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First case of mpox in Victoria for 2024 prompts warning

Grace Frost
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First case of mpox in Victoria for 2024 prompts warning

Victoria has recorded its first locally-acquired case of mpox in almost six months, prompting a reminder for groups at highest risks to be aware of the symptoms and ensure they are fully vaccinated.

The latest case has not been linked to international travel, suggesting local transmission may be occurring.

Acting chief health officer Christian McGrath said it was a particularly important time to be vigilant for symptoms, with increased travel at this time of year and several pride events in Victoria.

“If you develop symptoms, our advice is to stay home, restrict your contact with others and book in an appointment with your GP or nearest sexual health service,” he said.

Since May 2022, there has been a large international outbreak of mpox that has predominantly impacted men who have sex with men.

Mpox continues to spread in many countries and there remains an ongoing risk of outbreaks from returned travellers.

Victoria recorded 70 cases of mpox in 2022. With increased awareness and the Victorian mpox vaccination program, that number fell to eight in 2023.

Dr McGrath urged anyone eligible who is not double-vaccinated to make an appointment with a vaccine provider.

“For optimal protection you need two doses of the mpox vaccine administered at least 28 days apart,” he said.

The mpox vaccine is available through more than 250 providers across Victoria, including at select community pharmacies, university student health services, sexual health clinics and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

The mpox vaccine is available free-of-charge for all sexually active gay and bisexual men, cis and trans; sexual partners of gay and bisexual men, cis and trans; and to sex workers.

Mpox is caused by infection with the mpox virus. Common symptoms include a rash, lesions or sores, fever, chills, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and sore throat.

The disease is mostly spread from person-to-person through prolonged physical or intimate contact with someone who has mpox.

Broadford’s Rennie receives support to live her best life

The North Central Review
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Broadford’s Rennie receives support to live her best life

With a multitude of support behind her, Renata ‘Rennie’ Hobbs feels like a different woman from who she was 12 months ago.

Ms Hobbs is a National Disability Insurance Scheme, NDIS, participant with multiple physical and cognitive disabilities including bipolar disorders and tremors.

After her mother Sharon died from pancreatic cancer in 2022, Ms Hobbs lost not only her mother but best friend and carer.

“I saw a grief counsellor and she couldn’t get me out of the house or to try new things because I was too anxious and I didn’t have the confidence,” she said.

“She was my great support. I used to say to [Mum] ‘who loves you?’ and she would say ‘my baby loves me’. She used to give me lots of hugs and kisses, reassurance and guidance.”’

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Rennie Hobbs, of Broadford, with a horse during a profound experience with the Riding for the Disabled Association – one of the activities she is undertaking to help her confidence and reconnect with the community. ​

NDIS partner Intereach and Broadford-based NDIS support provider Local Country Care provided support, assisting Ms Hobbs’ access to the NDIS scheme.

“Ever since I got on the National Disability Insurance Scheme and started getting support, my life has been wonderful,” she said.

“I think I’ve grown and matured a lot thanks to all the support I’ve received. I’m a lot more cheerful and adventurous.”

Intereach local area coordinator Anna Babycz said Ms Hobbs came to her planning meeting a ‘shy, timid and emotional woman’.

“She was very modest in what assistance she was looking for,” Ms Babycz said.

“Upon receiving funding, Rennie’s world changed.

“She is now leaving her home and doing social things and is more confident in her outlook on life.

“Her GP noted the change in Rennie, not just physically but emotionally too.

“Rennie is confident and plans her day now and looks forward to getting out and about.”

But it is not only NDIS providers supporting Ms Hobbs – the Broadford community rallied around her while raising funds in memory of her mother for the Pancare Foundation, which researches upper gastrointestinal cancers.

Ms Hobbs walked 68 kilometres in September while selling more than $1000 in raffle tickets symbolising the 68 Australians dying from gastrointestinal cancers each day.

“My anxiety levels have gone down a little bit and if I am anxious thanks to the NDIS and my grief counsellor I am able to self-talk …and concentrate on the positive things,” Ms Hobbs said.

