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Got any feedback, suggestions, news tips or weather snaps? Comment below, find us on social media or email ashley.fritsch@fairfaxmedia.com.au - Oh and we love cute animal pics!
9am: And that's the end of another On the go Bendigo blog. We hope the rest of the working day whizzes by super fast for you so you can enjoy whatever your weekend has to offer.
Sherrin footy winners will be notified on Monday.
We'll leave you with Addy cartoonist Peter Broelman's handy work... (below the ad on the right)
8.54am JOKE OF THE DAY: Let's start the working day with a laugh...
Tried to take a photograph of some fog....
8.47am: While we're on the topic of older things, let's throwback to yesterday with these Thursday Throwbacks rescued from an old valiant.
8.45am WAY WE WERE: Today's blast from the past has been republished with names.
If you've got an old beauty you'd love to share, bring it in to the Addy at 47-51 Queen Street, Bendigo.
8.41am: Quiz answers are down the bottom...
8.38am POLL UPDATE: It seems we're almost split down the middle as to whether or not today should be a public holiday - so far 50 per cent say 'no' and 44.12 per cent say 'yes' (The other percentage is shared between 'don't care' and offering their own views).
Cast your vote here:
8.32am WHAT'S ON: Let's see what other community events are happening today...
Warm-water exercises
The Bendigo Arthritis Club Inc holds a 45-minute exercise class run by Arthritis Victoria-trained volunteer leaders. From 9am to 10am and 10am to 11am. Sessions only run during school terms. Venue: Scope Pool, Bennett Street, Bendigo. Contact: Joy on 5446 7530
Multiples playgroup
Join a group of parents of preschool twins, triplets (or more) for a regular play date, every Friday during school terms from 9.30am to 11.30am. Please bring your own nut-free snacks for your children. Coffee and tea provided at the play space. Great indoor and outdoor facilities for the kids to play. All welcome. Venue: Holy Trinity Church, 14 Keck Street, Flora Hill. Contact: Vanessa on 0416 277 372.
Men's Shed Bendigo
All welcome Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm, and every second Saturday. Welding shop, woodwork and metalwork projects. Venue: 21 Cuneen Street, Long Gully. Contact: 5443 7613.
Bendigo Bridge Club
Meets on Monday and Friday afternoons and Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Beginner sessions are held on Thursdays. Visitors and new members are welcome. Venues: Long Gully Community Centre (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) and Quarry Hill Croquet Club (Tuesdays) For more information, contact Peter Goddard (03) 5439 6273 email: president@bendigobridge.org.au website: www.bendigobridge.org.au
8.28am: Looking for something to do tonight? The latest recycled fashion trends will hit the runway tonight at Bendigo's Life Essentials as part of the Bendigo Fashion Festival. Details here.
8.16am GIVEAWAY: It may not be a public holiday today, but we're giving away footballs instead! We've got another 50 Sherrin footballs to giveaway to help celebrate the AFL Grand Final tomorrow. All you have to do to enter is email addynews@fairfaxmedia.com.au with your name and number. Good luck!
8.13am: Oh and did you know that today is Love Note Day?
8.12am QUIZ: A quick warm up for your brain this TGI Friday:
1. In which controversial play did Daniel Radcliffe appear in the West End in 2007?
2. Who or what was the Berliner Mauer?
3. “Goldmember” was the third movie romp for Mike Myers as which spy?
4. Which event caused Lord Nicholas Windsor to renounce his rights to the throne?
5. In which city renowned for its music was “Dreamgirls” set?
8.08am: Did you miss out on the Sherrin footy giveaway last week? Never fear! We've got a few more lying around the office... Details on how to win very soon.
8.01am: On the front page of today's Addy, we've started a campaign to encourage people to be a little hero and support our small businesses. Superstars Ava, 7, Charlie, 5, and Lili Barker, 9, help us with the campaign and show off their mum Alicia's Little Nogg costumes. Also on the front, work has begun to restore a landmark in Bendigo’s central business district to its former glory - The Hopetoun Hotel.
More on The Hopetoun Hotel restoration here.
More on our Support Small Business Day campaign here.
7.57am NEWS: Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss and Deputy Premier Peter Ryan will be visiting Echuca this morning to announce funding for the Port of Echuca. More details to come.
7.53am NEWS: More on the fire at Mount Helen...
7.50am TRAINS: The 7.22am Kyneton to Southern Cross service is delayed by about 15 minutes, due to a train fault, V/Line is reporting.
Lucky enough to score tickets to the big game? See the train timetable here:
7.45am STARS: And will you pick the winner in tomorrow's clash between the Swans and the Hawks? Maybe your horoscope will tell you if you'll get lucky...
7.37am POLL: Back on the topic of the AFL Grand Final, do you think we should get today off?
7.30am: Feeling energetic this morning? Why not head down to Rosalind Park for the Hearty Breakfast and Run? It's raising money for the Heart Foundation and includes activities for all age groups and fitness levels. Addy photographer JODIE DONNELLAN was up and at it early this morning, heading down to the park at 6am to see who was there. See her pics here.
7.28am POLICE NEWS: Police have also renewed calls for witnesses to the June 9 fire which caused $300,000 damage to the historic Junction Hotel on the Calder Highway. Find out more here.
7.23am EMERGENCY SERVICES: All was quiet in the region overnight, but very sad to hear this morning that police fear three people may have perished in a house fire at Mount Helen, near Ballarat, earlier this morning. The Courier has more here.
