Warragul & Baw Baw
MONTHLY // FRIDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2014
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Walhalla 'rotting' in Baw Baw Tourism heavyweight says town would be better in Latrobe City
By William Kulich Image: one of the beams which supported a key bridge in Walhalla. Supplied.
Pace's campaign Pace Dawson of Warragul has started fundraising to support villagers in Kenya move away from poaching.
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'We're still here'
Candidate Kate
Traf's Victory
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CRUMBLING infrastructure and slow mainten足 ance shows the disconnect between Baw Baw's north east and the rapidly growing commuter corridor, according to Walhalla & Mountain Rivers Tourism Association president Michael Leaney. Handrails, park benches, bridges, kerbing and other infrastructure has been slowly degrading over recent years with no repair or replacement, though whose responsibility some infrastructure mainte足 nance is has been disputed by the council. A bridge to the town's iconic rotunda took 856 days to replace having been identified as an issue almost a decade ago. Having finally been condemned in April 2012, funding for its replacement came in the 2014/15 Baw Baw Shire budget to give access to the rotunda. Mr Leaney, who said his views on how the council dealt with Walhalla might not be shared by other members of the tourism association, told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen he thought the council was not keen to maintain town infrast足 ructure because its focus was on key growth areas. He also said investment in Walhalla was more likely to see returns in neighbouring Latrobe City Shire. "It's not the only piece of key public infrastructure in Walhalla that is literally rotting into the ground," he said. "There is no ongoing replacement, there is no maintenance that goes on up here. "All the agencies love Walhalla, all have a finger in the pie, until something goes wrong, and then they all argue among themselves over who needs to do something. "Walhalla attracts 100,000 visitors every year, but this is of little benefit to Baw Baw Shire as nearly all of the benefit flows to Latrobe City. "Is this the reason for the lack of interest and action [on maintaining infrastructure]? Most likely. Without any economic benefit, there is hardly any incentive to do anything." But Baw Baw Director of Growth and Economic Development Matthew Cripps said the council was undertaking extensive planning for the Walhalla area and "any suggestion that one policy or project is all council is focused on would be misguided." "The recent planning work around settlement strategies and the Continued on Page 4 >
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LOCAL NEWS Baw Baw fleet reforms continue
AN UPDATE to the Baw Baw Shire's fleet vehicle review has been endorsed by councillors. The review has seen the council's fleet reduced by three vehicles, with a further 18 vehicle reduction planned before mid2017. Reductions in fleet running costs will also be achieved through the introduction of smaller, cheaper cars, an increase in the vehicle replacement age to four years/ 160,000km, and other operational changes. The changes are expected to save $1.1 million over the next three years. Changes to the fringe benefits tax and Baw Baw's staff vehicle packa ging, in addition to the planned cessation of Australian vehicle manufacturing, have recently seen changes to the review. At Wednesday's council meeting Warragul ward councillor Gerard Murphy said the reforms were economically responsible. "It's taken a while, but it's hot to the point where I'm feeling financially responsible with this one," he said. "It looks like we'll achieve the savings we need."
Parking progress WARRAGUL Station's new car park opened late last month with a com munity celebration. Head to warragulcitizen.com for the full gallery.
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Petitions call for park retention THREE petitions were presented at the Baw Baw Shire council meeting on Wednesday, including two which called for the retention of parkland. The petitions opposed the sale of parkland on the edge of Drouin's Bellbird Park and elsewhere in the Baw Baw Shire. One petition, which named Bellbird Park while also rejecting any sale of parkland, received 1,213 signatures Another more general petition against parkland sales had 374 signatures. In July councillors moved to investigate the possibility of selling several parcels of land around the shire, some of which abutted Bellbird Park. No decision has been made on the sale of any parcels of land near the park, and at the July meeting Warragul ward councillor Mikaela Power advised other councillors to be cautious when selling parkland that access to open spaces is retained. “If we do remove a park… we need to ensure we have footpath access to neighbourhood parks,” Cr Power said. Council staff have suggested funds raised from any sale would be
invested in infrastructure. Footpath petition Another petition, signed by 138 residents of the Princes Way, Drouin area, called for the council to construct a concrete footpath from 861 Princes Way to its intersection with Hopetoun Road. In a letter supporting the petition, a campaign spokesperson said there was a clear community need for a footpath. "It would be in the best interest of the people moving into this area east of Drouin, in the estates and along Princes Way, that access to the town be made easier and safer," the spokesperson said. "A completed concrete path would greatly assist our elderly residents and those using motorised scooters, as well as general users. "The current track at its worst is narrow, rough and unstable ground which is a health and safety hazard for those who attempt to use it. "There have also been comp laints... from ladies about problems pushing prams along the track "The residents assigned to this petition would appreciate their council developing a safe and solid pathway as an entrance to the fast growing township of Drouin."
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'We're still here' Sam's complex retailers miss foot traffic
RETAILERS in the former Sam's Warehouse complex are facing the realities of trading with little foot traffic going past their doors . The five businesses still operating in the building have been affected in different ways by the closure of the discount store in July, with some being better suited to lowertraffic areas. But all businesses in the area agree their capacity to find new customers has been reduced, and will remain low until a replacement for Sam's is found. Video game and comic book retailer Gippy Games and the Village Café have been particularly badly affected, having drawn many of their customers from people visiting Sam's. Gippy Games owner Steve Smith said his sales were "down by two thirds at the moment." "On the outskirts of Warragul, the main drawcard here was Sam's and the parking," he told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. "With Sam's going down there has been a total drop of foot traffic. "Where you'd have mum or dad going into Sam's and the kids diverting into the games store and the word of mouth going from there. "That has now disappeared. "The actual impact from that [has been] where I had a business I was slowly developing and had hit bas ically a breakeven point, I now lose money." Mr Smith took to opening up the Mason Street entrance of the shop, which was quiet in comparison to how busy the Sam's side of his shop used to be, in a bid to increase his
exposure to passers by. Despite his efforts, exposure remains minimal. "In the end, unless you go on a big marketing campaign, it is very difficult to counter that drawcard." For Richard Gan, owner of the Village Café, the closure of Sam's and reduced foot traffic is "a big issue." "The [business] with Sam's closed is maybe half as much as before," Mr Gan said. "Just for example, every day when Sam's was open I was taking maybe $800 per day, but when Sam's closed down it was just maybe $400$500 per day. Mr Gan has taken to erecting signs on Mason Street with balloons attached to help people realise businesses are still operating in the complex. The other retailers in the area have not been affected by the closure in the same way. Maree Langford of hairdressing business Snippets said her kind of business and being on the site for 13 years was a greater factor than foot traffic. "It hasn't really affected us too much," she told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. We've lost the walkingby traffic, but otherwise a lot of our clientèle is wordofmouth "But we want it filled, we want someone in there. It would bring more people down here, which would be good for us." Manager of fitness group Curves, Christine Holliday, said her busi ness was in a similar situation to Snippets, but finding new memb ers was a little more difficult since the closure of Sam's. "It has been really quiet in this
Family of John Elliott seeks help for medical transport THE family of John Elliott is app ealing for donations after the former Neerim South man was injured in a scooter accident in Bali, Indonesia. John was riding a motor scooter some distance away from the provi nce's capital, Denpasar, when he co llided headon with another scooter. He was then hit by a third scooter.
