Bendigo Magazine - Issue 63 - Winter 2021

ISSUE 63 | WINTER 2021 www.bendigomagazine.com.au

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WHO’S STEPPING OUT IN PEOPLE AND PLACES

LOVE BEING

LOCAL BREE GALVIN CAPTURES THE HEART OF BENDIGO

ISSN 1833-1289 AUD $5.95 (Inc. GST)

TEEING OFF YOUNGSTERS HIT THE FAIRWAYS

Positioned in a quiet bushland setting, discover a place of tree-lined boulevards and native flora and fauna, where majestic parks meet with thriving wetlands, and all are just a stones throw from every home. Whether you are looking for a large home site for luxury family living or a low maintenance allotment, Viewpoint has been designed to cater for your lifestyle.

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winter

The perfect time to install a pool!

While summer may be the busiest time of the year for pool builders and installers, winter is often overlooked as the perfect time to have your pool installed and ready for the return of the warmer weather. In the colder months there are often more install spots and other trades available to complete the necessary works to have your pool project 100% finalised.

A pool installed in winter will have you swimming as soon as early spring.

Your swimming season could also be extended even further with the option of installing pool heating.

Speak with the team at Evolution Pools today!

Ph: 5439 3957 127 Strickland Road, East Bendigo

www.evolutionpools.com.au

ready to build your dream pool?

so are we.

Evolution Pools is an owner-operated business so you will deal with our team from concept right through to completion. We are a small team dedicated to your entire pool project. We will keep your pool clean, healthy and safe all year round for your family’s enjoyment.

Evolution Pools offers a range of swimming pool options, including fibreglass, concrete and aboveground pools. We have been in the swimming pool industry for many years and are extremely experienced in the sales, installation, construction and service areas.

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS. HUNDREDS OF STORIES. THOUSANDS OF VISITORS.

Ph: 03 5441 5044 www.goldendragonmuseum.org

MANAGING EDITOR Dustin Schilling

dear reader,

PHOTOGRAPHERS Leon Schoots and AJ Taylor WRITERS Dianne Dempsey, Geoff Hocking, John Holton Raelee Tuckerman, Sue Turpie and Marina Williams

When it comes to pulling together for a cause, Bendigo always shows how much it cares. About the city. About its people. About its history. And, about its future.

CONTRIBUTORS Beau Cook, Lisa Chesters and Ashley Raeburn

Graphic artist Bree Galvin shows appreciation for her new home town through her work. “We moved to Bendigo 11 years ago and my world has opened up since then,” she says. Meanwhile Jodie Stirling praises the community for its continued support, of the region’s cancer patients. There are so many ways we can continue to show our support whether it’s going dry this July for the Bendigo Health Gobbé Wellness Centre, assisting the Golden Dragon Museum in its role as caretaker of thousands of historical items, or by getting behind those who care for our native animals at Wildlife Rescue Emergency Services.

PRINT MANAGER Nigel Quirk ADVERTISING advertising@bendigomagazine.com.au PO Box 5003 Bendigo, VIC 3550 Phone: 0438 393 198

This issue also features Darcy McGauley-Bartlett, who talks about his role in strengthening Aboriginal health care in the Victorian prison system, and David ‘Tarnda’ Copley working tirelessly to help more Indigenous students qualify to become health professionals.

Even though the winter chill is well and truly here, there is still so much to see and do on our doorstep, as can be seen throughout the pages of our latest Bendigo Magazine.

Stay safe and have fun.

FROM THE TEAM

ON THE COVER: Artist Bree Galvin’s digital illustration, ‘Quantified Alexandra Fountain’ reflecting the spirit that the Mary Quant Exhibition has brought to Bendigo.

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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 publisher accepts 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.

Composing Pattern Living Arts Space exhibition

APRIL 26 - JULY 11, 2021 Composing Pattern sees three of central Victoria’s leading textile print designers come together to present an exploration of their pattern-making methods and eye-catching outcomes. An explosion of motif, colour and repeats, the exhibition showcases each designer’s original artwork and the processes used to display patterns.

This is a group exhibition of works by Lucy King, Natalie Ryan and Libby Noblet.

Find us on

Edible gifts Unearth locally grown and produced delights from the City and region of Gastronomy. Indulge with delicious treats to take home and savour your Bendigo experience.

Can’t decide on a gift for that special person in your life? Come in and let us help you create a one-of-a-kind, City of Gastronomy hamper.

Shop in-store or online.

Gift wrapping and click and collect available. www.uniquelybendigo.com.au

Make your own hamper • Local produce • Hand crafted items • Something for every budget • Complimentary gift wrapping

BENDIGO VISITOR CENTRE Open 9am to 5pm daily (except Christmas Day) 51-67 Pall Mall, Bendigo • 03 5434 6060 • tourism@bendigo.vic.gov.au www.bendigoregion.com.au • #Explore Bendigo • Find us on

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contents ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PEOPLE & LIFE

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With grateful thanks - Bree Galvin

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The museum we love - The Golden Dragon Museum

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SOUL fury - Bendigo Art Gallery Exhibition

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FOOD, WINE & HOME 72

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A spicy treat - Beau Cook

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A lovely drop or two - Ashley Raeburn

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Vacay vibes in the city - Home feature

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Raptors enrapture!

- Daryl Fleay & Neil Morgan Go dry this July - The Gobbé Wellness Centre Here one day, gone the next - Bendigo Memories The power of listening - Darcy McGauley-Bartlett Shining stars - Lisa Chesters Beating the odds - David ‘Tarnda’ Copley Community champions - Champions IGA Renee and Brad - Wedding Feature Tee is for talent - Junior Golf Superstars

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Bendigo’s Creative Industries Coworking Community

Join Bendigo’s first creative industries coworking community.

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mporium Creative Hub is open for business!

Now accepting bookings for our exclusive coworking, meeting, workshop and project spaces.

Act now: places are limited.

Emporium Creative Hub is an initiative of Learn more at emporiumcreativehub.com.au

Brett Whiteley Self portrait in the studio 1976 oil, collage, hair on canvas, 200.5 x 259 cm Art Gallery of New South Wales Purchased 1977 © Wendy Whiteley Photo: AGNSW

what's happening?

Bendigo’s cultural scene continues to produce.

Check out what’s on show for the winter months.

HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN MASTER ON SHOW

his bold mastery of line is instantly recognisable.

A new exhibition at Bendigo Art Gallery will explore Australian artist Brett Whiteley’s obsession with drawing.

This major exhibition from the Art Gallery of New South Wales is the first to explore the central place of drawing in Whiteley’s practice, featuring rarely seen early works from Sydney and Europe, through to the great abstracts that brought him international fame in the 1960s.

Throughout his career, the artist was prolific in creating landscapes, abstract works, nudes and portraits.

Featuring 116 artworks, Brett Whiteley: Drawing is Everything is set to trace his journey through different creative explorations and his exceptional talent and desire to draw.

A decades-long career established Whiteley as one of the most prominent Australian artists of the 20th Century.

Drawing underpinned everything he did – from painting to sculpture to prints – and was fundamental to his imaginative and creative process. Art critics have praised Whiteley’s drawings for being richly expressive, and

Brett Whiteley Studio is collaborating on the touring. Curators say the very foundations of Whiteley’s creativity and process are showcased in the collection of drawings, paintings and sculptures.

Also featured are lyrical landscapes, portraits, interiors and nudes and the iconic imagery of Sydney’s Lavender Bay. Brett Whiteley: Drawing is Everything is open at Bendigo Art Gallery from July 31 to October 31. Entry is free.

Brett Whiteley - Self portrait with reading specs 1991 brush and black ink, 46.1 x 31.7 cm Brett Whiteley Studio Collection © Wendy Whiteley - Photo: AGNSW

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LOVE SONG DEDICATIONS (WITHOUT RICHARD MERCER) In 2013, after 17 years of being on air, Richard Mercer left his final Love Song Dedication. It was Trisha Yearwood’s How Do I Live (Without You)? Now, two friends attempt to fill the void that The Love God left behind.

SANDSONG: STORIES FROM THE GREAT SANDY DESERT Under the vast Kimberley sky, the red pindan dust stretches across the desert homelands of the Walmajarri, where the ancient knowledge of People and of Country is preserved through Songlines that have endured for hundreds of generations.

SandSong tells the unique story of this place and the survival of its people.

Between the 1920s and 1960s, Aboriginal people were removed off their Country and forced into hard labour for no wages and only minimal rations. Despite this displacement and cultural disruption, the people of the Western Desert have maintained unbroken connection to their Land, keeping stories and kinship strong.

SandSong is created by Bangarra Dance Theatre in consultation with Wangkatjungka/Walmajarri Elders from the Kimberley and Great Sandy Desert regions.

This work honours the legacy of Ningali Josie Lawford-Wolf (19672019) and her family – past, present and future.

SandSong: Stories from the Great Sandy Desert will be Presented by Bangarra Dance Theatre on July 23 and 24 at Ulumbarra Theatre. Book now at gotix.com.au

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After listening to literally thousands of dedications, as well as too many earnest songs about unrequited love and the greatest love of all, Bonnie and Tom are neck-deep in their quest to find the perfect love song... erm, objectively.

There Can Be Only One. This devised work promises a night of reassurance, full of songs you are ashamed you know the lyrics to. In a world of post-truths, ironic memes, anti-social media, Love Song Dedications (without Richard Mercer) offers the ultimate therapeutic playlist. Irony will be truly dead, and only one question will hang in the air: “What is love? (… Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more...)“ Love Song Dedications (without Richard Mercer) will be held on June 23 at The Capital. Book now at gotix.com.au

MUSICAL SPECTACULAR OF NOTE Ulumbarra Theatre will offer up fun, music and frivolity with An Afternoon at the Proms on September 5, 2pm.

The musical spectacular salutes the famous BBC Proms Concerts of London’s Royal Albert Hall, including well-known favourites Rule Britannia, Jerusalem, Radetzky March and Elgar’s Land of Hope and Glory.

Acclaimed international violinist Ian Cooper will lead opera stars, prima ballerinas, a pipe band and the Blue Danube Orchestra as they feature selections from some the “The Greatest Love Songs Of All Time”. There’ll be romantic movie themes and musicals, including medleys from South Pacific, Mario Lanza’s love songs Loveliest Night of the Year and Be My Love, and other popular romantic favourites Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing and Stranger In Paradise.

Expect the City Of Melbourne Highland Pipe Band to perform Amazing Grace as a tribute to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, with Highland Cathedral and Scotland the Brave among other favourites. Also enjoy a ballet performance of Waltz Of The Flowers from the Nutcracker Suite.

An Afternoon at the Proms is on 5 September at Ulumbarra Theatre. Book at bendigoregion.com.au

ROBOT SONG When eleven-year-old Juniper May receives a petition signed by her entire class stating that she is ‘the most hated person in the school’, her life is thrown into complete meltdown. After exhausting all other avenues, her parents resort to the only thing they have left, a giant singing robot.

Based on a true story, Robot Song illustrates the profound, transformative nature of creativity that, when combined with unconditional love, becomes an unstoppable force.

Robot Song is for ages 8+. Presented by Arena Theatre Company on August 5 and 6 at The Capital. Book now at gotix.com.au

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SHEEP SHOW SURE TO DELIVER For three days in July, Bendigo will become the epicentre of woollen fashion, fine food and beautiful fibre for the prized Australian Sheep and Wool Show.

Since 1878, the annual event has been showcasing the nation’s top wool growers and prime lamb producers, brining thousands of people to the region.

This year, organisers expect more than 5000 farmers, the best fleeces in the country and 28 different breeds of sheep, goats and alpacas to be on show.

Visitors will get to see some of the ‘best of best’ sheep breeders, shearers and wool handlers in the country. Sample some good country fare, enjoy high tea and buy beautiful hand-crafted woollen and other products from more than 250 stallholders.

