“I bought the place in 1992 and I moved to Devenish in 1997,” Mr Millsom said.
“When I purchased it I knew there was no gutter outside, but I thought if I give it 10 years I'm sure they'll get to it.
“Now here I am 29 years later and nothing has changed.
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“The water just sits there.
“Even a few days after it rains the water is still there, it has nowhere to go.
“It covers the footpath and goes under my front fence.
“Eventually it soaks in, but it takes time.
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“Even after it has soaked in it turns to mud and it just looks awful.
“It splashes up if you accidentally walk through it and the car splashes it up and is always covered in mud.
“And since the silos have been painted we now have a lot of visitors coming through.
“So to see water sitting across the footpaths and on the road is not a good look for Devenish.”
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Mr Millsom said the only real investment he had seen in Devenish in his time was when the speed limits were reduced.
“The mayor at the time was Bill Hill, and as soon as a local lady inquired about the speed limits he was able to get those changed.
“So I hope if I bring up the drains they can be looked at, too.
“We pay rates out here and I think it is not too much to ask to have the drains done properly.
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“I have emailed the council about this, but I haven't had a response yet.
“I understand these things take time, but I'd like to see council look into it.
“Some of the town has concrete guttering, other parts have no footpath or guttering at all - so it needs to be addressed.
“My message to council is simple. Spend a bit of money out here.”
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Benalla Mayor Danny Claridge offered some good news for Devenish and said council did have some funding available for the smaller townships in the area.
“There is some drought funding, which we have from the Federal Government, and quite a bit of that is to be used on infrastructure in some of those areas,” Cr Claridge said.
“We are well and truly aware of the problems out there, we are just trying to figure out how to get it done.
“We also have $350,000 available for community grants.
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“The Devenish Community Committee could apply to that for work on the gutters.
“That money is there and can also be used on things like playgrounds and public toilets.
“So my message to Devenish and our other smaller townships is that we haven't forgotten you.”
● To find out more about council grants, visit this link.
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