John sustained internal injuries and multiple fractures and is now in a local hospital. The Elliott family has started an online campaign to raise funds for him to be moved to an Australian hospital for advanced medical treatment. The move is expected to cost up to $55,000. Donations can be made at goo.gl/iuJxcW
area, so it has probably slowed the area down a bit," she said. "Not necessarily with our current members, they obviously come regardless, but not as many people coming through means not as many people just walking in and being curious to see what's here. "It hasn't made a huge effect... but there has been a lot less traffic and, absolutely, I would love somet hing in there. "It would be great to have something in there before Chris tmas, too." Mr Smith said the onus was on locals to keep local shops open and supporting local jobs by buying locally. "We are still here, we are still trying to survive, but in the end the support of the people in Warragul are the reasons stores remain open," he said. "To be honest... I'm not sure that the people actually support the local stores quite enough to survive longerterm. "An indicator of the level of support for retail in Warragul is the number of empty stores. "There is probably a dozen, or more, empty shops within a kilometre of the CBD that are vacant. "Obviously at some stage they weren't all vacant, because othe rwise people wouldn't have built more. "So the level of retail support in Warragul has actually dropped over the last 10 years. "Businesses feed off each other. I fed off Sam's being there. "I employ two people part time. Those jobs [could] go."
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LOCAL NEWS Pace raises funds to protect animals in Africa
TWELVEyearold Pace Dawson has begun selling a mixture of African and homemade jewell ery, homewares and craft to help support a Kenyan village and pre vent poaching. The Year Six student from Warragul started a market stall to sell the products having been inspired by her aunt, Julie Dawson, who works for the Poachers to Protecters program. The program seeks to preserve the Tsavo West National Park in Kenya by engaging poachers and charcoal burners with alternative occupations, including jewellery making. Pace was driven to help prevent poaching by her aunt's passion and her own love of animals. "I don't want the animals to go extinct because they were being poached," she told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. "My aunty gets together with the groups in Kenya [to produce these products]. "They're made by a group of ladies from a Maasai village that she works with, and she's done lots of other things for them as well, like she helped build a library there. "She does lots of really good things there and I'm really happy
that I'm raising money for her." Pace's first market was Jindivick last weekend, which she said was fun. "[My aunt has] really appreciated this and I think it's fun going to markets," she said. "It was my idea, and then everyone from the family began helping. "It wasn't that difficult to orga nise because we already had most of the stuff, and the other things I made myself, so it was alright. Pace sold artwork and other crafts she produced herself for the fundraiser. She said community support for what she was doing was strong. "It's been really good and I've had a few donations, which has been really nice," Pace said. "Lots of people are supporting the fact that we want to stop the poachers. "Hopefully I'm going to the Rokeby market next weekend as well, and Jindivick again next month." But those plans may be interrupted by a potential trip to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, with her Dad and his friends. Pace said she was looking forw ard to seeing elephants there.
Local support helps brigade buy tanker
Article and photo by Greg Pretty WALHALLA will be better prote cted from fires with the arrival of a new tanker, thanks to the state government’s Volunteer Emergen cy Services Equipment Program. The fullyequipped tanker has replaced a slipon at the town’s fire station. Narracan MP Gary Blackwood
handed the keys over at the Erica and District CFA station last week. Mr. Blackwood also presented crew member Des Micah with a 45 year clasp for his long service as a volunteer firefighter. The brigade raised $30,000 for the new tanker, which was pooled with the $178,000 VESEP grant. For more by Greg Pretty, visit www.greatergippsland.com
For breaking news between issues visit warragulcitizen.com
Walhalla region 'set up to fail'
A bridge too far: workers replacing the rotten bridge in Walhalla earlier this week. Photo by Michael Leaney.
< From Page 1 [Warragul and Drouin] Precinct Structure Plans has been in line with State Planning policy and supporting growth in our largest townships," he told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. "This is only one piece of work the council is working on. "Council is undertaking a specific planning project, [C110,] in Walhalla with a focus to simplify development in the township. "Baw Baw Shire is currently undertaking significant investment and promotion of the region from an economic development perspe ctive which the whole of the municipality will benefit from, incl uding tourist and service [towns] like Walhalla." But Mr Leaney said there was no economic reason for Baw Baw to engage in major infrastructure renewal for Walhalla as any return on spending went into Latrobe City rates, not Baw Baw's, as tourists visiting the region were more likely to go via Moe. "The only economic benefit the council gets is the rates, all the rest goes to Latrobe City," he said. "If you are a rate payer in Drouin and Warragul, why the hell would you want to keep hold of a place that costs you extra money for keeping it that has very little benefit to you? "Baw Baw is a construct of the Kennett government's amalgam ations in the 1990s. There's not a lot of logic in it. "Back in 1918 there was a Shire of Walhalla. It was [later] amalg amated into the shire of Narracan [which] at the time was based in Moe, and it was a logical fit and there was a direct link between this region and Moe, like there is today. "In 1953, the Queen comes out to Australia... and on her tour she declared Moe a city. So Moe was sliced off, and Narracan was kicked off to Trafalgar."
Mr Leaney said despite support from the Walhalla region for joining Latrobe City during the amalga mations in early 1990s, the town was placed in Baw Baw when its centre of government was moved to Warragul. "The problem is it has set up the eastern part of the shire, the Walhalla and Mountain Rivers region to fail, because, the one problem I continually face with the council, is I can never put an economic argument to council as to why they should do anything in Walhalla," he said. "Because, for instance, I own the Star Hotel. Guess where my laundry is? Morwell. Guess where my vegetable supplies come from? Traralgon. Everything we do in this region is based in the Latrobe Valley. "Tomorrow when we go shopping we're going to Traralgon. "We have people come up and stay here from Warragul and Drouin etcetera; they don't even think we're part of the Baw Baw Shire! "If you ask people where they do this or that, it's the Valley. All the links are there and everyone agrees it's a little bit odd that we're administered from Baw Baw." Mr Leaney said Baw Baw's focus was on growth areas, not the north east. "What's going on in Drouin and Warragul is great. It's great that there's growth, it's becoming very much a periurban region, it's been identified by the state government as being one of the main regional areas to be earmarked for growth," he said. "That's great, and it's going to have a whole range of [growth] issues. It's very very important, but they're issues that affect Drouin and Warragul. What affects Drouin and Warragul is a dramatic world away from what affects us here.
"The issues that affect a small community like [Walhalla district], which only has a population of about 500 people, do you really think that's top of mind when it comes to the majority of the shire? And the answer is no, it's not. "It's the most stupid situation. I have been a longterm advocate that this region should be a part of Latrobe City. Even if my rates go up, I get some results. At the moment I pay my rates for nothing." Baw Baw CEO Helen Anstis told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen the council invested in towns acco rding to needs and priorities. "Expenditure is allocated based on maintenance, community needs, assets and priorities," she said. But for Mr Leaney, fighting the connection that he feels Walhalla has to the Latrobe Valley does not make sense. "We ran the Walhalla Ljusfest festival last month. Thirtyone days it ran for. How many Baw Baw councillors do you think came? One," he said. "Now, Latrobe City? Two, and the CEO. Why? They didn't come because they were councillors, they came because it was their backyard. They came up to have a look at the lights." But the state government has indicated no strong message had been received from the people of Walhalla that the townspeople wanted to join Latrobe City, and changing boundaries is not on Baw Baw's agenda. "Baw Baw Shire Council has not had any discussions regarding boundary realignment and will continue to do our best for all of the residents of Baw Baw Shire, including Walhalla," mayor Murray Cook told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. What do you think? Check out WBBC's latest poll on Page 6 and have your say.
