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5 SEPTEMBER, 2023
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A new top dog in town Caroline Springs Staffordshire bull terrier Violet has been crowned the top office dog for 2023. Violet claimed the title as part of people2people recruitment’s #OZTOPDOG competition. Taking centre stage, the resilient pup was born with a deformed front leg, and was surrendered at just one week old. The top office dog category had the judges deliberating for hours to decide between the top two entries, Violet and runner-up Australian shepherd Zard. Violet has emerged as a source of inspiration for her workplace at a local veterinary clinic, where she was first embraced as a baby and bottle-fed by every member of the clinic. Veterinarian Dr Gloria Perkovic said Violet brings joy to the workplace and is a beloved staff at the clinic. “She forces people to take a break, and it is sometimes really hard to pull yourself away from work but just having Violet there really encourages staff to take some time away from working,” she said. “Violet has a really playful personality and is just so joyous. She loves getting people to give her a part or cuddle, and really helps them to feel calmer and take some time to spend with her.”
Caroline Springs locals, Gloria Perkovic and her dog Violet. (Damjan Janevski) 357162_01
Moorabool funding blow By Liam McNally Moorabool council has been dealt another funding blow upon discovering it is no longer eligible for the state government’s Growing Suburbs Fund. Growing Suburbs is aimed at delivering critical community infrastructure for Melbourne’s fast-growing outer suburbs, which in 2023 was worth $10 million. In June 2020 the fund expanded from being available to just interface councils, which are a group of 10 municipalities that form a ring
around metropolitan Melbourne including Melton, to peri-urban councils during the COVID-19 pandemic. Peri urban councils are shires that interface metropolitan Melbourne and Victoria’s largest regional cities. Guidelines for the 2023 fund released on August 25 showed the fund had reverted to focusing on interface councils. The announcement follows Moorabool council also recently becoming ineligible for the federal government’s $600 million Growing Regions program.
Moorabool mayor Rod Ward said council is extremely disappointed to suddenly be excluded from the Growing Suburbs Fund. “There has been significant underinvestment in road infrastructure and community infrastructure, and if we don’t plan and address this issue now, we will be in a situation where our infrastructure is not in line with our growth,” he said. “Despite this, we are now not eligible to access a fund that helps pay for such infrastructure. “Projects such as the expansion of the
In a Biscuit
$1.50
Bacchus Marsh Library, Aqualink and a “river walking track in Ballan may need to pushed out beyond what we anticipated due to the impact of the Growing Suburbs changes.” In the past the fund has supported the Ballan Library and Community Hub, the West Maddingley Early Years and Community Hub, Darley Park Community and Sports Centre and the BMRRR pavilion. ■ Continued: Page 6.
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