50 years ago, September 1975

Mr Don Healey has been chosen as father of the year. Mr Healey is married with three children.

He is involved in numerous local organisations, including charter member of Y’s Men’s Club, charter member of Rostrum, secretary of Tehan House executive committee and president of YMCA board of management.

Mr Healey has definite ideas on the role of the family in society today.

He said families that participated in activities as a unit would develop deeper understanding between each member than those who all went their separate ways.

Father’s role, he said, was that of a team captain with the family as his team. And as captain he took instructions from the team.

***

Changes in telephone charges, announced by the chairman of the Australian Telecommunications Commission, came into operation on Monday, the acting district telephone manager, Mr M.T. Spencer, said.

A trunk call to a place which could be called a subscriber trunk dialling (STD) will now incur a charge of 40 cents if booked by a telephone operator.

It previously cost 30 cents.

The provision of a service for a new applicant involving new lines of equipment would now incur an installation charge of $120 instead of $80.

There have also been increases in the price of a local call.

A local call from a subscriber’s service has increased from 6 cents to 9 cents, and a call from a public telephone remains at 10 cents.

***

Echuca District Hospital manager Mr Eeon Macauley assured NSW residents who have traditionally treated by Victorian hospitals they will receive full Medibank coverage.

Mr Macauley was replying to an earlier statement made by the Member for Riverina, Mr John Sullivan, who claimed he had received complaints from border residents who found they were not entitled to Medibank coverage in Victoria.

Mr Sullivan stated that it made no difference where NSW people receive treatment, it was the place of residence that was taken into account.

But Mr Macauley pointed out that the people from NSW border areas such as Moama, who have traditionally used the Echuca hospital, can receive full Medibank cover even though NSW is not included in the hospital side of Medibank.

25 years ago, September 2000

The Moama Community Development Committee has refused to support a no-frills option for the new Echuca-Moama bridge.

The committee met to address the bridge discussion paper issued jointly by VicRoads and the Roads and Traffic Authority.

While refusing to supporting the no-frills option, the meeting could not decide whether to favour the central or western options for the new bridge.

During discussions, the committee’s main concern was that Meninya St businesses would be affected if the no-frills open went ahead.

This option would see the bridge placed to the east of the existing bridge and all traffic off the two would be channelled down Meninya St.

***

The Murray River at Echuca has risen more than one metre in the past month, with more rises expected in the next week.

Yesterday, the Murray was 88.65 metres above sea level at Echuca. This is an increase of 1.35m since August 1.

Higher flows from the tributaries due to rainfall have been the main factor in the increasing flows.

However, pre-release water from the Hume Dam will be the cause of most height increases in the next week.

The Hume Dam is at 90 per cent capacity and pre-release flows of 6000Ml a day out of the dam were first made on Thursday.

River Murray production manager Brian Harper said the release from the dam was needed to provide extra “air space” for future flooding.

***

Echuca’s River Rats made it back-to-back hockey premierships on the weekend, coming from behind to beat Strikers for the first time this season.

After being convincingly beaten 9-1 in the semi-final two weeks ago, the River Rats turned the tables in the best way possible to grab the premiership with a 2-1 win.

Co-coach and captain Mick Gulson said this year’s win was sweeter than last year’s 3-1 win against SYC.

‘’It was better that last year,’’ he said.

‘’To basically have them go through the season undefeated and coming into the final being beaten 9-1 two weeks before, it was a better win.’’

10 years ago, September 2015

Principals of three Echuca primary schools have had their day in Spring St.

Weeks after pleading for a meeting, the principals of Echuca West, Echuca South and Echuca Specialist School spoke with Victorian Education Minister James Merlino.

Plans to merge the three schools now await funding from the Victorian Government to complete detailed designs and construction.

Mr Merlino met the principals to look at a master plan for the new school, to be built in Echuca’s west.

Last month, Echuca Specialist School principal Paul Marshall and school council president Scott Morrison showed Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh and the Riverine Herald the school, which is in need of a new home.

They explained a new school was needed, as the school’s student body had outgrown its existing High St home.

***

It took nine months and nearly 3500km on his trusty paddleboat — but Brian “Brocko” Kendall is finally home.

Mr Kendall drifted into Echuca on Monday afternoon, rounding off his return journey between Echuca and the mouth of the Murray River in Goolwa, South Australia.

He left in November last year and said it was overwhelming to complete the mammoth trip.

‘‘I didn’t think anything about it until I got here,’’ he said.

‘‘I thought, ‘Jesus Christ, this is unbelievable, I’ve gone all this way’. It is something special.’’

Mr Kendall and his boat, Amelia Jane, were among more than a dozen vessels that left for Goolwa last year.

The group reached their destination in time for the South Australian Wooden Boat Festival in February.

***

They might be pint-sized, but Echuca martial artists Seth Blade and Mitchell Wickham can pack a punch, or a single leg take down, as they like to call it.

Seth, 9, and Mitchell 13, competed at a Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition at Melbourne’s Sports and Aquatic Centre last week.

But they did not just compete, they came home with the goods, doing the Wickham’s Martial Arts family proud.

Seth scored a silver in the 8 to 10 years division and Mitchell snared a silver in the 13 to 15 years (41-45kg) gi division before going on to claim gold in the same age and weight group but in the no-gi division.

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Tuesday, 22nd July 2025

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