Telstra work upgrades commence

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January 23, 2024

Telstra has started upgrading its mobile base station in Broadford for improved 4G capacity and new 5G coverage requiring temporary service disruptions or reduction in mobile coverage.

A full shutdown occurred between January 15 and 19, and if all goes well, the work will be completed by Wednesday, January 24.

Telstra mobile customers may receive text messages informing them of the upgrades, while landline services, NBN internet services and mobile coverage from other providers will not be impacted.

Any calls to triple zero from a Telstra mobile when the site is off-air will automatically be switched to any working mobile network for connection to emergency services.

The aim of the work is for Broadford customers to enjoy a better mobile experience.

When the works are completed, Telstra customers in Broadford will join more than 4900 Telstra 5G sites on-air within chosen areas of more than 400 cities and towns across Australia.

For mobile coverage in the interim, if residents have access to a Wi-Fi signal at home or at work, Telstra encourages them to activate Wi-Fi calling – a free setting on most phones to make and receive phone calls via Wi-Fi network.

Many businesses use the Telstra network for EFTPOS terminals, however Telstra does not operate the EFTPOS network, it is managed by financial institutions.

EFTPOS terminals can be connected using fixed line or Wi-Fi/NBN internet connections.

Retailers should contact their bank for more information and details on how to switch between methods to ensure continuous service.

and if people experience concerns after the outage period, report faults through 132200 Telstra Faults.

Road safety in focus for Macedon Ranges

The North Central Review

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January 23, 2024

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A new Macedon Ranges Shire Council road safety strategy aims for a zero road toll in the shire and to reduce wildlife trauma.

The Mobility and Road Safety Strategy 2023-2032 and its action plan have been designed to support the vision of both the Macedon Ranges and the State Government to work towards reducing fatalities and crash injuries within the shire.

It was also developed with non-vehicle road user considerations in mind and targets a reduction in wildlife road trauma.

Councillors adopted the draft strategy at its December meeting with no opposition.

Cr Janet Pearce said while the strategy had been in the works for some time, council was ‘pleased’ to see it come to fruition.

“I think one of the big points is that we recognise the environment, we recognise the position we are [in] with the peri-urban and also regional area that we are,” she said.

“If we feel that there are points in here that need to be addressed, it’s making sure that we do advocate and that we are continually telling our residents when there are complaints or concerns about things that might not be council’s responsibility, but we inform them who to notify.”

The strategy was designed with four safe system key principles in focus, those being safer roads, safer speeds, safer people and safer vehicles – all of which serve to promote better habits and create useful knowledge about minimising risks when using roads.

The strategy also recognises the importance of supporting active transport such as walking and cycling, working with road safety partners such as police, listening to and engaging with the community, and considering wildlife safety.

Cr Christine Walker, who commenced her role in November 2023, said she was impressed by the strategy’s development and proud to see it in action.

“As a new councillor, I was very impressed with this document because I think it’s one of the things that occurs in the background that makes a change and difference to our residents,” she said.

“It represents an enormous amount of work that is ultimately about the safety of our community, so I think it’s a very important document and I’m very proud of council for having generated it over the past few years, it’s a very impressive thing.”

Cr Geoff Neill also said he was proud that council was aspiring to achieve zero road deaths over the coming years.

Macedon Ranges council seeks flood feedback

The North Central Review

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January 23, 2024

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Macedon Ranges council seeks flood feedback

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is seeking first-hand feedback from residents impacted by recent storm/flood events to help officers provide and tailor additional support where appropriate.

Since Christmas Eve 2023, council has received hundreds of reports of flood and storm impacts, with council officers working diligently to prioritise and promptly address each of the queries.

Council’s community director Maria Weiss said council was eager to adopt lessons from previous flood events and support impacted residents where appropriate.

“We know we were more fortunate than some of our neighbouring councils and others across Victoria in terms of extensive flood/storm impacts, but we’ve been here before and we want to be proactive in gathering information and supporting our community,” she said.

“I encourage anyone impacted to get in touch and on behalf of all of our teams here at council, I’d like to thank the community in advance for their patience and understanding as we continue to work methodically through a high number of customer queries during this time.”

To gather more information and provide further support, council officers are travelling to several towns across the shire with a roving Recovery Operations Centre, ROC, inviting and assisting impacted residents to register for support and provide feedback.

Proposed ROC drop-in sessions, subject to change, include:

January 24: Lancefield Neighbourhood House, 2 to 4pm
January 31: Darraweit Guim Memorial Hall, 10am to 12pm and Romsey Hub, 2 to 4pm
February 2: Council’s Kyneton administration centre, 10am to 12pm

Residents can also provide feedback online by visiting and filling out a public registration form. to fill out a form or contact the customer service team on 5422 0333.

