The Local Narch 13, 2022

The Local - The Heart of the Highlands

Front cover: Is this Chris Olver, Mick Taylor or John Jarratt? Or a bit of all three? Read about the amazing second career of Chris Olver and his Wolf Creek memorabilia at his home in Yandoit on page 7.

Image: Kyle Barnes

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

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

The next edition is out on Monday, March 27, 2023. or online on Sunday, March 26 at www.tlnews.com.au

Space bookings: Wednesday, March 22

Copy deadline: Thursday, March 23

Editorial deadline: Thursday, March 23

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

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

Account manager: Linda Mooney on 0493 673 149 or sales@tlnews.com.au

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

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

Photographers: Kyle Barnes & Nadine Jade

Graphic designer: Dianne Caithness

Contributors: Glen Heyne (gardening), Darren Lowe (music), Richard Cornish (recipes) & Bill Wootton (poetry).

Accounts | Julie Hanson Delivery | Tony Sawrey

Women inducted onto Heather Mutimer Honour Roll

FIVE women have been inducted, on International Women's Day, onto Hepburn Shire's Heather Mutimer Honour Roll, paying tribute to their contribution to the shire and progressing women’s causes.

The women are Anneke Deutsch, Joyce Orr, Mariwyn (Tess) Brady, Joee AganettiFraser and Marie Magdalen Lewis (posthumous).

The inductees

Anneke Deutsch has been incredibly influential in the field of prosthetics and orthotics, which was very male-dominated when she began in the 1980s. Anneke has been a leader in this area and an enormous supporter of women. She continues to do so in her role as president of the Older Women in Cohousing Inc, a group aiming to build housing for women based on collaboration, sustainability, accessibility, and a blend of opportunities for privacy and for social interaction.

Joyce Orr is an unassuming trailblazer who has led by example and demonstrated through decades of volunteering the many opportunities for women to excel within the community, all whilst raising five children. She has been an active member of the Daylesford & Brass Band for over 40 years and was the first female Treasurer for the Daylesford & District Historical Society. Joyce has made an incredible difference through her fundraising work and craft events at Windarring Centre.

Tess Brady has worked for two decades as a powerful agent for change in her community of Clunes, advancing the status of women by empowering them to take on change and showing that if you have a vision and determination, anything is possible. Tess has been an active participant in many groups in Clunes and actively mentors and encourages other women to back their own visions and dreams.

Joee Aganetti-Fraser is a fifth-generation young farmer who took a stand by ploughing her opposition to AusNet installation into the family farm hill at Mount Prospect. Joee is a strong leader, inspiring a wide group to follow and fight for the campaign. She works full-time on the farm with other part-time jobs, studies agriculture, and still finds the time to advocate on the community’s behalf.

Marie Magdalen Lewis (posthumous) challenged traditional stereotypes throughout her 106 years. Marie worked as a post mistress and telephone operator at Blampied Post Office, and later enlisted in the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force in 1942. She was posted to various air force bases during this time and worked in signals for five years, moving up the ranks to become a sergeant. After the war, Marie returned to Blampied with her husband Harold to raise their two young sons, and she operated the Blampied Post Office and Telephone Exchange for over 20 years. She was involved with the St Joseph's Catholic Church, Creswick Golf Club, Mt Prospect Tennis Association and the Creswick Smeaton RSL sub-branch. Debbie Stoneman accepted the certificate on behalf of her grandmother Marie. The Heather Mutimer Honour Roll was established in 2005.

Above, from left, Debbie Stoneman, Anneke Deutsch, Mayor Cr Brian Hood, Heather Mutimer, Joee Aganetti-Fraser, Tess Brady, Joyce Orr, Cr Don Henderson and Cr Jen Bray Words & image: Contributed

The Local - The Heart of the Highlands

The Big Rainbow

The Big Rainbow has been erected at Victoria Park in Daylesford. Sponsored by Tinder, the rainbow is made of marine grade plywood and is in the colours of the Philadelphia Pride Flag.

Daylesford won the Rainbow in a competition last year when it was up against three other regional towns - Broome in WA, Katherine in the NT and Hay in NSW.

The Big Rainbow is 12 metres wide and six metres tall. It was placed in Victoria Park after the Hepburn Shire Council asked for community input on a number of sites including the Lost Children's Reserve, the Community Skate Park and Lake Daylesford.

It was officially launched last Thursday, March 9, right, and, above, had ChillOut committee members Debbie Greig and Tom Shaw jumping for joy!

Top image: Kyle Barnes | Right image, contributed

Writing

ChillOut 2023

Images: Nadine Jade (More pics & movie at www.tlnews.com.au)

In the weeks since it was publicly floated as a thought bubble, the Calembeen Polar Bears swimming group has quickly caught on as Creswick’s inland answer to the coastal Icebergers.

You know them. That early morning hardcore swimming set that enjoys crisp dawn dips in the sea – even if it’s mid-winter with a wind chill factor of minus three.

Clunes' Paul Payne, a keen cold water devotee himself, came up with the idea and took to local online community notice boards, inviting others to join the new Calembeen Polar Bears swimmers.

The Bears roll up for early morning dips in Creswick’s Lake Calembeen at 9am Wednesdays and 7am Sundays – regardless of weather – and all, going to plan, will continue doing so right through the year.

“I didn’t realise there’d be this much interest and I’m a bit humbled to be honest,” Paul says.

“We couldn’t believe there wasn’t a group established already.

“I put an ad on the Clunes and Creswick (online) noticeboards and there was a big response. We’re getting about 15 people now, but I’m there every day at dawn.

“I got through to May last year. But this time we’re hoping to egg each other on and keep going as it cools off. The whole idea is that it’s a bit social.”

As with the Iceberger groups well established in coastal parts, the Polar Bears note the accepted science that a brisk encounter with chilled water – aka cold water immersion therapy – is really good for one’s general wellbeing.

“Cold water immersion therapy triggers the mammalian dive reflex,” Paul says.

You can look it up, but effectively it means that being exposed to a chilly dip in nowhere-near-warm H2O really makes you know you’re alive, slows the heart rate and improves mood.

Those who regularly practice it like the Bears and the 'bergers swear by the glowing mood boost and enduring positivity that follows such brisk encounters.

While it’s a known fact that Creswick gets frosty in winter, Paul and the other Bears – even ones like Creswick’s Rowena Miller who just quietly admits “I hate being cold” – are prepared.

Move over Icebergers, we're the Polar Bears

“I have lived in North America and I lived in New York for 20 plus years,” Paul said.

“I used to show up every New Year's Day to take part in the big swim to Coney Island. It’s good for the skin. It’s really good for everything.”

Among the regulars to show up lakeside on a recent mid-week swim is trauma psychologist Louise Earnshaw.

Louise is currently residing at Sandon, and knows more than your average person about cool – and healthy – ways to enhance one’s sense of wellbeing.

“The tropics are my natural habitat. I’m from northern New South Wales but my house in the Byron Shire was destroyed in the floods,” Louise said.

“You could say I am an aquatic nomad. This is for my wellbeing. When cold water triggers the mammalian dive reflex the parasympathetic system kicks in.

“Thirty seconds with your face in a bucket of iced water will calm one’s emotional overload. It’s an aquatic meditation.”

Paul says Lake Calembeen is a great little swimming spot as it’s reputed to have some health-giving mineral qualities.

“And the steep drop-off means there’s no frozen mud to wade through in winter.”

The group now has its own Facebook page and the Bears say all are welcome to get along and experience the pleasure for themselves.

Above, from left on bank, Calembeen Polar Bears Rowena Miller, Fiona Caie and Paul Payne with Louise Earnshaw and Felicity Worthington

Words & image: Eve Lamb

Revealed: How The Local helped an ex-truckie become a demented killer

FOR some time now there’s been a belief that print is dead. Many say the world is all online.

A chink of proof that this may not be ironclad is in the story of Chris Olver of Yandoit.

Just over five years ago this paper told of his Wild West/Aussie outback model village. Chris featured with his battered hat, rifle and Bowie knife.

The article was spotted by a representative of the Wolf Creek films, TV series and touring show, who asked Chris if he’d like to go to a 40th anniversary celebration of the film Mad Max in Maryborough. The Wolf Creek crew and those with Mad Max are mates.

