By AIDAN KNIGHT   A TRARALGON fisherman is still recovering after being struck by a charter boat in 2022. Casey Porter (20) was sailing in a 12-foot tinny at the time of the incident, sustaining serious back and rib injuries while fishing at Lakes Entrance. It is believed the captain was not at the helm at the time. Mr Porter, an experienced skipper having held his marine license for four years, was fishing with a friend and operating his father Garry’s Stace 3.8 Kipper tinny with a 15 horsepower outboard from the North Island Boat Ramp when the incident took place. The pair anchored between Reeve Channel and the Nyerimilang Jetty area in search of whiting, in conditions of light breeze and good visibility, on what was an overcast November day. Mr Porter told police he saw a two-story tourist ferry, which he recognised as a Thunderbird vessel, which regularly runs tours around the Gippsland Lakes in the area. The ferry was a couple of kilometres away, according to Mr Porter, so he paid it no attention until he became aware, “about three minutes later”, the vessel was still heading towards them. Collision: An example of the ferry that struck Casey Porter in 2022. “When it got to about 100 meters from us, we started waving and yelling, trying to get the driver’s attention,” he said. He estimated the vessel was travelling about 20 knots in what he believed was a 10 knot zone. “When it was about 20 meters away, it still hadn’t slowed down or turned. I yelled to pull the anchor up, but it was too late. I yelled ‘jump’.” Mr Porter did just that, but in the process his back was struck by the ferry, two times. He then promptly began experiencing intense pain in his chest and back that restricted his breathing and ability to tread water, despite having inflated his life jacket to stay afloat. Eventually, the ferry circled back to pick up Casey’s friend, before tossing a lifesaver ring to pull him aboard. The pair were then taken to Kalimna Jetty to be attended to by paramedics while arrangements were made for the tinny to be towed to shore. Mr Porter was then sent to Bairnsdale Regional Health Service for initial assessment, which saw him requiring medical attention at the Austin, to which he was transported via helicopter the next day. He was treated for paralysis prevention on his T12 vertebrae, which required surgery, and also suffered three broken ribs and a laceration on his back. His father Garry said the injury has had a huge impact on his son’s life and has changed his life trajectory. “Casey was playing local country football, had played basketball since early childhood, and now can’t take part in general sporting activities such as golf or cricket with his brother and friends,” the senior Porter said. He said his son was unable to work for about six months after the incident and lost his job. He has since resumed his plumbing apprenticeship with an understanding employer, but the injuries are likely to prevent him from working in the trade long term. The family is pursuing legal action against the charter company, in the hope of obtaining compensation reflecting the level of hurt endured in what was a preventable incident. His father said, “As for the impact on the day, it was extremely traumatic for Casey, his friends and his family. There were weeks in hospital and ongoing treatment – certainly not something any of us wish to experience again.”  

By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT   A NEW place to call home … and to work. Latrobe Valley Village, Newborough will soon open a fresh and neat shared living quarters to accommodate the arrival of its latest foreign workers to the aged care home as a part of the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund. Refurbished from a previous wing of the facility, 14 former aged care rooms have been transformed into seven apartments, which include a kitchen and eating area, bathroom and bedroom for each. An outdoor area, communal kitchen and meeting spot is also featured. Member for Eastern Victoria and Minister for Regional Development, Harriet Shing took a tour of the site last Friday (July 18), which is expected to be complete by the end of August. “Finding a place to live is one of the biggest challenges in attracting and keeping workers in the regions – building workers’ accommodation is just one way we want to help,” she said. “This is about creating secure jobs, helping businesses to grow and attracting even more visitors to regional Victoria.” The MP and Latrobe Valley Village Chief Executive, Alison Skeldon both acknowledged the continued lack of aged care workers for the region, which contributed in securing this development, to ensure highly skilled people are working in the industry. Free TAFE qualifications and short courses were cited as a combatant of those workforce shortages, which was announced for this year. Ms Skeldon believes the tide is starting to turn with help of such initiatives. “Working in residual care or aged care has not been as highly valued as other industries and that’s now changed … I feel we’re at the beginning of changing that around,” she said. “Working with people at a really important stage of their life, and we need people who care and want to do that for the long term.” Latrobe Valley Village has invested and passionate staff, which includes a strong contingent of recently hired Filipino employees who will be moving into the living space once open. Eleniza, Eddie, Herlene, Jonel and Joyce all made the move from the Philippines to Australia. For those like Herlene Joy Chipo, she made the tough decision to leave her family and children in Baguio, to ultimately set themselves up later on. “It (was) also an opportunity for us to come to Australia to build a better future for them as well,” she said. “(Latrobe Valley Village) is very supportive of us … the staff here are very welcoming and the residents as well.” The group will soon fill out the premise. The space is also large enough that it could allow families to eventually arrive as well. “We’re very excited to move in because it is also very convenient for us to be just near the facility,” Ms Joy Chipo added. Ms Skeldon said that due to the inability to fill out positions locally, the board, under suggestion from the federal government and following suit from other aged care facilities, made the decision to recruit abroad. “We have always employed local people, we have always worked with the local TAFE sector, and we’ve always worked with local universities to ensure we have local staff,” she said. “Like everybody else, there is not the pipeline, it’s not as full as it should be. “There are a range of initiatives for us to do that (hire overseas) and we’ve taken the path of choosing Filipino-trained workers.” The shared living space is located right in front of the retirement village, meaning the staff will not only begin to develop a good relationship with the aged care residents, but also those who may arrive soon thereafter. “The retirement village residents are really excited about it too because they like the idea of welcoming new people and they like the idea of those people coming and staying, because there are many people in the retirement village who may choose to live here as well,” Ms Skeldon said. Other projects in Gippsland have also been announced as beneficiaries of the first round of the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund at Omeo District Health, Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, and Bass Coast Health, Wonthaggi.