January 25, 2021 Issue 216 Shot in the arm
The Local - The Heart of the Highlands
2 About Us
www.tlnews.com.au
Front cover: The Local's US correspondent Jeff Glorfeld, pictured with pooch Joey, has received his first vaccine jab - in a very roundabout way. Read his story on page 24.
January 25, 2021 Issue 216 Shot in the arm
The Local is a weekly community publication covering the Central Highlands. The next edition is out on Monday, February 1, 2021. Or online on Sunday, January 31 at www.tlnews.com.au Space bookings: Wednesday, January 27 Copy deadline: Thursday, January 28 Editorial deadline: Thursday, January 28 Managing editor | Donna Kelly General manager | Kyle Barnes
Image: Carol Glorfeld
Sub-editors | Nick Bunning and Lindsay Smith Sales | Henry Maxwell
The Local - The Heart of the Highlands
Writers | Kevin Childs, Tony Sawrey, Jeff Glorfeld, Narelle Groenhout, Carol Saffer, Jane Williams and Donna Kelly Photographers | Kyle Barnes and David White
The Local is a registered trademark of The Local Publishing Group Pty Ltd.
Graphic designer & HLH coordinator | Dianne Caithness
The Local is a member of the Victorian Country Press Association, with editor Donna Kelly, a director.
Contributors: Glen Heyne (gardening), Indre Kisonas (design), Glenn Robinson (cartoons), Darren Lowe (gigs) and Matthew Richardson (money) Accounts | Julie Hanson
Delivery | Tony Sawrey
Editorial & advertising: 5348 7883 or 0416 104 283 news@tlnews.com.au or sales@tlnews.com.au
The content expressed within this publication does not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of The Local Publishing Group Pty Ltd. The Local Publishing Group's editorial guidelines and complaints-handling process can be found at www.tlnews.com.au We welcome all feedback.
Local Lines Watching the Wind Move
A moment arrived in the stillness of the garden Breathing in the morning sun, watching the wind Nearby in the town, city crowds rush in bustling for car parks, scanning shop windows wondering what is missing, maybe it will arrive with the special order of coffee, a day away from the city of millions now spent crammed into the small shopping strip of a country town on the brink of losing its soul. While in the splendour of the hills and forest the business of monarch butterflies drinking nectar from gardenia flowers is taking place The wind shimmers and rustles the leaves of trees And the birds sing their little songs with passion In this wonder I hear the origin of music Wind blowing across taut fibre, or through hollow reeds and thunderclap crescendos. I am glad to have grown old, knowing the Zephyr breeze The Greeks knew the wind to be sentient a breeze so subtle it enters the heart, inducing raptures that banish burdens and come to rest Now the judges’ eye is blind and ears grow into silence each day with its simple gifts savoured quietly In this way there is enough for everyone everyone is at the table and there is enough. - Frances Guerin To have a poem considered Frances' studio is located at Wheatsheaf for publication contact in the Wombat Forest. Her studio serves Bill Wootton both her creative spirit and visitors who cottlesbreedge@gmail.com come for open studio visits, community exhibitions and meditation practice.
See a photo you like? They are available for sale. Contact Kyle on 0416 104 283
To market, to market
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OU can find everything you need at weekend markets, from fresh fruit and veg to handmade jewellery and wares, throughout the Central Highlands and surrounds. Here are just a few.
Daylesford Sunday Market – every Sunday Wesley Hill Market - every Saturday Trentham Neighbourhood Centre Makers Market - first Saturday Golden Plains Farmers Market - first Saturday Woodend Farmers Market - first Saturday Castlemaine Artists’ Market – first Sunday Trentham Community Group Market - second Saturday Kyneton Farmers Market - second Saturday Ballan Farmers Market - second Saturday Kyneton Rotary Community Market – second Saturday Maldon Market – second Sunday Clunes Farmers Market - second Sunday Trentham Farmers Market and Makers Market - third Saturday Glenlyon Farmers Market – third Saturday Leonards Hill Market - third Saturday Creswick Market - third Saturday Keep COVID-safe Talbot Farmers Market – third Sunday Woodend Lions Market - third Sunday Daylesford Rotary Farmers Market - fourth Saturday (New day!) Trentham Station Sunday Market - fourth Sunday Buninyong Village Market - fourth Sunday
Love is in the air
"
SHE said yes!", is inscribed in one of the many lovelocks starting to take over the spillway bridge outside the historic change rooms at Lake Daylesford.
The locks first appeared there in March 2014, reported on by The Local. Local. Now there are almost 250 of all shapes and sizes running across the bridge – gaining interest from wandering locals and visitors. Love locks, or love padlocks, are a phenomenon which took off around the world in 2000. Sweethearts, friends or family use the locks to symbolise their love, often writing or engraving their names on the lock and then throwing the keys into the water – so the locks can never be undone. One of the most famous lovelocks bridges is the Pont des Arts, a footbridge in Paris which crosses the Seine River. In 2018 36 tonnes of padlocks were removed to stop the bridge collapsing. In Australia, locks of love can be found at the Mt Keira lookout near Wollongong, on bridges across the Yarra River in Melbourne and on the University Footbridge over the River Torrens in Adelaide.
Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Kyle Barnes
4 Sport
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Junior bowlers compete at Daylesford
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HE 15th Annual Junior Provincial Championship was held at Daylesford Bowling Club, competing for the Flapper Family Shield and BDBD Medallions.
The winners were The Northern Flyers and the runners-up were the Bendigo Dragons. Spokesperson Tallulah Sargeson said junior bowlers came from Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Goulburn Valley. "They had an amazing time, a lot of happy, smiley faces for the day."
See more photos at www.tlnews.com.au
186 x 262
PLANNING ON TRAVELLING INTERSTATE ?
ALL VICTORIANS RE-ENTERING VICTORIA WILL NEED A PERMIT
To help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), all Victorians travelling interstate must apply for a permit to re-enter Victoria.
Do not travel to a red zone. To find out whether your destination is in a red, orange, or green zone, visit CORONAVIRUS.vic.gov.au Authorised by the Victorian Government, Melbourne
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News 5
Interim CEO for Hepburn Shire Council
H Ballarat.