Chris, for 30 years a gravel truck driver, agreed but changed his mind. His wife Shirley thought he was wrong. “Go,” she said, “you have nothing to lose.”

Putting on an old cowboy hat and red chequered shirt and strapping on a Bowie knife he headed off. “When I turned up in Maryborough a bloke named Fletch, who runs a car TV show in Sydney, came up to me. He thought I was John Jarratt, who he’d interviewed recently.

“I was off to a pretty good start.”

Chris met the Wolf Creek representative, who made a short video that was sent to Jarratt. Back came the word that Chris had the job of playing Mick Taylor as a standin for Jarratt at shows around the country.

Then he was in the world of Wolf Creek, which features a sadistic outback pig hunter called Mick Taylor who grabs his chance when he comes across a busload of tourists from around the world. Their outback encounter is unimaginable.

Actor John Jarratt made Mick Taylor his own in two films and two TV seasons.

Chris has now been doing it for about four years, touring country Victoria, including Melbourne, Adelaide and New South Wales, sometimes with Jarratt but mostly with the Wolf Creek truck and crew.

The spin-offs include a fan club, Wolf Creek car badge, a Mick Taylor statue ($750), a pig-sticker hunting knife, a game and a pink cameo stretch gun sling.

Along the way there’s been some fun, such as when Chris was asked if the Wolf Creek show would appear at a cancer fundraiser in tiny Lexton in Western Victoria.

“There were about three dozen people out front. A woman of about 24 looked a bit worried as I did old Mick, so I picked up one of our movie props, half a human leg with bone sticking out the top and blood running out of it.

“I went over to her and said in a raspy Mick Taylor voice, ‘Meet Sally or what’s bloody left of her’. As the crowd laughed she looked at me and said in a stuttering voice, ‘My-my-my name is Sally.’

“I had to do some quick thinking because she was a bit shaky, but she had a little boy of about five, so I coaxed him up and we chatted and they both had photos taken, so it turned out okay.”

Chris is full of praise for John Jarratt, “a great bloke. If I need to know anything I ring or text him. He answers me straight away. He has a huge following.”

Jarratt appeared with Chris and others at the recent Australia Day Musicland Theatre show in Melbourne. “The place was packed. It can make you a bit nervous but I got through it okay.”

Back home in Yandoit Chris shows his Wolf Creek museum, its props including a charred body, severed limbs and a skull, posters, signed photos and, dominating the space, a sky blue 1977 Ford F250, a replica of one in the film, signed within by Jarratt, and a massive 1978 HX Holden Statesman Caprice, used in the TV series.

At age 77 Chris is not sure how long he’ll keep playing Mick. “It’s a fair buildup before each show. I don’t shave for well over a week and I'm down in the bush to practise the Mick Taylor laugh a lot. It’s not easy to do. And I practise Mick’s voice.” (“What are you buggers doin' 'ere?” he rasped when we arrived.)

“Shirl has to put up with me as Mick, which can be a bit trying.

“At the end of it all,” he says, “it’s good to get home, have a shave, get cleaned up and get back to being me.”

Words: Kevin Childs | Images: Kyle Barnes

Scan the QR code to see a video of Chris at his museum.

Clues about Russia revealed at Clunes

AS AN adolescent, Sheila Fitzpatrick challenged her father, including questioning his view on the Soviet Union. Being a socialist, he was hopeful that it was achieving something like socialism.

Later, she went to see for herself, emerging as the most prolific and influential historian of the Soviet Union now at work. Her 11 books and many articles guided two generations of scholars eager to crack open the mysteries of what is now again Russia. An engaging and warm personality, she has been studying Russia since going from Melbourne to Oxford University as a graduate student in 1964.

The winner of many awards, she is still hard at it at 81, although she retired from the University of Chicago (home to “the nerdiest of the nerds”) after about 20 years and is now at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne. She will be at Clunes for Booktown.

We discussed the famous Winston Churchill quotation from 1939 that Russia is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. It is possibly less so now, she says. “But when I first went into the field I felt very strongly that it is a total mystery. Some people would say everything over there is terrible and other people say that everything over there is great and nobody actually seemed to know very much because, of course, the Iron Curtain was a real obstacle to the passage of people and information.”

That changed, but she says we still don’t collectively have a very clear sense of what Russia is all about. We do know that Russia has been worried about the expansion of NATO towards its border, and it felt that it had been assured that this would not happen. At the time of the break-up of the Soviet Union, its President, Gorbachev, did get such assurances.

“I don’t see a sign of any quick ending of this terrible war,” she says. “At the moment neither side seems to be achieving a clear military victory, therefore there’s got to be a negotiated settlement, at some point, one assumes, but I don’t see it soon.”

An indication of her following is that her latest work, the 256-page Shortest History of the Soviet Union has had four English editions and 10 translations, including Ukrainian. Surprisingly, she says, there is a Russian edition. The contract was signed just before the invasion.

As an historian she used journalistic methods to track changes in Russian power, looking up the Moscow and St Petersburg phone directories to see what people and organisations had been dropped. Her father, Brian Fitzpatrick, had been a journalist, as well as helping set up the civil liberties movement in Australia, and she says she has some of the journalist in her.

“I loved doing that. I was very happy to find that source and to work away...”

Amazingly enough, while researching a new book on displaced persons from the Soviet Union and the Baltic, she found that a secret agent was sent to Australia by the Soviet to try to persuade former Soviet citizens who became "displaced persons" because of the World War II to return. This was in 1951-52 and, she says, he had a lot of difficulty because the migrants did not want to go back. She says the agent had many psychiatric cases on his doorstep and was kind to them.

Almost as fascinating as her work was how she came to marry. She was on a flight from New York to Austin, Texas, in 1989, which stopped in Houston. She had an aisle seat and invited the man next to her to stretch his legs. They fell into conversation. His name was Mischka Danos, a Latvian who, astonishingly survived the World War II by moving to Germany, and then to the US with his mother, who was sponsored by one of the Jewish people she saved.

He and Professor Fitzpatrick talked on that flight. They spoke in Russian. "He suddenly stopped, explaining later that this was because he had a conflict about which version of 'you' to use: the familiar, which felt natural but impolite given our very recent acquaintance, or the polite one, which felt wrong because of his feeling that he was talking to someone he knew well." They were together until his death 10 years later.

Away from academia, Professor Fitzpatrick played violin in chamber music groups.

And then there are her three passports. On entering or leaving this country she uses her Australian one. Earlier, she automatically lost this by getting a British passport so she could enter the Soviet Union. This was in her newly-acquired married name, but she published under her maiden name, which helped because her first scholarly article as S. Fitzpatrick (presumably male) was denounced as anti-Soviet propaganda by a Moscow daily paper but nothing happened to her. Then she got an American passport and now has an Australian one as well, so she can certainly travel...

Professor Fitzpatrick will appear with fellow historian Professor Joy Damousi talking about Russia’s Soviet past at a sold-out event at Clunes Courthouse at 1.30pm on Saturday, March 25.

Words: Kevin Childs | Image: Contributed

Open gardens at Clunes

Open Gardens Victoria will open the Presbytery at Clunes and the Vale Hill House in nearby Ullina on the weekend of March 25 and 26.

Overlooking Clunes, The Presbytery was built in 1905 and has been restored by owners Dr Kevin Lee and Daniel Cronin, the main landscaper. Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, the garden consists of a number of beautiful rooms with distinct and naturalistic plantings that enhance both the history and the terrain of the site.

Kevin's passion is medicinal plants, and the intimate garden rooms are filled with plants inspired by the gardens of the Royal College of Physicians in London.

The garden is set over several levels down the gently sloping block. Alongside the garden rooms, there is a lawned garden for picnicking and a monastic garden for peaceful reflection.

Guided tours of the medicinal plants will be led by Kevin across the open weekend.

About 15 minutes east is Vale Hill House, a property located in Ullina, the pastoral heart of Victoria’s Goldfields region. Originally built in 1858 by Scottish stonemasons, the house, pictured, was destroyed by fire in 1978, leaving only four walls and a trio of chimneys standing. The historic house has been reconstructed by its previous owners, business operators Chris Malden and Wayne Cross, who spent 11 years meticulously transforming it and the garden.

