Coast Magazine Winter 2014

coastal

living

at

its

4.95

best

$ w

in

ter 2014

in this issue

TA LE S FR O M TH E H IG H SE A S Dewey Buttonshaw

R H ER LI RU N N IN G FO Reilly

FE

Deb

O N IT PU T A RI N Ging s Coast wedd

In the Surf - Gavin Lewis Where to eat What’s on

coast 1

Superbly located only 800 metres from the main street of Cowes and even closer to the beach, Seagrove is Phillip Island’s most sought after environmentally-sustainable address.

Master-planned by award-winning designers, Seagrove features over eight acres of landscaped parks, wetland habitat, underground services, including gas and broadband, rich birdlife and regionally significant eucalypt woodland.

Select from a range of premium home sites including acre lots 2 with mature trees and land with water views. Titles are available now so you can start building your dream home straight away.

coast 2

“sets a new benchmark for sustainable

residential development�

Urban Development Institute of Australia Awards for Excellence

Freecall 1800 61 61 06

www.seagrove.com.au coast 3

su�cribe to coast

the coast team

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publisher Maria Reed managing editor Eleanor McKay

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sub editor Anne Roussac-Hoyne magazine

coast magazine - edition 32 Spring 2013

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Coastal living at its best!

words Katie Cincotta, Eleanor McKay, Maria Reed, Sally O’Neill

live the dream

photography Warren Reed coast photography - 0414 753 739

jess holden journey to pakistan michael gordon a political eye discover the prom your ultimate guide

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ISSN 1833–3648

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Phillip Island to the Prom Coast Magazine © published by Coast Media P/L. ISSN 1833-3648. The publisher is not responsible or liable for any omissions or human error in Phillip Island to the Prom Coast Magazine. Material in this publication cannot be published or reproduced without the publishers written consent. All material contained in this publication is protected by Australian Copyright regulations.

All rights reserved.

Over 200 artworks for sale. Commissions available.

Shop 7/8 Edward St Somerville Open 10am - 5pm 7days a week.

Phone: 5977 8724 Mobile: 0408 833 260 cp@cpgalleries.com.au Cheryl’s work can also be viewed at the following galleries: tusk gallery 438 Chapel St, Sth Yarra 9827 3338 & 76 Harold St, Camberwell 9882 2174 Suburban Gallery 312–318 New St, Brighton 9592 1772 Gallery Sorrento 148 Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento 5984 4933

www.cpgalleries.com.au coast 5

This edition, we have plenty to get you motivated: Dewey Buttonshaw shares his incredible stories of life in the Russian navy, while we can all draw inspiration from Deb Reilly’s approach to living with cancer. She has faced hurdles that most of us could not even imagine, but it’s her can-do attitude (“I don’t have time for cancer”) that really struck a chord with me. We sit down for a chat with local musicians The Desmonds and chef Jazz Kaye – feeding our souls and stomachs with their creations!

from the editor

Although I’m no fan of the cold, in many ways winter is a fabulous time on the coast.

It’s hard to argue with clear blue skies, crystal clear water and miles of empty beaches.

Still, it is good to find ways to inspire yourself to leave the comfort of an open fire or cosy lounge-room and get out and see what’s happening in the world.

If you are looking for motivation to get out and keep fit, this edition has that in spades. Right now, Mornington cyclist Gerry McCusker is on his bike, peddling across America. We’ll be following his progress and hope to post regular updates on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ coastmagazineaustralia). And local Commonwealth Games athlete Eleanor Patterson gives us an insight into what drives her.

Our Winter edition also includes our popular Wedding Feature, an essential guide for anyone planning a coastal wedding. Perhaps if I’d had a copy on hand when I decided to take the plunge, I wouldn’t have opted to elope! Whether you are looking for something relaxed and beachside or a formal “I do” in one of our spectacular local venues, there is plenty to inspire you.

Stay warm out there – and I hope we’ll help you to enjoy a winter by the coast.

Eleanor

contributor profile After enjoying being editor of Coast, Sally decided to live her dream and spend more time in northern Tasmania where she runs a cafe with her partner. She combines this with writing, beach walking with her dog Gypsy and exploring the coast and its stories all over Australia and the world.

In her story “Don’t just be alive – Live” (page 22), Sally talked to local iron-woman Deb Reilly. “Meeting Deb and sharing her story was truly inspiring. Her strength, motivation and positive energy really moved me and I hope other readers feel the same…”

coast 6

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contents

32

26

el bicigrino 32

secrets of the sea 26

Mornington Peninsula’s Gerry McCusker is the first rider from Australia to ever tackle the Fuller Centre’s Bike Adventure, a nine-week ride across America, raising money for the homeless. Originally from Glasgow, Gerry takes us on a ride through his own life, from sharing the stage with Roxy Music to providing reputation management advice to business in the changing world of social media.

Dewey Buttonshaw’s life reads like an extract from a Dumas novel: Tales of the high seas, exotic travels, French Foreign Legion, civil war and revolution.

After an idyllic childhood in Brighton, Dewey’s life in the Russian Navy took him around the globe and he shares his tall tales and true with Coast.

22

46 game changer 46

don’t just be alive - live 22

At 23, Jamin Heppell is out to change the world!

This Leongatha youngster has launched a leadership program for regional football and netball clubs, aimed at changing attitudes and opening our young people’s eyes to the opportunities around them.

When it comes to climbing the actual and metaphysical mountains of life, Deb Reilly is a true champion. Living with cancer has not stopped this mother of two chasing her dreams, including competing as a triathlete, working as an ambulance officer and organising youth fitness events.

coast 10

travel tales antartic adventure

38 41

riding the equator

people 15

15 minutes of fame

16

2 coast people

42

surfer profile

50

artist profile

92

let them eat cake

Event planner Sam Bennett

Tara and Sam Gregory

42

Gavin “Meathead” Lewis

The Desmonds

Jazz Kaye

places 79

feature area

110

lifestyle review

79

Leongatha – winter warmer

Andrea and Colin Hammond modern and vintage renovation

REgUlARS 12 18 20 76 84 86

coast life events guide what’s cool young & inspired where to eat café review – BEANd

96 97 100 102 122

in the kitchen a good read fitness tips lifestyle property guide coast directory & stockists

87

Put a ring on it

wedding feature

55

– CoAST wEDDing fEATURE There is no better place to celebrate your special day than right here on the coast. We’ve gathered together some of our finest wedding suppliers and services to help ceate your perfect day.

coast 11

coast life

Joan As Policewoman

Tiziana Regina handmade in Australia Tiziana Regina is a collector of gorgeous fabrics. To make you a bag or garment you won’t see anywhere else, she has been travelling the globe – searching for obi in the antique markets of Kyoto, silks from Italy and exquisite fabrics from leading European fabric labels, as well as vintage fabrics from op shops and her grandmother’s collection.

Having lived in Italy and Japan, Tiziana has evolved a signature style imbued with the essence of these two unique cultures – vivid pattern and rich colour combined with a pared-back, zen-like aesthetic. Each unique piece is artisan-made in her atelier on Phillip Island in Victoria.

Shop online at tizianaregina.com.au

coast 12

Don’t miss the chance to see extraordinary American performer Joan Wasser up close at Meeniyan Town Hall on 28th June. From her work with The Dambuilders, her own solo albums and collaborations with the likes of Antony Hegarty (Antony & The Johnsons), Lou Reed and Rufus Wainwright, it’s clear she’s a woman with soul. New album “The Classic” is out now. For ticket details visit www.lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au

coast

life

Coastal Encounters Artist Adrian Johnson captures his fascination with the beauty of the ocean and its surrounding landscapes in an exhibition at the Wonthaggi Art Space this month. If you think it’s too chilly to take a dip in the real waves right now, why not immerse yourself in these wonderful coastal landscapes? Showing at the Wonthaggi Art Space, 5-7 McBride Avenue throughout June.

Sweet treat to Disneyland If you’ve always dreamt of a trip to the fabled home of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, make sure you visit the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory between now and November. Spend $30 at the Chocolate Shop or Café to go into the draw to win a trip for two to Disneyland. www.phillipislandchocolatefactory.com.au

California at

Get Real!

Oliver’s Real Food Finally, you really can have a healthy road-trip. If you despair of the kind of food usually on offer in roadside fast-food outlets and snack bars – Oliver’s Real Food will brighten your day. Next time you’re on the M1 travelling to or from the coast, swing into the Officer Petrol and Service Centre and get yourself some fresh, natural, organic food. Oliver’s food is good for you, but best of all, it tastes fantastic.

The team offers a great menu selection from pita pockets to all-day breakfasts. Current Coast favourites? The Burrito Pocket, and the amazing chocolate brownies. Treat yourself!

Spend $30 in the Chocolate Shop or Café to enter the draw! *Conditions apply, see instore for details

Coast – Instagram Enjoy the beauty of the coast wherever you are.

Follow us on Instagram as our roving publisher Maria documents how our beautiful coast changes day by day. @coastmagazine

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Chocolate Cafe

Chocolate Desserts The Phillip Island Chocolate Factory the sweetest attraction on Phillip Island

Home of Pannys Amazing World of Chocolate, a unique, interactive & educational celebration of all things chocolate.

• Daily hot curry lunch from 12 – 3pm • Hot Chocolate made with real chocolate • Choc dipped frozen bananas

Phillip Island Chocolate Factory, 930 Phillip Island Rd, Newhaven phone 5956 6600 web www.phillipislandchocolatefactory.com.au coast 14

fif teen

minutes

of

fame

She says she isn’t really crafty, but the hours spent playing in her dad’s jewellery workshop as a child and those woodwork and metalwork classes at school have given Sam Bennett some very handy skills for her work as an event planner. words eleanor mckay photos warren reed

I’ve always been very hands-on. As a kid I spent my weekends building brick dog kennels and I used to play with bits of metal and drill holes and things like that. I don’t paint, but I actually like to construct things.

What I love about event planning is project-managing the event from start to finish. You actually do the concept design, decide on a theme, do the research… you’re involved in the whole lot, so you’re liaising with people from all the different areas of that project. There are literally hundreds of parts in there that you have to pull together like a jigsaw puzzle – and if one fails, it’s got that potential for the dominoes to topple.

I love seeing it all come together at the end. Whether it’s a wedding or a corporate event, the biggest high for me is when the client walks away feeling like a million dollars.

I look for inspiration everywhere. I love moseying around in shops and antique stores. I spend a lot of time on the internet – I used to have a scrapbook and now I’ve got my iPad. At the moment I’m working on a wedding and I’ve got something like 600 photos collected already, just to help me get some ideas.

I think it’s a real privilege to be involved in a couple’s wedding.

I’m trying to create the perfect day for the bride and groom.

I want everyone else to have a great time and for the bride

and groom to be very relaxed. I do all the stressing behind the scenes! You do have to think on your feet, and I have a long list of contacts and suppliers. At one wedding, the chairs actually only arrived about 20 minutes before the bride got there, because my original supplier forgot to bring them. I had to ring around and find another company. The bride had no idea what had happened: she just arrived and everything was beautiful for her.

Once I did an event that had a Bollywood theme and the ceiling was full of fabric. I heard a creaking in the walls…and then the whole ceiling fell down. That was a good learning experience for me, because I’d never really thought about the structural side of things. At another event the band put a heater on in their break and blew all the fuses. The guests hadn’t noticed, because of all the candles – but nobody knew where the fuse box was. It took us half an hour and six phone calls to find where it was and get the power back on.

I am the worst person to take to a wedding because I’m always looking at how it’s been planned and noticing where things haven’t run smoothly. Timing has to be absolutely spoton, because if your speeches run over, the food comes out late and it’s cold or it’s over-cooked. I run a very tight ship.

Find out more about Sam’s event planning at The Little Sparrow website and Instagram.

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two coast people

Sam: I grew up on a dairy goat farm in Yea. Our property backed onto a state park, so we had a huge backyard. I spent a lot of time mountain-bike riding, fishing and hunting. When I finished school I went travelling for a year and then studied outdoor education. After qualifying, I moved to Phillip Island to do surf lessons, and I’ve been here ever since.

I met TJ while we were studying. She started a little bit later than everyone else, but we quickly became friends. We had a great friendship even though we were totally different. As we both grew up as Christians, we found we were better suited to each other. We’re still opposites, but now we’re opposites that complement each other.

I was 21 when we got married and I guess I was a pretty naïve husband. The first wedding I’d attended was my own, so I didn’t have much of an idea of what was expected. For our honeymoon we headed up the coast in our Ford Laser… and we stayed just a few too many nights in the back of the car! I am still trying to live that one down. I was thinking like a family man – y’know, ‘We’ve got to save money’ and all that.

We’d just bought a house and wanted to make sure that we could always make our payments. A second honeymoon is definitely in order.

coast 16

Coast first met Sam and Tara Gregory when they were packing to go on holiday…which is no mean feat when you’re juggling two children, eight foster children – and their foster grandparents. This inspiring young couple share the secret of their successful family.

I love TJ because she’s so compassionate, caring, loving and giving. She is the opposite of me. As long as everyone is having fun she’s happy – while I’m more structured. She’s a great mother and she makes so much time for the kids. She’s very passionate about being a good mum and giving our kids the best possible chance to learn and grow. She is very giving of herself and her time, and sacrifices herself for the good of the family and all the kids – she’s just excellent.

It’s great being part of such a big family. We try to give the kids everything they need emotionally, but it’s hard sometimes.

It’s not their fault they’re going without. We can never replace their parents, but we do our best. It’s full-on at times and they will take as much as you’ve got to give, but I love it.

TJ and I have always made joint decisions on what’s best for our kids, and we feel a life by the beach is a good upbringing.

Basically she is the hub when it comes to looking after all the kids, and I’ll just step in and help where help is needed. She’s the soft touch and I suppose I have more practical skills, but we complement each other really well. We also have a really good network of family and friends that help, so it’s a big team effort.

words as told to maria reed photo warren reed

TJ (Tara): I grew up in Western Victoria, inland from Port Campbell. It was a lovely upbringing – I rode horses and played a lot of sport. As a teenager I was a bit of a handful, so I was sent down to stay with family at Phillip Island and completed my final years of school at Newhaven College. I really liked it, and then it became home. Progressively, my whole family has moved down here, and now Mum and Dad live just around the corner.

I met my husband Sam whilst studying for my diploma of outdoor education at La Trobe University (Mt Buller). We were very good friends to start. Our friends kept asking what was going on, and it got us chatting about our feelings and it grew from there. Doesn’t sound overly romantic (she laughs). I was 19 when I met Sam, so we’ve been together now for about eight years.

When I was pregnant with our first child Eli we talked about whether I wanted to be a stay-at-home mum. I’d been working in outdoor education, but I decided I wanted to stay home to raise my kids. As I am a naturally busy person, after a couple of months at home with Eli, I was looking for more to do. In our previous jobs, both Sam and I had worked with children, and we found working with high-needs and at-risk

children very rewarding, so we decided to be foster-carers.

We started with respite care (which is normally short term), but we had some kids come along that couldn’t go home, so they’ve pretty much been with us ever since.

Mum and Dad started foster care to help us out so we would have the support and qualifications to be foster parents ourselves. The Mungatopi family – Jordan 10, Paul (better known as Tracker) 7, Antony 6 and Prudence 4 – came for respite over three years ago and are still with my parents.

Sam and I share the care of the Griffith’s family – Lisa 16, Matt 14, Jasmine 11, and Thomas 10, and we have two biological children plus one on the way. That’s 10 kids between our two families! We never really planned it that way but it’s just how it worked out.

Sam is so encouraging and supportive of the million and one things that I am into. He’s pretty special – not only as a loving and supportive partner, but as a father and role model. As a father, he is very passionate and good at setting goals for the kids to help them achieve what they want to do. He’s very encouraging, supportive, patient and calm. He finds time to sit and develop a meaningful relationship with all the kids – which I think is quite amazing.

coast 17

JUly winter 2014

events guide

Rara The Cheeky Elephant - Book reading & signing with Cathy Scollo 1 July, 11am-12noon Cheryl Peterson Galleries, 7/8 Edward St, Somerville Bookings 5977 8724 www.facebook.com/cathyscollo Invisible Botanical 12 July – 14 August Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale www.gippslandartgallery.com City Scapes Workshop 21 & 30 July, 5 September Cheryl Peterson Galleries, 7/8 Edward St, Somerville Bookings 5977 8724

JUnE Art & Australia Collection 2003 – 2013 Until 13 July Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale www.gippslandartgallery.com Coastal Encounters - Adrian Johnson 5 - 30 June Wonthaggi Art Space www.wonthaggiartspace.com.au Mixed Media Workshop 14 & 15 June, 10am-4pm Cheryl Peterson Galleries, 7/8 Edward St, Somerville Bookings 5977 8724

Group show - contemporary landscapes 20 July – 16 August Gecko Studio Gallery - 15 Falls Rd, Fish Creek Contact Michael Lester 03 5683 2491 / 0421 209 878 www.geckostudiogallery.com.au Kongwak Market Every Sunday Kongwak General Store Contact Jane 0417 142 478 West Gippsland Art Centre – Performances in July include: Swamp Juice, The McClymonts, Australian Ballet – Dancers Company – Triple Bill Cnr Smith & Albert Sts, Warragul www.wgac.com.au

AUgUST

Paul Sheehan & Rajko Grbac - paintings and sculptures.

15 June – 19 July Gecko Studio Gallery, 15 Falls Rd, Fish Creek Contact Michael Lester 5683 2491 / 0421 209 878 Website www.geckostudiogallery.com.au

Klimt Workshop 16 & 17 August, 10am-4pm Cheryl Peterson Galleries, 7/8 Edward St, Somerville Bookings 5977 8724

Seascapes Workshop 18 & 23 June, 25 July Cheryl Peterson Galleries, 7/8 Edward St, Somerville Bookings 5977 8724

58th Leongatha Daffodil & Floral Show 28 - 30 August Leongatha Memorial Hall Contact Sue Thompson 5667 6334 / Margaret Fox 5664 9238

Pop Art Workshop 21 & 22 June, 10am-4pm Cheryl Peterson Galleries, 7/8 Edward St, Somerville Bookings 5977 8724

A musical ‘Young Frankenstein’ 29 August – 13 September Leongatha Lyric Theatre Contact 0413 299 192

Joan As Policewoman 28 June, 8pm Meeniyan Town Hall www.lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au

Michelle Watson 30 August – 19 October Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale www.gippslandartgallery.com

Kongwak Market Every Sunday Kongwak General Store Contact Jane 0417 142 478

Kongwak Market Every Sunday Kongwak General Store Contact Jane 0417 142 478

West Gippsland Art Centre – Performances in June include: Wulamanayuwi and the Seven Pamanui, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Phantom of the Opera.

Cnr Smith & Albert Sts, Warragul www.wgac.com.au

West Gippsland Art Centre – Performances in August include: Delltones, Rhonda Birchmore, 2 Grands 4 Hands, Circus Oz Cnr Smith & Albert Sts, Warragul www.wgac.com.au

coast 18

ALL NEW DESIGNS ALL NEW VALUE

Come and see The New Metricon Visit a Display | metricon.com.au | 1300 metricon SURF COAST HWY DISPLAY Cnr Coastside Drv & Surf Coast Hwy, Armstrong Creek

BARWON HEADS RD DISPLAY 836 Barwon Heads Rd Armstrong Creek

Richard Maultby 0408 243 624 Nathan Ainley 0438 013 598

Chris-Maree Wilson 0428 683 522 Adam Cleary 0423 423 407

Photograph depicts items not supplied by Metricon namely landscaping. R3278

coast 19

what’s cool Check out these irresistable products from your Coast retailers.

Priceline Jimmy Choo Flash EDP 60ml RRP $89.00 Indulge your inner party girl with this sparkling fragrance from Jimmy Choo.

Phillip Island Chocolate Factory Great range of Gippsland’s finest handmade chocolates.

Art Fusion Hand-made to order glass keepsakes and memories.

Gecko Studio & Gallery “Noni kicks up her heels with the hens and the ducks” from “Noni the Pony”. POA

Mookah Studio Eva’s Sunday grey linen dress.

RRP$140 Available in sizes 10 – 18.

Dress worn by Dainy Sawatzky.

coast 20

Main Street Revelations Hope in a Box RRP $25 Hanging a crane symbolises our support for peace and hope.

Edney’s Leongatha The Juke: from $23,490 driveaway for the ST Manual.

Big on attitude, this car stands out from the pack.

San Remo Pharmacy In Essence Ultra Sonic Vaporiser (for use with essential oils) RRP $69.95 Stays cool to the touch.

Denis A Hawkins Mauve sapphire surrounded by 18 carat white and yellow gold balls and four diamonds.

Southern Bazaar Distressed wooden table and colbalt blue chairs.

POA

Islantis Billabong Redding Jacket. Keep winter winds at bay.

RRP $139.99

coast 21

Don’T JUST BE AlivE

- live!

I doubt you could meet a more positive and motivated lady than Deb Reilly. When it comes to climbing the actual and metaphorical mountains of life, Deb is a true champion.

words sally o’neill photos warren reed

coast 22

When a knockout blow from nowhere saw the triathlete diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, Deb, mother of twins, took it head-on, enduring a mastectomy and “hard core” chemo.

Half-way through the treatment, the super-fit mother of twins received the call to say that she had qualified for the World Triathlon Championships. “I worked out if I finished my chemo in time, I would have eight weeks to train and recover before the race,” laughs Deb about a situation that was no laughing matter.

