Bruce McLean came to Mildura as an 18 year old beginning his media career as an announcer with Radio 3MA
With the start of television in 1967, Bruce changed to the new medium as a newsreader and compered the first live variety show. In 1974 he was appointed to Station Manager and during this time managed the conversion from black and white to colour television and the formation of a network with Bendigo and Gippsland television stations.
With the sale of STV8 in 1988 Bruce was offered the position of Administration manager at Network Ten but tired of the weekly travel to and from Melbourne, accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer at Princes Court Mildura where he oversaw a major redevelopment of all aged care residential buildings, created the first dementia-specific unit in regional Victoria and the design and construction of Princes Court Retirement Village on the former Mildura Base Hospital site.
Bruce always had an interest in railways and from the 1970’s began to research the railways of the Mallee region culminating in the production of The Mildura Railway History published for the centenary of the railway to Mildura in 2003. The history is now available on the internet where it can be accessed for interested in the history of railways in the mallee.
This presentation is the result of this research.
Bruce has recently completed a project with Ian MacWilliams, from the Frames of History podcast to present his collection of rail history in the Sunraysia region into a new film in collaboration with the Chaffey Trail Reference Group. Ian MacWilliams will present this production at the upcoming feature event at this years Chaffey Festival. Visit https://thechaffeytrail.com.au/chaffey-festival/ for more information and to book tickets.
Bruce is now retired and living in Bendigo but still retains his strong interest in Mildura and Sunraysia through family and friends.