SOUTH WEST LOCAL NEWS- FRIDAY JUNE 26TH-2026

This morning on South West Local News.

A two-car accident near Hamilton turns fatal after the death of an 83-year-old.

Another video showing the state of the train services causes more concerns.

The Lighthouse Theatre turns into a leggo lovers dream thanks to a new show.

And in sport, the Warrnambool Umpires Association turns 80 years old.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

This morning on Southwest Local News. A two-car accident near Hamilton turns fatal after the death of an 83-year-old. Another video showing the state of the train services causes more concerns. The Lighthouse Theatre turns into a Lego Movers dream thanks to a new show. And in support, the Warnerball Upwise Association turns 80 years old.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Live from Stopperball Studios in Warnerball. This is Southwest Local News with Liam Fitzgerald.

SPEAKER_03 0:36

Good morning and welcome to Southwest Local News. A crash in Hamilton last week has sadly turned fatal. Emergency services were called to the Colerain Road on Friday, June 19th at around 5.15 pm. The 83-year-old driver and sole occupant of one of the vehicles was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition, but sadly succumbed to her injuries. The 25-year-old male driver of the other vehicle wasn't injured but stopped to offer assistance. Hamilton Highway Patrol will prepare a report for the coroner. Anyone who witnessed the incident with footage or information is urged to contact CrimeStoppers on 1-800-333-0000. A video showing an intoxicated passenger travelling on the Melbourne-Talable train service has led to further calls for the state government to introduce public service officers to all V-line services. The video shows a female passenger sitting on the floor of the service with an open box of alcohol. It also highlights the ongoing concerns that the services on the line are overcrowded, posing a huge safety risk. According to member for South West Coast, Roma Brittnell, the video is alarming in many ways and further proves the need for the state government to intervene.

SPEAKER_04 1:49

Yeah, this overcrowding has been created by the Allen Labor government. They've taken away the six train carriages that we've had in the past, or the in-class where we had five carriages, and replaced it with half the capacity that we had in the past. Now that is unacceptable, and that's what's leading to the main problems. But there's also the issue that's recently been created that started when they uh removed the booking system. We're still seeing a lot of overcrowding, and people who are getting on the train who haven't got tickets is what the passengers uh are telling me. Uh there are people consuming um alcohol openly. Um there's quite a lot of um unsuitable behaviour. And you know, clearly the um Ellen Labor government are not putting the systems in place that are needed to support the staff to be able to make sure the train travel is safe.

SPEAKER_03 2:46

Commuters on the 927am Warner train to Melbourne on Thursday had delayed, had a delayed start to their trip. A fault was reported at the level crossing on Marney's Road in Warnable. Marney's Road was closed for almost an hour between Huntingfield Drive and the Homemaker Centre car park. V line workers were also able to resolve the issue, which was closed. Boom gates. Picking up and dropping off at Woodford Primary School is a safer task than it once was. A project that included constructing 15 new parking bays, new footpaths, speed bumps, lighting, and a 20 kilometre speed limit is now complete. The project was funded by $70,000 from the Warnerville City Council and $50,000 from the state government's Tiny Towns Fund. Member for Western Victoria, Jacinta Ermakora and Minister for Regional Development, Michaela Settle were at the school to celebrate the milestone.

SPEAKER_06 3:41

It's really fantastic to be here at Woodford Primary School to see the completion of this wonderful Tiny Towns project. The fantastic thing about the Tiny Towns grant system is it's really about what the community wants.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Look, it's been a really, really great and since it was um you know since it was first completed, we've seen so much usage down here at the school. It's been something the school had advocated for for I think it was over a decade to have a better connection into town and out of town. And I, you know, when it comes to this, you know, since it was over two years ago, we've seen so much usage, and it's been really great. We were only able to do it with the support of the state government with the tiny towns grant of 50,000 and city council putting in 70 to really make a difference for the safety out at um out here at Woodford Primary School.

SPEAKER_05 4:35

Uh these Allen Labour government tiny towns grants show that um the the government is listening to little communities and the priorities of small regional communities, particularly, and uh this one here at Woodford is a great example of that.

SPEAKER_03 4:52

Drivers will have to get used to lifting their foot off the pedal in the Bournable C B D. New speed limits for some of the city's busiest streets will soon be introduced. Lava Croit and Tymore streets between Banyan and Kepler Streets will change from 40 kilometres an hour to 30. Speed limits will change on the edge of the city as well, but this time they will rise. Canterbury Road is being changed from 40k an hour to 50k to be consistent with neighbouring streets. The school zone on Bromfield Street from Canterbury Road to Botanic Road will be removed. Police are preparing to clamp down on e-bike users during the upcoming school holiday period. Parents and children are being urged to familiarise themselves with e-bike rules to ensure they aren't caught out riding illegal bikes, which are subject to significant penalties. The legal requirements for an e-bike include a maximum continuous-rated power output of no more than 250 watts, motor assistance that cuts off at 25 km an hour, and functioning pedals. Common but illegal modifications include the fitting of an internal combustion engine, a motor which continues to provide power after reaching 25 kilometres an hour, and a toggle switch to override the power and wattage limits. The locally owned Barbecue Skalore franchise continues to trade as business as usual despite the upheaval of its former parent company. Earlier this month, Barbecue Skalore announced it was closing down, but that franchise stores such as Warnable would continue to operate. It was a result seen as coming after the company entered voluntary administration in February. Warnable store owner Michael Rowan is buoyant about the store's future.

