Most recently, the short film’s leading lady and Echuca local, Skye Hope, was awarded Best Actress Short Film at the World Cinema Awards for her portrayal of Ruby McGuire, an orphaned outcast who struggles to be accepted by her community.
“I was at school and my teachers were like, ‘Oh, good job on your award’ and I was like, ‘What award’,” she said.
While Skye was enjoying her time on the Blind Freedom set, her mum Brooke Stokes said she was secretly on the verge of a health crisis.
“She was filming while her body was in DKA, she’s lucky to be here. Had we had waited one more day ... she 100 per cent would not be here.”
Diabetic ketoacidosis, known as DKA, occurs when people suffering from diabetes don’t have enough insulin.
“She’s an absolute trouper. She’s done really well to be that unwell and complete a movie, and I just think that deserves a mention.”
Murder trial jury reaches verdict
A Supreme Court jury has decided the fate of three people who were accused of murdering a man at Bunbartha.
Danny Clarke, 41, of Shepparton, Dimitri D’Elio, 27, of Mooroopna, and Kylie Stott, 40, of Shepparton, were each charged with murder, kidnapping and arson over the death of 19-year-old Benalla man Charlie Gander, whose body was found in a burnt car on December 24, 2022.
The jury found D’Elio guilty of murder, kidnapping and arson.
They found Stott guilty of manslaughter and kidnapping, and not guilty of murder or arson.
They found Clarke guilty of kidnapping, and not guilty of murder, manslaughter or arson.
The prosecution alleged the trio entered into an agreement, arrangement or understanding to kidnap and kill Mr Gander, before burning his body in a car they set fire to on a remote road at Bunbartha.
The trio had all pleaded not guilty to the charges and were on trial in the Supreme Court for 29 days from Thursday, May 29 to Thursday, July 10.
Drought taskforce outcomes welcomed
The Victorian Government will invest a further $75 million into drought relief for farmers, a move welcomed by stakeholders including councils.
Among these supports is more than $35 million in Primary Producer Support Payments, set to cover about 40 per cent of expected rates bills.
Eligible farmers will be from the rural councils of Ararat, Moyne, Colac Otway, Pyrenees, Corangamite, Southern Grampians, Glenelg, Golden Plains and West Wimmera, plus Surf Coast, Warrnambool and Greater Geelong councils.
This direct rate relief was proposed by Rural Councils Victoria, one of the stakeholder groups involved in the taskforce.
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