The public competition for the favourite busker was awarded to C & J Rockin’, brothers Charlie (14) and Jack (11) (below) who have been performing for the past three years at festivals, markets and fetes.

They were extremely excited not only to have won the spot performing between James Blundell’s first and second sets, but the time James spent with them before and after their set.

It was great to have Emma Pettemerides, a principal of the WA Opera who has regularly performed for the company’s outreach program and is an ambassador for Healthways’ Smarter than Smoking campaign.

Emma is also a regular soloist with local companies Freeze Frame Opera, Perth Symphony Orchestra, Lux et Veritas, Art Song Perth and performs for events around Australia as The Perth Soprano as well as being one of Toodyay’s own.

She facilitated a number of fellow artists, including Jun Zhang (below) in opera and musical theatre to appear and St Stephen’s Anglican Church was at capacity seating all day.

Our evening entertainment was provided by country music singer James Blundell who is no stranger to WA.

In his early 20s he mustered cattle in the West Kimberley and way before that, his great-great-grandfather was the surveyor for the fledgling Swan River Settlement, so the connection goes back a long time.

Once music became his career, WA has always been an important tour component providing inspiration for his song writing.

James (below) was joined on stage in the second part of his show by WA locals Johnny Taylor and Trent Matheison, and his son Briar Blundell.

Duidgee Park was well patronised all day and it was great to see the numbers swell as we moved into the evening’s entertainment.

Food and merchandise stalls were located within the two parks with our Toodyay businesses providing for both locals and visitors.

This free community event could not have gone ahead without the support and funding from a number of people.

To our major sponsors Lotterywest, Shire of Toodyay and Toodyay and Districts Bendigo Community Bank we give the community’s sincere thanks.

The local Op Shop, RSL, Community Resource Centre and Makit Hardware, Shane Love, MLA, Darren West, MLC, Laurie Graham, MLC, LJ Hooker and Country Realty all supported this event along with Northam’s Coles and Woolworths.

Finally, this event would not have happened without The Toodyay Music Fest Working Group and our enthusiastic volunteers who stepped up to help make this a great day.

I joined this group in June last year, after the disappointment of having the 2020 festival cancelled due to Covid-19 and what I found was a small group of enthusiastic, dedicated people who worked tirelessly to provide Toodyay with an event that is a credit to the community.

If you would like to provide feedback on how you as the general public saw the event or should you be interested in getting to know your fellow Toodyayians, have an interest in music or working within the community, we would love to hear from you.

The planning for the next Toodyay Music Fest starts soon. Please contact toodyaymusicfest.secretary@gmail.com or phone 0419 869 927.

“Ambulance volunteers have no one to advocate for their interests,” Mr Love said.
“Workers in paid jobs have protections and procedures but ambulance volunteers feel they cannot speak out without a risk of ramifications

“I have heard the same thing from other ambulance volunteers elsewhere – Toodyay is not an isolated case.

“St John’s ambulance volunteers are the state’s only emergency service volunteers without a representative body.”

Mr Love said regional WA St John Ambulance staff and volunteers serviced the world’s largest health jurisdiction and answered 43,000 call outs last year.

“Regional paramedics and volunteers play a vital role in keeping our communities safe and responding to emergency incidents,” Mr Love said.

“However, the workload can be onerous, and the situations they encounter can be challenging, leading to volunteer burnout.

“It’s the role of government to support this iconic organisation so that its members can continue to answer the call when needed.”

If elected, the Nationals WA plan to commit $1 million to create the state’s first volunteer association to advocate for and protect the interests of ambulance volunteers, $29 million for an additional 18 community paramedics across regional WA in areas of need and $10 million to ensure some of WA’s smallest ambulance sub-centres remain sustainable and well equipped.

“We’ve seen how effective community paramedics are, and volunteers tell us they appreciate the extra support on the ground,” Mr Love said.

“Our commitment will boost the total number of community paramedics across regional WA to 45 to ensure they can continue to provide that support.

“Giving volunteers a voice will help to create a better work environment, improve workplace relations and create a greater awareness of the role volunteers play within and outside the health sector.

“St John Ambulance plays a huge role in regional WA, and volunteers often encounter very difficult and challenging circumstances in their volunteer roles.

“This will give them much-needed support and advocacy and will also help to guide organisational and government decisions to ensure WA’s ambulance and health services remain world class.”

Mr Love won a primary vote majority of nearly 35 per cent in the 2017 State Election, with Labor’s Barni Norton on 21 per cent and Liberal candidate Darren Slyns 19 per cent.

All three are again contesting this month’s State Election and Labor hopes its cash splash in Moore will at least force Mr Love to rely on preference votes to retain his seat.

In January, Labor pledged $100,000 for Toodyay RSL’s new headquarters.

Local medical staff were gearing up to vaccinate up to 50 people a day in addition to normal flu shots and other regular local vaccinations for measles, mumps, rubella and other diseases.

Toodyay residents will receive the Oxford/AstraZenica vaccine which gained Australian Government approval on February 16 after completing successful clinical trials in record time last November at Britain’s Oxford University.

Dr Randhawa said Toodyay residents younger than 70 would gain access to the new vaccine when more supplies became available from the Eastern States.

Not pregnant women or kids

However, pregnant women and children under 16 remain ineligible for the vaccine because it has not been tested in those groups.

“We will have to wait until further trials show that the vaccine is safe for them,” Dr Randhawa said.

Studies have found that children appear to be less affected by the Covid-19 virus than adults and, if infected, generally suffer only mild symptoms.

However, children can still infect adults.

Dr Randhawa said he hoped all Toodyay residents could be vaccinated by August.