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Baw Baw on screen
A 15second advertisement to be aired on Channel Nine Melbourne will encourage city people to visit Baw Baw. The Baw Baw Shire Council will run the ad until November as part of its Visit Baw Baw campaign, which has also seen the creation of a comprehensive tourism website and visitor app. The ad will also be seen on Outlook.com and channels affiliated with the Nine Network. Featured on the ad is footage of people enjoying tourist attractions from across Baw Baw, and local businesses have been encouraged to register with the council to be listed on the tourism website. "The council saw the opportunity and necessity for growing and supporting tourism in the region when we adopted the Visit Baw Baw brand as part of the tourism branding strategy in March," mayor Murray Cook said in a media release.
VICTORIAN Labor has chosen Kate Marten of Pakenham to contest the seat of Narracan in November’s state election. Ms Marten, who manages Western Victoria’s gas metre data and assets for Ausnet Services, was confirmed as the candidate last month. Ms Marten told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen she would campaign on mental health, health and youth services policies. "I’ve got a vested interest in mental health and youth services," Ms Marten said. "My husband’s a returned serviceman, so I’ve done a bit of work with mental health there, and my 16 year old had a friend commit suicide last year. "I started trying to find what’s available for the kids to cope and [campaigning to] stop the pattern of suicide in the area." If elected Ms Marten would seek to improve services in the electorate, which after a redistr ibution now extends as far west as Nar Nar Goon. "I’d like to see what services are currently available in the area and help boost them," she said. "There’s a lot of exmilitary in the Moe area especially… but I think it’s more that without decent health services you can’t have decent mental health services. "Making sure the hospitals are getting adequate funding to cope, and education, is important. There’s a lot of funding available but it’s not being taken up." Other youth issues are also a concern for Ms Marten. "My interest is mental health, but there’s definitely more we can do for our youth to engage them in the community, because at the moment I think they’re getting a bit lost and there’s not enough services perhaps to keep them busy," she said. "We need to get them more involved in sports and arts and other activities; not every kid plays footy, so there has to be other options. Ms Marten said improving public transport in the area was also important and Labor’s plan to introduce a 2am bus service from Melbourne on weekends would help
people in Narracan. "Labor is looking at more bus services from the city, and I was also hearing that there was maybe not enough [other] bus services in the local areas as well," she said. "Not that we can guarantee funding on that (the other local bus services), but we can definitely try to get that at the forefront for people to start looking at and reviewing." Asked what she thought were issues important to Narracan voters, Ms Marten said healthcare, jobs and transport. "I think there needs to be more funding into the hospital. I can’t guarantee it, but I can make sure it’s top of the agenda," Ms Marten said. "Even though I don’t live in the electorate, [Warragul is] my public hospital from Pakenham, so if I had a baby that’s where I would go. "Jobs everywhere is a major issue and a crisis." An important issue to many farmers is that of coal seam gas extraction. Ms Marten said she would probably not support using fracking – one method of unconventional gas extraction – to tap that gas. "My husband is a miner, but not in coal seam gas, so do I like it? The fracking? Probably not, no," Ms Marten said. "It’s off the table at the moment for Victoria though." Ms Marten said she was confident about her chances of winning the seat with a united Victorian Labor party, despite the area turning against Labor in last year’s federal election. "With the Labor party last year there was such disillusionment, so I think we need to have some strong people stand up and be united. I think you need to be united," Ms Marten said. "I’m hopeful for winning the seat. There’s been so many cuts to health and education, especially in the area with GippsTAFE, and if we can project that we want the area to grow then we might have a better position. "I think people get a bit blinded by politics and look at federal and state together, so people aren’t really happy with [federal Liberal treasurer Joe] Hockey and [Liberal
ADVERTISE WITH THE
Prime Minister Tony] Abbott at the moment, so that may lead them to not be happy with the state government." Despite living outside the electorate, Ms Marten said she had a strong connection to Narracan. "My family all live in Bunyip and we live in Pakenham, which is under 10km from the border of Narracan," she said. "My health services come from this area. When we looked to build there wasn’t land available, that’s why we ended up in Pakenham. "Whether you live in Pakenham or Warragul you still have to have better options for higher education, TAFE, health, so I think given the border is my town and the next town, I don’t see it being a big difference. "My son plays cricket for Bunyip, I help Mum and Dad who own the [Top] Pub, I spend a lot of time down here, it’s just my postcode that’s different. "Would I move to the area [if I won]? Probably, if the opportunities were there." Ms Marten said she was a new member of the Labor party but had always voted Labor. "I’ve always found my values align to the Labor party," she said. Labor’s campaign in Narracan will focus on community events. "I’m going to get out and meet people at local events and sport events," Ms Marten said. "My family is really sporty so for me to engage with sports events is great. "I’ve cleared with work some time off, so I’ll make sure I have got time to get out and find out what the people are interested in, what concerns them the most. "I will hit the ground running once we get a grand plan, but yeah, I think it can be won. I think people want change for their community. Ms Marten will face Liberal incumbent Gary Blackwood, Greens candidate Malcolm McKelvie and Country Alliance candidate Dave Snelling at the election, with poten tially more candidates nominating before the election." WBBC broke the news of Ms Marten's selection online. For regu lar updates, sign up for email alerts at warragulcitizen.com/emailup
Council to sell Sutton Street land A BLOCK of land on Sutton Street owned by the Baw Baw Shire Council will be sold at auction following a decision by councillors on Wednesday. 51 Sutton Street, situated between the Warragul Country Club and the St Paul's Grammar Year 9 Centre, will be auctioned on 20 September. The land has been assessed by an independent valuer. That value will be used to establish the auction reserve price. Notice of the intention to sell the land was given in March 2012 and no submissions were received in response to public advertising on the planned sale. Mount Worth ward councillor
Peter Kostos said the sale had been on the cards for years. "This particular parcel of land was identified for sale almost four years ago," he said on moving the motion to sell. "There were issues because there was a power substation on it, which the council has removed." Water and sewerage have also been connected to the site. Council officer assessments sug gested there will be no negative impacts from the sale. Councillors recently voted to investigate the possibility of selling several other blocks in the region. A number of parcels of land, some of which are presently used as parkland, will be investigated.
Federal changes unlikely to reduce chance of rate rise THE repeal of the carbon tax and freezing of the superannuation contribution rate are unlikely to reduce the chance of rate increases for people in Baw Baw. A spokesperson for the Baw Baw Shire Council told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen the council never passed on any costs associated with the carbon tax to ratepayers. "It was never a separate item in council's budgets and any impost was absorbed," the spokesperson said. "The main area of exposure for councils is landfill. "Baw Baw uses Latrobe City Council’s Hyland Highway Landfill. As this landfill receives less than 25,000t equivalent of CO2 emiss ions, it is exempt from the carbon tax and the disposal fee we pay to Latrobe City Council does not incl ude any Carbon Tax component.
Director of Corporate Services and Organisation Development Shane Cagney said the freezing of super contributions at 9.5 per cent of salary for seven years would also not affect the council's budget in any way. "Given that the present federal government was elected 12 months ago on a platform of winding back the mining tax and its associated spending, council had not factored superannuation increases into its Long Term Financial Plan," Mr Cagney said. "The 2015/16 and 2016/17 budgets will now be framed in light of these changes." The super rate had been due to increase to 10 per cent next year before the federal government made the changes with the support of the Palmer United Party earlier this month.
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6 | THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN 12 SEPTEMBER 2014
COMMENT SPORT Locals sick of GP copayment
IN LAST month's edition of the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen we published a story titled "Broadb ent reports few budget complaints from McMillan." WBBC has since received a number of messages from people who say they do have complaints about the budget. For balance the paper would like to publish opposing opinions, but no messages in support of the chan ges, which included the planned GP copayment, have been received. For more on public opinion of the copayment, check out the results of our poll below.
