Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44 - Spring 2016

ISSUE 44 | SPRING 2016

www.bendigomagazine.com.au

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Indigenous artist making waves

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From the team With so much happening in Bendigo this season there is plenty to talk about; from fashion to fundraisers, and community initiatives to culinary delights. But to start with, we feel we should bring our readers up to speed with what is happening with Bendigo Magazine itself.

For the second time in its 10-year history, Bendigo Magazine has had a change of ownership, and there are sure to be exciting times ahead for the team behind this publication and its readership – the Bendigo community.

Bendigo Magazine is now under the ownership of Dustin Schilling who readers will already know of through his proud history working at the magazine from when it was first established. There will still be the familiar names within the pages of the magazines, but there is also room for a fresh take and to modernise and broaden its scope. So there will be lots of exciting times and potential changes ahead that we feel will only improve the quality of this publication. Watch this space.

For this spring edition of the magazine, writer Paula Hubert spoke with artist Arkeria Rose Armstrong. One of Australia’s youngest Indigenous artists, Arkeria had studied to be a teacher, however an art buyer asked her to exhibit in his gallery and she has since been making waves with her powerful works which celebrate family and country. See page 48 for more.

Over the years, this city has curated and hosted exhibitions which have featured amazing gowns and ensembles owned and worn by some of the world’s most stylish and famous people. The Living Art Space features a collection of designs by the fabulous Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee. This duo became renowned for their colourful and bold creations.

And for its latest triumph, the Bendigo Art Gallery is exhibiting a stunning collection of gowns by homegrown designer Toni Maticevski. For an in-depth look at current Bendigo resident Linda Jackson, and a wrap-up of all the fashion activities currently happening in Bendigo, check out our feature on page 34.

Now the weather is warming up, it’s the perfect time to get out and about and enjoy the amazing eateries, cafes and festivals celebrating the region’s food, wine and produce. Grab a coffee from one of the local cafes and wander through the beautiful conservatory gardens, or indulge in a wine or two at Bendigo Heritage Uncorked. For pet owners, Hayley Morcom, photographed for our front cover by David Field, has plenty of suggestions for fun activities too, see page 85.

4 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

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EDITOR Sue Turpie COPY EDITOR Lauren Mitchell CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER David Field CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dustin Schilling WRITERS Ben Cameron, Amy Doak, Curt Dupriez, Sarah Harris, Geoff Hocking, John Holton, Paula Hubert, Colin King, Justin McPhail, Hayley Morcom, Raelee Tuckerman and Finn Vedelsby PHOTOGRAPHY Paige Cartwright, Jen Elliston, Andrew Perryman and Ashley Taylor PRINT MANAGER Nigel Quirk ADVERTISING advertising@bendigomagazine.com PO Box 5003 Bendigo, VIC 3550 Phone: 0438 393 198

Bendigo Magazine takes all care but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Bendigo Magazine holds copyright to all content unless otherwise stated. ISSN 1833-1289.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publishers accept no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or resultant consequences including any loss or damage arising from reliance on information in this publication. The views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the editor or the publisher.

66

17 117

Contents ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 34

Bendigo setting the trend

39

The story behind the dress

44

Going Wilde

46

Fulfilling a dream

48

Connecting the dots

57

Still playing with dolls

58

Continuing to inspire

PEOPLE & LIFE

90

34 105 FOOD & WINE

6 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

61

The special things in life

63

Across the border

64

Family business with the lot

66

Add a touch of spice

13

Times are a changin’

17

Tunnel vision

22

Bright future

24

Mystery deepens

28

Helping tradies talk

42

Still cracking the code

53

Bendigo women share the dignity

55

Building more than a hospital

71

Carrying the spirit of home

73

Spreading the word

76

A century of education

79

A swashbuckling career path

81

Answering a life calling

82

Leading the way in doggy discovery

85

The paw-fect doggy day out

88

Cute kids

90

Feature bride - Casey & Lincoln

94

Feature bride - Sarah & Jaye

108 Red light tour of Bendigo

HOUSE & GARDEN

111 Dying to be in Bendigo

97

117 Picture perfect getaway

A grand history

100 Flora and art in harmony

126 Blue ribbon family affair

105 Living the dream

128 Sharper and smarter

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MOONLIGHT MARKET September 24, October 22, November 26 Make the most of the warmer nights and the longer days by ambling through the night markets in the Bendigo CBD this spring and summer. The Hargreaves Mall will be filled with live music, art, street performers, and a myriad of stalls featuring the work of artists, crafty creators, vintage finds, and makers of fine foods.

This event is friendly, cultured and inspiring… the perfect night out for family and friends. The Moonlight Market brings Hargreaves Mall alive every month with a night market that has something for everyone. The Moonlight Market is held on specific Saturdays from 5pm to 9pm.

Venue: Hargreaves Mall www.moonlightmarketbendigo.com.au

Spring into all things fun Whether it’s food or wine, sport or music, the city has something for everyone this season.

JAYCO BENDIGO CUP October 26 The Jayco Bendigo Cup is an annual event not to be missed. It is the jewel in the region’s Spring Racing crown – and the perfect excuse to dress up and enjoy a day out with friends and family. Whether a racing expert or someone who is happy just to socialise and enjoy the ambience, pack a picnic or enjoy the food and wine on offer with a marquee or dinner package at the Bendigo Jockey Club while watching one the biggest horse events on the city’s racing calendar. Thanks to the community being given a public holiday in honour of the event, trackside is sure to be filled with locals and visitors enjoying the perfect day out.

Keep an eye out for the fashions both on and off the field, or sit back and watch the children enjoy the variety of family-friendly activities. General admission on the day is $25, concession $20 (but must be purchased on the day with photo ID) and children under 16 are free.

Venue: Bendigo Jockey Club www.countryracing.com.au/jayco-bendigo-cup

BENDIGO HERITAGE UNCORKED October 7-8 The city’s famous moveable wine festival, Bendigo Heritage Uncorked, takes patrons into some of this city’s magnificent historic buildings while they sample the best in local wines and produce. This has become a must for every food-lover and wine enthusiast.

Bendigo Heritage Uncorked will allow you to taste the wines of the Bendigo region, matched with gourmet food prepared by local chefs while strolling between eight heritage buildings in central Bendigo, including the Ulumbarra Theatre. The cost is $120 per ticket for Saturday, October 8 and includes wine tastings, six entrée-sized speciality dishes, souvenir tasting glass, a

carry bag and guide book.

As part of the weekend’s activities, Bendigo Heritage After Dark is a casual wine and food affair with a festive atmosphere in the historic and alluring Fortuna Villa. This is the first time Bendigo Heritage After Dark has been held at Fortuna Villa, a venue that showcases classic historical elegance. It will be held on Friday, October 7, from 6pm to 9pm. Tickets are $60 per person and include wine tastings, food tasting plates, a souvenir wine glass and musical entertainment enjoyed within the Fortuna Villa building and grounds.

The Bendigo Winegrowers Association presents this iconic event every year. Tickets are on sale online from the Bendigo Visitor Centre or call 1800 813 153. www.bendigowine.org.au

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 9

Calendar of events Until October 17 Paul Guest Prize 2016 Bendigo Art Gallery www.bendigoartgallery.com.au

HEATHCOTE WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL October 8-9 Spoil yourself in October with a weekend in shiraz heaven at the 2016 Heathcote Wine and Food Festival. Get your friends together to share in the excitement of the Heathcote region’s famous full-bodied shiraz and exciting alternative varieties. Match these amazing reds, whites and sparklings with wonderful regional food and live music while soaking up the country atmosphere that makes Heathcote’s festival a must on your calendar. You can experience the best of regional wine and food at special tasting sessions and the signature daily masterclasses in between wandering among more than 40 wineries in one place for one weekend. For accommodation in the Heathcote district visit www.heathcote. org.au or phone the Heathcote Visitor Information Centre on 5433 3121.

Venue: Heathcote Showgrounds www.heathcotewinegrowers.com.au

Until February 12 Menagerie: Animals in Bendigo History Bendigo Post Office www.bendigotourism.com

CASTLEMAINE AND DISTRICT GARDEN FESTIVAL 2016 October 29 – November 6 This year is the 14th biennial Castlemaine and District Garden Festival. In that time the festival has presented hundreds of goldfields’ gardens. There are some favourites that have exhibited from the beginning and continue to draw the crowds today: Forest Hall is one such garden — a classic goldrush villa (1867) set in a formal garden of two acres of hedges, stone walls and vegetable garden. In contrast, Antares Iron Art Garden overlooks the Loddon River at Newstead where owner Roger McKindley has created a garden of found objects — stone, bone, wood, glass and iron — turning his cottage garden into a sculptural wonderland.

Alongside classic goldfields gardens are country cottage gardens, gardens in new estates, heritage and community gardens.

New gardeners have joined in and are taking up the challenge to create beauty in the harsh soils and dry climate that is the bane of all central Victorian gardeners.

This year there will be 19 gardens open from Saturday, October 29 to Sunday, November 6. The public is also invited to join ABC TVs Gardening Australia, WA presenter Josh Byrne, on the evening of Saturday, October 29 in the Phee Broadway Theatre.

Venue: Locations throughout Castlemaine

BENDIGO BLUES AND ROOTS FESTIVAL November 3-6 The annual festival is a predominantly free, grass-roots, community event that gives music fans and the community the chance to enjoy great music, with a focus on local talent from the blues and roots genres. The four-day event will be filled with performances and workshops by more than 100 artists conducted in over 30 venues throughout the region.

The highlight of the festival is the all-day, free-entry, family-friendly concert in Rosalind Park on Saturday, November 5.

Venue: Bendigo and surrounds www.bendigobluesandroots.com.au 10 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Email castlemainefestivalofgardens@gmail. com or visit www.festivalofgardens.org

Until November 6 Flamingo Park and Beyond – Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson Living Art Space www.bendigotourism.com September 10 Bendigo Community Farmers Market Sidney Myer Place www.bcfm.or.au September 10 to September 11 Wedderburn Vintage Machinery Rally Wedderburn www.bendigotourism.com September 16 Bendigo Tulip Display – Curator Talks Pall Mall www.bendigotourism.com September 18 Trove Makers’ Market The Good Loaf Sourdough Bakery and Café www.trovebendigo.wix.com/trovebendigo September 24 Rocks on Rosalind Cocktail Masterclass Rocks on Rosalind, View Street www.bendigotourism.com October 1-2 Tarnagulla Strictly Vintage Fair Tarnagulla Community Centre www.loddon.vic.gov.au Bendigo Orchid Club Spring Show October 22-23 Mica Grange Spring Garden Open Day and Sculpture Exhibition Mica Grange www.micagrange.com.au October 30 Bendigo Bank Fun Run Bendigo CBD www.bendigobankfunrun.com.au November 5 Heathcote Bush Market High Street, Heathcote 0400 675 995 November 12 The Handmade Market Bendigo Rotary Gateway Park Centre, Kangaroo Flat www.thehandmademarketbendigo.com November 12-13 Bendigo National Swap Meet Bendigo Showgrounds www.bendigoswapmeet.com.au November 13 High Tea at Bendigo RSL Bendigo RSL, Havilah Road www.bendigorsl.com.au November 19-20 Garden Design Fest Various Bendigo locations www.gardendesignfest.com.au

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AMICUS

Times are a changin'

Amicus has been quietly going against the trend of the congregate-care model for people with disabilities, and the world is taking notice. Three people share their stories of how their lives, and the lives of others, have been changed by this organisation.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: David Field Amicus is about individuality and changing lives, one unique person at a time. In a world where there seems to be an abundance of ‘one size fits most’, there is a heartfelt revolution happening. At the core of this is the desire to give everyone a chance to live a quality life tailored to them, regardless of age, background or ability.

At the head of Amicus is chief executive officer Ann-Maree Davis, who brought with her 30 years’ experience in the disability sector.

Ann-Maree has also worked in residential aged care, housing, in case-management and co-ordination roles, and in government. Her mum had cerebral palsy and while this didn’t inspire Ann-Maree to enter the profession it certainly influenced and shaped her attitude towards people with disabilities and how much they’re capable of.

“I noticed a trend that when the carer of a person with a disability become too frail or unwell to care for their disabled son or daughter,” Ann-Maree says, “their child was admitted to the nursing home when the mum was. This was only in 1988. They had no life, all the people they would develop friendships with would die around them.

“That inspired me to go ‘this is not right’ and think what can I do about it.

“My upbringing taught me that was anything is possible. My grandparents were told to have very low expectations of what mum could do in her life but my grandparents refused to accept that. She went to mainstream school, got a job, got married. They stood up against the trend. Thinking of how difficult things are today, back 50 years ago it would have been much more difficult. I believe that people can live the life that we’re all used to.

“As an individual I am passionate about supporting people with a disability to live a good and normal life, to have the same opportunities as everyone else in the community.”

Ann-Maree says that she had a bolder vision of what was possible when she came to Amicus.

“Amicus was more traditional,” she says. “We operated from a facility-based setting where people with a disability congregate together. Congregate care is the model most people in the

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 13

community are familiar with. My role has been to transition Amicus from that model of service to the model of service that’s fully integrated and where people are included in the community… employment, work experience opportunities, volunteering. They use the Amicus support to do these things.”

This shift in services has been noticed, not only in Australia but by international organisations. Ann-Maree has spoken with people from Ireland about the work Amicus is doing, and a delegation from Canada also paid a visit. It’s not only the work that is changing but there is a want to change the perception of people with a disability.

“People do tend to think of people with a disability as not actively participating and that they need to be with their own kind,” AnnMaree says. “But what we say is their own kind is human kind, and that’s our kind. While there is antidiscrimination legislation the challenge is still there every single day (for people with a disability to be recognised as part of the community). What we want is a person who has a disability to have the same possibilities as a person living without disabilities of the same age and same gender. That’s the guide for us.”

Putting themselves into the shoes of another person and helping them decide what they would like to do is a winning formula. Seventeen-year-old Mitchell Hillman takes drumming lessons at RPM. Mitchell is on the spectrum with mild autism, and has a passion for music and other creative outlets, such as drawing and doodling, and also collecting and watching old VHS tapes. From the iconic Wiggles to the Hoolie Doolies, the rocking Screaming Jets, or Brit pop band Madness… Mitchell has an eclectic range of music genres that he enjoys but it is through his drumming that he can rock out.

“Not surprisingly, he loves the rhythm,” his mum Angela says. “It’s also an outlet to relate to the feeling of a song and helps him express his feelings. He is more confident with performing and being under the spotlight which is great for different social situations he will find himself in. He’s

14 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

also been to a few live gigs and danced non-stop. He knows all the moves.”

Mitchell attends the Bendigo Special Development School and has a year and-a-half to go before he heads out into the world to either pursue other study or to work. He started to receive support from Amicus about 18 months ago through its children’s services and vacation care programs.

“Since then, he has also accessed the TeenWorks Program,” Angela says. “This is a work experience pathway program that, through oneon-one support and mentoring relationships, harnesses an individual’s interests, strengths and passions to explore work-like opportunities.

These experiences build crucial bridges for the individual that lead to an increase in capacity, skills and employability.

“It’s reassuring and comforting to know Mitch is being supported through Amicus to be more confident and sociable in the world. He is happy, which makes us happy. It’s given us a clearer understanding of how he prefers to be supported.”

Peter Fountain of Amicus, was instrumental in setting up the drumming lessons for Mitchell.

“To participate in activities he enjoys has a positive impact on people’s awareness of what’s possible for a person with a disability,” Peter says. “From our perspective, at Amicus, we see people all the time who just want to get on with living their life. We find out what that looks like for them and support them to develop opportunities for active and valued participation in the community. Whether that is with a local business, or social clubs, gyms, schools or organisations that need volunteers.”

Amicus’ services also extend to providing respite for carers of people with disabilities. It was Amicus which Judy turned to when she made the heartbreaking decision for her son Dylan go out on his own.

“He’s the most beautiful young man but he has autism and the nature of his autism means he needs a structured environment and the people who support him need to be understanding of his needs,” Judy says. “It was August 22, 2014, and I’d driven Dylan to his placement. At that moment when he got out of the car and I said goodbye to him, it was at that moment I thought ‘I can’t pick you up today’. It was the worst day of my life. I said goodbye to him and I pretty much lost it physically and mentally. I somehow ended up in DHS which was only next door to where I dropped Dylan off and I was exhausted. I was crying and pretty much had a nervous breakdown. It was something I hadn’t thought of, but at that moment it was just ‘I can’t do this anymore’.

“Amicus was able to provide emergency respite and support for Dylan as of that night and through to the following Wednesday when there was a place available in support accommodation.

They were providing two staff support 24-7 for Dylan. They did an amazing job.”

“As an organisation we do respond sometimes to crisis – to people in really dire need,” Ann-Maree says. “It was a very trying time for her. We were keen on supporting both Dylan and his mum. People who work for us really care about the people we support and this happened so quickly that I did the first overnight shift.”

As a mother, Judy is notably still affected by the sequences of events from that time.

“I mean it was the worst period of my life,” Judy says, “and I’ve lost a parent, I’ve lost a sister tragically in a car accident. Nothing has come close to that period in my life. Especially for Dylan too because I’d always been his lifeline and he always looked forward to mummy coming to pick him up and of course mum didn’t come back.

“He was so distraught, I wasn’t there for him and cognitively he had no understanding of what was going on. So it was an extremely difficult time for me and for Dylan. It was sudden and Amicus was able to support Dylan. It’s been a huge journey since then.

“I can’t put it into words, and you have to be in that position before you can understand how you can do that to a child. It wasn’t a conscious thing. And my mind and my body… I was catatonic for weeks. His behaviour can be very challenging, but he’s a beautiful young man. And he’s in a really good place now, he’s in his house and a big growth period because it’s not easy those first six to 12 months, but he comes home and he visits me every Sunday.”

It was when Dylan turned 18 and was no longer attending the Bendigo Special Development School that he became involved with Amicus.

“I had to choose an adult facility and he was happy and content with Amicus – you go a lot on your gut feeling. We made the decision then and that’s where he’s been ever since.

“My other boys, all of their lives… we didn’t have a holiday because it was too hard. So, school holidays were confined for them because Dylan was home and we had to be home. Everything was all around Dylan and their lives were very restricted. They’ve all grown up into beautiful young men and they love their brother dearly, but growing up they had periods where they really resented Dylan. As children it was difficult; we’d watch other families going off for holidays and the kids would ask why can’t we, but we couldn’t go because it was just too hard.”

Now their lives are different although they still see Dylan regularly.

Throughout the week Dylan takes part in activities through Amicus from 9am to 3pm, such as gardening, woodwork, painting and Masterchef. Judy is now on the Amicus committee of management, wanting to give something back to the organisation which helped her and her family.

“It’s a wonderful organisation. I’m still learning, but my role involves the governance of the organisation. We have a number of different people on the board, but coming in as a parent is interesting having lived it on the other side.”

“The future is our children... without bursting into song,” Ann-Maree laughs. “There will be generational change in the work that we’re doing. There will be some people, for whatever reason, who won’t choose what it is Amicus is trying to achieve, and that’s okay because that’s their journey. But we really believe we have a moral and social responsibility to give people their best life.” ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 15

Amicus provides 24/7 support and opportunities to people and their families living with a disability, working with each individual to live a good life.

We are vibrant and purposeful innovators, we remove

boundaries and celebrate each person’s capabilities.

We are Amicus.

100 Queen St, Bendigo 3550 T 03 5441 2666 E admin@amicus.org.au W www.amicus.org.au

Tunnel vision

What lies beneath? Chances are it could be a vertical drop, the vestige of the early miners who worked Bendigo’s goldfields. Grab a rope, we’re going in.

Writer: Sarah Harris - Photographer: David Field As a stonemason Raymond Shaw might be expected to have an affinity with the underground, but his compulsion goes way deeper than bedrock.

Ever since he was a little kid Raymo, as his mates call him, has regarded the slightest crack in the earth, from wombat holes to old mine adits, as open invitations. ”I had my trusty Eveready torch and thought it was just grouse,” Raymond recalls of his early explorations. “Of course mum never knew. When I got a bit older I saw a lot of shafts around and started to wonder what was down there, so I taught myself to abseil and would drop in on a figure eight (belay device).”

These days when he takes a door downwards it’s a serious undertaking, complete with gas monitors, generators, exhaust fans,

drills, lights, video camera and a crew of like-minded guys who make up The Victorian Historical Mine Shaft Chasers.

Given the prerequisite of hanging about in dark, confined places deep underground it’s not a hobby for the faint-hearted and most of the VHMSC members work in fields such as mining, rigging and earthmoving.

“All the guys understand the risks involved and know that this is dangerous, but the way I look at it, the road trip to an old mine can be more dangerous than actually going down and going in if you are properly prepared,” Raymond says.

Even though the Mines Department, as it was then known, conducted an extensive operation, filling and capping some 1600 shafts between the 1930s and 1950s, there is still no shortage of

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 17

opportunities around Bendigo where at least 6000 shafts were sunk as miners chased gold ever deeper after the alluvial gold was exhausted in the rush of the 1850s.

recent visit to check out the Morning Star mine at Bung Bong Hill, near Avoca, where the body of 12-year-old Terry Floyd is believed to have been dumped following his disappearance in 1975.

Add to that an unknown number of mines of which there was never any official record and this makes the central Victorian goldfields a popular destination for the VHMSC.

Bad air forced the crew to pull out on that occasion, but they plan to return to help Terry’s brother Daryl in his ongoing search to recover Terry’s remains.

Raymond has personally explored more than 400 shafts around Victoria. “The furthest I have been down is 220 metres. Sometimes you get to the bottom and find there is nowhere to go. Other times there are lots of drives running off and you can follow them, or winzes (shafts) in the footwalls leading to other levels.”

While there is no one specific law that prohibits people from entering old mines, it is “frowned upon” and there are rules and restrictions which Raymond and his fellow mine chasers are careful to observe.

On one occasion he found himself pinned when a huge rock came down from another shaft as he was moving through a tunnel.

“There is a certain risk in everything we do and we certainly aren’t trying to encourage others, although there are a few other crews around that do this,” Raymond reveals.

Occasionally, the shaft chasers take on special missions such as their

18 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

“People don’t like us going down there, but there is nothing they can really do to stop us. We are not doing any work, we are just exploring and recording and everything we do is on us,” Raymond says.

“We never approach anything under lease and we definitely wouldn’t enter anyone’s property without asking permission first. We also definitely don’t go cutting locks off or cutting mesh grids where they have been put up to stop people going in.”

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 19

Raymond also insists there is no souveniring or trophy-taking.

“Whatever is down there belongs to the Crown and we can’t bring anything up. We are explorers, not miners,” he insists.

The one exception was when the chasers entered a mine in Maldon and found a young kangaroo trapped down there.

“He had a broken toe and a dislocated hip, but we managed to get hold of him and got him to a vet and then took him to a wildlife shelter,” Raymond recalls. “Hippy, as we called him, made a full recovery and it made us feel really, really good that we could give something back by rescuing him.”

It is not usually such a happy story, with the crew encountering many more mummified dead animals than live ones. But, it is the rubbish that distresses the mine chasers most.

“People going there and putting asbestos in there, putting old car parts in there. It is absolutely unacceptable. These sites should not be used as dumping grounds. They should be heritage listed to make sure no one does any more damage to them.

“It really is another world down there with all the old timber work and ore cart tracks. In some of the shafts it is just as the miners left them, with bits of paper down there, old bottles, candles, old boxes, barrels, an old drum of glycerine, even old gelignite, but we are not about picking up stuff like that or telling people where it is.

“Sometimes we find miners’ graffiti where they have written their names in the black from their carbide lamps. You can almost feel their presence down there, knowing every inch of shaft, every drive, represents someone’s hopes and dreams.

“It is incredible really what is beneath our feet.”

Raymond hopes one day his group will become the subject of a documentary which will allow others the chance to glimpse this underground world.

“It is something I can’t describe. It’s so exciting to know you are in a place that hasn’t been entered for maybe 100 or even 150 years and that it is just as it was when the last miner left it with all the old timberwork. It is this great underground legacy that no one sees.” ■

20 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Amelia Terracall, Arishika Hooke, Cassandra Smyth, Sophie Stephens and Sarah Rodgers

Diane Mollard, Gail Fowler and Adrienne Dalton

Women of wool Faye Bullen, Kathy Watson, Janina Read and Maggie Bradley

Robyn Russell, Katherine Carter and Suzie Spiers

Jennie Shae, Zhoe Jess and Lisa Chesters

Sue Napier and Fiona Kilpatrick

This annual event honours the works of innovative women in the sheep and wool industry.

The Bendigo Exhibition Centre recently hosted the Australian Sheep and Wool Show Luncheon in support of the inspiring work that Women of Wool ambassadors are making both in regional Victoria and throughout the country. This year’s guest speakers were Alexandra Gartmann, Charlie McCafferty, Jane Hayward and Karen Webster. www.sheepshow.com ■

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bright future

Sarah Hosking became legally blind when her son was only nine days old. But now 12 months later and with the help of her family, friends and Vision Australia is living an independent life and going online to share her journey with others.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: David Field It’s been a long road but Sarah Hosking is doing an amazing job living her life with her husband Cameron and son Archer.

Sarah lost her vision just after Archer was born, but with the help of family, friends and Vision Australia, she’s found her feet and is also posting blogs about her life and experiences at blindintuition.com Archer had his first birthday in July; Sarah lost her vision when he was nine days old.

“It’s been over 12 months now and I feel we’ve reached normality again… well our normality I guess,” Sarah laughs.

“I was in hospital for nine weeks in and out, and I had two surgeries. I had a C-section to deliver Archer as soon as we found out (about the tumour on my optic nerve) and then I had the tumour removed nine days later, which was seven and-a-half hour long

22 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

surgery. Then I had to go back in because the subdural had a leak from the surgery so they had to repair that. It was musical beds in Melbourne which was pretty hard.”

Sarah had noticed a change in her eyesight, late in her pregnancy.

“I was nearly 38 weeks pregnant. I am a teacher and noticed my vision deteriorate over about three weeks, but I just thought I was tired as I worked up until I was 36 weeks pregnant… I was run down. I had a stroke in 2011 and so sometimes when I was tired my vision would go a little bit blurry. I thought it was just that, but it kept getting worse and worse to the point I wasn’t confident to drive. I wouldn’t drive of a night, and was really straining to read the computer screen. I was watching TV and the news was on and I couldn’t see any of the

facial features of the newsreader. She just looked like a blank face with two dots for the eyes and that was it.”

It was then her husband suggested to have it checked out as the couple was worried it could be preeclampsia.

“Bubs was okay so I had a CT scan as they thought it was actually clots, and I thought another stroke was coming,” Sarah says. “I went by ambulance to Mercy in Melbourne straight away and we found out it was these benign tumours.”

Listening to Sarah talk so calmly about the situation now, it seems impossible to imagine what she and her family had gone through.

“It’s different when you’re living it,” she says. “It’s not until you look back and think ‘oh god, that’s huge’. At the time you just

that little bit of vision. I can read the Spot the Dog text and with strain, but I have to magnify almost everything.

“The hardest thing I still find quite difficult is fully-sighted people not understanding,” she says. “It doesn’t matter how much I try to describe how much I can see… sometimes people can overcompensate and it can be quite patronising but most people are fine.”

