The Local June 17, 2024

June 17, 2024 Issue 308

Honoured

The Local - The Heart of the Highlands

Front cover: Coomoora’s Patrice O’Shea has received an Order of Australia Medal in the General Division for services to the environment and secondary education in the King’s Birthday Honours list. Read her story by Donna Kelly on page 5.

Image: Eve Lamb

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

The next edition is out on Monday, July 1, 2024. or online on Sunday, June 30 at www.tlnews.com.au

Space bookings: Wednesday, June 26

Copy deadline: Thursday, June 27

Editorial deadline: Thursday, June 27

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: 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 & Donna Kelly

Photographers: Kyle Barnes & Eve Lamb

Graphic designer: Dianne Caithness

Contributors: Glen Heyne (gardening), Darren Lowe (music), Sarah Lang (recipes), Clive Hartley (wine) & Bill Wootton (poetry)

Accounts | Julie Hanson Delivery | Tony Sawrey

The Local - The Heart of the

Time extension on strategy consultation

The consultation period on Hepburn Shire Council’s draft Township Structure Plans and Rural Hepburn strategy has been extended to June 26.

The draft documents were released on May 1 with the original consultation period ending on June 12.

Mayor Cr Brian Hood thanked everyone who had already lodged their submissions.

"We know there is a lot of detail and so we’ve decided to extend the consultation period so we can gain more insights from the community.

"Though the deadline is extended by a fortnight, it will still give us time to fully consider that feedback and work to adopt the strategy in early September.

"I encourage every resident to access the information via council’s ‘Participate Hepburn’ page. This is a once-in-a-generation planning strategy that will guide development for many years to come."

Cr Hood said all the submissions would be considered by councillors and he assured the community that all feedback was being taken into account "and (we) will continue to do so before we consider possible adoption".

A council media release said the Rural Hepburn strategy provided a comprehensive planning and action framework for the use and development of private rural land.

"It will provide a safeguard for rural land. Initial community feedback reaffirms that agricultural land is highly valued, contributes significant economic benefits, that conservation and biodiversity are important, and that rural tourism is a significant growth contributor," the release said.

"The strategy proposes to introduce contemporary and clearer planning provisions, so getting feedback from community on these options is important."

CEO Bradley Thomas said community engagement had been integral in providing further local knowledge.

"The small, but highly skilled strategic planning team have gathered great insights from the community and submissions to date, which they will review and provide recommendations to councillors."

The council has held face-to-face meetings in each of its townships, which attracted many interested individuals. Online there have been thousands of visits to the Participate Hepburn site, and almost 500 people have completed the survey.

Link: www.participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/futurehepburn or email strategicplanning@hepburn.vic.gov.au

Words: Donna Kelly

“We have all these farms around us, a form of food security for the town, and that should never be taken for granted. We have really good soil, really good water, and can just throw seeds on the ground and food will grow for us. To destroy that is ludicrous.”

These are the words of Vasko Drogriski, one of the “very active” members of grassroots community group Pastures not Pavements.

The Daylesford and Hepburn Springs group's aims are threefold. To stop plans to rezone land in East Street from farmland to residential, to stop extensions to Daylesford’s town boundary and also stop the rezoning of another parcel of farmland to industrial.

“The hopes of the group are that the extension of the town boundary gets dropped and the council also puts aside the rezoning of farmland to residential. There is not sufficient evidence for it to be warranted and these are very big modifications to the town. We are just saying if there is no urgent need for it, why do it now? Why not just step back, look at it again in 10 or 15 years’ time and if there is any such need, reassess then and have another discussion with the town.”

Mr Drogriski, a builder, said councillors were listening and understood it was an important issue for the community but “we don’t know which way they are going to vote”. “They are certainly hearing this is a serious thing for the town and people are quite unanimous about it. That message is getting through.”

If the plans do make it through council, despite opposition, Mr Drogriski said the group would continue to fight.

“The next stage would be the planning scheme amendment and we have been collecting evidence and if we have to, we will take that to the minister. There is evidence of improper consultation, flaws in the plans themselves and insufficient evidence for some of the changes they are proposing.

“The community, including our group have done a lot work in terms of fleshing out and exploring options and we think we have some very good viable options we want the council to look at and consider seriously.

“We have a lot of expertise and experience and some of us have been here 20, 30 or 40 years. I am a building designer myself so I have some insight into where housing is possible and it doesn’t need to go on a farm which is sitting on top of a spring that flows into one of our main tourist attractions, the Lake. There is a lot of space for housing within the town boundary and there are viable alternatives which will keep the town as it is and how people and tourists like it.”

Mr Drogriski said the shire’s councillors needed to leave a legacy of “retaining the beauty and structure of this town – why any councillor would want to leave a legacy of destroying a big heritage beats me. If you want to leave a legacy, leave a good one.”

He said farmer Ned Powell, whose East Street property is in the firing line for rezoning, was “probably partly overwhelmed but also actively engaged in the fight”.

“It is not just Ned, it is his uncles and his aunty who own the property together, who have been dragged into something they don’t want. But Ned is in there batting for his whole family because he sees his future in farming, and he wants to be that next generation with his kids who want to farm that property. I think he is also inspired by the support he is getting from the community.

“It has been a fantastic community effort, and it shows me for the first time in the 20 years I have been here how supportive the community is of our farmers and the farmland around own town. I have seen how much people value the farmland, the open spaces, the rural edge. And that has been fantastic.”

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Wayne Hammond

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OAM for environment and education work

Coomoora’s Patrice O’Shea has received an Order of Australia Medal in the General Division for services to the environment and secondary education in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

Patrice has been secretary of the Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens since 2010 and was a teacher at Ballarat Grammar from 1982 to 2009.

Patrice said the award was “affirming” but was keen to add that many people were just as worthy. “But it is a lovely thing that people have gone to considerable effort to make it happen and it is pretty affirming to know that.”

“I think the vast majority of people in education work bloody hard and why do you single out one person, but having said that it was a profession that I certainly enjoyed enormously. I enjoyed where I worked, the kids I taught, the stuff I taught. It is hard work, there is no doubt about that, but the vast majority of people who do it are worthy of recognition."

Patrice said she entered teaching because she enjoyed being a student. “I enjoyed stuff, understanding things, working things out, finding out about things, so it was something I enjoyed personally and seemed an OK thing to do as a career. But also, given the age, there was a tendency on the part of girls to either go into nursing or teaching.”

Patrice said the Friends of the Gardens were holding a first, a community Winter in the Gardens Festival, with the intriguing subtitle of “mists, magic and mystery”.

Patrice, who attended Catholic schools, said she had good teachers who made a difference in her life. “All of my education was with nuns, and there is sort of the luck of the draw at any school, but I had remarkable women teaching me.

“You would hope good teachers make a difference – that’s the plan, what’s supposed to happen and you would hope if you were in the (teaching) game you would be one of them, you would give it your best shot any way.”

Patrice said she had retired some years ago so the full implications of the digital age in teaching was not something she had experienced but she believed personal engagement was the critical element for teachers.

“During Covid teachers did work from home and my observations are that it near killed them. Really it is one of the jobs were you just have to be there. A bit like a GP. Telehealth is a wonderful thing but in the end you really have to be in the room with the person in my view.”

Patrice and her family lived in Daylesford, just below Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, from1976 to 1990, and they were “sort of like a big backyard”.

“Like many people I do enjoy gardens, trees in particular, plants and people so the Friends of the Gardens is really a terrific focus for all of those interests. That is what made the Friends such a good thing for me and for others too. It is a community organisation but also a community in itself.”