SPEAKER_07 6:33

Correctly, we're just business as usual at the moment, so yeah. 100%. Like we've got a bit of a transition period coming through, so we can but we um we'll work through that over the the coming months. Yeah, absolutely. Like I said, business as usual. We've got uh plenty of stock in store as you can see, and um there's quite a fair bit on clearance and sale at the moment. So wood heaters are our big thing at the moment, and gas heaters and electric heaters. Um we've got it all here, so yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

Great to see this store continuing on Warnables Lighthouse Theatre will be a Lego Lover's Dream this weekend. The venue is hosting the Brick Show, which will be presented by Playwell Advance. The show will be held on Saturday and Sunday. Will include Lego displays, interactive play zones, and a brick market for buying and selling. Bookings can be made at the venue. Looking forward to taking Ted there tomorrow. Exhibitions on display at the Warnerville Art Gallery will help inspire the next generation of artists during these school holidays. The Art Gallery is running a school holidays program across a number of media. These include paper weaving, textiles, and printmaking. The concept is for the children taking part to explore the art in the gallery to help them discover their own creativity. The sessions will run on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The Gillen Boys Foundation has announced the return of its Survive to Thrive Garlet Dinner. Held for the first time last year. The success of the event has inspired the foundation to bring it back. The date for the event has been set for October 23 with the Warnable Golf Club, the venue. Money raised from the night will go to Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Warnable. Representatives from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute will also be in attendance. It's a great event. Finally, the hard work of the team behind the Warnable Seniors Festival has been rewarded with recognition at state level. At the LG Pro Positive Aging and Wellbeing Awards, the festival received a high commendation. This came on the back of the festival, providing 59 events for almost 2,500 participants over the past two years. This included welcoming priority groups such as First Nations elders, LGBTI plus seniors, plus people living with disabilities, vulnerable men, and multicultural communities. Time to take a look at some local sports news now. Warnable District Football Umpires Association is enjoying a solid present as it celebrates its past deeds. The association is in its 80th year, a milestone it's celebrated this month, with a function for past and present members. While umpire numbers have been a challenge, the association is tracking well this season. Association President Andrew Lockheed says there was a positive feeling within the local umpiring fraternity.

SPEAKER_02 9:18

Surprisingly well, um we've been uh able to cover most of our senior games and even uh run three central umpires in most. We've got a great uh junior contingent um which is fantastic. Um we can always do with more, uh, but uh the main thing is um we're covering the games and uh it's good for football in the local region. Had a fantastic weekend over the long weekend in early June. Um we had uh past members come up and uh even stemming back from the 60s and 70s joining joining in the festivities, so it was a really enjoyable weekend and uh and we made the most of it. But 80 years is an amazing achievement for an organisation like ours to uh sustain for that duration.

SPEAKER_03 9:58

The undefeated North Warnerville Eagles will be put to the test when they travel to Kroit tomorrow. The last time the teams met was in round two, with the Eagles getting home by 12 points. The Saints bounced back quickly from that one and have only lost one game since. Both teams are in red-hot form, coming off big wins last weekend. The Eagles defeated Warnable by 83 points, while the Saints were 70-point winners over the Hamilton Kangaroos. Season 2026 will remain alive for the North Warnable Eagles if they can pull off a major round 11 open grade netball upset. The task at hand is to beat Powerhouse Croat on their home court. While it looks unlikely an Eagles win would keep it in contention for a top five finish. A loss could see it drop two wins behind, with Tarang Mortlake expected to defeat Portland and take hold of fifth place. Warnable will need all it can muster to defeat the top of the ladder South Warnable in open grade Hamden netball tomorrow. One thing the Blues can lock in is a home court advantage, although the Roosters are very familiar with the readover courts thanks to numerous finals appearances. The Blues are a game adrift of the top three, and a loss would drop them even further back. For the top of the table Roosters, they need to continue winning to keep second place Correct at bay. Time to take a look at what the three-day weather forecast looks like over the weekend and into next week. In Port Ferry, tomorrow, max of 14 with overcast skies. Overnight temperatures down to around two degrees. Sunday, 17 with a low chance of rain with sunny conditions and light winds. Monday, a top of 16 with a shower or two and a northeasterly wind. Inland to Mort Lake, 13 to start the weekend with morning fog and sunny afternoons. Sunday, a top of 16 with clear skies and overnight lows down to three. Monday, a high chance of showers and a top of 15, partly cloudy. Take allaking camperdown, 13 tomorrow with light winds and morning fog. Sunday, mostly sunny conditions with a top of 15. And showers for Monday, a top of 14 with northeasterly winds with partly cloudy conditions. Dandel the coast of Port Campbell, a max of 15 for Saturday, overnight temperatures down to two. Sunday, mostly sunny with 15 and light winds, and 16 for Monday, cloudy with a high chance of showers. Back home to Warnable 14 with clouds clearing tomorrow. Daytime temperatures expecting to reach the top of 14. Sunday 16 with a slight chance of a shower in the evening and a sunny day. 15 to start the week, partly cloudy and a high chance of showers. That's it from your Southwest Local News team this morning. Thanks for tuning in. Remember, you can also watch this bulletin online at southwestlocalnews.com.au. Until Tuesday morning, have a great weekend.