General News
2 November, 2022
Baker returns as Mortlake’s caretaker
PAUL Barker has returned to the role of Mortlake Caravan Park caretaker after two years out on the road.
PAUL Barker has returned to the role of Mortlake Caravan Park caretaker after two years out on the road.
He returned to the position after having made the decision to retire in October 2020.
At the time of his retirement, Mr Barker had told the Mortlake Dispatch he had made the decision with “some regret and sadness,” to such an extent he knew his time as caretaker down to the day; five years, three months, 11 days.
But after recently receiving a call from Moyne Shire around six weeks ago gauging his interest in returning to the position, the decision was not too difficult to make.
“I’m back,” Mr Barker said.
“I left two years ago and went travelling.
“Initially I only got to see Victoria because of COVID restrictions but that was great because I got to see parts of Victoria I had neverseen before.
“When the boarders started opening up again I got in to South Australia and spent four months there travelling up and down the three main peninsulas before ending up in the Flinders Ranges.”
Mr Barker then headed to New South Wales, visiting Coffs Harbour, before an injury sustained by one of his sons brought him home.
“Ever since then I’ve been around Warrnambool for family reasons, and I want to stay around the district for a while longer,” he said.
During his travels, the Mortlake Caravan Park experienced a number of upgrades including the addition of five relocatable cabins as part of a $360,000 project.
Mr Barker said the new additions to the caravan park were fantastic.
“It’s a very good addition, I believe, and it gets quite a lot of usage – all the cabins are currently in use, mainly by workers,” he said.
“The park is a bit of a mess at the moment due to the weather and the changeover in caretakers, so it’s going to take me a little while to get it all back nice and neat but we’ll well and truly have it ready bythe summer.
“It’s been great to be back, I’ve caught up with a few of the locals and I’m anxious to get out there and let some of the regulars know I’m back and they’re very welcome.
“We’ve had a lot of fun with some of our visitors, they’re here for a good time and to relax, so I’m keen to see people visiting Mortlake.”