Sarah says it was hard at first with friends and family. “I was grieving and sometimes would snap because I felt so out of place and misunderstood but now it’s better. We had to get onto the mental health side of it pretty quick… I had to get myself right and healthy to be the best mum I could be.

Because you do grieve a loss, when that should have been a happy part of our life.

“Vision Australia have been great at linking me in with other parents who are either visually impaired or fully blind. Being able to chat to them has been great… to have that support network. And it is hard on your relationships; for Cam and I it’s taken till this time to feel like we’re a normal couple again. We had the pressure of Cam’s new business, a new baby, and being blind. It was quite a colourful household for a while.

“Things are different. I have to have things in place so I can find them easily. During the day I can see if there’s shoes on the floor but in the night I would trip over them. It’s more things in the pantry, the fridge, the wardrobe, the bathroom cupboard. When they get put in the wrong spot I might crack it a bit,” Sarah laughs.

“That’s one thing I did have to overcome when I first became legally blind. My head was wondering how I was going to organise things. I was normally quite a scattered person, and it didn’t really bother me. And so at first I had everything obsessively and compulsively organised but I have relaxed now.” set yourself in motion and focus on what you’ve got to do next.

“When I came home, that was the hardest.

I felt safe in the hospital because I had my little routine and all I had to do was focus on breastfeeding Archer. When I got home I sort of didn’t know where any of my stuff was and reality hit. You feel like you lose your identity a bit. Vision Australia came in and put things in place so that I was able to function in the home initially and then gradually get out and about. Sarah explains her vision, but as she describes it, it is impossible to truly understand unless you’re living it yourself.

“My left eye can detect light but can’t really make out shapes that well unless I’m outside in the daylight. My right eye is functional but the best way to describe it is like an over-exposed photograph. So I can’t see fine features well. I can’t tell what colour your eyes are or whether you’ve got make-up on.

I can’t tell if someone’s got freckles. Faces are a bit blurred. If I’ve only met someone once or twice then they have to tell me who they are. If I know them then I can make them out. I’ve adjusted now so I don’t think much about it, but I’m glad I’ve got

safe as well so I don’t have my hands in the frypan. And it’s good for chicken and things like that so I know it’s cooked properly and I’m not going to poison anyone.

“She helped me with eating, which I struggled with even judging how much was on my plate and how much to get on my fork… I really, really struggled. It was a big thing… and I still don’t eat poached eggs in public,” she jokes, “I’ve worked out what’s hard and what’s not to eat.”

It’s other daily tasks that visually-able people take for granted, that Sarah has learned to work around, such as whether Archer has stains about his clothes and being able to read her son a bedtime story.

“I joined the library with Vision Australia so I can read to Archer. And they send a little suitcase, which is free, and it’s got a brail children’s book in it and a toy and it also has an audio book on CD. And each suitcase is different. Sometimes they’ll come with a handmade feel book, as well as a braille book so if the book is about a fluffy bunny there’ll be a fluffy bunny for them to feel.

It’s for blind children but I got it to read to Archer. I’m a teacher, I have to be able to read him his books,” she says. “I’m slow but this is how I’ve become more fluent with it.

A lot of the books that are in his cupboard, I’ll get brail stuck to the pages as well. But sometimes I just use my magnifier and learn the book and do it from memory.

“I don’t see it as a disability anymore. I still do the same things but I just do some things in a different way. I do miss driving and being spontaneous by getting in the car and driving anywhere.”

Sarah’s humour and positive outlook on life are evident in her blog Blind Intuition.

And while she and her family have had to overcome incredible hurdles together, their resilience and attitude is an inspiration. ■

Sarah uses her sense of touch a lot more when cooking and cleaning, and says she uses her hearing more when out and about.

“I learned to listen for traffic,” she says, “I can see traffic coming but not from as far away as someone else… I could probably see it from 20 metres away if that, depending on the colour, the time of the day, the light, sometimes it might be six metres so I usually wait until I can’t hear anything. I can visit anywhere in Bendigo if I catch the bus and there’s traffic lights.

Normally if I go somewhere I wasn’t familiar with, for example if I was going to go for a day in Melbourne I wouldn’t go on my own.

I would use a Vision Australia orientation mobility specialist if it was something I was going to do quite regularly to get to know the paths and the tracks.”

Sarah also worked with an occupational therapist to help her organise her house and use technology such as a bar code scanner for products.

“Or normally I can have a sniff and figure out what it is,” she laughs. “The OT also gave me talking kitchen scales for recipes, put sticker bumps on my oven so I knew where 180 degrees was. I also got myself a thermomix which I use all the time. It’s

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 23

Mystery deepens It has been almost half a century since two teenagers vanished after attending a local dance. Despite the time that has passed the family still has no answers as to what happened that night. In December 2014 the deputy state coroner released his findings following an inquest into the disappearance, but instead of bringing closure to the families, it marked a new beginning in a 48-year-old mystery.

Writer: Cathy Matthews - Photographer: David Field It began in November 1968 when 16-year-old Maureen Braddy and 17-year-old Allan Whyte went to the YMCA dance on Mundy Street.

the Braddy-Whyte case was reopened in 2001, she started the push for a coronial enquiry.

“It was a Saturday night and it was their first date, they had only just met a week or so earlier,” Lynette Ireland says.

Deb MacDonell (nee Braddy) is a warm and thoughtful woman with five grown sons and 12 cherished grandchildren. A career nurse, Deb was 10 years old when her sister Maureen disappeared.

“They were invited to a party after the dance, but Allan said he was taking Maureen home to Vinton Street. We know they made it home – the tram driver recalled dropping them off, and our sister’s boyfriend testified that he saw Maureen coming out of the back door.”

Lynette was an inquisitive eight-year-old when her older sister Maureen vanished with Allan. A remarkable person in so many ways, today Lynette is a mum and grandma as well as a qualified aged-care provider.

She has dedicated her life to finding the missing teenagers and when

24 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

“There were 10 children in our family and I am two years older than Lyn,” Deb says.

Deb and Lynette say counselling has helped deal with past demons as well as ongoing feelings of anxiety and distress.

“The inquest was difficult,” Deb says, looking caringly at Lynette.

“Valium helps,” Deb adds, and they chuckle. It’s these rare moments when a shared journey of pain and sorrow becomes most evident.

Support from friends and partners helps them to keep going, the sisters say, and their children are quite amazing.

Shane is Deb’s eldest son and it’s his quiet determination (and wry humour) that helps Deb find strength. Jodie is Shane’s wife and it’s her sharp thinking and meticulous record keeping that will influence the future direction of this case. When Jodie met Shane in 1999, Maureen and her friend Allan had already been missing for 31 years.

“This has affected generations of the Braddy and Whyte families, including our two boys,” Jodie says. “They pick up on our pain and they want to help us.

“We need to find Maureen and Allan and give them a proper burial, then we can begin to move on.”

Jodie’s home desk is like a detective’s den harbouring hand-written notes alongside photographs and official documents. Her copy of the coroner’s report is dog-eared, underlined, highlighted – and sometimes pushed aside through sheer frustration.

“So much evidence given at the inquest points toward Maureen’s father Stanley Braddy,” Jodie says simply.

However, the coroner found there was not enough evidence to conclude Stanley Braddy senior was either directly or indirectly involved in the disappearance of Maureen and Allan.

A neighbour told of hearing screaming and noises like gunshots on the night the teenagers went missing. Family members said Maureen’s tiny handbag – the bag she took to the dance on the night she disappeared – turned up at the Vinton Street house.

The family believes the answer to the young couple’s disappearance could lie beneath a thick concrete slab that was poured over a well shortly after they went missing.

A double-brick room was also built on top of it.

“We will never give up until we find them, and we believe that old well is the key,” Lynette says.

Always the pragmatist, Jodie says finding Maureen and Allan might

finally uncover a truth that is too awful to contemplate.

The family believe Maureen was a victim of incest, and she was pregnant. “Maureen confided in her grandmother, who told her father’s sister. We believe this is why she was murdered and poor Allan tried to protect her.”

Shane speaks for the Braddy and Whyte families when he says the coroner’s report has left them feeling gutted and bewildered.

“Where do we go from here? We can’t get information from the police, we don’t even know if this is a missing person case or a murder case. We’ve offered to excavate the well at our own cost but we need the authorities to help us.”

A vocational care-giver, Jodie says the family is taking a short rest to care for loved ones before re-grouping for a new campaign.

“The inquest is finished and the findings are unsatisfactory, so now we need to find another process to get some results,” Jodie says.

“We want a reward posted. Someone out there has information about the case that will force the authorities to act.”

In 2014, Victoria Police announced every new reward issued to solve a Victorian murder case will be $1million.

“If you have any information about the disappearance of Maureen and Allan, please call Crime Stoppers,” Jodie says, “you can remain anonymous.’’

She says this is not about any one person, but it is about finding Maureen and Allan, and bringing closure to their families. ■ If anyone has any information about the disappearance of Maureen Braddy and Allan Whyte or the events from this night, no matter how insignificant it might seem, or information regarding any other incident, please phone Crime Stoppers Victoria on 1800 333 000. You can also report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au. Your information will be taken confidentially. You are not required to give personal details.

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 25

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Helping tradies talk

Jeremy Forbes has been there before, which is why he’s the driving force behind Halt, an organisation linking tradies to mental health services and getting blokes to open up over an egg and bacon roll.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: David Field Talking with Jeremy Forbes, the man behind Halt (Hope Assistance Local Tradies), it’s easy to see that there isn’t any pretence or hidden agenda behind his want to help others. He’s driven by personal motivation that comes from being in a dark place that he knows other people often find themselves in.

Jeremey’s now based in Castlemaine, but also spent his young years in Bendigo and has many memories of the place. Sitting on a park bench near the VRI at the Bendigo Train Station, Jeremy talks about his

28 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

grandparents and their role in his life.

sitting here.”

“It’s interesting I’m sitting here because my grandparents were a big influence on me at a young age. I don’t remember a lot of my childhood but I remember my grandfather David Forbes used call the bingo,” Jeremy says. ”I couldn’t play because I was underage but I’d come here as a youngster to get the old books from the oldies and I’d play along…

I remember legs 11 and two fat ladies. And behind the VRI hall is the bowls club where my grandparents were life members and I spent so much of my childhood there so it’s nice to be

Jeremy finds talking a natural process, but he understands that not all others are the same, especially when it comes to emotions and genuinely asking colleagues whether they’re okay. There is a stereotypical image of the Aussie tradie; a tough, big-talking bloke who slugs it out all day on the job site before having a cold one with his mates at the pub. But there is so much more going on underneath the surface, and regardless of the persona projected, Jeremy is helping others acknowledge that mental health is as much a

women, and not every tradie is struggling with mental health issues… but I have worked on some big sites in Melbourne and I watched it happen, from anxiety to depression to suicide, I’ve seen that side… there’s a progression across that.”

However, it’s not just young tradies who Halt is reaching. Talking about mental health can mean going up against a builtin generational code that bullying, talking tough, and keeping your feelings hidden is all part of the job. Jeremy says he gets the tough tradie image; it’s a hard job when you’re painting a house in 40-degree heat or having to break your brush out of a bucket of ice in the morning. But underneath the exterior, he’s finding a lot has been going on and he’s proud that these people are now comfortable talking about this.

“I do talk to apprentices and I reckon at about 90 per cent of events that HALT has done I’ll get an old tradie come up and talk to me about his suicide attempt,” Jeremy says. “And these are men who’ve held that in, and we talk briefly about it, but they’ll say they were bullied and harassed as a young apprentice and told that they can do the same when they own a business.

It’s that generational thing. It’s almost like a tweaking of culture, and adding a bit of understanding and compassion and empathy. We don’t need to change every single thing about being a tradie, but on the mental health and emotional level it’s about opening up.

“The thing I’m hearing more about now, which is awesome, is that people are starting to think more about listening. The art of listening to someone.

“I’ve experienced the highs and lows of the industry. I’ll chat with someone who owes one thousand dollars and is struggling with debt, and then someone will say that they owe $10,000, and then another will complain about what their wife does… it’s a one-upmanship rather than really listening without judgement and without comment, or without worrying.

part of a tradie’s life as anyone else’s.

“The idea of Halt was to build the bridge between the tradie community and local and national mental health support services,” he says. This is done through events, such as the Save Your Bacon brekkies.

“We might hold an event at a hardware store – somewhere comfortable for them and give out Halt bags with information,” Jeremy says.

“Some might think it’s a load of shit but the information could save your life or a mate’s life. At the events we also talk about finance.

We get reps from Lifeline and Bendigo Community Health Services and others to come along and be a presence to show tradies these people exist in the community.

“When there’s no expectations for the tradies to talk, they invariably start talking.

So you can wander around the Halt event and you hear them talking about mental health issues and the building industry; the good and the bad, but it’s building a

community. They might catch up again and are now equipped with tools to start conversations.”

While there are many agencies in the community, such as Headspace, Anglicare and Bendigo Community Health Services, Jeremy believes that talking about mental health needs to be driven by the community.

“So it’s tradies saying to mates not to be complacent or ignorant about what’s out there for mental health. Embrace it and break down that stigma and acknowledge it’s an issue. That’s what Halt tries to do.

We can’t clinically diagnose your issues but I spent 20 years not knowing where to go and holding it inside of me and not talking to anyone and covering my issues with alcohol; that blokey culture.”

“Halt tries to encourage those genuine conversations and give people the information they need about local services and national support services, and about what your GP can do. If you’re talking with your mates you don’t have to give them answers but you can tell them about Bendigo Community Health Services or Anglicare or there’s always Lifeline if they’re struggling.”

As Jeremy points out, we spend a third of our day with workmates, why not ask how they’re going or catch up for 15 minutes after work.

“I want people to understand that they’re not alone and that there’s help in the community and they can get this early,” he says. “And we need to let them know what anxiety looks like and what depression looks like and get them before they get down that path where they feel that it’s overwhelming.”

This is something Jeremy doesn’t want others to experience.

It’s all about change; one bacon and egg roll at a time.

“I’ve met a lot of amazing people, and worked with a lot of amazing men and

For more information on Halt or upcoming events visit thehaltbrekky.com ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 29

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Some like it hot

Bronwyn Griffith and Rhiana Micheel

Saari Frochot-Ryan, Brownwyn Griffith and Jessie Martin

Gail Fowler, Di Riepsamen and Willa Whitewolf

Sharon Turk, Lynne Fraser and Liana Elias

Sue and Bryce Frame

Peter and Jenny Rohde

Honouring Marilyn Monroe with a screening of the iconic black and white Hollywood comedy film.

Fans of Marilyn Monroe were at the Ulumbarra Theatre, dressed in their 50s finest, to enjoy some cocktails and indulge in the Billy Wilder film Some Like It Hot. Also starring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemon, this Marilyn classic was a hit with audience members of all ages. â–

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Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson 10 August – 6 November 2016

A unique boutique exhibition featuring two of Australia’s most influential fashion icons.

Flamingo Park and Beyond 10 August – 6 November 2016 Living Arts Space Celebrates Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson’s exuberant and sensational fashion-textile designs from the 1970s and 1980s, along with some of their more recent work.

Kee and Jackson’s original style of alternative fashion was inspired by the Australian landscape, flora, fauna, and Indigenous culture. Distinctively bright, bold and unconventional with a twist of ‘Oz’, it marked the emergence of a uniquely Australian look during the 70s.

More recent creations and explorations include Kee’s new collection of dynamic knitwear and silk scarves and Jackson’s vibrant paintings and designs on silk.

Living Arts Space at the Bendigo Visitor Centre 51-67 Pall Mall Bendigo • 5434 6060 bendigotourism.com • las@bendigo.vic.gov.au Open 7 days, 9am – 5pm

In Conversation with Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson Sunday 23 October 2016, 2pm–4pm La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre Join host Jonathan Ridnell as he explores the experiences that brought these iconic Australian identities together, as Jenny Kee and Linda Jackson reminisce about their friendship and artistic journey from the 1970s to now.

Tickets $20, on sale 1 September.

Workshop with Linda Jackson Saturday 10 September Bendigo Visitor Centre For more information or to book the workshop please contact the Bendigo Visitor Centre on 1800 813 153.

Bookings essential.

Book at www.bendigotourism.com or 1800 813 153, 9am–5pm 7 days a week.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Rachel Beames, Amy Jackman and Amber Harrison

Esther McRae and Andrea Rowe

Glenn Harvey and Lisa Lagozzino

Chris Free, Giselle Laming, Joseph Ho and Pip McCulley

Georgina Safe, Karen Quinlan and Katrina Hall

John and Deborah Quinn and Mitchell Oakley-Smith

Maticevski

Bendigo Art Gallery celebrates the opening of Maticevski: Dark Wonderland.

There was excitement in the air as world-famous fashion designer Toni Maticevski was in Bendigo to launch the opening of his exhibition at the Bendigo Art Gallery.

The exhibition, highlighting the progression of Toni’s career, will be on show at the gallery until November 6. www.bendigoartgallery.com.au â–

Toni Maticevski and Danielle Castano

Ludovica Giovannini and Grace Stewart

Paul Culliver, Fiona Parker and Lisa Chesters

Sam Bruechert and James Dunn

Sophia Rotar and Hing Bua

Rohan Furnell and Amanda Sawaya

Ty King-Wall, Amber Scott, Nicola Curry NicholasMagazine Cooper 33 |and Bendigo - Issue 44

Setting the trend This spring, Bendigo is further cementing its reputation as a style centre for designers, with Toni Maticevski’s innovative exhibition at the Bendigo Art Gallery, Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee adding their unique splashes of colour to the Living Art Space, and the city’s own retailers and fashion students taking to the runway for Bendigo Fashion Festival 2016.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: David Field When Bendigo establishes a reputation, it does so with aplomb.

The gold rush during the 1850s saw people from across the world converge on the city to seek their fortune. Today it’s our collections of fashion that have people talking and flying half-way across the globe to see. This season sees a winning combination of stylish exhibitions and events being held throughout the city.

The first is Flamingo Park and Beyond, a boutique exhibition at the Living Art Space of creations by Australian designers Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee. Their bold and colourful creations have made them design icons. So much so that when first starting out found some people at home thought their creations a little too much.

“When we went to Italy… they loved it,” Linda says. “It was fantastic because they just got it. They got the quality, they got the detail and they could see we knew what we were doing. Whereas other people here thought it was all a bit wild.”

Flicking through catalogues of Linda’s, the words that come to mind are vivid, vibrant, unique – much like Linda herself.

“That’s who I was from when I was tiny. I learned to make my clothes when I was quite small. My mum and dad were ballroom dancers, so I had creative and inspired parents. My mum taught me how to sew and I used to draw and paint.”

In her book, Linda Jackson – the Art of Fashion, it describes the first photograph Linda took with her father’s Box Brownie. It was of her doll, dressed in its finest, propped against a tree in the family backyard. There really was no other career for such a spirit.

For Linda, her designs came from a deep-held creativity that wasn’t limited to fashion itself. The fashion was almost a by-product of her own curiosity and innovation. While Linda studied fashion design for a year at RMIT, and worked in the bridal salon of Sportsgirl, she also studied photography with Paul Cox. “It was all part of what I was interested in – the image making and that sort of thing,” Linda says. “The fashion was because I could

34 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

make my own clothes and make them for my friends. It was easy to continue that but I had other interests that were parallel with what fashion was.”

Linda spent years living and travelling throughout Asia, and then Europe satisfying her own “curious spirit about people and places”.

“I had that other interest of tribal, beautiful cloths and different ways of dressing in that regard. But the travelling was a whole combination of things. It wasn’t just fashion. It was a way of looking at life, of looking at art and cultures, like which have always been a part of the inspiration.”

Her creations are inspired by opals and the Australian bush, which is evident in Linda’s choice of colour palette, the designs and shapes of her garments and materials.

“The colour and the power of them, for me it was like there’s a little opal but I knew there was more to it than that. I wanted to go to the opal fields and see where they come from and meet the people who work there. Then I used the inspiration to make up a few things and print different textiles. I also took lots of photographs so the miners could see what I was doing.”

The first show that Linda and Jenny had was in 1974. The pair was destined to meet at the right time.

“It was towards the end of 1973 and I was in Sydney, and I’d made some things out of this amazing 1950s fabric and people were telling me I had to meet Jenny Kee and apparently people had said to Jenny you’ve got to meet Linda, so we did meet and the rest is history, because we got on so well and we had the same love of prints and colour.

“Jenny had just opened her shop, so I sent a few things up to her and then moved to Sydney because I’d travelled and come back to Melbourne. Then we did our first show together in a Chinese restaurant in China Town. The first dress was the Sydney Opera dress.

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 35

“Being inspired by Australia was there from day one… the colour, knowing that everything is amazing. We didn’t have to copy anywhere else, and we didn’t want to. We were inspired by our own country and that continued and grew over the years.”

It was thanks to City of Greater Bendigo Major Events Officer Raph Beh that Linda and Jenny are exhibiting their work locally.

“What’s going into this one are pieces from our own personal collections,” Linda says. “We’ve got four mannequins each and then we’ve got artwork, which is why it’s called Flamingo Park and Beyond because it’s isolating some of the early works and then some new works, too.”

Shining the spotlight on what’s happening locally in retail and in the design classroom is the Bendigo Fashion Festival 2016. This is the 10th year of the festival, and it’s thanks to the volunteer committee and the support of the community that the event supports the city and its retail outlets. This year’s main event, the Runway Show, will be held on Friday, October 7 at the Ulumbarra Theatre. As Raph Beh explains, the show has come a long way since its inception.

“Originally when we started it was a small event and we were just trying to get people involved in fashion,” Raph says. “The idea was to create an event that would have a flow-on affect for sales. In the old days a lot of us would go to Melbourne to do our shopping, but this was the early days of promoting shopping locally. It was very community based, and encouraged people to talk about what was around. And in the last 10 years we’ve been able to develop this into a solid festival and the key event is the runway show.”

This year for the 10th anniversary, there will be two sections for the runway show. The first being the retail section with local and commercial brands. After the interval there’ll be a creative design section.

“This is a section we hope to grow. We’re working with artisans from all genres to develop the show. So it’s not just confined to dressmaking; it goes into jewellery making, millinary, textiles… all sort. And we’re also extending the invitation to fashion students as well, such as from the Kangan Centre of Fashion at Bendigo TAFE. They’re part of a wider organisation which includes make-up, health and beauty. We decided we wanted to have a better reach, to create a pathway for students from the classroom to the catwalk, and the City of Greater Bendigo has put in the resources to run that section.”

Since its first year, the Bendigo Fashion Festival has become a key event for retailers and members of the public, so much so that last year people were being turned away from the Town Hall because tickets had sold out.

“This year we’ve moved the event to the Ulumbarra Theatre and that has seating for 900 people so it will give us an area to grow into,”

36 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Raph says. “But this year we’re building on the theatre part of it, so at the Ulumbarra we’ll have great lighting and sound to make it visually exciting. We’re also selecting the best of to be in the show, so it’s going to give the event a whole new energy.”

The other major event being held in in the city currently is the exhibition by Australian designer Toni Maticevski at the Bendigo Art Gallery. Pushing the boundaries of fashion, Toni is internationally renowned for his manipulation of traditional fashion silhouettes and innovative use of materials and fabrics. Maticevski: Dark Wonderland is a visually stunning collection of works and objects that showcase this innovative homegrown artist.

For further information on Linda Jackson and Jenny Kee’s exhibition Pink Flamingo and Beyond visit www.bendigotourism. com; for information on the Bendigo Fashion Festival go to www. bendigofashionfestival.com.au; and for Maticevski: Dark Wonderland, visit www.bendigoartgallery.com.au ■

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cool event Sandhurst Plastic Surgery invited friends and clients to help celebrate the introduction of its Coolsculpting treatment.

The event, held at the Chum Street surgery, was an opportunity to socialise but also ask questions about this latest non-surgical procedure. All clients who attended went in the running to receive a complimentary treatment.

For further information, visit www.sandhurstplasticsurgery.com.au ■

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The story behind the dress If you’ve ever travelled, chances are you’ve run into someone who lived just down the road, or a friend of a friend... The world, after all, is a smaller place than we give it credit for. And if you’ve ever had a passion and lived it, then chances are you’ve found the world is smaller still. Such is the story of a pink and white dress, two inspiring women and a journey from Vienna to central Victoria.

Writer: Amy Doak - Photographer: David Field Anita Scott can recall her first effort at creating a costume. “It was a tutu and it was terrible,” she laughs. “I was eight years old.”

As with all things in life though, practice makes perfect. Anita went on to study ballet and dance with the Victorian Ballet School and National Theatre Ballet and her love of costumes continued to grow.

“Through my years dancing and travelling, I developed a lovely network of friends in the industry – not just in Australia but in London, France, Germany… many places,” Anita says. “When costumes were no longer needed, people knew that I loved them and collected them and they would ask if I wanted them. Every time I have travelled anywhere I have a tendency to bring home costumes more than anything else.

“I have also been fortunate to know many older, successful ballet dancers – such as Julie Heydon – who have sold me their entire collection and some of those costumes are over 70 years old.”

Anita’s collection continued to grow over the years and, despite the detours she has taken with parenthood, studying and working as a midwife (something she still does), her love of costumes and dance has remained strong. “My kids were involved in dance and quite

often someone would be looking for a particular item and I’d say, ‘I have that at home somewhere’,” Anita says. “Before too long everyone was coming to me for costumes. In about 2010, my kids had grown up and I decided to create more of a costume business. It really exploded from that point.”

And no wonder. As I watch Anita move quickly around the custombuilt shed that houses her many costumes, I can see her bursting with enthusiasm and a sense of absolute joy. She clearly loves what she does.

“These are mainly for the local dance companies and theatre schools,” she says pointing to four racks of gorgeous, sequined outfits. “And over there, that’s my Bollywood section. We used a lot of those outfits when Girton put on Aladdin a few years ago. Over there are all the outfits from when Maryborough Primary School put on The Lion King. I have a friend in China who works with me to create a lot of the masks.”

You name it and Anita will be able to supply it. And if she doesn’t have it, she’ll try to get it for you. “We just workshop what is required and then set about making it happen,” she says. “Nothing Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 39

is impossible. Sometimes I get one or two of something in and we need more for a particular show. I will work off the original to create more of the same – I am a great copier.”

Anita moves like a dancer – light and quick with fantastic posture and a neatly tied bun on her head. Despite the busy turn her business has taken, she is still involved in the world of dance on many levels.

“I work with many dance schools and schools throughout Shepparton, Maryborough, Castlemaine and Bendigo. I choreograph performances too, such as a beautiful piece that was done at the Festival of Light at the Great Stupa.

“I love working with children. I work with many VCE students in Bendigo and explain to them how you go from concept through to design and making the piece.

“They are so unafraid to transform themselves with costume. When I explain to the kids where the costume has come from or who perhaps wore it originally, they have great respect for it. If there is a particularly precious item, I will make sure I am watching offstage while it’s being worn. And I make sure that kid doesn’t take off to McDonalds in it after the show.

“I love the history behind the costumes.”

When we met, Anita was in the process of moving her many costumes from various pockets around her home into the new shed.

A task, it seems, that will take a while. “Two years ago we started counting and we got to 8000 and then gave up,” Anita says. “It was getting late and we were getting eaten by mosquitoes. I’ve accumulated so many more since then so goodness knows how many I have now. I know where they all are though. They’re all special to me. What can I say? I love pretty dresses.