EPBURN Shire Council has appointed Bradley Thomas, Community and Corporate Services director to the role of interim CEO after the resignation of Evan King and his appointment as CEO at the City of
Hepburn Shire Council Mayor Cr Lesley Hewitt said Mr Thomas had shown great leadership in his role as a director and acting CEO at times over the past two years. “Bradley has over 12 years’ experience in local government and has the skills and knowledge to successfully lead the organisation. He has worked at both the City of Greater Bendigo and Mount Alexander Shire Council in leadership roles. Bradley is currently the president of FinPro, the peak body of Victorian Local Government Finance Professionals, further evidence of the high regard in which he is held.” Mr Thomas, who lives in Bendigo, said it was great to see councillors showing faith in the internal leadership of the organisation. “My appointment to the role means an easier transition for the organisation as the recruitment process for a permanent CEO is initiated. I’m looking forward to continuing the implementation of important projects across the shire, and in particular it will be fantastic to work with councillors and the community on the Hepburn Together project over the coming months.” CEO Evan King finishes up on January 29 and starts with the City of Ballarat on February 15. He was appointed, with a four-year contract, as CEO of Hepburn Shire Council in July 2018. Before becoming CEO at Hepburn Shire in July 2018, Mr King was the director of Corporate and Community Services at Pyrenees Shire Council from 2014 to 2018. He was Hepburn Shire’s general manager of Corporate Services from 2010 to 2014. Prior to Mr King, former Hepburn Shire CEO Aaron van Egmond spent six years with Hepburn Shire Council, resigning in March 2018 to take up the same position with Hobsons Bay City Council. Before Mr van Egmond, Kaylene Conrick was Hepburn Shire Council's CEO from 2008 to 2011. Ms Conrick left to become Community Services director at Bayside City Council. She is now CEO at Mansfield Shire Council.
new Variety STORE Gifts, treats, toys, games & more Everything under $29 Open 7 days a week 10am to 5pm 42 Vincent Street Daylesford
Words: Donna Kelly
All in this together
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EPBURN Shire Council has launched Hepburn Together, a new planning project which will shape the future of the shire.
Hepburn Shire Council Mayor Cr Lesley Hewitt said the project would develop the 10-year Council Vision, four-year Council Plan, 10-year Financial Plan and Asset Plans, as well as the new Community Engagement Policy. “This project will build a comprehensive understanding of what our community wants - its aspirations, strengths, ideas, priorities and challenges,” said Cr Hewitt. “With this knowledge, we can then formulate these important documents that will define our priorities into the future and deliver the open, transparent and responsive council decision making the community expects. “We are absolutely committed to working in partnership with the community to develop a shared vision of what we want to be, what we want to do and what our shire will look like in the future. “We have such an engaged, creative and knowledgeable community and I am confident many will take the opportunity to get involved and contribute to the future of our shire.” The council has developed a new engagement website - participate.hepburn.vic. gov.au - which has a project overview, timelines for when the community will be involved, background information on all aspects of the project and as the project develops, it will be where the community can find surveys, event details and more. “The new Community Engagement Policy is the first document we will work with the community to develop and your input is vital in ensuring it is the best policy it can be," Cr Hewitt said. “This policy will set the tone for when and how we engage with the community, what level of decision making the community will have and it will apply to all strategies, plans and projects that need community input. “We will very soon be calling for your input into this policy, so please visit the new website and take a look at the information there.” Community pop-up sessions will be held at Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford, Glenlyon and Trentham.
Words: Donna Kelly
Community News Message from the Mayor Happy New Year. 2021 started with the wonderful virtual New Year’s Eve Parade. Congratulations to all those involved in creating an alternative celebration that kept the spirit of New Year alive while being mindful of COVID restrictions. You can still see the 35 mini floats at the Pop-Up Library in Vincent Street, Daylesford, or watch the parade on Facebook. The virtual Parade was an example of the resilience, creativity and willingness to get involved that is a hallmark of communities throughout our Shire. In other news, it is with a sense of loss that we farewell Evan King, CEO. Evan has accepted a position as CEO of the City of Ballarat. This is a wonderful opportunity for Evan, and we wish him well. Evan has had a significant impact getting the Hepburn Hub project back on track, overseeing the implementation of the new 2020 Local Government Act and responding quickly to State Government directives to work from home, ensuring that Council services continued to be provided. His knowledge of and commitment to the region will be of benefit to the Shire in the future. Council have commenced the recruitment process for a new CEO, and this will necessarily take some time. We were pleased to unanimously vote to appoint Bradley Thomas to the position of interim CEO. Bradley, originally from New Zealand, and with a strong interest in cricket, has worked in local government for 12 years. He has been Director Community & Corporate Services here for 2 years and has a strong financial background. This is in addition to his knowledge and oversight of the various activities that make up the Hepburn Together Project. Bradley is currently the President of FinPro, the peak body of Victorian Local Government Finance Professionals, further evidence of the high regard in which he is held. The Hepburn Together Project involves developing a Community Engagement Policy, a 4-year Council Plan and a 10-year Shire Vision and must be completed this year. There will be several opportunities for you to participate in shaping this. I know that sometimes these activities can be met with a degree of scepticism from residents, but it is important. It’s your chance to say how YOU want the Shire to be in 10 years time. What YOU want Council to do over the next four years. How YOU want Council to let you know what is going on and what decisions you can influence. It doesn’t mean you will get what you want, but it does mean you can influence what is decided. So please participate. Check out the Participate Hepburn website. Further details of how you can participate in the first stage, the development of the Community Engagement Policy, are on this page. I look forward to meeting residents at the Community Pop-Ups. Cr Lesley Hewitt, MAYOR
CONTACTS
General enquiries
5348 2306
@
Mail Email Website
PO Box 21, Daylesford 3460 shire@hepburn.vic.gov.au hepburn.vic.gov.au
Aged & disability services enquiries - 5345 8399
Hepburn Together - Have Your Say We recognise the importance of working with the community to ensure their voice is heard, and we want to know your thoughts, ideas and input on community engagement. We will be holding a number of community pop-up sessions to get your ideas. The Community Engagement Policy is Stage 1 of the Hepburn Together project. Come along and have your say.
