Questions raised over Bright fire

UPDATE: The fire is now listed as controlled, which means … it’s out!

DSE expect to contain the fire today. It's not a threat as there is no wind. Rain is expected on Thursday & Friday.

Paraglider claims the fire “could not have been accidental”

The cause of a bushfire that started on Sunday afternoon about 13 kms north of Bright near the disused Havilah mine has been called into question by a caller to Joseph Thomsen’s ABC Local Radio show. The DSE had said they believed the fire was started from a campfire lit by as yet unknown campers. The blaze has grown to over 100 hectares and was contained yesterday but broke the western containment lines overnight where DSE had back-burned. Latest reports are that they expect to re-contain it today.

Alpine election hearing suspended

Mario Vaccaro is presenting a very strong case to have the election result declared void.

Over 300 votes not collected

Magistrate wants more details from VEC and to hear from more witnesses

Today’s hearing on the 2008 Alpine Council election was suspended until Monday 6th April to allow the Magistrate presiding over the Municipal Electoral Tribunal to hear first-hand evidence from former councillor Bill Best, and any other relevant information, before a decision is made on the validity of the result.

Burbank given the boot

Privatisation has not worked - time for a rethink?

Mt Buffalo Chalet to re-open?

(Don’t hold your breath)

I have to admit to being somewhat sceptical about the prospect of the historic (and deteriorating) Mt Buffalo Chalet being re-opened anytime soon.

Despite news reports  quoting Premier John Brumby as saying  the Government has “decided to end negotiations” with the current lessee, Burbank Property Group, and is “actively looking for a new operator”,  the fact is the building needs significant upgrades and, even then, without huge infrastructures such as electricity & sewerage being put in place on the mountain, how would a new – PRIVATE - operator make it any more viable than the 3 previous (failed) private operators did?

AFL round 1 ‘Round-up’

I can't help myself - he's back!

Double the value!

This year I’m doing two posts for every round.

One with my ‘expert’ tips and the other as a sort-of review, complete with my very astute  & succint summaries of every game.

As for the tipping, I’m off to a much better start this year with 6 winners out of 8 from round one.

If I keep that average up I might even become a real expert.

Winners in bold.

Followed by ‘witty’ comments:

The cuffs

Is she just trying to attract attention?

What’s with the ‘Pirate Shirt’?

This is Therese Rein, the wife of our Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, at an official function in Harlem, New York, USA.

Usually I think it’s unfair and poor form to ridicule the fashion sense of a politician’s spouse … but there are always exceptions.

Besides, Kevin has copped a lot over his RM Williams lately, so this just evens it up.

What was she thinking?

Are boot-wearers geeks?

Even President Obama commented on Mr Rudd's choice of footwear during their recent meeting at the White House.

Or is Kev just a ‘geek’, full-stop?

“HE MIGHT have been invited to the world’s hottest party but Kevin Rudd is still being seen by some as a boot-wearing geek from Down Under” … report in the Herald Sun on how the British press are describing Australia’s Prime Minister.

The British press have gone to town on Kevin Rudd, who is in the UK for the G20 summit. Mr Rudd has suffered the ‘humiliation’ of not only having Australia’s delegation downgraded to “second tier” status (i.e. not essential to the creation of a solution to the global recession), but also the carping criticism and mocking from the British tabloids over his dress sense.

We all know how the British Press delights in making petty and envious put-downs of Australia and Australians in general - they can’t get over the fact Australia is a superior place in so many ways, especially at Cricket - but they just might be right in this case. It’s not only his footwear that makes Kevin Rudd a ‘geek:

Rodders to stay in Bright …

Rod Club president Ray McDonald 'lays it on the line' - but in a nice way!

… FOR NOW!

But the marquee is ‘the key’ 

Despite the organisers receiving overtures from Mansfield, Yarrawonga and Albury-Wodonga (*) to take this event away from Bright after 18 highly successful years, the good news is that the 2009 Rod Run will still be held in Bright and, with a little bit of help, the event will stay in Bright for the foreseeable future.

That’s the message that came across quite clearly at Saturday’s Bright Rod Run forum called by the Northern Suburbs Street Rod club President Ray McDonald to “discuss the future of the event” with the Bright business community.

A large crowd of 60+ interested local business people turned up thanks, I believe, to the publicity given to it by both the local paper & this blog, to hear Mr McDonald articulate very impressively his relatively small club’s position and why they see a need for more help and more co-operation from all sectors including business, council & police.

AFL 2009 predictions

They're just too good.

Geelong’s year (again)

Everyone is doing it, so I might as well add my predictions for Premiers, final 8, etc.

The TAB and the bookies offer pretty good odds at this time of year, so this might be one way of surviving the economic downturn.

But be warned. 

I accept no responsibility for anyone who loses their house & savings by following my tips, so put your money on these predictions at your own peril! Here they are:

AFL round 1 ‘expert’ tips

Doesn’t it catch up on you? I better give my ‘expert’ tips for the round before the 1st. game kicks off tonight.