Under the care of current owners Lisa Rosen and Chris Taylor, the garden sprawls elegantly over ten acres, including almost five acres of what is arguably the largest domestic edible garden in the state. Its charming serpentine design contains a wide range of fruit trees and shrubs, including a large number of unusual and rare species, along with sweeping terraced beds for seasonal and annual plantings.

Tickets at the gate or via Trybooking

Community batteries...the potentials and pitfalls

COMMUNITY groups keen to get their own community battery, fed by clean renewable energy, up and going need to make sure they know their stuff first.

That’s the main message as Hepburn Energy releases a new booklet that carefully examines the potential of community-scale batteries across Central Victoria - and offers clarity on their opportunities and constraints.

“The community needs to be really cautious about the type of community scale battery they go for,” says key author Marie Lakey.

The booklet’s publication follows a Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance-led project called Community Sparks, funded under the state’s Neighbourhood Battery Initiative, assessing potential of community-scale batteries across the region.

Hepburn Energy and Hepburn Shire Council were key partners on the project.

Drawing on technical analysis from independent consultants, Orkestra, legal research from the University of Melbourne and a social feasibility study from Hepburn Energy, the booklet offers in-depth information about community-scale batteries.

“Our social feasibility study highlighted that community members are interested in community-scale batteries. With terrible grid reliability in many parts of Central Victoria, lots of residents are being proactive and looking for a solution,” Hepburn Energy general manager Taryn Lane says.

Community batteries are proposed as a tool to address this issue. Advocates suggest they can improve reliability, enable more solar, cut greenhouse gas emissions and help households save on bills.

But the team at Hepburn Energy have found a more complicated picture.

“When we received technical reports back from Orkestra, we were stunned,” Ms Lane said.

“The conventional battery that many people are advocating for (one located on the street level, at an electricity transformer) doesn’t seem remotely viable.

“They’re just too expensive, so community members would face an ongoing cost, rather than saving, and there is a risk of stranded assets with that model.”

The booklet offers clear cautions about some models of community-scale batteries but other opportunities are presented.

“There’s lots of potential for behind-the-meter batteries. These can be located at community facilities, or even at an industrial facility, but in a way that offers benefits back to the community,” Ms Lane says.

The Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance’s Dr David Gormley-O'Brien agrees and highlights opportunities for community groups to install behind-the-meter batteries on key infrastructure like community hubs.

“Installing behind-the-meter batteries on key buildings, using lots of solar on the building, represents a real opportunity to help in emergency situations such as bushfires or major wind events to enable emergency power supply,” Dr GormleyO'Brien says.

“And if the battery is large enough we can get a surplus and participate in the energy market.

“For a 300-kilowatt battery you are looking at something around $400,000 but we’re expecting prices to come down.”

Backup power systems are a “no-brainer”, Ms Lane says.

“Particularly for regional areas such as our shire, and another viable model is batteries co-located at a community generator, such as what we’re proposing at Hepburn Energy.”

The report examines these different models in detail, offering guidance on relevant regulations and case studies of existing community-scale batteries.

“We hope this booklet can answer lots of the questions we’ve been receiving about this technology,” Ms Lane said.

More information and downloadable copies of the report are available through Hepburn Energy.

Release of the report examining the community battery pros and cons comes as Hepburn Energy also facilitates a second heat pump hot water bulk buy from March 16.

Government rebates now mean premium heat pump hot water systems are cheaper than ever before, with bulk-buy participants able to save on a new hot water heater.

After the success of the 2021 round 1 sold-out heat pump bulk buy, Hepburn Energy is now extending their round 2 bulk buy beyond the Hepburn Shire to include neighbouring areas.

Hepburn Energy and installation partner t2zero will be running two webinars to demystify the technology, explain the bulk buy process and give community members an opportunity to ask questions.

Business executive with t2zero, Jürgen Rhyon says the benefits of heat pump technology are clear as storage water heaters account for a substantial component of household electricity consumption.

“Imagine being able to reduce this component of consumption by 80 per cent,” Mr Rhyon says.

“The Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificate rebate is at levels never seen before, making this a perfect time to transition to this technology.”

Those keen to find out more can join the Heat Pump Hot Water Bulk Buy webinars on Thursday, March 16 or Monday, April 3 from 6.15pm to 7.15pm.

Above, from left, Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance program manager Dr David Gormley-O’Brien, Hepburn Energy community officer Carlena D’Arma and Hepburn Shire Sustainability & Climate Resilience Coordinator Manny Pasqualini with the new booklets

Words & images: Eve Lamb

Just briefly...

Creswick Neighbourhood Centre will host an event, on Thursday, March 23 from 10am to noon, to celebrate National Playgroup Week.

The free event is for children under five and their families and friends to celebrate all children, the benefits of being in a playgroup and joining their local playgroup. For more details call the centre on 5345 2356 or email info@cnc.org.au

The autumn firewood collection season for 2023 is now open and closes on June 30.

During the season, firewood can be collected from designated firewood collection areas in state forests or parks across the region for personal use. Collected firewood cannot be sold. The EPA recommends collected wood be allowed to dry for at least eight months before burning. Link: www.ffm.vic.gov.au

Two local public cemeteries will receive funding from the 2022-23 Cemetery Grants Program.

The Vaughan Cemetery trust will receive $10,340 for the design of a crossing over “Hit or Miss Gully” and the Glenlyon Cemetery trust will receive $2880 to buy a purpose-built trailer.

Five Victorian women have been recognised as finalists for the 2023 AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award.

Among the finalists is Kyneton's Grace Larson, who formed The Sisterhood Project which provides free access to essential paediatric first aid training for vulnerable groups, in an aim to curb child mortality rates in rural Australia. The Victorian winner will be announced in April and will go on to represent Victoria at the national awards.

Got a brief to share? Email news@tlnews.com.au

STAGE 1: BLAMPIED-KOOROOCHEANg ROAD to EAST STREET

Central Highlands Water is securing Daylesford’s long-term water supply. Our $15 million project investment will support the region’s future growth and climate resilience.

When completed, the Daylesford Water Supply Pipeline will be able to deliver more than 300 million additional litres per annum of supplementary raw water for the community, complementing the Wombat and Bullarto Reservoirs.

Construction of the Daylesford Water Supply Pipeline is occurring within existing road reserves and power easements where possible, connecting the Goldfields Superpipe in Blampied to the Daylesford Water Treatment Plant.

While every effort will be made to reduce construction impacts, the works will require the use of heavy plant, equipment and excavation machinery. This will result in some noise and dust during the works.

Changes to road conditions may include temporary partial road closures. Traffic controllers will be onsite where needed to help road users.

We thank you for your support during the construction of this major project.

For more information and project updates:

Artists of the Central Highlands

WORKING in her attractive little Springmount studio, just out of Creswick, ceramicist Kim Haughie draws much of her inspiration from the region and its diversity of beautiful natural shapes and textures. This talented ceramicist creates functional pieces that are as much purposeful, practical items to be used and appreciated every day as they are unique works of art.

Eve: How do you prefer to describe your artistic style?

Kim: My artistic style can be defined as refined earthiness.

Eve: How did you come to art?

Kim: I have always been creative. My parents are creative too so it’s always been fostered. I spent endless dreamy hours mucking in the sandpit as a kid and making mud pies.

Eve: Which artists have influenced your own work?

Kim: I love the forms of Australian sculptor Bronwyn Oliver and I will never forget the emotional power of seeing American painter Mark Rothko's Chapel series. Local artist Petrus Spronk has been very influential for me from the very beginning of my ceramic practice. I have much respect for the simplicity of his beautiful blackened bowls.

Eve: What is your media or medium of choice?

Kim: Clay is my medium. I find its earthy smell and cool, pliable feel is dreamy and calming. When I find my centre at the pottery wheel everything else drops away. I love the elemental nature of making pottery.

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

Kim: I like the idea of art in motion, making things that have a use is for me rewarding; platters, bowls and vases.

Eve: Have you ever, or do you currently, work in any other area?

Kim: I have a background in the fashion industry which I loved being in as a form of 'art in motion' too.

Eve: What are you working on at the moment in your current arts practice?

