Category: Hume Travel Radio Network

Three police officers were injured during the arrest of a man in Albury yesterday.

About 7.15pm (Tuesday 17 February 2015), police attended licensed premises in Lavington after reports of alleged drug activity.

Two officers searched a 53-year-old man and allegedly located prohibited drugs and cash in his possession.

As police arrested the man, he became non-compliant and a third officer was called to assist.

Police will allege the man’s female partner hindered police and was also arrested.

As a result of the arrest, the man and the three officers all suffered lacerations.

Many patrons in the licensed premises abused the officers while they were trying to affect the arrest.

The man and his 29-year-old partner were conveyed to Albury Police Station where the man was charged with possess prohibited drug, assault police and resist officer in execution of duty.

He was granted conditional bail to appear before Albury Local Court on Tuesday 24 March 2015.

The man’s partner was charged with hinder police and was also granted bail to appear before Albury Local Court on Tuesday 31 March 2015.

Work is expected to begin on most projects in the coming weeks and months.

A bevy of trucking-specific projects across New South Wales will soon get underway to strengthen the state’s bridges, upgrade key routes and build new rest areas.

The Federal and NSW governments will jointly fund projects on council-owned and state government-controlled routes under the NSW Fixing Country Roads initiatives and the federal Bridges Renewal and Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity programs.

NSW roads minister Duncan Gay says Fixing Country Roads is aimed at better connecting local and regional roads to state highways and freight hubs to make it easier to move freight from paddock to port.

The Federal Government’s Bridges Renewal scheme is designed to improve the load-carrying capacity of council-owned bridges, while the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program funds trucking-specific projects such as rest areas, parking bays, road upgrades and technology trials.

Gay says 75 per cent of the 77 projects to receive funding from the programs are shovel ready, meaning works can begin in the coming weeks and months.

“Sixty successful council applications are road and bridge construction projects while 17 successful applications are bridge and culvert assessments, which will see the load-carrying capability of a total of 420 bridges and culverts assessed right across country NSW,” Gay says.

Many of the bridge projects involve replacing one-lane timber structures with concrete bridges, which Truss says will lead to better, safer and more reliable road access and more efficient freight movements from farms and local factories.

The Federal Government will allocate $119.6 million to 27 projects under the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program. Most of the projects are on local-government controlled roads, with six projects on state routes.

“These projects will improve the safety environment for heavy vehicle drivers and increase road transport productivity,” Gay says.

Funding will be used on projects such as a new rest area on the Hume Highway north of Albury. The project will include toilets and shelters and capacity for 15 B-triples or 20 B-doubles.

A new truck rest area and decoupling bay with toilet and shower facilities will be built on the Mitchell Highway. It will have capacity for 20 B-doubles and will be erected next to an existing 24-hour commercial fuel station.

Money will also be spent on installing green reflectors on existing guide posts to notify drivers they are approaching a stopping area, upgraded parking bays on the Golden Highway and a new parking area for 25 B-doubles on the Pacific Highway at Chinderah.

Furthermore, 50 new rest stop signs will be posted along the Mitchell, Kamillaroi and Gwydir highways and Kidman Way.

Funding will also go toward a number of road projects to improve heavy vehicle access in council areas.

Police from Albury Local Area Command are appealing for information to locate a man wanted by virtue of outstanding warrants.

Ashton Ryan, aged 21, is currently wanted on four arrest warrants and a revocation of parole warrant for the offences of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and contravene apprehended violence order.

He is described as being of Aboriginal appearance, with a fair complexion, about 160 to 165cm tall, thin build, with brown hair, and brown eyes.

Mr Ryan was last seen on Prune Street, Lavington about 1am yesterday (Monday 16 February 2015). At the time he was wearing dark tracksuit pants, grey t-shirt, no footwear and was in handcuffs.

Anyone who sees Ashton is urged to contact police immediately via Triple Zero (000).

Alternatively, anyone who has information about his whereabouts can call Albury Police Station on (02) 6023 9299 or via Crime Stoppers.

The first Music at Midday concert for 2015 is on Wednesday 18th February at noon.

This concert will feature a variety of ensembles from within the band with the intention of showing off Australian Army Band Kapooka’s versatility and highlight the talent of the individuals that make up the band. Jade O’Halloran will be the featured vocalist.

There are four new members of the band this year, two of them have previously been posted here – Dave Matthews (trumpet) and Marcus McCray (saxophone). The other two new members are Brendan Moore (trombone and euphonium) and Jason Mitchell (saxophone).

