My daughter Sharon and her husband Adam both worked at the bakery for quite a few years. Then they decided to go into their own business: Beechworth Ghost Tours (http://www.beechworthghosttours.com). I said to my wife: “Our grandchildren will starve.”

But Sharon and Adam had total belief in what they were doing. They started from nothing and now have a very successful business. There was lots of hard work and late nights and research, but in business nothing is ever easy.

They run the ghost tours in the former Beechworth Lunatic Asylum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechworth_Asylum), which years later changed its name to Mayday Hills Hospital. The hospital closed in the 1990s. Then La Trobe University took over the grounds and ran a conference centre with accommodations.

Now La Trobe has closed the whole campus. Sharon and Adam are still up there running their tours, but the town has lost many guest beds due to the closure. La Trobe was a big asset to Beechworth. It employed quite a few people.

But the main thing was they were always advertising the benefits of visiting Beechworth. They catered for many weddings and conferences. They had beautiful grounds and fantastic facilities. I believe we have lost a lot with the closure. 

Sharon and Adam have been very positive. They say the ghosts have stayed, and they’re not going away. The history is still there and the beautiful old buildings are still there. The spirits of the past will remain. We just hope some entrepreneurial group will come along and utilise the campus to its full potential.