BAIRNSDALE
LOCAL HIGHWAY PATROL intercepted a Black BMW sedan bearing cloned/false Victorian registration plates on Friday, September 19, at approximately 2pm in town. A 26-year-old female disqualified driver was behind the wheel and subsequently failed a drug test. As a result, the vehicle has been impounded for 30 days at a cost of $1625. The driver will be summoned to appear at court at a later date for a variety of driving offences, including drug driving, driving while disqualified, driving an unregistered vehicle and displaying false plates.
HORSES ARE A regular sight on roads across East Gippsland, but remember, they can be unpredictable and easily startled. A little extra care when driving makes a big difference to everyone’s safety. So, slow down and be prepared to stop, while giving the horses plenty of space (at least a car’s width). Avoid sudden movements or loud noises, communicate with the rider where possible and drive away slowly once you’ve passed. Riders are also reminded to take extra caution outside of controlled environments.
HUSBAND AND WIFE team Anna and Deryck, the founders of ESports Collective, are taking their passion for gaming and the local community to the next level. After launching their venue in Paynesville, ESports Collective has now moved to new premises in Bairnsdale, making it even more accessible for locals across East Gippsland, with doors now open. The new space will continue to feature high-spec personal computers, sim racing rigs, console booths, tournaments and casual play, but Anna and Deryck are also expanding their mission. They have begun working on engaging NDIS providers to utilise ESports Collective to deliver social and educational digital experiences for children, teens, young adults and adults. These programs will improve social connections, build skills and create opportunities for people of all abilities to come together in a fun and inclusive environment. From casual gaming sessions to tournaments, group bookings and NDIS-supported programs, the ESports Collective is creating a destination for Gippslanders of all ages. The ESports Collective recently received a Digital Mentor Capacity Builder Grant from the Federal Government to train 50 young people as digital mentors supporting older Australians (50plus) with digital skills across East Gippsland.
THE BAIRNSDALE REGIONAL Volunteer Group of the Cancer Council celebrated its 45th birthday recently. The relatively small but extremely successful group has raised over half a million dollars to assist in research and support programs. However, more than that, it has held countless garden days, morning teas, dances and other events to support those impacted by the hideous disease, and their families. The social benefits it has provided to those going through tough times cannot be understated. At the birthday celebrations, the minutes of the first meeting were read out (it was initially known as the Cancer Crusaders). There are no foundation members left with Frances Langley, the longest serving member at 38 years. The celebration a fitting time to remember all those who have contributed so much to this group and community, many no longer with us.
DO YOU PLAY the trombone? The East Gippsland Brass Band need trombone players, lots of them, 76 trombones doesn’t sound quite right with only two. The band rehearses at Picnic Point Hall every Thursday night and need more players. Please come along to play, the cornet, tenor horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium and tuba.
A NATIONWIDE RECALL has been issued for a popular brand of beef mince after plastic was discovered in the product, sparking urgent health warnings to shoppers. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) says Free Country organic beef mince 500g, produced by Auspork Australia, may contain plastic fragments. The affected packs carry a best-before date of September 28, 2025. The mince has been sold at independent food retailers, including IGA stores in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory, as well as Supabarn supermarkets in the ACT. Consumers should not eat this product, as the plastic pieces could cause serious illness or injury if eaten. Shoppers who have purchased the mince are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Anyone who has already consumed the product and is concerned for their health should seek medical advice.
THE BAIRNSDALE LAPIDARY Club will be holding a gem show at the Lucknow Hall on Saturday, October 4 from 9am-4pm and Sunday, October 5 from 10am-3pm. Along with raffles and demonstrations, there will also be a range of displays featuring gems, rocks, minerals, fossils, jewellery and gold. Refreshments will also be available.
BRIAGOLONG
AN ISUZU D-MAX was seen leaving the local hotel at 9.35pm on Saturday, September 20, catching the attention of police. The vehicle was intercepted and a preliminary breath test was conducted which returned a positive result. The 38-year-old male driver was transported to the Sale police station where an evidentiary breath test was conducted and returned a result of more than four times the legal limit. The male had his licence suspended immediately for 12 months and the vehicle was impounded for a period of 30 days at a cost of $950. The driver will be summonsed to court at a later date.
DARGO
THE LOCAL BUSH Nursing Centre recently ran their third successful Skin Check Clinic. A comprehensive assessment is undertaken for each person who attends the clinic. A total of 14 people had a range of procedures including mole mapping, biopsy and excision of lesion. The centre is extremely thankful to Mr Sarkar for bringing such a sought after service to the Dargo community. The next Skin Check Clinic is to be confirmed for March 2026.
LAKES ENTRANCE
THE FORESHORE WATER Park is working again following an electrical fault. Tiddalik the Frog is now spouting water again.