This will be Major Peter Thomas’ last year as the Music Director (his fifth in total) and he is very excited about presenting his final series of concerts at the Civic Theatre.

Later this year, six musicians from Kapooka (including Major Thomas) will be travelling to Gallipoli for services on Anzac Day and in August to commemorate the battle at Lone Pine.

The other Music at Midday concert dates for 2015, for your calendar are:
Wednesday 1st April at 12noon and 6pm.
This will be a Special ANZAC Tribute.
Wednesday 24th June at 12noon
Wednesday 30th September at 12noon and 6pm.
These concerts will be for the whole family.

The light is fading and a light breeze rolls in across the vines.

The grape harvester hums in the distance.

It straddles a steep row of shiraz vines and spits out bunches of grapes into the chaser bin.

Jim Coe follows the pair of tractors closely behind, checking everything is in order.

His small team of pickers are anxious to get the last of the crop off at Cooba East Station before the storm rolls in.

The property he owns with his wife Karen is nestled behind Cooba Mountain near Eurongilly, about 30 kilometres north-east of Gundagai in south-west New South Wales.

They purchased the 1,800 hectare farm in February 2002.

“I remember the first week we bought it, my son was born,” Mr Coe said.

“The clouds opened up and it rained and rained and rained and everybody said, ‘oh wow you’ve bought at the perfect time’.

“Then I can honestly say for the next seven years, I don’t think it rained again.”

Nevertheless, the pair planted chardonnay and shiraz grapes in 2004 and supplied them to Casella’s in Griffith until 2011.

They are now putting all of their energy into developing their own label, Leaning Cow, which they released late last year.

The Angus cattle grazing in the paddock, adjacent to the 50 hectares of vines, might have helped with the inspiration.

“The day that we stop harvesting here, the gates will be opened and the cattle will come in,” Mr Coe said.

“They’ll be leaning into every vine they can see for the next couple of weeks until they’ve cleaned up any of the sugary berries that were left over.

“They just love it.”

The stock is managed on a rotational grazing system to maintain groundcover and conserve soil moisture.

The Coes have been awarded a NSW innovation fund to help convert diesel powered-pumps to renewable energy.

The four mobile solar power units will enable the vineyard to pump water from its bores during the winter months and irrigate the grapes during the summer months.

Any water the grapes do not utilise will drain back into the water table.

This season, the farm picked up ample rainfall in November and December, just enough to escape any disease.

“We have the most fantastic ripening conditions with temperatures barely exceeding 30 degrees for the last six weeks,” Mr Coe said.

“As far as the grapes are concerned, the sugar levels are there, but there’s still good acid and I think it’s going to be a great vintage.”

A woman has died in hospital after a collision in the state’s south on Tuesday (10 February 2015).

Police have been told a truck was travelling north on the Hume Highway at Jugiong when it collided with the back of a Toyota Coaster van about 12.15am.

The truck driver was not injured.

Also uninjured were the van’s driver and front-seat passenger, both men aged 24.

A 26-year-old woman, a Canadian national, was asleep and unrestrained in the back of the van.

She sustained critical head and internal injuries.

The woman was taken to Canberra Hospital, where she died about 9pm yesterday (Saturday 14 February 2015).

Police from Cootamundra Local Area Command are continuing their investigation into this incident.

A 19-year-old man has today (Wednesday 11 February 2015) been charged with the 2013 murder of Corey Power at Young.

Shortly after 5am on Thursday 29 August 2013, Corey Power was located with severe head injuries on Wombat Street, Young. He died a short time later.

Strike Force Bumble, led by detectives from Cootamundra Local Area Command, and assisted by detectives from Wagga Wagga and The Hume Local Area Commands, and the Homicide Squad, was established to investigate Mr Power’s death.

A 19-year-old man from Young was arrested in Brisbane in November 2013 and interviewed by NSW Police in relation to the death of Mr Power.

Detectives subsequently made an application to the Queensland Attorney General for the 19-year-old to be extradited to New South Wales.

The application was granted and the man was transferred by Corrective Services from Queensland to New South Wales in December 2014.

Detectives from Strike Force Bumble have today (Wednesday 11 February 2015) charged the 19-year-old man. He remains in custody, and will appear at Wagga Local Court on 25 February 2015 to face charges including:

– Aggravated Break Enter & Steal at Young on 7 August 2013;

– Steal Motor Vehicle at Young on 7 August 2013;

– Robbery Whilst Armed & In Company at Young on 20 August 2013;

– Murder of Corey Power at Young on 29 August 2013;

– Aggravated Break Enter & Steal at Forbes on 19 September 2013;

– Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm at Young on 21 October 2013;

– Assault Occasioning Grievous Bodily Harm at Young on 1 November 2013; and,

– Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm at Yass on 2 November 2013.

