JOURNALIST Sandra Godwin looks back at the events and issues from May in The Guardian’s Year in Review series.
Tuesday, May 3
· An emergency meeting was called to discuss the impacts of a six-week closure of the Tooleybuc Bridge scheduled to start in late May. They include Piangil student, Myah Glare, who faces having to take two buses instead of one, which will add another hour to her journeys to and from Tooleybuc Central School.
· A Mildura man was jailed for three years after he was found guilty of dangerous driving causing the deaths of his 70-year-old mother and daughter, aged five, near Robinvale, after attending a Sri Lankan festival in Swan Hill on April 7, 2019. Tharanga Ehalape-Gamage, 39, who was seriously injured in the crash, was set a non-parole period of 18 months.
Friday, May 6
· The State budget omitted funding for further redevelopment of the Swan Hill hospital, despite committing $300 million to upgrade regional hospitals. The budget did include $6.35 million for upgrades to the main classroom hub at Swan Hill Specialist School.
· Tooleybuc residents celebrated the announcement that their bridge would not be closed for maintenance on May 23. NSW Transport Minister Sam Farraway visited the town and said Transport for NSW would explore options that would limit the disruption as much as possible.
