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Times
TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2020
GIPPSLAND
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INSIDE
The spill on petrol prices Liz Bell
Standing apart, together In the crisp pre-dawn air on Saturday morning, thousands of people in Australia and New Zealand gathered in their driveways, on footpaths, in paddocks and in their living rooms, in lieu of the traditional Anzac Day service. Pictured, the Riches family, consisting of Sarah, aged two, Bradley, Rachel and Benjamin, six months, spent Anzac Day morning at the end of their Sale driveway, paying respect to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Photo: Sarah Luke
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Sale City Band members stood in their driveways at 6am and 10.30am in uniform, playing The Last Post and observing a minute’s silence. Further east, Carmel Court had its own dawn service, courtesy of Aub and Marie Toghill, who supplied hand sanitiser and implemented social distancing rules. Bugler Jake Tilley played The Last Post at Maffra cenotaph for the 13th consecutive year, except this time to no crowd. Across the shire, it was a similar story as people Continued page 3
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WHILE we couldn’t stand near each other this Anzac Day, it was clear we were standing together. On an Anzac Day like never before, traditional services were called off as part of restrictions to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Instead, people from across Australia and New Zealand rose in Saturday’s predawn to stand at the ends of their driveways, on footpaths, in
paddocks, on balconies and in their living rooms, and paid their respects to Australia’s servicemen and women. Just shy of 6am, piper James Johnson stood on Macarthur St, Sale, and played Amazing Grace, Scotland the Brave and Waltzing Matilda, moving some neighbours to tears. He wasn’t alone. Two buglers could be heard through the dark sounding The Last Post and Reveille, coinciding with the national Anzac Day service being broadcast from the Australian War Memorial.
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Sarah Luke
DRIVERS in Wellington Shire are hoping local fuel retailers lift their game to pass on the drop in global oil prices to customers. Since coronavirus restrictions forced a reduction in demand for fuel around the globe, petrol prices have plummeted to a 10-year low. And in an economy driven by supply and demand, it is expected the global supply glut will continue to put downward pressure on prices. But while Melbourne drivers have reaped the benefits, with some outlets offering the liquid gold for between 80 cents per litre to around $1, in Wellington Shire the average prices were sitting between 107.9 and 127.9 cents per litre on Friday. The shire’s few independent retailers, such as those in Alberton and Heyfield, are the best bets for unleaded, and anyone prepared to drive to Heyfield’s family-owned Timberline General Store can fill up for an incredible 96.9 cents per litre. Part-owner Troy Akers said independent retailers were not under the same pressure from the big buyers, and his family preferred to cut profits to offer cheap fuel because the store was “here for the community”. “The larger players in the market dictate the price for their outlets, but we are independent, so we don’t have that pressure,” he said. “We do the right thing and we hope it pays off in the long run — yes, our revenue is down, but we have already seen customers coming in from Traralgon, Sale and Maffra to buy our petrol, and at one stage, we were 30 cents a litre cheaper than anywhere else.” In Sale, which is dominated by large retailers, prices have not moved as much as drivers and industry watchdogs would like. RACV senior vehicle engineer Nicholas Platt said as more Victorians stayed at home and travelled only when necessary, fuel retailers were seeking Continued page 5