Around Gippsland – June 17

BAIRNSDALE

ON FRIDAY, JUNE 5, Bairnsdale

Uniform and Highway Patrol members focused on reducing road trauma by targeting modified 4WD vehicles not complying with roadworthiness and vehicles not complying with EPA Standards, conducting 255 PBTs, issuing 28 vehicle defect notices, five penalty notices, one EPA notice, and suspending one licence, with multiple vehicles and licences checked to reinforce the message that road safety is everyone’s responsibility.

COUNTRY FIRE AUTHORITY

(CFA) brigades across the region are encouraging community members to consider volunteering as preparations begin for the upcoming fire season, with the CFA seeking dedicated volunteers to join local brigades across a range of frontline and behind-the-scenes roles including firefighting, educating local residents about fire safety, supporting brigade operations, fundraising, administration and other support functions. New volunteers who join now will receive training ahead of the bushfire season to ensure they are ready to assist when needed, with young people aged 11 to 15 also able to develop good fire safety habits through the Junior Volunteer Development Program (JVDP) which operates in more than 160 brigades across Victoria, and anyone interested in joining can find more information through their nearest CFA brigade.

FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD TYRESE is missing, last seen in Bairnsdale on Tuesday, June 9 at approximately 1pm wearing a cream oversized hoodie and grey tracksuit pants, and police and family have concerns for his welfare due to a medical condition, with anyone holding information on Tyrese’s whereabouts urged to contact Warragul Police Station.

THIS WEEK IS Men’s Health Week (June 15-21), all about putting men’s health in the spotlight and encouraging simple steps toward happier, healthier lives, with Bairnsdale Regional Health Service inviting everyone in the community, men and allies, to take a few minutes for themselves and get a free Sisu Health Check. The medical-grade, self-service kiosks will be available from June 15 to July 12 at Day Street (BowerBird Entrance), Ross Street (Main Entrance) and Maddocks Gardens, providing a handy snapshot of key health stats to break down barriers, help understand where you are at, and take action early if needed.

BENGWORDEN

A SERIES OF conservation projects are being rolled out across East Gippsland to help protect two critically endangered ecosystems, with work already underway across 15 sites funded by the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (EGCMA) as part of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners program. The project focuses on the Redgum Grassy Woodlands and Seasonal Herbaceous Wetlands, with the Moormurng and Bengworden Reserves identified as key locations due to their significant remaining patches of native habitat, bringing together partner organisations and local landholders to safeguard these unique ecosystems for future generations. As part of this work, Trust for Nature staff, alongside EGCMA staff, recently planted 300 species listed within the Threatened Ecological Community across a 35-hectare revegetation program to be delivered over the next four years, with all sites protected under Trust for Nature covenants and featuring a range of native species such as Gippsland Red Gum, Black Sheoak, Drooping Sheoak and several threatened grass species in a collaborative effort alongside Greening Australia and the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters

Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC).

BOISDALE

MR AND MRS BOISDALE is back on Saturday, June 27 at the Boisdale Briagolong Football Netball Club, and the club is on the hunt for entrants for one of its biggest and most entertaining novelty nights of the year, whether you have got a hidden talent, a party trick, a performance that will bring the house down, or simply the confidence to get up on stage. The winner is decided entirely by the crowd, with audience donations determining who walks away with the title, braces the crown, and takes home the ultimate prize.

FERNBANK

VICTORIA POLICE’S OPERATION Regal resulted in a staggering 7221 traffic offences across the King’s Birthday long weekend, representing a 20 per cent increase on last year and including 3311 speeding offences, 511 unregistered vehicle offences, 390 unlicensed, suspended or disqualified drivers, 292 mobile phone offences, 249 drink driving offences and 144 drug driving offences detected from almost 116,000 breath tests and more than 2700 roadside drug tests conducted during the four-day operation. Tragically, three lives were lost on Victorian roads over the weekend, including two fatal crashes on Saturday and an off-road motorcycle crash on Sunday, and with winter conditions bringing wet roads and poor visibility, police are reminding all motorists to

slow down, avoid distractions, and

never drive under the influence.