Grants for young sports stars

The North Central Review

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January 23, 2024

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Young sports stars who are participating in a state, national, or international championship this year may be assisted in the latest round of the Local Sporting Champions grant.

The Local Sporting Champions program provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 participating in state, national or international championships.

Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland encouraged eligible local athletes to apply for the grants.

“We are a region with an extremely proud sporting culture, particularly with our youth sports,” she said.

“Sadly, living regionally can bring forth some additional barriers for our local athletes to attend some of the major sporting events in cities across the country.”

Providing up to $750 in funds to compete in a sporting championship, the latest round is currently open and will close at 11.59pm on January 31.

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Seymour-based communications business launches

The North Central Review

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January 23, 2024

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Seymour-based communications business launches

The Mitchell Shire is home to a new communications business following the recent launch of MICOM, founded by Seymour’s Mitch Itter.

The business provides a broad range of media and communication services to local organisations, including website development, branding, media liaison, social media, copywriting and speechwriting.

Mr Itter grew up and resides in Seymour. He holds tertiary qualifications in politics, international relations, media, communications and education.

His media experience includes working across government, corporate affairs, the not-for-profit sector, sporting clubs, and small businesses.

With a passion for regional people, sharing stories and lifting brand awareness, MICOM has been launched with the intention of being the one-stop shop for organisations looking to build their profile and increase efficiency.

“My professional experience has given me fantastic opportunities to work across so many communication channels and I can’t wait to share my experience to help local businesses,” he said.

“This includes working across both the public and private sectors and being heavily involved with organisations in the Goulburn Valley.

“We have already partnered with several local businesses and clubs that are seeing strong results from their investment in MICOM.”

MICOM offers tailored solutions to businesses no matter the size or industry.

“A partnership with MICOM could be as simple as a one-off event or announcement you’re looking to amplify or an ongoing contract to be at your service around the clock,” Mr Itter said.

“I’m passionate about increasing the reach of businesses and helping them reach new audiences.

“In the current climate, it’s more important than ever to be utilising online and traditional media forms to meet and exceed your business goals.

“I can’t wait to help more businesses across our region tap new markets and thrive through partnering with MICOM.”

To find out more, follow MICOM on Instagram or Facebook, visit micomonline.com.au, or get in touch with Mr Itter at mitch.micom@gmail.com or 0431 542 660.

BP Kilmore closes for renovations

The North Central Review

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January 23, 2024

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BP Kilmore has temporarily closed its doors ahead of a major renovation.

The site closed on January 15 and is expected to reopen in about 12 months once renovations are complete.

All entrances have been closed off to the Sydney Street site, including the gravel carpark behind the store.

Other available BP sites nearby include BP Wallan outbound and inbound on the Hume Highway, as well as BP OPT Laffans Accident Repair Centre at 104 High Street, Wallan.

City of Whittlesea endorses community engagement policy

The North Central Review

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January 23, 2024

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A focus on hearing from the City of Whittlesea’s diverse community has been embedded into council’s updated Community Engagement Policy 2023-2027.

Endorsed at the December council meeting, the policy is an update to the A Voice for All: Community Engagement Policy 2021.

The policy highlights council’s commitment to engagement as well as highlighting policy focus areas including further developing consultation practices with under-represented cohorts and continuing to evolve council’s journey towards more deliberative practices.

City of Whittlesea chair administrator Lydia Wilson said the updated policy would back the continued development of council’s community engagement ahead of the Local Government Act 2020 VIC.

“We are committed to providing genuine and meaningful community engagement and hearing from the voices of our community on projects, plans and activities that impact them,” she said.

“This policy provides the framework for us to grow and develop this important function of council.”

Ms Wilson said community engagement was crucial for good governance.

“Ensuring our community have the opportunity to have their say and that council considers this as part of its decision-making means that we can remain transparent and informed in the decisions we make on behalf of community,” she said.

“We are a diverse community, and we need to ensure that we are hearing from a diverse range of people from different age groups, different abilities and different cultural backgrounds to make sure our engagement is representative of our community.

“We also want to embed more deliberative practices which means ensuring people have the time and information they need to provide meaningful, in-depth feedback.”

The final policy was adopted following community consultation, which included community-based pop-ups at different locations including citizenship ceremonies, festivals and events, libraries and community centres and an online survey.

Consultation also took place with key stakeholder groups.

To view the Community Engagement Policy 2023-2027, visit www.whittlesea.vic.gov.au or engage.whittlesea.vic.gov.au.

