Businesses, offices and the school in the High Country hamlet of Porepunkah remain closed, and residents are being told to stay inside until the alleged gunman is found.
Shops, businesses and the school at Porepunkah remain closed as the search continues for a gunman who allegedly shot two police officers dead and injured another. Some families have left the area, and some residents have been unable to return to the town after the drama unfolded on Tuesday.
Residents of the picturesque High Country hamlet of Porepunkah near the Victorian tourist town of Bright know how to be resilient. They've battled through fires and floods in the past, but yesterday's tragedy was something altogether different. Porepunkah was plunged into the national spotlight after self-described sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman allegedly shot dead two police officers and wounded a third at a property on Rayner Track around 10:30am on Tuesday., residents were told by Victoria Police to stay indoors "until further notice" and remained holed up inside their homes overnight.Porepunkah local Linda, who has lived in the community her whole life, said it was a difficult time, but everyone was supporting one another. "We will band together, we are a resilient bunch, through fires, floods, and lots of other unfortunate farming accidents or tragedies that have occurred in the community," she said."As we wake up this morning to the sunrise over Mount Buffalo, it's tinged with a huge degree of sadness for the community this morning,"Mr Warner said an approaching storm with forecast snow would make conditions extreme for those involved in the search for the alleged gunman. "There's been some very heavy rain, and from about midnight the winds were quite extreme, and waking up this morning now, there is a certain chill in the air," he said. "The storm is looking to roll through for the next couple of days, so very typical alpine and high country weather for this time of the year, so we really feel for our colleagues out there and hope that they stay safe in what are going to be very trying conditions."Dezi Freeman, 56, fled the scene alone. His children and partner were interviewed at a local police station last night, where flowers have been laid. Emily White owns the Mount Buffalo Caravan Park and had about 25 people booked into accommodation yesterday, but guests were not allowed back into their rooms when the chaos unfolded. "It's an unfortunate situation, but we can't really do much; we are going off what the police say," she said.Buckland Valley beef cattle farmer Colin McCormack said the search helicopter was circling until about 9pm on Tuesday night, but the area was much quieter this morning. "Some of the younger families left the valley and went down and stayed with their parents or in-laws," he said. "My wife was having her hair done in Bright, and she had to stay there with our son; the police won't let them through. So I am 'batching' at the moment, and I've run out of milk, so I am in a bit of trouble!" Mr McCormack said he believed the accused shooter was somewhere in the area near his property in thick, dense terrain.'Everyone was nice and calm', says principalPorepunkah Primary School principal Jill Gillies said mental health support staff would be brought in to help students and teachers talk about what they went through.She said she was proud of her students and staff for how they handled the lockdown. "There was no panic, everyone nice and calm … teachers were absolute superstars at making sure the kids were distracted," she said.Alpine Shire Council has closed down all facilities, including libraries, transfer stations and customer service centres.Mayor Sarah Nicholas said the community was grateful for the commitment of local police. "We hold our police in the highest regard. They serve with courage, compassion and dedication, and their loss is felt profoundly across our region." Independent Federal Member for Indi Helen Haines applauded police and emergency services for their handling of the incident."In particular, the principal and staff of Porepunkah Primary School, who kept their students safe and calm during lockdown for many hours. "As this is an ongoing situation, I urge members of our community to pay attention to and follow the information and instructions provided by Victoria Police." Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush travelled to Wangaratta last night and paid tribute to the two officers who lost their lives — a 59-year-old detective and a 35-year-old senior constable who he said were "murdered in cold blood".Photo shows A high shot of Linda Reynolds in a media scrum answering questions outside the WA Supreme Court in Perth.Photo shows A man wearing glasses low on his nose, with a placard reading Iran in front of himPhoto shows A house with a sign out front reading the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the country's flag on a poleTransport Accidents and Incidents
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