A year on from Dezi Freeman shootings, Porepunkah is moving forward

A year on from Porepunkah police shootings, High Country is finding its way forward From the front porch of her hilltop home, Jo Marsh had a bird's-eye view of the township of Porepunkah the moment Victoria's biggest manhunt got underway. She remembered how the normally quiet winding roads suddenly filled with convoys of police cars and a helicopter hovered low in the distance searching the valleys for the gunman Dezi Freeman. "It was just police everywhere," she said. "As you can see, we've got a fairly good viewpoint from our property here, so we were really exposed to a lot of what was going on." The owner and winemaker of Billy Button Wines was living with the reality of the search while also running a business in the small north-east Victorian alpine community. She recalled how one morning, the search came particularly close to home, when a police helicopter hovered nearby. "It was hovering quite low, like not that far, within 15 metres of us as we're sitting there eating our breakfast, a guy hanging out the side with a gun," she said. "It was just a bit weird really." The events of that Tuesday, August 26 last year would change the High Country. Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson and Senior Constable Vadim de Waart-Hottart were killed, and a third officer was injured while police were executing a search warrant at a property in Rayner Track. Freeman fled into nearby bushland, triggering Victoria's biggest manhunt, before being killed by police in March this year. For a community already dealing with the effects of bushfires, COVID-19 and sub-standard snow seasons, the search brought more uncertainty. But as the anniversary approaches, many local businesses are focusing on what comes next. Back to 'what it always was' Adventure guide David Chitty knows Mount Buffalo better than most. The events of last August had an immediate effect on his business and the visitors he works with. "I was actually at the top of Mount Buffalo with a ski lesson that day," he said. "We got locked up there, not really knowing what was going on." The mountain remained closed for weeks during the search, cutting off one of the region's major tourism drawcards. With Freeman still on the run, Mr Chitty said some people were wary of returning. But Mr Chitty said that association had now faded. "I don't think it has any effect now other than the historical aspects of what was a terrible incident," he said. He said people have gone back to seeing the region as they always did. "Bright is an amazing place to visit. There are lots of things to do and it gives you access to the Alps, to Mount Buffalo, to the rivers,"he said. A community looking ahead Bright Chamber of Commerce president Marcus Warner said the region's businesses had almost fully recovered. "I think from an overall business performance, we've almost, what you'd say is, fully recovered,"Mr Warner said. He said the first six months were difficult, but businesses had since been able to rebuild. "I think people have dusted themselves off, got on with life. Businesses are back to pretty much where they were before the tragic circumstances a year ago," he said. Mr Warner said the community was also ready to draw a line under last year's events. He said the return of visitors was another sign the region had moved forward. "I think it is pretty evident looking at the amount of traffic coming through the valleys over the last weeks with the snow on the mountain,"he said. "People have returned in huge numbers, and I think they just love being up here in the High Country, enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery." Remembering Neal and Vadim As the community moves forward, it has by no means forgotten what was lost that Autumn day last year. Memorial gardens will be unveiled at Bright and Wangaratta police stations this week, marking one year since Leading Senior Constable Thompson and Senior Constable de Waart-Hottart were killed. For the communities that lived through the search, the anniversary is an opportunity to remember the slain officers, their families and their colleagues. It is also a chance to reflect on how far the region has come since the manhunt began. For Ms Marsh, the hope is that the region's reputation will ultimately outlast the memory of the search. "Hopefully the reputation of the region as a beautiful region to come and visit is stronger than the negative memories," she said.