The Weekly Advertiser – Wednesday, November 12, 2025 by The Weekly Advertiser

OFFICIAL: As communities paused to recognise the 11am, November 11 armistice that brought about the end of combat during the First World War in 1918, Horsham secondary school elected leaders for 2026 attended their first official duty. Horsham marked Remembrance Day yesterday with a service at the city’s cenotaph at Sawyer Park.

from left, are St Brigid’s College 2026 captains Mia Rees and Ava Jackson, Wimmera Lutheran College captain Evan Hahn, vice-captains Chloe Altman and Eden Labram, and captain Zara Adams, and Horsham College captains Henry Overman and Nash McKenzie.

Hotel plan tees off

BY LAUREN HENRY

Anew $40-million, 4.5-star hotel has been given the green light to be built next to Horsham Golf Club in Haven.

The Horsham Hotel will include 101 guest rooms, restaurant, bar and lounge, swimming pool, gym and outdoor dining area, plus flexible meeting and function spaces.

The hotel is set to provide 60 to 80 full-time-equivalent jobs when in operation, with more during the construction period.

Developer ATG Holdings is hoping to break ground early next year with a view to an early-2027 finish date.

ATG Holdings chief executive Niraj Singh said a planning permit for the hotel had now been approved, and he was excited to start building the project.

“We’ve kept in mind the local patronage with the demand studies that was undertaken, especially in relation to dealing with the residents and understanding their aspirations around a hospitality offering of this nature from a local standpoint,” he said.

“This is not the cookie-cutter, fourstar hotel with a small little lobby and check in area, with minimal restaurant and a bar areas to accommodate hotel guests.”

“It’s quite an expansive, large court-

yard area with swimming pool, meeting rooms, open-plan gathering spaces, indoor-outdoor seating amenities with kids play area.

“These spaces can be used for simple family get-togethers as well as opened up for larger corporate conference events.

“The reception and food and beverage wing will provide a modern feeling that have been designed to suit the local atmosphere.

“We’ve designed this project in a way that it becomes a hub for the locals as well as visitors.

“It’s not just the typical hotel with visitors in mind.”

Mr Singh said target visitor markets

would include people wanting to visit the northern end of the Grampians National Park.

“ We believe that this hotel would be able to attract some higher-end visitors, especially to the Grampians Peaks Trail area,” he said.

“At the moment there’s a lack of real luxury, upper-scale accommodation offering.

“It’s quite evident in reports from the government and its agencies the region lacks the facilities to be able to attract the higher-end market around the walks and hiking sector, so hopefully hotels of this kind will be able to attract some of those visitors.”

Mr Singh said the development had

a strong collaboration with Horsham Golf Club.

“We work well together and our hotel design has very much kept in mind the facilities at the golf club,” he said.

“We’ve ensured the hotel and its offering is complimentary and one that will work well together as a whole precinct, as opposed to the golf club seeing as one and the hotel site as another.

“We changed our initial concept designs to make sure that we are closer to the golf club, the actual movement of patronage between the golf club and the hotel will be quite seamless.”

Continued page 3

Pictured,

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Exciting News for Horsham Plaza!

Introducing Bolly ’s Bakehouse – new owners of Horsham Plaza Bakery

Locals Ash and Maryanne Bolwell, who live just south of Horsham, are the proud new owners of the Horsham Plaza Bakery

Ash has deep roots in the local baking scene he began his career as an apprentice to baker Al Ward in the 1990s During that time, he earned recognition for his outstanding skills, being awarded Best 3rd Year Baking Apprentice. Ash worked at the Plaza Bakery from 1995 to 2001 , later going on to serve as a head baker elsewhere

Many in the community will also remember Maryanne, a beauty therapist , who some may remember from Amcal Chemist , and together the couple have three daughters –Natalie, Amy, and Sally

In recent years, Ash has been working in the agriculture industry and now returns to his first passion baking. From November 17, the Bolwell’s will of ficially take ownership of the bakery.

The new-look business will continue to be home to familiar faces Kirsty, Mary, Zac, Jayden, Cam and Amber ensuring the same great service and quality locals love

The much-loved traditional recipes will remain, alongside exciting new creations to look forward to

Join us in welcoming Bolly ’s Bakehouse to the Horsham Plaza family serving up the best baked goods in town, with a fresh local touch!

Study shows shift in community

AFederation University study led by Future Regions Research Centre’s Cathy Tischler is reassessing the idea of community and people’s mental health in the face of new energy and mining developments.

Dr Tischler, who has worked alongside Professor Keir Reeves on the report ‘Understanding the impacts of new developments – energy and mining – on farmers in the Wimmera Southern Mallee’ made a presentation of the summary paper to an audience of about 80 people at Horsham’s Federation University campus on Thursday last week.

Dr Reeves said the independent, evidence-based report was about driving conversation.

“This report is really about understanding the impacts of new developments – energy and mining – that are currently felt, indeed throughout all of regional and rural Victoria, but particularly for farmers in the Wimmera Southern Mallee,” he said.

Funded by Federation University, the research took place between February and June this year, confidentially interviewing 17 people.

In speaking to a community crosssection audience at her presentation, Dr Tischler said mental health needed to be considered as a social change impact.

“It’s about pressure and expectations, it’s not a failure of individual coping skills,” she said.

“We’re doing this work with an understanding of the values that people hold, the things that are important and precious to them, and how that is being challenged by the changes that we are seeing, which are structural in our communities.

“People are making different choices from each other, and there’s pressure, resistance, and expectations that aren’t shared across the community”

– Dr Cathy Tischler, right

“There are different views in these spaces, but I encourage everyone to approach things with curiosity and an intent to understand where people are coming from.”

Dr Tischler said the research reinforced the impact of current issues of mental health, and the divide the energy and mining developments were causing in the farming community.

“People were feeling impacts of being in a close community – you have differences of opinion with people, but you still have to see them down the street,” she said.

“The feeling that we’re all together in one boat is certainly under strain.

“People are making different choices from each other, and there’s pressure, resistance, and expectations that aren’t shared across the community.

“And what I think is important, is that ideas of community and what community means, is changing rapidly.

“We’re becoming more issues-based rather than based on geography. We used to think about our communities as place, now we’re starting to think about communities as issues.”

Dr Tischler said the farmers surveyed had a strong sense of self around the right to farm, and that farming was an important industry, both nationally and internationally.

“A lot of the farmers did not see themselves as energy producers or miners,” she said.

“Some people see agriculture as –I’ll sort of call this purism – we see agriculture as we must resist different ways of doing things on farm because this is the right way forward to protect agriculture. I’m not saying that’s necessarily the wrong way of thinking, I’m just saying that we’re getting a bit of a split – some people are strongly focused on agriculture and agriculture cannot operate alongside other things.”

Dr Tischler said several study participants were fifth or sixth-generation farmers whose children looked to continue farming, and their feelings of connection was among the strongest points, as well as net zero, hosting infrastructure for other people and balancing energy production and mining.

“Farmers have a whole range of expectations for their community, which is based on other experiences, which now isn’t playing out quite as expected,” she said.

“We’ve actually got a really contest-

ed understanding of community, and relationships in the farming community are changing as farms get bigger.”

The study found potential solutions to reducing the stress on farmers and the local community included: validating emotional responses and prioritising community; strengthening legislative and policy protections for agriculture and farmer wellbeing; improving confidence and security around decommissioning and rehabilitation; inclusion of agricultural and socio-cultural impacts in future planning processes; introducing geographic and cumulative impact analysis into project assessment; and better analysis of benefits needed by specific communities.

Dr Tischler said she hoped the study would highlight the experiences not picked up in reports such as Environmental Effects Statements.

“This is not about someone’s inability to cope with something that’s happening to them,” she said.

“It’s about understanding that this is a structural change that’s happening. We’ve got to look differently at this problem. Politics and policy change all the time, but culture perseveres.

“I encourage us to think a bit more about how our values hold us together and what we can do to ease some of the pressure and what we need to hold close to us and protect from change.

“I think there’s a lot of interest in doing more in this space.”

People can request a copy of the report from Dr Tischler by emailing horshamresearchhub@federation.edu.au.

VFF response

Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said the findings about mental health, rural solidarity being under strain, farmers losing

President: a wonderful investment

From page 1

The project has been in the works for two-and-half years, with Mr Singh saying community engagement had been important.

“ We engaged with the adjoining community quite early in the piece, understood some of their concerns, and made sure that a lot of the discussions were taken into our design thoughts and the processes,” Mr Singh said.

“We’ve been engaging with the golf club quite a bit in terms of what suits their needs, and what the locals would need.

“We’ve been engaging with Horsham Rural City Council quite closely, espe-

cially the economic development team, so we’ve been quite collaborative in that sense.

“We are quite excited to see this project come to life next year.”

ATG Holdings also has three other hotel developments in the pipeline in the region, with Ararat next on the agenda, while developments at Mt Langi Ghiran and Halls Gap are in the planning phases.

Horsham Golf Club president Gerard Bardell said he believed it would be a ‘wonderful investment’ not just for Horsham, but for the Wimmera.

“It will create a new destination and a reason for people to come to our won-

derful area and I think the result will be that we’ll see a lot of different people and a lot of different companies coming and utilising what we’ve got here, so I think it’s going to be really positive for the region,” he said.

“It creates opportunity for a lot more conferences – I know that’s been a challenge for certain businesses looking to do something in the Wimmera.

“It’s a nice breakout area to utilise the existing clubhouse facilities, but also the driving range and the golf course itself.

“We’re currently exploring the opportunity for a mini golf facility as well, and that would certainly create some value as well.”

their identity and role, strong family connections to the land, and farmers being proud stewards of the environment, were a stark reminder of the hidden challenges farmers faced in the wake of accelerating land-use conflicts.

“So often we hear about the visual impacts of these energy and mining developments, but we can’t dismiss the hidden strain on communities and farmers’ mental health,” he said.

“It’s incredibly daunting when these huge corporations backed by our government streamroll onto your farm and wave a compulsory access notice at you threatening to remove your most valuable resource, without first taking the time to talk.”

Mr Hosking said statistics showed an Australian farmer died by suicide every 10 days – more than twice the rate of other working Australians.

“This independent academic assessment confirms what communities and the VFF have been saying,” he said.

“It should sound alarm bells that this crash or crash-through approach is having deep human and community impacts.

“So much tragedy and stress could be avoided if the process was flipped on its head and the community and farmers were genuinely consulted from the beginning.

“We need to urgently increase mental health services in these communities to provide much-needed support.”

Anyone who needs help can call Lifeline on 13 11 14; Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636; or visit ifarm well at ifarmwell.com.au/farmerfriendly-mental-health-resources or Farmer Health Support Hub at farmerhealth.org.au/support-hub.

Wilson hearing date set

WIM Resource employee Murray Wilson will contest four charges of falsifying documents at a contest hearing set for February 18 and 19.

Wilson, 55, appeared at Horsham Magistrates Court on Monday for a contest mention, where the progression of the case was discussed.

The court heard there were four complainants in the case, but 25 people on the police’s list of witnesses – most of whom would not be called to provide evidence at the two-day hearing in February.

A special mention on January 21 will determine if evidence from Victoria Police’s cyber

crime unit will be available in time for the February hearing.

The charges against Wilson relate to May 26, 2023, where he is accused of making a false document with the intention to use it to induce members of the Avonbank Mineral Sands Project Inquiry and Advisory Committee as part of the Environmental Effects Statement process to approve the Avonbank mineral sands mine at Dooen.

The charge states that Wilson created documents in the names of four people without their permission. WIM Resource has suspended Wilson pending the outcome of the case.

HRCC NEWS

Do your part: Keep your yard fire safe this fire season

Emergency Management Victoria anticipates an early start to the fire season this year, with an increased risk of fires in drought-affected areas.

With the CFA declaring the official start of the Fire Danger Period earlier this week, now is the time to get prepared.

Keeping your yard clear not only helps address potential fire hazards, it will also reduce the risk of unwanted visitors such as snakes, and it helps avoid a build-up of general clutter and debris.

Doing the right thing is not just common sense – it will also ensure you are not issued with a Fire Prevention Notice.

Council’s Delegated Municipal Fire Prevention Officers are conducting property inspections under Section 41 of the Country Fire Authority Act 1958.

These proactive inspections have now commenced, so you may notice officers visiting your property or those nearby.

These inspections aim to identify and address potential fire hazards in order to protect your life, property, and that of your neighbours.

If a fire risk is identified during an inspection, the property owner may be issued with a Fire Prevention Notice.

Fire prevention tips

The following things can be done around your property to prevent fires and avoid receiving a Fire Prevention Notice:

• Cut or mow grass and weeds taller than 10 cm

• Clear away flammable materials around your home; clean out gutters

• Remove dead vegetation such as undergrowth and fallen branches

• Store firewood and other flammable items well away from your home, sheds or outbuildings

• Set up a regular maintenance schedule to keep your property fire-safe.

Alongside the risks posed by messy yards and curious critters are those presented by incorrect disposal of waste, such as contamination, pollution and exposure to hazardous materials.

Using the correct Council bin and setting yourself bin night reminders are among the basic tips to make recycling easier for residents.

For more information on rubbish removal and recycling, download the Horsham Rural City Council Waste App from the App Store or Google Play.

“Helping protect your property against fire and other threats is everybody’s responsibility,” said Acting Mayor Brian Klowss.

