Local duck hunters will take their first shot tomorrow at 9am with the two-month season getting underway under modified restrictions.The daily bag limit has dropped to four ducks per day over the opening weekend and five ducks per day for the remainder of the season, which concludes on May 19. The 2018 bag limit was 10.Hunting times remain half an hour before sunrise until half an hour after...

Appreciating the importance of the timber industry to the East Gippsland economy, and with the potential for ecotourism via the proposed Sea to Summit walking track between Errinundra and Cape Conran National Park, East Gippsland Shire Council will seek assurance from the State Government that hardwood timber supplies will not be affected by the construction of the trail.“The timber industry is...

Nagle College student, Hannah Martin, will visit culturally significant war sites in Vietnam and Singapore next month as part of an overseas study tour, having been recognised as a Spirit of ANZAC Prize winner.Open to year nine and 10 students across Victoria, the Premier’s Spirit of ANZAC Prize is an annual competition with winners receiving the opportunity to participate in study tours to...

More than 100 local women from numerous organisations gathered at Bairnsdale Racing Club last Friday to celebrate International Women’s Day and its theme, Balance for Better.The women (and a few men) had the pleasure of listening to the stories of Dr Aunty Doris Paton, a board member of Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC), East Gippsland Shire mayor, Cr Natalie O’Connell,...

Federal Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester, yesterday announced almost $860,000 in additional government funding for the Hope Restart Centre at Lucknow.Mr Chester has previously secured $3 million to build the residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre.The Federal Government has now allocated $859,850 to the HopeRestart Centre through the Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF). The money...