Latrobe Valley Express 60th Anniversary FeatureJuly 2025
TheLatrobe Valley Express keepsusconnected supporting ourlocal businesses, employingour local people. Your community, our commitment... to providereal, trusted localnewsthatmatters in ourlives.
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Sixty years strong
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Committed to excellence
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Express editors
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Meet the staff
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Ahistory of the Express
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Big news stories
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Atribute to Bruce
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Journos turned local MPs
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Mayor’smessage
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Young wordsmiths
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Production power
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Printing perfection
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Standout front pages
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Ace apprentice
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The press in action
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Remembering Granty
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The Valley’sgreatest athletes
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All-star football team
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Loyal to the core
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Decades of service
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Whereare they now?
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Vintage advertising
In dedication to Bruce
MR Bruce Ellen, the managing direc tor of the Latrobe Valley Express, passed away last year af ter a long battle with cancer He was 65
Mr Ellen was a major figure in countr y and regional newspapers, having been made a life member of Countr y Press Australia (CPA) in recognition of his commitment and contribution to CPA and the newspaper industr y over the best par t of four decades
Before his death Mr Ellen was the longest-ser ving current board member of the Vic torian Countr y Press Association, having begun with the VCPA as an Executive Councillor in 1988
He ser ved as the last president of the VCPA last centur y and the first president this centur y, from 1998 to 20 0 0 In 2020, at the star t of the pandemic, he was instrumental in liaising with the Vic torian state government to organise information and adver tising suppor t across all VCPA member newspapers
More recently, Mr Ellen ser ved as president of Countr y Press Australia from 2019 to 2021 af ter joining the board in 2016
Acknowledgements
He lead CPA during the organisation’s most significant period, working day, night and over weekends to help navigate CPA through the pandemic and organise adver tising from the federal government He also negotiated a collec tive bargaining agreement through the ACCC andnegotiatedpersonally with bothGoogle andFacebooktoensure great financial andpractical outcomesfor members
At the same time as his relentless ac tivity advocating for the industr y, MrEllen was involved in establishing a rangeofnewspapersinSouth Australia and Queensland and a print site in Rockhampton.
Hewas adirec torofa number of regional newspaper companiesinQueensland and in Mount Gambier
A prominent Latrobe Valley businessman, h hewas also thedriving forcebehind the LatrobeValley Big Blokes BBQ, h heldannually to raiseawareness about prostatecancerand theneed formen to be regularly tested
Heissur vivedby hiswifeand two c children.
A tribute to Bruce - Page 11
The late Bruce Ellen
Ourvalueshavenot changed
THIS yearmarks asignificant milestonefor local newsinour region –the 60th birthday of the LatrobeValleyExpress
It is amomentofpride,reflection, andgratitude as we celebratesix decadesoftelling thestories that matter most to thepeople of theLatrobe Valley
We feel honoured to carr yfor ward alegacythat beganwitha simple butpower fulmission:tobe atrusted voicefor ourlocal community. Throughchangingtimes,advancesin
technology,and shif ting landscapes in media, ourcorevalues have remained unchanged–community, truth, connec tion and service. Over theyears,we’ve chronicledthe triumphs andchallenges of thepeople of theLatrobe Valley.We’ve welcomednew businesses, celebrated localheroes, reported from council chambers and school fetes, coveredsportswins andcommemorated communitymilestones. In good timesand in toughtimes,we’ve stood with ourreaders –because we arepar tofthe same communityfabric.
None of this wouldhavebeen possible without thesupport of ourreaders.Yourloyalty,whether throughasubscription, alettertothe editor, atip-off,orsimplypicking up thepaper each week,has kept localjournalism alive andstrong. Thankyou fortrustingustotellyourstories, reflec tyourconcerns andcelebrate your achievements.
We also extend ourheartfelt thanks to our advertisersand suppor ters in thewider community. Your backing sustains localnews andhelps us continue ourvital role as aplatform forconnec tion,discussion and accountability To ourdedicated staf f, past andpresent,thank you.
From journaliststoprintersand produc tion staf f, salesteams,admin staf f, photographers, delivery driversand walkers–yourcommitment anddedication have been the lifeblood of theExpress every step of theway.Your contributions aredeeplyappreciated. Lookingahead,weare as committed as everto beinga strong andindependent voicefor the LatrobeValley. Whilethe waywedeliver news will continue to evolve, ourpurpose remains thesame:toinform, inspireand strengthen our community.
As we celebrate60years,wedosowith immense gratitudeand renewedpurpose. Here's to continuingthisjourney together –suppor ting each other,sharing stories, and shiningalight on thepeople andplacesthat make theLatrobe Valley auniquecommunity.
Latrobe ValleyExpress directors BrianHopkins,Tim Ellen, Nick Ellen and Graeme Ellen
Photograph:Blake Metcalf- Holt
Thankyou forbeingwithus
IT is an honour to be headingour incredible teamatthe Expressonwhatisa significant milestone forus-our 60 yeardiamond anniversary
Iwish to thank ourteamfor their dedication and continued hard work,which is reflec tedin each issue published. Allare instrumental in ourongoing commitmenttoprovidetrusted newstoour community, news that’s happening around us
Fromour receptionstaff with theirobliging manner, throughtoour presssitecrewwho are coveredinink by theend of their shif ts,and our deliverers outthere bravingthe elementseach week -all play such acrucial role
It fillsmewithenormouspride to seethe number of locals coming to theofficetocollect their copy of thepaper on publication day. Because they rely on their Express, this paper meanssomuchtoo so many Iwish to conveygratitude to ourloyal readers andadver tisersfor their continued suppor t. Youare thereasonweexist,whilstsomany regional newspapershaveunfor tunately ceased publication
Ibegan working forthe Express36years ago under thelateBruce Ellenwho was aremarkable man, notonlyincredibly intelligentbut also wonderfully kind.Hewas likeanuncle to me as
he was formanycolleagues. Hissense of duty andpride,Iwill foreveradmire.
During this period,somuchhas changedinour industr y.
Ireflect on howmanualour processeswere previously
Pages were pasted up in produc tion.This hands-on process is nowcomputerised, PDFfiles of pagesare createdand used for platemakingand printing.
Thesmell of chemicalsusedindeveloping photosinour dark room is nowalso computerised
For60years theExpress hasdelivered accurate, reliableand insightful news to ourlocal region Covering localeventsand sharinginpeople's memorable experiences, engaging our people whomakethe LatrobeValley. From ourweekend spor ts to ourlocal councilactivitiesand issues. Witnessinghistory unfold andtelling those storiesthrough thepower of words
Real journalism is aboutknowing your community,aboutknowing what's happening aroundus-and this we understand.
We'reone of thever yfew newspapersstill deliveredfreetohomes. With adistribution of more than 34,0 00 copies each week,we're gettingour advertisersmessages into homesit's apower fulproduct
Havingadapted to thedigital agewelivein, incorporatingour onlinepresence through our website, digitaledition and Facebook page.Intoday's fast paced world,manyofus lead time-poorlifestyles, andaccessibility of beingable to readour paperonlineisnow a convenience, extendingour reachwellbeyond ourgeographic boundar y.
In this information ageweare exposed to online scams, AI anddeepfakes presenting privacy concerns to us all.It'satthese timesthe Express remains invaluable as atrusted news source
As we look forward, we will continue to be progressiveindeveloping ouronlineplatforms, all thewhile stayingtruetoour core values of communityser vice andjournalistic integrity. We arededicated to ourlegacyofexcellence. There'sworktobedone.Wehave exciting projectshappening to includebuilding renovationsofour George Street, Mor well of fice
We'replanningonopening ourpress site up to have morevisitorscome andwatch ourprinting pressesinaction-it'sincredible to see Thankyou forbeinga part of theLatrobe Valley Express' journey so far.
We look forwardtocontinuingtoser vice youfor many years to come
“ “
Iwish to convey gratitudetoour loyalreadersand advertisersfor their continuedsupport.You are thereasonweexist.
Barb Seymour
Latrobe Valley Express General Manager, Barb Seymour
LATROBE VALLEY EXPRESS EDITORS
1965-1969 Patrick Hegar ty 1969-1972 George Langley
1972-1975 Mike Moore
1975-1987 Murray Tucker
Newsabout locals,for locals
By LIAM DURKIN
FAIR to saywe’ve packeda lotintothishumble country newspaper.
To thecountless championsofcommunity whohaveachieved personal milestonesand accolades,aswellasthose whocontinued to advocate forcausesclose to their hear tcongratulations
Theseare thetypes of storiesthatwill always make up thefabricofwhatalocal paperisall about
As my predecessor,GregorMac taggar tsaid, “The stor ymight notbeimpor tant to you, but it’s importanttosomeone.”
Professionallyspeaking, Ihave enjoyedcovering elec tionsabove all else,where theexcitement, nervousenergyand,let’s face it,controversy, neverfails to subside, notmatterwhatlevel (federal, stateorcouncil).
