Latest news with #Gippsland
The Australian
16 hours ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Brad Waters' Sale tips: Thursday, July 31, 2025
News Corp form analyst Brad Waters looks at Thursday's eight-race card at Sale, presenting his best bets, jockey to follow and lay of the day. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ BEST BET WALK OF FAME (Race 7 No.8): The Danny O'Brien-trained mare has gone well in two spaced runs this time in. She'll be fitter again and the class drop will be perfect for her. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ NEXT BEST KAMPOR (Race 3 No.10): Gave a start before running on well behind an impressive winner at Wangaratta on debut. She'll be much better for the experience and has drawn perfectly. CLINCHED (Race 5 No.5): The seven-year-old is hard fit and racing in terrific form in the Gippsland area. He has a tricky gate but his form is more than good enough for this assignment. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ VALUE BET RAVEN'S SILVER (Race 6 No.4): The gelding sprinted well from midfield to win an easier race at Wangaratta first-up earlier this month. He'll be improved and could handle the class rise. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ LAY OF THE DAY SEMELLE ROUGE (Race 2 No. 14 – $2.90): The first-starter has trialled well leading up to her debut but several of her opposition have also shown ability at the jumpouts. The awkward gate also suggests she's under the odds. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ THE JOCKEY – BEN MELHAM Jockey Ben Melham heads to Sale for five rides on Thursday. BEST OF THE BEST (Race 1 No.1), WILLIE SUNSHINE (Race 4 No.6), DO IT NOW (Race 6 No.10), JUSTDOIT (Race 7 No.3), SHEZAVIXEN (Race 8 No.11). Read related topics: News Corporation
Daily Mail
21-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Sole survivor of the deadly mushroom lunch makes first public appearance since triple murderer Erin Patterson was found guilty
The sole survivor of the ill-fated beef Wellington lunch that killed his wife and two relatives has broken cover for the first time since Erin Patterson was found guilty. Local church pastor Ian Wilkinson received a round of applause from the congregation as he delivered a message of hope during a rare address at Korumburra Baptist Church on Sunday. It was his first public appearance since Patterson was found guilty of killing her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, along with Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, at her Leongatha home in Victoria's Gippsland region on July 29, 2023. The mother-of-two was also found guilty of attempting to murder Heather's husband, Mr Wilkinson, who spent weeks fighting for life in hospital and underwent a liver transplant. As the two-year anniversary of the ill-fated lunch looms, Mr Wilkinson made a much-anticipated return to the church, where he's been the local pastor for two decades. 'My name is Ian. I used to lead services here a lot and I'm pleased to be back with you again,' he told the congregation. Mr Wilkinson delivered a poignant message of hope by citing an often-quoted verse from Psalm 23:4 in the Bible, Nine News reported. 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,' he said. Erin Patterson was recently found guilty of murdering three in-laws with death cap mushrooms in a Beef Wellington that she served them for lunch at her home The congregation led special prayers for the Wilkinson and Patterson families during the service as they prepare to mark two years since losing their loved ones. Simon Patterson had also been invited to the ill-fated lunch that claimed the lives of both of his parents and his aunt. It was Mr Wilkinson's first public sighting in three weeks, apart from a personal statement shared in a noticeboard message outside the church the day after Patterson was found guilty. 'Life can be hard, but God is faithful,' he was quoted in the message. The notice from the church leadership team also requested privacy during this 'difficult time'. 'We all greatly miss Heather, Don and Gail, whether we were friends for a short time or over 20 years. They were very special people who loved God and lived to bless others,' it began. 'It's been a long journey, and we continue to lovingly support Ian, Simon and all the Wilkinson and Patterson family members through this difficult time. 'We appreciate all the care from our local communities, special support from individuals and from the Baptist Union of Victoria, and the churches and people from all over the world who have been praying for us.' Mr Wilkinson attended almost every day of Patterson's 10-week trial, where he gave powerful and compelling evidence. More details about his miraculous recovery could be revealed if he takes up an invitation to make a victim impact statement ahead of Patterson's pre-sentencing hearing later this year. A 12-person jury found Patterson guilty of three murders and one attempted murder at Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court a fortnight ago following a week of deliberations. Patterson had invited the group to her home, where she served them individually wrapped beef Wellingtons containing lethal mushrooms. The killer initially feigned grief as the fatal lunch made headlines around Australia, and Victoria Police charged her over the deaths in November 2023. Patterson faces a maximum sentence of life behind bars.