KALIMNA

ANOTHER BIG NIGHT of Tuesday

night trivia last week at the Kalimna

Hotel saw a packed room, plenty of laughs, and some fierce competition

right to the final question, with local

team “Old Seas and One Mermaid” ultimately claiming victory over runners-up Motley Crew and Dixie Normous.

LAKES ENTRANCE

SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES have returned to Victorian waters to give birth and nurse their calves, making East Gippsland’s coastline an important nursery and breeding ground for these endangered whales, which are still slowly recovering with only around 300 in the south-east Australian population. Because every interaction at sea matters, anyone on the water is asked to take extra care and follow three key actions: watch out for whales, slow down to five knots within 300 metres of an animal, and keep a safe distance of 200 metres on a boat or 300 metres on a jet ski without boxing them in.

GIPPSLAND LAKES COMPLETE Health (GLCH) has been blown away by the support the Lakes Entrance Drop-In Centre has received since opening, with more than 50 people coming through the doors in a short time, many carrying everything they own. GLCH is providing a safe, warm space where people can connect with others and access basic facilities that many take for granted — including a warm shower, something nourishing to eat, and somewhere safe to be — and as winter settles in, the focus remains on keeping the doors open, the showers warm and the kettle on for those who need it most.

LONGFORD

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR Gippsland Darren Chester recently visited Longford Primary School to spend time with students from grades one to four, noting he was very impressed by their outstanding civics and citizenship knowledge and their understanding of the Australian government, which is a credit to their teachers. Classes asked plenty of thoughtful questions, but one of the standouts came from young Benji in the grade one/two class who asked how integrity is maintained in government, showing real curiosity and maturity before Mr Chester explained more about his parliamentary role and achievements, including the Princes Highway duplication between Sale and Traralgon and the introduction of psychiatric assistance dogs during his time as Minister for Veterans’ Affairs.

MAFFRA

THE VEGGIES AND Wedgies finale attracted more than 200 people to celebrate months of growing, learning and friendly competition between local schools, with the program created to encourage students to connect with food production, soil health and agriculture through hands-on experiences at Boisdale Consolidated, Maffra Secondary, Catholic College Sale, St Mary’s Maffra, Nambrok-Denison Primary, Gippsland Grammar St Anne’s Campus, and Araluen Primary.

GIPPSLAND VEHICLE COLLECTION’S roof is nearing completion ahead of a planned reopening in July, and after

more than 20 years of operations,

volunteers are currently utilising the temporary closure to give the inside walls

a well-needed paint refresh.

MORWELL

THE RECENT FIREARMS Forum attracted a large crowd at the Morwell RSL, with firearm owners, sporting shooters, hunters, industry representatives and community members attending a National Party community forum hosted by Senator Bridget McKenzie to discuss concerns surrounding recent and proposed firearms legislation at both the Victorian and Federal levels. Senator McKenzie was joined on the panel by Member for Morwell Martin Cameron MP, Member for Eastern Victoria Melina Bath MP, and Field and Game Australia Life Member Gary Howard

OAM, providing an opportunity for attendees to ask questions, share their views, and discuss potential impacts on regional sporting communities.

METUNG

NEW CARDBOARD BINS are now in

use at the Metung and Cann River

transfer stations, making recycling easier and more efficient through a top-loading design that offers a larger capacity of 1.4 tonnes, up from 750 kilograms, resulting in fewer collections, fewer truck movements on our roads, reduced fuel use and emissions, and a more efficient recycling system for the community.

NEWLANDS ARM

UPGRADES TO THE Dinni Birraark Walk began on Monday, with works expected to take around six weeks, weather permitting, to improve safety, accessibility and long-term sustainability along a 372-metre section of the trail between Backwater Court and Kellina Court. Works will also include rock beaching to help protect the foreshore from erosion, and temporary access restrictions will apply within

active work areas during construction to preserve this much-loved walking trail

and surrounding environment.

OMEO

SAFETY UPGRADE WORKS on Connleys Road have begun as part of Stage One, with GBM Contractors now on site working between Omeo Highway and Sam Hill Road to install new guardrails and signage. During construction, single-lane traffic controls will be in place, delays are expected, and work zones will move along the road, with motorists asked to follow all traffic management directions ahead of a planned completion in July 2026.

