A man who died yesterday from gas inhalation in a hotel cellar had cared for his partner for the past 13 months after a car accident. Birregurra’s Xavier “Snow” Carey, 54, died after a suspected carbon dioxide leak in the cellar of  his workplace, Birregurra’s Royal Mail Hotel, yesterday. [...]

Colac district farmers were singing in the rain after almost 80 millimetres fell across the region. The district is exper- iencing its wettest start to the year since 1996 when more than 200mm of rain fell in Colac during the first three months of the year. [...]

A Colac businessman fears the demise of a national insulation scheme has tarnished his business reputation. Darren Pyne of WestVic Kitchens established an insulation company under the umbrella of his kitchen company. He said he feared “dodgy” contractors had tarnished the industry for insulators across the country. [...]

Colac district teenagers have committed to gap-year work without any assurance they will qualify for Youth Allowance. The Federal Government proposed changes to the scheme in the middle of last year but it has been unable to pass the altered scheme through parliament. [...]

Colac teenagers will take a pledge to commit themselves to a life without the dole. Eight Colac Secondary College Year 10 students have signed on as Beacon Foundation ambassadors. The teenagers will work with industry leaders and the school to encourage their [...]

A Colac district musician will take to the stage at this weekend’s Kana Festival hoping to outshine last year’s performance. Birregurra’s Chelsea Green said she arrived late to perform at Colac’s festival last year and the nerves kicked in. She said she [...]

Colac and district community leaders have praised Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s claim he will consider duplicating the Princes Highway through to Colac. Mr Abbott says in an opinion piece in today’s Colac Herald that he will consider the duplication as part of his forthcoming election commitments. Colac Otway Shire [...]

Apollo Bay P-12 school captain Findlay Burns-Fabb has sent a strong message to the state and federal governments – we will not go away quietly. State Member for Polwarth Terry Mulder and federal Liberal candidate for Corangamite Sarah Henderson launched two petitions at the school on Friday. [...]

Irrewarra captain Kane Quickensted has endorsed Stoneyford as the force to watch in Colac district cricket’s Division One finals. Quickensted signalled in-form players Levi Dare and Grant Brauer as the key to Stoneyford’s potential finals success. “Stoneyford are a pretty professional unit that are committed to the cause,” he said. [...]

Eastern European visitors helped ensure a Colac district berry farmer had a bumper first year. A strong Australian dollar forced Gellibrand’s Wayne Knight to reinvigorate his business with a pick-your-own berries initiative. Mr Knight said memories of picking blueberries as children had attracted eastern [...]