Shepparton businesses get behind Connect GV fundraiser

The generosity of the Shepparton business community has come to the fore with a number of impressive donations to the ConnectGV Gala Dinner and Goods and Services Auction

ConnectGV and Goulburn Valley families need your help.

There is no out-of-home respite service for the region’s families who have children with autism.

So the disability service is next month hosting a gala dinner to raise funds to ensure respite can be provided.

The News has also committed to doing everything it can to help.

At www.sheppnews.com.au there is a goods and services auction, containing dozens of items that will be sold to help raise $50000.

In coming weeks, we’ll be featuring stories on families who will benefit from the service along with more information on why it is so badly needed.

ConnectGV says autism has only recently been identified as a disability and it’s unique to other disabilities.

A respite service will not only give families a well-earned rest, but also it provides young people with autism the opportunity to develop skills to become independent.

Greater Shepparton businesses are coming on board to support a much-needed service in the community.

The ConnectGV Gala Dinner and Goods and Services Auction will raise money to provide respite services to more than 90 families in Greater Shepparton who have children with autism.

The autism-based respite service has been identified as a vital need because there are no out-of-home respite services in the Goulburn Valley catering to these families.

The fundraising target is $50000, online bids close on February 11 and the Gala Dinner and Goods and Services Auction is on February 15.

Some of the items include a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo from Ken Muston Automotive valued at $49000, an exclusive tour of David Hayes’ Lindsay Park Racing Stables valued at $800, and a tour of the former stables of Black Caviar at Swettenham Stud followed by lunch at Mitchelton Winery valued at $1300.

For the adventurer, there are holidays, boat hire and a quad bike listed, as well as restaurant vouchers, a watch and a tyre package.

This is the second year Ken Muston Automotive has supported ConnectGV’s major fundraiser.

‘‘Ken Muston Automotive pride themselves in supporting the local community. The ConnectGV fundraisers have a real purpose and we can see the results from our assistance,’’ Ken Muston general manager Ian Raglus said.

Mitchelton Wines was also pleased to support the much-needed cause.

Chef Brett Dobson said the restaurant and cellar door had recently been refurbished and they were looking forward to showing it off.

‘‘It’s great that we can do this while supporting ConnectGV. We have a fresh new menu that incorporates the beautiful produce that is available locally, and Mitchelton winemakers have suggested the perfect Mitchelton wine match for all on the menu,’’ Mr Dobson said.

Friars Cafe is offering a catering package for 10 people, where staff members come to your home and cook for your next dinner party.

Friars staff members will create a three-course meal and supply a linen table cloth and napkins, crockery, cutlery, glassware and a selection of beer and wine.

ConnectGV chief executive Bruce Giovanetti said there was something for everyone and encouraged people to check out the items online or purchase a ticket and come along to the ConnectGV Gala Dinner and Goods and Services Auction.

‘‘It’s an opportunity to participate and hopefully pick up a bargain and contribute to the cause, ’’ he said.

The ConnectGV Gala Dinner and Goods and Services Auction will be at the Shepparton Golf Club on Friday, February 15 at 7pm. Tickets cost $80, which includes a meal, welcome drink and canapes on arrival. To view the items or to place an early bid via the online auction, visit www.sheppnews.com.au and follow the links. For tickets or more information, phone ConnectGV on 58212466.

For more information about the GV Support Group for Children with Special Needs, phone 58311757.

Shepparton Kawasaki owner Ed Rhode and Ken Muston Motors general manager Ian Raglus with their donations to the ConnectGV fundraiser.

Solar panels set example

The South Shepparton Community Centre has made the transition to solar power

An array of solar panels grace the roof of the South Shepparton Community Centre.

The transition to solar energy has been made so the centre can slash costs and set an example to the community, according to president Brian Harwood.

Two dozen 1m x 1.6m panels were installed last week.

‘‘The South Shepparton Community Centre is all about benefiting the community,’’ Mr Harwood said.

‘‘That’s why we’re installing solar panels on the roof.

‘‘The idea of becoming more sustainable, more self-sufficient, fits with the concept we have here of doing things that benefit the community.’’

The 250-watt panels were installed by Baker Renewable Energy of Numurkah and took four workmen a day to put up.

Baker Renewable Energy owner Gary Baker said he was pleased to help out the facility.

‘‘They’re really good people, and green power is definitely the way to go in this area,’’ he said.

Installing the panels cost about $12500 and was paid through the community centre’s accumulated reserve fund.

Mr Harwood said that the centre would be keeping a log of its power usage, so people interested in switching to solar power could be taken through the costs and benefits.

‘‘If someone is considering solar panels for their home, we can show them the daily figures; what goes in and out, and what’s consumed,’’ he said.

Mr Harwood said the panels were a long-term investment that would, eventually, give the centre a 15 per cent return on its money.

The South Shepparton Community Centre is having solar panels installed, to supply the power needs of the centre. Brian Harwood, President of South Shepparton Community Centre

Holder to do battle in pairs at Undera

Goulburn Valley Motorcycle Club has secured World Speedway champion Chris Holder for its pairs event this month.

