The new case sparked a health alert from Victoria’s chief health officer on Tuesday, March 4, while further evidence of JE circulating has been identified through environmental and mosquito sampling along much of the Murray River in Victoria.
Campaspe Shire Council is urging community members and visitors to take action to prevent mosquito bites and therefore avoid mosquito-borne diseases.
A vaccine to protect against JE is available for specific groups at higher risk of exposure to the virus in high-risk areas of northern Victoria, including most northern Victorian local government areas.
JE vaccine is available at GP clinics, local pharmacies and council immunisation providers. In Campaspe Shire, a provider list is available through the Loddon Mallee Public Health Unit website at www.bendigohealth.org.au or by phoning 1800 959 400.
For more information on protecting yourself from mosquito-borne disease, visit the Better Health Channel website at: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/protect-yourself-mosquito-borne-disease
Wild horse numbers fall
The Invasive Species Council says the latest feral horse population count for Kosciuszko National Park showed numbers have dropped significantly.
Invasive Species Council Interim CEO Jack Gough said NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe told a parliamentary committee that preliminary figures were provided to her which showed ‘numbers are way down’ and ‘we are around the 3000 to 4000 mark’.
She said the final figures will be released following peer review.
“This is a dramatic reduction from the around 17,000 horses trashing and trampling the high country a couple of years ago,” Mr Gough said.
“The control program will clearly need to continue to reach the legal requirement of no more than 30000 feral horses in 32 per cent of the national park by June 2027.
“Natural population growth of feral horses is about 18 per cent per year, meaning that the government will need to get below the 3000 target in order to ensure they don't overshoot it by 2027.”
Fruit fly seminar
A seminar called ‘Embedding fruit fly management in the Goulburn Murray Valley’ will be held on Monday, March 17.
It will be held from 6pm to 8.30pm at the Parklake Hotel, 481 Wyndham St, Shepparton.
Guest speakers are Andrew Jessup, internationally recognised fruit fly expert and consultant on Horticultural Market Access Entomology with Janren Consulting Pty Ltd; and Distinguished Professor Phillip W. Taylor, head of Applied BioSciences at Macquarie University.
This will be an interactive session exploring ways to embed creating awareness, education and engagement within the community, industry and government to reduce the economic impact of Queensland fruit fly in the Goulburn Murray Valley region.
Finger food, tea and coffee provided. Please advise of any dietary requirements.
RSVP to regional fruit fly coordinator Ross Abberfield at ross.abberfield@shepparton.vic.gov.au or 0466 517 664.
Thirty years of live music
The Rose City Country Music Club will celebrate 30 years of live country music in Benalla on Sunday, March 16.
The event will run from noon to 5pm at the Lakeside Community Centre, Benalla Showgrounds.
The club held its first show in March 1995 and has continued until this day, apart from a short break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The former Rose City Receptions on Sydney Rd was the club’s first venue. After several years they relocated to the Friendlies Oval complex then moved to the current location at the Lakeside Community Centre.
The club was founded by then local George Farnham, who will return as the special guest artist for the day.
Anyone with a past or present connection to the club is invited to attend, and walk-up artists are welcome.
For more information, call Geoff on 0421 050 843.
NSW the feral capital
Farmers have called for more funding to get feral pests under control as a new report finds NSW has the highest number of feral mammal species in the nation.
NSW Farmers’ Conservation and Resource Management Committee chair Bronwyn Petrie said the data just released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics had come as no surprise to farmers battling a surging number of pests across the state.
“It’s little wonder we’re the feral capital of Australia. We’ve got hordes of feral pigs and packs of wild dogs as well as feral deer, foxes, cats, rabbits and mice to boot,” she said.
“These pests wreak havoc and harm production across the key agricultural regions of our state, trashing crops and pastures and even killing livestock.”
Mrs Petrie said more funding to deliver coordinated, long-term, cross-tenure pest control programs would be critical to get NSW’s pest problems under control, with animal pests expected to cause damages in excess of $489 million annually by 2026.
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