Someofthe biggestnewsstories from my time arethe decision on thenative timber industry, thesurge in crimearound Latrobe(especially Mor well),and,perhaps thestandout, the cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. To thinkwhatthatevent wouldhavedone forthe region
It wouldberemissnot to mention some of the biggeststories from thecourtroom as well.
able to do somethingthatrequiresinformation gatheringdaily meansyou areconstantly stimulated
FromgrowinguponapotatofarminThorpdale, goingtoboardingschooland then studying at Deakin University,ithas been greattonow bring words covering amyriadoftopicstoreaders throughthe mosttraditional,and in my view,still thebestmediumfor presenting news.
Allcurrent Expressjournalistsgrewupin Gippsland,and Ihopethisstrong, local presence hasresonated throughstory telling, andinturn, produced trustedcontent
Upon graduating,Iwas fortunatetolanda position at theExpress'sisternewspaper,the Sale-basedGippsland Times, before returning closer to home.
1987-1993 Ross Gilmour
1993-20 05 Lynne Smith
20 05-20 09 Celine Foenander
20 09-2010 Kristin Favaloro
2010 -2014 Lisa Cridge
2014-2017 Shaun Mallia
2017-2019 Jarrod Whittaker
2019-2022 Gregor Mac taggar t 2022-present Liam Durkin
Whilemyseven years with theExpress leaves me feelingsomewhatunqualified to speak abouta 60 -yearhistory,I feel privileged to have playedapar tnonetheless.
Iwould like to acknowledgeall staf ffor their workand suppor t.
Thankyou also to thevarious clubsand local organisations fortheir hospitality
Undoubtedly oneofthe greatest aspectsof working in mediaisthe connec tions, networks andpeopleyou meet.
Throughthisline of work, Iand fellow Express journoshave beenfor tunate to rubshoulders with premiers,famousmusicians,Olympic gold medallists, andevenprime ministers.
Theseencountersstand outasobvious highlights, butthe same canbesaidfor the many collaborationswe’ve hadwithlocals, whose storiesand of tenstruggles would other wise go unheardof.
If we have playedapositivehandinbringing aboutchange, allthe better
TheMushroom Trial is an obviouschoice, along with theGregLynntrial andsentencingof former Member forMor well,Russell Northe Naturaldisasters have also been omnipresent. Those wholived throughthe Mirboo North Superstormlastyearwill neverforgetit, nor will those caught up in the2019/20 bushfires,the 2021 majorTraralgon flood, andthe seemingly never-ending drought.
Speaking of never-ending,there areother storiesbound to keep recycling, such as the Moe ‘crazyroundabout’ andTraralgon bypass Fortunately, some otherstories previously belonginginthiscategor ylikethe Princes Highway duplication and BawBaw Pubhave seenanew chapterwritten.Itisimpor tant to remember thelocal paperactsasanhistorical documentaswellasa newsdeliver yser vice for issueslikethese
Journalism provides theoppor tunity to indulge your curiosity, whichtomeisthe greatest attrac tion of thejob
Thehuman mind is naturallyinquisitive,sotobe
Things cer tainly move quicklyinmedia, andI experiencedthisfirst-handwhenthrustedinto theeditor's chairatjust27years-of-agethree years ago.
Moving forward, it ismyvisionthe Expresswill continue to play an importantrole keepingthe LatrobeValleycommunityinformed It wouldbeignoranttothink newsconsumption will be thesame in yearstocome,but equally irresponsibletodiscardprinted newspapers altogether
It is greatthere arenow so many avenuesfor people to receivetheir news.Not so great people canreadilyfinda ser vicetosuittheir own personal views.
With that in mind,the importance of providing a trusted, independent, localnewsser vicecannot be understated
journalist, snapper, editor and team member that has made
Victorian Premier, Jacinta Allan
"The Latrobe Valley Express has told the impor tant stories of the Latrobe Valley community for 60 years, bringing light to local stories, told by the people that live them
Expresspioneershad vision
THELatrobe Valley Expresswhenfounded 60 yearsago was amedia,political,cultural, economic and technologypioneer
Morethan30years before theValley’slocal councils–Moe,Morwell,Traralgon City, Traralgon Shireand Rosedale- were brought together to form LatrobeCity, theExpress had takenthisparochialism by thescruff of theneck.
Right from thestart,the newspaper was determined to form a‘Valley consciousness’ in a bidtomodernise theregionand make it amore powerfulvoice
Thechief architectwas Patrick Hegarty,who had begunhis journalism career in 1953 as acadet on theTraralgon Journal underthe renowned editor BertieThompson
“There was agreat need foraregional newspaper whichwould carrynewsand advertisements overthe bordersofthe several warring municipalitieswhich maintaineda fragmentedCentral Gippsland,” he wrote in theExpress in 1990,quotedinRod Kirkpatrick’s ‘The Bold Type.AHistory of Victoria’s Country Newspapers’ “Culturaland socialinterchange between residentsofMoe,Newborough, Yallourn, Morwelland Traralgon was largelyreserved forthe footballseason. Separate weekly and bi-weekly,small-circulation,paid newspapers servedthe individual towns anddistricts, which meantnational advertisersand localfirms had to buyspaceinuptofivepaperstocoverthe LatrobeValley– regarded as oneofVictoria’s fewregional growth centres of the60s.”
In those days,alarge billboardatthe entrance to Warragul proclaimed,‘Warragul –Gateway to theLatrobe Valley’.
Hegarty andtwo former Journal colleagues –NevilleHoare andJudithNorton– went to work.
TheExpress publishedanintroductoryissue on June 18,1965, butthe first regularissue
appeared on July 14.Itpromised to give ‘saturation circulation’inthe urbanareas of Moe, Newborough,Yallourn, YallournNorth,Hernes Oak, Morwelland Traralgon –anindustrial region of 80,000 people
TheExpress beganwith28and 24-page editions,then droppedbackto20s,thenlifted againto28s,and began to make asmall profit, Hegarty noted.
TheExpress’s arrivalwas a“rude shock” for countrynewspapers, Kirkpatrick wrote– an upstartfreenewspaper hadchallengedfour paid-circulation bi-weekly papers in theLatrobe Valley.Itwas oneofthe first free country newspapersinVictoria.
What’s more,itwas apioneer in newnewspaper technology–web-offsetprinting, linked with computerised typesetting, or ‘coldtype’.It meantthatnewspaper publishers didnot have to owntheir ownpress;the Expresswas printed at an offset pressinthe Melbournesuburbof Waverley,but whichHegarty subsequently bought
Kirkpatrick notedthatthe Expressseverely dented thebusinessofthe paid newspapersin theregion, both in circulation and penetration Hegartybuilt anew office,includinga pressroom and production paste-up area
Beforelong, theExpress hadincreased to 40,48 andeven64pages andwas printed on adouble run, with hand interleaving; it was runningalong in topgear.
TheElliottNewspaper Group(ENG),basedin Mildura, hadboughtthe MorwellAdvertiser andMoe Advocate in 1968.ENG decidedto buyHegarty outasa majority shareholderinthe Express; itspartner was KS Hopkinsand Sons P/L, publisherofthe Warragul Gazette. The familycompany was ledbyKeith Hopkinsand hiseldestson Brian. Keithbecame managing director of theExpress andBrian was appointed
adirectorofthe LV Partnershiponits formation and remainsinthatpositiontoday. KeithHopkins,asthe Express’sfirst managing director,was aleading Gippsland newspaper figure.Hehad begunhis newspaper career with hisfather, George,atthe Heyfield Newsin1929, shifting duetothe Depressiontosuburban Murrumbeenabeforethe family launched the Leongatha Echo in 1934.Georgediedin1943, andKeith sold theEchoin1951tobuy the Warragul Gazette.
KeithHopkins belonged to that generation of newspapermen whocould do allthe jobs involved in making andselling apaper –hehad beena reporter,Linotypeoperator, compositor, seller of advertisingand manager
This experience enabledHopkins to lead the Expressthrough what became thedefining decade of the1970s forthe newspaper achieving success in businessand in journalism
He bolsteredthe economicsofthe company throughexpandingadvertising, building the production team and expanding thepress operation;Gippsland andsubsequently other regional newspaperswereprinted in Morwell. In journalism,adecisivemove was thehiring of Murray Tucker as editor in 1972.Tucker, editor of theTraralgon Journal forsevenyears, hadimpressed Hopkinswithhis ability;he subsequently wrote agracious welcome for Tucker on thefront page
Tucker revamped thetypefaces,put an emphasis on localnewsgathering,and introduced editorials andagossipsection.The punchy editorialsweretobecome adefining feature of theExpress,which became the biggestnon-daily newspaperincountryVictoria andthe winnerofthe topnewspaper in Victorian country journalism twiceinfouryears
Oneofthe mostreadsectionsinthe newspaper wasbyKarlShoemaker,described by Tucker as
Patrick Hegarty, co-founder of the Express
forparochial LatrobeValley
one of regional Victoria’s most colour fulwriters Hisweekly Page 2column was Shoemaker’s Newsmakers, and“what gems they were”, Tucker wrote.
