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No 1:1773
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2025
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WALK FOR THE ONES WHO COULDN’T PAGE 10
CHARMING CENTRAL SHEPPARTON HOUSE HITS MARKET PAGE 21
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CHARITY RAFFLE SUPPORTS GV HOSPICE CARE PAGE 20
Page 24+25
INSIDE: ■ Briefly Noted | pages 4+5 ■ Classifieds | pages 22+23 ■ GVFL Footy Previews | page 25 ■ 7 Day TV Guide | page 26 ■ SEN - Shepparton’s Home of Sport | page 27
Big Pear
‘We’re sick of it’: Local police at breaking point after wave of reckless driving for Shepparton
plans ripen
By Deanne Jeffers SH E PPA RTON pol ice say t hey ’re exahusted, furious, and bracing for more tragedy. After months of dangerous driving, serious crashes and preventable trauma, Superintendent Brett Kahan is calling on the community to change. He has issued a blunt and emotional plea: “Enough is enough.” Continued Page 19
tourism boost
MASSIVE
BIG ATTRACTION... Currently in the preliminary design phase, the Big Pear would be large enough for visitors to step inside and learn about the region’s fruit growing history. Pictured are Big Pear Steering Group members, chairperson Rocky Varapodio and member Shane Hall. Photo: Bruce Mactier Building Designers.
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Big Pear Plan gets headlines around the world By Deanne Jeffers COLD, misty weather didn’t dampen the excitement of Rocky Varapodio and Shane Hall, just two of the region’s iconic fruit growers and key figures behind plans for a Big Pear at Kialla’s Emerald Bank. The proposed landmark aims to celebrate the Goulburn Valley’s horticultural legacy
and draw visitors to the region, with the city’s southern entrance as its stage. “In the late 1800s... people were going to the gold fields,” Mr Varapodio, Chairman of the Big Pear Steering Group, said. “Our gold was the dirt, the climate, and the access to water... that was the gold that brought everyone to the Goulburn Valley.”
“People around Australia tend to think of Shepparton as this fruit-growing city,” Mr Hall added. “You can be travelling all around the world and say, ‘I come from Shepparton,’ and they’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s where SPC is!’ There’s a real, recognisable fruit-growing connection, and we should be capitalising on that.” Continued Page 14
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