“Never trust a skinny chef.“
-Colin Rafferty said as he held his belly laughing at the number of donuts he ate over the weekend. Colin, who is the head chef Cardinia Park Hotel, was awarded the Chef of the Year in 2021 Australian Hotels Association (Victoria) State Awards for Excellence in May.
“I went up to the hospital and asked if I could do anaesthetics and I met the anaesthetist in the operating theatre and there was a guy having half his tongue cut off and he said, if you can finish this anaesthetic, we’ll see if you can go from there. It was a fairly bloody and gory procedure but I got the patient off the table alive and he said alright we’ll find some work for you.”
-Bunyip Medical Clinic’s Dr Geoffrey Campbell reflected on his career after he received a Length of Service honour as part of the 2021 Victorian Rural Health Awards.
“Some of your old readers will not believe I’m still alive! They’ll think you’ve been interviewing my ghost!”
-Rob McLellan, Pakenham’s last MP said when speaking to the Gazette about the proposal to bring back the state seat of Pakenham. Mr McLellan represented the state seat for 10 years before it’s abolition in 2002 as a Liberal MP.
“People told me I didn’t want to be TikTok famous, but I wasn’t going for fame. If I can make someone smile by me dancing or telling a joke then that can only be a good thing.”
-A Pakenham Springs Primary School teacher Grade 5 teacher Dylan Harris’s TikTok videos went viral in June with the Daily Mail dubbing him “Australia’s hottest teacher”, earning him a live interview with Channel 9’s Today Show.
“In the Cardinia area, there have been way too many lives lost this year. They’re not just happening in the same location…they’re happening all across the Cardinia area that we patrol.“
-Cardinia Highway Patrol sergeant Paul Holtzinger told the Pakenham Gazette the first three months of 2021 had been tragic.
“To think that this has all come about now, the family is just going to be so proud – it’s his legacy living on.“
– 97 year-old RSL member and long-time Remembrance poppy seller Dot Wade said after being gifted a bespoke wooden box by the Cardinia Men’s Shed Pakenham for her late husband Jack’s war medals.
“Our family violence refuges are full and many of our families are not moving because there is nowhere for them to move to… This is incredibly stressful and dehumanising for people who deserve more.“
– Robyn Roberts, the General Manager at family violence and housing support service WAYSS said on the lack of affordable housing and the crisis domestic violence victims were facing post lockdown.
“I like being back in the classroom and playing games and playing outside with my friends.“
– Pakenham Consolidated prep student Declan said with a big smile in October upon returning to onsite learning after months of Webex lessons.
“It’s like when you go to Paris, you try to learn a little bit of the language because it shows respect for the people there. So I think it would be nice and respectful for people to try to learn a little bit about the Bunurong people and have that connection to country.“
– Sonia Marie, a proud Bunurong woman and author said about encouraging others to learn Indigenous languages (particularly Bunurong).
“I think everyone’s sick of being told that ‘you’re regional for this and this and this… but when it comes to lockdown, you can be metro’.“
– Garfield local Warren Caldwell said about the growing frustrations Cardinia’s fringe towns were feeling after being plunged into lockdown with the rest of metro Melbourne in August.
“I just think you couldn’t ask for a better memory for him and it’s going to go through generations.“
– Chelsea Bergoc, the granddaughter of Bruno Crestani said after Gumbuya World’s famous giant pheasant, which her grandfather built, was named ’Bruno’ in his honour.
“It just goes to show that the power of the press does work if backed up by someone that listens.”
– Pakenham resident Patrick McHugh said after lights along PB Ronald Reserve’s walking tracks, which had been broken for months, were finally fixed after a little nudge from the Gazette in June.
“I think we’re pretty famous for our name, so we may as well be famous for our mullets too.”
– Nar Nar Goon resident Angie Atkinson said in April on representing her hometown and rocking her glorious mullet as a finalist in the NT News’ competition ‘Australia’s fiercest bloody mullet competition’ for 2021.
“I think it’s just good genes, and good eating.“
– Beryl Exell, the direct descendant of Harkaway settler and pioneer Ernst Wanke, said in August at her 100th birthday celebrations on the secret to living a long and happy life.
