The Local December 19 2022

Merry Christmasssss!

The Local - The Heart of the Highlands

Front cover: Santa swapped his sleigh for a rare eight-metre long motorcycle set to be among many remarkable exhibits destined for display at Amazing Mill Markets' new museum. Read all about it opposite. Meanwhile, the supersized motorcycle is powered by three V12 Jaguar engines and was engineered and built in Western Australia at a cost of $350,000

Image: Kyle Barnes (with a nod to the Bat Out of Hell cover...)

December 19, 2022

The Local - The Heart of the Highlands

The Local is a registered trademark of The Local Publishing Group Pty Ltd.

The Local is a member of the Victorian Country Press Association, with editor Donna Kelly, a former director.

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The Local is a fortnightly community publication covering the Central Highlands of Victoria.

The next edition is out on Monday, January 2, 2023. or online on Sunday, January 1 at www.tlnews.com.au

Space bookings: Wednesday, December 28 Copy deadline: Thursday, December 29 Editorial deadline: Thursday, December 29

Editorial: 0418 576 513 | Advertising: 0416 104 283 news@tlnews.com.au | kyle@tlnews.com.au

Managing editor | Donna Kelly General manager | Kyle Barnes

Sub-editors | Nick Bunning, Lindsay Smith & Chester

Editorial assistant | Eve Lamb 0493 632 843

Writers | Kevin Childs, Tony Sawrey, Jeff Glorfeld, Narelle Groenhout, Eve Lamb & Donna Kelly

Photographers | Kyle Barnes & David White

Graphic designer & HLH coordinator | Dianne Caithness

Contributors: Glen Heyne (gardening), Darren Lowe (gigs), Matthew Richardson (money), Jennifer Hart (horoscopes) and Jen Clarke (recipes).

Accounts | Julie Hanson Delivery | Tony Sawrey

Don’t

travel to bushland

Full throttle ahead: bold new attraction for Daylesford

WORK has begun to create a significant new attraction that’s projected to bring tens of thousands more visitors to Daylesford each year.

The man behind development of the new museum specialising in Australian history and Australiana is Mark Ward, already known to many through his multiple Amazing Mill Markets ventures including at Daylesford.

The entrepreneurial Mark, above, pictured with a 1933 Ford coupe is in no doubt that the new Amazing Mill Markets Museum, now being developed on the same site as Daylesford’s Amazing Mill Market, will be the “biggest and best of its kind in Australia”, and that the flow-on economic benefits to the locality will be considerable.

“It’ll be without a doubt the best museum of its kind in Australia with beautiful cars, massive steam engines, and all aspects of Australian history including automotive, rural, industrial and commercial Australiana,” Mark says.

His personal passion for carnival, circus and sideshow memorabilia will ensure these aspects of the nation’s history and culture are also well represented in the new museum.

“The undercover area is just under a quarter acre in size and it will have a glass atrium down the centre,” Mark says.

“Building has already started. The total cost of the build and fit-out will be just over $2 million.

“The museum will have themed areas with high-tech lighting and 12 interactive screens to tell people about the items. The collection is valued in excess of $10 million and includes 23 magnificently restored cars.”

Work is scheduled for completion at the end of May 2023 with the interior fit-out then anticipated to take three months before the new attraction opens to the public later in the year.

“We anticipate opening in September-October,” Mark says.

“We’re creating a worthwhile destination for people to come to from all over Australia and overseas to spend several hours.

“Rest assured it will be the best of its type in Australia. This museum will bring millions of dollars to Daylesford every year. We are going to attract another 10,000 to 15,000 people into Daylesford per month.”

It’s not the only one of his projects that Mark is currently keenly watching take shape, with another exciting development set for Bendigo’s historic Flour Mill precinct, following the sale of the Amazing Mill Market at Ballarat.

“We have sold the Mill Market at Ballarat but we will be opening another one at the Flour Mill site in Bendigo,” Mark says.

“It will also include specialty shops and five-storey accommodation at the Bendigo Flour Mill precinct. The Bendigo Flour Mill is an historic building and we will be retaining as much of the infrastructure as possible.”

The $24 million Bendigo Flour Mill precinct development will be staged over five years and will also include a small museum, bar and bistro on site, Mark says.

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Kyle Barnes

Creswick’s very own Christmassy house

When driving through Creswick on the main drag headed to Ballarat, it’s hard not to notice the abode of Dot and Laurie Porter.

You know it. It’s the one on the left with all the Christmassy extravagance.

Over the past decade Laurie and Dot, their children, and now their grandchildren have continued to add to the front yard spectacle celebrating the season.

It’s hard to image now that it all started with some comparatively modest Christmas lights, because as Dot and Laurie explain, after Laurie’s Christmas-loving brother, Mickey, passed away their residential yuletide decorations became somewhat more elaborate.

“Mickey loved Christmas,” Dot says.

When Mickey left some money behind, they decided to use it to honour his memory with something they knew he would have loved. And so, what has today become locally known as “Christmas House” began to take on a life of its own.

Christmas trees, reindeer, sleighs, bud lights, candy canes, elves, baubles, Santa sacks and angels abound.

“We haven’t added much this year - only that train there, and the reindeer over there, and the nativity scene over there, and the new snow machine,” says Laurie who has fine-tuned his bubble recipe to create ‘snow’ for the snow machine.

“It was so cold last night when we turned the machine on that the ‘snow’ was still on the ground this morning. The kids just love the snow machine.”

Besides their now grown-up 17 grandchildren, Dot and Laurie also have 23 great-grandchildren to enjoy the Christmas spectacle in honour of their Great-Uncle Mickey.

“It’s for the kids. To see the smiles on their faces,” Dot says.

“Some of our grandchildren dress up as elves on Christmas Eve and everything lights up. We’ve got solar-powered lights and also standard electric lights. The nativity scene is powered by solar. At night when it lights up, it’s really nice.”

Suffice to say the overall effect attracts plenty of fans in the countdown to Christmas, particularly after dark on Christmas Eve...and it’s even rumoured that Santa sometimes makes a guest appearance.

But he wouldn’t be the only one. Over the past couple of years the Creswick Brass Band has also rolled up to pay a special pre-Christmas visit to the Porter residence at 166 Ballarat Road, and dispensed some musical yuletide cheer there as well.

In fact, Creswick Brass Band members say they are now getting set to play carols at the Creswick IGA from 6.30pm to 7.30pm this Friday, December 23, and after that will also be playing carols at the Porters' place for an hour or more from 8.30pm this Friday and then again on Saturday, Christmas Eve from 8.30pm.

No doubt Uncle Mickey will be smiling down from somewhere – and loving it.

Above, main image, Creswick’s Laurie Porter in front of his and Dot’s decorated residence, aka 'Christmas House', inset, Laurie test-runs the snow machine

Words & images: Eve Lamb

Holy cow! When will the potholes end?

EVERYBODY has hit a pothole over the past few months as they continue to pop up, or down, all over the Central Highlands.

And Jamie Adams of Daylesford Tyre and Windscreen Service, pictured right, has seen the worst of the damage. He reckons even one the width and breadth of the old classic wooden ruler, 300mm by 300mm, and just 80mm deep, can cause massive damage.

“If you hit something like that at 100km/h in a machine weighing more than 1500kg you are probably impacting at a force equal to 15 tonnes,” he said.

“We still get an average of six cars a week with pothole damage and this has been going on for the past four months. That’s a combination of ruined tyres and cracked, bent and broken rims that have to be repaired or replaced.