Julie Tawse
WBBC's article on the openin provoked discussion on what else could be done to improve the appe arance of the town's entrances.
Trafalgar's Victory seeks Central return
Joy Campbell
Via WBBC's Facebook page
It looks fabulous. What a difference it makes to a previous eyesore. Now we need a giant sculpture or something interesting and dramatic to mark the entrance to our beautiful town!
Simon Craig In response to Joy
Posted at warragulcitizen.com
How about Cloud? I have so many concerns that I don’t know where to begin. Last month's poll is a good place to start. A doctor copayment is, excuse pun, illconsidered in terms of broader social concerns and a longterm future projection. One solution to an over burdened service is to ensure workers can have a one to two day sickie without medical certificate for the inevitable cold which, being a virus, cannot be treated by a doctor, but on account of which many employees have to attend a doctor for a certificate when they should be resting up in bed.
Paul Bird
Posted at warragulcitizen.com
The Government’s budget position is that for those of us who are retired and who are moving towards pension age “the age of entitlement is over.” This does not apply however to Mr Broadbent who will collect a pension far more generous than ordinary constituents will receive.
'Martin'
Posted at warragulcitizen.com
Few complaints? He is evidently not talking to anyone here. Perhaps Mr. Broadbent is avoiding people at the moment in order to avoid questions about his [alleged] links to the Mafia [as published by The Age].
Margerie Linton
Posted at warragulcitizen.com
Well Mr Broadbent, I have heard plenty of complaints about the budget. I think people feel beaten into ground and haven’t bothered to contact you. On a more positive note, locals have been pleased with the opening of Warragul's new 200space car park at Warragul Station. The car park stands on land once used as the Warragul goods yard and was completed ahead of schedule.
Cloud was a moving cable and aluminium artwork featuring multi coloured panels which turned with the wind to show different colours. It was suspended over Howitt Street briefly before being removed after a number of panels fell onto the road in strong winds. As reported by WBBC in Septe mber last year, a return of the artwork as a number of smaller ins tallations over laneways has been discussed by the Baw Baw's Arts and Culture Advisory Committee. The artist, Louise Lavarack, told WBBC she would support such a move.
Polling LAST month WBBC asked readers if they supported the federal government's proposed $7 GP co payment as outlined in May. The results: 'No' 41 votes/77%
53 responses 'Yes' 11 votes /21%
TVFC 2014 Reserves Premiers GSL South Division. Photo supplied by TVFC.
Article by Greg Pretty TRAFALGAR Victory FC is a club that takes its name as a challenge. Moving most of its players from the Central division to the South division of the Gippsland Soccer League two seasons ago has seen the club at or near the top in most grades, but the team remains eager for a fight and would like to return to the more competitive Central Division as early as next year. Victory's Reserves won their second consecutive premiership last Sunday after finishing top of the table, beating Korumburra 20 in the grand final. The Senior Men team finished third and the Women fourth; both got as far as semifinals. The Junior grades of Under 16 and Under 12 still play in Central
division. The Under 12s were Victory's only team not to make the finals. Club president Dylan Wyatt said the team's success came from cohesiveness, on the field and socially. "We have strong coaches and dedicated volunteers, and now with new clubrooms we're building a stronger social base" Wyatt said. Victory has played on its new fields for three years after getting by on one field at Trafalgar High School with no lights or buildings. The club has also built new clubrooms and a canteen thanks to significant contributions from the Baw Baw Shire Council and support from sponsors and local businesses. "Amateur sport is not only competitive, it provides a social outlet," Wyatt said.
Tour of Gippsland in Warragul
"Having a building or hub is important for allowing people to connect. "It will be key in driving more success for the club." The TVFC committee has started developing a five year strategic plan, which will include new change rooms, showers and car parking. The club would like to use the clubrooms to generate income and hold more social functions to attract new members. On field, Victory is keen to move back into the GSL Central division next year and be competitive at that level. The club management also believes it is important to nurture the club's future talent by doing more to develop the young players. For more by Greg Pretty, visit www.greatergippsland.com
Warragul United shows off history of highlights
'Undecided' 1 vote/2% In good news for democracy, nobody selected the "what's a co payment" option. This month the WBBC asks: do you think Walhalla would be better placed in Latrobe City than Baw Baw? Head to warragulcitizen.com
Advertorial policy THE Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen does not publish unm arked advertorial content. While uncited positive news coverage of advertisers is common in the news industry, WBBC feels it is important to acknowledge when paid content is published so readers can make informed decisions. Paid articles will be avoided. If needed to fund the paper they will be clearly marked as advertorial. Positive stories on local busi nesses will be run when the editor sees fit, not when advertisers pay.
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THE opening stage of the Tour of Gippsland bike race was held in Warragul last week. The 91.5km stage started on Smith Street and finished at Western Park, with Scott Law winning the first stage (above), narrowly beating Avanti team mate and Warragul rider Brenton Jones (left). You can find the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen's full coverage of the stage, including photo galleries, interviews with Law, Jones and race director John Trevorrow, race details and coverage of race funding deals at warragulcitizen.com.
WARRAGUL United Soccer Club has held a heritage month, celeb rating its years of game highlights through a number of videos. The videos feature footage from games in the 1990s and 2000s, including goal highlight reels, playerfocused videos and more. You can find the videos online at http://goo.gl/OJjWUn.
12 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN | 7
PROPERTY & LOCAL LIVING
8 | THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN 12 SEPTEMBER 2014
PROPERTY & LOCAL LIVING Citizen of the Month: Les Matkovich LES Matkovich of Warragul may be retired, but he still has a full time job. Presently serving as the organisation's vice president, Les has been a key member of local community radio station 103.1 3BBR FM since its inception in September 1993. In the 21 years since, Les has played an important role in the volunteerrun station. But his level and breadth of involvement came as a surprise even to him. "I was involved because the initial cofounders were... from the Uniting Church, and I was a member of the Uniting Church. I was asked whether I would like to serve as treasurer for a small Christian radio station and I thought 'oh well, no big deal it's not a big onerous thing,'" he told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. "Then the scope of the radio station was expanded and it became a community station, and I found myself dragged into other things, like being put before a microp hone." In addition to hosting duties, Les is responsible for repair works and has been heavily involved with the Drouinbased station's managem ent since the beginning. It has become a fulltime job. "I do small handy man stuff,... I can do minor technical adjustments but I coordinate when something higher order needs to be done," he said. "I'm very very heavily involved in the daytoday management of the station, and I sell most of the spons orships.
"It is a fulltime job. It's not alw ays seven days a week, but I'm here just about every day or, if I'm not here, I'm out selling sponsorship... or working from home." "I've been nearly continuously on the committee and I've fulfilled all except one role on the committee, secretary, and Lynn Wells does a
fantastic job of that." But despite all the work and unexpected roles, Les has enjoyed his time at 3BBR. "Yes, once I got used to what I was doing," he said. "At times I say 'well, what am I doing here, it's getting a bit hard,' but I feel satisfied.
