Vol. No. Vol. 2318No. 49 27
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Wednesday, January 13, 2021 2016 Wednesday, June 16,
THE SHOW WILL GO ON: Ararat Musical Comedy Society’s production of ‘steampunked’ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is scheduled to open at Stawell Entertainment Centre on Friday. Director Emily Friedrichsen said after nearly two years of planning and work ‘there’s no way we are letting COVID-19 stop us from taking centre stage, putting on a show that will bring smiles and laughter to us as a group and the community’. Storyteller Deidre Andrews, pictured, will join almost 30 cast members for six performances. More details, page 4. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Sports hamstrung D
BY DEAN LAWSON
esperate community football and netball leaders were hoping for a last-minute reprieve from a tightening of COVID-19 restrictions as they prepared for spectator-free games across the Wimmera-Mallee.
Wimmera and Horsham District league administrators expressed a mixture of disappointment, frustration and anger this week as they considered the fall-out from latest regional crowd-restriction advice.
Changes to AFL Victoria return-totraining-and-games protocols based on State Government restrictions forwarded to leagues on Saturday removed venue-capacity limitations. They instead included a ban on all patrons except the minimum number of officials to run games and parents or guardians of junior competitors. League officials, trying to organise and manage community teams from across much of western Victoria, had expected further easing instead of strengthening of restrictions. Amid anxiety involving everything
from logistics to serious mental-health and financial issues, Wimmera Football Netball League clubs, which navigated through already tight restrictions last weekend, voted to push on with games this weekend. Horsham District Football Netball League, which had scheduled a return to games this weekend, met last night to assess the new set of circumstances. Wimmera league chair Pauline Butler was as equal in her praise for club willingness to try to cope with the restrictions squeeze as she was scathing of the direction.
“Clubs have committed to playing under the new rules, which is fantastic news, but it means there will be no spectators apart from parents of children under 18,” she said. “In returning players to the grounds and courts they are going to take a major financial hit and we can’t thank them enough. “I can’t express my degree of disappointment. We will be shouting from the rooftops to say how unfair this has been for regional Victoria. It is putting clubs in jeopardy, which also has implications for communities.
“Last week, with a 150-per-venue cap it was far from ideal. But it was doable and the clubs worked brilliantly to make it happen. But this now is ridiculous. “The State Government must look at regional Victoria differently to Melbourne. “We are not metropolitan, we are regional and must be treated as such.” National and state health authorities have long warned of the potential dangers of community sport in spreading COVID-19. Continued page 3
IN THIS ISSUE • Crisis• Input accommodation • Quantong strong ••Football-netball action IN THIS ISSUE critical in plan precinct plans •residents Supportstand for parents Volleyball finals Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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