The popular ‘Women of Wool’ series celebrates women in the agriculture industry. Fine woollen designs can be inspected at the Australian Wool Innovation fashion parades, which will also feature ‘wearable art’ and other amazing entries from top Woolcraft competitors.

The Festival of Lamb will offer cooking and carving classes, with some of Australia’s best lamb available for tasting.

Shearing and wool handling competitors will battle it out for top prizes, while sheepdog trainers are sure to share some of their secrets. The prized animals will go through their paces at the sheepdog trials, and farmyard animals in the animal nursery are sure to keep the little ones happy.

The Australian Sheep and Wool Show is at Bendigo Showgrounds from July 16 to 18. Discover more at www.sheepshow.com

DIVERSE OPINIONS TO SHINE AT EXHIBITION The art exhibition Soul Fury puts the spotlight on contemporary female artists from across the globe.

Open at Bendigo Art Gallery from August 7, Soul Fury brings together 16 leading Australian and international contemporary artists working across sculpture, photography, painting, installation, video and textiles.

The works are from their own studios and major national collections. The artists’ diverse artistic practices, social perspectives and cultural traditions are delicately threaded to reflect on the essential nature of female agency in the current social and political climate, says Jessica Bridgfoot, Bendigo Art Gallery director.

The exhibition is a collaboration between Bendigo Art Gallery and Nur Shkembi, an independent curator and scholar of contemporary Islamic art. It is described as rallying an interconnectedness of global contemporary art and the female lived experience to offer an expansive dialogue through the dynamism, beauty, vulnerability and utterances of feminist power in featured works.

Through unique creative approaches, each artist explores the various social, political, sacred and everyday vestiges of contemporary life with brazen intellect, wit, humour, grace, candour and fury.

“This exhibition showcases the longstanding art practices and unique perspectives of a diverse group of women from a shared Islamic heritage, many challenging dominant misconceptions and stereotypes,” says Jessica Bridgfoot.

Soul Fury is at Bendigo Art Gallery from August 7 to October 24.

Entry is free.

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Brett Whiteley Drawing is everything Bendigo Art Gallery 31 July – 31 October

Greg Weight Portrait of Brett Whiteley 1976 (detail) © Greg Weight

‘Brett Whiteley was the most naturally talented draughtsman I have ever met ... he could draw like an angel.’ Artist Colin Lanceley

WINE BEHIND THE SCENES The tradition of wine grape growing in the Bendigo region is nearly as old as the grand city proudly standing in its centre.

For decades, the region’s winemakers have been winning attention for their elegant reds and stylish whites. The majority of the local Bendigo wineries are small to medium-sized, and are still run by the families who founded them.

For one weekend in July, seven of Bendigo’s leading winemakers will swing open the doors of their barrel halls for a behind-thescenes look at the art of winemaking.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a tour of the barrel halls, taste wines straight from the barrel and hear how winemakers work to perfect the ideal drop.

The Barrel Wine Tasting Weekend will be held on July 10 and 11, with tasting sessions at 11am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm each day.

The wine to be sampled will be at differing stages of maturation so visitors will get to taste the differences between wine ageing in barrels and the bottled product.

Participating wineries include Balgownie Estate Bendigo (Saturday only), Sutton Grange Winery, BlackJack Wines, Connor Park Winery, Killiecrankie Wines, Mandurang Valley Wines and Sandhurst Ridge Winery.

Tickets are $10 per person, per winery for tastings and the tour.

Barrel Wine Tasting Weekend is on July 10 and 11. To book tickets, visit www.bendigowine.org.au

GO DRY IN JULY FOR BENDIGO HEALTH Bendigo Health is asking people to join its Dry July challenge to help raise funds for its cancer program.

Dry July is a fundraising campaign aimed at challenging social drinkers to change their habits for a month and make some healthy lifestyle changes.

Your pledge will contribute to Bendigo Health’s Cancer Centre Wellness Program and help establish a new stand-alone Gobbé Wellness Centre within the hospital precinct.

The Wellness Centre and the activities offered enable patients to feel supported with not only their physical health, but also their social and emotional health, leading to better health outcomes for the patient.

The fundraising will also support other activities offered to cancer patients, such as in-person and tailored online yoga and meditation sessions, oncology massage, dog therapy, and fresh produce boxes delivered to vulnerable patients during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

Sign up to the Bendigo Health Dry July challenge or make a donation at www.dryjuly.com/bendigo

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Photo: Daniel Boud

Bangarra Dance Theatre

Australia’s internationally-acclaimed dance theatre company.

SandSong:

Stories of the Great Sandy Desert Friday July 23 and Saturday July 24, 2021 Book now at gotix.com.au

A powerful production that traces the ancient memories embedded in Kimberley Country, and creates new narratives for Indigenous futures.

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with grateful thanks Bree Galvin, now a true local, shows appreciation of her new home town through her graphic design business, which grew out of lockdown.

By Dianne Dempsey - Photographs by Leon Schoots - Illustrations by Bree Galvin

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Bree Galvin couldn’t think of a better place to sit out the long weeks of the coronavirus lockdown than in Bendigo. “I was home-schooling my boys and felt so secure and safe. I know most of the people who live here love it as much as I do. Our architecture, the gardens, the history, that intangible feeling of warmth and generosity.”

It was during lockdown that illustrator Bree also launched her graphic design business – This Is Me, Bree – selling prints, family portraits and homewares such as tea towels. It is in her artwork that Bree’s huge affection for Bendigo is clearly evident. Her current print series, Illustrating Bendigo, features typical Bendigo cityscapes that are peopled by family groups from the 1950s.

“It’s the Bendigo of the 1950s that I want to summon up,” she says.

“It’s a comfort thing. I hope to engender a feeling of warmth and nostalgia; and take people back to a safe time when life seemed to be so much simpler and solid. The Bendigo buildings and landmarks are timeless, they’re the backbone of the work. But the people in the foreground are growing up around the buildings.

In one image, I have two lovers picnicking on the lawn in front of the Conservatory. In another print, three actors are stepping out, walking down the steps of The Capital theatre.”

Bree says many of her customers discover her illustrations online; mainly through Instagram. “I’ve met so many great people this way,” she says. “I often do family portraits which will be an illustration of the family home and the family members.”

Once Bree’s client has decided on an idea, the illustration is digitally printed on beautifully textured, archival paper. Bree can also organise the prints to be framed and uses local businesses when sourcing her materials, including the tea towels.

Originally from Seymour, on leaving school Bree went to Melbourne to study, work and play. She was doing an arts degree when the recession hit and, under advice, she opted for a cautious route through life via a job at Telstra. After returning to the country via Castlemaine and then to Bendigo, Bree made the gutsy decision to take herself off to La Trobe University to study graphic design.

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“It took me 20 years to make that decision to go to uni – to do what I wanted to do. I had spent so much of my life looking after others and I had this overwhelming feeling that I had to do something for myself.

“When I graduated, I was keen to get a job as a graphic designer but I was always older than the other applicants. And I was dismissed out of hand for not being young and funky. I thought my maturity and experience would have been an asset, but no, I was always overlooked for positions despite the prizes I won at uni and the high marks. So I decided to make a go of it as a freelancer. I was thrown back on my own resources. The rejection galvanised me, motivated me to develop my own style.

“It was November of last year that I started on the Illustrating Bendigo series. At about this time, I received enormous support from the Bendigo Community Bank, which gave me advice and introductions and enabled me to set up pop-up shops in their bank space. And I currently have a work residency with the Emporium Creative Hub. I have a free desk for three months. I walk around in this beautiful, warm, modern building and pinch myself.

“I’m on the cusp of really moving the business along. Now it’s very important that I stay focused and on brand. I can see myself employing my son in the near future in the packaging and distribution side of the business.

“We moved to Bendigo 11 years ago and my world has opened up since then on a personal and a professional level. My children and I have a secure future ahead of us. I think this is why the Illustrating Bendigo series gives me such joy; this celebration of Bendigo is like a thank you to Bendigo.”

You can find Bree’s work at Organise My, Percy and Percy, Uniquely Bendigo, Bob Boutique and on Instagram, @thisisme.bree 21

Errol, Cooper and Emma Gath and Ashlee Haberfield

Irina, Ryan and Daniel Reynolds

Jan Spencely and Fay Bourke

Thomas, Adelaide and Andrew Black

Navarre, Proven and Vegas Blake

Priya Lewis, Ziggy Naidoo, Hugh Lewis and Jaggar Naidoo

PEOPLE REMEMBER ON ANZAC DAY With Anzac Day services returning to some towns and cities, people gathered in the centre of Bendigo to pay their respects at the morning remembrance service at the Soldiers Memorial Institute.

Marches were cancelled across the nation last year and remembrance services restricted to official dignitaries.

Andrew, Noah, Annie and Elijah Yarnton

Bailey Davey, Tony Clacy and Jack Harvey

Amelia, Melissa and Kaiden Norwood

Lucas, Andrew and Hunter Vogel, Sarah Wills and Chelsea and Mia Vogel

FUN DAYS SERVED AT EASTER Bendigo was brimming with Easter activities, with egg-cellent activities abounding throughout the city.

Savanna Smith, Cody Waters and Kahlia Waters

APPLY ONLINE NOW

Enrolment portal is open.

We welcome enrolments from all families in our region.

Cohen and Millie Toll

BOOK A COLLEGE TOUR

Book online for your small-group tour.

Coolock Campus (Junortoun) tours run Tuesdays 5pm and Fridays 9am.

In response to COVID-19 guidelines to keep communities safe, the four-day Eggs-plore Bendigo at Easter program replaced the traditional Easter Festival celebrations this year. These smiling faces say it was a winner.

VISIT VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE

Now live - all welcome! Find out about starting Year 7 at CMC through virtual tours, videos, handy tips, FAQs and more... http://bit.ly/cmcOpenHouse

RETURN TO FORM FOR RACE DAY On a sunny autumn day in March, more than 5000 people headed trackside for the Bendigo Jockey Club’s annual Golden Mile Race Day. The crowds didn’t disappoint, with fashions veering from the fabulously wacky to the impeccably stylish, as they mingled in the stands and throughout the stunning grounds.

Alison Greaves, Chris Allan, Drew Crook, Sam Crook and Velia Macdonald

Craig Wilson, Nicole Wilson and Ron Crowe

Elissa Morrison, Nigel Starick, Amie Starick, Gavin Curley and Leah Walter

Matt Sawyer, Phil Morrish, Nick Best, Eddy Dickins and Garry Moulday

Charmaine Bravington, Adam Schmidt, Chris O’Sullivan and Kristy Nicholls

Trish Slattery, Heather Koch, Marlene Kelly and Maxine Wilkinson

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Abbey Britton, Indii Mulcahy and Olivia Dole

Banjo, Bili, Peggy and Romy Anthony

LITTLE ONES MEET IN THE MALL Leo and Sophie Kennedy

Lewis and Madeline Popple and Sophie and Emily Muhlnickel

YEAR 7 AT GIRTON

Holly and Destiny Hoggan

Natahsha and Ashja Broersen

A DECISION FOR NOW, AND A DECISION FOR L ATER A positive start to Secondary School can set the scene for success in later years.

But it takes more than a great start to have an excellent finish.

At Girton Grammar, a student’s preferred future is considered from the outset. Whatever path a young person wishes to take, ‘best effort’ is always the goal, and with this approach, students reap the rewards in the later years of Secondary School.

With the region’s strongest VCE results, explicit teaching of Emotional Intelligence and an extensive cocurricular programme, a great start in Year 7 at Girton leads to exceptional outcomes at graduation.

