This poem was penned by Colleen Jones – a 60 year old, peace loving grandmother who in her own words has never ‘demonstrated’ before, participating in anti-pipeline demonstrations at Sugarloaf Reservoir because she is so angry about what Mr Brumby and Co are doing.

Colleen is one of many grass roots people who for the first time in their life is speaking out publicly about what she considers to be a gross injustice.

Colleen can be contacted on Ph: 5773 4318 or email: collandale@bigpond.com

I’ll only take the savings … by Colleen Jones

“I’ll only take the savings” our premier says with zest
But if he was a true-blue he’d tell about the rest.
We know he doesn’t mean it, ‘cause he will not take the test
And put in place the upgrades first, to show that it is best.

He cannot take the high road, when he will not show Just Cause,
To send from dry north to wet south, like dear old Santa Claus,
To promise Melbourne people, that they’ll have new water source
When Brumby, as is usual, puts the cart before the horse!

He’ll take the water from our land at high and mighty cost,
He’ll take it o’er a mountain, until it all is lost.
He’ll take it with a vengeance, for he doesn’t give a toss
About the country and the bush, the farmers and the dross.

For we are nought but whingers and the unwashed far and wide,
The nongs and quasi terrorists from north of the Great Divide.
We cannot know the truth of things or stop the changing tide
He says, this unelected one, with nowhere left to hide.

He thinks that he can hoodwink us with all his crazy lies,
But just because we do not wash, does not mean we’re unwise.
The Auditor and General, our fears he justifies,
For Brumby doesn’t do it right, no matter how he tries.

They haven’t done their homework and they haven’t done their sums,
Their tests are done by those who’ll benefit if it comes,
They don’t know what, or if it will, but beat upon their drums
If you ask me they must all be, sitting on their thumbs.

We know there is no water for we live upon upon the land,
The rivers are in strife and there’s no more rain at hand.
Mr Brumby tells us that his crazy plan is Grand,
But he won’t be a happy man, till the Goulburn’s running sand.

Or till the mountains crumble along the ridge so blue,
Till vegetation all is gone, till all that’s left to view
Is only dust and massive pumps and massive engines too,
The Valley just a poisonous plot of environmental glue.

The Murray it is dying where it runs into the sea
Lake Albert, like Alexandrina is a salt pan soon to be,
If you paddle on the Goulburn where you meet the Murray free
Your paddle strikes the bottom, but that’s all right you see…..

For he’ll “only take the savings” that are made from what they make,
When they upgrade all the waterways and give it such a shake,
That e’en though the irrigators are not getting all their stake,
In future there will be so much – but that’s not all he’ll take!

For Brumby isn’t such a dill he doesn’t yet believe
That rainfall is decreasing, and you know what that will leave,
No water they can allocate, they’ll leave us here to grieve
With water running down the pipe, while Brumby still deceives.

For with the propaganda and the “water-savings” hype,
With the politicians’ saving grace and acting true to type,
There isn’t much that we can do, except to bitch and gripe,
And tell deceitful Brumby – WHERE HE CAN STICK THE PIPE!

Is climate change freahing you out?
Do you want to make some changes around the home but you’re not sure where to start?
Would you like to save money and help the environment?
Would like to install a grey water system, waste less food and have solar power but not sure how much it costs?

Then this free sustainability talk is for you. Come along and find out practical ways to avoid food wastage, conserve household energy and participate in community actions that benefit the environment.

Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes has welcomed the new pay deal between the Victorian State Government and Victoria’s 40,000 or so public school teachers. However Dr Sykes said it appears there are a number of unresolved issues associated with the Government’s announcement earlier this week.

Dr Sykes said, “I am pleased the Government has finally recognised the need to reward teachers with an impressive pay rise. It took a $396 million pledge from the State Opposition three weeks ago and sustained pressure from the teacher’s union to bring about an outcome.

“While this marks a long awaited resolution for most North East Victorian primary and secondary teachers it remains unclear whether kindergarten teachers are covered by the new agreement.

Dr Sykes continued, “Not only does it appear that kindergarten teachers have been left out in the cold, the Brumby Government continues to delay the incorporation of kindergartens into the Education Department meaning parents will have to continue to give of their time in administrative roles on kindergarten committees.

Dr Sykes concluded, “I warmly welcome the outcome for our teachers but I call on the State Government to address pay imbalances in salary levels in pre-schools. No doubt as we look closely at the fine print more issues will be identified and the Liberal-National Coalition will maintain pressure on the Government to address them equitably.”