Get your pen & paper out and write these down:

Murray River “unsuitable for recreational use”

UPDATE 7th April 2009: According to latest reports (from ABC Local News) the blue green algae toxic bloom on the Murray River is now 800 kms. long and affects the area from Lake Hume, near Albury, to the west of Swan Hill. “People are warned to avoid the water because it can cause illness.”

400 km TOXIC BLOOM from Echuca to Albury

The blue-green algae seen here at Lake Hume 3 weeks ago has spread as far as Echuca & beyond.

(But there are no problems here in Bright, on the pure and pristine Ovens River!)

Tourists have been as good as warned to: “Stay away from Echuca, Cobram-Barooga, Yarrawonga-Mulwala, and Albury’s Lake Hume.” 

A RED ALERT has been issued for dangerous levels of blue green algae for a 400km stretch of the Murray River from Lake Hume, east of Albury to Torrumbarry Weir, west of Echuca, according to a ‘breaking news’ report  on the Border Mail’s website:

Bright makes ‘Best 100 Towns’ list

So now can we advertise it in Melbourne … on television, please?

Alpine Council, ARTB & Tourism Victoria please note! Now let's have some ads.

This might make us feel a little better.

Australian Traveller magazine has named Bright as the 12th best town in Australia .

And it also rates as the 2nd best inland town with only nearby Beechworth being named ahead of it – and we all know that’s not right! 

The list was compiled from a shortlist of around 300 towns and judged by a panel of 12 people described as fashionistas, grumpy old men, sports nuts, tourism industry experts, travel writers, and some well-travelled normal people. The question asked of the panellists was simply: “Regardless of where the town is located, would you recommend a good friend drive an hour out of their way specifically to visit this town?” Panellists gave each town a rating, and the votes were then totalled to come up with the list. Here it is:

Update on Bright Hot Rod ‘crisis’

Bright might lose this long-standing, huge event to a rival tourist town. There's a public forum (called by the organisers) this Saturday at the Alpine Visitor Centre in Bright @ 2pm to "discuss the future" of the Rod Run.

Club blames Bright businesses for lack of support

I have mixed thoughts about the article on the front page of today’s Bright Observer, “Rods on the Run?”  First of all I’m grateful to Clare from the paper for responding to my request that she looks into the story behind the  Club’s call for a forum to be held in Bright this Saturday to “discuss the future of the event”. We certainly need a large number of people to turn up and hear what Mr McDonald, the Rod Club President, has to say. But if it’s along the lines of what he is reported to have said in the paper then I’m not so sure I want to hear it.

Black Saturday tattoos

These are not 'mock-ups'.

Ben Cousins has  Ned Kelly’s last words, “Such is life” tattooed on his torso in a huge arc, which I find rather weird but then again, Ben was probably pretty ‘weird’ at the time he had it done. 

People get tattoos for different reasons but often it’s to celebrate something, like the birth of a child, the love of their partner or being part of something like playing in a winning AFL premiership team. 

Some just do it for the hell of it and, lately, it’s become trendy with younger people, especially with girls. But generally speaking, people get tattoos as a sort-of accessory item that’s designed to attract attention.

I’m not sure what to think about the Kinglake survivors of Black Saturday (men & women) getting these tats, but I can’t imagine the Marysville survivors doing the same. Maybe they should have waited a bit longer before making such a life-long decision. They might still be in shock. 

But I’ll just let this excerpt from a H/Sun report  (and the photo) speak for itself :

What hope have we got?

How could anyone be so unobservant & out of touch?

Or does he just not give a stuff? …. or is it a combination of the lot?

This is a true story. I’m in the supermarket in Bright last night at the check-out, and behind me is a very senior executive from the Alpine Shire Council. We’ve met before and he seems like a nice enough bloke. We exchange pleasantries and I crack a ‘joke’ about how I’m keeping a close eye on the prices and that they’re scanning correctly. He says something like, “I notice that sometimes they don’t scan right.” Ten out of ten for observation so far. Then he says something that blows my mind and makes me realise that he is just oblivious to the pain & suffering of Bright’s tourism operators in our worst ever tourist downturn caused by recent events:

“Have you been busy?”. With jaw dropped, I reply, “No, it’s very quiet this month”. The conversation continued (amicably, although underneath I am seething). It went something like this:

Fifteen years of Labor

When Steve Bracks surprisingly toppled an arrogant and over-confident Jeff Kennett by the narrowest of margins in 1999, who would have thunk the same ALP Government (now headed by John Brumby following Bracks’ retirement) would still be in office 15 years later? But that’s what we look like having here in Victoria if the latest ructions within the Victorian Liberal Party are any indication. A story in the Herald Sun says “frustrated Liberal Party members are demanding Ted Baillieu stand aside, fearing they will be obliterated at the next election,” which is due in November 2010. And if they do lose, the Libs won’t get another crack until 2014: