Around East Gippsland 05/02/2025

BAIRNSDALE

THE LOCAL ANIMAL Aid shelter is on the lookout for puppy foster carers, so if you have got a soft spot for cuddly pups and want to help them grow into happy, healthy dogs, they would love to hear from you.

A FREE COMMUNITY barbecue for men will be held at Howitt Park this Sunday between 10.30am-12.30pm, with the aim to connect men across Australia in a relaxed atmosphere to chat about all things life. It will be a chance for conversations and listening, discussing weather, work, footy, family challenges and life changes, outside in a friendly environment.

THE EAST GIPPSLAND Sustainable Living and Makers Market will take place at the Bairnsdale racecourse on Easter Saturday (April 19) from 9am-3.30pm. It’s a celebration of lost and emerging trades, live music, artisan demonstrations and children’s entertainment.

E-SCOOTER’S CONTINUE to be a contentious issue, with many people not realising the rules that exist in relation to their operation. E-scooter riders must be aged 16 years and over, not exceed the maximum speed of 20 kilometres per hour, ride only on shared paths and roads that have a speed limit up to 60 kilometres per hour or on bike or shared paths, while wearing a helmet at all times and following traffic rules. Front and rear lights need to be fitted if riding at night. E-scooter riders cannot ride on the footpath, use a mobile phone while riding, ride while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, carry passengers, animals or ride in tandem. The riding of high-speed e-scooter, one that is capable of travelling more than 25 kilometres per hour is prohibited, as is riding on roads that have a speed limit over 60 kilometres per hour.

THE LAST INITIATIVE, healing after loss hold support after suicide meetings every month at the Bairnsdale RSL. The next meeting is on February 27 from 6pm.

THE ANNUAL GENERAL meeting of the Bairnsdale Show will be held on Wednesday, March 5, from 6pm at the Bairnsdale racecourse. It’s an opportunity to become a volunteer and be part of the one of the biggest events in town.

THE THIRD INTERNATIONAL Art Textile Biennale opened at the East Gippsland Art Gallery last week. The popular event attracts entries from across Australia and internationally with the exhibition to remain in Bairnsdale until March 22 before it tours eight galleries around the country.

EAST GIPPSLAND TOASTMASTERS will meet at the Hub on Thursday, February 13, from 7pm. They say public speaking is one of the biggest fears that most people have but what if it could actually be one of the most fun things you do? It’s a chance to challenge yourself in a fun, supportive environment where you get feedback on what you did well and where you can improve. As a guest you can participate in some parts of the meeting, or freely just “pass” and observe if you aren’t sure yet.

BENAMBRA

THE BENAMBRA RECREATION Reserve Committee wish to sincerely thank the East Gippsland Shire Council for the grant to install the reverse-cycle heating and cooling. It will make the building a much more comfortable and usable area.

BRIAGOLONG

THE SALE POLOCROSSE will be the venue for the Briagolong Team Penning’s Team Penning and Ranch Sorting event on February 22-23.

BRUTHEN

ARTISTS HAVE BEEN locked in for the 2025 Blues in Bruthen Festival to be run from February 14-16. The event will feature Smokestack Rhino, Bill Barbour, The Holding Cell, Paul Buchanan’s Blues Xpress, Maskell, Love Band, Jarrad Shaw, Rhiannon Simpson, Geoff Achison and Tom Waters, Brush with Blues Tour, The Bitter End, Little G, Olivia Lay and Shotgun Sam and his World Famous Blues Band.

THE EAST GIPPSLAND Farm Dog Group will hold it’s annual general meeting on Thursday at the Bruthen Inn Hotel from 6pm.

BUCHAN

GREAT NEWS FOR electric vehicle drivers with Buchan’s new charger now up and running in the main street. The 24kW DC charger adds up to 150 kilometres of range per hour and runs on 10 percent renewable energy thanks to a deal with the Victorian Energy Collaboration. The charger means more visitors, boosting tourism and the local economy, with drivers from Melbourne already planning trips. Thanks to the existing charger networks in the East Gippsland Shire, electric vehicle drivers avoided 19 tonnes of carbon emissions last year alone. The finishing touches are now being put on the Mallacoota charger, which will be soon operational.