Two local nurses (pictured right) have been trained and officially certified to deliver the AstraZenica vaccine in Toodyay.

“We expect to be able to vaccinate 20 to 50 people a day at the Alma Beard Medical Centre, depending on supplies and demand,” Dr Randhawa said.

“This is in addition to normal demand for annual flu shots, which will commence locally as winter approaches.

“We expect in coming months to go through double the number of syringes we normally use.

“To be effective, every AstraZenica vaccination needs to be followed up by a second shot 12 weeks later.

“This is similar to measles, mumps and rubella, which require three shots, each two months apart.

Flu shots need to be separate

“However, flu shots can’t be given at the same time as AstraZenica – they need to be spaced at least two weeks apart.

“We will open the Toodyay medical centre on weekends if we receive sufficient supplies to meet demand.”

Dr Randhawa said the AstraZenica vaccine could be kept safely between 2C and 8C in normal refrigerators at the Toodyay clinic, which is equipped to store up to 500 doses.

This made it more practical for local use than the Australian-approved Pfizer vaccine which needed to be transported and stored at -70C.

In addition, the AstraZenica vaccine was supplied in single-dose vials.

This would prevent last month’s Queensland situation when untrained doctors gave two elderly patients four times the recommended dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which comes in six-dose vials.

“Toodyay people don’t need to file a special application to get their free AstraZenica vaccination,” Dr Randhawa said.

“All they need to do is call the Wheatbelt Health Network on 9574 2300 to book their shot at the Alma Beard Medical Centre.

“Toodyay people can also book to be vaccinated in Northam.

Vulnerable people first

“Priority will be given to people classed by the Australian Government as vulnerable to Covid-19 infection and serious illness.

“These include people aged 70 or older, and those with chronic diseases such as heart-lung disease, diabetes and other pre-existing medical conditions, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Priority will also go to quarantine and border workers, frontline healthcare staff, emergency services and people supplying and distributing essential goods and services.

“People who are infected but don’t get ill are still classed as carriers and will need to be vaccinated too.”

Dr Randhawa said every AstraZenica shot would contain “an inactive part of the Covid-19 virus”.

It would be injected into the muscle, similar to a tetanus shot.

Sore arms

“There will be a little bit of a sting and a sore arm for up to 48 hours,” Dr Randhawa said.

“People can ask to get it in their non-favoured arm.

“You might get a very mild fever and symptoms of a flu-like illness similar to ordinary flu.

“Any fever, muscle aches and pains, and lethargy should wear off in 48 hours.

“These symptoms can be treated with paracetamol (such as Panadol) or ibuprofen (eg: Nurofen) just as you might for ordinary flu.”

Dr Randhawa said everyone vaccinated against Covid-19 would have their details recorded in the Federal Government’s Australian Immunisation Register.

This would enable health authorities to ensure enough supplies of the second dose.

Shire CEO Suzie Hazlehurst said the shire had written to landfill site operator Opal Vale expressing concern that the site lacked adequate personnel and equipment to control the second fire.

In particular, Opal Vale was not equipped to deal with an after-hours fire.

The letter followed initial shire contact with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) to report shortcomings in the company’s fire-fighting capabilities.

It is understood DWER inspectors visited the landfill site several times to monitor the initial undergound fire.

The second fire occurred on the surface at night.

It was attended by two units from Toodyay Central Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade and one from the Toodyay Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service.

Fire and rescue volunteers were called because landfill fires contain toxic materials and require different firefighting techniques, equipment and training than those used for bushfires.

Two bushfire brigade tankers were used to provide fire and rescue service volunteers with bulk supplies of water that had to be brought in from elsewhere.

It is understood Opal Vale’s operating licence requires it to cover surface rubbish on the same day that it is dumped.

Ms Haslehurst said the company responded promptly to the shire’s letter of concern by submitting a proposed upgraded fire management plan.

Shire officers were reviewing the response, Ms Haslehurst said.

DWER approved the Chitty Road landfill site in 2019 after several years of costly legal challenges by local residents.

Opponents said landfill fires were notoriously hard to extinguish and could burn for weeks underground if heat generated by decomposing organic waste came into contact with oxygen.

Local residents also feared that landfill fires could release toxic fumes over surrounding homes and farms and pollute local creeks that feed into the Avon River.

Opal Vale’s long-term plan was to dump three million tonnes of rotting metropolitan waste in Hoddys Well over the next 20 years.

The rubbish would be carried by an extra 60 rubbish trucks a day on Toodyay Road.
Opal Vale is not listed in the White Pages telephone directory, does not have a website and could not be contacted for comment.

The orders to apologise followed Mr Scott’s formal complaints about two 2019 Facebook posts that the WA Local Government Standards Panel found last September to be “misleading and derogatory and likely to cause detriment to Mr Scott”.

The panel upheld a third complaint that Cr Bell made several Facebook posts on 10 February 2019 that were “false or misleading and likely to cause detriment to Mr Scott and Cr Therese Chitty”, who was deputy shire president at the time.

The shire published three “Notices of Public Censure” naming Cr Bell – as required by State law – in last month’s Toodyay Community News.

Ms Haslehurst said she was required by the same law to inform the Standards Panel that Cr Bell had not apologised.

A State Government inquiry tabled in the WA Parliament last October made 14 adverse findings against Mr Scott for financial mismanagement, failures under local government law, conflict of interest and unethical conduct.

It also castigated the previous council for failing to properly manage the former CEO’s behaviour and actions over a seven-year period examined by the inquiry.

Mr Scott quit the shire last April while on three months’ sick leave.