The Brumby Government has handballed responsibility for roadside weed control to Alpine, Benalla, Mansfield and Strathbogie councils, says Benalla MP Bill Sykes.

Murrindindi, Greater Shepparton and Wangaratta councils will also bear the burden of roadside weed control.

John Brumby’s farm strategy announced last week indicates the Labor Party is foisting yet another State Government responsibility onto local councils, Dr Sykes said.

Mr Brumby’s announcement of $20 million over four years to support ‘local government in their management of weeds and pests on roadsides’ is a clear indication that Mr Brumby is either ignorant of the real cost to councils of this onerous task, or he just doesn’t care.

“Our Premier has little grasp of the financial pressures facing councils like Strathbogie and Murrindindi if he thinks $5 million a year shared between 79 councils and the Department of Primary Industries constitutes realistic support for ‘management’ of weeds on local roadsides.

“At this stage we simply do not know what our local Councils will receive, but it is certain to not be enough and ratepayers will end up picking up the tab,” Dr Sykes said.

“These councils have thousands of kilometres of roadside to manage. At $100 to manage weeds on a kilometre of road, these councils require significant funding to accommodate this added burden.”

• Alpine Shire Council is responsible for 804km of road requiring $80,400 a year to manage roadside weeds
• Benalla Rural City is responsible for 1,340km of road requiring $134,000 each year to manage roadside weeds
• Greater Shepparton City Council is responsible for 2,491 km of road needing $249,100 annually to manage roadside weeds
• Mansfield Shire Council is responsible for 843km of road requiring $84,300 a year to manage roadside weeds
• Murrindindi Shire Council is responsible for 1,187km of roadside needing $118,700 per annum to manage roadside weeds
• Strathbogie Shire Council is responsible for 2,190km of road requiring $219,000 annually to manage roadside weeds
• Wangaratta Rural City Council is responsible for 1,941km of road requiring $194,100 a year to manage roadside weeds.

The results are in …

The biopsy was malignant and the report shows it to be very aggressive (rating 9 out of 10) and to be a stage D prostate cancer … i.e. terminal.

From here on in, it is a palliative care management process commencing with hormone treatment which, on a good day, will keep me going – much as I am now – for up to two years. It is all downhill from there!

So, what do you do with the last two constructive years of your life?

Family and friends tell me I should do all those things I wish I had done throughout my life but you know, I can’t think of anything I have missed out on. I guess that means I am a man of simple needs or that I have enjoyed the journey to this point. I have been determined, throughout my life, to avoid the deathbed realisation that I should have lived my life differently. So far … so good!

Still, what to do with these two years?

The project that stands out most comes from the notes I made when we moved to our 10 acres in Whitfield. It wasn’t long before I became intimate with the property and its characteristics and my notes reflect that I felt I was just the caretaker of this little piece of nature. I reckon two years is just about enough time to ensure that I leave it in as good – or better – condition than when I found it.

Back in February, I was fortunate to have Peter Andrews – author of the Natural Sequence Farming system – visit the property through Landcare to advise on the rehabilitation of the creek bed that meanders through the property. That would certainly be an improvement and two years is enough time to see the benefits. I am looking forward to that!

The reality, of course, is that after I am gone the property will be sold as Pauline will not be able to manage it into the future. Then again, none of us are going to be around forever and I might get to feel I have made a positive contribution for having been allowed to be here.

Nationals MP for Benalla, Bill Sykes, is calling on the Brumby Government to commit, in this year’s budget, an equitable share of Victoria’s $100 million per day income to improve services and infrastructure in the Benalla Electorate and I think we should get behind him.

Dr Sykes said, “My shopping list for the Benalla Electorate is neither sexy nor particularly costly but if delivered it would make life much better and more secure for local families and communities.

The shopping list –

Agriculture
• Support continuation of current Exceptional Circumstances (EC) declared areas;
• Extend Local Government rate rebates and water tank rebates;
• Extend On-Farm Productivity Grants and funding of full time drought coordinators to all EC declared council areas;
• Continue funding of outreach workers and mental health, financial management professional support staff;
• Reintroduce permanent wild dog and fox bounties to encourage integrated on-going fox and wild dog control.