TheExpress became abi-weekly in June 1973 anda tri-weekly in April1986beforerever ting to abi-weekly issue nearly 10 years later, in Januar y1996. Under thepressureofthe COVID pandemic,the Expresswas eventuallyforced to become aweeklypublication
Tucker retiredin1987, buthis editorial influence lingered on throughhis successors– deputy Ross GilmourfromMor well, whohad edited the
Mastheads of the Express
innovative Valley Spor t, andLynne Smith from Traralgon in 1993, whoasa 16 -year-old hadbeen Tucker’s cadetatthe Traralgon Journal.Smith, whowas the first female editorof the Express (there have been severalsince)retired as editor in 20 05
Hopkinsretiredasmanagingdirec torafter a decisive decade;his successor was hisExpress secretary,Shirley Dickins,who was followed by a seniorENG executive,Pat Martin
In 1992,ENG sold asignificant interest in the Expressand Sale-basedGippsland Timesto RuralPress,whose 40 percentshare eventually
passed to AnthonyCatalano’sAustralian CommunityMediaafter RuralPress mergedwith Fair faxMedia.Fairfax was subsequently taken overbythe Nine Group. Nine latersold therural publicationstoACM.
In theinterim,Bruce Ellen,another ENG executive,took over from Martin andeventually bought outthe ENGshare andbecame the dominant partnerasmanagingdirec tor. Ellen,ahighlyrespec tedTraralgon businessman, passed away last yearand was succeeded by the Express’sfinance manager, BarbaraSeymour, as generalmanager
ry, 2
Lynne Smith the first female editor of the Latrobe Valley Express
Thenewswe'll neverforget
By LIAM DURKIN
WORDSare angularbut theworld is round
TheExpress hashad afront seat to histor yover thelast60years,documenting some of the biggeststories from theLatrobe Valley
As part of our60-yearanniversary,the Express hasrevisited some of themajor newsstories Additionally, some of thestandoutfront pages aresprawledacrosspages 18-19ofthisfeature In keepingwiththe 60 -yearcommemoration, theExpress will look backatsomeofthe top storiesfromeachdecadeoverthe next six weeks, star ting with the1960s in next week's regularExpress
With obviousoversights, here aresomeofthe biggestnewsstories to grip theValley.
Latrobe(appearingas'La Trobe' in of ficial correspondence)was oneofsix new municipalitiescreated across Gippsland,along with Baw Baw,Wellington, East Gippsland,Bass Coastand Strzelecki (now SouthGippsland).
BlackSaturdaybushfires (2009)
THEmostcatastrophic bushfires in Australian histor ykilled 173peopleand left countless townsand communities unrecognisable Fires absolutely decimatedeverything in their path,and theLatrobe Valley wasnot spared Areasaround Churchill,Boolarra, Jeeralang and Callignee were themostseverelyaffec ted, with upwardsof150 homes lost and30,000 hectares burntona daythatsaw temperatures reach47°
Hazelwood contributeda quar terofVic toria's electricity. Theclosurelef tclose to 50 0people lookingfor new jobs
HazelwoodMineFire (2014)
ASTORY that just kept going.
Fire burntfor 45 days in theHazelwood Power Station Mine,after embersfrommultiplenearby grassfiresreached thecoal mine, feeding itself on thecoaltocreatethe worst mine fire in the histor yofthe region
Burningonly400 metres away from some Mor wellstreets,thousandsofpeoplefellsick within days as thedangerously toxicsmoke enteredair ways
Jaidyn Leskiemurder (1997)
Yallourn dugup (1970s-1980s)
THEtrade-off forwhatwas by allaccounts the most picturesquetownimaginablewas thefac t it always hadashelf-life
Designed in the1920sasagardentown, Yallourn became athriving and close-knit community of SECworkers andtheir families. However, thetownwas always surplusto requirements once coal wasdiscoveredtobe lying underneathYallourn'ssur face
Plans to digupthe town star tedasearly as the 1960s, and houseremovalsstarted from 1975 Thelastresidentvacated in 1984
LatrobeCityformed (1994)
ONEmunicipalityfor theValley.
ThecitiesofMoe,Mor well andTraralgon,shires of Traralgon and Mirboo Northand partsofthe old Narracan Shireand RosedaleShire were mergedin1994aspar tofa majorreviewof localgovernmentacrossthe entire Gippsland spec trum
Privatisation of theSEC (1990s)
HOWdramaticallylifechanged forsomanyin theValley.
At itspeakinthe 1970s, theSEC was delivering energy to prac ticallyall of Victoria.
That allchanged when theKennettLiberal governmentdividedthe commission’s func tions in 1993 andsold them to private companies between 1995 and1997.
With theworkforce diminished,people left the Valley in droves.
Closure of HazelwoodPower Station (2017)
AFTER50years suppling thestate with brown coal-fired elec tricity, thecontrolswereswitched of fatHazelwood PowerStation in 2017
Thedecisioncameamidconcernsregarding the plant'sefficiency, safety andfinancial viability
INTENSE public interestsurrounded the disappearanceofMoe toddlerJaidynLeskie, whose1997murderremains unsolved
Theone-year-olddisappeared af tera babysittingmishap, andhis body was notfound untilsix monthslater at Blue Rock Dam.
Whilea primesuspec twas putontrial,and an inquestheld, theexact circumstances surroundingLeskie'smurderhavestill not concluded
Thestory also hadmajor reputational damage forMoe,somethingthe townwillarguablynever shake.
ComGames
cancelled (2023) WHAT mighthavebeen.
TheLatrobe Valley wasset to host eventsat the2026Commonwealth Games, only forthe AndrewsLabor government to pull thepin amid abudget blowout.
Legacy projectspromised forthe Gamesare still beingdelivered
Manny's Market
AFAMILY OWNED BUSINESS
The closure of Hazelwood Power Station in 2017 was one of the major news stories covered by the Express
Bruce Ellen,inmemoriam
MOST people whocometoworkatthe Express soonlearn that we areaworkfamily.
Brucewasn’tonlyour generalmanager,he was aleader, agentleman,and well-respec ted businessman, as wellasmentorand colleague. He was interestedinour personal livesand genuinelycared.Ifone of us needed time of f forpersonal reasons,hegave it -familyalways came first
He was theone we went to if we didn’t understandsomething,and lovedgoodbanter as long as it wasn’ttoo time consuming. As wellasGM, Brucewas also advertising manager
He movedfromhis upstairs of fice to downstairs alongsidethe advertisingdepar tmentnearlya decade ago.
To sayhehad supersonic hearingwas an understatement-heheard everything,even aboutitems notmeant forhis ears,usuallyfrom theadver tisingwomen
He belonged to the‘Turkish Delight Club’ at workand cer tainly hadasweet tooth.
At theExpress,wealwayshavea morningtea for someone’sbir thday. Brucewould always lead thesinging,but never stayedlong, gettingbacktowork. He did howeverenjoy beingdelivered bigplatesof sweets that he’d devour -hewas of tencaught raidingthe fridge of thelef tovers af terhours
During COVID when things were tough, Bruce hadtomakedif ficult businessdecisions, buthe always triedtobefairand helpusbenefit from thesituation as best he could
He was notonlyatremendous advocate in the community,but also ahugesupporter to all regional newspapers
Of all hispassions, one ofhisbiggestwas the LatrobeBig Blokes BBQ -which he helped organise forclose to 15 years,helping raise moneyfor ProstateCancer research
It is acruel twistthatprostatecancer is what led to Bruce’suntimelypassing last year.
We arecer tain howeverthathis legacywill live on at ever yLatrobe BigBlokesBBQ eventinthe years to come
Brucenever wanted to burden us with his health problems.Whenadvisingstaff of his earlycancer diagnosis, he was more concerned that he hadupset us with thenewsthanhewas aboutthe ac tual diagnosis.
He showed courageand strength throughout hisbattle, coming to workevery day, even af ter having treatment.
It’s been an absolute pleasureand honour to have worked forBruce.Hegave us oppor tuni many employerswouldn’thave It’s hard to believe we still don'tsee himinhis of fice or hear himsay “Morning,how areyou going?”ashecomes in Wordscannotexpress ourgratitude to have such acaring, thoughtful manasour boss an colleague
Bruceyou maybegone butyou will neverbe forgotten. Greatmemories.
Writtenby'Bruce'sworkfam
Federal Member for Gippsland and former Express journalist, Darren Chester
Danny O’B i was a jo with the sister p Gippsla before b leader o Nationa the Mem Gippsla South
Runningexpress to Canberra
By DARREN CHESTER
THEimpor tanceoflocal newspapers should neverbeunderestimated, andthe Latrobe Valley Expresshas arichhistory of telling the storieswhich matter forour region
As aformer staf fmember of theExpress,Ihave fond memories of attendingcour thearings, councilmeetingsand spor ting events to take notesand faithfullyrepor tbacktoour readers every week.Fromtragicincidents to hear twarmingfamilyyarns,the localnewspaper has been thepreferred sourceofinformation for localresidents for60years
Workingasa journalist hashelped me in my politicalcareerbecause it encouraged me to askquestions andtakeaninterestinhow people lived. It allowed me to understandhow ourcommunityworkedand thereweremany timesthatcontroversial issues were airedinthe ultimate cour tofpublic opinion, theletters to theeditor page!
TheExpress hasbeen critical to thegrow th of small businesses by providingaplatformto
As an historical record, acountry newspaperlike theExpress canbereliedonfor information on milestoneswhich have shaped ourcommunity as they givea first-handaccount of events which wouldnever make national news.
