Feb 1 newspaper standard

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 Edition 66 - $2 THE BRIDGE Your local news source for Yarram and district

Staff members from Yarram and District Health Service (YDHS) (from left) Kellie Lit tle, Jennifer Heeraman, Julie Barlow, Carol Hobson, Sally Weatherley, Mary Garland and Rebecca Tyler-Brennan celebrate their Aus tralian Citizen(s) of the Year award with YDHS CEO Paul Head. See page 3. Aus Day in Yarram TIME FOR THE TOWER

AFTER three years, 24 paintings and two Gold Awards for the best Street Art Trail in Australia, the time to paint the water tower in Yarram has finally arrived. Local identity Eric Greenaway was one of the first to see this would be a valuable contribution to both the Yarram Hees co Town Street Art Trail and the community at large. “Way back when I travelled to Queensland for the announce ment of the 2020 Australian Street Art Awards, I promised the President of The Friends of Heesco Town, Wayne Tindall, that if we won that year, we would find a way to paint Yarram’s Water Tower,” Eric said. “Well, we did win that year and the next year as well, so as they say the rest is history. It’s now time for the tower.” Lee Field owns a property not far from the tower and said, “If the water tower is added to the Heesco murals it would be

wonderful. It is such a prominent feature as you enter the town and would lead visitors to the other murals.” Friends of Heesco Town treasurer Paul Frost said that he has found when people visit his Ship Inn Motel they are now staying for longer because of the murals. “This means they are spending more money in the town,” he said. Eric added that there are 75 Maroondah Bushwalking Club members coming to Yarram soon. “They are staying for 5 days and are coming just because of the murals. Over the last two years over 20,000 maps have been taken. That’s a lot of interested people.” Continued on page 8.

Finished artwork for base of Yarram Water Tower from GUNAIKURNAI consultant Sandra Patten.

Darren Chester Putting Locals First #lovegippsland

M517206

www.darrenchester.com.au

Authorised by Darren Chester, The National Party of Australia, Level 13, 30 Collins Street, Melbourne. Printed by James Yeates Printing, 65 Macleod Street, Bairnsdale, 3875

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - THE BRIDGE - Page 1

Single-use plastics ban THE Andrews Labor Government will introduce the next phase of the landmark ban on single-use plastics.

From today, Wednesday February 1, single-use plastic drinking straws, cutlery, plates, drink stirrers, cotton bud sticks and expanded polystyrene food and drink con tainers will be banned from sale and supply in Victoria. Single-use plastics currently make up a third of Victoria’s litter, pollute precious wa terways and harm wildlife. These items are often only used for a few minutes yet generate a significant amount of waste – and can be easily avoided or re placed with reusable alternatives that save plastic, and save families money in the long run. This builds on the Labor Government’s ban on plastic shopping bags in 2019, and a $515 million investment to transform our waste and recycling system and divert 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030. Minister for Environment Ingrid Stitt said that her government was taking action to protect Victoria’s environment and reduce pollution by banning single-use plastic items and supporting businesses to switch to reusables instead.” “Plastic pollution has significant impacts on our health, wildlife, and the environment. VICTORIA has achieved a record low unemployment rate in regional areas as more than 7,000 new re gional jobs were added across the state in December. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) fig ures show that Victoria’s strong economy is continuing to grow jobs in towns and cities and on farms as the regional unemployment rate fell to 2.8 per cent – the lowest in the

Remote monitoring connects 100th patient Angela Aitken and Haseeb Ahsan from Gippsland PHN’s Digital Health and Inte gration team.

This single-use plastics ban is a crucial step to protect Victoria’s rivers, waterways and oceans from plastic pollution,” she said. Last year, the Government invested $1 million towards new technology that will turn hard-to-recycle materials like cartons and coffee cups into sustainable building products. As part of this transformation, Victoria will move to a standardised four-stream bin system – supporting households to easi ly sort their waste and recycling to reduce landfill – and have access to a container de posit scheme which will maximise the return of used drink cans, bottles and cartons for recycling. For more information, resources and translated materials to assist businesses and organisations to understand the ban, visit vic.gov.au/plastics. country. Latrobe-Gippsland and Geelong record ed the biggest jumps in employment in De cember – with thousands of new jobs being created in each region. Victoria’s overall unemployment rate sits at a historically low 3.5 per cent. More than 370,000 new jobs have been created In Victoria since the height of the pandemic economic shock in September 2020, the largest increase of all the states over the same period.

GIPPSLAND Primary Health Net work (Gippsland PHN) has been working with general practices across Gippsland to establish a Re mote Patient Monitoring program that has now connected its 100th patient. General practices are remotely monitor ing patients in their home using Lifeguard. Lifeguard’s LifeguardMobile™ platform is a digital health solution featuring a web por tal and mobile app for health providers, and a mobile app for patients. It allows GPs to maintain continuity of care for people and provides real-time data from patients about their health. “Remote Patient Monitoring is used to support patients with chronic health con ditions in between visits to their GP to pro vide additional clinical information that can be used to identify early deterioration,” ex plained Gippsland PHN Acting Chief Execu tive Officer, Angela Jacob. Patients check in via a mobile app that

registers their symptoms and vital signs. General practices then receive this re al-time data that helps build a picture of the patient’s health over time, which general practitioners can use as part of their consul tations to build a fuller picture of a patient’s condition and aid clinical decision making. “Patients and GPs are seeing the bene fits of remote patient monitoring with 100 patients now staying connected to their general practice remotely using Lifeguard,” Mrs Jacob said. “Gippsland PHN, Gippsland General Practices and Lifeguard Health Networks are working closely together to establish this care model and we are proud to have reached this milestone that shows growing interest in the program and the innovation of Gippsland general practitioners in support ing patient care.” For more information about Remote Patient Monitoring, visit https://gphn.org. au/what-we-do/programs/lifeguard-re mote-patient-monitoring/ or email digital. health@gphn.org.au