“A messy yard can be a recipe for trouble – so do the right thing and tidy up outside.”

TENDERS AND RFQ

26-021

REMOVAL AND ASSET RECOVERY OF PARKING METERS HORSHAM CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT

Closes Friday 28 November

26-003

PROVISION OF MAINTENANCE, REPAIR AND INSTALLATION IRRIGATION EQUIPMENT

Closes Wednesday 26 November

26-011

PROVISION OF STORMWATER DRAIN CLEANING SERVICES

Closes Wednesday 12 November

26-001

PROVISION OF ROUTINE MAINTENANCE SERVICING FIRE SAFETY EQUIPMENT

Closes Monday 1 December

All tender, EOI and RFQ details at hrcc.vic.gov.au

Nominate now for the 2026 Australia Day Awards

It’s the perfect time to reflect on the year that was — the moments, people, and events that brought us together and made Horsham Rural City stronger.

Horsham Rural City Council is inviting the community to take part in this year’s Australia Day Awards by nominating a standout citizen, young achiever, or event that deserves recognition.

For more information on the Australia Day Awards, or to submit a nomination, scan the QR code.

Let’s come together to celebrate what makes Horsham great — our people.

HRLE Advisory Committee welcomes new members

Council is pleased to welcome Ben Peucker and Richard Bansemer as the new livestock transport industry representatives on the Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange (HRLE) Advisory Committee.

They will begin their two-year term and attend their first meeting later this month. The Advisory Committee plays a key role in guiding the future of the HRLE by offering strategic advice and industry insights to Council.

Although the Committee is not a decision-making body, its contributions are essential in shaping master plans, business plans, and Council policies.

The Committee helps drive improvements in productivity, safety, and animal welfare standards, while also fostering collaboration among Exchange users.

Through their expertise, Committee members ensure the ongoing growth and success of the HRLE.

STAY UP TO DATE

Know what's happening at HRCC. Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Council is asking residents to share their views on a proposed change to the glass recycling (purple bin) collection frequency.

Currently, only 18% of households put their glass bins out every four weeks, down from 24% the year before. On average, each bin collected is less than one-quarter full.

To make the service more efficient and sustainable, Council is proposing to collect purple glass bins every eight weeks instead of every four weeks.

This change would:

• Keep the total amount of glass collected about the same

• Make collection routes more efficient

• Save around $32,000 per year in costs

• Reduce CO2 emissions by 8 tonnes per year

You can provide feedback by completing the survey on Engage Horsham before 5pm, Monday 1 December.

C85hors - HERITAGE AMENDMENT

Planning Scheme Amendment C85hors (Heritage Amendment) proposes to apply the Heritage Overlay to:

• 31 individual properties,

• 10 precincts

• 1 serial listing containing 6 silos

This is in response to the findings and recommendations within the Horsham Heritage Study (2014) and Review of the Horsham Heritage Study 2025.

These properties have been identified to be included in the Heritage Overlay as either an individually significant place, a contributory or non-contributory place as part of a heritage precinct.

To find out more, you can attend a drop-in session at:

• HRCC Civic Centre Wednesday 3 December 4.30pm - 6.30pm

• NC2, Thursday 4 December 4.30pm - 6.30pm

For more information and to make a submission, please visit Engage Horsham with the QR code.

Engagement closes Monday 22 December.

For details visit the Engage Horsham section of HRCC's website

Next Council Meeting: Monday, November 24, 2025 - 5.30pm Horsham Rural City Council: 18 Roberts Avenue Horsham | Postal address: PO Box 511 Horsham VIC 3402 | Phone: (03) 5382 9777 | Email: council@hrcc.vic.gov.au | Web: www.hrcc.vic.gov.au

Green light for potato plant

BY LAUREN HENRY

In a major business coup for Horsham, the State Government has granted planning approvals for a $300-million potato production facility at Dooen –nearby the proposed Avonbank mineral sands mine.

Farm Frites Australia will establish a processing plant, creating frozen chips, fries and other potato-based products to takeaways, pubs, clubs, and fast-food restaurants including KFC and Hungry Jacks across Australia.

The 24-hour food processing facility was granted planning permit approval under the State Government’s Development Facilitation Program, which expedites planning decisions for eligible projects that will inject investment into the Victorian economy.

The plant will create 250 new jobs and drive economic growth in the Wimmera, once operational in 2027.

Farm Frites Australia general manager Kieran Prestidge said the plant would have the capacity to process up to 250,000 tonnes of Australiangrown potatoes every year.

Mr Prestidge said he was delighted the company was establishing its first Australian production plant in the Wimmera.

“Farm Frites Australia is delighted to have chosen Dooen – and the Wimmera – for our first Australian production facility and our $300-mil-

HISTORY: St John’s Anglican Church in Horsham will be at the centre of a tour, hosted by Ian Ballinger, on Sunday, November 23. Mr Ballinger, who was instrumental in the construction of the ceiling of the church, will speak about the church’s stained-glass windows –their history, their design and who they are named in honour of. The church, at the top of Firebrace Street, was built in 1957 but has some windows dating back 150 years from the previous church. Everyone is welcome to attend the event, at 2pm, which will cost $15 and includes afternoon tea. Mr Ballinger is pictured with Trish Hateley. Picture:

lion investment in Victorian jobs, Australian farmers and local manufacturing,” he said.

“Dooen is perfectly located between the best growing regions in Australia and has excellent road and rail links, which will help us put more Australian produce on plates and tables all around the country.”

Farm Frites is one of the main potato growers and seed potato breeders in the world.

It supplies potato products to more than 100 countries from its factories in Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and Egypt.

The Dooen plant will be Farm Frites’ first in the southern hemisphere – a major coup for Horsham Rural City that dates back to the work of previous council chief executive Sunil Bhalla.

Horsham Rural City Council welcomed the approval for the food manufacturing business at Dooen’s Wimmera Agriculture and Logistics Hub.

Acting Mayor Brian Klowss said council was looking forward to welcoming Farm Frites to the region.

“This is a huge tick of approval for our agricultural community. It will support Australian farmers, create jobs for local workers, and offer training and career opportunities for students,” he said.

“We are extremely grateful to the State Government for its support of our agricultural industries, and rec-

ognition of the crucial role our region plays in domestic and export food supply chains as a huge contributor to food security.”

Serious threat

While the Victorian Farmers Federation welcomed the announcement, president Brett Hosking questioned the government’s long-term priorities.

“This facility sits within a few hundred metres of the proposed Avonbank Heavy Mineral Sands Project. It is dependent on a constant and reliable supply of production from Victoria’s potato growers, who are currently at risk of having their production impacted by the proposed VNI West transmission project,” he said.

“It relies upon a strong local workforce, which is under pressure from the competing needs of rapidly expanding agricultural success in the region and now you’ve got these proposed new developments.

“It feels like the co-ordination of these competing projects is missing?”

Victorian farmers grow more than 263,000 tonnes of potatoes annually – the third largest potato growing state in Australia and 21 per cent of the $1-billion industry.

Mr Hosking said the proposed VNI West and WRL transmission line projects were cutting through Victorian potato growers farms, the ability of farmers to maintain and grow the production was under serious threat.

“It feels like the government is rushing through things without properly thinking through the consequences of their decisions,” he said.

“We all love salt on our chips, although I feel we’re less keen on a sprinkling of critical minerals.

“How are we going to protect the development of both these proposals at once? There must be questions whether a mine should be located next to a food manufacturing precinct and existing critical infrastructure such as the Wimmera Intermodal Freight Terminal.

“We need a much better planning roadmap for Victoria if we are to grow with purpose. It must recognise the significance of our state’s farmers and the land they grow our food and fibre on.”

The VFF is calling for stronger consultation with affected landholders, clearer planning frameworks, and fair compensation for farmers whose livelihoods will be impacted, and the urgent need for an improved land use policy that protects food security while managing resource development responsibly.

Economic Growth and Jobs Minister Danny Pearson announced the planning permit for Farm Frites last week.

“This is a huge investment that will see hundreds of jobs created for local workers, driving revenue for the Wimmera and right across the state,” he said.

Karen Hyslop was returned as Northern Grampians Shire mayor for 2025-26 at a statutory meeting in Stawell on Monday night.

In a vote for continuity, Cr Justine Hide was also re-elected as deputy mayor for a second term.

Cr Hyslop said she was honoured to be entrusted with the role of mayor for another term.

“It’s been well-documented our next chapter has been influenced by a range of factors, including a small population base from which to generate rate income; reduced funding opportunities from state and federal governments; and cost of living pressures,” she said.

“Despite these challenges, you can rest assured we will continue to work hard to ensure Northern Grampians Shire is a wonderful place to live, work, invest and visit.”

State finalists

Tatyoon film-maker Leila SweeneyMcDougall and Ararat’s One Red Tree founders Carly McKinnis and Tammie Meehan were unsuccessful finalists in the Victorian division of the 2026 Australian of the Year awards.

Ms Sweeney-McDougall was a finalist in the Australian of the Year for Victoria category, which was won by radio and television personality Carrie Bickmore for her work in fundraising for brain cancer.

Ms McKinnis and Ms Meehan were finalists in the Local Hero for Victoria category – taken out by Linda Widdup, founder of the Aussie Hay Runners. Recipients were announced at a ceremony in Melbourne on Thursday, with other winners including Senior Australian of the Year for Victoria, Bryan Lipmann, and Young Australian of the Year for Victoria, Abraham Kuol.

Edenhope Show

Farm animals, rides, sideshows and competitions galore will feature at the Edenhope Show on Saturday.

Yard dog trials start when gates open at 7.30am, and all the action will be thereafter at Edenhope Showground.

There will be plenty of entertainment for children, including junior cooking, craft and lego competitions, as well as facepainting, tiny tots fashions and pony club.

A focus on farm animals will be a feature with a prime lamb shearing championship, wool handling and poultry competitions, and a young farmers challenge. Other competitions include cookery sections, jams and preserves, photography, flowers, art, floral art, farm and garden.

People can find more information at www.edenhopeshow.com.

PAUL CARRACHER

Memorial walk to honour loved ones

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

For members of Ararat Suicide Prevention Awareness Group, ASPAG, Saturday’s Suicide Prevention Memorial Walk at Alexandra Gardens is about coming together to grieve, remember and honour loved ones lost to suicide.

Group president Caterina Di DomenicoLinton said the memorial walk, which began in 2020, was a way for the community to lean on each other.

“It’s not necessarily like a church service, but it’s somewhere people can just gather and they know why they’re there,” she said.

“There’s no judgement. Everyone is caring and everyone knows what you’re going through.

“Everybody is there to support each other and to be able to remember their loved ones and go through all their little rituals.

“We have a walk around the lake, we have a pebble ceremony where people can write their loved ones’ names on a pebble and throw them into the lake while thinking thoughts of them.

“We also have a board with some sticky

Invitation to tin shed talk

Wimmera Against Cancer in Kids is hosting event Check Engine Light Night, an opportunity for men and the people in their lives to check in on their mental health.

On International Men’s Day, organiser and WACK volunteer Simon Clark said a car and bike show would lead into a ‘tin shed’ event with guest speakers Rae Bonney and Justin Knorpp.

“For 20-odd years I’ve been part-running the WACK car and bike show, but the last few years, every few events we’ve had, folks have come up and said, ‘hey, thanks for putting this on, I really needed it’ – the social interaction,” he said.

“It got me thinking, and I really want to do something to thank everyone who has come along and supported WACK for so many years.

“Nothing much happens on International Men’s Day for blokes, so I thought, how about we host an event in a tin shed for blokes, talking about men’s health.

“The sad part is, one of our WACK trustees took his life earlier this year. That was the thing that really pushed me to organise it.”

Mr Clark said a Horsham Rural City Council grant has covered the cost of a barbecue and soft drinks, making the event free of charge.

“We’ll have a local fella come along to tell his story, and then I’ll have Rae Bonney, OAM, who is a men’s mental health advocate – she’s been all over the world

notes where people can write messages and stick them up.

“They’re just small symbolic things that people can do, because those little rituals are important.”

The event will commence at 11am on Saturday, with a wreath laying ceremony and address from guest speaker Sergeant Shane Allgood of Ararat Police following the walk.

Ararat Rural City Council Mayor Jo Armstrong will open the event with an acknowledgement of country.

Tea, coffee and light refreshments from Ararat’s Foragers Cafe will be available to attendees.

Ms Di Domenico-Linton said the memorial walk had become the biggest event on the group’s calendar, with about 70 people attending last year and as many as 80 expected this year.

She said it was an important way to show support for people affected by suicide.

“We’ll have some mental health first aiders there, including myself, for support,” she said.

“I’ll also speak a bit about the World Suicide Prevention Day and R U OK? Day

events that we organised. It’s something that’s very important to me. I lost my son to suicide. He’d only just turned 20. It was a long time ago but it’s always there with you.”

Ms Di Domenico-Linton said ASPAG was made of a small but committed group of volunteers.

“We also run two social nights that are very important. They started up after COVID to combat loneliness and disconnect between people,” she said.

“Our social nights are the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Ararat Senior Citizens Centre and it’s all free to make it accessible to everybody. I source as much free stuff as I can to provide a small meal.

“I also encourage people to bring a plate to share as well if they want. Some people do, some people don’t, but it doesn’t really matter – we have a tea or coffee, catch up and play games, and it’s great.”