Friday, 29 January 2021 Clunes Pop-up Location: Outside The Warehouse - Clunes Time: 3:30pm - 6:30pm
Saturday, 30 January 2021 Creswick Pop-up Location: IGA park Time: 8:30am - 11:30am Daylesford Pop-up Location: Coles Walkway Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Sunday, 31 January 2021 Glenlyon Pop-up Location: Glenlyon General Store Time: 8:30am - 11:30am Trentham Pop-up Location: Trentham Town Square Time: 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Tuesday, 2 February 2021 Daylesford Pop-up Location: Daylesford Town Hall Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Wednesday, 3 February 2021 Creswick Pop-up Location: Creswick Hub Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm Trentham Pop-up Location: Trentham Library Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Thursday, 4 February 2021 Clunes Pop-up Location: The Warehouse - Clunes Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pom Glenlyon Pop-up Location: Glenlyon Hall Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pom More information here https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/. For after hours emergencies please call: Animal Control - 0419 587 955 Other Council Emergency - 0419 583 573 hepburncouncil
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News 7
Staying positive about the live music scene
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“Before COVID we were going pretty well. We had quite a lot of opportunities and were getting really comfortable with playing. We were playing mostly at The Palais and also small school gigs. We don’t have any solid plans yet but we are definitely looking to get out there and play as soon as things get good and we can rehearse again.” Furthermore, if you’re a young musician trying to get some traction, then the Marlon Toner-McLachlan, 19, aka Marlon T, is comfortable with keyboards, bass, Central Highlands could well be a doubly frustrating place to try and cultivate your guitar, trombone and vocals. He understands well the limitations of making music in craft. the area. Setbacks such as venues closing down, limited opportunities for rehearsal spaces “In a shire such as this I think it is really hard in a lot of ways for young people to and difficulty making connection with other musicians just add to the general connect with each other because everyone is so spread out. I have quite a few mates in malaise. But as far as the local scene goes, there may be reason for optimism regarding Castlemaine and over there the scene is quite a bit bigger. You’ve got venues that are 2021. The opportunities are out there on the horizon, just like COVID vaccines. It’s willing to take on younger bands. Whereas here, at the moment we’ve only got The just a matter of when they are going to kick in and get things moving again. Gotta Palais.” keep positive, right? At this point in time The Palais-Hepburn is one of the last private venues standing but they have held alcohol-free shows to support musicians just starting out, as manager Richard Fanale explains. “We are doing all we can to continue new and old live music and the all-ages events we’ve had in previous years went really well. FReeZA have said they are going to get back to me again to program three or more events in the coming months subject to health restrictions.” The FReeZA program is a youth development program providing opportunities for young Victorians to enjoy artistic events that are drug-, alcohol- and smoke-free in supervised venues. Hepburn Shire Council has two FReeZA committees which cover the Creswick and Clunes area and the Trentham and Daylesford districts. All the musicians featured here have spoken highly of the program. Council spokesperson Adam Perrett said the council was currently in the process of developing its next Youth Engagement Strategy, which coincided with the council plan. Abby Ashmore, 19, is a singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Ballarat. She is “We’re currently consulting young people and we are sure that creating spaces involved with three bands, including Grove, and has recently taken on a role as a for art and performance will be an important element of that consultation. Hepburn youth support worker at Hepburn Shire Council. Shire Council’s FReeZA program called Octave will be back in term one. “For regional areas in general, it has always been quite tricky being a young “We held online events during lockdown last year and the young people are person and having creative projects because there is little access to things like rehearsal looking forward to performing to an audience again. In November, Octave also ran rooms and recording. But there is a strong music community here that is willing to an online training session with The Push Inc to help young musicians manage their support each other. “There are lots of budding musicians and there are going to be some good things band. “With the unpredictability of live performance with COVID-19, we’re also happening. There just needs to be a little bit of work done so we will be able to have hoping to work closer with musicians regarding studio recordings to produce work access to the same resources that a lot of metro areas do.” they can promote and sell online.” Pyramid Noise, below, have been together for about two years now and are well known around the area. After the setbacks of the last several months singer and Left, above, Grove with from left, Abby Ashmore and Matthew McEgan with guitarist Ciarán Harraghy, 17, is eager to perform again.
F you’re a musician you definitely know how abysmal last year was for getting out and showcasing your music. And if you think it was bad in the capital cities, spare a thought for the people operating in regional areas like here.
Fletcher Wragg and Joshua Knight not pictured.
Left, below, Pyramid Noise, with from left, Ciarán Harraghy, Lachy Taylor and Liam Mrsic (partly obscured on drums) Words: Tony Sawrey | Images: Supplied
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News 9
Beating the odds with incredible will power
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WENTY-three-year-old Michael Smith is nothing short of inspirational.
The Macedon Ranges resident has overcome the odds to become an inspirational role model for others and to prove that anything is possible even when you are paralysed on one side and unable to enjoy all the things able-bodied people do. Michael was recently named the winner of the Will Power category at the Macedon Ranges Youth Awards, something he is incredibly proud of but something he certainly wasn’t expecting. “I had no idea the manager at my local gym had nominated me for the award. I was so proud given I have had to overcome so many obstacles and hardships since having an accident when I was seven,” he said. Michael was just like every other seven-year-old boy - inquisitive, adventurous and loved being outdoors. So when Michael climbed a tree, it was something he had done many times before. “I had always been outdoors and loved climbing trees. On that particular day, I can’t remember anything about the accident but can remember climbing the tree,” he said. “I fell five metres and landed in the tree roots at the base of the tree. I was in a coma for three months. When I woke up, I couldn’t remember the accident at all and had to learn to do everything again – walk, talk, chew, swallow and eat,” he said. “But now I look back and realise I had the determination to just push through. It’s the sink or swim attitude and I’ve always swum! And to win the award has just made everything worth it.” Michael left hospital before his eighth birthday with an acquired brain injury and paralysed down his right side. He remembers a time when he had to restart school from prep and knew early on his life was going to be extremely different from his friends. “I always struggled at school since the accident. Everything changed and while I had to learn everything all over again, I still had to have therapy before and after school which was so tiring. “But as I got older, I realised more and more the importance of pushing through the pain and to never give up. I have endured 16 years of operations as well and my daily therapy and gym work continues. It will probably never end.” Michael left school after completing Year 10. He said despite doing his best, he remembers a number of teachers who were supportive but some who failed to understand his learning hindrances. “School was always a struggle for me and so tiring. I suffer from fatigue every day and I found school very hard at times. Unfortunately, I had a few teachers who just didn’t understand my situation and gave me a really hard time. I knew if I made it to Year 10, I could at least try to find a job in a supportive environment.” And that he did. Michael worked for his local butcher before joining the crew at the Macedon Nursery and Gardens. A job he still loves going to each day. “I have been given such amazing opportunities and I feel very lucky and fortunate. I think it always gets back to having that sink or swim mentality and I will always aim to swim no matter what.”
Above right, Michael Smith receives his Will Power prize for the Macedon Shire Youth Awards, pictured in the Kyneton Botanical Gardens Words & image: Narelle Groenhunt ADVERTISEMENT
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“But as I got older, I realised more and more the importance of pushing through the pain and to never give up. I have endured 16 years of operations as well and my daily therapy and gym work continues. It will probably never end.”
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Alex loving new work with Hepburn House
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lessandro 'Alex' Micheli moved from Florence, Italy 25 years ago, taking up an IT position in Albury, New South Wales.