“I had a costume historian come and visit me and she said that many of these pieces should be in a museum. But what is the fun in that?

It’s wonderful to see them being worn and loved. Of course, there are some pieces that are just too fragile to be worn now, and I would love to create a display to showcase those.”

I asked Anita if, like a mother asked if she has a favourite child, it would be impossible to choose a favourite costume from so many.

However, her eyes light up at the question and she immediately heads to the centre of the many racks and pulls out a pretty pink and white candy-striped dress.

“This,” she says. “Actually, my favourite pieces are from this collection. My family is from Italy and these dresses would have been worn for a comedia dell’arte. I particularly love this one though. It was created for a Viennese opera and it still bears the tag of the original maker.

“Actually, I will tell you a funny story. I had a lovely woman come in here one day and she saw this dress and was very moved by it. You see, she created it. Can you believe the coincidence? She worked with this company in Vienna. She’s a designer, and she actually designed this very dress. Her name is Ulrike and she lives in Castlemaine now.”

Tracking down Ulrike in Castlemaine...

holiday,” she says. “My nature is a bit tricky with these things and when I’d had holidays previously in European towns I’d found myself planning lots of tours and learning new things and painting and then… work. I need the opposite of that, and the opposite of Austria is Australia.”

“I wasn’t into girlie things,” admits Ulrike Barbara von Radichevich, although when you wander through her Rike Boutique in Castlemaine, you’d never know it. It’s stunning (and, you might say, girlie).

Ulrike applied for a three-month holiday visa for Australia and quickly extended it to six months. Her original destination was Melbourne however she ended up in central Victoria, enjoying the bush in the height of summer.

“I didn’t have any respect for the workmanship and detail that can go into an outfit.”

“Before I moved here, whenever I was stressed and in the city, I would find a plant nursery and go and sit quietly beneath fern trees to relax and get some perspective. This one morning in Australia, I woke up and went to wash my face in the river. The smells, the sounds, it was beautiful. Then I looked up and I realised I was standing beneath a fern tree. It was perfect.”

And why would she? Ulrike, after all, started her career as an engineer for Alfa Romeo and Mercedes. She says her practical background gave her a solid foundation for what was to come.

Going against her family’s wishes for a more practical career, she decided to go and study theatre.

“Study in Europe is different,” she says of her theatre education.

“It’s all encompassing, as opposed to just specialising in a single area. I was trained in everything – set design, stage design, finance, costumes, production, direction. All of it.”

It wasn’t long before Ulrike’s new career in theatre took off and whilst she loved it, she needed a break.

“I’d had lots of productions – one after the other. I needed a

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Ulrike says there is something truly special about Castlemaine and she felt at home very quickly. “It’s one of those rare towns that is really about social connectivity,” she says. “In Europe, old towns grow from the centre. They evolve out and the centre of the town keeps the people close. In cities here, like Melbourne, for example, they push people out in to far away suburbs and separate groups.

Like chess, they close the game.”

Of course, it wasn’t just the town she fell in love with. Ulrike met her partner here and, in yet another twist of fate, he had once upon a

time worked in theatre throughout Austria, Germany and England.

“We should have met so many times before we did,” she explains.

Which, of course, brings us to another special dress. A pink and white candy-striped one, all the way from Vienna.

These days, Ulrike is as busy as ever. As well as running her Mostyn Street boutique, she continues to work for theatre companies in Europe – travelling to and fro when required as a set designer, stage designer and costume designer. Ulrike also paints locally when she has the time. She has beautiful notebooks filled with her ideas and concepts for every aspect of a production. The detail is as meticulous as it is beautiful.

“Every second year there is the Castlemaine State Festival,” Ulrike says. “This one year, I was working as a production designer and I had come across Anita when we needed to source some costumes.

As we were looking through her shed, she noticed my accent and asked, ‘where are you from?’. When I told her she said, ‘I have something to show you’ and she pulled out the dress. Oh my God. I couldn’t believe it was real. I had goosebumps.

“With costume you can tell stories,” she explains. “A door opens and you know who they are, how they feel. You can see a group of people and from their clothing you can know who is the pauper and who is the king.”

“In the early 80s, the beginning of my career in theatre really, I was working in production for the opera in Grasse. I had worked on the design of the costumes and then they were created by a very famous costume company, Lambert Hofer. This was the label inside the dress and how I knew it was mine.

Ulrike recalls working on a production of the music of French singer Edith Piaf. The lead, despite having the right hair, the right make up and, most importantly, the right voice, was not convinced that she could ever ‘be’ Piaf.

“She was bickering with the director,” Ulrike chuckles at the memory. “As she was telling him how she couldn’t do it, even from behind the screen she was still going on about it, I was dressing her.

I’d found a simple woollen dress from a second-hand shop and it was perfect. As I zipped her up and showed her her reflection in the mirror, she finally stopped speaking. She was Piaf with that dress.”

“Lambert Hofer has been around for over 150 years and is known for the production of historical costumes. They also rent costumes to very famous people for events such as the Viennese Opera Ball. They even provided all the costumes for the famous Amadeus video clip.

So to find that one dress here, in Australia, it is very special.”

To see more of Anita’s amazing costume collection, visit www.facebook.com/Scotts-Mascots-and-Costumes To discover more of Ulrike’s beautiful world, see her store at 54 Mostyn Street, Castlemaine or at www.rike-design.com ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 41

Still cracking the code

Long before SMS there was Morse code and it’s a skill still embraced by volunteers at the Bendigo Visitor Centre. In a nod to the building’s esteemed past, they invite the public for a hands-on lesson in this historic form of communication.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: David Field It’s the sound of yesterday – a mix of dots and dashes being sent down the wire. Today’s communication sees words and images transmitted worldwide immediately, so for the younger generation the idea of waiting two hours for a message possibly seems archaic.

electrical signals sent in patterns of either long dashes or short dots.

Ted and Ernie, along with many other youngsters, were post office employees who spent six months in Melbourne learning the art of communicating using Morse code.

However, the introduction of the electric telegraph arguably revolutionised communication in a way never seen before or since.

And residents and visitors to Bendigo can enjoy a hands-on lesson in this historic method of communication at the Bendigo Visitor Centre, housed in the former Bendigo Post Office.

“You’d spend an hour-and-a-half a day learning how to send Morse code,” Ted says, “And about the same learning to receive, and then about an hour or two learning to type.”

For Bendigo Visitor Centre volunteers Ted Rankins and Ernie Bell, the electric telegraph was a source of employment. Both men started as telegraph messengers distributing telegrams before the days of computers and colour television.

However, in order to do their job they had to be proficient in Morse code. Invented by American Samuel Morse, the code is a series of

42 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Ted’s career started in Ultima, outside of Swan Hill. “I came down on the train,” Ted says. “The principal of the training school came to Bendigo and all the local lads came to have a Morse code test. I remember walking into the Bendigo Post Office in 1952. I walked into this beehive after little old Ultima, not knowing that 11 years later I’d come and spend the rest of my working life either from or in the building.”

“I started work in this very building as a telegram boy in 1949 – a

junior postal officer as they were called in those days,” Ernie says.

Finishing his schooling in 1952, Ernie worked in the Goulburn Valley and Rushworth.

“But still that involved Morse code because all the little places there had their Morse code line,” he says. “I was post master in Golden Square where I retired from and by this time Ted had this Morse code demonstration set up. So 15 years ago I became a volunteer (at the visitor centre). We’re still here today.”

“Post offices were the local forums for people meeting,” Ted says.

“People would come in of a morning to clear their private boxes and they’d talk amongst each other, even if it was just about the weather.

It was a people place, so I was always relaxed about this becoming the visitor centre because that’s what a visitor centre is. They’re people places.

“The reason the Morse code was set up at the Bendigo Visitor Centre was because we thought we needed to make some connection with the services that were provided by the former post office.

“It could have been telephone, or it could have been mail, but this is unique and it attracts a lot of interest because of the clicking sound.

The old typewriter attracts a lot of interest from the women because most typists were female and they remember learning on one of them.”

Ted says the typewriter on display is different to the sensitive-touch keyboards that students use today.

“When you use this typewriter you’ve really got to strike it. Younger people say they’ve heard of typewriters but they don’t want to go back,” Ted laughs.

As Ernie says it helps to compare this with their interests.

“You ask a child if they’ve got a computer at home,” he says. “Then you describe this machine as the first Internet and they sit up and take notice. You explain that it’s a form of communication the same as the Internet and they get really interested. It’s good to see. You

give them the form with the Morse code message on it. But it’s really a couple of old blokes with a typewriter.”

When describing the impact of the electric telegraph, Ted uses the scenario of a poor digger on the goldfields. “If you imagine that Ernie is a digger on the minefield and he’s ill, writes to his parents…

It goes by Cob and Co to Melbourne then takes three months by ship to England. So they love him and send a letter, and Cob and Co bring it back here. Up to six months and he could be dead and gone.”

Then the overland telegraph was put in. “From Adelaide to Darwin, at Darwin it connected with a submarine cable to Java, now Indonesia, about seven submarine cables and landlines to England.

“After 1872 Ernie would borrow a few bob, come to the post office, send off the telegram to England to the folks, they send a telegram back and wire him money. So within 24 to 48 hours he’s got a response. Changing from taking six months to communicate to only one or two days made a massive social impact even more so than the Internet.”

Both Ted and Ernie have an unbridled enthusiasm when talking about their work at the centre.

“We see ourselves as part of the volunteer group and our role is to engage with people,” Ted says. “It’s really about engagement whether they’re local or visitors. It’s the interaction with people that’s important to us.”

The children who visit the information centre can use the Morse code instrument that makes a buzzing noise, normally used on radio, while the clicking one is used for landlines.

Ted and Ernie are at the centre every Sunday from 10am to 1pm, and more often during school holidays. For those interested in the history of the post office building there is a guided tour on Saturdays at 2pm and Wednesdays at 11am. These can be booked through the Bendigo Visitor Centre, which is open seven days-a-week from 9am to 5pm, email tourism@bendigo.vic.gov.au or visit www.bendigotourism.com ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 43

Going Wilde

Looking quite at home in leather and studs, these rebels with a cause, the Forever Young Choir, are preparing to rock with Aussie music icon Wilbur Wilde.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: David Field There is something moving, inspiring and heart-warming about the Forever Young Choir. Whether working on a song for their upcoming concert, or coming together at the Kangaroo Flat Harley Davidson store for a photo shoot. There is a zest for life and an appreciation of each other and what they’re achieving together that is remarkable.

To the observer, it’s a reminder that growing old isn’t a bad thing; it’s something to embrace and even look forward to.

Led by Laura Dusseljee, head of junior school music at Girton Grammar, the Forever Young Choir is preparing for its annual concert which, this year, will be held at the Ulumbarra Theatre on Wednesday, September 14. The theme for this year’s concert is Born to be Wilde.

Inspired by their guest artist, renowned Australian saxophonist Wilbur Wilde, the Forever Young crew are dressed in leather, black and metal and hamming it up while posing around some beautiful hogs.

community, including Labor MP Lisa Chesters, all the way.

“It’s something I wanted to do off my own bat,” Laura says. “There is a sense of achievement because every year the choir is learning and developing, and a way of helping people get together to have fun.”

The choir meets at Girton Grammar each Thursday morning for rehearsals. With a roll call of about 80 members there is much fun and socialisation at each session. However, when the piano starts to play you can feel the shift and while fun is still had, there is concentration and unity as the group bands together to learn their music.

The choir’s repertoire is eclectic and the music ranges from the emotional and stirring to the fun and feisty. Songs they’ve put together for this year’s concert include Born to be Wilde, So Young, and Let Me Entertain You.

Last year’s guest performer was ‘60s Aussie pop icon Normie Rowe, who Laura says was unexpectedly surprised by the calibre of the group and their gung-ho approach to performing and their singing.

Laura says they were waiting on Wilbur Wilde’s repertoire also. Being part of such an organisation obviously benefits the members directly, but it’s been noted that their involvement has a flow-on effect to their family and friends.

“Our calibre is improving every year, we continue to produce a really good sound,” she says. “Our harmonies are stronger, and this year we’ve learned our music so much quicker. If you hear our set they sound fantastic; their voices are stronger. I get a great sense of achievement bringing people together to have fun.”

“The members have a lot of fun learning rock’ n’ roll,” Laura says. “It’s brought some members closer to their grandchildren. One member was talking to her grand-daughter about Amy Winehouse. We also sing songs of love, lust and longing. The members are up for anything – they’re adventurous.”

The choir was of Laura’s own making, and given the commitment and organisation that goes into it, to use an old cliché, it’s certainly been a labour of love. However, she’s had the support of her school and the

Somehow, it makes the lyrics more poignant. Whether they’re singing Salt N Pepa’s Let’s Talk About Sex, or their theme song Forever Young, you feel something different listening to these senior singers because

44 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

you know there’s a life lived and a lot of memories behind them. They all have a history and it’s intriguing to think about what these lyrics mean to each member.

“We not only perform rock music but music of all genres,” Laura says. “We try and choose repertoire that has meaning when an old person sings it, so we’ve done, for example, Freddy Mercury’s Who Wants to Live Forever, when an elderly person sings it it’s very moving. And songs that have a sexual slant become particularly poignant, like Leondard Cohen’s One Thousand Kisses.

“The lines are so moving: If I could kneel I would kneel before you, but some people can’t walk, let alone kneel, so it becomes really moving. We’ve also done Purple Haze by Jimmy Hendrix and Staying Alive by the Bee Gees.”

The oldest member of the choir is 95 years old, the youngest about 65. Their love of music has resulted in bonds of friendships that go beyond weekly rehearsals and performances.

For Frank Roberts, at 88, he’s found a best mate through the choir who happens to be David, the oldest Forever Young Choir member.

There were only five male members when the choir started.

David and Frank bonded through being part of the minority but soon found a genuine appreciation and affinity with each other. Frank picks David up each week for choir and then drops him home afterwards.

They also chat between rehearsals.

Moya came to rehearsal on her own, but was immediately approached by another member Eril who invited her to sit with her. That was four

years ago, and they still sit together each rehearsal. “There is such a sense of belonging in this choir,” Moya says, “right from the start.

There is a real sense of community of like-minded people who truly enjoy one another’s company. Since joining the choir I have developed great friendships.”

Like so many other members, singing makes Moya feel younger. But it isn’t only the singing. Each year the choir works with young musicians for its annual concert. The choir is accompanied by an orchestra consisting of Girton Grammar’s music students.

For Brenda, working with the youngsters is an absolute joy. Her favourite song is Forever Young because the choir sings it to the students in the orchestra who are on stage with them.

“They move to the front of the stage and turn to face us. I have to be careful not to cry but I always get a tear in the corner of my eyes. It’s the reaction of these kids when we sing to them that gets me going.

We soar when we sing that song.

“For me the song has meaning because it’s about going out and grabbing life. I feel immensely happy as I sing to those young people that there are so many good things ahead in life for them.”

We’re sure there’s still plenty of good things ahead in life for the Forever Young Choir too.

To purchase tickets for this year’s Forever Young concert, go to www.thecapital.com.au and for more information on the choir, and profiles on individual members, visit their Facebook page. ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 45

Fulfilling a dream or two As CS Lewis said: “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.” So, in the spirit of these wise words, grab a cuppa and settle in for a read about three Bendigo authors who brought their dreams to the page.

Writer and photographer: Tania Ryan A space in the sky surrounded by clouds that might be a window to another world. The intricate designs of a beetle visible under a microscope. The repeating patterns of nature... These are all things that attract the eye of Jacqui Lynch, creator of the selfpublished colouring book Curious Treasures.

Trained in fine art and now an accomplished painter and graphic designer, Jacqui has a love for both fine detail and the abstract.

Add to this a healthy curiosity about the recent phenomenon of mindful colouring books for young and old alike, and it was only a matter of time before Jacqui designed her own.

Jacqui says the design process was four months of intensely-detailed work and many lessons learned. For example, mapping out artwork and editing designs could be done by hand, but the required level of detail meant having to digitise them along the way. Also, the paper needed to be a specific thickness so mediums, such as texta and paint, don’t bleed through to the next page. Then there’s the even number of small repeating spaces for alternating colours, and the balance of larger empty spaces for composition.

Advice from her 14-year-old daughter, an artist herself who loves colouring, as well as information from Facebook groups and YouTube channels proved invaluable to the final product.

Now, featuring 30 pages of original artworks designed to spark creativity and imagination, her book is available locally and has found a lovely niche in the market with Bendigo Health and its community of patients and carers. With plans for another already underway, it might be fair to say Jacqui is as hooked on the creative process as her fans are on her designs.

46 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

There’s a common thread between Jacqui’s book and the book I Have A Worry, written and illustrated by Tanya Balcke. While they use different techniques, the object of both is to introduce a sense of calm. In Tanya’s case, as a primary school teacher, she was inspired to create the book to encourage conversation about anxiety, and empower children to disarm their worries.

Using the experiences and discussions she had as a teacher and mother as the foundation for her work, Tanya sat down in two weeks of the school holidays last year and captured the words and story as they tumbled out of her.

It was important to use a natural voice in the words she wrote, just as it was to mirror the same simplicity in her watercolour illustrations. This enables children to integrate their own experiences into the story. They can see their worry (depicted as a purple cartoon-like character of varying sizes) as a thing that is recognisable and can

be given to someone else to hold.

Though learning the technology involved in self-publishing was one of the trickiest parts of the process, Tanya believes that setting the example of having a go and learning new skills were one of the best parts of the experience. Although, hearing from relieved children who now feel their worries are understood, and the connectedness between parents and their children as a result of reading her book is invaluable to her.

Tanya isn’t slowing down. Little ones will soon be able to use their pencils and textas on a companion colouring book. A My Pet Worry book is also on the way.

Speaking of little ones, local designer Belinda Nihill has written a book, Beautiful Babies’ Rooms, all about her love of creating and styling dreamy nursery spaces for babies.

Having worked as an interior designer for 15 years, Belinda was on maternity leave when she started thinking about how her nursery was going to come together. Drawing on her background and with plans starting to take shape, Belinda used her blog as a way of collecting ideas and sharing the process online. It wasn’t long before readers were asking questions, and Belinda realised that she loved helping others design spaces for their own little ones.

Fast-forward six years and we find her with 300 spaces in her design portfolio, having collaborated with families throughout Australia and from all corners of the globe Her book is written for parents or parentsto-be who are looking for nursery space inspiration, or perhaps a guiding hand on how to take the first (or next) step in the design process. Each featured space includes why the pieces in the room were chosen, how they were combined to form the overall look, plus useful tips and tricks for decorating and layout decisions. For example, achieving a gorgeous “shelfie” (styling of a set of shelves) is something simple that, if you know the secrets behind it, can take an already-sweet nursery to the next level. Belinda highlights that while it might be tempting to follow trends, the secret is incorporating meaningful items or working with a theme that is significant to the couple or family.

The three-month process of putting together the book, though a lot of work, was clearly rewarding as Belinda has another planned.

Those who love to read and browse, but aren’t so enthusiastic about the creative process itself, can engage with Belinda through Nest Design Studio.

It has been said that if you can’t see the book you want on the shelf, you should create it. That may seem a daunting prospect for most of us, but these locals have done just that.

Time to get out that list of must-reads and add a few more titles to it I think.

Visit petitpixeldesign.com/bendigomag for full-length interviews. ■

Curious Treasures by Jacqui Lynch can be found locally at Bendigo Art Gallery, Bob Boutique, Organise My and online. For digital downloads and more information go to curioustreasures.com.au I Have a Worry by Tanya Balcke can be found locally at Dymocks and Education Plus. For other local retailers and to find online visit tanyabalcke.com Beautiful Babies’ Rooms by Belinda Nihill can be found locally at Organise My and Gathered. For more information or to find online go to www.nestdesignstudio.com.au

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 47

connecting the dots

Arkeria Rose Armstrong is one of Australia’s youngest Indigenous artists making waves in the art world with her powerful works, celebrating family and Country.

Writer: Paula Hubert - Photographer: David Field When the Australian ambassador opened Arkeria Rose Armstrong’s first major exhibition at the Aboriginal Art Gallery in Rotterdam, he was so impressed that a young burgeoning artist could produce such insightful work. It certainly struck home.

Her venture into the art world wasn’t planned. The 28-year-old had recently graduated from La Trobe University Bendigo with a teaching degree when she was encouraged by an art buyer to exhibit at his Dutch gallery.

and rested in that place. I painted that before I knew that story so it reinforced what I felt.”

“If you know Australia,” Ambassador Brett Mason said addressing the packed gallery, “then you’ll be able to look around this room and see all of it because this is exactly what it is like.”

Arkeria Rose created the 30-piece collection while pregnant with her first child.

“I was seven and my sister was five and we were living in a small fishing town. Dad decided that he wanted to become a gold prospector. Everyone thought my parents were crazy leaving their house and taking off, but I can’t imagine having a different childhood.”

Arkeria Rose admits that she was overwhelmed by the positive response to her exhibition Strong Connection which honours the Country she holds dear.

“People were very interested in our culture and they wanted to celebrate it. They wanted to know why you paint and how you paint. They wanted to understand every part of the story,” says the Gamilaraay artist who lives in Eaglehawk.

“I did an opening sand ceremony – that was my story of travelling and how I’d got to this point, settling in Bendigo. It gave people the opportunity to understand that every single painting is a different place and that’s my connection to it.”

48 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

“I had to paint the bigger pieces first because I wouldn’t have been able to reach the centre of them by the end of the pregnancy. Otherwise we were going to have doughnut-shaped paintings,” she giggles.

Being pregnant brought a unique female quality to her work.

“It gave me a lot of reflecting time which I think was very special,” Arkeria Rose says.“Certain areas that I’ve painted have got a specific meaning to them or they’re a resting place. I did one on Wiluna and they have a carpet of wildflowers all over.

I remember sitting there and it had that spiritual silence.

“It’s like sitting in a church. That’s what parts of the Country are like. They say that two Aboriginal elders walked out of nowhere

Her connection to Country stems from a rather extraordinary childhood travelling around Australia.

Home was a caravan and her backyard was Australia’s dramatic landscape, from red earth and parched river beds to lush bush and verdant hills.

The family travelled in a tiny caravan for four years, setting up camp in in some of Australia’s remotest but stunning areas, including the Pilbara region in Western Australia. ”It was like going back to your house at every camp; it didn’t matter where we were,” she says. “We’d joke with mum because she’d have spots for everything and every set-up looked the same.”

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 49

Her mother Stephanie, a qualified teacher, homeschooled the girls in the early years (they settled in Broome for her high school years) and that closeness enjoyed by the family still remains tight today.

Arkeria Rose talks joyfully about her childhood.

“I would do school in the morning and then wander up the hill to have a look for my dad. He’d be in dry riverbeds prospecting and I’d toddle down to him and say hi.”

Her grandparents would often join them, telling stories and enriching Arkeria Rose’s knowledge of her heritage. This has defined her work now as she expresses the cultural contributions from her Gamilaraay background on canvas.

Even at a young age art was a passion – stacks of her early work are still stored under her parents’ bed or adorn the walls of the family home.

“I just loved it and I always felt that I could do well in art,” Arkeria Rose says. “My sister would do stick figures and she’d get frustrated with me saying ‘can’t you help me’.”

Now some people describe her work as digital “because my dots are quite separate and intricate”.

Arkeria Rose prefers to combine traditional

painting methods using a palette of vivid acrylic colours rather than ochre, but the stories are not contemporary.

“Painting for Aboriginal people is very spiritual and it’s something that is passed down the generations,” she says.

Arkeria Rose has learned much of her artistic expression from her grandparents and she’s blessed with the same creative genes. Her grandfather Don Briggs, a Yorta Yorta elder and traditional artist in Shepparton, has encouraged her to bring her own sense of identity to painting.

There is also a female strength to her work because the “women in our family have been very strong story-tellers”.

Her grandmother Rose Fernando was a Gamilaraay elder and one of the last sand painters in north NSW. She has had a huge impact on Arkeria Rose’s life.

“I would just watch my nan sand painting.

She had these hands that you’d be fixated on. You’d be listening but at the same time you’d be captivated by what she was doing, watching the repetitive motion in the earth. ”Nan was always passing on knowledge because she thought it was important.

Certain stories will come back to me and I get what she was saying now because I’ve had my own child.”

Her grandmother’s death eight years ago had a profound effect and she was able to express her grief through her art.

“My first four paintings are a connection to my grandmother,” she says.

Through oral learning, Arkeria knows of the heartache experienced by past generations where every day brought discrimination, poor living conditions and inequality.

“If I tried to look up my family history,” Arkeria says, “I’d have to look for them under the work stations as they would have been listed as part of the livestock instead of as staff.

“My nan was never angry about it. She never said it with harshness so I always felt that I didn’t have the right to be angry about something that she’d already let go of. She always talked about the joy of the moment rather than the hurt.

“Nan’s sisters and brothers have all passed away too, so she was the holder of everything. I want to focus on my family’s heritage and stories. When I’m thinking of new things to paint, I have to have a complete understanding of what’s behind it.”

Arkeria Rose says she paints every day because “it’s something I have to do” and her time is in demand. She receives commissions from clients all over the world and supplies new work for many art galleries in Australia as well as the Aboriginal Art Gallery in Rotterdam.

She holds cultural workshops and has taken a group of girls from Bendigo Senior Secondary College on an exchange to Broome. She recently spent a week painting a piece at Worawa, an all-girls Aboriginal school near Healesville.

“It was really special because I was with a group of young women who’ve lived in towns that I’ve lived in,” Arkeria Rose says.

She’s building a strong reputation in the Indigenous art world, but remains modest about her achievements.

“I’m still quite young to be an Aboriginal artist so I still see myself as a learner. You’re continually developing as an artist. I’m excited to know what a 40-year-old me is painting and what it will be like. I hope I’m still painting even if it is just for me.” ■

50 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

roll up!

ues tal Ven Capi

&

Events Pre sent

roll up!

2016

season soul food presents

melbourne symphony orchestra Tuesday 11 October, 8pm ulumbarra theatre

With a reputation for excellence, versatility and innovation the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is Australia’s most internationally acclaimed and oldest orchestra. Appearing on a stage that now matches the grandeur of this fine orchestra, audiences will enjoy and evening of music to remember.

theatre season presents

circus oz

Saturday 15 October, 1.30pm and 7.30pm ulumbarra theatre An eclectic mix of extraordinary skills, ridiculous characterisation, hilarious mayhem and fabulous live music, this show is a celebration of the great values of Circus Oz that have generated critical acclaim and woven the company into the hearts of audiences around the world. During the show the individual members combine in dynamic large group acts: eight acrobats soaring through the air off a custom designed flying trapeze; or nine performers on a single bike; or ten scaling the height of two Chinese poles; or the entire stage filled with flying juggling clubs combined with fast and furious knockabout. The audience is close to overwhelmed with the visual and aural spectacular. “An evening with these Australian performers (is) a delightfully entertaining mix of music, comedy, and movement, while featuring an impressive number of gasp-inducing circus tricks.” Boston Globe.

