NEWS of 2021
July
July saw the opening of a new soup van in Warragul and Drouin to offer meals to vulnerable community members. Following seven months of planning, Baw Baw Soup Kitchen opened its windows as part of a 14-week pilot program.
A Lang Lang man was remanded in custody after a series of incidents in Poowong on Saturday, July 4, culminating in the alleged assault of a police officer. A Bass Coast police officer was allegedly choked when he approached the man matching the description of a person involved in an armed robbery at the football ground. The 29-year-old man was charged with attempted armed robbery, assault with a weapon, assaulting police and resisting arrest.
A Warragul builder was reportedly angry and disillusioned with a failed Baw Baw Shire tender process that said unnecessarily cost ratepayers more money. Farnham Built director Wayne Farnham said he had been “silenced” since April after he publicly disputed the council’s tender documents for the Western Park netball court redevelopment. Mr. Farnham said he was threatened with being excluded from the second tender process after he publicly criticised social procurement questions that asked him to reveal whether he employed indigenous, disabled or LGBTIQ staff.
Warragul MiniRoos players became the first to play a game on the club's new $2 million pitch. The synthetic pitch had been years in the making with Warragul United Soccer Club President Peter O’Dea leading lobbying efforts to council.
Baw Baw suffered a horror weekend on the roads in the second weekend of July following two collisions, two rollovers, a Helimed landing and a young child being taken to hospital in a 24-hour period. Police reported that serious collisions in the shire were up on previous year’s numbers.
A West Gippsland livestock agent was among five accused listed to appear at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court to face allegations for misusing cattle ear tags and livestock traceability offences.
Facing more than 120 charges between them, the accused were represented by their defence in a video link hearing.
The Drouin community was in mourning following the death of local woman Beryl Tyson in a tragic accident on Tuesday the 13th of July.
Beryl, 79 was killed in a collision while riding her bike in Drouin West. Known as the “queen of Drouin’s Ficifolia festival” Beryl was remembered by her family as someone who would put her hand up to do anything.
Warragul businesses missed out on a much needed boost for the second year in a row due to COVID restrictions with the cancellation of Snow Fest. Despite planning for a ticketed event with limited numbers, restrictions necessitated the cancelling of the event.
Local hospitality businesses were lamenting the latest lockdown as the worst so far in the pandemic despite trying to stay positive. Many restaurants and cafes reported operating at a loss with takeaway services simply to keep doors open and staff in employment.
It was reported in July that demand for residential blocks and established housing was continuing to boom, especially in Warragul and Drouin, but also across all of Baw Baw. An auction of six, half acre blocks at Waterford Rise in Warragul sold for a total of $3.2 million with prices ranging from $505,000 to $542,500.
Agents and developers were saying properties were being snapped up within days of coming on the market. It was thought a combination of “cheap money” and people wishing to get out of Melbourne during lockdown were the biggest drivers of the boom.
August
The statewide ban on spectators at local football due to COVID-19 restrictions meant it would be extremely difficult for clubs to raise the revenue needed to pay players and umpires. It was reported that should the spectator ban remain in place, clubs across the district were split on when and whether to return for season 2021. Clubs were awaiting an announcement from the state government on gatherings before making a decision.
Data provided in the Coroner’s Court of Victoria in August revealed that 37 Baw Baw residents had died from drug overdoses in the last 10 years. Over the same period 232 people across all of Gippsland had died from drug overdoses. Three quarters of deaths from this cause were involved with people overdosing on pharmaceutical drugs, either on their own or in combination with alcohol or illegal drugs.
It was announced in early August that the 2021 Royal Melbourne Show was to be cancelled due to the challenges presented by the pandemic.
Just four years after playing her first game of football, Warragul’s Jasmine Ferguson was drafted by North Melbourne in the AFLW draft. Selected at pick 21, the 22-year-old defender had a nervous wait at home while she watched the draft online.
