What made news in Bendigo during 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, Jackson Saunders takes a look back over what happened in the year that was.Monday, January 4 A STRATHDALE teenager who police believe took his parents’ car and crashed it into a tree has been caught drink-driving. He was one of five drivers caught dangerously over the limit in Bendigo at the weekend. Monday, January 11FIREFIGHTERS were called to two suspicious fires within an hour in the centre of Bendigo yesterday. A blaze at midday burnt about 80 square metres of grass off Thistle Street, behind St John of God Hospital. Less than an hour later, a small fire was reported in garden rubbish behind units at 37 Hopetoun Street. Friday, January 15 FORTUNA Villa may be set for public ownership after the state government declared an interest in the iconic Bendigo landmark. The Bendigo Advertiser understands Premier John Brumby has shown a personal interest in the Fortuna Villa issue and is keen to see it resolved in a way that enables the historic site to be preserved for the community. Wednesday, January 20 STRATHDALE-MARISTIANS were crowned the premier Twenty20 club in Bendigo cricket last night, after scoring a comfortable 37-run win over Strathfieldsaye in the final at the QEO. Friday, January 22 TWO men passionate about their community and the people in it have been awarded the City of Greater Bendigo Citizen of the Year, and Young Citizen of the Year. Eaglehawk businessman and father-of-eight Michael McKern was yesterday named the Citizen of the Year, and 19-year-old social and environmental advocate Alexander Eastwood was named Young Citizen of the Year. Thursday, January 28 AUSTRALIA Day revellers trashed Crook Street park in Strathdale on Tuesday, leaving council staff with the task of cleaning up bottles, cans, broken glass and rubbish. Park staff spent more than three hours yesterday filling eight wheelie bins with the debris. City of Greater Bendigo CEO Craig Niemann said the rubbish was left by a group of young people celebrating Australia Day. Saturday, January 30THE hunt for missing millionaire Herman Rockefeller shifted to Heathcote yesterday afternoon. Police and SES crews, including detectives from the Homicide Squad, last night searched a three-to-five kilometre area of bushland about 2km north-east of the town’s centre. Homicide Squad detectives admitted they held grave fears for the 52-year-old father-of-two’s safety and that he may have met with foul play.Mr Rockefeller disappeared after arriving at Tullamarine Airport following an interstate business trip on Thursday, January 21.Tuesday, February 2 A MOTHER has died after her station wagon crashed into the back of another car on Sunday night and then ricocheted into a power pole. Nerilee Campbell, 32, of Golden Square, was travelling north along High Street, about 11.30pm when she hit the back of a car travelling in the same direction. Her car speared off the road and into the power pole before finishing up in the front yard of a house. Ms Campbell died at the scene. Wednesday, February 3 TWO teenagers charged with lighting a fire that tore through Maiden Gully on Black Saturday, killing a man, and destroying 61 homes, blamed each other for the blaze, a court has heard. Taskforce Phoenix detectives arrested the teens, aged 14 and 15, about 9am yesterday on 153 charges including arson causing the death of Kevin “Mick” Kane, 47, who died at his Long Gully home. They have also been charged with deliberately lighting a fire, lighting fire on a total fire ban day, and lighting fire in a country area during extreme weather. They were also charged with multiple counts of using telecommunications service to menace, harass and offend and 135 counts each of criminal damage by fire. The teens and witnesses in the case cannot be named for legal reasons. Friday, February 5 AN elderly man is dead and his wife is in a critical condition after their car veered into a truck and was dragged more than 300m yesterday afternoon. The couple were travelling south along the Calder Freeway near Malmsbury when their car drifted into the path of a truck travelling in the same direction about 3.30pm. Monday, February 8 A MARYBOROUGH man was killed yesterday in a car crash. The 76-year-old man died about 11am when his 1998 Ford Falcon ute hit a tree beside the Pyrenees Highway near Chadwick Track at Moonlight Flat, about 10km west of Maryborough. Maryborough police said they had no idea what had caused the crash. Tuesday, February 16 THREE lives lost, the town of Harcourt torn apart by a brutal revenge attack, and a young man jailed for 18 months. These are the tragic consequences of a high-speed, alcohol-fuelled crash in which a P-plate driver killed his best mate. Brenton David Chaplin banged his head on the bitumen road as his best friend Leigh Charter, 20, lay dead, thrown from his car after it hit a pole in Seaspray in Gippsland in January 2008. Thirteen month’s later Chaplin was again in mourning when his mother was murdered in a revenge attack by Mr Charter’s father, also called Leigh.Her killer then took his own life. The attack was the culmination of a tragic history involving two North Harcourt families. Another chapter in the tragedy was played out in the County Court yesterday when Chaplin, 22, was jailed for four years – with a minimum of 18 months – over the crash. About 120 members of the Chaplin and Charter families filled every seat of Victoria’s largest courtroom for the sentence. Chaplin, formerly of Harcourt, had pleaded guilty to culpable driving. Saturday, February 20 THE Bendigo District Cricket Association was yesterday crowned the premier cricket competition in regional Victoria. Bendigo defeated Kyabram by 47 runs in the Melbourne Country Week provincial group final at The Albert Ground. Monday, February 22 A BENDIGO man was killed when his car hit a tree and burst into flames early yesterday morning. The 31-year-old man was travelling north on Bonn Road, near Rochester, when he lost control of the car just after 5.30am and veered into trees.