New record low regional unemployment rate

New service to streamline kindergarten registrations YOUR WEEKLY COUNCIL UPDATE WELLINGTON Edit

Phone survey happening now

Council is taking part in a local government community satisfaction survey - designed to assess our performance across all departments; identifying ways to improve and provide more effective service delivery to our communities. The survey has now commenced and will run until mid-March this year, conducted by independent market research agency National Field Services. Please be assured that if you receive a phone call, it is legitimate, and we would appreciate your time and honesty when taking part. Your individual responses will be kept confidential and you will never be asked to provide any passwords or other details that could prove your identity online. Only the overall results will be shared with our team. If you have any questions, please contact our customer service team on 1300 366 244. Similar phone surveys will take place across all Victorian councils. Don’t miss Day @ The Port this Saturday 4 February at the Port of Sale. Pack your picnic blankets, round up your family and friends and get ready for a day of jam-packed FREE entertainment. There’s something for everyone to enjoy, and it’s a great excuse for a day out in Sale! There’ll be local food vans, kid’s carnival rides, performances, Art Bar and live music all day. Plus movies on the big screen, kids activities, lawn games, over 30 market stalls and heaps more. Day @ The Port will open at 10.30am and run until 9.30pm, when the The Middle of Everywhere fireworks will close out the evening. Follow the official event page on Council’s facebook page or visit the Port of Sale website for more information. We can’t wait to see you there! Day @ The Port this Saturday!

Council has introduced a new Kindergarten Central Registration Service to improve the kindergarten registration process across Wellington. The new and more convenient system will be administered by Council on behalf of participating kindergarten services, making registering children for kindergarten quick and easy, and ensuring the allocation of kindergarten places is always fair and transparent. Kindergarten registrations will open from 1 May - 30 June 2023, for children who will attend kindergarten in 2024.

Parents are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest form online by scanning the code provided. By completing an EoI, Council will record your details, and you will be notified when registrations for your child’s kindergarten year opens. An EoI can be submitted at any time after your child is born. To learn more, please visit www. wellington.vic.gov.au/community/early years or contact our Early Years team on 1300 366 244 or email earlyyears@ wellington.vic.gov.au for advice or assistance.

Council does not manage or coordinate kindergarten programs. Kindergarten services are delivered by private and community-based Committees of Management and early years managers. This new process is to improve the current registration service for parents and carers with children who are entering kindergarten in 2024 and beyond.

Imogen, Glassford Kindergarten in Maffra.

IMMUNISATION SESSIONS

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 7 February at 3pm. COUNCIL MEETINGS Wellington Shire Council meets at 3pm on the first Tuesday of each month and 6pm on the third Tuesday of each month. Meetings may be watched live (or afterwards) on Wellington Shire Council’s YouTube Channel at youtube.com/wellingtonshire. Please visit wellington.vic.gov.au/meetings to find out the best way to watch and participate, including how to submit a question or comment regarding an Agenda item.

Council’s next free monthly immunisation sessions for all eligible infants, school children and adults will be held at: Yarram - Wednesday 1 February, 11am to 11.30am Yarram District Hub, 156 Grant Street Heyfield - Tuesday 8 February, 9.30am to 10.15am Heyfield Library, 42 MacFarlane Street Maffra - Tuesday 8 February, 11.30am to 12.15pm Geoff Webster Hall, Maffra Anglican Church Sale - Wednesday 9 February, 9.30am to 10.30am Wellington Centre, Port of Sale (Carang Carang Room) Please note: The COVID-19 vaccine is not available at Council Immunisation Sessions.

To find out more, visit www.eprocure.com.au/ wellingtonshirecouncil TENDERS

To find out more, visit www.wellington.vic. gov.au/careers CAREERS

Connect with us Email enquiries@wellington.vic.gov.au Web www.wellington.vic.gov.au

Sale Service Centre 18 Desailly Street, Sale. Phone 1300 366 244 Business hours 8.30am to 5.00pm

Yarram Service Centre 156 Grant Street, Yarram. Phone (03) 5182 5100 Business hours 10.00am to 2.00pm (closed Wednesday)

WSC_5364

Page 2 - THE BRIDGE - Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Rotary club surprise award recipients

YARRAM and District Health Ser vice (YDHS) staff members were named joint winners of the 2022 Rotary Club of Yarram Australia Day Citizen of Year award at the annual Australia Day breakfast in Yarram Memorial Park on Thurs day. Marcus McKenzie played a dual role at the ceremony, firstly representing the Wellington Shire Council in his role as a councillor and then as Rotary Club of Yar ram president. Mr McKenzie told the big crowd attend ing the Rotary Club Citizen of Year award had recognised the services of individual citizens within the community since 1978. “The first winner of this award was the late George Scammell,” he said. “In 2022 our community was two years into a pandemic that 98% of Australians had never experienced,” he said. “When it came to deciding the 2022 Citizen of the Year the Rotary Board were unanimous to the extent that this year’s Citizen of the year is not about one per son’s dedication to the community by a whole organisation’s dedication to this community and surrounds.”