ABC News
17-07-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Amid Heart Morass revival in Gippsland, RMIT reveals wetlands climate benefits
Almost 20 years after restoration efforts began, the Heart Morass wetland near Sale, eastern Victoria, is flourishing — a rare success story in a region where many freshwater wetlands are degraded. Gippsland local and duck-hunting enthusiast Gary Howard began restoring the large wetland wedged between the Thomson and Latrobe rivers in 2006. So began the journey for Mr Howard and his friends to conserve the ecosystem at Heart Morass. "The Heart wasn't in a very good condition," he said. "It was just coming out of the millennium drought, which was very severe." A new study by RMIT supports what people like Mr Howard have seen firsthand. RMIT's Centre for Nature Positive Solutions has found that restored floodplain wetlands, including the Heart Morass, can slash carbon emissions by 39 per cent within a year and without the methane spike in other types of wetland restoration. By comparison, net carbon emissions from unrestored control wetlands increased by 169 per cent in the same period. The report's lead author, Lukas Schuster, says wetlands are emerging as unlikely climate allies. "That's how we can actually mitigate climate change, by taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locking it away. "Basically, within one year we see massive benefits of carbon emissions reduction, which we don't usually see in other wetlands." But carbon is just part of the story. The research at 12 degraded sites along the Loddon River in Kerang, north-central Victoria, also showed restored wetlands retained more water — 55 per cent more than before. The higher soil moisture levels, even after drying, increased drought resilience in the wetlands and associated areas. "If the wetlands are staying wetter much longer to retain more moisture during summer, you don't have dry vegetation and the dry soil that can promote fires," Dr Schuster said. At the same time, healthy wetlands also help reduce flooding by absorbing water more easily. While the Heart Morass is thriving, Mr Howard fears for other wetlands across Gippsland. "In the near future, some of these wetlands with salt intrusion are going to become desert," he said. "Once we lose the vegetation, the next thing that we experience, particularly around the lake shore, is erosion." He's seen the damage — growing up, he often visited Marlay Point near Lake Wellington in Gippsland, where he could climb from the shore into a big tree on the water's edge. "That tree is now probably 200 metres in the lake, that is how much it has eroded in my time," he said. Dr Schuster says that's why this research is so important. "Australia has a lot of freshwater wetlands," he said. "Most wetlands are degraded, which means they don't have this flood and drought mitigation potential at the moment, because they can't really take up water or release it during droughts." One challenge is the cost of making this research a widespread tool. "The [restoration] may need government funding or some incentives to restore and get the water into the property and maintaining that water flow," Dr Schuster said. And sourcing water for the restoration is not difficult. "Luckily, a floodplain or a wetland means they are connected to a river, so it's about reopening those channels."
