The Pyrenees Advocate in Beaufort, Victoria | Broadcasting & media production company

The Pyrenees Advocate

Locality: Beaufort, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 5349 2105

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06.02.2022 Absolutely heart-warming Despite being stuck in isolation, young Ashlyn had a birthday she will never forget when a group of motorcyclists stopped by to wish her a happy birthday.

01.02.2022 An Advice message for Beaufort and Lake Goldsmith has replaced the Watch and Act, with local CFA crews reducing the risk.

25.01.2022 Status quo at Council The poll has been declared in the 2020 Pyrenees Shire Council election, with the same team of councillors elected for another four years. Only two of councils five wards were contested. In Avoca ward, Ron Eason 698 defeated Jo Dunlop 460. In Ercildoune ward, David Clark 614 defeated Simon Tol 498. ... Robert Vance, Damian Ferrari and Tanya Kehoe were all elected unopposed. Pictured are Ron and David a few minutes ago after the poll was declared. See more

24.01.2022 What did Christmas look like at your place? We want your photos to run in this Thursday's Pyrenees Advocate. If you have a pic of your family celebrating Christmas, or the kids opening presents, or mum cooking in the kitchen, please send them to us at [email protected] for inclusion in Thursday's edition.

23.01.2022 Poll There has been another increase in COVID-19 cases in Victoria, prompting the government to make wearing masks in public mandatory from Wednesday night in metropolitan Melbourne. Will you wear a mask if the rule is extended to country Victoria?

22.01.2022 Beaufort & Skipton Health Service has created an art installation at the front of the Beaufort Hospital made by the residents.

22.01.2022 A Watch and Act message has been issued for Lake Goldsmith and Stockyard Hill. Staying close to a building where you can shelter is the safest option.

20.01.2022 Business of the week ‘Sam’s Place Duck In’ is truly a family affair. Sam Rainford, her sister, Gemma Howell, nephew, Braydon and niece, Ella, will all be helping during the coming weeks. They have taken over what was locally known in past years as Times of Yore and the Avoca Coffee Grind shop, next door to the newsagency. Read more in this week’s Advocate

20.01.2022 Business of the Week - Barkers Transport SUE and Michael Barker purchased their transport business in 1996 from Bruce and Doreen Muir who were ready to retire and move on. The Barkers admit they were nervous about their new venture as it involved a lot of long hours and hard work, but support from family and friends has helped them over the years. The Barkers depot was originally in High Street Avoca, where Hewitt & Whitty are now situated. They completely renovated the depo...t but as the business grew they needed more space that was not available at the High Street site. A decision was made to purchased land in Rowe Street and building commenced in 2011, with the business moving to the site in 2013. The Rowe Street site has enabled Sue and Michael to operate their business more effectively. Barkers Transport employ three local residents. The majority of their freight is to and from Melbourne, with runs every Tuesday and Friday. They have a depot in Derrimut on the outskirts of Melbourne and transport quite a lot of freight from local suppliers to shipping yards in Melbourne for export. Barkers are also able to organise onforwarding of freight to most capital cities around Australia. Ballarat and the towns on the Sunraysia Highway are serviced on a daily basis, with outlying towns around Avoca are serviced when required. Barkers are also agents for Elgas (household gas cylinders and forklift cylinders), Air Liqude (welding and hospitality gasses) and they also offer cool storage for their customers (predominately wineries) which they distribute from their facility to designated destinations. They also offer general freight to locals by picking up appliances and furniture from businesses in Ballarat and while they are not livestock carriers, they have transported some live fish, a ram and a few chooks for customers in a couple of rare cases. Barkers Transport have put extra measures in place due to COVID-19 to reduce the risk of transmission for their staff and customers. Sue said that customers are wary and businesses are cautious and everyone is worried about what the future holds. Barkers Transport are opened Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm at 3640 Rowe Street, Avoca, telephone 5465 3174. See more

