A new medical centre has opened in the growing Ballarat suburb of Lucas.

UFS Medical has opened its newest medical centre in Lucas as Ballarat’s population expands to the west of the regional city.

The new clinic is taking new patients, with all initial GP appointments this month to be bulk-billed.

From March, bulk-billing will be available for pensioners, healthcare card holders, DVA card holders and children under 16.

UFS chief executive Matt Vagg says the new centre will help provide high-quality, integrated healthcare across the region.

The new centre is UFS’ fourth location in Ballarat and follows clinics already operating in Doveton Street, Windermere Street and Sebastopol.

Situated in Merz Street, the new Lucas centre features consulting and procedure rooms for GPs, nurses and remedial therapies.

Occupational therapy will be offered along with radiology and pathology services which are scheduled to begin being offered at the new centre in the coming weeks.

Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives are continuing to investigate a fatal collision in Lucas, Ballarat on Saturday, August 10.

It’s believed a silver Mazda sedan collided with a white Toyota Prado on Carngham Road near Finchs Road just after 7pm.

A passenger from the Mazda, a 6-year-old Winter Valley child, died at the scene.

A second passenger from the Mazda, a 13-year-old Winter Valley child, was airlifted to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver of the Mazda, a 41-year-old Winter Valley woman, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver and sole occupant of the Toyota, a 78-year-old Haddon man, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The exact circumstances surrounding the collision are yet to be determined and investigations remain ongoing.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, with dashcam footage or any other information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Police released CCTV footage earlier this week as they continue search efforts to locate missing Ballarat area woman Renee.

The 42-year-old left her address on Western Highway, Warrenheip about 1.25pm on 30 May.

Renee was seen leaving the address with her black cat, Shadow, in a cat carrier.

The cat was later found left outside a house while Renee attended an address on Buchanan Drive in the Ballarat suburb of Lucas, about 6am on 2 June.

She rang the doorbell and briefly spoke to a resident inside, asking for clothing and water before leaving.

Police and family have concerns for her welfare as she has a medical condition and has been missing for such a long time.

Investigators do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances, but Renee may be confused and is possibly deliberately trying to avoid people.

Checks have also revealed that Renee’s bank accounts haven’t been accessed in more than a month, adding to police concerns.

Investigators have released an image and the last known footage of Renee in the hope that someone can provide information on her current whereabouts.
 

She is described as being Caucasian, of slim build, about 170cm tall with blonde hair. Renee was last seen wearing a grey hooded jumper.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact Ballarat Police Station on (03) 5336 6000.

Kindergarten services will soon be expanded in Ballarat’s west with the extension of the Lucas Community Hub to begin soon.

The tender for the construction of the expansion project has been awarded to Ballarat company CIQ Construction Management, with work expected to begin this month.

It is expected the project will be complete in time for the 2025 kindergarten year.

The project has received $1.5 million from the Victorian Government’s Building Blocks Capacity Grants program and up to $1 million from the City of Ballarat.

The extension will include an additional 33-place kindergarten room and outdoor space, which will ensure the City of Ballarat has the appropriate infrastructure to cater for the expanded three-and-four-year old kindergarten program and continue to offer the option of sessional kindergarten.

As part of the project, the entrance to the facility will be altered to improve access and the foyer reconfigured to improve circulation. An additional staff planning room will provide improved staff administration space, while a new laundry and storage will also improve the building’s functionality.  

No existing services will be impacted during the construction period. The existing community garden at the site will be retained but relocated to the southern end of the block, towards Merz Street.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the extension was a great way to ensure City of Ballarat services continued to meet the needs of the rapidly expanding western suburbs of the municipality.

When the Lucas Community Hub first opened in 2016, census data showed there were 1014 people in Lucas. The most recent census in 2021 showed that figure had almost trebled to 2994.

“We are seeing how fast this area of Ballarat is growing and it is crucial we continue to provide families with high-quality infrastructure close to home,” Cr Hudson said.

“The expansion will give the kindergarten capacity to provide high-quality, accessible, early years services close to home, and support children in Lucas and surrounding areas to be ‘school ready’.

“To be starting another kindergarten project like this after collaborating once again with the state government, just one month after opening the new community hub and kindergarten just a few kilometres away in Alfredton, shows how much we are investing in the western suburbs.”

Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn said the Victorian Government is supporting local councils to plan for and build the early childhood infrastructure needed to deliver Three- and Four-Year-Old Kindergarten programs in their communities.  

“The Lucas Community Hub expansion will extend free kindergarten programs in Ballarat’s west and give more families access to a quality kinder close to home,” said Minister Blandthorn.