“The NDIS supports have been beautiful, supportive, nurturing, non-judgemental and a whole lot of fun. They just treat me like one of the gang.

“All the friends I’ve made through the NDIS, they all have their own worries and disabilities, and it’s nice not to feel like an outcast or not worthy of friendship.

“They may not have bipolar. Some of them have physical disabilities and I think it’s great because they’ve accepted me as their friend and I love that. It’s all acceptance.”

Swimming lessons a necessity as drowning deaths skyrocket

Max Davies
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Swimming lessons a necessity as drowning deaths skyrocket

Royal Life Saving data predicts this summer will be one of the worst summers for drowning in recent years, with more than 100 fatalities possible before the end of February.

As of January 30, 72 people have drowned across Australia since the start of summer – a 24 per cent increase from the same time in 2022-23 and four per cent on the five-year average.

During the Christmas holiday period between December 24 and January 2 there were 25 drowning deaths.

Royal Life Saving chief executive Justin Scarr said the summer holiday season had been a ‘tragic period’.

“Whether you are splashing in a lake, paddling on a river, or relaxing around a swimming pool, please make safe decisions to help you and your loved ones to stay safe around water,” he said.

Ffity eight of the 72 deaths were people aged 20 years or older, with men four times more likely to drown than women – a statistic that has not changed for many years.

Twenty seven drownings for 2023-24 have so far occurred at the beach, a significant jump from the next most dangerous location of rivers and creeks where 18 people have drowned.

“Be aware of your limitations. Every year we see far too many people overestimate their skills and underestimate the risks around water, which can lead to a drowning incident,” Mr Scarr said.

“If you are unsure about your ability in the water, we encourage you to visit your local aquatic centre to test your skills before going into open water.”

Teaching water safety

At Kingswim, a national swim school with locations in Epping and Mernda, a free water safety program operates alongside typical swimming lessons aimed at advocating for children to be safe in the water, while also educating other family members beyond the pool.

Program creator Anne Brown said the statistics highlighted the importance of Kingswim’s role in reinforcing water safety and skills.

“The stats highlight that there’s absolutely no room for complacency in the industry … it leads me to think that it’s coming down to the choices that people are making,” she said.

“People are choosing to swim in unsupervised or unpatrolled beaches, they’re finding a quiet spot on the beach because it seems really appealing but it’s probably quiet for a reason – it’s potentially not a safe place to swim.

“Obviously we advocate for kids and adults to learn to swim as a priority in the first instance, but we know that depending on their circumstances, not everybody may have the luxury of attending lessons.”

As part of the water safety program, Kingswim has been hosting kindergarten incursions for almost 20 years with interactive activities to share water safety knowledge and practical skills.

Lessons are taught to children through play-based activities including rescue games, as well as a rhyming story and water safety song and dance to help make the information memorable.

“It means that we can get the messaging into the house because the kids take all the information home and they practice it to their parents or their siblings,” Ms Brown said.

“No one wants to be or know someone who’s that statistic … the really sad thing is that in most instances, death by drowning is preventable.

“We have to have ongoing education and that’s a critical step to keeping people safe. If we reach as many people in that space as we could, I think we’d be a lot safer around the water.”

Dalhousie district golfers of the year

The North Central Review
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Dalhousie district golfers of the year

Helen Howard from Marysville and Broadford’s Mary Campbell shared the Dalhousie Golf District 2023 Player of the Year award, tied on 24 points each.

It was Ms Howard’s first win but for Ms Campbell, it was her third – a testament to longevity.

The player of the year competition began in 1994 and Ms Campbell joins two other players – Jenny Coleman and Glenda Woods – as a third-time winner.

The men’s player of the year was first-time winner Barney Hearnden, from Woodend.

Dalhousie District includes 15 golf clubs stretching across central Victoria from Trentham in the south, to Euroa in the north and Eildon and Marysville across the east.

Both men and women play in several club-organised events throughout the year including bowls and tournaments, where they accrue points going towards becoming player of the year.