But after 15 years of working as a systems analyst “sitting in an office all day and with very little social contact”, Alex decided to retrain as a personal care worker. Alex then moved to Melbourne for 10 years and then last year, he and his partner decided the time was right to make the move to Daylesford. “We love it here. We used to come here regularly most weekends over the past few years and finally found the property of our dreams and decided it was the right time to make the move.” Alex then found a position with Hepburn House which he says has “a fantastic environment – even compared to the places I worked in Melbourne”. “Hepburn House is the ideal facility just for the way residents are catered for and supported, I haven’t found anywhere like this anywhere else. I have a number of jobs, but I just like the daily interaction with the residents. And it gives me the chance to do something more community-minded.” Alex, who is half Italian and half German, said he still returned often to Italy to catch up with his family although, of course, COVID had stopped visits for a while. He also keeps busy with his love of music having been in a band professionally for many years including in the 80s and 90s back in Europe. "The band I was part of is called Pankow, a suburb of Berlin, and the band is still active, although I left my role of live performer in 1993 when I moved to Australia. "I was the full-time singer from 1981 to 1993, with the name Alex Spalck. I still write all the songs and record all the albums, I can't perform live because of the distance." And does he ever play for the residents of Hepburn House? “Hmm. I don’t think it is really the kind of music that would be appreciated by this age group, but you never know…” To see Alex in action on YouTube, head to www.tlnews.com.au Hepburn House is a government-funded aged care facility that is set in beautiful surrounds and caters for all levels of care, from respite to permanent.
Hepburn House is located at 1 Hepburn Road, Daylesford. For more information, please call 5348 8100 or visit www.hepburnhouse.com.au
EVERY TEST HELPS US KEEP DOING THE THINGS WE LOVE Every test keeps us on top of this virus. And keeps us doing the things we love. So even if your symptoms are mild, or you’ve been tested before, every test helps.
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Lauriston's history uncovered
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By that time the village had shrunk to approximately 215 souls. In contrast, nearby Kyneton, being a major stopover on the road to Bendigo, now had a population of over 3500 and a pressing need for housing stock. Many of them were moved there from Lauriston by bullock dray. “There are stories that some period houses in Kyneton have great big cavities But in the 60 years beforehand, the town had a lot more residents. Like so many underneath them,” says Susan. “It was said they would first dig a large hole with an settlements around the region, its population was buoyed by the work available incline and guide the loaded dray down into the pit, deposit the house on the ground through intensive gold mining and industrial activity. The ruins of which remained and get the empty dray out afterwards. The same method was used in reverse at until recently, under a carpet of blackberry and gorse; common across much of the Lauriston to load them.” disturbed ground of the Victorian Goldfields. From relocated houses to mullock heaps and bluestone footings, it does not take While some mining sites elsewhere are very well known and extensively too much investigation to reveal the array of material, physical and anecdotal, that documented, Lauriston’s diggings do not have a very high profile. Like nearby make up local mining history. In contrast, gold rush sites of a similar size in places Drummond and Taradale, Lauriston's part in the gold rush was quickly forgotten such as California have been largely obliterated by development. after the machinery was sold and removed, except as stories passed on by the people It is for this reason that the push continues by shires such as Macedon, Mt who remained. That is until Malmsbury Historical Society president Dr Susan Walter Alexander and Hepburn and others to give the Central Victorian Goldfields World volunteered to write up a heritage study of mining remnants north of the village. It Heritage listing status. And the heritage study completed by Susan is one more small took her around 10 months to complete. but important contribution to a larger story. “In May 2019, works were undertaken by Malmsbury District Landcare Group “Lauriston and the Russell’s Reef complex is one of many overlooked areas around to remove the gorse and blackberry on the land adjoining the Coliban River,” says the area,” says Susan. “It is only one rich little pocket of a greater whole. To truly Susan, “and as the research coordinator for the Malmsbury Historical Society, I was collate what is there could easily take a decade and up until now no-one has really asked if I could do a site history report. taken on the challenge. But now that Macedon Ranges, Mt Alexander and Hepburn “We had been told that there were mining remains in there and the project shires are all part of this push to get world heritage status for the Central Victorian uncovered various machinery footings, remains of cyanide extraction tanks, bricks, Goldfields, uncovering the history of the emergence of Lauriston can make a small, scraps of boilers and various mine shafts.” Around 1852 the first local alluvial gold discoveries were made at Kangaroo Creek valuable contribution to those efforts.” west of Lauriston and soon diggings extended north along the Coliban River towards Thanks to Dr Susan Walter and the Malmsbury Historical Society for Malmsbury and Taradale. assistance with this article. The excavations south of Malmsbury were originally known as the Coliban Diggings and eventually a township in the vicinity was surveyed and became known as Lauriston. Over the next four decades there was a significant amount of gold Above, Lauriston looking north-east and showing the Coliban River and the mining and associated activity around the new township with several hundred old timber road bridge, circa 1900 workers and their families living in the valley. Image: Courtesy of Malmsbury Historical Society However, by the 1890s the peak of gold extraction had passed and the only Inset, Dr Susan Walter Image: Contributed remaining operations of any size were those run by the Russell’s Reef Amalgamated Gold Mining Company and they too were played out by 1912. Words: Tony Sawrey
HE hamlet of Lauriston, nestled in the Coliban Valley between Drummond and Kyneton, boasts around 235 residents. It is a figure, give or take a dozen people, that has remained unchanged since World War I.
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News 13
Changing women’s lives – one pack at a time
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T'S hard to imagine that in today’s day and age, girls and women across the world are denied access to basic sanitary needs. While periods are a part of every woman’s life, thousands endure unthinkable hardships, simply by being a woman.
It’s also unthinkable that while women worldwide in 2021 lack the basic and fundamental right to have access to pads and meds to manage their periods, it is still one of those issues that even educated first world communities struggle to openly talk about. But a group of locals across the Hepburn Shire is doing their part to make a difference. Over the past 18 months, women of all ages and backgrounds, and even a couple of men, meet to help create much-needed reusable, hygienic and safe period kits to make monthly periods more bearable for women and young girls. The Days for Girls movement started in America and the initiative has directly helped more than a million girls and women across the world. Days for Girls increases access to menstrual care and education by developing global partnerships, cultivating social enterprises, mobilising volunteers and finding sustainable solutions to help stop the stigmas and limitations for women. When local Hepburn Shire residents Terri Oprean, Lynn McCauly and Kathy Hancock first heard about the project, they were immediately inspired to be part of the program and went on to set up a group locally with the support of the Rotary Club of Daylesford. Now up to 20 people a month meet in the chapel of the local funeral director to play a small part in a movement that has a massive immediate impact on the lives of young girls and women – access to pads, meds, underwear and knowledge. Terri taught health and human development at girls' schools in Melbourne for many years. When she made the move to Daylesford, she quickly became involved with the community, working part time as a food tech teacher at the local secondary college, joining Rotary, and becoming an integral part of the community. When she heard about Days for Girls, she said it "ticked all the boxes". “Despite media campaigns to change the way we view the issue in Western Society, for many girls and women around the world, monthly periods invoke fear, loneliness, sickness and separation. For some there simply is no school. For others, like girls in some parts of Nepal, they are confined to their home, sitting on a flattened cardboard box until their period ends,” she said. “I taught health and human development for many years to girls and knew this was such a wonderful program to become involved with. “Days for Girls increases access to menstrual care and education by developing global partnerships, cultivating social enterprises, mobilising volunteers, and innovating sustainable solutions that shatter stigmas and limitations for women and girls,” she said. So much work goes into the kits. “A waterproof liner is shaped like a pad and it is designed to clip around undies at each end. The liners are designed to be reusable so can be rinsed out and can last between three to five years. “But the kits also contain information to help young girls understand basic hygiene and menstrual cycles. It’s helping them better understand their bodies and to manage and continue to live their lives, go to school and be part of their communities when they have their periods.” Terri said strict guidelines mean absolute quality control so the products are reusable, sustainable and environmentally friendly. “There are extremely strict guidelines, quality control and instructions that must be followed to ensure every component in the kit is of the highest standard. Over the years there have been around 18 iterations to the kits,” she said. “All the material used must be 100 per cent cotton, a dark colour and we adhere to a stringent tick sheet to ensure all the components are of a gold standard.” The group found innovative ways to continue creating and sending off more than 300 packs during COVID. “A wonderful group of people living in a Creswick Aged Care Facility spent hours opening up little bars of soap to place in the kits. Many continued sewing over COVID, picking up material at my doorstep, and leaving the finished products back there again, so we could continue our work without the regular contact.”