Her buddies Julie Brosnan, Phil Hanley, Rick Whitehouse and Brian Martin, along with work colleagues and their heartfelt support, helped her through the gruelling training required for the 1.5km swim, 40km bike-ride and 10km run.

“I could only ride for 25 minutes at a time, but I thought that if I trained just a little bit, I’d be right on the day. My brother, an Ironman himself, was one of my biggest inspirations: he’d tell me to ‘harden up’ if I showed signs of whingeing or asking him to ease up as I’d just had chemo the day before!”

She ran the triathlon “with no hair and no boob” and went on to embrace life after cancer with her usual passion and determination. She also decided to push things a little further.

“After all the treatment I’d been through, I wanted to live life on the edge.” She made the perfectly natural decision (for a superwoman, that is) to complete an Ironman challenge. “I thought that you couldn’t get closer to the edge than doing the 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride, and 42.2km run that the challenge requires.”

In 2007 Deb crossed the finish line of her first Ironman event and admits it was tough. “Going through cancer, I had learnt how to shut out a lot of pain and just focus on each moment I was in, so I used that ability to get through the race.”

Deb is now engaged in the fight of her life and living with her cancer. But you’d never know it. The 45-year-old works full time as an ambulance officer, teaches classes at the local gym, cares for her sons Dylan and Ben, sings in a band, draws, completes 1000km bike rides and finds time to organise the ‘Keeping Kids on Track’ fun run and other events to encourage youth to be fit and healthy.

“I don’t look like I have cancer. I don’t have time for cancer. I’m fit and I’m strong. I don’t just say I’m positive - I live it. When I had treatment recently, I imagined they were shooting me with superpowers rather than radiation,” she recalls. She also recently changed her treatment schedule so she can sneak home for a surf during the week. It’s no wonder her oncologists call her a superwoman.

But, as fit and heroic as she now is, Deb insists that she started her fitness journey with just one step – and that anyone can do the same. “When I started training, I would count ten steps, and then another ten. It’s about training your mind. If your mind won’t give up, your body has no choice but to do as it is told.”

She also insists that people have to stop worrying about what other people think, and do what pleases them. “Taking 30 minutes out of your day for your own fitness will give you so much energy – and it forms a habit, a habit of feeling alive.”

Deb describes growing up in Wonthaggi as “pretty chilled out”.

She and all her friends were involved in Little Athletics, lifesaving and surfing. “Kids were more active then,” she recalls.

This childhood experience drove her passion to establish the annual ‘Keeping Kids on Track’ fun run where participants walk or run along the spectacular rail trail between Kilcunda and Wonthaggi. “I’ve seen a lot of broken kids through my work, and the event is all about keeping the kids in our community on track by being active, involved in sport and educated about making the right choices,” explains Deb. >

During her seventh Ironman event, she was doing well and had completed the swim and ride. Then things changed when she got off the bike to start running. “I had such excruciating back pain, I could hardly move. But I had seen people older than I was – and in worse pain – during the race, so I just pushed through and told myself to harden up and keep going.“ A few weeks later she discovered the pain was caused by cancer that had come back in her spine, neck, chest and lungs.

“I was annoyed when I saw the scans,” says Deb. “But I said, “You know what? Bring it on: I’m going to beat you.”

“I don’t have time for cancer. I’m fit and I’m strong. I don’t just say I’m positive - I live it.”

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Organising this event is just one small example of Deb’s positive attitude towards life and her community – despite her own personal challenges. “I truly believe that regardless of what you are dealing with in your life, you can see things as either obstacles or challenges. You have to deal with what you have right now, and live for the moment. Whatever lies before you and behind you is tiny compared with what lies within you,” she says.

Living by the coast also gives Deb strength. “The ocean is my meditation. I believe we are pretty powerful beings and have a lot more to offer than we think. We put too many limits on ourselves. You never know what’s around the corner, so just enjoy the scenery that’s around you now.”

So, for the time being, Deb gets up every morning and takes solace in the sign on her fridge that says: ‘Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’ “And never, ever, ever, ever give up.”

Deb doesn’t have dreams – she has plans. “I plan on being cancer-free, completing another Ironman, enjoying every moment and growing old with my boys in a world that is cancer-free. I truly believe that it will happen in my lifetime – as I said, I don’t have time for cancer! My inspiration is my zest for life and my amazing boys: there’s a multitude of reasons why my life is good and worth fighting for, but I don’t need any more reason than that …”

“Taking 30 minutes out of your day for your own fitness will give you so much energy – and it forms a habit, a habit of feeling alive.”

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words as told to maria reed photos warren reed

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SECRETS of the sea Dewey Buttonshaw was born into an unusually talented family. His father fought in the Spanish Civil War and with the French Foreign Legion, while his brother became the global art director of Quicksilver. Despite an abundance of artistic, legal, military and naval bloodlines, young Dewey was encouraged to tread his own path in life.

I was born into a service family. My father, Harvey Buttonshaw fought alongside George Orwell in the Spanish Civil War, and served with the French Foreign Legion. Both of my grandfathers served in the military or navy. Mum was a military daughter, but funnily enough, coming from such a military family, my life was not regimented at all.

I was born in Middle Brighton. Our family home was built near the Middle Brighton baths, overlooking the bay. At the time it was built there were only about twenty houses there. It was a beautiful old Edwardian home designed by James Andrew, my grandfather. Growing up on the bayside beaches at that time was a delight. When I was about six years old, we moved to Beaumaris. With lots of beach shacks, pathways through the banksia and tea tree to the beach…it was a wonderful place to grow up.

My mum was a very staunch Scot. She had been the chief hairdresser at Myer. My father had lived an extraordinary life and he had seen so much, yet he never told any of us about it. So many of our family had been through hardship, as had many others. We’d had family on the Burma Railway and in Changi. Many served in theatres of war the world over, yet as kids we were oblivious to it all. We got to live the golden years thanks to them. We were free-range kids - we had freedom and it was absolutely brilliant.

As a kid, sometimes I’d get up at two in the morning and cruise around with the milkman on the old draught-horses and nobody ever said not to. I don’t ever remember my dad saying no, and he was a very strict man. He had ways of pulling us into line, but I never heard him say no. He would find ways of getting an answer to us, because he knew we were searching for stuff. As he once said to me, “Life is all about just plain, dumb good luck.” I regard that as very accurate, and sometimes I wonder how I’m still here.

I was the youngest in the family and had just one brother, Simon. From the very start I made a career of wagging kinder.

I was a tiny kid, and I used to ride our Gordon setter Rufus to kinder in the morning for my piece of fruit and milk. Later on, Rufus would come walking by and lean against the fence so I could climb over and jump on him – and off we’d go to the beach. I’d get home covered in sand and the old man would clean us up. He knew what we were up to, he always knew… but Mum never did.

I went to Beaumaris State School, but again, I didn’t spend much time there. I was just elsewhere, doing other things. I was just engaged in life and had great role models. We had so many artists in the family who were a great influence: June Stephenson, Aunty Nell Cowan, one of the first of the ladies in the National Gallery school, a friend of Clarice Beckett – and many more.>

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I was about 12 when the old man took me aside one day. He had found me wagging school, and took me on the bus and train to the city. He was working as a commercial artist (they call them graphic artists now). He took me around some of the back blocks of Melbourne and showed me something of that side of life. We often did this. One day he said to me (and I’ll never forget it), ‘Dewey, I don’t care what you do in life, just don’t waste your time!’ That went straight into my young head – and it’s stayed with me ever since. He maintained that if you could read well, write well and speak well, you’d be okay.

Mum, on the other hand, wanted us to have every qualification under the sun. We were part of a big legal family in Melbourne, (Maddock Lonie & Chisholm) and I suppose she thought I’d end up in that. Old Frank Lonie always wanted to be a woodworker, but the family wouldn’t let him. He was tied up in the legal business, but he said to me, ‘Make sure you don’t get hooked in…do what’s in your heart.’

The people in our family have always followed their hearts and chased their dreams. We had suffragettes* in the family, some stunning maiden aunts that were just spectacular women. We had books and art surrounding us, amazing role models…and life was our teacher. School was just an interlude… I believe you never stop learning. You can do anything, and why not!

I was sent to Haileybury and found I had a natural leaning towards the trades. I also had a passion for law (in terms of social justice). There was no such thing as environmental law back then, but I could have followed that path quite easily.

But I’d always liked using my hands, and I remember a guy who used to drive past our school in his Mini Moke wearing a leather hat. He was a builder and I’d look at him and think he had a pretty good act worked out. His wife was a stunning blonde, a white Russian, who was responsible for the ‘Save Our Sons” movement – Jean McLean…a wonderful lady. I transferred through to a trade school and when it came time to do an apprenticeship, there was only one person I wanted to work for – Eric McLean. It was an amazing time. We got to work on projects like Monsalvat, designed Cliffy Pugh’s house – we were doing some pretty spectacular stuff. Eric’s brother bought a boat yard, so my apprenticeship broadened to include boat building, which is what I had wanted to do all along. There were some old-school boat builders there at the time and I learnt the trade from them. Now you have to

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be registered and all that rubbish, but back then you learnt by osmosis. It’s called experience.

I was 18 and a half when the bean dropped on telly for conscription into the Vietnam War. My brother missed out, but my number came up. It was very interesting. Mum’s heart hit the floor but my dad didn’t say much. Over the next few weeks he was asking me what I thought about it … he was working out where I was going to stand on it all. Bear in mind, I was doing my apprenticeship, and Jeanie (the boss’ wife) was the head of the Save Our Sons movement. I wasn’t against the military, but when the Moratorium marches happened, it was quite extraordinary to see such an amazing cross-section of humanity marching against the Vietnam War. It was a spontaneous gathering of hundreds of thousands of people.

All levels of society and people were there to say that the war was wrong, and we just shouldn’t be involved in it.

Sometimes war is necessary, and there are times when it’s gone too far and you must stand and fight. But I wasn’t sure that the Vietnam War was one of those times. It didn’t ring true. And having met lots of wonderful Vietnamese people, I just couldn’t believe that we’d go over there and kill them.

They’d never done anything to us. Sometimes you’ve got to wait, and you have to be very careful where you step. Like my brother said, ‘It’s not the choices you make, but why you make them.’ I decided to fight against it and went through the court system.

I’ll never forget in the last of the court cases, the judges kept looking up to the gallery. As the accused, I had to look straight ahead, but one of the judges kept looking at me and nodding.

Eventually I looked around and thought ‘bugger’ - there’s my service family in full uniform, standing there and supporting me through that gesture. I’d never seen them in uniform, and I was just speechless. I was choked up…I still am. Five of the family were still serving, and here they were, with all they had been through (in service) and they were putting themselves on the line – for me! When the opposing lawyers turned around and saw them, their mouths hit the floor and they knew that they couldn’t argue against that. It wasn’t long after that Whitlam got in. It’s not about winning; it’s about what you learn along the way. And this had been a steep learning curve.

I was a bit of a late starter, (he laughs) – ‘Could do better if I’ve always been interested in the sea – I guess it was he applied himself’ – but I was busy doing other stuff in my unavoidable. The ocean doesn’t lie, and it has no time for life. I did a bit of environmental campaigning in the Otways humans – fools or otherwise…and it’s a great leveller. I and in other parts of the world. We had a property behind started out on cray and shark boats, but I always wanted to Johanna beach that was always covered in fog and rain and I’d work on the world’s best sailing ships. The old man always said designed and built a home for my parents there. We’d surfed to me, ‘Russia has the best fleet, but you won’t get in there.’

Johanna since 1969. I’ve always been a lone surfer, hunting Well, one thing led to another, and I found my way in there. I waves on my own in the Bass Strait islands and on the west thought I knew my stuff, but over there as soon as the line’s coast. I’m fiercely competitive, but I don’t like that mindset. dropped and you’re off at sea, everything’s in Russian, and Surfing around Moonlight Head and that you’re like a beetle on your back. I region, I used to look back at the beach thought, ‘What in God’s name have from the water and try to imagine the I done?’ I didn’t speak any Russian, …it’s like the breath of time when the dinosaurs roamed the had no idea where we were going. the ocean…like sitting earth. You’d sit out on the rising swell The rig wouldn’t fit under the Sydney and it was like the breath of the ocean…

Harbour Bridge. Seriously, it on a giant’s chest. Lifting like sitting on a giant’s chest. Lifting and was huge. and dropping, lifting dropping, lifting and dropping. To me, that’s absolutely gorgeous, because It was by the grace of the Russian and dropping. if you’re snuffed then and there, you Navy – and more ass than class on couldn’t give a bugger…that’s as good my part – that I made it. It was a as it gets. You watch the whole lot go rare time in the world. The Berlin by, and take in the magnificence, and then you come back Wall wasn’t pulled down from the outside – it was pushed to earth and wonder what’s swimming underneath you, over from the inside. I was there when it all started to shake, watching your two little legs hanging off your board (laughs) rattle and roll. We were in the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk when – it’s remarkable to be part of this environment.

Lech Walesa was labour organising; it was a truly spectacular time in history. We knew it was a gap in the world, but it I’ve done a lot of long distance sailing. I had my own schooner kept ringing true what my father had said - after the Spanish and I’d sail it to remote areas to go surfing. When the sea is up, revolution, the first business to open was the banks, and the the safest place in heavy weather is to be out there and ride second was the churches. It kept ringing in my ears. Think of it out. On a good boat, you lock everything down, go below, that time – it was remarkable. It was a rare, rare time. > grab a book and hold on.

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We had books and art surrounding us, amazing role models… and life was our teacher. I believe school was just an interlude… you never stop learning.

I was in my 30s when I joined the Russian Navy: you couldn’t get on a ship unless you joined the Navy. There were over 340 crew and we’d go to sea for anything up to six months.

They were enormous vessels, but it’s not so much the size that struck me, but the crews’ professionalism. There are hundreds of different lines on any one ship, and you have to know them all.

In that fleet in Eastern Europe, you couldn’t count the number of nationalities on the boats…almost as many as the planet’s got. Australians used to have a fabulous reputation as deepsea seafarers, and we’re still pretty good as we’re a maritime nation. Ninety per cent of our trade comes by sea. We are seen as honest, hardworking, straight-cutters, not overly saddled with nonsense…nah, (laughs), we have our nonsense too – bags of it!

I had a great degree of freedom to wander around Europe at that time. It was hard won, but once you were in, you got to wander around quite freely. Vladivostok was the first port I worked out of, and it was a closed city. It is the home of the Russian Pacific fleet. I didn’t live through the revolution, which would have been appalling with the gulags and such, but for many it was a steady existence. Unless you’re a Russian living in Russia, you can’t really understand what they’ve been through. The transport system there was excellent. They had what we called ‘Aero-splat’ (Aeroflot is the national carrier) – planes that were like buses in that they went everywhere. The country was so rough and so hard that it was easier to fly than to navigate by road.

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I got an $85 train ticket from Vladivostok to Moscow and it was a rattling 12-day trip. That’s when I realised just how big the country was. The country covers 11 time zones. It was a trading train and we were sharing it with everything. It was absolutely remarkable. Sharing food, plonk and yarns with some soldiers as they headed west was a hoot, but that is another story. I took a picture of my daughter with me, and that’s a universal language.

Thoughts of my daughter, Melia, were (are) in my heart all the while.

To the Russians, children and family are everything. Through the Eastern Bloc, as soon as you get out of the city, it’s like country folk everywhere.

They’re poor, they’re getting by, but they’re incredibly gracious. They will give you their last morsel of food and they’re so hospitable. It puts everything in perspective. The sharing of food is the one thing that humans can do, very few animals do that and it connects us.

I was very lucky to be there at that moment in time and history. The timing was not of my making – but I consider myself very blessed to have been a part of it. I’d talk to my dad about it when he was quite old. He’d been through so much in life, but he felt it was the biggest revolution in history. To see people of the calibre of Lech Walesa was mind-blowingly humbling.

I came to Fish Creek to be closer to my daughter, and this place is just lovely. Funnily enough, I thought, ‘if everything went tits up, this isn’t a bad place to land.’ And as luck would have it, it did go tits up. Anyone who’s got a dickey ticker will tell you, your get up and go…well…it’s got up and gone.

(He’s had two strokes and two heart attacks). For me it’s the same voyage, different course. At the end of the day, you must live somewhere, and this is a great community. There is an honesty in this area that I really appreciate.

Mum and Dad have passed away, but my brother is still alive.

When I was a kid I used to wonder if I could hold up to this lot, they were a lot to live up to. Both my parents were remarkable judges of human character…but that gave me a freedom.

Every night when I knock up a meal and have a glass of wine, I raise a glass to that crew (my family) who stood up and supported me. As the Chinese say, before you make a decision you should think back seven generations, and think forward seven generations, and ask yourself what all those people would think of what you’re about to do. The cards are dealt at birth, and it’s how we play the hand that counts! *Suffragettes – women seeking the right to vote through organised protest

Open their world in Year 9 at Newhaven College

Year 9 Places Available in 2015 “Our Year 9 program at Newhaven College has a purpose designed curriculum aimed at catering for the specific educational and pastoral challenges faced by 14 to 15 year old students. Everything we do has a place, everything we do has a purpose and everything we do is for a reason. This targeted approach is strongly supported by research as to what works for Year 9 students.�

Please contact Carolyn Lipscomb on 5956 7505 (Option 1) or visit www.newhavencol.vic.edu.au

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words katie cincotta photos warren reed

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El Bicigrino Mornington rider Gerry McCusker gets on his bike to unplug from the modern world, nourish his soul and give a helping hand to those less fortunate.

When Mornington rider Gerry McCusker cycled the 1100km Ruta de la Plata from Seville in Andalucia to Santiagio in Galicia, clocking up an average 85km a day, the locals christened him the ‘bicigrino’ – the cycling pilgrim. He’d just turned 50, was facing an existential mid-life crisis (which he reckons began at 30) and the idea of pouring body and soul into the rocky terrain of northern Spain seemed like the only way for this Scottish-born ad man and publicist to wrestle with the great question: ‘Who else am I?’ When he got to Spain he prepared for the trip with the cyclist’s ritual carb-loading (which frankly sounds like a hedonistic feast). “We drank beer and ate ham. That was the acclimatisation and nutrition plan.” For a man who spends his days strategising for brands, only spontaneity can induce the desired mental unravelling from the schedule – travelling to a foreign country with just a map, and the will to move. “There’s great faith in it, just to get to the village and go.”

Long-distance rides are a chance for the wiry social media expert to completely unplug from the world of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – a world Gerry inhabits at close range, guiding corporates and governments through the new virtual forums where consumers use their opinions as weapons.

Just being on the road, eking out a solitary existence between towns that time forgot, gives the Scotsman the breathing

space he needs away from the 24-hour news cycle. “I reckon you do empty yourself into the effort. You clear the mind into the ether.” As a lad who grew up poor in Glasgow, the cold turning his lips a permanent shade of blue, this eldest of three boys learned to brave the elements. But it was the early death of his parents that inspired him to seek out adventure further afield. Both of Gerry’s parents died prematurely of cancer – his father at 47 when Gerry was 19, and his mother just a few years later. Those losses made him keen to live and explore at full speed, ever conscious that he too could die young.

The next road trip on his agenda, a 47-day ride from the east to the west coast of America, is more than just a physical challenge, more than just a chance to traverse 5100km, pale bare legs powering two spinning wheels. Gerry is the first Australian to take part in the annual Fuller Center Bike Adventure, a nine-week journey where cyclists take days off from riding to give those in need a ‘hand up’ – painting and repairing houses – a movement described as ‘the theology of the hammer.’ The riders help generate funds for the building projects along the way, and Gerry has already raised over $5500 and counting, to play his part in the proactive peloton.

“It’s all right going to church and putting a few dollars in the plate, but this is engagement ministry, people from all over the world working as a team to help these people get their house in better shape.” >

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adventure adventure underground underground Victoria’s State Coal Mine

40 mins from Cowes adventure Victoria’s State Coal Mine adventure

underground Daily Tours underground Victoria’s State Coal Mine Daily Tours Victoria’s State Coal Mine Garden Street, Wonthaggi Daily Tours Garden Street, Wonthaggi Daily Tours www.statecoalmine.com.au Light meals in the Garden Street, Wonthaggi www.statecoalmine.com.au Garden Street, Wonthaggi 13 1963 www.statecoalmine.com.au Cafe & Daily Tours www.statecoalmine.com.au 13 1963 13 1963 40 mins from Cowes

13 1963

adventure underground Victoria’s State Coal Mine 40 mins from Cowes Garden Street, Wonthaggi

www.statecoalmine.com.au

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No longer a practising Catholic, Gerry remains a believer of sorts. His faith is empirical, ecumenical, grounded in action. He believes anyone can ‘minister’ in the way they contribute to humanity. For three months this year, he’ll be serving as part of a free labour gang riding through northern America, hoping to build a better world one house at a time. It’s like Renovation Rescue or Backyard Blitz without the ‘manufactured drama’, as Gerry puts it.

Clearly, the man’s a thinker. As someone who helps businesses manage their reputation online, his measured manner comes to the fore. But his meticulous nature often earned him a ribbing as a kid playing soccer. “I took a lot of ribbing on the football team. I would clean my boots before games, take the mud-caked laces out, wash ‘em and hang ‘em up overnight.

And they’d be saying, ‘Look at her, she’s got new boots.’ These were guys who would turn up with a bag that hadn’t been opened since the previous week. To me, if I was gonna do something, I was gonna try and do it right. I took it seriously.”