“So, to that end, it gives me great plea sure and honour to announce that this year’s Citizen of the Year is all the workers at YDHS.” Mr McKenzie went on to say that the team of Yarram and District Health Ser vice had shown unwavering dedication and commitment to the health of the local community in and around Yarram over the past three years. “They (YDHS staff) are the true heroes in the COVID-19 response. They have worked tirelessly on the front line as well as behind the scenes, showing up every day, wearing full PPE day in and day out, putting in extra hours, and even isolating themselves from their families and loved ones to give Yarram and District commu nity the best possible care. Mr McKenzie highlighted that this award was awarded to all staff at YDHS. “It was just not the nurses and doctors who deserve the community thanks but all the staff at YDHS,” he said. “It is the medical, nursing, allied health, operation and administrative support staff as well,” he said. YDHS CEO Paul Head accepted the award on behalf of his staff. “I am shocked but extremely honoured to receive this award on behalf of all our team,” Mr Head said. “I am just the figurehead, this is for the team, at YDHS,” he said. “I am extremely proud of the fact that we did not lose one single patient due the pandemic,” he said “Our community should feel safe in the fact we have a great team at YDHS. One staff member who attended the awards presentation described the an nouncement as emotional. “I got very emotional during the award announcement and acceptance speech, it is a wonderful feeling to be recognised and appreciated in this way,” they said. “It is indeed great recognition of the work staff do at YDHS.”

Locals Pauline Handley, Pau McAninly and Chrissie Honey enjoying the Yarram Rotary Club Australia day Breakfast and awards ceremony.

Yarram and District Health Service CEO Paul Head accepts the Citizen of the Year award on behalf of all his staff at YDHS.

Attendees at the Rotary Clubs’ annual Australia Day breakfast enjoy great music by local musicians.

Danny O’BRIEN MP State Member for Gippsland South

SHOP LOCAL AND SUPPORT LOCAL JOBS

(03) 5144 1987 danny.obrien@parliament.vic.gov.au 54B Cunninghame St, Sale VIC 3850 dannyobrienmp.com.au Working for Gippsland South for Regional Victoria nmp dannyobrienmp

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - THE BRIDGE - Page 3

Lord Botham in the Woddy Pub

IT was standing room only at the Wood side Beach Hotel on Wednesday Jan uary 25 as Lord Ian Botham, English cricketing great and charity worker spoke about his cricketing career and his volunteer charity work to a captive audience. The night, which was announced in No vember last year, sold out within days of it being advertised. But just how did The Woodside Beach Hotel manage to get someone as high pro file as Lord Botham to Woodside was the question on everyone’s lips. Lord Botham’s manager is a friend of one Woodside Beach hotel Clint Hillas. “We thought it was a great opportuni ty to get him down to Woodside given his passion for fishing and regional pubs,” Clint said. Lord Botham enjoyed the very best of the region, he enjoyed a great day out on the water fishing, before coming back to the hotel and enjoying the spoils of their fishing trip with his new acquaintances. Botham was relaxed as he spoke at length about his cricketing career, his work as a media commentator and his political career as well as his charity work which has seen him raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for research into childhood leu kaemia. Botham was knighted in 2007 by the late Queen Elizabeth II for that charity work and services to cricket. The owners of the Woodside Hotel are hopeful about holding more nights like this with Merv Hughes tipped to be the next spe cial guest

Lord Ian Botham, English cricketing great, was a special guest at Woodside Beach Hotel on Wednesday, January 25.

After a great day out fishing the waters off Port Welshpool, Lord Ian Botham was able to feast on the spoils of the day with his hosts from The Woodside Beach Hotel.

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Page 4 - THE BRIDGE - Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Hold on – public toilet closed for now SOME Port Albert residents have raised concerns about the timing of the public toilet block near the wa ter tower as preparations begin for the construction of a new public toi let block on the old site. that “The toilet block at the Port Albert Wa ter Tower will be closed between 30 Janu ary and 30 June 2023 while construction of a new, fully accessible facility is built. Locals and visitors will still be able to access the nearby toilet block at the Rutter Park Play ground, only 300 meters away during the temporary closure period.” The floor plan of the new public toilet block to be built at Port Albert.

They say that closing the toilets is not ideal given that there is still a lot of summer to come as well as Easter at a time Port Al bert continues to see many tourists visiting the area. “Not to mention the number of fishers and overnight caravans who utilise this facil ity on a daily basis, now they will have to hold on until they get around to the Rutter Park public toilets which is a few minutes away and not always convenient especially if have young children,” one local resident said when saw the notice on the old toilet block which informed residents and visitors of its impending closure for the next five months. “We appreciative the we will be getting a new toilet block but feel the timing of the closure and the new build could have been better planned,” they said. The current toilet block located near the water tower was closed on Monday ready for the contractors to move in and demolish it ready for the commencement of works on the new toilet block. Funding for the new toilet block was provided by the Federal Governments back in 2022 as part of the Local Roads and Com munity Infrastructure program. Public opinion was sought mid last year as to what style of façade the community preferred to replace the existing public toi let facility. The existing toilet block was construct ed more than 30 years ago. Community voted option 1 as their pre ferred design. The replacement facility has been de signed to address safety risks by having all cubicles opening to the active area. A spokesperson from Council advised

Wellington Shire Council advised that timing of the closure was decided to coin cide with the ending of the school holiday period. “Considering Port Albert’s large tourist population, construction of the replacement toilet block will take place after the summer school holiday period to minimise impact on holiday makers,” they said. RAL Constructions Pty Ltd is the com pany charged with delivering the new public toilet facility for Port Albert. A concept design photo of the new public toilet block which will be built on the site of the old public toilet block near the Water Tower over the next few months.

YOUR FIRE RISK TODAY IS

LEAVE BUSHFIRE RISK AREA

For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas. On Catastrophic rated days, your life may depend on the decisions you make, even before there is a fire. Stay safe by going to a safer location early in the morning or the night before.