"I like being busy and I like challenges. I wouldn't want to be sitting at home twiddling my thumbs." The social side of his time at the station has been important to Les, especially since retiring a decade ago. "It's been great, but the social
side is one side of it. I found having social contact is very important when you retire, but not only that, when you go down the street and... people come up and say how much they enjoy the station... from that point of view you feel that you are doing something worthwhile," he said. Les has seen the station evolve over the years, from when it first went to air one day a week in May 1995 as an aspirant station, to when it started broadcasting online at the start of this year. "You start off from nothing. You have to get people trained... and you have to get equipment," he said. "I've enjoyed seeing the growth. Getting our permanant license in 2003 was a great thrill, to see that we got this far." The learning curve was great for Les too. "Most of us had come in without any knowledge of radio." "I didn't know what FM radio was, I used to listen to AM radio! At that stage there was no FM station here." "Whenever we go away we visit other stations, attend conferences, and most... community stations have the same problems and goals. As for his life outside of 3BBR? "Well, I've got a house to maintain, or visiting friends, that's basically it," he said. "There are cetrain things that are sacricant, like when I go and visit my daughter and grandson in Melbourne. "I would probably enjoy Probus and perhaps Men's Shed, if I had the time.
12 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN | 9
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10 | THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN 12 SEPTEMBER 2014
PROPERTY & LOCAL LIVING
12 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN | 11
12 | THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN 12 SEPTEMBER 2014
FOR NEWS AS IT HAPPENS
WARRAGULCITIZEN.COM EXTENDED IMAGE GALLERIES // AUDIO AND VIDEO CONTENT // POLLS AND MORE EMAIL UPDATES: WARRAGULCITIZEN.COM/EMAILUP
12 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN | 13
ARTS & RECREATION
What's on in Baw Baw
GIG GUIDE IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE DATE
DOMINIC FINLEY 12 Sep @ BANK Upstairs, Warragul Starts 20:00 FAURÉ'S REQUIEM AND FINE CHORAL CLASSICS 12 Sep @ Wesley of Warragul Adults: $25/ concession: $22/ children: free. Starts 20:00 SWEETLIP 12 Sep @ Middels, Drouin Free. Starts 17:00 BLUNT 13 Sep @ The O&H, Warragul Free. Playing covers DANNY EDDY 13 Sep @ BANK Upstairs, Warragul BAW BAW BLUES CLUB JAM 14 Sep @ Royal Hotel, Drouin Free. Bring instruments Starts 14:00. Story on Page 14 FAURÉ'S REQUIEM AND FINE CHORAL CLASSICS 14 Sep @ Wesley of Warragul Adults: $25/ concession: $22/ children: free. Starts 14:00 THE AUSTRALIAN BEE GEES SHOW STAYIN' ALIVE '14 14 Sep @ West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Full: $55/ members: $52. Starts 19:00. After three years and 1,000 shows headlining on the Las Vegas strip, Stayin’ Alive The Australian Bee Gees Show will return to Australia with a brand new show for 2014. This new show is a chronology of hit’s chosen from the extensive catalogue that defines the amazing career of The Brothers Gibb, from their first performances in Australia right through to the One Night Only concert in Las Vegas. The show will feature all of the greatest hits throughout the decades but will also tell the Bee Gees story in a multimedia show that captures the mood and memories of the time. Tix: wgac.com.au
Starts 21:00 SNAKE & WALLY 03 Oct @ Middels, Drouin Free. Starts 17:00 THE MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENTS CONCIERTO DE ARANJUEZ 04 Oct @ West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Full: $47/ concession: $43/ members: $38/ youth: $30. Starts 19:30. Tix: wgac.com.au MERCURY WHITE EP LAUNCH 04 Oct @ The O&H, Warragul Entry: $6. Story on Page 16. LOBES OF JULIA 11 Oct @ The O&H, Warragul Free BAW BAW BLUES CLUB JAM 12 Oct @ Royal Hotel, Drouin Free. Bring instruments Starts 14:00. Story on Page 14 GINA & DAVE 17 Oct @ Middels, Drouin Free. Starts 17:00 CHARLEY JENKINS & THE ZHIVAGOS 18 Oct @ Old Drouin Butter Factory Tix: $40 online/ $45 at door. Starts 19:30 THREE OAK ROAD 18 Oct @ The O&H, Warragul Free. Warragulbased group ADAM HARVEY FAMILY LIFE TOUR 24 Oct @ West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Full: $39/ concession: $37/ youth: $15/ family: $95. Starts 19:00. Tix: wgac.com.au EMILY MURDICA 24 Oct @ Middels, Drouin Warragulbased artist Free. Starts 17:00 THE POTBELLEEZ 31 Oct @ The O&H, Warragul $23. Search "Potbelleez O&H" for tix. Story on page 16
REECE MASTIN 16 Sep @ West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul/ Starts 20:00 Cost: $54.90. Tix: wgac.com.au
HAVE A GIG COMING UP? Get it listed here. Email deets to editor@warragulcitizen.com. The Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen supports local live music.
CHRIS DOHENY 19 Sep @ Middels, Drouin Free. Starts 17:00
MARKETS
MILK FED (AGENCY DJs) 19 Sep @ The O&H, Warragul Free. Three DJs from Melb agency
ROKEBY COMMUNITY MARKET 13 Sep @ Rokeby Reserve Times: 08:00 to 13:00
SWEETLIP 19 Sep @ BANK Upstairs, Warragul Starts 20:00 BRIAN FRASER 20 Sep @ Daizies Function Centre, Warragul $10 entry/ $15 with supper Bookings: 5626 1261 EM & NAT 20 Sep @ BANK Upstairs, Warragul Starts 21:00 THREE OAK ROAD 20 Sep @ The O&H, Warragul Free. Warragulbased group CATS IN THE KITCHEN 27 Sep @ BANK Upstairs, Warragul Starts 21:00 GEOFF ACHISON & LLOYD SPIEGEL 01 Oct @ BANK Upstairs, Warragul
DROUIN CRAFT AND PRODUCE MARKET 20 Sep @ Civic Park, Drouin Times: 08:00 to 12:30 Phone: 0419 428 564 WARRAGUL FARMERS' MARKET 20 Sep @ Civic Park, Warragul Times: 08:00 to 13:00 W: warragulfarmersmarket.com.au HILL END MARKET 21 Sep @ Old Hill End School Times: 08:30 to 13:00 LARDNER PARK MARKET 21 Sep @ Lardner Park Convention Centre Times: 09:00 to 14:00 YARRAGON CRAFT & PRODUCE MARKET 27 Sep @ Yarragon Public Hall Times: 09:00 to 14:00
JINDIVICK COUNTRY MARKET 04 Oct @ Jindivick Country Kitchen grounds Times: 08:00 to 13:00 LONGWARRY FIRE BRIGADE MARKET 5 Oct @ Bennett Street, Longwarry