Above, standing, one of the organisers Terri Oprean with volunteer Joan Oates Right, the Days for Girls kits Images: Contributed
But not everyone involved in the group sews. There are many different and important roles people play in the group. “There is washing and ironing of the fabric, folding face washers and underwear, taking small bars of soap out of the packets and putting the kits together. Whatever the task, according to Terri, everyone plays an important role in the kits coming together. “We have a lot of fun, a lot of laughs and really connect over such a wonderful and important cause. Local women have even donated money to the cause and in return have received a kit as some have already realised the value in reusable pads not only for periods, but for incontinence as well,” she said. Periods have become political. In Victoria all state government schools now provide free tampons and pads for students. In America a law was passed to make it illegal for schools not to. But for many young girls and women across the world, having and managing their periods is not as easy as accessing a pad at school. Days for Girls in Hepburn and across the world are changing the status quo – one kit at a time. To get involved, contact Terri at daylesfordvic@daylesfordforgirls.org
Words: Narelle Groenhunt
14 News
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Property price records Young Trades Awards
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$900,000, jumping by 9.5 per cent from the September quarter to land at $941,000. With most spending more time at home than ever throughout the year, families took the opportunity coming out of lockdown to upgrade their home. This benefited house prices in middle Melbourne, the typical suburban family belt, which increased by 8.0 per cent from September to reach $1,066,500, and valued houses at 7.3 per cent above the December 2019 median. Regional Victoria also saw traction in the market, recording its highest quarterly growth since 2003. Houses achieved a median price of $485,500, recording a 9.2 per cent increase from the September quarter, and 7.5 per cent annual growth. While regional unit prices recorded a 3.5 per cent quarterly increase, they are now 10.3 per cent more valuable than they were 12 months ago. Units in metro Melbourne achieved a median price of $639,500, 2.5 per cent higher than the September quarter and an annual increase of 3.8 per cent. Following the lifting of intensive lockdowns in October, activity in the property sector returned in Victoria, with an estimated 29,500 transactions in the December quarter. It was the highest number of quarterly transactions in 2020, surpassing the March quarter at 27,500. REIV president Leah Calnan said the Victorian property market had remained remarkably resilient in 2020 despite dire market predictions at the onset of COVID-19. “Throughout the July and September quarters, we received constant reports of low listings and activity. Once restrictions across the state eased, demand and buyer competition skyrocketed,” Ms Calnan said. “Certainly low interest rates and government incentives including stamp duty concessions and first home buyers grants added to buyer appetite for the December quarter, while volatility and uncertainty in the Australian equity market have secured property as a preferred investment option for Victorians.”
"Whether they’re qualified or apprentices, trainees, or diploma students, these awards show our appreciation for their hard work and acknowledge young tradespeople in our district we want to recognise," said CCCE marketing director Charl Parris. "If you employ young workers learning their trade through training, please consider nominating them in the Young Trades Awards program. If you’re a young, qualified tradesperson you can nominate yourself." Nominations open on January 26 and close on February 26. There are $5000 prizes in three categories including Apprentice or Trainee – Employed and Learning, Qualified tradesperson – Employed and Entrepreneur or Self-employed Tradesperson. Nominations are open for tradespeople aged between 16 and 30 years old who work in carpentry and building, electrical and plumbing, hair and beauty, automotive, nursing and childcare, civil construction, landscaping and gardening, hospitality, fitness and health, agriculture and farming and all other trades. Nominations can be made at the Community Bank Trentham & Districts branch or register nominations online at www.bendigobank.com.au/branch/vic/communitybank-trentham-districts/young-trades-awards/ A Young Trades Award launch will be held on Australia Day, Tuesday, January 26 from noon at the Trentham Town Centre.
HE median house price in Victoria has recorded its largest increase since 2000, according to data from Real Estate Institute of Victoria’s quarterly December report.
EOPLE are being asked to nominate a young tradesperson for their effort and contribution to their trade to be recognised by the Young Trades Awards offered by the Community Bank Trentham & Districts For the first time, metropolitan houses in Melbourne surpassed a median value of and Cool Country Community Enterprises.
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16 Gardens
www.tlnews.com.au Don’t rely on there being sufficient rain or run-off from the rest of the garden to see them through until Autumn. Give them good, long, soaking drinks, either by letting the hose run slowly into a shallow moat, or better still circle the tree just inside the drip line with a length of slow-release trickle hose. Leave this running for several hours around each tree to ensure the soil is completely soaked. This method ensures that the tree, and only the tree, benefits from all of the water. Repeat this watering throughout the hot months whenever the soil at the bottom of the moat is dry. Insufficient moisture at this time of year could cause leaf drop, which in itself is not necessarily dangerous for the tree but could reduce the necessary stored material for next season’s crop. Just a note of explanation: If you aren’t familiar with the term drip line it refers to the outer reach of the foliage and is obviously where the main feed roots develop.