Kim: I am working towards a fabulous mid-year group show coming up in July at the The Little Gallery in Trentham. It is a major highlight in the gallery's calendar year whereby regional artists are invited to exhibit and raise significant funds for a local charity. I also have a contemporary Sydney homewares gallery interested in featuring my work so am working on a body of work to send there.

Eve: When you work in the studio do you like to play music and if so what’s your music of choice?

Kim: Music is essential in my studio and I am blessed to have an awesome sound system so I like to listen to a lot of ambient, fusions of classical and electronic. I love it when the birds outside sometimes chime in, it’s magical.

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

Kim: As a graduate I was invited to exhibit in an international group exhibition in South Korea which was incredibly solidifying as an emerging artist. I have much admiration for Korean pottery and have returned several times.

Eve: Do you have any other projects in mind at the moment?

Kim: I am currently renovating my home studio and gallery to return to teaching pottery later in the year, which is exciting.

Eve: What are the main rewards that you derive from your arts practice, Kim?

Kim: The ability to make beautiful things of earth, from the heart, is incredibly rewarding for me.

Image: Eve Lamb

with Eve Lamb

MESSAGE FROM THE MAYOR

VNI West project - Council is urging the community to make a submission on the latest consultation report into the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) project before the 5 April deadline. While Mount Prospect is no longer the preferred option for a terminal station, it still remains an option. We also note that the proposed route of the Western Renewables Link transmission line through Hepburn Shire remains largely unchanged and is highly problematic. A major concern for Council is the recommendation to increase the capacity of the proposed power lines from 220kV (kilovolt) to 500kV along the west section of the Western Renewables Link.

We are very disappointed that the undergrounding of power lines has not been considered. The unwillingness to consider this option for the more sensitive sections of the route demonstrates an indifference to genuine community concerns. AEMO and Transgrid will host online and in-person information sessions in March. Find details on session times and how to book, along with links to the reports and how to make a submission via Council’s engagement website https:// participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/VNI-West. Feedback on the report is due by 5 April 2023.

Preparatory work on the 2023/24 budget is well underway. It should be of no surprise to anyone that Council’s ongoing constraints on cash reserves, escalating costs and massive obligations to fund repair works to flood-damaged roads will necessitate the drafting of a modest budget that does not contemplate high levels of new capital spending. The community consultation process to review the budget and make submissions is scheduled for late May.

On a more cheerful note, the past weekend saw another successful ChillOut event. Recognised as a culturally important and nationally celebrated LGBTIQA+ pride event it supports Queer pride for all regional people. Events across the weekend were well-attended and Daylesford’s streets were well adorned with colourful decorations. And in a piece of great timing the Big Rainbow was installed and launched in time for ChillOut. The rainbow symbolises Council’s ongoing commitment to inclusiveness, diversity, respect and pride for our LGBTIQA+ community and allies.

And while on the subject of our wonderful community events –congratulations to the organisers of the 50th edition of the Lyonville Woodchop. It was a fantastic success, raising funds for the community hall’s upkeep. Don’t miss upcoming events in Clunes Booktown, CresFest and Trentham’s iconic Spudfest. I encourage everyone to get to these events and enjoy what our Shire has to offer.

Clunes Booktown Festival - 25-26 March 2023

CresFest – Folk and Roots Music Festival - 31 March – 2 April 2023

The Great Trentham Spudfest - 6 May 2023

Cr Brian Hood, MAYOR

COUNCIL PLAN FOCUS AREAS

AQUATICS FEASIBILITY

Help us develop the Hepburn Shire Indoor Aquatics Provision Feasibility Study and Business Case. The Hepburn Shire Council Aquatics Strategy (April 2022) identified the need for access to indoor all-year-round aquatics provision to support the needs of our residents. We have commenced planning to develop the Hepburn Shire Indoor Aquatics Provision Feasibility Study and Business Case to understand Council’s ability to fund and operate future indoor aquatics provision opportunities. We are launching a community survey that focuses on filling the information gaps and seeking our community’s input into the development of the Feasibility and Business Case.

The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and closes on Friday 24 March at 5pm. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this project. If you have any questions regarding this survey, please contact Council’s Sport and Active Recreation Team at sportrecreation@hepburn.vic.gov.au. Learn more and complete the survey here https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/aquaticsfeasibility-study

BIG RAINBOW OPEN

It’s official! The Big Rainbow is open for happy snaps. Councillors and staff joined members of our LGBTIQA+ Advisory Committee and committee representatives and volunteers from ChillOut, Daylesford Football Netball Club, Daylesford

Show and Victoria Police to see the Big Rainbow in all its glory as the safety fencing came down in readiness for ChillOut.

The Big Rainbow symbolises our inclusiveness, diversity, respect and pride for our LGBTIQA+ community and allies.

Check out the Big Rainbow at Victoria Park in Daylesford – you can’t miss it. Take your pic underneath the Big Rainbow and let us know via #BigRainbowDaylesford

IWD INDUCTEES

Council has inducted five local women to the International Women's Day (IWD) Heather Mutimer Honour Roll, paying tribute to their contribution to the Shire and progressing women’s causes.

Congratulations to inductees Anneke Deutsch, Joyce Orr, Mariwyn (Tess) Brady, Joee Aganetti-Fraser and Marie Magdalen Lewis (posthumous).

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.

Repair café stops half a tonne from landfill

DAYLESFORD'S Repair Café is alive and kicking after hiccups caused by Covid. Over the past 12 months the café has stopped almost half a tonne (482kgs) of household items from ending up in landfill.

Spokesperson Nikki Marshall said more than 140 household items had been repaired and returned to good working order during the past year.

"Favourite clothes are now being worn again after darning and mending, garden tools are digging and lopping and pruning again, bikes are free-wheeling and toasters and coffee machines are back on kitchen benches," she said.

"As well, electronic items like radios are tuned in and lamps are illuminating at night, knives and scissors are cutting cleanly, vacuum cleaners are again sucking up dirt, chairs are being sat on once more and chain-saws are preparing wood for the winter months."

Nikki said in addition to repairing items, the team of talented and generous fixers also share their skills with locals.

"Over the past year the café has run how-to workshops on darning and mending clothes, basic wood working, sharpening drill bits, bicycle maintenance, understanding electrics and electronic equipment, knife and tool sharpening, taking things apart and putting them back together and on chain-saw and garden-tool sharpening."

The next workshop will be held at April's Repair Café and focus on basic plumbing skills with Mr Fixit - Julian Alaba. People can learn how to change a tap washer and much more.

Nikki said the café does more than repair broken household items. "Thanks to Meg, you can sit, share a cuppa along with your troubles, and experience how being listened to helps with the healing process.

"In addition to our regular venue at Daylesford’s Victoria Park Pavilion, the café is branching out to other locations across Hepburn Shire.

"Last month, February, there was a buzz of activity in Creswick where the café was hosted by Creswick Transitions Group and the Neighbourhood Centre. The community is looking to set up a regular event in Creswick so please get in touch if you are interested to offer a repair service - transitioncreswick@gmail.com"

The March Repair Café will be back at Victoria Park Pavilion this Sunday, March 19 from 1pm to 4pm.

Details: Veronica Baker on 0428 180 200 or Nikki on 0432 232 073. Link: www.facebook.com/daylesfordrepaircafe/

Above, repairer Quentin Irvine helps Sandy Jennings to fix her secateurs

Words: Contributed | Image: Tim Drylie

"Favourite clothes are being worn again after darning and mending, garden tools are digging and lopping again, bikes are free-wheeling and toasters and coffee machines are back on kitchen benches."

Petrol, oil, swap & go gas, Motorpass, farm produce, farm produce store, ice, milk, soft drinks, take away pies, coffee, confectionery, local honey, etc Rusty junk, secondhand books, old wares

1 Market Street ~ ph: 5424 1611

Out & About

Kyneton’s Botanic Gardens will once again host Puppy Pride, an event to celebrate puppies and bring together the LGBTIQA+ community, their friends and families.

Organised by Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health with support from Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Puppy Pride is on Sunday, March 26 from noon. It will feature various food and market stalls, activities, competitions and plenty of space to enjoy the Botanic Gardens and the Campaspe River. Details: 5421 1666 or email puppy.pride@scchc.org.au

The Kyneton Horticultural Society is hosting its annual Autumn Flower Show as part of the Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival at the Watts Pavilion, Kyneton Showgrounds on Saturday, April 1, 1pm-5pm, and Sunday, April 2, 10am-4pm.

