The fire burnt about half a hectare of River Red Gums which was habitat for wildlife. 

The campfire did not comply with campfire regulations and was not extinguished correctly. 

Soil was used instead of water to put out the campfire. On the surface, covering the campfire with soil may look like the fire is out but it can still smoulder underneath. 

A good rule of thumb to test that your campfire is completely extinguished is if it is cool to the touch, it is safe to leave.   

While most people are doing the right thing, we want to remind campers that as the weather warms up to build your campfire as per the regulations, never leave a campfire unattended and ensure it is extinguished properly.

People are also reminded that campfires are not allowed under any circumstances on a day of Total Fire Ban day and it is your responsibility to check if any declarations are in place.

Under the Forest Act 1958, on the spot fines of up to $455 can be issued for leaving a campfire unattended with a maximum penalty of up to $15,167. 

Anyone with information about this fire can call DELWP on 136 186. 

For reasons as yet unclear, ABC regional radio is being reformatted. From December 14 this year the ABC Central Victoria “Mornings” show will no longer be relayed to audiences in Northern Victoria and Southern NSW. This is a retrograde step as it shuts down regional ABC morning talkback radio in an ill judged, populist,  return to localism.

With ABC “Mornings”, Fiona Parker and her top notch crew have consistently delivered an entertaining, informative, and fearless show with a broad regional reach, and provided an invaluable and accessible forum for debate, feedback and the alternative view.

It is doubly disappointing that the Morning Show will be wound up on December 11 with zero fanfare, no recognition by the ABC for Fiona and her team’s fantastic work over many years, or any opportunity for listeners to show their appreciation. As far as management is concerned, it’s just lights out.

Goodbye to Fiona and the team, thousands of us will miss our beautifully concocted and delivered fix of politics, sport, music, and talkback. Thanks for the effort and the connection. VALE the Morning Show.     

Once upon a time in a kingdom lived a greedy King and with the help of his knights and ladies-in-waiting, made the lives of the peasants in the village miserable. The King wanted the streets around his palace pathed in gold so they glittered and made other kingdoms envious. The King was told the peasants wanted footpaths and services instead of glitter, he laughed and ignored them. To get more money for his gold the King decided to stop the good fairies from going to the older villager’s homes and doing good deeds. The peasants cried out and the King was advised he would have to pay the fairies a lot of money to sack them. The King decided to keep the fairies but reduce their wages and hours so they would quit and at the same time cut the good deeds being done so the peasants would learn to do without. 

As they did not want to anger the King, the court agreed to increase rates and taxes as the people were ignorant. All the King’s men cheered as he sang “I’m King of the castle and they are dirty rascals”.