To find out more about how starting at Girton in Year 7 is a decision for now and a decision for later, contact our Registrar on 5441 3114 or email: registrar@girton.vic.edu.au

www.girton.vic.edu.au

There were plenty of giggles, laughter and smiles as children clambered to give out cuddles and pats to their furry and feathered friends at Animals 2U. The animal farm set up shop in the Hargreaves Mall for the Easter school holidays, with mums and dads equally happy with the city-meets-country vibe.

e! r e h t e I’ll b AFTER PARTY

Celebrate this year’s Apiam Bendigo Cup Day oncourse BOOK YOUR PACKAGE TODAY! Fashions on the Field, Corporate Marquees, Trackside Umbrellas, and live entertainment featuring Sam + Sam plus lots more country.racing.com/bendigo

It’s a Great Day Out

®

Photograph by Daryl Fleay - Young Wedge-tailed Eagle, Mount Moliagul.

raptors enrapture!

One captures them with his camera; the other rehabilitates and releases the injured back into the bush. Meet two local men who are wild about Wedge-tailed Eagles and other birds of prey.

By Raelee Tuckerman - Photography by AJ Taylor & Daryl Fleay

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Well-concealed in his camouflaged tent, Daryl Fleay has a bird’s-eye view of the feathered family antics occurring some 50m downhill from his carefully chosen hiding spot. It’s feeding time in the eagle’s nest, and mum and dad wedge-tail are ready to dish up freshly caught rabbits to their two fluffy offspring in a moment now frozen in time through Daryl’s telephoto lens.

He’s been birdwatching around Central Victoria for almost 70 years, inspired by his famous naturalist uncle David Fleay and encouraged by his grandfather, who would point out avian species and nests during their bushwalks when he was a child.

“Wedge-tailed Eagles are my favourite creatures, other than my wife Raye,” laughs Daryl, as he describes the apex predators that have survived for generations in at least 20 separate territories within 20km of Bendigo, especially south through the granite belt where the rabbits are plentiful. Where there’s rabbits, there’s eagles.

“Nesting is most fascinating as it’s the core of their lives and they spend half the year on it,” he says.

“They do display flights around April/May, flying together, turning upside down and touching talons in a pre-mating ritual. They build a new nest or refurbish an old one in June, or early July, then lay their eggs like clockwork, almost on the same day every year. One pair I watched laid their first egg around July 7 every year for the six years I followed them. Eggs take six weeks to hatch so the chicks appear in September, then it’s another 10 weeks before they fledge and leave the nest.”

Daryl goes to great lengths to ensure his activities do not disturb the birds.

“I put up my hide three weeks after the chicks have hatched and on subsequent visits for photography. I enter and leave the hide when the adults are away from the nest hunting. This means I may be in there for several hours, during which time it’s essential to remain perfectly still and silent.”

Neil Morgan, from the Wildlife Rescue Emergency Service (WRES) and Photographer Daryl Fleay.

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The wait is well worthwhile. “To watch an eagle feed its young is so special. They feed one at a time, making sure they each get the same amount. Usually there’s two chicks but they’re so highly intelligent that if it’s dry and there’s not a lot of food around, they’ll only lay one egg. Very rarely they’ll lay three, but it takes a lot of confidence in the season for them to do that.”

While Daryl photographs many species of bird and has a special interest in other raptors like hawks, falcons and owls, there’s a personal explanation why Wedge-tailed Eagles are at the top of his tree.

“The Tasmanian Wedge-tailed Eagle is a sub-species of the mainland eagle, darker and bigger, and it’s named after our family because my uncle was the first person to identify it as a separate sub-species. It’s called Aquila audax fleayi. That’s why I like wedgies – they’re like my brothers!!”

Sadly, not everyone shares his passion. Shooting or poisoning the birds occurs worryingly often, according to Daryl and local wildlife rescuer and resident wedgie expert Neil Morgan. Hence they keep the exact location of known nests out of the public domain.

“A lot of people hate wedge-tails and consider them sheep killers,” says Daryl. “But my uncle researched their feeding patterns and found only about 1% of their diet is sheep, and then mainly non-viable lambs. The fact people poison them deliberately is just dreadful.”

Neil, from the Wildlife Rescue Emergency Service (WRES), retrieves birds that have ingested bait and tries to nurse them back to health, readying them for release. He also tends birds of prey that have fallen from their nest, been shot, hit by cars or are otherwise unwell, while partner Jo takes care of a raft of other sick and injured native animals from the ground floor of their Spring Gully home.

Neil invited Bendigo Magazine to visit WRES’s two rehabilitation aviaries on private land in Mandurang, where five majestic Wedgetailed Eagles – including one riddled with shotgun pellets – and one grand-looking Little Eagle were being housed. A sixth wedgie was recovering at Neil’s house.

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Photograph by Daryl Fleay - Wede-tailed Eagle nest, Inglewood

Photograph by Daryl Fleay - Wedge-tailed Eagles nest, Harcourt

Photograph by Daryl Fleay Photographic hide, Harcourt

The large enclosures have CCTV surveillance linked to Neil’s phone, so he can monitor their progress remotely. “There are skills they need to be able to perform before they can be released back into the wild, including being able to fly directly from the ground to the top perch,” he says. “And they tend to be more active when there are no humans around, so it helps to be able to check in on them.”

Neil has about five wedge-tails under his care at any one time, keeping them for several months, depending on their injuries, until he is confident they can survive in the wild. He is preparing to launch a collaborative satellite tracking project he hopes will better inform raptor rescue services.

“This is going to be very important for the future,” he says of plans to fit rehabilitated eagles with small solar-powered GPS tracking devices via a harness and follow their movements. “This has never been done in Victoria before, but it will provide us with regular location updates throughout the day showing us where the birds have been and what they’ve been doing.

“I plan to tag birds that have been compromised, for example fallen out of the nest during windy conditions, and may have gained no hunting or foraging experience from their parents. I try to teach them those skills but we have no idea what really happens after they are released. This tracking data should be massive in helping us find out the survival and mortality rates of the birds we care for and whether what we are doing is effective and worthwhile.”

Neil has been nurturing wildlife since childhood. “I lived in Flora Hill and there were often young, injured magpies to pick up on the way to and from school and take home to feed and care for,” he recalls.

“Eventually, everything I could pick up and help, I would.”

Through WRES, which was founded in 2005 and is based in Bendigo, he works closely with local councils, police and community members who come across orphaned or injured native animals, responding at any hour of day or night. With over 30 years’ personal experience, he is regarded as an expert in his field and enjoys strong support from local vets.

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His tales don’t always have a happy ending – he says he’s had to euthanise five Wedgetailed Eagles already this year. But that is countered by the joy he achieves from a successful release. “They’re all incredible, majestic creatures but every now and then you get one that’s just a little bit different, so I have my favourites. I once had a huge female wedgie that had suffered soft tissue damage, probably having been hit by a car, and it was so big we called it The Whale! It’s been released now.”

WRES relies on community donations, grants and sponsorships, but Neil often dips into his own pocket to help with the cost of food and treatment. He is currently spending several hundred dollars a month on rabbits for his raptors, while the trackers for his project cost around $4000 each.

He welcomes any contributions and is always happy to speak to potential donors/ sponsors.

For both men, the love of nature and eagles in particular is more innate than learned.

“I think it’s in your blood,” says Daryl. “You don’t just become interested – it’s in your DNA.” To support injured wedge-tails and other native wildlife, visit WRES.org.au 32

Photograph by Daryl Fleay - Neil Morgan with young Wedge-tailed Eagle

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MALDON MIXES IT UP FOR EASTER

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Sylvia Harris and Kaz Mackay

It’s one of Australia’s oldest Easter fairs, with a program full of family delights.

The day included plates filled with scones, fire truck rides, games galore and a colourful procession – one can see why it’s brought in the crowds every year for the past 144. Penny farthing ride anyone?

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Ben Blacket, Geoff McNaulty and Sandy McLennan

Bruce Ellwood, Alison Ellwood and Jan Monro

QUANT EXHIBITION ANYTHING BUT QUAINT Cheryl McCartney and Lysbeth Jones

Nikki Jones, Anna Fredriksson and Rebecca Lee

Clare Needham and James Findlay

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Fans of fashion and history stepped through the doors of a brightly adorned Bendigo Art Gallery for a glimpse into the life of British icon Mary Quant.

Myriad photos, sketches, garments and accessories relating to the designer’s life and work were on display, showcasing the transformation of women’s fashion in the 1960s. Mary Quant: Fashion Revolutionary is open until July 11.

go dry this July Bendigo Health is asking the community to rally behind this worthy cause in support of the wellbeing of the region’s cancer patients.

By Sue Turpie - Photography by AJ Taylor Giving up that evening bevvy for a month might seem like a tall order, but when compared to what that sacrifice can achieve for the region’s cancer patients, it isn’t much to ask at all.

Bendigo Health’s Dry July campaign makes an immeasurable difference to so many. The fundraising and donations received through Dry July 2020 enabled the opening of the Gobbé Wellness Centre, a beautiful building that now houses Bendigo Health’s Cancer Wellness Program. This program incorporates oncology massage, rehabilitation, yoga, meditation, music and art experiences, pet therapy and, importantly, a cancer wellness coordinator, oncology nurse Jenna Sing, to connect patients to the services that best meet their physical and emotional needs. The public is being asked to pledge to “go dry” this July to help raise vital additional funds to continue this important work.

Bendigo resident Jodie Stirling is more than qualified to comment on the benefits of the program offered at the Gobbé Wellness Centre. Not only was Jodie diagnosed with cancer in 2018 and uses the centre for her own wellbeing, she has also seen first-hand the toll that treatment takes on those who can’t access such facilities.

It is for these reasons that Jodie is grateful for the generosity of the community enabling such a centre to be available.

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Jodie’s mother-in-law, who passed away 20 years ago, was diagnosed with cancer when she was 54. Jodie reflects on how hard it must have been for her to travel four hours for treatment and not have had the same support base upon her return.

“You can’t put a price on being able to do everything here in Bendigo,” Jodie says. “When my mother-in-law was diagnosed, she would have to drive to Melbourne and back to receive treatment over eight hours and there wasn’t the extended support at home, either.”

Now, cancer patients have access to the medical expertise and facilities they need in Bendigo, and their wellbeing is at the forefront of their treatment. Bendigo Health Oncology Unit clinical director Dr Rob Blum says increasing evidence shows that improved wellness enables patients to better cope with treatment.

“There has been a change in focus and people are thinking about physical fitness, their diet and their emotional wellbeing. An absence of illness isn’t wellness, it’s more than that,” Dr Blum says.

It’s a sentiment echoed by Jodie. “In my world, I used to think that you got cancer, you did your treatment and everything was fine, not realising the side-effects,” she says. “People don’t realise that once you have your chemo or your radiation or surgery, it’s not over. The program is about being able to go to yoga and mindfulness to help you try to learn to use your feet again and to get strength back into your body, and to do it in a supportive area where other people are going through the same thing, so we can laugh and help each other.

This is one of the happiest places I go to.

“I call myself ‘Old Jodie’ before this happened. Old Jodie was tight and wired like a coil. New Jodie is the most chillax person you’ll come across.”

The Gobbé Wellness Centre program has opened doors to experiences Jodie believes she would never have tried previously.

“I would never have done yoga in a million years,” she laughs. “But thanks to Dry July and all those corporations and businesses who have donated, I could do this. Now I’m happy to pay to go to yoga because I can see the benefits. You’d also have never gotten me to do a mindfulness session in a pink fit. Now, every morning, I do my 38

meditation. It changes you. I can understand why people don’t get out of bed while cancer consumes your life; to have something that helps you balance that is really good.”

Dr Blum says: “Connectedness and positive experiences make you feel good about the world. The Gobbé Wellness Centre’s focus is about what other things we can do to make someone feel better about their current situation.” For example, yoga can help patients enter a state of flow, while music helps make the treatment process feel less clinical.