Patrice said she believed people were increasingly realising the importance of the gardens and how precious they are to the region.

“They are so wild and romantic in so many ways and so pleasant to be in, in so many other ways. Even when the weather is terrible there are pleasures to be had up there, as long as you are appropriately clothed.”

“It’s the first weekend of August, all orchestrated by one of the Friends, Frank Page, and we are having a series of talks, a dinner on the Saturday night to which people are cordially invited, tours of the gardens, the Daylesford Museum is putting on an exhibition and there’s even a winter flower show in the conservatory.

“It’s a wonderful community event with the Friends of the Gardens, the Daylesford Horticultural Society, the Agricultural Society, the Historical Society and U3A involved. It’s all free, except for the dinner, and we will be enjoying the gardens at a time of the year which is not what you see in the glossy magazines. It is a fantastic thing.”

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Eve Lamb

“You would hope good teachers make a difference – that’s the plan – and you would hope if you were in the (teaching) game you would be one of them, you would give it your best shot any way.” - Patrice O'Shea

CW: Championing Women

A Meta and The Local initiative

Your say...

I write in response to Hepburn Shire Council's latest débâcle-in-waiting, the strategic vision Future Hepburn, including the proposed extension of town boundaries/rezoning of farmland affecting Daylesford.

I am not motivated as a NIMBY, as I live at the opposite side of the town. I am motivated on the basis of concern for protecting what we who live here, and those who visit, love about our shire.

We are a rural village with overwhelmingly beautiful and beneficial nature. We risk becoming a suburb with potential for housing estates mushrooming across our outer limits or indeed, a mooted Dan Murphy’s in the middle of town.

Importantly, I am also motivated by concern about process, precedent and past track record.

Process: The much bandied around term ‘community engagement’ is writ large through the strategy and in HSC communication about the document. Yet members of the volunteer group appointed to represent the community argue the outcomes not only do not reflect the detailed discussions and recommendations of the lengthy process gone through, but more so are at times at complete odds with it.

Precedent: If the rezoning of valuable, vital farmland is rushed through, where next? Once it’s gone, it’s gone.

Past record: In the 10 or so years I’ve been coming to and now living in Daylesford, here are three council débâcles that have cost we, the ratepayers, dearly. Daylesford Streetscape Revitalisation (consultancy plans), Live Love Life Festival and The Rex.

We, the residents, demand a true, timely and transparent process of engagement and listening to what has been acknowledged by our mayor as a “once in a generation project”.

What legacy does council and do we, the community, wish to leave future generations? Pastures or pavements? In conclusion, I wholeheartedly support Mayor Cr Brian Hood’s recent statement in The Local: “We always aimed at getting it through this term, and it’s pencilled in for August…but we have to get this right and getting it right is more important than timing.”

- Loraine Little, Daylesford

Large parts of Central Victoria are covered with mining exploration licences with potential to impact your home, property, our environment, our groundwater and waterways.

If you are in any doubt of the potential impact search out the Ballarat or Bendigo deep gold mine sites, check for the waste tailings dams, the huge pumping gear and then you might check what neighbours are experiencing.

For over a year local residents of Daylesford have attempted to alert the state government of the risk to our natural mineral water should a deep mine ever proceed anywhere within the groundwater aquifer.

A modern deep mine must de-water vast areas of underground groundwater to operate. De-watering will not only impact the flow and formation of mineral water but will increase acidity and activate the release of sulphates and heavy metals

Over and again we are reminded that any risk will have to be managed somehow. A mine probably will never get off the ground. If there seems a risk then the mining operator will need to provide professional evidence that risks can be managed.

Not very comforting, when you understand how much the economy and employment of our area is underpinned by the culture of natural mineral water or when all government departments suggest Earth Resources will ensure the mineral water is protected and they in turn call us to say it is nothing to do with them.

Our local MP Mary-Anne Thomas has still not found time to meet concerned residents.

We have several worrying concerns including that the local mining exploration company has excised parts of Daylesford and Hepburn Spring from their licence but it does nothing to protect mineral water in their target areas.

There is still a hold up with MP Steve Dimopoulos approving the new Mineral Water Management plan perhaps this is because it mentions risks from deep mining.

The government states they are completely altering the new national park area in our region that did prevent any deep mining while state and federal governments are promoting the mining industry and the price of gold is ever increasing.

Natural mineral water is a resource already but is not given a financial value by our state government.

- Gary Lawrence, Don’t Undermine Daylesford

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

Council news

Council

FUTURE HEPBURN UPDATE

Thank you to everyone who came along to our webinar or one of the community information sessions hosted across our Shire on both our draft Township Structure Plans and Rural Hepburn.

We had more than 620 people attend 7 sessions.

Our webinar had more than 80 attendees and more than 320 views on our YouTube channel. Our Planners have also been busy responding to hundreds of emails and phone enquiries, along with meeting one-on-one with community members. We have extended the consultation period until Wednesday 26 June 2024, so please check out the Future Hepburn project page, read the proposed draft plans/strategy and provide your feedback.

Visit https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/future-hepburn

DRAFT BUDGET 2024/25

The draft Budget 2024/25 outlines revenue and expenditure for the following financial year, and a focus on services to be delivered for the community. As we deal with challenging economic times, we need to make tough and responsible decisions. We will cut operating expenditure by $1.5 million and borrow funds to ensure we can deliver capital work renewals.

A Special Meeting of Council will be held to consider the adoption of the draft Budget on Tuesday 25 June. The meeting will be livestreamed on our Facebook page. To stay up to date with Council news visit www.hepburn.vic.gov.au

THE MECHANICS TRENTHAM

You’re invited! Everyone is welcome to come along to the opening of The Mechanics Trentham, with official proceedings commencing from 4pm on Friday 21 June.

The library opens at 10am, and the activities begin at 1pm. Come and help celebrate this fabulous new community space There will be a smoking ceremony and Welcome to Country, sausage sizzle and refreshments with fun activities for all ages. Pop in throughout the day to learn about local community groups and activities.

Community groups and clubs are invited to register to book a table at the opening day event to showcase their club activities or sign-up new members.

Come and see the new library, commercial kitchen, quiet study spaces and a range of areas available for your next small or large event. We have been working with past regular users of The Mechanics to ensure they have priority access to the spaces. We look forward to seeing you.

Creswick’s Chrissy Austin, Heather Ingram, Bernie Richards and Chantel Leaver (at front) ahead of this Sunday afternoon’s play reading

Oscar Wilde play reading

Creswick Theatre Company is inviting everyone to get along to its play reading at the Courthouse this Sunday afternoon.

It’s a chance to either participate and read a role, with scripts provided, or just kick back and be entertained.

This time theatre company members are taking on a time-tested script by famed 19th century Irish playwright, Oscar Wilde.

“It will be Lady Windermere’s Fan,” says long-time Creswick Theatre Company member Jacinta Antonelli.

Lady Windermere's Fan is a four-act comedy, first performed in 1892, at the Saint James Theatre in London. The story concerns Lady Windermere who suspects that her husband is having an affair with another woman.

As part of Creswick Theatre Company’s play reading series, they’re also planning to next month tackle a reading featuring an original script by a Glenlyon playwright with the possibility that one may lead on to a stage production as well, Jacinta says.

“We want to mix it up and have old favourites and originals,” she says.

Entry to this Sunday afternoon’s play reading is free and participants are invited to bring a snack along to share, with drinks, tea and coffee also available at the courthouse theatre bar.