Suitable for all ages. May feature smoke machines and strobe lighting.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

victorian opera presents

pied piper

Friday 4 November, 6pm Saturday 5 November, 2pm capital theatre The town of Hamelin is plagued by rats. The rodents have been eating cheeses out of vats and making nests in men’s Sunday hats. The desperate Mayor turns to a mysterious fellow in a gypsy coat of red and yellow, who with his magical charm rids the town of vermin. But, when the greedy Mayor refuses to pay, the townspeople are taught a lesson they will never forget. Based on The Pied Piper of Hamelin and Robert Browning’s classic poem, Victorian Opera’s enchanting new family production with a surprise happy ending is told through song in traditional operatic format written by Artistic Director Richard Mills. Adults and children from the community perform alongside Victorian Opera’s developing artists and a chamber orchestra to bring alive this classic story and make this magical opera their own.

Victorian Opera’s Regional Program is supported by the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust.

Treat yourself to a great night out. Book now at gotix.com.au or call Box Office on 5434 6100

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

OTIS DRESS TO

impress

Jenny Bevans and Damita Hoiles

Jenny Fitzpatrick, Rachel Mason and Janelle Taylor

Kristin Cook, Kylie Clark and Elizabeth Murphy

Liz Nash and Cath Robertson

Narelle and Brooke Perez and Leeanne Scholtz

Nicole Spencer, Emma Healion, Emma Nielson and Fiona Curtain

The women of Bendigo again showed their support for the Otis Foundation at the Rifle Loves Otis event.

The Rifle Brigade Bendigo hosted some 130 guests for the evening, raising funds for the foundation while ensuring a fun time was had by all.

Guest speaker was Karlee Thorpe who spoke of her breast cancer experience and how she benefitted from a stay at one of the Otis Foundation’s retreats.

There was also a fashion parade by Mona Lisa.

To make a donation or for further information on the Otis Foundation visit www.otisfoundation.org.au or phone 5444 1185. ■

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We also have outreaches located throughout the Loddon Campaspe region 71 Bridge Street, Bendigo P: 5441 0430 E: lccasa@lccasa.org.au www.lccasa.org.au Monday - Friday 9.00am - 5.00pm AFTER HOURS:

Contact Victorian Sexual Assault Crisis Line P: 1800 806 292 5.00pm - 9.00am weekdays, weekends and public holidays

Bendigo women share the dignity A new group of friends banded together, calling on the support of family, friends and the community to provide sanitary and health products to homeless and at-risk women, and raise awareness of this national plight.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: David Field There is a specific need that women who are homeless so often ignore for the sake of providing for their children. When a woman is homeless and with barely the means to feed her family, or being moved to emergency housing in the middle of the night, sanitary and hygiene products fall down the list of priorities.

It was this need that inspired the establishment of the Share the Dignity Foundation. And this cause has been supported by a group of Bendigo women who were more than happy to do whatever they could to help.

Marni Champion (pictured left), Helen Byrne (pictured right), and Kellie JohnstonBailey have formed a bond helping other women. Their friendship began back in April at a garden party hosted by Helen, who is an Intimo stylist. The party was held as a way of bringing women together, and there were speeches on Intimo and their being a corporate sponsor of Share the Dignity, which provides sanitary products to homeless and at-risk women.

There were Share the Dignity fundraisers being held across Australia to encourage donations of products to be given to women who are homeless.

However, when Marni learned that there wasn’t an event being held in Bendigo she,

along with Helen and Kellie, decided to do something about it. “Having limited time we got to work,” Marni says of organising a venue and garnering support from the community.

and having to decide between feeding their children and buying tampons and pads; that’s really a no-brainer for women because they’re going to choose their children first.”

“We approached The Shamrock Hotel with our fundraiser idea, and function manager Wayne was fantastic in helping them come to fruition. We also approached the talented local artist Jo Woodward who said yes straight away to performing, as did our MC Gaelle Broad who did a fabulous job on the day.”

“In all of the things you might need in your life, this is probably the thing you would be least likely to ask for,” Helen says. And like Helen, Marni and Kellie, there were other women taken aback by this issue.

Guest speakers at the event included Yvonne Wrigglesworth and Sarah McAdie, who spoke about important issues women face, and there was plenty of networking, as well as raising awareness about Sharing the Dignity and raising funds and welcoming donations of sanitary and health products.

“While we were very busy, always in the back of our minds was the reason, the drive for our fundraiser,” Marni says. “That was to help and support our local homeless and at-risk women buy raising money to buy them sanitary and personal items. To provide these beautiful women with a sense of dignity at a time most needed.”

“It’s something we take for granted,” Helen says. “We’d never given this much thought at all. So when you think about women who are sleeping in cars, even doing it tough

For women it is a matter of dignity.

“I think a lot of people were probably like us, and totally unaware of the problem,” Helen says. “But they felt it was such a simple thing to jump on board and help out with. And they like the idea of bringing along something physical and knowing that it is going to where it needs to go.”

“The fundraiser was a huge success,” Kellie says. “It was thought-provoking, touched souls, many laughs were had, interesting stories, such a buzzy feeling of love in the room while raising all-important funds and collecting products for women in need.”

“Again we thank the wonderful community spirit and support which helped make our first fundraiser an incredible one,” Marni says. The trio is now looking forward to future events.

For further information on this cause visit www.sharethedignity.com.au ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 53

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BUILDING MORE THAN A HOSPITAL There’s plenty of buzz at the Bendigo Hospital project. For many it’s been a chance to launch into a career or to sharpen skills. For apprentice Josh Brown, it’s been an opportunity to learn a trade… and so much more.

Writer and photographer: Jacqui Mott Josh Brown is 23. As a young Indigenous man, he’s experienced so much. However, through the good times and the bad he’s never lost his sense of determination to rise above situations that could have pulled him down. His sense of hope is so strong, he now helps Indigenous men who are struggling with setbacks that they haven’t found ways to overcome.

It was a warm, sunny day when Josh arrived in Bendigo three years ago. He remembers it clearly.

“It was summer. I was pretty broke and I had nowhere to stay – but I was so excited to be in the city, that’s for sure,” he says.

Being positive is second nature to Josh. It’s just the way he is. Looking back to when he arrived in central Victoria, Josh says luck has been on his side. But luck has its own way of not really being luck. It’s more about being canny, and about seizing opportunities.

To rewind, Josh was brought up by his grandparents in the small town of Kerang.

When he was 19, he’d already secured a wellpaying storeman position, but it was “just a job”. Clearly, this youth had set his sights much higher.

“My life-thinking was, while I’m young, I should really get a trade,” he explains.

“But most of my mates back then didn’t understand why I wanted to leave Kerang, why I wanted more… but I did want more, and I moved to Bendigo to see what I could do.”

Enter training and employment organisation CVGT and Rhonda Penney who works in its Indigenous employment program.

“I’ve known Josh since he was 15, when his grandmother had alerted me that he’d been avoiding school,” she says. As part of her role, Rhonda was able to travel up to Kerang to meet Josh.

“We had a good chat about the importance of completing year 12, and from then on

his focus for school and life improved,” she adds. “He’d always been outgoing and, despite those early challenges, there he was in Bendigo and all motivated, so of course I wanted to support his ambitions.”

Through CVGT’s group training, Josh joined the Lendlease team at the Bendigo Hospital project. He now works alongside skilled tradespeople on the project for Exemplar Health, the consortium engaged by the Victorian Government to design, build, finance and maintain the new world-class Bendigo Hospital.

At the project Josh embarked on a four-year apprenticeship in building and construction; he’s currently in his second year. Josh also attends Bendigo TAFE for eight weeks-ofthe-year to take part in theory and advanced training in carpentry.

“Josh told me he wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of his goal, of gaining a trade to make a better life for himself and be a role model for his family and community,” Rhonda says.

On a daily basis at the Bendigo Hospital project, Josh’s work involves a broad skill-set.

He’s has found working in an ever-changing environment testing at times.

“I have struggled,” Josh says. “I guess it was just me second-guessing my own judgements, but I’ve realised it’s just me learning to be more confident about myself.

“But I’m doing a lot more listening and observing, and I’m really getting to know what I am capable of now.”

During the past year Josh has overcome significant hurdles, but through the ups and downs, he’s learned the importance of empathy. As he matured, and became more confident as a carpenter, he realised he could be an example to others, especially disengaged Indigenous teens and adults. That was a ‘lightbulb’ moment.

Eager to share his experiences, he was encouraged, through an Indigenous skills program, to visit Castlemaine’s Middleton and Loddon Prisons and talk to young Indigenous inmates about career paths and the importance of positive social connections.

Supported by the Lendlease management

team, that granted special leave for these ‘offsite’ sessions, Josh happily embarked on a new assignment.

After that first presentation, Josh was keen to do more. Before long he returned to Castlemaine and this time his audience included adult men, some of whom had experienced lengthy stays in prison. But amid the sometimes-challenging dynamics of the groups he presented to, Josh took everything in his stride.

“There are way too many lads in that place, and one’s too much,” Josh remarks. “Some are my age, and I know a few. I actually grew up with them.”

This community work has helped empower the 23-year-old. He’s grown up, become more confident, and discovered another skill set, not only for his personal benefit, but for the benefit of others.

According to Lendlease site manager, Rob McGregor, Josh has become an outstanding role model, not just for his peers and his work colleagues on the hospital construction site, but across everyone he comes in contact with.

“We know that more than just learning skills and applying new trades, Josh has overcome more challenges than most young people,” Rob says.

“But just by sheer determination and selfbelief, he has shown those around him how he can accomplish personal goals with optimism and integrity. We’re all proud of him, and we’ve recognised his leadership qualities, and frankly I believe he will make his mark as a leader in the world one day,” Rob adds.

Through Josh’s training, employment and prison presentations, he’s learned to understand others in difficult times. He knows too well that a moment of kindness when a person is vulnerable can present a profound opportunity to recast a relationship and allow confidence to be built or rebuilt.

“Instead of just giving these guys videos and books – they’ve got someone like me who can come and talk to them,” Josh says.

“Through my talks, I’ve let the guys know that they do have options, and that life is diverse.

But really, I’m just letting them know that if I can do it, they can too.” ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 55

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Still playing with dolls From the streets of New York to a remote campfire deep in the Northern Territory, ventriloquist David Strassman has faced some tough crowds. But even though he’s now a world-famous comedian, his toughest critic is still himself.

Writer: Ben Cameron - Photographer: Supplied Ventriloquist visionary David Strassman should have been a stockbroker. After shelling out $90 for a mail-order dummy more than 40 years ago, the canny venture continues to pay handsome returns.

He tells Bendigo Magazine his most famous creation, Chuck Wood, was no spark of genius but merely “just a damn good return on my investment”. Arguably the industry’s most recognisable and revered dummy handler, Strassman pays little attention to his contemporaries.

“I was never one to follow other ventriloquists. In fact, I haven’t really watched many ventriloquists and their routines,” he says. “Except for Nina Conti; I love her work.

Frankly, ventriloquists bore me and I really consider myself a comedian who plays with dolls.”

So when and where was the seed planted?

The son of a psychiatrist, Strassman says his father’s DNA, or influence, had no bearing on his career in throwing multiple voices.

“Funny, you journos all want to think I’m half-crazy cause my dad was a shrink,” he says. “I don’t suffer from multiple personality disorder, I enjoy it.”

He says his puppets are actually you. Yes you, faithful reader. “My puppet characters represent all of us, not just facets of my personality,” he says.

“Chuck Wood is the naughty boy, the part in all of us that wants to be naughty but we can’t because of societal constraints. When Chuck tells a bloke in the front row to ‘get stuffed’, we find that funny ‘cause we wish we could do that. On the other hand, Ted. E. Bare represents the child in all of us, the unsure, self-doubting and emotional part in us. My puppets are you.”

Destined for a life in entertainment, Strassman’s stagecraft was first sharpened on the streets of New York.

“You had to be really funny or they wouldn’t stick around and drop spare change in my basket. No funny, no eat,” he says of those dog-eat-dog days. After being accepted into the invite-only American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he soared from the sidewalk to the stages of New York’s comedy clubs in the late 70s; trading gags with the likes of Seinfeld, Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey.

“Amazing talents who were gods on stage back then,” he recalls. His initial plan was to become a serious thespian.

“I would love to be in a drama on the big screen, but I’m not actively pursuing it,” he says. “When you think about it, I really am a dramatic actor. I have to react to my puppets as I make them talk and exhibit a particular emotion at the same time. I am displaying a completely different emotion as a reaction to what I’m making them say... Confusing?”

Kinda. “How do you think I feel?”

Strassman’s break out in this country came on the former television show Hey Hey It’s Saturday; he says those appearances back in the 90s put him “on the map”.

“Funny, the entire country watched Hey Hey while they were getting ready to go out on a Saturday night, but no one would admit to watching it,” he says. “I owe a lot to Daryl Somers and the Hey Hey gang.”

A lover of Aussie comics Carl Barron and Greg Fleet, Strassman says he has gravitated towards Antipodean humour and our way of life since he watched the film Walkabout in year-seven English.

“I’m pretty sure we share the same funny bone,” he says. “And, not many Yanks would even know what The Castle is, let alone laugh at it. I loved Australia the minute I got here.”

Strassman continues to break new ground, from his his signature robotics back in 1986, to Duality, in 2010, the first dramatic play created by a ventriloquist.

“I’m never one to sit still and I’m always thinking of new and twisted ideas,” he says.

“I try and create what I would want to see if I was sitting in the audience at one of my shows, and I’m a hard one to please.”

David Strassman plays two shows at Ulumbarra Theatre on October 23. ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 57

Continuing to inspire Dame Kiri te Kanawa has had a career many opera singers only dream of. She is now giving her time to help young opera singers make it onto the world stage in between her own tours, the latest of which will include one night in Bendigo.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: Supplied Researching the career of Dame Kiri te Kanawa, it’s impossible not to be in awe of all that this first lady of opera has achieved. Born in 1944 in New Zealand, with European and Maori heritage, and having already spent most of her life performing and recording, Dame Kiri is still giving her all to music, touring the world, overseeing her own foundation and supporting young opera singers.

It is fortunate for Bendigo that her upcoming tour of Australia includes a performance at the Ulumbarra Theatre. For central Victorian residents, this is possibly one of the last chances to see one of the world’s most successful opera singers on stage.

“I am looking forward to touring,” Dame Kiri says, “as I did a lot of little towns in New Zealand. I perform in the big cities all the time, so it’s nice to do the smaller towns.”

While spending weeks, even months, on the road touring sounds glamorous it wasn’t all sightseeing and fun.

It was hard work and took great commitment.

“After a while you don’t know what’s around, you come into a town at night to perform, and you only see the night. You don’t see anything of the city,” Dame Kiri says. Bendigo fans will be treated to a selection of Kiri’s favourite songs. However, after more than five decades on stage you would imagine it would be difficult to condense a list of potential pieces into a song list of some one or two hours.

Dame Kiri had been performing and recording by the time she was 20, and was well known in her part of the world, but it was moving to London in 1964 to study at the London Opera Centre, that put her on the path to the world stage. Dame Kiri performed as Carmen in Britain and New Zealand.

She then was cast in the Marriage of Figaro which saw her perform at the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in 1971.

“Those first years are the turning point,” she says, “and you know whether you’re going to have a major career or not.

58 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Those first four or five years you can celebrate what you’ve achieved, but after 50 years where do you pinpoint it? You keep going, and your career continues to grow. You don’t pick out one point from that much time as to where you think you made it.”

It would be difficult, if not impossible, given this artist has graced the stages of the Metropolitan, Paris Opera, Sydney Opera House, the Vienna State, La Scala and San Francisco. She was also invited to perform at the wedding of Prince Charles to Diana Spencer in 1980.

Dame Kiri has also received honorary degrees from universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, and Auckland, to name just a few. And has worked under the baton of some of the world’s greatest conductors including Sir Colin Davis, Charles Dutoit and Sir Georg Solti.

Her roles also read like a who’s who in the world of opera; Arabella, The Marschallin, and the Countess in Capriccio, Mozart’s Fiordiligi, Donna Elvira, Pamina, the Countess Almaviva, Verdi’s Violetta, Amelia Boccanegra, Desdemona; Puccini’s Tosca, Mimi and Manon Lescaut, and Johann Strauss’ Rosalinde, and the list goes on… including an appearance in Downton Abbey as Dame Nellie Melba While Dame Kiri is looking forward to touring and performing, her drive is to work with exceptional young singers.

“I pick the songs I enjoy the most,” she says. “I’m 72 and of course there are more hills to climb but I’ve paid my dues and now I’m looking for younger singers. And not all singers will make it, it’s tough when aspiring singers realise it’s not easy. There’s only so much space at the top table.”

Dame Kiri understands the heartache that can come with realising that a dream of an opera career will not come to fruition for many, and is careful with how she works with young singers.

“There’ll be a little girl who loves opera, but she may be too small (to produce the necessary sound), and how do I tell her she would be better in musical theatre or that she may have to look at other things. You don’t kill the dream, but after a short time you know…”

It’s certainly not a career for the faint-hearted. The pressure is on as soon as the curtain lifts, and having performed almost every coveted role that opera has to offer, Dame Kiri understands this better than most.

“I love watching actors on stage, but they have time to deliver their lines,” she says. “You don’t have that in opera because you’re dictated to by the music. You work out the timing of the music and the time goes very quickly. You have to love it; you can’t not love it.

You look at the music and have so much to learn.”

As with any stage performance, it is a form of escapism. And an opportunity to take the audience to another world.

“People do like to dress up and go out and have an occasion because opera is grand and you have to join in with the fantasy,” Dame Kiri says. “Opera is all magic, it’s not real. In opera you can escape. There are so many different things in opera from the sets to the costumes, but the most inspirational thing is the music.”

Almost as inspirational as the life of Dame Kiri herself.

Dame Kiri te Kanawa will be performing at the Ulumbarra Theatre at 7.30pm on Friday, October 28, accompanied by internationallyacclaimed pianist Terence Dennis. For tickets visit thecapital.com.au ■

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WINE & FOOD EVENT

Bendigo Heritage After Dark

Bendigo Heritage Uncorked

Heritage After Dark is a relaxed wine tasting and food sampling affair in the historic and alluring Fortuna Villa. Your ticket includes wine tastings, souvenir wine glass, substantial food tasting plates and live music. Come, raise a glass and enjoy the magnificent ambience of Fortuna Villa while sipping the great wines of the Bendigo Region. This is a casual and fun wine event to end your working week or start your Heritage Uncorked weekend.

Buses will be available from Central Bendigo.

Heritage Uncorked is a moveable feast event showcasing Bendigo wines, inspired food and grand gold rush architecture. Your ticket is a special opportunity to taste the great wines of the region, matched with gourmet food prepared by local chefs while strolling between eight stunning heritage buildings in Central Bendigo. Wines you enjoy on the day will be available for purchase from wineries or the Pop Up Wine Shop in the Town Hall.

Friday 7 October 6pm to 9pm

Saturday 8 October 11am to 5pm

Tickets $60 per person

Tickets $120 per person

Book now at www.bendigotourism.com or 1800 813 153 Principal sponsor:

Supporters:

Check us out on

WINE. FOOD. FUNCTIONS, WEDDINGS AND CONFERENCES Visit our Cellar Door and Gallery. You can relax and enjoy wine tasting in air conditioned comfort or relax outdoors in the gardens.

Mandurang Valley is recognised by James Halliday as an “excellent winery, producing wines of high to very high quality” Open at weekends, at other times by appointment (03) 5439 5367 - 77 Faderson’s Lane, Mandurang - (9km South - East of Bendigo, Off Tannery Lane)

The special things in life A count, a local and a hero of hospitality… It could be the start of an interesting anecdote but in reality these are all circumstances, people and wines which have inspired. So as the temperature rises, spring into the new season with a delicious aperitif and a couple of noteworthy vintages.

Writer: Finn Vedelsby - Photographer: David Field

The Negroni A count walks into a bar… The year was 1919 in Venice, Italy.

Count Camillo Negroni dropped into his local bar and asked his bartender to make his usual Americano cocktail a bit stronger, as he had had a trying day. A very clever Italian Fosco Scarselli swapped gin for soda in equal parts to the popular aperitif of the time, the Americano, which was Campari, Rosso Vermouth and soda with a lemon twist.

We have a few twists on this classic cocktail at Rocks on Rosalind, but the one I am most looking forward to trying is oak matured.

A delicious gin, Martini Rosso Vermouth and Campari all in equal parts; a bitter dram with polished smokey edges from in house oak maturation.

2015 Bress Vermentino

2010 Beyond Warrenmang

Adam Marks is an excellent winemaker and we are lucky enough to call him a local. I have had a run of this fantastic wine over the past few months and there have been intrigued guests and smiling regulars who have benefitted from this experience. I often get the comment that the grape variety is unusual. Or, “I’d never order this if I had to chose but now I have tried it I am very excited to have this new wine in my repertoire”. Guests then hastily taking a selfie with the bottle vowing to stop in Harcourt on their way down the Calder.

Luigi Bazzani – My hospitality hero. Over 20 years ago I began my journey in the restaurant game learning my trade from Luigi, Athalie and Andreas Bazzani and Kevin Buckle at Warrenmang Vineyard Resort. I recall those long days. They began with me waking up in the room next to the ice machine and linen press inside the beautiful restaurant in the Pyrenees, and then hiding my modesty as I ran across to my bathroom on the other side of the hall.

I like to advocate Italian grape varieties being produced in and around Bendigo.

Our climate is just perfect for them and this wine is a fine example of it being done right.

This delicious wine has an attractive appearance in the glass – very clean.

The nose has wonderful perfume and some aromas of pear, white peach and grapefruit with a tangy and dry palate, with flavours of lemon and apple, and a distinctly savoury finish. Food wise, anything goes, which is a challenge for Sauvignon Blanc drinkers. Give this a go and support a local and maybe find a new favourite. Halliday gave it 94 points, I say it’s worth a try… perhapes five or six times.

I could not mop a floor. I broke hundreds of dollars’ worth of glassware. And I could not pour water for the guests until I had six months’ experience. The days would end with beautiful family dinners in the bar by the roaring fire, drinking beautiful wine, and being proud of a job well done. What a memory.

The Beyond Warenmang is going to be Luigi’s last special-release wine. It is on par with wines that have been given 97 points from Halliday. It is an expression of the Pyrenees that will never be repeated. Red Shiraz fruits, minty Cabernet savouriness and Pyrenees eucalypt. Soft tannins, smooth edges and delicious meaty savouriness with rich but perfectly integrated oak. This wine is a wine that is drinking beautifully now, but will reward the diligent cellarmaster in years to come.

Buy this wine now and put it down. It’s not cheap, but you know what they say: Pay peanuts…

This should be in everyone’s cellar. It’s one of those special things in life. ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 61

breakfast | lunch | events located in the very heart of the arts precinct, overlooking rosalind park, the gallery cafe is bendigo’s best kept secret. let our #cafewithadifference cater for any of your function/event needs, or simply pop in to enjoy a coffee, cocktail, glass of wine + creative cafÊ menu. open 7 days, 8.30-5pm (evenings by appointment) see you there. linc + ben.

42 View Street, Bendigo | (03) 5441 8896 | bendigogallerycafe.com.au

Across the border From the land of bung fritz, FruChocs and pie floaters comes a new wave of craft breweries with a big emphasis on quality.

Writer: Justin McPhail - Photographer: David Field Many are leading the way for how Australian craft beers will be marketed into the future. And many are hitting the top-100 list for craft beers in this country the same year they started brewing. This is proof of an everexpanding knowledge base and wealth of experience within the industry, which allows new starters to hit the ground running.

Brewboys – Hoppapotamus A grandfather of the new craft beer movement in South Australia, Brewboys has been producing well-rounded and delicious ales in its brewbar/relaxed hideaway in Regency Park (across the road from the Tafe that teaches brewing in SA, and two minutes down the road from Coopers Brewery).

Hop Heaven Easy IPA – Barossa Valley Brewing Company This West Coast American-style, 5.2 per cent, won the gold medal at the 2016 Australian International Beer awards. Good start. In a can? Yes. This brew seems to be ticking all the boxes for what is a good craft beer from South Australia these days. (Pirate Life blasted its way into the market in the same fashion).

The crack-schhhh of the can opening releases big pineapple and grapefruit citrus hop aromas. Poured into the glass it presents a golden cloudy glow, with a bright offwhite head.

A medium carbonation on the palate helps bring that pine needle, drying bitterness at the end. Quaffable.

Proclaimed as a big pale ale with “enough hops to choke a large African animal”, it delivers. Big piney/resin notes on the nose, with enough bitterness to scare off new craft beer drinkers. In the glass it’s an amber/ caramel colour, with a smooth caramel malt backbone to offset the huge bitterness of the massive amount of American-style hops.

If visiting South Australia, pop in later in the week to try this beer at the source, matched to one of the greatest pizzas down the road at Uncle Rob’s pizza. Ask for the supreme with extra anchovies – a great beer match.

Californicator – Big Shed Brewing Concern This beer is all about the label. Who else is brave enough to have two bears fornicating on their label? The same guys who are brave enough to throw all-American hop varieties (Ahtanum, Columbus and Simcoe) into a beer that is 7.5 per cent and tastes nothing like the booze content.

Remarkably balanced with big apricot, passionfruit and blood orange aromas, the same with added pine resin bitterness at the end.

The malt backbone isn’t typical of a West Coast in that it is much paler and lighter, therefore making it easier to drink more than one (which given the ABV, presents a fun challenge).

Established in 2014 after a decade of home brewing by Jason Harris and Craig Basford, they set out to challenge the traditional concepts and marketing of craft beer. Other beers in the range include FRANKENbrown, Golden Stout Time (a Golden Gay Time stout), FYeah American Pale Ale, and Red Truck Porter – Lobethal Bierhaus. ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 63

Family business with the lot Everyone’s given a chance to contribute to the eclectic and evolving menu at Boris Murgers, and for family man Paul Morris it’s the only way to go.

Photographer: David Field

The eclectic menu at Boris Murgers is thanks to Paul Morris’ family and their passion for food. It’s only natural that if you are going to establish a family eatery that you would turn to people of all ages and backgrounds for inspiration. Paul himself is from Yorkshire.

His partner Kirsty’s family is from Eastern Europe. And, of course, the children were consulted on what they liked too.

“Originally when we first started, we had family tasting sessions and came up with ideas,” Paul says. “The Mexican burger was created by my partner’s daughter,

64 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

and my partner, whose family is originally from Eastern Europe and came over after World War 2, inspired the burger with the sauerkraut and the bacon, and we’ve just added pickled chilli to it as well. That’s a Polish burger. Then our hotdogs aren’t the traditional hotdogs, they’re made down in Kyneton and they’re more of a spicy, Eastern European bratwurst sausage; they’re grownup hot dogs.”

The logic behind starting up Boris Murgers was Paul’s own enjoyment of eating a meat patty in a bun.

“I love a burger and I felt that Bendigo’s got some great restaurants and great places to dine out, but I just thought that good quality, fresh burgers would go down well.

I had permission from the misses too,” he laughs.

“I’ve had the idea and I’ve always wanted to do it. I always wanted to own my own burger bar since about 15 years ago in the UK when they started opening over there big time. When I came to Australia that’s when I really wanted to do it. But when you’ve got kids and a mortgage and

Our chicken is from Marong and our bacon is Castlemaine. We visit the Barfold farm with our kids, and we can see all the beef there. The owner lost 4000km of fencing during the fires, so he’s rebuilt the farm over the past five years. We pride ourselves on using freezer-free patties.”

