JOURNALIST Sandra Godwin looks back at the events and issues from June in The Guardian’s Year in Review series.
Friday, June 3
· Swan Hill District Health urged people to visit the emergency department only for genuine emergencies as the hospital struggled to cope with up to 80 people a day. SHDH chief executive officer Peter Abraham said the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions had brought a spike in flu cases and the hospital was short-staffed.
· Swan Hill received almost twice the average rainfall in the first five months of the year. The weather station at the Swan Hill aerodrome recorded 202.4mm from January to May, compared to the long term mean of 110.2mm.
Tuesday, June 7
· Uncertainty over plans for repairs and maintenance on the Tooleybuc Bridge was affecting business, according to Tooleybuc Country Club owner Andrew Polkinghorne. He said traveller numbers had dropped “precipitously” since May.
· Swan Hill Mayor Jade Benham, who has been endorsed as The Nationals’ candidate for Mildura at the November state election, said she was still “very focused” on her role as mayor. Cr Benham said it wasn’t in council’s best interests for her to take a leave of absence so far out from the election. She was responding to a letter to the editor from former councillor Jacquie Kelly, who is next in line to join council should a councillor resign.