The show highlights dahlias, roses, cut flowers, shrubs, pot plants, cacti and succulents, floral art, vegetables and a children’s section.

120 Piper Street, Kyneton, VIC 3444 | Ph: (03) 5422 1821 www.mragmach.com.au | info@mragmach.com .au

For love of a rose

The incredible story of the creation of a magnificent hybrid rose that brought love to its creators, peace and new life to a war-torn world and, ultimately gave inspiration for Antonia Ridge’s heartwarming novel...

It was a miracle that the rose ever saw the light of day.

It all began in 1935, when Francis Meilland, third generation of the famed French rose breeders, selected a promising plant from that season’s crop, and tagged it 3-35-40.

Over the next four years, Francis and his father, Papa Meilland watched over its development and eventually shared their enthusiasm with other professional rose growers, despite the gathering war clouds.

World War II

Three months later Hitler invaded France, so with the nursery under threat of destruction, three packages of budwood were hastily sent out of France, one of which was smuggled out in a diplomatic bag to America.

Throughout the entire war, the Meilland family never knew if any had survived.

In America their agent planted the rose in his own trial beds and gave it to other rose fanciers for testing in all the climatic zones throughout the states. The rose did so well it was decided to release it so thousands of plants were propagated.

Despite the war still raging in Europe, the launch date was set for April 29, 1945, in Pasadena, California.

Peace

On the same day that two doves were released into the American sky to symbolise the naming of the rose, Berlin fell, and truce was declared. By sheer coincidence, the rose was named with these words: "We are persuaded that this greatest rose of our time should be named for the world’s greatest desire: Peace."

Meanwhile, back in France, the rose had been named "Madame Antoine Meilland" in memory of Francis’s mother who had died, tragically young, of cancer.

At the same time, news came back from the other recipients of the budwood. In Germany the rose had been named "Gloria Dei" (Glory of God) and in Italy it was named "Gioia" (Joy).

"Peace" went on to receive the All American Award for roses, coincidentally on the day war with Japan came to an end.

United Nations

On May 8, 1945, when Germany signed its surrender, each of the 49 delegates who met to form the United Nations were presented with a bloom of "Peace" and a message of peace from the secretary of the American Rose Society.

But the tale doesn’t end there, the story of "Peace" seemed to breathe new life into the gardening world, which needed a lift after the devastation of war. Because of its dependability, vigour and perfectly shaped large blooms it has been used in breeding programs world-wide. Records show that "Peace" was a parent in more than 600 modern roses - and still counting.

Must-have

It is said that "Peace" is in every park and the must-have variety for every garden. Francis Meilland died in 1958, but his children still continue the Meilland tradition of breeding beautiful, prize-winning roses.

After "Peace" became so well known, Francis wrote in his diary: "How strange to think that all these millions of rose bushes sprang from one tiny seed no bigger than the head of a pin, a seed which might so easily been overlooked or neglected in a moment of inattention."

For Love of a Rose, Antonia Ridge's delightful story of the Meillands and Peace rose was first published by Faber in1961 and my copy was printed in 1968. There have been paperback editions much later than that because they are still listed by online booksellers.

Planned burns for region

Forest Fire Management Victoria will take advantage of favourable weather and forest conditions to undertake planned burns across the Midlands district in the coming weeks to reduce the threat of bushfires to the community.

FFMVic deputy chief fire officer Tony English said planned burning was one of the most effective ways to reduce the impact bushfires have on people, property and the environment.

"Reducing ground level fuels such as leaves, sticks, and fallen branches means fires are less intense and slower to spread, making it more likely that firefighters can keep bushfires small and contained before they pose a risk to communities.

“The wetter and cooler conditions this summer will mean communities can expect to see firefighters conducting planned burns if the weather and forest conditions are suitable and it is safe to do so.”

High priority burns are planned for public land near Daylesford, Hepburn Springs, North Blackwood, Macedon, Greendale, Smythesdale, Linton and Beaufort.

“People in these communities may see and smell smoke, and some roads and forests may be closed for public safety while these works are being undertaken.

“We know that smoke from planned burns may concern some people, and we work with communities and stakeholders to reduce smoke impacts as much as possible.

“However, it’s important that crews take every opportunity to reduce fuel loads while conditions are suitable.

“For some large planned burns, our crews will use aircraft including helicopters for aerial ignition, observation and to assist with the management of burn operations throughout the region.”

FFMVic works closely with the Bureau of Meteorology to assess weather conditions – such as humidity, temperature, and wind speed – and will only carry out burns when conditions are safe to do so.

The fuel management program is underpinned by scientific evidence and local knowledge, including bushfire history, to make sure works are focused where they can be most effective.

To find out when and where planned burns are happening call 1800 226 226 or go to www.vic.gov.au/plannedburns

Lessons from Lucy book launch at Convent

Elizabeth Huxtable is a former Daylesford resident and has written a memoir about her time in the town while parenting her daughter, Lucy, with disabilities. Lucy passed away 16 years ago but most of her life was spent in the town, attending Daylesford Primary School part-time, and Ballarat Specialist School. Elizabeth, who was known by her first name Anne while in Daylesford, is holding a book launch for Lessons from Lucy at the Convent Gallery this Saturday, March 18 and would love Lucy's former school friends to come along. She chatted with Donna Kelly.

Donna: What prompted you to write your book?

Elizabeth: I was hoping that sharing my experiences might give ideas and inspiration to other parents of children with disabilities.

Donna: What do you hope it will give others?

Elizabeth: I learned to look at my situation from a very different perspective near the end of Lucy’s life. It might save parents time by seeing what I learned. However, as I wrote, I realised that this story has wider appeal. It can apply to any adversity in life. When we change our perspective, we can see the gift in the situation.

Donna: What did it give you?

Elizabeth: Writing the book was a cathartic experience. In the intervening years, I have done a lot of healing and when I looked back on the events that started 27 years ago, I gained some powerful insights and understandings.

Donna: What are your top three lessons learned from Lucy?

Elizabeth: 1. My biggest regret after Lucy died was all the time wasted worrying about the future. This stopped me from more fully enjoying the present moment. I no longer look too far ahead. The future is unknowable and so it's best to enjoy what is happening right now.

2. Lucy was unable to communicate in the usual way since she was non-verbal. I discovered that it is only when our mind is quiet and still that we can truly listen to another person. It is easy for our mental chatter, worries and fears to interfere, and allow us to presume we know what another person is trying to communicate, rather than truly listening from the heart.

3. I learned that unconditional love is about totally accepting what is, and not trying to change it. It’s loving completely what is, instead of what I wish, or what I think could have been.

Donna: You lived in Daylesford for 10 years – how was that?

Elizabeth: I loved living in Daylesford. Right from the beginning, we were made to feel welcome. Anytime I pushed Lucy up the main street, children would rush up to say hello. During Lucy’s first year of life in Byron Bay, she cried for hours every day but amazingly, as soon as we moved to Daylesford, the crying stopped. The energy of the place really suited her. I felt supported emotionally, but also physically. The local permaculture group came and constructed a concrete path and wheelchair ramp from the car port to the back door of our house, which was a huge help.

Donna: You now live in Malaysia – how is that and what prompted the move?

Elizabeth: After Lucy passed away, I tried turning my house, with its modifications, into a B&B for people with wheelchairs. However, most tourists wanted to rent the whole house rather than share it with me, so it wasn’t a viable business for me. My brother has a business in Malaysia and he needed help to manage the warehouse so a year after Lucy’s passing, I accepted his offer to join him. It was a chance to reinvent myself. No one knew about my past. I found it easier to move on and heal from the grief and trauma of the previous 10 years.

Donna: The book is being launched at The Convent Gallery – was there a reason you chose that particular place?

Elizabeth: A friend suggested it as a venue and I recall loving the beauty and ambience of the place. Years ago, I attended a Singers Festival event in the chapel and loved the acoustics. I’m planning to share some of my sound healing work, with crystal bowls and voice, at the launch, so it seemed like the perfect venue.