“You have always got to be looking because a hole that wasn’t there yesterday could appear tomorrow.”

And in his experience, the vehicles suffering the most damage are luxury cars such as BMWs and Mercedes.

“Anything that runs a low-profile tyre. Whereas say, a 4WD tyre with a big high wall will soak up the impact a lot more. But on some cars there is no wall to speak of and in those cases they will bugger both the tyre and the rim. In the past three months we have had three cars that needed to be towed back to Melbourne because we couldn’t help them out.”

So, if you do have damage caused by potholes are you entitled to compensation? That’s not straightforward according to Hepburn Shire Council’s Infrastructure and Delivery director Bruce Lucas, inset.

“If a driver damages their car while driving on a road, the issue of liability depends on a range of the circumstances as each incident will be different,” Bruce said. “If a driver believes council or a road manager has been negligent, they can submit a claim to council/road authority and this will be assessed by insurers.”

Bruce said the road network falls under various classifications with the state government responsible for freeways, highways and arterial roads, and local government responsible for most other public roads except for those in a state forest.

Every council has a road management plan prepared in accordance with the Road Management Act. Its purpose is to establish service level targets for regional road networks in normal operating conditions. But due to the extent of flood damaged infrastructure, Hepburn Shire Council has enacted the ‘Force Majeure’ (unforeseen circumstances) clause meaning that due to the exceptional circumstances of recent heavy rain, the council is unable to meet the requirements set out in the Act.

Bruce said 74 per cent of Hepburn Shire’s road network has had some form of damage by recent storm/flooding events and given the widespread nature of the damage, they don’t have the ability to place signs at every location to alert drivers.

“We have contractors across the entire shire working as quickly as possible to undertake repairs related to the storm/flood events and this will continue, weather dependent, until mid-late 2023. In the meantime, all road users need to take extreme care when driving on the road, slow down, drive to the conditions and keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front so you can see the condition of the road.”

Words: Tony Sawrey | Main image: Kyle Barnes | Inset: Supplied

New garden for Trentham Neighbourhood Centre

TRENTHAM Neighbourhood Centre is building a new community garden.

Volunteer project manager Michelle Leeder said the garden would be used by both the Trentham community and TNC staff and members and would provide a green, inviting space for various activities including, learning, socialising, and reflection.

Michelle said a number of people had been involved in the design work - with the help of local landscape designer Anthony Morrey.

"The garden will be built on two levels. There will be garden access from the TNC building with ramp access between the two levels, as well as gate access from High Street.

"The lower level will be paved with recycled pavers, donated by The Pig and Whistle Pub in East Trentham. The elevated level will consist of a paved area and a decking area, with a large pergola and various planter boxes and seating. Two existing trees will be retained and have been incorporated into the garden design."

Michelle said a new heritage wire front fence would add to the streetscape and allow the garden to be visible from High Street.

New back and side fences will enclose the site and wicking planter boxes will be installed, ensuring water conservation and potential for veggies or other plants to be grown.

Completion of paving, decking and the pergola is expected by mid-2023, allowing for planting to be done over spring.

"We have secured various financial grants to assist with construction of the new garden, however there is also now a fundraising effort in place to assist with financing the project," Michelle said.

"To date we have raised just over $4000 and would like to thank those who have supported us.

"They are the Cosmopolitan Hotel for their Friday night raffles, the Mount Players for tickets to their performance of Madagascar, community members who have donated cash, the Lions Club of Trentham and the Trentham Spudfest organisers."

Michelle said a garden fundraising group had been established to organise events and people were welcome to volunteer assistance for any of the events running during 2023 and onwards.

"We of course would welcome any cash donations, which are tax deductible, if individuals or businesses would like to contribute financially.

"Pop into the centre if you would like to see the garden plans in more detail, and keep an eye out for the transformation of the TNC garden in the heart of Trentham during 2023."

Neat feat for Sebastian Streat: Trainee award

AYLESFORD teenager Sebastian Streat has come a long way since the day a paediatrician once identified him as unlikely to ever attend school, or to read or write.

In fact the 18-year-old who lives life with mild autism has not just successfully completed year 12 through Daylesford College, he’s also just taken out the state’s title of Trainee of the Year (landscape gardening) attaining both the glory and CV enhancement, along with a beautiful trophy.

Announced at a special dinner in Melbourne recently, Sebastian’s award is a statewide accolade, sponsored by the Kangan Institute, and administered through the Apprenticeship Employment Network.

Sebastian won the award after two years of school-based training to achieve his Certificate II in Landscaping, firstly completing a year of study through Ballarat’s Federation University and then, this year, completing a second year with Ballarat Group Training.

“He was nominated for the award through Ballarat Group Training and there were quite a number nominated from around the state,” Sebastian’s proud mum Krystal Phypers says.

“Being named as Trainee of the Year in landscape gardening is a real achievement for Sebastian. When he was first diagnosed with autism, a paediatrician said he would probably never go to school or read or write.

“I remember that day. I was 21 when I had Sebastian and I came out of that paediatrician’s office crying my eyes out. I walked out saying, ‘No. We’re going to prove this paediatrician wrong’.

“Now he’s just finished year 12. He has got such a passion for gardening. He is quite particular and he is a very hard worker. He has really enjoyed his training and met some wonderful friends. I think he loves gardening because it’s his outlet.”

Now Sebastian says he is keen to secure an apprenticeship in the field that he loves. “He would really like to get an apprenticeship now with the Hepburn Shire. That’s his dream,” Krystal says.

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Kyle Barnes

Plan ahead if

travelling to Melbourne this summer

Victoria’s Big Build is building a better road and rail network in December and January while there are fewer people on our trains and less cars on the road. This includes major works on the Metro Tunnel with crews working around the clock to upgrade tracks and install new high-tech signalling. Significant delays are expected as vital maintenance takes place on the West Gate Bridge from Boxing Day. We’re also upgrading the City Loop and continuing to build the West Gate Tunnel, and its connections into the city and CityLink.

Summer disruptions

City Loop closed

Freeway disruptions: Changed traffic conditions or closed lanes and ramps

West Gate Bridge 9pm 26 Dec to 6am 4 Jan Four outbound lanes closed

Monash Freeway Some nights in Jan Closed between Warrigal Road and EastLink

Princes Freeway Some nights in Jan Closed between Princes Highway and Cardinia Road

Road disruptions: Closed roads, lanes and ramps

Dynon Road, West Melbourne Until 21 Dec Between Dryburgh Street and Dynon Road inbound exit ramp from CityLink

Greensborough Road, Watsonia

Narre WarrenCranbourne Road and Thompsons Road, Cranbourne

Craigieburn Road, Craigieburn

Road, Sunbury

Until 22 Dec Lanes closed and speeds reduced

Jan to Feb Intersection closed

Jan to Feb Between Hume Highway and Hanson Road

Road

Wait a minute - 2023? What happened to 2022?

KEEN-eyed readers of this paragon of print media that you hold in your hands at this moment might have noticed that its United States correspondent hasn’t been contributing much news over the past several months, and many, perhaps, have even asked themselves, “why?” Which could have led to the follow-up query: “who cares?”

As to the first question, the answer may be that, as a freelance reporter, I am so well paid for my stories by the owners of this fine publication that I only need to file four or five times a year in order to maintain my lavish American lifestyle. I can assure you (the owners have instructed me to say) that this is not the case.