Making the most of a fruit harvest - Take 2 Freeze your berries
Acid loss
If you have a bumper crop of berry fruits in your home orchard or have found some ripe for the picking, don’t let them go to waste - save them for another day by freezing them whole. This method is excellent for strawberries, mulberries, gooseberries, currants and cherries. And even oranges, lemons and grapefruit can be frozen in the same way. In this case slice or cube the fruit, and place the portions in a lidded plastic container sprinkling each layer with a thin coating of dry sugar. Then seal the container and place it in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator. The fruit will keep there for months if unopened. To use the fruit simply let it thaw, unopened for about a half hour at room temperature. Don’t attempt to refreeze the leftovers and use several small individual containers to avoid wastage. If you normally use a small number of berries at any one time, another method is to loosely freeze them in a freezer tray then store them in a freezer bag. Then you can remove and thaw out the quantity required at any one time and then reseal the bag in much the same way as you would frozen peas. Another freezing technique with berries, especially if they have become soft and pulpy, is to put them through a blender with honey to taste and then pour into a sealable container and freeze. Once frozen the fruit can be taken out and put through the blender while still frozen, for use either as a topping for ice-cream or as a syrup for fruit salads, etc.
In some areas where the quality of water can deteriorate with hot dry conditions, acid-loving plants could be showing signs of yellowing as the pH level starts to turn to alkalinity. You can correct the imbalance by spraying your acid lovers with Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) at the rate of 37gm to 20 litres of water.
Got a gardening question? Ask Glen. Email glenzgarden@gmail.com
Care for your fruit trees Don’t turn your back on your fruit trees and vines once you have picked their crops. This is a rather critical time of the year for them as they are recovering from the stress of producing a heavy (we hope) load of fruit and at the same time trying to store up energy to see them through Winter and into Spring.
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18 Opinion
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Pick me, pick me
Just sayin’... By Donna Kelly
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UR US correspondent Jeff Glorfeld sent us a very, well, sort of funny, piece for this edition. He and his wife Carol, former Wheatsheaf residents now living in Redding, California had their first vaccine shots last Saturday, January 16. Read all about it on the back page. Oh, and tune into the podcast at www.tlnews.com.au/podcast They were very happy, as you can imagine, but how it came about is very strange. And not so much funny ha ha but funny peculiar. It involves a dog park, a clandestine call from Carol's sister and a mad dash to an airport. We spoke to them last week, after the vaccination, which I am pleased to report only really caused a sore arm the next morning. When we chatted they were enjoying a care package we sent about a month ago. It contained important things like Vegemite, Twisties, Tim Tams, kangaroo jerky (for the pups) and two mugs with The Local branding all over them. Jeff said he was loving the jerky but then added that Scout, who travelled from Australia with them and is now quite a senior, was really loving the jerky and seemed to have an extra spring in his step. Memories of afternoons watching the roos abound at Wheatsheaf perhaps? Jeff and Carol and Scout left here about two years ago to be with family and we parted with cries of "See you soon!". But, of course, we have not seen them except for Facetime and Zoom. And it looks like another year or two will slip by before we either head to America or they come home for a visit. Like many people, we now think we should have gone in 2019, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. And there is always something else going on. I guess if we take anything from 2020 it is to not let things slide - although I hope there is not another pandemic for at least another 100 years, and even not then. With that in mind, we have booked a few trips for this year (domestic) and next (international) and last week ventured to Melbourne for a couple of days. As you can read from Kyle's Rant opposite, the highlight was a wander up the Yarra in a little powered dinghy which was fabulous. We also made it to Williamstown which I have to say was dead. I talked to a volunteer in the information centre and she said she expected the Central Highlands was the same. I said, no, it was pumping and she said "Oh, the regions". So I guess Melburnians are travelling further afield and places like Hobsons Bay are missing out. A shopkeeper told me that during the hard lockdown there were about 50 shops with For Lease signs on them. It is easy, as vaccines roll out and life returns to a sort of normal, to forget that many lives have been impacted and will continue to be so. I just know that we are lucky to live in Australia and lucky to live in the Central Highlands. Just sayin'...
Your say
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• assurance that the watercourse will not be built upon, rather created into a natural buffer to neighbouring farmland; • More natural approach to managing storm water for which encourages infiltration rather than runoff; • Inclusion of a public park; and • Pegged building envelopes and design materials and RE: 17 Smith Street, Daylesford Residents who object to the application for a 53-lot landscaping stipulations. The group of objectors will appeal any decision made subdivision in central Daylesford are concerned that their opportunity of appeal at VCAT has been thwarted. if it does not bring the application into full compliance with the Hepburn Planning Scheme and respect the The developer has sought to fast track the proposal valuable features of Daylesford. under the government’s Development Facilitation - Jennie Wilmoth, Debora Semple & Jenni Draper Program, by submitting to have it called in to the Minister for Planning. The application will now be determined by the Minister on advice of an independent advisory panel, the Priority Projects Standing Advisory Committee, which is OVER the course of the pandemic I have had to paid for by the developer. The advisory panel hearing is learn to be a little more charitable in the face of on Monday, February 15. mask refusal and the blithe ignoring of social The objector group will continue to represent their distancing rules. case for a better outcome at the site. Increasingly I have come to an understanding that Their wishes continue to be to create a design that many people are utterly ignorant and not following respects the land and town character by: events all that closely. We know that a large proportion • larger lots to encourage food growing in fertile soil; of the population obtain their news from whatever • 50 per cent affordable housing to resolve rental happens to roll through their daily social media feed. crisis; Lamentably the now ubiquitous (and ironically • absolute protection of the many established trees; named) smartphone does not appear to have had the • a permanent second entry/exit to the site of 68 material effect on general knowledge that one hoped for. dwellings to minimise traffic on Smith Street;
Housing subdivision
Not so smart
The staggering lesson from overseas where governments have left it to the community to manage has been disastrous; it seems we sometimes need strong governments to protect us from our own ignorance.
- Pat Hockey, Clunes
Library access DURING the COVID restrictions we had reduced access to our local Daylesford Library.
How great it was when things returned to near normal and we were able to once again browse the shelves. Then another closure loomed. The building needed maintenance and once again our library was to be shut. How grateful we are that Alison and the team came up with the brilliant idea of opening a Pop Up Library next to the Information Centre. We have been able to drop in the pile of books we had out for our Christmas reading (and) have picked up books we had on hold. We have enjoyed the friendly conversations. How great it has been to be able to view up close the entries in the virtual New Year's Eve Parade. Thank you.
- Ruth and Malcolm Bray, Daylesford
Letters to the editor are welcome. Keep them shortish and to the point. news@tlnews.com.au
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Opinion 19
Kyle’s Rant
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HE few people I know, know I have a boating lineage. I like a sailor’s life and feel most at home aboard a vessel plying the brine.
