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Aside from a few years away as a young man, Stirling has spent almost his entire life in Lorne, building a varied and industrious career along the way.<\/p>\n
After training as an electrician and completing his apprenticeship in Melbourne, Stirling served in the Australian Army during the second world war before returning home in 1947 to take over the Lorne cinema from his father.<\/p>\n
Four decades later, he sold the business and opened a steam laundry, servicing the guest houses emerging across the region, while continuing to take on electrical contract work.<\/p>\n
But Stirling’s contribution to the town extended well beyond business.<\/p>\n
When he saw change on the horizon that he felt would not benefit the Lorne township, he was quick to get involved.<\/p>\n
“When something was mooted to happen and we saw this was going to be detrimental to the look of the place, somebody would form a committee, and I would usually be on it,” Stirling said.<\/p>\n
“We had a good old talk to the people, and we found that if you chatted about it, they could find a more successful way of doing things.”<\/p>\n
Over the years, Stirling has been involved with the foreshore committee, cemetery trust, historical society, planning and preservation committee, chamber of commerce and the RSL.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Among his proudest achievements are helping prevent soil dumping along the canal side of the Erskine River, opposing high-rise developments and protecting trees from removal by the former State Electricity Commission.<\/p>\n He said it has been a privilege to watch as Lorne has grown and changed over his lifetime.<\/p>\n “I never cease to wonder at the beauty of Lorne because you’ve got a wonderful beach, the rocks, the surrounds of the coast, and then you’ve got the hinterland with the lovely fern gullies and the waterfalls,” Stirling said.<\/p>\n While Lorne has changed significantly over the decades, Stirling said the town still thrived on its connection with visitors.<\/p>\n “I was always happy to see them with a smile on their face,” he said.<\/p>\n “We’re sharing our town with them, and they’re really enjoying it.<\/p>\n “Nowadays, they sit out on the tables outside the cafes and enjoy the sunshine. It is truly great; if they’ve got a dog tied up to the table, everybody comes and pats the dog. All these things are great to be a\u00a0part of.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/05\/B07K6026-DougStirlin_66701.jpg\")
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