JANUARY
King of the road with Gold
By Deanne Jeffers
SHEPPARTON Cycling Club stalwart Myles Higgins, who competes in the 74-79 age group, recently placed first at the Federation University Road National Championships in Mount Helen, Victoria.
Myles is a Vietnam veteran who became involved in the world of road bike racing at age 45 through The Australian Veteran Cycling Council (AVCC).
From there he became familiar with mountain biking, becoming the Australian National Champion in downhill mountain biking at Thredbo in 1992.
FEBRUARY
Walking on sunshine
By Stephanie Holliday
IN a bid to raise dementia awareness, well over 100 people joined Mick Simpson on Mick’s Memory Walk around Victoria Lake Park on Sunday.
“What a great turnout we had on Sunday. It was wonderful to see people out there, walking in the name of awareness of this somewhat invisible condition. It can be an incredibly isolating diagnosis to face, but with social support, and the right community, it doesn’t
have to be a path people forge on their own,” said Mick.
MARCH
Rejoice, Welsford Street is back open!
THE redeveloped intersection at Welsford Street and Fryers Street will re-open Friday with the new road expected to improve traffic flow and provide a safer environment for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
There are changes to the way Marungi Street and Fryers Street operate, with vehicles able to do left hand turns only to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion. Right hand turns from Fryers Street into Marungi Street or vice versa are no longer possible.
APRIL
Flying fit quicker with a little more help
By Natasha Fujimoto
SKILLED in all areas of wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release, Bohollow Wildlife Shelter plays a standalone role, covering most of northern Victoria with its 24-hour rescue service as well as supporting other rescue centres state-wide with its specialist birds of prey and macropod care facilities.
Operating out of Bunbartha and Kotupna, Bohollow also houses captive-bred animals for its education program, which seeks to inform the public on how to assist injured native animals until help arrives.
MAY
From little hands big things grow
By Natasha Fujimoto
USING the bushland adjacent to Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative, just off Toolamba Road in Mooroopna, Ann Louise Walker, or ëMontyí as she is more affectionately known, engages her Nangarna Homework Club with the natural surrounds, inspiring them with the native backdrop and its intricate ecosystem to springboard more conventional classroom learning and creative activities
JUNE
Sophie’s street art success
By Brittany Drysdale
WALKING through the streets of Shepparton, itís common to see the cities walls decorated with delightful designs created by talented street artists. One such artist is local woman Sophie Wilson, also known as Sophletta.
While backpacking through Brazil in 2015, Sophie was inspired by the vibrant street art scene and decided to give art a try for the first time. It was there she met fellow street artist- and now husband- Davidson Lopes who invited Sophie to create her very first mural at a local school.
JULY
Funds for 2026 Commonwealth Games to be redirected
THE Victorian State Government, led by Premier Daniel Andrews, has announced the Commonwealth Games which were scheduled to be held in Victoria, in 2026, will be cancelled.
Initially estimated to cost $2.6B, the projected cost had escalated to at least $6B- $7B. Premier Andrews expressed his unwillingness to allocate such a substantial amount of money to a 12-day sporting event.
AUGUST
Scouting out the Shepparton police
By Aaron Cordy
Kialla’s 1st Scouts Cubs pawed their way to the Shepparton Police Station for an interactive tour with Youth Resource Officer, Senior Constable Mitchell Bull last Thursday night.
With fun and excitement, loaded with questions about guns and donuts, the children enjoyed learning about a side of the police force not often experienced by outsiders.
The excited troop met out the front of the station with their troopís leader and a couple of parent helpers, before the 20 eager scouts were shown through the daily operation of the front desk, spent time in the cells, learned the art of detective work, all before they were dusted for prints. They ended the night in the back of the divvy van, with the flashing lights keeping the kids entertained.
SEPTEMBER
Kicking towards their dreams
By Aaron Cordy
IT’S A far cry from the cauldron of the MCG to Mooroopna Primary School, but itís in the imaginations of many children across the country where dreams of playing in the AFL first begin. It was no different for North Melbourne co-captain, and Mooroopna Primary School graduate, Jy Simpkin.
Jy, along with former AFL Brownlow medallist Shane Crawford, and Federal Member for Nicholls, Sam Birrell, were on hand last week to teach the children of Mooroopna Primary School some valuable lessons about goal setting and chasing your dream.
OCTOBER
Shepparton: ground zero for world’s largest impact crater
By Dillon Shelley
RESIDENTS of the Goulburn Valley have always taken pride in its rich agricultural history and now, locals have an extra reason to boast – weíre smack in the middle of what researchers believe to be Earthís largest known asteroid impact structure!
NOVEMBER
Community leaders rally around walk to save lives
By Aaron Cordy
THE walk for compassion, empathy and understanding was held last Saturday at Victoria Park Lake. Neffyís Walk Letís Talk, is a suicide prevention awareness walk organised by the members of Neffyís We Listen, the Shepparton/Mooroopna-based group created to make a safe space for locals who are suffering from suicidal ideation or need support after a loved one has taken their own life.
Steven Neff founded Neffyís Walk Letís Talk and Neffyís We Listen to reach out and help people in the wake of his own loss to suicide.
DECEMBER
Less water = rural communities potentially decimated
WHILE the Greater Shepparton community rallied behind Mayor Cr Shane Sali to stop the water buybacks going ahead last week, the Federal Labor Government struck a deal with the Greens party that no one in the Murray Darling communities wanted.
Despite calls from groups like the National Farmers Federation (NFF) to stop the water buybacks, Independent senators, Lidia Thorpe, Victoria, David Pocock, ACT and David Van, Victoria along with the Greens Party gave the Albanese Government the votes to pass the Water Amendment (Restoring Our Rivers) Bill 2023.