“No prior experience is needed and we are encouraging people from all over Hepburn Shire,” CTC president Neil Adam says.

“We would just like to encourage anyone who as ever thought of participating in something like this to come along.”

The play reading will take place 2-4pm this Sunday, June 23 while the local theatre company also has plenty else happening in the wings including some school holiday fun called You’re an Instrument on Friday, July 12, a night of live music and poetry on Saturday, August 17, and a spring racing season “interactive murder mingle” entitled A Murder at The Derby in November.

It is also currently accepting play submissions and production proposals through its website creswicktheatrecompany@gmail.com

Neil says the committee is also especially keen to increasingly open up use of the local theatre company’s home venue, the historic Creswick Courthouse theatre, to other groups and activities.

Words & Image: Eve Lamb

Just briefly...

Hepburn Regional Community Cheer’s Christmas in July Dinner will be held on Wednesday, July 24.

Funds raised by the event are used to purchase toys, groceries and vouchers that are distributed in December at an annual “Giving Day”. Donations of goods and services that can be auctioned or raffled are needed. For any queries or tickets email Christine or Emma at infohrcc22@gmail.com

To celebrate National Water Week, October 21-27, Central Highlands Water is inviting local early learning, kindergarten and primary school students to enter this year’s National Water Week poster competition.

This year’s theme, Water for all, inspiring action, highlights the importance of access to clean water. CHW managing director Jeff Haydon said the poster competition provided a positive opportunity to engage the younger generation around the importance of the most precious resource, water. Entries close on Friday, September 6.

Daylesford and Hepburn United Soccer Club will start a six-month intensive Act@Play program facilitated by Women’s Health Grampians, in partnership with Hepburn Shire Council.

Act@Play is a gender equality, cultural change initiative that recognises the power that regional sporting clubs have to influence attitudes and beliefs about what is acceptable behaviour. The club submitted an expression of interest noting that working in the space of gender equality is a key priority area for the club’s leadership.

As part of its Living and Ageing Well in Hepburn project, Central Highlands Rural Health has launched a series of community information events.

The next event is Staying Physically Strong and Increasing Independence, to be held on Tuesday, June 25 at 11am at the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre with speakers including a social worker and an exercise physiologist from Central Highlands Rural Health. Link: www.chrh.org.au

ai1715669079168_Regional 225x148mm.pdf 1 14/05/2024 4:44:39 PM

The Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre Committee of Management needs a new treasurer.

They don't have to be an accountant with the bookkeeping and financial reporting done by an external accounting firm. They just need to be someone with a good head for numbers, who can read a P&L and ask relevant questions. It's all on Xero, a cloud-based accounting system with the current treasurer able to provide a handover. The other committee members are financially literate and have been on the committee for a number of years so will be able to assist in the transition. The Centre is an important community organisation, with people who want to give back to the Daylesford community, and have fun. Contact chair Gina Lyons on 0405 533 557.

The Daylesford Water Supply Pipeline Project has achieved an 80 per cent installation milestone.

Over 14 kilometres of the 17-kilometre water pipeline has been installed along the pipeline alignment, which includes areas such as Blampied–Kooroocheang Road, the Midland Highway, Hepburn Regional Park and Italian Hill powerline easements, as well as road reserves and landowner easements. CHW's managing director Jeff Haydon said the project was a substantial advancement in water infrastructure for Daylesford, providing a sustainable water network to meet the region's water security needs, with an expected life span of 100 years and a design capacity to provide more than 300 extra megalitres per annum of supplementary raw water. The final three kilometres of pipeline installation will see a reduction of planned major works with major asset connections and Midland Highway works to recommence in August.

Vandalism is hindering progress toward an early opening of Creswick's Djuwang Baring (Creswick Trails) mountain bike network.

Hepburn Shire CEO Bradley Thomas says progress towards an early opening is in jeopardy with people breaking into the construction site, bypassing, damaging and otherwise vandalising site exclusion measures with the intent to ride the trails before they are open. “This trespassing is causing damage and could lead to injury as the site is an active construction zone and trails signage is not yet in place. These site exclusion measures are a mandatory part of the project and are intended to maintain the safety of the public, contractor and to protect the trails asset." If anyone witnesses trespassing on the construction site or any acts of vandalism, report it to police.

Happy 70th Anniversary!

An unlikely match produced an incredible 70-year bond for Joan and Stuart McEwen of Hepburn, who celebrate their platinum wedding anniversary next week on Wednesday, June 26.

It was possibly an unlikely match when a young airforce pilot officer courted an attractive young art student at Amberley RAAF Base in Queensland in 1953.

Joan was the only daughter of the senior accounting officer and was living on the base while attending the Brisbane School of Arts & Technical College.

Stuart, who grew up in Perth, had recently completed four years of officer training at Point Cook RAAF Academy and had been posted to Amberley where he was undertaking training on the RAAF 4-engined Lincoln Heavy Bomber aircraft, a derivative of the famous WWII Lancaster, which were shortly to see action in Malaya.

It must have taken some steely nerve one evening at an Amberley RAAF mess function for the young flight officer to approach the party of senior officers seated at a table with young Joan – a party that included senior wing commanders and commanding officers of the squadron, as well as Joan's father.

Having been warned "he didn't have a hope" Stuart nonetheless, knowing faint hearts never win fair maidens, asked permission for a dance, which was accepted.

Romance quickly followed, but within three weeks Stuart was posted to Malaya where he undertook numerous bombing and low flying missions, and fulfilled roles as navigator, bomb aimer and front gunner.

However, correspondence continued between the young couple and on Stuart's return 10 months later, they were married in St Peters Catholic Church in Daylesford, where Joan's parents had returned to live.

Her father, Charlie Menz, had had a long family connection with the Swiss Italian and German settlers of the area, and went on to serve the community as a councillor, Justice of the Peace and and on the Daylesford Hospital Trust.

Stuart remained with the RAAF for a total of 19 years, saw three and a half years further training in England with the RAF on Canberras, a twin-engined light bombing aircraft, then spent several months in Tennessee in the United States where he navigated the second Hercules aircraft to arrive in Australia.

The couple raised four children but Stuart’s numerous postings with the airforce – which included Singapore, Richmond, Darwin and Townsville – was difficult when raising a young family, so when numerous offers came from Ansett Airlines to consider civil aviation it was eventually accepted.

and Cook islands off the coast of Western Australia, no easy task as radio aid was limited and astro sighting of the stars was required for navigation.

After 20 years with Ansett, Stuart retired and in 1986 he and Joan moved from Gladstone Park, a suburb of Melbourne to live in Hepburn and into the family home built by Joan's grandmother.

Joan, despite raising a young family, continued to pursue her painting interests and talent – specialising in watercolour, oils and crayon – and contributing to numerous exhibitions in the local area.

Her works feature beautiful local studies of older buildings and the landscapes of Hepburn and Daylesford, enabling a look back into the past of the area. Though now in her 90s she continues to paint and tend to a large garden.

It is a rarity these days for couples to remain together for such an extraordinary amount of time and we congratulate them on this remarkable achievement and wish them all the best for the future. (And happy birthday to Stuart, who will be 95 on June 28!)

Words: Mike McEwen | Images: Contributed

With Ansett, Stuart flew innumerable times as flight navigator overseas to Holland, Seattle and the tiny remote communities of Cocos

Far left, Joan and Stuart on their wedding day on June 26, 1954, main, the couple today, below, the McEwen family in the early 60s

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Hepburn House's Memory Lane Unit

Hepburn House's Memory Lane, a 15-bed unit built specifically to assist residents with dementia, is now open! Hepburn House is at 1 Hepburn Rd, Daylesford. Book a tour of the new unit or the existing accommodation and living areas. Bookings: dianne@hepburnhouse.com.au For everything Hepburn House has on offer head to www.hepburnhouse.com.au or call 5348 8100. (RAT tests may be required.)