For Paul, the dream is to continue to grow the business rather than branch out as a franchise. It is because of the creative control that comes with running the show with his dedicated team that enables them to change aspects of Boris Murgers as they see fit. It ensures the development of the business is organic and not tied down in red tape. It also has meant that everyone has a hand in the operation.

“My partner, Kirsty, did all the art and design, and I designed the menu with the kids,” Paul says. “The good thing about us not being a franchise is that we can change things instantly. Like someone was asking for a lamb burger and within 10 days we had the Greek on the menu. You can add, like the ‘Macca Cheese’ burger, and play around with things.

“We’ve got the challenge burger starting soon – a bit of fun in 15 minutes where you’ve got to eat a monstrosity of a burger – six patties.”

Sitting in Boris Murgers, Paul describes his early days flipping hamburgers at his local fast food joint.

“I started at Macdonald’s when I was 15,” he says. “So I learnt my craft there which was good fun. I then moved into hospitality working at bars and restaurants in London.

I’ve pretty much worked in the industry from 15 to now, and I’m 42. It’s been a long, long time but I love it.

you suddenly go, right I’m going to put everything on the line, that was the biggest thing.

“I sat down with my partner, who’s been amazingly helpful and we’d only been together three years, and she gave me a 12-months pass. So I was given one year before she could complain that I’m not home… I’ve got three months to go,” he laughs. “I’m having my first Saturday night off in nine months this weekend.”

Paul was adamant from the start that he would source produce from as close

to home as possible. It’s been a growing trend in the food industry and embraced by many cafes and restaurants. All regional businesses are interdependent and so many local establishments take great pride in their working to help each other. Quite rightly so.

“The emphasis that I wanted was that everything is local and fresh,” Paul says. “So we try and do that for all of our meats – pork, chicken, fish – although the fish is bass strait so it could be either Australian or New Zealand. My beef comes from Barfold, which is farmed just outside from Strathfieldsaye.

“We’ve had our ups and we’ve had our downs. The first few months, starting a new business, there were a few sleepless nights.

When we first opened we didn’t have our liquor license and that made it hard because people like a drink at Christmas. But this year we have a full liquor licence, but it’s about getting your name out there and letting people know who you are.”

Currently, there is work to upgrade the kitchen for both in-house diners and takeaway and potentially home-delivery. So for the crew at Boris Murgers the hard work is paying off.

“It’s beyond my expectations,” Paul says.

“I’ve got a great bunch of team members and really nice customers.”

And all with three months left on his pass. ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 65

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY OP

Cairo and Sue James

Heather Oliver and Ulrike Barbara von Radichevich

John Noulton and Andrew Thomas

Monica Lougoon and Jacqueline Murphy

Paola Ditrocchio, Linda Jackson, Raph Beh and Kathryn Mackenzie

Robyn Ryan and Rhonda Carter

Flamingo Park and Beyond Linda Jackson was at the Living Arts Space to celebrate the launch of her and Jenny Kee’s new exhibition.

This collaboration features fashion and textile designs from the personal collections of these two iconic Aussie creative forces. The pair emerged during the 1970s with their distinctive and bold creations, which are still revered today.

Their work will be on display at the Living Arts Space until November 6. Visit www.bendigotourism.com.au for further information. â–

$10 CINEMA TICKETS WITH ANY BURRITO PURCHASED D I N E I N O N LY

66 Pall Mall – Bendigo VIC Australia 3550 ORDER ONLINE → www.cantinabendigo.com.au | 03 5443 2788

Method Toast the chillies in a pot on low heat. Once toasted then add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.

Place this to the side and leave to infuse.

In another pot, place a drizzle of oil and toast the cumin and oregano for 30 seconds. Add chipotle and sauce and cook for another 30 seconds. Then add the vinegar, salt and sugar, and bring to the boil before removing from heat. Once cooled slightly, place the garlic, chillies and liquid herb mix into a blender and blend until smooth.

For the pork, we use pork belly but you can marinate and slow cook another cut and still have pulled pork taco.

Cantina Salsa

Add a touch of spice

With 20 years’ experience in the kitchen, chef Glenn Houghton adds his own flavours at Cantina Bendigo and shares the perfect dish for friends and family.

Photographer: David Field The hospitality industry is a career in which it is not only normal, but practically essential to travel, work for a variety of establishments, and continually learn about the flavours of the world’s cultures. Glenn Houghton’s first mentor was a Dutch chef in Maffra who made everything from scratch.

“The traditional European way,” Glenn says, “including preparing different types of game from farms nearby. I undertook my studies at the Box Hill Institute of TAFE, and then half-way through my apprenticeship moved to Melbourne to work in an Italian Restaurant in Southgate.”

again and be part of the opening team at Cantina Mexicana.

Drawing on years of experience, Glenn is sharing Pork Al Pastor, which in Spanish means in the style of the shepherd. “It was developed in central Mexico and is a likely adaptation of the spit grill-style brought into Mexico by the Lebanese immigrants,” Glenn says.

Pork Al Pastor • Al Pastor Marinade • Two Guajillo chilli dried

“I started at the Gallery Café when it opened working with Debbie, who also owned Café Au Lait. I learned a lot about working in a tight space and also thinking outside the box when it came to cooking.”

• Two tablespoons of sauce from chipotle

68 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

• One-quarter of white onion • Three cloves of garlic.

• 12 stalks and leaves of coriander • Half a long red chilli • One spring onion • Salt and pepper to taste Method Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to your liking, and then place the mixture into a fine strainer and allow to sit to remove excess liquid.

Pickled Red Onion • One cup of apple cider vinegar • One star-anise • Half a teaspoon of black pepper • Half a teaspoon of fennel seeds • Half a teaspoon of black mustard seeds • One quarter a cup of castor sugar • Two red onions finely sliced

From there Glenn travelled the world and the east coast of Australia, stopping over in Cairns to work at the Sebel Reef House in Palm Cove before heading back to Melbourne to the kitchen of Sicilian Vespers in Carlton. It was then time for a tree change, and Glenn came to Bendigo to work at a couple of local eateries.

Glenn then worked at GPO, with owner Peter Cavallaro. It was a great working relationship, because after another long stint up north, Glenn returned to Bendigo to work with Peter

• Two tomatoes

• Two long red chilli • Half a cup of chicken stock • Half a teaspoon of dried oregano • Half a teaspoon cumin powder • One chipotle pepper

• One-quarter a cup of apple cider vinegar • Three cloves of garlic • One teaspoon of castor sugar • One teaspoon of salt

Method Except for the onion, place all the ingredients in a pot and bring to the boil. While waiting for the pickle liquid to boil, peel and thinly slice the red onion. Then place the onion in a sterilised jar. Once the pickle liquid has boiled, pour into a jar over the onions.

Allow to cool, place lid on and then place the mix in the fridge for two to three days.

To put the taco together, you’ll need soft tortillas, pineapple cut lengthways and grilled both sides, cantina salsa, picked onion, pork al pastor, and coriander leaves for garnish. Warm the soft taco in a sandwich press for 10 seconds so it is hot but still pliable. Place the pork with Al Pastor paste on the taco shell, top with Cantina salsa, grilled pineapple, pickled red onions and coriander leaves.

Comer con amigos y familiars — Eat with friends and family.

CHOOSE YOUR FUNCTION AT GPO

GPO accommodates many types of functions right in the heart of the CBD. Choose your own style, space and atmosphere with quality selections to suit your personal liking.

Spaces include the dining room, all weather courtyard, VIP mezzanine lounge and the stunning balcony room overlooking Bendigo’s historic streetscape.

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Carrying the spirit of home

Stephanie Armstrong’s connection with Bendigo began in the late 70s.

As this mother, grandmother, and storyteller explains while this is not her Country, ceremonies and cultural activities by Traditional Owners have brought her and her family closer to Dja Dja Wurung Country.

Writer: John Holton - Photographer: David Field For this mother, grandmother, educator and storyteller, ‘home’ is a place carried deep in her heart. Ask Stephanie Armstrong what the word ‘home’ means to her and she’ll tell you about her Country.

and see the strength. To let everyone see the brightness of being Aboriginal.”

A proud Gamilaraay woman, Steff grew up in a little town called Collarendebri in northwestern New South Wales surrounded by family and the stories of her Country.

“Bendigo was a very different place back then,” she says. “There wasn’t such a visible Aboriginal presence in the city. I’ve since worked all around the country but Bendigo is the place we come back to. I live near the Whipstick, and even though it’s not my Country, the Dja Dja Wurrung community has welcomed my family with love and sincerity.

“My mum was a great storyteller,” Steff says.

“Dad was a fencer, so we spent a lot of time out bush. We knew about bush foods, the Gamilaraay stories, and built a really strong connection to the land.

“We still go back there as a family – to be on the Country where my parents and grandparents are buried – to spend time with our extended family and have those important conversations on Country.

Whenever I left Collarendebri as a young girl I would cry. I still carry that Country with me wherever I go.”

Story has always been important to Steff.

It’s been central to her work in education for more than 30 years and in encouraging young Aboriginal women to pursue careers in health, but also in her connections to family and friends right across Australia.

“It’s important that we take time to tell the ‘yarn’; for people’s stories to be heard,” Steff says. “I always begin my workshops with my story so those listening can know me a little better. I share my stories to teach, empower, to make others laugh, to build friendships

Steff’s connection to Bendigo has seen many chapters, beginning in late 70s when she moved here to study education.

“Again, it’s about stories. I’ve listened to people like Uncle Graham Atkinson tell the stories and history and it makes you feel connected; feel that sense of home.”

Steff has always believed that the best way to learn about Country is “on” Country. When her daughters Arkeria and Rochelle were still in primary school the family packed up and hit the road, spending four years travelling around Australia, visiting many places of Aboriginal significance along the way.

“I’ve never regretted taking the girls out of school for that time,” Steff says. “In so many ways it was the making of them. They are both well-educated, highly-intelligent young women with a deep sense of connection to people and Country. That’s the thing about being on Country. It makes you stronger in yourself and gives you that cultural space.

It allows you to listen and think more deeply.”

Steff sees it as her responsibility (and the

responsibility of all her generation) to connect their young people to Country through language, culture and, of course stories. And since the birth of her granddaughter Harriet, the urgency of that connection has grown even stronger.

On July 5 of this year, the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation held a Welcome Baby to Country ceremony at the Ulumbarra Theatre; welcoming Dja Dja Wurrung Traditional Owners born on or off Country, and Traditional Owners from other areas born on Dja Dja Wurrung Country. It included a welcome and smoking ceremony, along with cultural activities such as dance and music.

For Steff, it not only cemented her granddaughter’s sense of identity and the wellbeing that comes with belonging to a clan, but brought the whole family closer to Dja Dja Wurrung Country.

“Harriet being born here definitely heightens that sense of home,” Steff says. “Since she was tiny, I’ve taken her out into the Whipstick to listen to the sounds of the bush, talk to the trees and feel all the textures of this special place. Listening is important. The spaces in-between – the silences – are just as important as the stories. I hope that building a strong relationship with Country will help Harriet find her inner strength.

“Everyone has the right to be themselves and shine. I wish for all our young Aboriginal people to shine, to be proud of their identity and follow their dreams.” ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 71

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Biggest

Sue Fletcher, Matt Dillon and Michelle Brennan

Charlotte Murphy, Annalise Murphy, Jasmine Murphy and Sophie Giles

Dolly and Steph Pfeiffer

Greg Gadsden, Josh Mckee and Damian Jennings

Melissa Buchanan and Tess Taylor

Steph Riley and Sue Doherty

MORNING TEA The Bendigo office of Ellinghaus Weill lawyers and consultants recently brewed a cuppa for the Cancer Council.

By sharing a social cup of tea, this Bendigo business raised much-needed funds to support the work of the Cancer Council. Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea is one of the organisation’s leading annual fundraising events. It’s a great excuse to enjoy a brew while supporting research, support groups and other works by the Cancer Council. www.biggestmorningtea.com.au ■

Pathways to university

BSSC 2016 Our ROLE is to empower learners for individual, community and global leadership. We value Respect, Optimism, Learning and Environment.

“I’m part of the University of Melbourne’s Extension Program, that gives high-achieving Year 12 students the opportunity to complete a uni subject.

Studying first-year Philosophy has given me a valuable insight into the university learning environment and enriched my final year of secondary school immensely.”

KELLY PHAN – YEAR 12

“Studying Human Biosciences at La Trobe University has both challenged me academically and helped me with my studies in VCE Biology. I’m also learning about life at uni and I’m hopeful it will lead on to a course at La Trobe after completing my VCE.” C ON TAC T US CCO ON NTAC TACTT U USS Bendigo BendigoSenior Senior Secondary SecondaryCollege College Rosalind RosalindPark, Park,Bendigo Bendigo PO POBox Box545, 545,Bendigo Bendigo VIC VIC3552 3552

Phone Phone61 61335443 54431222 1222 Fax Fax61 61335441 54414548 4548 Email Emailadmin@bssc.edu.au admin@bssc.edu.au Web Webwww.bssc.edu.au www.bssc.edu.au

JACK CHANDLER – YEAR 12

Phone 61 3 5443 1222 Bendigo Senior Fax 61 3 5441 4548 Secondary College Rosalind Park, Bendigo Email admin@bssc.edu.au facebook.com/bendigoseniorsc facebook.com/bendigoseniorsc www.facebook.com/bendigoseniorsc Web www.bssc.edu.au PO Boxbendigoseniorsc 545, Bendigo www.twitter.com/ twitter.com/bendigoseniorsc twitter.com/bendigoseniorsc VIC 3552 www.gplus.to/bendigoseniorsc gplus.to/bendigoseniorsc gplus.to/bendigoseniorsc www.youtube.com/user/bendigoseniorsc youtube.com/user/bendigoseniorsc youtube.com/user/bendigoseniorsc

facebook.com/bendigoseniorsc twitter.com/bendigoseniorsc gplus.to/bendigoseniorsc youtube.com/user/bendigoseniorsc

Spreading the word

Rachel Rayner recently returned from her second stint on the ocean exploration vessel Nautilus. Her role onboard, as well as her work at the Bendigo Science and Discovery Centre, is to educate and excite others about science.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: Andrew Perryman It seemed fate helped to guide Rachel Rayner along her career in science, although she helped herself a lot along the way with hard work and the open-mindedness to give things a go. Originally from Sydney, Rachel now works at the Bendigo Science and Discovery Centre and has recently returned from her second time on the Nautilus, an ocean exploration vessel. But a lot happened between then and now.

“After school I spent a year backpacking around the world on my own,” Rachel says.

“It inspired a love of travel, seeing other places and exploring new ideas. I then did a liberal studies arts degree at a university in Sydney.”

This meant Rachel did a major in science, which was physics, and a major in art, which was art history. It was an advertisement in a university newspaper that guided Rachel on her next steps after her degree. The ad was for the Shell Questacon Science Circus; a graduate diploma in science communication at ANU. “It was fantastic,” Rachel says. “You

travelled around the country doing science shows for Questacon and at the same time you’re getting a graduate diploma in science communication so you’re looking at journalism, marketing and social media – basically everything to do with communicating science research on those platforms and in the educational sphere as well.”

After gaining her diploma Rachel continued to work with Questacon. One of her first jobs was to write a show about deep oceans for the Australian Museum.

“I never did much biology at school so that was my first real go at researching deepocean stuff and all the creatures that live down there and their ecosystems. And I just loved it. But when you research anything you come to love it because you find out more and more; that joy of acquiring knowledge.

“I spent about four years with Questacon on their various programs. Then I found the job down here. It offered a lot more freedom in what I could do and projects I could work

on, and different skills.”

Rachel was education officer at the Science and Discovery Centre last year, and this year is science communicator. It’s often that the word science leads people to conjure up images of people with glasses in lab coats holding test tubes. But there is so much more, which Rachel is keen to share.

“Science is a huge umbrella term for so many areas,” she says, “and there’s some really great hashtags that are floating around like #thisismylab and someone will be scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef researching life down there or people will be on the plains of Africa following animals and that sort of thing. It’s so diverse, and science is taken to mean engineering, computing, coding and mathematics and those sorts of things as well.”

Her role involves working with teachers-intraining and showing them how they can teach science. Rachel enjoys getting people excited about science and showing people how science fits in with their lives. It’s this joy in sharing science that made Rachel a

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 73

as a lead and mentor which is more daunting than it was last year. I have more responsibility and you have a world-wide audience that’s watching in on this. And if young kids are watching you’re suddenly a role model for them so you do feel a little pressure but it’s exciting to have that role. If you take it seriously but also have some fun with it then you’re going to win people on to studying science. That makes it all worth it.”

In terms of women in science, the numbers continue to grow.

“There are still a few times when something comes up,” Rachel says. “I know there was a time in the UK when the media said something about women in labs. But I think that’s one of the good things about social media you can brings those ideas out to the front and smash those stereotypes.

“There was also something where an engineering firm put up photos of people who work there and said ‘this is our team and we’d love you to work here’, and one of them happened to be a very good-looking girl. And the media were like; she can’t be real, she can’t work for that company, she’s too good-looking. So herself or a colleague started a hashtag #thisiswhatengineerslooklike, and a lot of women were putting up photos of themselves.

“I did a presentation about the Nautilus with Canberra Girls Grammar and I spoke about this and other things like this. One, it’s great to see what engineering and what science looks like on the field, but it’s also really interesting to look at the people who do work in stem and there are a lot of women.

“Social media really lets them show off what they’re doing. A lot of the lead scientists that were on board the Nautilus last year were women either post docs or finishing off their PhD and using the vessel as their main research tool. Now it’s just an upward trend of getting those numbers of involvement up to 50-50.”

For anyone considering a career in science, Rachel would advise them to talk to their teachers and find out what they’ve done.

Talk to scientists and lecturers at La Trobe University. And talk to members of their own family.

perfect fit for her position with the 2016 Nautilus expedition. Rachel was one of 17 educators from around the world selected by the Ocean Exploration Trust to take part in the program. “I was just lucky enough to be accepted,” she says. The program offers live exploration to participants on shore, and also to the public via live video, audio and data feeds.

“My role is getting people familiar with science and getting people interested in science and technology and all of it. It’s about sharing the front line of science

and what does that look like today and what types of technology are available for us today. My job is to communicate that and in any way I can. So yes it’s exploring rather than researching so it’s going out to places that people haven’t been before and checking out what’s down there and bringing that back, then scientists can take on that and make more in-depth hypothesis that they can send out research ships. We’re the first step in science, but it’s doing that and it’s sharing that in terms of education.

“This year I went back on the Nautilus

“I recently found out my uncle had been working on the cochlear implant, gosh I wish I’d known that in high school,” Rachel laughs.

“If I’d just asked all the adults in my circle at the time – what do you do – that would have been so interesting. So I really encourage the young people to talk to the adults around them, and visit the local science centres. Bendigo’s so lucky to have one here, and some of the staff members here are scientists who are doing science at the local university or are lecturing in science at university. We’re here to come and talk to you if you’re is interested in science.” ■

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Alicia Thomas and Chrisanne Blennerhassett

Georgia McLennan and Tayla Ham

UNIVERSITY

awards

Grahame, Jeni, Ebony and Cooper McLean

Oshal Mehta and Mohammed Barakat

La Trobe University Bendigo honours students at annual prize-giving ceremony.

Some 120 prizes and scholarships were awarded by the university at this year’s event.

Murray, Stacey and Susan Keller

Timothy Rickwood and Leah Sigley

The Ulumbarra Theatre was filled with distinguished guests, who were there to see the students honoured. Some students were from disadvantaged backgrounds and awarded scholarships to assist with study costs. Others were awarded prizes based on academic success. ■

CATHOLIC COLLEGE BENDIGO

Visit our College and meet our community Places are currently available in all year levels, from Year 7 - Year 12.

Families interested in enrolment for 2017 and 2018 are warmly invited to visit our College.

LA VALLA CAMPUS (Years 7 - 9) Principal’s Tours: Thursdays 9 am on 6 October, 3 November & 1 December.

Meet our Principal, Brian Turner, and walk around the campus on a regular school day.

Tours take approximately one hour, allowing plenty of time for questions.

COOLOCK CAMPUS (Years 10 - 12) Tours by arrangement.

For enrolment enquiries, tour bookings or to request a prospectus, please contact Mrs Trish Martin, College Registrar (03) 5449 3466; tmartin@ccb.vic.edu.au

www.ccb.vic.edu.au

A Ministry of Mercy Education Ltd ABN 69 154 531 870

A century of education As Bendigo South East Secondary prepares to celebrate the school’s 100-year history, including its inception as the Bendigo School of Domestic Arts, former students share some tales of their time at the former girls’ school.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: David Field The Bendigo School of Domestic Arts opened in 1916 and was specifically established to provide secondary education for local teenage girls. Today it is Bendigo South East Secondary College; formerly Flora Hill High School, Flora Hill Secondary College, Bendigo Girls High School, Bendigo Girls School and originally - Bendigo School of Domestic Arts. A weekend of events has been organised for October 22 and 23 in honour of the centenary of education.

Sitting and listening to a group of friends, who all attended the school together, chatting and laughing about their school days, you wouldn’t think that for most it’s been over 50 years since they were classmates. They speak about the school… well, it’s not quite like it was yesterday, but like it was not so long ago. The beauty is that the memories are both individual and shared.

And even some of the tough lessons learned are now recalled with laughter and fondness.

Annette Beckwith, Joan Pederson, Heather Cousins, Pat Campbell and Wendy Rowe attended the school from 1950. Back then there were no electronic devices, no boys, and even no telephones.

“It was lovely times,” Annette says referring to the friendships formed during those young years and the lessons learned. “We didn’t use biros at school. It was an ink well 76 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

and pens; there was someone on ink duty and it all had to be monitored.”

“We all remember the little things,” Pat says. “Nobody even had telephones. You used to have to go to a phone on the corner and put pennies in it.”

Wendy talked with great affection of her years at the girls’ school, even when “Miss Ryan belted me with a copper stick on my 13th birthday”.

All the teachers were referred to as miss, whether they were or not, and there were a few described as “dragons” when the students were out of the teacher’s ear shot.

make a bed properly. Even though most left school at the end of form three, you could sew, cook and do your tax. We were able to go out into the world fully equipped.”

This group of former students still meet regularly as friends, but often discuss their time at the school.

As Esther McRae, media officer at Bendigo South East Secondary College, says “school is a major part of our lives and it leaves lasting memories”.

“Miss Gryer could smell if you had a chewy or lolly on your breath at recess; she had a nose like a hawk,” Heather says. “We wore navy blue tunics with three pleats, and a white blouse and tie, and a blazer. And you didn’t dare go down the street without a hat.”

The focus of the education of the school has changed. These former students talking about leaning invalid cooking; what you would serve someone who was unwell, such as barley water or custard. However, they also knew how to run a household and balance a budget. It was an education preparing them for a different world.

As Esther explains today we’re teaching students how to think and learn and collaborate. “To prepare them for jobs that don’t even exist yet, but so that they can be successful members of our community,” she says.

“I did a subject called laundry,” Annette says. “When you went to hang the washing on the line you had to hold up a hanky to see which way the wind was blowing and hang your smalls the right way. And they had a bed there so you learned how to

The original girls’ school register from 1916 to 1929 is a lesson in local history. It lists first student Ida Ralph, whose parent was a painter, and whose destination was “home” after school. Or Ethel Meager whose parent was listed as having “home duties”. Other

“One teacher had a glass eye and when she told someone off and was pointing, you never knew which of you was getting in trouble,” Wendy laughs.

Image courtesy of ReelAir Imagery

BELOW RIGHT: Former students Annette Beckwith, Joan Pederson, Heather Cousins, Pat Campbell and Wendy Rowe, with BSE school captains Amy Bilkey and Jack Ryan.

parents’ occupations included saddler, bootmaker and railway engineer… jobs that have since disappeared. The names of the girls were also very English: Hilda, Nancy, Doris, Florence, Iris and Beatrice. If you want an insight into the history of this city and how it has developed, the school is the perfect place to start.

BSE is looking forward to hosting the centenary in recognition of the history of the college and to reconnect past staff and students, as well as demonstrate development of the facilities. The weekend will include an open day for past students, staff and community.

The formal opening will begin at 10.30am on the Saturday in the BSE Stadium. There will be music, performances and interviews with past staff and students as well as the official opening of BSE as a completed facility.

Students of Bendigo Girls School and Bendigo Girls High School are also invited to attend a morning tea at 11.30 for the book and alumni launch. Other year levels can reconnect with their classmates at designated meeting areas.

The weekend will also include memorabilia, private social events and a celebration dinner for staff on Saturday night.

“Those who were part of the school can come up and see how it’s changed and meet with others from their decade,” Esther says.

“The hall is the only original building that remains, and today it is used as the Athlete Development Program Hub. It’s lovely to see people reminisce about their time; it’s fascinating how different people reconnect with their school. They talk about the little things, like where they used to sit, what they

used to wear and the teachers of course!”

Bendigo South East principal Ernie says that celebrating milestones is important for many reasons. “Our college community is looking forward to coming together to reflect on what the school has meant to people over the last 100 years,” he says. “Nelson Mandela believed that ‘history will judge us by the difference we make in the lives of children’. The school has a rich legacy of serving its community throughout the phases of its development. The changes in name indicate a willingness to adapt to the needs of its community. The college continues to build on its legacy in its current goal of providing a personalised approach.”

Former student, Dr Michele Masters has

put together a book celebrating the history of Bendigo South East Secondary College.

Titled, Honour the Work – a 100 year journey, the book will be launched on October 22 during the school’s centenary celebrations. The book will retail for $20 and can be pre-ordered from the school or on the website.

For information on events visit the Facebook page www.facebook.com/BSECentenary or phone Esther on 5443 4522 or 0419 386 214.

Other reunion groups or alumni are encouraged to organise a catch-up on the Saturday night or Sunday, October 23, of their own accord as well as attend the official centenary committee events. ■ Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 77

Phone: (03) 5443 4522 www.bse.vic.edu.au

‘History will judge us by the difference we make in the lives of children’

CHOOSE LA TROBE Book a one-on-one consultation at our Bendigo campus to talk to a course advisor latrobe.edu.au/regional-consultations

Swashbuckling

CAREER PATH

Lyndall Grant found that her time at BSSC gave her the independence she needed to pursue a career in veterinary science. It just so happened that after two degrees she found her calling as an actor specialising in dramatic combat.

Writer: John Holton - Photographer: Supplied

So how do you go from a degree in veterinary science to a career in dramatic combat? And just what is dramatic combat anyway?

They’re questions former Bendigo Senior Secondary College student Lyndall Grant is used to hearing.

“While I did love the veterinary degree, it became quite an absorbing beast,” Lyndall says. “By the end of my fourth year at university I was beginning to resent it.

“I decided to put the vet degree on hold for one year to take up the Bachelor of Animal Science degree. I had a driving urge to travel, so I emailed every vet school in Europe. The Vienna Vet School replied and offered me a research project, so in 2002 I lived, worked and researched in Vienna.”

Lyndall describes her year in Vienna as life-changing. It was during her time in Europe she admitted to herself what she really wanted was to pursue a career in the performing arts.

“I finished my research degree, finished my veterinary degree, and after graduation headed straight across to the UK to work as a vet and also began auditioning for London drama schools,” Lyndall says.

“In 2005, I gave up full-time vet work and enrolled at the ArtsEd School of Acting. I was working 36-hour shifts at vet clinics on the weekends to meet expenses, and ended up sleeping on couches a lot, but it was all worth it.”

