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Support for bushfire affected

The North Central Review
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Support for bushfire affected

FOR VICTORIANS reeling with the January bushfire damage, help is available to get their life back on track.

Below is a list of the support on offer, and the way people can apply:

Emergency relief payment: It is for people who have been evacuated or whose homes are unliveable due to the fires. It helps with immediate needs. Apply through the VicEmergency Hotline – 1800 226 226 (press 0 then 1).

Emergency re-establishment assistance: A payment if you can’t return home because it was damaged or destroyed, you don’t have insurance and you can’t afford repairs. Apply through the Emergency Recovery Hotline – 1800 560 760 (press 4)

Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment: A one-off, non-means-tested lump sum payment. It is available if you’ve had major damage to your home or major assets that you own at your home. Apply online – servicesaustralia.gov.au/vic-bushfires-jan-2026-agdrp

Disaster Recovery Allowance: An allowance for up to 13 weeks to help if you have lost income as a direct result of the January 2026 Victorian bushfires. Apply online – servicesaustralia.gov.au/vic-bushfires-jan-2026-dra

Prolonged power outage payment: If your home has been without power for more than seven days you may be eligible for a payment. Apply online – ausnetservices.com.au/outages/emergency-response or call 1300 561 171

Primary producer grants: Grants to assist farmers with the cost of clean-up and getting back to business. Apply online – ruralfinance.com.au/grants/

Concessional loans for primary producers: Loans for farmers to be used for restoring and replacing damaged assets, or for working capital expenses. Apply online – ruralfinance.com.au/loans/

Financial counselling: A financial counsellor can help you make a plan to manage your money. They can also talk to creditors on your behalf. Call the National Debt Helpline – 1800 007 007 to speak to a financial adviser.

Mob Strong Debt Helpline for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – 1800 808 488.

Small Business Debt Helpline – 1800 413 828.

Rural Financial Counselling Service for primary producers – 1300 771 741.

Practical support

Emergency Recovery Support Program: Support officers can advise on what services are available or connect you to programs. If you need extra support, a recovery support worker can help you over the long term. Phone 1800 560 760.

Help to clean-up your property: Help with things like demolition and removal of hazardous materials. For people who are uninsured and under-insured. For more information, visit vic.gov.au/clean-support-january-2026-bushfires

Emergency relief drinking water: Up to 20,000L of drinking water if your household relies on tank water, your tank has been contaminated by fire, ash, debris or fire-fighting activities, and your property is within an impacted area. Apply online – go.vic.gov.au/4qqT6nm or call DEECA on 136 186.

Water replacement: If essential water has been taken from your land to fight fires, you can request for it to be replaced. More information – ffm.vic.gov.au/recovery-after-an-emergency/public-land-recovery

Waste disposal fees waived: There are no fees at local waste disposal facilities until May 13. Show proof of residence, like a driver’s licence.

Fencing: Eligible property owners may get support to repair fencing if:

firefighting or disaster response teams brought about the damage, or

the fence is on the boundary of national parks, state parks or state forests.

Find out if your damage is eligible – contact DEECA on 136 186.

Land surveys: There are land surveyors who will provide professional advice on surveys and perform title boundary surveys at a discounted rate, only covering costs or less. Phone Surveyor-General Victoria on 9194 0282 or email surveyor.general@transport.vic.gov.au

Fodder: To request fodder, contact the Victorian Farmers Federation on 1300 882 833 or vff.org.au/vff-emergencyfodderrequestform/

Livestock disposal: if you need advice for disposing of livestock, contact Agriculture Victoria on 0407 145 007 or livestock.disposal@agriculture.vic.gov.au

Tasks for kids

The North Central Review
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Tasks for kids

By Fran Cleland

Ahhh back to school for a new year.

I think school teachers feel the need to torture the parents of their pupils.

It’s the only reason I can come up for them to encourage the child to play music. Adding the kids to a choir when they can’t sing a note, and when they discover this, they move them to another area in the music section, and hand them an instrument to play..

Cymbals are bad enough, but luckily still only played at school, but the worst is the recorder … a universal teacher favourite.

Legend has it that King Henry VIII owned 76 recorders, also called English flutes (a pox on him).

However, its popularity waned with the introduction of the oboe, clarinet, flute and other wind instruments.

In the 20th century, schools began using recorders in elementary music classes, much to the chagrin of parents worldwide.

How did the recorder become the instrument of choice for music education in primary schools? Does it really prepare children to play other instruments?

I doubt it … All I know is when both boys came home with one and attempted to play music, the inside terriers, plus all my husband’s working dogs, pursed their lips and joined in, and way down the road, three kilometres away, the local hunt club’s foxhounds joined in … it was bedlam.

The boys thought it was hilarious. I didn’t.