Plan. Act. Survive. Go to emergency.vic.gov.au

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - THE BRIDGE - Page 5

PUZZLES

BRAIN BUSTERS

1. Whose book of short stories was adapted into the film The Turning in 2013? 2. What is the capital city of North Korea? 3. Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond currently host which television program? 4. The San Diego Padres play which sport? 5. Singer Lauryn Hill is best known for her work in which group? 6. What is the longest river in the Czech Republic? 7. Who wrote the novel A Clockwork Orange ? 8. What movie tied with Fantastic Four for Worst Picture at the 2016 Golden Raspberry Awards? 9. Which classic 1980s cartoon featured characters such as Rumble, Sunstreaker and Jazz? 10 . Who preceded François Hollande as president of France?

SUPER SUDOKU

To solve a Sudoku puzzle, every number from 1 to 9 must appear in: each of the nine vertical columns, each of the nine horizontal rows and each of the nine 3 x 3 boxes. Remember no number can occur more than once in any row, column or box.

7 5

3 4

3 7 8

5

6

3

4 1 7 5

2

9 1

5

3

3 4 6 9 7

4 7 2 9 5

7 2 1 3 1 9 3 5 6

3 7

4

1

4

8

9

4

5 8 1 9

9 6 4

8 3

6 7

DIFFICULTY RATING 

DIFFICULTY RATING 

No. 1105

No. 1106

CROSSWORD

No. 3591

Shades of Grey . 9 Transformers. 10 Nicolas Sarkozy.

4 Baseball. 5 The Fugees. 6 Vltava. 7 Anthony Burgess. 8

Fifty

DOWN 1 Driven (9) 2 Microbial bread additive (5) 3 Limitation (11) 4 Photos (9) 5 Japanese seaport (5) 6 - Guevara (3) 7 Incompetency (9) 8 Entrance (4) 13 Things built on beaches (11) 15 Insect similar to a moth (9) 16 Creator’s protection (9) 17 Hundreds and - (9) 21 Skimping (5) 23 Perturb (5) 24 Semi (4) 26 Billiard rod (3)

ACROSS 1 Town leader (5) 4 Displaying bad posture (9) 9 Defrosts (5) 10 Awe (9) 11 Democracy participant (5) 12 Rareness (8) 14 Cigarette filling (7) 16 Join (7) 18 Particulars (7) 19 Famous painter (7) 20 Christmas animal (8) 22 Adult male deer (plural) (5) 25 Influencing (9) 27 Cloth (5) 28 Boxing category (9) 29 Eyelid inflammations (5)

.

The Grand Tour

SOLUTION: 1 Tim Winton. 2 Pyongyang. 3

No. 1105

No. 1106

9 4 1 3 2 7 6 8 5 2 3 8 4 5 6 7 1 9 7 5 6 1 8 9 3 4 2 3 2 4 5 6 8 9 7 1 6 7 5 2 9 1 4 3 8 8 1 9 7 3 4 5 2 6 1 9 7 6 4 2 8 5 3 5 6 2 8 7 3 1 9 4 4 8 3 9 1 5 2 6 7

5 8 7 9 6 1 2 4 3 3 4 2 8 7 5 6 9 1 9 6 1 2 4 3 7 8 5 7 5 9 3 8 6 4 1 2 6 1 4 7 2 9 5 3 8 2 3 8 5 1 4 9 7 6 4 7 3 6 5 8 1 2 9 8 2 5 1 9 7 3 6 4 1 9 6 4 3 2 8 5 7

answers

Solve a sudoku, crack a crossword, test your trivia

1603 150622

CROSSWORD

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Page 6 - THE BRIDGE - Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Is Port Albert your new address?

Wharf Street, Port Albert

Wellington Street, Port Albert

Napier Street, Port Albert

Pier Street, Port Albert

Raglan Street, Port Albert

PRINCIPAL/ LICENSED ESTATE AGENT Greg Tuckett

SALES ASSOCIATE/ OFFICE MANAGER Jane Tuckett

LIVESTOCK MANAGER/ SALES ASSOCIATE Dean Foat

LIVESTOCK ASSOCIATE Hayden Hanratty

SALES ASSOCIATE Sonya Brown

PROPERTY MANAGER/ LICENSED ESTATE AGENT Michelle Smith

ADMINISTRATION Emma Gash

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - THE BRIDGE - Page 7

Time for the tower Imagines of local tourist attractions Vibrant images of local tourist attractions and some of our local wildlife will adorn the top of the Yarram Water Tower.

THE artist who created the towns 24 existing murals, Heesco Khosnaran, says he can’t wait to come and paint the tower. “It’s been a long time coming so it’s great that we’re finally able to do it. I am keen to play my part and get it all done.” The painting of artwork on the Water Tow er has been on the cards since 2018 when South Gippsland Water’s Management gave in-principal support to the Tarra Tourism As sociation to investigate painting a mural on the tower. Five years down the track, and with the success of Yarram’s ‘Heesco Town’ murals, they (Tarra Tourism Association) have hand ed over the water tower project to the ‘The Friends of Heesco Town’. South Gippsland Water was keen that it should be Heesco Khosnaran who would paint the tower, on the proviso that they as the structure/building owner would have final sign off on the design to be executed. This model has been used for all 24 Hees co Town murals and is seen as integral to the success of the project to date. The Friends of Heesco Town listened to many community members about what should be painted on the tower, and it quickly became clear that GUNAIKURNAI, the tradi tional owners of Gippsland, as recognised by the State and Federal Governments, should

