Hopefully, better things are to come.

Australia Day ambassador Neil Soullier travelled to our towns of Rainbow, Jeparit, Dimboola and Nhill speaking at all venues. His address was appreciated by all in attendance.

Congratulations to all our Australia Day award winners, and also the local town and community recipients.

Congratulations also to our Wimmera Order of Australia Medal awardees in Cr Pam Clarke and Ian Penny. Ian was one Hindmarsh Shire's commissioners during amalgamation.

The rail saga continues with three main issues.

The Rainbow-Dimboola freight line has had no trains since June last year due to a decline in standard.

Extensive lobbying with relevant authorities has intensified in recent weeks and will continue.

The Melbourne-Adelaide Overland is also high on our list, as funding is only committed to the end of March.

The long-term vision for a sprinter train from Ararat to Horsham is also a priority for our region.

Council has conducted community meetings in our four libraries regarding future standards and requirements.

These meetings have been well attended and council has received good feedback.

Nhill's February Fiesta at the Nhill Lake is happening for the next few Friday nights. A good time is assured.

Major fires continue throughout Australia.

Our region 17 fire district has not experienced any large fires, but we urge all residents and land owners to remain vigilant.

Our thoughts are with the areas that have been affected.

Hindmarsh Shire Council, along with many others, missed out on funding in the first round of sporting grants by the federal government.

We all have our own thoughts on how this has occurred.

Again, we will continue to monitor this situation and lobby extensively for future funding.

The grandstand at Nhill's Davis Park is scheduled to be demolished in the near future and upon funding, works will start as soon as possible.

A farewell reception was recently held for Victoria Police Superintendent Paul Margetts. We wish him all the best in his new role.