Owner of Playful Paws in Bairnsdale, Megs Hopman, was in for a nasty surprise when she arrived at work last Wednesday morning. Ms Hopman, who has owned the dog training and wellness centre for 10 years, was dismayed to find her premises had been broken into. Overnight intruders had jumped a barbed wire fence and entered the building through a locked door by forcing it open. They had then jemmied...

The Bairnsdale Show can’t go on. Or can it? The popular Bairnsdale and District Agricultural Show is at a crossroads. The committee desperately needs volunteers to ensure this year’s show will go ahead. The show society is putting out an urgent call to the general public to join its hard-working committee. Vice president Tegan Roberts said the committee organised a great show last year and began...

Now that winter has arrived with its chilly nights and icy cold mornings, it's time to get the winter woollies out and prepare for the opening of the ski season. Mount Hotham has received 17 centimetres of snow in the past seven days with more snowfall on the horizon. Omeo is gearing up for an expected influx of visitors into the town as the King's Birthday long weekend (June 10-12) heralds the...

Gunsport Trading Bairnsdale and Buchan Precision Rifle Club will host the June 9,10 and 11 round of the international PRS. Shooters from Australia and New Zealand have entered the precision/practical rifle series. The rifle series is a dynamic and engaging sport, with a combination of accuracy, precision, time management and problem solving. The goal of this series is to promote awareness of the...

Next month East Gippsland Shire Council is set to adopt its draft Rural Land Use Strategy (RLUS) which has been open to public discussion. The strategy is the first of its kind for the Shire and will enable the East Gippsland Planning Scheme to be reviewed and updated to  consider and respond to rural land use issues and opportunities. Under the draft policy, landowners would be required to...