As winter sets in at Wairewa, residents of the small valley, which bore the brunt of the summer bushfires, have become resigned to the slow grind in getting their lives back to normal. Yet, for Robert ‘Red’ Geddes, the past six months since the fires wreaked havoc has gone quickly. “I don’t know where time has gone, it’s just disappeared,” he said. “It’s soon going to be Christmas.” It was only...

Caravan sales have risen in the past few months amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis in Victoria. In East Gippsland, interest in caravan ownership is growing as people try to limit their chances of contracting coronavirus. “There’s a lot of buyers around at the moment, which is great,” Fran Pinch, of New Age Caravans in Bairnsdale, said. “People don’t want to motel it anymore, they want to know...

Kalbar, the proponent of the Fingerboards mineral sands project at Glenaladale, has welcomed the announcement from Appian Capital Advisory LLP, a long-term value focused private equity fund that invests solely in mining and mining-related companies. Appian has announced its investment in Kalbar – a $144 million commitment to take the Fingerboards Project, if approved, into construction and...

Fenning Timbers have allowed Bairnsdale Sunrise Rotary to use their timber yard as a holding point for shipping containers they are receiving by way of donations from leading Australian businessman and philanthropist, Twiggy Forest. Mr Forrest has led the way for the delivery of containers into East Gippsland for  bushfire-affected residents. The local Rotary Fire Aid committee has been...

A Bairnsdale man had a lucky escape after a vehicle ploughed into his front fence, missing his bedroom window, where he was sleeping. Caleb Chippindall was sound asleep in his unit, on Anderson Street, in the early hours of June 16 when he was rudely awoken by the roar of an engine and a massive bang at 3am. “I jumped out of bed and looked out the window and there were people screaming and...