With his sharp nose, rectangular spectacles and flyaway ginger hair, there’s an elfin quality to the Glaswegian that also hints at mischief. And sure enough, our conversation at The Blackbird café hits a power chord – a dark, moody stint as a punk in a Mod jacket, learning to play guitar to The Jam and The Pistols.

“In 1982, I was in a soul band, The Young Ones, that supported Roxy Music at the famous Apollo in Glasgow – the Avalon tour. Brian Ferry and Phil Manzanera came back-stage and the groupies were all aflutter. We were just sitting there, so arrogant, thinking: ‘they are so yesterday’s news’. I think back at how cocky I was at 20 and it’s a bit embarrassing.”

His sensitive side eventually broke through all that clamouring and he took up as a guitarist and singer in a country rock band, King Hash. King Hash released one album and got BBC Radio 1 airplay, but the record company went bust and Gerry became rattled. “I got a wee bit fearful. Rather than me thinking this was the first rung in the ladder, I was thinking this was me giving it my best shot, so I did a Masters degree and got more applied in the PR career.” He spent some time in Nashville, wrote an ‘on the road rock’n’roll novel’, and worked as an agency copywriter for clients like NAB, making a foray into social media, with pioneering campaigns like the bank’s ‘Make your own Socceroos ad’ featuring Mark Viduka and Harry Kewell playing at the G. He went on to write a book called Talespin, using real-life public relations gaffes to show what happens when the PR goes pear-shaped.

It was a life-changing decision at 36 that led the canny Scotsman to the picturesque shores of the Peninsula. He followed some friends to Australia for a holiday, got a job and stayed – glad of a warmer climate and the spectacular bayside coastline. “I always thought I would get away to somewhere warmer. I’m not built for Scottish weather. I look around this place – the red clay cliffs, the blue water, the green of the hill behind. I don’t think it gets any better anywhere.”

He spent some time in Nashville, wrote an ‘on the road rock’n’roll novel’, and worked as an agency copywriter.

Now part of the coastal cycling culture, there’s only one thing Gerry derides – packed genitals in shiny lycra. “I think there’s a time and a place for lycra. The supermarket aisle is not it. Nor the pub. I don’t have to get matching flashes on the gloves, matching flashes on the shoes (screws up his nose). I’m just a bit too Glasgow for that.”

Still, the right sporting image can be motivating. Locals have likely seen Gerry shivering in the shallows in his trunks, trying to soothe his body after a few heavy training days alternating 96km flat runs with 36km hill climbs. “I’ll just wade in, and stand there in the water like a pretend footy player, thinking this is supposed to be doing me some good,” he scoffs.

It’s a scene he’ll miss when he’s on the dusty landlocked roads through Ohio, Wisconsin, Dakota and Oregon, living rough but feeding his soul on this next quest to journey from the outside in. “You can sit in a cave, an ashram, or a monastery…I’m no evangelist saint, but to be able to see a country, to exercise, to working repairing the houses and see the benefit from funds I’ve generated, that really speaks to me – that’s spirituality.”

Sponsor Gerry’s ride at http://fullercenter.donorpages.com/BikeAdventure/ GerryMcCusker/

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photos warren reed

Driving history History and scenery intersect on this tour around Bass Coast from Archie’s Creek to Kernot. So…pack a picnic lunch and a thermos of coffee and come explore the history in your own backyard.

A trip through the Bass Coast’s beautiful hinterland takes you past landmarks and sites that have played an important part in our community’s development. Many of these small rural communities have colourful histories and still have family links to the pioneers and settlers who shaped them. It’s worth leaving the highway to discover the heart and soul of this picturesque part of Gippsland.

There are few places as quaint as Archie’s Creek, and driving through this tiny hamlet, it is easy to miss the significance of the local buildings. Did you know The Butter Factory was run by local dairy farmers as a cooperative for almost 88 years, or that a lady named Mary Dixon applied for the licence for the Archie’s Creek Hotel in 1901? The local hall was opened in 1904 and there is currently a group of dedicated locals working on its upkeep and restoration. As you wind your way around the hills, spare a thought for those early settlers. Many of the local roads started out as pack tracks and even when they were widened into roads, the high rainfall turned them into impenetrable bogs.

From Archie’s Creek, you can travel through Ryanston and Blackwood Forest to Almurta. Along the way, try to imagine the fields around you filled with the Blackwood and Blue Gum scrub which was cleared to make way for farming. The school that originally stood on the corner of Tozer’s Road was

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GRANTVILLE CORINELLA CORONET BAY

KERNOT ALMURTA

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Candowie Reservoir

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GLEN FORBES

Woolamai Rd

ANDERSON

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moved to Kernot in 1937, and eventually closed in 1978. As you arrive in Kernot, you can catch a glimpse of the old school (now a weekender) through the trees, and a stroll through the Reserve reveals an overgrown railway station platform marking the location of the line which came through in 1910.

Arriving in Kernot on a calm winter day, it’s hard to believe the original Kernot hall was destroyed by a hurricane and the local community banded together to build the current one.

If time is on your side, you might decide to take the scenic route along Stewart Road and the Shuntoff before returning to the Grantville-Glen Alvie Road. The next part of the drive takes you past Candowie Reservoir, which supplies Phillip Island with its water. Passing the site of Brazier’s Timber Mill, situated on the Bass River, you can imagine the teams of horses used to haul the tonnes of timber to the railway line and port for transportation to Melbourne. A network of tram tracks fed the Grantville wharves, which shipped the equivalent of 11 kilometres of floorboard each week.

In Glen Forbes, you’ll find the old school building and the Glen Forbes Hall, once the hub of the community. There are still ruins on the site of the old Glen Forbes Cheese Factory, which ran from 1940s – 1960s. The old general store is still standing, although the town’s railway has long since disappeared All these buildings and roads hold keys to our history, to the lives of the men and women who cleared and settled this land. There are points on the drive where you can almost hear the sounds of the sawmills, wood chopping and horse-drawn drays. This area’s rich history makes for a fascinating journey and adds another dimension to what is already a breathtaking drive.

To guide you on your journey, talk to one of the friendly staff at any of the Bass Coast Visitor Information Centres located in Inverloch, Wonthaggi, Newhaven and Cowes, or drop in and pick up a copy of the touring map.

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AnTARTiC

adventure Kenyan-born Geoff Wilson’s life of adventure was kick-started early.

Escaping the expansionist threats of Uganda’s megalomaniac dictator Idi Amin, his family’s epic 42-day journey in ‘a flying tin can’ ended in Australia. Growing up in Townsville, Indonesia, Phillip Island and the Gold Coast gave the young vet a taste for travel and adventure. With a fascination for human endurance, wild places and history, he followed in the footsteps of his heroes Shackleton, Mawson and Scott, and undertook an epic solo journey across Antarctica to support the McGrath Foundation.

What inspired you to undertake this polar adventure?

I have a good friend Kate who was suffering from breast cancer, and the McGrath breast care nurses changed her life. I did the journey to support the Foundation and to showcase what they do, but also to share Kate’s breast awareness message. She saved her own life by being breast-aware. (Download the Breast Care app Curvelurve and

set up your own breast care program…it could be a lifesaver.)

What were you doing before your Antarctic journey?

My first job was as a young vet working out of Newhaven on Phillip Island for Geddye, Zimmerman and Hibble Veterinarians. They were the best bosses ever, and my young wife Sarah and I had a ball on Phillip Island. I loved the wild seas, green hills and mad wind of the place – it was a really adventurous place to live!

Can you tell us about some of the highlights and challenges of the trip?

The trek was 3,428.53 km…but who’s counting?! It was broken up into several stages. Stage 1 -The horror of the drop-off and the realisation that you’re alone on the edge of the continent. Using only your wits to stay alive, and only your legs to get you to safety, your goal is the South Pole, 2,200 km to the south. Stage 2 - The climb… a 9000ft climb up the Somoveken Glacier to the polar plateau above.

The cold got more intense as I rose in altitude and the crevasses and steep slopes made the climb treacherous.

It was very dangerous for a solo climber harnessed to a 180kg ‘BOOB’sled. At times the crevasse fields were terrifying. . . >

words & photos geoff wilson

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Using only your wits to stay alive, and only your legs to get you to safety, your goal is the South Pole, 2,200 km to the south

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Did you keep a diary of your trip?

Yes…it’s resulted in a book – Wild Ice – which will be published soon. Here’s an excerpt about the storm which was the worst moment of the trip.

…within four hours my core temperature would drop to a point where death from hypothermia and exposure was inevitable…

“The wind screamed like a thousand wildcats, an intensity of sound which I had never heard before. More terrifying than any cyclone at sea, any sand storm in a desert and any raging weather I’d ever survived before. The freezing air temperature combined to create wind bullets that held such force I could never believe simple air to possess. I was convinced that the tent fabric had passed what it was built to bear, and that within hours I’d be exposed to wind chills below -47 C and that my survival was unlikely at best. If the tent wall was breached, it would quickly be torn to tatters by the violence of the maelstrom, pieces of fabric gone with the wind. My down jacket would soon become useless as spindrift or driven snow was forced into every opening then melt as it came into contact with body heat. This would then destroy the thermal properties of my down, lead to body heat loss and within four hours my core temperature would drop to a point where death from hypothermia and exposure was inevitable…

These thoughts filled my mind, spinning like the snow outside, whilst I tried to remain calm, as the violence of the storm was terrifying in its intensity. I managed to block out the noise until the tent wall buckled in, slammed by some unseen giant fist outside. The frozen ice from my own breath showering me from the rippling canvas walls, forced me back into reality… death was a real possibility here.

I crawled outside to try and fortify the two ice walls I’d built upwind to try and save the tent, immediately the wind forced spindrift under my goggles and I lost sight, my eyes iced shut. I progressed on hands and knees, as to stand was to invite being punched down, felt my way to the outer wall and cut bricks of ice with my shovel, adding these to the fast diminishing wall. Making my way back to the tent, I unzipped the outer fly and barreled into the comparative safety of the outer vestibule. Knowing that the violence of the door being thrashed about whilst it was unzipped constituted the greatest risk of tent failure, I shut the tent door as quickly as possible and collapsed.

Fatigue was starting to be a real issue… I hadn’t slept in 48 hours and not eaten properly for a little longer. The forecast was for the storm to moderate but currently the gusts were well over 70 knots with an air temp of close to minus 30C. Any exposed skin was frostbitten immediately and face and hands had been copping a severe beating whilst I fought to save the tent.”

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How did you cope during your trip?

My lifeline was the satellite phone to call my understanding, loving wife Sarah at home. She couldn’t change what I was going through, but made it tolerable by (figuratively) holding my hand. I thought it was not unlike the way the McGrath breast care nurses support women fighting for their lives against breast cancer. I now understand more of what they do, and have dedicated myself to telling their story and raising funds for the Foundation.

You are obviously attracted to extremes and adventure?

Who inspires you?

My dad, Shackleton, Mawson and Scott. Our great history of adventurous men and women is in danger of dying if we don’t get Aussies off the sofa. I want to bring history to life and to encourage all Aussies to dream again and to make adventure a part of everyday life once more!

What did this trip teach you about yourself?

You only know what you have in the tank when you are tested beyond what you believe you can endure.

sur f

travels

RIDING THE EQUATOR Ecuador is the land of precious metals, Panama hats and more than enough Si Señors! Island surf coach Mal Gregson heads to this exotic location to coach his young Russian protégé, and watch local surfer Joe Van Dijk compete in the junior world surfing titles.

Ecuador straddles the equator in South America - with Colombia to the north, Peru to the south, the Andes foothills to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is a country with a diverse range of landscapes - snow capped Andes, lush green hill country and desert moonscapes. There is a rich marine life off the coast and many national parks and reserves.

The jewel in the crown is the world heritage listed Galapagos Islands - home to seal lions, turtles, iguanas, penguins, birds and fish.

The local population is a mixture of indigenous Indians, Incas, Spanish and other Europeans…with a smattering of US expat gringos. The local Indians are pretty wary and shy and you’d find it hard to get a smile…even from those that live on the coastal fringes and cities. It’s an eclectic mix but one thing is for sure - if you intend to visit you need to know a little Spanish. You may get a bit of English at the airport, but after that…you’re on your own!

Ecuadorians should be famous for the Panama hat as that is where they are made. The hats came into prominence in the 1940s when they were sold to tourists in Panama…hence the name. The Ecuadorian hat doesn’t have the same ring to it, but they look cool and are super lightweight. Because the hats are made from a special tequila straw you can even roll them up when travelling.

words & photos Mal Gregson

Phillip Island to Salinas is a thirty plus hour mission – not for the faint-hearted traveller. I was there on a developmental coaching contract with a young Russian surfer named Nikita Avdeev. Young Joe Van Dijk and another Phillip Island local were there as a part of the Australian Junior Surfing Team.

The contest site was inside an active air force base. Security wasn’t an issue as soldiers and police were everywhere. The beach was punishingly hot and dry, with limited shade. To get to the pointy end of this event requires not only talent and a great technique - but also amazing stamina.

Young Joe had that in spades and was the standout surfer of the twelve person Australian team. After eight long arduous days of competition (in less than favourable conditions) there was another thirty hour plus trip home – a test of anyone’s mettle!

Joe brought home the Silver…and Si Señor…I returned with a Panama hat!

It is not your average holiday jaunt, but in April the International Surfing Association staged the World Junior Titles in the small coastal town of Salinas. Over three hundred competitors from thirty-two countries surfed off for gold, silver, bronze and copper medals. This is the toughest event on any aspiring junior’s surfing calendar.

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surf surfer profile

words sally o’neill photo warren reed

SAlTwATER ADDiCTion Phillip Island kneeboarder Gavin ‘Meathead’ Lewis is a self-professed saltwater addict. His ocean addiction has fuelled many of his choices and decisions, happily leading him to a life on the coast.

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sur fer

profile

As far as addictions go, saltwater is not too bad. After all, surfing every day is actually good for your health. But you need three key ingredients to quell your cravings and maintain the lifestyle. As well as living on the coast, you must have an amazingly understanding wife and a lenient boss. Luckily, Gavin has all three.

Born 53 years ago on the shores of Port Phillip Bay, Gavin surfed his first wave at age ten. This first ‘hit’ was addictive and he began to crave regular wave fixes and saltwater running through his veins. “I used to con my father to take me to Flinders with some mates and we’d camp in the sand dunes on Gunnery Beach,” recalls Gavin.

His best mate’s sister’s Kombi then came in handy. “She was the perfect older sister. She’d drive us down to Phillip Island and we’d camp all weekend. And it’s just continued since then.”

In these “gilded memories” of youth, there were no crowds, the waves were always pumping and you could camp anywhere.

Although “imprisoned in an apprenticeship as a locksmith”, surfing remained the dominant theme. “When I punched the clock on Friday night, I had the boards in the HK Holden Premier station wagon and was on my way to Phillip Island. I just adapted my working lifestyle to suit my saltwater cravings,” explains Gavin.

Gavin hasn’t always been a kneeboarder. “I had a stand-up board when I was young, but it broke. When I went to Mordy Surf for a replacement, I could only afford a kneeboard.” The twist of fate was good for Gavin – he became a master of the kneeboard, winning many comps and riding awesome tubes around the world.

“A kneeboard gives you a lower centre of gravity and more of a sensation of speed,” he explains. “It may look ungainly when the waves aren’t good, but when the surf’s up, the board gives a very tight ride inside the barrel.”

The choice to be a kneeboarder has resulted in a lifelong “love-hate” relationship. “It carries a bit of stigma because some stand-up surfers look down on you. So you tend to try harder, take more risks and try that bigger wave just to prove that you’re up to their standards,” Gavin admits. Does such a strategy ever backfire? “Constantly,” he laughs. “I often come out of the water with lumps and bumps all over me. Last year when I was surfing Berry’s Point with some young crew, I bounced off the bottom and compressed a few vertebrae. I spent four weeks putting my undies on with a pair of barbecue tongs!”

His surfing success also resulted in his nickname – ‘Meathead’.

At a comp, he and fellow kneeboarder Neil Luke were sharing a sponsored hotel room. Neil loved AFL – a sport that leaves Gavin cold. He got so sick of the non-stop sport that he cut the plug off the TV. Neil – as best mates will – promptly picked up a coffee table and smashed it over Gavin’s head. The table broke, causing Neil to call him a ‘meathead’ – and the name has stuck ever since!

Pam, Gavin’s “very understanding wife”, has been the loyal enabler of his saltwater compulsion. The couple met when they were both 14 and have been inseparable ever since.

“She came to terms with my saltwater addiction early,” laughs Gavin. >

When I punched the clock on Friday night, I had the boards in the HK Holden Premier station wagon and was on my way to Phillip Island.

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sur fer

profile

…he became a master of the kneeboard, winning many comps and riding awesome tubes around the world.

“Pam and I grew up with the same group of friends – she’s always been ‘one of the boys’ and knows how most of them tick.”

They started married life together with a seven-week Hawaii honeymoon. When their two daughters arrived, the family adapted, swapping family holidays to Disneyland for adventures in iconic surf spots around the globe. Their move to live on Phillip Island permanently in 2001 has been positive for the whole family, giving their girls Georgia and Ruby – now grown and living in Melbourne – many opportunities, including the chance to become expert horsewomen.

Gavin also has an extremely co-operative boss…selfemployed for the last 25-years, he often asks for time off so he can go for a surf. “The answer’s always ‘Yes – no worries’… he’s very understanding,” jokes Gavin. “The local community is outstanding, too. They all know you can’t get a tradesman when the surf is good – and you wouldn’t get that kind of tolerance in the city.”

Gavin is determined to surf for as long as he is able. That involves keeping himself fit as well as motivating the friends he has surfed alongside since his teens. “I often have to pull my mates off the couch to come surfing with me. We all have our aches and pains, but we just have to keep at it.”

He is determined to keep up his fitness so he can continue to surf Express Point, his favourite spot on the Island. “The wave is

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always challenging and you have to be up to a certain level to surf it – I’m not looking forward to the day when I have to face the fact that I’m not up to it. I still get a wave there through the kindness of the young crew giving me a turn,” jokes Gavin.

And if all else fails and he can no longer surf, he has a plan to take up fishing full-time. He’ll pack his thermos and a few sandwiches and wile away the hours on Cowes jetty. But that day hasn’t arrived yet – there are still a few dream waves to surf…

“I want to get tubed at Desert Point (Eastern Indonesia) before I hang up my flippers.” So he’s hatched a plan with a mate and obtained his leave pass from Pam. They plan to check the swell, and when it’s right, buy a ticket and just fly in and fly out. For about $1000 he will achieve the dream of riding his ideal left-hand Indonesian tube. “You’re a long time thinking about it, but if I get that one wave there, it would be worth every cent and I can finally tick that important box.”

There’s no cure for Gavin’s surfing addiction. Luckily he has found a place where he can live harmoniously – with the blessing of his life partner and an understanding boss – and amongst others who share his passion. “I can’t get out of bed without thinking about what the surf will be like. I’d like to think I could surf forever. My mind will never give up, but my body might…I think I’ll be waking up and looking to see which way the wind is blowing until my last day.”

photo: www.photosbyjai.net

DAviD finChER – surfing legend You know someone is a hard-core surfer when you call to make an interview time and they have to check the tide times first. That’s dedication for you! It’s more than that; it’s a passion, only matched by the love for his wife, Cheryl.

words Sally O’Neill photos Maria Reed

dave a bit of a surfing legend . . .

The Phillip Island community lost one of its pioneer surfers, Dave Fincher, in May. His legacy on the waves – as well as his extraordinary artistic contribution – will never be forgotten. One of the Island’s true gentlemen, he will be greatly missed. It was a testament to the number of lives he touched that several hundred surfers paddled out at Kitty Miller Bay on Mother’s Day to pay their respects.

Coast was very fortunate to talk to Dave about some of his fondest surfing memories in our Summer 2009 edition (Page 25).

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This multi media experience showcases Australia’s role in surf culture and features the first ever 360° wrap around surf movie featuring Phillip Island’s iconic Woolamai Beach breaks. This ground-breaking exhibit consists of four key elements, each showcasing a key aspect of Australian Surf.

• • • •

Embark an audio visual journey through the history of surfing Experience the thrills of riding a Woolamai wave!

View iconic memorabilia including a Bell’s Trophy from Rip Curl Discover an unrivalled collection of vintage surfboards

Open every day from 9:00am, this is a one-of-a-kind window into surfing culture that is not to be missed.

Islantis at the Big Wave Complex 10-12 Phillip Island Tourist Road, Newhaven 03 5956 7553 E: info@islantis.com.au coast 45

Jamin Heppell is on a mission to change the world – one local football club at a time.

words eleanor mckay photo warren reed

Game changer Growing up in Leongatha, Jamin Heppell was a happy, popular kid who dreamt of becoming an elite athlete. His parents Paul and Ann-Maree encouraged Jamin and his two younger brothers to get involved in sport and to support each other. Like their father, the boys were all successful members of the local football club. While his brothers Dyson and Aaron now play for Essendon in the AFL and VFL respectively, a string of injuries in his late teens cut short Jamin’s playing career. By that stage, however, he had found another passion – one that inspired him as much as being on the football field.

At 17, as school captain at Leongatha Secondary College, Jamin attended a YMCA leadership camp. The experience was life-changing. “I was a big fish in a small pond and it was a real eye-opener,” said Jamin. “It was the first time I’d met someone who was a Muslim. It was the first time I had spoken to a teenager who was openly gay, or met someone who talked about their depression. I also realised that while I was a good communicator and I liked being in charge, I didn’t really know how to lead.”