“Some of our patients might have significant physical limitations and the instructors are aware of that and modifying and there is a connectedness because they know the people in the room understand what they’re experiencing. They don’t necessarily have to vocalise it, but they’re with people who understand.”

Dr Blum says bringing oncology nurse Jenna Sing on board as manager of the Gobbé Wellness Centre ensured a program perfectly suited to patients’ needs.

“She has great connectedness and energy and compassion for people, which allows her to appreciate what they might need. When people are receiving treatment, they might start to look different.

They may feel intimidated going to a standard class and so they might shy away from that. This is a place of safety and that’s really important.”

You can join Dry July at www.dryjuly.com/bendigo and help keep the funds local by signing up to Bendigo Health. There’s no minimum fundraising amount and if you have a special occasion in July, you can buy a Golden Ticket that gives a Dry July participant a night off their challenge. For a minimum $25 donation, even a night off can still make a difference to the lives of people affected by cancer.

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Chase, Jenna and Beau Griffin

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Ivy Bouchier, Nicole Knight, Jenna and Shelby Baker, and Katie and Everly Clark

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A DAY IN THE GARDEN A pony ride, arts and crafts, music, dance and more – there were so many activities for parents and little ones to choose from as they gathered for a Play in the Garden Day for National Playgroup Week in March.

When tired of playing, it was time to settle in for lunch and a story-time session in the heart of the Garden of the Future.

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Lisa Rennie, Sally Mcgregor, Heather Filbey and Michelle Pitson

Under a stunning autumn sky, people flowed into Rosalind Park to raise a glass at the Strategem Bendigo Winemakers Festival, albeit under COVID-19 restrictions.

The festival is a popular celebration of local wine, food and music and a relaxing opportunity to sample, sip and savour while listening to tunes all day.

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the museum we love

In 30 years, the Golden Dragon Museum has accumlated thousands of beautiful Asian artefacts and, in honour of this occasion, a panel was asked to choose their favourites.

By Sue Turpie - Photography by AJ Taylor For almost 150 years, Bendigo has benefited from the generosity of the Chinese community, whose foresight and dedication to preserving tradition and history has culminated in today’s internationally renowned Golden Dragon Museum. This year, the museum celebrates its 30th anniversary by reflecting on its incredible collection of thousands of historic Asian artefacts, including the world’s longest Imperial dragon, wooden screens, processional costumes, intricate ceramics and more.

Since the mid-1800s, the Chinese community has shown its dedication to the city through various philanthropic ventures, including raising funds for the Bendigo Hospital and being a vital drawcard for thousands of tourists who attend the annual Bendigo Easter Festival. For Central Victorian residents, there are fond memories of sitting for hours along Pall Mall to ensure a prime position to watch the Easter procession, and throwing coins into

a white sheet from above the car park near Rosalind Park at the annual Waking of the Dragons.

There is an undeniable pride felt throughout generations of locals at being home to the museum and its community, therefore, “The One I Love” seems more than appropriate as the title for an initiative chosen to mark the Golden Dragon Museum’s 30 years of operation.

In honour of the milestone, five local identities were asked to nominate an object within the immense collection as the one they loved. As with any such decision, there was a deep emotional connection with the chosen objects that went beyond them being picked merely for their beautiful aesthetics.

Golden Dragon Museum chief executive officer Hugo Leschen emphasises how generations of the Chinese community and Bendigo residents have treasured the collection at the museum.

“The strength of the collection is not just the physical objects but 43

the provenance of what goes around that object,” Mr Leschen says.

“For example, an engagement ring that has cultural importance and community importance could be a plain object, but its story makes it significant. Each of the objects chosen had their own story and the panel worked with Leigh McKinnon, the museum’s research officer, to put together a five-minute presentation on each of them.”

The panel included City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Jennifer Alden, who chose The Cookbook of Roy Greechoun; Golden Dragon Museum patron Russell Jack, who chose the Five Clawed Dragon Screen; La Trobe University distinguished alumni Dennis O’Hoy, whose item was the original dragon Loong; City of Greater Bendigo 2021 Young Citizen of the Year May Aye Paw, who decided on the processional costume of children’s military; and Golden Dragon Museum research officer Leigh McKinnon, who chose the Frood Medal.

In a first, Chinese Australian history and culture expert Dr Sophie Couchman recently assessed the collection, thanks to financial support from the Bendigo Bank’s Community Enterprise Foundation. “This significance assessment of the Golden Dragon Museum’s entire collection will inform management’s research, display and development of the collection for years to come,” Mr Leschen says.

As part of the anniversary celebrations, a fundraising campaign has been launched by the museum to raise $150,000 to help with the ongoing costs of restoration, maintenance and cataloguing of the 30,000 cultural artefacts and objects, guided by Dr Couchman’s assessment.

“To create an exhibition takes three to five years,” says Mr Leschen.

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“The curator is a professional who works with the collection and tells the stories the items hold. They conduct research and see what objects are available, but before you can do that you have to make sure your collection is properly catalogued, properly recorded and properly stored. Then you can discover it and access it; you know what is there and you know where it is.”

Ensuring the longevity of the Golden Dragon Museum is the driving force behind these events. One important reason for the museum’s success to date has been its place in the heart of the public.

“When you see where something has tried to be imposed on a community, it often doesn’t work,” Mr Leschen says. “But when something comes from the community, it becomes part of that community. Fundamentally, museums tell stories – and a number of the stories of this museum are about the local community, both Chinese and non-Chinese.”

The other reason, of course, is the commitment of all involved in and connected with the Golden Dragon Museum, especially in the wake of the pandemic, which saw much of the community shut down for 2020.

“Last year was a difficult year for all of us, particularly people in entertainment, tourism and aviation and we’re involved in two of those and affected by the third. In 2021, it’s exciting to open up and have visitors again and it’s interesting because we’ve seen a lot of visitors who are locals or from the region who haven’t been to the museum in a long time. It’s fantastic.”

Anyone wishing to support the 30th Anniversary Collection Fund can contact the museum for more information or visit www.goldendragonmuseum.org 45

Bruce and Ruth Campbell

Carmel Bird and Wendy Bridges

Keith and Roz Skidmore

Kirsten Parris and Ann Parris

Paul and Clare Kirkpatrick, Cate and John Brewin

Sophie Masson, Claudia Barnett, Lorena Carrington and Eugen Bacon

PAGE TURNER RETURNS TO CITY Strewth – words didn’t fail as the chatter and conversation flowed at the 2021 Bendigo Writers Festival.

With a shout out to the best words for the very best thoughts, the festival that really celebrates a page turner was back with a bang in May. Its three-day program proved gripping after a global pandemic forced last year’s event off the best-seller list.

Fiona Russell, Mary Russell, Simone Baker and Leanne Fitch

Joy Toy, Marilyn Waddington and Lola Hayes

Helen Wansink, Lauren O’Connor, Noelene Scales, Pat McNamara, Wilma McIntyre and Joan McMahon

Len Holland, Ian Coates, Garry Mountjoy and Doug Cail

SPORTMEN’S RACEDAY Country races are back in gear with crowds embracing a return to the Bendigo Jockey Club for the Sportsman’s Race Day. With a strong card on the track, eyes were equally on the fundraising, with members and guests raising $1200 for local junior athletes at the Silks luncheon.

Open Day

Explore the possibilities

BSSC Open Day

Our ROLE is to empower learners for individual, community and global leadership.

We value Respect, Optimism, Learning and Environment.

Explore the possibilities Sunday 18 July 11 am - 2 pm Open Day is the perfect opportunity for prospective students and their families/carers to experience everything BSSC has to offer.

Meet Learning and Engagement Coordinators and talk through options for student programs.

Take a tour of the college and see the great facilities, including the refurbished Alexander Wing and Library, our industry standard Trades and Technology areas and the state of the art Ulumbarra complex.

See all the subjects that BSSC offers on display in the Ulumbarra Theatre foyer. Subject teachers will be there to offer individual advice.

Attend an information session with the Principal at 12 pm in the Ulumbarra Theatre.

BSSC offers the widest range of VCE, VET Learn how to enrol online with help sessions and VCAL subjects in Victoria, a wide range taking place throughout the day.

CO N TAC T U S of specialist programs and flexible learning Phone 61 3 5443 1222 facebook.com/bendigoseniorsc Bendigo options, all designed to Senior create an environment twitter.com/bendigoseniorsc Secondary Collegelevel. Fax 61 3 5441 4548 that supports learners at every Rosalind Park, Bendigo PO Box 545, Bendigo VIC 3552

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Email admin@bssc.edu.au Web www.bssc.edu.au

Phone61 61335443 54431222 1222 Phone Phone 61 3 5443 1222 Fax61 613 35441 5441 4548 Fax 4548 Fax 61admin@bssc.edu.au 3 5441 4548 Email admin@bssc.edu.au Email Email admin@bssc.edu.au Web Webwww.bssc.edu.au www.bssc.edu.au Web www.bssc.edu.au

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Jo Stavers, Rene Helfenstein, Sarah Banks and Jen Delaney

Caitlin, Ronny, Jarrod and Leo

Mark, Adele, Alex, Glenn, Kathryn and Kayla

Mathieu, Charlotte, Acacia, Maleah, William, Edith and Natalie

Max, Jason, Susie and Holly

RACE CHALLENGE RETURNS Runners and bike riders were back on course with a record 1180 entries for this year’s O’Keefe Challenge.

After a virtual challenge in 2020, the picturesque O’Keefe Rail Trail between Bendigo and Heathcote was at its finest as competitors tested their physical limits to raise funds for the Heathcote Dementia Alliance.

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SOUL fury A new exhibition of work by contemporary female artists from across the globe.

By Clare Needham, Curator, Bendigo Art Gallery

ABOVE: Hadieh Shafie working in her New York studio, 2021. Image courtesy of the Artist and Yavuz Gallery. Photography by Robert J. Fagan LEFT: Naiza Khan, Armour Suit for Rani of Jhansi II 2017, galvanised steel, feathers, leather. Collection of Paul and Saadia Durham.

Image courtesy of the Artist and Rossi & Rossi, Hong Kong | London. Photography

by Charlie Bettinson BELOW: Mehwish Iqbal, Seven Seas 2017, collagraph on Japanese paper. Image courtesy of the Artist.

Photography by Mim Sterling

This August, Bendigo Art Gallery presents SOUL fury in collaboration with Nur Shkembi, independent curator and scholar of contemporary Islamic art. Centering the self-defining creative voices of 16 female artists from across the world, this premier exhibition traces points of connection across a global conversation in feminism and contemporary art.

Resonating with the universal call for increased visibility of the creative practices and diverse perspectives of female artists, SOUL fury spotlights the contributions of leading Australian and international artists who are reimagining the possibilities of contemporary art practice now and into the future. Featured artworks reflect the unique interests, artistic expression and social conditions of artists across diverse geographical locations, spiritual perspectives and cultural traditions. Together, they highlight the breadth and complexity of the lived experience of women in the current social and political climate.

SOUL fury brings together works from artists’ studios as well

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as loans from private and major public collections, including Queensland Art Gallery’s Gallery of Modern Art and the Art Gallery of NSW, spanning sculpture, installation, photography, painting, ceramics, video and textiles.

Featured artists include: Anida Yoeu Ali, Cigdem Aydemir, Hoda Afshar, Idil Abdullahi, Mehwish Iqbal, Eugenia Flynn, Naiza Khan, Nusra Latif Qureshi, Ayesha Sultana, Shadi Ghadirian, Hadieh Shafie, Shireen Taweel, Zahra Imani, Zeina Iaali, Shahzia Sikander and Adeela Suleman.