People can Ms Di Domenico-Linton for more information about the walk on 0400 452 074.

•Anyone who needs help can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.

and has been an ambassador for Beyond Blue,” he said.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to have someone of her calibre come along.

“It’s going to be a pretty simple night, but hopefully the powerful message can get out there.

“Hopefully people bring some cool cars and bikes along for us to look at beforehand, and then we can basically just sit down and have a bit of a chat, and that’ll be about it.”

Mr Clark said he understood that everyone had battles going on from time to time.

“I’ve lost a lot of mates over the last 10 years, and it doesn’t leave you,” he said.

“I just want people to think, hey, there is another way forward. There’s always another option. It’s okay to not be okay.

We’re all human, we’re all vulnerable.”

Mr Clark said everyone was welcome at the event.

“If you’re worried about a bloke, or a little bloke, or a brother, or uncle, or anything like that, absolutely come along. That’s the whole point of it all,” he said.

“Hopefully we can put on a good night and people can come along and have a good time and get something out of it.

“Poor mental health is definitely not good for our community, and the devastating effects that it leaves behind is pretty immeasurable really.”

Mr Clark encouraged people to book for catering purposes via www.trybooking. com/DHFZZ.

•Horsham Neighbourhood House is also hosting an International Men’s Day event, from 5.30pm on November 19. Guest speakers will be followed by a barbecue.

WE’RE ALL HUMAN: Simon Clark is inviting people to join a ‘Check Engine Light Night’ event on International Men’s Day, opening doors for social interaction with a spotlight in checking in on people’s mental health. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Less turbines in new plan

Squadron Energy has announced an updated layout for its proposed Ballyrogan Wind Farm at Tatyoon North, reducing 164 to 114 turbines.

The new layout will also incorporate a minimum two-kilometre set-back distance from any wind turbine to surrounding neighbours, unless otherwise agreed.

The windfarm, 10 kilometres southeast of Ararat, is set to be capable of delivering up to 684 megawatts of energy.

The project will connect to the electricity network near Elmhurst, via a 45-kilometre 220-kilovolt overhead transmission line.

Squadron Energy’s general manager of development, Alastair Smith, said members of the team had met with host landowners and members of the local community since announcing the project in late June.

Mr Smith said feedback had helped with the revised layout.

“These conversations have helped the team modify the project design, resulting in an overall reduction in the project footprint and number of wind turbines proposed,” he said.

“We value the community’s feedback

and have listened to their concerns, which has helped to shape the current design including reducing the number of turbines and ensuring a two-kilometre set-back.

“The project layout may continue to change as we gain further feedback and depending on technical and environmental assessments.”

A Squadron Energy information session at Tatyoon Hall on June 30 was met with community resistance, as a convoy of tractors, trucks and other vehicles carrying oppositional signage rolled in.

The opponents were particularly concerned about the effect the wind farm would have on the environment and the landscape.

There is also unrest by local landowners about the division the wind farm would create in the community.

Ballyrogan and Tatyoon Community Alliance hosted a meeting on Friday night to discuss neighbour agreements.

People seeking more information about the project can visit www.squadron energy.com/our-projects/ballyroganwind-farm.

Squadron Energy, which is Australianowned, also owns and operates the wind farm at Murra Warra.

Open day to mark milestone

Horsham Fire Brigade volunteers will host an open day at their Hamilton Street station on Sunday to celebrate 150 years of a formal firefighting service to the rural city.

Children’s activities, a free sausage sizzle, fire resources and information, tours and an historical display will be led by firefighters from 10am to 2pm.

Community

The Wimmera community is being encouraged to open their hearts and wallets to give to those people struggling to make ends meet this Christmas.

For the fourth year, Horsham Sports and Community Club is again leading the Reverse Advent Calendar Project to allow the Horsham Christian Emergency Food Centre to give out food hampers to those in need.

More than 1100 hampers have been distributed in the past three years thanks to the generosity of businesses, schools, and community-minded individuals.

The club’s marketing and community engagement manager Laura Russell said the aim this year was

to add another 500 hampers to the total.

“We kicked off this year’s campaign in late September, with the empty boxes heading out to schools, community groups, workplaces, and generous locals who know how much difference a food hamper can make during the festive season,” she said.

“The relationship continues between Horsham Sports and Community Club, 3WM, MIXX FM, and The Weekly Advertiser, Horsham Christian Emergency Food Centre and Horsham Combined Churches, and the project continues to grow — and so does the community’s kindness.”

Horsham Christian Emergency

were

enormous gift that allowed people to receive something extra this Christmas.

“We are very pleased that it started early this year because people are suffering,” she said.

People can collect the empty boxes from the club and return them to either the food centre or the club.

“People don’t notice that extra bit if there are five, six or 20 of you at work or school – it’s no trouble for most people who are working,” she said.

Anyone wanting to assist or find out more, can contact the club on 5382 6262.

ENORMOUS GIFT: From left, Denise McKenzie, Daniel Hounsell, Justin Wissell, Dan Berendsen, Anne Mahony and Laura Russell with Reverse Advent Calendar hampers ready to distribute for Christmas. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Food Centre’s Anne Mahoney said the reverse advent boxes

Board Director opportunities at Rural Northwest Health

The Minister for Health, the Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas MP, is pleased to invite applications for part time board director positions at Rural Northwest Health. The positions start on 1 July 2026, for up to three years.

These positions provide an exciting opportunity for persons with an interest in making a difference in the health sector and have the knowledge and skills for ensuring health care is delivered safely and effectively, with public money used to the benefit of all Victorians.

As a director, you will be doing more than just contributing your time or knowledge. Being appointed to a hospital board places you in a position of trust. You will play an important role in providing leadership, accountability and integrity in the delivery of healthcare across Victoria.

Applicants are selected for their capabilities, including personal and professional experience, knowledge, and skills

that contribute to the strategic leadership and oversight of healthcare for the Victorian community. It is preferable that applicants reside in Victoria or, within the border community of those hospitals near the New South Wales and South Australian borders.

While Victorian public health boards are based on capabilities, boards are more effective when these capabilities also represent the richness of the diverse voices of Victorian communities. We encourage First Nations people, people living with a disability, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, people who identify as LGBTIQA+, gender equality, and upholding human rights.

Applications close at Midnight Sunday 23 November 2025.

Further information about Victorian health service boards and how to apply, please go to the following website: www.health. vic.gov.au/board-applications

Start the conversation now

just a few weeks, age-restricted social media platforms will have to take steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account.

As of last week, the Federal Government has declared Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, X, YouTube, Kick and Reddit to be age-restricted platforms – with the list to continue to be updated prior to the December 10 deadline.

Services considered not to be agerestricted social media platforms include Discord, GitHyb, Google Classroom, LEGO Play, Messenger, Roblox, Steam and Steam Chat, WhatsApp and YouTube Kids.

According to the government, the social media changes are designed to protect young Australians at a critical stage of their development.

The world-first social media age restrictions are no doubt going to be a talking point in many households across our region, and beyond, particularly those who have children aged younger than 16.

Triple P – Positive Parenting Program – which gives parents simple and practical strategies to help them

build strong, healthy relationships, confidently manage their children’s behaviour and prevent problems developing – has offered some advice in this space, and urged families to start the conversation today for a smoother, stress-free transition for the entire family.

Three tips that families can do ahead of the December deadline are:

1. Have regular check-ins. Having open conversations about what the changes mean and how your family will navigate them together can make a difference. Children and young people are more likely to co-operate when they’ve been part of the process, understand the reasons behind the changes, and feel heard.

2. Acknowledge this is a challenge.

Validate your child’s feelings about reduced access to their online communities and friends from their existing accounts. You might explain how these changes aim to protect them from harmful content and interactions.

Creating a safe, judgement-free space where children can share worries and frustrations – without fear of lectures or losing devices – will help families positively navigate the social media

EDITORIAL

By Lauren Henry

shift, while strengthening their connection.

3. Brainstorm options together. Try involving tweens and teens in problem-solving their concerns around: How will they stay connected to friends? What could replace social media time? Ideas may include face-toface hangouts, group chats on allowed platforms, sports, creative projects, or family activities. Praise young people when they show they’re willing to adjust and observing the new guidelines. Basically their advice is to deal with it early – calm conversations early may prevent stress later.

To avoid conflict, try to approach the social media changes with empathy and plan to positively transition in a way that works for everyone.

Triple P’s Carol Markie-Dadds says: “Parents know their children best, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. By exploring what the social media

Record entries for model aircraft cup

Remote controlled glider pilots will gather at Green Lake this weekend for the Wimmera Model Aircraft Association Midway Cup thermal duration competition.

It is the 10th consecutive year the club will host the annual event.

Club secretary Rolf Hedt said a record 31 entrants would launch their gliders during the two-day event.

“Along with the 50th Anniversary of the Wim-

mera Model Aircraft Association, the record entries will help us celebrate the milestone,” he said.

“The club has survived more than 16 moves of home base in that time.”

The F5j Glider Midway Cup is at Jess Field, Green Lake Road, on Saturday and Sunday.

Action starts at 8am until 5pm on both days.

Spectators are welcome.

changes mean, it may give families a unique opportunity to reset their relationship with technology while strengthening their family bond.”

Triple P’s National Parenting Pulse Survey found social media use was identified as a common source of conflict within many families, 85 per cent; 78 per cent of parents are concerned about their children becoming addicted to using social media, and 82 per cent of parents worry about the mental health impacts of social media on their children.

The digital world is a tricky one to navigate for both parents and children. It can be a constant battle to keep an eye on what and how digital platforms are being used.

Keeping the lines of communication open and being open to learning – both as an adult and child – can go a long way to helping it be a safe and useful tool, rather than the dangers that can present themselves.

People can visit esafety.gov.au for information about the changes, or Triple P for how to set social media rules and boundaries: triplep-parenting.net. au/au/articles-and-news/post/how-toset-social-media-rules-boundaries.

Heat health

An information session at Horsham Neighbourhood House next Wednesday, November 19, will help the community better understand the impact of heat health.

From 10am to 12.30pm, Grampians Health’s public health unit staff will provide information at the HEAT SAFE Summer community event.

The aim is to get people to talk, prepare, equip themselves and work together to support heat health this summer.

Heatwave HELP co-ordinator Kerrie Godbold said the session would also raise awareness about the added risks to health of extreme heat, particularly for those people living with a chronic condition.

The event is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Cr correction

The Weekly Advertiser’s story ‘Weather station contract continues’ in last week’s edition incorrectly reported that Cr Andrew McLean voted against the motion of the Warracknabeal weather station. Cr Chris Lehmann in fact voted against the motion.

We apologise for the error, and for any distress caused.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Fire hazard

As summer approaches we fear the possibility of a fire on the block next to our home.

An ongoing request to council for the grass to be mowed seems to involve many steps – thus delaying any action.

Owners of the block need to be informed, giving them ‘x’ number of days to perform the job. All while the grass continues to grow.

We feel that as rate payers we should not have

to ask for this to be done, where is the responsibility of ownership? At this time the grass is fence-high and drying off – if there is a fire our home could well be impacted, who pays for the damage or loss if we are unlucky?

Aside from our concern this is an unsightly entrance/exit to our town. I suggest councillors go for a drive; at the Stawell Road lights turn into Williams Road and observe the corner block.

Would you like to live next to this fire hazard? Ken Bald, Horsham

PILOTS READY: Wimmera Model Aircraft Association will host the Midway Cup for the 10th consecutive year on Saturday and Sunday. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Financial and career support available for experienced early childhood teachers and educators. Learn more at vic.gov.au/kinder

Show society bid to reclaim losses

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

Ararat Show Society is calling for public support to help ensure the event’s future, with the organisation facing a $15,000 shortfall in the wake of last month’s show.

Inclement weather, including storms and partial flooding, saw the last-minute cancellation of many of the October 26 show’s major attractions, including most rides and a planned horse show.

The Ararat Show Society committee decided to offer patrons free entry in light of the cancelled attractions.

Secretary Donna Dunmore said the resultant financial losses had left the society facing an uphill battle in order to run a show in 2026.

“We lost about $15,000 on show day because we ended up throwing the gates open for free,” she said.

“Every year we use the previous year’s gate money to run the show, and because we’ve got no gate money this year, we’ve got no money for the show next year.”

Ararat Show Society launched a fundraising page on website GoFundMe, which as of yesterday had raised $1600.

Ms Dunmore praised the generosity of the Ararat community but said the society was still seeking extra money.

In addition to public donations, Ms Dunmore said the group was exploring grant opportunities and hoped for State Government or council support.

“Member for Ripon Martha Haylett is trying to help us out. We sent all the info about our expenses to her and she’s sent it on to the powers that be to try to get us some money for next year,” she said.

“If she’s able to get some money it would be awesome, but it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing really.

“We have applied for some grants through the council, but we don’t know whether they will come to the party and help us out outside of grants.”

Ms Dunmore said the society had been unable to avoid its show-day losses.

“If it had been the previous Sunday or the following Sunday, we would have had absolutely perfect weather,” she said.

“But we can’t set the dates. The dates are set by Victorian Agricultural Shows.

“Unfortunately there are back-to-back shows pretty much every week in this area, so there’s not much we can do about changing the date or postponing.

“It’s devastating to work for 12 months and have one day ruin the whole thing.”

Ms Dunmore said the society had cancelled its show in 2022 due to flooding, but had been able to avoid severe financial losses that year because it made the decision to cancel early.