EVENTS EXPOS AND FESTIVALS FLORA, FAUNA AND THE FIGURE 03 28 Sep @ The Station Gallery and Community Arts Hub, Yarragon Station An exhibition of works by Yvette Atkins. bawbawartsalliance.org.au ERICA FESTIVAL 14 Sep @ Erica Community Hall and Oval From 10:00 to 16:00 On Sunday 14 September, Erica will celebrate 100 years since the naming of the town. The festival will be held at the Erica Community Hall and Oval and will feature historical photos, CFA memorabilia, show bags and information and there will be fun for the kids and a fresh produce and craft market. Make sure you visit the Railway Museum as this is a great opportunity to take a look at the history of the railway, which closed in 1957. Cost: variable 24TH ANNUAL WEST GIPPSLAND DANCE FESTIVAL 19 28 Sep @ West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul westgippslanddancefestival.org.au SUGAR ART DAVID LYONS 30 Sep 17 Oct @ West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Is a photo of sugar being added to a cup of tea really art? What role does subject have in making photography art? How do we determine 'what is art'? wgac.com.au GARDIVALIA FESTIVAL OF GARDENS 01 31 Oct @ various locations Annual monthlong festival featuring open gardens, garden tours, demonstrations, workshops, Drouin Lions Baw Baw Garden Expo & Home Show, art and sculpture displays and ‘poetry in the garden’, all complemented by gourmet food and wine. Almost 30 gardens will be on display. These gardens, many open to the public for the first time, range from small suburban plots to large country gardens. gardivalia.com.au BOTANICA ART EXHIBITION 1 Oct 2 Nov @ The Station Gallery and Community Arts Hub, Yarragon Station To coincide with the Gardivalia Festival, The Station Gallery & Community Arts Hub will showcase flower and garden related artworks. Featured artists include Joan Bognuda, Barbara Gogerly, Margaret Koopmans, Celia Collins, Lucy Chapman, Ingrid Thomas and Alene Bonser. bawbawartsalliance.org.au THEATRE THE MAGIC FLUTE 13 Sep @ West Gippsland Arts
Centre, Warragul The Magic Flute is a quest for wisdom and true love. Taking inspiration from the movies, director Michael Gow and designer Robert Kemp have set their new touring production of Mozart’s final work for the stage as a rollicking adventure in 1930s Egypt. Full: $56/ concession: $50/ members $48/ youth $30 Bookings: wgac.com.au
Free. RSVPs preferred but not essential: 0438 204 706. 10:00 to 16:00. Deets: sustainablehouseday.com
THE WIZARD OF OZ PRESENTED BY WARRAGUL YOUTH THEATRE 30 Sep 1400 01 Oct 1100 and 1400 02 Oct 1400 and 1900 03 Oct 1400 West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul Warragul Youth Theatre return for more school holiday fun with their production of the much loved musical The Wizard of Oz! See story on Page 14 wgac.com.au
SENIORS WALK GLEN NAYOOK RESERVE & TRAILS AROUND ROKEBY 7 Oct @ Glen Nayook Rainforest Reserve & Rokeby Trails Free, bookings required: 5624 2497. Guided walk for active seniors through Glen Nayook Rainforest Reserve and trails around Rokeby. Includes morning tea and light lunch. Please note that walks are not suitable for those with walking frames, wheelchairs or limited/impaired mobility. This event is part of the Victorian Seniors Festival. Time: 09:00 to 14:30
AS WE FORGIVE 06 Oct @ West Gippsland Arts Centre, Warragul As We Forgive is a searing investigation of contemporary morality.This solo play has been written by Tom Holloway especially for Robert Jarman ( I Am My Own Wife, 2011) and is directed by the awardwinning Julian Meyrick. Three characters at the edges of society try to come to terms with the events in their lives. Each has a story to tell. Each has a reason for why they behaved as they did. 18+/ Full: $30/ concession: $25/ members $22/ youth $20 Bookings: wgac.com.au OTHER EVENTS CLIMATE REALITY PRESENTATION 12 Sep @ REstore, 79 Princes Hwy, Yarragon Nonmembers: $12/ members: $9 RSVPs preferred but not essential: 0438 204 706. Starts 19:30 bbsn.org.au ERICA 1914 CELEBRATION 14 Sep @ 1914 Café, 2 Henty Street Erica Free. Starts 14:00. 1914 Café & Bar is holding a complimentary Devonshire tea in the café courtyard for descendants of Upper Moondarra and Erica. Visitor books will be there to sign. SUSTAINABLE HOUSE DAY 14 Sep @ various addresses
FILM NIGHT: PASSIVE HOUSE REVOLUTION 25 Sep @ REstore, 79 Princes Hwy, Yarragon Nonmembers: $12/ members: $9 RSVPs preferred but not essential: 0438 204 706. Starts 19:30 bbsn.org.au
SPRING INTO NATURE 11 Oct @ Uralla Nature Reserve, Trafalgar. Free. RSVP to 0437 589 317. Trust for Nature’s Uralla Nature Reserve provides an experience of the varied forest habitats that once covered the Strzelecki Range foothills. Purchased with assistance from the RE Ross Trust, the Reserve is managed by Baw Baw Shire Council and Friends of Uralla Nature Reserve and supports endangered Shrubby Foothill Forest, Damp Forest, Strzelecki Warm Temperate Rainforest and a diverse range of flora and fauna. Activities include: • 10:00am: Fauna survey display and discussion with wildlife ecologist Ann Williamson. • 11:00am and 1:30pm: Guided nature walks and bird watching with naturalists and wildlife artist, Nicolas Day. • Dusk until late: Spotlighting for nocturnal fauna.. Time: 09:30 to late 14TH ANNUAL DROUIN LIONS CLUB GIPPSLAND BAW BAW GARDEN & HOME EXPO 11 12 Oct @ Lardner Park (Field Days site). Adults: $8. Kids under 16 free. Demonstrations by experts throughout the day. Held in three huge pavilions and surrounds. Time: 09:00 to 16:00 both days
14 | THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN 12 SEPTEMBER 2014
ARTS & RECREATION WYT visits Wayne Dwyer: the land of Oz building arches
In costume: Claire Thomas, Teigan Bliss and Grace Attard. Photo supplied by Warragul Youth Theatre.
Warragul Youth Theatre will begin its performances of The Wizard of Oz later this month. The Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen caught up with the cast to talk about what the production, and the story, meant to them. WBBC: What was it about the Wizard of Oz that made you want to be involved in the production and what can people expect? Nicholas Clark (Tin Man): Well I've been involved in WYT from a young age, and when I heard they were putting this show on I just had to be in it. It would be strong finale to my time involved. It's their first big show they're putting on. They've always done locally written shows. It's really exciting to see them doing something big. Grace Attard (Dorothy): We are sticking very close to the original storyline. We are hoping it will be just like the movie. WBBC: Are the characters diffi cult to play? Kyle Wright (The Wizard): I basically just practiced my lines and tried to make the character me and not the original actor. I wouldn't say it's a difficult role to play but it is definitely interesting to play. WBBC: The original film came out in 1939 and remains popular today. Why is it still relevant? Teigan Bliss (Glinda): Because it's such a classic story! The idea that there is "somewhere over the
rainbow" with witches, munchkins and talking animals is amazing, and the themes, no matter how old, are still relevant today. WBBC: The characters you're playing encourage us to reflect and build on ourselves. What have you learnt from your characters? Claire Thomas (The Lion): The Lion really teaches the mess age of being yourself. He keeps trying to impress everyone and show false bravado but when he is himself, he is accepted by the others. Whenever you play a char acter, you take a little bit of them with you, and playing the Lion has made me more confident. WBBC: How has the story chan ged for you having been part of it? Grace: I'll never want to watch the movie again because I can say every word of it! Claire: There's a lot of things that you don't pick up on in the movie! I think it has made me appreciate the story more. Nicholas: I never perceived the play in such a way as this. I just knew it and enjoyed it. But really analysing the texture of the play has added a new diversity, which I find really cool. Come and see it! Performance deets on Page 13.