At the first district event of the following year, winners are acknowledged. To win the awards players need to both play well and travel to the many events.

Bendigo Bank has sponsored this event for the past few years and David Atkinson, a director of the Wallan, Kilmore and Broadford Bendigo Banks, was on hand on Australia Day to present the 2023 winners with their trophies.

Victoria’s first ‘quiet hospital’ opens in New Epping

Pam Kiriakidis
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Victoria’s first ‘quiet hospital’ opens in New Epping

Ramsay Health Care has opened the Northern Private Hospital in New Epping, delivering quality patient care to one of the fast-growing suburbs in Victoria. 

Located in Riverlee’s New Epping estate, stage one opened with 70 patient beds, four operating theatres, a cardiac catheterisation lab, a sleep study unit, a day chemotherapy unit, on-site pharmacy, pathology, and medical imaging.

The new hospital opened to patients yesterday.

Patients will be able to access private health care closer to home, with a wide range of specialities including general medicine; cancer care; cardiac care; ear, nose and throat; orthopaedics; IVF and fertility; vascular care; urology; nephrology; gastroenterology; general surgery; thoracic surgery; respiratory and sleep services; and plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Lumus Imaging, one of the largest imaging providers with 150 sites across Australia, will be on site providing high-quality imaging services to the hospital and community.

The hospital has unique features, being the first Ramsay hospital in Australia to make use of the Vocera communication platform and Zebra smartphones.

The new system will allow for a ‘quiet hospital’ so that all patient call bells and any emergency code are sent to the devices and are not audible across the hospital, ensuring patients can rest and recuperate in a silent environment.

Clinical services director Dan Mabon said the smartphones would change how nursing was operated.

“We can integrate a lot of our systems so that we can instantly see how that patient is recovering, so if they’re unwell we will know quicker, and we’ll be able to communicate with our patients quicker, they will be able to communicate with us directly,” he said.

“We wouldn’t have to have these buzzers going off, so they’ll be able to sleep.”

The hospital is co-located to the Northern Hospital with a linking bridge, which will enable both hospitals to work in conjunction, including supporting the Northern’s busy emergency department.

Chief executive Shaune Gillespie said Ramsay Health had a great partnership with the Northern Hospital.

“We’ll be working with them, so any patient that identifies they have private health insurance, we’ll work with them and see whether the patient wants to use their health insurance and come across and be admitted to the private hospital,” he said.

“So that way we can try and help with the busyness of the Northern, their [Emergency Department] ED is the busiest ED in the country, they have a lot of presentations, so it’s just giving the community access to private health if they wish to use it, private health cover.”

In the long term, the hospital will expand its services with stage two and stage three in the next developmental years.

Stage two will feature an additional 36 overnight beds and two operating theatres, while stage three will include a 12-space Emergency Department with two resuscitation bays, two theatres, one cath lab, eight-bed Intensive Care Unit, ICU, three CCU and 100 medical and surgical beds.

Mr Gillespie said the overall vision of the hospital would be a ‘warm, welcoming’ space.

“I want it to be a warm, welcoming, friendly environment where people enjoy coming and get really good service, good care and would recommend us and to come back if they need our services again.” he said.

Northern Private Hospital is at 12 Osburn Place, on the corner of Osburn Place and Norwell Street in the Riverlee New Epping Estate.

For more information, visit www.northernprivate.com.au.

Nationals pre-select Birrell for Nicholls

Grace Frost
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Nationals pre-select Birrell for Nicholls

The Nationals have pre-selected three sitting Members of Parliament, including Nicholls’ Sam Birrell, to stand in next year’s Federal election.

Anne Webster for Mallee and Darren Chester for Gippsland were also endorsed as candidates by the party’s members.

The Nationals’ Victorian president Neil Pankhurst said it was great news for regional Victoria.

“As a party, we are determined to fight for a safer, stronger and fairer regional Australia, where everyone can get ahead,” he said.

