Benalla Rural City Council and the Benalla Festival Advisory Committee have announced the event will take place over two weekends, returning on October 29, and finishing up on November 6.
The festival is a community collaboration celebrating and embracing all that is great about the region through music, dance, art and much more.
The festival, in different formats, has been running for more than 50 years and is a major event on the Benalla Rural City community calendar.
This year’s festival will around the theme “Our Community, Our Future”.
Bridge named
Dhungala will be the name of the new Echuca-Moama Bridge Project, which was opened to traffic last week.
The new Murray River crossing will be known as Dhungala Bridge and the new Campaspe River crossing will be called Yakoa Bridge — with Dhungala and Yakoa the respective names in Yorta Yorta language for the Murray and Campaspe rivers.
Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation, Moama Local Aboriginal Land Council and Cummeragunja Local Aboriginal Land Council collaborated to name the Dhungala Bridge with Yorta Yorta Nation endorsing the name for the new Campaspe River crossing.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce announced the title last week, as and Victorian Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allen attended the opening of the new Murray and Campaspe River bridges.
Moira watchdog
Moira Shire Council is set to receive a municipal monitor after concerns were raised over a councillor’s behaviour.
A joint statement from Moira Shire CEO Clare Keenan and Mayor Libro Mustica explained Ms Keenan wrote to Local Government Minister Shaun Leane last week to raise concerns about the safety of her staff and councillors, due to the councillor’s behaviour.
Correspondence between Cr Mustica and the councillor in question did not rectify the potential breaches of the code of conduct.
Ms Keenan also raised concerns and sought “urgent assistance” from the minister, saying she was unable to fulfil her statutory responsibility to provide a safe workplace.
The statement said they welcomed the monitor’s appointment and thanked the Victorian Government for taking their concerns seriously and acting promptly.
Final service
The pews of the Cooma Uniting Church have now fallen silent after 96 years of Christian worship, reflecting “changing social patterns and spiritual needs” in the community of 100, 33km west of Shepparton.
Church chairman Murray Marke closed the doors for the last time last Sunday at a thanksgiving service attended by about 200 people.
Methodists began house meetings in Cooma, Victoria in 1874 before a log and mud building was erected, followed by a bigger weatherboard church.
In 1926 a new building was opened, which included stained glass windows commemorating the sacrifice of soldiers who died in the Great War. Just two years later the Cooma male choir was established.
The building is expected to be sold by the Uniting Church synod and its plaques likely to be find another home in the parish.
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