17.01.2022 KIDS love decorating cup cakes, and while we’re isolated with COVID-19, the Beaufort Agricultural Society wants to encourage local kids to be active in the kitchen. The Society is encouraging kids and their families to participate in an on-line cup cake decorating competition and to submit photos to win great prizes. It follows on from the success of their on-line Lego competition, which received over 60 entries. The kids do not have to make the cup cakes it is their job to... ice and decorate the cup cakes, with every piece of the decoration being edible. The theme is Activities during COVID and all 4 cup cakes can have the same or different decorations. What to do next? Place all 4 cupcakes on a plate. Take a photo of your child holding the plate, this is proof that they were done at home. However the judges will only be given one or two photos of the actual cup cakes possibly taken from the side and the top view. Email entries to the Secretary Fleur Hillman ([email protected]) by Sunday 13th September and the 2 cup cake photos will be printed and laminated for judging. There are four sections - Pre-school, Prep-Grade 3, Grade 4-6 and Secondary School. Please put which year you are in at school! There will be lots of prizes and it is a great activity to do with your children during these COVID times, said Marianne Troup, who is co-ordinating this competition. Pictured is Beaufort’s Will Kermond and some cup cakes he decorated himself. See more

17.01.2022 TOMORROW’s local cricket stars will soon be enjoying better facilities at Beaufort’s Goldfields Recreation Reserve, with Labor MP Jaala Pulford announcing a substantial grant through the Community Cricket Program. Ms Pulford visited the reserve on Tuesday at announce $100,000 funding to upgrade facilities. The reserve is the home of Beaufort Cricket Club and Beaufort and District Little Athletics Club and the funding - coupled with a contribution from Pyrenees Shire Council and the Beaufort Community Bank - will enable the shire to construct a fully enclosed, three wicket, cricket practice net facility and storage shed. See the full story in the current edition of the Pyrenees Advocate.

17.01.2022 Business of the Week ELDERS is a name synonymous with rural Australia and they’ve been proudly serving the Avoca district for around half a century. The business first set up in Avoca in the shop... on the north side of the Avoca Community Bank, before purchasing land and building a new shop at 109 High Street some 20 years ago. Elders is an essential service for our farming communities and offers an incredible range of services like financial planning, agronomy advice, insurance, stock acquisition and product sales. 109 High Street is home to Elders merchandise which local resident, Narelle Lobb, has overseen for the last 22 years. Narelle’s product knowledge and enthusiasm is a valuable cog in the business. Stock agent, Tim Hill, has been connected with Elders for 21 years and is happy to help farmers with buying and selling stock and advice. Elizabeth and Heathcliffe Teal have owned Hedon Farm for 11 years and decided the Avoca district needed some real estate agents living locally, so eight years ago they became agents for Elders. Elizabeth is branch manager and residential and lifestyle agent while Heathcliffe is the rural and lifestyle agent. Heathcliffe said there has been a surge in demand for bush blocks and small acreage and has a waiting list for when properties come onto the market. Since January, he’s sold 15 properties. Elizabeth said that by living in the area, they are available most weekends to meet with prospective buyers or sellers. Elders strongly backs our local community and support local clubs like football, bowls and golf through annual sponsorships. While COVID-19 has had an impact on most businesses, Elders continue to open five days a week to serve your needs. Call in and see them at 109 High Street Avoca of call 5465 2000. Elders Real Estate Avoca

14.01.2022 AVOCA Scouts will soon be moving into newly refurbished premises following a substantial grant from the Victorian Government. Labor Member for Western Victoria, Jaala Pulford MP, recently announced that the 1st Avoca Scout Group will receive $150,000 to refurbish its new hall in Rutherford Street. In the development of the plan to refurbish the old Scout Hall it became clear that a more cost-effective option would be to purchase a different building. See the full story in the current edition of the Pyrenees Advocate.

13.01.2022 Comment - by Publisher Craig Wilson. Since coming back to the Pyrenees Advocate earlier this year, I’ve had a lot of people asking when we are doing an online version. The truth is, we are looking at ways of producing a paid digital version of the paper, but I want to explain why the print version remains our core business. The 147 year old Pyrenees Advocate and our newer 20 week old Ararat Advocate provides jobs and livelihoods for a number of people. Three people earn a l...iving off this newspaper through advertising sales and newspaper sales. Another four people are employed at the Ararat Advocate. These seven people, myself included, all live locally in their respective communities like Avoca, Beaufort, Ararat, Willaura and Waterloo and they all spend their wage locally. Then there are the newsagents, general stores, post offices and service stations selling the paper. The Friday newspaper give people a reason to head into those outlets and buy a copy, and hopefully while they are there they will buy something else. It helps to keep their businesses ticking over. The paper also gives work to printers and couriers and at the end of the process, you also have something to light your fire or line your bird cage with. Going completely digital would hurt a lot of these business. In changing times, we obviously must look at an online version to remain competitive. But this business is above all else a print business. The printed product is something we are all proud of and our weekly sales indicate people still want and need it. See more

13.01.2022 This year's Pyrenees Shire Council elections will be a quiet affair, with only two of five wards being contested. In Ercildoune ward, incumbent David Clark will face off with President of Waubra Football Club, Simon Tol. In Avoca ward, incumbent Ron Eason is up against Jo Dunlop. Cr Damial Ferrari, Cr Robert Vance and Cr Tanya Kehoe will all be re-elected unopposed.