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He returned home “wanting to change the world”. His parents saw something had struck a chord with their son. “All of a sudden, he had a focus,” says Ann-Maree. “Paul and I and our other boys are more easy-going. But Jamin has this ‘I am here for a reason and I’m going to make a difference’ spirit.”

Although the family was always community-minded, his mother is not sure where his passion for social change comes from. “If it is a genetic trait, it probably came from my mother,” laughs Ann-Marie. “Mum was very involved in the Catholic Women’s League. She was quite a mover and shaker. She and Jamin were very close. He used to ring her a lot and talk about things.”

While the YMCA camp was the start of Jamin’s own journey of personal development, it also planted a germ of an idea that would take five years to come to fruition. He had seen first-hand how important sporting clubs were in regional towns, and how behaviour on the footy field could shape the attitudes and culture of the community around it. “Kids who are good at sport are looked up to. The culture in the footy team doesn’t just affect the club: it carries across to the schoolyard and beyond,” he says. “There is a lot of sexism, racism and alcohol abuse in clubs – and that disturbed me. I thought that if other club leaders had the chance that I had, they would take those insights back into their communities and start to change the way people acted and thought.” The Captains Camp concept started to take shape.

Jamin worked as a facilitator at leadership camps and started volunteering with the YMCA. He soaked up new ideas, taking every opportunity to develop himself. He continued to work on his idea of a leadership camp aimed at football clubs. “I trained to be facilitator and mentor. I went to university to study science, and did courses on sports coaching and sports

education,” says Jamin. Through the YMCA, he met Alicia Crawford, and told her of his concept of Captains Camp. She encouraged him to keep developing the idea and offered to come on board as part of his team. He started to assemble a team of like-minded people who had the skills needed to help launch his leadership program.

He got a further boost from the response to the Facebook page he set up in 2012. “It got an extremely positive response and created real momentum, so I knew I had to keep going.”

Jamin set up a not-for-profit organisation – Game Changers Australia, auspiced through the YMCA – to deliver training programs to sporting clubs, starting with the Captains Camp, which is aimed at 15-17 year-olds. “This is a vulnerable age, but in a good way,” explains Jamin. “Kids at this stage are really starting to find out who they are – so they’re open to ideas and finding ways to express their values.”

Jamin and his team took the Captains Camp concept to the West Gippsland and Alberton football leagues, using his connections to open the door to the club boardrooms. “We decided to pilot the program in Gippsland because that’s where I had the contacts. The Heppell name is well known in the area and some of the people running the clubs had played with my dad. We got a really positive reaction and 16 of the 26 clubs came on board.” The clubs nominated young footballers and netballers in a leadership role or who demonstrated leadership potential. “Having girls as well as boys involved has been a real positive for the program,” says Jamin. “Gender equality is meant to be everywhere, but in reality, it’s a long way off.”

The first Captains Camp ran over six months in 2013. As well as three residential camps, fortnightly catch-ups with a mentor and communication with the Captains Camp team, there were presentations from guest speakers and professional facilitators. Jamin says the camps are designed to open the teenagers’ eyes to “the opportunities in the place where they live, or opportunities to pursue elsewhere.” He also believes they can play a crucial role in mental health, especially for the boys. “One of the aims of the camp is to create a space where boys can feel vulnerable. That’s part of being human and it’s important that boys know its okay to talk about emotions.” >

“The culture in the footy team doesn’t just affect the club: it carries across to the schoolyard and beyond.”

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While Jamin’s own yardstick for measuring the success of the Captains Camp is having every club sign on for another season, feedback comes from many different quarters. “I got a text from a mother saying what a difference the camp had made to her child and that she had never seen him happier.

We had one indigenous kid who took part and he’s gone on to take part in other programs. I’ve been told that before Captains Camp he wouldn’t have had the confidence to put his hand up for them.”

“… the camps are designed to open the teenagers’ eyes to the opportunities in the place where they live, or opportunities to pursue elsewhere.”

As Captains Camp gears up for its second season, Jamin is looking to the future. He is developing two new programs.

One will target the senior members of clubs, highlighting their role as mentors and role models for young players, while the other – aimed at 14 year-olds – will function as a taster for Captains Camp. On the business side, he is working on a model to make Game Changers Australia sustainable and financially secure, as it’s currently 100 per cent volunteerdriven. His parents sometimes worry about the workload he has taken on. “He puts a lot of pressure on himself,” says Ann-Maree. “He is very driven to succeed and we want him to be successful, but we are very proud of him regardless of the outcome.” Clearly Jamin Heppell dreams big and is prepared to push himself to the limit to see his dreams become reality.

“I want the world to be a better place because I was here.”

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showroom/office 22a cashin st inverloch 3996 tel 03 5674 6247 • fax 03 5674 6249 • email invint@bigpond.net.au • www.invisageinverloch.com.au coast 48

WEST GIPPSLAND ARTS CENTRE

The Centre of Choice in Gippsland Corner of Smith & Albert Streets, Warragul

WARRAGUL

...come as you are...leave changed

WEST GIPPSLAND ARTS CENTRE WARRAGUL

For ticket prices and bookings call 5624 2456 or visit us online at www.wgac.com.au Find and like us on Facebook

Wulamanayuwi and the Seven Pamanui

Warragul Theatre Company presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s greatest musical

Phantom of the Opera

The Dancers Company Classical Triple Bill

Tuesday 10 June 11:00am and 7:30pm

Season Runs Friday 27 June - Saturday 12 July

Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 July, 8:00pm

A modern Aboriginal fairy story, inspired

by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

A tale of mystery, love and despair, set at the “Opera Populaire” in Paris during the 1870’s.

The Dancers Company is the regional touring arm of The Australian Ballet, comprising guest artists from The Australian Ballet and graduating students from The Australian Ballet School.

Wulamanayuwi and the Seven Pamanui is a joyful romp through a familiar tale of myth, magic and adventure.

Puppets, song, dance combine to make this a whole family adventure featuring the language and rhyme of the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin. Packed with spirit and humour, Wulamanayuwi will delight audiences young and old.

Come on a wondrous journey where your spirits will soar and you will live like you’ve never lived before. The story of the Phantoms obsession for the beautiful Christine will take you to heights of the opera house and into the depths of the Labyrinth below.

Rhonda Burchmore

Circus Oz 2014

Tuesday 5 August, 11am

Friday 29 August, 7:30pm and Saturday 30 August 1:00pm and 7:30pm

Up Close and Personal

Rhonda Burchmore returns to Warragul for this special encore performance for our Daylight audiences.

“I love performing my own show because I get to select the songs I want to sing, I can share the stories that I know they enjoy hearing, and I can have a chat to the audience if I feel like it.”

Rhonda has been regarded as one of the major stars of Australian Theatre for the past three decades.

Strong women, stunt-jumping flyers, death-defying aerialists and beautiful jugglers, a cranking live multi-skilled band, all with a subversive antipodean vaudeville and cabaret twist. With bold, flashy skills, electrifying live music, and that trademark irreverent spirit, Circus Oz 2014 will have audiences on their feet, baying for more!

The Australian Ballet Presents:

The Dancers Company will dazzle with a triple bill of ballet gems. The Australian Ballet School will also be celebrating its 50th anniversary – come and join the party!

Elegies and Dances

Melbourne Chamber Orchestra Wednesday 3 September 7:30pm JS Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor brings an infectious spontaneity to this program, which celebrates both the lively rhythmic energy and the elegiac poignancy of music for strings.

Bartok’s Roumanian Dances exude a lively rustic charm whilst Grieg’s everpopular Holberg Suite takes the form of a colourful tribute to the courtly manners of the 18th century ballroom.

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music

artist proďŹ le

words maria reed photos warren reed

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ar tist

profile

ThE DESmonDS PlAy iT liKE ThEy mEAn iT If I had any musical ability, The Desmonds is the band I’d like to join. The relaxed banter between these three blokes has the feel of a well-worn pair of jeans – relaxed, casual and effortlessly cool. Now they are ready to take the coast by storm, or a small puff of wind (which is the way they’d describe it in their modest, self-deprecating style).

“Kane came up with the name The Desmonds, and we thought it sounded all right,” smiles keyboardist Bill Yusko. “He took the name from his old high-school days, when he had to play the lookout for teachers on duty while his friends smoked behind the shelter shed”. Kane says, “We used to call smokers Desmonds…and on more than one occasion I was caught out with this bunch, and I didn’t even smoke!” He laughs at the memory. He adds: “I guess The Desmonds sounds like a funny kind of family, but we’ve been playing together for so long now, we almost are family,” he grimaces.

The band started organically, with drummer Rick North, guitarist and lyricist Kane Allan, and Bill Yusko on keyboard.

After an impromptu jam in Kane’s lounge-room over six years ago, the three have been playing together ever since – give or take a revolving bass player or two. With a selection of blues and rock covers, the band also writes its own originals, which, Rick adds, “are a bit of a sound recipe with many influences – a pinch of this and a pinch of that, bind it together with a drum beat, and there you have it!”

The band has just recorded four original tracks with local sound producer Cal Orr. Bill says, “I met Cal by chance surfing down at Anzacs. We got talking about music in the carpark.

He told me what he did, and I told him what we were doing, and we ended up recording with him.” Kane adds, “He was an absolute joy to work with. He was pumping us up and gave us a great lift to get recording. We had a new bass player who had only played three times with us, but he made us sound amazing.”

Their easy familiarity is a testament to the six years spent playing together. You may ask how an art teacher, an airconditioning technician and a woodworker came together to form a cohesive, entertaining band. The answer – a shared love of music.

Drummer Rick is the first to offer up his musical roots. “My father was an opera singer and performed in Jesus Christ Superstar with Jon English and Marcia Hines…so he was definitely an early influence.” He got into drums at age 13 and his mum offered to pay for lessons, but he laughs, “I was like, ‘nah, I’m gonna teach myself’.” He learnt a trade, but soon after finishing his apprenticeship the government organisation he worked for made many of its staff redundant. He was offered the opportunity of retraining in its ‘career transition program’, and jumped at the chance. He laughs as he recalls the official response when he revealed that he wanted to be a drummer!

“I found an approved TAFE course in the Latrobe Valley that allowed me to play music every day on full trade wages.

I wish I could have that year back,” he laughs. “That’s probably when I started playing really well, as I got to practise up to four or five hours a day, five days a week.”

His teacher was an Irish music teacher who played weddings to supplement his teaching. “He’d get students to play in his band, so I joined up,” says Rick. They did everything from jazz standards to Irish jigs and blues. “It was corny and cheesy as – like a floorshow –, but I learnt a lot about improvising and impromptu playing. We wouldn’t know half the time what tangent he was going to go off on, and but as students we >

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followed whatever he led with.” He met a talented bass player in the band who helped him progress rapidly. “He’d do all this random stuff and that’s probably where I learnt to improvise.”

Since the wedding band, he’s been with a number of outfits playing full-on metal, rock, jazz and, blues.

Reflecting on his own musical journey, guitar and lyricist Kane remembers going to his uncle’s house to raid his vinyl collection. “He had an amazing collection – John Lee Hooker, early Stones and such…my ears just pricked up.” He started to borrow his uncle’s vinyl, with a threat of pain if his needle was to scratch any of the valuable collection. “I started borrowing six at a time, then 12, then I took a backpack, and my bicycle wheel would practically be lifting off the ground from the weight I was carrying.” He’d listen, skipping tracks until he got to the ones he liked (which was no mean feat on the old record player), and record them on a cassette tape. “Footy was a big part of my life, and when I gave it up I had to find something else to do. I started on the drums like Rick, and then discovered guitar and it went on from there. I taught myself and went back to those blues songs and learnt to improvise.” He went on to join a few bands at uni whilst studying for a teaching degree, worked with a few local bands, then hooked up with The Desmonds.

Keyboardist Bill Yusko moved to Australia from America soon after college. “They needed teachers over here so I came over through a teaching program.” His story began with piano lessons in primary and secondary school. “I always loved music and saw lots of bands around the traps,” he says,” but I really didn’t play myself. ” While teaching at Korumburra, a librarian friend who was moving house asked if he would mind her piano. “I was like . . . ‘sure!’ I got the piano home and was re-inspired.” He started playing from music books, then, after a trip to America, he caught up with friend and fellow surfer Paul Smith from a band called The Prawn Heads. “I had this crappy little Yamaha keyboard at that stage…it only had maybe 50 keys. I went down to have a jam with them, did a few songs and played along, and he said, ‘Do you wanna join the band? I was like – o k a y. ” The next weekend he went out and bought a synthesizer and an amp (which he still has) and started playing with The Prawns. “Then the band folded and we started another band called the Prawn Shells…” (Bill, Kane and Rick all laugh). He went on to play with various local bands, including Undertow, Soulsa Beach and Seven Winters. He ended up working with Kane as a fellow teacher, suggested they should get together and have a jam…and the rest, as they say, is history.

Rick says, “We’ve played some great gigs. I guess our main claim to fame is when we played warm-up to Melbourne band Kingswood, and that was a strange thing.” Rick saw the invitation on Facebook asking if anyone wanted to support Kingswood at a gig. “We were like, ‘Yeah, we’ll do it!’. “The manager of the hotel said we needed our own sound guy – and I thought…we don’t have a sound guy!” With more front than a Barbie doll, they rolled up to the pub and found the sound engineer setting up for Kingswood. Rick laughs, “I’m like, ‘How ya goin, mate? I’ll give ya a pineapple if you do sound for us’.” He kindly agreed and they started off with an original song (written by Kane) “that just blew the place apart.

People were clapping and cheering. We were like, ‘Oh my god – this is cool!”

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The song was called ‘Rick’s Chickens’. Rick shakes his head.

“Kane is actually a really good lyricist. His lyrics can have a multitude of meanings…and to give credit where credit’s due, he’s a pretty talented fella. Often in the covers, he’ll slip our names in without people even realising it, and start singing about me. He keeps you on your toes. Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone with that ability to make lyrics up on the spot.”

Bill adds, “Even with a cover, we add our own spin – we call it ‘putting it in the Desmonator’. When we sneak in our originals while people are still up dancing, and ours get the same sort of response, it’s a buzz!”

Rick says, “I love being able to create something from scratch and have people enjoy it. We’ve got a repertoire of about 20 original songs now (…at different stages of being cooked,” adds Kane). The walls of the rehearsal space in Rick’s garage are covered in texta’d lyrics and songs to be finished. “Look, the CD won’t be (too) far away, and a Facebook page will follow. We’ve gotta pull our finger out a bit and get a steady bass player so we can start up the gigs again. We want a bass player that’s been around the block a couple of times. There is a person we have our eye on – he doesn’t know it yet, but we’re gonna get in his ear soon. Our music has a fairly strong groove, and we need someone to complement that. If we don’t have a good bass player it can all fall apart,” says Kane.

Rick finishes, “It’s amazing how different the music can sound depending on your mindset. My old Irish music teacher always said, ‘No matter what, if you play a song, you play it with conviction. You’ve got to attack it, and don’t look scared.

You have to play it like you mean it’.”

For a sneak peek, YouTube - The Desmonds

A gorgeous range of products including Australian designers locally handmade fair trade Pamper yourself this winter Where: 2/17 The Esplanade, Cowes 3922 Phone: 0400 569 663 petitecollections@bigpond.com www.ellanipetite.com.au

123 Marine Parade, San Remo

Telephone 5678 5202

iHealth®

iHealth designs innovative, mobile personal healthcare products for everyone. iHealth’s integration with mobile technology has captured the imagination of it’s users, who can now measure, track and share their data, and play a more active role in managing their health.

Our line of wireless scales and blood pressure monitors has been revolutionary in the industry and continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

The full iHealth range is available at San Remo pharmacy

Open: Monday-Friday 9am - 6pm Saturday 9am - 12.30pm coast 53

a naturally beautiful WEDDING DAY AT

RAMADA RESORT PHILLIP ISLAND

Exchange your vows in the picturesque countryside or with an intimate gathering poolside. Ramada Phillip Island is set on over 65 acres where there is ample space for a marquee. Our function centre provides the perfect venue for a memorable reception.

Our affordable wedding packages are specially designed to make your big day absolutely perfect. They offer a choice of menus and an exclusive accommodation rate can be arranged for your guests, so they can relax and unwind in our stylish studio rooms and cottages.

Best of all, you will receive personalised and friendly service, ensuring that your wedding is nothing short of spectacular.

ENQUIRE NOW

T: 03 5952 8000 E: events@ramadaphillipisland.com.au www.ramadaphillipisland.com.au

Resort Management by Wyndham Pty Ltd ACN 099 634 830 trading as Ramada Resort Phillip Island.

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photos : Jess Lane Photography 0459 425 894

Whether you’re dreaming of a casual beach wedding or a traditional church ceremony, there is no better place to celebrate your special day than in our stunning part of Victoria.

To help make your day perfect, we’ve gathered together some of the coast’s finest wedding

wedding feature

suppliers and services.

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Leading Gippsland Decoraters

For Hire

Chair covers, sashes, table runners, glass vases, centre pieces, table clothes, roof canopy, fairy lights, wall draping, ceremony, bar tables & bali flags, red & white carpet, wooden folding chairs. Full Wedding packages available or DIY. Call Mary or Joanne Cox. 0412 705 862 or 5674 5523 | monsviewpark@bigpond.com | www.monsviewweddings.vpweb.com.au

Servicing

all of

Victoria &

destination weddings

Award Winning Wedding Photographers

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0414 343 104 lpiera@lenstolife.com.au www.lenstolife.com.au

Live your dream

wedding feature

Today’s bride and groom use technology, professional planners and good old-fashioned advice to help create the perfect wedding.

Whether you’re drawn to a simple beachside gathering or a traditional church ceremony, planning a wedding is a challenge. Whatever approach you have in mind, there are plenty of ways to source everything you need to create the day of your dreams.

Many couples who celebrate their special day on the coast have a personal connection to the area, while others are drawn from further afield to the coast’s stunning natural beauty. In 2013, Renee Ricci set up basscoastbride.com.au to cater for the coastal wedding market. Her experience in tourism and event planning, together with her IT expertise, is proving the perfect formula for helping couples to successfully plan their big day.

Renee believes today’s brides take advantage of technology to help plan their weddings, and want to be able to access information in a lot of different ways. “Brides today are being more savvy online and are also more budget-conscious,“ says Renee.

She recommends doing lots of research before taking the plunge with your wedding planning. “You need to be organised and have a clear idea of how you want your day to be,” advises Renee. “Know how much you are prepared to spend and start putting your ideas down – in a scrapbook, or on Pinterest.

Everyone has an iPad or a phone these days, so take snaps of things that you like and have a collection of ideas.” She says having a theme, a colour, a song or location that has a special significance to you and your partner can be a good starting point.”

Renee also advises couples to decide early if they want to do all the planning themselves, or to get someone else involved.

“Ask yourself, ‘Can I get this all together on my own?’ Look realistically at who is going to help you with your planning.

Are you going to bring in your mother or bridesmaid? Or do you want to employ someone to help you, such as a professional wedding planner?”

Once you decide on your theme and your budget, it’s time to start looking for venues and suppliers to help make your dreams a reality. “Get out and meet with suppliers firsthand,” urges Renee. “Make sure that a particular service or product is right for your day or theme and that it ties in with your aspirations and ideas.” Renee says wedding expos and wedding sampler days are also a good way to get inspiration and find out more about potential suppliers.

Basscoastbride.com.au delivers you a selection of local suppliers, hand-picked by Renee. Renee also provides some great educational guides to help put your day together and organizes an annual Bass Coast Bride Wedding Expo.

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Katandra Garden – feel the magic Tucked away on the outskirts of Cowes, Katandra Garden is the perfect spot to create your dream wedding.

have a wealth of experience in hospitality and floristry. “This is such a unique setting with so many different locations, so it suits every theme,” says Kristal. “From boho to informal, from cocktail to romantic or modern, we can help you create something that truly reflects your personality.” And whatever your theme, with two cottages, a lake, a bridge and a choice of stunning gardens, Katandra will provide the picture-perfect backdrop for your wedding photographs.

This unique wedding location oozes personality and charm.

A beautiful family property, it includes a lake and Tuscan Villa, with artwork and sculptures scattered through the grounds.

You can say “I do” by the water, in a sea of succulents, or surrounded by a charming cottage garden. Property owners, Trevor and Adrienne lovingly tended the gardens, so there are blooms all year round, creating a romantic and colourful backdrop for your special day.

The versatility of the property also means it can easily cater for weddings of different sizes, and Melanie and Kristal offer the flexibility to tailor the wedding arrangements to your needs and budget. “You could have a reception for around 40 people in our Villa,” says Melanie. “Or there is plenty of room to bring in a marquee to cater for a big party.” Couples can hire the property for the ceremony, for the reception or both. And whether you want to be hands-on or are looking for someone to sort all the details for you, Melanie and Kristal will work with you to find the perfect solution. “You can book the venue and bring in everything yourself, or you can hire us to look after it all for you,” says Kristal. “The great thing about Katandra is there are so many options. Come and talk to us and let us help you create your dream wedding or function.”

Melanie and Kristal are the brains behind Katandra Garden.

Passionate about helping people create their ideal day, they

Call or email Kristal and Melanie or visit their website or facebook page.

katandra garden events & weddings

www.kgevents.com.au

Kristal: 0438 050 822 Melanie: 0410 434 228 e: katandragardenevents@gmail.com

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Celebrate your wedding day at wilson botanic berwick Have you always imagined yourself as a bride surrounded by a sea of roses?

