Articles by Craig Wilson

  • Delacombe Way sealing completed

    DELACOMBE Way has been made safer thanks to a $478,000 investment through the Victorian Government’s AgriLinks Upgrade Program.
    Despite recent intense weather events, Delacombe Way is now fully sealed as crews laid the final layer of bitumen this week.

    By

  • King and Queen unveiled

    Isabella Fiegert has been announced as Queen of the Ararat Golden Gateway Festival and Bill Waterston is King. Let the fun begin.

    By

  • RESTORATION OF ARARAT A

    AN important part of Ararat’s railway history has been restored with funding from the Victorian Government.
    Ararat A is over 100 years old and is the only remaining signal box from the once busy Ararat rail yards.
    Earlier this year, the government body VicTrack stepped in, approving a maintenance program to restore the old signal box to its former glory.
    A VicTrack spokesperson confirmed to the Advocate this week, work is now complete.

    By

  • Train patronage improves

    COMMUTERS are slowly returning to the local train network with new figures showing an improvement in the number of people catching the train from Ararat Station.
    Train patronage plummeted during the pandemic, but the Department of Transport confirms the figures are slowly returning to pre-COVID levels.
    In the 2021/22 financial year there were 20,986 boardings at Ararat Station.
    This was an increase from 15,222 in the 2020/21 financial year but still short of the pre-pandemic levels.

    By

  • Medal presentation for Elmhurst stalwart

    ELMHURST resident Geoff Penna was recently invited to Government House in Melbourne to be officially presented with his Order of Australia Medal.
    Geoff Penna OAM was named in the annual Queen’s Birthday honours list for a lifetime of service to the communities of Ararat and Elmhurst.
    His award was for service to numerous organisations across the community including as President of Elmhurst Bush Nursing Centre, Secretary of the Elmhurst Development Group, Secretary of Elmhurst Landcare and previous board positions with Marian College, Ararat College, Ararat Retirement Village and Ararat Regional Business Association.
    Mr Penna and his wife Jean, daughter Lyndal and grandchildren William and Annie attended the official function at Government House for the presentation of awards by Victorian Governor Linda Dessau.

    By

  • Waste revolution starts Monday

    ARARAT Rural City’s waste and recycling will soon be revolutionised, as the new three or four-bin system commences across the municipality from October 3. Properties under 12 acres will transition to a four-bin system, receiving both a green bin for food and garden organics and glass-only bin, whereas properties above 12 hectares will have a […]

    By

  • Probus Friendship Day

    FROM the 1st of October 2022, tens of thousands of Probus members across Australia will be celebrating Probus Day. The month also acknowledges the United Nations’ Day of Older Persons, highlighting the important contributions that older people make to society.
    In the case of the Probus Club of Ararat our celebrations start on the 13th of October, with a special morning tea. Morning tea guests include club foundation member Athol Graham, and guest speaker Ararat Advocate publisher Craig Wilson.
    Then just a week later on the 20th continuing the theme, the club will enjoy a special Christians Coach tour to the Rupanyup Historical Museum, and the Murtoa Stick Shed.
    Pictured : Ararat Probians during a recent trip to Flagstaff Hill to learn about the Maremma penguin protection program.

    By

  • APOLOGY

    Due to some technical difficulties, we were late uploading today’s edition of the Ararat Advocate. The problem has now been rectified. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.    

    By