DAYLESFORD KYNETON TRENTHAM

How Alan 'took' his dad to Gallipoli

The desire to go to Gallipoli for the Dawn Service burnt strongly in Daylesford’s Alan Eaton. Major heart surgery and three operations firstly stopped him, but even when he did go it was with an undiagnosed broken leg.

His father always wanted to attend the service, but died without fulfilling his dream, so Alan 'took' him in the form of a treasured photo of the pair of them.

At each cemetery out came the photo. At the Anzac sector he sat on the beach. "I felt my father was standing next to me. Many people say if you don’t shed tears, you are not human."

With him, too, were his grandfather’s medals from WWI.

To Alan’s surprise, a young girl on a pilgrimage with her father, found the grave of Corporal Alma May, son of James and Frances May of West Street, Daylesford. Wounded by machinegun fire, Corporal May was taken to an aid station but died the next day, aged 24. His name is in the Avenue of Honour. Alan lay the medals on Corporal May’s plaque.

"The chances of finding a grave of someone from your hometown are slim," says Alan, with some understatement.

He stood, too, at Lone Pine, where seven Victoria Crosses were awarded. To him, Gallipoli is where Australia was blooded as a nation.

His fascination with the Victoria Cross also took him to "Jacka’s Country" where Jacka the VC winner killed seven Turks in a trench by bullet and bayonet. At Shrapnel Gully Alan saw where Simpson cheerfully earned a form of immortality as he brought down the wounded with his donkey, five of whom died before he was killed.

Alan’s family is steeped in military history, as shown by the books and pictures crowding his den. He was in the Army for 26 years until 1999. His grandfather was seconded from the British Royal Navy in 1911 to help form the Australian Navy and fought in the first action in 1914, taking part in the capture of a radio station from the Germans in Papua New Guinea.

Alan’s father was in the artillery as part of the anti-aircraft force, guarding the steel works in Newcastle, and then in Darwin. Alan’s older brother Wallace went to Vietnam in 1970.

"I enlisted in '74, just after Vietnam,” says Alan. He served in Malaysia, Canada and Hawaii.

Now 68, he was medically discharged from the Army, then spent 13 years as a contractor to the Defence Department. “I enjoyed it,” he says emphatically. “I would not change a step.”

Alan stoutly denies the stories that have sprung up that the Anzacs landed at the wrong place, saying there was 1.6 kilometres of land for them to come ashore.

Then there is the Turkish side. A professor from that nation told the Anzac pilgrims of their 86,000 soldiers killed, including those who charged with bayonets because they had no bullets.

"The world has learnt that a nation will fight to defend itself," says Alan, instancing Vietnam, Korea and the Ukraine.

“The trip was all I wanted it to be.” Now he has his sights on another storied Anzac battlefield, Villers-Bretonneux in France, where 2500 died saving the town. Words: Kevin Childs | Image: Contributed

Gripping tale of survival of sibling abuse

My Father’s Suitcase is described as a gripping tale of resilience and survival that offers hope to others who have experienced family violence and suffered at the hands of a sibling.

The book is a memoir which explores not only the troubled relationship between author Mary Garden and her younger sister, Anna, who died in 2023, but is also a big slice of social history of New Zealand in the 50s and 60s.

And while Mary may have started with anger about her sister, that changed as she wrote and her anger moved towards those around her who enabled the sibling violence to continue.

“I knew I had a focus on my sister’s treatment of me and this whole nothing of sibling abuse, it’s a huge missing part of family violence, but it is also about the dysfunctional family unit it exists within,” the Castlemaine resident and prolific feature writer, said.

“As I was writing I became less and less angry with her and by the end I felt quite compassionate, she had such a shit life. I mean, my mother used to say in front of Anna, ‘isn’t Mary pretty’, or ‘if only Anna was more like Mary’.

“And then I felt enraged about all those people who enabled it, the bystanders, all those people who knew about my sister’s violence and didn’t protect me.

“People say writing can be cathartic but I had already done a lot of therapy and work on my sister, so for me it provided more clarity and insight.”

My Father’s Suitcase grew out of her second memoir, Sundowner of the Skies, a biography of her aviator father, Oscar Garden, which was short-listed for the NSW Premier’s History Award 2020 for a book of international significance.

(Her first book, The Serpent Rising, a memoir of her years entangled with various gurus in India in the 1970s, won the High Country Indie Book Award 2021.)

“In 2005 I did my first article on my father, who died in 1997 and had been a famous aviator. I did a feature article but when it was published it just exploded and I got emails from everywhere asking if I could write a book.

“I thought there was no way I could write a book but people pounded me for years and I started a book on my father and got a research grant, and I just hit a brick wall.

“I had a lot of self doubts, and of course I hated what my father had put my mother through, but I eventually went back to uni and did an editing course.

“Unfortunately I got a high distinction so I ended up doing a diploma and then a wretched PhD on journalism and the use of blogs and Twitter. And I thought if I can do this 80,000-word PhD I can do this book on my father, so I whipped it out really quickly and put a whole personal thread through it.”

Sadly, Mary’s publisher was not keen on the final three personal chapters, asking Mary to concentrate on aviation, and left much on the stone, so to speak.

Happily what was left became the start of her new book, My Father’s Suitcase, although some people told her that with Covid happening, no one wanted to hear about trauma.

“But I talked to many people and people do, so my book is not really my book, it is their story too, things that resonate with many people. And I just sat down and wrote it, it literally just poured out. So much so I had to see a hand therapist. And it turned out not to be just my difficult relationship with my sister but it includes the social and cultural history of the time in New Zealand.”

My Father’s Suitcase is available at all bookstores with signed copies at Paradise Books in Daylesford.

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Contributed

Hi Glen,

I am sure you are the one who can tell me whether those beautiful moth orchids really do live and flower for years, and if so, what am I doing wrong? Because mine flowered just once with two blooms on the same stem. Then after a couple of weeks they just shrivelled up and fell off, leaving behind a bundle of dry sticks amid a rosette of large green leaves.

Should I just grin and give up? Or can you point me in the right direction for success? This was my second year of failure but when I am confronted by those magnificent living carpets in the stores I can't resist their call of "take me home, I'm yours". Hoping to hear positive words of encouragement, or should I just give up and plant some geraniums? Can't wait for some good news.

- Miriam, Kyneton

Hi Miriam,

As much as I like and grow geraniums, not really, the answer is quite simple - it is a patience and confidence. Moth orchids, phalaenopsis, are probably the most favourite orchids because of their multi-coloured, long lasting flowers.

They are sturdy and need little care in our climate and, as long as they are planted in a sheltered spot, they make ideal indoor plants when grown in a well lit window but out of direct sunlight.

When grown out of doors they will bloom just once, either spring or summer, but they can usually be encouraged to bloom several times a year if they are treated kindly and allowed to rest in a state of dormancy in-between time.

Moth orchids bloom along slender flower spikes which can often bloom more than once, so don't be in a hurry to remove the spike because you can often encourage the plant to have extra flowers. So always keep an eye out for the buds on any healthy looking spikes but remove any that are starting to turn brown or wither. Clip them off at the base with a pair of clean and sterilised flower scissors or sharp secateurs to conserve energy.

