Max Curtis has now retired after 23 years of maintaining the Raymond Island Ferry.  Max, very much a local bloke, was born in Orbost but later came to the Clifton Creek and Granite Rock area onto a dairy farm with his parents. Max left school in form two to help his dad on the farm, but went back to school (night school) to gain his welding and mechanical qualifications. At one point Max...

It was a day to remember at  Lucknow Primary School last Friday, with teachers and students, current and former, along with their families, celebrated 150 years of education with the school. Students and staff were decked out in olden day attire to match with the 150-year celebration. The afternoon kicked off with a smoking ceremony conducted by Rex Solomon and Hugh Pepper before heading...

A meeting was called for the communities of Swifts Creek, Ensay and Benambra last Thursday evening at the Junction Hotel, Swifts Creek, to openly discuss the cessation of the GP services overseen by Omeo District Health (ODH) to these communities.  These residents were upset, saying there was no consultation by ODH with the communities, the bush nursing centres or Benambra Neighbourhood...

Bairnsdale-based mortgage broker, Robert Trewin, recently visited the Boston Children's Hospital to see some of the research being done into Sudden and Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), which tragically took the life of his son, Cooper, in 2010. Following Cooper's death, the Cooper Trewin Memorial SUDC Research Fund was founded to conduct lifesaving research and advocacy into the causes of...

Steam Rail Victoria chugged into Bairnsdale Railway Station over the weekend, with two steam engines hauling vintage carriages dating back to 1908.  The two steam trains were built in 1952 and 1915 respectively.  Carriages were made up of a sleeper car, first and second class carriages and a buffet car, all in tip-top condition considering their age. The traffic stopping spectacle...