Hoda Afshar began her career as a documentary photographer in her birthplace of Iran before moving to Australia in 2007. In her Pop Art style, tongue-in-cheek portrait series Under Western Eyes (2013-2014), Afshar combines “familiar signs of Islamic identity to challenge the dominant representations of Islamic women that circulate in Western art galleries”, perpetuated by the expectations and desires of audiences.

Armour Suit for Rani of Jhansi II (2017) is a striking sculptural work by UK and Pakistan-based artist Naiza Khan, reflecting her interest in notions of female heroism as seen in both contemporary and historical forms of female resistance. This work pays homage to Rani of Jhansi, who fought the British colonial forces in the First War of Independence in 1857, also known as the Indian Mutiny. To Khan, the contrast of hard and soft materials “carry a duality of strength and vulnerability within female identity”.

Shireen Taweel work in progress, tracing transcendence 2020, pierced copper. Image courtesy of the Artist.

Shireen Taweel, tracing transcendence (detail) 2018, pierced copper. Image courtesy of the Artist.

Photography by Matthew Stanton

Zahra Imani, work in progress, Raqs no.2 2016. Image courtesy of the Artist. Photography by Farhad Yasavoli

Hoda Afshar, Westoxicated #7 (from the Under Western Eyes series) 2013-14, archival pigment print.

Image courtesy of the Artist and Milani Gallery

Pakistan-born, Australian-based artist Mehwish Iqbal’s Seven Seas and Last Prayer (both made in 2017) speak to the global phenomenon of migration and the refugee experience, evoking sentiments of trauma and loss while exploring the impact of forced separation from familiar environments, as well as personal and familial identity and ritual.

Lebanese-Australian artist Shireen Taweel utilises traditional copper-smithing techniques to create sculptural forms that are delicately embellished with repeating patterns. In tracing transcendence (2018-2021), these forms are combined with light and sound to create an immersive installation charting the history of Australia’s mosques, dating back to Islamic cameleers in the mid-1800s, and imagining sacred and non-secular spaces into the future.

In a suite of large-scale, hand-sewn wall hangings, pieced together from domestic fabrics sourced at local bazaars, Iranian artist Zahra Imani illustrates private and shared moments of intimacy and solidarity between women with wry wit and shrewd political and social reflection.

SOUL fury guest curator Nur Shkembi has produced and curated over 150 events, exhibitions and community engagement projects, and was part of the core team that established the Islamic Museum of Australia. Nur is currently undertaking a PhD in the Department of Art History at the University of Melbourne.

A suite of artist-led workshops, talks and a panel discussion will accompany SOUL fury. Bookings and more information via Bendigo Art Gallery’s website.

Exhibition dates: August 7 to October 24, 2021.

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Colin, Marianne, Jade and Kellie Cuskelly

Daisy Pratt-White, Esta Fountain, Maggie Alice, Lincoln Cottingham and Thomas S. Jackson

APPLAUSE FOR CREATIVE TALENT

Grace Measor, Liam Duivenvoorden and Yasmin Russell

Megan Hooley and Tayla Stringer

Jessica, Cody and Georgia

Zali, Andie, Tara and Sam Muscatello

The creative talents of regional residents drew a supportive crowd to the 2021 RAW Arts Awards Presentation and Showcase at The Capital theatre.

The awards celebrate young artists, writers, performers and film makers, with this year’s winners excited to be acknowledged: Lilly Skipper (visual arts), Jobe Thomson (literature), Leroy Miller (digital media) and Jade Cuskelly (performing arts).

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here one day, gone the next

As with all modern art, it needs time to become a classic. But how can we ever appreciate the buildings of yesterday when they’re pulled down before tomorrow comes.

Words and illustration by Geoff Hocking As I went up Lyttleton Terrace the other day, I was shocked – shocked and surprised – to observe that the ‘new’ civic offices had all but disappeared. Even Alf Doherty’s Automobile Service workshop, a venerable institution that had stood the test of time, just behind the council buildings, had gone as well.

the demands of the future. He had built into the design a structure that would enable extra floors to be added as demand for more office space grew.

I was never an enthusiastic fan of this modern building, but it probably could have been allowed to remain and grow old gracefully. It was one of many projects undertaken in Bendigo and the surrounding district by Bendigo architect Bill Mitchell.

Bendigo has made many attempts at modernisation and Mitchell’s architectural designs have contributed their fair share. I am indebted to Bendigo author, researcher and publisher Mike Butcher, who provided me with an extensive list of Mitchell’s oeuvre – hundreds and hundreds of projects listed, buildings designed, built or renovated – he appears to have been the go-to-guy in the Golden City when bricks and mortar needed planning.

However, the destruction of the civic offices does seem wasteful, having lasted just over 50 years – and then it has gone. Mitchell had created a design that was meant to stand the test of time and had planned for 54

A notice board informs the passerby that a new Government Hub will be built on the Lyttleton Terrace site.

Another of Mitchell’s designs that also suffered was the former Brolga HotelMotel, built in 1968 on a rise overlooking Lake Eppalock, for Hargreaves Street newsagent Madge Edgar. This ultra-modern building was of an international style with tall, panoramic windows affording a wide view of the water from its circular dining room. The entrance featured a wall of clocks set to the times of major capitals all around the world, in case some highflying jet-setters had just landed on the lake and needed to check the time back home. However, the Brolga suffered its demise towards the end of the 2002-10 drought when the lake almost dried up.

The authorities would no longer guarantee a lease for the hotel. Unable to secure its future, it too was demolished.

It is a shame to see these two major public buildings, designed by Mitchell, gone forever.

There are many other buildings that have been lost to Bendigo, or just moved around.

The adventurous contemporary Bendigo Crèche building, which straddled the Bendigo Creek adjacent to the Alexandra Fountain, has been moved quite a bit. The crèche was ultra-modern.

Constructed of large steel beams and stone panels with floor-toceiling glass windows set in diagonals, its footprint was triangular and it hovered over the creek anchored by H Section steel beams.

This building lasted in situ for more than three decades until it was removed and dropped into the Tom Flood Sports Centre, deposited out of the way, close to the site of the new Chinese Museum. Its last resting place appears to be somewhere in Spring Gully surrounded by bush. I hope it is being used and well looked after.

The original Art Gallery in View Street was covered by a modern frontage half-a-century ago. Thankfully, the original building was not removed but hidden beneath the new works. It has since re-emerged, almost intact, sans the wonderful curved iron-clad veranda, and amalgamated into the recent redesign of the View Street face of the gallery. I rather liked the 1962 renovation, but its hessian-covered interior walls and linoleum-tiled floors showed little empathy for the classic Victorian building to which it was joined. It is such a pity that the old veranda had to be destroyed to allow this redesign.

Between the gallery and The Capital theatre stood a copper-domed Victorian edifice built for the Australian Native’s Association. It was demolished and the modern ANA Motel was inserted into the space.

It, too, suffered the swinging blow of the wrecker’s ball and made way for the new entrance to the gallery, which does not look all that different to the 1962 face that was also removed at the same time.

As I pass down The Mall, I glance at the Myer façade with dismay.

Once the premier retail outlet in Bendigo, Myer is falling into disrepair. There is probably an old Victorian shopfront beneath that peeling modern carapace.

Bendigo has, at times, chased the lure of modernity and destroyed some of its beautiful old buildings as it raced into the future swinging the wrecking ball. View Street suffered. The glorious Princess Theatre was smashed down to be replaced by an AMOCO Service Station, at a time when a servo on every corner where a grand old pub once stood indicated that Bendigo was ‘A City With Go’, and the automobile was going to take us there, wherever that would be. The AMOCO has also long gone.

It seems that it is mostly public buildings that suffer the most.

Private homes, some of extraordinary style, have outlived the generations and are revered by Bendigonians.

‘Roseview’ - High Street, Golden Square, circa 1960

Two examples stand alone.

One, in High Street, Golden Square, built in 1939 for Tarax Soft Drink founder George Pethard, is unmissable. A glorious example of Streamline Modernism with its rendered curved walls and steel windows – even its fence line and garden remain true to style almost a century after it was built.

The other is ‘Bon Haven’ or ‘Bunyan’, built in 1953 for local butcher Clark Jeffrey, a testament to his entrepreneurial enthusiasm for Bendigo, butchery and beauty. He owned several shops and was at times a councillor and mayor. He drove imported, big-finned American limousines, a new one every year. He may have been diminutive in stature but was a giant in achievement. His house on Eaglehawk Road stands above all others, possibly the highest block of land in town, and with three storeys of orange brickwork, curved walls and steel-framed windows, it has proclaimed success for well more than half-a-century. I remember going into this house before the Jeffrey family moved in. My father was measuring it up for floor coverings. I scaled the stairs to the doorway that opened out onto the roof and slid back down on a rug. I may have been about six, but I remember the rug had the image of a tiger on it. The house has stood now for almost 70 years and looks set to reach its century.

Bendigo has a proud architectural history. It has some beautiful old buildings, mansions, villas and cottages alike, which have survived into an age where building owners are eager to retain and restore.

However, there is nothing at all wrong with modernism. Take in the new addition to the War Memorial. A striking modern construction of rusting steel that fits to the older century-old memorial, and nestles into its environment. It proves that any new building just needs to be well designed, cohesive and appropriate to its function.

Good architecture will last for years. Buildings will integrate into the streetscape if they are well considered. Modernity can sit comfortably with classicism and will be embraced by the community if that is the case – if good buildings are just given the time to grow old.

Will there be a long-lasting future on Lyttleton Terrace for the new Government Hub? I give it 50 years.

‘Roseview’ - High Street, Golden Square, 2021 55

SMILES SHINE AT FUN DAY

Abby Penrose and Abbey Miles

Allirah, Ellahnie-Leigh, Couleyah and Azarah Knight

Chloe and Emily Wicks

Indi Francis-Wright, Brynne Monro and Bella Francis-Wright

Louis, Tim and Evie Dean

Steve, Siera, Levi and Casey

The Kangaroo Flat Family Fun Day drew in the young and young-at-heart on a Sunday in May. Supported by community groups and organisations, the event poured on the fun with an animal farm, climbing wall, pony rides, games and much more to keep everyone entertained.

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Deon, Juliet and Nicole Moodle

Lucy Winstone and Ethan O’Toole

NEW BOOK FOR YOUNG WRITERS Budding writers and their families welcomed the fifth edition of the Vox Bendigo Young Writers Anthology.

Sadie and Jade Field

Samantha and Lucas Taylor

This year’s theme was ‘Animal’, with 35 students putting pen to paper to become published authors. The pageturner is filled with poetry, fiction and non-fiction works.

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the power of listening For this young community leader there’s only one way to create lasting, systemic change… and that’s one conversation at a time.

By John Holton - Photography by AJ Taylor Listening, yarning, healing.

It’s these three things that underpin everything Darcy McGauley-Bartlett does, both in his work within the Victorian prison system and his daily life.

Darcy is a proud young Gunai/Kurnai man, born and raised on Dja Dja Wurrung Country, and the list of achievements he has racked up since graduating from Bendigo Senior Secondary College in 2016 is a testament to his ability to listen – really listen.

“If you don’t listen, you can’t hear,” Darcy says.

“And if you can’t hear, you can’t help.”

Wise words indeed, and a message that Darcy now shares with other young Indigenous students on the cusp of leaving school. He’s adamant that career opportunities exist for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who show the resilience to stay at school, complete Year 12 and want to succeed.

that included Bendigo, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Macedon Ranges, Loddon and Mt Alexander police service areas.

“I’d just turned 20 and was really thrown in the deep end,” Darcy remembers vividly. “I honestly had no idea, so very early on in the role I went to the various Aboriginal Co-ops and asked, ‘what can I do for you?’.

“Within three months, I was entrenched in the Central Victorian Proactive Policing Unit – some of the very best police in the state.”