They gave up after a while much to my relief, but then, younger son for some reason decided to learn the violin. The teacher even let him bring it home to practice.

So I wrote the following poem.

Ode to a violin

You have no idea the state we’re in,
The baby’s learning violin.
Cotton wool buds dot the floor,
His brother’s gone to the place next door.
His nana says she loves him but his music wrecks her sleep,
His father’s gone off fishing, says that he’ll be back next week.
The hens are in a nervous moult as the tortured cat gut screams,
The dogs are howling in the yard, the woodworms fled the beams.
He flings the bow across the strings, Like Menuhin he wiggles.
Then he gets offended ‘cause his mum’s covering up her giggles.
But – all in all – I’ll just decide to like it, and to lump it,
Because, you know, it could be worse …
He might have chosen trumpet.

Letters to the Editor – January 27, 2026

The North Central Review
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Letters to the Editor – January 27, 2026

Long road ahead

I must say congratulations to all those people, especially the chefs at the Seymour RSL, for looking after those affected by the recent bushfires and cooking all the food. This was Black Saturday 2. I was living in Kilmore when Black Saturday started, and I know how severe it was for those impacted by the fire. It’s a long road ahead for everyone, including my favourite winery, Fowles Winery.

Those fires could have been significantly less severe if the Victorian Government had followed the Black Saturday Royal Commission’s recommendation to reduce the fuel load annually. Instead, they ignored this advice and replaced it with “modelling”. Now we see the results.

I see in the Review (20/01/26) that work is “soon to commence” on the Watson Street on/off ramps. It looks like the government is going to have discussions on the impact of construction with the local plants and animals on Watson Street. That may take a while, given the discussions the Labor Government had with the Growling Frog and the impact that the Craigieburn bypass was going to have on their environment. I’m sure the Wallan residents will be hoping for a quicker resolution than those on the Craigieburn bypass. No doubt Premier Jacinta Allan’s advisers will help speed up the process, along with the help of the Australian Greens.

Brian Mawhinney

Traralgon

Don’t park on footpaths

Is it too much to ask for people to refrain from parking across footpaths? What is barely a nuisance for able-bodied pedestrians can for the disabled (and parents with prams no doubt) be a major inconvenience.

Phillip Chandler

Broadford

Healthy step

So good to see the cigarette shop in Station St, Seymour, has been shut down. This life-destroying product should be banned for the good of all.

Mick Crozier

Seymour

NC Real Estate (2026-01-20)

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NC Real Estate (2026-01-20)

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NCR (2026-01-20)

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Weekly 15×15 Crossword Week 20/01/2026

The North Central Review
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Weekly 15×15 Crossword Week 20/01/2026

Crossword puzzle of the week

How to play 15×15 Crossword

You can solve the clues in any order. Click or tap on either a clue or a box in the grid to start entering an answer. You can also use the arrow keys, enter/shift-enter or, tab/shift-tab to move around the grid. The clues for words that have been entirely filled in are marked gray, whether the answer is correct or not.

Play 15×15 Crossword together

Use the Play together option in the navigation bar to invite a friend to play this crossword puzzle with you. Once connected, your friend’s icon will turn green. If either of you is disconnected from the Internet, the icon will turn red. If either of you is inactive, the icon will turn gray. You and your friend can now enter letters at the same time. Click on the chat icon at bottom right to talk with your friend. (Chat is not available if either player is on a mobile device.)

Want more Puzzles?

You can find more of our brain teasing puzzles here at puzzle corner!

Quiz Week 20/01/2026 Challenge

The North Central Review
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Quiz Week 20/01/2026 Challenge
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Weekly Mini Crossword Week 20/01/2026

The North Central Review
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Weekly Mini Crossword Week 20/01/2026

Mini Crossword puzzle of the week

How to play Mini Crossword

You can solve the clues in any order. Click or tap on either a clue or a box in the grid to start entering an answer. You can also use the arrow keys, enter/shift-enter or, tab/shift-tab to move around the grid. The clues for words that have been entirely filled in are marked gray, whether the answer is correct or not.

Play Mini Crossword together

Use the Play together option in the navigation bar to invite a friend to play this Mini Crossword puzzle with you. Once connected, your friend’s icon will turn green. If either of you is disconnected from the Internet, the icon will turn red. If either of you is inactive, the icon will turn gray. You and your friend can now enter letters at the same time. Click on the chat icon at bottom right to talk with your friend. (Chat is not available if either player is on a mobile device.)

Want more Puzzles?

You can find more of our brain teasing puzzles here at puzzle corner!

Wordy Week 20/01/2026 Challenge

The North Central Review
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Wordy Week 20/01/2026 Challenge

Want more Puzzles?

You can find more of our brain teasing puzzles here at puzzle corner!

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