Distinguished and Famous people from The Snowy Valley - Orbost

🔬 Val Bazeley

Val Bazeley was born at Orbost in 1909 and became a significant figure in Australian medical manufacturing. Trained initially in veterinary science, he joined the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories and led a wartime team producing penicillin in Australia. He later worked with Jonas Salk in the United States and helped establish local production of Salk's polio vaccine. As CSL director, he oversaw the manufacture of millions of vaccine doses. The achievement lay in making laboratory advances available at a practical scale, under demanding technical conditions. Orbost provides the birthplace connection to the Victorian Snowy River valley; the major scientific work took place elsewhere.

🏛️ Peter Nixon

Peter Nixon was born and raised on a farming property near Orbost and returned to East Gippsland farming after boarding school in Melbourne. He later represented Gippsland in federal Parliament for 21 years and served under five prime ministers. Public administration and football also featured in his later career: he was one of the original VFL commissioners during the game's transition towards a national competition. A lifelong Richmond supporter, he served as the club's patron for more than forty years.