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INSIDE: WOMEN URGED NOT TO BE COMPLACENT - PAGE 12

107TH
BIRTHDAY
A TIME FOR
CELEBRATION

The

GREATER HAMILTON
24 PAGES

THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016

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RSL Hamilton sub-branch president Darren

Krause, and Gunditjmara men Michael Bell
and John Day, march along Gray St, Hamilton,
yesterday to mark 100 years since 11 Aboriginal
men marched from Lake Condah to Hamilton to
enlist for World War One. See story Page 3.
160316jd008
Photo: JUDY DE MAN.

BEEF BONANZA
REX MARTINICH

THE local company

behind a proposed
8000 square metre,
135-employee
abattoir south of
Hamilton intends
to raise funds and
complete the development to create
something for the community.

On Saturday, The Spectator reported

that a planning permit application for a
meat processing facility had been led
with Southern Grampians Shire and on
Tuesday revealed that a local company
was behind the proposal.
Australian Meat Farmers PTY LTD
was created in November last year
and led the application for an abattoir
near the corner of South Boundary Rd

WEATHER FORECAST

and Henty Hwy in early February.

Planning documents estimate the
cost of building the abattoir, with a
capacity to slaughter 480 cattle per day
and package and store meat products,
at about $30 million.
Rural Bank employee and WDHS
Board chair Hugh Macdonald is one
of Australia Meat Farmers three
directors and he told The Spectator
that the plan was for the company to
raise the funding itself.
According to Mr Macdonald, there
hasnt been a new abattoir built on a
greeneld site in Victoria in over 50
years.
Around Hamilton there has always
been the talk of having an abattoir
and nothing has really happened. A
few of us made an enquiry and this

land, because of the structure plan,

was designated for exactly that, Mr
Macdonald said.
It had been like that since 1999
and we thought it can sit there for
another 20 years, or somebody can do
something about it.
We wanted to get together and see
where it could take us. This is the
very rst stage, it could take us down
a number of paths and a lot of thats
dependent on how we fund it.
Mr Macdonald said the proposed
abattoir would be for cattle and the
intention was to produce beef for
export with the potential for domestic
sales.
There has been speculation that that
Australian Meat Farmers was setting
up the proposed abattoir project so

TODAY: High chance of rain, max 31

that a larger company could buy in and

take it over.
The Spectator asked Mr Macdonald if
Australian Meat farmers might be sold
instead of securing more investment
to build the abattoir itself, should
planning permission be granted.
Its not our intention to do that, he
said.
We want to make sure that its
something for Hamilton and something
for the community. We certainly dont
have any plans to do that.
Thats not to say that may not be the
case but denitely not at this stage. We
are very keen on developing it further
ourselves.
News of the potential for 110 new
industrial jobs and 35 new ofce
jobs at the proposed abattoir has been

welcomed by many in Hamilton.

High-prole business closures and
stagnant population growth over the
years has created a lot of demand for
new jobs.
Southern Grampians Shire Mayor
Peter Dark said, in a personal capacity,
that the proposed abattoir had the
potential to be a game changer for
Hamilton.
Cr Dark said he certainly supported
the proposal because it could bring
substantial employment to the
region.
When you look at the combination
of the construction, the trucks and the
jobs at the site, this could be a game
changer for Hamilton, he said.
Continued: PAGE 6

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HAMILTON SPECTATOR Thursday March 17 2016

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33

Police nab 43
speeding drivers
SKYE GRIGG

SPEED continues to be the biggest concern

for police in the Southern Grampians Police
Service Area (PSA).

Police detected 43 speeding offences across

the PSA over the Labour Day long weekend,
far more than any other offence.
Three unlicensed drivers were nabbed, as well
as three drink drivers and two drug drivers.
Officers also discovered five unregistered
vehicles and flagged two offences for mobile
phone usage and one offence for not wearing
a seatbelt.
The 59 offences were committed during
Operation Arid, a four day road safety blitz to
coincide with the Labour Day long weekend.
Statewide police were left devastated as
eight people lost their lives during the holiday
period.
Victoria Police Superintendent Deb Robertson
said these numbers were alarming.
Weve called for people to come together and
play their role in keeping all lives on our roads
safe and while a lot of people have responded,
there is a dangerous minority who continue
to defy this. With Easter long weekend
approaching, we hope our message reaches the
people it truly needs to.
There were 6477 traffic offences and 907
criminal offences detected across Victoria over
the weekend.

