Latest news with #GoulburnValley
News.com.au
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Work of art: Champion pacer Leap To Fame proving an inspiration ahead of his date with Inter Dominion destiny
THE great thing about champion horses like Leap To Fame is they inspire people to make their own little leaps to fame in the most unexpected ways. Walking around the Albion Park stables you get used to seeing people carrying buckets, gear and even colours but Michelle Godden, wife of visiting Victorian trainer Colin, had something far more special in her grasp when I spotted her a week ago. The general store operator from the tiny town of Nanneella (population 450) in the Goulburn Valley was carrying her painting of the great Leap To Fame, so precise and eye-catching that I asked her to pose for the picture you see above. • 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! She was just about to put it in the office of track manager Tony Turpin to be auctioned with all proceeds going to drivers of the mini-trotters, a genuine act of charity for which she expected no publicity or recognition. For Michelle, painting Leap to Fame, the white hot favourite for Saturday night's Ladbrokes Inter Dominion final at Albion Park, was never going to be as routine as the horse's wins. At one point she became so 'frightened'' by the fact it was not taking shape she walked away from it for six weeks. But the lure of a champion drew her back to the canvas. She calls herself a 'paint dabbler'' and does not rate herself as a portrait artist and was genuinely down about her rough sketch of trainer-driver Grant Dixon 'because it just didn't look anything like him ... suddenly after a few strokes there he was.' There he was indeed, with laser focused eyes and lips pursed and braced for battle. Cool, calm and focused. That's him. She got him. Dixon might not be everyone's cup of tea but he has many strengths as a horseman. No-one prepares horses better and if Leap To Fame wins on Saturday night he will cement his standing as the second best horse produced in Queensland behind the peerless Blacks A Fake who Dixon's former wife Natalie Rasmussen drove to an astonishing four Inter Dominion victories. When his magnificently prepared champion arrives at the races Dixon will be entitled to offer the words of boxer Joe Frazier 'if I get beaten there will be no excuses ... there was nothing left to do.' Dixon's strengths stretch from being a cool-headed architect of race plans to having freakish knowledge of horse's gear - and not just his own. Popular horseman Greg Franklin felt his jaw drop recently when Dixon was driving a horse for him and said 'is this African Violet's crupper?' It was. But Dixon had never driven African Voilet. And her last race was - wait for it - way back in January 1999. And he still knew what she wore. Extraordinary. Great horses deserve great names. Winx, Black Caviar and Leap To Fame got the names they deserved. The poignancy of the name Leap To Fame is accentuated by the fact that it sums up the journey of the horse's driver and its owner. Billionaire owner Kevin Seymour has owned thousands of pacers – most of them with blood as blue as a desert sky – calls this horse 'the one I have been waiting for for 40 years.'' Dixon has similar sentiments but emotion will play no part in his tactics on Saturday night. From barrier one he will either lead or take the lead soon after. No horse will challenge him mid-race. That would be the very definition of suicide in a sulky. From there he will race away to his second Inter Dominion final win before his adoring home fans … a leap to fame if ever there was one.
ABC News
08-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Apple and pear growers diversify as Australia's fruit consumption declines
After moving to Australia 19 years ago, Amarinder Bajwa built a career in Melbourne in transport. But four years ago, he left it all behind to pursue his dream of being a farmer in Victoria's Goulburn Valley. "I had no idea about Shepparton, but I came to visit a friend who had just bought a farm here," Mr Bajwa said. "I really liked the weather and the way everything looked really green. "It resembles my home country." Mr Bajwa, who grew up in Punjab in northern India, purchased a fruit orchard in Shepparton East with his brother, but it was not long before it got tough. He lost nearly 70 per cent of his crop to a hailstorm, the orchard was flooded in 2022 and now the state is experiencing drought conditions. Despite all that, Mr Bajwa does not regret making the move. "I feel connected — farming brings communities together, whereas in metros you don't know your next-door neighbours. "The support we've had from the community has been beyond my expectations." Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL), which represents growers, said the industry was at a "crossroads" and most producers had not made a profit in the past four years. APAL head of industry, government relations and advocacy Jeremy Griffith said he expected more orchards to be consolidated over the next five years. "Input costs have ramped up dramatically, and supermarkets are not covering those costs," Mr Griffith said. Mr Griffith said APAL's strategy for the next five years would focus on increasing consumer demand for fresh produce. New export markets are opening up in China, but Mr Griffith said the industry really needed Australians to eat more fruit. "Apple consumption has flatlined and we have certainly seen a decline in pear consumption," he said. "We did see, in the last few years, 15 per cent of pear orchards removed." The challenges continue to stack up, but Mr Griffiths said farm succession was one of the biggest concerns for orchardists. "Their kids don't want to take over because they can't really see a future in it," he said. "Working this hard and not being able to make a profit, it's a pretty depressing place for the industry to be in. "It's a tough, tough business … and I'm yet to meet a grower who doesn't work seven days a week." It is Mr Bawja's unsinkable optimism that keeps him in the orchard every day. Mr Bawja is diversifying his crops so he does not have to rely on the income of an annual harvest, including growing broccolini year-round. "This is the third year and we're really happy with the way things are coming up," he said. He also plans to plant more apples and apricots. "We are in the process of pulling old varieties out and replacing them with new varieties," Mr Bajwa said. "They are better looking, better eating quality and better yields