In wishingthe LatrobeValleyExpress ahappy anniversar y, Iwanttoextendmythanksand congratulationstoall currentand former staf f whohavecontributedtothe newspaper over thedecades
Havingaccess to localnewsand information helpstokeepLatrobe Valley residents connected to each other, andmakes ourregion abetterplace to live andwork.
DarrenChester is theFederal Member for Gippsland, andone of many former Express journalists to make wavesnationally and even internationally
Whereare they now? Page 30
Nats leader star tedout in journalism
IEXTENDmywarmest congratulationstothe LatrobeValleyExpress on celebrating60years of dedicatedser vice to theLatrobe Valley and beyond
Havingstarted my owncareerasa cadet journalist,Iunderstandthe importantrole that localnewspapersplay in shapingand suppor tingregional communities.
Over thepastsix decades, theExpress has done just that -capturing theheart andsoul of theLatrobe Valley throughits reporting,
Public interest journalism is an essential pieceofdemocraticinfrastructure, andthe Expressdeliversthis to theLatrobeValley communityevery week.
commentar yand connectiontothe people it ser vesacrossthe region
Fromcovering therise andtransformation of thepower industr y, thecommunity'sresilience throughthe Hazelwoodminefireand major bushfires andfloods, to tellingthe storiesof localsportingheroes, community champions, andeverydaypeopledoing extraordinary things -the LatrobeValleyExpress hasbeen there, week in andweek out.
Their coverage hashelped preser ve our
shared histor y, hold decision-makersto account, and celebratethe spirit of Gippsland. Congratulationstothe entire team, past and present, on this remarkable milestone
Your workcontinues to be avital part of our regional identity,and I'mproud to recognise your contribution
Here's to thenext60years of greatstorytelling! FromMember forGippsland South andLeader of thestate Nationals, DannyO'Brien
For60years TheExpress has engaged with, scrutinised, challenged, lobbied forand celebrated its community.
Ayoung Darren Chester,picturedin1987 during histime with theExpress. A young pictured in 1987 r
Mayor's message
LATROBECityCouncil extendsits warmest congratulationstothe past andpresenteditorial teamand staf fofour localnewspaper,the LatrobeValleyExpress on an incredible 60 years of ser vice to ourcommunity.
Forsix decades,the newspaper hasbeena trustedvoicefor thepeople of ourregionrecording ourstories,repor ting on theissuesthat matter andcapturing themoments that shape our towns.
Fromcouncil decisionsand community celebrations, to spor ting triumphsand local heroes,the paperhas playedanessential role in keepingresidents informed,connec tedand engaged.
This milestone is atestamenttothe dedication, integrity andhardworkofall those whohave contributedoverthe years,fromjournalists, editors andphotographers to designers, printers anddistributors.Yourcommitmenttotelling thestories of LatrobeCityhas helpedshape ouridentityand provided alasting recordofthe people,eventsand changesthatdefineus.
Astrongand independent localmedia is vital to a healthyand informed community.
We thankyou foryourcommitmenttodelivering timely andrelevantcoverage,and forgiving voice to thediversity of viewsand experiences that make ourmunicipalitysounique.
Congratulations once again on this extraordinary achievement.
We celebratenot just 60 yearsofnews, but60 years of communityconnectionand stor ytelling. We look forwardtomanymoreyears of continued coverage,connec tion,and shared storiesacross LatrobeCity.
Here’s to thenextchapter
MorwellBowling Club
COME DINE UNDER THE DOME
Latrobe City Council Mayor, Dale Harriman
Risingthrough journo ranks
YOUR localnews, broughttoyou by ateamall under theage of 25
ExpressjournalistsKatrina Brandon, Blake Metcalf-Holtand AidanKnightformthe nucleus of theeditorial depar tment, covering arange of storiestohelpfill thenewspaper each andevery week.
Thetriumvirate canusuallybefound either at their desk filing amyriadofyarns,orout on the roadgathering thelatestnews.
Whileyoung in years,the trio have already gained significant experience repor ting on federalelections,local council andregional development.
Youcan find them allwith notepad andcamera in hand at importantlocal events as well, such as AnzacDay services and Australia Day ceremonies.
Their by-lines have also accompanied storiesof everydayLatrobe City champions,happenings from schools,and spor tingteams
Allthree arewell-connected to thearea,having grownupinGippsland
Katrina ‘leads’the seniority at 24 years-of-age, andhas been with theExpress forjustovertwo years
“AsafarmgirlinregionalVic toria, Igrewup hearingmyparents tell theirstories abouttheir business to otherjournalists,”the Korumburra localsaid
“Those journalistsinspiredme, so Icould help shareother people’sstories whilehavingthe thrill of adventureasI explore regional areas.
“Havingspent twoyears withthe Express, I love every aspect of thejob,frommeeting new people,hearing theirstories,learningabout dif ferent areas, topicsand people, andthatnot every dayisthe same.”
Blake (21) leadsthe spor ts coverage -a double edged swordgiven itspopularityand heav y scrutiny.
He haswritten storiesonvir tuallyevery spor t
imaginable sincejoining theteama little more than 12 months ago.
“The writtentemplate, thetruestmedia platform in my opinion, hasalwaysbeen my favouriteformofstorytelling andmymost comfor table in ar ticulatingsuch,”hesaid.
“I workedout my passionfor writingthrough secondary school at Lowanna College, and what better waytobegin that career than at the Express.
“There have been some unbelievable writers come throughthispublication (and)itcontinues to proveits importance to thecommunityand itsreaders.”
Spor tispossiblythe leastappealingsubject for AidanKnight, yetifdigital design was evera contest,hewould surely take some beating
Many of thepages read in theExpress have been broughttolifebyAidan,who works in a
hybridrolebetween editorial and produc tion Hiscreative writingskillsare such,hehad many believinghis ‘story’published on April1about seniorExpress reporter Phil Hopkinstakingona new jobasa train conduc torwas true
“I have always found an appeal in allaspec ts of print -the writing, designand presssideof things,” he said.
“I beganworking in theindustr ydeliveringthe (now-discontinued) TheTrader, growingup in Warragul,beforediversifyingmyabilities in distribution,proofreading, andproductionwhile studying journalism
“I spenttimewriting forseveral music publicationsand theuni school paperbeforeI graduated,but founda pull towardlocal news, andreallyenjoy seeingwhatthese kind of publicationsdofor aregionalarea.”
Pace &A ssociatesLaw yers hasutilisedJenny andthe fantastic team at theLatrobe Valley Expresstoextendour reach across Gippsland andbroaden ouralreadystrongclientbase Thetailored advertisingpackages of feredbothinthe paper anddigitaleditionshas notonly attractednew clientsbut has allowed ouroffice to promote ourpractice areasand continue to strengthen ourreputationwithin the community
Whetheryou areadver tising servicesora new business searching rclients,Jenny andthe team will tailor to yourneeds andprovide with theappropriate advertisementpackages
Young Express journos Blake Metcalf-Holt, Katrina Brandon and Aidan Knight
Valley Express Production Manager, Wayne ‘Muz’ Musgrove
Photograph:Aidan Knight
Producingpages of quality
By AidanKnight
THERE'Sa lotmoretoputting anewspaper together than just taking photos andwriting words,and nobody knowsthisbetterthan WayneMusgrove
TheExpress production manager hasspenthis entire adultlifewiththe company, andworked on all aspects andprocesses of theproduction departmentthatisneeded to create each edition of the paper
Originallyworking as ahandcompositor, doing layoutsvia paste-up,aprocess involvingthe manual cutting-and-pasting andarrangement of galleysoftypeand photoelementstodesign each page,MrMusgrovewentontostudy the pre-press processesduringhis apprenticeship, whichhecommenced in 1986 at theMelbourne CollegeofPrintingand Graphic Arts,asdid many Expressemployees.(Theinstitutionhas since been absorbed intoRMIT University.)
“Backinthe cut-andpaste days everyone worked on galleysoftypeprinted on paper, whichwould be cutupwithsurgicalscalpels, andrun througha waxing machinesothatit could be rolled down andstuck to sheets of paper to producea page.Ifyou neededcolour, you’dhave asheet of acetatewhich was like a cellophane that we couldlayer on apagetoget different colours,”Wayne (known as Muz) said "All photos processed backthenweredone on a halftone camerawhich wouldexpose theimage youwantedonspecial sheets of light sensitive paper whichwerethenexposed to bright lights andprocessed throughamachine to bringout theimage.Somedays, especiallydeadlinedays, youcould spendthe majority of your shiftinthe darkroom.
“Everything backthenthatwas done was manual,and very labour intensive,and the employeenumbersreflected that."
When Muzbeganatthe Express, therewere 20 or morepeople working in thedepartment –enoughtowarrant them havingday and night shifts to work around theclock underthe experienced supervisionofJim Dunn,who was production manager at the time Now,with currenttechnology, production makesdowitha capableteamoffive, twofull time andthree part time employees whichisa starkcontrastand showsjusthow fartechnology hascomeinthe industry
Anotherjob Muztook up at theExpress was the imposition of plates.Today’snewsprint works by laser-cutting images intoaluminiumplates, before literallypressingthe images onto paper with ink.