All the boats I have ever driven have never been mine. I was lucky enough to get a start as a 16-year-old with my dad on his fishing boat, gained my qualifications along the way and by some weird turn of fate, these qualifications have become perpetual. That means I am legally allowed to captain commercial vessels up to 90 metres in length around most of Australia as long as I have a current first aid certificate. Forever thanks to a bureaucratic loophole. I still do refine my skills from time to time, training the nouveau riche on their new toys down in Melbourne, parking the big gin palaces in tight spots but without the investment. Even if I could afford it on the grandiose wage I get here at TL HQ, I wouldn’t bother, as I have been around enough boat owners to know the actual cost of maintaining such rigs. From time to time while living it up on the flybridge of someone else’s motor yacht along the lower reaches of the Yarra, I see the little charter dinghies bobbing around, filled to the brim with families out for a sunburnt day. As they look up longingly on my ride, I give a nonchalant wave in their general direction as if I actually own the vessel and am not being paid by the hour to be onboard. But recently with this pandemic things have been a little dry in my world of boat training and I haven’t been able to get my nautical fix at someone else's expense, so I have committed an atrocity. I rented a dinghy. (Donna is also a boating snob and once remarked she wouldn’t climb aboard anything less than a 50-footer moored on a floating dock.) So we negotiated the fare and the young man asked if I would be self-driving or required a skipper. I think I bored him to tears as I told him about my many adventures on the brine. He walked away with that look of “whatever, old man”. Anyway, we climbed on board our tender and took off up river towards the gardens. It was electric drive and clipped along against the current at five knots, two boat snobs...but I must say, we had a blast. It is so peaceful up there once you say goodbye to the Southeast Freeway. The traffic roar gives way to nature and contemplation. It was a fabulous day and my boat snobbery has certainly been kicked to the kerb. I truly couldn’t recommend a punt up the Yarra in a small rental boat highly enough. I love messing around in boats rant over…
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20 Out & About
Gigs with Darren Lowe The Guildford Hotel, Guildford Broderick Smith - Friday, February 5, 7pm Moosejaw Rifle Club - Saturday, February 6, 7pm Mark Wardle with Barry Fitzpatrick & Fred Lakerink - Sunday, February 7, 1pm The Cartwheels - Friday, February 12, 7pm Peter and the Wolves - Saturday, February 13, 7pm The Amazing Valentinos - Sunday, February 14, 1pm Guildford Folk Club - Thursday, February 18, 7pm Ade Ishs eMotion Band - Friday, February 19, 7pm Sons of the Blues - Saturday, February 20, 7pm
(All gigs are outside in the pub’s Big Backyard. Bookings essential to alan.joyce747@gmail.com because of limited numbers. Bring a mask and wear it for protection. It is a condition of entry that everyone needs to record their name and contact details at the bar.)
Got a gig coming up? Email donna@tlnews.com.au
Let’s support our community and shop local! “Locals supporting Locals”
Restaurants, Bakers, Butchers, Cafe’s, Local vineyards, Distillers, Brewers and of course each other.
Remember we offer free delivery, T&Cs apply. Delivery times are Monday to Saturday between 10am and 4pm. We accept credit cards over the phone or we have an on-board eftpos machine. You will need to be at home for the delivery with proof of age if asked by the driver. Give the Foxxy team a call on 5348 3577. Keep safe, everyone.
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News 21
Castlemaine T State Festival under way from March 19
The festival’s thought-provoking Dialogues program returns with Helen Garner, Don Watson, chefs Rosa Mitchell and Carlo Grossi, Michael Rowland, Gareth The festival will open with a free event Evans, Reverend Tim Costello, Archie Roach and Dan featuring Ajak Kwai and the Bendigo South Sudanese Women’s Ensemble and will be filled with special events Kelly and more as they make an appearance to discuss contemporary topics covering themes of environment, for all ages and curious minds. history, climate change and society. Experience classical through to contemporary in The visual arts program will range from a celebration the festival’s vibrant music program with a star line-up including soprano Cathy-Di Zhang, Josh Teskey & Ash of 1960s pop cultural fashion icon Mary Quant at the Bendigo Art Gallery, Melinda Harper’s first major Grunwald, Jess Hitchcock, David Bridie, Liz Stringer, survey in regional Victoria at the Castlemaine Art Lior, Allara, Teeny Tiny Stevies, The Maes, Richard Museum, to local artist Cameron Robbins collaborating Narroway, and Josh Cohen performing Radiohead for with prestigious winemaker Gilles Lapalus. Visitors to Solo Piano. Castlemaine and Bendigo are encouraged to create their The music will ring through with a variety of own art trail, exploring the local galleries and art spaces. Victoria’s best ensembles including the Melbourne Tickets for the 2021 Castlemaine State Festival are Mandolin Orchestra, Omega Ensemble, Australian available at castlemainefestival.com.au National Academy of Music, Goldner String Quartet, and Inventi Ensemble.
HE Castlemaine State Festival will be held from March 19 to April 4.
Thinking about selling your house, land or home? Place it in The Local's House.Land.Home.Premium. Out Monday, February 22. Call Kyle on 0416 104 283 or talk to your real estate agent.
Imagine a field of stunning, organic & bee-friendly flowers, grown just for you. (and the bees.) Janae and her husband Chris are flower farmers. Their farm, Fleurs de Lyonville, is just up the road where they have fields of magnificent seasonal flowers - all grown organically in our rich fertile soil. Every day, the best of the flowers are picked and arranged into glorious bunches and brought into the store along with our other fantastic local producers who drop off their prized fruit, vegetables, herbs, meat, smoked goods and cheeses. For we are a different kind of food store. First and foremost, we are dedicated foodies and appreciate the value of sourcing high quality ingredients. We want to make sure that you can always find the best local produce, fantastic artisan foods and those international gourmet delicacies that are increasingly difficult to source. We haven’t forgotten those that have speciality requirements either. We stock an impressive range of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free products. So whether you’re cooking a feast or special dish, packing for a simple country picnic, need a coffee or floral pick-me-up, you’ll find everything that you need (and crave) at Blake’s. Please note we are a contact-free cashless store. All cards accepted. 1 Howe Street Daylesford. Ph 5318 1128 Photography by Juan Meyn. Courtesy of Fleurs de Lyonville.
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Hepburn Earthworks
Drives, drains, moving dirt, excavation, $400 half day $750 full day man and machine. Caterpillar Bobcat, excavator and Dual Roller. Phone: 0438 662 203
Christ Jules Services Julie Hanson 0459 619 701 julphil.hanson@gmail.com
Ballan Ballan Plumbing Pl20u007 m065b410 ing ABN: ABN: 20 007 065 410
Licenced Plumbers & Gasfitters
5368 1036 / 0419106518
www.christjulesservices.com.au
www.ballanplumbing.com.au
ALL ROUND CARPENTRY
Wastewater ABN: 69 105 671 412
Systems
1800 020 093
www.wastewateraus.com.au
Ph:0434 357 882
Pierre: 0425 783 871 SOLUTIONS | SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS | SOLUTIONS
Daylesford Newsagency & Tattslotto Newspapers, magazines, Tattslotto, dry-cleaning, stationery, photocopying and lots more... 55 Vincent Street, Daylesford 5348 2061
PLASTERER DAYLESFORD FIBROUS PLASTER WORKS (MACKLEY’S) • NEW HOMES • RENOVATIONS • CEILING ROSES • ORNAMENTAL CORNICE Daylesford
Peter Mackley 5348 3085 or 0418 571 331 Gary Mackley 5348 1108
Are you a tradie? Advertise here. 5348 7883 Clement F Mooney
Email: c.mooney@bigpond.net.au Available to assist with all general accounting services and preparation/electronic lodgment of Tax Returns and BAS for Individuals, Sole Traders, Partnerships, Trusts and Companies.