sion of ‘Sitting on Country’ where she feels ‘at home’ and ‘connected’. “The five shields along the top represent the five tribes of the GUNAIKURNAI. They’re all connected, you can’t break up the mob. The designs are relevant today because the GUNAIKURNAI hold native title as custodians of our Country. Our shield designs are coming out more and more in community artwork as people feel proud and safer to promote GU NAIKURNAI culture” Sandra said. The Wellington Shire is now working with The Friends of Heesco Town to develop a car park on their own piece of land which sits ad jacent to the Tower, to allow vehicles to park safely and for visitors to have a great viewing space to photograph the finished mural. A further development is also being dis cussed which is to include comprehensive interpretive signage that clearly explains the various tourist hotspots in the area (which are featured on the tower) and the meanings and stories behind many of the Aboriginal images seen on the tower. Once the tower is finished, Sandra will continue her involvement as a consultant, as sisting with a Welcome to Country ceremony, dancing, and formal acknowledgements at the conclusion of the painting by Heesco. The Friends of Heesco Town team are keen to formally recognise all those who con tribute with the thought that names could be featured on a plaque at the base of the tower or be included in the proposed Interpretive Signage. The Friends of Heesco committee meet with local residents of Carpenter Street on Sunday to show them the designs and outline work going forward. “I invite the community to join me in fund ing the Water Tower Art Project so that it be comes an integral part of our town, something everyone can enjoy and be proud of,” Eric said. Those wishing to contribute can do so at our GoFundMe page www.gofundme.com/f/ yarramwatertower or contact Kevin Mackin (Fund Raising – FOHT) email kevin.mackin@ gmx.com phone 0458 222 673 or you can simply talk to Eric directly on 0428 851 375.

“I thought the top of the Tower should be very colourful so it can be seen from a dis tance as you approach Yarram from South or North.” Eric said. “There are a growing number of Street Art and Silo Art followers in Australia and around the world, and Yarram features as a ‘must see’ destination for these folk. We don’t have a silo, but we have a water tower, and this tower is going to be the ‘icing on the cake’ for the Yar ram Heesco Town Trail.” Once the top design was signed off by South Gippsland Water, Wayne then reached out to the local GUNAIKURNAI communities who he has had a close working relationship with for more than a decade. “Sandra Patten, a GUNAIKURNAI Tradi tional Owner was an obvious choice. Sandra is an acknowledged GUNAI Senior Elder living in Lakes Entrance,” Wayne said. “Since 2002 she has been involved in the GUNAIKURNAI Native Title process and has represented the GUNAIKURNAI process with State Government, GUNAIKURNAI joint management committee processes and busi ness. She has also been a Director and Chair person on the GUNAIKURNAI board”. Sandra said that when she was first asked to consult on a design for the bottom part of the South Gippsland Water Tower, she had im mediately thought of hands reaching up the tower. “I thought this would look good visual ly but more importantly it took me back to 1999 when I travelled around Australia with a group of 300 people from NSW promoting reconciliation for Australians. Hundreds of sculpture hands in the colours of the Aborig inal and Torres Strait Islander flags, each one carrying one signature, were installed in front of Parliament House in Canberra in October 1997, in what was then the largest public art installation in Australia. So, hands reaching up forms a great image central to the overall design.” The final design is a colourful and mean ingful image filled with rich imagery and em bedded stories and symbols. Sandra sees the design as a visual expres

be featured in the overall design along with local tourism hotspots. Eric wanted the tower to promote what’s on offer in the region, support First Nations recognition and reconciliation, help with the creation of local jobs and add value to the al ready famous Heesco Town project. Painting of the tower is due to start in late February 2023, and in preparation South Gippsland Water engaged contractors, Uni versal Blasting, to undertake repairs and maintenance of the tower. The repairs involve pressure washing and removal of any loose or degraded concrete, concrete repair and painting the tower with an acrylic weather protectant coating. “These works were a necessity regard less of the mural project; however, we looked to time our repairs so that mural painting can follow straight after,” South Gippsland Water’s Managing Director, Robert Murphy said. “Whilst funding of the mural is being done by the Friends of Heesco Town, South Gipps land Water is providing in-kind support and ensuring the tower is in good condition to re ceive a new paint job,” he said. The designs for the tower have been de veloped in two parts. Top and base. For the top part of the tower, Wayne Tindall (who de signed most of the current Heesco Town mu rals) worked closely with Eric Greenaway and others to identify key local tourism hotspots that could be featured.

Paul Frost (FOHT), Paresh Modi (South Gippsland Water), Heesco Khosnaran FOHT/Artist, Amy Van Kuyk (South Gippsland Water), Kevin Mackin (FOHT) and Ben Smith (Contractor) during planning meeting for Water Tower Mural.

Page 8 - THE BRIDGE - Wednesday, February 1, 2023 RMC_2023_Full-Page_262x92mm_V1.indd 1

24/11/2022 10:32 pm

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Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - THE BRIDGE - Page 9

Know the COLOURS TAKE THE ACTIONS TO SURVIVE

Across Australia, the Fire Danger Rating system has changed. Using real-time scientific data, it now gives you a more accurate rating of the risk level if a fire was to start in your area. Each colour represents the actions you need to take to stay safe. If it’s orange, the fire risk is Extreme, so you need to take action now and be ready to go. The safest option is to leave early. Plan. Act. Survive. For more information on the new simpler and smarter Fire Danger Ratings, search Fire Danger Ratings .

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Page 10 - THE BRIDGE - Wednesday, February 1, 2023

The Hive girls on duty serving popcorn and fairy floss. Sarah Reeves, Cara Roberts and Michael Roberts enjoy Aussie Day in Welshpool Park. Welshpool Aussie day celebrations

COMMUNITY members from Welsh pool and surrounding areas enjoyed a family fun day in the Welshpool Park on Australia day hosted by the Welshpool Recreation Reserve committee. Children enjoyed waving Aussie flags and jumping in the jumping castles, while parents and carers watched on while enjoy ing the delicious sausage sizzle provided by the Toora Lions club. The Hive volunteers from Yarram were in attendance serving up popcorn and fairy fl oss. While everyone enjoyed the raffles. Australia day in Welshpool was spon sored by South Gippsland Shire and Com munity Bank Toora and Foster. Jasmine, Mason and Sam travelled from Foster to enjoy Aussie Day activities in the Welshpool Park.