Always dreamed about making your vows beside a picturesque lake or having the perfect garden wedding?

Wilson Botanic Park Berwick can make your wedding dreams come true.

Richard Amon, City of Casey Manager Sport and Leisure, says: “Wilson Botanic Park Berwick provides 39 hectares of stunning gardens set around two lakes. Native and exotic plants, a colourful rose garden, lush green lawns and ornamental trees create the perfect backdrop for any wedding.

“The park offers a grandeur that only nature can provide. With a variety of choices from a traditional garden backdrop to simply breathtaking scenery, couples can choose the setting that best reflects them on their wedding day.”

Whatever the size or theme of your wedding, Wilson Botanic Park Berwick offers a variety of memorable settings suitable for ceremonies for 50 to 300 guests.

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The park only allows one ceremony at a time, ensuring a truly special and private

The park only allows one ceremony at a time, ensuring a truly special and private ceremony

Rose Garden In November and March, this garden is a riot of rose blooms and is guaranteed to ensure a breathtaking setting for saying “I do�. With room for 50 guests, this is an intimate and romantic setting for your wedding.

Lakeside Lawn With spectacular waterfront views, the Lakeside Lawn is one of the most popular wedding locations in the Park. On a lush green lawn with the sparkling Anniversary Lake as the backdrop, this is the perfect spot for a wedding of up to150 guests.

The Rotunda Surrounded by ornamental trees, this ornate garden gazebo will thrill the most romantic of brides. The rustic brick pathway leading up to the gazebo creates a wedding aisle in a setting suitable for up to 80 guests.

Bluestone Amphitheatre If you are looking for the perfect space for a big outdoor wedding, look no further. Located on the eastern side of Anniversary Lake, surrounded by gently undulating hills and rolling lawns, up to 300 guests can comfortably fit in the amphitheatre to witness your wedding vows.

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Get the perfect ring & jewellery for your wedding.

TM

Handmade, Well made, Australian made

TM

TM

TM

Gallery will be closed for annual holiday from 27 July and reopen on 5 September Unique Jewellery | Watches | Repairs | Classes | Rethreading | Commissions | Ear Piercing

Shop 3 - Bridgeview Arcade San Remo

phone. 5678 5788

Regular Classes & Exhibitions visit:

www.goldsmithsgallery.com.au

MUSIC TO FILL THE DANCE FLOOR!

MORE THAN YOUR TYPICAL ‘WEDDING BAND’

With regular showcase performances and a free demo CD you can see and hear them live before booking them.

Choose between 3 – 14 full time professional musicians who play Top 40, Classic Rock & Funk, 80s, Swing Jazz and more...

Pricing from $1000 - $5000, depending on band size.

Call 0438 301 313 or email info@bakerboysband.com.au for more information

JAZZ | FUNK | BLUES | ROCK | ACOUSTIC coast 62

WWW.BAKERBOYSBAND.COM.AU

39 hectares of stunning gardens set around two lakes

The park offers three wedding packages that make it easier to organise your special day. Packages anticipate and cater for your every wedding wish, including exclusive use of the location of your choice, wet-weather options and photography permits.

Although you can book any of the four wedding locations, the park only allows one ceremony at a time, ensuring a truly special and private ceremony. Your wedding party and guests can also move at leisure throughout the park to capture a variety of photos.

Those choosing to marry at a church or off-site venue can still enjoy the beauty of the park by securing a two-hour photography permit.

Wilson Botanic Park Berwick is located at 668 Princes Highway, Berwick, only 15 minutes from Dandenong and 45 minutes from Phillip Island.

To find out more about Wilson Botanic Park Berwick, visit www.wilsonbotanicpark.com.au.

Wilson Botanic Park Berwick is 45km southeast of Melbourne.

• Native/Exotic flora • Picturesque views • Plant fossils • Children’s playground • Lakeside vistas • Special Events • Historical site • Picnic Areas Bookings essential for Wedding ceremonies/photography

Princes Hwy, Berwick 3806 Tel: 03 9707 5818 www.wilsonbotanicpark.com.au coast 63

Venues & Receptions Churchill Island

Photo: Lens to Life© 0414 343 104

For an intimate wedding your family and friends will be talking about for years to come, Churchill Island Heritage Farm is the venue you’ve been looking for. This historic homestead brings together everything you need in the one great setting: ceremony, photographic locations and a stunning reception. We have a range of options available and welcome the opportunity to create the wedding of your dreams! www.penguins.org.au/attractions/churchill-island or call 03 5951 2802

Esplanade Hotel If you are looking for an intimate and welcoming space, then look no further than The Captain’s Lounge located on the first floor of the Esplanade Hotel. With a private balcony that overlooks Inverloch and includes magnificent ocean glimpses, the room caters for seated and cocktail functions. With professional staff on hand to help you plan your special day, there will be nothing left for you to do except relax and enjoy the experience. www.invyespy.com.au or call 03 5674 1432

Foreshore Bar & Restaurant The Foreshore has hosted many weddings from canapé receptions to sit-down dinners. Offering a stylish coastal feel with stunning water views that are always amazing no matter what the weather. With high quality food and service, what more could you ask for? Over the years The Foreshore has gained a reputation for hosting outstanding weddings. We can design your wedding to suit your individual need. Only the best will do for your wedding day. www.theforeshore.com.au or call 03 5956 9520

Katandra Garden & Events Tucked away on the outskirts of Cowes, Katandra Garden is the perfect spot to create your dream wedding. This unique three acre garden property oozes charm and personality and can cater for weddings of all sizes. Melanie and Kristal offer the flexibility to tailor the wedding arrangements to your needs and budget. “The great thing about Katandra is there are so many options. Come and talk to us and let us help you create your dream wedding.” www.kgevents.com.au or call Kristal: 0438 050 82 Melanie: 0410 434 228

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Manna Gum @ Broadbeach Just minutes from the centre of Inverloch, and only 90 minutes from Melbourne, Broadbeach Resort, with its beautiful Manna Gum Restaurant, is a stunning venue for your special day. With their great food and extensive local wine list, Manna Gum will work with you to create the perfect wedding feast.

Your guests will enjoy the friendly atmosphere, relaxing by the cosy fire or sipping a glass of champagne on the deck in summer, whilst experiencing high quality and personalised service. The Management invites you to discuss your wedding requirements with their function coordinator. www.manna-gum.com.au or call 03 5674 1199

wedding feature RACV Resort Inverloch

Ramada Resort Phillip Island Phillip Island weddings will be a tailor-made special event to suit your individual style. The resort’s Bass Room 1 and 2 provide flexibility and privacy for intimate weddings. These Phillip Island wedding venues can accommodate relaxed, stylish cocktail receptions and sit-down dinners, or the Bass Rooms can be combined for larger celebrations of 150 guests cocktail style or 100 guests seated with a dance floor. www.ramadaphillipisland.com.au or call 03 5952 8000

Set in a stunning natural environment with breathtaking ocean views, this is the perfect location to celebrate your special day. The RACV Inverloch Resort is a leisurely two-hour drive from Melbourne and only five kilometres from Inverloch. The Resort’s experienced team will ensure your wedding day is what you’ve always dreamed of. www.racv.com.au/inverloch or call 03 5674 0000

The Nobbies Set against a backdrop of spectacular ocean views, the Nobbies Centre offers sweeping outlooks of wild ocean waters from its clifftop location. With a large function space that can cater for up to 120 guests, our on-site catering also offers quality menus at competitive rates. www.penguins.org.au or call 03 5951 2802

The Shearing Shed

This newly refurbished, rustic venue has had a stunning transformation and is the perfect venue for your wedding or special event. The Shearing Shed is able to cater for weddings big and small and Executive Chef Nevin and his team can put together the perfect menu for you. Talk to Abbie to find out how to make your dream wedding become a reality. www.theshearingshed.com.au or call 03 5952 3015

Wilson Botanic Park Berwick An astounding 39 hectares of stunning gardens set around two lakes, creates the perfect backdrop for any wedding. With four beautiful and memorable locations, Wilson Botanic Park Berwick is suitable for ceremonies from 50 to 300 guests. www.wilsonbotanicpark.com.au or call 03 9707 5818

Beach Weddings Looking to say ‘I do’ on a beautiful beach by the coast? Informal weddings do not require a permit. A small table and seating for the elderly is permitted, but the wedding should not interfere with the normal use of the area. Confetti and alcohol are not allowed on our local beaches and foreshores. For bookings, contact Bass Coast Shire Council on1300 BCOAST (226 278) www.basscoast.vic.gov.au Photo: Lens to Life© 0414 343 104

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Accommodation RACV Resort Inverloch This beautiful Bass Coast establishment offers a mix of stylish accommodation options which include premium ocean view rooms with uninterrupted 180-degree coastal views, luxurious and modern ocean view rooms, and stylish eco-villas for families and groups requiring that little extra comfort and space. In addition, a caravan park featuring 32 sites, including 12 with private modern ensuites, is set among beautiful native bushland. www.racv.com.au or call 03 5674 0000

Ramada Resort Phillip Island Situated two hours drive from Melbourne, Ramada Resort Phillip Island is close to a variety of natural wildlife experiences, popular tourist attractions, swimming and surfing beaches, and breath-taking rugged beauty. www.ramadaphillipisland.com.au or call 03 5952 8000

Wilsons Prom Holiday Accommodation For a getaway that’s close to nature, look no further than Wilsons Prom Holiday Accommodation. We invite you to view our new Wilsons Prom travel video at www.promcountry.com.au

Hair & Beauty Beachside Hair & Beauty Let the team at Beachside take care of all your hair and beauty needs for your wedding day. The girls will work with you to plan your hairstyle and make up to perfectly complement your wedding dress and theme. All you will need to do is come in, relax with a glass of bubbly and enjoy being made so beautiful for your special day. www.facebook.com/BeachsideHairAndBeauty or call 03 5678 5323

Fashion Sketa Australian designed and made, Sketa fashion house creates limited editions for that individual look. From mother-of-the bride to guests, their gorgeous designs will have you covered for the big day.

71 Main St, Mornington & 42 Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento

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Jewellers

wedding feature

Denis Hawkins For over 40 years Denis A Hawkins has been designing and handcrafting fine jewellery for clients worldwide. Let Denis create unique wedding rings that are made especially for the two of you. He is a master craftsman in the setting of diamonds and other precious gems including grain setting, channel and bezel setting, and gypsy and flush-type hammer settings. Denis believes in quality first, using only first-grade diamonds and gemstones, and has his own internationally acclaimed gem c utter and polisher.

3 Lyon St, Leongatha www.denisahawkins.com.au or call 03 5662 3142

Goldsmith’s Gallery The Goldsmith’s Gallery can enhance your special day by designing and making jewellery for your entire wedding party, as well as wedding rings for the bride and groom. Each ring that Bronwyn creates and sells comes with a free annual clean and polish. Unusual designs are her specialty. If you want something different that will last a lifetime, then have it handmade andwell made. Gallery will be closed for annual holidays from 28th July to 5th September. www.goldsmithsgallery.com.au Shop 3, Marine Parade - Bridgeview Arcade, San Remo or call 03 5678 5788

Lacy Jewellery Studio & Gallery Whether traditional or contemporary, Lacy engagement rings and wedding bands offer exquisite beauty to last a lifetime. Led by manufacturing jeweller Philip Lacy, the Lacy staff will assist you through each step in choosing the perfect rings. www.lacyjewellery.com.au 132 Whitelaw St, Meeniyan or call 03 5664 0055

Photos: Lens to Life© 0414 343 104

Photo: Lens to Life©

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Celebrants Jacky Webster Your Wedding Day marks the beginning of your new and exciting life together.

My role is to support you all the way and ensure that we comply with all of the legal requirements. Most important to me, is that it is YOUR day, the lead up to it is relaxed and the ceremony is tailored to meet your needs. Bring along any ideas you have to an obligation free chat at my home in Inverloch and together we can write a ceremony that is unique to you. I am happy to travel to your ceremony, wherever it may be.

Jenny Milkins Jenny Milkins will ensure your ceremony is as unique and individual as you are. If you select a church wedding, the priest or minister will assist you with planning. Other locations require a civil celebrant to make it all official.

“A civil marriage ceremony allows you the freedom to personalise your proceedings and also offers more flexibility in regard to the time, date and place,” says civil celebrant, Mona J. (Jenny) Milkins.

Have a good talk with your celebrant to ensure you can add all your own personal touches.

Call Mona (Jenny) Milkins 0439 320 099

webster.jacky@gmail.com or call 0402 157 764

Photography Lens to Life Lens to Life is a small, exclusive studio that approaches your wedding day in a professional manner, ensuring spontaneity and a relaxed atmosphere to encourage unprompted reactions and an un-staged appearance to your photos. Lucas and his team of photographers will exhibit their extensive range of designer album options, and discuss your personal photography requirements so that together you can create your individual wedding day story. Anyone can take a picture, Lens to Life produce art through telling your story. www.lenstolife.com.au or call 0414 343 104

Photo: Lens to Life© 0414 343 104

Music Jess Lane Photography

Baker Boys The Baker Boys band has years of experience, and advises that choosing the right band for your wedding can transform it into a truly spectacular party! A really great band will fill the dance floor faster than a DJ – there is something about live music that just inspires people to get up out of their seats! Make sure the band matches the “look and feel” you are creating for your wedding. Baker Boys provides a free Demo CD and can also organise music for your ceremony as well as your reception – this will save you hassle and a great deal of expense.

Remember, make sure your band has the flexibility to cater for a broad range of musical tastes – not just your own! www.bakerboysband.com.au or call 0438 301 313

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A professional photographer based in Inverloch, Jess will work with you to make sure all the emotion and joy of your special day is captured forever.

Her wedding photography blends illustrative and photojournalistic styles and balances shots of those candid moments with the formal portraits. Talk to Jess about wedding album options and all your other wedding day requirements. www.jesslane.com.au or call 0459 425 894

Slow-cooked Asian curries, Contemporary Australian fare, Indoor & alfresco dining, Coffee & cake all day.

Weddings & Functions, Fully licensed.

Available for private & corporate functions.

For enquiries & reservations call: 5674 1199 5 Lindsey Close, Inverloch www.manna-gum.com.au Photo: Lens to Life©

Personalised ceremonies for all those significant moments of life • • • •

Weddings Namings Renewal of vows Funerals

Mona J. (Jenny) Milkins

CIVIL CELEBRANT

Servicing all areas 18 Hunter Street Wonthaggi Vic 3995 P: 03 5672 3123 M: 0439 320 099 Email: jenny_milkins@hotmail.com

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5678 5323 103B Marine Pde, san Remo beachsidehairandbeauty.com.au

san Remo’s quintessential hair and beauty destination for ladies and gentlemen Relax, revive and reinvent yourself

aptain’s ounge • Open Thursday Friday and Saturday nights.

• Available other days or nights for group bookings of 20 or more.

• 3 Course Thursdays (every Thursday night) 3 delicious courses for only $35.

• See our function co-ordinator to organise your special event: Weddings, Engagements, Birthdays, Graduation Dinners, Conferences.

• A sophisticated and beautiful restaurant, Level 1 at the Espy.

1 A’Beckett St, Inverloch Vic 3996 03 5674 1432 www.invyespy.com.au coast 70

Redken & PuReology Haircare youngBlood Mineral Makeup deRMaQuest skin therapy aviva laBs tanning Boutique gift vouchers available

wedding feature

Wedding Services Monsview Creative Weddings

Creating Everlasting Memories. Monsview Creative Weddings, a family owned business, can arrange everything from your Ceremony to Reception for a wedding you and your guests will cherish forever. With many years’ decorating experience and local knowledge they provide superior service and particular attention to detail giving you peace of mind. Monsview can transform your venue into your dream: from Arbours on the beach with Bali flags to a majestically transformed venue with silk draping, fairy lights and flowers. They offer a complete hire service from set up to final site clearance. Let their team create a wedding that reflects your personality and style. Make an appointment for a free consultation to discuss your ideas. With an extensively wide range of products and colours, we are uniquely positioned to create your perfect wedding for much less than you may expect, or you can hire the equipment and do it yourself. www.monsviewweddings.vpweb.com.au or Facebook (monsview creative weddings)

Coast Wedding Directory Accommodation

Jewellers

Venues & Receptions

RACV Resort, Inverloch p.58 www.racv.com.au/inverloch 03 5674 0000

Denis A. Hawkins, Leongatha p.78 www.denisahawkins.com.au 03 5662 3142

Bass Coast Shire Council p.65 Halls, reserves and beaches www.basscoast.vic.gov.au

Lacy Jewellery Studio & Gallery, Meeniyan p.124 www.lacyjewellery.com.au 03 5664 0055

Churchill Island, Phillip Island p.73 www.penguins.org.au 03 5951 2802

Celebrants

Goldsmith’s Gallery, San Remo p.62 www.goldsmithsgallery.com.au 03 5678 5788

Foreshore Bar & Restaurant, Rhyll p.72 www.theforeshore.com.au 03 5956 9520

Andy Chappell p.120 www.phillipislandcelebrancy.com.au 0407 996 763

Make-up, Hair and Beauty

Ramada Resort Phillip Island p.54 www.ramadaphillipisland.com.au 03 5952 8000 Prom Country Accommodation p.121 www.promcountry.com.au

Jenny Milkins p.69 0439 320 099 jenny_milkins@hotmail.com Jillian Poole p.120 0402 056 851 jillian@snapfinance.com.au Jacky Webster p.75 0402 157 764 webster.jacky@gmail.com

Fashion & Flowers Blossoms & Branches Florist p.120 www.facebook.com/blossomsandbranches 03 5674 3600 Sketa p.7 Mornington 03 5976 3311 & Sorrento 03 5984 0927

Gifts Art Fusion p.121 www.artfusionstudioandgallery.com 0439 368 538

Beachside Hair & Beauty, San Remo p.70 www.facebook.com/ BeachsideHairAndBeauty 03 5678 5323 Brush & Brows p.120 0417 578 677 contact@brushandbrows.com.au Priceline Pharmacy Cowes p.34 Cowes 03 5952 2061 San Remo Pharmacy p.53 03 5678 5202

Music Baker Boys p.62 www.bakerboysband.com.au

Esplanade Hotel, Inverloch p.70 www.invyespy.com.au 03 5674 1432

Katandra Garden & Events, Cowes p.59 www.kgevents.com.au 0438 050 822 Manna Gum @ Broadbeach, Inverloch p.69 www.manna-gum.com.au 03 5674 1199 RACV Resort, Inverloch p.58 www.racv.com.au 03 5674 0000 Ramada Resort, Phillip Island p.54 www.ramadaphillipisland.com.au 03 5952 8000 The Nobbies, Phillip Island p.73 www.penguins.org.au 03 5951 2802 The Shearing Shed, Phillip Island p.72 www.theshearingshed.com.au 03 5952 3015 Wilson Botanic Park, Berwick p.63 www.wilsonbotanicpark.com.au 03 9707 5818

Wedding Services

Photography

Monsview Creative Weddings p.56 www.monsviewweddings.vpweb.com.au

Lens to Life, Phillip Island p.56 www.lenstolife.com.au 0414 343 104

Poppy Jean Vintage Rentals & Styling, Mornington Peninsula p.121 www.poppyjean.com.au 0409 828 545

Jess Lane Photography p.75 www.jesslane.com.au 0459 425 894

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A touch of style in a truly unique setting could be your wedding experience

Photo: Lens to Life©

foreshore weddings & special events • amazing water views • outstanding food & service

Telephone (03) 5956 9520 11 Beach Road, Rhyll, Phillip Island Vic www.theforeshore.com.au

the foreshore bar

&

restaurant

The Shearing Shed

Newly refurbished rustic venue now with Executive Chef.

Weddings and Functions Inspection by appointment

P: 5952 3015 E: info@theshearingshed.com.au W: theshearingshed.com.au

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words & photos supplied

Weddings at Phillip Island In such a competitive market for wedding venues, Phillip Island is a stand out destination. Located 90 minutes from Melbourne, no other location offers an island setting bordered by the stunning waters of Bass Strait or nestled in the tranquillity of quaint farms and natural bush or coastal environments.

Most famous for its resident little penguins, Phillip Island also boasts two renowned wedding venues - the Nobbies Centre and Churchill Island.

Set against a backdrop of spectacular ocean views, the Nobbies Centre offers sweeping outlooks of wild ocean waters from its cliff-top location. The Nobbies Centre is arguably one of Victoria’s best kept secrets, with breathtaking views and a large function space that can cater for up to 120 guests. Onsite catering also offers quality menus at competitive rates. >

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At the other end of Phillip Island is the tranquil setting of Churchill Island. Stage your wedding against a backdrop of beautiful cottage gardens, heritage buildings and the peaceful waters of Western Port Bay. Fancy trimmings are not necessary in such a stunning location.

Arrive at Churchill Island in a horse drawn carriage and capture stunning wedding photos amongst the heritage grounds.

Over 57 hectares can be utilised for the wedding, making it ideal for marquees with capacity to cater for up to 1000 guests. Allow our experienced wedding staff to help make your day memorable with our special wedding packages, including ceremony, reception and photography.

A wedding at Phillip Island is even more possible with the plentiful accommodation options for the newly married couple and their guests. Choose from cliff top bed and breakfasts, beach houses or fully serviced apartments.

Phillip Island offers every service to help any wedding day run smoothly and with ease. Our wedding and function experts leave no detail unturned and no resource untapped.