Another scenario could be that my time here in California is in such demand that I simply cannot provide the quantity of stories that The Local readers have come to expect. It is true that I am kept busy raising two young dogs, and all summer I have been tasked with keeping a swimming pool clean, and further, this being autumn in the northern hemisphere, and my house being surrounded by deciduous trees, I can frequently be found somewhere in the yard raking leaves. I’ve found that the secret to successful skiving is to always appear busy.

One more explanation is that (the owners have also instructed me to say) I am a lazy sod who wastes time the way Scott Morrison wastes underpants.

The truth of the matter is that the political, cultural, economic and social situations in this country have been so outlandishly, revoltingly, mind-bogglingly strange this past year that every time I sit down and try to describe it, my brain turns to soggy Weet-Bix and I end up watching CNN for hours on end and shouting profanities at the TV.

Speaking of dogs - specifically the part in this story about “two young dogs” - a month ago we added to our pack: there’s me, my wife Carol, the three-year-old pooch Joey, and now a puppy.

One of the many things that annoy me because I’m old, easily annoyed and a language nerd, is trendy words and phrases that replace perfectly good old words and phrases. For example, I hate it when a media person says they “reached out” to someone when in fact all they did was “ask”.

So anyway, there is a new dog in our family. Did we “rescue” her? Did we pull her out from where she was trapped inside a burning building? No. Did we jump into a raging river and haul her to safety? No. We drove an hour in our perfectly comfortable Toyota to a town south of where we live, looked her over, instantly fell in love with her, and drove her back to our house where she will live with us forever.

The complete truth of the matter is that our new puppy had been on death row in a California county that euthanises unwanted dogs and cats. We found her through an organisation that fetches animals from these places and tries to find homes for them. Technically, then, the organisation did rescue her; all we’ve done is give her a home - and a name.

After much debate, we settled on calling her Daisy. However, my father, who often mangles names, insisted on calling her Doris. But as with many such malapropisms, this one made sense. Think of the husky-voiced big-band-era singer who became an actress, making all those rom-coms with Rock Hudson; link Doris and Daisy and you get our puppy’s name, Doris Daisy.

We have just about reached the end of another year, and from my household to yours, I sincerely hope you’ve come out of your brutal months of winter and are experiencing a few glorious days, or at least hours, of summer.

Here at the end of 2022, it occurred to me that if you’ve ever been on, say, a four or five-day bender, I mean really looking at life through beer-coloured lenses, and let's say you go a bit deep into the Tennessee turps on a Sunday, and you wake up on Monday afternoon feeling like 10 miles (16.09km) of bad Hepburn Shire road, and you see your reflection in the bathroom mirror and think “oh my great aunt, I look like five pounds (2.27kg (editor - can I say this?) in a 10-pound (4.5kg) sack”, it might occur to you that maybe it’d be a good idea to try drinking water again.

Now here’s the thing: Monday is a write-off but after washing down a dozen Panadol tablets with a gallon of coffee, you wake up on Tuesday feeling pretty OK. By Wednesday you’re able to remember to put your pants on before your shoes and by Thursday your vision has cleared (OK, you found your glasses) and life looks fine.

But then Friday comes along and you start thinking about that song recorded by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, which was a hit in 1942, "What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You Gonna Get Drunk Again)".

I mean, if you didn’t have that wretched Monday to compare it to, would you still feel so splendid on Thursday? Like, is there anything intrinsically good about Thursday? As I sometimes say, all things in moderation, even sobriety.

In all seriousness, though, from here in Crazy Town USA, where sanity is a fond and distant memory, Carol, Joey, Doris Daisy and I wish everyone back in the Real World a safe and successful holiday season and new year. - Jeff Glorfeld

After many happy years living in Victoria and working at The Age, former Wheatsheaf resident Jeff Glorfeld, and his wife Carol, went back to California, the land of his birth, where in the past four years he has survived bushfires, snowstorms and drought. And Trump. And Covid. The cicadas and locusts didn’t arrive. Well, not yet.

Aries: Jupiter is on your side, having entered your sign, giving you the opportunity to grow and expand, bringing some positive situations and people your way. This can also be a time when you are likely to overindulge and have a good time.

Taurus: Opportunities to expand your worldview are upon you, through travel, higher education or meeting new people with different views and ideas to share with you. If you can approach new situations and people with an open mind, you might find yourself quite changed over the next few weeks.

Gemini: This can also be a time when you are more easily able to obtain funds that you have been chasing to make a big-ticket purchase like a new car or home. Be sure to check over any contracts that you sign.

Cancer: Jupiter is offering some positive expansion around your career. Celebrate your successes and then dream big for what’s next. This is a great time to expand what you think is possible for your career, you are likely to attract some lucky opportunities.

Leo: Your health, wellness, and daily routines are ready for a makeover. While you might have a lot of different plates spinning now, try to take a little time to think about what you want the new year to bring and prioritise the things that you want to achieve. Be clear about your goals and map out pathways to success.

Virgo: Love, romance, and good times are on the cards, leisure activities, sporting events and the arts beckon you, how fun! Say yes to all the invitations that flow your way and enjoy them, this is a time of year that offers you opportunities to enjoy the finer things in life.

Libra: A focus on your home and family is present over the next few weeks, you are likely to welcome others into your home over the festive season. If you are doing repairs to your home, be prepared for setbacks during the Mercury retrograde at the end of this month.

Scorpio: Your daily life gets busier in a positive way, possibly a new routine that flows well and feels good. If it feels like life is too small, this can be the trigger to make some major changes and start to live bigger, shake things up and start a new chapter.

Sagittarius: You’re busy juggling new love interests, hobbies, or creative activities, an exciting time with new and unexpected opportunities and people landing in your world. Sex, love and rock and roll, it’s all happening for you. Say yes to things that you might normally to be too scared to try.

Capricorn: The next few weeks are all about you and where you’re headed, this is your time to shine and focus some attention on yourself. Your home and family situation might be expanding too through marriage or birth. This could be a time when you upgrade or upsize your home.

Aquarius: You might find at this time that you are bursting with ideas, thoughts, plans, and schemes. Write it down, talk your plans out with a trusted friend, communicate it however suits you best. Maybe you’ve been sitting on an idea for a book, and this can be a brilliant time to start writing.

Pisces: Your social scene might be on overdrive, everyone wants to catch up and bask in your company. Jupiter is gracing your financial situation for the next few months, take advantage of this as best you can. Opportunities to earn more money might be coming in thick and fast, careful you don’t spend it just as quickly.

Jennifer Hart

This will be my last horoscope published in The Local for a while as I pursue other passion projects and a little higher education. It has been such a great experience writing about the heavenly spheres and hopefully giving people a little heads up about what’s around the corner. Thanks for reading my cosmic weather forecasts and know that I am wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2023.

For your full horoscope reading head to www.jhartastro.com or www.tlnews.com.au

Ageing with attitude and maturing in place

THEIR parents may have been okay with becoming senior citizens, but as they move beyond a certain age, today’s baby boomers and the first of Gen X behind them - not so much.

It’s an observation evidenced in the fact that the building that two years back used to house Clunes’ Senior Citizens is now HQ for Attitude: Ageing Well.

Attitude by name - as solidly stated on their wooden signage - and Attitude by nature. It’s clear there’s no shortage of the stuff going down here.

Attitude is “a grass roots model of ageing well in community”, explains a flier. It’s a home-grown model that sits under the Clunes Neighbourhood House umbrella, and is starting to grab attention from further afield.