A.B.N. 37 961 487 978
Certified Practising Accountant Registered Tax Agent B.Com, C.P.A., M.B.A.
Tel: 03 5424 1441 Mobile: 0412 584 555
Ballan Plumbing
trenthamselfstorage@outlook.com
Office: 19 Albert Street, Trentham 3458
Servicing commercial refrigeration domestic and commercial air conditioning Licenced Plumbers & Gasfitters
ABN: 20 007 065 410
5368 1036 / 0419106518 Servicing the local community for over 45 years
www.ballanplumbing.com.au
Phone: 5348 1291 Sales-Service-Maintenance-Installation -Mobile coolroom hire Garry Rodoni: 0417 734 206 Chris Milham: 0436 402 730
E L E C T R I C I A N
Wastewater
John Roberts Electrical Services REG 15644
Systems
Domestic Commercial Industrial
Specialists in the installation, servicing & maintenance of all wastewater treatment systems.
Mobile 0439 682 619
www.wastewateraus.com.au
ABN: 69 105 671 412
1800 020 093
1800 020das3460@bigpond.com 093 DAYLESFORD www.wastewateraus.com.au APPLIANCE SERVICE electrical appliance repair service washer, dryer, fridge, dishwasher, oven, cook top etc. Call Kiyo on
0419 267 685 Malone Tree Services Liam Malone . Limited Access . Fully Insured .Specialists Qualified . Mulching Available
0423 945 436
das3460@bigpond.com
PH: 0400 059 613 - 5348 6634 ADMIN@JESSEDAWKINSGARDENS.COM.AU WWW.JESSEDAWKINSGARDENS.COM.AU
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The Last Word: A shot in the arm
N JANUARY 16 I received a COVID-19 vaccination. This is how it happened.
Here in California, you need to apply to a medical service provider in order to become a patient. When we arrived here in 2018 we signed up with a few likely organisations, and in mid-2020 we were thrilled to be accepted by one. Happily, my wife and I were both still alive and not in need of immediate medical attention. Nonetheless, we were thrilled to join the ranks of the medically blessed. When I went to see my new physician for the first time - for no reason except to establish a working relationship - she was flummoxed to note on the 82-page form I’d been required to fill out, detailing every ache, pain and odd rash I’d experienced since 1960, that I was currently taking no medication. It seemed incomprehensible to her that I’d somehow managed to live my life thus far without the aid of dozens of life-supporting prescription medications. I’m afraid that when she learned I’d been under the care of Australian doctors for the past 35 years, rather than seeing it as proof of the efficacy of that style of medical practice, she regarded it as an abject failure of that country’s system, as if Australia’s practitioners were in craven open revolt against the pharmaceutical industry. I’ll admit here that when I left her consulting rooms at the end of our first meeting, my new doctor had done her job most admirably: I now had prescriptions for two medications and a referral to a specialist for a malady of whose existence I’d previously been wholly unaware. Now, about a week ago I was summoned by my doctor to attend a six-month checkup, presumably because I am old and well-insured. I was informed of this appointment by robocall and text message; the latter requiring me to fill out a questionnaire concerning my likelihood of having come into contact with one of the 94 million COVID-19 cases in the world. I went to my appointment, and the doctor was pleased to see that I now had medications to list on my paperwork, but when I asked about the COVID-19 vaccine, she gave me a solemn look, with her eyes peering from above her mask. She admitted that at her medical practice they’d received no notification from any source regarding COVID-19 vaccinations, and that they would not be notifying patients in that regard. Now, this is not some little country practice run by a doctor with bushy eyebrows and untrimmed nose hair - not that you could tell about the nose hair, what with the mask and all. No, my doctor works for a medical corporation that has offices and hospitals the length and breadth of California. With no ironic intention, I suggested to my doctor that perhaps I should check with the health department of our local government authority about the possibility of a COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, and she agreed that could be a possible source of information. Here in California the march of progress has ensured that no telephone of a business bigger than a mom-and-pop corner shop, and no professional or government agency, will ever be answered by a human being. So I consulted the modern oracle, Google. Finding the appropriate website, I found that people of my age, career and medical history should be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination some time in March. Or April. Or May. Supposedly, the only people being vaccinated were health-care workers and people 75 and older. I am neither. Anyway, it’s now Saturday morning in mid-January. I’m in my weekend morning loungewear - trackie-daks, a T-shirt and Ugg boots. The phone rings. It’s my wife’s youngest sister, who isn’t yet 60 years old. She has just been to the dog park, where she takes her beloved hound for a play, most days. The dog park is next door to a small local airport. Someone at the dog park tells Sister that they’ve heard that the local government was going to be giving COVID-19 vaccine shots to anyone who wanted them, at the airport, starting right now. Sister calls us. She is sixth in line for the shot. She’s been told her age doesn’t matter, whether or not she’s in essential services, has pre-existing conditions, or calls a parmigiana a parma or a parmi - all are welcome to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. We consult the oracle. The corresponding website insists Sister is wrong, as the vaccinating needle slides into her arm. We choose to believe dog park gossip and Sister’s on-the-spot report over the official online information, and race over to where the COVID-19 vaccines are allegedly being administered. We arrive to find a well-organised operation, with excellent traffic control and information dissemination. It takes about an hour in our car to work our way to the vaccination site. It’s the Moderna jab and we’re given the shot and a card to be presented in a month when we return for the follow-up injection. As for side-effects, my left arm where I received the jab is a bit sore, but - and this might sound pathetic or stupid - I feel a great sense of relief, as if this pandemic disaster might be coming to an end. In a month I go for my follow-up injection, and supposedly two weeks after that I’ll be pretty much immune to COVID-19, at least for a little while. Here in the United States, Insanity Central, that counts as a major victory.
Jeff Glorfeld is a former editor with The Age and journalist with The Local. A couple of years back Jeff, his wife Carol and their dog Scout moved from Wheatsheaf to California, USA to be with family. They have since adopted pooch Joey. Along with being happy to be vaccinated, Jeff hopes for a St Kilda premiership one day.