The Local July 31 2023

The Local - The Heart of the Highlands

Front cover: When the romance with retro vinyl began to bloom, Luke Cameron had something special to offer those smitten. A massive collection of vinyl records he’d been lovingly assembling over a quarter of a century, many of them coveted original press. Read his story by Eve Lamb on page 25.

Image: Louise Gay English

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.

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.

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

The next edition is out on Monday, August 14, 2023. or online on Sunday, August 13 at www.tlnews.com.au

Space bookings: Wednesday, August 9

Copy deadline: Thursday, August 10

Editorial deadline: Thursday, August 10

General manager: Kyle Barnes on 0416 104 283 or kyle@tlnews.com.au

Editor: Donna Kelly on 0418 576 513 or news@tlnews.com.au

Editorial assistant: Eve Lamb on 0493 632 843 or editorial@tlnews.com.au

Sub-editors: Nick Bunning, Lindsay Smith & Chester the Cat

Writers: Eve Lamb, Kevin Childs, Tony Sawrey, Jeff Glorfeld & Donna Kelly

Photographers: Kyle Barnes, Eve Lamb & Nadine Jade

Graphic designer: Dianne Caithness

Contributors: Glen Heyne (gardening), Darren Lowe (music), Richard Cornish & Jen Clarke (recipes), Clive Hartley (wine) & Bill Wootton (poetry)

Accounts | Julie Hanson Delivery | Tony Sawrey

Clarksdalesfordians - a musical exchange

CLARKSDALE is a town of 15,000 in the US state of Mississippi and considered by many music aficionados to be an important part of the development of blues music.

It is one of the main attractions on the modern day Mississippi Blues Trail with sites such as the Riverside Hotel where many significant touring blues entertainers stayed and the Delta Blues Museum, which for many years was the town’s only major tourist draw.

Over the years the place has counted artists such as Muddy Waters, Sam Cooke, John Lee Hooker and Ike Turner as residents. And somewhere on the surrounding plains are the crossroads where, nearly 100 years ago, singer-guitarist Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the devil to improve his playing skills.

For this and many other reasons fans of blues music from around the world now come to Clarksdale in the heart of the Delta.

In 2006, Daylesford musician Adrian Kosky made his own pilgrimage to the area, but his journey turned out to be more than a fleeting visit. It led to love and marriage along with a lifelong connection to both Clarksdale and the contemporary Delta music scene.

“I met my wife Carla Maxwell the year before while I was on a music scholarship in North Carolina, but returned in 2006,” says Adrian. “Next time I saw her, I had an ambition to get to Clarksdale and needed a ride. She gave me that ride, and the rest is history.”

Carla is a musician from Tennessee with family roots in Kentucky. She had ventured to the Appalachian region bordering the east of the state to learn about her musical heritage and the music of the mountains.

Adrian, an Australian tourist with a deep interest in music of the American south was looking to get to Clarksdale and experience its rich blues history. Carla took him back to Memphis and gave him a quick taste of Clarksdale, setting the course for a union of friendship, love and music.

Together, as husband and wife, their music evokes the traditions of folk blues, combined with old-time Appalachia, while arousing the restless yearning that keeps them on a permanent walkabout between their homes in Mississippi and rural Victoria.

Though the couple came from completely different backgrounds, their entwined cultures of Australia and America inform their folk-driven sound and they regularly play together as Table Hill.

“Carla’s family live around Memphis, and mine are around the Victorian Central Highlands. We have created two homes, one here where our Australian family lives and another in Mississippi, which is close to our American family,” he says.

Before meeting Carla, Adrian had embarked on numerous projects renovating and restoring historic buildings in Daylesford and Trentham from the 1990s on.

With this sort of development experience under his hat, it was not an implausible idea to do something similar in Clarksdale - and in doing so merge the couple's love of music with a project that would eventually see the creation of a unique cultural interplay between the Delta and the Central Highlands.

“We purchased an old Masonic temple in the downtown area of Clarksdale in 2012, and revitalised the building over three years. We called it The Holy Moly after the rebuild and it includes our US home on the second floor.”

Today the building is part of a revival of the Clarksdale downtown area that was, for many years, neglected and empty. As well as being the couple’s US base, it provides retail and residential spaces for creative people and features a multi-use theatre. And Adrian and Carla regularly open their place up for special events, house concerts and local festivals.

“Both of us are keen to support visiting Australian musicians and artists who have an interest in the Americana Music Triangle (covering an area between Nashville, east to Memphis and south to New Orleans.)

“Likewise, we are also happy to support artists from the US, who might be drawn to the Central Highlands region, to write, heal, create or record. We do this by having self-contained accommodation in both of our homes.”

Adrian adds that the 14 friends who have visited the local region from Clarksdale are called ‘Clarksdalesfordians’ and the many Australians who have come to Clarksdale are known as ‘Clarkstralians’. A cultural exchange that has grown stronger and stronger since 2012.

Words: Tony Sawrey

WIW's On The Couch with Beck Lister

Planning is well under way for next month’s Words in Winter and Beck Lister will be hitting the couch on Sunday, August 27 with three guest artists.

Beck is an award-winning playwright, arts producer, MC and social worker. She is the co-artistic director of arts company Anvil Productions and the director of Education and Psychosocial Programs at Eating Disorders Victoria.

The Words in Winter event is the first of Anvil Production’s On The Couch with Beck Lister, an event happening every month from August, each show featuring two local guests and one “out of towner”. August’s guests are Adam Fawcett, Harmony Byrne and Alexandra Collier – with resident musician Douglas Lee Robertson.

“Adam Fawcett, pictured left, is a local playwright, a successful mid-career writer, living in Daylesford. He has a company, Lab Kelpie, and I am pretty excited to talk to Adam because he has a new play opening in November at Theatre Works in St Kilda. So it is a nice opportunity to chat about that.

“My second guest is local musician Harmony Byrne, centre, a beautiful young singer/songwriter who has a wonderful combination of soulful sound that is also grungy and thrashy. Harmony is a terrific woman and I saw her perform a few weeks ago at the Yandoit Cultural Centre.

“My third guest is a writer from Melbourne who has spent a lot of her working life in New York, Alexandra Collier, right. She has launched a book called Inconceivable, a memoir of her journey to have a child solo. She has worked as a playwright and writer for film and is very open and has a really great presence. Her book is beautiful and it was lovely to invite her to come up to Daylesford.”

Beck said the show was “part chat show, part therapy” with guests asked to speak about their art-making process. “There will also be the difficult questions about how do you go about making art when you feel flat or devoid of new ideas. Artists often talk about a low period and I want to know how they navigate that and start creating again, and how does their own life inform their arts practice?

“The artists have also been asked to read or sing or showcase a piece of their work and we also have music with Douglas Lee Robertson, who used to live in Daylesford and is pretty excited to be working on the show here.”

Beck, who lived in Daylesford about 15 years ago before moving to Melbourne and then north-west Queensland, and back to Daylesford a couple of years ago, said she was stoked to be a part of Words in Winter. She has two other shows in the festival including chatting about a book she co-wrote with her husband Tony Kelly, Growing Pineapples in the Outback, and a breakfast event, Future Women. Link: www.wordsinwinter.com

Words: Donna Kelly

Creek renaming

Jim Crow Creek has been renamed Larni Barramal Yaluk.

At a ceremony last week, Dja Dja Wurrung community members attended along with representatives from Hepburn Shire Council and project partners Mt Alexander Shire Council, North Central Catchment Management Authority and DJAARA, who worked together to campaign for the renaming of the creek over many years.

Elder Uncle Rick Nelson performed a smoking ceremony and Jason Kerr played the didgeridoo.

Dja Dja Wurrung Group CEO Rodney Carter said renaming of the creek was an exciting day.

“The former name memorialised a sorry chapter in our shared history. It was offensive to my people, and I think, to others. That name meant this creek was not a culturally safe place for Dja Dja Wurrung and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Bringing a Dja Dja Wurrung presence back to Country is significant for Dja Dja Wurrung people’s health and wellbeing. We are also pleased to share our language and heritage with the wider community.

“Larni Barramal Yaluk means ‘the creek that flows through the home or dreaming place of the emu’.

“This decade, 2022 to 2032, has been proclaimed by the UN as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. The UN recognises the right of Indigenous peoples to preserve and revitalise their languages, and the dire plight of Indigenous languages across the world.

“I’d especially like to acknowledge the invaluable work of Dja Dja Wurrung man Harley Dunolly-Lee, who works tirelessly to repatriate Dja Dja Wurrung language, and our Djali Balak language committee,” Mr Carter said.

Hepburn Shire Mayor Cr Brian Hood said it was a proud day for the council and the community.

“It was important to come together at the creek and celebrate this name change on Country,” he said.

“The reality is that Jim Crow stems from racial segregation and anti-black racism and is therefore unacceptable. Renaming the creek back to Indigenous language is a way of reconnecting this beautiful landscape with the culture and language of Dja Dja Wurrung.

“The renaming of this creek is such a positive step forward for recognition and reconciliation. We are very proud to have played a role in this important work.”

Geographic Names Victoria gazetted Larni Barramal Yaluk as the new name in May.

There are strict protocols on renaming roads, localities and landscape features. The process included significant community engagement on renaming of the creek in late 2021, with overwhelming support.

The Old Heppy to become someone’s home

LOVED by many for its music, eccentricity and atmosphere, the Old Hepburn Hotel upset many locals when the taps were turned off and doors shut three years ago.

Now, one of the new owners of the hotel and its land, local businessman Eddy Comelli, says the hotel will become a house. “It’s zoned as residential and is to be sold soon,” he told The Local

Bare soil around the heritage-protected hotel signals seven building blocks, plus three dwellings, making 11 residences, including the hotel, in a horseshoeshaped area. The homes will be around the hotel that served the community almost continuously for 165 years.

Mr Comelli said a company had been formed but declined to name his partners.

