Community
28 March, 2026
YOUR ONLINE WORDS: missing a beloved community member and energy efficiency project thoughts
Here's some comments people left on our social media on a number of topics over the last few weeks.
Passing of beloved Maud Coates, 109
MARIE Ritter said: “It was her time it was always a pleasure to go to her house and do a home care. Well there’s no home care. She just liked to chat.”
Beth White said: “A long life well lived . Condolences to the family.”
Patricia Brown said: “Such a pleasure to meet you Maud in 2018. RIP lovely lady.”
Maree Hewitt said: “Thinking of all the family she was a grand lady”
Helen O’Hehir said: “What an amazing life.”
Glenda Cecini said: “Lovely lady.”
Carol Gifford said: “A lovely lady a dear freind to my mum when she was there at the nursing home condolences to the family.”
Sue Austerberry said: “She was a amazing lady who was very special to everyone at Kara court we will miss her smile and kindness to everyone who visits her.”
Judith Bryce: “Oh very sad news. A wonderful Traynors Lagoon neighbour to our family, for many years.”
What could be done to keep the tall board at St Arnaud pool?
ANGUS Anderson said: “I keep saying maybe we could put in a slide to replace it. What does everyone think of that? What do you think a slide would cost Mark A Ciurleo?
Mark A Ciurleo replied: “$50-$150K depending on the size required.”
Matt Evans said: “Keep the board. Used to be two and they were the best part of that pool. No wonder the late millennials and gen Z’ds are boring- all the good things are being pulled down to avoid litigation and booboos.”
Fight for Mallee farmers - Webster opinion piece
ANN Partridge asked: “Does she really do anything for farmers can some one give an example please?”
Maureen Donnellon replied: “She meets with them all over the Mallee a huge electorate, attends rallies and speaks up for them in Canberra, has submitted policies on their behalf, listened and learned and I think she has done the best she could in an opposition party. She has certainly gained the respect of those against wrecking the productive farmland with renewables with her research and advocating for better transition of power resources and where they are planned by Labor.And what have you done for farmers? Example?”
Group wants planning ahead of projects work $27.7B
FARMERS Fightback Wallaloo & Gre Gre District Alliance said: “The numbers around economic stimulus, job creation all come from VicGrid - the Victorian Government or bodies funded by the Victorian Gov or who are pro renewable. Why has no independent assessment been completed by council before accepting this report?
In the recent Inquiry into renewable energy zones in NSW many councils clearly said that the jobs and economic benefit that had been promised not only did not occur but that they were financially out of pocket due to the long term damage to council infrastructure, this is without the impact to the community cohesion and other significant issues that were addressed.
One council said that there was nothing good about the renewable energy zone and associated projects!
We have to ask why our council would be blindsided by a government that has given $15b to criminal cartels and has ignored the real world outcomes in rural councils that have just gone through what is proposed here.
We also have to ask why there was no consultation with the impacted members of the community within the council area that will bear the brunt of such policy before accepting this report.”
New law allows land access
GAVIN O’Connor said: “Looking like this law is made to be broken the agricultural land belongs to the farmers not them and as for their environmental survey they will do more environmental damage to the land than anyone especially now with subsurface moisture.”
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