All functions at Churchill Island and the Nobbies Centre form part of the Phillip Island Nature Parks. Make your wedding memorable by staging it at one of Victoria’s best destinations.

Phone: 03 5951 2802 www.penguins.org.au

Photos: Lens to Life© 0414 343 104

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Photos: Lens to Life© 0414 343 104

M ost impor tant to me, is that it is YOUR day and it is my job to see t h a t i t p r o g r e s s e s s m o o t h l y a n d i n a f o r m a t Y O U w o u l d p r e f e r.

• • • • • •

WEDDINGS RENEWAL OF VOWS COMMITMENT CEREMONIES NAMING CEREMONIES ANNIVERSARIES ANY SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS

JACKY WEBSTER CIVIL CELEBRANT 0402 157 764 03 5674 2931 w e b s t e r. j a c k y @ g m a i l . c o m 34 Pymble Avenue, Inverloch www.jackywebster.wix.com/jw-marriage-celebrant coast 75

athletics words eleanor patterson photos supplied

young & inspired

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young

&

inspired

RAiSing ThE BAR Local Leongatha high jumper Eleanor Patterson will represent Australia at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She talks to Coast about juggling international media attention and VCE studies, and the journey from Little Athletics to career athlete.

I first got involved in athletics through Little Athletics and school when I was nine. Everyone in my family has participated in lots of sports, although my younger brother Julian and I are the only ones who have done Little Aths.

Julian has also competed in high jump for Victoria at nationals and my older brother and sister Ben and Matilda both did well in high jump at school. I also have an uncle who was a very good high jumper.

I’m a member of South Coast Athletics Club, which is the senior local club in this area. South Coast is a small but successful country club that has always been amazingly supportive of me. Through the local Little Athletics club at Leongatha I met my coach David Green when I was 12, and I’ve been very fortunate in being coached by him ever since.

I certainly could not have reached these levels without his dedication, expertise and friendship. Going into our seventh year as a team I am incredibly grateful that the best coach in the world lives so close to me and we’re going on this journey together.

When I was younger I did all the athletic events, but high jump was always my favourite and the one I consistently did well in. From the beginning high jump was my dream, and I always wanted to go as high and as far as possible with the sport. There was never any doubt about pursuing it to the best of my abilities. Every time I compete I aim to do a personal best height and to simply keep improving.

I’m looking forward to going to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, to make my open international debut and to be amongst so many talented athletes. The hardest thing about competing in the Games is combining it with my last year of schooling.

I have simple routines to help me prepare for the international travel. As far as focusing, my heart and soul are always on athletics and I know to trust in my coach and our preparation. Dealing with the media is certainly a new experience, but I try to keep everything simple and just focus on my day-to-day routines with training, school and friends – and keeping a balance.

I don’t have any particular sporting hero. I look up to all successful athletes, especially those who do their sport and wear their achievements in a humble manner. My inspiration comes from my coach and all my supporting family, from my parents to my sister and brothers and my grandparents.

In five years I still want to be doing what I love – jumping over bars as high as I can.

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Artisan and seller of Traditional & Contemporary Jewellery

LEONGATHA STUDIO & SHOWROOM 3 Lyon Street, Leongatha | Tel. (03) 5662 3142 www.denisahawkins.com.au | denisa10@bigpond.com KOONWARRA STUDIO & GALLERY 11 Swan Road, Koonwarra Village | Tel. 0428 685 282

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feature area

Leongatha hiSToRy, CoffEE AnD CoUnTRy ChARm An enchanting mix of country charm and modern convenience, Leongatha has much to tempt daytrippers, history buffs and those in search of a warm haven on a winter’s day.

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feature

area

It’s hard to imagine a more perfect time to visit Leongatha.

The autumn rain has cloaked the hills a lush green winter coat, and driving in along the Bass Highway from Inverloch, I’m struck again by the beauty of the surrounding countryside.

Leongatha itself radiates down-home charm, and its shops and cafes provide a welcome respite from the brisk winter air. With a rich agricultural heritage in one of Victoria’s leading dairy areas, the town is a delightful blend of rural wholesomeness and modern convenience. Interspersed between historical buildings is a fantastic selection of cafes and shops to tempt the casual passer-by.

If you are a history buff, there is plenty to explore. Start at the junction of Bair and McCartin Streets to take in some of the historical buildings that play a large part in Leongatha’s charming façade. The old Mechanics Institute built in 1912 now serves as a local history museum and is the home of the Leongatha & District Historical Society. The Society runs regular exhibitions of documents, photos, artefacts and other materials that showcase the history of the area. From here it’s a short stroll to the historic post office (built in 1887), courthouse (1912) and the Memorial Hall. For those with crafty leanings, there is plenty to enjoy at the Leongatha Community Gallery, located in the historic centre of town. Pick up a memento of your visit from their array of original handmade gifts. If your mind is set on a more substantial keepsake, you cannot go past a visit to Denis A Hawkins Jewellery in

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Lyon Street. Denis specialises in quality handmade jewellery and would be happy to work with you to design and craft a unique ring, bracelet or pendant.

Exploring Leongatha’s town centre will certainly help you work up an appetite, so don’t leave town before picking up lunch or a fortifying coffee at one of the many local cafes.

The Rusty Windmill Café is a favourite with locals and visitors alike and serves up rustic homemade food bursting with fresh local ingredients. Renowned for its great coffee and mouthwatering cakes, you can also purchase jars of local jams and chutneys to take away.

If getting out and taking in the clear, fresh winter air is your idea of relaxation, then Leongatha is the perfect destination.

Stroll through beautiful McIndoe Park and let the kids run wild in the playground, have a picnic or take advantage of the BBQ facilities. Or you could work off that lunch and take a plunge in one of the heated pools at South Gippsland Splash swimming centre. Afterwards, pick up some organic fruit and vegetables from the Leongatha Health, Nutrition & Whole Foods store or pamper yourself with organic skin care products, a bottle of organic wine or some vitamins to ward off winter colds.

Leongatha also hosts an array of events over the winter months, including the popular Daffodil Festival in August.

To get your arts fix, check out the local theatre group, which holds regular performances across the year. >

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feature

area

If you are looking for something more strenuous, why not tackle the Great Southern Rail Trail? Starting south of the Leongatha railway station, this walking, cycling and horseriding trail will take you almost the whole way to Foster, with an array of refreshment options, wineries, galleries and antique shops en route.

A short car trip and you can explore the Coal Creek Community Park and Museum at Korumburra. As well as enjoying the native animals, historical displays and even a friendly ghost or two, you might luck into one of Coal Creek regular events, like the Teddy Bears’ Picnic or Pirate Day. From Leongatha, it’s a stunning journey to Wilsons Prom, with the chance to explore some of South Gippsland’s most beautiful scenery on the way.

Edney’s Leongatha, 1 Roughthead St – 5662 2327 Denis A Hawkins, 3 Lyon St – 5662 3142

at a glance

Leongatha Health Nutrition & Whole Foods, 21 McCartin St – 5662 2290 Rusty Windmill, 45 McCartin St – 5662 5878 Prom Country Accommodation www.promcountry.com.au

Body & Beauty Tea & Coffee

Groceries Organic

Wine

Health

Sports Nutrition

Vitamins

Home Brewing

Fruit & Vegies Health Food Shop - Natural & Organic Health Products

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ALL-NEW PATHFINDER Nissan Pathfinder 7 Seat Family SUV Available with: 2WD or 4WD Alloy Wheels Intelligent Key ABS & ESP 5 Star Ancap Tri Zone Climate Control Reversing Camera

Call in and test drive today.

1 Roughead Street, Leongatha VIC 3953 T 5662 2327 F 5662 2642 E edney@dcsi.net.au W www.edneysleongatha.com.au coast 83

winter

where to eat guide

Harry’s on the Esplanade, Cowes

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where

to

eat

BEANd Café

Big Wave Café

Champions Café

Churchill Island Cafe

Debritz At the Arts Centre

Esplanade Hotel & Captain’s Lounge

4/157 Marine Pde, San Remo Phone 0407 717 588 Coffee connoisseurs, brilliant benedicts & all day breakfasts

Phillip Island Rd, Churchill Island Phone 5956 7834 Historic farm, great food

4 Bluebird Crt, Newhaven Phone 5956 6883 Great coffee, salads and savoury dishes bursting with flavour

West Gippsland Arts Centre Cnr Smith & Albert Sts, Warragul Phone 5624 2424 Dinner before a show, coffee, wine or lunch

guide

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Back Beach Rd Phone 5952 2710 Racing good food!

1 A’Beckett St, Inverloch Phone 5674 1432 Family bistro, al fresco and fine dining

Foreshore Bar & Restaurant

Harry’s on the Esplanade

Kernot Food & Wine Store

Manna Gum @ Broadbeach

Nui Dat Café – Vietnam Veterans Museum

The Nobbies Centre

Numbers Restaurant, Café & Bar

Phillip Island Chocolate Factory

Porter Republic

Rusty Windmill

RACV Resort Inverloch

Wonthaggi State Coal Mine Café

11 Beach Rd, Rhyll Phone 5956 9520 Rustic and stylish menu with 180° water views

5 Lindsay Cl, Inverloch Phone 5674 1199 Asian fusion and brilliant slow cooked curries

Ramada Resort 2128 Phillip Island Rd, Cowes Phone 5952 8000 Steaks, pasta, salads and pizzas

45 McCartin St, Leongatha Phone 5662 5878 Mouthwatering homemade food, cakes and produce

17 The Esplanade, Cowes Phone 5952 6226 Superb local produce with panoramic bay views

25 Veterans Drive, Newhaven Phone 5956 6400 Delicious homemade cakes and scones

930 Phillip Island Rd, Newhaven Phone 5956 6600 For chocolate lovers, plus buffet and all day menu

70 Cape Paterson-Inverloch Rd Phone 5674 0000 Contemporary cuisine at an award winning resort

1075 Loch-Kernot Rd, Kernot Phone 5678 8555 Rustic woodfire pizza delights

Phillip Island Phone 5951 2816 Café and functions with ocean views

117 Marine Pde, San Remo Phone 5678 5524 Great food, great coffee, kid friendly

Garden St, Wonthaggi Phone 5672 3053 Delicious scones and homemade meals

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cafe cafe review

BEANd’s philosophy of simple, fresh ingredients and a balance of textures… really is unbeatable.

words eleanor mcKay photo warren reed

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cafe

review

PERfECT BlEnD Nestled at the foot of the Phillip Island bridge, BEANd is a gorgeous café bringing a new level of coffee appreciation and mouthwatering flavour to the coast.

Welcoming us in from the cold, the smell of freshlyroasted coffee permeates the room. The relaxed and casual atmosphere and open galley kitchen make us feel like we’ve wandered into the home of an old friend – one who is an exceptionally good cook!

BEANd’s focus is on “getting back to the basics of good food and good coffee.” Owners Graeme and Yuki have years of experience in hospitality (in New Zealand, Japan, Byron Bay and across Gippsland) and their love of coffee was the starting point for their own café.

BEANd offers a dazzling array of coffee to tempt the palate of any aficionado. Sourcing green beans direct from importers, there is a custom BEANd peace blend, as well as single point of origin, organic and free trade options. The signature BEANd blend is handcrafted, roasted and blended on site using the different single origin green beans. Coffee fanatics can buy bags of single origin or the BEANd peace blend coffee − whole beans, ground, espresso or filtered − to take home. At the café, you can order an espresso, a French press or ‘pour over’ coffee from the expert barista, who assures us that each technique offers a different taste experience. For those who prefer their coffee cold, the BEANd iced coffee is brewed using cold water (a 24-hour process), but is about 70 per cent less

acidic than normal coffee. Their obsession about coffee quality is already attracting attention. Throughout June, BEANd is part of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival Roasting Collection – drop by and try the BEANd blend with Gippsland Roasted Portabello Mushroom Stix.

If you’d prefer to skip the caffeine, a decaf blend is roasted on site. Or maybe try the Mörk Hot Chocolate, sourced from Melbourne, or a smoothie, slushie, milkshake or chai.

With a great range of standard and exotic blends on offer, tea lovers won’t feel left out either. Contemplating the menu, I sip on the Turkish Delight, a black tea mixed with dried fruit, which smells good enough to eat and tastes just as wonderful, while my companion raves about the freshness of the decaf blend. >

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cafe

review

The menu is a small but mouthwatering selection served all day. You can have barramundi and chips for breakfast if that takes your fancy, or a bowl of homemade muesli for an afternoon snack. Chef Graeme says the “My Benny” – a choice of salmon, bacon or ham Benedict – is a customer favourite, as is the grilled Kransky. Everything looks so mouthwateringly lovely that we finally decide on a taste-and-share approach!

The Three P Soup (a blend of peas, potato and pork hock) is a taste sensation. Topped with a drizzle of olive oil, spring onions and parmesan cheese, and served with homemade multi-grain cheese-on-toast, it is the ultimate winter warmer.

The T&T – a trio of tomato served on toasted brioche – is another revelation. Incorporating three different types of tomatoes served sliced, poached then roasted and topped off with Gold River Olive Oil (grown in Corinella) the dish is both sweet and savoury, and bursting with flavour. A plate of sautéed mushrooms arrives at the table and proves once again that BEANd’s philosophy – of simple, fresh ingredients, and balance of hot and cold, sweet and salty – really is unbeatable. The lemon and peppery flavour contrasts beautifully with the silky texture of the mushrooms and the crunch of the French stix. Next up, the Corn Cakes… a delicious leaning tower of corn, bacon and avocado, topped with a crunchy cucumber salsa and crème fraîche. By the time the Avo Avo arrives, we realise our eyes are much bigger than our stomachs. This is a feast – avocado and a poached egg on homemade multi-grain toast, smothered in Graeme’s homemade hollandaise sauce, with crispy lengths of prosciutto delicately balanced on top. Again, the blend of textures and tastes is amazing.

Despite being full to the brim, we can’t help gazing longingly as a berry-covered plate of French Toast drizzled with maple syrup is delivered to another table. And it doesn’t stop us poring over the fudge and nougat cabinet on our way out. The selection is mind-boggling: green tea, lemon meringue, chai cheese cake, apple & almond, hot cross bun, red velvet, caramel apple…all are ideal accompaniments to that perfectly-blended cup of coffee, or you can grab a slice to take home and enjoy. And as you leave you might like to treat yourself to a jar of the jams, chutneys and tomato sauce featured on the menu.

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Without doubt, BEANd has set the bar high with a tasty, valuefor-money, relaxed café experience. Graeme and Yuki have created a warm and welcoming environment with an eclectic choice of music, and quirky decorations adorning the wooden shelving. Stencilled and hand-sewn cushions and little touches like the coconut flower sugar on each table all reflect the care and attention that has gone into creating the café.

“We try to get our ingredients straight from the source – the importer, the local grower – wherever we can,” says Graeme.

“And we try to make as much as we can here on site.” BEANd really is a homegrown experience to savour.

BEANd is open from 7am until 4pm, every day except Wednesday.

Eatery + Fudge + Micro coffee roastery

7am – 4pm, 6 days (closed Wednesday) breakfast + lunch + coffee + sweets 4/157 Marine Pde, San Remo 0407 717 588 email: hello@beand.com.au http://beand.com.au

• Group bookings • Weddings • Private functions

Open 9.00am-4:30pm daily for Breakfast, Lunch, Morning & Afternoon Tea. Please check our website for extended opening hours during Holidays & Weekends

Ph. 5956 7834

www.churchillislandcafe.com.au coast 89

Do you want to remember more, concentrate better and improve your sporting ability? If you answered yes, then the solution is simple. Drink more water!

Although we are all well aware of water saving rules and rainfall levels these days, we might not often think about the water inside us. Our bodies are 70 per cent water and unless we regularly replenish that water supply, our bodies cannot operate effectively. Did you know, in just one hour of moderately hard exercise, we lose between one and two litres of water in perspiration? To keep healthy, children over the age of five need to have between 5 and 8 cups of fluid every day, while adults need between 8 and 10 cups. One of these easiest ways to reach that target is to turn on the tap and pour yourself a glass of water.

As Victorians, we have an abundance of natural resources, regular rainfall and well developed infrastructure that makes it easy to access fresh, clean tap water. Our own refreshing tap water comes from the newly expanded Candowie Reservoir, which is fed from the Tennent Creek catchment. So, next time you need to quench your thirst, just turn on the tap.

Not only is drinking tap water good for you, it is good for the environment. Most bottled water is sold in PET (single serve) plastic bottles and in Australia over 50 per cent of these bottles end up in landfill or as litter on our streets and roadways. If that isn’t enough to make you think twice about buying bottled water, consider this. One litre of bottled water costs up to 1,500 times the equivalent amount of tap water and 90 per cent of that cost is in the bottle, label and lid. And to make matters worse, it takes up to three litres of water to produce the one litre in that bottle you buy.

When you line up all these facts, buying bottled water doesn’t make much sense. Westernport Water encourages you to Choose Tap! Not only do they provide permanent water stations across the region, they also have a mobile drinking station for use at community events. Can’t find a tap? Simply download the Choose Tap app to search for nearby water refill stations.

Westernport Water is also taking the Tap to local schools.

Through the Choose Tap Education program, students will see how important it is to drink tap water to stay healthy as they learn about tap water as an environmentally positive alternative to bottled drinks. Local schools will also have the chance to run a drink bottle fundraiser and earn a free aquabubbler for their efforts..

Local restaurants and cafes can get on board with the Choose Tap campaign and receive fact sheets and a Choose Tap shop front sticker. This is an extension of a program launched in High Street, Northcote in 2012 (which already has more than 120 cafes and restaurants taking part).

All these great initiatives are part of Westernport Water’s drive to encourage everyone to reuse and refill their bottles and be part of a cleaner and healthier future.

WESTERNPORT WATER

TM

photos warren reed & supplied

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cafe & pantry

Open 7 days, 8am - 3pm 45 McCartin St, Leongatha Ph: 5662 5878 www.facebook.com/therustywindmill

info@therustywindmill.com.au

117 Marine Parade, San Remo P. (03) 5678 5524 E. hi@porterrepublic.com.au W. porterrepublic.com.au Open Seven Days 7am-4pm Available for functions

Coffee used to be a sometimes food...

Those days are gone.

San Remo’s new social hub

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cake words maria reed photos warren reed

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e

lET ThEm EAT CAKE! Decadent chocolate cake, rich banoffee pie and lime curd cake with coconut meringue (to name just a few) – Jazz Kaye is the queen of cakes. Here she serves up her recipe for a rich and colourful life.

With a Tivoli dancer for a mum, and her extended family in theatre and television, Jazz’s life was destined to be creative.

She laughs, “My mum didn’t teach me how to cook…but she did teach me how to do the gravy shuffle!” She learnt to tapdance and do the Charleston whilst twirling the gravy pot. “My friend thought our family were circus people when she first saw us making dinner,” she says, smiling at the memory.

Growing up by the beach in Sandringham, she’d often accompany her mother to the studios at Channel 9 to attend ballet classes on a Saturday morning: she loved to dance.

The art of cooking, however, was not passed on through the family, and she reflects, “Mum wasn’t a big cook – meat and veg was pretty much the go.” At seven, she was given her first cookbook and started experimenting. “I made a pavlova… prior to that the only things I’d made were mud pies.” She laughs at the memory of her mum’s cake-stands lined up on the shelves of her cubby-house covered in her mud creations.

It’s a career that has seen her cater for Paul Keating and cook for Eddie Veder from Pearl Jam

She soon progressed to scones, and would regularly cook a batch for her dad…“especially when I wanted something from him,” she smiles. She continued to cook throughout her childhood, but when it came time to leave school, it didn’t occur to her to make a career of it. “I started a hairdressing apprenticeship in a salon in the Block Arcade in Melbourne.”

But it wasn’t her true calling. Leaving a life of sinks and scissors, she was at a loss as to what to do. “Then it came to me. I’d always cooked…I used to cook for fun…for my mum’s friends…and to relax. Why not try that?” So, at 21, she went back to school as a mature-age student and took up kitchen and bar work to support herself. As a larder chef, she thought, “Hang on…I’m learning more here in the restaurant than I am at school,” and so she left school and entered the ranks of professional cooks.

From that point on, her course was set and she never looked back. “You learn so much in the industry, and people will teach you anything if you’re interested and ask the right questions.”

She worked at the Peninsula Golf Club as a pastry chef and although she didn’t have a huge amount of experience she thought, “If I can make scones…why not give something else >

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a shot?” She threw herself into the job with gusto and was soon making all the cakes and desserts. Soon after, a visiting friend convinced Jazz to go back to Port Douglas with her, and she worked in some fabulous restaurants including Danny’s and Nautilus, and rubbed shoulders with some incredible chefs.

Eventually she found her way back to Melbourne and worked for Café Sweethearts, The Stokehouse, Big Mouth and the Dog’s Bar in St Kilda, and the iconic Adelphi Hotel in Melbourne. She was learning the art of her trade and made many valuable contacts within the industry that allowed her to move to different restaurants and locations.

She catered for Kerry Packer during the polo season at his property in Scone, NSW. “It was great! We were accommodated on site for three months, thrown in with all these other chefs and guests – it was a hoot.” She looked after the all-day breakfast bar and club. “Everyone was in party mode. The Argentinians would come in and we’d all party together…by the end of it you needed a break.” The property had an open-house policy for staff and visitors, and she describes the setting as luxurious. “There was a stunning pool and gym, a cinema with leather couches and a huge vegetable garden. They even had their own personal butcher and baker.” Kerry regularly entertained millionaire dinner guests who’d fly in for a meal then helicopter out to the casino. And what did she think of the big man himself? “Kerry?