As I pull up a seat inside Attitude HQ, I’m here to hear first-hand from the regulars whether they believe there’s a need for more retirement living options in Hepburn Shire. There is general agreement there is but it doesn’t take long to discover the Attitude focus is far more wide-ranging.

Gareth Sharp, a retired engineer who used to project manage for government, and Lois Nichols, a former city-based magazine sales professional, are quick to point out that social connectivity underscores much of what Attitude is all about.

“We run along the same lines as the Mens’ Shed movement,” Lois says.

Those who get along are invited to introduce any particular interest area and then oversee it becoming part of the program. Since Attitude started in November 2020 it’s conducted more than 600 activities involving more than 2500 participants.

Regular free film nights, weekly pétanque sessions, bi-weekly boot camp, easy indoor exercise class, ukulele, philosophy, art, and outdoors walking are all just a bit of what’s on their seasonally renewed program – as are social outings.

“When you look at the population of Clunes there are so many people who are retirees or wanting to retire here, but we’re very inclusive and we welcome anyone coming along including those who would not previously have been considered senior citizens. It (adequate retirement living) will be an issue. There will be people from our baby boomer cohort with health issues.”

Access to transport, particularly for those who may not have a licence or a private vehicle is also an issue that comes up. Ready access to a community bus would help Attitude run its ongoing outings to locations that include wineries. Funding is also needed to enable programs to be subsidised.

The issue of ensuring provisions are in place to age well surrounded by friends is a perennial one, and it’s quite a pressing one for Hepburn Shire, the director of Belle Property Regional Victoria, Will Walton, observes.

Being in real estate gives Will a unique vantage point from which to regard the wider issue. “I think the council needs to take a proactive approach to planning for growth that includes attracting operators of retirement villages,” he says.

“We’re one of the older local government areas in Victoria as far as population goes and hopefully both the state and local governments will look at options to enable people to stay in their community and remain connected.

“In the Daylesford area there’s a big problem, absolutely. The two issues are the availability of land to house an independent retirement village. The problem we have here is the land is very expensive.”

The other problem that Will mentions is the dearth of smaller private accommodation options - units and the like, built to house just one or two people and enable older locals to downsize yet remain happily living in their own community.

The lack of independent retirement living opportunities only entrenches the shortage of rental accommodation for younger, larger households with older singles or couples forced to remain in abodes that have become too big for them to maintain, Will says. “I think it’s a problem the entire width of the shire.”

“But I also think that independent living retirement options that come with all the bells and whistles, like cinemas and indoor pools, usually have a minimum requirement of 50 units - so I’m not sure if the smaller towns could sustain that.”

Hepburn Shire Mayor Cr Brian Hood also rates the availability of retirement living options for the Hepburn Shire as an issue demanding attention.

“My immediate reaction is that it does need attention. We do have an ageing population. We know that the median age for people living in Hepburn is 52 and that’s older than the state average, and it’s a significant proportion of our community.

“And we’re painfully aware that housing availability is a general issue for our community including appropriate housing for older residents.”

Cr Hood was among those who, a few months ago, attended the launch in Creswick of Hepburn Shire’s No Barrier Positive Ageing Strategy 2022-30.

He says provision of housing to meet the specific needs of more mature locals into the future is one of the main focus areas prioritised within that strategy. Others include transport, health and social connectivity and participation.

Clunes Attitude regulars, from left, Carmel Betts, Gareth Sharp and Lois Nichols Words & image: Eve Lamb

The eyes of the storm Riding for Cambodia

PREPARING to cycle 650 kilometres through the heat of a Cambodian January may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

But three intrepid Trentham residents are relishing the chance to do just that to help raise funds for a particularly good cause.

Right now, Mia Gartley, Steven Peirce and Paul Williamson are preparing - and training up - to join 22 others from around the world to cover the distance over eight days in January.

They’ll be raising money for REACH Siem Reap, a not-for-profit which helps Cambodian families struggling to survive in serious poverty.

The last such similar fundraising cycle event – run by another charity organisation - happened pre-Covid, back in 2019 and both Paul and Steven were part of it, but for Mia it’s going to be a whole new experience.

And Mia does not even describe herself as a cyclist.

“No. This is my first go at long distance cycling,” the office administrator said.

“I decided to do it because of the cause. It’s just such a good cause and I know exactly where the money is going - directly to the people who need it. It goes to cover things like education and food.”

Mia says getting some respectable training kilometres under her tyre tread has seen her out tackling a lot of trails and unmade roads around East Trentham over the past month.

She says the challenge motivated her to dust off her old bicycle – “that I’d kept since my 20s”.

MEMORIES of the June winter storm that cut a swathe through much of Hepburn Shire last year remain strongly etched in the mind’s eye of Trentham’s Charl Parris.

“It was incredible. We were pretty isolated – for up to seven to 10 days,” Charl recounts. “We had no power, no running water and there were trees down on the Kyneton, Blackwood and Daylesford exits.”

Fortunately Charl, a keen phone photographer, also recalls the subsequent process of recovery from the upsetting incident. In fact a photo she snapped using her phone as part of that process won her the grand overall prize in Hepburn Shire’s Amateur Storm Recovery photography competition.

Charl’s winning image captured her two boys enjoying a winter solstice bonfire not long after the big June storm of 2021 wreaked its devastation.

Funded through Bushfire Recovery Victoria, the competition was part of the wider Hepburn Shire’s Storm Recovery process that has now also led to the publication of a book entitled The Big Storm.

Hepburn’s Storm Recovery communications officer Kathy Mexted says the BRV funding enabled 200 copies of the book to be produced and these have been sent to all of the book’s contributors including many community groups that were involved.

“It was a way of people being able to process the storm impacts,” says Kathy, who wrote multiple stories herself about the ways in which the storm event affected the community, and also edited The Big Storm book which was published last month by Hepburn Shire Council.

Kathy says the book captures experiences from many perspectives, ranging from emergency service first responders to those involved later with regenerative and restorative projects. “Charl’s photo is included as are each of the photography category winners,” Kathy says.

Those who entered photographs were also encouraged to write something about the experience associated with capturing their submitted image.

In recounting the winning winter solstice photo moment, Charl wrote:

“There’s something magical, freeing and mysterious about a bonfire. After the big storm, we didn't know if it was safe to venture close enough and be one with nature.

“The trees dimly lit by the fire of the night, it was bitterly cold but the warmth of the fire brought us closer, huddled together as we reflected. The young, the old, all of us older but were we any wiser?

“In this space I felt connected, free spirited, like I was part of a dream. I reflected and knew tomorrow the days would get longer. I laughed and was thankful for my boys, my friends and being here together, near the warmth of the fire, under the stars on the edge of the forest in the depth of the night.”

Other winners were: Junior winner - Ada Walsh, runner up and special commendation - Bug Melville, Open winner - Tony Sawrey, runner up - Robbie Connell.

“The biggest challenge has been the cold days – down to two degrees here in Trentham East, and when it’s been really cold I’ve done my cycling on an indoors bike instead.

“When we’re in Cambodia we’ll be tackling everything from unmade roads to busy main roads and keeping a look out for everything from tuk tuks to bullocks and buses.”

Ahead of the ride, Trentham’s Williamson family is hosting a special private fundraising afternoon, but anyone else who wants to help the three participating Trentham riders reach their fundraising goals can do so online.

“I’ve done about seven of these rides and I’m not even a bike rider,” says Paul Williamson, whose daughter Emily Williamson founded REACH Siem Reap and opened a school in the northwestern Cambodian location.

“I put myself through the pain for the end result,” Paul says.

