It’s now 68 years since the Bete Bolong South School held its last class of school children, and for many years the site was marked only by a group of old pine trees in a paddock. Now, a new sign marking the site with photos and information has been installed by the Orbost and District Historical Society, with assistance from East Gippsland Shire Council. “Helping us design the sign were some...

Last week, State Leader of The Nationals, Peter Walsh, visited the far east of the state with local members, Tim Bull and Melina Bath. A major focus of the visit was to speak to those affected by government decisions regarding forestry. Timber workers, businesses and communities feel let down by the government’s decision last November to ban all native timber logging by 2030. At Orbost, the...

Have you been undergoing a spring clean this autumn while the community practices isolation? Do you have items you no longer need that might be of use to someone else in these difficult times? GIVIT is an online donation platform that could see such items reach right where they need to go, and all without you needing to leave home.Relatively new to Victoria, GIVIT is a national online charity...

There is light at the end of the tunnel with restrictions eased slightly this week, but the road to recovery out of the COVID-19 pandemic will still be a long one. Premier Daniel Andrews said during his much-anticipated address on Monday morning as the State of Emergency was reassessed that from midnight this morning there is now a fifth reason to leave home: visiting friends and family. This is...

Term two has been a strange term for students, teachers, and of course parents, as they work as isolated teams to ensure education around the state continues for primary and secondary students during lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the teams of East Gippsland appear to be fairing well.“To say this term is different is clearly an understatement but it is clearly evident that the whole...