When the Old Hepburn shut it was threatened with demolition, but the Hepburn Shire Council obtained protection in the face of some locals saying the place should be pulled down. One suggested just a memorial plaque.

Using expert advice, the council found that the hotel “is of local historical significance as an example of the vernacular timber stores and hotels which sprung up along the principal routes to the goldfields around Hepburn and Daylesford in the mid-19th century”. Other local examples are Daylesford’s Beppe Restaurant, the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Trentham and the Swiss Mountain Hotel at Blampeid.

The Old Hepburn was the site of the first licensed store in 1854, serving Swiss Italian and Chinese goldminers digging in the nearby Breakneck Gorge until the late 19th century. As the rush ended, the village of Hepburn, and the Old Hepburn, emerged as a centre for the agricultural, horticultural and service industries.

Rebuilt in 1911 after it burnt down in 1906 and 1909, the hotel has a design that still resembles the 1860s building, incorporating fabric from the Victorian brick chimneys.

Included in the protection order is a requirement for external paint colours to either suit the building or be reinstated. Heritage Victoria says the hotel meets its threshold for listing and will be consulted on any work undertaken.

The council hoped that allowing further use of the building could contribute to its restoration and conservation.

In protecting the hotel, the council also said: “The application of the heritage overlay on a permanent basis may have an adverse economic impact by constraining development of the site. However, this would only apply to part of the property, with opportunities to develop the balance still able to be explored.”

As well, retention and conservation of the hotel could lead to “highly resolved and innovative architectural solutions.” Rather than someone’s home, as is now happening, the council believed that the old hotel would be “making opportunities for small business with benefits through tourism”.

“It is considered that economic effects will be offset by the contribution that the heritage place offers to the broader community and economy.”

Keeping a watchful eye on this is Cr Lesley Hewitt, who says one of the key conditions is protection of the cellar. Already, an ancient and unprotected pear tree behind the hotel is gone. Having twice arisen from the ashes, the pub that refused to die will now play host to new owners, their relatives and friends.

Words: Kevin Childs

Good grub - gratis - beats the belly rumbles

POTATO and bacon soup, baked ham with roast seasonal veg, piping hot apple and rhubarb pie with cream...I could be at a cafe, pub or restaurant – or a good friend’s place about to be fed.

But no I’m in the Uniting Church Hall on a Thursday surrounded by the Good Grub Club’s good deeds in action...and it’s all pretty yummo.

Everyone needs tasty nutritious nosh – and good company – in their life. But for an increasing number of local folk, getting a good square meal on a regular basis isn’t always easy. Or possible.

That’s where Daylesford’s Good Grub Club comes in to cheerfully help out, not just with the proverbial “good grub” but also with plenty of good companionship as well.

Every Thursday the club does exactly as its name suggests – dishes up hot nutritious lunches, free of charge, to those who are struggling to make ends meet.

These are companionable sit-down three-course lunches and, as volunteers point out, the only thing asked in return from diners is their first name.

The club also does food hamper and pre-cooked meal deliveries to those unable to make the lunch sittings.

Lately demand for the club’s services has been increasing, say stalwarts who volunteer with the club, people like Daylesford’s Cathy Walker, Gary Carter, Liz Bennett and the (retired) Reverend Jenny Hayes.

Cathy and Gary say that the type of social demographic represented among the diners has been changing in recent times.

“Every week there’ll be one or two new faces and it’s working people, which is the thing that’s disturbing at the moment,” Cathy says. “People will do anything to keep a roof over their head and sometimes that means no food.

“Some are regulars who come every week and there are some one-offs that we get. These are people who might just have had a big dental bill or something like that. That can throw the budget out. It’s a real mixed bag of stories.

“We deliver as well to 15 or 20 households, people who are isolated and elderly. We probably have 15 to 20 people who sit down to lunch each Thursday but we also have others who aren’t looking for the social engagement as well, who will just get take-aways.

“All up at the moment we’d have about 60 to 70 households (using the club’s services) – or about 100 people.”

Gary, who’s the club’s acting secretary, says that sometimes it’s the need for social connectivity, a good chin-wag, that people are most in need of.

“I love it because it’s something that is very direct and you can see the results of what you do,” says Gary. “There are no middle men, no bureaucracy, no meanstesting of people, just a friendly and direct way of making a contribution.”

In the kitchen, volunteers including former professional chef Rose Carrington, Robyn Zanon, who previously taught in a Stephanie Alexander kitchen, and Robyn’s husband, Walter Zanon, were bustling about with delicious dishes featuring the aforementioned baked ham with roast veg and a dessert choice of apple and rhubarb pie or golden syrup apple dumplings with cream or ice cream.

They were even happy and able to cater for special dietary needs, like gluten sensitivity. “It’s very rewarding to do something for people who otherwise may not have a decent meal,” Rose said.

All of the diners that The Local chatted to gave the menu a decisive thumbs up, while many regulars mentioned that another main motivation for being there was the companionship.

“Basically it’s for the social interaction and it does get difficult cooking for yourself if you live by yourself,” said Hepburn resident, Paul. “The food is very yummy and there is good community spirit. I’m a social butterfly. I like being with other people,” said fellow diner Sharon.

The club runs on the goodwill and community-mindedness of its volunteers and more are always welcome, as are donations of in-date non-perishable food items.

“We currently have probably 15 to 20 volunteers. Some do the deliveries. We’ve got a couple of really good cooks, some of our volunteers pack hampers or help with serving lunch,” Cathy says.

The Good Grub Club is an independent registered and incorporated charity, and at times works quite closely with other community service organisations like Rotary.

“Over the past 12 months, and especially since the pandemic, the demand has increased significantly, but surprisingly many people in our community are still not aware of the support services we provide even though we’ve been doing this for coming up 10 years now,” Gary says.

“The (Thursday) lunches are cooked on site in the morning, and volunteers also cook on Mondays and Tuesdays and then we freeze so we can distribute,” says Rev Jenny who describes herself as “the general dogs body, actually”.

“We rely entirely on volunteers to keep the kitchen going. We also get good support from Coles through its Second Bite program. So every Thursday I go to Daylesford Coles and pick up perishable fruit and vegetables that are left over.

“We can always do with more non-perishables and people can drop them off here (at the Uniting Church Hall) on Thursdays.”

Rev Jenny also says anyone keen to sign on as a volunteer and help keep the Good Grub Club dispensing its warming food and hospitality is more than welcome to contact her on 0408 645 248.

Words & images: Eve Lamb

A retreat for people living with dementia and their carers

Treehouse4Two is a free three-day retreat for people recently diagnosed with dementia and their carers in the Macedon Ranges and Hepburn shires.

We focus on wellbeing and self-care, providing a supportive peer environment where participants receive tailored support from specialist trained staff.

Carers learn how to navigate the challenges of supporting someone living with dementia and how to access other community resources, including respite.

Register your interest today

E treehouse4two@chrh.org.au

P 0439 568 972

Home care you can trust Community

Aged Care and Disability Support

Nightingale Home Care provides tailored, personable and highly qualified in-home nursing, aged care, and disability support to those in Daylesford and the surrounding region. Would you or a loved one benefit from the daily care of a professional in the comfort of your own home? Our nurses and support staff are here to help.

03 5223 1909

info@nightingalehomecare.com.au www.nightingalehomecare.com.au

Walking out of limbo

Your say...

RE Just Sayin'... – July 3, 2023 Issue 283

I enjoy and appreciate The Local, thank you for providing this free publication. I look forward to getting to the back pages of The Local so that I can be annoyed or buoyed by Kyle’s rant, and entertained, informed and at times provoked by your Just Sayin’... column.

In this issue I was deeply disappointed. You wrote that you don’t know enough about the Voice, and you say the answer to the referendum question should of course be Yes, yet you advise voting No, based on not enough information.

I wonder how much detail the general public have been given in past for constitutional change? This is the first time First Nations people will be enshrined in our constitution and yet you advise to continue to wait? I’m not sure exactly what detail you want?

It is intensely upsetting that you echo and amplify Peter Dutton's very loud and very privileged arguments, someone who has done nothing significant to improve the lives of Aboriginal people.

KEEP an eye out and you may just spot him hiking along the chilly, muddy Hepburn Shire roads this week.

While many of us stay rugged up indoors, much loved Ballarat-based Tamil refugee, Neil Para, 44, is this week walking through Hepburn Shire as part of his far bigger 1000km trek from Ballarat to Sydney.

Neil, who with his family arrived by boat in Australian waters in August 2012, has set himself a target of covering 30 kilometres a day as he highlights the plight of refugees who have been left in limbo after their bridging visas were removed with no assurance of residential permanency anywhere in sight.

Starting at 8am from federal minister Catherine King’s office in Ballarat this Tuesday, August 1, Neil aims to reach Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's office in Sydney within a month.

There, he intends to present a petition bearing 11,000 signatures and calling for "fairness for refugees who’ve lived here in Australia for more than a decade".

Supporting him logistically will be groups like Ballarat Rural Australians for Refugees and others in the network.

Neil says the idea for the long walk came to him as he reflected on the response to a four-day sit-in protest that took place at Parliament House in Canberra in March.

"I feel we were seen, but we were not heard," says Neil, who lives with his wife Sugaa and their three young daughters in Ballarat. "Every single politician - they were passing by - but they didn't come and talk to us."

Neil says that reaction has prompted him to launch the Union of Australian Refugees group and to tackle the walking challenge to draw attention to the plight of his family and those on bridging visas.

Before settling in Ballarat in September 2013, the Para family had spent months in offshore and onshore detention facilities, including in Darwin and Dandenong.

Neil says the move to Ballarat was part of what immigration officials told him was a program to “fast-track” visas for refugees and asylum seekers moving to regional Australia.

But he says the promise of a visa was later reneged on, and the family's bridging visas were removed, leaving Neil and Sugaa in a situation where they struggle to survive without the ability to work.