7.15am NEWS OVERNIGHT: Wishing today was the weekend already? Well, plans for a public holiday on the AFL grand final-eve are back on the state political agenda, with Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews saying it would be great for families, footy fans and tourism. Read more here.
7am WEATHER: Good morning Bendigo! We're in for some mixed weather today - patchy fog this morning, isolated showers this afternoon and a partly cloudy day, phew! But all we can say is it looks mighty fine from the Addy office at the moment. Expect a top of 19 degrees. For more weather, click here.
From 7am until 9am on week days and 8am until 10am on weekends we will be bringing you news, weather, photos, giveaways, fun and everything you need to start your morning.
Good morning. Need a national news snapshot first thing - well, we have you covered.
As the footy-lovers wish away Friday, we have AFL coverage galore. You can send your team a message, find out who's playing where, or take our quiz. But first: Friday.
► To check out the front pages of Fairfax publications for today, click here
6.55am: Jody Balbi can’t bear to think what might have happened if two strangers had not leapt to the rescue when her daughter fell onto the tracks at Thirroul station. Read more
6.50am: There are fans and then there is Gavin Francis. For the past 49 AFL grand finals, the Victorian solicitor has taken his place in the crowd. Nothing will change on Saturday. Read more
6.48am: A multi-agency search failed to find any trace of a base jumper who reportedly hit a cliff face after jumping off a lookout yesterday. Read more
6.46am: A woman who forced her babysitter into a ‘‘threesome’’ with her and her partner will be eligible for release today after having her sentence reduced in the Court of Criminal Appeal. Read more
6.45am: Economist Ian Harper's review into competition across the nation found that Queenslanders should be allowed to shop until they drop – but the state government is still not so sure. Read more
6.43am: A move to do more quarantine screening at Port Melbourne will reduce wait times for Spirit of Tasmania passengers leaving the ships when they arrive at Devonport, according to the state government. Read more
6.40am: Plans for a $38 million goat abattoir has upset neighbouring residents, who have voiced concerns about possible noise, smell and traffic problems. Read more
6.36am: One Victorian council has more than two dozen unfinished projects on its books, worth more than $30 million, which it has pushed into this year’s budget. Who? Read more
6.34am: AC/DC co-founder, guitarist and songwriter, Malcolm Young, whose retirement from the band was announced on Wednesday, has been moved into fulltime care in a Sydney nursing home which specialises in dementia. Read more
6.30am: Do you have relos visiting for the school holidays? Are the kids already bored? Why not be a tourist in your own backyard? Read more
6.27am: We'll be fair - one for Sydney, one for Hawthorn. And while you're there, why not test your AFL knowledge? Take our quiz
6.25am: A man man who put petrol in a beer stubby and used it as a Molotov cocktail to cause about $80,000 damage to a house was sentenced to two-years’ jail yesterday. Read more
6.22am: A leading university has vowed that its students will not suffer exorbitant fee increases under a deregulated system, with course costs for prestige degrees such as law and business remaining well below $100,000. Read more
6.20am: Phew. Central Oval will still be called Central Oval after naming and branding options were considered by Port Augusta City Council. Read more
6.18am: The six-month freeze on NSW petroleum exploration licences has been extended for an additional year. This means what? Read more
6.15am: One of today's big questions ...
6.08am: The Grampians is open for business these school holidays after the completion of rebuilding works. The $3.25 million upgrade comes after some of the area's tourist assets damaged by bushfires in January had been completed. Read more
6.06am: Patients are having to fork out additional money on top of their private health insurance for procedures at a new Wagga surgery. Read more
6.03am: Air passenger services are set to return to Warrnambool with Sharp Airlines in final negotiations with the city council. Read more
6am: Is this your antique watch? Police are looking for the owner of a 290-year-old watch recovered during a raid on a Queensland house this week. Read more
► Auskick young gun Flynn Rowbottom hopes to be hanging a premiership medal around the neck of Lance Franklin on Saturday afternoon. He's a gem. Read more
► Police are warning that drink spiking can be potentially fatal as they investigate an incident where a local teenager was found semi-conscious in a toilet at a Bathurst hotel. Read more
► It was the photobomb pulled off with perfect precision, but this groom took a 'no bull' approach when it came to his wedding photos and his blushing bride. Check out more photos
► One of Prime Minister Tony Abbott's MPs has lashed green groups, including Greenpeace, as "terrorists" and in a bizarre speech to Parliament has declared radical green groups as the greatest terror threat to North Queensland. Read more
► Some asylum seekers could eventually be given permanent residency in a deal reached between Clive Palmer and Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to allow the reintroduction of temporary protection visas and remove all asylum seekers from Christmas Island. Read more
► Trade Minister Andrew Robb has leapt to the defence of Victoria's brown coal industry, labelling it a resource that is often demonised by people who oppose growth and development. Read more
► US President Barack Obama has told Russia to get back to behaving within international norms or face push-back from NATO countries and the wider international community. Read more
► The UN Climate Summit has been graced by the likes of actor Leonardi DiCaprio and US President Barack Obama, but the haunting words of a young mother from a tiny Pacific Island nation have made the most lasting impression. Read more
► And for something different, watch Ellen introducing kids to the technology of yesteryear:
A simple phone and tablet invoicing app is making a fortune for former Ebden resident Chris Strode by paying other people’s bills. The former Wodonga Catholic College student created Invoice2go in a bid to make invoicing easy for small businesses in Australia and, increasingly, around the world. Read more
QUIZ ANSWERS: 1. Equus 2. Berlin Wall 3. Austin Powers 4. Conversion to Roman Catholicism 5. Detroit