“Anne, Sam and Darren all have proven track records of delivering results for their communities and it’s good to have a stable and experienced team taking the fight up to the Albanese government.

“Regional Australia needs strong voices and we need local champions who understand the issues facing families outside our capital cities. 

“Our three lower house MPs and Senator Bridget McKenzie will continue to fight for better outcomes for the people we represent.”

Mr Birrell said he had enjoyed his first term as the MP for Nicholls, but was concerned with the direction taken by the Labor government.

“City-based parties simply don’t understand the impact of policies like water buybacks in the Murray-Darling Basin and we need to return to government before more damage is done,” he said.

The Nationals will select candidates for other federal divisions in due course.

Sheep races support successful fundraiser

The North Central Review
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Sheep races support successful fundraiser

The Glenaroua community hosted another successful Woolly Cup late last month, with nearly 100 community members gathering together for the fundraising event.

Organised by the Glenaroua Country Fire Authority brigade, the annual sheep race has been a fixture on the calendar for the past 15 years for the rural area east of Pyalong.

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Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland, who emceed the event for her second year, said the race was always a highlight for the community.

“The Woolly Cup is one of the most entertaining community events across our wonderful region. It is good old family fun,” she said.

“It not only brings the entire Glenaroua community together, but it also raises essential funds for the local fire brigade.

“On top of housing the brigade, the fire hall acts as a community hub for locals to gather for functions.

“I want to extend my thanks and congratulations to CFA captain Damian Laffan, secretary and treasurer Pam Beerens, Cheryl Greenshields and Leigh the auctioneer for another fantastic event.”

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Ms Cleeland said volunteer-led events were crucial to the community spirit of regional towns and was proud to support them.

“Every year it seems that the community is getting more generous than the last, and I’m so glad to see the support for this event and the local brigade get stronger each year,” she said.

The Glenaroua CFA is expecting to raise close to $6000 from the race, with all money going towards the brigade, allowing for the purchase of new equipment, facilities, and essential repairs and maintenance for their vehicles.

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Glenaroua CFA secretary Pam Beerens said the event worked as a community outreach program for the brigade on top of being a crucial fundraiser.

“The Woolly Cup provides our brigade with the opportunity to share information about what we do and encourage members of the local community to join our brigade,” she said.

“You can never have too many volunteers.”

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All sheep are supplied by a local farmer, are well cared for, and are returned following the race.

No sheep were harmed, and a local veterinarian was in attendance to oversee the event.

Wandong netball on the up

Max Davies
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Wandong netball on the up

Wandong Netball Club is calling out for new players, members, volunteers and umpires as it prepares for the upcoming Kilmore Broadford Netball Association, KBNA, winter competition.

Located at LB Davern Reserve, the club operates on a community-based approach and will be fielding teams from under nine up to under 17 in the upcoming competition – set to start on April 20.

The KBNA includes teams from Kilmore, Pyalong, Seymour, Broadford, St Patrick’s Primary School and Wandong, with more than 80 Wandong players expected for 2024.

Club president Jo Pascoe said Wandong’s netball was continuing to grow each year.

“We started off in 2022 with around 65 players, and then each year we’re building almost an extra team per year,” she said.

“It’s such a good community feel. Most of the people that come down there, they bring their siblings down and it’s a bit of fun.

“All the parents come and hang out and have a chat at the club, so it becomes a bit of a social outlet for people as well.”

Registrations have now opened for the winter competition, with preseason set to commence on February 21 and go through until March 13.

All-ages preseason training takes places at Wandong Netball Club from 4.30pm to 5.30pm on Wednesdays, with potential players invited to attend two come-and-try sessions before signing up.

The training gives players an opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge of netball before teams are announced on March 13, with team training to commence the week after.

“Once they’ve gone through pre-season training, they’ll also get a bit of a feel for all the players they’ll meet and some of the coaches that will come down,” Ms Pascoe said.

To sign up, families are encouraged to download the Netball Connect app, follow the prompts to register and select ‘3758 Wandong Netball Club’.