“WhenIstarted making plates we wouldexpose thefinished pasteuppages to film whichwould create anegative image. Thesewerethentaped up onto giantsheetsofplastic,placed onto a chemicallycoatedaluminiumplate,exposed to ultraviolet lights andthenfed througha processor filled with chemicalswhich would developthe positiveimage neededfor printing. Todaythere arenochemicalbaths anda laser exposesthe imageontothe plates once again streamliningthe process.”
Once apageislaid outdigitally,Muz double checks it andmakes anyadjustments needed andthensends it offtobecreatedintoaPDF file to be made into plates at theExpress Print presssite(locatedonJonesRoad, Morwell), remotely
Whilethe ExpressproducesplatesinMorwell foraround 30 variousregionalpapersaround thestate,the same production team pump just as many fora presssiteinRockhampton, making LatrobeValleyanimportant component of theQueensland CountryPress Association as well. Somethingthatcould neverhavebeen
done withoutthe transition to today’sdigital advancements.
"I've seen many changesinmy39years,but one thingthatI still love is thecreative processand freedom that Ihave when designing advertising material or publicationsfor ourclients.There is a satisfaction that comeswithproducing aquality productfor printing,"hesaid.
"One otherthing that Ifeelveryfortunate about with my yearshereatthe ExpressisthatI have worked andcurrently workwithsomefantastic people.There is areal family-type atmosphere here that greets youevery daywhenyou walk throughthe doors, whichislovely.Weall understandthatweare here to worktogether as ateamtoproduce what we feel is avery valuable contribution to theLatrobe Valley community."
Muzleads acapable team of equally experienced production staffwho workclosely to sharethe load that rollsinand is pressed out each week
"I have afantastic team that Iamproud to work alongside. Roccoassists with platemakingto geteverything printed on time,Chris lendshis graphic design qualificationstothe layouts, Paul works hard designing advertsfor clientsas wellastacklingthe behindthe scenesworkon multiple websites,and of course,not to forget thenewest member of theExpress family, Aidan, whohas been ahardworking addition to theproductionand editorial teams."
This teamcan be heardacrossthe building uproaring at Chris’ selectionofcountry music, or seentobesweatingtoget thepaper finished to meet deadline.
"Overmyyears Ihave seen wherethe Express hascomefromand nowI'm excited to see whereitisgoingand what thefutureholds."
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Latrobe
Juliie Harwood and her son Robin
Multiple mastheadsprinted
By AIDANKNIGHT
THEreach of theLatrobe Valley Express stretchesfur ther than thecirculation of ourown paper andour sister publication,the Sale-based Gippsland Times.
Thecompany hasalonghistory in the produc tion of external regional newspapers, thanks to thehardworkofthe ExpressPrint staf f. Also locatedinMor well,Express Print is where ourpapersare printed –along with close to 40 otherregionalpublicationsfromacrossthe state, from MallacootatoColac,Mar yborough to PhillipIsland
ExpressPrint Site Manager,Peter Gileshas been on boardsince age24inthe 1980s,leavingfor astint printingdaily metropolitan publications, before returningtothe Expressasaprint machinist
Before that, he hadspentthe four years of his apprenticeship as acommercial printer.Peter hasnow filled hiscurrent role as presssite manager formorethan10years
“WhenI star tedmyapprenticeship, we were predominantly printingwith hotmetal,casting slugsinlead,”Peter says Sincethen, ExpressPrint hasbuilt areputation as themajor regional newspaper printer in Victoria, af terthe title publication became thefirst in Australia to be produced viaoffset printingtechnology.
"Regional papers aremuchmoreimpor tant than people give them creditfor,” Petersaid.
“Halfofthe Herald Sunisnewsfromaround theworld.There's hardly anything youeversee in theExpress from overseas.It'salwayslocal community."
It’s this communitythatbrought Peterbackto theExpress from thebig smoke, stating that “those operationstreateveryone as anumber, acomplete anthesis of this place, it’d be closer to afamily”
Just likeevery otherdepar tmentwithin the Express, Peterisplagued in hispersonal life by flying comments of a“dyingtrade”, onethathe is proudtobeworking in,and rejectsthe notion of entirely
“The paperwill see me outeasily, Ithink the Expresswill still be producingahardcopy25 years down thetrack. People love howtac tile a newspaper is,the ability youhavetoflipthrough pages,rip astory out, pinitona wall,put it in a scrapbook if youwant.”
Thesesentiments of communityand the comfor ting physical format arewhy Peterloves what he does,and make thedif ficult jobof managingdeadlines,mechanical breakdowns
andworking underthe pump wor th it
On average,Express Print steadily produces 25 to 30 differenttitlesa week,anumber that fluc tuates over time as papers come in andout of publication “A greatexampleofthiswas theFosterMirror, whichshutdown(last year) only to be replaced within amatterofmonthsbythe PromCoast News, whichcovers awider area with abigger circulation quantity,”Peter said This aloneshows that regional newspapersare alive andwell, andinthe capablehands of Peter Giles,will always be rolling of fthe presses.
Press site in action -Page22
Celebrating 60 Years of TrustedNews
Express Print Site Manager, Peter Giles Photograph:Aidan Knight
For six decades, the Express has been a trusted voice in our region - supporting local organisations and strengthening our community Since 1931, the Morwell Traders Association, Morwell Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and now Advance Morwell have worked tirelessly to support, represent, and advocate for Morwell
Heres to our shared legacyand many more years ahead!
Zoeflowing in printing trade
By AIDANKNIGHT
ZOECollierisa third-yearprintingapprentice at ExpressPrint,working alongsidea 22-strong teamtoget the32weekly, 10 fortnightly,nine monthly,ninequarterly,six annual andone half-yearlypublicationsout intothe handsofthe public
Havingstarted with theExpress as acollator at age19, Zoepursued atrade in printingafter jumpingatthe opportunitytoworkina career many peopleher agewouldn’tevenknow existed.
“It’smorethanjustink on paper,”isZoe’s ethos, andit’sthatattitudetothe craf tthathas seen herbecomea valuable member of theteam. What star tedoff as acuriosity developedinto apassion;after becoming quicklyfascinatedin herdaysasacasual worker with howthe press workedand ever ything came together in the printing process
“Tobea printer is to learnhow to runa press, runamachine,how to fixit, maintainit, and those areskillsthatapply to such much more than what youwould thinkisinvolvedinprinting anewspaper," Zoesaid.
As oneofthe youngest people on thepress floor, Zoeisaninspirational part of theteam andaddshopetothe ‘dying trade’ that more peoplewill carr yonthe ar tofnewsprint foryears
“
to come,ensuringthere is always someone to ‘put inkonpaper’, in thesame capacitywestill do now.
Printingisa fast-paced environment, onethat many peoplemight notflourishinorbeable to keep up with easily,but that seemstobeno issue forZoe,something sheattributestothe hands-on learning af forded to herbythe team at ExpressPrint
“Everyone works together,but it’s important that ever yone learns thejob wellenoughtobe able to do it on their own,"she said Zoeseesthisas“an amazingoppor tunity,both formetobeable do this andfor thepeoplewho gave me theoppor tunity to have this approach."
As theindustr ycontinuestomodernise,and theprintingprocesses with it,Zoe hasseenfirsthand howthe landscapehas changedfor the more industrial side of newspaper
“WhenI first star ted, we’d be here until3am sometimestoget thepaper out. Now, with newerpresses anda better understanding of howeverything works,asweworkhardtofix it ourselvesifthere’s evera problem, it’s amazing to think howsmoothitis,"she said.
"Everyone works together,eventhe casuals reallyadd to keep things flowing. It’s aproud momenttosee howfar we’vecome
"And Iwouldn'tbewhere Iamtodaywithout thethe greatgroup of people Iworkwith, allthe
Everyone works together.It’saproud momenttosee how farwe’ve come.Iwouldn'tbewhere Iamtoday withoutthe greatgroup of peopleIworkwith, allthe boys on thepress arethe best to learnfromand have alaugh.
ZOECOLLIER “
boys on thepress arethe best to learnfromand have alaugh."
An equallyhumblingexperienceisdriving past anothernewspaper of fice separate to the Express, or travelling to anothersuburb. If Zoe is any whereinVic toriaand spots a country newspaper,chancesare it’s one she’sworkedon personally
“You walk outofthe building knowingpeople aregoing to open that papertomorrow –and youhelped putitthere.That’spretty cool.”
Express printing apprentice, Zoe Collier on the job
Photo: AidanKnight
Behind thescenesatppress site
Exp to pr Ta
press Printproduces 25 30 different titles aweek, printingnewspapers from as farasMaryborough and Tarrangower.
ExpressPrint can churn out 23,000 newspape copies in an hour.Many differentassemblytypes areprinted here,from tabloid andbroadsheet to stitch andtrim.
Boyer Paper Mill celebratesour
60 year part ner ship with Latr obeValley
Ex pr es s.
Locatedalong theDer went Ri ver, just 36 km fr om Hobar t andnearNew Norfolk, Boyer Paper Mill has been a corner stone of Australia ’s paper industr ysinceits inception in 1941.
With ar ic hlegacy of innovation and qualit y, themill has pla yedav ital role in deli vering paperproduc ts to homes and businesses ac ross thenation .
We’re excited...