GOING STRONG: Celebrating her 107th birthday, Vera Milbourne shared the day with
granddaughter Samantha Greiner, daughter Marie Greiner, friend Peter Lyon, granddaughter
Marlene Greiner, friend Marg Lyon, great grandson Erskine Kelvy and son-in-law Max Greiner.
160315jd023
Photo: JUDY DE MAN

HAMILTONS oldest person,

Vera Milbourne, celebrated
her 107th birthday on
Tuesday, surrounded by her
loved ones at a family lunch.

ALL SMILES: Turning 107, Hamilton woman

Vera Milbourne enjoyed lunch with family and
friends at her favourite eatery, Woodys Cafe.
160315jd028
Photo: JUDY DE MAN

Still going strong, she was

especially happy to share the
occasion with family, enjoying
a day out at Woodys Caf.
One of 12 children and
growing up in Natimuk in the
Wimmera region, Vera has
some great stories to tell. She
had a twin named Walter and

was one of two sets of twins in

the family.
Coming from a large family,
Vera had one daughter, Marie
Greiner, who resides in
Hamilton and she said these
days out were a major highlight
for her mother.
Its amazing really, mum just
keeps going strong, she said.
She lives out at Eventide and
its only been a couple of years
since she lived in her own self
contained unit out there.
These are the days she

cherishes most, with her family

and we all love being around
her to celebrate.
Vera and her late husband Jim
lived in the Wimmera region
for many years where they had
their only daughter Marie.
Moving to Hamilton in 1967 to
be closer to her daughter, Vera
has lived at Eventide Homes for
almost 25 years.
With five grandchildren and
three great grandchildren, the
joys of life come from her
family.

March honours those who

enlisted 100 years ago

DENIS PETERS

ONE hundred years ago, 11 Aboriginal men

marched from Lake Condah to Hamilton to
enlist in World War One.

Eight were accepted for enlistment and they

served in some of the horrific theatres of WWI
from Gallipoli to the Western Front in France.
They all returned.
Yesterday, a similar number of men marched
down Gray St to remember that occasion
when the fighting men of the original Western
District tribes donned the khakis and fought in
the Australian Imperial Force for the British
Empire against the German army.
They also marched to remind people of the
sacrifice many Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people have made for Australia in all
wars fought by the country.

Many of those WWI volunteers failed to

receive recognition from the government for
their service, as other soldiers did.
Among those eight men who enlisted in 1916
were three Lovett brothers, who then fought in
the war in Europe where they joined two other
brothers already serving there.
Hamilton man Johnny Lovett said his father
Herbert Stahle Lovett was among them.
Four of the Lovetts served in both world
wars, making them the only family in all of the
British empire to have done so.
Another younger brother, Samuel, signed up
for WWII, making six brothers from the one
family to have signed up to fight.
Mr Johnny Lovett said there was a fighting
streak within the family that went back to
the frontier wars between white settlers and

black indigenous inhabitants of Victorias

South-West the Eumeralla Wars.
He also said he was still highlighting the
fact that his ancestors had not received their
repatriation dues for their service, as other
white soldiers and even expatriate gentry were
given.
The march will highlight this issue, Mr
Lovett said, noting that he was keen to take it
up with Wannon MP and new Veterans Affairs
Minister Dan Tehan.
It is not a largely known fact that indigenous
men and women served in those wars, he said.
The march proceeded from the RSL rooms
in Kennedy St to the Performing Arts Centre,
where the men had drinks and food with
councillors and others in the Ted Kenna VC
Room.

Hamilton
Store
NOW OPEN
Gourmet Food,
Gifts and
Take Home Meals
Open Weekdays
9.30am - 5.30pm
73 Thompson St,
HAMILTON
(Next to the Noodle Canteen)

SEC1240311

PHIL HOLMES

Specialising in Colorbond
Call Simon or Carolyn
at

BDL1990216

Town
Family and friends Fencing
- Security
wish Vera a happy Pool- Palings
107th birthday