It was at drama school that Lyndall first studied dramatic combat – the craft of

fake fighting for stage and screen. She was immediately hooked. “Basically it involves a lot of playing with swords, unarmed combat and other weapons, performing highly physical and intense scenes – and laughing a lot,” Lyndall says.

“After finishing drama school, while working as a professional actor, I continued to train and perform in dramatic combat, then in 2009 I started training as a dramatic combat teacher. In 2011 I started directing my first theatre and film fight pieces and became a teacher with the British Academy of Dramatic Combat in 2012.”

Lyndall’s company, Captivate Action, is now operating in the UK and Australia. She is currently working with the Melbourne Theatre Company and the Victorian College of the Arts.

Her memories of Bendigo Senior Secondary College are still vivid and happy ones.

“It was fantastic to suddenly be working amongst a group of like-minded students who valued learning – I really appreciated the freedom and responsibility we were given.

“I seem to remember spending a lot of time in the library during my spares. I remember student council meetings – spending lunchtimes getting frozen yoghurt from the CBD – the great chicken and gravy rolls from the canteen – the science block – the beautiful quadrangle and the phenomenal Specialists Maths classes we had where you could hear a pin drop for a whole double period (Jim Grant must have loved us!).

“All of the teachers I had at BSSC had endless amounts of energy and patience. I remember feeling that the more effort we put in, the more effort they threw back to us.

“I do remember having careers advice, and being given the very reasonable suggestion that I should think of a second choice other than veterinary science. I remember feeling that clearly this person didn’t understand, because there was no second choice. It made me even more determined.”

Lyndall believes BSSC gives students a fantastic opportunity to start finding their feet and take the responsibility for themselves.

“This had a huge impact when I started my university course,” she says. “A lot of students can feel a bit lost in a lecture theatre with 300 other people. At BSSC we were already used to a good degree of self-directed learning. The school completely embraced and fostered the ambitions that we had at the time, and this kick-started everything afterwards.”

If there was one piece of advice Lyndall could offer current students it would be that if things don’t work out in VCE, there are hundreds of ways to end up where you want to be. That the road less travelled can often lead to exciting, unexpected opportunities.

“Do things you’re passionate about,” she says. “But know that the world will make some things harder than others, so be prepared to dig in to make it work. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.” ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 79

AT GIRTON, STUDENT WELLBEING COMES FIRST This is in stark contrast to the same survey findings for 49,000 American high school students who described being tired, bored and stressed at school.

After 5 years of teaching a worldrenowned Emotional Intelligence program throughout the school, Girton Grammar School in Bendigo is reaping the benefits, with a recent survey of Senior students conducted by the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence revealing that Girton students feel accepted, grateful and happy when at school.

Girton Grammar is the first Australian school to adopt Yale University’s internationally renowned “RULER” approach, which teaches young people to Recognise, Understand, Label, Express and Regulate their emotions.

Using this approach has helped to build a harmonious place of learning based on mutual respect for other people’s feelings. The experience of the school has been that when the person comes first, the learning effortlessly follows.

This approach to Emotional Intelligence, combined with an outstanding Student Wellbeing Program and our much loved House system, helps to create a sense of belonging for every student in our school community.

Come and see for yourself how a great school looks, sounds and feels during a school day.

OPEN DAY Monday 5th September, 2016.

Visit from 9am until midday.

HEADMASTER’S TOUR Tuesday 1st November, 2016.

Visit from 9am until midday.

For further information about the opportunities a Girton education can offer your child, call the school Registrar, Mrs Louise McWaters on 5441 3114, email: louisemcwaters@girton.vic. edu.au or see our website: girton.vic.edu.au

A S P I R E TO S TA R

ANSWERING

a life calling As a child, Sharon Moore would bring home stray animals and grew up surrounded by creatures of all kinds. It’s no wonder her career now centres on caring for other people’s pets; she couldn’t imagine any other way of living.

Photographer: David Field For Sharon More, it seemed that her life and life choices led to the moment she decided to own her own business taking care of other people’s pets. Since she was young Sharon’s family has always included the human and the furry and feathered so she understands how other people feel about their family members.

From King Lake originally, Sharon moved to Epping when she was little and spent most of her younger years there. She turned 18 and decided to go to Merimbula for a couple of years, then across to Adelaide. Sharon lived in the city of churches for about 20 years before following her family to central Victoria.

“My brother-in-law John’s family are from Heathcote,” Sharon says. Her sister Deb and John met and married in Melbourne, nursed in Alice Springs and Adelaide, before moving to Bendigo to raise their children in the country.

“I was coming over two or three times a year to see them and I just thought ‘why don’t I just move’ and so I did,” Sharon laughs. “It was the best thing I ever did.

“I’m ex-RSPCA so I had a variety of careers over the years including banking, I was hostess on a glass-bottom boat for the tourist trade, a little bit of waitressing, post office agency.

This variety of jobs gave me a really good background in being able to then own a business; it was a broad knowledge.

“When I first moved to Bendigo I tried some office work again and after the RSPCA I couldn’t do it. When I worked for the RSPCA I had a knee injury off the job and I couldn’t do the work anymore. Then I tried the office work and just thought this was so not for me.

“I had done a lot of volunteer work for the RSPCA here and when the job for pet carers came up I did that and worked for the original owner for about a year, and when she put it on the market I bought it. Tracey Schifferle did the hard yards getting Pet Carers up and running.”

Sharon has grown up with pets, and with a wide variety of them. It’s been said you’re either a cat person or a dog person, but for Sharon all animals are here to be loved and looked after.

“In our household we always had both cats and dogs.

We had a black lab called Ruffy who was our first dog, so I’ve got a soft spot for black labs. But we always had the bird, the dog, the cat, the fish,” she laughs.

“I used to take stray animals home when I was a kid, and my parents were animal lovers, so it’s in the blood.

“When pet owners say they’re animals are really spoilt and they tell me the things that they do for them, I tell them that you can’t spoil them with love. You can humanise them which, while might sound harsh, isn’t quite right.”

For Sharon, working at the RSPCA was both rewarding and, at times, heartbreaking work.

“I started as a volunteer,” Sharon says.

“There was a project where 40 cats had been hoarded at one property and were being kept in the most appalling conditions. I was one of the volunteers on the project, then when the coordinator went on holidays I took over from her and from there I got paid employment.

“Predominantly I worked in the cat boarding facility, but you learned to recognise illness and injury. Monitoring who’s eating, their water intake… I gained a broad knowledge which was great, and when I came to Bendigo I volunteered with the local branch working with the hutch animals. The rabbits which were confined to their hutches, I would let them out for exercise and they would just

TOP: Sharon More and two furry friends.

MIDDLE LEFT: Sharon and Dundees Wildlife Park snake.

MIDDLE RIGHT: Sharon and Digger.

ABOVE: Sharon & RSPCA Lonsdale rescue cats. spring out of there and kick their legs in the air and it was lovely.

“From the RSPC I’ve seen some things I can’t unsee and never want to see again,” Sharon says. “Our clients love their animals and they’re treated well and kind and given proper nutrition and they’re looked after. So going into people’s homes is a big responsibility because you’re caring for a member of their family.

“You wouldn’t do this seven-days a week unless you had a real passion for what you do, but that’s me. I’ve always loved animals.” ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 81

Leading the way - Doggy discovery What do we still have to learn about our canine friends and how they affect our lives? According to Dr Pauleen Bennett, head of Australia’s first dedicated dog cognition and behaviour laboratory at La Trobe University in Bendigo, rather a lot.

Writer: Kate O’Connor - Photographer: David Field It is fair to say that, like many dog owners, Dr Pauleen Bennett is besotted with her furry companions. Sharing her property near Heathcote with her partner and several lagottos and Australian shepherds is only the start – over the years she has bred dogs, trained dogs and campaigned publically on animal welfare issues.

really sets Pauleen apart from other devoted owners. Leading a team of researchers at La Trobe University, Pauleen attempts to answer questions such as: How does owning a dog change people? Why do dogs understand people so well? And, how can we use dogs to help solve some of our most pressing social and health issues?

But it’s her fascination with human and animal relationships, or ‘anthrozoology’, that

According to Pauleen a “series of accidents” led her into this specialised field. Breeding

82 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Australian shepherds while working as a neuro-psychology researcher, Pauleen suddenly found herself at the centre of a political stoush over a long-standing animal welfare issue: tail docking.

“At that point people were docking dogs’ tails, and Australian Shepherds had historically had their tails docked. I wasn’t happy about doing that so I docked one litter of puppies and then didn’t dock the

second litter,” she says. After analysing her own feelings and existing research on the issue, Pauleen wrote a paper for the Australian Veterinary Journal. Its publication happened to coincide with discussions within the Victorian Government about the future of tail docking.

“So they used that as their resource for the argument – because I was pro-dogs, and I had docked, but when I considered the evidence in a logical, sensible way it was indefensible; there was no good reason for docking dogs anymore, and I was a scientist who was prepared to stand up and say that,” she says. Piquing her interest in how people relate to dogs, these events started Pauleen on a path towards a new career focused squarely on animals. “So that was how it started – I got involved in animal welfare because I was concerned about the welfare of my animals. Thinking through some of the things we do every day and whether it was okay or not okay,” she says.

blood sugar levels drop or when an epileptic seizure is about to happen. Dogs can even be trained to tell kids with severe allergies not to eat food with nuts,” she says.

Pauleen says dogs are also highly sensitive to anxiety in humans, making them useful for assisting with everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to autism.

“What we know about dogs is they are fantastically tuned in to humans, so they get us really well. They know if we’re feeling down, feeling good, if we’re making eye contact. They understand human body language really, really well, and that means we can use them in all sorts of ways.”

Finding out why dogs are so helpful in these contexts and discovering ways to reap the benefits is what motivates Pauleen.

“Making a difference to human lives and

improving the welfare of animals is what all our work is about,” she says. “Teaching students how to do good research is also really rewarding. They come from all over the world because they want to work in this area, and then they go off and do amazing things because of what I have taught them.

You couldn’t get a more rewarding career.”

There is much to unravel in this fascinating field and, with Pauleen at the helm, it has a bright future in Australia. While she ponders the question of why people keep pets, there is one thing for certain – coming home at the end of the day to a happy, brood of lagottos doesn’t feel like work at all.

Any dog owners who would like to assist with Pauleen’s research at La Trobe can register their interest at www.latrobe.edu. au/school-psychology-and-public-health/ anthrozoology-research-group-dog-lab ■

Pauleen’s strong interest in positive psychology, a discipline which focuses on helping people live better lives, also underpinned her new career focus.

“I was trying to figure out why people have pets – because really there’s no sensible, rational reason for having animals living in your house – they’re dirty, they’re smelly, you have to feed them, they leave hair everywhere. So why would half the human race decide to do this?” she says.

“So I went looking for reasons as to why people keep pets and found that it’s all about the way they make people feel better and less anxious. And so I got into this area of human animal relationships and how much having animals around us is important for us.”

These days from her dedicated dog behaviour and cognition laboratory at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Pauleen investigates the myriad of ways that dogs can improve our lives. She says dogs are suited to helping with many of society’s current social and health issues.

“Dogs are now using their noses in many ways that benefit humans; we have medical alert dogs that know when their owner’s

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 83

Weeroona College Bendigo We create brilliance...

VISION We prepare students for personal excellence through STEM fields of study to succeed as future leaders and innovators in our local and global communities.

6

The

deep learning

competencies

•Character •Citizenship •Collaboration

•Critical Thinking •Creativity •Communication

MISSION We aim to provide students with real world opportunities to learn through an innovative, technology based curriculum for scientific and mathematical literacy, emphasising the six deep learning competencies with an interdisciplinary focus.

For more information on enrolments for 2016 at Weeroona College or the STEM program please contact our office on 5443 2133.

www.weeroona.vic.edu.au WEEROONA COLLEGE BENDIGO 383 Napier Street, Bendigo

The paw-fect doggy day out Spring is here. The days are longer, the weather is warmer. Time to make the most of the outdoors and revel in the company of your furry friends.

Writer: Hayley Morcom - Photographer: David Field If you have a dog – and 63 per cent of us do – chances are you are regularly on the lookout in Bendigo for things you can do and places you can go with your furry friend in tow. Here are some ideas to get you started.

FIT WITH FIDO There’s nothing better than getting the heart rate up and your exercise out of the way first thing in the morning. Especially when it is something you and your dog can do at the same time. Did you know that according to statistics dog owners are 34 per cent more likely to get the recommended 150-minutes of exercise a week than non-owners?

There are plenty of tracks throughout Bendigo that are ideal for either walking, running or cycling with your dog. Whether you prefer the rustic native flora and fauna at Lake Neangar and Lake Tom Thumb in Eaglehawk, or the manicured lawns and weeping willows of Lake Weeroona. Go online for more options, but just take note

that some public areas don’t allow dogs. To discover dog-friendly parks in Bendigo visit www.bendigo.vic.gov.au.

If you want to take your fitness to the next level there is a group that specifically caters for pet owners. Fitbitch is a new outdoor exercise group designed for humans and their dogs to get healthy together.

Based at Garden Gully Recreation Reserve, participants are put through their paces in a fun and relaxed environment with shuttle runs, mat work, hurdles, tug-of-war and running drills.

There’ll be plenty of belly laughs along the way when the pooches decide nature calls in the middle of a group run or when the treats bag comes and they all flock towards the trainer.

The dogs are well catered for with water bowls and doggy bags on hand and a designated rest area to put the paws up at any time. The one-hour classes are held on weekends and some weeknights. For more information www.fitbitch.com.au

BARK ‘N BREAKFAST Now it’s time to head off to breakfast, you’ve both earned it. If you’re after a café/ restaurant where your dog is valued just as much as you, The Boardwalk Bendigo on Nolan Street is the place to go.

You’ll feel the doggy love the moment you step onto the front deck and walk past the large drinking bath signed ‘refresh your dog here, how good are dogs’.

Once you’re greeted and seated at a table overlooking the picturesque Lake Weeroona you’ll soon spot the dog treats jar making its way around by one of the friendly staff or by managing director Andy Lawson.

“We literally hand out hundreds of these a week,” Andy says.

Andy is the ultimate pooch lover.

“Dogs bring a calming, positive energy that filters through our venue. It is an absolute pleasure to see dogs with their packs (families) enjoying Lake Weeroona and The Boardwalk. They get pats from the staff, love

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 85

from other guests, adoration from little kids and (I would imagine) really enjoy their time with us.”

Andy is also dad to Chino, the restaurant’s resident dog who even has his own kennel on the deck overlooking the guests.

As an added touch your dog gets its photo snapped which gets posted up on their Facebook page every Sunday and one Dog Image of the Week selected for Instagram.

“We have had guests turn up for a meal at The Boardwalk specifically so that their new puppy gets his photo taken... just beautiful.

It warms my heart,” Andy says.

The photo will even end up in the annual Dogs of The Boardwalk Bendigo coffee-table book or, if you’re lucky, in the first calendar set to be released later this year.

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SHOPPING SPREE

LATTES AND PUPPACHINOS

The paw-fect day wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the shops. These days most pet shops offer a dog-friendly service where they welcome your four-legged friend in store, on a lead, with you so you can try products on them or chat with the staff about their needs.

When your tummies are grumbling again it’s time for some lunch. Percy and Percy on Hargreaves Street is another eatery bursting with puppy love.

Jump in the car and make your way around the city’s pet stores; Bush’s Produce Store (Williamson Street), PETstock Bendigo (Hattam Street), K9 Deli (Hopetoun Street), Pets Domain (Kangaroo Flat), Petbarn (Kangaroo Flat).

Be sure to check out the clothing section in each store as there are some pretty cute jackets, hats and even dog shoes on offer.

Don’t forget to take the mandatory ‘dogfie’ (dog selfie) in its adorable new outfit.

The café boasts plenty of outdoor space with seating options in the courtyard, on a table out the front, up at the benches, or better yet grab one of their blankets and chill on the grass in the sun.

Owner Elisha Bahem says the four legged variety are always warmly welcomed at her café.

“Dogs always get a bit of love here,” she says. “Three-quarters of our staff all own dogs so they are all quite receptive to the dogs that come here, taking treats out to them and showing them a bit of love.”

Apart from the standard dog bowl out the

front this café takes its dog loving seriously with treats available to purchase at the counter and even puppachinos on the menu (frothy milk).

“We have our regulars come in and some have even made friends here,” she says.

Elisha says Percy and Percy also has its resident shop dog, Maggie.

“My dog Maggie features quite regularly on our Instagram account.”

You’ll find a number of other dog-friendly cafes around the city including The Corner Store Café (View Street), as well as the Old Green Bean and Bendigo Wholefoods Kitchen (both Lyttleton Terrace) to name a few. Finish your latte and puppachinos it’s time for your next activity.

PUPPY PARK About a five-minute drive down the road is the city’s ultimate dog park. Harcourt Park on Crook Street isn’t just your little cramped, fenced-off area. The 3.7 hectare site is Bendigo’s answer to Disneyland for dogs.

As soon as you walk through one of its many public entry points you’ll feel the love with some of the happiest pooches getting around. There’s no rules on fun here. Your

dog will feel right at home socialising, sniffing, playing, running, swimming, chasing ball and expelling any leftover energy from the day. The four small dams make this park extra special.

It also boats a bitumen walking track, plenty of shady trees and a creek complete with a bridge. Warning, you might want to throw a towel in the car before you go as your pup will most likely indulge in those water attractions.

Time to dry off you are almost done for the day.

PAWFECT PICNIC If you aren’t completely conked out from the day’s activities you can grab a rug, pick up some take-away fish and chips, pizza or burgers, and head down to Strathdale Park for a picnic. Soak up the last of the sunshine while you people/dog watch and reminisce on your adventurous doggy day out. Afterwards, head home, jump onto the couch, and put those paws and feet up. It’s been a big day!

Happy human, happy dog.

Hayley Morcom is a freelance writer, personal trainer and the ultimate dog lover.

Contact: Hayley@hayleymorcom.com.au or @hayleykmorcom on Instagram. ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 87

Abby, 3 - Purple Patch Photography

Ain't they adorable

Here are some of Bendigo’s beautiful kids.

If you have a cute little one, we would love to hear from you. Please email your professionally-taken, high-resolution images to mail@bendigomagazine.com for publication in our next issue.

88 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Audrey, 1 - Leah Ladson Photography & Design

ABOVE LEFT: Makai, 5 months - Leah Ladson Photography & Design ABOVE: Missy, 3 - Leah Ladson Photography & Design LEFT: Lucy, 7 - Leah Ladson Photography & Design BOTTOM LEFT: Emma, 5 Purple Patch Photography BELOW: Edison, 1 - Leah Ladson Photography & Design

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Jason Coleman and Sharon Saunders

Larni Taylor and Savannah Waters

dance star IN TOWN Lucy Hale and Kiara Primer

Matt Godbold and Courtney Livcock

Maddi Somerville, Jason Coleman and Sharon Saunders

Tshari Brown and Imogen Atkinson

The Sharon Saunders Dancers Studio hosted renowned Australian dancer and So You Think You Can Dance judge Jason Coleman.

Jason Coleman travels throughout Victoria donating his time to bring dance opportunities to country dancers, and the Sharon Saunders Dancers Studio was lucky enough to be selected. The exciting opportunity tied in well with the studio’s 25th birthday. sharonsaundersdancers.webs.com ■

www.miltandjoe.com.au acorn • aden and anais • all4ella • alphabet soup • anarkid baobab • b.box • bibalicious • bobux • click clack toys coco and ginger • down to the woods • d lux • gaia organic cotton • feiyue • fiona walker • heico lamps • hello toes hug a planet • huxbaby • jujo baby • kiko • kip and co kippins • lil’mr • littlehorn • little red owl • little wings • mae miann and co • milestone baby cards • milk and masuki minti • mister fly • munster kids • oyoy • paper wings peggy • plae • pretty brave • rock your baby • sack me saltwater sandals • seriously milestones • soopsori toys sudo • tikitot shoes • uncle goose • walnut melbourne

2/358 hargreaves st, bendigo phone: 03 5444 0881 email: info@miltandjoe.com.au

PAGE TITLE

Casey & Lincoln

FRANCIS-WRIGHT

Photographer: Terri Basten

They say life is what happens when you’re making plans… Lincoln Francis-Wright and Casey Parsons had previously met at Oscar W’s in Echuca, however it was a chance meeting some time later that was the turning point for them both. Lincoln was in New York when he decided to return home for a few months.

He had planned on returning to the Big Apple indefinitely but meeting Casey again meant that return ticket was never used.

“He could tell this girl was the real deal,” Casey

laughs, “so the plans went out the window.

They say everything happens for a reason.”

The bride described the marriage ceremony and reception not so much as the stuff you would find in fairytales but the couple are more than happy with that. After all, a wedding is about two people – the bride and the groom – and what they want for their special day.

“We actually planned the wedding, brought the ring and sent out the invites before

Linc had actually asked me if I would,” Casey says. “But we already had a special blended family, like many others these days, and had lived together for the duration of our relationship. We were just looking to formalise things. Things were so certain, Casey even had a hen’s night with her girls,” Linc says. “It was on the sorry afternoon that followed, feeling worse for wear after too many festive cocktails, that I took the opportunity to ask if she would like to get married. Admittedly, still a little nervous and choked up despite it being somewhat of a sure bet. She may not remember but she said yes.”

Linc had worked in the event and hospitality industry so he found the organising of the wedding a breeze with Casey planning the “pretty things”.

“There really wasn’t much to it,” Casey says.

“The logistics and reception arrangements were put together in around 40 minutes.”

The styling, however, took the full five weeks including many hours in the man cave crafting bars, the ceremonial arch, photo booth, signage, lawn games and other trinkets from recycled and re-purposed timber to fit in with Casey’s bohemian style.

While five weeks might not sound like long enough, for Casey and Lincoln things couldn’t have gone smoother.

“Dealing with the celebrant easy, even Casey’s dress shopping fell into place without any dramas,” Linc says.

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“I saw a dress, tried it on, and walked out with it,” Casey says. “The boys’ kits were actually a bit more of a process… but they only needed one trip to select their outfits followed by a long lunch and they were done.”

The couple was thrilled with the ceremony and reception, which were held at the Gallery Café in Bendigo, and having their three daughters involved made the day just perfect. For Linc, one of the most memorable moments was seeing his girls.

“I saw my youngest leading the other two up the aisle, wearing that sweet little ‘daddy, here comes mummy’ sign… and of course then I laid eyes on my stunning bride.

“It was important that the day reflected us, that it didn’t drag out,” Casey says.

“We wrote our whole ceremony save for obligatory comments from the celebrant.”

The couple chose Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud for their first dance – the perfect choice.

“The single lyric about how people fall in love in mysterious ways... that’s us,” they laugh.

For Casey and Linc the day was the perfect reflection of them and enjoyed by all the friends and family who were there to celebrate the day with the happy couple.

“We needed to make sure the food was super delicious and the Champagne flowed, the cocktails were tasty and the beer didn’t run out, and we nailed it.” ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 91

A night of white

There was music, entertainment and dancing at this Bendigo Health Foundation fundraiser.

The sell-out, 2016 A Night of White was held at the Bendigo Toyota Showroom in support of Bendigo Health. A fun evening was had by all, as the foundation raised valuable funds to support the purchase of equipment, helping Bendigo Health provide the best care possible to its patients. www.bendigohealthfoundation.org.au â–

Ricky Daniels and Brikitta Kool-Daniels

Kate Hyett and Donna McGrory

Michelle Kenny and Lisa McDermid

Michelle Papaz and Annie Mulder

Nick Cugura, Gary Murphy and David Scicluna

Rick Townsend and Tammy Blakely

Taking custom made to the next level, watch your design come to life Samples can be viewed on www.facebook.com/pages/Ruffell-Jewellers

16 Mitchell St, Bendigo | P: 5443 5755 | E: ruffelljewellers@gmail.com

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY

Adele Coleman, Grace Cowling, Larissa Dewhurst, Sarah Samuel and Heidi McGrath

Nicole Kelly, Helen Harrington and Amy Doak

Chris DeAraugo and Brad Dewhurst

Rachel Gunn, NIkki Vincent and Linda Robertson

An exciting venture Two young mums celebrate the launch of their Cloque boutique business.

Sarah Samuel and Larissa Dewhurst wanted to challenge themselves by starting a business based on the thought they could offer an exciting new clothing boutique for young mums like themselves. Their clients, now ranging from women aged 15 to 65, source their clothes via their Facebook page, website, showroom or private Cloque parties.

Simone Day, Karlee Thorpe and Simone Raco

Tamara Lalor, Kristy Hutton and Carlye Hodgson

The official Cloque launch was recently held at Hashtage with more than 220 women attending. www.cloque.com.au ■

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PAGE TITLE

Sarah & Jaye CAMERON

Photographer: Leah Ladson Photography & Design

From the river setting in Echuca to the gifts of home-made jars of jam, Jaye Cameron and Sarah Oakes’ big day lived up to their expectations of being a relaxed country wedding enjoyed by friends and family.

Sarah, an early childhood educator for the City of Greater Bendigo, and Jaye, a gas technician for Downer Group, were keen to do something a little different as well.

Jaye knew it was time to pop the question but it was a lucky win to the Gold Coast in May 2015 for himself and best man Josh that provided the perfect setting for the proposal. Gold and getting engaged… the

perfect holiday. “Sarah and I stayed up there for two extra nights,” Jaye says. “On the Thursday night we went up to the top of Q1, the tallest building on the Gold Coast, and enjoyed a couple of beers watching the sun set. It was at this moment that I built up the courage to ask Sarah to marry me. Of course she said yes.”

The couple knew they wanted their wedding to be in the river town of Echuca. Besides being picture perfect, the area was a neutral location for guests to travel to, with Jaye’s family being based in the Cohuna/Barham area.

“We loved the idea of getting married on the banks of the Murray River,” Sarah says.

“Being on the river amongst the giant red gums helped us create that relaxed country environment where everybody could kick back and have fun.

“We looked at a few venues in the Echuca area but once we found Tindarra we just could not go anywhere else.”

The couple, as well as the bridal parties and families, stayed at the resort the night before.

“The boys started off the Saturday with a round of golf at Rich River Country Club, followed by a few beers and then back to Tindarra,” Sarah says.

“It was a fairly relaxed morning for us girls, with breakfast followed by champagne and a cheese platter. Both our hairdresser, my Aunty Cheryl and make-up artist, my mum Joan, came to our apartment to get started, which made it relaxed and easy. By this stage our photographer, Leah Ladson was floating around doing her thing.”

The bride was picture perfect. And in fitting with the idea of wanting a wedding that was different, Sarah’s dress was custommade… by her mother.

“I am fortunate that I have a creative mother who made my dress,” Sarah says. “After looking at bridal gowns and trying a few on, all I could decide on is that I wanted different features from different dresses.

Using three patterns my mum was able to cut and paste and work her magic and created my perfect wedding dress. Mum also made the beautiful bridesmaid dresses.”

94 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

The couple wanted to include as many of their friends and family in their big day.

Sarah’s three sisters were her bridesmaids, while Jaye had two of his best mates and one of his cousins as his groomsmen.

