Friday, March 1
The depth of the Murray River at Swan Hill was at 1.03 metres, a substantial drop from January 26, when it was running at 3.85m.
The river flow had also slowed substantially, with just 4023ML a day passing through Swan Hill compared to 22,777.483ML a day on January 6.
According to figures released on the Muray Darling Basin Authority website, this was on par with water levels on March 1, 2023, when the level was recorded at 1.03m.
Swan Hill performing arts stalwart John Fowler was farewelled at a funeral service.
Swan Hill Rural City Council said it was “deeply saddened” by the death of its former colleague, aged 92, on February 13.
Director of community and cultural services Bruce Myers said Mr Fowler was “visionary figure” whose contributions to the performing arts landscape in the region were “invaluable”.
Tuesday, March 5
Mallee almond producer Select Harvests suffered a loss of more than $100 million following a lower-than-expected 2023 crop.
The company said poor growing conditions had impacted on volumes “dramatically”, and the crop was 35 per cent lower than forecast.
From Afghanistan to South Africa, the region’s cultural diversity was embraced at Harmony Day celebrations in Swan Hill.
Crowds flocked to Riverside Park to enjoy the hospitality, entertainment and food from different cultures.
Friday, March 8
Developers received a green light to build a $1.5 million Subway store in the Robinvale town centre.
In an expected major boost for jobs and investment in Robinvale, Swan Hill Rural City Council approved a revised plan for a single-storey drive through restaurant in Latje Road, next to Ritchies IGA supermarket.
Swan Hill received a life-saving addition, with a partnership between Swan Hill District Health and BreastScreen Victoria to make early detection of breast cancer easier for residents.
The new permanent BreastScreen Victoria clinic opened at 48 Splatt Street, replacing Mobile Screening Service Van visits to Swan hill.
The new clinic allows women to book appointments without needing to schedule their breast screens around the mobile van’s availability.
Tuesday, March 12
Mathew Arnall, a 42-year-old father of two from the NSW Southern Tablelands died at the Robinvale Euston 80 Ski Race.
He was described as a “big bloody softy” with a cheeky grin.
Mr Arnall’s death was the first fatality at the event since 33-year-old Jai Welch in 2015.
Three programs developed by the North Central Catchment Management Authority to reduce the risk and impact of floods in northern Victoria received close to half-a-million dollars in funding, in the third round of grants under the National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction.
The Risk and Resilience and the State and Regional Priority Projects grant programs will provide expert agencies with the resources to better prepare and respond to severe weather events.
Friday, March 15
Swan Hill jockey Harry Coffey earned another win at the Adelaide Cup.
In a career-best form, Mr Coffey delivered one of the rides of the season at Morphettville to snatch a last-stride victory in the $350,000 cup.
Piangil man Andrew Gibson, 34, avoided jail after pleading guilty to one charge of using a carriage service to groom a person under 16 and to two charges of failing to comply with reporting obligations in the County Court in February.
r Gibson was convicted and sentenced to two years and three months’ imprisonment, with immediate release on giving a $2000 bond, and will be required to report for the rest of his life.
Lower Murray Water decided to end a public nomination and election system for its committees, consisted of a total 38 positions.
The positions were declared vacant and filled through an expression-of-interest process.
LMW managing director Paul Northey said the corporation wanted the appointment process for its committees to be more efficient and effective, as it had struggled to gain sufficient nominees to require elections.
Tuesday, March 19
Swan Hill Rural City Council began using classical music at the McCallum Street public toilets in an effort to deter vandals.
Escalating costs incurred by regular repair and maintenance efforts prompted the move to use innovative solutions to try to safeguard public infrastructure and resources.
Balranald Shire headed toward democratic elections after four years in administration.
Administrator Mike Colreavy was positive that the new council would inherit a healthy financial position and would be able to afford some positive initiatives.
Former Balranald Shire youth mayor Jackson Bialobrzeski was acknowledged for making his hometown a better place for young people.
He was named a dual winner of the 2024 Tom Harvey Award, an initiative of the Australian Youth Trust.
In his time as youth mayor, Mr Bialobrzeski implemented free entry to the local swimming pool, upgrades to amenities in parks, improved library services and the provision for more family entertainment and festivals for youth.
Friday, March 22
Swan Hill Council said it would continue to explore ways to safely better connect the Swan Hill community and visitors with the Murray River.
This came as the region’s boating fraternity pushed for improved infrastructure to boost accessibility to the town from the river.
Mayor Stuart King said that while there were future plans in place to install mooring infrastructure for boats within the riverfront precinct, waterways projects were complex, expensive, and involve a number of approvals across a series of government agencies and regulatory bodies.
Swan Hill District Health’s Aboriginal health unit was renamed Kapel Telkuna to reflect the intertwining of local waterways and healing in Indigenous culture.
Aboriginal health manager Charmain Anton said the name translated to “through water we heal” in the local Wamba Wamba language.
“I wanted to really give it more of a localised touch and make it a more welcoming gesture to the community,” she said.
Tuesday, March 26
Key members of a Melbourne-based syndicate that trafficked drugs into Swan Hill were jailed.
The Country Court of Victoria heard the syndicate moved a significant amount of drugs consistently to the Mildura, Swan Hill and Kerang areas between July 2019 and December 2019.
County Court Judge Nola Karapanagiotidis said the sentencing must reflect the serious harm and devastation that illicit drugs cause within the community.
The four offenders pleaded guilty and were sentenced to jail terms ranging from three years and four months to eight years and nine months.
A dance troupe promoting physical literacy visited two schools in Robinvale to teach cultural dances to students.
All year levels at Robinvale College and St Mary’s School were given an instructor from the Nikki Visaj Movement who taught them either Italian, Greek, Korean pop, Indigenous Australian hip-hop, Bollywood, Indigenous Polynesian or African dances.
Instructor Dagogo Obogo said the program was about introducing students to and engaging them in cultures and dances that are alien to them or they are unfamiliar with.
Swan Hill councillors formally endorsed the Robinvale Centenary Park Nature and Adventure Play Precinct project, with suggestions that it would equal Swan Hill’s Riverside Park playground facility.
It was found that the project could be constructed in a single stage depending an approved application for further federal funding.
Thursday, March 28
The Crime Statistics Agency’s 2023 report found that Swan Hill recorded a one per cent increase in criminal incidents.
It was the first time since 2019 that Swan Hill’s total criminal incidents grew from the previous year, but the trend matched the criminal incident rate across the state.
A $3000 donation from the now defunct Swan Hill Probis Club brought the total funds raised for the MRI to $1.4 million.
The group decided to donate their remaining funds to the MRI when the remaining members voted unanimously to support the project.
SHDH chief executive Peter Abraham said that while the donations might seem small, every dollar counts.
