Front page news: August 15-21, 2007-2015
A snapshot of news from across the years
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August 19, 2008: Lake Lonsdale might just have a future for recreational use under plans released by the board of GWMWater.
The board announced its preferred future operating scenarios for several storages and weirs throughout the Wimmera, following completion of the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline project.
Lake Lonsdale was among the storages listed in this region that will remain in use once the pipeline has been completed.
However, the storage must rely on natural flow alone to maintain a water level.
The board announced that Lake Lonsdale would operate at a lower level, to facilitate recreation and environmental flows.
The preferred operating scenario for Lonsdale is for the full supply level to be reduced by 0.5 metres.
The lake is to be reliant solely on natural run-off inflows, with no transfers from Lake Bellfield.
August 18, 2009: Construction of a new $2 million Language Centre at the Stawell Secondary College is gathering momentum.
College principal Peter Hilbig, school council representative Peter Barham and the college facilities committee met last week with Mr Chris Webster, of SKM Davis Langdon Joint Venture, for an initial discussion on the construction of the new $1.97 million Language Centre.
The college has been fortunate to receive the funding as part of the Australian Government Economic Stimulus Plan.
Mr Webster, the Project Manager, was accompanied by Ineke Bulle, Assistant Project Manager and Russell
Hern, Project Architect at the meeting.
The two parties met to discuss details of the process and to determine the site and orientation of the Language Centre.
The building, with a proposed finish date of mid 2010, will feature innovative learning spaces, communication technology, reception, energy efficient heating and cooling as well as passive solar and water conservation initiatives for comfortable environmental education.
August 16, 2011: Northern Grampians Shire Council is taking a strong approach to preventing land banking from occurring in and around Stawell.
Land banking and foreign investment in agricultural land has already been reported in the Willaura area in the Rural City of Ararat and council is conscious that attempts could be made for similar purchases to be made in the Northern Grampians.
Cr Barry Marrow said he had real concerns over the land banking issue and foreign investment in agricultural land, as it has the potential to threaten local economies.
He moved a motion that council write to the Federal Government expressing its concern about the potential impacts of indiscriminate foreign investment in agricultural land where there is a potential for land banking.
“It is already prevalent in the Ararat Rural City and we need to make certain it doesn’t happen here in the Northern Grampians,” he said.
Shire chief executive officer Justine Linley said the issue had been raised at the 2011 National General Assembly of Local Government held in Canberra in June.
“A topic of some debate included the practice of land banking and foreign investment in agricultural land,” Ms Linley said.
August 15, 2014: A Northern Grampians Shire Councillor has vowed to continue fighting to ensure more retail shopping is established on the busy Western Highway.
Cr Wayne Rice made an unsuccessful attempt to defer an item on council’s agenda at Monday night’s meeting in St Arnaud, relating to the placement of the draft Municipal Strategic Statement of council on public exhibition.
He said he simply had not been given enough time to consider the report.
“I had the opportunity to open up this draft document at two o’clock this afternoon and have a read of it,” Cr Rice said.
“I don’t think that’s fair that council should be put in that position of receiving documents at two o’clock before a council meeting and be expected to read, absorb and make judgement on it.
“I believe there was a discussion held some time ago that said reports have to be given to councillors seven clear days before a meeting and I don’t find two o’clock this afternoon adequate.”
Cr Rice said he was aware discussion took place on the matter at a briefi ng session the week prior to the meeting, but he was unable to attend that session.
“I just find that this document is not showing leadership from this council,’’ he said.
“At one of the events I attended in the last couple of weeks, a councillor development weekend, the focus was on councils and councillors showing leadership. To me, to accept that document in its current form, I would not be showing leadership.”
August 21, 2015: Halls Gap Primary School is celebrating being named the best in Victoria based on the latest NAPLAN results.
School principal, Ja-San Trimble, said the students, staff and parents were all thrilled with the news that Halls Gap Primary School had achieved such an outstanding result in the testing process.
Ms Trimble said it was an achievement worth celebrating and she congratulated the students on such an outstanding result.
“The students and staff at Halls Gap Primary School are celebrating their achievements after being listed as the top school in Victoria based on the updated NAPLAN results on the My School website,” Ms Trimble said.
“The school was placed third in Australia, which is another outstanding result.”