Published on 21 August 2020
With the South Australian border now closed to cross-border community members, we sincerely hope everyone is doing their best to cope with the changes. I understand there is a lot of anxiety and angst in the community about our situation and Council is doing what it can to fight for West Wimmera residents. This week we wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, urging him to step in and help ease border restrictions. We have also written to a number of other politicians, including Premier Daniel Andrews and South Australian Premier Steven Marshall. We can only hope that our pleas do not fall on deaf ears.
In the meantime, we all must continue on as best we can. For some people this may be a very difficult task. In these uncertain times, I again implore anybody who is struggling in any way, shape or form to reach out. Council staff have been working closely with our local health agencies, along with Wimmera Primary Care Partnership to set up dedicated support networks for residents during this time. Rural Outreach workers are available to help residents with anything they need. This includes financial advice, mental health support, or just someone to answer general questions around COVID-19, navigating the Victorian health system or new border restrictions. Call the team on 1300 688 732 and they can help.
There are also good things happening in the shire at the moment. Our Community Support and Wellbeing team is looking towards possible events for Senior’s Week in October, using technology to keep people connected during this time. Nominations have now closed for our Senior Citizen of the Year award for 2020 and we look forward to recognising an outstanding member of our community in the near future.
We also had some good news with the number of COVID-19 cases in West Wimmera Shire. The two active cases we had have not only recovered, but have been reclassified, showing that they weren’t even in our shire to begin with. However, despite our lack of cases, we must not be complacent. Please continue follow the rules, look out for one another and be kind. Stay safe everyone.
Bruce Meyer
Mayor – West Wimmera Shire Council