ABC News
16-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Blue Float Energy abandons $10 billion Gippsland Dawn offshore wind proposal
The developer of a proposed $10 billion Victorian offshore wind farm has abandoned the project, prompting fears Australia may not reach its renewable energy targets. Gippsland Dawn was to be a 2-gigawatt offshore wind farm built between Paradise Beach and Ocean Grange on the Gippsland coast. The proposal received major project status from the federal government in November, and promised to deliver power to more than one million homes. But the company behind the project, Blue Float Energy, withdrew from offshore wind internationally after major shareholder Quantum Capital said it was no longer commercially viable to invest in the sector. The decision also impacts a planned offshore wind farm in the Illawarra region. The exit comes at a time of volatility in the energy market. The Victorian government will hold an auction in September to determine which renewable energy projects get built first. Bruce Mountain, director of Victoria University's Victoria Energy Policy Centre, said the fact an operator was pulling out without trying to sell their assets was a sign that things were off track. "It is surprising that [Blue Float] did not manage to find someone else to buy their operations, so that indicates [there is] not a huge amount of interest from others in taking over the options," Professor Mountain said. "I think it will impact others … and others that are not in a strong position will be weakened by this." The Victorian government has a renewable energy target of 40 per cent this year, increasing to 95 per cent by 2035. That includes at least 2 gigawatts from offshore wind by 2032. Nationally, Australia has a target of achieving 82 per cent renewable energy by 2030. Professor Mountain said there was real doubt over whether those targets would now be achieved. "We're not on target in Victoria and we're not on target nationally at all," he said. Professor Mountain said significant delays between policy announcements, community consultation and construction meant the current market was no longer commercially appealing for operators. "There has been a surge in offshore wind development costs globally and those costs have not yet come down," he said. "The economics of offshore wind now is much weaker than was thought to be, say three to four years ago." Electrical Trades Union (ETU) national secretary Michael Wright has called on the government to clear a "bottleneck" of energy project approvals. Jobs and Skills Australia estimates the country will require two million workers in building and engineering trades by 2050, to prepare Australia's energy grid and industrial base for net zero carbon emissions, including up to 84,000 additional electricians. "What I have a concern about is, are we going to have an industry that can support training up the thousands or tens of thousands of electrical workers that we need to build this out?" Mr Wright said. A spokesperson for the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said it recognised that offshore wind developers were facing global challenges relating to costs and uncertainty, but that a "high level of investment interest" in the Australian industry remained. The federal government believes it is on track to meet its 2030 emissions reduction target. A spokesperson from the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action said the Commonwealth had approved offshore wind projects for feasibility licences in Gippsland that could generate 23 gigawatts of electricity — more than enough to meet Victoria's energy needs.
ABC News
14-07-2025
- ABC News
Gippsland livestock agent Nathan Gibbon jailed for defrauding exporting companies
A registered West Gippsland livestock agent and auctioneer has been jailed for fraudulently obtaining $234,705 from two export companies after falsely making false claims about the cattle he was selling. On Monday Latrobe Valley County Court sentenced Nathan Gibbon, a well-known businessman from Lardner, to six months' jail. Gibbon has also been ordered to complete an 18-month community corrections order upon his release, which includes 100 hours of unpaid work. During a previous court appearance the 50-year-old pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining property by deception from Australasian Global Exports (AGE) and the Yarra Corporation. He also pleaded guilty to one count of handling stolen goods. The court heard that on four occasions in 2018 and 2019 Mr Gibbon falsely represented that certain cattle had been bred on Gippsland properties and therefore were eligible for export to China. On three occasions Gibbon falsely represented to AGE that the cattle being sold were vendor-bred and fraudulently obtained $209,955 from the company. The court also heard he received $24,750 from Yarra Corporation by falsely representing that 25 cattle were also vendor-bred on a particular property when they were not. Vendor-bred cattle must be born and raised on the farm from which they are being exported, whereas non-vendor bred cattle must reside on the farm for six months before they can be sold overseas. In October 2019 several farms linked with Gibbon were inspected. National vendor declaration books that were used to commit the fraud and bags containing eartags that appeared to have been removed from cattle were found at Gibbon's property, the court heard. The third, unrelated charge related to a stolen CAT skid steer worth $78,000 that was stored in the machinery shed at Gibbon's property. In documents provided to the court police said they found the machine in July 2022 during a search of Gibbon's home. The bobcat had been reported stolen from the CAT rental store at Laverton in May 2020 and at the time had logged seven hours of operation. In an earlier court hearing police said Gibbon had told officers that an individual who had a flat tyre stopped outside his home asked to put the skid steer in his shed. Police also discovered the skid steer had 155 hours of operating time recorded on its digital display. Judge John Lewis said Gibbon had strong character references and was a hard worker whose prospects of rehabilitation were good. But Judge Lewis said it was "striking" that Gibbon was prepared to take "such a risk" by selling "unqualified" cattle for export.