Saturday 6 July 2024 Doors: 6.30pm / Show: 7.30pm / 15+

It is easy to confuse the flower spikes with aerial roots but these can be easily spotted - they are lighter in colour and have rounded tips. Their appearance is usually a signal that the plants' root system is getting a little crowded and nourishment sparse.

There's little need to remove any aerial roots unless they are overcrowding the plant and then it is maybe time to consider repotting them into larger homes. This will improve their health and make flowering more likely, especially if the plant is still in the pot your brought it home in.

Store-bought moth orchids are usually potted into various types of moss and placed into plastic containers which retain too much moisture which can cause roots to rot. This can be avoided by being repotted into a larger pot with drainage holes and using a bark-based orchid mix that allows the water to drain freely.

Fertiliser, especially developed for orchids and similar plants, can help maintain the health and growth of the plant, as can most organic liquid fertilisers made with kelp or fish emulsion, when diluted to one quarter strength with water. - Glen

Pictured above, a three-year-old moth orchid in a south facing kitchen windowsill with its second year's crop of bloom

Got a gardening query? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

EAT | DRINK | ENJOY

Out & About in the Central Highlands

hello@2cool4school.com.au

Daylesford contender for top small tourism town

Daylesford is up against Heathcote, Koroit, Maldon and Sorrento in the 2024 TAC Victorian Top Tourism Awards, for towns with a population between 1500 and 5000.

Voting is open until Monday, June 24 with the winner announced on July 25.

Hepburn Shire Mayor Cr Brian Hood said the council was thrilled to be a finalist and it was great to collaborate on the submission with tourism partner Daylesford Macedon Tourism.

“We need the public to get behind us and vote for Daylesford. Make sure to share this far and wide and let’s make Daylesford the winner,” Cr Hood said.

Each year the TAC Victorian Top Tourism Town Awards showcase the value of tourism to the towns and communities across Victoria and celebrate the diversity and outstanding regional destinations of our state.

The Top Tourism Town Awards recognise and reward towns that: demonstrate a strong commitment to tourism and to increasing visitation to the destination; that offer an excellent visitor experience; and exhibit collaboration with tourism operators, local businesses and the community to make their town the best destination it can be.

The awards are presented in three categories Top Tourism Town – those with a population of over 5000 people, Top Small Tourism Town – those with a population between 1500 to 5000 people and Top Tiny Tourism Town – those with a population below 1500 people.

Cr Hood said Daylesford was known for its beauty in every season, from the splendour of the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens to the tranquil Lake Daylesford.

"Our town boasts a vibrant arts community with galleries, studios and an engaging calendar of events. Culinary enthusiasts can enjoy its gourmet restaurants, boutique wineries, distilleries and breweries, while the town’s rich heritage is illustrated through its beautifully preserved heritage buildings.

"Daylesford is an ideal escape for couples and families, presenting visitors with natural beauty, culinary experiences and indulgent wellness experiences.”

Daylesford was recently named the fourth most welcoming place on the planet by booking.com

Link: www.vtic.com.au/toptourismtown

Lamb Shoulder is probably one of the most versatile cuts you can get. Perfect for slow roasting in oven, smoker or BBQ, the final meat will be incredibly flavoursome and tender. Any leftovers can be used in salads, sliders, pies and even ragu. For easier carving and slightly less cooking time, we have taken out the bone!

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Words: Donna Kelly Image: Kyle Barnes

Church concert Maldon in Winter

Lizzy Welsh, baroque violin, and Joy Lee, harpsichord, will present an exploration of composer-performer relationships from the 17th century to the present at Christ Church, Daylesford on Saturday, June 29 at 2.30pm.

The evolution of western art music has long been driven by the relationships between composers and performers. As two of Australia’s leading interpreters and commissioners of new works, keyboardist Joy and violinist Lizzy, pictured, have extensive first-hand experience of these relationships and the influence they can impress upon the creation of musical languages.

Joy and Lizzy’s collaboration began initially performing new compositions in Australia’s leading new music ensembles. As each of them independently trained in early music performance, their partnership evolved to include performing together on harpsichord and baroque violin.

Lizzy and Joy are both based in regional Victoria and have been playing together for over a decade. Lizzy is internationally renowned as a music-maker and performer of early music, new music and experimental improvisation, principally on the baroque violin and modern violin.

Joy has a special focus on contemporary music and collaborates with a number of Australian and international composers in realising new works for piano, harpsichord and clavichord. As a harpsichordist her repertoire spans the breadth of the late Renaissance and Baroque eras to music written this year. Link: www.trybooking.com/eventlist/christchurchconcerts

Winter solstice at Creswick

It’s time to tap your inner druid, commune with your alternate mystical self, and warm up beside the dancing flames as Creswick’s Park Lake sets the scene for the town’s annual Winter Solstice bonfire.

The CFA team will be lighting the bonfire at 5pm this Friday, June 21 with the Friends of Park Lake inviting all pixies, fairies, elves and other mystical woodland creatures to join them for what promises an enchanting night to celebrate the solstice.

Friends of Park Lake secretary Andrew Bell, says this Friday is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, with the days to start lengthening beyond then.

He says that at Friday evening’s solstice bonfire the local scouts will be running a warming sausage sizzle, and there will be best costume prizes with everyone encouraged to don their best druid, fairy, pixie, elf or mystical woodland creature outfit for the event.

The wintry weather is all part of what makes the Winter Solstice a special and atmospheric time of year.

Andrew says all members of the community are invited to get along and it’s free to attend but there will be a donation box with all contributions helping the Friends of Park Lake to maintain and further beautify the significant historic location.

“And we do hope to reinstate the fountain in the old fernery gully,” Andrew says.

Fun fact: Creswick Park Lake is surrounded by parklands and interpretive signage and there is also a section of the Creswick of the Lindsay Arts Trail, which focuses on the famous Lindsay family and their history in Creswick. Trail guides are available from the Visitor Information Centre.

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Contributed

The weather may be cooling down but Maldon is determined to warm up for Maldon in Winter Festival from June 21 to July 14.

The entire town is in on the act with offerings from steam trains and bonfires to art exhibitions and live music. And much more!

A heritage steam train will depart Castlemaine in darkness and make its way through the chill night air to Maldon. There will be entertainers on-board from the Castlemaine Circus and once it arrives at Maldon visitors will be taken to the Maldon Machinery Museum where there will be plenty of food stalls, musical entertainment and of course a bonfire to keep everyone warm on a brisk night. There's also a stop at Muckleford to experience something very rare – a listening stop where the train will slowly back away from the station in to the ironbark forest and then repeat the arrival in to the platform with a mix of steam, whistles and movement, all illuminated only by the steam train’s headlight and the full moon.

The Cascade Art Gallery will be hosting its Winter Salon exhibition featuring artworks by David Moore, Liz Sullivan, Dean Bowen, Sam Varian, Julie Andrews, Craig Gough, John O'Loughlin, Robert Maclaurin. Introducing Chris Delpratt, Roz Avent and Sheridan Jones. Meanwhile the Maldon Artists Network (MANet) Small Works Exhibition showcases works from a number of selected local artists.

And don't miss the tongue-in-cheek Comedy Cabaret Burlesque from the Queens of Tease. Performing at the Maldon Progress Hall on July 5 and 6, The Bliss Bombs will perform sultry cabaret, dance and tease with lashings of vintage costume and cheeky comedy. To make the night a real occasion, dress to impress in vintage glamour and book a table with friends. There's plenty more happening throughout the festival so check out the website at www.maldon.org.au/maldon-in-winter

Words: Donna Kelly

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Tourism conference

Daylesford Macedon Tourism will host Growth Mindset in Uncertain Times at the Macedon Ranges Hotel & Spa on June 26 from 8.30am to -3.30pm.