“We got flooded out the year after COVID – we had one of our buildings completely flooded the week before the show, so we saved ourselves a lot of money by cancelling the show a week early,” she said.

“But that wasn’t an option this year. There were forecasts for rain, but we weren’t in a position to take that option of cancelling the show because we didn’t know how bad it would be.

“There have been times when there’s a storm forecasted and it hits Stawell and not us. You just never know.”

Ms Dunmore said the show society had arranged to run an upcoming Ararat trash and treasure market and was hoping to stage its horse show in January as ways of generating extra income.

But she said public donations were still welcome.

“There were quite a few people who contacted me and said they paid what they would normally have paid at the gate if they’d come.

“It doesn’t matter how much people donate. If everyone in town gave us $10 we’d have plenty of money. That’s really all it takes. Every little bit helps.”

People can donate to Ararat Show Society’s GoFundMe page at www.gofundme.com/f/2026ararat-show.

Ride becomes tradition

Balmoral K-12 Community College hosted another successful edition of its annual Rocklands Ride this month, bringing together students, staff and parents for a day of teamwork.

Staff member Kate Wardlaw said the ride had become a much-loved tradition for the college community, providing students with a chance to challenge themselves while having fun and enjoying the beauty of the local landscape alongside their peers and teachers.

“It was fantastic to see so many families supporting the day, ensuring everything ran smoothly from start to finish.”

Ms Wardlaw thanked everyone who helped make the day possible and said the college community was already looking forward to next year’s event.

“This year’s event truly captured the spirit of our college,” she said. “Students rose to the occasion with enthusiasm and positivity, with more than one rider sharing, ‘we should do this twice a year’.

READY: From left, Harriet Vickery, Fletcher VanSomeren, Cooper VanSomeren, Madie McLean and Tedd Lewis enjoy a chance to ride their bikes in nature as part of Balmoral K-12 Community College’s annual Rocklands Ride.

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Community Grants Program

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Community Grants

Arts council wins Guild recognition

BY BRONWYN HASTINGS

Horsham

Arts Council’s Godspell and The Last 10 Years have been recognised in the Music Theatre Guild of Victoria awards.

Noah Mibus is a finalist in first feature performance, The Gladys Moncrieff Award, for his portrayal of Godspell’s Jesus.

Godspell’s ensemble is a finalist alongside amateur theatre groups at Geelong, Willliamstown, Albury-Wodonga and Wonthaggi, while The Last 10 Years is a finalist in the revue category.

Mibus also received a commendation for his role of Jesus, in lead performer in a male presenting role, and Mack Williams was commended for cameo or minor role in The Last 10 Years.

President Nick Wilson said HAC had won several guild awards in the past, including lighting, program design, a past Godspell’s ensemble, and his own cameo in What’s New Pussycat.

“This is as good as it gets for Victorian amateur theatre, it’s so exciting,” he said.

“We’re up against every other theatre group in Victoria, excluding the professionals, of course.

“We’re a very small group, but we do our best to put on the best shows we possibly can.

“It’s a very big honour, to be compared to some of those bigger groups, especially the Melbourne guys, Werribee, and Geelong.”

Wilson said members of the Victorian Theatre

Guild were eligible to be nominated, and were judged by volunteers who travelled across the state, attending multiple stagings of shows as often as they could.

“We don’t have a single person in our group who’s paid,” he said.

“We’re all there for the love of performing and theatre and costuming and all the rest of it, and I think that’s probably the big thing that separates us from the professionals.

“It’s a very big honour for our group to be nominated or even get commendations – we’re not putting shows on to win awards. That’s not what we’re about. We are there to put on the best shows we can, but it’s always nice when you do get a nomination or a commendation for what we do – I guess we’re doing the right things.”

Award winners will be announced at an event at Camberwell on December 16.

Yellow Brick Road

Wilson said HAC’s next performance was in the early planning stages.

“We’ve been approved for the rights for The Wizard of Oz, we’ve just got to have the right team to get it together and put it on stage,” he said.

“We’ve never done it before, in our 60 years, and we decided as a committee that it would be a good show for bums on seats and ticket sales, especially coming off the coat-tails of the Wicked fever.”

Morris: Buy your tickets

A diverse array of performances and the largestever field of applicants for the Richard Morris Memorial Scholarship will feature at Saturday night’s RM Showcase at Horsham Town Hall.

The annual showcase, now in its 21st year, features an eclectic array of talented local stage performers, including musicians, dancers, singers and actors.

Jan Morris, for whose late husband Richard the showcase is named, encouraged people to buy tickets for the show.

“We’ve got a great, great theatre presence in Horsham with music and dancing and teachers –we produce some pretty talented performers out of Horsham,” she said.

“Richard was very supportive of the youth, so it’s a great thing to have in his memory.”

The showcase will open with a number from Horsham Arts Council’s recent production of Godspell, with excerpts from other successful local productions including Smart Artz Theatre’s

A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as individual performances.

“I’ve got a granddaughter who is learning the violin and she’s coming back from Adelaide to perform. She’s the only Morris who is performing, so we thank her very much,” Mrs Morris said.

Announced as part of the evening will be the $3000 Richard Morris Memorial Scholarship, along with two $1000 encouragement awards.

“We had 14 applicants this year, which is a number we’ve never had before,” Mrs Morris said.

“Some previous winners of the RM spoke on social media about what it did for them, so we had a lot of applicants.

“Liam Robertson won it twice and he doesn’t think he could have gone on in Melbourne without it, because it’s expensive.

“He’s in The Book of Mormon in Sydney now, so it’s a good thing to have been able to support him.

“We get three different judges every year to judge the scholarship – I wouldn’t be able to judge it because I love them all so I’d want to give them all money.”

Mrs Morris encouraged as many people to attend the showcase as possible, as well as other local productions during the year.

“People say how wonderful it is that the RM Showcase has been going for 20 years, but it’s the public that’s kept it going by buying tickets and coming to Horsham Arts Council’s shows.

That’s where the money comes from,” she said.

“We were just saying how Godspell could have played in Melbourne, it was that good.

“But unless people buy tickets to see it and the money is there at the end, the next year’s show is going to be harder to put on. It all depends on how many seats are sold.”

The RM Showcase begins at 7.30pm on Saturday at Horsham Town Hall.

People can buy tickets online at horshamtown hall.com.au/rm-showcase-2025. – Colin MacGillivray

FINALIST: Noah Mibus is a finalist in the first feature performance award for his portrayal

Open 7 Days for Lunch

Broughton Fire Brigade, Josh Jarred:

Broughton Fire Brigade spent a $1000 Horsham Sports and Community Club community grant to buy a fridge for its ﬁretruck.

The brigade’s Josh Jarred thanked to the HSCC.

“Thanks to the support, the 40L Engel fridge is a vital addition that ensures the crew stays hydrated with cool drinking water during ﬁre responses and training sessions.”

“We’ve been running an esky and it was becoming a bit of a pain so we decided to putt a fridge on the truck,” he said.

“The HSCC commitment to supporting local emergency services truly makes a difference.”

Police: You can’t avoid us

Victoria Police’s Operation Furlong detected 55 speeding offences in Horsham’s police service area and 36 in Northern Grampians.

There were no mobile phone or cyclist offences and no impounds in the Horsham and Northern Grampians areas during the Melbourne Cup long weekend.

However, police did detect seven drinkdrivers, two drug-drivers, 12 unregistered vehicles, three unlicensed or disqualified drivers, one seatbelt offence, and two disobey signs or signals.

Horsham-based Superintendent Sharon McCrory said seven drink-drivers might not seem a huge amount.

“But it still tells me we have seven people that are out there, ready to run the gauntlet, which is not pleasing,” she said.

“We had a total of 143 offences over the operation period.

“One of those intercepts was at a preliminary breath testing site in Ararat. Our satellite police – not the ones who are on the line but the ones who float around nearby – saw a car take off, obviously trying to avoid the preliminary breath-testing site.

“We intercepted him, a 31-year-old male from Ararat, a probationary driver, and he blew 0.04. As we know, probationary drivers are meant to be double zero, so he copped a $509 fine and lost his licence, which is disqualified for three months.

“The message there is, it’s not always just when we have statewide traffic operations, the police will always be out and about.

“You can’t avoid us.”

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said time and time again,

police continued to detect far too many people disregarding road rules and taking unnecessary risks on the roads.

“So many drivers continue to think that if they speed, they won’t be detected, and yet we have caught 2900 speeding drivers statewide over five days,” he said.

“The message is simple – if you don’t speed, you won’t be fined.”

More than 6600 offences were detected by police statewide during the operation, which had a focus on speeding and impaired drivers.

One in every 465 drivers who were breath-tested were caught over the legal alcohol limit, with 234 drink-driving offences detected from 108,910 preliminary breath-tests.

A further 135 drug-driving offences were detected from 3079 roadside drug tests – a strike rate of one in every 22 drivers testing positive to drugs.

The majority of offences detected were for speeding, with 79 per cent of drivers caught speeding between 10kmh and 25km over the speed limit.

Police also caught 459 unauthorised drivers, using automatic number plate recognition technology to detect disqualified, suspended and unlicenced drivers illegally using the roads.

Superintendent McCrory said police would continue to conduct road safety operations.

“We will continue to be out there,” she said.

“We’ll continue to target those people who are doing the wrong thing on our roads. We’ve got to all take responsibility for our driving behaviour.”

New faces bolster Horsham efforts

Horsham’s policing efforts have been bolstered by the arrival of several new members from across the state, with a dozen more officers expected from the academy in the next six months.

Senior Sergeant Jason Harris said the station was allocated additional positions about five years ago.

“We’ve had a good influx of new members – some of them are transfers from other metro regions, some from other country areas,” he said.

“We’ve been recruiting quite hard to try and get people here, and it’s worked.”

Senior Sergeant Harris said members were at Horsham for varying lengths of time, from training to ongoing positions, and were of different ages and career stages.

“We’ve got a good mix at the moment – youngsters, locals, met-

ro – from right at the beginning from the academy, and we’ve also had some senior constables who have left VicPol and they’ve come back to Horsham,” he said.

“It’s good to have the youngsters out and about, and also there’s locals as well, which is good – they know their way around.

“We cover quite a large area here, across to Dimboola, Kaniva and Nhill, and there are some strange town names, and they’ll just go, ‘oh yeah, I know where that is, I’ll start heading there’.”

Senior Sergeant Harris said while there were advantages in people returning to their home areas to police, there were also downfalls.

“A lot of people know the members, whether they’re family or old classmates, which is good, but unfortunately you can end up arresting people that you went to school with, or you know who they are,”

he said. Senior Sergeant Harris said he planned to deploy the new members to the area’s roads.

“The plan is to have them out on the road, obviously keeping the town safe, but we also have a big focus on road trauma at the moment,” he said.

“There have been a lot of fatalities in the past 12 to 18 months.”

Constable Emerson Spriggs said he joined Victoria Police after working in a timber yard, and had been in the job for about a month.

“I come from Wallan. I lived there for about five years, and I just needed a change of pace,” he said.

“I wanted to do something more interesting, a bit more fast-paced and something where you get a little bit of behind-the-scenes.

“They say it’s a front-row ticket to the best show on earth – and it’s true.”

– Bronwyn Hastings

Emerson Spriggs, Rhys Morrell, Chloe Dunmore, Makala Basset, First Constable Bailey

Edgerton, Constable Alexi Ginis and Senior Sergeant Jason Harris at Horsham police station.

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

Drawn: December 18, 2025

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UNDERCOVER

DREAM: Ararat Pony Club will soon have an undercover arena to provide a modern, all-weather facility that will enhance opportunities for pony club participants.

Pony club arena project to start

Ararat Rural City Council has announced Ballarat-based company MKM Construction will build a new undercover arena at Ararat Pony Club.

The council picked MKM Construction following what it described as a competitive tender process, with MKM meeting all specification requirements and funding timeframes to deliver the 50-by-81-metre covered facility.

Council chief executive Tim Harrison said MKM Construction brought extensive experience to the project, having successfully delivered other major constructions locally, including the Gason laser facility, Great Western football and netball clubrooms, and transfer station facilities.

Dr Harrison said the new arena would provide a modern, weather-protected space for the pony club community, enhancing opportunities for participation and local events.

He said the council looked forward to working with MKM Construction on the development.

“MKM Construction has demonstrated its commitment and capability on projects that really matter to our community, and we are delighted to welcome them back for this significant build,” he said.

“The new arena will be a fantastic asset for Ararat Pony Club and the wider region.

“Council’s careful planning and the support of our funding partners continue to deliver real improvements for our residents, and I look forward to seeing the project take shape in the months ahead.”

Ararat Pony Club president Helen Spencer said the group was excited at the announcement.

“We are delighted to see this project moving ahead, thanks to the partnership between the pony club and council,” she said.

“Having a covered arena will mean our riders are able to continue developing their skills and enjoying equestrian activities, no matter the weather. It’s been fantastic to work so closely with council, and we look forward to welcoming the next generation of riders to a truly modern local facility.”

Construction is scheduled to be completed by late April 2026, ensuring the new facility is available for programs and events later in the year.

Dr Harrison thanked everyone involved in the tender process and congratulated MKM Construction on its appointment.

For ongoing progress reports on the project, people can visit engage.ararat.vic.gov.au.