Darcy was the project manager for the Aboriginal Youth Cautioning Program and the Live Without Fear project. That same year, his team created the Aboriginal Youth Mentoring Program that included taking a group of young people on the Massive Murray Paddle.

“It was life-changing for the kids,” Darcy says.

“They came out of their shells and became committed to continuing their education.

“There are jobs out there in the Public Service for people in our position,” he recently told students in BSSC’s ATSI program.

“Government jobs are a great opportunity – we need more young Aboriginal people coming up through the ranks and moving into positions of responsibility.”

“I loved working with young people to create better justice outcomes. We made a real difference. Early intervention and prevention – that’s the key.”

At just 22 years of age, Darcy leads a statewide project called Strengthening Aboriginal Health Care in the Victorian prison system. He is responsible for all 17 prison locations and the health of Aboriginal prisoners in his role as Aboriginal health and governance team leader at the Department of Justice and Community Safety.

“The stories I hear from my elders have assisted in my cultural journey,” he says.

“The power of listening and sharing is not only meaningful, but it creates a long-term impact that will help me share and continue to educate when it comes to my culture and journey.”

His career journey began the day after Year 12 graduation, when he was offered a position as an Aboriginal health practitioner with the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative.

In 2018, he became a qualified Aboriginal health practitioner after completing a Certificate IV in Aboriginal Primary Health Care Practice, and that same year accepted a position with Victoria Police as Aboriginal community liaison officer covering a huge area

Darcy was 12 when he first identified as Aboriginal, but has spent the past eight years immersing himself in his culture.

Darcy spent a large part of his childhood living in out of home care and says a lot of his family have either been in trouble with the law or been disadvantaged.

“Some of us have come through the other side and really want to make a difference,” he says.

“I think back now to when I was struggling as a teenager. If I’d had someone come and speak to me the way I speak to young Aboriginal people, it would have made a huge difference to my confidence and self-belief. That’s where

a lot of my drive comes from.”

Darcy left Victoria Police in 2020 to take up his current role with the Department of Justice.

He is responsible for all Aboriginal health complaints in prisons, which includes deaths in custody; a huge responsibility for such a young man.

But Darcy’s focus is set steadfastly on creating change.

“I came into Justice Health with the goal of creating a better reputation and rebuilding trust,” he says. “We’ve embarked on a journey that just wouldn’t be possible without community support.

“I can’t personally make a difference to the number of Aboriginal people in custody, but I can try and make a difference to the lives of those who are there.

“One of the hardest things is to change practice, but I work with management and people who want to provide the best outcomes for Aboriginal people. We can’t give up.”

Darcy is married to his high school sweetheart, Dee, and has two young children – a three-year-old son and one-year-old daughter. He says it’s because of them he’s able to do what he does.

“I look at my children and think, ‘you are going to make a difference’, Darcy says. “When I was growing up and things were going badly, my nan would say, ‘you are beautiful, you are important, you are special’… I want my kids to know that, too.”

For Darcy, life is about being real with people.

He believes it’s the only way to make a difference in the justice system.

While his role is an administrative one, Darcy continues to visit prisons and yarn with prisoners and staff. His starting point is always, ‘tell me what your expectations are and I’ll tell you realistically what I can do for you’.

“Trust is a process,” he says. “It takes time.

Listening and yarning – that’s where the healing begins.”

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MARKET SHINES UNDER TWINKLING SKY

Bronte, Jonathon and Matilda

Edward and Phillipa Reade

John and Sharon Crimmins

Mathew, Courtney and Kimberly Walls

Olivia, Camille and Amelia Walsh

Zoe, Dom, Christian and Cora Mangantulao and Jason Delecca

After a year hiatus, Moonlight Market Bendigo returned for one fabulous, fun-filled night in early May. With the Hargreaves Mall brimming with food trucks, produce stalls and hand-made goods, crowds mingled and chatted about how good it was to be back together, again.

“At Weeroona College Bendigo we care about our students and help them to thrive.”

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Bev McMahon and Kelli Wilkinson

Frankie, Courtney, Christopher and Willow

IN THE PINK FOR MOTHER’S DAY CLASSIC Kerrie Murray and Fran Whelan

Olivia, Camille and Amelia Walsh

Lyn Winn and Lauren Thorpe

Sam and Karen McDougall, Kallen Geary and Bridgette Geary

Community spirit continues to be strong in Bendigo, with hundreds of people stepping out to support the annual Mother’s Day Classic.

Kennington Reservoir and Strathdale Park turned pink as a stream of runners and walkers raised funds for breast cancer research on the second Sunday in May.

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NOW AT LONG GULLY & HEATHCOTE Long Gully - (2021 Supa IGA Victoria Store of the Year) Heathcote - (2021 IGA Retail Transformation and Innovation award winner)

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shining stars

When the public had to lock down during the pandemic, the city’s Community Houses continued to serve those who needed their help.

By Lisa Chesters, Federal Member for Bendigo - Photograph by AJ Taylor The coronavirus pandemic has affected and continues to affect many of us in Bendigo. The health impacts are far reaching but for many in our community, one of the most difficult aspects of the lockdowns we experienced was the breakdown of community connections and increased social isolation associated with the necessary public health measures introduced to reduce the spread of the virus.

In a year when so many were faced with a withdrawal from community life and social isolation, Bendigo’s community houses stood up and provided a shining light in an otherwise dark time.

Community or neighbourhood houses embody the sense of belonging and inclusion that make our community so vibrant and strong. We are lucky to have 10 community houses in the greater Bendigo area, from Marong to Woodend and Heathcote to Maldon.

Not every community house is the same. But their difference is their strength, tailoring their services to the unique diversity and needs of the community.

They bring people together to connect, learn and contribute to their local community through social, educational, recreational and support activities. Community houses are so important, not only

because they build social connectedness, but because they also create opportunities for people that help reduce inequality.

I have been buoyed by some of the stories of goodwill and generosity to come from our community houses during the coronavirus pandemic. When so many felt disconnected and distant from others, our community houses kept people together.

Tracey Clarke, coordinator of the Eaglehawk Community House, told me that when lockdowns were first brought in last year, closing their door was never an option. Over the nine months from March through December last year, Tracey and her team of over 80 volunteers provided more than 17,000 meals to seniors, workers forced into isolation, and other vulnerable citizens in their community.

When you speak to volunteers, their enthusiasm for what they do is infectious. Mel, who worked the phones during the Eaglehawk Community House’s COVID operations, can now be found greeting visitors with a smile at reception. She works at the community house one day and volunteers three days a week. She loves the variety of people she meets, which has greatly increased since the easing of restrictions.

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Kristi, who runs the community house’s art class and maintains the garden on another, loves the connection to community she gets from volunteering. She spent most days in the community house’s kitchen preparing meals for delivery alongside her mother last year.

Her daughter, who is two, plays with Popcorn (the resident dog) and Oscar (the resident cat), and runs freely around the gardens. Kristi says when she is there, she feels comfortable knowing her daughter will be looked after by the community of visitors and volunteers that are there, too.

But it is not just the invaluable support our community houses provided during the pandemic response that makes them vital to social connectedness. They are already at the frontline in helping bring people back together and strengthen our sense of community again.

At the Marong Neighbourhood House, Kylie Rowe and coordinator Janine Cornish worked to ensure programs were able to continue over lockdowns to keep community members together. Front of mind was the welfare of volunteers and participants. As a result of isolation, they had noticed a rapid decline in the mental health of people in their community. Keeping the programs running was their focus, resulting in many of their offerings transitioning online.

Now that restrictions have eased, the community has shown an eagerness to return in person to the community house.

Volunteer Judith, who runs the Marong Story Time program for children in the area and recently started an embroidery group, says the neighbourhood house has been her saviour. Having moved to Marong in 2019 with few connections to the local community, she initially struggled. After finding the neighbourhood house, she has also found a sense of belonging in her local community. Now, she spends three to four days a week participating and volunteering her time.

I want to give a heartfelt thank you to community houses and their volunteers in our region. When I speak to community house coordinators and volunteers, I am filled with pride and hope for our community. They do not just care about what their community houses do, they care about what they represent. A space that fosters community, where you can feel safe and where you can grow.

To find your closest community centre or to learn how you can get involved, go to www.nhvic.org.au/find-a-neighbourhood-house

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beating the odds A high school dropout who ended up with three university degrees, David ‘Tarnda’ Copley is determined to help more Indigenous students qualify to become health professionals.

By Kathryn Powley - Photograph by AJ Taylor David ‘Tarnda’ Copley admits his path to becoming La Trobe University Rural Health School’s first Indigenous Academic Advisor wasn’t straightforward.

“I was a high school dropout. They thought I’d be lucky to get a job.”

Now with three degrees under his belt, the Kaurna Peramangk Elder from South Australia has had a distinguished career in nursing, health research and Aboriginal health reform. He’s worked in mental health, substance misuse and cancer awareness – and he recently moved to Bendigo to focus on his new role.

David’s brief as La Trobe Rural Health School’s first Indigenous Academic Advisor is to embed the teaching of Indigenous health practices into the school’s courses, and to boost Indigenous student enrolments.

“It’s so exciting. The Rural Health School aims by 2025 for three per cent of our students to be Indigenous. That’s going to make a huge difference to healthcare because having more students in nursing, psychology, physio, social work and other allied health areas across the state, means more Indigenous health workers, academics, advocates and health leaders – and that will ultimately mean better health outcomes for the entire community.”

Supporting Indigenous students to realise their potential is a cause close to David’s heart. After failing Year 10, David – whose name Tarnda means Red Kangaroo in the Kaurna language – worked odd jobs for a while, until someone bet him he couldn’t get into university.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, David applied.

His mother comes from a line of traditional healers, and that’s partly why he chose nursing. But he’d also seen many in his community get sick and receive “terrible” treatment in a health system that wasn’t geared for them. He knew he wanted to make a difference.

“I got into Flinders University in Adelaide and started doing nursing, but it was the 1980s and I was the only bloke on the course. At the end of the first semester, the senior lecturer came up to me and said I wasn’t cut out for it and I should find another course.”

David laughs about it now, because only last year Flinders University recognised his achievements with a Distinguished Alumni Award for his leadership in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, research and practice.

my parents when I was three, put in an orphanage and returned when I was six. I had to come to terms with having been taken, but also being lucky enough to get back to my family and not become part of the stolen generation.”

Things changed again 11 years ago, when David was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer.

“The survival rate for Aboriginal men with bowel cancer is pretty much zero,” he says. But David beat the cancer and went on to become the CEO of an Aboriginal health service, a cancer researcher, and a lecturer in mental health nursing and Indigenous health at Flinders University.

David helped design and implement a bowel screening program aimed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and researched the impact Indigenous Australian families and communities face when someone is diagnosed with cancer.

He was also instrumental in doubling the number of Indigenous clients calling Quitline and is an ambassador for the National Indigenous Cancer Network.

David’s work in more than 80 Indigenous communities has given him a good grounding in diverse cultural practices but also made him painfully aware of the lack of culturally appropriate health services available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The La Trobe University Rural Health School, Australia’s largest, has more than 3000 students enrolled in Bendigo, Albury-Wodonga, Mildura and Shepparton. It teaches nursing and midwifery, dentistry and oral health, exercise science and physiology, occupational therapy, paramedicine, physiotherapy, social work, health sciences and speech pathology.

While Indigenous elements are already incorporated into the nursing degree, David will look at how this can be boosted in the other courses while supporting staff to be able to teach new components.

He has wasted no time getting out and about talking to Victorian hospital managers, who’ve told him they’d dearly love to take on more Indigenous staff – but there is a shortage of applicants.

“I want to encourage more Indigenous students to enrol at the La Trobe Rural Health School, and I’ll be making sure they have all the supports in place they need to succeed.”