Toora Lions club member provided the sausage sizzle for Welshpool’s Australia Day festivities.

Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - THE BRIDGE - Page 11

From the Past This article (notes) is retrieved from The Reverend George Cox, Notes on Gippsland History, Volume V, Alberton District From 1844 to the 1850s, Article 44, April 29 1914, “Travelling to Gippsland” Contributed by Yarram & District Historical Society

A Difficult Journey The following is an account taken from the Port Phillip Patriot, December 28, 1843.

SEVEN men were engaged by a par ty in Melbourne to proceed to Gipps Land to strip bark and were duly shipped off for that purpose. Upon arriving at what was to have been the scene of their labours they discovered after close inspection that the staple of the country was not wattle bark but *** savages and native dogs, and therefore were anxious to return as they could not obtain a day’s work in the place, and at the same time were getting into debt for rations. They, therefore, applied to the party to whom they had been consigned to ship them back to Melbourne, but this was re fused, and at the same time they were told that if they crossed the Albert they could reach Western Port in seven days, and they were welcome to a week’s provisions. Rather than lose any more time they ac ceded to the proposal, and received the ra tions, giving to the boatman the tools they had brought with them for putting them across the river. Each of the party was provided with a gun and ammunition, and they had also with

consequence of their shooting a brace of redbills on the beach, having struck the coast that day. The following morning, they shot a native bear, which afforded them a glorious repast, besides food for the two following days. Then on the eleventh day from their leav ing Gipps Land they reached Mr Chisholm’s station at Wester Port, completely worn out and exhausted. During the journey they encountered heavy rains for two or three days which add ed much to their discomfort, and one eve ning when they had assembled at their biv ouac a numerous party of natives sat down within a few hundred yards, made large fires and commenced singing their war songs, upon which the travellers fired several vol leys into the air which it subsequently ap peared had a terrifying effect, for upon vis iting their camp on the following morning they found that the natives had decamped leaving behind them their war implements. Yarram & District Historical Society ex hibition rooms are open to the public each Wednesday from 10 am till 3 pm.

described as being most sterile, and neither bird not beast to be seen. The following morning an eagle-hawk hove in sight, probably aware with the in stinct natural to the bird that the travellers were in a dilemma and that he would short ly have the picking of their bones. In this case, however, the tables were turned, for the whole seven, determined not to lose their prey, discharged their pieces simulta neously and the king of the air was speedily extended to the earth, although not particu larly tasty food was on this occasion paid as much respect to as if it had been a joint from the shambles. Thus, invigorated they continued their journey, but the eighth day the dog was again sentenced to die, but reprieved in

them a dog. Everything went on right until the fifth day, when, notwithstanding the rigid econ omy they had used, their rations were totally exhausted, and to add to their difficulties, the scrub, interwoven with vines, which they now encountered rendered their advance a matter of extreme difficulty and exhaus tion, so much so that they were obliged to force their way through by walking in what is termed ”Indian file”, the leading man when knocked up falling to the rear. The sixth and seventh days were thus occupied but without a particle of food, and a council of ways and means being called it was determined that the dog should be sac rificed in the evening if nothing turned up. The country where they were at this time is

Busy time at Woodside Primary The new prep students, grade 1 and 2 students enjoyed playing in the playground at morning recess.

Woodside Primary principal Daniel Phelps had a busy morning on Mon day morning welcoming not just the new preps on their first day but also welcoming the many new families who have moved to the area and whose children are now attending Woodside Primary School. Staff numbers at the school have also increased with four teaching staff, two train ees and two support staff and an office manager. “We have lots happening at the moment, we are waiting for our new playground shade sail to arrive, which we hope will be later this

week,” he said. “We have our annual water safety day at Loch Sport coming up later this month and we have the district swim sports on Febru ary 24 and the district Athletics in March.” The new school bus has also arrived and will be operational in the coming weeks. “We still have a couple of things to tick off for the bus however our afterschool transport into Yarram after school care is available now,” he said. “We are also celebrating our 150th birth day and have plans for a big Back to cele bration later this year. We would like to invite anyone who has photos or information of the school over the years to get in touch,” he said.

Woodside Primary School welcomed five new preps to their school this year.

Page 12 - THE BRIDGE - Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Walk the chalk

TWELVE artists brought their best creative skills to Yarram for the 2023 Chalk Art Festival. The festival which cost around $15,000 to put on, drew visitors from across Gippsland. While some local businesses thought foot traffic in the main street was down this year, others said it was their best festival yet. “Saturday was the best day, we were very busy all day,” Melanie from Café Aga said. “Sunday was not a busy, but it was con stant,” she said. The artists themselves gave the festival a big thumbs up, saying it was in their opin ion the best one yet. Jimmi Buscombe travelled from Warr nambool to participate in his third chalk art event. “I was invited to Yarram to participate in the first chalk art festival back in 2020 after a story about may chalk art piece the Warr nambool wombat was made into a video by ABC and went viral,’ Jimmi said. This year’s festival theme was Bookspi ration and Jimmi choose his favourite chil dren’s book, The Lorax by Dr Seuss for his inspiration. “The reason for my choice being that I work in 3D style, I wanted to be playful and I know a lot of children come down here with their families for the festival. This is a lot more fun. Here the Lorax, is standing on the Truffu la tree talking about trees,” Jimmi said. Jimmi’s love for the event comes through in his artwork.