This year’s theme is about having a growth mindset in uncertain times. The conference will hear from some of the country’s most innovative and forwardthinking leaders.

These include learning about using AI to generate content, how to market a business in challenging times, and why invest when others are cutting back.

There will be a chance to gain insights into the international market and what they expect, as well as real life examples of how to get traction in the weddings and events space.

A finance expert will talk about how to survive in a lower spend environment, and speakers from Visit Victoria and Tourism Australia will also keep the audience up-to-date with the latest marketing initiatives, and how to get involved.

The keynote speaker, Dan Monheit, CEO and the cofounder of Hardhat, is a behavioural scientist who has presented on the international stage and worked with the likes of Visit Victoria, and will talk about the power of a positive mindset and bring real life examples.

Also speaking are Macedon Ranges Shire CEO Bernie Sullivan and Hepburn Shire CEO Bradley Thomas, pictured, on the theme Housing, Planning and more: how councils are enabling growth.

The cost is $79 +GST for DMT partners and $158 +GST for non-partners. Link: www.dmrtourism.com.au/events/

Words: Donna Kelly

Toe tapping Celtic music

Half Light, the duo of Rennie Pearson and Bob McNeill, is coming to play at The Palais Hepburn on Friday, June 21 at 7.30pm.

Known for their driving, hypnotic Celtic music, the duo is set to embark on their second tour of Australia, with shows scheduled across Victoria and New South Wales in June.

Half Light promises to deliver a captivating performance, blending original and traditional folk tunes for an enchanting experience.

Half Light's magic lies in their ability to take these folk melodies and songs, both old and new, and weave them into fresh and exciting arrangements. Drawing inspiration from a rich tapestry of musical styles, they transport listeners to faraway lands with one melody and have them tapping their toes and clapping their hands with the next.

"A captivating performance, blending original and traditional folk tunes for an enchanting experience."

At the heart of Half Light's show is what they call the "lift" - a high-energy musical experience fuelled by flute, whistles, guitars, and infectious rhythms.

Pearson and McNeill bring a unique perspective to live folk music, infusing it with energy and creativity.

Both Pearson and McNeill are well-respected figures in the folk music scenes of New Zealand and Australia, with extensive experience touring all over the world as solo artists and group members, earning recognition with numerous awards.

They have shared their expertise at many festivals and workshops across the globe, promising an evening of diverse folk music.

The Half Light show will feature a range of instruments, including wooden flutes, Irish tin whistles, guitars, and heartfelt vocals. This fresh approach to traditional folk music is sure to appeal to all music enthusiasts.

Link: renniepearsonmusic.com

Queer book club chapter for Daylesford

The new Daylesford chapter of Queer Book Club has started with a good turnout late last month.

Formed back in 2022 at Castlemaine, the club aims to provide a warm and welcoming space for LGBTIQA+ people to socialise and discuss books written by queer authors.

“We’ve been attracting people who are not only interested in exploring LGBTIQA+ literature, but also connection to community,” Queer Book Club founder Robyn says.

Facilitator of the new Daylesford chapter, Tonye Segbedzi, pictured, says six people attended the new chapter’s inaugural gathering with the next set for this Wednesday, June 19.

“The book club started in Castlemaine and the next chapter was in Brunswick, and we’ve also got another one starting in Bendigo,” she says.

“It’s equally about the social connectivity as it is about the book so if you haven’t read the book, still come along,” says Tonye, who also facilitates Castlemaine’s Silver Rainbow Social Club for LGBTIQA+ people aged over 50, their friends, allies and carers.

The Daylesford chapter meets on the third Wednesday evening of each month at a local hospitality venue. Attendance is free and food and drinks are available to purchase.

The queer books for discussion were chosen by an annual online survey of book club members. Queer Book Club hopes to donate some copies of the selected queer books to Hepburn Libraries so they are available for the whole community as well.

The new chapter is supported by a community grant from the Hepburn Shire Council.

Link: www.facebook.com/groups/queerbookclubaus.

Words & Image: Eve Lamb

Bushwalks of the Central Highlands with Eve Lamb

Creswick Regional Park Walk II: St Georges Lake to Cosgrave Reservoir via the old koala park, Chinese plum orchard and Eaton’s Dam - 9km return.

Paddy H and I are in luck as Creswick artist and keen bushwalker Craig Barrett has kindly offered to guide us on one of his favourite walks.

It will take in the old Creswick Koala Park, relics of the 1860s gold rush era, an old Chinese plum orchard and the notable stone walls of Eaton’s Dam.

Craig explains that the walk starts from the St Georges Lake smaller, lesserused south eastern car park, just out of Creswick, off the Melbourne Road. I’m particularly keen to see this Koala Park site that I’ve heard a fair bit about but never actually seen.

Off we set, carrying camera gear, lunches, a proper bushwalking kit including maps, compass, walk guide and first aid kit (in Craig’s case) and plenty of dark chocolate (in mine).

We are in the Creswick Regional Park, part of the traditional lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung. In part, our walk ahead will follow a small snippet of the Goldfields Walking Track (Buninyong to Bendigo) and it also overlaps where Creswick’s new mountain bike track is being built.

As soon as we set foot on the walking track headed south straight out of the car park, Paddy H and I can see this is a fantastic little hike. “You should see it in spring,” Craig says. “Superb wild flowers.”

Gaining gentle elevation, striding through aromatic bushland for just under a kilometre, we soon arrive at the remnant boundary fence of the old koala park. In 1942, forestry students built the koala park by constructing a fence in a section of the forest to be used as a breeding area for koalas.

However, just a tad comically, they failed to adequately acknowledge koala climbing know-how and the furry little fellas swiftly decamped into the surrounding forest.

These days, the literature states, “there is just as much chance to see a koala in the surrounding Creswick State Forest as the old koala park”. I look up a fair bit but do not see a koala.

Having finally visited, though, I can now say that the paucity of the much-loved marsupial does nothing to diminish the site’s value as a top walking spot, with a short 2km loop walk around the entire former koala park another nice option.

Today, we stop here briefly to check out an old metal stile for helping humans, back in the day, to get into and out of the park, then we move on, following the Goldfields Walking Track to the north of the koala park, running roughly alongside Creswick Creek. The creek used to be called Back Creek on old maps, Craig says.

Further on we pass alongside remains of an old gold mining water race running through the bushland, scars of 1800s picks still fairly evident in places.

Roughly two or so kilometres further along the walking track, Craig stops and points out the site of the old Chinese plum orchard, today a grouping of ghostly moss-encrusted fruit trees whose limbs stretch bare against the early winter light.

And slipping back into the past, Craig points toward nearby sites where hotels once stood nearby – “the Springmount Hotel was there,” he says...“and the Munsters Arms Hotel...in that direction”.

We leave the old plum orchard and its ghosts and regain the Goldfields Track, continuing on until we reach the intersection with Jackass Road. Instead of turning left onto the road and continuing to follow the track north here, we instead simply cross the road and rejoin the walking path that heads on, eastward toward the historic site of Eaton’s Dam about half a kilometre further on.

Our resourceful guide provides some literature which instructs that Eaton’s Dam is “a well preserved example of a mining dam built in 1862 on Creswick Creek”. The site was leased by American brothers Benjamin and Charles Eaton. While the dam was breached in 1933, and after that fell into disuse, there’s still plenty to see here including some pretty remarkable, high stone walls.