WAGE INSPECTORATE VICTORIA are conducting inspections across hospitality venues, such as restaurants, cafés and fast-food businesses during school holidays to ensure compliance with child employment laws. Kids are more likely to be working during the school holidays, where many businesses need to recruit staff quickly to meet seasonal demand. Employing kids under 15 can be a win-win, with businesses getting additional help during peak periods and kids getting valuable experience and earning spending money, however, it must be done safely and legally to prevent harm. Businesses employing kids under 15 must have a child employment licence and must adhere to strict conditions around the type of work the child may perform, supervision, working hours and rest breaks. The rules around when children can work and for how long, are different during school holidays compared to the school term. During school holidays, children can work up to six hours per day and 30 hours per week.
GIPPSLAND LAKES IMAGING will soon be installing a state-of-the-art MRI machine, bringing the very latest in medical imaging technology right here to our local community.
MAFFRA
OVER THE WEEKEND the local fire brigade was proud to add two more names to the life members list. First Lieutenant Kevyn Marshall and Fire Equipment Maintenance officer Ron Graham, rewarded for years of dedicated service to the Maffra Fire Brigade and the wider Maffra community.
THE COMMUNITY BANK Maffra and District has given the Gippsland Auto Museum a $100,000 grant, which will help replace its 80-year-old asbestos roof, ensuring this historic space continues to shine.
MALLACOOTA
THE EAST GIPPSLAND Shire recently dredged the Bastion Point boat ramp to improve boating access for locals and visitors. Contractors moved around 1450 cubic metres of sand, which was left to dry then moved up the beach. They will be back on the job in mid-December to repeat the process, ensuring offshore boating access from Mallacoota for when Santa arrives. This type of maintenance dredging is supported by your boating and licence fees through the Better Boating Fund.
HIGH TIDES LAST week once again reshaped the landscape at the Bekta River mouth. There are now three openings at the river mouth and you can clearly see where the surge has ripped coastal scrub from the dune edge, leaving traces across the sand flats.
RECENTLY, COAST GUARD members from Lakes Entrance, Mallacoota and Marlo did some on-water training on the local waters.
NEWRY
REGISTERED WILDLIFE CARER Josh Neille recently released a book, Growing Up Wombat. Neille and his family care for animals doing it tough, including orphaned joeys, emus on the mend and wombats battling. They open their hearts and their home to them all. As much as they give the animals, though, they get so much more back. Neille’s young daughter, Ashlee, has grown up in a house full of critters that need and offer love, care and kindness. Every moment of joy and heartbreak brings another lesson in how to live a big-hearted life. Neille fights for Australian wildlife to live their best lives and they have given him a pretty great one in return. Through being open to the light and the dark of this work, he’s opened himself up to joy and wisdom and he’s sharing that in his first book.
ORBOST
THE STATE GOVERNMENT is expanding recreational hunting in East Gippsland, boosting tourism, supporting local jobs and helping control wild deer. Minister for Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos last week announced that the National Parks Act will be amended to allow seasonal deer hunting in Errinundra and Snowy River National Park. This will allow seasonal deer stalking in some 130,000 hectares of the two parks and means most public land in eastern Victoria will be available for recreational deer hunting.
PAYNESVILLE
THE LOCAL NEIGHBOURHOOD House is hosting a Community Expo this Saturday from 10am to 1pm. The Community Expo is bringing together local emergency services, community clubs, groups and community members to showcase what they all do. There will be local Landcare groups, Koala groups, CFA, Kingfisher Dragon Boat Club, Water Police, SES, Coastguard, Sea Scouts and local interest groups.
The Paynesville Library will also be open on the day. The event will be a family-friendly event with lots of fun things such as show bags, Rhyme Time at the library, face painting, a Tinkering Zone, VR Headsets, Giant Games along with some surprise guests for the children. It’s a great chance to discover what there is to do in the local area as well as an opportunity to join a club or group. Food will also be available to purchase from the Lions Club, Berry Dairy and the CWA.
THE LOCAL BOWLING Club will hold its 2026 May Autumn Carnival from May 3-8, 2026.
GIPPSLAND YACHT CLUB’S Boat Bits Sale last Saturday was a great success, with 22 stalls and an amazing collection of bargains. A steady stream of eager buyers started arriving early and continued coming.
COMMUNITY BANK PAYNESVILLE AND District’s staff member Marcia Porteous recently clocked up a total of 15 years with Bendigo Bank, three years with the local branch.
RAYMOND ISLAND
THE FERRY OPERATORS had a “bearly” believable encounter last week when they found a koala trying to stow away for a free ride. The mischievous marsupial was safely returned to dry land, unharmed. The staff often go above and beyond, and this was further proof that every member of the community, human or furry, matters.
PAYNESVILLE FIRE BRIGADE will be holding a ‘Fire Ready Day’ on Saturday (10am-2pm) at the park, the event will include a sausage sizzle, fruit drinks, demonstrations, Ambulance Victoria, State Emergency Service, giveaways and guest speakers.