“I love this event it is has a great crew be hind it, Yarram is a lovely town and there are a great bunch of artists.” “We all arrive in the Friday afternoon, go out to dinner on the Friday night and then start work on Saturday morning and com plete our works mid afternoon on Sunday,” he said. “As artists you don’t often get to work with other artists. I usually work on my own, so it is lovely to be able to walk around and chat with the 12 other artists and see their work,” he said. “The public are inquisitive about the works we are doing. They love to be able to chat to the artist also.” “This form of Public art like delivers to those who don’t normally go to an art gal lery,” he said. “ People come here to see the art – they go from one end (of street) to the other talking to the artists and enjoying the art works,” he said. “The Yarram people are all coming out and thank us for coming, it is awesome. A lot of people have travelled to see this art it is getting more known and more pop ular now,’ Winner of this year’s chalk art event was Gippsland’s own Tamz Hesz. In second place was Jimmi Buscombe and third place was Ana Armillas. The people’s choice award was taken out by Yarram Lain Phillips. The winning artists all took home a gift voucher sponsored by local book shop Ar tichoke

Yarram’s own Karen Langdon puts the finishing touches to her Chalk Artwork.

Centenary House Support

YARRAM Rotary Club president Marcus McK enzie and member Eric Greenaway travelled to Traralgon recently to present Centenary House chairperson Da vis Swainsbury with a cheque for $8,000

Centenary House is a community owned facility in Traralgon that provides safe, supportive and affordable accommodation to patients and/or families of the Gipps land Cancer Care Centre and specialist medical ser vices at Latrobe Regional Hospital. The House contains 30 motel style guest rooms with full communal facilities including kitchens, dining rooms, lounges, laundries as well as outdoor relaxing areas. Patients and their fami lies come from Yarram and the surrounding region and across Gippsland with many staying up to six weeks during radiotherapy treat ment. Patients using the facility are subsidized during their stay making the cost of ac commodation affordable for everyone. For more information on Centenary House go to www.centenaryhouse. org.au

The cheque is part of the proceeds of the successful Yarram Rotary Charity Golf Day held in November last year. The charity day was made possible due to the support and sponsorship of many of the local business es in Yarram District and the Yarram Rotary team.

Winner of this years Chalk Art Festival, Tamz Hesz from Heyfield beside her com pleted work.

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f Rotarian Marcus McKenzie (president) and Eric Gre enaway present Centenary House chairperson Davis Swainsbury with a cheque for $8,000 which was part of the proceeds of the Yarram Rotary Clubs charity golf day last November.

Crowd favourite and second place getting in the 2023 Chalk Art festival Jimmi Buscombe, admires his finished artwork.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - THE BRIDGE - Page 13

Word on the street

With the Tarra festival back this year, the main street will be closed which gives more room for stall holders to set up and for other entertainment such as live music and face painters. Last year’s event was a huge success, and the Traders association is hoping this year’s event will be even bigger and better. Those wishing to have a stall should call 0448871213 to register their interest and book a space.

has been found and wish the new owners all the best in their venture. Make sure you get the next edition of the Bridge where we will introduce you to the new owners.

Aussie day at Mcloughlins

THE McLoughlin’s beach community was out in force on Australia day enjoying a bar becue lunch and signing the national an them. Wellington Shire Councillor Gayle Maher was the special guest at this year’s event and oversaw the flag-raising and delivered a message from Council about what Australia Day means to the community . Schools back WITH schools returning for the 2023 school year, motorists are reminded that school speed zones are now in force. School speed zones are reduced-speed areas that operate near schools. They’re designed to keep kids safe by lowering the speed limit at peak times when children are traveling to and from school. Speed limits in school zones in Yarram are 40 km/h between 8 - 9.30 am and 2.30 - 4 pm on school days. Easter markets YARRAM Traders and Tourism Association will once again host the Easter Saturday market Day. Called “The Immigrant’s Friend,” Caroline Chisholm 1808 – 1877 overcame shyness to defend the homeless, poor and her work led to developing excellent education today. She arrived in 1838 in the colony of New South Wales, where she was appalled at the conditions that greeted poor and vulnerable women migrants. Aged just 30, Caroline Chisholm com menced working on improving the women’s lot, setting up job schemes and campaign ing for better working conditions. In 1841, she established the Female Em igrant’s Home in Sydney which not only pro vided shelter but helped unemployed young women find work both in the city and in rural areas where work was more plentiful. Caroline Chisholm worked on improving conditions on the ships and arranged for the families of convicts to be transported free to Australia so they could be reunited with their loved ones. In order to foster independence and resilience among these new arrivals, she established the Family Colonisation Loan Society, a version of which still operates successfully today. Moving her focus to

Many young budding artists used the footpaths around the Yarram Courthouse to showcase their Chalk Art.

Young chalk artists impress WHILE the professionals were creating their amazing art up and down Commercial Road recently, there were some young up-and coming artists creating their own magic around the footpaths of the Yarram Court house. The Courthouse Gallery committee en joyed seeing the young children and some adults decorating their pathways over the weekend. This year saw a number of visitors from right around Australia and even one visitor from Scotland spending time creating their masterpieces in this space. Day on the green. YARRAM Country Clubs Australia Day Mu sic on the Green proved to be a great suc cess with a good crowd enjoying the after noon event.

Those who attended said that they hoped that the Country Club would run more of these types of events in the future. Closing opening GOOD news for Yarram, the Yarram drapery has been sold. Peter and Zita Youen last day instore will be February 4. The current 50 percent sale of every thing in store has been extended until Feb ruary 4. The store will close for a week and then reopen on Monday, January 13. It is great news for Peter and Zita who struggled with the decision to close the store. “It was never about the viability of the shop, it is a great business, our decision was about us wanting to do other things while we are still able and that includes traveling,” Zita said. Zita and Peter a delighted that a buyer

McLoughlin Beach Residents and rate payers president Allan Rogers cooking up a storm at the communities annual Australia day celebrations.