Neil volunteers with the State Emergency Service in the evenings, while Sugaa also volunteers in aged care and for a local community centre.

Refugee advocates say there are as many as 12,000 asylum seekers and refugees in Australia who were excluded from the federal government’s announcement in February on a pathway to a permanent visa. Those eligible included 19,000 peoplefrom the Legacy Caseload - who had been living in Australia on temporary protection visas or safe haven enterprise visas. Neil and his family are now understood to be among the up to 12,000 people who missed out.

Meanwhile, data released by the Department on July 13 shows it has approved 2740 applications from asylum seekers and refugees who pursued the permanent pathway option announced in February, while 15,676 claims are still being processed.

Of the 32,045 individuals in the Legacy Caseload group, 7725 are reported to have had their cases closed either through refusal, cancellation or expiration.

After leaving Ballarat this Tuesday, Neil plans to head on to Newlyn, and then to continue on Wednesday from Newlyn about 8am through to Daylesford about noon and then on to Malmsbury.

Former members of the now disbanded Rural Australians for Refugees Daylesford are supporting him during the Daylesford section of his walk and locals are being encouraged to get out, welcome him and cheer him on.

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Contributed

I’m not a First Nations person, but white people stole their lands, killed Aboriginal people, stole children and ruined their culture and now prevaricate about ‘letting’ them have a voice, when we are the ones on stolen lands. Enough information is out there to start the process, and the referendum is just the first step in the process.

I’m really upset that you are in a position of influence and are advising readers to vote no, whilst also saying you don’t know enough. Read The Voice To Parliament handbook, listen to podcasts, talk to First Nations people.

Are you hearing the voices of Aboriginal people? Are we used to being in a position of power and not able to see how truly devastating this would be if we voted against the referendum? If people vote ‘no’ then governments will think they have the authority to continue to do nothing of consequence, and nothing will change and nothing will improve the lives of Aboriginal people. Nothing.

- Mez Lanigan, Trentham

(Ed's note: For the record, I said the vote should be yes but I fear it will be no. Not to vote no.)

Letters and musings are always welcome. Email news@tlnews.com.au

Any addressed Dear Sir will be deleted - you know why :)

Patching up shire's roads

Hepburn Shire Council has awarded a $500,000 road-patching contract and also entered into a partnership with five other councils to deliver a regional approach to bitumen resealing.

The council has allocated $2.73 million in the 2023/24 budget for reconstruction, resealing and gravel re-sheeting of roads across the shire, in addition to around $3million of operational expenditure for other repair works.

Mayor Cr Brian Hood said investment in roads was a justifiable concern for the community and a major priority for the council.

“Successive years of wet weather have seriously deteriorated road conditions and led to potholes and other road defects. This is an ongoing challenge that all road authorities are facing,” Cr Hood said.

To optimise effectiveness, patching works will begin in spring once weather conditions improve. The program of works will be based on an audit of road pavement defects carried out earlier this year, ensuring works are prioritised in an evidence-based manner. The contract was awarded to Civil by Parker.

Meanwhile, Hepburn Shire Council is partnering with Ararat Rural and Ballarat cities and Pyrenees, Moorabool and Golden Plains shires, in a regional bituminous resealing program with Victorian-based contractor, VSA Roads.

“Joining together with neighbouring councils to improve our roads makes good sense, both from a safety and financial perspective,” said Cr Hood.

Bituminous resealing gives the road a fresh coat of protection and grip to ensure continued usability and durability.

“Bituminous resealing will start in our shire early next year. It’s a key tool in improving and maintaining our road network.”

The council has also awarded a contract to improve kerb, channel and carparks in High Street, Trentham. The $227,992 contract was awarded to Fulton Hogan.

The project includes the construction of kerb outstands to improve pedestrian safety and access and reduce speed at the intersection of Quarry and High streets. A section of bluestone will be re-laid, with new asphalt on High Street.

Words: Donna Kelly

Researching sonic boom times at Werona

THE world is a strange place. Even after most of the earth has been explored, mapped and explained there is always something weird which can rattle our peace of mind.

Take for example the occurrence of mysterious sonic booms also known as Sky Quakes. Often perceived as far away cannon or heavy artillery fire, they have unsettled people across the world.

In the regions where they have been reported, the phenomena has acquired different names. These include Fog Guns and Seneca Guns in the United States, Barisal Guns in Bangladesh, Cape Barren Island Guns in Bass Strait and in the rolling countryside between Werona and Campbelltown, Pat Hanley’s Guns.

One person who has been intrigued by this local sonic mystery is Patrick Stokes, pictured right. By day he serves as an associate professor of Philosophy at Deakin University, Melbourne but in his downtime he has been researching the phenomenon for an upcoming book.

“I am not an historian by any means,” says Patrick, “but when we bought a place up at Werona I started looking into the history of the area and came across a reference to Pat Hanley’s Guns.

“I suddenly remembered reading that name in a book I had when I was maybe 10 years old called Amazing Mysteries by Carol Odell. So I started digging into it out of interest. It is really quite fascinating because it is a hyper-local piece of history that has been almost entirely forgotten.”

Though little known today, Pat Hanley was a notoriously combative Werona farmer living at the turn of the 20th century. He also served on the Newstead Shire Council before it was amalgamated with Mt Alexander Shire in 1916 and during his tenure spent much of this time fighting with other councillors and the editor of the Newstead Echo, the local paper of the day. Unfortunately for history buffs no confirmed photos of him are known to exist.

“I suddenly remembered reading that name in a book I had when I was maybe 10 years old called Amazing Mysteries by Carol Odell. So I started digging into it out of interest. It is really quite fascinating because it is a hyper-local piece of history that has been almost entirely forgotten.”

“The phenomena became associated with him very early on because Hanley appears to have had a really combustible personality and a quick temper. He also seemed to have enjoyed some of the notoriety around him. He was quite active discussing the sounds and also using them a little in his political campaigns.”

The explosions were certainly not isolated incidents separated by months or years, they came in rapid sequence and were heard as far away as Daylesford and Guildford. All of which prompted investigations by journalists and government geologists. One D. Maclaren of Yandoit in a letter to the Melbourne Argus in April 1911 stated that: “For the last six months they have been more numerous and intense than at any other former period known of. Last Saturday at midnight three very severe explosions occurred and in quick succession.”

While there may have been lots of conflicting opinions as to the sources of the disruptions, ranging from weather anomalies and volcanism to meteors and mining blasts, a general agreement was the noises were centred around Hanley’s farm at Werona. In time the term Pat Hanley’s Guns ended up being used to describe any form of mysterious explosion or boom in the region as far afield as Beaufort.

“With the proviso that I’m not a scientist,” Patrick says, “it is interesting that there were some similar noises heard around Maldon in late March this year and they did apparently correspond to some very light seismic activity. The Campbelltown fault runs through the area.

“It is possible that it is something to do with swarms of very shallow earthquakes and I’m told that those swarms can last a very long time, but it is probably something we will never really know. However it does have some interesting lessons to teach us about our relationship to place, landscape and our relationship to sound as well.”

For anyone keen to learn a little more about this curious piece of regional folklore, Patrick will presenting a talk about his research on Pat Hanley’s Guns, alongside historian David Waldron and author Johanna Craven, at Goldfields Gothic: Festival of Dark Ideas being held at Maldon from August 4 to 6.

Words & image: Tony Sawrey

Threads styling workshops

A grant from the Empowering Communities Fund through the City of Ballarat and Department of Justice and Community Safety means Cafs (Child & Family Services, Ballarat) Thread Together is delivering two free styling workshops specifically aimed at members of the LGBTIQA+ community, offering a safe and supportive environment to celebrate and embrace individuality.

The workshops will be facilitated by professional stylist, Claire Jensen. With her extensive experience working with the LGBTIQA+ community, Claire will offer guidance and insights about navigating personal style while embracing and expressing one’s identity.

Participants will have the chance to engage in one-on-one consultations with Claire, where they can receive tailored advice and recommendations to suit their unique preferences and needs.

“We are incredibly excited to host the Thread Together Styling Workshops,” said Cafs CEO Wendy Sturgess.

“This program reflects our commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive community that embraces and celebrates diversity. We believe that fashion is a powerful form of self-expression, and we want to provide a platform for LGBTIQA+ people to explore and showcase their style.

“For many of us, we get dressed every day based on what we know about fashion and what we’ve been conditioned to believe style to be. But actually, it’s so much more,” Claire said.

“When we can tap into how we want to be perceived and how this is reflected in our wardrobe, the impact is transformational. When a client is also going through a period of transition, the impact is 10-fold because suddenly the person presented to the outside world matches who they’ve always been on the inside.”

The next workshop is on August 30.

Details: 1800 692 237 or threadtogether@cafs.org.au

The Block in Daylesford?

APLANNING application for five dwellings at 1 Raglan Street, Daylesford, has people wondering if it is the site of next year’s series of television show The Block

The site is diagnally opposite the Farmers Arms Hotel.

The application to Hepburn Shire Council has a report prepared by Niche Planning Studio but the name of the applicant and owner of the land, on the corner of Raglan Street and the Midland Highway, has been redacted (blacked out).

The application says it supports the proposed development of five carbon-neutral, architecturally designed residential dwellings.

Each has a large kitchen and living/dining area with a mezzanine. There are five bedrooms in wings, two with en-suite bathrooms and all with access to a terrace. There is also another bathroom, rumpus room, three-car garage - and a heated swimming pool.

The application says a key principle is to maintain Daylesford’s leafy and spacious entry along the Midland Highway, transitioning from rural farmland to townshipbuilt form character.

It says access to the Midland Highway for the 3.8-hectare site has been proposed in a previously lodged application to Hepburn Shire Council.

Queries to Hepburn Shire Council Birch Ward councillors Jen Bray and Lesley Hewitt, and Mayor Brian Hood, were not responded to by press time. A query to Niche Planning Studio was also not responded to.