“We will start at the southern end of Cambodia and go right up through Phnom Penh, to end at Siem Reap and be clapped in by the students at the school.

“I’m expecting it will be bloody hot and we will be riding through a lot of jungle and crossing the Mekong (River) two or three times.”

For those who would like to help them reach their fundraising aims, Mia said that each of the Trentham Riders had their own REACH fundraising page – “and we have to raise $5000 each,” she says.

“I’m pretty close. I’ve got about $4000 already.”

REACH Siem Reap communications officer Tadiwa Sibanda said the participation of the Trentham Riders in the upcoming Ride to REACH fundraising cycle was extremely valuable.

“We actually will be running two charity cycling events in January 2023 – our international event, Ride to REACH, where our international supporters join in Cambodia and cycle the length of the country, 650kms in eight days,” she said.

“And our second event is Side by Side – our local, youth-led event. To empower our students, and give them a life-changing experience, they will cycle 200kms in two days.

“Our two January bike rides are raising funds to support more than 200 Cambodian kids and their families in their fight against poverty.

“Our programs are dedicated to helping local families and youths combat the cycle of generational poverty and are focused around the basic needs of education, nutrition and health.

“As a non-government organisation all of our funding is reliant on generous individuals who donate to our cause. Our bike rides are our biggest campaigns, and to a large extent the most exciting.”

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Kyle Barnes

Trentham & Districts Community Bank is taking book orders at $35 per copy. If there are 100 orders, the money will be collected and another print run will be done in March. Copies are available to view at the shire's libraries, Trentham cafes and the Cosmopolitan Hotel.

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Charl Parris

Above right, from left, Marco Terranova, founder of REACH Siem Reap, Emily Williamson and Paul Williamson

Council news

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

Council has welcomed the announcement that the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and Transgrid are investigating alternative options for the transmission line route and terminal station siting planned for the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) project.

Council is incredibly supportive of reliable renewable energy, but these projects will be part of communities for decades to come and they need to be well planned and thought out. Council has worked closely with our community to oppose this project and this review is perhaps a positive sign that we may be listened to.

While no decision has been made to change the proposed location of the terminal station or route, Council is optimistic that the review opens the opportunity for a rethink of the project and will continue to work with AusNet and AEMO. These projects and their impact reinforce the importance of meaningful engagement with affected communities.

Council has awarded a contract to construct the Creswick Trails Network to Australian company Dirt Art. Dirt Art has constructed mountain bike trails overseas and around Australia, including at Harcourt, the Grampians, Gold Coast, Thredbo and Tasmania. The trails will contain a variety of ride experiences and difficulty levels. Works are expected to begin on the trail network in early 2023. Construction will take around 18 months.

On behalf of Council I congratulate Mary-Anne Thomas MP on her re-election and Martha Haylett MP on winning the seat of Ripon. We look forward to working with both MPs for the betterment of our community.

Our aquatics season is underway and entry is again free to our public pools and aquatic facilities across the Shire. If you are interested in working at our pools or would like to know more please visit www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/jobs. We will have daily operating hour updates on our Facebook page every afternoon. In the meantime, enjoy some relaxing times at the pools!

Councillors have been attending primary school presentation functions across the Shire and awarding citizenship certificates and other awards. Congratulations to students graduating from primary school and best wishes for the big step to secondary education. (And well done and thanks to our hard-working teachers).

I extend my best wishes to you and your family and loved ones for the festive season. Enjoy some quality time with friends and family, stay safe and best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year.

Council’s next meeting will be held on Tuesday 21 February 2023.

Cr Brian Hood MAYOR

COUNCIL PLAN FOCUS

AREAS

DIRT ART TO BUILD CRESWICK TRAILS

We announced last week that the contract to construct the 60-kilometre Creswick Trails Network has gone to Australian company Dirt Art, a world leader in mountain bike trail construction, who will begin early in the new year.

The 60 kilometres of a mountain bike and shared trails will be a huge drawcard for Creswick and our Shire, bringing with it a host of economic, tourism and employment opportunities.

As the venue for mountain biking at the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games, the trails will put Creswick and Hepburn Shire in the global spotlight.

Council received a $2.56 million grant from Regional Development Victoria’s Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund. Council has contributed $1.52 million to date and is investigating additional funding sources.

FIRE PREVENTION

Every year Council carries out fire prevention inspections around the Shire, albeit a little later this year given our very wet winter and spring. We understand that the recent weather and ground conditions have made it difficult for landowners to use equipment such as slashers.

Inspections started last week and we’re here to work collaboratively with property owners to get their properties ready for the upcoming fire season. If you need any further assistance with preparing your property or information on fire prevention inspections, please contact Ben (our Emergency Management Officer – Fire) on 5348 2306 or email bburgess@Hepburn.vic.gov.au.

COUNCIL SERVICES OVER CHRISTMAS

Council offices, depots, hubs and libraries will close at 1.00pm on Friday 23 December and reopen on Tuesday 3 January. Transfer Stations are closed on Christmas Day. Staff involved in emergency management will carry out their roles and responsibilities. Kerbside bin collection won’t be impacted over the festive period, so please put out your bins as usual.

The Council Plan 2021-2025 describes how Council will strive towards our vision, where to focus efforts, and how to measure progress. Each Focus Area has a series of priority statements, with actions against each item.

Your say... Just briefly...

Dear Kyle, (Kyle's Rant, December 5, 2022) Yes, the geese are gone, and I note your bereavement, though it is one borne of a passé colonial attitude, that the Australian fauna is actually inferior to that of the Old World.

Your remarks might even have been made by the quaint and ignorant Victorian Acclimatisation Society of the mid-19th century. One of those mutton-chopped gents even proposed that monkeys be let loose in the bush so that they might entertain a weary traveller with their treetop antics (much in the way you are entertained by the Malmsbury gaggle).

Of course, in this age of runaway extinction, we can’t let the whim of an individual decide what species to have and not to have. Why, some people may object to the slashing of gorse at the lake because they delight in the yellow blooms; others the removal of rabbits, because they remind one of a Beatrix Potter tale.

I don’t mock your great love for and enjoyment of the domestic goose, but I wonder what you think of native waterfowl; the coots, moorhens and swamphens that forage unmolested along the (shit-free) lake shore? And of the reed warblers that can now be heard among the cumbungi?

There are cormorants (three species) too, diving or hanging out their wings. I saw a darter last month. Are these animals not loud enough or showy enough to be worthy of your attention and appreciation?

You don’t mention these animals, but they and many others are there and all the more noticeably so, now that the barnyard flock has been packed off to a comfy retirement on the Peninsula.

I correct myself, you do mention one native bird. I too have seen a few of these on the lake since the geese went south, but I do not recall anyone claiming ‘the skies would soon be thick with native black swans’.

I suspect you made this up, a sneer at those (such as the biodiversity officer and the elected councillors) who believe that our native Daylesford fauna is part of a heritage worthy of protection and appreciation. And for those for whom the lake fauna is lacking, there’s always Malmsbury.

- Greg Pyers, Daylesford

Here is an incident that highlights Daylesford's inadequate public toilet facilities.

A number of buses from Kyneton, carrying a large group of young adults/ teenagers, stopped in Daylesford near Coles on a Saturday morning recently (December 3), obviously looking for public toilet facilities.

Soon after, I observed one of the buses pull up outside a private residence on the corner of West Street and the Midland Highway.

A group of males got off the bus and ran into the front yard to relieve themselves, while the females all squatted behind the bus on the road - not a pretty sight at all.