A SUCCESSFUL metal band relea sing its albums for Europe from a home studio in the quiet town of Neerim South is not something most people would expect. Wayne Dwyer has been involved in music since he was 14 years old, and some of his earliest recordings have become popular with people across the world. "There was a kid who came to my school from another school who was in a band, and they needed a singer," Dwyer told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. "I'd never sung but became the singer. We were playing in pubs [by the time I was] 15. The drummer was 13." That band, Sea Wolf, recently reunited after 30 years and recorded a new album of old songs, expected to be released next year. But it was another early band, Captain Tripps, that recently caught the attention of an American record label seeking to market to the European heavy scene. "We recorded an album in 1992, released it on casette and split up in '93 or '94," Dwyer said. "Over the years it started popping up on the internet as rare thrash metal from Australia with these eclectic German collecters and people from sweden wanting to get a copy. "That was fine with us, and then about two years ago I was contacted by [a label] saying they wanted to release the album. "It's been selling great guns. We
sold about 500 copies which, for a band that hasn't played in 20 years, is extraordinary. Dwyer now works in marketing at the West Gippsland Arts Centre, but as part of cover band Chump has previously made a living from music. "I'd always played in original bands, and of course what happens when you play in an original band is you have to make a living, so I was doing work that I didn't enjoy," he said. "So myself and the drummer from Sea Wolf decided 'why don't we try to subsidise our love for original music by playing in a cover band?' "So we set it up as a business...in 1994. By 2000 I was making a really good living out of it and was able to quit my day job. The band played the MCG in 2004 for a soccer final in front of 91,000 people. "We used to get asked to do a lot of the sporting events. They'd fly us up to Queensland and we'd do the State of Origin rugby matches at Suncorp Stadium," he said. "The beauty of that was we got to
do things that we never would have got to do as an original band in Australia, especially in a heavy band. And playing in a cover band teaches you how to perform and how to write music. Dwyer formed a new band a few years ago called Vulvagun, and in 2011 released "Cold Moon Over Babylon". He is now working on the band's next album, but will be changing the band's name to Prometheus Arch. "I didn't think [Cold Moon] would sell one copy," Dwyer said. "The name started as a joke. We (the band) were talking about women's rights, and I'm passionate about women's rights and equality and stuff like that, so I said I would like to write a song called Vulvagun. "People get this wrong impr ession about what the name is about. I just think that if women ran the world it would be a much better place. Dwyer has a number of other bands on the go, including a Hawkwindinspired group called The Valium Matrix, and local cover band Liquid Horse.
FREE MUSIC DOWNLOAD
You can hear Wayne's band Vulvagun with this free MP3 download of the song Malachhi. Head to http://goo.gl/ekX8qE
Blues club moves to Drouin THE BAW Baw Blues Club has a new home in Drouin. The group, which meets monthly to jam, used to meet at a venue in Darnum. Organiser Angelo Saridis said the group would have its first gig at the Royal Hotel later this month. "We will give the front bar a go for the next jam and see how it ends up," he said. "I'm excited about it and I think its gonna be a great next step for the
Baw Baw Blues Club." "We will be kicking off with the first jam on September 21st, from 1pm to 5pm." "As usual, backline will be provided, just bring your instruments, a laidback attitude and an unhealthy obsession with blues music and we will take care of the rest." A spokesperson for the Royal Hotel encouraged people to attend the jam sessions and support local
music. The club, which is entirely free and welcomes anyone, carries that laidback attitude to other pub services. "The bar will be staffed and the Royal also caters for any of you wanting to get a meal in while you also fill your blues appetites," Mr Saridis said on social media. You can stay updated with the club's gigs on Facebook, just search for "Baw Baw Blues Club".
12 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN | 15 Stay updated with email updates: warragulcitizen.com/email
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Video stores just resting
Ricky Dyt of Top Video Warragul says he is confident about the future of local video retailers.
Blue bower stands tall THE most prominent product of Neerim South's Regional Develo pment Victoria Small Towns Transformations grant has been lifted into place at the town's main entrance. Workers lifted the enormous Neerim Bower artwork into place
on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Neerim Bower Arts Festival, which will celebrate the arts and the town, will run on 25 and 26 October. Image from the Neerim Bower Small Town Transformation Fac ebook page.
WITH the growth of online strea ming and piracy, it might come as a surprise to some that Baw Baw's video stores are stabilising, and even starting to make a comeback. Retailers are reporting that declines in sales have either slowed or are growing for the first time in years, but poorquality releases and a warm winter have hindered a greater return to form for the sector. For Leading Edge Video Drouin's Chris Barker, the influence of piracy is "a hard one to call." "I'm probably down about 30 per cent on two years ago, but only down 10 per cent from last year," he told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. "Everyone talks about how the downloading is an issue. I don't think that that's the major point. "I just think it's more that people aren't coming in because they're not watching movies any more, and the actual quality of movies has diminished too. "The weather doesn't help
Backyard Tourist
On the trail of Gippsland tourism By Greg Pretty MORE than 100 delegates atten ding the Gippsland Tourism Con ference heard Drouin South adventurer Tim Cope speak of the inspiration he draws from his upbringing in the region. Tim spoke of his horseback trek from Mongolia to Hungary across the Eurasian steppe, which was filmed for his multi awardwinning documentary series called 'The Trail of Genghis Khan'. He said people often asked him about his motivation to spend three years travelling 10,000 kilometres through Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Ru ssia, Ukraine and Hungary in harsh, sometimes subzero conditions. "One of the biggest factors in all of that was growing up in Gippsland," Tim said. "Skiing up at St Gwinear, doing my first bush walk at the Sealers Cove circuit at the Prom and surfing at Sandy Point. "In Gippsland the unique thing is that intersection between human society and that wildness in nature." After his documentary's success,
Tim spent four years writing the book 'On the Trail of Genghis Khan, An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads'. His appearance at Destination Gippsland's conference was part of a speaking tour supporting the book's publication. Baw Baw Shire Deputy Mayor Cr Debbie Brown was at the confe rence and found Tim “enthralling.” "I've heard Tim speak before but each time I hear him I learn something new," Cr Brown said. "He’s very good at sharing those personal discoveries and life lessons." Cr Brown said speakers at the conference focused on customer service and promoting a business on a small budget. “We learnt there are effective ways to go online and achieve publicity, usually with little money," Cr Brown said. “We also heard a lot about working together – go and see the snow, then go and see the penguins. “It was also good to learn that Tourism Victoria is encouraging Victorians to travel within their own state.”
Among the tourism operators from Baw Baw Shire at the conference was Julie McWilliams from Silvertop Cottages at Erica. Julie said her and her husband Noel had been flat out in recent months because of their proximity to Mt Baw Baw and the Walhalla Vinter Ljusfest. As an accommodation provider, Julie says she learnt a lot from listening to the owners of the Morwell Motel, which this year was crowned Australia's most popular bargain hotel by TripAdvisor. "That was valuable information for me," Julie said. "I learnt a lot from their experiences." Like Cr Brown, Julie also came away with a new understanding about using social media to promote her business. However, "the best thing was networking with people who have the same type of business." “We can learn so much from each other at an event like that,” Julie said. For more by Greg Pretty, visit www.greatergippsland.com
either." Mr Barker said he believed online piracy had had a greater influence on TV show rentals than films, which were affected by freetoair and pay TV services. But for industry veteran Ricky Dyt of Warragul's Top Video, piracy is still a big bottom line influence. "Over the last four years the big blockbusters have been down," Mr Dyt told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. "I think that's really affected by piracy, and the known titles, the top 10 per cent of titles, are really affected, [along with] local Austra lian films and TV series. Mr Dyt said the video industry had responded by lowering prices. "The price point has dropped away because obviously there's a lot of free content on the internet, whether it's legal or not legal it's still [competition]," he said. "I think going forward the two will coexist. Our figures are prob ably marginally up on 12 months
ago... but where it goes with tech nology going forward it's hard to say. "I think there will always be one store per town, and that's what's happened in the Latrobe Valley... but when I first started there was probably seven, eight, nine stores per town. "We've got a fair amount of confidence." Mr Barker was less positive about the longterm future of his business. "It is sustainable at this point, not well into the future," he said. The market has changed considerably in Mr Dyt's 26 years with Top Video, and stores have had to adapt to changing tastes. "For probably the first 20 years our income was 90 per cent new release stock, and now we're very big in TV," he said. "We rent out the total TV series in one hit... plus probably more [cash flow comes from] sales." "Probably 30 per cent of our income is from sales now too."