Back then, David was determined not to quit, so he switched from nursing to disability care. He graduated and went to work in the disability sector for several years, before returning to nursing and then specialising in mental health nursing.

As David knows all too well, it can be tough. Many of these students will be the first and only child in their family to attend university.

But despite the challenges ahead – and the many hurdles already crossed – David’s optimism and positivity are intact.

“I did mental health nursing specifically for Aboriginal people, partly because of my own mental health journey – I was taken away from

“It’s a really exciting role. It’s a blank canvas and I’m just so pleased to be here in Bendigo.”

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community champions For decades, one regional business has been quietly putting the ‘heart’ in community, and that’s how they like it.

Since long before a global pandemic put the focus on staying connected in our communities, locally owned retailer Champions IGA has been supporting local business and community. Being a business with a social conscience has seen it remain in good standing during the extremely challenging retail environment presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent panic-buying experienced in the past 12 months.

As some supermarkets struggled to keep shelves stocked with product lines being sourced from overseas, Champions mitigated that issue by continuing to source lines, including fresh meat and delicatessen products, direct from local producers and

makers. Don KR, Hazeldene’s, JL King and Keans Eggs are just some of the many local producers that have a strong presence in the stores.

Recent redevelopments at the Long Gully and Heathcote sites have allowed for more opportunities to source and support smaller regional businesses, with the likes of Bendigo Brittle and Collins Honey being added to the great range of products available. Excitingly, these developments have also seen the introduction of in-house freshly made popcorn, peanut butter and orange juice, and an extension to the already impressive selection of fresh cut cheeses that offers lines seldom found outside Melbourne, whilst continuing to provide some of the best-quality meat in

Bendigo from the in-house butcher.

“We always try to do our bit for small business.

We are not a large conglomerate so we understand the importance of buying and supporting local,” says Michael Zervakis, Champions IGA chief executive officer.

“By supporting local, we have also positioned ourselves as having some grocery lines that are not available elsewhere. We also know that our customers want to support local and see us as the place to come and buy local goods and do their bit to help small business.

Our motto is ‘how the locals like it’, so it is a win-win – we support business to deliver on customer needs, and our customers remain loyal because of that common-sense approach.”

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Throughout the years, Champions IGA’s corporate program of giving and assisting local organisations has seen it donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to organisations big and small.

Bendigo Foodshare manager Bridget Bentley says the charity has long benefited from the retailer’s approach to putting locals first.

“Champions IGA has been an amazing support to Bendigo Foodshare for a number of years now, making regular financial donations that help keep our operations going. During COVID-19, they really stepped up this support at a time where an increasing number of people in our community have been struggling to put food on the table. They did this by helping us to source food, making food donations and participating in our community food drive.”

For nearly two decades, the retailer also has been the major sponsor of the Bendigo Lady Braves. It was the inaugural sponsor of the AFL Central Victoria Women’s League and, in conjunction with other local IGAs, is a major sponsor of the Bendigo Junior Football League.

The IGA Community Chest supports a myriad of schools, and the Market Day barbecues have been a popular fundraising vehicle for community groups in a pre-COVID world.

“Many a person can remember eating a sausage in bread to support Uncle Bobs on a Thursday Market Day,” says Michael.

“We provide them with a $100 cheque and free sausages to cook outside the store. They can run raffles and also request donations from customers. Unfortunately, this has stopped during COVID,” Michael says. “Hopefully, we get to return to that as soon as possible, as many people would make it a regular stop on their shopping trip.”

The Discovery Science & Technology Centre, Bendigo Health and Bendigo Foodshare have 70

all been recipients of donations. Michael says the Give Me 5 for Kids charity is a particular fundraising activity his entire team enjoys.

“We have an annual register challenge with Cogho, where we donate all the takings from one register at Long Gully and Kangaroo Flat for one hour. We have donated close to $10,000 per annum.

“In 2015, when I heard on the radio that the Discovery Centre could close, I got on the phone to my boss and within half an hour we had $35,000 to donate to help keep the centre open and that kick-started a community campaign, which saw it saved. Many of us are really proud of being part of that,” says Jason Seipolt, Champions IGA chief financial officer.

This can-do attitude, says Bridget, is why the retailer continues to make a positive impact on the community. “As a charity and volunteerrun organisation, we can’t do what we do without the support of our local community and businesses. This means that we think of the team at Champions IGA as part of the Bendigo Foodshare team. They help us achieve our mission of sourcing more food to help more people with food relief across Central Victoria.”

Four years ago, Champions IGA in conjunction with Deakin University initiated The Eat Well@ IGA project to tackle a rise in obesity and improve access to healthy and affordable food. It was a joint campaign between Deakin University, the City of Greater Bendigo, VicHealth and IGA, with seven of its stores promoting the message that eating healthy didn’t have to be expensive.

Many of the supermarket’s 650 staff donate their own time and fundraise for sporting and community groups.

“While we don’t have a structured volunteer program, we do encourage values of giving back and being connected to the community in which we all live,” says Michael.

“Our current Heathcote store manager is a committee member with the Axedale Our Town and Axedale Hall Committee, and our Kangaroo Flat store manager, is a former president of the Goornong Recreation Reserve and is on the Elmore Field Days catering committee.

“Our Long Gully store has been synonymous with running theme days in support of charities – just recently, our front-end and deli teams were dressed in blue for the Do it for Dolly Day, which was organised by our Tattslotto manager Noelene Waldron.

“Our team is very giving and proactively wanting to support local organisations. We are very proud of anyone who puts their foot forward and gives their time to assist any community organisation.”

The Champions IGA supermarkets have long set the benchmark with their IGA peers, winning state, national and international awards. The Long Gully store recently won the 2021 Supa IGA Victoria Store of the Year and Heathcote the 2021 IGA Retail Transformation and Innovation Award.

“Our efforts to decrease our carbon footprint by adding solar, doors to fridges and a heat reclaim were recognised with this award,” says Michael.

“We want to offer the best service to our customers and keep supporting our communities, so this is a nice recognition from our customers that we are delivering to their needs.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to support local businesses and bringing new products to our shelves. I’m proud of my team and what they are achieving in their community.”

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a spicy treat

By Beau Cook Photography by Leon Schoots

Turn up the heat for winter with this delicious dish combining an array of flavours to satisfy the most fastidious of diners STICKY FIVE-SPICE PORK WITH CHILLI VINEGAR Serves 4-6 Ingredients • 1kg free-range pork spare ribs rind on (Oakwood Smallgoods) • Thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled • 3 cloves garlic, peeled • 1 tsp. Chinese five spice • 1 tsp. cracked black pepper • 3 tbl. ketjap manis (sweet soy) • 1 tsp. white sugar • 1 tbl. hot water • ¼ cup rice wine vinegar • Juice of half a lime • 2 long red chillies deseeded and very finely chopped • Steamed Asian greens and rice or noodles to serve Method

30min, overnight is preferred.

3. Once pork has been marinated, lay the pieces out flat onto some baking paper and wrap tightly, then wrap with a layer of foil and place into a roasting tray.

4. Preheat oven to 160C. Place wrapped pork into the oven and roast for 2 hours, then remove from oven and let cool for 15min before handling.

5. Meanwhile make the chilli vinegar; place sugar and hot water into a small bowl and stir until sugar has dissolved, then stir through vinegar, lime and chilli. Set aside.

6. When pork is cool enough to touch, remove from the wrapping and cut into 1 inch thick cubes, set aside.

7. Poor off juices into a small bowl and let sit for 5min or until the fat solidifies on the surface. Skim off fat and discard, then stir through the remaining 2 tbl. of ketjap manis and 1 tbl. of the chilli vinegar.

1. Using a mortar and pestle, crush ginger and garlic into a coarse paste then mix through five spice, pepper and 1 tbl. of the ketjap manis.

8. Heat a large pan or wok over a high heat. Stir-fry the cubed pork for 5min, tossing occasionally until the pork is caramelised. Now pour in the juices and stir-fry for another minute.

2. Place pork and paste into a large bowl and toss to combine, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least

9. Serve with steamed greens, rice or noodles and drizzle over the chilli vinegar.

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a lovely drop or two A beloved local boutique winery gets better with every vintage, while a family-owned vineyard produces a shiraz blend that reinforces why the region is famous for its rich reds.

By Ashley Raeburn - Restaurant Manager - Alium Dining - Photography by Leon Schoots

SANDHURST RIDGE, FRINGE SHIRAZ CLASSIC BLEND 2012.

BENDIGO. Being recently named as a 5 Star Winery and one of only 10 awarded the Dark Horse Winery of the Year by the esteemed James Halliday has provided true recognition to one of Bendigo’s finest vineyards that has been producing award-winning wines for over 25 years. Owned and operated by the Greblo family, their history and knowledge of winemaking and agriculture certainly make for some outstanding wines. A visit to the cellar door can see you sampling favourites such as Shiraz, Cabernet Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc along with the lesser-known Italian varietal Nebbiolo.

Here is another Bendigo wine that has aged gracefully and typifies the region’s emphasis of rich, ripe red wines. It is a blend of 70% Shiraz and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from exceptional vineyards situated nearby the Sandhurst Ridge Estate, matured in a mix of French and American oak for 18 months before bottling.

Aromas of dark black fruit lead into a rich palate full of flavours of blood plums, black cherry, blackberry and just hints of spice adding further complexity. Tannins have softened over time yet help deliver excellent length and the well-rounded, smooth finish add further class to the wine. Slow-cooked lamb ragu with pan fried gnocchi works a treat with this wine.

MANDURANG VALLEY, ‘OLD VINE’ 2019. BENDIGO This boutique winery seems to be getting better with every vintage.

Family owned and operated since the first vines were planted in the mid-1970s, the Vines (yes that’s their surname!) now have three generations working together to produce exceptional wines from the Bendigo region. Hosting a particularly delightful cellar door and extremely impressive gardens, it is very easy to spend a spring afternoon sampling the ranges of wines with a gourmet cheese platter. Don’t forget to check out Pam’s regularly changing art exhibitions as well.

The ‘Old Vine’ has evolved over the years yet remains the flagship wine for Mandurang Valley. Generally a blend of the Cabernet and Shiraz, the past couple of vintages have seen the addition of Malbec to the blend. Beautiful aromas of mixed berries and cherries come to the fore immediately, medium bodied and still with youthful tannins, the wine really opens up after a few minutes in the glass.

The three varietals work harmoniously together, the ripe, red berry fruit flavours from the Shiraz combining beautifully with the cassis and blueberry characteristics from the Cabernet and Malbec. Try with a herb-crusted rack of lamb, fondant potato, red wine jus or for something different, pair with a rich chocolate dessert.

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TURNERS CROSSING, CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2013.

BENDIGO. Honouring the name of a former local publican who purchased the land at the site in1868, the vineyard is nestled on the banks of the Loddon River, about 50km northwest of Bendigo. Since the mid 2000s, the Turners Crossing team has been regularly producing exceptional wines from varietals such as Shiraz, Cabernet Viognier and the rare Italian varietal Picolit.

Although Shiraz may be at the forefront of Bendigo’s history of red wine, the region also does a fantastic job in producing top-quality Cabernet. Luckily enough, Turners Crossing has kept some of this exceptional vintage and now is the right time to get your hands on it. This is an example of a beautifully aged Cabernet, the colour is starting to get a faint hint of red brick on the outside and delivers delectable aromas of blackberry, blueberry and very subtle hints of mint. The tannins have softened yet still play a major part in the rounded palate that bursts of further black fruit flavours of wellripened plums, mulberries and blackcurrant, leading into a longlasting finish. A nice piece of scotch fillet, sautéed mushrooms with a glass of this and you cannot go wrong! Will also continue to drink well for a number of years.

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Renee and Brad

With their twin girls Ava and Alexandra by their side, Bendigo couple Renee and Brad say ‘I do’ under an old gum tree in Ravenswood.