Gippsland residents came out in force in the first couple of weeks of August in responding to the call to be vaccinated against COVID-19. By August 10, about half of those aged over 15 had already had one dose. At the same stage 20 percent were fully vaccinated. Figures released showed more than 103,000 Gippslanders had been vaccinated at GP clinics or respiratory practices.
Three Baw Baw businesses were announced as recipients of grants to upgrade their facilities and employ more people. Pure Harvest,
Radford’s abattoir and Lardner Park all were set to benefit from the grants.
It was announced that West Gippsland Regional Library was to become a not-for-profit entity on June 30, 2022. The new organisation will be known as My Community Library or MYLI. The transition to not-for-profit status required that all three councils sitting above the organisation - Baw Baw, Bass and South Gippsland - agreed to the change.
Two luxury cars were the final link in a spate of burglaries and stolen cars in the Warragul area in mid-August. A 21-year-old Morwell man was remanded in custody while a 22-year-old Newborough man was assisting police with their enquiries. The incidents culminated in the theft of two Mercedes vehicles in Gibson Road, Warragul.
The State Government announced a permanent speed reduction from 100 kilometers per hour to 80 kilometers per hour along two stretches between Bunyip and Tynong. The move followed lobbying after a number of fatal accidents and near misses in recent times.
An illegal gathering of friends at a bonfire at Longwarry on Saturday resulted in $43,000 in fines being meted out. Eight people received fines of $5,452 each in a gathering police slammed as “selfish”.
A report card highlighting improved performance across all council service areas was delivered to Baw Baw Shire. Although better than previous years, sealed local roads, community consultation and lobbying remained areas for improvement according to the survey of 400 randomly selected residents and ratepayers.
September
Ellinbank seniors were awarded the minor premiership of the EDFL 2021 season after finals were called off because of continued lockdowns across the state. Ellinbank will have their name etched on finals honour rolls with an asterisk next to their name. Trafalgar, who were sitting second were unable to play off in a grand final to get a chance for a premiership.
VCE students in the area became part of a vaccination blitz to prepare for October’s final exams following an announcement from the State Government. A dedicated hotline opened for students to make a booking.
Baw Baw Shire hit the 40 per cent fully vaccinated against COVID mark in early September. But in the race to be vaccinated, Baw Baw was trailing other Gippsland municipalities at the time.
Developers of a major regional saleyards at Longwarry criticised Baw Baw Shire’s planning processes and said that ongoing obstacles had sent an anti-business message. Representatives of Longwarry Saleyards Pty Ltd said they were unable to stay silent after a frustrating couple of years. The organisation claimed the planning process was unprofessional.
A Trafalgar woman was fined $5452 after she attended an anti-lockdown protest and posted pictures of herself on social media. Police issued the fine after receiving multiple reports of the woman’s action to Crimestoppers.
Businesses in the area headed the list of finalists for the Gippsland Business Awards to be held on October 8. Baw Baw businesses featured in all but two of the categories.
A Garfield man was charged after a shooting in Mt Eccles last week. Armed Crime Squad detectives arrested the man and he was charged with prohibited possession of a firearm, recklessly causing injury, reckless conduct and possession of cannabis. The arrest followed an incident where a 30-year-old woman was arrested by police on August 9. She told police she had been shot in the upper body two days earlier.
Former Warragul local and now Fremantle Dockers midfielder Caleb Serong was awarded the AFL’s “Goal of the Year” at the Brownlow Medal held in Perth. Teammate Nat Fyfe presented Serong with the medal.
The earth moved for Baw Baw residents as West Gippsland recorded its strongest earthquake in recorded history on Wednesday the 22nd of September. The 5.9 tremor hit at 9.15 am with the epicenter north of Aberfeldy. Originally reported to be centered in Mansfield, Geoscience Australia is now referring to it as the “Rawson earthquake.” Luckily, no serious damage to buildings was reported.
Member for Monash Russell Broadbent released a controversial video expressing his discomfort of mass vaccination and vaccine passports. The video received a mixture of concern and some praise. The Gazette had been conducting a 12-week pro-vaccination campaign featuring public figures and community members who had been vaccinated. Mr Broadbent had declined to take part in the campaign.