General News
5 May, 2025
Trig Mellington: Still going strong at 83
In the small country town of Rainbow, one local man is proving that age is just a number.
At 83 years old, Trig Mellington is still painting houses and loving every minute of it.
Mr Mellington has lived in the area all his life and has been painting for the last 68 years.
He’s known for his bright smile, hard work, and ability to bring colour to homes and happiness to the people around him.
Last year, at the age of 82, he painted the Pascos General Merchant (Rainbow news agency) while climbing the ladder.
Born in Rainbow in 1942 and raised in nearby Yaapeet, Mr Mellington has spent many years painting homes, halls, and buildings across the region.
After marrying in 1967, he moved back to Rainbow, making it his forever home.
His painting career started by chance.
After leaving school, Mr Mellington worked at the post office.
In those days, a local painter named Harry Davis was looking for a man, and Mr Mellington joined him. That’s where it all began.
When Harry won the lotto and retired, Mr Mellington kept going, first with another painter, and then on his own.
“I’ve been painting ever since,” Mr Mellington said.
“Houses, walls, roofs and many others.”
His work can be seen all over Rainbow and nearby towns like Hopetoun, Nhill and Donald.
But Mr Mellington is more than just a painter.
In his 60s, he was doing umpiring and officiated 198 games altogether.
Before that, he played footy himself, starting in Yaapeet and later joining the Rainbow team.
One of his favourite memories is kicking the winning goal in the 1970 grand final for Rainbow against Hopetoun.
“That is one of the highs of my career,” he said.
Today, Mr Mellington still enjoys painting, though he leaves the roof work to the younger crowd.
Now he focuses on inside and outside painting jobs and still has plenty of happy customers.
His message to the young painters is straightforward.
“Do your best, and they’ll remember you,” he said.
“The customer’s always right.”
At home, Mr Mellington’s wife, Marg, supports him. She used to be a school teacher in Melbourne and later a principal in Beulah.
She now volunteers at the local school.
When asked what passion keeps him going, he said, “I enjoy the company of different people I meet.“
Mr Mellington is thinking about retiring by the end of this year.
After nearly 70 years of painting and helping his community, Trig Mellington isn’t slowing down.
He’s more than just a painter — he’s a local legend.