13.01.2022 ' It was another busy week in the Pyrenees as we rolled into February! Be sure to get your copy of this week's Advocate.

11.01.2022 Here’s a great idea.

10.01.2022 New fire station for Natte Volunteers at Natte Yallock Fire Brigade are to get a new fire station under the $126 million CFA Capability Funding program. Read more in the Pyrenees Advocate

10.01.2022 VISITATION TEMPORARILY CEASES AT BSHS From Saturday 18 July 2020, all visitation to BSHS facilities will cease (except for compassionate reasons) due to the inc...reasing number of COVID-19 positive cases in the region. Please make sure you remember to protect the health and safety of yourself and others by: * Washing your hands * Social distancing (1.5M) * Staying at home if you are feeling unwell Please refer to the following link, for further information. https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus See more

10.01.2022 Business of the Week - Angels Cafe, Beaufort SUE and Ian Smith at Angel’s Café and Gifts have been in business in Havelock Street for 16 months now, and they pride themselves on cheerful, friendly, service with a smile. The cafe remained open for takeaways right through the COVID-19 shutdown and, as soon as permitted, opened again for table service, with what we have come to regard as the standard safeguards, in place. If this most recent lockdown extends to us, we will h...appily do takeaways only again, if we need to, owner Ian Smith said. The Café has a great range of homemade pies, and quiches. There are toasted focacicas and croissants and of course, if customers fancy a sweet treat there are scones, cakes and delicious biscuits. Coffee and tea are always available, and they will make sandwiches to order. In addition, there is a good range of cold drinks. There are daily specials, and these have proved to be really popular with regular customers. The complimentary sweets on the counter, for those customers who need that little something extra as they leave, is a nice touch. Once the weather warms up, or perhaps even on a nice winter’s day, customers can sit in the outside courtyard to enjoy their coffee and snacks. There is a range of quirky and delightful giftware displayed in the window and the café also sells a range of Billson’s cordials. We try to help our customers the best way we can, Ian said. Ian and Sue are currently doing takeaways as well as table service. Phone in on 5349 2072 to place and order. Café opening hours are 7.30 am until 2.30 pm daily See more

09.01.2022 Beaufort ward councillor Damian Ferrari has been unanimously elected Mayor of Pyrenees Shire Council at a statutory meeting in Lexton tonight. Read more in Friday's edition of the Pyrenees Advocate.

08.01.2022 PRISONS IN LOCKDOWN AFTER GUARD TESTS POSITIVE TO COVID-19 Langi Kal Kal Prison and Hopkins Correction Centre are in lockdown tonight after a guard at a Melbourne prison tested positive for COVID-19. Ararat and Langi Kal Kal are among Six Victorian prisons in lockdown.... The Victorian Justice Department has confirmed a staff member at Ravenhall Prison in Melbourne's west returned a positive COVID-19 test and due to prisoner movements five other prisons have also been put into lockdown. The Department of Health and Human Services have been notified and contact tracing is currently underway, with impacted staff and prisoners being notified, a Corrections Victoria statement said. In line with Corrections Victoria’s coronavirus (COVID-19) management plans, a number of measures have already taken place, including placement of potential prisoner contacts in quarantine units, contact tracing and thorough cleaning. Officers from the Ararat and Langi Kal Kal facilities have been working in COVID-19 hotspots in Melbourne in recent weeks, raising concerns of the virus being brought into the Ararat district.

08.01.2022 Volunteer of the week... Geoff Anderson from Beaufort has been involved with the local Food Pantry for the last five years and during that time has collected, transported, sorted, stored, packed and given out a huge variety of foodstuffs to all manner of people. Read more in this week’s Advocate

08.01.2022 Take 2 Rural Victoria still needs to still take care as our areas have had hundreds of tourists visit or pass through our towns in the last two weeks And clarifying the school situation YES all rural children are back at school next Monday ( apologies for previous post there was a bit of confusion)

06.01.2022 Pyrenees Shire is now COVID free, with new data showing there are no longer any active cases in our municipality.