SALE
THE VICTORIAN SENIORS Festival is back this October with free public transport all month and plenty of fun ways to connect, create and celebrate. In the Wellington Shire there will be a Seniors Community Expo on Monday from 10am – 2pm at the Gippsland Regional Sports Complex. It will be a one-stop shop with health checks, local groups, services and more, with free entry and no registration needed. A country concert will be held featuring Wendy Stapleton at The Wedge on Friday, October 10, from 1.30pm, with all your favourite songs from the Swinging Sixties. A Dance Through the Decades session will be held at Gippsland Regional Sports Complex on Tuesday, October 14 from 10am – 12pm. DJ classics from the 1950s to today, plus snacks, games and more.
A FANTASTIC WIN for the Gippsland Regional Livestock Exchange (GRLE), recording a 122 per cent jump in cattle sold in the last 12 months. The highest percentage increase of any saleyard in Australia, recently recognised nationally by Meat and Livestock Australia. The GRLE is proving its strength as a vital hub for local agriculture and jobs. The success of GRLE is driven by smart investment, strong partnerships, and a dedicated team supporting our producers.
THE MOMENT HAS finally arrived – Aqua Energy Leisure Centre is officially reopening on October 7. After years of planning, building and dreaming, the doors are about to open. It’s the biggest project in council’s history.
WITH THE COST of living hurting many family budgets across Gippsland, there’s a new store recently opened, which is sure to appeal. Silly Solly’s is a discount store, which has a bold sales pitch with nothing over $5 in the product lines which range from frozen foods to household items and pet supplies. The store is located in the old Dimmey’s building in Cunninghame Street.
THE SALE MUSIC FESTIVAL will return to the Botanic Gardens next year, to be held on Sunday, March 29. It will be the 13th annual staging of the free event, which for the past three years has been held around the Port of Sale precinct, mainly due to environmental issues and concerns regarding the camp of grey-headed flying foxes in the gardens.
SALE AND DISTRICT Specialist School principal Jamie Gay has retired after a five-year stint as principal of Sale and District Specialist School, ending his 37-year run working in education. Last week at a school assembly, Gay was given a send off, with students, staff and parents in attendance. Ewen Jondahl will take over as acting principal.
TRARALGON
THE LABOUR PARTY has been challenged in Federal Parliament to commit funding for the final design and planning work required to begin construction of the Traralgon by-pass. Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester says the by-pass is the most important regional road transport project east of Melbourne following the completion of the Traralgon-Sale Princes Highway duplication. The local MP secured a $5 million funding commitment from the Coaltion prior to the May election, but the Albanese Government has refused to back the project. There has been no new funding for the highway from the Albanese government in three and a half years. There are now 15 intersections with roundabouts or traffic lights in Traralgon, and it can sometimes take between 15 to 20 minutes to get through the town. During long weekends or peak holiday periods, it’s much worse. Chester says that providing a by-pass would reduce congestion for locals, improve the safety and productivity of the road, increase the liveability for the local community and also help to boost the visitor economy by bringing the rest of Gippsland closer to the south-east Melbourne growth markets by reducing travel times. Chester said the State Government had refused to engage with the community, the local council and the transport sector to progress the project.
WOODSIDE
ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AUTHORITY (EPA) has tracked down the parties involved in the illegal dumping of 370,000 litres of hand sanitiser on a local property. The trail started with the Rellik Group which boasts on its website, ‘Rellik specialises in product destruction in an ethical and regulated manner to benefit all parties involved, and ultimately the Australian economy and environment’. In this instance, the waste management company, subcontracted to a company which trucked hundreds of pallets of expired hand sanitiser from a Truganina warehouse officially bound for a recycling facility in Moama NSW to a rural property in Woodside. EPA officers followed up in April 2024, after community reports of suspicious trucking activity to find the stacked sanitiser and issued the property owner, who did not have a licence to accept it, with an order to remove it to a licensed facility which has now been done.The Rellik Group Pty Ltd entered a plea of guilty in the Sale Magistrates’ Court on September 9 and the court imposed a $10,000 fine without conviction and ordered the company to pay EPA Victoria $4,000 in court costs and publicise the details of the case in a trade industry publication. Officer of the Company, Mr Marcus Galbraith also plead guilty, and received, without conviction, a 12-month good behaviour bond. Mr Galbraith will also pay $2,000 to the court fund.
YARRAM
A NEW PLANNING permit application has been submitted for the proposed Gelliondale Wind Farm. Under the proposal, 13 wind turbine generators would be built with rotor diameters of up to 164 metres with maximum tip height of 210m above ground level. The site would be situated about seven kilometres south-west of Yarram, three kilometres west of Alberton and eight kilometres east of Welshpool. The project will have a 40-megawatt battery energy storage system, and have a capacity to power around 37,000 residences and business operations throughout Gippsland with clean energy for the next 35 years.
LOCAL DAVID PHELAN will have a meeting with a state manager and Gippsland manager of a bank that has been operating for more than 60 years, boasting 50 branches throughout Australia. During the visit to Yarram, the managers will evaluate potential sites for establishing a banking service to replace the Bendigo Bank which departed last week. Hopes are held for a positive outcome for the town.