Australian Civil Rights pioneer

Victoria in the 1850s, she successfully lob bied the government here to set up shelters along the roads to meet the demand for ad equate accommodation prompted by the rush to the goldfields of Ballarat and Bendi go. Caroline Chisholm’s work in the early days of the colonies has continued to be celebrated and commemorated in Austra lia, with her face adorning a collection of stamps and appearing on the original $5 bank note. In 1994, she was posthumously awarded the Order of Australia. Chisholm Institute proudly bears the name of this Australian civil rights pioneer whose practical approach echoes the voca tional role of the VET sector and the com mitted individuals and organisations who work in Chisholm Institute’s excellent learn ing sphere of influence. The Foundation strives to continue Car oline Chisholm’s legacy of social justice by recognising and acting on the need to assist those adversely affected in accessing edu cation in the community. Taken from https://www.chisholm.edu. au Caroline Chisholm Education Foundation.

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Page 14 - THE BRIDGE - Wednesday, February 1, 2023

The “other” mental illness: Schizophrenia Health Talk With Dr Robyn Vafiadis

Part one This article may seem to have an odd title. How many psychiatric illnesses are there? Of course, there are many different kinds of mental illness, just as there are many kinds of breathing problems, or joint pains. We’re more familiar with some mental ill nesses than others. For example, we often hear about depression or anxiety, in differ ent forms. We’ve all had these feelings at some stage times, though not usually to the point that they become an illness. There are campaigns to make us more aware and understanding, for example, “RUOK?” and “Beyond Blue”. These are ex cellent projects and deserve our support. Many well-known people: sports player, musicians and others, have spoken about their illness: again a very good thing But all in all, how many celebrities have openly talked about having schizophrenia? And yet, chances are that at least one member of a sporting club or community group has some experience of it. This is why I’ve called schizophrenia the “other” mental illness: less understood, less talked about in public; and - if I can say this - less appealing. It’s the one we shy away from discuss ing. It’s the “other”, more shadowy illness Schizophrenia is, so to speak, a different ball game from anxiety or depression. It’s what is called a “psychotic” illness. This means that, during attacks, the per son loses touch, to some extent, with what is real. The rest of the time, when their illness is settled, the person is experiencing things in their usual way. Q1: So, why call it “the other illness”? A: Some reasons we’ve considered al ready. But because most people know little about schizophrenia, it’s not only unfamiliar, it holds an air of mystery, even a level of fear. Q2: “isn’t schizophrenia the thing where people have split personalities?” A: No it isn’t, even though Hollywood might suggest otherwise. The term actually means “split mind”, not split personality. It’s the thinking processes that are bro ken in some way. This can mean that the patient’s thoughts do not work as they normally would. They may become agitated, or act in an

unusual way. They may become confused or lose their interest in life. Q3: So it’s the one where people go “cra zy”, “nuts”, “out of their mind”? A: if you stop and think, these words are not only cruel, but not true Terms like these belong back in the dark ages, where people didn’t know much about illness of any kind. Anyone who thought or acted differently were feared or laughed at. Now in the twenty-first century, we have so much more knowledge and understand ing of most illnesses. Because of this, we are less likely to shun, or shame those with a mental illness. We can leave the derogato ry words in the past, where they belong. We can, and should, move on. Q4: “But people with schizophrenia say and do pretty strange things, don’t they??” A: It’s easier to understand if we look at some common symptoms. Each patient will have some more, or less of each type. Like any illness, some people are more badly affected than others. One common symptom is where the person sees or hears things which are ac tually not there. These are “hallucinations”. Another common symptom is where the patient has ideas or beliefs which are clear ly out of touch with reality. These are “delu sions”. It’s not imagination. To the person these things are real. They are signs of the illness which is schizophrenia. In just the same way as asthma has signs of wheeze and cough, or bowel problems might cause pain or vomiting. It’s important to remember a couple of things *The disorder is caused by actual problems in the brain cells and the chemi cals in the brain. It is, if you like, part of how the brain is “wired up”. You can’t just “snap out of it” The medical world has learned a lot about schizophrenia in recent decades, but there’s still a lot to learn. We do know that it’s largely caused by abnormalities in the brain and its chemicals. Sometimes it goes in families but often it doesn’t. And like all illnesses, it can be in fluenced by what is occurring in, or affect ing, the person’s life: their environment. Many people with schizophrenia, espe cially if they have the right care, hold good jobs, or get married and have kids, or live the life they would want to. Q5: so what causes it? Can I catch it A: No, you can’t catch it.

WHEN the bell rang to start the 2023 school year at Yarram Primary School it was down to business for the students and teachers. Principal Karen Langdon said that it had been a seamless start to the school year with all the preps eager to be at school and enjoying getting to know their teacher and their fellow classmates. Ms Langdon said that the students were looking forward to starting their swimming program. “The swim program commences this Friday, and our athletics training starts soon, so it is going to be a busy term but that’s the way we like it,” she said. Yarram Primary School’s new prep students enjoyed exploring their new surround ings and getting to know their classmates on their first day of primary school. Settling in

Alberton Primary school preps Indi Smith, Pippa Jackson, Archie Gordon and Saxon Norman ready to start an exciting first day with the rest of their prep class on day one the new school year.

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ALBERTON Primary School was a hive of activity on Monday morning as the new preps arrived for their first day of primary schooling. As well as new preps, two new teachers in Michelle Taylor and Kimberley Coulthard were welcomed to the school community. Michelle will be teaching prep 1 and 2 while Kimberley will teach the grades 5 and 6’s. Principal Malissa Nicol is looking forward to a busy year at the school. New arrivals

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Alberton Primary School Captains Alex MacDonald and Breanna Wade are looking forward to being the leaders at their school in 2023.

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Wednesday, February 1, 2023 - THE BRIDGE - Page 15