05.01.2022 UPDATE The Grass fire is under control but authorities are advising people nearby remain cautious.

05.01.2022 A bit of a mishap in Beaufort today. Fortunately no one was hurt.

05.01.2022 Morrison Logging is seeking to buy the following plantation timber; Radiata pine Blue gum Douglas fir Ponderosa... Spruce We can offer a range of harvesting options for you Plantations from first things through to clear fall TOP ROYALTIES PAID FOR HARVESTABLE QUANTITYS We are fully insured, and provide Free no obligation quotes. Contact Nick on 0409 304 220 or send throw a message for more details and any questions

04.01.2022 PLANNED BURN NEAR RAGLAN Start Date: 13-10-2020 End Date: 15-10-2020 Forest Fire Management Victoria advise that the following planned burning will be carried out, weather conditions permitting: Beaufort Mt Lonarch Rd, 148.7 ha, 11km N of Raglan ... This burn is scheduled to be ignited between 11:00am Tuesday 13th October 2020 and 5:00pm Thursday 15th October 2020. Smoke may be visible for the following days. If you have any concerns or queries please contact the Midlands District on (03) 5335 0716. See more

04.01.2022 The thunderstorm forecast below is the CURRENT thunderstorm forecast for tomorrow, Thursday, 8 October 2020. NOTE: This thunderstorm forecast is valid from midn...ight tonight until midnight on Thursday, 8 October 2020. Image source - Melbourne Storm Chasers. Information source - Bureau of Meteorology. Thunderstorms are a risk Statewide Thursday as a low pressure system continues to deepen and move southwards across western Victoria. Mid-level thunderstorms embedded within rain bands are possible in the early hours extending southwards from northern Victoria as a significant upper trough moves across the State. The southwest of the State is least likely to see thunderstorms within the rain band but cannot be ruled out. Further destabilisation across central and eastern areas as the low moves over western Bass Strait will continue the risk of storms into daylight hours, especially over the Gippsland area still supported by the upper trough. The thunderstorm risk contracts southeast during the afternoon and should have contracted to sea by the evening. Thunderstorms have the potential for heavy rainfall during the morning through the area indicated although the speed of movement should restrict overall location totals apart from larger storms. Damaging wind gusts are also a risk for most of Thursday through central and eastern areas. A Severe Weather Warning is also current for these phenomena from rain as well for parts of Victoria. Increasing shear in East Gippsland leads to the risk of supercell thunderstorms from the late morning with the inherent risk of large hail, locally destructive winds including the slight risk of tornadoes, and heavy rainfall. - Nick -

04.01.2022 In another blow to local media in Western Victoria, Australian Community Media has today announced its Ballarat print site will close. The ACM site prints dozens of local papers, including your Pyrenees Advocate. We’ve been with them for years but no more. The decision means 100+ people will be out of a job. The site will close in early October, however we are pleased to announce our newspaper will be printed at a new site from next week. We're joining Newsprinters in Sheppa...rton from next week. The paper will be printed on Thursday night, trucked to Melbourne and then dispatched through our couriers Paperfreight. See more

03.01.2022 A second case of COVID-19 has been identified in Pyrenees Shire.

03.01.2022 There is a bit of snow around the traps with more expected later today. Please send us your snow pics. Here's a pic taken this morning b y Jill Norman near Beaufort. Send pics to [email protected]

02.01.2022 First COVID-19 case in Pyrenees Shire. As the COVID-19 situation in Victoria continues to worsen, it can be revealed that Pyrenees Shire has reported its first case of the virus. Data released by the Health Department this afternoon shows one new case has emerged in the Shire. The locality of the infected person is not known. The Advocate will continue to update you on developments as they come to hand.

02.01.2022 To celebrate someone turning 100 is rare, but to have two celebrations in one week is quite remarkable. Happy Birthday to Betty Green of Beaufort and Laurie Hannett of Navarre.

02.01.2022 Did you know it was ten years ago yesterday when the Brumby Government returned passenger trains to Maryborough?

02.01.2022 Don't miss this week's Pyrenees Advocate. We look at the return to normality after restrictions were eased this week, there's a report on the future of local public pools, support of the Scullin Overpass, a liquor permit for Moonambel, a sensational cake recipe and Landsborough's push to get a shop.

20.12.2021 UPDATE A Watch and Act message has been issued for Beaufort, Lake Goldsmith, Nerring and Trawalla.