BAIRNSDALE
VICTORIA POLICE ARE appealing for public assistance to help locate Darcy Thorpe. A warrant has been issued for the 34-year-old’s arrest for breaching bail. Thorpe is known to frequent Wellington and East Gippsland shires. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
THE BAIRNSDALE AQUATIC and Recreation Centre sauna is currently closed due to unforeseen circumstances. East Gippsland Shire Council is working to rectify the issue and will notify users when it reopens. The temporary closure applies to the sauna only.
EAST GIPPSLAND SHIRE Council’s General Local Law 2017 is due to expire in December, with council undertaking a 10-year review. The first stage of consultation focuses on understanding community experiences, concerns, and priorities, with no changes proposed at this stage. Local laws help council respond to community needs while supporting safe, accessible, and well-managed public spaces. Council is seeking feedback on local rules affecting everyday activities, community safety, public amenity, and shared spaces. Issues open for comment include property amenity, parking and vehicles, waste and litter, camping and caravans, roads, footpaths and nature strips, public spaces, recreation reserves, events, trading, and permits. Residents, business owners, visitors, and community group members can submit feedback until Friday, October 2. A second round of community feedback will commence in November on the new draft local law.
BAIRNSDALE AMBULANCE AUXILIARY is looking for new members to join its ranks. Ambulance Auxiliaries have a long history of raising funds to support local ambulance services and patient care across Gippsland, funding specialised equipment, training and facility improvements beyond standard provisions. Following the station upgrade delivered in 2023, the auxiliary and its former op shop volunteers took a well-earned break. Work is now underway to rebuild a vibrant Bairnsdale Ambulance Auxiliary. A new treasurer and potential president have been identified, but organisers are seeking five or six additional members, including a secretary. Auxiliaries meet between four and 12 times a year depending on activity levels, and medical knowledge is not required. Organisers are seeking community-minded residents to assist with fundraising and deciding how locally raised funds support care. For more information, contact EastGippsland.STM@ambulance.vic.gov.au.
THE BIG BUILD ROADS and locally based Women of Whelans (WOW) team from the Thompsons and Berwick-Cranbourne Road Intersection Upgrade project visited Bloom Community Aged Care in Clyde North recently to provide in-kind support. Whelans partners with regional organisations to contribute beyond construction activities. The WOW initiative was created by Whelans Group to champion and empower women across office, site, leadership, and community roles.
VICTORIANS ARE BEING urged to prepare for the upcoming fire season, with CFA Get Fire Ready events scheduled across the state. The events allow communities to speak directly with local brigades, assess property risks, and finalise emergency plans. CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan stressed that leaving early remains the safest option, advising residents to leave before fire threatens rather than waiting until flames or smoke are visible. Last year, 537 CFA brigades engaged more than 40,000 people through Get Fire Ready events, with further sessions scheduled throughout October. Additional information and preparation guides are available on the CFA website.
KENNEDY TRAILERS APPRENTICES Ryan Oliver and Milarny Beveridge both medalled at the WorldSkills Australia Gippsland Regional Competition for Construction Steel Work last week. Oliver took home the gold medal, while Beveridge earned bronze. Oliver will now progress to represent Victoria at the WorldSkills Australia National Championships in Adelaide next June.
MARK YOUNG RECENTLY celebrated 30 years of service with Kennedy Trailers, having joined the business in 1996 as a boilermaker and welder. Specialising in trailer repairs, modifications, and custom fabrication, Young’s early projects included building log trailers exported to the Congo. Over his three decades, he has worked across log trailers, floats, tippers, platforms, custom builds, and firefighting tanks for forwarders.
BRUTHEN
THE ANNUAL MIXED Bag Art Exhibition returns to the Bruthen Mechanics Hall this Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm. The exhibition features 2D and 3D works across various mediums, styles and techniques from regional artists. A grand opening will take place on Friday from 7pm featuring canapes, complimentary drinks, and live music. The weekend schedule includes live art and craft demonstrations, including fluid art, clay, calligraphy, woodcraft, and ancient textile craft demonstrations by the East Gippsland Historical Re-enactment Society on Sunday. The Art Supplies Inx market will also run alongside the exhibition, offering pre-loved art and craft materials.
COWWARR
THE HISTORIC COWWARR Hotel officially opened its doors on Monday following an extensive renovation by two local families. The venue will operate seven days a week, with the cafe opening from 6am and the bar from 11am.
GLENMAGGIE
VOLUNTEERS FROM THE Glenmaggie and Seaton fire brigades completed hazardous tree assessment and burnover entrapment drills last week in preparation for the upcoming fire season.
HEYFIELD
HEYFIELD’S ONLY CHILDCARE service faces potential closure after missing out on Federal Government funding support it has accessed since 2017. Kids House, operated by the Heyfield Community Resource Centre, relies on the Community Child Care Fund to maintain financial viability. The centre was unsuccessful in its application for $270,000 over three years under round five of the program, leaving more than 30 local families and five educators facing an uncertain future. Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester has written to the Minister for Education requesting an urgent meeting to explore alternative funding options to keep the facility open.
