Dear Editor,
Why are Mitchell Shire Council and the road authorities continually forcing traffic down Broadford-Wandong Road due to the Marchbanks Road bridge closure, while pristine roads like Sugarloaf Creek Road sit completely empty?
Broadford-Wandong Road is a joke.
The bitumen is absolutely destroyed, yet instead of actually fixing the surface, the authorities have just gone along putting up shiny new white guideposts and slapping up a “Roads to Recovery” sign.
How is forcing cars down a ruined obstacle course a “recovery”? This isn’t just an inconvenience; it is directly costing local working families money they don’t have.
Forcing everyday commuters into a 15-to-20-minute detour every single day is adding up to an extra $100 a week in fuel, time, and wear-and-tear on our cars.
Meanwhile, the wide, smooth, pothole-free Sugarloaf Creek Road —which runs directly parallel to the freeway—stays blocked off.
It is completely obvious what’s happening: council hierarchy live down Sugarloaf Creek, so their pristine bitumen gets protected while the rest of us pay a weekly financial penalty to destroy our cars on Broadford-Wandong Road.
It’s time for the council to open up a sensible route and stop burning a hole in our pockets.
Terry
Let’s make our carers visible
Dear Editor,
During National Carers Week, it is important that we take a moment to recognise the thousands of people across regional Victoria who provide unpaid care and support to a family member, friend or loved one.
From helping an elderly parent with appointments and day-to-day tasks, to supporting someone living with disability or a chronic illness, caring can take many forms.
Often, carers do this work quietly. They juggle family, work and their own commitments while making sure someone they love has the support they need.
National Carers Week, from October 11 to 17, is a chance to make those carers visible and recognise the enormous contribution they make to our communities.
The 2026 theme, “Care for a carer: Making carers visible”, is a timely reminder that carers need support too.
In regional communities, where access to health, disability and support services can be more limited, the role of family and friend carers can be particularly important.
We should not wait for someone to reach breaking point before we ask how they are going.
This week, I encourage everyone to think about the carers they know and take a simple step to support them. Offer a hand, make a phone call, invite them for a coffee, or simply let them know that what they do is seen and valued.
To the carers across the Euroa electorate and regional Victoria, thank you.
Your contribution matters, your work matters, and you deserve to be supported as much as the people you care for.
Annabelle Cleeland
Member for Euroa
A letter to Jaclyn Symes
Dear Editor,
A true-life example of how poorly the state of Victoria is currently in.
On Wednesday October 7 at 12.30am, I required an ambulance to take me to an emergency department due to complications with major surgery the week prior. I was hunched over on the floor in severe pain.
My wife who called the ambulance was told no ambulances were available and asked her to call them back if things changed. We then presented to Kilmore emergency and was advised to drive to Melbourne as I required imaging and they were not able to obtain any ambulance services either.
In great pain, and I do mean yelling and screaming great pain, I was driven past the ambulance stations in Kilmore and Wallan to the Epworth emergency where I was treated.
This is not acceptable. Governments first responsibility to the citizens of Victoria is emergency services.
Police, ambulance and fire services.
Not being able to obtain, or even being queued for an ambulance in a regional area 80kms from Melbourne is a disgrace.
Instead of allowing billions of taxpayer dollars to be corruptly spent through the Big Build, and this happened while you were treasurer, your government needs to fix the essential services that every Victorian deserves. Ambulance services, police services and fire services save lives. First Nations advisory boards do not save lives.
Yours sincerely,
Tracy Hedditch
Kilmore
Free to wear
Dear Editor,
Living in a free country under a democracy, no one has the right to dictate to you what you can wear.
You could be a member of a car club or motorcycle club and proudly display that club’s insignia without any form of discrimination.
We do not live in China or Russia. We live in Australia.
The land of the free without being persecuted against for whom we associate with.
We are all aware that if we break the law, then we pay the price.
We all live the life we love, and love the life we live.
Mick Crozier
Seymour