Boyer Paper Mill is excited to announce the development of a new, sustainable locally produced office paper to fill the current gap in Australian made office paper produc ts. Development of this produc t is now well underway ands should be available from your local office supplier earlier next year
APar tnership Going From Strength To Strength
The dedicated crew from Express Print work around the clock to get newspapers out into the community Photographs HM Photography
Ourgreat mate,Granty
PAUL Grantwas oneofthe LatrobeValley Express' longest-ser ving employees.
Mr Grant, whopassedaway18months ago, ser vedthe newspaper forthe best part of 50 years
During histimewiththe Express, 'Granty' workedasa typographer, designer and compositor. Most of thepages in theExpress since 1977 hadMrGrant’s fingerprintsbehind them
Former Expresseditors Celine Foenanderand Lynne Smith spokeatMrGrant’s funeral, sharing ‘A letter to Granty’
Below area fewextractsfromthatletter.
It was April1977whenDavid Amietput you (Paul) on at theExpress as an apprentice compositor.That’safter youhad been hired to work as aprinter butthe then manager,Mr Hopkins-orHoppy -thought youweretoo small to move thehugereels of paper-soitwas of fto thecomproomfor you, andyou travelled back andfor th to trade school in Melbourne. Compositorswereanintegralpar tofa newspaper;the Expresswas oneofthe first of fset papers in Victoria andyou Granty, became amasterofyourcraft.You developed skillsintypography andpagemake-up
According to your workmateRocco,you were also amasteratcricket.There wassometimesa game in thecomproomonthe Thursday night shif twith Blowie (BrendanAyre), Dicky Knee (Michael Lee), Rocco Filippo, FrankGaudiano, Muz (Wayne Musgrove), ChrisAustin, Paul Akers andBrian Peterson
AndwithanRDO on theFriday, anyinjuries(or broken equipment) were forgottenbythe next shif t.
Your skillswerehighlyvalued when youmoved from thecomproomtothe newly established ar tdepar tment.
Af terthe adsweredesignedbythe graphic
ar tists,itwas your jobtomarkthemup, using your typography skills. Younot only hadtoselect theappropriate typeface butthe sizeofthe text That ar tdepar tmentteamwentontowin numerousaccolades at theVic torian Countr y Press AdvertisingAwardswithimpressive feedback from thejudgesfor your typography Thenextphase of your career wasjoining the Expresseditorialteam.
Sub-editors whocould also layout pages were hard to come by so youmadeasmooth transition intobecoming an integral member of thenewsroom.
Youkeptyourcoolthroughoutwhenevery five minutesthere wasa call:‘Granty canyou help?’ Youweremorethanjustthe person who dragged anddropped ajourno’scopyand a photo onto thepage. Anymug could do that
With allyouryears of experience, your natural ar tisticability andself-taught techie skills, you knew what to do to drawa readertoapage. Sure,the journosreckoneditwas their stories whereevery wordwas ‘gold’,the photographers believeditwas their pics andthe subs thoughtit was theircatchyheadlines
Butitwas always thelayoutthattapped into thepsycheofthe reader andkeptthemonthe page.
Granty,you thrivedonworking on anykind of feature,special coverage,lif t-outorwrap around
In 2017,you andthe editorialteamwon aRural Press Club of Victoria awardfor an eight-page feature on thehistory of theHazelwood Power Station -the storiesweregreatbut it was essentiallythe layout that showcased thesubject matter
Something I(Celine)didn’tknowishow you beganworking on layoutsfor are-design of theExpress.You draf tedupa fewoptions but unfortunatelythe re-designdidn’tgoahead
Lo andbehold,aroundthe same time,The Age shif tedfromabroadsheet to tabloid. Thenew look Agewithits newlayoutwas oh,so close to your draf tdesign. Andyou reckon youweren’t keep up with thebig guns,Granty. I’ve obser vedmanyayoung journ hang on your ever ywordabouth things were done in theold days thestories aboutcharactersthat seemingly only existinnewspape of fices.
Youhelped successiveyoung editors putout newspapers that everyone would be proudof… youloved nothingbetterthan making apagecometolife. You were theconnec tion between thepastExpress andthe present.
It hasbeen along-standing tradition in editorialthatwhen someone leaves(if we liked them,thatis) we producea fake fp g forthemtokeepwithstories that can’tbetoldin the public arena.
Youmadethisprojec tyourown Granty and whilethe cleverwriters gotcreative,you did wondersmakingthe page aforever memor y, completewithsomehighlyquestionable photoshopped pics
We neverquite knew howyou turned outthat page,but backyou’d skip from produc tion with thebounty.
See, that’s what it meanstobe‘ family’. And youhad apretty bigfamilyat21GeorgeStreet, Mor well for45years
Mr Grantwas 64 when he passed He is sur vivedby wifeCarolineand their five children
Left: A very young Paul Grant during s early years in re-press
Below: Paul 'Granty' Grant A master craftsman when it ame to design for the Express
h p ca
Galaxy of sporting stars were
By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
IT isn't just Australian football where local athletes have shined
The Latrobe Valley and surrounds have produced household spor ting names of international acclaim, and the Express has been there ever y step of the way
Opals debut in 2021 and has yet to look back She’s got ten better each and ever y year as one of the best players in the WNBL for the Capitals and a rising terror with Washington Mystic s in the WNBA The shining light thus would have to be the historic bronze medal the 2024 Paris Olympics, however
While their names have made international headlines, the following of ten got their first in the local newspaper
kWhite algon) – basketball
nine Australians can hold claim to an hampionship ring - Jack White is one m White has played at prac tically level of basketball, with the Denver ets and Memphis Grizzlies, ourne United, for the Boomers, and ntly going around in Germany
nnaO’Hea
aralgon) – basketball
MPETING in two Olympic Games, h the latter in the 2020 Tokyo mes as captain O’Hea fought from r t to finish as a talented for ward women ’ s basketball A three-time NBL champion, and stints with the os Angeles Sparks and Seattle Storm the WNBA are just the tip of the eberg
Jade Melbourne (Traralgon) – basketball
AS close to a child prodigy as you can get, Melbourne burst onto the scene, making her
BelindaSnell (Mirboo North)
- basketball
PERHAPS best remembered for a ridiculous half-cour t buzzer-beater at the London 2012 games, Snell featured in three Olympics and since returned home to coach Gippsland Un (based in Traralgon) Was par t of Australia's highest-ever basketball achievement - the 2 FIBA World Cup gold medal
PeterSiddle (Morwell) – cricket
A CAREER that boasted 67 Test matches an 221 wickets (which included an unforgettab hat-trick on his bir thday nonetheless), there’ a strong argument that Siddle is the Latrobe Valley (and even Gippsland’s) greatest ever athlete
Siddle was par t of one of only three Australian teams to win an Ashes series 5-nil, and gained a reputation for being the Aussies most reliable fast bowler during the 2010s Is still playing professional cricket into his 40s
AnneGordon (Moe)
- cricket
CAPTAINING Australia’s One Day International side in 1976, Gordon appeared in nine Test matches and eight one-dayers in the span
of nine years She took 22 wickets and took five wickets in an innings twice Gordon was chair woman of England selec tors from 1992 to 1996 af ter her playing days
Teagan Micah (Moe) – soccer
EVERYONE loves the Matildas, so to have
Traralgon’s Jack White won an NBA championship in 2023 File photographs
Teagan Micah started out with Moe United Soccer Club, before going on to play with Liverpool and for the Matildas
first featured in theExpress
played22matches sincethe ageof20onthe international stagemakes Micahabeloved figure that LatrobeValleyholds close to hear t. As agoalkeeper,Micah hasplayedinthe A-League Women, in Norway,Sweeden,and hasplayedfor Liverpoolinthe top-tier Women’s Super League
Ashlee Wells (Morwell)– hockey
MEDALLING in almostevery significant competitionthere is,Wells has123 caps forthe Australia National Team,withthe pinnacle being the2014Women’sHockeyWorld Cupfinal appearance.Wells hasalso won silver medals he Oceania Cup, WorldLeague,and two pionsTrophyrunner-ups even Baldacchino aralgon)
–kickboxing
CH belovedinlocal boxing andkickboxing ,Baldacchino is amultiple Australian oxingchampion, andhas appearedonthe stage, standing in thecorner of Australian ial ar tistJimmy Crute.
akeTownsend
aralgon) –baseball
CHINGfor Australia at the2023World ball Classic, Townsend hasbeengoing this businessatthe lower-levels in the ed States af tersigning hisfirst MBL trac twhenhewas 17-years-old forthe tle Mariners.Hecurrently pitchesfor the sburgh Piratesminor league teamsand gned to AustralianBaseballLeagueclub elaideGiants.
RockyMattioli (Morwell)–boxing
ACCOMPANYING thelikes of localboxing gendsofthe past such as Lionel Rose,the ghtmiddleweight fighter, Mattioli,captured theWBC titlewhenhewas just 23-years-old, andfinished hiscareerin1982witharecord of 64-7-2, including51winsbyknockout.
Congratulations Express on 60 Years
Youhave been righttherebesideusaswe promoted our Asbestos support services and continued to encourage us as we included making our communityaware of the dangers of Silica.
Our 24 year relationship with the Express has only grownstrongeraswehave worked together to raise awareness in our community.