“Two of our nephews – Ryder and Miller – were our page boys,” Sarah says. “My grandmother Lorraine made our gorgeous wedding cake as well. Also over the years an Oakes family tradition has formed where Dad has driven each of his four daughters to their wedding day in his sports car.”

For Jaye having so many friends and family together to share their day was a true highlight.

“But definitely my favourite moment of the day was when I first laid eyes on my wifeto- be as she rolled up in her dad’s sports car and began walking down the aisle towards me,” Jaye smiles. “That feeling was just surreal.”

“As dad and I drove towards the ceremony I was hit by a rush of excitement and nerves,” Sarah says. “As I looked up I saw the happy faces of all our family and friends then as I looked down the aisle I was about to walk down, I saw my husband-to-be looking towards me with a giant smile and a tear in his eye and my heart skipped a beat.

“After watching the page boys and bridesmaids walking down the aisle, it was my turn. Walking down the aisle, arms linked with dad was something I will never forget. From the moment I reached Jaye the smile didn’t leave my face. We took each other’s hands and didn’t let go. Jaye and I exchanged our vowels which we had written ourselves.

“Back at Tindarra we were introduced as Mr and Mrs Cameron as Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk played in the background, and Jaye and I performed our wedding dance to Rod Stewart’s You’re in my heart.”

For the couple, their advice to others is to appreciate that your friends and family are there to share your special day with you... just relax and take it all in. ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 95

111 Mollison Street Bendigo

www.eplusarchitecture.com.au

Phone: (03) 5443 0055

A grand history

Like so many beautiful homes from Bendigo’s past, Ascot Manor was built following the goldrush days. Its present custodians spent much time and effort restoring the home to its former glory.

Stepping into Ascot Manor is like stepping onto a page out of this city’s rich history.

This large brick home was built in 1868 and today still retains the elegance and prominence of yesteryear. Set against the modern developments in this part of Bendigo and the surrounding suburbs, the period features of Ascot Manor are distinctive and sure to appeal to those who appreciate the craftsmanship of that period.

With so many features, it’s difficult to know where to start. Entering Ascot Manor there is an overwhelming sense of grandeur. With high ceilings and large spacious rooms, it is easy to overlook the fact that this is still a family home. There are beautiful marble fireplaces, stained glass windows, and ornate cornices and ceiling roses.

Manor to its former glory. The couple bought the property some 13 years ago, and have enjoyed being the caretakers of this incredible building.

“The house was in a poor condition and run down when we bought it,” Marion says, “and we have undertaken a restoration and redecoration project since purchasing the property.”

However, the condition of the house was

part of what appealed to Marion and Max. “We loved the grandeur of the setting and park-like views over Bendigo Golf Course,” Max says, “but also being able to restore thehouse back to its original grandeur. We love old properties and have restored several properties over the years. We believe that we are only custodians of these properties.

They should be restored for future generations to enjoy.

There is a chapel attached the house where family weddings have been held over the years, as well as the original grotto in the back garden.

The house was not always so well presented.

A lot of care was taken by current owners Marion and Max Hussey to restore Ascot

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 97

“Ascot Manor has had only a small number of owners over the years. The house was built by John Holdsworth during the 1860s for himself, however the architect is unknown as the Huntly Shire destroyed its records when it amalgamated with the City of Greater Bendigo.”

Like many other beautiful historic houses built in this area during that time, it can be linked to the city’s rich history.

“John Holdsworth came out to the goldfields looking for gold,” Marion says, “but was unsuccessful. He opened an apothecary business in a tent in Bendigo, as he was a trained pharmacist back in Yorkshire. He was also a good friend of George Lansell.”

Yet however much Max and Marion love their home, they’ve decided it’s time to pass the custodial honour onto someone else and the house is on the market through CR Martin Real Estate.

“We have decided to retire from the family business and travel,” Marion says. “Our son and his wife are continuing on with the business. Hopefully the new owners will love the house as much as we do.” ■ 98 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Flora and art in harmony It was a fortuitous twist of fate that saw Mary and Bebe Gibson take over Mica Grange. They have since transformed the landscape into a beautiful and tranquil escape for both themselves and visitors to their open garden days.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: David Field

It was an unexpected turn of events that led Bede and Mary Gibson to acquire this 40-hectare property at Sutton Grange. But seeing them talk with enthusiasm and respect for their surrounds, it’s hard to imagine them living anywhere else.

Ten years ago the couple brought the property off their daughter. Since then they have worked on establishing Mica Grange as one of the must-sees on the open garden calendar.

“We were originally from Melbourne,” Bebe says, “but business saw us move to Sydney, and I spent 14 years there.”

When Bebe retired the couple was contemplating where they would move.

“You never retire completely because you’d get bored otherwise. I’ve retired from the corporate world but I couldn’t live in the city and go to shopping malls. I was looking more to work outside and do something. We were looking to buy something on the coast of New South Wales, but when we saw this we realised its potential and invested in this.”

100 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

As fate would have it their daughter and family, who were living in the Mica Grange property, were planning to return to Melbourne as they found the commute from the country difficult.

“My daughter had brought this property and gave us a ring to see that if before we brought anything else would we mind looking after their property. So we brought it from them. We’re both retired so we took this on to develop as a garden.”

clothes designer. “Georges was an exclusive store in Melbourne and I was walking through with the pram with my first born.

The buyer, who was a German woman, stopped me and said she wanted some of those (the clothes the child was wearing).

And that was how I started,” Mary says. “I was in fashion for 35 years. I did children and ladies’ sleepwear. I supplied about 140 shops at one stage; it was the top-end stuff, all hand painted and embroidered.

“It was originally a vacant block with nothing here but the house,” Mary says.

“People come here and they just pick your background. Everything has to match – I’m hopeless like that,” Mary jokes. “Even the cakes have to come out with matching flowers… and people do comment occasionally about it, but that’s the way I am.

I do different colours for different seasons.”

Since then, the couple has created an impressive collaboration of beautiful native and international plants. Bede says they weren’t avid gardeners as such but Mary had always loved flowers. Mary’s creative influence in the garden does stand out. It was this flair that saw her enjoy a career as a

The main water supply is a spring-fed dam, and although they’re above the frost line they’ve had their share of hardship thanks to

Bebe and Mary worked hard to create their beautiful surrounds. When they brought the house, there was only a decking, the driveway and a few trees that had recently been planted.

“Mary had a good idea of other flowers that she wanted and she’s designed the garden in terms of height of plants and colours,” Bebe says.

the extreme climate. While they have always taken that into consideration, not everything worked.

“There are various plans which didn’t succeed but you learn from experience,” Bebe says.

“It’s a very good soil because as long as you can get water to it, there’s plenty of minerals.

Proteas work well because the soil here has good drainage.”

“We knew roses would work, that they worked in a dry climate,” he says. “The hardest time is having a long summer and having to water every day. That JanuaryFebruary period when you don’t have any rain and it’s hot: There is quite a commitment, you can’t get away.”

It was in 2012 that they were approached by Open Gardens Australia to see if they would open their garden to the public. While the couple were willing, they were keen to offer something beyond flora to their visitors.

“We thought we’d do something different so we asked a few of the sculptors whether they would exhibit,” Bebe says. “Fortunately some of their things sold.”

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 101

FEATURE GARDEN

For the artists it was a big commitment to pick up their art at the end of one day so they agreed to take part again if the garden was opened over five weekends instead of the one, Bede says.

“We started off with four sculptors. Two from Bendigo, Dawn Robinson and George Lianis, and we’ve developed it from there with more artists asking to exhibit.”

“This environment, the rust works with the landscape,” Mary says.

“Our theme was merging the beauty of gardens with the wonders of art,” Bebe says.

“We believe we’ve got a nice garden, so we try and get sculptures in which enhance the garden.” Whether it’s for a courtyard or for a garden, seeing a sculpture in the environment helps people visualise what it would look like in their own property.

“People can have what they like,” Mary explains. “Some people want Australian gardens, some people want rust gardens, some people want flowery gardens. But I’ve always loved flowers since I was a tiny child.

“My mother has pictures of me, I used to pick everything and she would freak out because I would come in with the first spring flower and I used to make posies for people at school.”

“Mary comes from a creative background in art and running her own fashion label, so she’s got the creative flair while I’ve got the muscle power,” Bebe says. “I dig holes and she does the rest. Mary has a very good sense of design and layout. She’s very much a perfectionist, getting everything to combine.”

“I like all the English plants, the flowers’ perfume, but the Australian plants all bring the birds,” Mary says. “We have beautiful birdlife here. You can have 50 blue wrens all lined up on the decking having a party. The lizards love it too when the sun comes out, you can get 10 or 20 sitting there on the rocks. Children will come in and have three or four in their hands, or one sitting on their shoulder.

“You’re trying not to make things clash.

The main garden is more of English plants.

There are a lot of things I can’t grow but I try because it’s too hot. We were conscious this year… we had so little water. Normally we would have more things flower in spring. So it hasn’t had as much water in previous years as we were frightened we’d run out because the dam was very low and we weren’t

102 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

getting the rain.

“I love roses, but my favourite plant would be magnolia, but the lemon-scented ones because the perfume is absolutely sensational. I like anything that’s perfumed really, and there are lots of things that are perfumed. The roses are hardy. At the end of spring I cut them back to (small stumps).

People are frightened to, and I dislike the way they’re leggy in autumn, but they’re stunning in spring.”

Bebe’s son built the raised vegetable garden, and the produce is used in the kitchen. Mary also makes preserves.

“We’re just above the frost line so we’re able to grow citrus fruits, which are the envy of so many who come here,” Bebe says. “We also have a compost bin. All the vegetable waste goes into the compost. We basically use blood and bone, a little bit of sea salt and power feed at the start of the spring season to get things moving. But the main thing is water.”

Another joy of the location is the view over Sutton Grange, made even more enjoyable thanks to the extensive decking at the front of the property.

“We do like seeing other people enjoying it,” Bebe says. “Everyone who comes enjoys the tranquillity of sitting down and taking in the view. It’s a lovely community, and we have some very good friends and neighbours.”

“What I haven’t achieved is to stop putting in new gardens,” Bede jokes.

“It’s so peaceful to work in a garden and to be a part of,” Mary says. “You can have all the worries in the world and go out into the garden, and they sort of solve themselves.

You forget about it… turn off, which is nice.”

The couple built a studio on their property, which is used for small functions, such as garden club meetings, birthday afternoon teas, shower teas, or “companies which want to get away to somewhere quiet for their meetings”.

“I’m glad we’ve opened it because it’s very rewarding, particularly when we have the elderly who think they’re in heaven,” Mary says. “It’s lovely to be able to share and have other people enjoy it, because we put the work in so it’s been a privilege to be able to show it to people.”

“To start with it was mainly older people (who visited the garden), but now we’re getting lots of younger people through,” Bebe says. “We get lots of kids running around with their families. We get lots of younger couples but also younger women in the 20 to 30 year age group – everyone’s young to me now. People like getting ideas to beautify their homes and make their gardens more interesting. Younger parents with children don’t mind coming here. There is a lot of space, and they can sit down and enjoy themselves while the children move about.”

The couple enjoys opening the gates to the public while they also enjoy the quiet times when there’re no visitors and they can enjoy their garden in peace.

The property is open for five weekends in spring and then five weekends in autumn.

For details visit www.micagrange.com ■

m: 0438 981 586 | p: 03 5442 8966 e: info@simonrosalandscaping.com www.simonrosalandscaping.com 190 Strickland Road, Strathdale

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living the dream

For this Bendigo family, the goal was an outdoor space built to compliment the natural bush surroundings of Axe Creek. The result was a beatifully finished, miniresort that exceeded the expectations of both parents and children alike.

Writer: Sue Turpie - Photographer: Andrew Perryman The word oasis is so often used to describe a landscaped area, but it is truly fitting in this case. On some 20 acres of bushland at this Axe Creek Road property, is an outdoor haven complete with full-service kitchen in a free-standing alfresco area and inground swimming pool. The property is owned by Rob and Kristen, who live with their three children, William, Olivia and Emily. For the couple, living a rural life had always been a dream.

“Kristen and I both grew up in regional Victoria, mainly Maryborough,” Rob says, “and lived and worked interstate and Melbourne for many years until deciding to move to Bendigo in 2005 when Will and Liv were toddlers. The motivation for the move was to get out of the city, to raise our kids in the country and to be closer to Kristen’s family in Maryborough. We loved Bendigo

for its natural beauty and heritage buildings as well being the perfect size and location.

“When we first moved to Bendigo we were keen on the idea of moving to rural property but couldn’t find the right property so we moved to Spring Gully which we loved.

Kristen never stopped looking and found our dream home and property in 2010. The idea of having space and privacy, a few animals and living in a beautiful bush setting are the main reasons why we wanted to move out of town.”

providing us with essentially a blank canvas,” Rob says. “Our goal was to provide a spacious landscaped yard that complimented the natural bush surroundings, blending in and enhancing, rather than compromising, our views.

The family home has large windows giving its owners a complete 360-degree view of the surrounding natural bush. It is this aspect of the property that Rob and Kristen truly love.

“We have always loved the concept of an outdoor living space, particularly as Kristen and I have office jobs. We love to be outdoors as much as possible, particularly when entertaining friends or family. We started with really wanting a pool for our kids and the outdoor living area was a natural extension of that so that we could have shelter and other facilities allowing us to spend more time by the pool relaxing in our own little resort away from the rest of the world.”

“There was very little fencing and landscaping done when we moved in

The couple turned to Simon Rosa Landscaping for their project. Simon has

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 105

noticed the trend with more people wanting outdoor living beyond simply an undercover area with a barbecue. People are requesting full kitchens and appliances; the total package.

“Rob and Kristen came to us with an open mind but wanting an al fresco space adjoining the pool area,” Simon says. “It just needed to be suitable for their lifestyle – they’ve got three young kids so to try and suit their growing family and to suit them to use all-year round. It also had to be attractive. And sprawling onto the big lawn space as the kids are keen sportspeople, so it’s a multipurpose area that flows into everything else.”

Given the scope of the project, Simon was careful to ensure the couple knew exactly what they wanted before any work commenced on site.

“We went through a full set of construction drawings and 3D drawings to give an idea of what the finished product will be,” Simon says. “It gives the clients an idea of what they’re going to get. There was some to-ing and fro-ing until they were ultimately happy. The project took about eight weeks from start to finish. Rob and Kristen were fantastic in letting us achieve ultimately what they wanted.”

Rob, Kristen and Simon were all in agreeance that the finished product needed to look impressive yet natural in its setting.

As well as the harsh extremes of the

106 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Australian climate, it was also important to know the end result would stand up to the wear and tear that comes with use from a young family.

“We were very keen to use natural timber and stone products as much as possible and to also choose colours that emulated the natural bush surrounding,” Rob says. “Our goal was to blend the pool and outdoor living space in with the natural surroundings as much as possible. The pool colour, pavers, fencing and other materials were all chosen with this goal in mind and we feel we achieved this well.”

“It’s a natural setting, tree lined and with paddocks behind it,” Simon says. “Rob and Kristen didn’t want to make it look too modern, so we used a lot of hard-wearing timbers.”

“It’s amazing the choices you have for an outdoor living area that are visually appealing as well as functional and practical,” Rob says. “For example, the kitchen cabinetry and benchtops are all waterproof. The outdoor kitchen has all the conveniences of a modern indoor kitchen and enables us to prepare meals without having to go indoors. Being outdoors in the fresh air and relaxed environment actually makes preparing the meals easier and more relaxing.”

For Rob, the natural stone feature walls and fire place his personal favourites, while it’s obvious what the children like best.

“They both add interest and beauty to the overall design and the fireplace is very handy during the cooler months and cooler nights.

The kids have wanted a pool for years and they absolutely love it. The pool feature lights and the outdoor living area lights means longer swim times as well.”

It’s the challenges of catering to individual tastes, and coming up with new ideas that Simon enjoys as part of his job. As well as seeing his clients enjoy the end results.

“I love what I do, and so do my crew,” Simon says. “That’s one big positive for us – we love our before and afters. Also I do a lot of research into new and upcoming products and trends, and these change so I try and stay updated. We’re lucky in what we do that we get a broad range of tasks. It’s not just paving and not just planting. And we project manage other trades to come and help us achieve our goals.”

It’s this dedication to the work that has meant Rob and Kristen are living their Aussie dream.

“We are absolutely delighted with the end result,” Rob says. “Simon achieved everything we had hoped for and more.

It is quite daunting working through a concept, to a design and then selecting all the materials and seeing it all come together to a completed project. Simon’s advice, guidance and flexibility was invaluable throughout the project and he seems as proud as us with the end result.” ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 107

Red light tour of Bendigo From north to south, 22 sets of traffic lights are staggered along the main road of our city. Some mark historic buildings, others mark striking new architecture. It seems there is a story to tell at each set.

Writer: Colin King - Photographer: David Field Imagine driving the spine of Bendigo from Kangaroo Flat to Epsom and copping every red light — all 22 of them. One teacher at Big Hill Primary faced that daunting prospect every day she drove to and from work.

But would the experience really be such a nightmare? After all, Bendigo has a story to tell at every one of those traffic lights. It’s a stop-start journey custom-made for a guided sightseeing tour. Something like this: 1. Lansell Square Bendigo’s first satellite shopping complex opened in 1979. In those days, Kangaroo Flat was still part of the former Marong Shire and the new centre began life as Marong Village. Perhaps the developers thought that enhanced their chances of gaining planning approval. Never mind that the Marong township existed just 10 kilometres away.

2. Taylor and Wesley streets Visitors get their first glimpse of a Vahlanddesigned building on the corner. Millewa

108 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Hall is a 13-room Italianate villa built for Irishman James Moore in 1872. Moore ran a successful store in Kangaroo Flat before expanding to the Beehive in Bendigo. Take the service road from the outgoing lane for Bendigo’s first ever drive-through coffee shop.

3. Camp Street and Lockwood Road Most Bendigonians know this as the Maryborough road. The first ALDI store to open in Bendigo sits opposite a former Methodist church. The gothic-revival design rose from slab-hut beginnings in 1871. The sign tells us it is now part of the Uniting Church’s “Bendigo South Cluster”. Who would have guessed that was the collective noun for a group of Uniting churches?

4. The pedestrian crossing at Kangaroo Flat A modern edifice belies the gold-era Kangaroo Flat Hotel where you can still order a mixed grill. There’s another dying breed a few doors along on the opposite side — an independent specialty shop. High

on Music has been selling vintage vinyl records there for the past 15 years.

5. Alder Street The name High Street crosses this border between Kangaroo Flat and Golden Square and continues all the way to Alexandra Fountain. Beginning with Alder and falling one block shy of the fountain is an unbroken sequence of 20 botanical-named streets intersecting from the right.

6. Oak Street The intersection itself is the landmark at these lights. For example: online directions for the Central City Caravan Park are “one kilometre on from the Oak and High Street lights”. The historic building on the right is the former London Hotel. It hasn’t served a beer since 1921.

7. Laurel and Wade streets You’d expect fine gold-rush pedigrees just a block from where the precious metal was discovered. The Methodist Sunday School

and its mother church further up the hill were built where Jimmy Jeffrey preached while stood on a tree stump just months after the discovery was announced publicly.

The United Kingdom Hotel already occupied the opposite corner when it was officially granted a licence some two years later.

8. Thistle Street Architects were given carte blanche to design Bendigo’s newest cop shop.

Their arbitrary-angled creation generates Federation Square-like responses of people loving it or hating it. Nevertheless, thousands turned up for an organised walk-through when it opened in 2007.

9. Don and Myrtle streets Here’s a handy piece of Bendigo trivia.

The Calder Highway takes a left hand turn towards Mildura at this intersection without going all the way to the fountain in central Bendigo. And beware. The intersection also boasts Bendigo’s first red-light camera.

10. The pedestrian crossing at Vine Street Another ex-pub — the Golden Gate Hotel.

It closed in 1996, so there are plenty of Bendigonians who remember downing a beer or two in these premises. These days it is occupied by Girton Grammar.

11. Short Street The imposing building on the right was erected for the YMCA in 1908. During construction, it was discovered that the builders had cribbed two feet into Short Street. The Minister for Lands was dragged into an ensuing stand-off with council, which was eventually resolved by realigning the street. In the 1980/90s it became a nightclub called Velvets where the likes of The Black Sorrows and Paul Kelly performed.

12. Charing Cross This so-called vista of “Vienna-in-the-bush” says it all. Classical Italianate domes and porticos as well as Rosalind Park, Alexandra Fountain and historic trams. Surprisingly, the massive intersection did not score Bendigo’s first set of traffic lights. They were installed a block away on the corner of Mitchell and Hargreaves streets in 1964.

13. Williamson Street Bendigo’s grandest boomtown specimens; The Shamrock (1897) on the righthand side and the former Post Office (1887) and Bendigo Law Courts (1896) on the left.

14. Chapel Street The charming Vahland-designed, weatherboard St Kilian’s Church replaced an earlier stone version that subsided because the land had been undermined. Its “temporary” replacement has stood since 1888.

15. The pedestrian crossing at Back Creek This neck of the woods was once known as Irishtown. It had its own school, footy team, and half-a-dozen pubs of course.

The creek is not signposted but on various maps it appears as Back Creek, Spring Creek and even Spring Gully Creek. The upstream suburb of Kennington was also known as Back Creek until residents pushed for a change in 1909.

16. Nolan Street Lake Weeroona — Bendigo’s oasis constructed on Emu Flat in 1879. The lakeside Boardwalk Bendigo restaurant began life as a temporary Chinese tea house at the 1991 Melbourne International Festival. Older Bendigonians will remember the paddle-boats for hire.

17. Railway crossing, Lake Weeroona

This is the original traffic stop on our route, preceding the invention of traffic lights.

Road gates, pedestrian turnstiles and a gatekeeper’s house were installed when the Inglewood line was laid in 1876.

18. Power Street Weeroona College began as a technical school in 1961. The current, and wonderfully funky campus is the result of a total rebuild completed in 2013. The school’s motto is: Search for Truth.

19. Lyons Street Most prominent is the splendid Langley Hall B&B on the right. The former Anglican bishop’s palace was built in 1904 by the first incumbent, Henry Langley. A successor abandoned it soon after for a more central location. The building served as a ‘Toddlers’ Home’ for unmarried mothers until 1978.

20. Pedestrian crossing, White Hills The range of seven chalk-coloured hills stretching between Bendigo and Epsom served as separate addresses in the very early days.

For example: Bendigo racecourse was said to be at the seventh white hill and the former Digger’s Arms Hotel at the fifth white hill.

Pale patches of the now largely overgrown prominences can be glimpsed across the Bendigo-Echuca railway a block to the right.

21. Toma Court The newest set of lights along this route were created for Bendigo’s second Bunning’s store.

We now have bookend Bunnings, McDonald’s, ALDIs and Golden Bean coffee drive-throughs.

At least the latter is locally owned.

22. Howard Street Look ahead to Epsom’s iconic 12 palm trees planted by Knight’s Nursery in 1887. Then enjoy a lights-free run all the way to Echuca. ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 109

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Dying to be in Bendigo In the olden days, when the city was divided into Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, and the like, funeral directors were chosen on faith.

Writer and image: Geoff Hocking I remember when I was an inmate of the old Bendigo Technical School, which stood on the block that stretched from Hargreaves to High Street, and Mundy across to Chapel Street.

Where the BRIT building now stands was an open quadrangle where we practised marching, completed physical jerks, and were allowed to run around at lunch and recess. A couple of old Victorian terrace houses stood on the north-east boundary; one, occupied by the old Chinese herbalist, Mr Yin Kee, the other, yet another crumbling piece of Bendigo’s architectural heritage.

Opposite the tech stood William Farmer, the undertaker. Around the corner, in Chapel Street, was the competition – Mulqueen.

Behind Mulqueen’s, buried under the carpark, lies Bendigo’s oldest cemetery. The road is now called Cemetery Road.

My recently departed father-in-law spent years attempting to locate the bones of his forebears who he insisted lay beneath the carpark. A bronze plaque affixed to a

wall somewhere records that this was once consecrated ground — I guess it still is, beneath the ashphalt.

It had never occurred to me that our local funeral directors were remnant proof of the sectarianism that once divided towns and cities such as Bendigo.

Our relative spent his last days at Bethlehem Home for the Aged in Specimen Hill Road.

When he passed away, he was taken overnight to Mulqueens. For us this seemed an odd choice as by birth-right we remain Protestant. Our relative, a life-long cardcarrying member of the Methodist, now Uniting church. As Bethlehem ascribes to the Catholic faith, it seemed natural to them to take one of their residents to Mulqueens.

We had to ‘rescue’ him the following day and whip him around to Farmers.

I am sure that the service offered by Mulqueen would differ little from that provided by Farmers, but even in death tribalism remains.

I had watched a program recently where

Billy Connolly was in a cemetery in the Northern Irish city of Belfast. He told a story of a brick wall built across the cemetery that stood six-foot high above ground, constructed to separate the Catholics from the Proddys. What was remarkable was that the wall extended more than six feet below ground just to make sure that no departed souls contaminated one another in the next world. A married couple of mixed religion, both deceased, were buried together, but on either side of the wall. Some bricks had been removed. Obviously, to allow some spiritual after-life congress.

While this may seem ridiculous to us today, it serves to illustrate how strange we humans can be. How even after death, the old enmities, and fears, can pervade.

As a kid at tech, every time a funeral procession left either Farmers or Mulqueens and made its way along High Street, past the school, turned at the fountain and headed up Mitchell Street toward the Bendigo cemetery, we had to stop whatever

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 111

we were doing, place our hands over our hearts and observe complete silence until the whole procession had passed. Any other traffic stopped and waited to let an unbroken convoy of respectful mourners pass by. This does not happen any more.

Other traffic doesn’t wait and without thinking, or caring, breaks the line. Funeral convoys get caught at the lights, are broken up and arrive at the cemetery in dribs and drabs, each in their own time. Nobody, outside the immediate-bereaved stands still in respect for the recently departed any more.

Not everybody made their last trip along High Street. My maternal grandfather, a protestant Irishman but an Irishman nevertheless, lay in his coffin in the front room of his little miner’s cottage on the day of his funeral. Not one for church of any colour when he was alive, he wasn’t going to pass through the church on this his last day. His was a departing steeped in the traditions of the old country, even though Ireland was a country that he had never seen.

I don’t think I like contemporary cemeteries any more.

Where once rows of simple bronze plaques set among swards of fresh-cut lawns promised an elegant repose for eternity, they have been supplanted with a festoon of whirligigs and plastic flowers, statuettes and

glass-fibre Buddhas, footy-flags and beer cans, proclaiming the team and tipple of the dearly-departed.

I can’t imagine wandering through the cemetery after dark and bearing witness to the flickering solar bud-lights that are strung up hither and thither. It must make for an eerie spectacle, as if the little people had risen up out of the bush to dance on the graves of the faithful.

I much prefer the mournful solemnity of the old burial grounds — the tall granite spires, broken to symbolise the life cut short. The bowed-head angels, the little glass cloches filled with porcelain wreaths, doves and broken hearts. The stories of life and death chipped into the stone for all to contemplate — for eternity.

While many old cemeteries appear forlorn, maybe that is the way they should be — decaying in time but still with their stories to tell.