Red Cross deliver pillowcase care

Australian Red Cross officials will visit the Ararat region this week to deliver a series of interactive workshops designed to help young children prepare for, cope with, and respond to emergencies.

The ‘Pillowcase Workshops’ are aimed at grade three and four students and focus on what to expect during and after an emergency, as well as how to prepare their own emergency kits using a simple household item – a pillowcase.

The concept was inspired by university students in the United States who used pillowcases to carry their most important belongings during Hurricane Katrina.

The idea has since evolved into a global Red Cross program that helps children feel more confident and capable in emergency situations. Workshops will be at schools in Ararat, Lake Bolac and Pomonal, with students from Buangor, Maroona, Moyston and Willaura also taking part.

Each child will receive a pillowcase to decorate and take home as the start of their own personal emergency kit.

The sessions will also include discussions about different types of emergencies, how to stay calm and how to seek help if needed.

The workshops are supported through a partnership between Ararat Rural City Council, Grampians Community Health and Red Cross.

Ararat Mayor Jo Armstrong thanked the Red Cross for delivering the workshops, saying they would play an important role in building resilience and understanding among local children.

“When it comes to a major emergency event, anything we can do to reduce real or imagined fears in our children is a brilliant thing,” she said.

“Discussing the thoughts and feelings that may arise before, during and after an emergency is a vital part of our broader community’s emergency preparedness. The Red Cross program will help our young people to feel ready, not scared.”

Ararat Analog Art Club wraps up

Ararat Gallery TAMA hosted the final session of its Analog Art Club at the weekend.

The community art initiative saw participants swap screens for sketchbooks and enjoy handson creativity.

Ararat Rural City Mayor Jo Armstrong said the program drew an enthusiastic crowd of attendees, providing a relaxed, welcoming space for residents and visitors of all ages to explore drawing, collage and mixed media, with guidance from local artists.

She said each session had seen new faces join

regulars around the studio table, sharing ideas and supporting each other.

“Connecting through creativity helps us find new perspectives, foster talent and strengthen friendships within our community,” she said.

“Ararat Gallery TAMA’s Analog Art Club has given people a genuine chance to reconnect in a world that’s always online. It’s been wonderful to see such strong participation.”

The council and Ararat Gallery TAMA aim to continue the Analog Art Club with a new season in 2026.

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Mark Clyne M 0417 568 200

6080 Western Highway, Dadswells Bridge 129.42ha / 319.80 acres

Looking for a scenic income producing block with some lifestyle beneﬁts along with great mountain views. Loamy soil types suitable for grazing or opportunity cropping. Divided into 5 paddocks, well-watered with several dams, solar bore & troughs. Over 1.0 km of frontage to Mt William Creek.

NEW PRICE @ $2500 per acre – $799,500

Mark Clyne M 0417 568 200

Absolute Curtain Co.

Acacia Caravan Park

Agrimac Horsham

Ararat North Store

Bi Rite Stawell

BJ’s Furniture & Bedding

Cellarbrations Superstore

Horsham

Centre for Participation

Clarks Furniture

Cooks Of Horsham

DCIRS Community Care, Warracknabeal & Donald

Decor Room Ararat

DMD Horsham

SHOP AT THESE PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES

DMD Nhill

Dollar Curtains & Blinds Ararat Fresca

GoldStar Self Storage

Harvey Norman Horsham & Ararat

Hermans of Horsham

Horsham Doors and Glass

Horsham Golf Club

Horsham Lanes and Games

Horsham Motor Co

Horsham RSL

Horsham Sports & Community Club

Intersport Horsham

Just Better Care Horsham & Ararat

Lardner Bros

Latitude Recruitment

McPhersons of Brim

Mountains of Chocolate

National Insurance Brokers

Nhill IGA Plus Liquor

Priceline Pharmacy Ararat

Sportspower Horsham

Spotlight Horsham

Spuddy Good

Stawell Lotto

Studio Sukha

Surf One

Telstra Ararat

Telstra Horsham

The Exchange Hotel Horsham

The Victoria Hotel Horsham

Thrive Health Clinic

Toyworld Horsham

Tyrepower Ararat

Tyrepower Horsham

Una Sosta

Wade’s

West Side Horsham

Wimmera Aquatrail

Wimmera Bearings

Wimmera Mallee Ag

Wimmera Outdoors

Ararat branch sets new target

The Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat branch has launched its next fundraising project, the largest in its 23-year history, which will see a mammography unit installed in the Blue Ribbon Foundation Wing at East Grampians Health Service.

The Ararat Branch has committed to raising $250,000 towards the purchase of the equipment, which will cost in total $296,000.

Additional funds will be provided by East Grampians Health Service.

Ararat branch president Dianne Radford said the group was excited to launch the mammography unit project, which would benefit women, and men, across the wider Ararat region.

“This project is the largest in the history of the Ararat branch’s 23 years of fundraising for East Grampians Health Service,” she said.

“We have committed to raising $250,000 towards the project and along with our fundraising partners are confident we will reach our target in about two years.

“I am extremely proud of our Ararat branch volunteers who work tirelessly on our fundraising projects throughout the year, with our main events including the Grampians ‘Ride to Remember’ and the Gala Night.

“I am also grateful to the Ararat community for supporting our fundraising efforts each year.

“Since the Ararat branch of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation was formed 23 years ago, we have donated more than $1.2-million to East Grampians Health Service, of which our committee is very proud.”

Mammography is a specialised breast

Planning for the future

Hindmarsh Shire Council is seeking community feedback on its draft plans for domestic animal management, youth strategy and sport and recreation.

The domestic animal management plan 2026-2029 will provide the framework for dog and cat management within Hindmarsh Shire, aiming to create an environment that encourages responsible pet ownership where people and pets integrate safely and harmoniously within the community.

It uses data to guide actions and will be reviewed annually to ensure effectiveness and compliance with the Domestic Animals Act 1994.

The sport and recreation strategy for 2025-2035 aims to provide a clear long-term plan to develop and promote sport and recreation, and identifies key priorities to improve access to facilities, encourage participation and enhance overall wellbeing of residents.

x-ray imaging technique used for early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer.

Mammography can be split into two services – screening and diagnostic.

Having a mammography unit at EGHS will enable the health service to offer an additional service to Ararat and surrounding areas by improving access to the national free screening program, BreastScreen, which can identify early signs of breast cancer in asymptomatic people.

It will also allow EGHS to perform diagnostic mammograms referred by

GPs and specialists, reducing the need for patients to travel elsewhere for these important examinations.

It is estimated EGHS could screen about 700 clients through BreastScreen each year and having a local service will reduce the need for long-distance travel, with Ballarat currently the closest service.

It will support women who may delay or skip the free screening service due to transport, time or finance barriers.

EGHS clinical services director Bec Peters thanked the Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat branch for committing

to funding the mammography unit.

“This is an important project with far reaching benefits to our community,” Ms Peters said.

“With the support and dedication of the Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat branch, partners, businesses, organisations and everyone who annually supports the Ararat branch’s fundraising efforts, we are excited to be able to provide a mammography unit for our community, which will improve health outcomes for both women and men due to screening and early detection of breast cancer.”

The youth strategy will guide council in providing the best outcomes for young people aged 12 to 24 years during the next four years. Mayor Ron Ismay said young people had an important role to play in planning for the future of the shire.

“They’re our next generation of leaders, employers, employees, and volunteers, so it’s integral that we create a community of opportunities, spaces and services that have young people in mind,” he said.

People can access the draft plans and provide feedback on the council’s website, hindmarsh.vic.gov.au before November 21.

UNITED: Pictured during Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat branch’s new project launch are, back, from left, Father Martin Nadarajan, East Grampians Health Service Medical Imaging Department office coordinator Roxane Moos, EGHS chief executive Nick Bush, Dean Pinniger, Kate Gleeson, Sandra Marriner and Jess Seres; and front, EGHS clinical services director Bec Peters, EGHS board chair Cam Evans, and Blue Ribbon Foundation Ararat Branch president Dianne Radford.

Student support program axed

Aprogram helping at-risk young people to stay at school across the Grampians region is set to be axed despite a campaign to save the longrunning support.

Grampians Community Health, GCH, has delivered the School Focused Youth Service, SFYS, early intervention program since its inception 27 years ago.

GCH chief executive Greg Little has spearheaded a campaign to reverse the State Government’s decision, but said the pleas had ‘fallen on deaf ears’.

“The minister’s position is firm that the program will not run in 2026, but we are continuing to present evidence of its success and advocate for its retention,” he said.

“Across the state, we’ve got high absenteeism with kids struggling to stay at school, high youth unemployment and crime, but they’re removing a $4-million state-wide program that has been proven to work.”

SFYS is delivered by more than 30 providers across Victoria and helps schools keep at-risk young people connected to education through tailored interventions, and by linking schools with local services.

Collectively, providers engage about 900 schools and support about 19,700 students annually.

In 2025, GCH has supported 21 schools in the Northern Grampians, Ararat and Pyrenees municipalities.

Mr Little said the proposed replacement, the Schools Mental Health Menu, would help students at school, but would not help those not engaging with education.

“It won’t help kids who aren’t in school

so it’s not the same program or necessarily the same target group,” he said.

“It’s important to do whatever we can to keep young people in schools.”

Mr Little has led a 22-provider collaboration to protest the cut but said he had been told by the government the decision would not be reversed.

“The government’s rationale is that budget pressures require more targeted service offerings and less duplication with newer initiatives,” he said.

“We argue that SFYS is evidence-based, with more than two decades of measured outcomes valued by schools.

“Ending SFYS removes a proven pathway at a time of declining attendance and increasingly complex student needs.”

Case studies from GCH and other providers have shown improved attendance, social-emotional skills, and stronger schoolcommunity links resulting from SFYS support.

“The loss of SFYS risks leaving gaps for students who need targeted engagement support,” Mr Little said.

GCH’s SFYS co-ordinator Stacy Lindsay said the program played a vital role in schools.

“It helps students connect with peers and their communities, supporting wellbeing and engagement,” she said.

“Having worked with small schools across our region, I’ve seen first-hand the program’s positive impact.

“Losing the program would be a significant setback for students and schools across Victoria, as it provides essential support where it is often limited.”

ACE AWARDS: ACE Radio’s first ever network-wide awards recognised three Horsham winners – pictured top, 3WM’s local football live team Brian ‘Cobber’ Cassidy, Daryl ‘Easty’ Eastwell and Grant ‘Kuges’ Kuchel won best sports coverage; left, account manager Kelly Schilling, with general manager Brendan O’Loughlin, won sales person of the year, and above, Emma Clarke won best regional newsreader.

LEADERS:

was re-elected

Meyer re-elected mayor

Tim Meyer has been elected into his fourth term as mayor of West Wimmera Shire Council.

He was re-elected at last week’s annual statutory meeting, with Helen Hobbs elected to her first term as deputy mayor.

Cr Meyer, who was first elected to council in 2020, lives in Kaniva and has agricultural interests in the area.

He said he was passionate about improving community assets and continuing to advocate for funding

to support local priorities. “I’ll keep working to communicate better with people,” he said.

“I’m always available to listen, I attend many community events and I’m very approachable.

“If anyone in the community has issues, please come and talk to me.

“It just needs to be a respectful conversation.”

Cr Meyer said council was facing a challenging period ahead and securing external funding would remain a key focus.

“We know the government doesn’t have a lot of money for

“We know the government doesn’t have a lot of money for us, so we have to be on the front foot”

– Tim Meyer

us, so we have to be on the front foot,” he said.

“We need to go to Melbourne more often, campaign harder, and make sure West Wimmera’s voice is heard.”

Cr Meyer thanked council officers and fellow councillors for their support and said he looked

Grants awarded

Hindmarsh Shire Council has awarded more than $10,000 in grants to 11 community organisations through round one of its 2025-26 community action program.

Hindmarsh Mayor Ron Ismay said this year’s applicants were from community groups that had considered projects that would improve their services, protect their assets, and support their volunteers.

“It’s fantastic that council can continue to support local community organisations and the incredible work that they do through our community action grants program,” he said.

“I encourage any organisations looking for assistance to consider submitting an application for round two of our program in the new year.”

At council’s monthly meeting, Cr Rosie Barker said there were no applications for event sponsorship.

“The community has events, and council wants to support them,” she said.

“So make a note if you’re holding an event for our community, you can put in for the next round of grants.”

forward to working together in the year ahead.

Cr Helen Hobbs thanked her fellow councillors for supporting her and said she was looking forward to the opportunity.

“I’ll be putting everything into this position, and I look forward to working with the mayor and councillors,” she said.

“There are difficult times ahead, but I can see a lot of potential.”

Cr Hobbs was first elected to council in 2024.