He was just another fella…one who didn’t suffer fools gladly,” she smirks.

It’s a career that has seen her cater for Paul Keating and cook for Eddie Veder (from Pearl Jam), but she reflects: “It’s not the people I have worked for that have impressed me, but the people I have worked with in the kitchen talented and creative people who have really inspired me. Ironically, the most inspiring have been the female chefs, and most are self taught.”

Where art and life collide, she met performer Peter Allen in Port Douglas on – of all things! – a Chinese junk. “We’d take people out sailing on an old Chinese boat a friend owned – and I’d do the catering, of course,” she says. Peter had just finished a stint performing in the Rockettes and needed some relaxation. We took him out for a couple of days on the boat, drinking pina coladas out of coconut shells, dancing on

the deck and swimming around the Barrier Reef. “One day we were below deck making spaghetti marinara, and I was teaching him how to chop garlic. I told him I’d been offered a gig by the local paper to do a gossip column, and he said, ‘Darlin’, I could give you ALL the Hollywood gossip’!” she laughs.

Working at Mt Buller, she met her (former partner) and moved to Phillip Island soon after the births of her two lovely boys.

‘I’ve worked with some excellent people down here…I love people with a passion for food. Lizzy from the Island Foodstore and Delyse at the Killy General Store have been inspirational.”

The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit has been lucky to score the talented chef as their café manager, and an ever-growing fan base enjoys her delicious creations. She has also started her own business – Jazz it up Cakes – (coming to Facebook soon) making celebration and wedding cakes. She says, “I get a buzz out of seeing the expressions on people’s faces when they pick up their cakes.” Ironically, this extraordinary cakemaker doesn’t eat that much cake – “I find it too sweet for my tastebuds.” When pressed to nominate her favourite cake, she laughs: “Well, it would have to be the lime curd cake with coconut meringue – all the different textures make it quite exciting!”

So what does the future hold for this talented chef? “I think I’ll always be in the industry. It’s addictive. My friends always say, ‘You put the party into chef de partie!’ Seriously though, when it’s pumping and you’ve got good kitchen and waiting staff and you’re rolling, by the end of the night, you look back and say, ‘That was such a good service’ – it gives you a bit of a high.

It’s like theatre…you think, ‘What a good performance’.

You’ve made beautiful food, people are happy and satisfied – it’s a buzz!”

Turn to page 96 to recreate one of Jazz’s mouthwatering cakes.

“I get a buzz out of seeing the expressions on people’s faces when they pick up their cakes”

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w

. .

.

Exclusive Botero Coffee Super-foods and Healthy salads In-house daily creations

Bluebird Crt, Newhaven Vic 3925 03 5956 6883

Real food, real flavour - served with a smile.

email: now@thebigwavecafe.com.au

Open 7 days - 7.30am - 4pm

The Show Must Go On

Entertaining the Anzacs in Vietnam

DIGG in N

An exhibition at the National Vietnam Veterans Museum Phillip Island DIGGERS in the NAM

15 May - 31 July

by

by Tim Page 15 February 30 April 2014

15 30 A

www.vietnamvetsmuse

www.vietnamvetsmuseum.org

25 Veterans Drive, Newhaven, Phillip Island Ph: 5956 6400 coast 95

in the kitchen

Jazz Kaye from Champions Cafe at The Phillip Island Grand Prix track shares her twist on a banoffee pie.

INGREDIENTS: 75g Plain Chocolate Biscuits 30g Unsalted Melted Butter 1 Mashed Banana 2 Tablespoons Thickened Cream 60ml Dulce De Leche (South American Caramel) Cocoa Powder (To Dust) Meringue 2 Egg Whites 100g Caster Sugar ½ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar ½ Teaspoon White Vinegar Serves 2

Chocolate Banoffee Pies Lightly grease two 12 x 3.5cm deep round loose bottomed tart pans. Whiz biscuits in a food processor until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add butter and whiz to combine.

Press firmly into the base and sides of the pans. Chill for 15 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place banana, cream, dulce de leche and a pinch of salt flakes in a bowl, and stir well to combine. Spread filling into the pie shells then bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 150°.

For the meringue, whisk the egg whites with electric beaters until frothy. Whisking continuously on high speed gradually add the sugar then whisk to stiff peaks. Add the cream of tartar and vinegar and whisk until combined. Transfer meringue to a piping bag fitted with a small star shaped nozzle then pipe over pies. Bake for 10 –15 minutes until meringue is golden. Cool pies completely in the pans. Remove from pans, dust with cocoa and then serve.

Champions Cafe Relax in the licensed Champions Café with a modern café style lunch menu with comfortable indoor and outdoor seating.

Set in a backdrop of natural water gardens with a variety of wildlife, the Champions Café is the perfect place to take a well earnt break.

Back Beach Road, Phillip Island, Victoria coast 96

Ph (03) 5952 9400

a good read It is always wonderful to see young readers enjoying their books and waiting impatiently for the next one.

non-fiction

FICTION Forgotten Rebels of Eureka

The Girl Who Saved the KinG of Sweden

by Clare Wright

Tom Gates by L Pichon Liz Pichon is an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator and her first book for 9+ readers, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates won the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, The Best Book for Young Readers – Red House Book Award and the Best Fiction for 5-12 year olds. With another six book in the series, these titles have been a huge success with the primary school crowd, both girls and boys.

HUMOUR How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You If your cat is kneading you, that’s not a sign of affection.

Your cat is actually checking your internal organs for weakness. If your cat brings you a dead animal, this isn’t a gift. It’s a warning.

How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You is a hilarious, brilliant offering of cat comics, facts and instructional guides from the creative wonderland at TheOatmeal.com.

The book presents fan favourites, such as “Cat vs. Internet,” “How to Pet a Kitty,” and “The Bobcats,” plus 15 brand new, never before seen cat jokes. This Oatmeal collection is a must have from Mr. Oats! A pullout poster is included at the back of the book.

The Stella Prize is a major literary award celebrating Australian women’s writing and is named after one of Australia’s iconic female authors, Stella Maria ‘Miles’ Franklin. The winner this year is Clare Wright for her book Forgotten Rebels Of Eureka. Clare reveals the stories of the women on the goldfields; how they arrived, why they came and how they sustained themselves. But it is in the rebellion itself that the unbiddable women of Ballarat come into their own. A fantastic piece of our history.

ART

by Jonas Jonasson Written with the same light-hearted satirical voice as Jonas Jonasson’s debut novel, “The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window” and “Disappeared”, this is another picaresque tale of how one person’s actions can have far-reaching consequences.

Nombeko Mayeki is on the run from the world’s most ruthless secret service– with three Chinese sisters, twins who are officially one person and an elderly potato farmer. Oh, and the fate of the King of Sweden and the world rests on her shoulders.

Australian Art: A History

by Sasha Grisham Lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched, Australian Art: A History provides an overview of the major developments in Australian art, from its origins to the present. The book commences with ancient Aboriginal rock art and early colonialists’ interpretations of their surroundings, and moves on to discuss the formation of an Australian identity through art, the shock of early modernism and the notorious Heide circle. It finishes with the popular recognition of modern Indigenous art and contemporary Australian art and its place in the world. A major emphasis is placed on the art of the past fifty years, when both Indigenous and nonIndigenous Australian art have received widespread international acclaim.

This is a very serious art book for the devotee of Australian art.

picture book The Stone Lion

by Margaret Wild and Ritva Voutila Compassion is a force mightier then stone. Sometimes statues are granted a chance to become warm, breathing creatures. The stone lion has only one dream - to run, pounce and leap in the park across from where he sits. But one snowy night, when a baby is abandoned at his paws, he is compelled to think differently.

This heart-warming and truly inspiring tale demonstrates the power of kindness and its profound ability to change lives. With its absolutely gorgeous illustrations, this book will become a family favourite.

Proudly independent

...a book is a place We can help find that special book for yourself or to give as a gift.

40a Thompson Ave, Cowes P: 03 5952 1444 E: lois.turnthepage@bigpond.com W: turnthepagebookshop.com.au

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building stronger communities

Your choice…make a difference!

When you’re a customer at your local Community Bank® branch, your decision benefits you and your community.

That’s because with every saving or investment account, every home or personal loan and every product and service we offer, money goes back into our community.

It means you benefit from competitive products and great service and feel satisfied knowing your banking is making a difference.

The unique thing about your Community Bank® is it’s not just a business in a community; it is the community. Of the $1.5 million in shares, the majority are owned by local people. The shares they bought allowed us to set up branches in San Remo (2003), Cowes (2009) and Grantville (2010).

Already we’ve contributed more than $1.5million to the local community through sponsorships, grants and dividends. The more people choose to bank with us, the more we can contribute.

Your Community Bank® has provided

$824,000

in sponsorships

$411,000

in community grants

$265,000 in dividends

It’s simple 1. You choose to bank with your locallyowned Community Bank® branch.

2. You select from a competitive range of banking products.

3. The local community shares in the income generated by your banking.

The more you bank with us, the more the community benefits.

4. The community, not Bendigo Bank, chooses which community projects receive support.

Community Promise Our Bank believes successful customers and successful communities create a successful bank – in that order.

First and foremost, we’re a good bank. But it’s the way we help communities to prosper that makes us unique.

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“We return approximately 80% of our profit to the local community in the form of sponsorships and grants.”

In record time When every second counts, having the latest technology at your disposal can make all the difference. The Wonthaggi Little Aths Club is setting new speed records, thanks to a helping hand from the Grantville Community Bank®.

Without the Community Bank®, Ray Slade, President of the Wonthaggi Little Athletics, says the club would never have been able to afford their new electronic timing gates. “It’s been fantastic,” says Ray. “It’s made a huge difference for the kids and the volunteers who run our club.”

The portable, mobile timing gates are easy to transport and set up – “a one person job”, assures Ray. “Each runner is given a code and the gates are linked to a wireless device on the starter. As each runner crosses the finish line, their time is automatically sent through to a computer.”

While Ray says the children like being able to access their results on line, it’s those who aren’t competing that really appreciate the impact of having this fantastic new equipment. “It’s made a really big difference to the volunteers who put the results together,” explains Ray. “It’s cut down on the workload dramatically. It used to be a two or three hour job after each carnival to load the results into the computer. Now it takes about five minutes to upload them.

As well as everyone being able to access their results online straight away, we can generate graphs showing their improvement over the season. It is a better experience for everyone.”

The gates are also used at local interschool athletics carnivals, benefiting young people right across the area.

Other great Community Bank® initiatives include:

• • • • • • • • •

•

Scholarship Program supporting four second year and three first year university students.

Annual Fred Borg Citizenship Award ($400) for every local primary school.

Funding for exercise track and sporting equipment at San Remo and Powlett River Primary Schools.

Every government school presented with a marquee with their logo to use during sports and fund raising events.

Supporting the Bass Valley Primary School breakfast program.

Greenlight Youth Driver Education Courses funded for three young drivers, in conjunction with CGU and Lead On Australia.

A $6500 grant to San Remo Kindergarten for fencing and alterations.

Funding for a Youth Worker, in conjunction with Wonthaggi Secondary College.

Contributions to local sporting clubs, community centres and CFA branches.

16 Defibrillators throughout our communities.

San Remo District Financial Services Ltd operates under a franchise agreement with Bendigo Adelaide® bank We offer a diverse range of products and services that can satisfy all our customers banking needs:

Make a dfference to your

• Everyday Banking Accounts • Home Loans • Personal Loans

own banking and your

• Credit Cards • Term Deposits • Insurance

Cowes Community Bank Branch Shop 1, 209-213 Settlement Road, Cowes Phone 5952 3383

• Business Banking • Superannuation • Financial Planning Grantville & District Community Bank Branch Shop 4, 1503 Bass Highway, Grantville Phone 5678 8773

community. Drop into your nearest branch today.

San Remo & District Community Bank Branch 103a Marine Parade, San Remo Phone 5678 5833

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fitness tips

KEEP ThE SUmmER yoU Cold, dark, raining – all words that sound and feel like great excuses to stay indoors and not go out and exercise during winter. Maybe a change to your mind set and some ideas to get motivated are all you need! Try something different – exercise right through winter.

Staying motivated relies on two main things; 1. Have a goal or target 2. Understanding the positive effects your actions will have on your life Here are some simple ideas to help you stay motivated and keep your summer self through winter.

Train for an event or set a goal There are some great events early in the season to plan for, such as the Melbourne Marathon or Great Amazing Race in October.

Committing to these early will keep you on track with your training. If you don’t want to do an event then give yourself another goal such as “train more days in the week than you don’t”, lose 5kg or use a picture of yourself at your best (or worst) as motivation.

Bass Coast Aquatic & Leisure Centre 41 Wentworth Rd, Wonthaggi 5672 4194

Go on a workout date Having a workout buddy is a foolproof way to stay on track. It makes your workouts more fun and you can keep each other accountable for showing up and working harder. If you cannot find a training buddy post your attendance on Facebook – check in at the gym and be accountable to everyone – or at least make your friends feel jealous of your incredible motivation and dedication.

Benefits of Exercise The benefits of exercise do not change with the seasons. Remember these benefits or post them up around the house: manage your stress levels, have more energy, feel good about yourself, lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, reduce injuries, reduce the chance of having to re-find your summer body in a few months!

Phillip Island Leisure Centre 10-14 Church Street, Cowes 5952 2811

www.basscoast.ymca.org.au coast 100

Keep it interesting There are loads of great things you can do for exercise indoors (yes, that too!), so Winter is a great opportunity to try out new things indoors. Try a Spin Class, get a Personal Trainer to help motivate you, have a game of squash, try Indoor Rock Climbing or Ice Skating if you are up for the challenge. It’s always warm at the indoor pool so if the ocean looks uninviting there is always an option for a swim.

Treat yourself When you reach your goal, reward yourself.

Not with a cake, but with something special like new workout gear. Buying yourself a new workout outfit might just get you motivated to show it off too.

Embrace the weather Last but not least - instead of avoiding the cold, embrace it. The incredibly disciplined Shaolin monks train in any conditions because it builds character. You don’t have to go to the Himalaya’s, but getting outside for some fresh air and exercise will be good for your mind as well as your body. If it rains on you – toughen up!

Our qualified staff and modern equipment combine to offer you a great Health Club catering for almost all training goals.

GYM • CYCLE STUDIO • GROUP FITNESS • SAUNA • CRECHE

Hotondo Homes With over 90 clever and practical floorplans, we can work with you to find the right home for you and your family. Whatever your lifestyle and budget, talk to us today about your dream home.

Airlie Design

Beachview Design

Seaspray Design

Byron Design

Dakota Design

Ravenswood Design

• Fixed Price with no hidden extras • Over 90 floor plans • Quality & style from a builder you can trust We have Sales & Selection Centres and Display Homes all over Regional Victoria and Metropolitan Melbourne.

For your nearest location visit:

www.hotondo.com.au

1800 677 156

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winter

lifestyle property guide

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Beaumont Concepts in Seagrove Estate

NEW

Sustainable design, Smart living 8 Star Display Home Now Open

Ecoliv’s factory built modular homes use fewer resources and energy to ensure minimal site disturbance right from the start. Our transportable designs allow you to adapt, change or add to your home with ease by simply arranging predetermined modules in a variety of configurations. Each home configuration features 7 star thermal performance rating for affordable, comfortable and sustainable living.

Standard inclusions: 3 Solar Hot Water 3 Solar Electricity 3 Energy efficient lighting 3 Electricity usage meter 3 Maximum star rated appliances

3 10,000 litre water tank configuration 3 Water saving plumbing fittings 3 Double glazed windows 3 No VOC Ecolour paints 3 Renewable plantation timber

3 EarthWool insulation 3 Boral Enviro plasterboard 3 Green First Laminex joinery 3 100% wool carpet 3 Reconstituted Ceasarstone benches

Visit our display home at 332 White Road Wonthaggi Ph. 5672 5196

www.ecoliv.com.au coast 103

Don’t miss out on what people are calling “The best new land release on Phillip Island” NOW SELLING FROM $249,000 ~ FORESHORE LOTS STILL AVAILABLE INSPECTIONS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please contact Greg Price or Cameron Watters on 5952 5711 or email cowes@alexscott.com.au

woolamaihouse.com.au

Alex Scott and Staff - Cowes 113a Thompson Ave Cowes 3922

While best endeavours have been used to provide information in this publication that is true and accurate all entities accept no responsibility and disclaim all liability in respect to any errors or inaccuracies it may contain.

Prospective purchasers should make their own inquiries to verify the information contained herein.

words & photos supplied

ON THE WATERFRONT Adam Grollo grew up visiting Phillip Island, at his family’s holiday home the iconic Woolamai House. While the family retained the historic homestead, the remainder of the property is now being developed as a housing estate.

My father purchased the property at an auction in the early 1980s. It was purchased from the Cleeland family who had held the estate for 100-odd years. The original owner, John Cleeland, was a Melbourne Cup-winning horse trainer.

I was just a little boy at the time but I remember the auction clearly and if my memory serves me correctly there were quite a few interested parties and a number of bidders. I remember Dad being relieved when we placed the winning bid on such an incredible property.

Our family was keen to purchase a holiday home that was still relatively close to the city, so Phillip Island was an ideal choice. The home itself was a historic property that had stood for over 100 years, so our family was definitely drawn to the site’s historic importance. The estate itself was on a large block of land with extensive grounds with fantastic views over the water and back onto the mainland over the bridge.

My earliest memory of the house was camping with my siblings under the large pine trees in a tent behind the house when any extended family members came to stay as we had to give up our bedrooms! I can also distinctly remember the initial works to restore the homestead as it was fairly

run down when we purchased it. We updated the interiors, repaired some of the window frames and paintwork. After that I just remember endless summers spent at the beach.

Being nestled in Cape Woolamai the beach was relatively secluded so we used to enjoy walks up to the bridge or to the nature reserve. Sometimes we wouldn’t see another soul along the beach. Unlike some of Phillip Island’s more notorious surf beaches, the beach itself was protected from the winds so it was nice and calm which appealed to our family as we were still young kids at the time.

The easy access to the beach was a great benefit as we just walked out the front door almost directly to the waterfront.

We were always on the beach playing for hours and hours, only coming inside when it was lunch or dinner time.

When our relatives came to visit we used to picnic out on the grounds which my family really enjoyed, and we used to ride our motorbikes around the property which was probably less enjoyable for the neighbours!

I really love that little secluded pocked of Cape Woolamai with its lovely walking beach and the nature reserve to the right>

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of the property. No one in our family was really ever into surfing so we appreciated the calmness of the water and the ability for families of all ages to enjoy the beach.

By the time the early 2000s came around the original homestead was incredibly rundown. After 120-odd years the walls had begun to come away from the frame, the timber floorboards were rotting and the foundations were deteriorating. We undertook major works to both restore the original property and add a modern extension of our own.

In terms of the original homestead we set out to restore it to its former glory so that it would stand for another 100 years. Being such an important part of Phillip Island’s history we thought it was important to retain and celebrate what is one of the Island’s oldest remaining homes. We wanted to integrate the modern extension with the historic homestead, while ensuring the newer wing was architecturally distinct so as not to detract or take anything away from the historic building. We added a new kitchen, living room, bathrooms and roof top deck to modernise the amenities and maximised the views via floor-to-ceiling glazed windows.

As the family grew up and we all had children of our own, sadly we didn’t visit the property as often as when we were children. We collectively decided to sell the property and initially wanted to sell the estate in its entirety. However as the Global Financial Crisis had recently hit there wasn’t much interest for a property of this size or stature.

With this in mind we instead decided to subdivide the grounds while still retaining the old homestead and paying respect to the significance of the site’s past. Our family has been heavily involved in the design process of the new estate, to ensure the character of the land remains the same: retaining the row of pine trees that line the entrance to the property, protecting the aspects towards the water and mainland and retaining some of the grounds for communal use. This is our way of remaining sympathetic to the estate’s vast history while allowing other families to share in the magic of this special place.

Through this whole process we learnt that the original parcel of land John Cleeland bought was over 7000 acres, or approximately one third of Phillip Island. By comparison the property we bought in the 80s was only 20 acres. So over the years, this parcel of land has been subdivided many times in order to accommodate new residents and families to the area.

We were surprised to realise that the land holding had been progressively sold down over the course of history.

The Grollo family will retain the home itself and continue to use it as a family holiday home, however now the property is a much more manageable size! We will retain five acres and the remaining 15 acres will be subdivided allowing for new families to share in this wonderful pocket of The Island.

We have conducted a series of open days for the original homestead over the past few months and have been absolutely astounded by the support of the local community and descendants of the Cleeland family who still live on Phillip Island to this day. After seeing the sheer interest from the local community we are currently looking into how the homestead can be opened up to the local community into the future so that everyone can share in the history of this incredible home.

I hope that the future residents can still feel the historical significance the estate holds and feel like they are a part of this great 100-year story into the next 100 years.

Contact Alex Scott and Staff Real Estate Cowes 5952 2633

“This is our way of remaining sympathetic to the estate’s vast history while allowing other families to share in the magic of this special place.”

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StabilEarth rammed earth constructions

... if you can dream it, we'd like to build it!

South Gippsland rammed earth specialists. Servicing the local area, Victoria and interstate. From whole houses to a bespoke piece we are committed to providing a unique and beautiful feature for your home.

