It was a big day for the tiny Victorian hamlet of Marysville, which was all but destroyed during the bushfires of 2009 as Prime Minister Julia Gillard chose it as the venue for her first official engagement in that state. It was also a big day for local community station UGFM who scored an interview with her and Victorian Premier John Brumby during their live outside broadcast at the Marysville SES.

The PM and the Premier were there to witness the reopening of the Marysville SES HQ after the severely damaged building had been repaired. The ceremony also featured a presentation of long service medals to SES volunteers.

Peter Weeks, who conducted the interviews with the Premier and the PM as part of the ceremony, is both UGFM Station Manager and Alexandra SES Media Liaison Officer.

UGFM’s remote Marysville studio is currently operating out of the temporary village at Marysville and is about to be relocated to a permanent home in the Recovery and Advisory Center in Marysville.