There is a lot to unpack in Victoria’s roadmap out of the COVID pandemic. The biggest takeaway: it’s going to be a slow burn. On Sunday the State Government released its plan to see us return to a sense of normality and it will take hitting key vaccination numbers for the state to reach that point of freedom. Sunday’s announcement did next to nothing to immediately support hospitality businesses...

David and Narelle Macalister, who farm on the eastern outskirts of Orbost, wonder what they’ll have to endure next. They narrowly avoided the eye of the firestorm during the Black Summer Bushfires. The fires passed just by their property, off the Princes Highway, but Mrs Macalister admits to being “very frightened”.Earlier this year Mr Macalister broke his leg, after the earth gave way beneath...

Orbost Secondary College welcomed back its year 12 cohort last Friday. The senior students, who across the state have faced more challenges that any other group in many decades, broke free of COVID restrictions in a week where mental health was highlighted. College nurse, Lizzie Barnes, the Wellbeing team, Hollie Fuhrmann and fellow teachers last Thursday took to Facebook and shared an important...

Orbost Fire Brigade firefighter, Laura Tidey, is putting her best foot forward and stepping up to the task of climbing 3046 steps this September in the name of fighting depression, PTSI and suicide. On Saturday, September 11, 2021, 600 firefighters and other emergency service personnel would have stepped up to fight depression, PTSI and suicide by climbing the 28 floors of Crown Metropol Hotel...

Two cases of COVID in East Gippsland reported over the weekend as 'low positives' have this morning been reclassified as negatives.