JOURNALIST Sandra Godwin looks back at the events and issues from May in The Guardian’s Year in Review series.
Tuesday, May 10
· Some families in public housing were living without air conditioning, despite summer temperatures of up to 50 degrees, a climate forum in Swan Hill was told. The forum heard Mallee Family Care was lobbying the state government to install air conditioning in public housing where extreme heat was experienced.
· Murlong Street was a sea of colour when St Mary’s Primary School held its Colour Run as a fundraiser for the new sensory garden. The Colour Run also was part of Race Week, which helps students prepare for their annual cross country carnival.
Friday, May 13
· Wood Wood residents blame a lack of access to potable water for hindering progress in the small town, where they rely on rainwater or water pumped from the Murray River. Caravan Park and General Store owner Stephen Kendrick said it was “worse than a third world water source”.
· Less grant money for capital works, 5 per cent inflation and a 1.75 per cent rate cap, meant a reduction in Swan Hill Rural City Council’s draft budget for 2022/23 which was released for public comment. Mayor Jade Benham described it as a “really, really tough budget” considering the cost of supplies and materials had risen 30-50 per cent.
