Will Mitchell Shire seek support for North-Western farmers?
Dear Editor,
Last week’s North Central Review reported the Mitchell Shire Councillors seeking support for farmers within the Shire whose farms are located in the Federal Division of Nicholls. This will assist them in dealing with the challenges and hardships brought upon them by the current drought. The Council deserves credit for their concern about our farmers who are doing it very tough.
However, the north-west agricultural area of Mitchell Shire appears to be overlooked since it is outside of both McEwan and Nicholls. As a result of the Federal Division boundary re-alignment of last October, the north-west of the Shire is now part of the Federal Division of Bendigo – this includes Pyalong and Tooborac, and the localities of Glenhope, Nulla Vale and Emu Flat. This portion of the Shire is often overlooked; one recent example is access to the DrumMuster recycling scheme being more difficult for that part of the Shire.
Let’s see if Council will similarly advocate on behalf of those Mitchell Shire farmers who are in the Federal Division of Bendigo.
David Waye, Pyalong
Praise for Kilmore Hospital
Dear Editor,
On Sunday afternoon my brother arrived at my home in Hidden Valley looking ashen faced and unwell.
I knew that he need to get to a Hospital and knowing the Northern hospitals emergency ward would be very busy and 40 klms away, decided to take him to the Kilmore hospital which was only 15 klms away.
We were seen as soon as we walked in the door and my brother was taken into emergency immediately.
The doctor came out to see me less than 10 minutes after arriving and advised me that he thought my brother had a mild heart attack and most likely had blood clot/s on his lung.
As the Kilmore hospital doesn’t have the scanning and imaging equipment to treat my brothers issues, the doctor arranged an ambulance transfer to the Northern hospital.
The wait for the ambulance would have been less than 10 minutes and as he arrived at the northern hospital by ambulance he was admitted to the emergency ward and has now spent two Days in ICU and could not be scanned yesterday as the hospital did not have sufficient staff.
He is now back in a ward awaiting results to come back from scans etc and for the doctors to decide what is the best treatment.
I express my great fullness to the excellent staff and doctor at the wonderful Kilmore hospital and the excellent treatment he received their and for the ambulance members who took him to the Northern hospital and to it for his prompt admission.
We truely are lucky to have such a wonderful regional hospital health service.
Dale J Wise, Hidden Valley
Black sport fears
Dear Editor,
There has been much discussion about the road black spots in Mitchell Shire and for all the talk, I have yet to see a definition of a “Black Spot”.
1/ Is it an oversized puddle that will rip your front suspension out, quicker than a wombat on steroids?
2/ Is it the intersection south bound from Pretty Sally on the Northern Highway, where there is no right turn light, so it becomes a Turkey shoot with four lanes of cars coming over the rise, so you are unable to determine which lane they are in, until they are right on top of you. Don’t forget the number of cars already doing over 60 kph North bound in preparation for the climb up Pretty Sally.
3/ Is it the 50 meter strip of the Northern Highway where eight crashes occurred last year and five so far this year? After six crashes, VicRoads put up 60 km/hr speed restrictions so that anyone who had a crash there would have no insurance, and VicRoads would have no liability, after all, you would have to be very talented to have a crash under 60 km/hr.
So, down to the reason behind this letter. Last Sunday, June 24 a large sedan lost control while trying to overtake vehicles going up the hill in the 60km no passing zone. It clipped a small sedan containing a young Mum and three small children and spun the car around 270 degrees, before the speeding car crossed the down hill lane and disappeared into the undergrowth, flipping and rolling several times. Two cars written off, but thankfully, everyone appeared to have been wearing seat belts, so bruised, but no cuts or broken bones.
In conclusion, I am sick and tired of hearing cars doing over 100 km/hr down the hill in the 60 zone, and passing other cars by crossing the double white lines and ignoring the no passing signs. This straight piece of road becomes particularly dangerous in the wet. I dread the day when a truck and trailor unit (six last year), jack knife across three lanes going up the highway, only to be met by a speeding vehicle coming down the highway. So far the interval between truck crash and a speeding car in the opposite direction, has been a matter of minutes. Less than a minute will be fatal.
Brian Woodhouse-Young, Moranding
A thought on Roos
Dear Editor,
Annabelle Cleeland MP has raised concerns about kangaroo numbers across our region. While no one denies they can cause road risks or eat more than their share of pasture, calls for mass culling may be more knee-jerk than necessary.
I’ve driven country roads for 26 years — through Broadford, Kilmore, Seymour, the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges and beyond — and I’ve never hit a kangaroo or any other wildlife for that matter. Not because I’m lucky, but because I slow down at dawn and dusk and stay alert. Most roos don’t leap out of nowhere — we just often drive like they won’t.
Yes, insurance claims for kangaroo collisions are up — 6,788 in Victoria last year. But so is the size of towns like Wallan, Kilmore and Beveridge, pushing deeper into kangaroo habitat. We’re sharing space more than ever, and some of the “explosion” in sightings is just us building in their backyard.
Kangaroo populations also rise and fall with the weather (ie the La Niña of 2021). After a few good seasons, they boom. Then during drought — like now — they decline. Nature does its own culling, without needing bullets.
Rather than expanding commercial harvesting or opening the shooting gates wider, let’s try proven alternatives: better signage, wildlife fencing, reduced speeds in known hotspots, and education campaigns about driving when kangaroos are most active.
We can protect drivers, support farmers and still respect our native wildlife — if we choose smarter, balanced solutions over headlines and hasty fixes. Besides, kangaroos were here first — and frankly, they bounce a lot better than we brake.
Luke, Kilmore
Another take on escalating Kangaroo populations
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to your article “Urgent Action Needed On Escalating Kangaroo Numbers “
With the Government’s own report showing a 260 per cent increase in the number of Kangaroos approved to be controlled since the commercialisation of Kangaroo slaughter, there is no doubt that we’re seeming to see more kangaroos because of the drought and not because of increased populations of Kangaroos.
The Kangaroos are trying to find a green pick anywhere they can to survive the drought, something they have successfully done for many thousands of years.
The financial stress of stock this year is driven by the lack of growth of the grass and subsequent difficulty sourcing and paying for hay.
Most local drivers know their Kangaroo hot spots and are willing to slow down and drive carefully. Road accidents generally are at a fifteen year high with accidents involving animals only accounting for five per cent of all collisions.
Name and address supplied