Education
• Increase school maintenance budget to catch up maintenance backlog, especially at schools such as Mansfield Secondary College & Myrtleford Secondary College;
• Honour last year’s budget commitment to replace Tawonga Primary School’s portable classrooms with a permanent building;
• Provide capital to upgrade Myrtleford schools;
• Fast track the full integration of kindergartens into the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development;
• Ensure kindergarten teachers are paid the equivalent of similarly qualified primary school teachers and provide and fund administrative support for kindergarten committees.

Energy
Natural Gas – connect more regional towns to natural gas eg Myrtleford, Porepunkah, Bright Mansfield, Bonnie Doon and Alexandra.
Electricity – reinstate subsidies for rural electricity supplies to ensure affordability for country people.

General
• Replace inequitable Fire Service Levy on insurance premiums with a property based levy;
• Support reciprocity of State Seniors Cards.

Health
• Fully fund the cost of recent Nurses Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA);
• Fund the fast tracking of Aged Care facilities at Bright;
• Increase hospital annual operating funding to catch up on below average increases over the past few years, especially for Benalla Hospital;
• Actively recruit health professionals to country Victoria;
• Recruit and fund ambulance officers for Alexandra & District Ambulance Service and establish and staff an ambulance station at Nagambie;
• Fund construction and operation of respite care accommodation, especially in communities such as Mansfield in which the community has initiated moves to construct respite care accommodation.

Police/Emergency Services
Capital Works
• Fund building of facilities to co-locate Police, CFA & SES at Benalla, Euroa & Nagambie;
• Fund the new police station and accommodation at Mt Buller.
Operational
Fund sufficient staff to ensure full staffing of police stations and to address the current discrepancy between police numbers on the books and police numbers on the beat;

Public land management
• Significantly increase pest and weed control on public land especially at the public/private land interface;
• Increase fuel reduction burning; construct more permanent fire containment lines and permanent water storages.

Public Transport
Rail
• Fund upgrade of the 35 year old rolling stock and rail tracks on the Seymour Wodonga line.
• Include duplication of standard gauge.
• Properly maintain and upgrade all rail level crossings and fund timely, coordinated pest and weed control on railway reserves.

Taxis
• Increase the cap on the Multi Purpose Taxi Program (MPTP) subsidy from $30 to $50 per trip and include lack of available public transport in the eligibility criteria for MPTP funding.

Roads
Increase funding in particular for
• Completion of the upgrade of Wangaratta-Whitfield Road;
• Placement of roundabouts in Benalla at the intersections of Witt Street/Old Sydney Road and Samaria Road/Kilfeera Road
• Upgrade of Creighton’s Creek Road, Shire of Strathbogie;
• Adequately fund weed control on all country road reserves.

Tourism
• Fast track and fund the infrastructure upgrade at Mt Buffalo to ensure recommencement of the Mt Buffalo Chalet operations;
• Implement the recommendations of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Regional and Rural tourism.

Water
• Fast track securing of water supplies to Bright, Myrtleford and Mount Beauty;
• Fund business case assessment of enlarging Lake Buffalo & Lake William Hovell
• Abandon the North South Pipeline and fully fund the Food Bowl Modernisation Project;
• Ensure adequate compensation for water purchase from Broken Valley irrigators and commit to fully funding rehabilitation of Mokoan wetlands in the event that Lake Mokoan is partially or completely decommissioned.

Shopping list by town/area

Alexandra/Eildon – ambulance staff.
Benalla – co location of emergency services, roundabouts Witt Street/Old Sydney Road and Samaria Road/Kilfeera road; hospital funding.
Bright – secure water supply; fund fast tracking of aged care facilities.
Mt Buffalo – fund infrastructure for Mt Buffalo Chalet.
Mt Buller – police station/accommodation.
Euroa – co location of emergency services.
Mansfield – respite care; hospital funding; fund full time coordinator at Bonnie Doon Community Centre, maintenance of Secondary College.
Myrtleford – secure water supply; maintenance/upgrade of schools.
King Valley – complete upgrade of Wangaratta-Whitfield Road, increase capacity of Lake William Hovell.
Ovens Valley – increase capacity of Lake Buffalo, support transition of tobacco farmers and others in tobacco industry.
Nagambie – ambulance service.
Tawonga/Mount Beauty – Secure water supply; replace portable buildings at Tawonga Primary School and support transition of tobacco farmers and tobacco industry people/businesses.

Nationals MP for Benalla, Bill Sykes, is calling on the Brumby Government to commit, in this year’s budget, an equitable share of Victoria’s $100 million per day income to improve services and infrastructure in the Benalla Electorate.