Hygge Property director Adam Walsh said he could not comment on the application but 1 Raglan Street, Daylesford was part of Hygge Property’s Middleton Field community.

The Block has told media outlets it does not comment on future sites although a number of media outlets have published articles saying that The Block will return to a regional area next year and is looking in the Hepburn Shire region.

Meanwhile, reaction on social media to the application is mixed.

“Anyone know more about The Block attempting to get permits to build massive houses and pools on the Wombat Park corner block near The Farmers? That would be devastating for the town! We don’t need a bogan TV station bringing hoards of day trippers."

“Don’t know what the problem is - they won’t be the only ones building. Think of the money it will bring into the traders of the town.”

“With their Macca's food van and Bunnings vouchers? Doubt the local small businesses are sponsoring the show.”

“Those places would look ordinary in that paddock. I'm interested to see how long permits take for them in comparison to local applications. Could be interesting.”

“Mitre 10 is the sponsor, and I’m sure there is one across from the site. I think they will be pretty happy to be supporting the build. I think a lot of businesses will benefit. Three months accomm for over 100 production staff, fuel and food just to start with.”

“I bet The Block gets permits while everyone else in the Hepburn Shire has to wait years for a simple one, typical of this shire.”

“The only positive that I can see for this is that otherwise that area is going to be subdivided into suburban (city) sized blocks and then be filled with cookie cutter big houses with little to no yards. If the rumours are true then these Block houses will be older period homes that have been relocated and then renovated and will at least provide a visual buffer from the Midland Highway to what will otherwise be a mini Caroline Springs housing estate.”

“I like that this is where we draw the line…have you looked at the town? It’s a joke. It’s already Caroline Springs."

“You aren’t going to stop tourists coming or people moving to Daylesford. It’s a commutable distance from Melb and has all the amenities making it a very liveable town for all ages. Better to push for upgrades to services than to fight a losing battle.”

“It's called progress and brings visitors and dollars into the town. Also more residents that will support local business. Great idea.”

“Don’t know about you but a home on a 2 acre or 1 acre block would be preferable than an estate for 50 blocks and actually help retain the trees. If it was a housing estate you’re more likely to see wholesale cutting out of trees. I do agree that the traffic will be bad and surprised they have built in such a prominent block rather than down some back road where they can control things.”

“I'm pretty sure something else is going in that location and the block is going in Glenlyon.”

“I swear if The Block get permits before us I will sue the council."

“As they are always having McDonalds does that mean Daylesford will get a Maccas?”

Words: Donna Kelly

Just briefly...

The Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve has Hepburn Shire’s third electric vehicle charging station thanks to a collaboration led by Chargefox with partners Hepburn Energy, the Hepburn Shire Council and Central Highlands Water.

Stations have already been installed in Creswick and Daylesford with two more planned for Trentham and Clunes.

More than 90 Victorian schools, councils and not-for-profit organisations across the state will receive a funding boost to deliver programs that reduce road trauma and save lives.

A key funding recipient is RoadSafe Central Highlands who will roll out the following programs: Bike Ed Instructor Training; Looking After Our Mates; Safer Drivers and Passengers Innovation (Road Safety Behaviours); and Safer Drivers and Passengers Innovation (Distraction Fatigue and Older Drivers).

Lions Hearing assistance dogs, also known as "furry ears", are provided to people with deafness and hearing difficulty free of charge.

The program was founded in 1980 and since than Australian Lions Hearing Dogs has delivered more than 650 Australians a professionally trained Hearing Assistance Dog. Recently, the Lions Club of Castlemaine provided Gumhaven Just Jagger aka Buster to Helen Williams. For more information contact Gita Khatri from the Lions Club of Trentham on trenthamlion@gmail.com or ALHD at www.lionshearingdogs.com.au

Thousands of cycling fans are set to head to Ballarat when the AusCycling Road National Championships return next year from January 4 to 7.

The event will see some of Australia’s best elite and junior cyclists and para cyclists battle it out for the coveted green and gold national jerseys on the roads of Ballarat and Buninyong. This year's event saw more than 10,000 spectators attending.

Ripon MP Martha Haylett has handed out a petition to Clunes businesses and community groups encouraging locals and road users to show their support for speed reduction and safety improvements on the Bailey Street bridge.

The petition seeks to reduce the speed limit from 60kmh to 40kmh over the Clunes bridge. The petition is at the Clunes Pharmacy, Widow Twankeys, Clunes Newsagents, Clunes IGA, @Fifty Two, Valley of Gold Service Station, Clunes Neighbourhood House, BOOM Clunes and O’Hara’s Café Bakery. Or sign online at www.marthahaylett.com.au.

Hepburn Shire Council is disappointed with the decision by the Victorian Government to cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The Creswick Trails were to be the venue for the mountain biking events for the Games. "As host of the mountain biking events, the council was looking forward to the economic benefits that the games would bring through visitation and tourism. This cancellation does not impact the delivery of the Creswick Trails and completion of the project is expected in late 2024."

Woodend has taken out bronze in the Top Small Tourism Town category at the 2023 TAC Victorian Top Tourism Town Awards.

The Top Small Tourism Town category celebrates townships with a population from 1500 to 5000 that demonstrate a strong commitment to tourism, offer an excellent visitor experience, and show strong collaboration with tourism operators, local businesses and the community. Winners were revealed on July 26 with Sorrento winning gold and Heathcote taking silver. The award comes a year after Mount Macedon won gold in the Victorian Top Tiny Tourism Town category for 2022, followed by bronze at the national awards.

Got some news to share? Email news@tlnews.com.au

DAYLESFORD | HEPBURN | SURROUNDS

Saturday

- August 26

Women to the Front panel

Frangos - 82 Vincent St Daylesford 26.8.23

10am-12pm | $60/ $50 Includes Breakfast

Discussion ‘Out of the Shadows’ as a female in this modern climate hosted by Rebecca Lister with Alicia Sometimes, Marieke Hardy, and Shalini Kunahalan.

Saturday - August 26

Poetry Readings with Anne Gleeson

Paradise Bookshop - 46 Vincent St

1pm-2pm | FREE - 26.8.23

Poems to make you Laugh Cry and Wonder

Join Anne as she reads poetry during an interactive reading. Most of Annes poems stem from her passionate life - the things she cares deeply about. Others stem from her love life, her work life and the life of others.

25 - 27 August 2023 Out of the Shadows

Friday - August 25

U3A-Schools Morning Tea Readings

Radius - 76 Main Rd Hepburn - 25.8.23

10am-11.30am | FREE

U3A and Schools Morning Tea readings and award presentations. Meeting of old and new writers. A multigenerational gathering with special guest Georgie Rose Puppetry doing an excerpt from The Little Prince.

Festival Launch. Wear it Purple Day

Radius - 76 Main Rd Hepburn - 25.8.23

4pm-8pm | Entry by Donation

Wear it purple for safe, empowering and inclusive environments for LGBT youth.

4pm Special guest Erin Riley (they/them) speaks about gender identity and writing.

5pm Welcome to Country and introduction by Mayor. Daylesford College readings, music performances, special guest poet ‘Alicia Sometimes’.

6pm Babble Open Mic One piece under three minutes Put your name in the hat & find out if ‘you have been chosen’ with DJ Hot Wheels

Celebrating 20 years

7.30pm Maia & Petrus team up to give you an insight into the creative life of the well loved local artist Petrus Spronk

Saturday - August 26

Words in Winter Festival Gala

Guest Speaker Jon Faine

Palais-Hepburn

111 Main Rd Hepburn Springs - 26.8.23

6pm-10pm - $25 / $30 (dinner available)

Come support your community event with Marieke Hardy in conversation with Jon Faine. Music by Jarrah Olive, The Bedridden - David M Lewis, Alex Miller & Emma Rassmusen: the world’s only muppet punk trio! Poet Sean M Whelan

Gala Tickets: palais-hepburn.com

Puppetry Workshop - Georgie Rose

Radius - 76 Main Rd Hepburn - 26.8.22

10.30am-12.30pm | FREE - Family Event

Sharing a short shadow puppet performance inspired by The Little Prince. This interactive workshop explores the diverse artform of storytelling though puppetry.

Oscar Wilde / Dorian Grey Daylesford Hotel - 2 Burke Square 26.8.23

11am-12pm | FREE

Toby Sime, local poet laureate, discusses the good the bad and the beautiful. A potboiler, a good read, a masterpiece? A horror story, a crime novel, a metaphor for closeted homosexuality? Dorian Gray is all of the above, and more.

Fireside Funeral Chat hosted by Beverly Risstrom

Daylesford Hotel - 2 Burke Square 26.8.23

12pm-2pm | $25/ $20 concession

Usually stunned, grief-stricken, in shock or exhausted, the friends or family of the dearly departed (i.e., YOU) find they now must make 101 unfamiliar decisions fast. Don’t be that guy! Join Beverly for a conversation around planning a funeral in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.

Stephanie Powell Radius - 76 Main Rd Hepburn - 26.8.23 1.30pm-2.30pm | FREE

Winner of the 2022 Melbourne Poets Union Poetry Prize and published widely in Australia and UK. Gentle Creatures is her second full-length collection. Audience is invited to interact, to ask any questions about the collection & the process of poem making.

Grief Pilgrimage, in the Shadows too Long with Di Percy

Paradise Bookshop - 46 Vincent St 26.8.23 2pm-3pm | Entry by Donation

Grief can do strange things. I went on a pilgrimage, that was nothing like the quiet nature walk I had in mind, nor what I imagined doing along the way, due to the role of a dice—but it was just the inner and outer pilgrimage needed.

