Toodyay Herald

Facebook’s guidelines can be found at bit.ly/2Cg2cur.

They usually contain common elements, including that moderators (or ‘admins’) are accountable to group members for their actions and decisions.

This means responding openly and respectfully to legitimate concerns raised by aggrieved group members.

Explaining why posts have been deleted or members penalised will help a group to function more effectively.

Transparency also provides an opportunity for further discussion if group members disagree with a decision.

Administering a group with fairness and equity reduces the chance of members feeling victimised or voiceless.

It also reduces the ‘echo chamber’ effect that serves to perpetuate myths and further spread damaging misinformation.

Consistent decision-making and correct application of group rules will increase confidence and trust within the group.

Recognition and respect for members’ different values, knowledge and skills can create a constructive group dynamic that benefits all members.

On the other hand, allowing a Facebook group to spread unchecked misinformation can be socially destructive.

Pharmaceutical treatments not backed by randomised double-blind trials or lacking sufficiently large epidemiological studies should be regarded as misinformation.

False claims that hydroxychloroquine can prevent COVID-19 is an example of potentially lethal misinformation.

All moderators have a responsibility to check if false claims are being used to hijack group discussions and disrupt community cohesion.

Physically impossible claims such as 5G mobile phone networks causing cancer and microchips being concealed in vaccines should be blocked as misleading nonsense.

False claims by opportunists such as deregistered UK physician Andrew Wakefield that mumps, measles and rubella vaccines cause autism should also be blocked.

These are often accompanied by demands to “do your own research” and a rejection of scientific evidence that often ends in abusive slanging matches.

Failure to discourage misinformation suggests a hidden agenda.

A study reported by the American Society for Microbiology found that nearly eight in 10 adults believe in at least one false statement about COVID-19 or are unsure about it.

The damage this causes within communities can be found at bit.ly/3Qmd6qe.

Tenders were advertised before Christmas after the shire obtained advice from WA health authorities on how to proceed.

A confidential draft “General Practice Agreement” was endorsed behind closed doors on the afternoon of February 1, just three hours before this edition of The Toodyay Herald went to press.

The incoming doctor is expected to employ other GPs part-time to ensure an adequate level of patient care at the normally busy practice.

The council agreed to pay an undisclosed annual subsidy to the new doctor, who will be required to report back to the shire annually on “practice activities”.

The new doctor will have exclusive use of the medical centre, with furniture, internet and computers provided by the shire.

Building insurance, building maintenance and upkeep of the grounds will also be funded and managed by the shire.

Patients’ records will remain the property of the shire upon termination of the new contract, “subject to legislative requirements such as the Privacy Act”.

The cost of power, water and other utilities will be shared equally between the doctor and the shire.

Councillors also agreed to offer a 100 per cent rates subsidy on any property “purchased by the doctor for the practice”.

They agreed to consider providing a vehicle to the new doctor at the end of the first year of the new contract.

All Toodyay volunteer fire brigades were quickly called out, followed by about 200 firefighting units from surrounding shires and Perth.

The full-scale emergency included use of continuous streams of firefighting helicopters and aerial water bombers.

The bushfire burnt out of control for two days but light winds enabled it to be contained without damage to homes, crops or livestock.

A small amount of grazing land was reportedly burnt out.

The fire was contained by Tuesday night and mopping up and further containment is due to continue well into this month.

Volunteer firefighters remained wary that fresh winds may cause it to flare up again.

No forced evacuations were required but the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services warned residents in the Cobbler Pool area and parts of Julimar, West Toodyay and Coondle to be prepared to leave their homes or defend their properties.

An evacuation centre was set up at Toodyay’s Memorial Hall on the first night of the fire.

About 15 people attended in the early evening but left for dinner and did not return.

The evacuation centre was closed at about 2am after most residents returned to their homes or spent the night elsewhere.

WA’s Strike Force Vulcan police arson squad is investigating the cause of the fire and urges anyone with information to call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

Former IGA store and Victoria Hotel owners Dean Carter said he and wife Amanda sold their supermarket business and pub to focus more on local farming.

The Carters bought the Victoria Hotel six years ago with plans to spend at least $2.5 million to upgrade the run-down property, which reopened in 2019 after extensive renovations and the construction of new rear accommodation units.

Mr Carter said the couple had bought a second farm near Toodyay.

The IGA sale was for the business only – not the building and land which the couple retain, while the Victoria Hotel sale of land, buildings and business did not include an empty former tea shop next door, which the couple still own.

Mr Carter said he was 61 years old and wanted a change in direction.

“It was a big decision but money isn’t everything,” he said.

“We wanted something that was different and less busy.”

The new IGA store operator and Victoria Hotel owner is WA private company Guru Brothers Food and Liquor Merchant Pty Ltd.

The company secretary was overseas last month and unable to be contacted by The Herald for for comment.

New IGA store and Victoria Hotel General Manager Peter Douglas said the new owners were Australians who lived in Perth.

Mr Douglas said the new IGA store owners planned to modernise the supermarket and offer a bigger range of fresh products, similar to those at their “flagship” store in Darch.

Toodyay shoppers would be offered “a lot more fresh meat with more specials advertised locally on Facebook”, Mr Douglas said.

There will be more products on the shelves and a lot more WA fresh fruit and vegetables.
More gluten-free and vegetarian food would also be available.

However, there had been a delay in obtaining a Lotto licence to continue selling tickets from the store because the sale had gone through faster than expected.

The company had applied to Lotterywest in Perth but Mr Douglas said he did not know how long this would take to process.

The next nearest Lotto outlet is in Northam.