1 & 1 ½ YO EWES

Wondalea Ag 1250 JUN-JUL ‘24 DRP

SHN OJD VACC

Wimmera Downs

900 APR-MAY ‘24 DRP OCT

OJD VACC

Warrawee Park Farms Pty Ltd 270 MAY-JUNE ‘24 DRP

SHN OJD VACC Tippet Farm

200 MAY-JUN ‘24 DRP

SHN OJD VACC Forest Springs Holdings Pty Ltd

200 MAY-JUN

Dimboola Croquet Club received $863.64 to assist with the construction of a shelter to protect the main entrance to the clubrooms from the weather; Nhill A and P Society Vintage Club $1000 towards a new storage shed; Nhill Golf Club $1000 towards updating kitchen facilities; Nhill and District Historical Society $1000 towards the purchase of a laptop, printer and an electronic payment machine; Dimboola Cemetery $828.64 towards purchasing a chainsaw and native plants; Nhill Bowling Club Inc. $908.18 for cleaning equipment; Dimboola Sporting Club $1000 for the purchase of a defibrillator cabinet; Dimboola Tennis Club $854.54 towards the purchase of tennis balls and to subsidise playing shirts; Rainbow Recreation Reserve $814.55 for two vacuums; Nhill Aviation Heritage Centre, $944.55 towards the purchase of a computer for cataloguing museum items, as well as by visitors for research; and Dimboola RSL Sub-Branch $930.78 to assist with the purchase of new shelves and cupboards. The purpose of the community action grants program is to support the operation of invaluable volunteer groups in the shire and enable them to deliver projects that support the wider community.

Cr Tim Meyer

as mayor of West Wimmera Shire Council. Cr Helen Hobbs was elected deputy mayor.

DATE:

Stawell podiatrist taking a big step

Stawell podiatrist Andrew Nashed is taking a big step in his medical career as he studies to become a GP.

Mr Nashed has almost finished his first year of studies at Deakin University in Ararat and has already completed several placements, including a day placement at Stawell under the guidance of Grampians Health radiographer Sky Yang.

Mr Nashed said he loved the opportunity to study within his local area.

“At the moment I am based at the university in Ararat one day a week and then four days studying at home,” he said.

“Next year I will have more parallel sessions with the doctors at Stawell Medical Centre and I hope to do my third-year rural placement with Grampians Health Stawell, where my wife Bec works as a theatre nurse.”

Mr Nashed said his first year of study was mainly theory-based learning.

“Currently I am covering abdomen conditions and assessment, so being able to come into the radiology area for a day placement helped me to consolidate the theory to real life,” he said.

“I found it really interesting and helpful, and it was great that Mr Yang was able to help further my knowledge.”

Mr Nashed has also worked placements at Grampians Health Stawell, Macpherson Smith Care Community, Stawell Medical Centre and Community Services-Allied Health Occupational Therapy.

Grampians Health clinical support educator for the medical students Shev Healey said it was important to be able to support Mr Nashed.

“Grampians Health has several clinicians on staff who are working and studying to become future doctors for our region, including two nurses at the Horsham campus”

–

Ben Kelly

“Andrew lives in Stawell with his family and his wife works at the hospital and hopefully he will eventually be practicing here as a GP, which would be the best outcome for our community,” she said.

“Grampians Health supports medical students every year and my role is to support the thirdyear medical students with their learning as well as provide tutorial sessions for them.

“We support them within their placement of clinical hours across the Stawell campus and we’ve added in the ability to have the first-year medical students complete a four-hour contact session.”

Grampians Health chief operating officer Ben Kelly said his team would support Mr Nashed at every opportunity.

“Grampians Health has several clinicians on staff who are working and studying to become future doctors for our region, including two nurses at the Horsham campus,” he said.

“We are committed to empowering our workforce to be ambitious and innovative and we look forward to the day when these team members are GPs treating and caring for their own community members.”

Opportunities for volunteering

Ararat Rural City Council is inviting community-minded people to join its growing volunteer program, supporting a wide range of local services and events that help make the region a great place to live, work, and visit.

Residents can apply for a range of volunteer roles through Engage Ararat.

Applications will connect people with flexible volunteer opportunities across council’s services, community activities, and cultural programs. Volunteers could support events, visitor services, library services, or community engagement projects, with roles suited to different interests and life stages.

The following services are currently calling to volunteers: Ararat Gallery TAMA and Ararat and Grampians Visitor Information Centre; Ararat Library; and Ararat Town Hall.

Council chief executive Tim Harrison said volunteering was an essential part of what made

the Ararat community strong. “Volunteers bring extraordinary generosity, skills, and a sense of community spirit that can’t be measured,” he said.

“This program is about giving people the chance to get involved in ways that are meaningful to them while helping to make our municipality an even better place for everyone.”

Dr Harrison encouraged anyone considering volunteering to learn more and register.

“Whether you have recently moved to the area or have lived here your whole life, there’s a place for you to participate and connect,” he said.

“It’s a great way to meet people, contribute to local life, and share what makes Ararat special.”

Residents can explore available opportunities and submit an expression of interest at engage. ararat.vic.gov.au/volunteer-ararat-rural-citycouncil.

Planning and Environment Act 1987 HORSHAM PLANNING SCHEME

Notice of the preparation of an amendment to a planning scheme Amendment C85hors

Overview

The Amendment seeks to implement the ﬁndings of the Horsham Heritage Study Stage 2 (Grieve Gillett, August 2014), the Review of Horsham Heritage Study (Landmark Heritage Pty Ltd, 2025) and Volume 2: Heritage Citations and Mapping (Horsham Rural City Council, 2025) through the application of local policy and the Heritage Overlay.

For further details, refer to the explanatory report about the Amendment.

Details of the Amendment

The Horsham Rural City Council planning authority has prepared Amendment C85hors to the Horsham Planning Scheme.

The Amendment aﬀects places of heritage signiﬁcance within the settlements of Brimpaen, Clear Lake, Dooen, Haven, Horsham, Jung, Kanagulk, Kewell, Murra Warra, Mitre, Natimuk, Pimpinio, Polkemmet, Quantong, St Helens Plains, Vectis and Wail.

The Amendment proposes to apply the Heritage Overlay to 31 new individual heritage places, 574 new places in 10 new heritage precincts, six new places in a new serial listing and removes the Heritage Overlay from 2 places. The Amendment makes changes to Clause 02.03-5 (Built environment and heritage), Clause 15.03-1L (Heritage conservation – Horsham Rural City), the Schedule to Clause 43.01 (Heritage Overlay), the Schedule to Clause 72.03 (What Does This Planning Scheme Consist Of?), the Schedule to Clause 72.04 (Incorporated Documents) and the Schedule to Clause 72.08 (Background Documents). The amendment also corrects a number of mapping and associated ordinance anomalies

You may inspect the amendment, any documents that support the amendment and the explanatory report about the amendment, free of charge, at the Department of Transport and Planning website www.planning.vic.gov.au/ public-inspection or by contacting 1800 789 386 to arrange a time to view the amendment documentation; the Horsham Rural City Council website at www. hrcc.vic.gov.au/C85-Heritage-Amendment; and on request, during office hours, at the office of the planning authority, Horsham Rural City Council, Civic Offices, 18 Roberts Avenue, Horsham by contacting 03 5382 9777 to arrange a time to view the amendment documentation.

Any person may make a submission to the planning authority about the amendment. Submissions must be made in writing giving the submitter’s name and contact address, clearly stating the grounds on which the amendment is supported or opposed and indicating what changes (if any) the submitter wishes to make.

Name and contact details of submitters are required for the planning authority to consider submissions and to notify such persons of the opportunity to attend planning authority meetings and any public hearing held to consider submissions.

The closing date for submissions is 22 December 2025. A submission can be sent by mail, to Strategic Planning Team, Submission to Amendment C81hors, Horsham Rural City Council, PO Box 511 Horsham VIC 3400 or submitted by email to: strategic.planning@hrcc.vic.gov.au or submitted using the online submission form available on Council’s website: www.hrcc.vic.gov.au/C85-Heritage-Amendment

The planning authority must make a copy of every submission available at its oﬃce and/or on its website for any person to inspect free of charge until the end of the two months after the amendment comes into operation or lapses.

Gail Gatt Chief Executive Oﬃcer Horsham Rural City Council

PLACEMENT: Andrew Nashed, right, during his radiology placement with Grampians Health Stawell radiographer Sky Yang.

Council backs sport proposals

Horsham Rural City Council will apply for funding to help deliver almost $1-million in upgrades and project development at three key sport and recreation facilities.

Council is proposing to provide lighting at 12 tennis courts in Haven; conduct a feasibility study into improvements at Horsham Aquatic Centre; and upgrade lighting at Cameron Oval, Laharum.

Councillors decided at last week’s council meeting to apply for Sport and Recreation Victoria’s two annual funding rounds available only to local government.

The Local Sports Infrastructure Fund supports the planning and development of high-quality, accessible community sport and active recreation infrastructure.

The Country Football and Netball Program helps support improvement of facilities for football and netball clubs.

Acting Mayor Brian Klowss said if approved, the projects would require council co-funding of up to $440,000.

“Council is always seeking improvements to our community’s facilities,” he said.

“Preparing applications for this funding requires a lot of work, and involves a lot of public consultation.

“The SRV funding rounds are important opportunities to advocate for projects to support our community’s passion for sport and recreation.”

The new LED lighting at Haven’s tennis courts would increase casual use and allow for extended and new tennis competitions on a year-round basis, and also allow for time-shifting of competi

tion, avoiding the hottest parts of the day. There are currently only two publicly accessible lit tennis courts in Horsham, at Central Park.

Total cost of the Haven project will be $450,000, with SRV contributing $250,000 and council $200,000.

While Horsham Aquatic Centre has had several upgrades in recent years, including access to the outdoor 50-metre pool, outdoor function area, and parent change rooms, the current masterplan was developed in 2017 and requires updating.

Total cost to create a new masterplan would be $80,000, shared equally between SRV and council.

Council is supporting major improvements at Cameron Oval, Laharum, where efforts are underway to seek State Government backing for a $1.7-million redevelopment of the oval into a multipurpose facility to support local AFL football, cricket, tennis, school and general community use.

Council wants to upgrade lighting at the oval, seeking a State Government contribution of $250,000 towards the total cost of $450,000.

Outside of the Sport and Recreation Victoria funding rounds, council proposes to complete plans for the Laharum oval multipurpose facility at a cost of $80,000.

Successful projects under both programs will start construction from July 1, 2026, with council co-funding required in the 2026-2027 capital works budget.

The deadline for funding applications under the LSIF is December 2, while the CFNP grants close February 26, 2026.

THANK YOU: Horsham District Football Netball League donated footballs and netballs used in this year’s finals series to

Donation fostering junior pathways

Kaniva College and Stawell’s Skene Street school received donations of footballs and netballs from Horsham District Football Netball League last week.

Aiming to support physical education programs, encourage active lifestyles, and strengthen the connection between schools and community clubs, the league’s donation also ensures students of all ages have access to quality sporting gear.

League chair Steve Hoffmann said the donation reflected the league’s broader vision for inclusive participation and long-term growth.

“Our clubs are built on the energy and enthusiasm of young people,” he said.

“By investing in school sport, we’re investing in the future of our league and the wellbeing of our communities.”

Mr Hoffmann said the donation was part of HDFNL’s continued efforts to foster junior development pathways and ensure every child had the opportunity to engage in sport, build friendships, and develop leadership skills through play.

“We have done this for three years in a row, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to supporting local schools and communities,” he said.

Stawell’s Skene Street and Kaniva College. Pictured left, are Kaniva College students, back, from left, Amity Foster, Mitch Hendy, Jackson Staehr, Archie Dunstall, HDFNL’s Chloe Haughton and student Molly Dickinson, and front, Lucy Harris, Emily Dodson and Zoe Staehr.

GRATEFUL: Skene Street’s Louise, Jacob Bates and Joseph.

AI is rewriting the job description

Recently, I was asked to present on a business topic of current interest.

I referenced an article I had read about Bill Gates’ prediction that within five years many of today’s ‘essential’ jobs could vanish, from taxi and truck drivers, bookkeepers, retail cashiers, journalists, education providers, general practitioners and even construction workers.

Most of those within the meeting moved uncomfortably in their seats, however many scoffed. Five years? Surely not.

But as artificial intelligence moves from futuristic curiosity to boardroom necessity, that five-year horizon is starting to look less like hyperbole and more like next Tuesday.

Consider this, according to Goldman Sachs, AI could automate up to 300-million full-time jobs worldwide, affecting roughly two-thirds of all occupations.

And it’s not just factory lines or spreadsheets at risk, algorithms can now drive, diagnose, and even draft news articles – though not this one says the nerdy and determined wordsmith.

Businesses are already hearing the siren song of efficiency.

AI driven automation promises major cost reductions.

McKinsey estimates that adopting automation technologies could increase global productivity by up to 1.4 per cent annually.

In a world where companies and households alike are tightening their belts, the lure of ‘digital employees’ who don’t take lunch breaks or sick leave is hard to ignore.

Yet, amid this rush toward robotic efficiency, Gates pointed to a fascinating countertrend. The rising premium on humanity.

The jobs of the future, the ones that will not only survive but thrive, are

BUSINESS

with Stacey Taig West Vic Business Ambassador

those rooted in emotional intelligence, creativity, and empathy.

Robots can analyse data at lightning speed, but they still struggle to read a room. They can generate music, but can’t feel the heartbreak that inspires a song.

That’s why roles like social workers, therapists, designers, and creative coders may well become the most valuable players in the next economic chapter.

As the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 highlights, the fastest-growing skills today are ‘analytical thinking’, ‘resilience’ and

‘emotional intelligence’. In short: humans who can think and feel deeply.

It’s an irony worthy of a tech-age Greek tragedy.

For decades, we prized ‘book smarts’, degrees, data, and hard skills as the ticket to success. Now, soft skills are the new hard currency.

The workplace hierarchy is flattening, not just in structure but in spirit.

