50 years ago, August 1975

Echuca City Council wants to calm down emotion surrounding moves for a pedestrian crossing between the technical school wings in High St.

For this reason, council has refused to make public the latest estimate of cost for the lights.

Cr John Quinn reported on plans for the lights for the city’s finance, staff and general purposes committee at the council meeting.

The school parents’, teachers’ and citizens’ association and executive council have asked for lights to provide a safe crossing between the two wings of the school.

***

The Echuca West area is that part of the original town layout west of the Campaspe River.

While most of Echuca is on a ridge of relatively high ground, this western area is in the flood plain.

This error, made long ago, has allowed people to own land and build houses in an area that should not have been developed for housing, and this investigation has been made to see if any protection could be given to certain areas without blocking flood flows.

Factual information as regards natural surface levels and flood profiles is scant, but some information was supplied by the City Council, and the Country Roads Board supplied bridge and culvert sizes.

***

People travelled from as far as Kerang for a casserole luncheon to aid Echuca’s Miss Travel, Gail Philpot.

The luncheon, held at the YMCA Southern Cross Lodge, was one of many events on Gail’s fundraising program as an entrant in the Rich River Festival Charity Queen quest.

Gail pitched in and helped serve the lunches.

25 years ago, August 2000

Echuca’s unleaded fuel price hit 99.9 cents a litre yesterday.

Tonkin Petroleum area marketing representative Ray Hamilton said the oil companies had passed on unleaded price rises of 2.5 cents a litre over the past week.

Mr Hamilton said that unless the crude oil barrel price dropped and the value of the Australian dollar improved, there was no price relief in sight.

‘’Even at these prices, service stations in Echuca and district are operating under very small margins,’’ he said.

Other centres along the Victorian-NSW border have already gone well over the $1 mark.

***

Echuca and District Netball Association committee member Jenny Dwyer is ‘’still in shock’’ after being awarded the prestigious Australian Sports Medal on Friday night.

Having been involved with EDNA for the past 25 years, both EDNA and Netball Victoria believed that Dwyer was an excellent nominee.

‘’They (EDNA) can be very secretive when they want to be,’’ Dwyer said.

‘’They've had the medal for a month now. (They have done well) keeping it a secret from me.’’

The Australian Sports Medal has been inaugurated only this year, to commemorate Australian sporting achievement.

The medal is awarded to recognise people ‘’who have made a contribution to Australian sport as a current or former participant or through the provision of support services to sport’’.

***

Echuca Secondary College recently competed in the Northern Rivers Debating Competition against students from Rochester, Kerang and Kyabram.

The competition was of an extremely high standard and provided an excellent forum for talented students in the area.

Students in the senior, intermediate and junior sections prepared their cases beforehand and then competed in a secret debate with limited preparation.

The junior team of Cameron Mitchell, Brendan Gray, Darcy O’Sullivan and Sara Boyd (captain) won their section.

Their topics were ‘TV does more harm than good’ and ‘Children should be able to choose their school uniform’.

These students were assisted in their preparation by Ashley McKay and Kate Savieri.

The senior team was runner-up to a strong Rochester team and the intermediate team finished third.

10 years ago, August 2015

Victorian Education Minister James Merlino has snubbed a request to meet three Echuca principals desperate to have a new school built.

Conditions are so bad at Echuca Specialist School that sometimes students and staff are confronted by sewage spills and are operating from classrooms with asbestos warnings.

Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh asked Mr Merlino to accept a deputation from Echuca West, Echuca South and Echuca Specialist School representatives during a speech to Victorian parliament.

The project cannot proceed until the Victorian Government commits to funding an architect and then providing the capital to complete works.

Mr Walsh said students and teachers at Echuca Specialist School needed and deserved a permanent home.

***

Echuca’s Jane Chalmers remains a country person at heart.

Meaning, pursuing her basketball career in Melbourne isn’t a priority.

But she was more than happy to re-sign with local regional side Bendigo Spirit in the Women’s National Basketball League.

According to new Spirit coach Simon Pritchard, the loyalty is mutual.

‘‘I’m humbled to be able to have Jane back in the line-up for the coming season,’’ he said.

Pritchard cited Chalmers’ impressive dedication to fitness and training as a key factor in her continued contribution to the club.

‘‘I can see her having an important role within the team in 2015-16,’’ he said.

***

Saving lives is not in the job description for a McGrath Breast Care Nurse. But she does. She is a qualified health professional and breast care specialist.

But more than anything she is a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on and a friend to the hundreds of women she works with.

Echuca-Moama’s MBCN has a name — Serena Morley.

The Echuca Regional Health cancer support nurse has proved the perfect fit to don the pink shirt while the town’s first MBCN, Bianca Fleming, is on maternity leave.

And both nurses have made significant contributions to our town.

Without them, hundreds of breast cancer sufferers — and survivors — would be lost.

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