Sandy Point, South Gippsland, Vic,

mob: 0429 841 057

w: www.stabilearth.com.au e: owen@stabilearth.com.au

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• Domestic • Commercial • Wardrobes • Creative Storage • Wardrobe Sliding Doors • Toilet Partitions • Shop Fit Outs

tel: 03 5956 7415

www.southcoastkitchens.com.au

28 boys home road, newhaven, phillip island, info@southcoastkitchens.com.au

Multi Award Winning Building Designer of Contemporary Sustainable Homes.

332 White Rd. Wonthaggi Tel. (03) 5672 5196

www.beaumontconcepts.com.au coast 108

Creating Quality Coastal Homes for over 50 years With choices ranging from two to five bedrooms, with double and single storey, brick or modern claddings – there is a design perfect for every lifestyle.

Take a look online at our complete Leisure Range.

Gippsland Sales & Display Centre

coldonhomes.com.au

Cape Paterson Rd (Next to Mitre 10) Wonthaggi Phone. 5672 1999 Open 7 days (closed public holidays) Mon-Fri: 8am-5pm Sat-Sun: 1pm-4pm

TS Constructions create living spaces that are stunning,

Phillip Island Sales & Display Centre 36 Phillip Island Tourist Rd, Newhaven Phone. 5956 7992 Open Thu to Mon & public holidays 11am to 4:30pm (Closed Tue & Wed)

Phillip Island Display Home Whytesands Estate (Off Ventnor Rd), Cowes Phone. 0408 103 830 Open Weekends & Public Holidays 11am-3pm, or by appointment

Builders of Distinctive, Designer Homes

innovative and finished to perfection. Their aim is to work with owners and designers to develop living spaces that have the ‘wow’ factor.

Gourmet kitchens, relaxing living spaces, amazing outdoor and alfresco areas – TS Constructions can design and build exactly to your requirements.

03 5672 2466

admin@tsconstructions.com.au

www.tsconstructions.com.au

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lifestyle review

retro renovation Andrea and Colin Hammond’s house in Langwarrin mixes modern and vintage with stunning results. This amazing renovation has captured a family history and created a beautiful family home.

When Colin suggested to Andrea that they move into his parent’s old house and renovate, she was up for the challenge.

“Neither of us had any experience with building,” laughs Andrea. “I said, as long as you don’t mind driving up the same street every day that you rode your bike down, let’s do it. So we embarked on this adventure!”

Colin’s father, Tom had built the original house and Colin had grown up there, along with his five siblings. “In this area, a lot of the properties are being sold off,” explains Andrea.

“The old houses are torn down to make way for units. We didn’t want to do that. We wanted to build a place for us to live in and enjoy.”

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After thinking carefully about what they wanted, Colin and Andrea started interviewing designers and met David Cox and Jason Burton from Coastline Concepts. “We picked David because he was smart enough to bring his builder along to the interview,” smiles Andrea. “We knew we would have such a little time with David as the designer and long time with Jason. We immediately clicked. It felt like Jason could be could be one of our mates from school. They were flexible and weren’t put off by my quirky ideas.”

David says their flexibility and their honest, personalised approach is one of their strengths. “We work in tandem,” he explains. “When Jason and I go to see a client he will

lifet yle

review

look at things from a building perspective, while I’ll look at it from a design angle. I’m learning a lot from Jason from the construction side and that only enhances my designs, because I’m thinking about how it’s getting built, as I’m drawing it. We sit down with our clients, with the design, on-site, and go over all the issues before we even commit to the design or to the build. It’s about being up-front and not talking any nonsense.”

Clearly the straight talking partners struck a chord with the Hammonds. David’s design includes cathedral ceilings to accommodate Andrea’s wish for high ceilings. “It was too expensive to raise the roof in the main part of the house, but the ceilings make the room feel so airy.” Incorporating Andrea’s eclectic taste and fittings might have been daunting for some builders, but she said Jason’s easy-going flexible approach made the build go really smoothly. “He has a love for it and it comes through,” explains Andrea. “He never made me feel like I was a hassle.” She searched on e-bay, at garage sales and op shops for vintage fittings – from flocked wallpaper to a claw-foot bath, chandeliers and old >

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lifet yle

review

star shaped taps. And the history of the house is captured in some wonderful feature pieces. “The kitchen bench top is my father-in-law’s old work bench and the hardwood from the original frame has been sanded down for a computer bench,” says Andrea. “I also converted the old French doors from the original house into sliding doors for the family room.”

Bringing that history into the new home was an important consideration for Andrea and Colin. “We love is that this place instantly felt like our home,” smiles Andrea.

“That house was a magic job,” says Jason. “We kept the façade, but the rest is a whole new build. It was a great job and well designed by Coxy - big rooms, cathedral ceilings and open fireplaces. I loved it.”

The Lang Warren experience is one that Jason and David have replicated with clients up and down the coast. “When people are renovating or building, it’s a huge financial commitment and possibly the biggest thing they will ever do,” says Jason.

“So it should be an enjoyable process for them – it should be enjoy for everyone.” David agrees. “If we can save the client any amount of money, that’s our first thought. We provide a custom design and a custom build. We don’t have standard plans. We don’t have standard prices. But we work closely with our clients and like anything, if it’s planned well from the start, then it’s going to be a lot easier.”

Taking the time to get to know people is vital for clients like Andrea Hammond. “We picked people that we loved to work on our house. I needed to find people that I connected with.

Craftsmanship and energy is imbued into what they build, so it was important that they liked us and we like them. There was a real family feel to the build – and that’s reflected in the house.”

Coastline Concept began as a chat between two neighbours and evolved into a design and building company delivering a one-stop-shop for anyone wanting to build, expand or renovate. With their office in the centre of Grantville, David and Jason are uniquely placed to serve the local community.

“We both live at The Gurdies and we wanted to let people know that there are two local blokes here that can help you out,” said David. “People can ring up and make an appointment and we’ll be there!

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“We do everything, from start to finish, and you can use the design or the building services together or individually,” David explains. “I can design your house or renovation and step you through the planning process, while Jason looks after the building side of things.” They can also look after the red tape that is an intrinsic part of any building project, including applying for planning and building permits, organising soil tests, dealing with engineering and energy reports.

“We are both really passionate about what we do and we’re very passionate about getting the best result for the client that we can,” says David. “Not only in terms of value for money, but in terms of design, building and craftsmanship.” And they have plenty of happy clients to vouch for them. “We’ve done multiple homes and extensions for people and they still ring and invite us to pop over and have a beer with them,” smiles Jason. “That’s important in a small town,” says David. “The best advertisement is doing a great job for someone.”

Signature Designs: David: 0423 714 014 signaturedesigns.net.au JB Carpentry and Construction: Jason: 0418 142 924 jbcarp.com.au Coastline Concepts: Grantville Office 5678 8288 (by appointment only) coastlineconcepts.com.au

New Homes Extensions & Renovations Garage / Carports Verandah / Pergola & Decks Window & Door Replacement Detailed Architectural Drawings Town Planning Applications Building Permits Soil Testing & Structural Engineering Bushfire Management Reports Energy Rating Reports

Signature DeSignS David: 0423 714 014 signaturedesigns.net.au

Grantville Office: 5678 8288 (by appointment only) coastlineconcepts.com.au

JB Carpentry & ConStruCtion Jason: 0418 142 924 jbcarp.com.au

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Coastal Refrigeration & Airconditioning we don’t just install, we look after you . . .

Servicing Phillip Island & surrounding areas

Commercial & Domestic Refrigeration & Airconditioning Sales, Installation & service of all major brands.

Rick North is a fully qualified refrigeration & airconditioning technician with over 20 years experience in the trade. Coastal Refrigeration and Airconditioning provide professional before and after sales services.

www.mhiaa.com.au

Shop 2/65A Back Beach Road, San Remo 5678 5190

ARC Authorisation No: AU22840

After hours commercial breakdown coastalrefrigandaircon@bigpond.com

www.coastalrefrigandaircon.com.au

Designers of stylish, functional and sustainable buildings

w w w. d b d e s i g n . c o m . a u Phone: 03 5672 1144 Darren Brown Design Pty Ltd t/as db design

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Office/ Display Home: 47 Graham Street, Wonthaggi 3995 Victoria.

Locals at hand.

Speak to Garry & Gill 7 days a week.

They live locally and support the local community.

Give us a call or drop in for a chat today.

Call 5952 2150, email Gill.Hardman@gjgardner.com.au or visit us online at gjgardner.com.au

LJ0106

*Land not included. Images may depict landscaping and upgraded fixtures, features or finishes which are not included in the prices stated. For availability and pricing of these items please discuss with your new home consultant.

Visit Langford Jones Homes Display Centres: Phillip Island and Wonthaggi.

Melbourne: 9579 2277 Email: sales@ljhomes.com.au

www.langfordjoneshomes.com.au

LANGFORD JONES HOMES

OVER 40 YEARS OF BUILDING EXPERIENCE

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coast directory www.coastmagazine.net

w

N ative G rain T i m b e r

F l o o r s

Premier flooring services

Laying, sanding & polishing of strip timber, engineered & existing flooring.

Extensive variety of coatings available including environmentally friendly, water base and hard wax oils.

A & J JOhNsON CONstRUCtiONs Pty LtD Creating Beautiful, well crafted unique homes.

m: 0415 375 443 p: (03) 5952 1311 www.phillipislandbuilder.com.au

0409 333 623 chris@nativegraintimberfloors.com www.facebook.com/nativegraintimberfloors www.nativegraintimberfloors.com

Registered Master Builder DBU-24166 PO Box 499, Cowes 3922 ABN. 17 118 101 438

VAN STEENSEL TIMBERS BUILDING MATERIALS & WATER TANKS

BP & Castrol Distributors for Gippsland

FUEL BY THE TANK OR TANKER FULL DEPOTS

LEONGATHA SALE TRARALGON

PH. 5662 2217 PH. 5143 1030 PH. 5174 1138

FRIENDLY & EXPERT ADVICE

FISH CREEK, FOSTER, INVERLOCH, KORUMBURRA, LEONGATHA, MIRBOO NTH, SALE, TOORA, WONTHAGGI & YARRAM Lubricants 5662 2217

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www.evanspetroleum.com.au

HUGE RANGE OF WATER TANKS • TIMBER • PAINTS • HARDWARE • TOOLS

CNR. CORINELLA TURN OFF & BASS HWY, GRANTVILLE (03)56788552

New & Gently Used Quality Goods Cheeki Stainless Steel Bottles Short Story ‘Hope in a Box’ Mind, Body & Spirit CD’s Himalayan Salt Lamps Japanese Incense Silver Jewellery Oracle Cards Inspiration Cards Body Jewellery Bric-a-brac, Books Hats, Bags, Scarves Black Ice Sunglasses Gemstones: Tumbled, Specimens & Jewellery Bella Donna Harmony Balls Clothing for Ladies, Men & Kids San Marco Wildflower Jewellery 31 Main Street Foster Ph: 5682 1381 Weekdays 10am-5pm Sat 9:30am-4pm Sun 10am-4pm Closed Tuesdays from after Easter to Melbourne Cup Day AUGUST open Thursday, Friday Saturday ONLY

wwwmainstreetrevelations.com.au

7 McBride Avenue,Wonthaggi.

Open Thursday to Monday, 10.00am to 4.00pm.

Phone: 03 5672 1415 www.wonthaggiartspace.com.au

L&J TUDDIN restorations

ANTIQUE & DECOR GALLERY ANTIQUES / / ARTIFACTS / / DECOR / / BEADS

Kongwak Gallery is now a treasure trove of pre-loved, retro, vintage & more...

OPENS AT 10AM

Open every Sunday in Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring.

Main Street, KONGWAK, Victoria (only 10 minutes from Inverloch) For more info call Jane on 0417 142 478

Over 20 years experience. Private restoration available. Antiques to contemporary.

The Antique gallery is located between the Inverloch Motel and Inverloch Nursery.

Open Thurs-Sun 10am-4.30pm or by appointment.

RESTORED FURNITURE FROM EUROPE & CHINA

37 Powlett Street, Inverloch Tel/Fax (03) 5674 3982 Email ljrestore@live.com.au coast 117

coast directory www.coastmagazine.net

Wonthaggi ArtSpace

coast directory www.coastmagazine.net

Where there are no strangers... only friends you’ve yet to meet

• WINE & BEER • MUSIC • DELICIOUS FOOD • LOCAL PRODUCE • WOODFIRED PIZZA • TAKE AWAY

Waterfront dining with panoramic bay views

Freshest local seafood on the Island Local fresh produce with seafood straight from the boat, Island grazed beef and lamb and in-house bakery.

Accommodation available.

Open Thursday–Sunday: 9am–8pm Friday dinner till late

1075 Loch-Kernot Rd, Kernot Phone: 5678 8555

17 The Esplanade, Cowes Vic.

Ph (03) 5952 6226

www.harrysrestaurant.com.au

Newhaven College Phillip Island Road Campus Project

A nursery that will suprise and delight every garden lover

Inspiring Inspiring Inspiring Inspiring Inspiring Inspiring island landscape + design

• Rare & unusual plants • Antique furniture • Garden tools • Garden wares • Unique pots • Landscape design consultancy available

1070 Jacksons Track, Jindivick - 10am - 4pm wed to sun

Matt Crooks . Smiths Beach . Phillip Island. 0419 356 222 t. 5952 3838 e. info@islandlandscaping.com.au www.islandlandscaping.com.au coast 118

Phone: 5628 5316 or 0417 056 110

www.jindivickcountrygardener.com.au

15 Falls Road Fish Creek 03 5683 2481 0423 721 593 0421 209 878

monthly exhibitions of contemporary artwork | art materials | picture framing | jewellery | ceramics e: framing@geckostudiogallery.com.au w: geckostudiogallery.com.au opening times thurs-mon 10am-5pm

Ursula Theinert

Heather

Open everyday Mid Dec - End of Jan

Fahnle

M O S A I C S B Y T H E B AY

THEINERT GALLERY Gallery Visits by Appointment

WONTHAGGI 0439 699 241 www.ursulatheinert.com.au www.wernertheinert.com.au

Mosaic Classes with Heather Fahnle It’s therapeutic, fun and creative.

All materials and lunch supplied. *Commissions Available

Phone or email Heather for bookings

Werner Theinert

www.fahnle.com.au | Mosaics By The Bay e: heather@fahnle.com.au | t: 0417 562 625

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coast directory www.coastmagazine.net

g estudio c kgallery o

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blossoms & branches FLORIST

Shop 3, 2-4 Williams St, Inverloch 3996

(03) 5674 3600

Relaxed and Professional

Marriage Celebrant for Phillip Island and the Bass Coast

Andy Chappell T: 0407 996 763 E: watersedgepi@iprimus.com.au For more details visit my website:

phillipislandcelebrancy.com.au

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Marriage Celebrant

Jillian Poole

0402 056 851

Celebrating a Wedding day is very special and I aim to provide a professional and memorable service for the Bride & Groom that reflects who they are and makes their wedding very precious and a day to remember forever.

Wilsons Prom

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION Koonwarra: Farmers Market

Meeniyan: Paul Kelly Encore - Jesse Wray McCann

www.promcountry.com.au 90 places to stay. Book online or phone the property.

Availability calendar and secure online bookings.

Properties are located in and around South Gippsland and on the way to the Prom...

• • • • • • •

Fish Creek Foster Grand Ridge Road Inverloch Kilcunda Koonwarra Korumburra

• • • • • • •

Leongatha Meeniyan Mirboo North Port Albert Port Welshpool Sandy Point Tarra Region

• • • • •

Toora Venus Bay Walkerville Waratah Bay Yanakie

Artfusion Sculpture and Glass Studio Gallery Steel Sculpture Fused Glass

Quality Framing at very Competitive Prices All your picture framing needs Huge selection of frames, professional & helpful advice Gallery of local artworks and framed prints

Open Thur to Mon 10:30am–5pm 9 Anderson Rise, Anderson, VIC Andrew 0407 368 538 Marlene 0439 368 538

www.artfusionstudioandgallery.com

Ph: 5674 1333

Mob: 0409 809 855

Shop K / 10 A’Beckett St Inverloch framedinverloch@bigpond.com

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coast directory

directory Accommodation www.promcountry.com.au RACV Resort Ramada Resort Phillip Island

121 58 54

Antiques L&J Tuddin Antique

117

Artists & Galleries Annette Spinks ArtFusion Gallery Cheryl Petersen Galleries Gecko Studio & Gallery Goldsmiths Gallery Mosaics on the Bay Theinart Gallery Wonthaggi Art Space

9 121 5 119 62 119 119 117

Automotive Edney’s Leongatha Mercedes-Benz Berwick

83 8

Builders & Designers A&J Johnson Builders Beachhouse Constructions Beaumont Concepts Coastline Concepts Coldon Homes Darren Brown Design Ecoliv GJ Gardner Hotondo Langford Jones Metricon Stabilearth TS Construction

116 107 108 113 109 114 103 115 101 115 19 107 109

Entertainment Baker Boys Kongwak Market Turn the Page West Gippsland Arts Centre

62 117 97 49

www.coastmagazine.net

Fashion Petite Collections Sketa

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53 7

Government & Schools

Surfing

Bass Coast Shire Council Newhaven College Westernport Water West Gippsland Regional Library

Islantis

36 31 90 119

Green & Gardens Island Landscape & Design Jindivick Country Gardener

118 118

Hair, Health & Beauty Beachside Hair & Beauty Brush & Brow Priceline Pharmacy Cowes San Remo Pharmacy YMCA

70 120 34 53 100

Homewares Framed at Inverloch Invisage Main St Revelations Mookah Studios Southern Bazaar

121 48 117 24 24

Jewellery Denis A Hawkins 78 Goldsmiths Gallery 62 Lacy Jewellery Studio & Gallery 124

Professional Services Bendigo Bank - San Remo

98

Property Alex Scott Phillip Island Seagrove Estate Woolamai House

123 2 104

Food, Cafes & Restaurants Beand 89 Churchill Island Cafe 89 Esplanade Hotel 70 Harry’s on the Esplanade 118 Kernot Store 118 Leongatha Health Nutrition and Whole Foods 82 Manna Gum @ Broadbeach 69 Porter Republic 91 The Big Wave Cafe 95 The Foreshore Bar & Restaurant 72 The Rusty Windmill 91

Stockists 45

Tourism & Travel Phillip Island Chocolate Factory Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Phillip Island Nature Parks State Coal Mine Vietnam Vets Museum

14 31 73 34 95

Trades & Hardware Coastal Refrigeration Evans Petroleum Native Grain Timber Floors South Coast Kitchens Van Steensels Timbers

114 116 116 108 116

Venues The Shearing Shed Wilson Botanic Park

72 63

Weddings Andy Chappell Blossoms & Branches Jacky Webster Jenny Milkins Jess Lane Photography Jillian Poole Katandra Gardens & Events Lens to Life Monsview Creative Wedding Poppy Jean Vintage Rentals & Styling

120 120 75 69 75 120 59 56 56 121

Balnarring Newsagent Bass General Store Beaumaris News Berwick Newsagency Blairgowrie Newsagency Black Rock Newsagency Corinella General Store Coronet Bay General Store Cape Woolamai Bottlo Cowes Mobil Cowes Newsagent Cranbourne Newsagency Dalyston General Store Dumbalk Store Fish Creek Newsagency Fish Creek BP Flinders General Store Foster Newsagent Frankston Newsagency Grantville Newsagent Hampton Newsagency Hastings Newsagency Inverloch BP Inverloch Newsagent Inverloch Foodworks Kilcunda General Store Koonwarra Store Koo Wee Rup News Korumburra Newsagent Lang Lang News Leongatha Newsagent Loch - Hard Loch Cafe Meeniyan Newsagent Mirboo North Newsagent Middle Brighton News Mornington Newsagent Mt Martha Newsagent Mt Eliza Newsagency Newhaven Newsagency Pakenham Newsagency Pearcedale Newsagency Rhyll General Store Silverleaves General Store Newhaven Newsagent Smiths Beach Store Red Hill General Store Sandringham Newsagency Sandy Point General Store San Remo Foodworks San Remo Newsagent San Remo - Freedom Fuels Sorrento Newsagency Tarwin Lower Supermarket Tooradin Newsagent Tyabb Newsagency Venus Bay Store Ventnor Store Wilsons Prom - Tidal River Store Wonthaggi Newsagent Wonthaggi Ritchies IGA Wonthaggi - Mezza Luna Cafe Wonthaggi BP Yanakie Store

F R OM T H E MO UNTAI NS TO THE S EA

CLASSIC GOOD SERVICE Since 1886

We’ve enjoyed a great time over the past 128 years and we’re especially proud of building strong, enduring relationships and contributing to the success of our region during this time. This Winter we invite you to put your trust in our classic good service when it comes to all real estate matters in our local communities.

Melbourne (03) 8610 6578

Inverloch (03) 5674 1111

Leongatha (03) 5662 0922

Venus Bay (03) 5663 7111

Berwick (03) 9707 2000

Korumburra (03) 5655 1133

Pakenham (03) 5941 1111

Warragul (03) 5623 4744

Grantville (03) 5678 8433

Lang Lang (03) 5997 5599

Phillip Island (03) 5952 2633

Wonthaggi (03) 5672 1911

ALEXSCOTT.COM.AU

coast 123

132 Whitelaw St Meeniyan VIC 3956 | Phone 5664 0055 | coast 124

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