AI is quietly democratising what we value, shifting attention from the smartest person in the room to the most human one.

Of course, none of this is cause for panic.

The ship may have sailed, but we can still steer it.

For business owners and leaders, the challenge is not to resist the tide, but to ride it, and ride it with intention.

Ask yourself – What will my customers need five years from now?

How can I use AI to streamline my operations, while strengthening the

LEADING PODIATRISTS

human core of my workforce?’ The smart money is on hybrid thinking. Blending AI’s efficiency with human creativity.

Automate the routine, elevate the human.

Use AI to crunch the numbers, but let people craft the stories, solve the nuanced problems, and build the relationships that no algorithm can.

Yes, it sounds like science fiction, but so did video calls once upon a time.

The difference between thriving and merely surviving will come down to how we use this technology, as a replacement for humanity, or as a tool to amplify it.

The future of work is not man versus machine. It’s man with machine, and the future is closer than we think.

• Written by Stacey Taig, the creative human, once mocked for her lack of sporting and/or mathematical genius.

NEW LEADERS: Dale Russell, centre, is Wimmera Lodge’s new Worshipful Master, installed alongside new office bearers last month to serve a 12-month term. Mr Russell is pictured with Wimmera Lodge members and visitors from other lodges at the installation. An active community group, Wimmera Lodge meets at Horsham Masonic Centre at 7.30pm on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Members, men aged 18 and older, provide assistance to people in need through programs including Meals on Wheels and other activities. People who are interested in joining the group can express interest on the Freemasons Victoria website, freemasonsvic.net.au.

Kate Torpey

B. Hlth. Sci (Pod)

M. APodA

LARGE AGRICULTURAL DEALERSHIP VEHICLE DISPERSAL

On This Day

From The Weekly Advertiser archives: November 10, 2005 –Horsham garden enthusiast Lyn Creasey was pictured showing four-month-old granddaughter Tara Creasey a hanging pot of cascading ivy geranium that she planned to display in an upcoming Wimmera Geranium Pelargonium Show at Horsham Angling Club rooms. Demonstrations were scheduled both days of the event, and plants were for sale.

10 years ago: November 11, 2015

A project to revitalise the main retail centre of Edenhope was officially opened by West Wimmera Shire’s then-Mayor Annette Jones. The project, called Icons of Edenhope by artist Geoffrey Carran, aimed to connect the community and visitors to the retail precinct. It featured five panels of unique images that showcased the town’s heritage and history.

Five years ago: November 11, 2020

Nhill residents Rosie Clark and Pam Deckert, with the help of volunteers, set up a major outdoor display of poppies at Nhill’s Goldsworthy Park for Remembrance Day. They decorated the park with about 20,000 crocheted and knitted poppies for the second year, covering the park’s palm trees near the war memorial. The poppies were made by thousands of people across Australia and donated for the display.

One year ago: November 13, 2024

Natimuk residents vowed to continue fighting Parks Victoria’s plan to ban a majority of rock climbing at Mount Arapiles. The community turned out in force in a rally to oppose the changes to the Dyurrite Cultural Landscape draft management plan.

Take a break

1. Born on this day in Melbourne in 1973, was which Australian actress, most famous for her roles in Neighbours, Blue Heelers, Looking for Grace, and Man on Fire?

2. What was London Airport renamed to in 1966?

3. Which spice powder is a mix of turmeric, fenugreek, chili, and cumin?

4. What is the name of Harry Potter’s school?

5. What is the tennis term for a serve that the opponent cannot touch?

6. The gong belongs to which section of an orchestra?

7. Which aniseed flavored drink is the national drink of Greece?

8. Modern movies ‘She’s the Man’, ’10 Things I Hate About You’, and ‘The Lion King’ are based on which Shakespeare plays?

9. Which sign of the Zodiac is represented by a crab?

10. Who said, ‘Be yourself; everyone else is already taken’?

11. What is singer Robyn Fenty better known as?

12. Which animal hibernates the longest – bear, snail, koala, or sloth?

13. Who invented scissors?

14. Which UK building has 775 rooms?

15. What is the name for the area directly above an earthquake’s focal point?

16. Who was the comic book artist, writer and creative leader of Marvel multimedia corporation, that died on this day in 2018?

da Vinci. 14. Buckingham Palace. 15. Epicentre. 16. Stan Lee.

Answers: 1. Radha Mitchell. 2. Heathrow Airport. 3. Curry powder. 4. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 5. Ace. 6. Percussion. 7. Ouzo. 8. ‘Twelfth Night’, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’, and ‘Hamlet’. 9. Cancer. 10. Oscar Wilde. 11. Rihanna. 12. Snail. They can hibernate for up to three years. 13. Leonardo

Getting in touch with The Weekly

Our office is at 2 Stawell Road, Horsham. Mail: PO Box 606, Horsham 3402. Telephone: 5382 1351. Website: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au Email: weeklyadvertiser@team.aceradio.com.au For classified advertisements: 5382 1351 – email: horsham@aceradio.com.au

Advertising: Mark Sulic: 0407 313 456, marks@team.aceradio.com.au; Lee Meadows: 0407 046 864, leem@team.aceradio.com.au; Kelly Schilling: 0437 894 257, kschilling@aceradio.com.au; Danica Cutter: 0488 473 562, dcutter@aceradio.com.au; Heidi Higginson: 0438 759 220, heidih@aceradio.com.au; Lily Olver: 0411 784 001, lolver@aceradio.com.au Newsroom 5382 1351: Lauren Henry: lhenry@aceradio.com.au; Bronwyn Hastings: bhastings@aceradio.com.au; Colin MacGillivray: cmacgillivray@aceradio.com.au; Georgia Bailey: georgiab@team.aceradio.com.au

FOR THE WEEK NOVEMBER 16 TO NOVEMBER 22

ARIES (March 21 - April 20)

Lucky Colour: White

Lucky Day: Monday

Racing Numbers: 1, 3, 2, 5

Lotto Numbers: 1, 12, 15, 26, 34, 45

You may need to reorganise your daily routine for the future. Emotions could get out of hand, and relying on some people in the long term may be challenging.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 20)

Lucky Colour: Blue

Lucky Day: Wednesday

Racing Numbers: 5, 6, 2, 1

Lotto Numbers: 5, 12, 24, 40, 33, 39

Romantic affairs could evolve into a relationship that surprises you. Avoid imposing your opinions on others – gentle persuasion will yield better results.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 21)

Lucky Colour: Violet

Lucky Day: Thursday

Racing Numbers: 9, 8, 5, 4

Lotto Numbers: 9, 15, 8, 7, 44, 40

Carefully consider your words to avoid misunderstandings. Focus on planning for your future, particularly in health and dental care.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22)

Lucky Colour: Yellow

Lucky Day: Tuesday Racing Numbers: 5, 6, 5, 1

Lotto Numbers: 5, 12, 26, 36, 30, 22

Career surprises may arise, and something you’ve been anticipating will finally happen. Stay calm in all situations, even when emotions run high.

LEO (July 23 - August 22)

Lucky Colour: Cream

Lucky Day: Monday

Racing Numbers: 8, 6, 2, 1

Lotto Numbers: 8, 12, 29, 24, 40, 11

Someone close may need space but struggle to communicate. Avoid jumping to conclusions; seek facts before making decisions.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 23)

Lucky Colour: Blue

Lucky Day: Wednesday

Racing Numbers: 8, 6, 2, 1

Lotto Numbers: 8, 12, 26, 34, 40, 22

Unexpected tasks may keep you busy, and someone new could enter your life. Make time for fun – balance work with leisure for overall well-being.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23)

Lucky Colour: Pink

Lucky Day: Friday

Racing Numbers: 8, 3, 2, 1

Lotto Numbers: 8, 12, 26, 34, 45, 44

Carefully consider travel plans as they may impact your future. Increased social engagements could leave you feeling drained, so conserve your energy.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22)

Lucky Colour: Orange

Lucky Day: Tuesday

Racing Numbers: 1, 3, 2, 5

Lotto Numbers: 1, 12, 26, 25, 20, 22

Avoid making important decisions for now, as your judgement may be clouded. Ensure loved ones feel included while you focus on new career opportunities.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 20)

Lucky Colour: Silver

Lucky Day: Monday

Racing Numbers: 1, 3, 2, 1

Lotto Numbers: 1, 12, 15, 9, 22, 27

This is a hectic period socially, with personal relationship issues demanding attention. Rewards for past efforts may take time to arrive, so stay persistent.

CAPRICORN (December 21 - January 19)

Lucky Colour: Cream

Lucky Day: Sunday

Racing Numbers: 5, 6, 2, 3

Lotto Numbers: 2, 13, 26, 36, 38, 7

Channel your energy into career pursuits and seize opportunities as they arise.

Improvements in romance and your social life are likely.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 19)

Lucky Colour: Green

Lucky Day: Saturday

Racing Numbers: 2, 3, 6, 5

Lotto Numbers: 2, 13, 25, 24, 21, 11

Career and business ambitions are on track, with no obstacles in sight. Someone from a distance could offer insights that alter your perspective on someone close.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20)

Lucky Colour: Fawn

Lucky Day: Wednesday

Racing Numbers: 5, 6, 2, 3

Lotto Numbers: 1, 12, 15, 26, 36, 3

Trust your instincts during this time – they could lead to success. Collaborative efforts with loved ones will produce better results than going it alone.

Fill in the blank cells using numbers from 1 to 9. Each number can only appear once in each row, column and 3x3 block.

Quick Workout

Fit the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 into the hexagons so that where the hexagons touch, the numbers will be the same. No number is repeated in any hexagon.

Friday, November 14, 2025

Westvic Spares are stockists for the most trusted names in the farming industry – you’ll ﬁnd everything you need under the one roof!

Stocking a huge range of Oils & Lubricants, Ag Belts, V Belts & Automotive Belts, Hydraulic Hose & Fittings, Filters, Bearings, Oil Seals, Sprockets, Pulleys, High Quality Japanese Roller Chain, Poly Fittings, Brass Fittings, Hydraulic Rams, PTO Sha s, Uni Joints, Trailer Parts, Fridges, Ice Boxes, Generators, Air Compressors, Household Pressure Pumps, Drill Bits, Daps & Dies, Bolts, PFERD Grinding & Cutting Wheels, Bond Batteries, GME Radios & Accessories etc plus a range of Hikoki Power Tools.

We also stock a range of welding gases & LPG in various sizes, with no rental fee and no contracts!

Distributors for: Manutec, Ag Point, Fleetguard Filters, Typhoon Tools, Goldacres, Silvan, Bareco, Peerless, Royal, Shell, Fuchs & Valvoline.

Westvic Spares are stockists for the most trusted names in the farming industry - you’ll find everything you need under the one roof!

or call

NHILL: 03 5391 3386

BRANCH MANAGER - DANNY ANSELL 0477 166 278

MERCHANDISE - MARK DAVIS 0447 536 710

AGRONOMISTS - SPENCER WEIR 0427 823 062

- MATT WITNEY 0488 298 621

- TIM HOFMAIER 0488 298 222

- SAM GABBE 0419 940 437

- ANGUS EDMONDSON 0498 357 058

- JESSICA BUTCHER 0437 723 832

ANIMAL HEALTH - KATE CROSS 0436 526 104

LOGISTICS - DAVID MURDEN

• HORSHAM

• NHILL

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OUR SERVICES

• BENALLA

• HUNTLY

• SEYMOUR

• MILLICENT

• Agronomy • Seed and Fertiliser Supply

• Animal Health and Nutrition

• Crop and Pasture Protection Products

• Farm Production Planning and Management

Nhill’s Splash & Dash Car Wash makes cleaning your vehicle a breeze – with self-serve or automatic bays... and there’s credit card facilities too!

nhill open 24-7

Introducing Kristy in our Nhill Merchandise department

We’re thrilled to welcome Kristy to the team at DMD Nhill! Kristy joins us with a wealth of practical experience in the agricultural industry, bringing a strong background in beef cattle, wool handling, sheep and equine care. She’s been deeply involved in feedlot operations, including managing vaccination and drench schedules, liaising with veterinarians for both preventative and treatment plans, and playing a key role in completing MSA and farm audits. Her hands-on experience means she understands what it takes to run a successful livestock operation. Her broad skill set and genuine passion for the industry make her a fantastic addition to our merchandise department. Whether you’re looking for advice on animal health, fencing supplies or general rural merchandise, Kristy is here to help with practical, experience-based knowledge.

Palace Hotel

Sales steady

New vehicle sales have remained steady in October with 99,588 registrations recorded, up 1.2 per cent on the same period last year.

Year-to-date sales stand at 1,014,027 at the end of October, down 1.1 per cent on last year, and yet another indicator that 2025 sales might not set another record.

VFACTS data shows hybrid and plug-in hybrid sales were trending ahead of other motive power types across October.

Hybrid vehicle sales represented 17.8 per cent of overall new vehicle sales and plug-in hybrid vehicles 4.7 per cent.

The numbers represent a 25 per cent uptick in the number of hybrid vehicles sold and a 95 per cent rise in the number of plug-in hybrid vehicles sold when compared with the same month in 2024.

Battery electric vehicle sales from all sources represent 7.3 per cent of the overall motive power range, remaining stable against last year’s figures.

Federal Chamber of Automotive In-

dustries chief executive Tony Weber said the October results confirmed Australians were increasingly choosing hybrid and PHEV models as a practical path towards lower emissions.