SALE

DEBBI DAFF WAS recently recognised and congratulated on 45 years of outstanding service at Sale College, having commenced her professional teaching career as a classroom teacher at Sale High School in January 1979 after completing her initial training as a student at the Preston Institute of Technology (RMIT) and continuing to dedicate her life to expert teaching practice, leadership and mentoring educators.

ON MAY 29, at approximately 9pm, members from the Wellington Highway Patrol observed numerous e-bikes attempting to bait police on Gibsons Road, resulting in a 17-year-old Sale boy being assisted off his bike by police. To make matters worse, the youth had already received an official caution for riding an e-bike only months earlier, meaning he will now appear before the Children’s Court for unlicensed riding and using an unregistered, unsafe motorbike, while his e-bike was impounded on the night at a cost of $950.00 and his fleeing companions were swiftly caught minutes later and issued first-offence cautions.

LOCAL POLICE ARE currently seeing a rise in opportunistic bike thefts and are reminding residents to secure their property by locking bikes in a shed, garage, or behind a secure fence out of street view when at home, while advising the use of a high-quality bike lock when out and about to help minimise the theft of bikes.

SALE CATHOLIC COLLEGE recently held its 2026 Champagnat Day celebration in honour of Saint Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist Brothers, with students and staff participating in a symbolic pilgrimage walk around Bluetongue Creek to reflect on core values including the Way of Mary, love of work, humility, presence and family. A highlight of the day was the Champagnat Day Liturgy where Champagnat Medals for outstanding contribution to College

life were awarded to Caileb Sanchez

and Frances Dwyer (year 12), Lachlan Marsh and Brooke Kelly (year 11), Oliver Sullivan and Dakota Edwards (year 10), Arabella Fowler and Dexter Dent (year nine, Kelly Owen and Jensen Vera (year eight), Indy Van Doeselaar and Renno Hillsley (year seven), and staff members Rodney Curtis, Molly Work, Emily Morrison and Jamie Murphy.

WELLINGTON HIGHWAY PATROL members targeting drug drivers intercepted a Sale man in his 20s on the Sale-Maffra Road at approximately 8.05pm on May 30 who tested positive to methamphetamine, and as a second-time offender, he will now face a 12-month loss of licence at the Sale Magistrates’ Court. In a bizarre twist, a Sale woman in her 20s who arrived to pick up her stranded partner was intercepted in the same car in Reeve Street a short time later, where she too tested positive for methamphetamine, resulting in a $611 fine and a six-month licence suspension.

THE DOCK ESPRESSO Bar is back and looking better than ever at the Port of Sale, officially reopening after a short refresh to unveil a bright, welcoming new waterfront space for the community to enjoy a coffee, take in the views, or unwind.

DETECTIVES FROM THE Sale

Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Investigation Team have charged a 26-year-old Sale man with grooming a child under 16 years of age, possessing child abuse material, and breaching bail after a lengthy investigation into allegations that he contacted a minor on social media, with the accused remanded to appear before the Sale Magistrates’ Court on July 14.

WEST SALE

THE RECENT GIPPSLAND Airshow

staged at the West Sale Airport

attracted a crowd of more than 12,300 people, helping deliver an estimated $1.8 million financial boost directly into the

local economy by supporting regional tourism, accommodation venues, local businesses, and jobs.

WOODSIDE

COMMUNITY SPIRIT WAS on full display at Woodside Primary School’s 12th annual Biggest Morning Tea fundraiser, where one of the largest crowds the event has seen packed into the school’s shared learning space to raise vital funds for cancer research through entry fees, raffles, and a student-run fresh produce stall.

YARRAM

NEW V/LINE COACH services linking Yarram, Leongatha, and Melbourne are expected to begin later this year, with timetables currently being worked on

after the state government was called to explain why the promised additional

transit options — originally funded in the 2024-25 state budget with an initial launch window slated for 2025 before being revised to early 2026 — have not yet been delivered to the community.