Editorial Comment

Last week’s column talked about the decision by the City of Greater Bendigo to choose a 50 metre swimming pool complex at Kangaroo Flat as the preferred option for which it will seek external funding. The conversations online and in the press in the week ensuing have also talked up the actua..

If you are one of the many thousands of Bendigonians who have taken a course at Bendigo TAFE, you may well be feeling dismayed and disheartened this week. News of the first job losses, with more on the horizon, does not come as a surprise to those who work there. Apparently, morale is very low,..

Sanity prevailed at this week’s City of Greater Bendigo council meeting when the decision was made to support a 50 metre swimming pool at Kangaroo Flat over the 25m option originally proposed. And while everyone acknowledges the 50 metre option will cost about 10 per cent, or $3 million more..

THOSE campaigning for the pool at the planned aquatic centre at Kangaroo Flat to be 50 metres instead of 25 have walked into the perfect storm. For years, council staff have been trying to convince councillors, members of the public and media, that a 25 metre pool was the way to go. At council o..

This week’s historic decision by Fair Work Australia to award huge pay rises for more than 150,000 community sector workers should help narrow the unacceptable pay gap between men and women in Australia. Unfortunately, it also looks like creating a whole new raft of problems for the industry..

The Bendigo Education Plan has radically changed both the physical and philosophical way our children are taught. With the last of the building projects in sight, we now have campuses across the city that are well-equipped to cope with what is becoming an increasingly competitive environment for ..

THE ability of some people to attract attention to themselves by making an outrageous claim or comment all in the name of research can sometimes be astounding. This week, it was the turn of researchers from the University of Western Australia to step up onto the podium and claim the prize for idio..

ANY moves to delay the reappointment of City of Greater Bendigo chief executive officer Craig Niemann should be avoided. There is a vocal part of the community that believes Mr Niemann is responsible for the Hargreaves Mall debacle, the Walk Bendigo fiasco and other public works dramas and should ..

SHANE Warne used to be known as the master of spin, and it seems little may have changed this week with the Tweeting tweaker venting his frustrations about a heated incident with a cyclist in Melbourne. As is always the case, there are two sides to a story. Warne and his alleged lycra-clad attacke..

NEWSPAPERS are often criticised for being too negative. It’s an easy criticism, but it’s also an easy target. News services follow the story, simple as that. They follow it no matter where it goes, no matter who it annoys and no matter what happens next. To a person on the wrong end ..

Working through the Christmas period, it’s been a joy to share the road with so little traffic each morning, but there’s been a gradual increase in the number of vehicles stuck at the lights, waiting at the roundabouts and stuck in the right hand lane this week…. In other words, B..

Hear that zzzzzzz noise? It’s the buzzing of apathy from (most of) our politicians over the continuing saga that is Fortuna Villa. There she sits, surrounded in wire and costing $18,000 a week just in basic security and maintenance, while the State and Federal Governments bicker ov..

The tough times for Bendigo’s golf clubs could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. If the clubs were all doing well, the idea of closing any of them down would be shocking. Having so much space available for residents to enjoy a social hit, as well as for more serious golfers, has to b..

Insurance is not a very interesting topic – until that moment when you need it. While no one knows what climate change is going to mean for weather patterns, the increase in natural disasters over the past few years has put us all on high alert. You can’t replace lives lost, but you..

A funny thing happened this summer as the Australian Test cricket team set about restoring some much-needed pride at the expense of the visiting Indian team. While the traditional five-day game continues its revival, the game continues to feast upon itself via the phenomenon known as Twenty20, or ..

This week marked the first anniversary of the sudden death of the sixth Bishop of Sandhurst, Bishop Joe Grech, a man whose charismatic faith and love for life won him great support and respect from both the young and old alike. And while he was initially viewed by many to be an odd appointment bac..

2011 was a big year for Bendigo. It started off with the easing of water restrictions, and will end with hundreds of people swimming, fishing and boating in a very full Lake Eppalock. The region’s secure water situation was just one of the many highlights of the year, even though the rain ..

‘Twas the year before Christmas, when all through the town, Lots of things were happening, and water restrictions went down We lost Bishop Joe, a man who did care, His loss would be great, and difficult to bear. Parents and children then nestled in their seats, As a bunch of st..

IT is unimaginable that the Bendigo Spirit could lose its fight to keep its head above water. There are many options open to it, and the city, to help it stay afloat.The first, and most obvious option, is for current sponsors to come forward to help the franchise meet its $50,000 deficit in time f..

AS the curtain begins to close on 2011 and the world continues its slide into the silly season, Prime Minister Julia Gillard looks to have ended the year in a far better position than she was 12 months ago. Ms Gillard looks more comfortable and even relaxed in her work. She has enjoyed more posit..