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Horsham Rural City Council is calling for residents to be part of a Community 3anel that will play a central role in establishing a
year vision for the municipality. 0ayor Robyn *ulline said Council would partner with the community across the next six months to design a preferred future through the Horsham Rural City 7alks promect. ³$ Community 9ision will set out the long term social, economic, cultural and environmental aspirations of the Horsham region. ,t will represent the community¶s voice about what is important now and in the future,´ Cr *ulline said. ³7he Community 9ision will be developed and owned by the community with Council facilitating a collaborative process with assistance from skilled independent facilitators.
7ogether, we will explore what we want our municipality to be like years from now, and decide on key goals and priorities needed to achieve the outcomes we want.´ 7he Community 9ision will be used guide planning and decision making particular the four year Council 3lan. %etween )ebruary and -une there will be opportunities to contribute to Horsham Rural City 7alks including surveys and a new Community 3anel.
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³:e want you to imagine the Horsham region in ,´ Cr *ulline said. ³:hat do you hope our community will look, feel and be like" :hat goals and priorities do we need to focus on to achieve our desired future" ³:hether you live, own a business, work, study or volunteer in our municipality, we want to hear your opinions and ideas on these important Tuestions.´ Council is currently seeking expressions of interest from members of the community to be part of the Horsham Rural City 7alks Community 3anel. 7he panel will be made up of about
people of different ages, locations and interests. 3anel members don¶t need any special knowledge to take part and will be selected by independent consultants. Expression of interest close
. Cr *ulline said Council was also hoping that groups from across the Horsham Rural City region would host a conversation at their existing meetings. backgrounds, 0arch,
³:e can supply the necessary tools and information to get the conversation started,´ she said.
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Ararat Rural City Council has encouraged event planners and businesses in the municipality to ‘reach out’ for help in planning for changing COVID-19 restrictions.
Chief executive Tim Harrison said the council had been working with businesses and community groups on planning issues.
“The council is here to support the community to remain resilient and come back stronger than ever,” he said.
“While the health crisis is a relatively new threat to us, we have seen our community regularly face challenges such as droughts, fires, floods and we always come back stronger. The resilience we have seen before is what the council wants to foster now.
“Helping translate the rules and implementing the State Government’s resources for COVID safety is one of the first steps to installing confidence back in the community to continue our recovery.”
Council emergency manager co-ordinator Joel Farrow has been working with community groups that manage facilities to ensure they can make the most of circumstances while obeying safety guidelines.
Mr Farrow said the council had been providing signs and helping set up resources and guidelines such as QR codes throughout the municipality.
Dr Harrison urged businesses and event organisers to avoid becoming disheartened.
“Until we reach a complete vaccine roll-out there will likely be ongoing changes to restrictions, however there is still potential for great events to go ahead,” he said.
“The Grampians Ride to Remember was a great example.
“Community events and small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. It is important that we do what we can to rally behind them.”
Dr Harrison said businesses requiring help were welcome to call the economic development team on 5355 0264 and community groups and event organisers could call a community and events team on 5355 0257.
Vaccine roll-out
Member for Wannon Dan Tehan, meanwhile, welcomed Therapeutic Goods Administration approval of the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccine for use in Australia.
With the roll-out of a Pfizer vaccine underway, Mr Tehan said a thorough assessment process meant Australia now had two safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.
“The approval of the Astrazeneca vaccine comes after rigorous assessment from our independent medical regulator,” he said.
“Every safety and regulatory box have been ticked for provisional approval – and further ones will now be ticked in the lead up to March.”
The Federal Government has secured 53.8-million doses of the Astrazeneca vaccine. Australia will import its initial supply from overseas and then manufacture its own.
“Our nation is one of a small number of countries in the world that can manufacture its own COVID-19 vaccine and that is a point of pride,” Mr Tehan said.
Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt said the Astrazeneca vaccine would help save and protect lives.
“The global evidence is of overwhelming protection against serious illness, hospitalisation and loss of life,” he said.
Minyip’s Bob Robbins had been courting Jill Griffiths for six or seven months when his mother turned to him one Sunday afternoon and said, ‘You don’t want to let this one get away, Bobby’.
Bob knew his mother was right, but according to Jill, she first had to pass an important test.
“He asked me if I could drive a tractor,” she said.
“That’s what he wanted, a tractor driver. I said, ‘sort of’ and I think I must have passed.”
Bob and Jill married in the Presbyterian Church at Donald on February 25, 1961.
Tomorrow, they will mark 60 years of marriage.
“We were supposed to be married a week earlier, but it was duck opening weekend and none of the boys were going to come,” Jill said.
“Duck opening was really big back then because there was a lot of water in Lake Buloke – people used to come from all over the place. We ended up changing our wedding to the following week.”
The couple enjoyed a celebration with immediate family at Baa 3400 in Horsham on Saturday night.
“We have four children, three girls and a boy,” Jill said.
“They’re all married happily, and I have 11 grandchildren. I don’t have any great-grandchildren yet, but I would like some.”
Bob and Jill live on their family farm, Wybara – between Minyip and Rupanyup – which is now run by their son, Wayne. Jill said she loved farm life. “It’s always really great – there’s
something different every day,” she said. “What you put in, you’ll get out. “I have helped on the farm a fair bit over the 60 years – you have to, especially over shearing and times like that.
“I was 22 when didn’t have a career.
I married and
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“I made my career as a wife and mother.”
Jill and Bob met at a mutual friend’s 18th birthday party and started dating two years later.
“He asked me out at a ball at Minyip and we went to another one the next weekend, at St Arnaud,” she said. They have been together ever since. Jill said having shared interests was a key to the couple’s longevity.
“We didn’t go out a lot and we did everything together, like yabbying and seaside holidays – it gives you something to talk about later in life,” she said.
“Also, being a farmer’s wife, you have to be patient – especially at cropping or harvest time, because they spend a lot of time out in the paddock and you have to have good meals when they come home.
“Bob and I are very lucky though. We have great kids, who have good partners, and wonderful grandchildren.
“We’ve always had something to be proud of, be happy about and look forward to.”