Goulburn Valley Motorcycle Club has secured World Speedway champion Chris Holder for its pairs event this month.

Holder, Australia’s fifth world champion, competed at the same event at Undera Park Speedway last year when he was ranked No.8 in the world.

The event will be staged on Saturday, February 9.

Last year, he finished second despite winning five-of-five races, partnering Shepparton’s Jackson Milne.

Club spokesman Keith Anderson said the club was thrilled to confirm the reigning world champion’s return.

‘‘We have just found out and it is sensational,’’ Anderson said.

‘‘We haven’t completed the field just yet, but with Chris being the world No.1, our own Dakota North, the recently crowned Australian No.2, and Mansfield’s Max Fricke, winner of the under-21 Australian title, it is sure to be top notch.’’

He said the aforementioned trio made 12 confirmed starters.

‘‘When word gets out that Chris is in, we wouldn’t be surprised if we have more very keen to get involved,’’ he said.

Holder was a star junior rider, before snagging his first senior Australian title in 2008.

He rides in the British Elite League.

Holder smashed the previous track record of 57.01sec, set in 1992, when he flew around the Undera track in 55.63 last year.

Holder, 25, commitment caps a bumper month for the club, which successfully staged the second round of the Australian Solo Championships on January 9.

A crowd of more than 2000 attended.

Anderson said he expected this to be bigger again.

‘‘When you have the world No.1, people want to get there,’’ he said.

World Speedway champion Chris Holder will burn up the Undera Park Speedway tomorrow week.

Old foes to fight for right to be top dog

Top spot and a double-chance will be on the line when Echuca travels south to take on Goulburn Murray Cricket frontrunner Rochester United on Saturday.

Top spot and a double-chance will be on the line when Echuca travels south to take on Goulburn Murray Cricket frontrunner Rochester United on Saturday.

The two sides are level on 98 points apiece, but while United holds a sizeable percentage advantage, it has the bye in the final round, meaning a slip up against Echuca would be costly.

A win, on the other hand, would all but guarantee it the minor premiership, with Echuca not only needing to win its final round match against fellow high-flier Rochester Tigers, but to do so convincingly, and even then the percentage differential could be too significant.

None of this is lost on Echuca skipper Brendan Prendergast.

‘If we can win we give ourselves a chance of top spot, but if we lose we’re out of the running,’’ Prendergast said.

‘‘The way the competition is structured the team on top gets the double-chance and if you look at the sides within the top six, all of them are capable of beating each other.

‘‘You like to think you won’t need the double-chance, but it would be good to have it anyway.’’

The two sides developed a rivalry in the Campaspe Cricket Association, but this will be their first meeting since the competition merged with Kyabram District Cricket Association to form the Goulburn Murray league.

Both boast powerful batting line-ups and therefore the bowlers loom as the key to victory for Prendergast.

‘‘They are a good team, they have a number of good batters, and batting has been our strength for the last couple of years,’’ he said.

‘‘The team that bowls the best if probably going to win the game.’’

Several players on either side found themselves teammates last week at Bendigo Country Week, with Prendergast and United captain Dylan Cuttriss among them.

You can be sure both leaders were making the most of the opportunity to see their district opponents up close and plans will no doubt be in place for how to deal with some players this weekend.

Echuca skipper Brendan Prendergast will lead from the front in the top-of-the-table clash with Rochester United starting Saturday.

'A generous soul'

Shepparton business owner Azem Elmaz has put his business Luftiye's on hold and headed out to Violet Town to volunteer his time and considerable skills cooking meals for the firefighters battling the blaze in the area.

‘‘All you wanna do is ride around Sally — ride Sally, ride.’’

The words of Wilson Picket’s hit song drift across Violet Town’s footy field buoyed by the aromas of roast potatoes, chickpeas, chicken biriani with pumpkin and eggplant.

In any other town it might be just good fun — in Violet Town it is the essence of community spirit and the birth of a new town legend.

Inside the tiny footy clubroom’s kitchens, a group of women and men are packing plastic containers with freshly-cooked meals for hungry firefighters.

The locals sing as they pack, and they laugh as they are told to pack faster by Shepparton blow-in Azem Elmaz.

Mr Elmaz arrived on Sunday and didn’t sleep for 48 hours while he fired up the outdoor barbecue and taught Violet Town people how to cater for up to 300 people four times a day.

His first proper rest came on Wednesday night when he bedded down — in the footy clubroom.

Violet Town’s Ronny Kirkpatrick said Mr Elmaz’s arrival had galvanised the small team of volunteers into action.

‘‘He’s fantastic. We don’t know where we would have started — we’ve catered before, but not for this amount of people,’’ Mrs Kirkpatrick said. ‘‘He’s brought everything. We would have been lost without him.’’

For more about Mr Elmaz’s efforts to cater for firefighters, pick up a copy of today’s Shepparton News.

Azem Elmaz and other volunteers such as Dot Rae (pictured centre) have been busy cooking meals for firefighters at Violet Town.