The Art of Co-writing

Daylesford Hotel - 2 Burke Square 26.8.23 2pm-3.30pm | $20/ $15 concession

Words in Winter acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung, the Traditional Owners of Country and custodians of the land. In recognition of their continued connection to land, water and the culture, we pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Saturday - August 26

Australian Outback Noir

Radius - 76 Main Rd Hepburn - 26.8.23

2.45pm-3.45pm | $20 / $15

Gabriel Bergmoser, Melbourne based award winning author & playwright, discusses the current popularity of Australian crime thrillers and what it is that makes them so compelling. He draws on recent hits like The Dry, Scrublands, The Hunted, The Inheritance and his own novel The Hitchhiker.

Dead Poets Society

Cliffy’s - 30 Raglan St Daylesford - 26.8.23

4-5pm | $30 incl. glass of wine & antipasto

Hosted by Sean M Whelan Melbourne Performance Poet. Each person encouraged to bring a poem by a favourite Dead Poet as we take turns in reading them together in honour of the poets lost but not forgotten.

Sunday - August 27

Good Storytelling: Write Under Your Nose – with Mark Dickenson

Radius - 76 Main Rd Hepburn - 27.8.22

10am-12pm | $15/ $10 concession

Have a story stuck in your head? Mark Dickenson discusses ways of getting it out, with tips on structure, character, archetypes and other crafty tools for aspiring and emerging writers. Writing a good story requires more than just your brilliant ideathese tips and insights will help make your story truly soar. Mark Dickenson (Swinburne B/A Lit/Media. RMIT Dip Screen Writing).

Social Justice workshop with Jade

Rosina McCutcheon

Radius - 76 Main Rd Hepburn - 27.8.23

12.30pm-2pm | FREE

This workshop is all about writing for Social Justice. How do we articulate our concerns around fairness and equitable treatment in our community through the Form of Poetry.

Stories & Music Around the Hearth

Yandoit Cultural Centre (Old Church)27.8.23 - Family Event

2pm-3.30pm | Entry by Donation

A Words in Winter Open Mic event- with stories, song, poetry and music around the theme of ‘Hearth’. Yandoit Cultural is at the old church in the bush, Uniting Church Rd (off High St) Yandoit.

The Spirit of the Books

Radius (Side Show / Media Room)

76 Main Rd Hepburn - 26th & 27th

All weekend | FREE

This installation is a larger than life piece formed by 3 books. A sturdy artwork at the height of people’s eyes, this piece will disclose to the viewers the soul of each book. Exhibiton by Jean-Marc Dupré.

Daylesford Writers - Live & Reading

Radius - 76 Main Rd Hepburn - 27.8.23

2pm-3pm | FREE

Let Anna Irwin-Schutze, Shelley Sandow & Mark Dickenson & guests take you on a journey through the worlds of their imaginations. May contain tales.

Information & bookings: www.wordsinwinter.com

Sunday - August 27

On the couch with Beck Lister

Radius - 76 Main Rd Hepburn - 28.8.23

3.30pm-5pm | $25 / $20

Anvil Productions presents the inaugural show of ‘On the couch with Beck Lister –part chat show, part therapy!’ Join Beck as she chats with Harmony Byrne, Adam Fawcett and Alexandra Collier about their work, inspirations, motivations and doubts. And introducing ‘On the couch’ resident musician Douglas Lee Robertson.

Venie Holmgren Environmental

Poetry Prize announcement & closing drinks

Radius - 76 Main Rd Hepburn - 27.8.23 5pm | FREE

Winning poem announced and read. Come share a drink, a story and relax as the festival comes to a close. Join us for a de-brief.

www.holmgren.com.au

Information & bookings: www.wordsinwinter.com

In 2020 Tony Kelly and Rebecca Lister launched their co-written book ‘Growing Pineapples in the Outback.’ The reoccurring question from readers and friends was ‘What’s it like to co-write a book? Did you argue, fight, agree on everything/nothing?’ Join Kelly and Lister as they chat with poet Terence Jaensch about their book and the trials and tribulations of co-writing.

Across the Weekend

Bird songs & Stories / Kids Event

Local Hepburn Shire Libraries

Fri: Creswick 11am & Clunes 2pm

Sat: Daylesford 10am Trentham 12pm FREE ENTRY (45 mins per session)

Vanessa I.R. Craven performs from her book “Birds In My Tree”. Perfect for children aged 4-8. The book is a tool to encourage appreciation of local birds via song. Vanessa sings, plays guitar & teaches songs. She also explores the process of self-publishing.

Shadow Puppetry Performances

Local Hepburn Shire Libraries

Fri: 1pm Daylesford and 3pm Trentham FREE ENTRY - ALL AGES

Georgie Rose is a puppeteer & storyteller. She shares a shadow puppet performance inspired by the classic and much loved story of ‘Le Petit Prince’ by Antoine de SaintExupéry, followed by an interactive workshop about storytelling through puppetry.

Poetry Pop-Ups

Paradise Bookshop 46 Vincent St Fri + Sat

Midday til 3pm

Poetry pop-ups from writers involved in this years festival drop in for a meet and greet.

Ordinary Objects, Extraordinary

Stories @ Creswick Courthouse

4A Raglan St, Creswick

Times & Info: creswicktheatre.com.au

Share a story behind your cherished object; a worn-out teddy bear, a treasured piece of jewellery, a tattered book, or a garden fork, every object has a story to tell.

Mooltan Guest House

EV STATION FOR HEPBURN SPRINGS

The Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve is now home to an electric vehicle (EV) charging station, thanks to a collaboration from Chargefox, Hepburn Energy, Hepburn Shire Council and Central Highlands Water. With co-funding from State Government’s Destination Charging Across Victoria Program and installation by local electrician Fells Electrical, this is a true team effort. This program has supported the installation of two EV stations so far, with the Creswick Visitor Information Centre station launched in June.

These stations are helping our region become more sustainable while strengthening shire-wide efforts to reach zero-net emissions by 2030 as part of the Hepburn Z-NET partnership.

INVESTING IN ROADS

Council is investing in roads across the Shire, with a $500,000 road patching contract awarded at the last Ordinary Meeting. We also recently partnered with five other Councils to deliver a regional approach to bituminous resealing.

Council has allocated $2.73 million in the 2023/24 budget for reconstruction, resealing and gravel re-sheeting of roads across the Shire, in addition to around $3 million of operational expenditure for other repair works.

This is an investment in making our roads better and safer for our community.

CREEK RENAMING

Around 50 people came together recently at a special event to celebrate the renaming of Jim Crow Creek to Larni Barramal Yaluk at the picturesque creekbank at Franklinford.

Dja Dja Wurrung community members attended the event along with representatives from Hepburn Shire Council and project partners Mount Alexander Shire Council, North Central Catchment Management Authority and DJAARA, who worked together to campaign for the renaming of the creek over many years. Elder Uncle Rick Nelson performed a smoking ceremony and Jason Kerr played the didgeridoo.

JOIN OUR TEAM

Are you looking for a career move or a job closer to home? We are recruiting new staff across a number of roles. Along with great teammates, we offer attractive and flexible working arrangements. Stay up-to-date with the latest job opportunities and apply at www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/jobs

TECH-TALK AND TEA

Are you interested in learning some technology basics? Come to your local library space for ‘Tech-talk and Tea’, Hepburn Libraries Digital Literacy Program. Beginning in the first week of August, our weekly sessions run for two hours with a workshop and time for general IT problem-solving. The first week’s workshop teaches some basics of setting up an email account. Bring your device, phone or tablet for tech troubleshooting and meet other digital learners over a cup of tea. Head to Trentham Hub (Tuesday 10-12pm), Daylesford Library (Tuesday 1-3pm), The Warehouse - Clunes (Thursday 1012pm) and Creswick Hub (Thursday 1-3pm).

JOIN THE IWD ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Council is looking for community members to join the Heather Mutimer International Women’s Day Advisory Committee. The aim of the committee is to provide Council with advice on the Heather Mutimer International Women’s Day Honour Roll.

Council is now calling on applications from suitably qualified and experienced community members. Applications are now open and will close on Monday 21 August 2023 at 5.00pm. Visit our website for more information.

COMMUNITY-LED RECOVERY PROJECT

We are looking forward to starting a Community-led Recovery Project with the communities of Bullarto, Glenlyon, Lyonville and Trentham that were impacted by the 2021/22 storms and floods. Jointly funded by Emergency Recovery Victoria and Council, the Project will be working with each community to support them to become better prepared for, and resilient to, future emergency events.

Linking in with the priorities and projects of existing community planning forums and community groups, the project aims to develop locally based initiatives, resources and activities that align with the character and capacity of each town.

Throughout the project, community members will also have the opportunity to contribute ideas to, and participate in, the development of their resilience plans by sharing their experiences and local knowledge.

Information sessions and activities in each town are currently being planned for August 2023. Visit https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov. au/community-led-recovery-project

CLEVER TOWN CHALLENGE

Are you a crossword whiz or want to improve your crossword skills? Head to your local library in Creswick, Trentham or Daylesford (or to Attitude in Clunes) on Saturday 12 August at 10am and flex your grey matter as you work as a team to see who wins the Clever Town Challenge. Competition finishes at 11.30am when answers will be checked and winning town announced. Pop into your local library or hub to find out more.

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.

EAT | DRINK | ENJOY

Out & About in the Central Highlands

Wine notes with Clive

The pursuit of pinot

Hartley

Pinot noir is a significant grape for the Macedon Ranges, along with chardonnay. Climatically, we are on the edge of being able to ripen the grape. However, that is not a bad thing as the grape responds well in a marginal climate. Grapes grown in a hot climate can lose their varietal identity and have ‘cooked’ fruit aromas if not carefully managed. If the bunches fail to ripen the resulting wine becomes weedy and herbaceous. You need a long summer and warmish autumn to get the right balance. It is a low yielding grape variety, losing its flavour if you crop too high. Vignerons walk a tight link between success and failure. You can see why I like to think of it as a ‘tightrope’ grape variety.