“It’s also one of my favourite places for forest bathing,” Craig muses. In the cold summer sunlight, a mossy outcrop has something of the bushland shrine about it, complete with tiny exquisite wren attendants.

We stop and admire for a while and then Craig suggests we finish up by continuing on for a few hundred metres more to reach the Cosgrave Reservoir.

It proves to be an excellent place for lunch with two wedge tailed eagles circling above. Once we’re all fully fortified we head back, basically retracing our steps and listening to Craig recount tales of times well spent in France.

“And what do you like most about this walk?” I ask. Craig pauses for only the briefest moment before replying.

“That there are great wildflowers. And there aren’t many people. I’m definitely a path less travelled type,” our guide says.

We continue on, all up covering roughly 9kms the round trip, and returning to a path more travelled to reflect on all we have seen and learned, over a warming red by the fire. It was a good day.

Images: Eve Lamb

The Stones by Darren Lowe

The

Rolling Stones - Metlife Stadium, NJ, 23/05/2024

A nasty, weekly weather forecast, was the focus of my and Susan’s attention preceding this very major concert, and was the main reason for our extended trip to The Big Apple.

Thankfully, thunderstorms and very heavy rain were all over by midday. The Stones played two concerts at Metlife Stadium, a short 20-25 minute journey by coach from the port authority. We attended the first Thursday evening after purchasing tickets when the sale went online at some ungodly hour. Stressful but we managed to get floor tickets.

This was an absolutely mind-blowing concert experience. The best stadium sound I can remember with a fantastic view, and a great, vocal and excited US audience. In fact, the walk from bus to entry was my first live view of the tail-gating phenomena. Rows of people with full camp and BBQ set up with beverages and a different Stones song every few metres at full volume. This was a major event, in a city with a lot of major events, which was a talking point over the next few days as we walked the streets of NY in Stones' logo t-shirts.

Jon Batiste, with a 10-piece band including back singers and dancers, gave us a wonderful 45-minute support set. The multiinstrumentalist was a consummate showman with his funk infused, New Orleans-inspired set. Fantastic musicians, back up singers/dancers and a taste of how the catwalk was to be used. We were closer to the action than I can remember in any of the umpteen times I've seen The Stones.

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The Stones came on stage about 9.25pm with a glorious, intense exciting build up including Mick's silhouette through the very large rear stage curtain.

As has been the cast throughout the first few gigs of the tour, the band opened spectacularly, with Start Me Up. Now, as I’ve said to many friends in the past few days, I really don’t care how old these guys are anymore. This gig was amazing. To the set list soon but the musicianship is astounding, possibly among the best gigs I’ve seen the band play. Mick is often remarked upon re his fitness, but it really needs to be acknowledged, as I know it always is, that he is of a certain age, running about on stage for two hours while singing! Incredible.

For the first time I can really remember, I was able to distinguish the separate playing of Keith and Ronnie, they are in remarkable form. Listening, waiting, knowing when to back-off. That fabulous loose Stones sound. Clear, crisp, particularly on Jumping Jack Flash and on their acoustic interlude where we got to hear the very exciting You Got the Silver.

The touring musicians, many long term, were exemplary. Chuck Leavell, Bernard Fowler, Matt Clifford, Darryl Jones, Tim Ries and Karl Denson have all played with band for extended periods. More recently there has also been Steve Jordan, since 2021 and Chanel Hanes since 2022. As usual, she blew the house away with her part in Gimme Shelter

Despite playing hits in the bulk of their set I don’t see them as a nostalgia act, as they are still playing remarkably well and with 60+ years of material to draw from.

Being in New York, sorry Jersey, we got Shattered and Miss You and the fan voted Wild Horses. Nice choice. And a sprinkling of early hits including Get Off My Cloud and Paint It Black. I personally loved hearing It's Only Rock 'n' Roll

You know it’s a great gig when you are on a high the next day, exciting, glorious rock sings, still played with passion and enthusiasm after 62 years.

Gigs by Darren Lowe

Theatre Royal, Castlemaine

Paper Kites - Saturday, June 22

Australia’s biggest indie-folk band, The Paper Kites, have hit home soil. Performing alongside The Roadhouse Band in what will be their first Australian shows together, The Paper Kites will play the tour finale at Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal on Saturday, June 22.

Bullarto Hall, Bullarto

Bullarto Bushdance - Saturday, June 22, 6pm

This old time bushdance is a fundraiser for the Musk CFA and the Bullarto Hall. There will be bands with a caller, BBQ, fires, food and mulled wine. This is a fully licensed event. Tickets $20.

Cosmopolitan Hotel, Trentham

Dave Graney & Clare Moore - Sunday, June 23, 2pm-5pm

This intimate performance in Trentham will display Dave Graney and Clare Moore's new album (strangely)(emotional), live in The Stables at The Cosmo.

Native timber support available now

Native timber harvesting has ended in Victoria but support is still available.

Native timber businesses, workers and communities can continue to access a range of support including:

• The Victorian Forestry Worker Support Program – including payments and training, 1:1 case management, employment services, health and wellbeing support.

• Business support – including exit packages and funding to help diversify.

• Community support – health and wellbeing services.

For more information:

• Forestry Transition hotline - 1800 318 182

• Victorian Forestry Worker Support Program - 1800 122 001 vic.gov.au/forestry

NYC.

Next edition - Neil Young and Crazy Horse at Forest Hills Stadium,

Wine notes with Clive Hartley

Place of Changing Winds growers series

Place of Changing Winds vineyard is located between Mt Macedon and Mt Bullengarook in the Macedon Ranges. Different clones of pinot noir and chardonnay vines were planted between 2012 and 2018.

Everything in the vineyard is a well thought-out plan to produce the best quality that the cool site can offer. Vascular or sap flow pruning, three full-time staff to manage a tiny 3.1-hectare site including a Bordeaux trained manager/winemaker and dry grown vines shows their commitment and deep pockets.

The vineyard is owned by Robert Walters, a highly respected importer and distributor in Melbourne. His company Bibendum Wine Co has a stella line up of wines from around the world.

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that their Estate wines are sought after and mailing list driven. Limited supply made them come up with a novel way of even sub-dividing their mailing list customers into ‘High Density’ ‘Fidelity’ and ‘General’ members.

One way of moving up the ranks of their mailing list is to purchase wines from their Grower Series. After tasting them recently you might simply stop with these as they are very good wines.

The 2022 Harcourt Syrah ($59) is grown on granite soils and matured for nearly two years. It is bright, with floral violets, blackberries and pepper, laced with cedar oak. Medium bodied with licorice, nutmeg spice and plums. Some fine grain tannins complete the finish.

Moving over to Heathcote, the 2021 Syrah ($59) is grown on red Cambrian soils of the Mount Camel Range. It has a surprisingly rich, fruit-driven nose, given that it received 33 months of ageing, with blackberry and black cherries as well as vanilla and a touch of licorice.

Let’s support our community and shop local!

“Locals supporting Locals” Restaurants, Bakers, Butchers, Cafe’s, Local vineyards, Distillers, Brewers and of course each other.

Remember we offer free delivery, T&Cs apply.

Delivery times are Monday to Saturday between 10am and 4pm.

We accept credit cards over the phone or we have an on-board eftpos machine. You will need to be at home for the delivery with proof of age if asked by the driver. Give the Foxxy team a call on 5348 3577. Keep safe, everyone.