LAKES ENTRANCE
WORK IS UNDERWAY on upgrades to the Lakes Entrance dog park. The project includes recontouring soil mounds and tunnels to redirect dogs away from wet perimeter areas, filling low sections, reseeding grass and removing existing tyre features following snake sightings. Workers are also installing new rock features and additional seating for owners.
LAKE TYERS
LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP Lake Tyers Coast Action is inviting community members to get their hands dirty this weekend to help restore a vital patch of threatened coastal rainforest. Since 1993, the group has worked to protect and enhance the unique local ecosystem around Lake Tyers. Over the past few years, ongoing support from Landcare Victoria has enabled targeted weed control and native revegetation across coastal rainforest areas between View Street and Camp Street. East Gippsland serves as a key southern stronghold for these threatened littoral rainforest communities. Adapted to harsh coastal conditions and growing primarily on south-facing slopes, the rainforests play a crucial role in stabilising cliffs and lake margins against erosion while providing essential habitat corridors for protected species, including Sooty Owls and Long-nosed Potoroos. Volunteers have recently prepared a new planting site under the mature banksias on the hill near the Water Wheel Tavern, which had become degraded by weeds that threatened to spread into surrounding native vegetation. To complement the community planting effort, local environmental contractors Envite Victoria were engaged to treat environmental weeds, including Arum Lily and New Zealand Mirrorbush, along the walking track extending toward Boat Ramp 2. The upcoming working bee will focus on establishing native groundcovers, wildflowers, and low shrubs to boost local biodiversity and restore the site. The community planting day will take place on Sunday, September 20, from 11am to 1pm above the tavern and lake carpark near Skidale Close Reserve. Attendees are asked to bring work gloves, insect repellent, and a hand trowel.
ORBOST
MORE THAN 400 motorcycle riders passed through East Gippsland last Friday as part of the 17th annual Wall to Wall Ride for Remembrance to Canberra. The contingent travelled through Traralgon, Sale, Lakes Entrance, and Cann River to raise funds for Victoria Police Legacy and honour fallen officers, including Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart. The ride was led by retired Sale Detective Sergeant Ian Marr.
AROUND 60 COMMUNITY members, business owners, and local representatives gathered beneath the Snowy Rail Bridge in Orbost on the weekend for the ‘Brunch by the Bridge’ event. Attended by East Gippsland Shire Mayor Jodie Ashworth, the gathering aimed to connect local community groups and highlight regional projects. The event was organised through the Building Resilient Forestry Communities program, a leadership initiative delivered by the Committee for Gippsland.
PAYNESVILLE
LOCAL ARTISTS AND crafters met last week to initiate planning for a Paynesville Open Studios and Art Trail proposed for the 2027 Australia Day long weekend. Organisers are inviting participation from creatives across Paynesville, Raymond Island, Eagle Point, Newlands Arm, and the Banksia Peninsula to open their studios and workspaces to local residents and visitors.
A PAYNESVILLE HOMEOWNER called out the East Gippsland Snake Relocator over the weekend after spotting a copperhead snake near garden agapanthus. The relocator successfully captured and relocated the reptile, issuing a reminder to residents that local snakes are active with warmer weather returning.
ROSEDALE
ANIMAL AID GIPPSLAND, Wellington Shire Council, and local community houses have partnered to offer free pet microchipping for Wellington Shire residents. Microchipping sessions will run from 10am to 2pm at various local community houses, including Rosedale Neighbourhood House (September 15), Loch Sport Community House (September 21), Maffra Neighbourhood House (October 13), Heyfield Community Resource Centre (October 19), Briagolong Community House (October 23), Sale Neighbourhood House (October 26), Gormandale Community House (October 30), and Stratford Neighbourhood House (November 10). Dogs must be on leads and cats in carriers, with owners required to present identification.
SALE
FEDERAL MEMBER FOR Gippsland Darren Chester has published his 2026 Age Pension Guide to assist local retirees, carers, and families navigating the pension system. The guide details eligibility criteria, income and asset testing rules, investment regulations, concessions, and overseas travel provisions. Free copies are available at Mr Chester’s Sale and Traralgon electorate offices or via mail upon request.
POLICE ARE APPEALING for witnesses and dashcam footage following a collision involving an elderly pedestrian on Raymond Street, Sale, around 2:20pm on Thursday, September 10. Anyone with information is urged to contact Sale Police Station on (03) 5142 2200 or email Elisha.ward@police.vic.gov.au.
WELLINGTON CRIME INVESTIGATION Unit detectives arrested four teenagers in Sale on Friday following reports of a stolen vehicle being driven erratically in Heyfield and Sale. With assistance from the Police Airwing, officers located the stolen Kia Sorento at a Ray Street property. A 14-year-old from the Latrobe Valley and two boys aged 14 and 15 from Greater Dandenong were charged with motor vehicle theft to appear in a children’s court at a later date. A 17-year-old male was released pending further inquiries.
STRATFORD
POLICE ARRESTED A 24-year-old Reservoir man and a 22-year-old Melbourne woman following an extended pursuit involving a stolen Ford utility across East Gippsland last Tuesday. The vehicle was brought to a stop on the Princes Highway near Stratford after police successfully deployed vehicle immobilisation devices. The male driver was remanded in custody while the female passenger was released on bail. Anyone with information or dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
