So an old Wonthaggi miner described Noel Counihan. The renowned artist is the focus of a much-anticipated first exhibition of works from the Robert Smith collection.

Catherine Watson never thought she’d live to see a sea of rainbow umbrellas outside the Wonthaggi Town Hall.

Labor veteran Kay Setches has some words of advice for Liberal women if they want to change the culture of their party. Catherine Watson reports.

Bikes filled Dave’s shed first, then the bedroom, the living room and eventually the kitchen, until there was only a small space left on top of a cupboard for a plate and a tinny.

A deserted Phillip Island, nests, elections, masked councillors, the borders re-open, cheerful chooks, virtual cruises, towel art and pumpkins ... Catherine Watson signs off.

The enforced holiday is coming to an end for many. People are returning to work and finding it’s ... well, hard work.

Pet prawns, deserted freeways, elections, reunions, stressed friends and moments of bliss in our strange new lives, writes Catherine Watson

Would the real Les Larke please stand up? Catherine Watson tries to separate fact from fiction and finds it’s not easy.

Restrictions are easing ... police encounters ... beach sculpture ... bicycle gangs ... signs of spring ... the first egg... joyful reunions. Catherine Watson takes note.

Despair, frustration, overzealous cops, flat batteries, Zoom birthdays and a taste of freedom. Catherine Watson reports from the COVID fringe lands.

Every now and then Catherine Watson wonders if it’s just a dream.

Bloody masks, spooked dogs, ghost cities, technological glitches ... Catherine Watson is taking notes.

Catherine Watson watches how her friends and neighbours cope with the gloom emanating from the city.

As Melbourne goes back into lockdown, adult children return home, complete with partners and pets, and locals play spot the illegal. Catherine Watson reports

The visitors arrive for the school holidays, you can buy a beer at the pub and get a 15-minute pass for the library. Catherine Watson ventures out to sample the new normal.

Cafes, nail salons and libraries re-open, and everywhere there are new rules to learn. Catherine Watson ventures out to sample the new normal.

Working on a Gippsland farm wasn’t on the timetable when Jules Lebois-Fedeli arrived from France to study but he took it in his stride.

Cafes, nail salons and libraries re-open, nursing homes accept visitors ... civilisation is returning but with a new set of rules. Catherine Watson reports.

Kay Setches can talk political intrigue all night and never forgets which side of the class divide she is on. She’s now also a member of the Order of Australia. By Catherine Watson

COVID hibernation was quite cosy, writes Catherine Watson, but now for a dose of reality