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Mayor fined for breaching coronavirus restrictions after drinking beer in street

<p>A mayor in south-west Victoria has been fined for breaching coronavirus restrictions after he was photographed drinking beer with two men on a public street.</p> <p>Warrnambool mayor Tony Herbert was seen drinking beer outside the Whalers Hotel in the city’s main street on the evening of April 7, hours after he recorded a video for the council’s social media pages urging people to stay home.</p> <p>Herbert was fined $1,652 for breaching the Chief Health Officer’s directives forbidding non-essential activities and gatherings of more than two people.</p> <p>Herbert apologised in a statement released on Thursday, saying he had mistakenly believed his “actions to engage with business owners as part of my mayoral role was within the bounds of the law”.</p> <p>“However, I realise that I had inadvertently breached the new laws to keep the community safe,” Herbert said.</p> <p>“I am genuinely sorry for my actions.”</p> <p>Herbert said he would not resign as a mayor, and that the messages of support from fellow councillors, the community and business owners had “further strengthened my resolve to do a better job”.</p> <p>In a previous statement released earlier this week, Herbert defended his actions, saying his “unplanned” contact with the business owners was part of his “mayoral duty”.</p> <p>“The conversations I had with the business owners were part of my job,” he said. “It is important for any mayor, where reasonable and safe to do so, to find out first-hand about the state of their city.”</p>

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Oddball, the Warrnambool penguin protector, has died aged 15

<p>One of Australia’s most famous – and hard-working – dogs ever, Oddball, the Maremma sheepdog employed to protect a penguin colony on Warrnambool’s Middle Island, has passed away at the age of 15 – or 105 in dog years.</p> <p>“Old Oddball has gone to the big chook run in the sky and will rest in peace,” the Middle Island Maremma Project posted on Facebook yesterday.</p> <p>Oddball was enlisted back in 2006 to protect the island’s fairy penguin colony from foxes, who had culled the population of the birds to less than 10 in 2005. While she only stayed on the island for three weeks before becoming lonely and swimming back to shore, her role as penguin protector inspired a new training program, teaching other Maremma dogs to follow in Oddball’s footsteps. And, in the ten years since the program began, the number of penguins has risen to an impressive 130. There are currently two dogs, Eudy and Tula, who spend five days a week during the penguins’ breeding season to protect the colony.</p> <p>For the last few years, Oddball has lived on her owner Allan “Swampy” Marsh’s farm in Dennington due to a heart condition which slowed her down. It was there where she peacefully passed away last week.</p> <p>Rest in peace, Oddball.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2017/02/man-stops-traffic-to-help-a-swan-get-back-home/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Man stops traffic to help a swan get back home</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2017/02/distracted-beagle-steals-hearts-at-westminster-dog-show/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Adorably distracted beagle steals hearts at Westminster Dog Show</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/news/news/2017/02/students-raise-600-dollars-in-single-night-for-dogs-surgery/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Students raise $600 in a single night for dog’s surgery</strong></em></span></a></p>

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