Donna: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Elizabeth: I’m hopeful that some of Lucy’s classmates, in their mid-20s by now, still live in the area and can come. It would be wonderful to see them again. RSVPs

Indoor pool for Hepburn Shire

Hepburn Shire Council is in the process of developing the Hepburn Shire indoor aquatics provision feasibility study and business case and wants to hear from the community.

In April 2022, the council adopted the Hepburn Shire Council Aquatics Strategy. The strategy provides a 10-year priority plan that will guide the future strategic direction, infrastructure development priorities and asset management planning for aquatic facilities.

A key part of the strategy was the identified need for access to indoor all yearround aquatics provision to support the needs of Hepburn Shire residents.

Mayor Cr Brian Hood said the council was keen to hear from the community.

“We need to carefully consider council’s ability to fund and operate any potential future indoor aquatics provision opportunities. The community survey will help us fill in some information gaps and get community input into their proposed use of current indoor aquatics facilities and ideas on future indoor aquatics facilities and provision.”

Community members are encouraged to participate by completing a survey which takes about 10 minutes. The survey closes on Friday, March 24.

Questions regarding the survey can be directed to the council’s Sport and Active Recreation Team at sportrecreation@hepburn.vic.gov.au.

Learn more and complete the survey at https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov. au/aquatics-feasibility-study

EAT | DRINK | ENJOY

Out & About in the Central Highlands

Coffee? You'll love Daylesford's Brew Jays!

IF you like a good brew...

Espresso, filter, pour over, batch or cold brew. If you like your coffee you’ll love Daylesford’s Brew Jays.

This new kid on the block officially launched in January and specialises in all things coffee - particularly roasting its own ethically sourced beans.

Sited at Shop 5, 22-24 Howe Street, it’s quickly become a magnet for the coffee connoisseur. It’s a place where you can watch the single origin beans being roasted, absorb the delicious aromas, enjoy a perfectly made coffee (accompanied by a croissant s’il vous plait!) and leave with a stash of freshly roasted and ground beans.

“All of our coffee beans are ethically sourced and a lot are directly sourced from the farm to the roaster, “says Brew Jay’s Jay Gaschk, a Hepburn Springs local with a love of top notch coffee.

Unique flavour profiles are created on site by teasing out the beans’ innate natural qualities in the roasting process to emphasise tones including caramel, chocolate and berry fruits.

The results include unique coffee blends paying homage to nostalgic delights like Kit Kat, Cherry Ripe, Caramello Koala and Killer Python.

By evening Brew Jays has something else special to offer. It’s also a fast-paced cocktail bar with 15 different coffee martinis on the list.

“Our main focus is coffee roasting and we use our vintage Probat UG15 coffee roaster which was handmade in Germany in 1967 and imported into Australia about a decade ago, and completely refurbished so it can now do computer programming,” says Jay.

“This means we can use probes to find out exactly what’s going on in the barrel so that we can make sure the roast is perfect every time.”

When it comes to high end coffee, Jay knows his stuff, having started out as a coffee barista at age 15 in the Macedon Ranges. From there he worked in the fastpaced Gloria Jean's in the Qantas lounge at Tullamarine, before honing his craft with inner city boutique coffee retailers, learning from some of the best in the business.

In creating Brew Jays, he’s joined with co-owners - “local hospitality legend” Daylesford’s Rubi Stone, Bendigo’s Sam Arye and Paddy Cummins, Melbourne’s Ben Ward who owns The Coffee Mob, and famed barista Craig Simon, one of the world’s elite coffee Q Grade instructors.

“I’m super passionate about anything to do with coffee,” Jay says.

“At the moment particularly cold brew and exploring experimental coffees and liqueurs.

“Our cold brew coffee is a really big seller for us. It’s made with a hard tank machine especially imported from Poland. We sell our cold brew in-house and it’s also used in our coffee martinis.”

The vision for this new coffee kid on the block is big.

They’re already selling their cold brew retail bottles into bars across Central Victoria.

Their roasts can be found in retail outlets from Bendigo to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the launch of a website, enabling them to retail online Australia-wide, not far off.

There are also plans to offer coffee classes. “We’re looking to expand into offering classes like coffee cupping and coffee basics,” Jay says.

Noteworthy, too, is the fit-out at Brew Jays, custom built to create a space that envelops the coffee-needy customer like a warm hug.

“Once you step in you don’t want to leave,” Jay says.

WELCOME TO

VICTORIA'S BEST COUNTRY PUB.

Daylesford concert

“When I play, my instrument becomes the extension of my soul.”

Internationally acclaimed solo violinist, Alexandre Da Costa, currently one of the top and most sought-after violinists and soloists in the world is coming to Daylesford.

Da Costa and his 1701 Stradivarius violin join the Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra in the Daylesford Town Hall to celebrate the magic of the era of the great Viennese balls, combining tradition and elegance.

Winner of numerous major international prizes, Da Costa is a violinist of international reputation, which led him to be a guest soloist and guest conductor on four continents, in 30 countries and in more than 2000 concerts in the most prestigious orchestras in the world.

At a very young age Alexandre showed an extraordinary interest in the violin and piano and gave his first concerts at the age of nine, earning him a reputation as a musical prodigy. He had the astonishing ability to perform his first concerts with stunning virtuosity on both instruments, rarely seen before. At the age of 18 Da Costa obtained a master’s degree in violin and a bachelor’s degree in piano.

Da Costa has played widely as a violinist, appearing at such major venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall and Vienna’s Musikverein, and with the most prestigious orchestras in the world such as London’s Royal Philharmonic, the Montreal Symphony and the Vienna Symphony.

The mesmerising program will include immortal works by Johann Strauss II such as The Beautiful Blue Danube and the Emperor Waltz.

@pigandwhistlehotel

U3A Hepburn Shire is hosting The Stradivarius in Vienna Concert. Ticket link: www.trybooking.com/CFONT

705 James Lane, Trentham East, Victoria

Since 1887, the Pig & Whistle Hotel has nestled on a quiet corner in Trentham East, a living remain of the town’s early history. Truly a hidden gem, you’ll be transported back in time, with our newly-opened beer garden boasting uninterrupted views of Mount Macedon.

The Pig serves up a modern-Australian menu with honest hearty pub classics (we do a bloody good parma), along with seasonal global dishes. We take great care in delivering food of the highest quality, sourced from sustainable local produce, coupled with our praised friendly service.  The hotel is truly a local pub but a destination for all.

GUILDFORD FAMILY HOTEL

Music news with

Mollongghip Hall, Mollongghip

Sunday, March 25, 7pm - Kerryn Fields

THE REGION’S BEST KEPT SECRET

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

Darren Lowe

Winner of Music Victoria's Best Folk Work, Kerryn Fields has appeared at Port Fairy Folk Festival, Out On The Weekend, Blue Mountains Festival, Cygnet Folk Festival, Newstead Live, Seven Sisters, Artswells and more. She has landed coveted support slots with the likes of Nashville’s Lillie Mae and the Grammy Awardwinning Cedric Burnside, and continues touring her celebrated house concert series extensively throughout Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

Palais-Hepburn, Hepburn

Friday, March 17 – Saoirse

Saoirse have been bringing world class Celtic music to audiences around Australia for over 15 years, with their musical journey encompassing Ireland and France. Along with promoting and organising their own shows, Saoirse have performed at festivals such as Port Fairy, the National Folk Festival, the National Celtic Festival and Maldon Folk Festival. Winners of the Australian Celtic Music awards for both album and song of the year, Saoirse have firmly established themselves as one of Australia's premier Celtic/folk bands.

Friday, Match 24 – Carole King tribute

The all-star cast including Harry James Angus (former frontman and founder of The Cat Empire), Emily Lubitz (Tinpan Orange), Jem Cassar-Daley, Esther Edquist (Sweet Whirl), Freeds and emerging star Jemma Cher, traverse this songwriting catalogue, with each singer performing a hit and a rarity.

Got a gig? Email news@tlnews.com.au

Italian Pork and Fennel Meatballs with Sage and Pumpkin Risotto

BY RICHARD CORNISH

Sausages are not just for the BBQ. They are a raw material for making other great dishes. Our sausages have none of the pre-added nasties and the pork and fennel sausages make excellent polpette or Italian meatballs. Here they’re served with a filling risotto with pumpkin and sage, a great way to feed and fill a growing family.

