Tuesday, 7 January, 2025
Parks and forest crowned Issue of the Year
Top stories from every month of 2024
Best of last year’s entertainment and sport
See Real Estate liftout inside
PAGES 8 AND 9
PAGES 10, 11 AND 12
PAGES 14 AND 35
PAGE 21
A Star News Group Publication
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2024 was a particularly special year for Yarra Junction’s Henk and Gwyneth Boer, who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. (Stewart Chambers: 426639)
Much to celebrate BEST STORIES OF
2024
2024 was a big year in the Outer East, with no shortage of news for the Star Mail to share with readers. Across a range of topics from sport to entertainment, from crime to politics and from weighing in on national debates to the trials and tribulations of local life, a broad spectrum of news was covered. There were times when residents rose up and demanded better, such as local SES crews joining a convoy to ask for sustainable funding or when local brewing businesses cried out following continuous rises in taxes on beer and spirits. There were times when we rejoiced, such as when Yarra Valley-based band Smoke Stack Rhino
made it on the ARIA charts, the Healesville Football Netball Club and Three Bridges’ Daniel Sanders celebrated sporting victories or when Healesville’s Cody Anderson realised his AFL dream was coming true during the 2024 AFL Draft. There were times when we remembered, such as the 15th anniversary of Black Saturday in February and the 100th anniversary of the closure of the Coranderrk Aboriginal Station in December. There were talking points in politics that were felt in the Outer East, with the illicit tobacco trade, response to the rise of family violence, road maintenance and the 2024 Council elections all draw-
ing debate from throughout the community while national parks and forest meant a lot to locals, who shared plenty of varying views on how they should be managed and maintained going forwards. As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and there were plenty of photos from the year to admire too, so be sure to check out the top snaps from 2024. Join us as we take a look back at what mattered most for locals last year as we bring on another year of community-focused news at the Star Mail in 2025.
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