This is the second half of the Telegraph’s Year in review, looking back at the year that was in Seymour in 2021. The first half was in our last edition before Christmas.
July 7: Mitchell Shire Council adopted its 2021-22 budget despite a mixed reaction from councillors, with the $128 million budget including nearly $24 million for capital works, while big projects headlined Strathbogie Shire Council’s budget.
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Meanwhile, Avenel snared the huge signing of former Seymour product Saad Saad. The Seymour Lions’ 1981 and 1982 premiership sides also had their reunion.
July 14: Seymour and the district celebrated NAIDOC Week, with a full page of pictures in the Telegraph. Sadly, two people died in a house fire in Tallarook on July 11. Meanwhile, a Barooga man who had allegedly stolen a $1.5 million milk tanker and led police on a chase through the Goulburn Valley was arrested in Avenel.
July 21: Victoria was once again thrust into a snap lockdown, causing anger and frustration among residents, workers, and business owners struggling to survive.
The fundraiser supporting the families of Deirdre and Leela Naughton, the mother and daughter who died in a house fire in Tallarook, reached $140,000 just a week after their deaths, while a man died following a collision on the Hume Hwy.
Meanwhile, Seymour Health began offering the Pfizer vaccine.
July 28: Victoria’s snap lockdown eased on July 27 — although we now know it was only a temporary easing — to the joy of many. Meanwhile, Third Lieutenant Kylie Comte was elected the first female officer in Seymour Fire Bridgade history.
Lindsay and Bev Tennant also marked 65 years of marriage this month, in a lovely display and a heart-warming story when we truly needed it.
August 4: State Member for Euroa called on the Victorian Govenment to speed up testing to prevent state-wide lockdowns, while the RSL Hall was given a big revamp.
Overdose deaths in Seymour were on the rise, data from the coroner’s report showed, while community sport emerged from the state’s fifth lockdown with football and netball competitions restarting, although the Lions lost their first GVL seniors game of the year against Mansfield.
August 11: Regional Victoria exited its snap lockdown, which began on August 5, with density limits in place and home visits still banned, while metropolitan Melbourne remained in lockdown.
Seymour and district residents were again encouraged to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated, while Lucy Stephan’s gold medal had a touch of Nagambie to it, with the Olympian and her partner Michael McNamara training in the waters of Lake Nagambie ahead of her stunning Tokyo performance.
August 18: New data revealed ambulance response times in Mitchell Shire to code one call-outs dipped two minutes compared to a year ago, leading State Member for Northern Victoria Tania Maxwell to call on the government to improve response times and emergency departments.
Meanwhile, the Salvation Army Seymour’s community garden was helping give people fresh ingredients to people who were struggling. Additionally, Seymour’s netball side was hit by restrictions on metropolitan restrictions, leaving very few players available for the Lions.
August 25: A woman who was taken to hospital after being attacked by a dog in Seymour has forgiven the animal which attacked her. Seymour marked Vietnam Veteran’s Day, with a profile on veteran Hank Kreemers. Deirdre and Leela Naughton were both laid to rest following their deaths in a house fire.
September 1: A man was banned from owning animals after a horse in Trawool was discovered with a mass the size of a golf ball obscuring its left eye. Nagambie Healthcare received a $2.1 million funding boost and an additional six aged care bed licences. In sport, the Goulburn Valley League pulled the pin on the post-season, cancelling finals for the second year running.
September 8: The Seymour Show finally pulled the pin on hosting its 2021 season, while Tastes of the Goulburn was also cancelled following the latest outbreak in the region. The Rotary Club of Seymour has delivered welcome packs to real estate agents across the shire for new residents to the region. In sport, the GVL set salary cap limits for the 2022 season as what was originally set for 2021.
September 15: Coronavirus restrictions across Mitchell Shire eased this week, with 10 patrons allowed inside and 20 outside — although it was still a fraction of the capacity of many venues. Meanwhile, Jabba the Bus began making its way around the Goulburn Valley to help boost vaccination rates and Seymour was listed as a priority area for the Victorian Government’s big housing build. The Kyabram District League also pulled the pin on its season.
September 22: The Seymour Shire Council area was plunged back into lockdown on September 20 for seven days, with 21 and 23 active cases in Mitchell Shire. Constructions sites were also shut following violent protests in Melbourne and rising case numbers connected to work sites. Seymour was given the limelight on Channel 9’s Postcards program.