Photography by Alli Campbell A four-hour car drive was not to deter a budding romance between Brad and Renee, who met through mutual friends five years ago.

“Our first date was a at Clogs and Brad drove from Mildura. All of a sudden, he had lots of ‘work’ come up in Bendigo and we didn’t spend a weekend apart until I moved to start a life with him,” Renee says.

The proposal was set to be on Renee’s 30th birthday, 18 months after their first date, with Brad making a dash to Sydney the weekend before to collect the ring that was created by Nicholas Haywood Jewellery Concierge.

However, his first attempt was put on hold when their over-tired twins Ava and Alexandra “put Brad off his game”.

The ring stayed in the box until, eventually,

Brad and girls with a drawing of “mummy in a big white dress and lots of love hearts” gave the soon bride-to-be a muesli bar box holding the coveted symbol of love. “When Renee came in to the lounge room, the girls squealed ‘surprise’ … there were instant tears and cuddles all round and she said ‘yes’,” Brad says.

The couple brought forward their wedding plans to earlier this year when Renee’s dad, already battling cancer, received further bad news.

“On January 1, we were delivered devastating news that Dad’s cancer was Stage 4 and untreatable. We knew we had to bring it forward so he was still well enough to enjoy the day with us all and be able to walk me down the aisle.”

The rush was then on to plan, book and buy everything needed for their wedding ceremony. After many calls to venues, Nadine at Ravenswood Homestead secured them a wedding day and celebrant Kerrie Grossman was booked.

After trying on four dresses at Bendigo Bridal Collections, Renee found “the one”.

“After minimal alterations, it was mine.”

The groom and his attendants’ suits were from Politix. Hayley Curnow from Cakes For Occasions Bendigo made the wedding cake.

Photographer Alli Campbell captured the occasion on film, with videography by Daniel & Shannaya Films. Alex Weybury provided the music for the ceremony and canapés, then Stellar Perry, Josh DeAraugo, Jay Kolone and Alex Weybury kept guests dancing at the reception.

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The couple married under an old gum tree, with guests enjoying canapés by the fountain before heading to the homestead’s stables for a formal sit-down dinner at the black-tie reception.

“We chose to be married under the old gum tree by the stables as the aisle song sung by Alex Weybury was ‘True love’ with the lyrics ‘you and me beneath these old gum trees, hand in hand it will be, forever you and me’, so it was perfect.”

Hints of their favourite colours of white, green and gold featured throughout the occasion, with the couple saying the day was unique to their personalities with plenty of highlights.

“Considering the circuit-breaker COVID-19 restrictions gave us two days to lock in everything and for guests to travel from interstate, a highlight was having everyone in the one place and Dad being well enough to enjoy every moment. The day was full of love, emotion and family and friends coming together as one.”

As for any hiccups? “Nothing that wasn’t sorted out within a few minutes or drastic enough that the day wasn’t seamless,” says Renee. Adds Brad: “We have lasting memories of friends and family who had not seen each other in over 12 moths reunited.

The energy and love from the start of the weekend knowing everyone was arriving and together, was incredible. Renee having her father walk her down the aisle and share a first dance was special.”

The couple plans to honeymoon when COVID-19 restrictions ease and time permits. Renee, a nurse, returned to work two days after their wedding, with Brad keeping equally busy in a family business.

“The day unfortunately feels like it goes by so fast, and it does, so it’s important to make sure you enjoy and saviour every moment,” says Brad.

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vacay vibes in the city Escape the everyday to an inviting oasis that boasts modern minimalism with a heady touch of Palm Springs glamour.

By Marina Williams - Photography by Leon Schoots Jess and Kane were initially wanting to transform a house for their next renovation, but on inspecting a three-unit block they knew something special had come their way.

“The idea of units excited us, as we knew we could have a lot of fun with them and test our design sense by fitting each unit out with its own unique style. On seeing this complex, we immediately knew this was the exact project we had been searching for,” Jess says.

“We were really drawn to the flat-roofed design. We knew we could create something modern, unlike our previous renovation, which was more of a heritage style.”

With the roof dictating a modern minimalist look, the project took on a Palm Springs vibe after their carpenter, Dave Lefevre from DLF Constructions, discovered a large cactus hidden in an overgrown garden.

“There is also a beautiful large palm that is visible from the back yard of the units, which sits on a neighbouring property, so the Palm Springs vibe really fits the space.”

To achieve the signature look of pared-back living in seamless spaces with linear lines, internal spaces were stripped back to basics and non-essential walls removed.

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Each unit was then rebuilt internally and freshly painted inside and out, including fences. With white walls on the interior, each unit was given its own personality with one shade of colour featuring on a mix of tiles for the kitchen splashbacks. Alongside varying shades of blue, pink and green, kitchen and laundry benchtops have a marble-look with engineered quartz from Stone Ambassador. In the bathrooms, Terrazzo slabs top vanities, with black cabinetry and brass handles adding a metallic element to the renovation theme.

“Terrazzo was one product I wanted for this renovation. I was not going to compromise,” Jess says. “It took several samples to find the right colour, but when I saw it, I knew it was the one. It lifts the bathrooms and adds a pop of personality to the spaces.”

Rather than traditional frosted-glass windows for privacy in the bathrooms, the couple chose glass bricks for character and texture.

Wanting minimal grout and silicon lines, large-format Dekton cladding is on the floor and walls. “We are lucky enough to have luxury products at our disposal,” says Jess, who co-owns VGroup with Kane. “Brass is also a style we carried through all units — tile and carpet trims, taps and door handles. We also used brass clips on the shower screens, and chose matte black tapware and shower heads to complement the cabinetry and balance out the brass.”

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A crisp white was chosen for the exterior, with a different pop of colour from the pastel palette on each front door.

“Down the track, Dave also came up with the great idea of painting each unit’s letterbox that we had fixed to the front brick fence the same colour as their front door, which looks fantastic.”

Breeze blocks, another nod to the Palm Springs theme, are a standout feature of the facade. Laid in a stacked-bond pattern, the screen elements offer privacy along one side of two carports that can be seen from the road, yet allow filtered light and breezes to enter the space.

With such a massive overhaul, the couple knew staying on budget was going to be tricky. “It was hard to put a budget together purely because we stripped each unit, so there were so many costs that could have been miscalculated. However, we did pretty well and only went over budget by about 10%, because we added a few more finishing touches with landscaping and backyard design that we hadn’t originally allowed for, because we wanted them to be perfect.”

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Keeping a good balance between family life and renovating pushed out the project to nine months, yet the couple know they will be looking to hit the tools again after taking a long-awaited winter holiday.

“We’re certainly looking forward to enjoying this winter with day trips and not grinding floors in the cold and wet. But we do change our mind on a daily basis, so who knows what our next renovating adventure will be.”

Happy with the renovation, and with the units on the property market, Jess hopes the new owners love living in the oasis in the city she and Kane have created.

“We wanted to achieve a very fresh, crisp and vibrant look, which really hasn’t been done in Bendigo. You see a lot of Palm Springs-style on the Gold Coast but not in Central Victoria. I hope the new owners enjoy having that holiday feel when they come home each day.”

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tee is for talent

For the juniors aiming to be the next generation of local golf superstars, seeing their names near the top of the leaderboard is becoming par for the course.

By Raelee Tuckerman - Photography by Leon Schoots

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Golf is proving to be a game for the ages in Central Victoria, as a crop of prodigious youngsters take on – and conquer – the fairways and greens of Bendigo and beyond. With their sublime swing and precise putting skills, the kids are showing their adult clubmates that age is no handicap.

At just 16, reigning Belvoir Park Golf Club junior and senior ladies champion Jazy Roberts has already broken the ladies’ record on her home course four times, with her current best score an impressive 66 off the stick.

“I practise pretty much every day, either at Belvoir Park or at home,” says Jazy, who is also dual champion at Heritage Golf Club in the Yarra Valley and a member of their winning team in the Victorian Pennant division two ladies’ competition.

“I can hit at home with a shorter club over the back fence into the bush, where there are a couple of trees to aim for about 90m away.

And I have a little putting green set up inside my bedroom, made of fake grass and about three metres long.”

Jazy has a better-than-scratch handicap meaning strokes are added to her carded score, rather than deducted as is the case for the vast majority of players.

She’s been swinging a club since she was six, following in the footsteps of grandmother Margaret Roberts, a former ladies president at Neangar Park, father Jason and brother Tom. “My earliest golf memory is sitting in the buggy being pulled around by Dad when he and Tom were playing.”

Now she’s part of Golf Australia’s high-performance program, a three-time Victorian team representative and one of the sport’s brightest talents.

“She’s a bit of a perfectionist,” explains mum Sharon, “so if she’s going to do something, she likes to do it right and she’ll practise and practise until she gets it. She also keeps her cool and doesn’t show her emotions when she’s playing, so if she’s disappointed with a shot, you don’t see it on her face.”

That mental toughness is likely to be crucial as Jazy chases her ambition of playing professionally.

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Sixteen-year-old Morten Hafkamp is also on the highperformance pathway and spends every afternoon from the time he finishes school until dark on the golf course close to his home.

The South African-born youngster started hitting a ball for fun at just two, encouraged by dad Johan, but became more serious after migrating to Bendigo, joining the Neangar Park junior development program and making the state primary school team, which won gold and silver medals at nationals. He was the 2020 junior champion at both Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne and Neangar Park.

He plays pennant locally and for Commonwealth in the Victorian Colts division, with long travel times to tournaments often adding to the hours spent on the practice greens.

“It can be challenging for kids from Central Victoria to access the same opportunities as those in Melbourne,” says mum Angelique, “especially when you have to get up at 3.30am to tee off at 7 in the morning. We’ve done that a couple of times!”

But there is no shortage of support from the local golfing fraternity, especially at Neangar, where he has finished as high as third in the men’s championship. “The guys are great with him on the course – they all know who he is and are very supportive of his game.”

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Archie Alston is another local young gun who’s been turning heads since he was a tiny tacker. Now 12, he’s been driving, chipping and putting for eight years and is obsessed with the sport.

“It’s so unexpected if people haven’t seen him play before – this little fellow who hits the ball so well,” says mum Michelle. “He’s always been small for his age, but his swing has been great from the word go.

“When he was in prep, he played in the Bendigo primary school tournament and qualified for the regional final in Heathcote, even though they weren’t meant to play until grade three.”

Archie was given special permission to attend and played well. But he has gone on to qualify for the 18-hole state championship final every year since grade one, against boys up to six years his senior.

“There was an older boy the first year who came up to him in Bendigo and said, ‘good on you little fellow, hope you had a good day out’. When he realised later that Archie had finished in the top five – ahead of him – his jaw just dropped!”

Nowadays it’s not unusual to see Archie, whose handicap sits at 14 and falling, tee off alongside and against men in their 60s and 70s, enjoying their company and joining in the banter.

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He’s been part of Belvoir Park’s winning open men’s pennant team for three consecutive years, including 2021. And his achievements also include winning the boys’ nett title at the Victorian Country Junior Regional Championship in Ballarat in December, and his club’s singles knockout event this year, which saw his name added to the clubhouse honour board.

Archie was also a member of the successful Central Victorian team that won their region of the Victorian Junior Pennant competition in 2020, played “virtually” on home-club courses due to COVID. The team, which included Jazy and Tom Roberts, went through undefeated against Cranbourne, Yarra Yarra, Eastern and Woodlands clubs.

The families of our local stars agree golf is a great sport and are keen for more youngsters to give it a go.

“It’s actually very social, even though it’s an individual sport,” says dad Matthew Alston. “I think it’s good for kids because they meet adults from all walks of life and learn to communicate with them, show respect and take on all the etiquette that surrounds golf.”

To find your nearest club, visit www.golfcentralvictoria.com.au

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