Pinot represented only 2.6 per cent of crushed grapes in Australia in 2022. The pursuit of pinot is often only the quest of smaller producers and not the big players in the industry. It’s a winemaker’s grape that brings out their artistry and skill. There are close to 50 clones available in Australia. MV6 is the most widely planted clone, and it produces more firmer, darker red fruit wines. Whilst other clones, such as D5V12, are light and aromatic with bright red fruits. Choosing the right clone for the vineyard site is critical and vineyards are often planted with a number of different ones.

In general, pinot should be light bodied, dry with soft tannins and aromas/ flavours of red fruits and oak. You do get variations of this, and I divide the wines into three categories. First there is the soft, fresh cherry and strawberry fruit dominated style that is very light and acidic. Opposite to this is a more meaty, even tannic style that has savoury game, mushroom and oak derived aroma and flavours. In between you get a nicely balanced ripe red fruit style with some subtle oak.

Here is a top 10 of some local producers that I’ve recently tasted and recommend: Attwoods, Joshua Cooper, Curly Flat, Hanging Rock, Musk Lane, Lyons Will, Passing Clouds, Silent Way, J.P Trijsburg and Zig Zag Rd.

Clive Hartley is an award-winning wine writer. Want to learn more? Buy his 300+ page full colour Australian Wine Guide (7th ed) from Paradise Books in Daylesford or via his website – www.australianwineguide.com.au

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.

one of a kind

The Daylesford Hotel is one of a kind. It’s majesty, it’s music and it offers many spaces, with over 100 year’s of history in the heart of town. A traditional style pub with all the modern delights, offering pub meals as well as a broader range for all dietary wants and needs. Wine & dine on the Sunset Balcony overlooking greater Daylesford or find a Cosy Corner and curl up next to the fire inside. Finally, after many years we are back. Open from midday everyday with lunch specials and entertainment in the evenings; including Open Mic on Mondays, Trivia on the Wednesdays & live music through to Sundays.

Be sure to book ahead for dinner, music, events & accommodation. Check for more details here: daylesfordhotel.com.au 2 Burke

GUILDFORD FAMILY HOTEL Warming fare at Guildford

Want to warm up for winter? Head to the Guilly. A friendly family pub just this side of Castlemaine.

The pub is well back up and running after a little incident, ok, they had a small fire, and ready to receive locals and visitors alike.

There is always a friendly welcome from owners and hospitality triple threats Tom and Megan, who know how to provide great food, drinks and atmosphere.

We always choose to sit in the front bar which has a fantastic fire roaring away during the cooler months but there's also the refurbished dining room and plenty of people still opt for outside if the winter sun is shining.

THE REGION’S BEST KEPT SECRET

On a recent visit with good friends Mr and Mrs B, we opted for a bar corner, so we could chat, ordered drinks from Tom and checked out the menu.

I chose, as I always do, the chilli & garlic prawn spaghetti ($32). It is so good, full of plump prawns, just the right amount of chilli and garlic and pops of cherry tomatoes.

Being a Sunday, Kyle went for the Sunday roast. A huge piece of pork, loads of veggies, a corker of a gravy and topped with crunchy crackling.

Our friends decided to both enjoy the lemon pepper calamari ($28) served with salad and chips. Now, everyone has had those 1970s stringy calamari rings but this is not that. It is lightly dusted, big pieces of calamari and it's just perfect to the bite. I know, because it's my other go-to meal here.

Friday Night Raffle

Raffles drawn at 7.30pm

OPENING HOURS

Wed/Thurs/Fri - 3pm till late - Dinner from 5.30pm Sat - 12pm till late - Lunch from 12pm - Dinner from 5.30pm Sun - Lunch only from 12pm

35 Fryers Street, Guildford Victoria

Bookings Essential - 03 5473 4021

We weren't up for desserts, perhaps because we started with a couple of serves of the cheese & garlic bread ($10) but there are three to choose from, all $14. The chocolate pudding, creme caramel or the vegan apple and rhubarb crumble.

The Guildford Family Hotel is open five days, with dinners on offer from Wednesday through to Saturday, and lunches on Saturday and Sunday. It's also a great spot to just chill with a drink and watch the world go by, Wednesday to Friday from 3pm, and the weekends from noon.

If you are feeling lucky, make sure you head there for the Friday Night Raffle drawn at 7.30pm, supporting many local organisations and charities. So even if you don't win, they do.

See you at the Guilly!

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Kyle Barnes

Sharing your stories with Simone Kaplan

TRENTHAM'S Mary Walsh describes herself as a simple Irish girl, from a farming family, in Brideswell. She doesn’t like talking about herself and her mum used to say “self praise is no praise”. Even still, we had so much to talk about and the essence and wisdom of Mary Walsh was abundant.

Mary, 90, and a mother of nine and grandmother of 21, lives in the Walsh family home on Railway Farm, built by her late husband Tom’s grandfather. After marrying Tom in 1963, Mary moved into the house and they were happily married for 60 years until his passing in 2018.

Mary possessed a unique sense of confidence and independence as a young woman, long before the feminist movement gained momentum.

Mary was inspired by her neighbours who were doctors. Although she couldn’t pursue medicine, she saw nursing as the next best thing. She studied nursing in Manchester, England and then went on to study midwifery in Winchester.

Although Mary’s parents would have loved for her to continue farming on their property, Mary had a drive for adventure and persisted with her dream.

After nursing studies, Mary’s peers were all travelling abroad to work. Mary applied for a job at the old Kyneton Hospital and after six weeks travel by ship, landed in her new town. Mary loved Australia and appreciated the lifestyle, job opportunities and wonderful people.

She started her career as a midwife bringing babies into the world and completed her nursing years working in palliative care – the full life cycle. Her favourite was caring and looking after the dying – she called it “soul work”. For her, providing a friendly touch and giving hope was incredibly rewarding. Mary’s faith, believing in the hereafter, assisted with this and gave her an inner strength.

During her early career, as a curious young woman, Mary also took opportunity to join the Flying Doctors in Queensland for seven months or so, when she was 23 years old. She describes it as “quite an experience”. And if it was a different time, Mary would have gone back to study as a mature age student and complete medicine.

Mary loves drumming up a conversation up with anyone in Trentham, always opening with “Do you live in Trentham?” - getting to know locals and tourists alike. She fondly recalls a lovely encounter when she missed a train in Woodend one day, making a lifelong new friend.

Mary’s attention to detail of people’s names is remarkable, even at 90 years young. She has the art of making people feel special by showing genuine interest in them and their stories.

Mary appreciates her upbringing and feels her Irish values were a beautiful foundation on which she launched. In her "old fashioned village”, her mother always encouraged visiting people for a cup of tea. And Mary loves it when people pop around without rushing. “People don’t do this enough anymore.”

Being friendly, welcoming and having a warm house was central to life. Her heritage instilled you “can't go with your hands by your sides” - always remembering to take something and not go empty handed to visit someone.

After returning to Ireland for a visit after 20 years away, Mary remembers the traditional food - bacon, cabbage and potato - and recalls how much she loved it. “Nobody cooks like that.”

Mary’s late husband brought into the house Irish music and philosophy. Mary enjoyed and encouraged this, even though she says she's not musical herself.

Mary met Tom at a dance in Kyneton. Although they connected and he showed interest, Mary had the opportunity to go on a work adventure and did this before reuniting and getting married.

Mary describes Tom as kind, very special, a gentle soul and a farmer. She loved their time relaxing around their farm kitchen, dirty boots and all.

They did some travelling and Mary really appreciates how Tom organised these trips. She feels her strengths lie in the kitchen at home where “meals are important”.

Like any relationship, the marriage wasn’t all rosy “hills and winds” but the values of empathy, patience, communication and being serious and committed, allowed them 60 years of fond memories. Mary states it was a “joy looking after Tom” when he was unwell with osteo-arthritis after knee surgery. He died at home with her.

Tom and Mary tried to give the kids every opportunity during their childhood. They worked very hard and were social. They would sit in their “big room” lounge around the fire and enjoy music with lots of people.

There were usually at least five kids home at any one time. Some were at boarding school and the other children visited aunts and friends for the holidays.

When the kids were young Mary had a lovely woman who helped the busy household. The kids’ school friends and acquaintances were always welcome if they didn’t have anywhere to stay. It really was a welcome place.

“I always loved entertaining, cooking and gardening. Taking time to set the table nicely. People are my forte, they are everything.”

Mary says ageing is teaching her “acceptance”. Back issues are getting in the way now but she has "to accept my lot”. She has learnt with age, to accept others' hospitality, something which she found difficult when younger. She loves the odd overnight stay with friends and appreciates being taken care of so well.

Sitting in the sun in the garden is also lovely on a sunny Trentham day, Mary says. Her passion in life remains offering help to others, being generous and caring.

Smiles, Mary says, are important. “They light you up and show people you are friendly and warm. I love being greeted by a smile.”

Writer Simone Kaplan wants to hear and share stories of love and connection, accomplishment and meaning and death and loss. "I’m always curious about people and love getting to know their stories. The region seems to attract people with such a wealth of knowledge, experience and backgrounds and I’m excited to have a cup of tea and a chat with some locals to hear their story." Email contact@simonekaplan.com.au

Take homes from Mary: A cup of tea breaks down everything; Be yourself; Be grateful for the small things; Get into people’s hearts; Always say nice things; It’s about the people and places; and Deal with things as they come.

Klemantyne Ensemble

Fans of strings music will be well pleased to see that Ballarat-based Klemantyne Ensemble, pictured above, have a few performances in the Daylesford-Ballarat region on their agenda.

This group of talented musicians has performance dates coming up at Maldon, Creswick and Daylesford.

"Our concert Number 2, is on Saturday, August 5 in Maldon at Holy Trinity Church," Klemantyne leader Nicci Dellar says.

"This is a baroque concert, which will tie in with the Maldon Gothic festival.

"Concert Number 3, is at the Creswick Woollen Mill on Sunday, October 15.

"And finally, concert Number 4 is on Saturday, October 28, back again at the Christ Church in Daylesford,

“We are hoping to have our lovely harpist coming out from Italy. (That's) not yet confirmed though."