Grants open to boost regional communities

The North Central Review

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January 23, 2024

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Grants open to boost regional communities

Federal Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell is encouraging members of organisations to apply for the Strengthening Rural Communities grant program.

The Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, FRRR, has been funded by the Federal Government to provide grants of up to $10,000 to help organisations across regional, rural and remote Australia boost communities.

Mr Birrell said the program was to help the work of regional and rural organisations and their members.

“Local organisations are the backbone of regional communities and consistently provide opportunities for people to come together whatever the event, sport, occasion or hobby they specialise in,” he said.

“From COVID to recent flood events our community groups continue to be disrupted leading to reduce numbers, limited fundraising opportunities as well as opportunities to organise community events and projects.

“These groups need to be supported to ensure they can bounce back to normal operation as well as remaining sustainable for the benefit of people living in regional and rural areas like Nicholls.

“These grants focus on a broad range of projects and include funds for volunteer support, events and activities, enhancing community spaces, and developing services to support local vulnerable people.”

Mr Birrell encouraged community groups to also look at other grant opportunities, which may be available through the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal.

Applications close at 5pm on February 26. .

Paramedics’ reminder to be summer smart

The North Central Review

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January 23, 2024

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Ambulance Victoria is urging the community to never leave children or elderly people in cars and take simple, preventative steps to beat the heat this summer.

Paramedics were called to more than 310 reports of people locked in cars in the past three months and a total of 1240 call outs from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023.

The temperature inside a vehicle can double and become deadly within minutes.

It is particularly dangerous for children to be left inside vehicles as a child’s body temperature can rise three to five times faster than an adult.

Ambulance Victoria operational communications executive director Danielle North said people should take steps to reduce the risk and be mindful during hot weather.

“Too often our paramedics are responding throughout the summer months to a child left inside a vehicle, which is incredibly dangerous,” she said.

“Last summer we thankfully saw a drop in cases, however, in spring this year paramedics responded to more cases of people locked in cars compared to the previous spring.”

High temperatures can also increase the risk of serious heat-related illnesses, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Heat stroke is fatal in up to 80 per cent of cases yet entirely preventable. Most at risk are elderly people, young children and those with medical conditions.

“We don’t want complacency to set in, so we’re asking parents and carers to always take their children and elderly people with them whenever they get out of the car,” Ms North said.

“Stay hydrated by drinking water throughout the day, wear a hat and sunscreen, and avoid being outside during the hottest time of the day, if possible.”

Heat and heat-related illnesses can affect anybody, especially if people are not prepared or have not taken preventative action.

Triple zero is for emergencies and if people are feeling unwell, they can contact the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department, visit a Priority Primary Care Centre, call NURSE-ON-CALL on 1300 60 60 24, or see a doctor or pharmacist.

Tips to stay snake-safe this summer

The North Central Review

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January 23, 2024

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Regional Victorians are being urged to lookout for snakes and act quickly this summer.

Victoria’s snake season is usually between September and April, with sightings more common in summer months and in rural areas.

Ambulance Victoria emergency management director Justin Dunlop said paramedics have been responding to snake bite cases across Victoria this summer, and it was a timely reminder for people to act if they were a victim of a bite.

“There’s an increased risk of snakes during the warmer months, particularly in places such as bushland, farms and campgrounds,” he said.

“Most snakes in Victoria are venomous and a bite can be life-threatening.

“If someone is suspected to have suffered a snake bite, even if you’re not sure, you should call triple zero immediately.”

Snake bites may cause pain and swelling around the bite, or there may be a few signs left on the skin and can be easily confused with a scratch from a branch or twig.

Symptoms that snake venom is in your system may include dizziness, blurred vision, breathing difficulties, nausea, muscle weakness or paralysis.

“For conscious patients, keep them still and reassured while waiting for help and only move them if it is too unsafe to stay put,” Mr Dunlop said.

“Apply a pressure immobilisation bandage around the affected areas from the top to the bottom of the limb.”

Snake bite prevention and tips:

Always give snakes a wide berth and allow them the opportunity to flee.
All snake bites should be considered a medical emergency.
Most, but not all, Victorian snakes are venomous.
Do not attempt to catch or kill a snake yourself.
Do not wash the site of the bite, as venom left on the skin can be used to help identify the type of snake and required antivenom treatment.
Bite marks may not be obvious – seek help immediately and call triple zero if you suspect you have been bitten.

If you or someone you are with is bitten:

DRSABC – Dangers? Responsive? Send for help. Open airway. Check for breathing. Start CPR if required.
Call triple zero.
Keep patient still and reassure them.
Apply a pressure immobilisation bandage.
Splint the limb to prevent movement.
Wait with the patient until help arrives.