Surely this is not a situation a popular tourist town such as Daylesford should accept.

- A.P. Liddle, Smeaton

Letters or musings are always welcome. Keep them shortish and to the point. Or long and interesting. Any addressed Dear Sir will immediately be deleted. You know why...:)

A Christmas Eve Mass will be held at St Peter's Church, Daylesford on Saturday, December 24 from 8.30pm.

It was incorrectly advertised in the last edition as being in the morning. Other services are the Christmas Day Service at Daylesford Uniting Church at 9am with Reverend Jenny Hayes and a service at St Martin's Chapel, Blackwood on December 23 at 5pm which includes a sausage sizzle and carols. Finally, Christ Church Anglican, Daylesford will hold Blue Christmas on Christmas Eve from 6pm – a service of reflection and hope for those who find Christmas a difficult time of year. This will be followed by a Midnight Service from 11pm and a Christmas Day Service from 10am.

The new year is almost upon us. Time to celebrate 2023.

At Daylesford, the New Year's Eve Parade is held on, of course, Saturday, December 31. And a couple of days earlier you can celebrate the end of the year at the Goodbye 2022 Hall Party at the Glenlyon Hall on Thursday, December 29, from 5pm to 8pm. Bookings are essential and available through Trybooking. And don't forget to welcome in the New Year with the historic New Year's Day Sports Day at the Glenlyon Reserve on Sunday, January 1, 2023.

Dan Murphy's application for a packaged liquor licence at 63 Central Springs Road, Daylesford has been granted.

Liquor Control Victoria received more than 200 objections to the licence. They included the proximity to a kindergarten, primary school, swimming pool and residential properties. There were also concerns about the potential for alcohol-related harms such as anti-social behaviour, violence and vandalism, and limited police and community welfare resources to address these harms. Senior Licensing Officer Stephen Emmett said if liquor licence applications were to be refused on the basis there was a presence of risk factors "no further liquor licences would be granted".

Hepburn Shire Council has awarded a contract to construct the 60km Creswick Trails Network to Australian company Dirt Art, a world leader in mountain bike trail construction.

Dirt Art has constructed mountain bike trails overseas and around Australia, including at Harcourt, the Grampians, Gold Coast, Thredbo and Tasmania. The Creswick Trails Network will be the venue for mountain biking at the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.

A planning permit application for a multi-lot subdivision and road reserve for 4719 Midland Highway, Daylesford has been lodged with Hepburn Shire Council.

The application, by Smith Development Partnership, takes in a triangle of land on Raglan Street and the Midland Highway opposite the Farmers Arms Hotel. It includes an 18m road reserve, a 1.57ha 'super' lot, four 1600sqm lots, a 1560sqm lot, a 1592sqm lot and a 2393sqm lot. There are also two recreation and drainage reserves which are 3754sqm and 562sqm.

Australian Energy Market Operator and Transgrid are investigating alternative options for the transmission line route and terminal station siting planned for the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West project.

Mount Prospect is the current proposed site for a 24-hectare terminal station. Hepburn Shire Council Mayor Cr Brian Hood said the council had worked closely with the community to oppose the project and the review was a positive sign that council and community may have been listened to. “The very large terminal station and power lines up to 80m high would be an incredible blight on our landscapes and have adverse impacts on the valuable and productive agricultural land in our shire.”

The sale of The Rex is a step closer with Hepburn Shire Council considering the results of the expressions of interest in the confidential session in the latest council meeting.

CEO Bradley Thomas said the report needed to be considered in the confidential session given the contractual components "but we will detail the outcome as soon as able to". Expressions of interest for the Daylesford building closed in November.

A plan will see Macedon Ranges Shire Council reduce its carbon footprint with a series of initiatives across council-managed facilities and operations.

The plan, Counting Down to Zero, targets zero net emissions by June 30, 2030, outlining more than 30 recommended actions for council to reduce, avoid or offset its existing emissions while also influencing key stakeholders to do the same.

DUD: Risk to iconic natural mineral water too high

Don't Undermine Daylesford is a group working towards stopping the potential mining of gold in Daylesford. The group formed after Red Rock Australasia was granted an exploratory licence for the area around Ajax Road, near the former tip. Gary Lawrence is a spokesperson for DUD and is also a volunteer with the Daylesford & District Historical Society. Here he puts forward his views on the possibility of a gold mine.

GOLD mining caused great harm to the mineral spring water supply in Hepburn Shire from late 1910. And now a growing number of residents in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs are anxious at the risk any new deep gold mining creates for this unique underground mineral water aquifer.

Home to the greatest concentration of mineral springs in Australia, often referred to as Spa Country, this region has attracted visitors for more than 160 years to holiday and enjoy the natural mineral spring waters.

Local businesses have developed and flourished around the attraction and lure of the mineral springs, the charm of the local environment and its natural attractions. Put Daylesford and mineral water into your search engine and you will see the obvious connections.

Two goldmines were being developed south of the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve much to the angst of locals around 110 years ago. They feared the mining would damage the mineral water supply as had happened some years prior a little closer to the reserve. Sure enough it was not long before the flow started to slow and the gas content diminished. The bathhouse and pavilion were closed. Protests and petitions were abundant, geologists and specialists came determined to find the cause. One of these mines tried to push on further east despite the calamity they had caused.

In 1917, Mr William Menz, a WWI soldier at the Front, wrote to his parents and family expressing concern at the loss of the mineral water. He knew how it was affecting the community back home. His was not the only letter home that mentions the failed springs.

The mineral water flow had been cut in three places. The state government finally closed these mines. They eventually compensated the mine’s shareholders and the lessees of the mineral water bottling company. The town and community were never compensated.

In December 1916, the local paper, The Advocate, reports the return of the mineral flow at the reserve while others wrote the “Old, original Hepburn Spring has returned but not at full force and only partially gassed.”

We now have a better understanding of how the mineral water forms underground from the top of the Great Dividing Range; both south and north great fault lines run and assist to form the mineralised water deep under other groundwater flows. The north of the range catchment area is defined by Goulburn Murray Water; it runs from Cairn Curran in the west to Heathcote in the east, south to Trentham and north to Eppalock. This unique natural phenomenon must not be jeopardised by intrusive deep mining.

The risk to the mineral water seems clear, any change to the underground dynamic risks mixing the layers of ground water, releasing the stabilised heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic which are in particularly high concentration in the Daylesford bedrock. Any disturbance of old historic mining operations risks the release of legacy mercury and arsenic into our environment.

Why ask our region to risk all this for a gold mining company to make a profit? The concept is plainly flawed. The responsibility for all exploration and mining licencing is with the state government. The response from Department of Environment, Land, Water & Planning, Parks Victoria and Goulburn Murray Water is that Earth Resources is the responsible authority for any concerns about the risks to mineral water. Earth Resources contacted me to say they were not responsible.

So it seems nobody will step up and protect our precious mineral water.

I remind all state authorities that operate in Djaara country that they commit and acknowledge Djaara’s special connection to country and the Dhelkunya Dja - Djaara Country plan. Two key aims of that plan are: “Rivers and waterways (includes ground waters), are healthy and meet the needs of our people and land, and Upside-down Country, is healthy again.”

Red Rock Australasia continue to say they only have an exploratory licence but even proposed drilling in the region will also be a risk.

I call on the state government to halt all deep mining within the mineral water catchment areas, to keep all groundwater safe and to not further disturb the legacy broken contaminated land caused by historic mining operations.

