight overs.

Last week’s loss shut the door on Beechworth’s hopes for the Rod Newton one day shield as they enter the final match of the one day format this season against Yarrawonga-Mulwala at Stan Hargreaves Oval.

Surrey said there would be plenty to gain from an improved performance in Yarrawonga tomorrow, planning to play spoiler to the Lakers’ chances of a one day grand final appearance.

“We’ve got to put our minds on what we want to achieve, have a bit of thought about how we want to go about it,” he said.

“We probably weren’t as switched on as we should have been and that’s the challenge to improve on this week.”

Page 12 - THE ADVERTISER, Friday, January 12, 2024

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WORK TO DO: Clancy Ellett and Kayde Surrey will be hoping for an improved performance against Yarrawonga-Mulwala tomorrow, after their side posted just 76 with the bat against Benalla.

PHOTO: Janet Watt

Wanderers stunned at home

A DREAM start for Beechworth’s A grade side turned into a nightmare at Baarmutha Park on Saturday, going down by 10 runs to Benalla to start the second half of the season.

After rolling the Bushrangers for a measly 86 on their home turf, Beechworth had all sorts of problems with the bat, with their in-form top order unable to fire a shot outside of Brenton Surrey’s 22.

The Wanderers’ middle order was found exposed, as they crumbled to 7/48.

Some late resistance through Jake Biddulph (10) and Dylan Pool (12) down the order gave Beechworth some hope, but it wasn’t enough as a run out proved the decisive blow, bowled out for 76 in 27.1 overs.

BY BAILEY ZIMMERMANN bzimmermann@ nemedia.com.au

Captain Surrey said it was a disappointing way to start the second half of the season, ruing the 32 extras conceded with the ball compared to Benalla’s four.

“It was probably the difference in the game in the end,” he said.

“The pitch was a little bit lively for the first 10-15 overs but after that it was alright, the ground was extremely slow which reflected in the scores.

“We should be able to get 130-150 let alone 80 with the bat; it was poor bowling and not great batting.  Continued page 11

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