Whilst the fruit continues on the palate it comes over slightly more reserved, with fine chalk tannins on the finish. Overall, a well-balanced full-bodied wine.

Finally, the 2022 Syrah No2 ($38) is a blend of both the Heathcote and Harcourt sites. It is their least expensive wine, but I ranked it as high as the previous two.

There is a sense of reserve that runs through all their red wines that I liked. It displayed plenty of black fruits again including plum, black cherries and blackberry, some slight raisin and herbal notes as well.

This wine has that characteristic ‘light touch’ on the moreish, savoury, slightly leafy medium plus bodied palate. To round out the wine it has a dry, powdery tannic finish. Link: www.placeofchangingwinds.com.au

Clive Hartley is an award-winning wine writer, educator and consultant. His 305page full colour book Australian Wine Guide (7th ed) is available for purchase from Paradise Books in Daylesford or via his website – www.australianwineguide.com.au

Kyle’s Rant

Did former Premier Dan Andrews deserve the nation's highest honour, the Companion of the Order of Australia for his service to Victoria, public health, policy and regulatory reform, and to infrastructure development?

I guess it is all about what he did for our community during the Covid pandemic. It certainly wasn’t a normal time in the world although it certainly became the new norm.

But what is “normal”? According to the dictionary, it is the usual, typical or expected state or condition. And while my typical state may be different to everyone else’s, I expect that the government will look after the people in the best way possible using the resources they have gleaned from the people, namely tax dollars.

And I don’t proclaim to be an expert, however the sometimes draconian measures were a little hard to swallow.

Like the bloke who was walking along Back Glenlyon Road without a mask who got pulled up by the police and requested to don his facemask. If you have ever walked along this road you will understand the irony, there is nobody there but the odd cow.

I understand that we had to wear the masks but it was more about the enforcement. Dan and his cohorts had to make blanket rules to keep the great unwashed in check. Yes, the rules were hard to take and the hardship was horrendous but it was all about keeping the community safe until a vaccine could be made available.

I am pretty sure looking at the latest budget he didn’t leave anything in the tank financially, and most people were able to get by and businesses incubated until it was safe to reboot things.

And yes, a few businesses didn’t make it as no one wanted to go back to highly populated areas, but you must remember that 60 per cent of businesses in Australia will fail within their first three years of operation with 20 per cent of businesses failing in their first year of operating.

Yes, lockdowns were hard and grinding and the divorce rates went through the roof and as a result of the sudden “out of the gates” move, post pandemic spending and inflation has caused a cost-of-living crisis.

But these problems are global, they are not caused by the Dan Andrews' government, everywhere around the world is teetering on the edge of recession. And so, it goes as in the Oils song, “the rich get richer, the poor get the picture”.

Personally I don’t believe that Dan should have been given the Order of Australia by Charlie for doing what is effectively his job.

However, it was one hell of a job he got lumbered with, not the usual turning sods of soil at green sites and talking up one’s political party.

The job Dan did was constantly keeping us updated, rolling out the cash and going grey on the TV before our eyes. So good on you Sir Dan rant over…

Local Lines

things in rooms

move around em

move em around

slide em

run into em

sit on em

sit at em

gaze at em

clean em

ignore em

push em over turn em on

turn em over

turn em around

switch em off

water em

open em

prod em

smell em

love em

lie in em

tell truths in em

imagine em

not being there

by Bill Wootton

Local Lines features poetry by locals about local and any other matters. Please submit poems to Bill Wootton at cottlesbreedge@gmail.com

Bill has been confined to quarters a bit lately but is feeling more sprightly by the minute.

G’day. I’m Bubba and I have a beautiful blue-grey coat and a great personality.

I am 11 years young and looking for a nice quiet home. I am quite the communicator, letting you know when I would appreciate some pats and love. I am not keen on cats but I can get along with calm, placid dogs. I am an inside cat only, but would love an outdoor enclosure for fresh air. I have a minor eye issue but tests show no major concerns. Come and meet me Castlemaine’s MAAW shelter. Phone: 5472 5277. Microchip No: 956000008898386

(Pick me, pick me is run in memory of Rosie & Curly - we picked them. And proudly supported by Daylesford's petstock - where pets are family. Remember a pet is forever, not just Christmas!)

Just sayin’...

By Donna Kelly

I had some time last week so I did a bit of a Google around about farmland and farm zones. I realise there are experts just waiting on Facebook but instead I went to the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning.

Anyway, I found some interesting words and thought I would share them. From a guide for planning authorities about the strategic work required to apply the different zones, the purposes and features of each zone and where they may be applied.

I might have cherry picked a little, but it was a long read. And I only get this little column so I have to be sparse with words. Here goes:

“The rural areas of Victoria accommodate a range of farming, residential, industrial and commercial uses and contain many of the state’s significant natural resources, such as native vegetation, minerals and water. They also provide important resources for recreation, tourism and timber production.

“The suite of rural zones for Victoria: recognise the state, regional and local importance of farming as an industry and provide greater protection for productive agricultural land: discourage ad hoc and incompatible use and development; and recognise and protect rural areas that are environmentally sensitive.

“Victoria’s changing rural landscape requires planning authorities to think strategically about their farming areas and rural settlement patterns, so that sustainable farming is promoted and potential conflicts between farming and other land uses are avoided.

“Sound strategic planning for rural areas is essential to ensuring that land use and development achieves the planning authority’s vision and strategic objectives for an area. It can help ensure that: farmland and farming industries of state, regional or local significance are protected; future use of existing natural resources, including productive agricultural land, water, and mineral and energy resources, is sustainable; scarce resources, such as water, are protected; existing visual and environmental qualities of rural areas are protected; and conflicts between farming and other land uses are avoided.

“(Any) strategy should include an assessment of: the physical attributes of the land and its capacity to support productive agricultural uses including soil type, climate, vegetation cover, access to water, slope and drainage; agricultural trends in the area, including agricultural productivity, changes in farming practices and processes, and farm investment patterns; and the natural resources and environmental features in the area and their importance including flora and fauna, significant habitats, wetlands, scenic landscapes and sites of archaeological or cultural significance.

“(A) farming zone – a zone that is predominantly focussed on protecting and promoting farming and agriculture.

“Farming Zone Purpose: To provide for the use of land for agriculture; to encourage the retention of productive agricultural land; to ensure that nonagricultural uses, including dwellings, do not adversely affect the use of land for agriculture; to encourage the retention of employment and population to support rural communities; and to encourage use and development of land based on comprehensive and sustainable land management practices and infrastructure provision.”

And I think that just might be my submission to council. Thanks Department of Planning. Done. Just sayin'...

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

Ageing DisGracefully is an initiative of Hepburn House.

W RD CROSS

Here is the crossword solution for Edition 307. How did you go?

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

To market...

Every Sunday - Daylesford Sunday Market

First Saturday - Daylesford Farmers Market, Trentham Neighbourhood Centre Makers Market, Golden Plains Farmers Market, Woodend Farmers Market

First Sunday - Castlemaine Artists’ Market

Second Saturday - Trentham Community Group Market, Kyneton Farmers Market, Ballan Farmers Market, Kyneton Rotary Community Market

Second Sunday - Maldon Market, Clunes Farmers Market

Third Saturday - Trentham Farmers and Makers Market, Glenlyon Farmers Market, Leonards Hill Market, Creswick Market

Third Sunday - Talbot Farmers Market, Malmsbury Farmers Market

Fourth Sunday - Trentham Station Sunday Market, Buninyong Village Market