Gundagai GP, Paul Mara, says the old Gundagai Hospital should be returned to the community which built it.

A residents group had been negotiating with Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) last year to buy the building for an aged care facility but it was sold for $110,000 to a private developer, much less than was advertised.

Dr Mara says the sale process was inappropriate and the loss of the locally funded building is appalling.

“I walked up there the other day and had a look around,” he said.

“It’s becoming grotty inside, it’s becoming grotty outside, there’s a real risk of vermin, I mean something has to happen to that place.

“The community in the past invested a lot of time and money and effort into looking after that hospital and getting it built initially.

“I believe it really should be taken over as a community asset.”

Labor MLC, Mick Veitch, failed to secure the papers associated with the old hospital sale in a parliamentary motion last October and is now making Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

“I really want to find out what happened with the sale,” he said.

“It could be that the local health district followed due process in which case there’s no reason for information to be held back I guess.

“I just want to get to the bottom of how the process was conducted so that I can assure those people from Gundagai that have made contact with me that the process was above board.

“The view of a lot of people is that that facility should remain a community owned facility or at least in community hands.

“Now that’s a view that’s been put to me by a number of people and I guess that’s why I’m trying to get to the bottom of just what happened with the disposal, with the sale of the site, and just to make sure that on behalf of the people of Gundagai that due process was followed.”

Dr Mara says the owner of the old Gundagai Hospital needs to reveal his plans for the facility.

“Clearly it was bought on spec,” he said.

“If the person thinks he’s going make any dough out of this, with all the asbestos and the other problems associated with it… there’s a lot of work that has to go into it to make it anywhere near a commercial proposition.

“I think he needs to come up and say what he wants to do with it and show that it does benefit the community.”

Dr Mara says he does not understand the sale process but people still have many questions.

“What people forget is that the community invested in the hospital over many, many years,” he said.

“I mean the community originally built the hospital.

“I mean there’s been a lot of emotional and financial investment in that and for it to be just given away in that way I think is an appalling indictment.”

Mr Veitch says it is taking a long time to secure the papers related to the old hospital sale.

“There’s been a bit of tick tacking with the Murrumbidgee Local Health District and myself about the scope of my GIPA (Government Information Public Access) request and I’m still waiting for the documentation to be presented.

“I think to be fair to the Local Health District, they may well be talking to third parties about getting permission to release the information to me as a part of my application, but in my mind, it shouldn’t take this long to obtain the information.”

A teenager is due to appear in court this week charged after a man was allegedly stabbed near Albury this morning.

Police and NSW Ambulance Paramedics were called to a home on Wagga Road at Lavington about 8.15am (Saturday 7 February 2015), responding to reports a man had been stabbed.

They found a 21-year-old man with a stab wound to his shoulder and upper arm. He was treated at the scene before being taken to Albury Hospital for treatment. His condition is not believed to be life-threatening.

Following inquiries, a 15-year-old boy was arrested about 9.20am at a home in Mate Street, Albury.

He was taken to Albury Police Station where he was charged with reckless wounding, and being armed with intent. He was given conditional bail to appear in a children’s court on Tuesday 10 February 2015.

A teenage boy has been arrested and charged following the attempted armed robbery of a taxi driver in Albury.

Around 11.30pm on Monday (2 February 2015), three teens got into a taxi on Eastern Circuit in East Albury.

After driving a short distance down the road, the driver of the taxi – a 26-year-old man – stopped the cab and asked the teens if they had money to pay for the fare.

Two of the teens, who were seated in the rear of the cab, got out of the vehicle, while the teen sitting in the front passenger seat undid his seatbelt and opened the passenger-side door before producing a knife. He threatened the driver with the knife, demanding he hand over his wallet, phone and cash.

The driver immediately pressed down on the car’s accelerator, jolting the vehicle forward and forcing the armed teen to fall out of the car.

The 26-year-old subsequently drove to Albury Police Station and reported the matter to police, who commenced an investigation into the matter.

Around 2.40pm yesterday, police arrested two teenage males on Eastern Circuit, East Albury.

The pair were taken to Albury Police Station and interviewed, before one of them – a 14-year-old – was charged with robbery while armed with an offensive weapon. He was subsequently refused bail and is scheduled to appear in a children’s court today (Wednesday 4 February 2015).

The other boy – a 15-year-old – was released pending further inquiries.

The police investigation into the matter continues and anyone with information of relevance is encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers.