50 years ago

The Express, December 10, 1975

Senator stops for sample

NATIONAL Country Party Senator Jim Webster flew into the Latrobe Valley on Monday to “sample the mood of the electorate”, stopped for a few minutes, then flew out again without leaving the airport. With him was National Party Chief President, Mr Tom Tehan – also a Senate candidate – and the aircraft owner-pilot, Mr Geoff Keighley, a NSW legislative councillor. During his stop, Senator Webster said he was flying between 12 major provincial cities and towns in Victoria and NSW to prepare a report for NCP leader, Doug Anthony, on the mood of the electorates.

30 years ago

The Express, December 12, 1995

Fire investigation

POLICE are investigating a fire at the Morwell Freight Centre on the weekend, which caused thousands of dollars damage. The Country Fire Authority was alerted to the fire at 5.29am Sunday. The blaze engulfed a carriage at the Commercial Road freight centre. A police spokesperson said the fire was being treated as suspicious and police had not ruled out arson. The destroyed carriage included several containers loaded with a variety of goods. Three Morwell fire brigade units attended the scene and were supported by fire fighters from Traralgon and Churchill. The fire was treated with caution by firefighters when unidentified chemicals were located.

10 years ago

The Express, December 10, 2015

Bittersweet victory

A MORWELL woman claiming her husband died due to toxic smoke and ash exposure during the Hazelwood mine fire, has called the report findings a bittersweet victory. Voices of the Valley member Kieryanne Clissold said her 48-year-old husband died in September 2014, four months after the fire was extinguished. Ms Clissold said she and her husband evacuated the Valley four times and both suffered from headaches and nosebleeds during the fire. She said his health improved once the blaze was put out, but he was later found comatose in bed and taken to hospital with a level five aneurysm and died six days later. “I knew it was the toxins in the smoke that killed him; there had been too many other people who had suffered aneurysms and died since the fire started to be coincidental,” she said. Ms Clissold said all levels of government needed to be held accountable and the community had been “lied to” from day one of the Hazelwood mine fire.