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

Richard Cornish, award winning journo, food writer and author, is writing a series of recipes for his favourite local butcher, The Daylesford Meat Co.

WE OUR LOCALS

We are proud to offer you Green Hills Natural Beef and Lamb from our very own farm in Malmsbury. It’s as local as you are. In store today.

WHOLE GREEN HILLS RUMP $99

One of the most versatile cuts, the rump is full of flavour. As the name suggests, it is from the backside of the cow so it is a hard-working muscle. Whilst not as tender as Scotch or Sirloin, it makes up for it with bangs of flavour. Min 3kg.

BONELESS LEGS OF LAMB

1kg $20 1.5kg $30 2kg $40

CORNED BEEF $17.99 kg

SPANISH CHICKEN $9.95 EACH

These small roasting free-range chickens have been butterflied and marinated making them the perfect choice for quick, tasty and easy mid-week meals.

art trail 2023

25-26 March, 1-2 & 8-9 April 11am-5pm

Newstead Art Trail

Newstead is a dynamic centre for artists of all stripes and once again they invite people to visit their studios and exhibition spaces over three weekends.

This year 18 artists, including Roger McKindley, pictured, are involved in the trail, showing their work across 14 locations, and the Newstead Arts Hub will be showing 'It’s a Small World' sculpture prize.

The Newstead Open Studios Art Trail began in 2015 and since then thousands of people have made their way around the ever-expanding map.

It is a chance to see first-hand the inner workings of an artist’s studio and pick their brains about the how, what and why of their creative process.

This year the line-up includes printmakers, jewellers, painters, potters, fibre artists, photographers and sculptors. For an overview of individual artist’s work go to www.newsteadopenstudios.org

Visit six studios and you can enter the draw for a door prize comprised of work donated by participating artists. The prize is drawn April 15.

The Central Goldfields town of Newstead is 10 minutes from Castlemaine. The trail is on March 25-26, April 1-2 and April 8-9, 11am to 5pm. Look out for the red flags around town.

For further information contact Belinda Prest on 0490 865 626.

Links: www. newsteadopenstudios.org

tickets today at humanitix.com get your guide from: newsteadopenstudios.org

Facebook: Newstead Open Studios

Instagram: @newstead_open_studios

The 3rd annual

THE TU

BEROUS

Open EVERY WEEKEND 10am - 4pm

We have hundreds of Begonias and Fuchsias for sale in pots, hanging baskets and on display. The ideal UNIQUE GIFT. (Special Occasions, Birthdays, Mother’s Day)

A simple maintenance sheet with growing instructions supplied with each purchase and a YOU TUBE video named “Tuberous Begonia Maintenance Tips” available online. For more information, go to:

https://www.whitehousenursery.com.au/tuberous-begonias/

Ring Jesse Exiner 0419 002 651 or Peter Harris on 0400 313 703

Please note - there are no public toilets available on site due to increase of Covid cases in Victoria There are some clean public toilets in Anslow St near the corner High St, Woodend.

SHOW 691 Ashbourne Rd, Ashbourne via Woodend VIC 3442 (Car & Bus Parking at rear of property)

Marches & markets Christ Church concerts

At Trentham East, St Patrick’s Day is now an annual, modern and weekend celebration of the best of Irish culture.

The Pig & Whistle Hotel is holding a weekend long affair from Friday, March 17 to Sunday, March 19 with a traditional Irish menu and plenty of Guinness. There is live music from Irish instrumentalists and roaming dancing.

On Sunday at 11am, the community and visitors will meet in front of the Sacred Heart Church at 600 James Lane to learn about history and folklore, hear from Irish locals and follow behind bagpipes. Everyone is welcome to join in the march on to the Pig for all day festivities.

The Newstead CFA Community Market will be held on Saturday, March 18 from 8am to 1pm at Newstead Park, 34 Pyrenees Highway.

The market will include the CFA trash and treasure stall – take away a bargain for a gold coin donation, fresh locally grown produce, crafts, plants and preserves along with hot food and drinks at the CFA barbeque.

The market is a great place to meet locals, catch up on what’s going on in the community and pick up a bargain.

More stallholders would be welcome so any families or community groups with something to offer should consider setting up a stall. Cost is $10 and supports the Newstead CFA. Bookings are not needed, just set up on the day.

Details: Ron Archer on 0427 506 843 or newsteadmarket@gmail.com Link: www.newsteadcfa.org/newstead-cfa-community-market/

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 Square, Daylesford, Victora, Australia | (03) 5348 2335

After the success of its concert series last year Christ Church Concerts are mounting a music festival on Saturday, March 18.

The festival will present four separate concerts over the day. Concert goers will be encouraged to book a day pass to enjoy each of the concerts at a discounted price.

The concerts will be held in historic Christ Church and Stanbridge Hall simultaneously.

First up in the church are the Hepburn Players, a community orchestra which originally formed as Newlyn Players during the pandemic to find joy in local music making. The group comprises professional musicians and amateur players.

The first concert in Stanbridge Hall will feature The Recorder Co-op, a quartet made up of some of Australia’s most well-known recorder players, pictured. Performances are on matched recorder consorts built by recorder makers Danish Ture Bergstrøm and New Zealand’s David Coomber.

The afternoon concerts will commence with the intimate early music ensemble Auncient Hermony in the church. Performing together for over 25 years they have established an enviable reputation for graceful, nuanced and dramatic historically informed performance style.

In the hall, solo Florentine-born Latin classical guitarist, Sergio Ercole will be on the stage. Sergio has studied classical guitar with many master guitarists and worked in diverse musical fields, including Orchestra Victoria, New Zealand Symphony, The Cat Empire and ABC TV. He is also a founding member of original Latin/Pop group The Reg Cole Quartet.

Tickets are available at www.trybooking.com/CFPTX

Details: Frank Page at frank@pagebell.com or 0417 010 817

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.

Kyle’s Rant

THE world has gone and gotten into a “woke” tangle of unpicking history and misunderstanding around every corner.

If I rewind the clock 34 years or so, I remember having two good mates who I knew from my early days at school through to my early 20s. We all ended up in the fishing industry where you worked hard and played harder.

We weren’t exactly blue-collar workers, as we earned a lot of money for the time and wasted it as quick as Old Macca, the pub owner, would cash our cheques. Every day that ends in Y except Sunday (due to laws at the time) you would find us rolling up to the Tutukaka Hotel for a feed, fight and a fornication (I changed the last F-word for the sub-editors, but you get the picture).

One of my mates, George, was known as the “lean mean fighting machine” and the best fella to have in your corner, but his story didn’t end well. He is currently doing time after getting heavily involved in drugs and eventually, as it turns out, murder.

My other mate was Gary. Picture the band Flock of Seagulls and you will have a visual. He was a lot like me, an affable bloke born into a world of tough fisherman fathers. We didn’t know about the world of LGBTIQA+ in those days and when Gary “came out” into our world, there was not much in the way of any support - except for me and I wasn't much help. Hard times in those days.

Fast forward to today and I get that things had to improve, however we should never unpick history such as the Roald Dahl rewrites and over-censorship. We need to certainly acknowledge how things were done in the past and how wrong it was so as we don’t revisit it, but what’s next?

Rod Stewart wrote a song about sleeping with Maggie May, an older woman (most straight young guys' fantasy) and he sang: “It's late September and I really should be back at school.” Which, for me, means he was underage and a magistrate should have thrown the book at old Maggie for an age of consent violation.

Should we remove this song from the vaults? Or what about the lyrics from in The Summertime song by Mungo Jerry who disrespected poor women by saying: “If her daddy's rich, take her out for a meal, If her daddy's poor, just do what you feel.”

And then went on to break the speed limit by singing: “Speed along the lane, do a ton or a ton and twenty-five.” That’s 125 miles per hour in a built-up zone followed by “Have a drink, have a drive, Go out and see what you can find”. That’s an immediate suspension of license and probably a stretch of hard time in today’s world.

Should we throw all the Mungo recordings from the highest building in the land? The world I grew up in and the world now are at juxtaposition and I have changed and moved with the times, but let’s not lose sight of the times.

To do this is to throw the baby out with the bathwater, to forget about how people used to think not that long ago about racism, sexism and now ableism.

