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Today we can celebrate the success of an extraordinary community campaign that will benefit our region for years when the doors to the HEMS4 air ambulance service hangar will be thrown open at Warrnambool airport.
South-west Victorians are being invited to mark tomorrow's 10th anniversary of the service with festivities today between 9am and 11am.
The campaign to secure such a service for the region took longer than we've had it for. This week we tracked down some inspirational people behind the campaign that spanned 13 years. The theme was simple - it was never about them, but the community.
We are forever in debt to those who did so much and convinced a state government we deserved the service, which some said would barely be used.
It has been used more than 2700 times and clocked up 5500 hours in the air. Countless lives have been saved.
The week began with Warrnambool City councillors defying vocal, placard-carrying residents when they voted to lift rates by 4.5 per cent, well above the state government's regulated cap of 2.5 per cent.
Objectors to the planned drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation centre at Dennington made emotional pleas for the project to be rejected during a VCAT hearing. The hearing was also told The Lookout may never go ahead if planning permission was denied.
Mortlake might be the olivine capital but to most of us, it's famous for its Clarke's Pies. Check out the story below about the family-operated business' major milestone.
That celebration came after Terang's Keith Smart clocked up a staggering 55 years with Christian's Bus Co.
In case you missed it, we are offering a couple of lucky subscribers the opportunity to join us at next month's Ray White Charity Ball. Instead of buying a ticket worth $175, which includes drinks, food and entertainment, you could be having a great night on us. To be in the running, enter here. There's two packages for two people on offer.
Until next week,