All IGA store staff had been retained under a company policy of continuing to employ local people.

The same applied at the Victoria Hotel, where Mr Douglas said all existing staff had been retained.

He said the new owners planned to develop the Victoria Hotel to “make it more of a local destination and central hub for the town”.

“We like Toodyay and think it has a great future,” he said.

“We want the town to grow.”

Toodyay Locals Care founder Roz Davidson said the IGA store’s new owners were continuing to donate food for local homeless people, without which the charity service could not survive.

The Herald was unable to contact potential buyers about the Freemasons Hotel sale.

One of Toodyay’s two hardware stores also changed hands last year, as did Wendouree Café which reverted to its original name after it was renovated and re-opened as Amy’s Café a few years earlier.

The State Government said re-advertising the revised budget for public comment was “not considered necessary” if the “reasons and objects for proposing differential rates” were consistent with those previously advertised last year.

The overall outcome remains the same, and Shire CEO Suzie Haslehurst said Chalice – which is developing what it calls a “world-class” mineral deposit in Julimar – had agreed to pay the increased cost of local road repairs.

Roads used by local farmers to transport crops, livestock and other bulk materials were being damaged by heavy mining traffic, with ratepayers having to foot the bill.

All other 2022-23 rates adopted last year remain the same, and most ratepayers will not see any difference in their payments.

Chalice will now pay the same ‘UV (Unimproved Value) General’ rate of 0.014170c in the dollar as properties used for “residential and/or minor rural pursuits”.

Councillors voted on August 10 last year – 21 days before an August 31 budget deadline imposed by the State – to adopt a new mining rate to pay for road repairs.

Ministerial approval had been sought on July 15.

Councillors agreed at the time to amend the budget if the new rate was rejected.

The Minister’s office did not respond until September 5, when the new rate was rejected for being more than twice the next highest rate in the council’s 2022-23 budget.

Councillors agreed this month to adopt a revised budget and send new rates notices to the owners of 35 local properties covered by mining and mineral exploration leases.

They also agreed to forward their revised 2022-23 budget to the Minister’s office by the end of this month.

The $152,715 drop in shire revenue for road repairs is expected to be covered by a new “road maintenance agreement” with Chalice.

“All conditions have been discussed and generally agreed with Chalice personnel,” Shire Corporate and Community Services Manager Tabitha Bateman reported to this month’s special council meeting.

“The first Chalice-initiated maintenace grade was completed in December.”

The Shire of Toodyay says it has begun talking to applicants who wish to re-open the medical centre and work locally after it advertised tenders for new contracts last month.

Shire CEO Suzie Haslehurst said she could not say when local GP and other services might resume.

This would depend on the outcome of negiotiations which were due to start in the final week of last month.

Re-opening the medical centre was discussed at a councillor workshop on November 18 and debated behind closed doors at a council meeting a week later.

Councillors voted 8-0 for Ms Haslehurst to “open negotiations with proponents regarding the terms of an agreement”.

They directed her to report back on the “outcomes of negotiations” by no later than January 31 next year.

The talks would include what business model the shire should adopt for the centre to reopen.
Ms Haslehurst said the shire owned some of the medical centre’s equipment, including patient beds, computers and furniture.

The centre would not be left bare when the Wheatbelt Health Network moved out.
The service provider had not been charged rent to use the shire-owned medical centre building.

Negotiations with replacement GPs would include whether the shire should continue to offer rent-free premises under any new contract.

Other considerations might include free housing, a car or other incentives.

No federal or State funding was available to help pay these additional costs, which the shire said were falling increasingly on regional local government councils such as Toodyay.

Ms Haslehurst said the shire had told the WA Government that it was unfair to expect regional ratepayers to subsidise local doctor services that city people took for granted.

“For instance, you don’t get the Town of Claremont subsiding local GPs,” she said.

Mr Haslehurst said the shire wanted to keep as many local medical services as possible.

This year’s races were scratched and the running of the Toodyay Cup moved to Belmont after the local betting and public bar area was deemed unsafe for public use.

The facilities are owned by the shire and leased to the Toodyay Race Club.

Cancellation of this year’s September races prompted the shire to order a structural engineer’s report which highlighted a number of electrical, plumbing and structural defects.

Repairs would require “significant cost”, Ms Haslehurst said.

The club said in May that it planned to resume local racing next year, but this may now be in doubt.

It said at the time that it had spent thousands of dollars on maintenance over several years but had no money to pay for major repairs.

The main roof was beyond repair, gutters were rusted and new electrical equipment had been wrecked by heavy rain in April.

A Herald inspection of the damage revealed that the clubrooms, members’ bar and jockey changerooms also needed repairs.

Ms Haslehurst said the shire had written to the race club about “a number of issues of concern in relation to risk”.

“We will also get our own insurers to inspect the building,” she said.

The track is used for racing only once a year for the running of the Toodyay Cup.

Ms Haslehurst said there had been no shire contact with Racing and Wagering WA about the future of the historic race track.

She said the shire met Toodyay Race Club representatives at the end of last month and presented them with a list of the “more urgent repairs” that needed to be done before racing could safely resume.

The club had agreed to respond with a presentation to a February meeting of the Toodyay Shire Council.

One option was to give ownership of the land to the race club.

However, the club has said previously that the shire – as owner of the buildings – was responsible for repairs, which the club said should be completed before any handover.

Toodyay Race Club Chair and former shire deputy president John Prater said the club would consider its options before making a presentation to the council in February.

The Toodyay Race Club was founded in 1865 and celebrated its 150th year in 2015.

The popular country racecourse is one of the oldest in WA.