We need to remember how it was so as we can never go back there again, but a way of remembering is to not destroy and unpick the past.

I once did a ton and twenty-five, rant over…

Local Lines

I HATE KITTENS

"I love little pussy her coat is so warm and if I don't hurt her she'll do me no harm"

How clever it is to weave a small nest using only dry grass and your beak the boy and girl blue wrens are ready to breed I've been watching them all through the week

How ghastly it is to find them dismembered the innards torn out of the breast their soft fairy feathers all scattered about tiny eggs going cold in the nest

"Ding dong dell pussy's in the well"

- and best place for her, frankly, because at least if she's drowned there's some hope for the blue wrens next year I pray they'll return although the yellow robins never came back and the firetail finches are gone and there was only ever one sugar glider I saw ... killed horribly by next-doors' cats.

You would not believe the softness of a sugar glider's tail.

"Three little kittens they lost their mittens and they began to cry"

but they didn't cry half as much as the bushland does as I do for all those murdered children.

- Jenny Zimmerman

Jenny Zimmerman lives in Woodend and is very fond of dragonflies, lizards and sugar gliders.

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

Pick me, pick me!

Hi there. I’m Minka and I’m a smart, friendly young gal, just five months old. As you can tell from my mugshot, I’m a spunky brindle and white staffy/bull arab cross.

I'm a super sweet little girl who loves being around people and having lots of attention. I would fit in well with any caring home and I’ve already learned to sit and to walk on lead. Oh, I will require secure fencing and ongoing training. So if you are keen for a new best friend, just contact the shelter in Castlemaine on 5472 5277 and we can meet up. Microchip no. 956000015927004

Link: www.maaw.org.au

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

And now supported by Daylesford's

Just sayin’...

By Donna Kelly

KYLE was asked an interesting question the other day. Someone was wondering why we cover some festivals/events and not others. Without going into too much detail, this is our business after all, here is a bit of an explanation.

The Local started in September 2013, 10 years ago this year, and it was pretty much Kyle and I wandering around asking businesses if they would like to advertise in what was going to be a monthly publication.

We did that because someone told Kyle that he and I should start up something in opposition to The Advocate, a then Fairfax paper, later sold to Australian Community Media, who pretty much promptly shut it down at the start of the pandemic.

To our surprise, quite a few businesses said 'yes'. Our prices were low but we were also determined to keep the quality of our publication high. And there would be no charge to pick it up and read it. Yes, our wonderful advertisers/clients are paying for your free read which is why it is so important you support them. Or at least buy local.

After our first publication we realised we had a bit of a success happening and immediately went fortnightly, which we still do, except for 12 months from March 2020 to March 2021 when we went weekly to get as much good news and information out when we were all pretty worried we were going to die.

Anyway, back to the start, after asking individual clients if they wanted to advertise we realised that there were many festivals and events which also needed publicity at affordable prices.

So we teamed up with events like the wonderful ChillOut Festival, the Great Trentham Spudfest, Lyonville Bake-Off, Daylesford Art Show, Swiss Italian Festa... and other organisations like The Mount Players, Daylesford Community Op Shop, Hepburn House...you get the idea.

And they pay us some money and we run their adverts and we also run free editorial and photos - most of which we take. Sometimes we put them on the front cover, sometimes on the back.

It works really well. But not everyone is keen to partner up. And that is fine. They might just take a one-off advert or they might ask us if we can run something for free because they are a start-up and have no funding. And we happily do that.

But sometimes organisations prefer other papers to place their advertising, which is fine, but we then don't run their editorial for free. That would be like paying for a main meal in one restaurant and then strolling into the next and asking for a free dessert because you were out of cash. Wouldn't be fair.

So that is pretty much it. And here we are, almost 10 years on, so we must be doing something right. There was a little bit of time, during the past three years, when we wondered whether we would be able to continue printing, but we have. And we are also online at www.tlnews.com.au and every day we upload four stories to Google News Showcase, so the world can find out about our little neck of the woods.

And I hope you continue to enjoy the reads and the photos and your stories, and support our local advertisers who pay for the reads and the photos and your stories.

And to the gentleman, and I use the word lightly, who asked Kyle the original question, we do not run "all the gay stuff", we run all the good stuff and that includes our amazing LGBTIQA+ community. And if you don't like it, that's cool. Just pick up a copy of the other local paper from the newstand. Oh, that's right, there is no other paper. 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 274. How did you go?

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

Wombat Fight Club boxing

A thrilling boxing event is coming to Daylesford on Sunday, March 26 with the Wombat Fight Club Boxing Trials.

The boxing trials are where local boxers get to show the Daylesford community, friends and family their skills in a formalised exhibition format.

All groups at the club including open, women’s and juniors will be competing.

A highlight of the trials is the international contest featuring Jackie Chen of Chinese background versus Diego Aritzia of Chilean background.

Denis Beddoe, pictured, and his son, and fight club secretary, Baydon, will show their preparation for the upcoming Masters Boxing Championships. Gates open at 10am at 94 Wombat Dam Road, Daylesford. Entry is $2 and there will be a barbeque.

Baydon said everyone was welcome to come along and enjoy this exciting sports tournament.

Check out details on Facebook.

REQUEST FOR TENDER

Tender responses are invited for the Hepburn Shire Council Renewable Energy PPA2 project.

Tender documents can be obtained from www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/ tenders

Tender responses must be received by 2pm Tuesday 4 April 2023.

The real stories of Trentham's history

THE site of the old Trentham Police Station on Camp Street is getting a makeover.

Built in 1866 it is one of the town's oldest buildings and now the home of the Trentham and District Historical Society. And, along with its museum, lockup and stables, it will soon feature a new installation, the Trentham District Story project, commemorating the district's history and people up to the present day.

“It is a project we have wanted to do for a long time,” society vice president Susie Spence said. “We have a very active committee and have decided to use the large outdoor space at the old police station to make a walk-in display.”

The society has realised the project through support from Hepburn Shire Council, Bendigo Bank, Cool Country Classic Car Club, Trentham Masonic Centre, private contributions and fundraising. Work is almost complete and the official opening with Mayor Cr Brian Hood will take place on Friday, March 24.

There will be 12 panels featuring detailed history of the region including the lives of the original indigenous inhabitants, flora and fauna, the arrival of European settlers seeking timber and gold and the town's ups and downs through disease, wars and economics.

The new exhibit will also include, with the support of Gardens For Wildlife Victoria, a native garden featuring many of the plants the first inhabitants used for food and medicine.

And to mark the contribution of agriculture and timber harvesting to the timeline of local history there will be a single furrow plough and Trewhella tree jack.

An important part of the display will be the often overlooked role of women contributing to the wellbeing, prosperity and character of the area; from the wives of early settlers and bush nurses to teachers and the Grasshoppers women’s football team of the 1950s.

“The women’s stories start with Louisa Tubbs adapting to the loneliness of station life at Tylden,” Susie says. “Then there was Betsey Trewhella who made the arduous journey from England with her children to join husband Ben on the Blackwood goldfields and Charlotte Robson who nursed the sick and delivered babies in the fledgling Newbury community.”

The mining, timber and agriculture industries of the area posed inherent dangers for the early European settlers. Furthermore, outbreaks of measles, typhoid, whooping cough, diphtheria and the perils of childbirth made life in the Trentham district one of isolation and hardship until well into the 1930s.

And during World War II when many of the men enlisted to serve overseas, agricultural survival depended on the mothers and daughters left behind.

“Many people today would have no idea about that sort of thing and the impacts it had on the community. But the Trentham District Story project paints a very good picture of what life has been like here. I’m not sure that everyone will take the time to read the lot but locals particularly can come back and take in some more every time and reflect on the changes that have taken place over the years.”

The official opening of the Trentham District Story will start at 11am on Friday, March 24 at the old Trentham Police Station at 3-5 Camp Street. For information and to RSVP contact info@trenthamhistoricalsociety.org.au

Top, Trentham and District Historical Society members, added to an image of the Grasshoppers Women's Football 1957 team, from left, Susie Spence and Elizabeth Toomey, Rosie Hill and Natalie Poole

Below, Trentham Falls Sports Day

Words: Tony Sawrey | Images: Contributed