The Albany Advertiser’s Year in Review: Looking back on the moments that made 2024

The Albany Advertiser looks back on the biggest stories of the year. From a backyard explosion that rocked Orana to a local fish and chippie winning a national award, these are the moments that made 2024.

Backyard blast rocks Orana

Residents more than a kilometre away reported feeling a tremor when a granny flat in Orana went up in flames in January. The explosion raised eyebrows when we revealed the home belonged to drug dealer Jason Olivieri, but was ultimately deemed an accident. His sister Megan, who had been taking care of the property, and dogs Misty and Roxy were lucky to escape harm.

City hit with trio of suspicious blazes

Albany saw three deliberately lit fires in a fortnight, starting on January 29 with a blaze that destroyed about 45ha of the Vancouver Peninsula over five days. A second fire in Green Range on February 7 burnt about 7300ha and took more than 100 firefighters over a week to fully extinguish. A third smaller blaze in Lower King the next day was also deemed suspicious.

Thomas Brough insults Albany Pride, defies council

In February, Albany councillor Thomas Brough used his opening remarks at an ordinary council meeting to incorrectly state that the plus in the LGBTQIA+ community includes paedophiles. In May, Mr Brough won the Liberal preselection and apologised for the remark but when his fellow councillors directed him to undertake inclusivity training, he refused.

Locals zombified for thriller flick

Star Wars alum and A-Lister Daisy Ridley was spotted outside the Albany Advertiser’s office in March. The Hollywood superstar was in town filming We Bury The Dead, a survival-thriller set in the aftermath of a catastrophic military experiment. Hundreds of locals were involved in the production with director Zak Hilditch calling Albany “a great place to work”.

Bushfire razes swathes of pristine bushland

By far the south coast’s biggest bushfire this year was the 13,700ha destroyed in the Walpole Wilderness Area in April. The deliberately lit blaze threatened popular tourist spots including the Valley of the Giants Treetop Walk and parts of the Bibbulmun Track. About 100 firefighters battled “extreme fire behaviour” in “tinder-dry” conditions, DBCA incident controller Peter Masters said.

‘The end of an icon’

Vibrant souvenir store Wombat Lodge closed its doors in April, marking the end of 50 successful years operating on Albany’s main street. After announcing the closure in January, husband and wife duo George and Helen Burcher ran a storewide sale to clear their remaining stock with Ms Burcher remarking: “We’re on the journey to the end of an era, the end of an icon.”

Seven charged in drug raids across city

Police executed search warrants on five homes in May, seizing drugs, money, and a replica gun, and charged seven people. “It was a successful operation in the disruption of people selling and supplying drugs to others in the community,” Albany officer-in-charge Sen. Sgt Carlos Correia said. In August, one of the homes caught fire, believed to have been sparked by an e-scooter battery.

Ring road opens to traffic

The last section of the biggest road project in the Great Southern opened to traffic on May 18 with a new name to christen its official launch — Menang Drive. Construction on the $215 million Albany Ring Road started in September 2020 with sections opening to traffic in late March. The new infrastructure has diverted hundreds of trucks every day from central Albany roads.

Albany divided over sex education books

In June, the newly formed Keeping Children Safe Albany committee called on the City of Albany to restrict access to “sexually graphic” educational books at the local library. The resulting campaign turned ugly with hundreds turning up to a chaotic electors meeting in August where emotions ran high. In September, security was hired for a council meeting where councillors voted against the motions.

City set for extended trading

At the start of this year, Albany was holding out as the largest local government without year-round Sunday trading, but by June the people had spoken with 80 per cent of more than 11,000 residents voting in favour of it. After the issue was brought to the council, the State Government officially approved the extension in September, with the changes set to come into effect from February 1, 2025.

Racing club boss charged with fraud

Former Australian Rules player and Albany Racing Club manager Mark Richard Bayliss was charged with fraud offences in July. The 58-year-old was accused of gaining a $3300 benefit by fraud for horse insemination and attempting to gain a benefit by fraud in a $42,000 grant for the Albany Racing Club. He pleaded guilty to the latter in November and was fined $5600. The fraud charge was dropped.

Surf reef catches a break

An idea two-decades in the making finally reached a “point of no return” in July with the City of Albany awarding the tender for the Great Southern surf reef to Heron Construction. Works officially began on the $13m Middleton Beach project in November with construction expected to finish in March 2025 — just in time for the Winter swell.

Rex goes under

Rex Airlines announced it had gone into administration in July with the newly appointed administrators telling customers that the airline would continue to operate and take bookings on its crucial regional services, including Albany. In August, it was revealed Rex owed a substantial amount to the City of Albany. Mayor Greg Stocks said he was “very unhappy” to be left with the $456,000 debt.

Community hub saved in the knick of time

Pivot Support Services’ Albany Community Hub was saved days before its planned closure thanks to the generous contribution of the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation in September. The campaign to keep the service running began with an open letter to the Premier in March, sparking a groundswell of community support with petitions collecting 1788 signatures.

Hooked on the nation’s best chippy

A local fish and chips shop took out two major awards this year — Hooked on Middleton Beach won best in the State in May. In September it won the national award at the 2024 National Seafood Industry Awards in Tasmania, making the humble family run chippy the best takeaway fish and chips in the country. Owner Hayley Lutley said they were “very surprised and very honoured”.