Uniforms can be ordered through the app with fittings on offer throughout preseason training.

For 10 weeks in term four each year, the club also offers a NetSetGo program designed for children aged five to 10 years old, aimed at developing advanced netball skills and sportsmanship through activities and matches with modified rules.

“Respect is going to be a huge thing for us and for a lot of our players. It’s the first time they’re coming down and being part of a team sport,” Ms Pascoe said.

“It’s really important for them to understand that and also be able to cooperate with other people.”

Wandong Netball Club is also on the lookout for additional coaches, team managers and umpires to assist with the growing player numbers.

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Anyone interested in supporting via sponsorship is encouraged to contact wandongnetball@gmail.com.

Wallan health practitioners celebrate Medicare’s 40th anniversary

Jordyn Grubisic
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Wallan health practitioners celebrate Medicare’s 40th anniversary

Member for McEwen Rob Mitchell and Nexus Primary Health Wallan staff celebrated the 40th anniversary of Medicare on Thursday.

McEwen increased its bulk-billing rate in the first two months since the Federal Government tripled the General Practioner, GP, bulk-billing incentive, amounting to an estimated 1414 additional bulk-billed GP visits, saving patients an estimated $51,838.01 in gap fees.

Mr Mitchell said as a Labor politician, it was an exciting day celebrating the initiative.

“It was something we introduced. It’s something we hold dearly and something we will always defend to the hill,” he said.

“We’ve seen over the years the attacks on Medicare through attempted GP taxes and cutting and such, but every time we get into government, we always make sure we invest in Medicare because it’s so important.”

Mr Mitchell said data demonstrated the government was making it easier for people to see a bulk-billing doctor as promised.

“Doctors’ groups have called our tripling of the bulk-billing incentive a game-changer – and clearly it is,” he said.

“This is a win all round – for patients, doctors and the health system – and will help to make Medicare stronger than it has ever been since Labor introduced it 40 years ago.

“Locals are finding it easier to see a bulk-billing doctor because of Labor’s efforts to strengthen Medicare and this is delivering significant cost-of-living relief for people in McEwen.”

Nexus Primary Health chief executive Amanda Mullins said the clinic still bulk billed more than 60 per cent of its clients.

“We’re really proud to be a major part of the health community in Wallan,” she said.

“Despite the fact we went to co-payment back in 2023 our doctors still bulk-bill a really large, significant number of our clients.

Nexus Primary Health Wallan provides services for both children and adults including counselling, family violence support services and financial counselling.

“Nexus is delighted to be partnering with Northern Health to provide some paediatric services in the near future – supporting community services in Mitchell Shire,” Ms Mullins said.

“While we have had some challenges with recruiting more GPs, we are grateful to our current practitioners who continue to support the vulnerable clients in our community with bulk-billing where it is appropriate.

“We are proud to be part of one of the best health funded systems in the world. Medicare, as a national public health insurance scheme, covers many of our services and allows us to deliver services in our local community.”

The national bulk-billing rate has increased with an estimated 360,000 additional GP trips bulk-billed, saving more than $15 million in GP gap fees in November and December.

Funds available for Tiny Towns

The North Central Review
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Funds available for Tiny Towns

Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland is urging small communities across the region to apply for the Tiny Towns program that provides grants.

With grants ranging from $5000 to $50,000, the funds are primarily for infrastructure projects such as playgrounds, community hall and library upgrades, hiking trails and splash parks.

Community and not-profit groups and councils in towns with a population of up to 5000 people can apply for the program.

Ms Cleeland said the funding opportunities could make an impact for smaller regional towns across the electorate.

“Our smaller communities should apply for these grants as a way to help deliver local projects that benefit residents in our towns and help attract visitors,” she said.

“These projects will directly benefit the smaller towns in our region, strengthening community connections and allowing for exciting opportunities for development and improved facilities.

“It would be great to see as many communities as possible benefit from this funding to ensure our regional towns continue to get the support they deserve.”

Applications close at 5pm on February 25.

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