30 years to 1992
The election of Bruce Barron in East Ward has given the City of Berwick its youngest ever councillor. Ex-Cr Kevin Adlard, to whom that honour previously belonged, was 23 when he was elected in 1989. The 22-year-old son of former mayor Eddie Barron and his wife Wilma won the second position, behind Cr Norma McCausland, whose second preferences were largely responsible for his election. A prior commitment kept the new councillor from attending the official declaration of the poll and local businessman Laurie Cruise, who authorised his election advertisements, read a short statement on his behalf, thanking voters for showing confidence in him. The big surprise of the election was the defeat of the city’s longest-serving councillor, Syd Pargeter, in West Ward. His departure after 27 years as a councillor brings to an end a career in local government that began in the old Berwick Shire days and included stints as shire president and mayor.
20 years to 2002
Twenty years of hard work and dedication paid off for Lolita Evglevskaya of Berwick when she won three gold medals and a bronze in shooting events at the Commonwealth Games. Lolita was preparing to return home from Manchester with her swag of medals and a Commonweatlth Games record to her name. She won gold in both the individual air pistol and the individual sport pistol, where she broke the Games record. She also picked up gold in the team sport pistol and bronze in the team air pistol. Her husband Sergei Evglevski said the family was eagerly awaiting her return. “We are very proud of her and it is a very good effort to have achieved what she has done,” he said. “It was exciting to watch her on the television and see her do so well.” He is normally gunsmith and coach for his wife, but work commitments and their young children forced him to stay at home. Lolita won bronze at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, on that occasion for her former country Belarus.
10 years to 2012
A Berwick business played Fairy Godmother to help a Cranbourne teenager’s dream come true. Bridal and debutante boutique Miss Gowns came to the rescue to ensure Hallam Secondary College student Rachael Hunt got to take part in her school’s deb ball in Murrumbeena. Rachael’s mother is suffering from pancreatic cancer and going through chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Due to the extensive medical costs, her family was unable to pay for Rachael to do her deb and she would have been the only student from the cohort to miss out, so teacher Katie Curran began approaching local businesses to see if they could help. Miss Gowns owner Lorraine Marshall and manager Lisa Marshall were only too happy to help, donating a dress, shoes and accessories for the big night. Another employee Teagan Johnson, a qualified beautician, agreed to do Rachael’s hair and make-up for the big occasion.