Above, front row from left, Elise Wright, Yvonne Holley, Nicci Dellar, Jill Gilbert and Louise Hildyard, back row, Kate Carman, Nigel Smith, Francis Chataway, Kate Both and Miriam Kriss

Winter Sounds

Following its sell-out success last year, Winter Sounds is returning to Daylesford in August with a great line-up of Australian artists performing in a range of local venues.

From August 17-20 the line-up including Mo'Ju, Gareth Liddiard, Jen Cloher, Tex Perkins & Matt Walker, Adalita, Watty Thompson, Jess Ribeiro, Martin Frawley, Leah Senior, Coda Chroma, Skyscraper Stan and Jarrah Olive will play gigs around the region - Daylesford, Glenlyon, Bullarto and Clunes.

Produced by the team behind the successful Riverboats Music Festival and supported by Visit Victoria, Winter Sounds director Dave Frazer said: “Winter Sounds is about providing audiences with the opportunity to experience extraordinary performances in extraordinary spaces, and we are so excited to be rugging up and returning to the Daylesford region this winter.”

For one of the unique shows in the series, take the train to the Bullarto Hall for sets by Gareth Liddiard, Adalita, Martin Frawley and Jess Ribeiro. After a half hour journey through the Wombat State Forest on the Spa Country Railway, wander up the bush track to Bullarto Hall, where the fire drums will be roaring and the Mountain Goat tinnies will be on ice.

Alternatively, audiences can take a leisurely drive to Clunes, where Watty Thompson and Leah Senior will perform in the Clunes Town Hall.

In Daylesford, the phenomenal vocals of Mo’Ju, supported by Ballarat’s Coda Chroma, will play the Daylesford Town Hall on Saturday night, while Jen Cloher and Tex Perkins & Matt Walker will take over St Peter’s Catholic Church for two evening concerts.

Both buildings will be spectacularly lit by the team from RTR Productions to showcase the buildings' architecture. Tickets on sale at www.wintersounds.com.au

Words: Darren Lowe

BEEF RIBS $19.99/kg (save $5/kg)

These gorgeous beef ribs are big and beefy! The plate short ribs are the full length rib - they are long, melt in your mouth tender being similar to beef brisket in fat content. Cook low and slow to render the fat down without drying out the meat. Also available cut in half, known as chuck short ribs. Perfect for Korean style bbq and many Asian dishes including our very own Beef Rendang recipe.

LEAN BEEF MINCE 3kg for $50 (save $22)

Our very own beef mince using our own “Green Hills Natural” beyond free-range beef using the leanest cuts. One of the most versatile cuts, check out our website for a host of delicious recipes.

Cottage Pie

BY SARAH LANG

Nothing beats the comfort of a good Cottage Pie in Winter. Or any cool day for that matter. When the months get a little warmer, I love the slightly lighter “Shepherds Pie” which is essentially the same dish but made with lamb mince, swap out beef stock for chicken stock and you can also omit the red wine. But in Winter, I love the rich taste of a beef Cottage Pie and the little pops of flavour from the green peas.

The trick is to spend a lot of time getting the mince rich and full of flavour and then adding parmesan to the potato for a rich golden crust. Pair with a luscious Shiraz from Passing Clouds, with deep fruit and great layers of spice.

For this recipe and many others, click on the QR code or visit daylesfordmeatco.com.au

daylesfordmeatco.com.au

LUNCH

Thurs to Sun

DINNER

Wed to Sat

7 DAYS from 10am

French celebrations

MEMBERS,

ALL WELCOME!

Bookings strongly advised

daylesford bowling club

8 Camp St - Daylesford | 03 5348 2130

www.daylesfordbowlingclub.com.au

The Daylesford Town Hall was decorated in red, white and blue and alive with the festive music of France, and other parts of Europe too, for the annual Quatorze Juillet celebrations conducted by the Hepburn Shire U3A French Group and the Daylesford Community Brass Band.

Over 120 people braved the weather to celebrate the French National Day in style. There were prizes for French-themed dress and French-themed tables and almost everybody arrived in some form of French tribute costume.

This was the ninth annual French Night in Daylesford and all present enjoyed a happy evening of food and music and a little can-can in the grand finale.

This is the Daylesford Community Brass Band’s major fundraising event of the year and the band provided a number of rousing tunes from Bizet, Dvorak, Lecuona and even Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Christine Douglas sang Songs my mother taught me, by Dvorak and Millie Gouldthorpe sang La Mer. Euphonium soloists Chris Billings and Mark Lyall performed the duet from the Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet, and Jenny Jordan led the band through the other numbers.

There were raffles and a silent auction to raise funds for the band and notable this year was the large number of Daylesford eateries who provided meal vouchers to be snapped up in the silent auction.

WELCOME TO

VICTORIA'S BEST COUNTRY PUB.

There’s no escape - it’s time to prune the roses

The most obvious reasons are to maintain a compact specific or uniform height and to remove dead, damaged or diseased wood. But, most importantly, it is to remove weak or exhausted growth and encourage development of strong, young canes in order to obtain better, healthier blooms.

The age-old idea of cutting roses back to a certain, fixed, even height is now long gone. Although it’s true that the bigger the bush and the more growth, the more numerous the flowers will be, it’s usually considered of greater importance to produce high quality flowers on strong stems, even though it may mean less flowers.

Pruning is usually to be taken care of by the end of July when roses are at the height of dormancy to avoid removing young growth at their peak, but this year, that looks to be a little later than usual. By removing older or weakened wood, the full sap flow is reserved for the more useful, vigorous, flower-producing growth.

Aim to have enough canes, preferably evenly spaced apart, and not more than two years old, left on the bush. Enough should be retained to provide the lateral growth that will bear the flowers.

Eliminate crowding

Wherever possible, remove any crowded or crossed stems and try to keep the centre of the bush clear. Resultant growth will benefit, and besides, no clear-thinking person would choose to thrust their hand into the depths of a feisty rose bush.

Use only sharp secateurs to avoid bruising the wood or leaving ragged edges to the cut. If your pruners do leave a rough edge, to minimise fungal damage use a boxcutter or some other razor-sharp knife to tidy up. It’s also a wise move to sterilise your pruners between bushes, to minimise cross infection, by dipping them into a container of household steriliser after each bush.

Cut back each cane to 20 or 30cm above the old bud union, at a distance of about a centimetre above a prominent bud (or eye) if possible, selecting a bud that points away from the centre of the bush.

Make the cut sloping downwards, away from the bud.

After pruning, paint the wood, either with a paste made of copper oxychloride and water or with a commercially prepared pruning paint. Clean up and burn the prunings and rake up any leaves.

Spray the plants with a winter spraying oil, followed by a spraying of copperbased fungicide a week later.

The quality of the resultant blooms will assure you that all the time and effort spent in caring for your rose bushes is well worth while.

N.B. Your climbing roses should be treated in much the same manner, except that as in the case of espaliered fruit trees, you must develop and retain a framework of older wood from which the new flowering growth will develop. Weeping roses are different again and I will elaborate more fully in the next issue.

A pair of lions - leonotis leonurus and l.leonurus alba

Ironically these colourful members of the lamiaceae plant clan, carrying the common names, lion’s paw and lion’s tail, really do come from Africa. And they are closely related to such plants as mint, sage, lavender, and believe it or not the, flamboyant, multicoloured coleus.

Leonotis are fast growing, to about one and a half metres in height, and respond favourably to being kept tidy, with a hard cutting back in winter to bring forth vigorous new growth and a burst of spring flowers.

Sun loving, they are moderately frost resistant, preferring a little protection in winter and well drained soil. Got a gardening query? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

Out September 25. Don's miss out!

Viva the Daylesford vinyl retro revolution

THERE'S a moment of aural frisson, the needle dropping, the prelude crackle just before the soundwaves hit and transport you to...

When the romance with retro vinyl began to bloom, Luke Cameron had something special to offer those smitten. A massive collection of vinyl records he’d been lovingly assembling over a quarter of a century, many of them coveted original pressings.

Last September this local music lover and former DJ turned his vinyl record collecting bug - that had begun at the tender age of 14 - into a flourishing business, opening Daylesford Records in Howe Street. He has not looked back.

“I love vinyl and have for many years,” says Luke, who lives just out of Daylesford. “I’ve been collecting vinyl for about 25 years and my personal collection is about 15,000 records.

“The reason I started collecting was my mum gave me a crate of records when I was 14. I just started from there.”

Offering between 1500 to 2000 highly collectible vinyl records in store at any one time, Daylesford Records has taken off and is now inviting music lovers to help it celebrate its first birthday with a special event on Saturday, September 23.

“We’re having a really special day with DJs all day, and some other special things happening that we’ll be announcing closer to the day,” says Luke.

“It’s been amazing. We’re so busy and on weekends in particular we’re packed. We specialise in vintage vinyl. We’ve got new records as well.”

Much of the vinyl on offer in store is sourced from Luke’s own back-catalogue of collecting including many “holy grail of record collecting” first pressings, made in the first year the record came out.

“We’ve got amazing records in stock and we can also source records for people,” Luke says. “That’s been really popular with locals who are hunting for specific records. We can pretty much get any record in.”

Luke, who heads to Shibuya in Tokyo every three months for shopping trips that result in 50 kilos of rare and exclusive vinyl, also buys records from people who "might have a crate at home and sitting on a heap of money”.

“We’re basically cleaning and pricing records all day long. We grade the condition and we include the pressing year and the pressing location. We put a lot of detail into our pricing so you can browse through and know what you’re getting.

“We also sell turntables and amps, vintage turntables and new turntables and we can set people up with packs. I also sell retro stand-up arcade games."

Luke said he always thought vinyl was fantastic and was now enjoying seeing younger people picking up vinyl again.