We
Jarrod Fletcher (Moe)-boxing
IN only 21 professional fights,Fletcher still set outanimpressiveresumewithonlythree losses and10winsbyknockout. As an amateur, he won agold medalatthe 20 06 Commonwealth Gamesand as aworld middleweight title challenger
LorraineSteel (Moe/Newb)–lawnbowls
PL AYING224 gamesfor Victoria in inter Test series,Steel won national gold ands medals in foursand singlesevents. Shew nine statetitles, whilebeingaclubchamp forNewborough, Moeand Yallourn bowl clubsovera 45-yearperiod.
Jason Bright (Moe)–car racing
IN atotal of 578Supercars races, Bright claimed 20 wins and 88 podiums throughout his20-year career.He competed in circuitraces to greatsucce priortojumping to Supercarsin1997. Th ultimate wasa winatBathurst in 1998 wi Ford.
Tim Forsyth (Thorpdale) –high jump
FEATURINGinthree Olympic Games, Forsyth'sgreatestachievementwould have to be thebronzemedalatthe 1992 BarcelonaGameswithajumpof2.34 metres.HeheldanAustralianrecordof2.36 metres (breakinghis ownrecord).
To see theValley'sAll Star AFLteam, turn to Page 27
Morwell’s Ash Wells played more than 10 0 hockey matchesfor Australia.
A photo of Thorpdale’s Tim Forsyth in a 1992 issue of the Express after his Olympic medal win
Comfortable
Mobility
Friendly,
Fast
•
•
•
•
•
Followingfootysfortunes
FOOTBALL hasbeena wayoflifefor many in theLatrobe Valley
Eachweek,players,parents andpundits grab theircopytocheck thescores,or see if theirson,daughter, nephew,niece or mate has'ratedamention'.
Football-netballclubs form the hear tbeatofcommunities, much like a localnewspaper
Clubsuccess,champions andeven demiseshave been detailed through ourpages over thelast60years
TheLatrobe Valley hasalsoproduced a litany of quality players whohave gone onto the'bigleague'
Here,sportsjournalist Blake MetcalfHoltnameshis greatest ever Latrobe Valley team.
Defenders
Troy Makepeace (Moe/North Melbourne)
PL AYED 139gamesfor North Melbourneasa reliabledefenderand representedAustralia in International Rules.Later returned to Moeassenior coach.
Rick Kennedy (Traralgon/Footscray)
IN a10-year career and158 games, Kennedy was atough buttalented full back.The same year he earnt thecaptaincy at theBulldogs, he represented Victoria Les Hawken (Trafalgar/Hawthorn)
DUBBEDa 'backpocketspecialist', Hawken's65gamesfor Haw thorn included the1971flag.
Half Backs
Vin Waite (Morwell/Carlton)
WONtwo premierships with Carlton (1970, 1972)across153 gamesand also representedVic toria. Hisson Jarrad played184 gamesfor theBlues
Brendon Goddard (Traralgon/StKilda/ Essendon)
AT hispeak, was oneofthe best players in theAFL circa2010. Played more than 30 0gamesand in theeyesofmany, should have won the2010'drawn'Smith Medal.
BrianCordy (Traralgon/Footscray)
PART of theCordy clan whoplayedfor theBulldogs. Brianplayed124 gamesin thered,white andblue. HissonsAyce andZaine were also draf tedtothe club Midfield
AndrewMcQualter (Traralgon/St Kilda/Gold Coast)
SERVICEABLE in 94 gamesfor St Kilda andGoldCoast,beforeturning his attentiontocoachingand af tera local
flag with Rosedale in 2015.Hewas Richmondcaretaker andiscurrently coachofWestCoast
Michael Voss (Traralgon/Brisbane Lions/Carlton)
HE was born in Traralgon.There isn't enough spacetolisteverything the Brisbane Lionssuperstar achievedas part of arguably thegreatest side to ever play thegame.Coached theLions post-playing, andiscurrently theunder sieged Carltoncoach
NeilCordy (Traralgon/Footscray/ Sydney)
PL AYED more than 20 0gamesfor Footscrayand Sydney on thewing. Became aprominent spor ts repor ter andtelevision presenterafter hanging up theboots
Half Forwards
Paul Dear (Traralgon/Hawthorn)
EARNINGthe Norm SmithMedalin theHawks 1991 premiershipfor atwogoal performance, Dear wasa beloved playerand is sur vivedbyhis sonCalsher whowears thebrownand gold at this very moment.
BernieQuinlan (Traralgon/Footscray/ Fitzroy)
HIS recordspeaksfor itself.Morethan 350gamesand 80 0goals,a Brownlow Medal(1981), twoColemanMedals (1983-84) andaplace in theAustralian Football Hall of Fame
ONEofGoldCoast's most capped players,Ainswor th is on track to play his 150thAFL matchthisseason. He has averagednearlya goal-a-game during histimewiththe Suns
KelvinTempleton (Traralgon/ Footscray/Melbourne)
AN automaticchoiceatfullfor ward
Wontwo ColemanMedals (1978-79)and aBrownlow(1980)across177 games for593 goals. Templeton was namedin Footscray'sTeamofthe Centur yand is in theAFL HallofFame
Tim Membrey (Traralgon/Sydney/St Kilda/Collingwood)
MOVEDtoCollingwood this season and is closinginon200 AFLgames. Membrey haskickedmorethan300 goalsand won St Kilda'sgoal-kicking threetimes
Followers
GarryCrane (YallournNorth/Carlton)
LABELLED"themostcourageous playerinthe game"bythe greatRon Barassi, Cranewas an outstanding big-game player whofeaturedin threeCarlton premierships (1968, '70, '72) andwas namedinthe Blues' Team of theCentury BarryRowlings (Moe/Hawthorn/ Richmond)
THEfitness fanaticdidn'tcometo theVFL untilhewas 25,but still playedmorethan200 gamesfor Hawthornand Richmond,winning premierships at both (1976, 1980).
PeterSomerville (Moe/Essendon)
RUCKMANwho played160 games forEssendon, includingthe 1993 premiership. Hisuncle Geof fisthe Sommervilleinlong-runningMoe construc tion business LawSomer ville Industries.The LawisBradLaw,past MoeFootball-NetballClubPresiden andcurrent timekeeper
Interchange
DarrenWheildon (Newborough/ Fitzroy)
ONEofthe mostdynamic and exciting playersofhis time, Wheildon only amounted to 70 VFL/ AFLgames, butbooted160 goals in theprocess.Hehad aseven-goal outing in just histhird game,and finished the1992seasonwith41 goals.
PeterReville (Moe/South Melbourne/Fitzroy)
T Traralgon local Brendon Goddard playedmorethan 300gamesatthe toplevel
MANY people have probably never heardofhim,but Revilleplayedmore than 150VFL gamesduringthe 1920s and 1930s. Came runner-upinthe 1930 Brownlow Medal, playedina SouthMelbourneflag (1933) and kicked more than 20 0goals playing alongsidethe greatBob Prattand Laurie Nash.Was inducted into Sydney'sHall of Fame in 2022
Greg Dear (Churchill/Hawthorn/ Richmond)
ALONGSIDE hisbrotherPauland in theruckduringa famous erafor theHawks,Dearplayedclose to 20 0gamesand featured in three premierships (1986, 1988,1989). He also was first ruckmanfor Victoria in 1986
BryanQuirk (Morwell)
Essenddon 1 1993 premiership ruckman, Moe's Peter Somerville
FB: Troy Makepeace (Moe), Rick Kennedy ( Traralgon), Les Hawken ( Trafalgar)
INJURIESrobbed himoffur ther glor y, butQuirk still played167 gamesand kicked 112goals forCarlton from 1965 to 1975.Was amember of theBlues' 1968 premiershipand inducted into Carlton'sHall of Fame in 20 06
Bryan Quirk was oneofahostof Morwell players to featureinCarlton premierships between 1968 and 1972
FF: Ben Ainsworth (Mor well), Kelvin Templeton ( Traralgon), Tim Membrey( Traralgon)
Foll: Garry Crane ( Yallourn Nor th), Barry Rowlings (Moe), Peter Somerville (Moe)
Int: Darren Wheildon (Newborough), Peter Reville (Moe), Greg Dear (Churchill), Bryan Quirk (Mor well)
Captain/coach: Michael Voss
Selector: Blake Metcalf-Holt
LOYALTY runs very deep at the Express
The company is fortunate to have staff who have been as dedicated to the newspaper as some of its readers
A total of 12 current staff have served at least 10 years, while most have also reached 20-year milestones during their time
Amazingly, four staff members have given more than three decades worth of service
Wayne Musgrove is coming up to 40 years, as is his long-time buddy in production, Rocco Filippo (38)
Distribution manager, Ursula Henne has also served 38 years, while the Express' current general manager, Barb Seymour has been here for 36 and press site manager, Peter Giles more than a quarter century
Leading ladies Josie Vitale (19 years)
Lee Dal Pra (17), Jenny Mann (17) and Janeen Brown (14) have also contributed greatly to the life and times of the Express
Josie has fielded countless calls and greeted countless people in reception, while Lee has kept things in order in accounts
Jenny is the current features manager, often working in tandem with Janeen in advertising
Others to give outstanding service are Marg Lee (23 years), Paul Weaver (10) and Jane Hoffman (10)
Between all current Express longserving employees (10+ years), there is a combined 287 years ' experience That's nearly five times more than the entire Express history!
