Third Time is a Charm: Greater Shepparton is lagging behind in rolling out the vaccine booster, and GV Health’s Matt Sharp is urging those eligible not to delay a third dose. Photo by Lachlan Durling
Check back to the blog throughout the day to stay up to date with the latest news from Goulburn Valley.
Hello and have a good Monday,
Welcome to the blog after what I hope will be a great weekend, in the midst of extreme weather conditions.
UPDATE, 2:35 p.m .: Mercury soars through sports weekend
Many sporting actions were dropped on Saturday due to the high summer temperatures, but there were still many completed matches for the News sports team to write on.
Paul Newman was on fire for Kyabram – as was Liam Callegari for former students – among Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield action.
Revs: Former students’ Liam Callegari was singing with the ball on Saturday. Photo by Rodney Braithwaite
During this time, about half of the Goulburn Valley Playing Area Lawn Bowling Weekend pennants were able to be completed.
UPDATE, 2:25 p.m .: A nice read of arvo
This afternoon Gianni Francis brings us the story of Mary Ferron, and it’s worth reading.
Mary became a karate master at 89, after a two-decade self-defense journey.
His sons and grandsons struggle to keep up with his enthusiasm and energy, telling him “you don’t have to go 100 miles all the time.”
Read the full story via this link.
UPDATE, 2:10 p.m.: Attention cyclists
Registrations close at midnight tomorrow, December 21, for the 2021 Shepparton Christmas Track Carnival.
UPDATE, 12:25 p.m .: Grand Shepparton COVID-19 numbers
The latest COVID-19 data from the Victoria Department of Health shows that as of 12 p.m. today there is 66 active cases in Greater Shepparton, including two new.
This is three less than yesterday, December 19, when there were 69 active cases.
The new figures come after a busy weekend of testing.
The Shepparton Showgrounds drive-thru site was closed for the weekend, leaving the GV Health Acute Respiratory Clinic walk-in site on Graham Street as the health service’s only test site.
The Graham Street site was overwhelmed on Saturday, closing early after being overwhelmed by unexpected demand.
On that note, here are the current opening hours for both sites:
Shepparton Showgrounds, High Street Shepparton (entrance from Archer Street) – Crossing the site, open Monday to Friday, 8.45am to 4.45pm. Closed on weekends.
GV Health Acute Respiratory Clinic, Graham Street Shepparton – Pedestrian site, open 7 days a week, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Remember that the opening hours will be different during the holiday season.
The Shepparton Showgrounds drive-thru site will be closed December 24-28 and January 1-3.
The exhibition center site will be open from 8.45 a.m. to 4.45 p.m. from December 29 to 31.
GV Health’s Acute Respiratory Clinic on Graham Street will remain open and the hours of operation will be as follows:
December 24: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
December 25: 7:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
December 26 to January 3: 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
UPDATE, 11:30 a.m .: Standing up for diversity in Greater Shepparton
Today we announce that Neha Samar of Shepparton has been appointed to the Victorian Multicultural Commission Regional Advisory Board as the representative of the Hume region.
Ms. Samar looks forward to hearing from migrants, refugees and asylum seekers on the main issues affecting their communities.
“It’s really important for me to really listen to people and the issues they are facing,” she said.
Read the full story here.
And John Lewis brings us an update on Shepparton Culture Kitchen, a collaboration between Multicultural Arts Victoria, Greater Shepparton City Council and Mooroopna Studio POD.
Eight women from Shepparton District from different cultures and generations cook together and share recipes and stories to build a network of local knowledge around sustainable food supply and healthy eating.
Discover the full story of this initiative, which has lasted for two years.
UPDATE, 11:10 a.m .: Guide to Christmas lights
Have you ever been on a Christmas lights viewing excursion or is it scheduled for another night this week?
We’ve made it easy to navigate with our Christmas lights guide.
While we’re on the topic, we’ve also put together a list of Greater Shepparton Christmas church services, a full set of tips for making your celebrations more eco-friendly, and some expert advice from vets on what to expect. ‘you must not feed your pet. Christmas.
UPDATE, 10 a.m .: O’Keeffe re-elected President of the Regional Cities of Victoria
The regional cities of Victoria will be chaired by our own Mayor of Greater Shepparton City Council, Kim O’Keeffe next year, for a second consecutive term.
RCV is a steering group made up of the mayors and CEOs of the 10 largest cities outside of Melbourne, including Shepparton.
Cr O’Keeffe said she was extremely happy to be re-elected as President for another term, which gave her the opportunity to further advocate for needed investments in the Victoria area.
UPDATE, 9:45 am: morning headlines
A police operation targeting high-risk intentional driving in the Shepparton area has arrested eight people.
“Do not stop by order of the police, drive under the influence of drugs, drive at excessive speeds. We’re tired of seeing this kind of reckless, selfish behavior – it’s dangerous and it costs lives,Shepparton SDI Detective Master Sergeant Paul Shortis said.
Greater Shepparton City Council explores a regional first to boost social housing in Shepparton by providing the airspace over the parking lot in the central business district for development.
It’s an exciting prospect for the community, with the large city of Shepparton estimated to have the highest homelessness rate in the Victoria area, according to data at the end of 2019.
And if you’ve delayed scheduling your third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, GV Health CEO Matt Sharp is urging you to urgently boost your immunity.
Only 17% of the eligible population of Greater Shepparton presented for a third due dose.
UPDATE, 9:30 a.m .: Statewide cases and hospitalizations soar
Below is the latest COVID-19 data for Victoria, pending figures from Shepparton.
We know that on Sunday (yesterday) there were 69 active cases of COVID-19 in the Greater Shepparton local government area, with two new cases reported.
journalist for the australianRachel Baxendale pointed out that today is the first time Victoria has spent 24 hours without a COVID-related death since September 16 – more than three months ago.