Christmassy things

(cont'd from last edition)

Daylesford and Hepburn

Carols by Candlelight with Daylesford Community Brass Band at the Hepburn Sound Shell on Thursday December, 22 from 8pm, followed by Christmas Eve Carols in Vincent Street, Daylesford on Saturday, December 24 from 10.30am

Kyneton

The Kyneton Fire Brigade Santa Run will take in selected streets on Christmas Eve starting from 10am

Clunes

Christmas Lights - Let your light/s Shine Competition Register your lights in Clunes ‘Let your Light/s Shine’ at www.facebook.com/christmasinclunes

Creswick

Creswick Brass Band performs carols at Creswick IGA on Friday, December 23, 6.30pm-7.30pm, followed by carols at 'Christmas House' 166 Ballarat Rd, Creswick, 8.30pm-10.30pm, and finally at 'Christmas House' on Saturday, December 24, 8.30pm-10.30pm

Ferns - fine for gifts

These beautifully foliaged plants, always a great addition to any shaded windowsill, porch or shaded corner of the garden, are making a welcome comeback, with many varieties now available just in time for last-minute gifts.

One of the few remaining links with pre-history, they date back to the beginning of time and have remained almost unchanged since forming the basic vegetation of primeval time. Botanically ferns differ from higher forms of life in that they do not flower, but reproduce themselves from dust-like spores which form on the backs of their fronds.

Growing conditions

In spite of their delicate, even fragile appearance, ferns will grow quite readily if the conditions suit them - moist air, damp acidic soil and plenty of shade.

Remembering that most ferns originate from the banks of forest streams or even the foot of rain forests, find yours a cool spot under established trees, or a dark corner of a room. Ferns do well in poorly lit spaces. They need little feeding, especially if the potting mix contains a liberal dressing of well-rotted cow manure.

Growing from spores

Ferns will usually grow quite readily from their spores if the following steps are carried out:

Collect the spores by holding a sheet of white paper under the spore-laden fronds and tapping them lightly to dislodge the ripe ones;

Sow them by dusting them onto a mixture of equal parts of finely crumbled peat moss and coarse sand;

Place them in a humid position either in a seed box covered with frosted glass or a pot covered with clear plastic. Either way, maintain humidity by placing a shallow bowl of water in with the pot. Whatever you use, remember to keep the container shaded at all times;

After two or three weeks, pinhead-sized, green dewdrops should appear from which, after a few weeks, small fronds will emerge. Once these plantlets are about two centimetres high, they can be gently lifted with tweezers from the pot and put into larger containers, of the same mixture, spacing them 4-5 cm apart; and

Finally, the little ferns can be potted into small individual containers, once they reach about 5-7 cm high.

Potting

(Rather than add to the local discarded plastic mountain, make your own pots from cut lengths of cardboard toilet or other paper cores. Cut them at 2cm longer than the pot height and then cut and fold the extra length to form the bottom of the pot. I usually scrunch up a plug of newspaper for the bottom to keep the soil intact.)

The potting mix should be crumbly and friable with a slightly acidic quality. Mix it with equal parts of sand, peat moss, well-rotted compost and good garden loam, or quality potting mix. It isn’t necessary to repot ferns too often as they prefer to be a little pot-bound.

Minimal care

Ferns require minimal care. Cut off any old fronds and keep pests at bay. Mealy bugs are the worst of these. They are a downy-white scale-like insects which form clusters along the back of the fronds.

An old but very effective means of dealing with them is to mix a teaspoonful of methylated spirits in 500ml of water. Touch the little bugs directly with this mixture using a cotton bud or child’s paint brush. But be sure not to touch any of the foliage with the mixture...it will turn it to toast.

Not all ferns produce fronds like the delicate little cup fern (dennstaedtia), or the rather sturdier, larger growing polystichum proliferum I have thriving under spreading branches of an ancient rhododendron.

Enjoy your Christmas festivities and see you “about the house” next year! Glen. Got a gardening question? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

Kingston Show draws crowds

Junior exhibits at the Kingston Agricultural Show are only open for 6-15 year olds. So things were not looking good for five-year-old Lyra and her Elizabeth duck. That's the breed, not the name.

But big sister Ivy jumped in to show it for her, and the ribbons and shy smile of pride tell the story.

Kingston Agricultural Society president Fraser Hutchinson said the 153rd show, held on December 10 and 11, attracted more than 600 visitors to the family day on Saturday, including 217 children.

The following day, the show was focused on Kingston’s renowned horse show which is a state qualifier with over 100 classes. There were a large number of horses entered, keeping judges and organisers very busy.

Another highlight was the Haymarket Dog High Jump which had nine entrants and attracted a large crowd to cheer them on. The winner was Champ owned by Shane Nairn who jumped an impressive 1.72 metres without any fuss, pictured.

Shane ran working yard dog demonstrations throughout the day with mock trials showing how to tap into a working dog’s natural instinct and personality. This event was presented by the Ballarat and District Working Stock Dog Group.

Words & images contributed. For the full story and lots more great photos head to www.tlnews.com.au

Kickstart to school

The poet William Butler Yeats wrote that ‘education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’. On Tuesday, December 13, 75 grade six students visited Daylesford College for their kickstart into secondary school.

With the intent to foster an educational spark, students were offered a rotating range of academic, creative and hands on activities.

In English/humanities students introduced themselves to their English teacher through a poetry activity, while in science they explored the conductivity and magnetic properties of metals. During the maths session students engaged in problem solving tasks and in technology they participated in an introduction to basic hand tools, complete with an identification quiz. In drama students were introduced to the theatre space, participating in the telling of stories without talking, while in art they engaged in portraiture and composition games.

The Wellbeing team facilitated a workshop that enabled these new students to not only tell the story of who they are, but also explore the future they wish to create. In Italian students produced a new background to the Mona Lisa and sung I Dodoci Giorno di Natale – The Twelve Days of Christmas – in Italian. Continuing in this festive spirit, students finished the day with a tour of the college’s Christmas door competition, where they were asked to vote on their favourite decorated door.

We trust that these upcoming students, like those above, left orientation day feeling, as Christopher Robin describes, ‘braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think’.

Words & image: Contributed More images at www.tlnews.com.au

Kyle’s Rant

JULY 20 1969, 3.17PM

American EST. A huge shift in human history began, Neil and his band of merry men landed on the big cheese.

Of course, I am talking about the moon landing, which quickly drove conspiracy theories and speculation that this event was staged in a movie set.

Did the crew not like the aliens they bumped into up there, was this just a ruse to beat the Russian’s attempts to land on the rock? I wasn’t even two years old, so the landing made less than no difference to me.

Besides, my family was in the thick of the Jehovah’s Witness religion movement with my grandfather one of the head preachers in the congregation. So my world was chock-full of fear and probably had no room for that sot of chitter-chatter around the dinner table.

This amazing feat of man should really be unacknowledged because it seemed to lead nowhere. Where are the moon hotels and moon amusement parks and moon shuttles we grew up expecting? “They” say that as a result of the moon exploration Teflon was invented, however it only takes a couple of mouse clicks to know that Roy J. Plunkett accidentally discovered it at the DuPont Company's Jackson Laboratory in 1938 before it was widely banned in 2014.

“They” also say the microwave was an invention which came out of our walk on the moon. But again, just a quick couple of clicks on Google reveals an American engineer, Percy Spencer, is generally credited with inventing the modern microwave oven. It was after WWII, and advances in radar technology, when he noticed that a block of butter would melt when placed next to the radar.

