West Wimmera Shire Council

04/09/2026

🐾 Fancy a free trip to the footy? Read on.

Young people aged 12–17: the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation wants to send you to Mars Stadium, Ballarat, to watch the Bulldogs take on St Kilda in the AFLW – for free. Bus there, bus back, staff supervising the whole thing. All you have to do is show up.

Priority goes to anyone who's been part of the Leaders of the Pack program in 2026, then it opens up to any young person aged 12–17.

Saturday 3 October, 3pm kick-off. Keen? Fill in the expression of interest form below and your parent/guardian will get a registration form to complete:
🔗 https://share.hsforms.com/2CghIm8DySsaX1UHTjNGgUwrywnq

03/09/2026

🎨 Calico and Candles in Harrow just scrubbed up nicely!

Our maintenance crew gave the roof a fresh coat and it's made a world of difference! See below the before and after photos.

Keeping our shire buildings looking good (and functioning well) relies on people speaking up early. If you're in or around one of our buildings and spot something that needs a second look – a leak, damage, anything out of the ordinary – give the office a call on 13 99 72. The sooner we know, the sooner we can sort it, before a small issue turns into a much bigger job.

02/09/2026

🚨Heads up – bird flu confirmed in Edenhope.

We've had a single confirmed case of avian influenza (bird flu) in the Edenhope area. If you spot sick or dead birds:

🚫 Avoid contact – don't touch or handle them
📝 Record what you see and where
📞 Report it to Ag Vic's Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888 (24/7), or report online

Please report straight to the hotline, not to Council – DEECA assesses every report to decide if follow-up is needed, so going direct is the fastest way to get it looked into.

More info: https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/avian-influenza/report

While the risk of H5 bird flu in pets is extremely low, it's best to take precautions.

If you're out walking your dog or spending time outdoors:

✅Keep dogs on a lead in areas with native wildlife
✅ Don't allow pets to investigate or eat dead animals
✅Stop cats from roaming and hunting wildlife

These simple actions help protect pets, wildlife and curbs the spread of disease.

If you suspect H5 bird flu in birds, mammals, poultry or other captive birds, report it immediately by calling the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888 or to DEECA online.

Find out more at agriculture.vic.gov.au/birdflu

More information about responsible pet ownership and legal requirements: agriculture.vic.gov.au/animalwelfare

02/09/2026

🕐 Got five minutes this Thursday? Come see the new flood mapping for Harrow and Chetwynd.

Council has updated flood mapping for both townships based on recent flood investigations, and we want the community to see it before anything is finalised.

Two drop-in sessions this Thursday 3 September, run with the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority:

🕥 Chetwynd Hall – 10.30am–12.30pm
🕑 Harrow Hall – 2pm–5pm

No booking needed, just turn up, look at the maps, ask questions.

Can't make it? Everything's online, and you can lodge a written submission until 5pm Monday 28 September.

👉 https://www.westwimmera.vic.gov.au/Have-Your-Say/Draft-Amendment-C38wwim-Flood-Studies

01/09/2026

🧩 Try wrangling 15 three-year-olds before your morning coffee kicks in.

That's just a normal Wednesday for our early childhood educators, and it's exactly why today, Early Childhood Educators' Day, is for them. From tying shoelaces for the hundredth time to being the person little humans run to when they scrape a knee, our kinder and childcare educators are the quiet legends behind every West Wimmera kid's start in life.

So to every educator across our shire, thank you for the patience, the mess, the songs you now can't get out of your head and the genuine care you bring every single day.

🧸 You're shaping our littlest locals, one story time at a time.

01/09/2026

🏆 One of our own just went National Gold.

Huge congratulations to Nikiesha Pilgrim, manager of our Goroke and Edenhope pools, who has just been named 2026 Victorian Water Safety Champion and gone on to take out National Gold for Water Safety Champion. The award recognises the work she does both in and out of the pool. Nikiesha was also named 2026 Victorian Swim Teacher of the Year and represented Victoria as a national finalist.

These awards reflect everything Nikiesha brings to our community, from making sure rural kids can access swimming lessons to fighting to keep our country pools open and running. West Wimmera is lucky to have her.

Congratulations Nikiesha, and thank you to the Australian Swim Schools Association for the well-deserved recognition!

With Nikiesha's win still sinking in, we can't wait for our pools to open for the season later this year.

01/09/2026

🌸 First day of spring and the blossoms outside are showing off – can't relate, but we can admire.

01/09/2026

🛑 Speed bumps are cool now, actually.

Students at Edenhope College and St Malachy's School now have a shiny new wombat crossing to get them safely from one side of Lake St to the other. The raised design means traffic has to slow right down, so it's safer for little legs (and big ones) crossing to and from school.

Drivers, take note – there's a bump ahead and kids are using it, so ease off the accelerator on Lake St.

New crossing, same great view of the lake. Not bad, Edenhope.

31/08/2026

📚 Costume game was strong at kinder last week.

Book Week brought out Where's Wally (found, eventually), a bee with a very committed wingman, Buzz Lightyear making it to infinity and the staffroom, and Snow White wrangling four dwarfs who mysteriously all had the same beard supplier.

A huge thank you to our educators for going all in and making it such a brilliant week for our littlest readers.

📖 Happy reading, West Wimmera.