How the readers of the West Vic Brolga helped shape one of our biggest stories

I find it quite funny that one of my first videos to go viral for the Brolga since launching in February this year was about a spray painted penis near some potholes. 

It got over 100,000 views.

My parents and grandparents all watched it - I swear each of them asked if I was allowed to say “dick”. Took mum a week to get over it. 

But the best part about that story was that it was driven by the readers. 

Back in July I got a message from Patricia Blackmore, a Bolwarra local, who lives right near where the penis was graffitied onto the road.

We never figured out who did it, but Patricia and her neighbour Robyn Phillips both spoke to me on the phone that day about how terrible the stretch of Princes Highway between Portland and Heywood had become.

They told me their pleas to the state government to do something about the potholes had been virtually ignored for two years, until the mysterious penis appeared. 

So I wrote the story and put together a quick clip showing a video of the penis and how rough the road was next to it. 

Overnight the video took off.

So they found the penis on a Sunday morning, spoke to me on Monday for the story and by Tuesday, Patricia messaged me again with more photos - the penis had disappeared and the holes had been filled.

So I published a follow up to let everyone know the Department of Transport had been out to  Bolwarra.

The second video - which included some of the many comments I’d received - clocked up about 70,000 views.

Patricia and Robyn could have gone to another local news outlet to share their photos and tell their story, but I am grateful they chose the Brolga. 

Whether our coverage caught the attention of those with the power to do something, or through sheer coincidence, the road was patched up and the offending protuberance was removed.

I think that’s pretty cool.