So, what was the point of the moon exercise? And did it really happen? I am not a conspiracy theorist and don’t waste my time with speculation but I do have to wonder why after 50 years of radio silence are we bothering to head back up? Especially when the best we can come up with, and not even land, is sending three mannequinsHelga, Zohar, and Moonikin Campos.

Why has it taken so long, what is the purpose and did the Apollo 17 actually land 50 years ago? These are the head-scratching questions I would like to get answered. And are we now technologically qualified to tackle the rigours of space travel?

Another theory I heard was that “they” finally reverse-engineered something for Area 51’s Aladdin’s cave of alienware. I’ll leave you with that to think about, or not.

And that’s my last rant for 2022. I hope 2023 will be better than the last dumpster fire of a year and I hope the weather finally improves and the visitors return to our area.

The not-so-good oil on the weather front, according to most models, is La Nina has a 90 per cent likelihood of remaining in place over the next three months.

And looking further into the future, this outlook suggests that El Nino becomes the most likely state for next winter, hopefully a return to business as usual.

Stay safe, enjoy your family and friends and remember to breathe shallow and sanitise.

Moon rant over…

Local Lines

Time to sort out this watch It’s been losing time now for months or just plain stopping I presume it’s the battery

No one in Daylesford will do it Castlemaine jewellers require a morning drop-off and late afternoon collection I don’t have that much time

I ring Mr Minit in Ballarat How long I ask to change a watch battery Seconds he says I’ll be there

In the promised seconds he’s done it but he’s frowning Problem with the second hand It’s not going now

You can take it to my boss if you like in Wendouree Google maps’ vocalist rhymes the lake suburb with dowry rather than debris

No seconds man the boss Give me twenty minutes says he I’m back short of that probably because how can I tell My wrist is blank

The mechanism is fine It’s Seiko but –and here he taps a tiny copper rod and says something or other and then something else

I know the drill Replace expensive innards or buy a new item He points down the arcade Prouds is just over there

How much time have I got We don’t says Cormac McCarthy move through days / they move through us / the passing of time is irrevocably the passing of you

I can of course scrabble around in my pocket for the phone but I miss my skin companion

Uncalibrated time moving through me feels like strange limbo

- Bill Wootton

Bill may be seen wandering around Hepburn Springs at any old time.

Local Lines comes mainly from a group of local poets but other submissions are always welcome. To have a poem considered for publication contact Bill Wootton at cottlesbreedge@gmail.com

G’day! I’m Jackson. I’m a desexed boy, if you must know the personal stuff, and I’m 18 months old.

People say I’m - to quote - “an extremely sweet and affectionate boy who absolutely loves attention and being with people”. Their words, not mine. It’s true to say that I would love to find a home where I will routinely receive a lot of love and excellent company.

Because I’m a vanilla dude, with pink skin, I need to be an inside-only resident to minimise my UV exposure, maintain my complexion, and dodge skin cancer.

I would prefer a home without dogs or other cats, and I’d love to meet you to see if we can sort something out. Microchip no. 956000015709736

If you would like to meet me then please contact the Mount Alexander Animal Welfare shelter in Castlemaine to make a time on 5472 5277.

Link: www.maaw.org.au (Pick me, pick me is run in memory of Rosie & Curly - we picked them.)

Just sayin’...

By Donna Kelly

SO, this is our last edition for the year. But don't worry, despite repeated attempts we failed to win either Powerball or Tattslotto so will probably be back next year.

I say probably because there is a big Tattslotto draw happening on December 31. And I have always said, as much as we love connecting this community, sharing stories and supporting our fellow Central Highlanders, if we win a few million we are out of here. Jokes. Maybe.

Anyway, it's been another roller coaster of a year with Covid still refusing to bugger off, and the rain. Rain, rain, go away, come again another year. But I have been loving the memes on Facebook. Things like "I hope summer is going to be on a weekend this year" and "Rebooting summer, upload failed". People are so quick.

I haven't really thought much about Christmas yet. Been pretty busy with The Local and getting out the summer visitor guide and that last edition of House.Land. Home.Premium. No wonder I am tired.

I remember Christmas Days as a young kid. Hot summer days, tables groaning with food, ovens doing overtime despite the heat, adults all in various states of cheer - depending on what they were drinking, dogs wandering around looking for scrapsof which there were many. Halcyon days, perhaps.

As a teenager it was all a bit naff. Crowding into the car for the trip to my mum's brother's family in Kangaroo Ground. Over-zealous relatives leaning in for kisses, the same old 'boring' food, trying to snaffle some booze without being sprung, smoking cigarettes with the cousins, retreating to bedrooms to listen to some 'decent' music away from the incessant carols on the tapedeck.

In my 20s I had one white Christmas in Tokyo with Canadian friends who cooked a whole turkey in a benchtop oven and tried my first eggnog. Loved it. Another one was with Kyle in Cairns. So humid, we headed to Crystal Cascades with chicken and champagne (probably not the real stuff) and then managed to terrify ourselves so much that there could be salties in the water, we ended up at a Chinese restaurant. Followed by the latest James Bond at the cinema.

Into my 30s and it was lots of family Christmases with Mum. She was getting older so I felt we should be with her. So Frankston and Glenlyon gatherings. Oh, and one at Wheatsheaf with Jeff and Carol Glorfeld and some of their neighbours. Mum went for a walk with one who asked her if she would like to have a bit of chuff, you know, marijuana. Mum said thank you, but no. Could have started a whole new tradition that day. Stoner Betty.

We managed a real family day for 2019 after I coerced my sister and her sons, and my brother and his wife, to come to Glenlyon for the day. It was a great day although Mum had misgivings about how we would all get along. Somehow, for Mum, we managed very well and a good time was had by all, as no journalist ever should say.

Mum died in May 2020 and so Christmases have been pretty small. But this year we are back. It will involve family, friends, lots of kids, dogs, seafood, pavlova, booze and that dreamy chilled late afternoon bit where the food coma kicks in - the one that only happens on Christmas Day.

And then, a few days later it will be 2023. Wow. I remember looking around Myer Frankston in 1999 for an outfit for the turn of the millennium.

Anyway, whatever is your thing, my thing is to wish you a joyful Christmas and all the best for a safe, healthy and happy New Year. See you in 2023. Maybe. Just sayin'...

Ageing DisGracefully members, including Max Primmer, get together at the Daylesford Mill Markets cafe on Thursdays at 11am. All welcome. For information email ageingdis3461@gmail. com, call 0427 131 249 or head to the Ageing DisGracefully Facebook page.

Ageing DisGracefully is an initiative of Hepburn House.

W RD CROSS

Here is the solution to crossword for edition 268. Each edition, all the words appear in that edition somewhere. How did you go?

Glenlyon Sports Day on for New Year

THE Glenlyon Sports Day will be held again on Sunday, January 1, 2023.

The historic annual event is held at the Glenlyon Reserve, a picturesque setting well shaded by magnificent old oak trees. A bar and catering facilities with a good selection of food will be available.

There will be wood chopping, bullboar eating & mineral water drinking competitions along with the ladies' gumboot and nail driving challenges. Children will be entertained with a well-equipped playground and children’s foot racing events. Tickets can be purchased prior to the event this year via the trybooking.com website. You can also visit the Glenlyon Sports Day Facebook page. (Unfortunately due to recent flooding there are no horse racing events due to safety concerns.)

See you there!!!

Wishing everyone a joyful Christmas & a safe, healthy & Happy New Year from all the crew at The Local!