“Hybrids are delivering strong growth right across the market, while PHEVs are also gaining momentum. Petrol-only vehicles, on the other hand, continue to lose ground,” he said.

“These shifts underline the pace of change in consumer preferences.”

Petrol sales topped the list in October with 36,807 units sales, ahead of diesel with 30,073, hybrid with 17,751, electric with 7361, and plugin hybrid with 4724.

Electric vehicle sales recorded by the Electric Vehicle Council, EVC, include 916 from Tesla, down 37.4 per cent, and 154 from Polestar, up 18.5 per cent.

SUV sales dominated the October market, accounting for 61.7 per cent of total sales.

Medium segment SUVs alone accounted for 25 per cent of all vehicles sold, making it the most popular segment nationally.

TOP SPOT: Toyota’s ageing HiLux returned to top spot in October.

Passenger vehicle sales made up just 12.2 per cent of the overall tally.

The FCAI noted a strengthened position of Chinese-made vehicles in the overall mix, with China placing third as the preferred country of origin for vehicles sold in Australia – and rising 40 per cent year-on-year.

Japan still leads the ranks in terms of preferred country of origin with 27,716 unit sales, down 2.9 per cent year-on-year, ahead of Thailand with 20,811 units, down 5.5 per cent, China with 20,405 units, up 32.5 per cent, South Korea with 12,455 units, down 9.1 per cent, and Germany with 4928

units, down 1.8 per cent. Four Chinese brands again feature in the top 10 brand list for the month.

Toyota continues to lead the Australian new car market in October with 19,726 recorded sales, followed by Ford with 7570 unit sales, Mazda with 7140, Kia with 6610, and Hyundai with 6403.

Toyota’s ageing HiLux returned to top spot in October with 4444 examples registered, leading the Ford Ranger with 4404 units, the Toyota RAV4 with 4401, Ford Everest with 2435 and Toyota LandCruiser with 2090.

Across the states and territories, there were positive figures in all regions bar Western Australia, down 3.1 per cent to 11,177 units, and Queensland, down five per cent to 20,487 units.

Sales in the Australian Capital Territory were up four per cent on October 2024 to 1350 units; New South Wales up 3.7 per cent to 30,079 units; Northern Territory up 6.7 per cent to 910 units; South Australia up 6.7 per cent to 6623 units; Tasmania up 6.1 per cent to 1691 units; and Victoria up 3.6 per cent to 27,721 units.

– Matt Brogan

Hybrid fast-track

Mitsubishi

Motors Corpora-

tion is advancing plans to introduce a hybrid version of its Triton ute within the next two years.

A senior engineer confirmed the company would retain a conventional mechanical four-wheel-drive system rather than adopting an electrified all-wheel-drive setup like that of the BYD Shark 6.

The decision, shaped by the need to meet tightening CO2 regulations in key markets – including Australia – while retaining required off-road capability, will see the Triton hybrid initially launch in ‘plugless’ form, with plug-in hybrid, PHEV, variants or battery electric, BEV, variants likely to follow later.

MMC engineering fellow Kaoru Sawase said Mitsubishi’s priority was to accelerate the Triton hybrid’s launch schedule.

“We have to launch the Triton hybrid as soon as we can,” he said.

“From the viewpoint of needing to quickly launch the vehicle, we will have no choice but to go for the P2 hybrid play, like Land Rover and LandCruiser.”

A P2 hybrid configuration positions the electric motor between the internal combustion engine, ICE, and transmission, enabling drive from either or both sources to feed a mechani-

cal 4WD system further downstream.

Mr Sawase confirmed the relatively simple approach – also used by GWM in hybrid versions of the Cannon Alpha ute and Tank SUVs – would enable MMC to bring the first electrified Triton to market ‘in the next couple of years’.

While MMC is bullish on the performance and grip control potential of dual-motor electric AWD systems, which it developed for the Outlander PHEV, testing confirmed it would be too difficult to solve thermal management issues in time for launch.

Mr Sawase said MMC perceived that for heavy-duty off-roading, hybrid utes and off-road SUVs would need mechanical 4WD for the next five years while the packaging and thermal issues of electric AWD were solved.

Benchmarking of rival hybrids played a central role in the decision.

Mr Sawase said MMC extensively evaluated the strong-selling BYD Shark 6 PHEV at the company’s Hokkaido proving ground in Japan, comparing it to both diesel Tritons and the Outlander PHEV.

He said the Shark 6’s ‘off-road capability is not so high’ but said ‘until the heat goes up and the system stops, the performance and the control is quite good’.

Mitsubishi’s testing found that

electric AWD configurations offered strong power and precision, but that they struggled to maintain high torque outputs for long periods of time in demanding off-road environments.

“In order to overcome the challenges with electric driving, we use the engine as an insurance for the driving power,” Mr Sawase said.

That means the forthcoming Triton hybrid will rely on an ICE unit, possibly a turbocharged petrol engine, paired with a single electric motor mounted between the engine and

The configuration opens the door to the Triton hybrid retaining the ute’s

signature Super Select 4WD-II system, which allows four-wheel drive to be used on bitumen.

Mr Sawase said Super Select would continue to be a Triton exclusive, with the forthcoming Nissan Navara ute –which will share the Triton platform and many mechanicals – likely to miss out on the trick tech.

“That is our proprietary technology.

In principle, that technology is kept within Mitsubishi,” he said.

Likely underpinned by a petrol engine, the Triton’s new hybrid powertrain would likely sit alongside the existing 150kW/470Nm 2.4-litre tur bo-diesel four-cylinder engine in the

Australian market. The diesel-powered Triton produces CO2 emissions of 203g/km. With the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard limit for utes tightening to 180g/km in 2026, Mitsubishi needs a compliant solution to avoid accruing NVES penalties.

But with ute limits set to decline to just 110g/km in 2029, a ‘plugless’ Triton hybrid would not be a long-term silver bullet, and a PHEV or BEV version will be required soon enough. In the first nine months of 2025, the BYD Shark 6 PHEV has outsold the diesel-powered Triton by a slim margin – 14,111 deliveries to 14,025.

FIRST STEP:

The Mitsubishi hybrid Triton will initially launch in ‘plugless’ form.

Toyota faces FJ model hurdle

Toyota Motor Corporation Australia faces several regulatory and commercial challenges preventing it from introducing the lower-cost LandCruiser FJ model to local showrooms.

The FJ was revealed late last month and ignited speculation about when, and how, the RAV4-sized off-roader might find its way Down Under.

TMCA vice-president of sales and marketing Sean Hanley said there was no doubt that, on looks and the LandCruiser name in Australia, the FJ would be very appealing.

“The hardcore reality we are facing in our country is variable regulation, new criteria, and New Vehicle Efficiency Standards,” he said.

“We have to look very carefully at our product portfolio, at what we think we’re going to need, what we are going to sell in numbers, and what customers want and need.”

For now, focus markets for the FJ are understood to include Japan, Thailand, and other parts of South-East Asia, though the model has not been entirely ruled out for Australia.

“We are aware of the vehicle. We have looked it. We have analysed it as best we can, and we just don’t, right now, believe it is a car that would be suitable for our market,” Mr Hanley said.

GoAuto understands senior TMCA

executives are aware of strong interest in the FJ product and would like to see the model make its way to Australia if compliance issues could be resolved.

The principal hurdle is that the FJ’s sole launch engine – a 120kW/246Nm 2.7-litre petrol four-cylinder – does not meet the Euro 6d emissions requirement that comes into force for all new-generation cars sold in Australia from December.

Euro 6d regulations introduce tougher real-world testing for CO2 and NOx emissions, with compliance a legal prerequisite for type approval.

Existing models have until 2028 to comply, but the FJ would be regarded as all-new.

“It certainly is the Euro 6 emissions standard in Australia stopping the FJ from being considered. That is a fact. That is the law,” Mr Hanley said.

“If the FJ was Euro 6, I’d reconsider it. If that was a Euro 6 engine, if it does turn out to be that way, which it could, then it is something we could re-examine.”

Toyota has access to Euro 6dcompliant engines that already work with the FJ’s platform, which is

shared with the ASEAN-region HiLux Champ model – a low-cost ute not sold in Australia.

The Champ is offered with Toyota’s 2GD-FTV 2.4-litre turbo diesel fourcylinder engine, which can be fitted with an AdBlue-type exhaust aftertreatment system that Toyota documents have claimed to enable the unit to meet Euro 6 standards.

While a hybrid or petrol solution could be conceivable, a straightforward substitution with the 2.4-litre diesel might be a cheaper and more practical pathway if TMCA wishes

to homologate the FJ for the local market.

But even if a substitute engine is found, TMCA would still need to assess the FJ’s contribution to its overall fleet-average CO2 profile under Australia’s NVES framework.

Toyota’s hybrid mix gives it a temporary NVES buffer, but TMCA would face challenges as NVES tightens, balancing its popular LandCruiser and HiLux lines with hitherto low demand for its battery electric products.

Equipped with a 2.4-litre diesel, the FJ would likely produce CO2 emissions close to 200g/km, which would substantially exceed the 117g/ km NVES soft limit for 2026 for passenger cars and SUVs.

Unlike the Prado, and despite its body-on-frame nature, the FJ is unlikely to qualify for the higher NVES limits available to ‘heavy duty’ 4WDs that can tow at least 3000kg.

That said, NVES remains a balancing exercise for TMCA rather than a prohibition on selling the LandCruiser family in Australia, including the baby FJ.

A final matter concerns compliance with Australian Design Rules. It is not yet known whether the HiLux Champ platform, used by the FJ, would pass Australia’s demanding side impact and intrusion standards.

– Tom Baker

FACT: The Euro 6 emissions standard in Australia is stopping the LandCruiser FJ from being considered.

Phone:

Email: wrbsonspainters@gmail.com

WRB and Sons Painters consist of Wayne Batty and sons Jackson and Keegan and have all the trade knowledge for your next painting job.

With over 10 years expertise in the trade Wayne and his sons offer the complete service from minor repairs to major commercial applications.

No job is too small for WRB and Sons Painters and they will travel anywhere in the Wimmera.

Wayne’s motto is ‘Do it with passion or not at all’ and guarantees you’ll be happy with the completed work.

“To see our work, like WRB & SONS PAINTERS on Facebook.”

Classifieds

BRILLIANT,

Anna Maree Clark

Passed away in October 2025, aged 50 years.

Cherished mother of Joel and Luke.

Dearly missed by all her family and friends.

Now At Peace

FERRIS,

Hazel Alyne

28-6-1933 to 3-11-2025

Passed away peacefully, surrounded by family

Loving wife of Gordon.

Cherished mother & motherin-law of Donald & Maggi, Trevor, Heather & Andrea, Lyn & Neville.

Treasured grandmother of Kristy, Michael, Matthew & Scott .

Treasured great-grandmother of Brock, Zander, Dustin & Luna.

Your memories we will treasure

FISHER,

Ian ‘Rink’

Late of Horsham, formerly of Yaapeet, passed away peacefully on 6 November 2025 aged 86 years.

Much loved Husband of Wendy.

Brother of Jan.

Father of Natalie, Brad and Marshall; Father-in-Law to Loretta, Melita and Andrew.

Pa to Jesse, Taylor, Jack, Toby, Ruby, Oscar and Bonnie.

A celebration of Rink’s life will be held at City Bowls Club, Horsham from 2pm on Friday 14 November Forever in our hearts.

Horsham & District Funerals

Dylan & Amity Hartwich 5382 1149

KRAMER, Ruth Valda

Passed away on November 5, 2025 aged 75 years.

Dearly loved wife of Max.

Loving mother and mother-in-law of Adrian & Rebecca; Debra & Ralph; Brenton & Shirley; Mark & Sharni.

Adored Grandma/Nanny to James, Zach, Caleb and Ruth; Mitchell; Riley and Spencer; Jacobi, Indie and Darby.

In God’s Care

MARKS-VICENTI,

Tony

Passed away on October 24, 2025 aged 45 years.

Dearly loved son of Ricci (dec) and Annita.

Beloved stepson of Steven Haebich (Crokett).

Loving brother of Ricci (dec), Stacey, Lachlan and Leigh.

Father to Jayden, Tanisha, Shanita, Selina and Jaala.

Pop to Georgia and Sebastian; Malricci, Jordan and Malika; and Bella. TMV

MOTTON, Amelia Mary “Millie”

Passed away on November 5, 2025 aged 22 years.

Dearly loved daughter of Rohan & Sally.

Cherished little sister and sister-in-law of Liam; Conor & Ivy; Tom & Kai.

Adored Auntie to Amelio.

Treasured granddaughter to Mary and Margo.

Missed by her special fur babies Eddie and Louie.

“Love you to the moon and back.”

PENNY, Joan

Passed away on November 7, 2025 aged 93 years.

Loved by all her family and friends.

Now At Peace Forever In Our Hearts

FERRIS, Hazel Alyne

28-6-1933 to 3-11-2025

A graveside service for Hazel will be held at the Nhill Lawn Cemetery, Friday, November 14 at 1pm

Emiley & Mathew Bone

Nhill, Dimboola & Kaniva District Funerals 0419 008 464

KRAMER, Ruth Valda

The Funeral of Ruth Valda Kramer will leave the Vectis Lutheran Church on Wednesday, 12 November 2025 after a service commencing at 1pm for the Horsham Lawn Cemetery.