"They have Spotify in their pockets but they’re loving the tangibility of vinyl. The sound of vinyl is so rich and deep, and full spectrum. People put on an album and listen to it from front to back the way the artist intended, and they discover tracks that they love but may otherwise not have heard. I love seeing it.”

Since the shop opened last September it’s been drawing music lovers and collectors from far and wide - Melbourne, as well as from close to home.

The act of physically browsing through all those collectible recording moments captured in time and in vinyl is a big part of what collectors love.

The shop is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm - and keep an eye out for NBA Jam arcade game round robins happening soon on Friday nights.

Vinyl facts

Manufacture of disc records began in the late 19th century. Price, ease of use and storage made the disc record dominant by the 1910s. The standard format of disc records became known to later generations as 78s after their playback speed in revolutions per minute. In the late 1940s new formats pressed in vinyl, the 45 rpm single and 33 rpm long playing LP, were introduced,

A new report published by the Recording Industry Association of America revealed that US music lovers snapped up 41 million vinyl records in 2022, compared to 33 million CDs.

In Australia, vinyl is the fastest growing category in music sales, increasing by nearly 23 per cent in 2022, according to the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

Words: Eve Lamb | Images: Louise Gay English

Kyle’s Rant

LAST week I found myself in one of my worst nightmare scenarios, waiting outside a shop near the food court at Wendouree Shopping Centre.

I was waiting for Her Indoors to select, pay for and pick up some clothing. These turnouts happen a couple of times of year and regularly end with “there was nothing I really wanted in there”.

What is this woman shopper instinct that goes from the 'oh this looks good' to 'I don’t really like it?' If I decide an article of clothing looks good on me or even if it has half a chance of fitting, I am in. As long as I cover up the top and the bottom halves of my awkwardly shaped body with something, I feel like a fashionista. I mean what sort of God does that sort of cruelty to a man, providing him with wide shoulders, a large head and a potbelly on top being supported by a tiny bum and stick legs.

Another shopping episode with my sister in Ikea resulted in a trolley load of stuff for the house and just before the tills she parked her trolley up and instructed me to do the same. I just don’t get what had changed between the entrance of the shop and the Swiss meatball stand which we went on to enjoy for lunch.

But back to my nightmare scenario at Wendouree. I was parked outside this shop in full view of the great unwashed in the middle of a feeding session - I think they call it lunchtime.

The seated people’s mouths were full like cement mixers yelling at each other over the throng of voices in an effort to be better heard. The others were walking around stuffing their faces with burgers, souvlakis and chicken wings ripping, gnawing and tearing while walking around the food hall hunting for more as if it was their last meal.

The sauces that flew around with the contents of their gobs were mostly ingested with the remainder being sprayed out, and Donna came back from her fruitless shop to a white as a ghost, broken man.

This probably isn’t how it really went, it is just the way I saw it. After all I don’t get out much beyond our local pubs and I am not one for humanity en masse. It was probably just a food hall full of people eating and having fun with me getting a people and sensory overload.

But I have to ask, when did it become okay to walk while eating? The closest I have come is when I have been famished and just popped a tiny morsel into my mouth while walking. And yes, I can walk and chew at the same time.

The great unwashed seem to be tearing into their food while walking. It is such a vulgar display, even a jungle animal drags its food away so it can eat in peace in the one spot.

And then there is this constant need for hydration by humans. The coffee cups, water bottles and clear plastic cup containers with a bubble top and a straw/spoon thing that house a creamy dessert-type drink. The masses drag these around in the shopping centres like trophies, slurping and gulping every few metres, like their lives depend on it.

People, not a fan rant over…

Local Lines

Winter Haiku Trilogy

Winter morning frost

Glistens on bare tree branches

Raven spears the earth

Sky and soil breathe ice

Those warm of blood sleep below Fragile-feathers nest

Night of gentle rain

Pale moon floats on misty cloud

Fox stirs under ground

Julie Moran

Julie finds inspiration in the natural environment around her home at Newlyn – she enjoys experimenting with various poetry forms including haiku, villanelle and rhyming couplets. Local

to Bill Wootton at cottlesbreedge@gmail.com

Pick me, pick me!

Hey! I’m Venus and I am one cool house panther.

I have a superb black coat, like black velvet really. I’m 10 years mature now so if you’re not so much up for all those kitten antics then I am the cat for you. People say I’m a really sweet girl who loves having pats and attention. And while I am a little shy in the shelter I do love attention and some cuddles. I would love to find a quiet home with a loving family who will give me plenty of love and attention. Microchip no. 95600003660505.

Call MAAWS on 5472 5277 to come and meet me. Link: www.maaw.org.au

(Pick me, pick me is run in memory of Rosie & Curly - we picked them.)

And proudly supported by Daylesford's

Just sayin’...

By Donna Kelly

OK. THIS is my last instalment on aged care provider Benetas. Well, for a bit.

You may remember we started doing articles about three editions ago when we were contacted by a woman who said the price had gone up - and the service had gone down. The service had moved from Hepburn Shire Council to Benetas.

So we ran that story and then quite a few other people got in touch and said they were also having issues. Some had not had anyone cleaning their homes for six weeks - and some were still being charged for the service anyway.

And so we ran another story with those people and Benetas kept doing the public relations thing saying they were doing their best and were very surprised to hear that some of their clients were not happy.

Then I wondered who I could reach out to. People were reaching out to me and I was reporting on that, but that wasn't really helping anyone, except they felt perhaps they were being heard.

The last story I ran was with comment from Ballarat MP Catherine King who said the Health Department were onto it - that's pretty impressive - and she also provided lots of numbers where complaints could be lodged or other providers could be found. Great, I thought, at last some movement at the station.

The edition came out on July 17 and on July 18, Peter, not his real name, called. He said he had just read the story, he was one of the earlier callers, and just wanted to let me know...drum roll please...no, no good news. He just wanted to let me know he had been waiting all day for his cleaner and no-one had come.

The wait started at 9am and it was 4pm when he called me. Peter didn't want to leave the house in case the cleaner turned up but "I did have other things I wanted to get on with", he said.

Peter has decided to quit the service. He had been ill, very ill, but said he was on the mend and could do better himself. I mean, he is still not great, but after beating cancer he is tired of spending days inside, waiting. Perhaps his cleaner is called Godot?

Anyway, always looking on the bright side, I am blood type B positive after all, I decided that things must be looking up. The only call I had was from Peter so maybe all the other people were fine now?

I decided to write to that first woman, the one who said the prices had gone up and the service had gone down. So I found her emails and sent one saying she had done a good thing, and that as a result of all those numbers from Catherine King MP - and the Health Department being onto it and all that, that all must be mostly good in the aged care sector in Hepburn Shire.

She wrote back: "That is excellent news – as an aside I did all the things Catherine King said (prior to her saying them) and rang My Aged Care who gave me new service numbers and the names of other providers to see if I could get a new provider. None of them got back to me (and they were out of district) so I assume either they don’t have the capacity or are unable to come as this is Benetas’s territory."

Hmmm. I have nothing to add. Unless you have read Kyle's column opposite. The poor thing thinks I shop just twice a year. One day he will find a thing called online shopping and I will be done for. Or he will pick up on the surprised tone I manage when he says "is that new?" and I say "this old thing, I've had it for years".

And life rolls on. 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.

Here is the crossword solution for Edition 284. How did you go?

All words in the crossword appear somewhere in the same edition of The Local.

Artists of the Central Highlands with

DAYLESFORD'S Brian Nash has long captivated art lovers with his powerful interpretations of the world around him, particularly landscape. Right now his work, together with that of photographer Bec Walker, is part of a feature exhibition showing at the Convent Gallery. In recent days, Brian generously shared his time with The Local to provide some insights into his creative process, sources of inspiration, and life as a professional artist.

Eve: How do you describe your artistic style and how did you come to art?

Brian: Realist, impressionist. And I didn’t come to art, it came to me. For as long as can remember I was always drawing and painting and I thought everybody could do the same. I work in acrylic, oil, pastel and watercolour.

Eve: How did you nurture your innate arts talent and where do you work?

Brian: I am completely self taught, I nurtured my art through observation and practice. I am mostly in the studio although I sketch subjects as well, but I like to finish work in the studio.

Eve: Which artists have influenced your creative practice?

Brian: Quite a lot actually, but some of them are Andrew Wyeth, John Singer Sargent, Sorolla, Hans Heysen and Edgar Degas.

Eve: Are there other particular factors that have influenced your creative practice?

Brian: Not really but I have always been a keen observer of what is around me.

Eve: What is your subject matter of choice? Why so?

Brian: I am mainly a landscape painter and living here in Daylesford I find inspiration and diversity within Hepburn Shire and the Central Highlands.

Eve: Have you ever worked in any other areas?

Brian: I worked in a large printing company in Melbourne for 18 years before I decided to make art my career.

Eve: What are you working on at the moment?

Brian: A series of paintings of the Hepburn Shire. I am in the process of producing a book of paintings featuring the many beautiful subjects of the Hepburn Shire. The book is called The Golden Shire and should be published by October this year; very exciting for me as I have been working on this project for over 20 years.

Eve: When you work in the studio do you like to play music?

Brian: I do listen to music in the studio. Mainly classical.

Eve: To date what have been your career highlights as an artist?

Brian: One of them was a painting trip to Tuscany with a group of prominent Australian artists that was followed up by an exhibition of the works in Melbourne.

Eve: Do you have any exhibitions or special arts events taking place?

Brian: At the moment I have an exhibition at the Convent Gallery with photographer Bec Walker, that will be shown till the end of August.

Eve: What would you rate as the biggest challenges in being a professional artist?

Brian: The biggest challenge for me is for my type of art to be accepted by the public as there are so many different styles of art to compete with.

Eve: And, for you personally, the greatest rewards?

Brian: I think the greatest reward for any artist is to believe in what you do, in the hope that your work is appreciated now and long after you are no longer here.

Eve Lamb

Image: Eve Lamb