September 29: An earthquake — yes, a real-life earthquake — struck Seymour and the rest of south-east Australia, which damaged St Mary’s Parish Seymour. Fragments of the coronavirus were found in wastewater in Seymour, while lockdown continued. There was also criticism of the state-wide construction shutdown, and a man faced court in Shepparton following the sale of drugs and a gun to an undercover police officer in Seymour.
October 6: The Prince of Wales hotel gave away more than 100 meals on October 2, and was gearing up to do it again the next weekend. It was after co-owners Lisa Hemingway and Karen Curtin struggled with Mitchell Shire’s last lockdown more than any others. That lockdown continued this week, but golf was allowed.
October 13: The Moderna vaccine was made available in Seymour, while the local health clinic was approaching 5000 jabs administered. Works were also planned to restore the Australian Light Horse Memorial Park, with part of the park to look as it did before the Army occupied the site.
October 20: Seymour Flexible Learning Centre began setting out street libraries across Seymour, which it constructed at school. Victoria’s vaccination continued to surge, with 70 per cent double vaccination rates brought up on October 21. Mitchell Shire Council was released from lockdown on October 13 after thousands of people came forward for testing. Seymour product Sophie Locke was also named in the VFL team of the year.
October 27: A huge outdoor concert was due to hit Avenel on October 30 as part of a Play On push by the Victorian Government. Seymour College executive principal Gail Hardman was recognised by the Australian Council of Educational Leaders for her work across the pandemic, while a second vaccine bus was launched to work alongside Jabba the Bus.
November 3: A “maniacal” driver who drove up the wrong side of the Hume Hwy on December 1, 2020, to escape police was jailed for 20 months after facing Shepparton Magistrate’s Court. We had photos of the live music show in Avenel, and Member for Nicholls Damian Drum read out a letter by Poppy Broomhall in parliament talking about the future of mental health.
November 10: Cricket kicked off around the region, with Euroa and Nagambie taking part in Haisman Shield action and six A-grade sides taking the park in Seymour District Cricket Association’s A grade. However, the big sporting news was the recruiting coup to bring former Hawthorn and Essendon defender Michael Hartley into the fold when the 49-game journeyman isn’t lining up for Collingwood’s VFL side. In other news, Ambulance Victoria upped its 000 call capacity and Rotary was back shaking the can for donations.
November 17: A record number of families were languishing on the social housing list in Seymour, with 499 families in need of assistance in Seymour. Strathbogie Shire Council mandated vaccines for all visitors, staff and contractors. Nagambie’s hub and netball court redevelopment were opened. Meanwhile, Tyrone Muir was announced as the senior coach for Nagambie for season 2022.
November 22: The AFL premiership cup made a surprise visit to Trawool to allow long-suffering Melbourne Demons fans to finally touch the silverware they’ve been craving for more than 50 years. Meanwhile, a former patient of Seymour Health was granted leave to sue for a medical episode which occurred during surgery 14 years ago. Bill Chisholm and Laura Binks were both elected as mayors of Mitchell and Strathbogie Shire Councils respectively.
December 1: Seymour Health unveiled three murals out the front entrance to mark 100 years of the hospital in town. The top prize from the Riding for the Disabled’s raffle was donated back to the club in a wonderful display of community spirit, and a new piano at Avenel Primary School hit the right note.
December 8: Damian Drum announced he would step down at the next election, while the 53 trees in Nagambie which were slated for demolition were saved by Planning Minister Richard Wynne. Meanwhile, Seymour notched its first win in the Seymour and District Cricket Association’s A grade competition.
December 15: Carols by Candlelight returned to Seymour, with hundreds and hundreds of people packing Goulburn Park, while Eastern Hill held on for a 25-run win over Broadford in the Seymour District Cricket Association and speedway racing returned to Alexandra.
December 22: A coronial inquest into the death of Seymour baker Max Loweke found more could have been done to prevent his death in floodwaters in 2016. In brighter news, the giving tree at Ray White Seymour was nearly buried in presents thanks to wortk from the community, while Santa visited Avenel and Tallarook. Phrynne Grant also recorded a 99.05 ATAR result for Seymour College.
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