At White Hills a small burial ground has a large Jewish contingent with names cut in Hebrew. There are also unnamed mounds, of diggers unknown and a number of plots that once contained the remains of Chinese who may have been removed and taken back to their homeland, as was often the practice. There is also the grave of ‘Pump-handle’ Benson, a rabble-rouser on the diggings, so nicknamed for the way he thrust his fist up and down when he

was trying to force an argument. His tomb features the only representation of the miner’s crossed pick and shovel anywhere on the goldfields.

Once upon a time, before everyone had their own transport, a special tram carried coffins, and mourners out along Carpenter Street to the cemetery gates.

The old cemetery has a memorial to Burke and Wills. Several stones tell of tragedies that we can’t imagine happening today: death after a fall from a horse; a party killed when the carriage in which they were travelling to a picnic was struck by a tramcar and the number of stones that recall the demise of small children, gone before they ever reached school age, of diseases common in the Victorian era but of no threat today. Many followed one another, just days apart, into the cold ground. How heartbreaking that must have been. They have no whirligigs, just a memory cut in stone.

We drove out past Vaughan Springs the other day. As we rounded a bend before we came to the bridge we noted the old cemetery tucked into the hillside.

Surrounded by bush, the headstones were scattered, almost randomly across the dips and rise of this ancient hallowed ground. It looked like a cemetery with heart and soul.

No whirligigs — just heart and soul — but I’m not dying to go there. ■

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Picture perfect getaway You’re looking for the idealweekend retreat. dream of being surrounded by breathtaking scenery. Ready to indulge in homegrown produce, award-winning wines and craft beers... all this and more is just down the road.

It is easy to fall into the trap of looking beyond what’s on our doorsteps when planning a trip away. But set amongst the beautiful Macedon Ranges is a myriad of wineries, eateries, galleries, shops and accommodation houses that can be combined to make an ideal weekend itinerary. Start with a two-day trip and see where the Calder Highway takes you. You can always extend your mini-break by a day, or two, or three… here are a few

suggestions to set you on your way.

Hanging Rock Winery and Vineyard

Day 1

The Hanging Rock Winery was established in 1983, set in what is the country’s coolest grape-growing region. It was John and Ann Ellis who saw the potential in this block of land when they purchased the site in 1982. While set in a cool climate the height of the land means they’re above the frost line, perfect for making Australia’s best sparkling wine. It was with the production of their Macedon NV Brut

Start the day with breakfast at a local café and then grab a take-away coffee and get set for a leisurely drive along the Calder Highway.

Only one hour down the road is the Hanging Rock Winery. What better place to start your tour than by visiting one of Australia’s renowned wineries at the foot of one of the country’s iconic landmarks.

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 117

and Macedon NV Brut LD that they achieved their dream. Not one to take it too easy, Athol’s Paddock Vineyard was planted, from which came the famous Heathcote Shiraz.

Then in 2014, Ruth and John decided on a new project and established Hanging Rock Beef and Hanging Rock Speckled Stud….

Visit their cellar door and enjoy a sample of the beautiful vintages on offer here, and even take a cut of mouth-watering beef with you, along with a few bottles.

Drive through the region Six million years ago, the landscape here went through some dramatic changes, and we’re lucky enough to be able to enjoy them today. Hanging Rock, a sacred place for local Indigenous people, has also hosted some

world-famous artists, had many a punter win and lose at their annual races, and was also used by a then-very young Peter Weir as the location of one of his first feature films. The classic Picnic at Hanging Rock, based on the book by Joan Lindsay. Call into the Hanging Rock Discovery Centre for more information.

Other noteworthy stops include the inspiring Mount Macedon Memorial Cross, which stands at 21 metres. The views from atop of this mountain are truly amazing. From there drive into the hub of Mount Macedon and visit some of the local shops before stopping for lunch.

Lunch time The Mount Macedon Hotel has the charm

and character of a country pub, but with a few added extra craft beers and modern dishes alongside the classics. This site has quite a history. The first establishment, the Mountain Inn was built by William Watson in 1864. William was a carpenter and this was the first hotel in Mount Macedon. With changes of hands and changes of names, the building itself remained until the devastating Ash Wednesday fires in 1983. This new brick building now stands in its place, but there are plenty of reminders lining the walls to let visitors get a glimpse into its history.

You can sit out on the deck of the Mount Macedon Hotel and take in the beauty of the surrounding area, or prop yourself at the bar and try one of their four mainstay beers, or 12 rotating ales that are available. In the dining room there’s the usual pub fare with steak sandwiches or chicken parmigiana but why not try something a bit different such as the prawn linguini or kangaroo fillet.

Gisborne A further 10 minutes down the road is the town of Gisborne. The area is the ancestral home of the Woiwurung people, while the town itself was established 160 years ago.

Take some time out and wander through the beautiful Gisborne Botanic Gardens before going onto the impressive Baringo, in New Gisborne, for dinner. This establishment continues to grow from strength to strength.

Starting as a local wine and produce haven, it now boasts a function room and 30-seat Art Deco theatre. There is both a Japanese menu and European menu to choose from, as well as an extensive wine bar.

118 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Then relax for the evening in one of the new eco-cottages set next the vineyards of the Gisborne Peak Winery. The cottages were developed using environmentally-sustainable modular buildings, as well as renewable energy resources as their main power supply.

The cottages are surrounded by beautiful native gardens and landscaping that help them blend into the site.

Day 2 There’s no rush this morning. Sleep in and enjoy a cooked breakfast in your selfcontained cottage, or try one of the local cafes in Gisborne before heading north to Woodend.

Woodend While many years ago the new freeway took through-traffic away from this town, it has since grown into a delightful hub of quality foods, wines, cafes and craft outlets. Take in the historic architecture with some beautiful examples of Victorian homes. Also the local secondhand book shop is well worth a visit while you’re in the area. There are a few standouts in this town depending on what you’re after.

Holgate Brewhouse is set in the beautiful red brick building that was the town’s historic hotel. The owners Natasha and James were inspired by a trip to the US to start their own brewery in 1999, and when this building became available in 2002 they saw the

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opportunity to establish something new in the area. They have since renovated the building and now offer their own craft beers as well as an impressive menu, function facilities and accommodation. Grab their beer guide and tasting notes and try some of their brews, such as the Alpha Crucis, which is made from an Australian-grown hop, or the Hopinator, with American double IPA. For lunch there’s Colenso, a quirky café offering quality produce. While the menu may not be extensive, there is incredible thought that goes into everything served here. From the Lancashire cheddar to the roasted coffee to the homemade organic bread, the appeal of this café is in the detail. Try the ploughman’s lunch, with creamy cheddar, Colenso’s own pickles and Berkshire ham, or the potato gnocchi with chilli, pine nuts and spinach.

While it’s well worth stocking up on vintages from the regional wineries, Corrine Bailey opened her Woodend Wine Store as a place that offers a few more obscure and unknown drops. The store also has an adjoining lounge where Corrine hosts tastings or guests can indulge in a glass or two while they’re here.

After working at wineries throughout the region and in New Zealand, Corrine brings a wealth of knowledge with her to her own business and encourages visitors to ask questions no matter how silly they think they are. A lovely environment to think outside the box when it comes to wine.

Malmsbury All good things must come to an end. On your way back to Bendigo stop in at Moto Bean in Malmsbury for one of its famous coffees. You can sit on the deck and enjoy an afternoon cuppa while taking in views of the historic Malmsbury Botanic Gardens, or if you’re not ready to return to reality yet stay overnight in one of the modern guest rooms. Laura and Lachy Evans lived in Melbourne but were keen on a tree change. They set their hearts on this industrial-style barn which they’ve fitted out with rustic secondhand furniture along with state-of-the-art coffee making machinery.

As head roaster, Lachy is a man who loves his coffee. If there’s anything you want to know just ask… and check out a few of the motorbikes in their display room too. ■

120 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

Life Amplified

Ian – wine maker, pharmacist, hearing aid user

DIRK de MOORE – Audiologist • Latest technology • Hearing assessments & hearing aid fitting • 60 day trial periods

• Cosmetically appealing solutions • Worksafe, industrial, earplugs • Professional independent advice

(03) 5442 5800 13 Rowan St, Bendigo

www.bendigohearingclinic.com.au

FULLY RENOVATED UNITS FROM: Studio Apartment - $99,500 1 Bedroom - $220,000 2 Bedroom - $260,000

...because where you live should feel like home 33-53 Mandurang Rd, Spring Gully, Bendigo

Phone: (03) 5442 3000 or free call 1800 013 451

www.bendigorv.com.au

Healthy Communities and World Class Healthcare

CARING

TRUSTWORTHY

PASSIONATE TEAM ENVIRONMENT

LEADERSHIP

OPPORTUNITIES SUPPORTIVE

“I LOVE MY JOB AND I LOVE LIVING IN BENDIGO.” DR CAMERON KNOTT Intensive Care Specialist

Cameron’s story could be yours... check out the video at www.bendigohealth.org.au/careers/

“ Everyone was so nice, making you feel so comfortable ”

CATARACT SURGERY IN BENDIGO “ If I could ...reserve a spot for all the future procedures, I would ”

Bendigo Day Surgery brings the latest system to country Victoria.

Bendigo Day Surgery continues to provide excellent service to its patients by bringing the most up-to-date technology to Bendigo.

Its latest acquisition is a new Zeiss Operating “ Excellent lovely Microscope specifically designed for cataract “Astigmatism staff... very goodis common, usually due to surgery with an additional computerised the shape of our eyes, commonly corrected system which deals with astigmatism at the explanations given...” by glasses,” Professor Burt explains. “When time of surgery. we undergo cataract surgery an implanted The Callisto system at Bendigo Day Surgery intraocular lens (IOL) replaces the cloudy is the only one available in Bendigo, and lens. Traditionally, IOLs were not able to be within all of regional Victoria. The other manufactured in astigmatic sizes. available few are in Melbourne. It is an “Surgery commonly left patients reliant on exciting innovation which will further elevate glasses particularly for driving. With the cataract surgery in Bendigo. With first-class advent of IOLs correcting astigmatism the equipment and facilities here patients need need for glasses can be greatly reduced not travel to Melbourne for cataract surgery. provided the new lens can be aligned It was cataract surgeon Peter Burt who accurately. recently brought this new system to Bendigo.

“That is where the Callisto system comes The Clinical Adjunctive Professor with Monash in. Measurements taken in the surgeons University in Bendigo, Peter specialises in cataract surgery and general ophthalmology. rooms can be fed into the computer in the

“ Beautiful facility – must be good to work in this environment ” Welcome to

Bendigo Day Surgery Partner in Medical Excellence

1 Chum Street, Bendigo T 03 5444 3533 1 Chum Street, Bendigo

operating microscope allowing the surgeon to orientate the IOL more precisely and significantly reduce the patient’s astigmatism and thus improve their natural postoperative vision.

“Bendigo offers an excellent service in eye surgery. High quality, easily accessible and reasonably priced, and all with your surgeon close by,” Professor Burt says. “We are proud to be able to cater for all the patient needs here in Bendigo.”

Peter is the Director of the Bendigo Eye Clinic and Senior Ophthalmologist at Bendigo Hospital. He operates at all three Bendigo Hospitals: Bendigo Day Surgery Centre, Bendigo Base and St John of God.

Your Bendigo Eye Clinic Adjunct Clinical Professor Peter Burt | Dr Benjamin Burt Dr Robert Buttery | Dr Michael Shiu

Your local Eye Clinic servicing all of your Eye Care needs right here in Bendigo CATARACT SURGERY | GLAUCOMA TREATMENT MACULA DEGENERATION

www.bendigodaysurgery.com.au

T 03 5444 3533

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Our group of experienced Eye Specialists have been caring for the community of Bendigo for over 20 years whilst maintaining the most up to date and highest standards of Eye Care possible.

Ask your General Practioner or Optometrist for a referral and we look forward to working together in caring for your vision here in Bendigo.

Bendigo Day Surgery, and our local Medical Specialists, offer same day surgical treatment and care in the following specialities: • Ear Nose and Throat

• Gynaecology

• Orthopaedics

• Gastroenterology

• IVF

• Plastics and Reconstruction

• General Surgery

• Eye Surgery (Ophthalmology)

• Urology

For more information on our facility or Medical Specialists, please visit the website or contact our friendly staff.

1 Chum Street, Bendigo. Ph: 5444 3533 www.bendigodaysurgery.com.au

144 Arnold Street, Bendigo | P: 03 5441 1622

www.beclinic.com.au

FOOD AND DIABETES

Shining light on the country’s fast-growing chronic disease.

Writer: Ashlee Gervasoni and Kylie Shanahan – Dietitions at St John of God Hospital Type 2 diabetes is Australia’s fastest-growing chronic disease, but lifestyle changes can greatly reduce our risk. It is estimated that 58 per cent of type 2 diabetes can be prevented through lifestyle changes.

people taking medication or using insulin injections, regular physical activity and a healthy diet matched to medication is the key to wellcontrolled blood glucose levels. Regular blood glucose testing monitors your efforts.

This means you can more than halve your risk of developing diabetes by improving eating habits, walking regularly and losing weight.

Even if you have diabetes, making these changes will help you manage your condition, possibly delay or reduce need for medication and help reduce long-term complications.

Carbohydrates and the glycaemic index

Managing diabetes

The glycaemic index (GI) is a useful tool to assist in choosing the foods that will help to control blood glucose levels. Carbohydrates in food are digested and absorbed at different rates. The GI is a way of ranking carbohydrate-containing food (from 0-100), based on whether they raise blood glucose levels greatly, moderately or a little.

When you have diabetes, the aim is to manage your blood glucose levels, your blood fat and blood pressure as best as possible.

Advice about food and eating is important as it influences your health and how you feel, both short and long term.

Should I cut out all carbohydrates from my diet?

The amount, type and frequency of carbohydrate foods eaten is an important consideration in the management of diabetes.

Eating regular meals and spreading your carbohydrate foods evenly throughout the day will help to maintain energy levels without causing large rises in your blood glucose levels. A very low carbohydrate diet is not recommended for people with diabetes. For

The amount of carbohydrate in a meal is the most important factor influencing blood glucose levels after a meal; however we also need to consider carbohydrate quality. There are less healthy carbohydrates such as sweets that contain more sugar.

Foods with a GI of 70 and above are classified as high GI foods. These carbohydrates are digested quickly and will result in high blood glucose levels.

Foods with a GI of 55 and below are low GI foods. These carbohydrates are digested more slowly raising blood glucose levels more slowly. Eating foods with a low GI can help people with diabetes control their blood glucose levels. Eating a moderate amount of

low GI carbohydrate foods regularly over the day help maintain consistent blood glucose levels. Low GI foods also stop you from feeling as hungry.

Healthy, low GI food choices: Dairy foods, including milk and yoghurt; fresh fruit, such as apple, orange, pear, banana, kiwi fruit; vegetables, most have low amounts of carbohydrate, but those with a significant amount of carbohydrate include sweet potato, Carisma potato, Nicola potato and corn; breakfast cereals, such as traditional porridge, natural muesli, bran; all varieties of pasta and noodles; wholegrain and sourdough bread; rice such as Basmati and Doongara; grains and legumes.

Where can I get more information?

Advice should be supported by science and be individualised to match a person’s goals, culture, access to healthy choices and readiness and willingness to change. There is no single optimal diet for all people who have diabetes; there are many different ways of eating well.

To learn more contact the Nutrition Department at St John of God Bendigo Hospital. ■

EXTRA SUPPORT IN BUSINESS Understanding the benefits of using an external influence.

Writer: Brad Ead – Partner at AFS & Associates AFS has developed its Finance Manager Support team to be able to provide businesses with assistance beyond tax and audit services. Even if you have your own finance team, an external set of eyes can ease anxiety, lower risk, and heighten compliance as well as improve profits, cash flow and financial transparency. With cross-industry experience, the AFS team can benefit you with advanced support.

An external influence breathes new life into an organisation and questions the status quo at an operational level. When you engage AFS, you receive access to a firm of specialists across many industries.

Eworks Employment Solutions in Yarrawonga began outsourcing Finance Manager functions from AFS in 2013, allowing them to focus in other areas.

“AFS has supplied us with skilled resources to strengthen our Finance Manager function for over three years,” says Julie Clarke, CEO of Eworks Employment Solutions. “Since then we’ve optimised our monthly board and management reporting, budgeting, forecasting and have taken time out of month end processing. We’ve been able to focus on growth knowing the numbers were right. As a CEO I find the relationship with AFS extremely reassuring.”

Areas we may be able to assist you with include: Do you have a large capital project coming up? Is the business case robust? Are the assumptions reasonable? What’s missing?

Is the budget setting process appropriate?

Has some stress testing been performed, for example; what happens to cash holdings if revenue drops by five per cent? Do you spend money training your team in areas such as Fringe Benefits Tax for the sake of a single annual return? Is the solution eluding you?

Here are examples of how AFS has assisted clients through its Manager Support team: Cash flow stress AFS identified the root-cause was inefficient processing of claims/invoicing, promoted and helped foster centralising claims and invoicing to the administration function. This improved the cash position by over $150k with the bonus of non-administration staff focusing on core business, thereby improving revenue.

Fringe Benefits Tax management (FBT) We assisted the organisation to lower the benefits employees receive to belowthreshold limits. This reduced the FBT payable in excess of $40k annually.

70

Board reporting We have worked with organisations to establish robust, timely month-end procedures and improve monthly Board and Management reporting. This enables board members to fulfil fiduciary duties and have a direct line of sight into business performance and direction.

Clunky accounting software We have investigated best software solutions and facilitated implementation. In one example, the cloud accounting solution and direct bank feed enabled the finance manager (close to retirement) to reduce work days by 20 per cent, and permanently allocate 40 per cent of the finance assistant’s time into other business units.

Finance Manager on long-service leave AFS has capable resources to fill the void.

If you would like to discuss your business needs contact Brad Ead on 5443 0344. Brad will see if we can assist you, undertake a Needs Assessment and identify urgent matters, value-add potential and prioritise possible projects. The level of service you desire depends entirely on you. ■

Celebrating

1946

2016

years

of service in Bendigo

afsbendigo.com.au 03 5443 0344 61 Bull Street, Bendigo

Blue ribbon family affair

Brad Wicks went to his first drag meeting at the age of two. Since then he and his fellow team members, consisting of siblings, parents, relatives and friends, have gone on to establish themselves as one of the top competitors on the dirt circuit.

Writer: Raelee Tuckerman - Photographer: David Field

Brad Wicks is the son of a national drag racing champion. He won his own Australasian title in a go-kart as a lad, added a Victorian junior speedway crown in his teens, and is now one of the leading drivers in the blue ribbon Super Sedan class that draws huge crowds to dirt circuits across the state and around the nation. You could say 30-year-old Brad was born to drive.

“I went to my first drag race meeting when I was two weeks old,” he laughs, “and from there we were all doomed. We were all going to be racers of some description.”

The “we” he refers to is brother and fellow Super Sedan driver Michael, 22; sister Carlie, 19, who has mixed it with the boys in a heavily modified Hyundai; and youngest sibling Cassie, 17, who is revved up to get behind the wheel of her sister’s former car this speedway season.

Together with his dad Ian, mum Kathy, wife Emma and various other relatives and friends, they form the Wicks Racing Team that has been so successful, their Maiden Gully home is overflowing with the spoils of

126 | Bendigo Magazine - Issue 44

victory. There are literally trophies in every nook and cranny.

Mum is also our caterer,” Brad says, reeling off the tasks.

“I’ve got more at my house and there’s even more out in the shed,” Brad confesses.

“Mum’s always trying to find places to put them.”

“Wash our race suits and helmets, pack our race bags. They make sure everything we need for the time away is ready, so all dad, Michael and I have to do when we get home is make sure the cars are right. We do all the technical stuff and they take care of logistics.”

Brad started racing go-karts in Bendigo aged eight but switched to speedway at 13. His dad and chief engineer has never been far from his side.

Nowadays, come Fridays during speedway season, the last thing on their minds is winding down after a busy week at work.

Instead, it’s all about packing trailers and readying race cars for a trip to the track at Rushworth, Leeton, Bairnsdale, Hamilton, wherever the action awaits.

The Wicks men are all in the road sealing business, often working away, so preparation often rests with the female family “pit crew”.

“Mum, Cassie and Carlie do panel beating, fit new tyres, clean the transporter out, wash the cars, pack spare parts and supplies.

The sedans Brad and Michael currently drive are owned by Melbourne businessman and speedway enthusiast Terry White. While they might look like souped-up road cars to the casual observer, they are anything but.

“They are purpose-built, completely fabricated race cars,” Brad explains, opening the garage door to reveal two strippeddown metal machines undergoing offseason refurbishment.

“To make them look like a car, we put aluminium, fibreglass and plastic panels on them, but if you take all the body off, they’re more like dune buggies than road cars.”

2012-13, placed second in this year’s Victorian championship race and won the 2016 Goldrush event at Rushworth.

Michael is just getting started in the Super Sedans after earlier success in other classes, but has already been on the winner’s list.

Wicks Racing Team travels with two semitrailers that accommodate their cars at one end and their crew at the other, providing a home away from home.

“Ours is brand new and we built it ourselves,” says Brad. “It has living quarters with a shower, fridge, freezer, sink, microwave, two sets of bunks, double bed, couch, TV… the only thing missing is a washing machine and I think we’ve run out of space for that.”

Super Sedans are recognised as the highest sedan class in Australian speedway circles, with over 200 cars registered nationally capable of reaching 200km/h on the bigger tracks.

Meetings are held most weekends between October and June, with prizemoney up to $40,000 for showcase events, smaller races worth $5000-$10,000, and a domestic state-based series.

“The Supers are very popular and have a lot of staunch followers who travel around the state to watch. The cars are noisy, fast

and when they crash, they crash big,” says Brad, who is president of the Victorian Super Sedan Association.

“Racing in front of the crowds and putting on a show is pretty cool. I love the adrenaline rush – you can’t beat trying to wrangle something that is 1100kg and 700hp around the track.

“I also love the suspension side of it: setting the cars up and getting them to behave and the nitty gritty of what will make the car go better.

“Michael and dad are more into the engineering side of it, actually building and constructing the cars. They are the fabricators and engineers, while I’m the suspension guru.”

Brad has earnt a reputation as one of the best Super Sedan drivers in Victoria. He has twice won the K-Rock Cup at Avalon (the oldest continuing SS race in Australia) and twice taken out the Ian Campbell Award, voted by his peers as the “driver’s driver”.

He was VSSA State Series champion in

He claimed his first major event at the Wahgunyah Speedway in May, taking out the final round of the Victorian Super Sedan Series for the season. He also ran fourth at this year’s state titles and at the Goldrush.

They both competed at the Australian titles in Rockhampton in March, where Brad came agonisingly close to a podium finish after an excellent run through the heats.

“I started the final on the front row in second place,” he says, “ran third for most of the race but had a little problem with a challenge coming off the very last corner and I spun out.

“I ended up 14th, but that was our best ever run at an Australian title. We went up there not knowing how we’d go and no one knew who we were or anything about us.

Everyone knew exactly who we were by the time we left.”

With the 2016-17 speedway season just around the corner, Brad is urging anyone interested in getting involved in Super Sedans as a volunteer or sponsor to contact the association.

For details, visit www.facebook.com/ supersedans or to follow the fortunes of the Bendigo-based team, go to www.facebook. com/WicksRacingTeam ■

Issue 44 - Bendigo Magazine | 127

Sharper and smarter

Tailor-made for local consumption, the Mazda CX9 is literally all new. With a sixspeed automatic transition, sleeker interior, and excellent standard equipment to name just a few features, this SUV has undeniable upmarket appeal.

Writer: Curt Dupriez - Photographer: Supplied The term ‘hotly anticipated’ is often overused in automotive spin doctoring but in the case of the new Mazda CX-9 it really hits the mark. For one thing, it serves Australia’s voracious appetite for SUVs and, secondly, arrives from the stable of the second-biggest selling brand in Oz right now. But importantly, on the surface, it seems tailor-made for local consumption in everything from size and practicality to the range’s sharp pricing spread because, well, value is high on the priority list for Aussie car buyers.

The entire range is powered by a common turbocharged and direct-injected 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine producing 170kW and 420Nm. That’s an impressive pair of output numbers and ample energy for motivating a seven-seater device, and yet Mazda claims that average fuel consumption has been reduced by 25 per cent over the old CX-9’s 3.7-litre V6. The result is 8.4L/100kms for front-drive versions and 8.8L for the all-wheel drives – class-leading economy for a large petrol SUV. A diesel engine will not be offered.

That almost a quarter of a million Australians entered a recent competition to win a CX-9 suggests Mazda is on a winner for a model range that isn’t even sold in Europe.

The new CX-9 range comes exclusively with a six-speed automatic transmission.

Though reminiscent in design to the last CX-9, this new, sharper-styled take on the seven-seat family-hauling format is literally all new. In a nutshell, the new breed is a little shorter in length, though it is taller and wider than the generation it replaces.

Australia gets a total of eight variants, which split itself into four grades – Sport, GT, Touring and the flagship Azami – with each available in a choice of front- or all-wheel drive drivetrains.

The entry-level Sport front-driver kicks off the range at $42,490 before on-road costs, which is over two grand more affordable than when the outgoing ‘face-lifted’ generation of CX-9 was launched back in 2012. The second-rung up Touring begins at $48,890, the high-level GT starts for $57,390, while the full bells-andwhistles Azami enters at $59,390, and option for all-wheel drive adds $4000 to the price of each variant tier.

Active safety systems such as blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lowspeed autonomous braking and six-airbag surety across the range contribute significantly to the CX-9’s maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating. The range-topping Azami debuts a number of advanced systems for the Mazda brand, including adaptive LED headlights, lane-keep assistance and expanded Smart Brake Support offering enhance autonomous braking over a wider range of driving.

So how about niceties? There’s certainly nothing low-rent about the entry-level Sport. Standard equipment includes 18-inch wheels, Mazda’s excellent MZD Connect infotainment system complete with a 7.0-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth and internet radio streaming, sat-nav, three-zone climate control and a reverse-view camera with rear parking sensors. The Touring replaces the Sport’s cloth seats with leather trim and heating in the first row, a larger 8.0-inch infotainment screen and automatic headlights and wipers.

Continuing up the ladder, the GT benefits

from larger 20-inch wheels, powered tailgate and sunroof, a high-spec Bose 12-speaker audio system with digital radio functionality, and front parking sensors to name key items.

The flagship Azami, then, adds radar-based adaptive cruise control and driver attention alert to the aforementioned advanced and exclusive safety features.

But the new CX-9 is more than a mere load of bells and whistles. The slicker interior design, full of curves and contours, together with a deft use of more premium looking and feeling materials and textures really give the range a more upmarket appeal.

Its large size translates to generous roominess throughout the cabin, and the second row of seating can slide fore and aft for ample seat adjustment for large passengers and can be tilted forward to create comfortable and easy access to the third row. There are anchor points for child seats in all positions in the second and third rows.

If there’s a shortcoming compared with its predecessor, it’s that luggage space has been reduced slightly. With the rearmost seats in play, there’s 230 litres of capacity, which raises to 810 litres once the third row is folded forward. The second row folds down too, creating a reasonably flat load space suitable for bulky objects such as furniture.

In terms of ownership credentials, the CX-9 is covered by Mazda’s three-year/unlimitedkilometre warranty and servicing pricing is capped.

The sharper-looking, smarter-driving, techsavvy and more value-laden Mazda CX-9 is on sale now. ■

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