DELEGATE

THE LOCAL CAMPDRAFT will take place from March 7-9.

EAGLE POINT

A SAFER, STRONGER Eagle Point Bay waterfront is now on display, with recent repairs completed along Bay Road, ensuring this important waterfront area remains safe, stable and looking great.

HEYFIELD

A NUCLEAR POWER information session will be held at the Heyfield Community Resource Centre on February 11 from 6.30pm. Host, John Gwyther will lead an objective discussion about the hot topics surrounding nuclear energy generation, how it works, energy markets in the future and the risks associated with a nuclear future.

ON JANUARY 29, at approximately 6.40pm, Heyfield police intercepted a Ford Territory on Mary Street. During the intercept, police discovered that the driver, a 51-year-old male from Heyfield was driving unlicensed. The male’s vehicle was impounded for 30 days at a cost of $950 and he will be summonsed to appear at the Sale Magistrates at a later date for traffic related offences.

KALIMNA

THE KALIMNA HOTEL reopened today in time for schnitzel day, after closing for a few days to give the staff a rest after a hectic January.

LAKES ENTRANCE

GIPPSLAND LAKES COMPLETE Health is offering an upcoming workshop for parents of trans and gender diverse individuals. Parents and guardians of trans or gender-diverse individuals are invited to an insightful workshop, designed to provide guidance and support. The session will delve into understanding common parental experiences, exploring feelings of fear, grief, and doubt, and learn why these emotions are common. It will assist with effective ways to help your trans or gender-diverse family member thrive and gain strategies to manage in today’s cultural and political environment and understand the significant influence parents have. It will be facilitated by Ari Heart, a therapist, educator, parent and trans non-binary individual with extensive experience supporting trans people and their families. The session will be tomorrow from 2.30-4.30pm via zoom.

LOCAL ARTIST OLIVIA Lay has a busy month ahead, playing gigs at the Bruthen Blues Festival, Heyfield Timber Festival, Paella Picnic Event as part of the Paynesville Music Festival weekend, and concluding the month in the city at The Drunken Poet.

NATIONAL LUNCHBOX WEEK (February 9-15) is almost here. It’s a chance to celebrate the joy, nourishment and diversity of lunchboxes across Australia. National Lunchbox Week is an amazing initiative by Nutrition Australia to inspire practical lunchbox ideas and recipes, while supporting positive, pressure-free lunchbox experiences for kids. It will embrace the diversity of lunchboxes across Australia, promoting judgment-free, supportive conversations around food.

MAFFRA

THE 2025 MAFFRA Mardi Gras will take place on Saturday, March 15. The event is a family-friendly street carnival and parade organized by the Rotary Club of Maffra, with this year’s theme ‘under the sea’. There are four fundraising entrants for this year’s event. Greg Meldrum is representing the Maffra Golf Club, who are looking to raise funds for bunker restoration and general course improvement. Heather Eden is the face of the Kath Foley Children’s Centre and Kindergarten, who are raising funds to assist with their relocation, due to the current building being unfit for purpose. Julie Steele is the representative from the Maffra Municipal Band, who are keen to raising money for their new band rooms, whilst looking to raise their profile and show the whole community the wonderful groups they offer people to make music, which positive effect on mental health and wellbeing. The final entrant is Martin Baldock-Bartilotta, from Stratford Primary School, who are looking to raise funds to upgrade their stadium, including re-surfacing the floor and introducing basketball rings.

THE MAFFRA MUNICIPAL Band have a function at Maffco on Friday night from 7pm, a chance for people to learn to sing a song in parts with a large group of people who have already had a drink or two, lead by the very talented Jenny Candy.

THE FOLK FROM the George Grey Centre have been trying their hand at golf, hitting the greens and perfecting their swing. From putting practice to big laughs, it’s been all about having fun, making mates, and trying something new.