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Aussie town plans to build ‘biggest pear on Earth'
Australia is notorious for its oversized landmarks: there's the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, the Big Prawn in Ballina, the Big Merino in Goulburn, but have you heard about the Big Pear? The Aussie town of Shepparton–in the heart of Victoria's Goulburn Valley–is planning to build the world's largest pear, and the cost of the fibreglass fruit alone is expected to be more than $1.3 million. The Goulburn Valley is renowned for its pears–with 90 per cent of the pears sold across Australia coming from the region. Australia is notorious for its oversized landmarks. There's the big banana in Coffs Harbour, the big prawn in Ballina, the Big Merino in Goulburn, but have you heard about the big pear, the Aussie town of Shepparton in the heart of Victoria's Goulburn Valley, is planning to build the world's largest pear, and the cost of the fibreglass fruit alone is expected to be more than $1.3 million. The Goulburn Valley is renowned for its pears, with 90% of the pears sold across Australia coming from there. A spokesperson for the group behind the landmark's proposal, Rocky Varapodio, told Triple M that the three-story pear would be telling a story about the region. He explained that the fruit industry has talked about having a structure in the region that symbolises and recognises fruit growing in the area. We think it's time to recognise this industry that's given so much to this region. Although Mr. Varapodio said it's hard to tell when the big pear will become a reality, he hopes it will be built in the next few years.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bizarre giant pear proposal for Aussie town
Amid the success of Australia's 'big things', such as the Big Banana and the Big Pineapple, a Victorian town is now advocating to build the biggest pear on Earth. The city of Shepparton has a proposal for a three-storey pear in the heart of the Goulburn Valley, led by The Steering Group. Rocky Varapodio, a spokesman for the group, said these sorts of attractions can 'really highlight' regional towns. 'We've been doing a lot of work on this and the background of it is that the fruit industry has really over the years talked about having a structure in the region that really symbolises and recognises fruit growing in the area,' he told Triple M. Mr Varapodio said the giant pear was about 'telling a story' about the region. 'We think the time is probably right now to recognise this industry that's given so much to this region,' he said. The Goulburn Valley is well known for its pears, with 90% of the fruit sold across the country coming from the region. Mr Varapodio explained that potentially $2 million could be generated back into the economy, from the giant pear. However, early estimates have suggested the project could cost $1.3 million, with the steering group seeking government, council and stakeholder support to fund the idea. 'The next phase is to get a structural design done because we want it to be done properly and tastefully, we want it to be a whole interactive experience when you walk into it with some really good technology such as touch screens and displays that really tell a story about this industry that's been so solid for this region,' Mr Varapodio said. 'It's hard to put a time frame on it but we would really like this to happen over the next few years.'
News.com.au
03-07-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Shepperton could build a giant pear in new tourism bid
Amid the success of Australia's 'big things', such as the Big Banana and the Big Pineapple, a Victorian town is now advocating to build the biggest pear on Earth. The city of Shepparton has a proposal for a three-storey pear in the heart of the Goulburn Valley, led by The Steering Group. Rocky Varapodio, a spokesman for the group, said these sorts of attractions can 'really highlight' regional towns. 'We've been doing a lot of work on this and the background of it is that the fruit industry has really over the years talked about having a structure in the region that really symbolises and recognises fruit growing in the area,' he told Triple M. Mr Varapodio said the giant pear was about 'telling a story' about the region. 'We think the time is probably right now to recognise this industry that's given so much to this region,' he said. The Goulburn Valley is well known for its pears, with 90% of the fruit sold across the country coming from the region. Mr Varapodio explained that potentially $2 million could be generated back into the economy, from the giant pear. However, early estimates have suggested the project could cost $1.3 million, with the steering group seeking government, council and stakeholder support to fund the idea. 'The next phase is to get a structural design done because we want it to be done properly and tastefully, we want it to be a whole interactive experience when you walk into it with some really good technology such as touch screens and displays that really tell a story about this industry that's been so solid for this region,' Mr Varapodio said. 'It's hard to put a time frame on it but we would really like this to happen over the next few years.'
