Community Profile: Carol Tutungi

In 1976, aged 25, Carol was teaching physical education at Oberon High School in Geelong. In the market for a house, an ad for 100 acres with two houses on it in for sale in Lorne was a dream come true. After one inspection and a big discussion over dinner at Chris’s Restaurant that night, Carol and three others bought the property. Soon after, a position for a physical education teacher became available at the Lorne School and with Carol’s appointment, her life thereafter was connected to Lorne.

Carol was born and educated in Melbourne. Her passion was sport and she grew up involved with softball, netball, hockey and athletics. It is no surprise that leaving school she completed a Diploma of Physical Education at Melbourne University. She worked first in Melbourne, then Geelong before teaching eight years in Lorne. Soon after Carol moved here she met Chris through her active involvement with the Lorne Football and Netball Club. They married and have three children, Troy, Casey and Skye all of whom share her love of sport.

In 1981, the Tutungis set up part of their house as The Bush House Restaurant, using an Australiana theme and a menu which included crabs and yabbies. The entertainment was a wandering minstrel (the local school art teacher). “It was lots of fun and became very popular with the locals”. Sadly, two years later they were victims of the Ash Wednesday bushfire.

When they rebuilt, it was in a different location but still on the same beautiful property. Now Carol’s time, outside bringing up children, was spent working in the hospitality industry, but “in 1996 we bit the bullet, took out a big bank loan and built Lorne Bush House Cottages.”

Carol has put her time into the community through her connections with the Lorne and Aireys Inlet Schools, the Lorne Business and Tourism Committee and the Lorne Active Recreation Committee when in the 1990s, she and other local mothers worked toward a better children’s playground facility on the Lorne foreshore. “I hope when the demands of work and family lessen a little, I will have time to be involved in more community activities “.

When Carol is not working on the cottages she enjoys exercise, loves to play golf and walk with the girls. She loves to visit their grandchildren in Torquay and Port Campbell as much as possible and take breaks away with Chris and other friends.