THEExpress hasbeen therefor communities throughthick andthinand I’msoproud that we have continued to supportrural andregional journalism andworkers andthe essential connections that they deliver.
HappybirthdayLatrobe Valley Express, may therebemany, many more.
Member forEastern Victoria Region Harriet Shing
Memberfor EasternVictoriaRegion, Harriet Shing speakingtomedia at Latrobe Regional Healthafter thehospital wasallocated$44 millioninthe 2024 state budget File photograph
Therefor community Camo sends congrats
AHUGEcongratulationstoall involved at the Expressthroughoutthe last 60 years –whatan incredible achievement.
Sixdecades is alongtimeinbusiness, andfor every oneofthose 60 years, thehard-working folksatthe Expresshavededicatedthemselves to ensuring ourcommunityhas theverylatest in thenewsthatmatters most to them Whetheritbecovering naturaldisasters, developments in ourlocal industries,feel-good community storiesorsport –the Expresshas done it allwith people frontofmind.
In alandscape whereprint mediaissadly dwindling, anddespitethe rise of social and digital media, we areincrediblylucky to have alocal paperthatisstill goingstrongafter all this time
If it weren’tfor ourlocal ‘rag’ therewould be countlessstories untold andimportant itemsof newsuncovered.
Congratulationsonamagnificent 60 years! Martin Cameron,Member forMorwell.
David's decades of dedication
ONEman worked forthe Expressfor just about thepaper's entire 60 -yearhistory
That manwas DavidAmiet, whoretiredjust last yearafter an incredible 55 years'wor th of ser vice
Star ting withthe companyall theway back in February 1969,the quietachieverwentonto fulfilalmostevery role imaginable
Mr Amietjoinedthe Expressasproduction manager followinga five-yearapprenticeshipin Melbourne, andwentontoser ve as theExpress' circulation manager,front-officemanager and assistantadver tisingmanager
Whileproductionand advertisingwerehis most enjoyeddepar tments,his most prolific contribution came in credit control, overseeing payrollfor thebestpar toffourdecades
Mr Amietsaw theworkplace transform physically, with theadditionofanupstairs newsroomand the produc tion sec tion next door.
He said goodbyetothe former presssite attached to theGeorgeStreet, Mor well building,and watchedthe masthead change from aweekly,bi-weekly,tri-weekly,backtoa bi, andthenfinally, backtoa weeklyissue
Mr Amietsaidthe rise of technology hadseen themostprofound change
"Weused to standatbenches typesetting pages andsticking them alluponsheetsand puttingthemona camera,"herecalled. "(Journalists) used to sitthere with apor table typewriter andtypeitout on copy paper, andthatwould come downstairs to the typesetters."
Theprocess hassince switched to a technologicalnetwork,where separate teams in theeditorial,adver tisingand produc tion departments have access to the one system
Mr Amietworkeddiligentlythroughout histenue,and onecan only imaginethe number of staf fwages he processed ove theyears
Dedication was part of hismake-up,a as aWestern Bulldogs suppor ter, delighted in seeinghis sidebreak apremiership droughtthat lasted even longer than histimewith theExpress
Whereare they y
By LIAM DURKIN
THEExpress hasseen some outstanding journalistswalkthrough itsdoors
Many have gone onto greaterpostingsacross thecountry,while others have evenscaled greaterheights throughpublic ser vice NationalsMPs Darren Chesterand Annabelle Cleelandall cuttheir teethatthe Express, while Victoria PoliceAssistant Commissioner, Lauren Callaway was also ajournalist with thelocal newspaper
Lauren Callaway
ASSISTANT CommissionerCallawaysaid working at theExpress hadgreatlyinfluenced hercareer.
“Covering policenewsasa journalist forthe LatrobeValleyExpress helpedshape my career as theFamilyViolenceCommand Assistant Commissioner forVic toriaPolice,"she said.
“WhenI was reportingonvarious crimejobsat thepaper,Iused to thinkthe policehad such an importantand exciting role that Idecided I wouldratherjoinand be part of theworkthey do insteadofrepor ting on it
“SoI took my skillsasa journalist into theforce –graduating from theVic toriaPoliceAcademy in 1994,and now30years on I’mleading our responsestofamilyviolence, sexual assault, and childabuse.
“I’vealwaysbeen passionate abouttackling thesecrime themesbecause ever yone deser ves aright to feel safe andbesafe, andasa force we’reworking tirelessly to ensurethat."
AssistantCommissioner Callaway recalled a fond time working forthe Express.
“I still reflec tonmytimeworking at theLatrobe Valley Expressand it’s ahugemilestone to see thepaper celebrateits 60 -yearanniversary," she said
“The skillsI’vegainedfromthe paperhave been
transferable –and I’mthankfultohave star ted with theLatrobe Valley Express.
“The paperwas more than just afirst joband reallyset me up notjustinpolicingbut also in life,asI’vealsowritten abook on Aboriginal jockey DarbyMcCar thytitledAgainst All Odds during my career andregularly deliver professional development mentoring."
Tim Lee
ABCviewers will surelybefamiliarwith thename TimLee
Mr Lee is considered one of Australia's most prominentand distinguished journalists. What many might notknowhoweveristhathe also workedatthe Express.
In aprolificcareer that still hasstrongroots to Gippsland (farming part-timeinBriagolong), Mr Lee hasbeen awardedaUnitedNations’ Association Media Peaceprize andnamed VictorianRural journalistofthe yearthree times.
communicationsmanager forTennisAustralia. He hasbeen with Tennis Australia fornearly 20 years, workinginmedia, stakeholder and government relations, as wellasbroader content including broadcast,production, social, publishingand innovation Before all that, he was aprint journalist,building experience across industrial,police, politicaland humaninterestnewsand spor ts reporting.
BryceEishold
IN moremoderntimes,former Express journalist Br yceEishold haskepthimself extremely busy in variouscommunityinitiatives
Currently with Stockand Land,MrEishold has hosted anewsprogramonlocal radio, andis an executive committeemember andformer presidentofthe RuralPress Club of Victoria.
Sandra Mackay
WALKLEY-awardwinning journalist,Sandra Mackay also filedyarns forthe Express.
Ms Mackay was thefirst femaletransport reporter at TheAge,goingontoadvise governmentsand theprivate sec toron sustainability,health,renewable energy and transpor treform. p
R Readers may have seen Walkley-award winningjournalist, SandraMackay’s by-line on Expressstories previously.
Current Nationals Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland started her working life as a cadet journalist with the Express
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner and former Express journalist Lauren Callaway
Tim Lee,rregarded as one of Australia’s best ruralreporters,has filed stories forthe Express
Bathed in kudos
IMPRESSIVELY,the LatrobeValleyExpress has been reportingonour communityfor 60 years. It’s an incredible achievementfor aregional newspaper that hasalwayshad thecommunity’s back.
TheExpress remainsacentrepiece of localnews, andmanycareers beganinits corridors
TheExpress hascelebratedlocal wins,sporting achievements,and personal milestones.
Iextendmywarmest congratulationsonreaching this remarkable achievement
Sixtyyears of reportingfor acountry newspaper
is no small feat, andits success is testamenttothe unwavering commitmentofall thestaff
LatrobeValleyExpress hasadaptedtochanging times–itsurvivedCOVID,which closedmany regional newspapers, social media, and digitalisation.Itremains atrusted andreliable cornerstone of ourcommunity, keepingus informed abouteverything that matterslocally This anniversaryismorethana celebration of longevity- it’s atribute to thevalues,vision, and dedication of all whohavesupported andshaped thenewspaper
Here's to many moreyears reportingonthe news! WarmestcongratulationsLatrobe Valley Express on your 60th birthday.
Memberfor EasternVictoriaRegion,Melina Bath
Churchill &District News congratulates the Latrobe ValleyExpress on 60 yearsof continuous production.
We thank them for their continued supportand guidance overthe manyyears that Churchill News has been printed by the Express.
Best wishes for the future.
Churchill &District News Team
ADVERTISING plays a crucial role at the Express, providing revenue to sustain our operations and distribute our newspapers to a large audience
The reciprocal benefits are also felt by businesses who adver tise through readership, coverage and patronage
This two-way relationship has helped strengthen the local economy, with relationships between the Express and clients forming tangible bonds under the 'locals helping locals' mantra
Some ver y creative and memorable ads have appeared in the Express over the last six decades
Here, Express journalist and graphics enthusiast, Aidan Knight has picked out a few of his vintage favourites
The Express, Wednesday 10 May, 1972
The Express, Wednesday 20 July, 1966
The Express, Saturday 6 July, 1996
The Express, Wednesday 26 April, 1972
m Wed to h 60t Lat we spe iss Ea de h in t b SIX
mmencing on dnesday16July2025 helpcelebratethe th Anniversary of the trobe Valley Express, we willbe publishing a special feature in each sueofthe paper for a six week period. Eachissue will be dedicatedtoadecade of theThe Express histor ysince its inceptionin1965 through to 2025and beyond