MOUNT TAYLOR

THERE ARE CURRENTLY track and road closures at the Mount Taylor Mountain Bike Track, with Forest Fire Management Victoria undertaking planned burning preparation works in the area. Mountain bike tracks out of commission include Big Emu, Milky Way, Loosen Up, Time To Drop and Tip Run. Roads closed include Milkies Run, Bullumwaal Road and Goodes Track.

NOWA NOWA

KIM CHURCHILL PERFORMS his “The Lovely Tour” at the Recreation Reserve this Friday night from 6pm.

OMEO

EASTER SATURDAY (APRIL 19) will see the staging of the 70th high country rodeo.

ORBOST

THE FREE SWIM entry to the outdoor and indoor pools at Orbost, Bairnsdale, and Lakes Entrance from 3pm every Friday continues to be popular, especially given the recent heatwave.

PAYNESVILLE

THE LOCAL AMBULANCE station is having a Community Open Day on Saturday, February 15, from 11am-3pm. It will give punters a chance to have a look behind-the-scenes at the Paynesville ambulance station, meet and greet the paramedics, ambulance community officers, and auxiliary members, while learning about the history of Paynesville ambulance and engaging in CPR demonstrations.

THE PAYNESVILLE STREETSCAPES Festival is set to go with only a few details to be confirmed. The biggest detail is to ask for volunteers to help out on the Festival Day (Sunday March 9), at their choice of venue and time. Help is essential for the festival to succeed so attend if you can. The interest and support for this event will also influence how extensive the 2025 program might be for East Gippsland Verge Gardens. After the festival the current committee of three will be asking for help to run the program over this year.

TEXAN BRETT MOSLEY is playing at the Wine Bar on Saturday night. He’s a talented singular artist who blends Americana, blues and soulful folk into a uniquely potent sound that is introspective, raw and emotional.

ROSEDALE

THE NEXT MEETING of the Rosedale Speedway will be on Saturday, February 15, featuring the Australian title for the lightning sprints, Victorian junior standard saloon title and a feature event for the ladies’ standard saloons, as well as the division two hot rods. Gates open at 1pm, with racing kicking off at 5pm. The Rosedale Speedway is an alcohol free venue.

IT’S PAST PLAYERS and sponsors day at the Rosedale Kilmany Cricket Club this Saturday. The action begins at 1pm at the Rosedale Recreation Reserve, with the club honouring the premiership efforts of the 1984/85 “A” grade side and the 1994/95 “B”, “C” and “D” grade teams. To cap off a huge day a trivia night will be held commencing at 7pm.

SALE

GIPPSLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL has unveiled its 2025 school captains, Indiana Hicks and Logan Mills. They have a few things in common like sharing a love for music, growing up on local farms and being the youngest in their family. Hicks’ most cherished memory of her Gippsland Grammar experience so far was travelling to France and Belgium as part of the ANZAC Music and Languages Tour in 2023 and was excited to be part of “Newsies” – her last musical theatre performance at the school. Meanwhile Mills was looking forward to leading students and having fun through all activities and opportunities such as music, sport and debating in 2025.

STORYTIME AND ROCK, Rhythm and Rhyme sessions are back for 2025 at the libraries in the Wellington Shire Council. Storytimes are 45-minute sessions that includes stories, songs and activities aimed at preschoolers (three to five years), assisting in developing their social and early literacy skills. Rock, Rhythm and Rhyme is a 30-minute fun-filled program that includes nursery rhymes, action songs, music and simple stories designed to entertain and assist in developing pre-literacy and social skills for babies and toddlers, aimed at ages up to three years.

SARSFIELD

THE NEXT MEETING of the Sarsfield Brew Club will be on February 21. On the night the group will be brewing two unique creations. A pale ale from a wort kit and a refreshing raspberry and lime cider from an extract kit. The group’s expert brewers, Craig and Wayne, will be on hand to answer all your brewing questions and guide everyone through each step of the process. The Sarsfield Brew Club is for more than just beer enthusiast, so whether you’re interested in brewing, fermenting, or simply curious about the craft, everyone is welcome to join. It’s a fantastic opportunity to connect with others who share your passion.