National listening RADIO GA GA with Greg Pretty SOME of the most creative radio you'll ever hear awaits you on Sunday mornings. 360 Documentaries on Radio National (621 AM) features some of the best radio documentaries produced in Australia and around the world. Take for example a doco called Beijing Static, broadcast four weeks ago. Understanding that radio is all about sound and how a listener's mind can form images based on what they're hearing, the producer accompanied two blind locals as they made their way around Beijing. They dodged vast crowds of people and chaotic roadways, navigating around relentless obstacles based on the sounds they encountered. It was a brilliant use of the audioonly medium and made for compelling listening. This week (14 September) 360 Documentaries will present some nonfiction radio storytelling called ‘The Radio Hour', recorded at the Melbourne Writer's Festival in August. This year's theme was ‘When Words Fail', with writers, radio producers and musicians performing live on stage. One of the pieces you'll hear is ‘Looking for Jacob' which asks the question, 'what goes through your head the splitsecond after you've been shot?' Claudia Taranto kept asking that question about her
uncle who died before she was born. That's at 10am Sunday on RN. Past episodes of 360 Documentaries can be found at the ABC's RN web site. Radio National's brief is to be a network of ideas and information. Weekdays begin with Fran Kelly's look at national and world affairs on RN Breakfast. Weekend versions are presented by Geraldine Doogue and Jonathan Green. The schedule for the rest of the day is diverse and often unique, not only on Australian radio but worldwide. For this columnist, some of the most creative and engaging radio being produced in Australia is on Radio National and Triple J (96.7 and 107.5 FM). Around Triple J's regular youth driven music format are specialist music shows and other features, all of which invite audience reaction and participation. Its daily half hour show 'Hack' proves that young people, at least the ones who listen to Triple J, are engaged with the affairs of their country and the world and have an opinion. We may know the extent of government budget cuts to the ABC by the end of the year. Here's hoping both these networks remain intact. Greg has worked in the radio industry for 38 years.
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ARTS & RECREATION
Mercury White launching new EP
Trafalgar High School Year 7/8 music elective students with Trafalgar Primary band Cootie Shot.
Schools of Rock
Traf High and Primary link music programs TRAFALGAR Primary School has started teaching music classes made up of Year 7 and 8 students from Trafalgar High School in an attempt to offer a different approach to music lessons. Trafalgar Primary music teacher Ben Smith's classroom is different to what most students see. On one wall is painted the sheet music for Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall, while floor space is permanently occupied by instru ments. "The goal of getting involved with the Year 7s and 8s is to try to compliment the music program at the high school," he told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. "Teachers do things differently, this is how I do things. "It's studentcentred, it's wholly oninstruments bands, individuals and duos, whatever but it's all about students playing what they like with people they like on instruments they like. "That, to me, is the whole point of music. Mr Smith has been running primary classes at a high school level, and is hoping to offer more for the secondary students coming to him for lessons. The collaboration with Trafalgar High is in its early stages, but the response so far has been positive. "We're running a 10week trial program as an elective, to try to provide an extra opportu nity for some talen
ted kids," he said. "We have a very successful music program here, worldrenowned, and we have people coming to us for advice. Secondary and primary. "This approach was developed in the United Kingdom because of a lack of kids wanting to do music at school, and yet it was one of the most popular activities outside of school. "And so they said 'well, what makes kids want to do it?' And it was playing music with their friends, playing instruments they want to play, playing music they want to play. "Ninetyfive per cent of the kids have no interest in doing a tertiary course and becoming musicians in that way. Most of them just want to play music and then through bands, if they want to do it they do it. "The focus of this is nonformal teaching and informal learning in the formal setting of a classroom. "Kids love it. At the primary level for many years now we have kids bashing down the doors at recess and lunchtime to come and play. "We've got heaps and heaps of bands happening, both in classes and at recess and lunch. "We've gone and competed in Battle of the Bands successfully against high school kids and won. This year we took two primary bands and one secondary band down. Mr Smith said students moving to the high school from the primary school continuing private tuition with primary school teachers made him approach the high school for
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something more formal. "I was trying to formalise that a bit and put something to the high school," he said. "On a week the high school sends 1718 Year 7s and 8s that come in for three hours on a Friday. "The high school's happy, the kids are happy, it's selfpaced so the kids will work on what they're going to work on, and I just kind of facilitate and help them." Mr Smith said the highlights for him included pushing some bands he knew in primary school to go further. "I'm getting to work with some students who I have worked with in the past," he said. "It's good to push them and challenge them to go further. "The highlights, I suppose, are seeing groups of kids take on a song in an hour and a half and actually getting it done. "And kids working in a group having a go at some music they wouldn't usually play, just because someone suggested 'hey, let's do this,' is great. "It's that attitude of having a go at something, whether it's in their comfort zone or not, that is an important part of what I do here." "They're straight over, nine in the morning they're at the door and bang, ready to get started. "It's kind of fun, it's different, working with an older age group as well. Mr Smith started work at the primary school in 2004. In that time he has developed a whole school music program.
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Ready to launch: Mercury White will launch a new EP in October. Photo supplied.
BAW Bawbased band Mercury White will release its new EP in October with a gig at the O&H in Warragul. For the new release the band's sound has changed significantly, which, for keyboard player/vocalist and lead songwriter Paul "Coops" Cooper is a step in the right direction, and is closer than ever to finding its sound. "It's a tricky question because to find your sound you sort of don't realise it until it has happened," he told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. "We really have got as close as we've ever got to creating something that people listen to and know it's us. "I would describe it as a really big, layered, epic sort of sound. Really sound scapeey. "We did have that immaturity stage where we had songs that sort of sounded like other bands." The band's lineup has changed since it first formed around five years ago. "We did an EP, an east coast tour, a film clip and all that jazz a few years ago," Cooper said. "When we got back from that we were all fired up ready to go, and then we had some problems our drummer broke his finger and got sick and we missed our recording dates. "Everything went a bit crazy and a few of us decided to go to school, but when I went to school I met some really cool music students that were in my class and they're now in my band. "Everything sort of changed around and now we have a new EP and a totally new sound. "The EP is called 'Sophisticate', and it's sort of what has happened
to our sound. "We've learnt a lot over the years. I've got into sound engineering so I've learnt how instruments work, which is pretty important in a five piece. "So we've sort of sophisticated our sound a bit and really concentrated on our song writing. "We've also worked with a producer from Sydney who is really really great. "We brought him some songs and he really turned them upside down and really brought them out to be the best they could be." The new lineup is also starting to see a shift in song writing respons ibilities. "The new EP is three of my songs but recently we're sort of getting together to write together now," Cooper said. "Because the new lineup is only about a year old we've just got to that point where we can get together and write, which is really exciting. "Following from this EP we should have new material pretty quick. "We're already doing the album at the moment. I've got my own recording studio now and we're getting together two nights a week and recording. "Hopefully once this EP comes out we'll get some attention, maybe some label interest, and jump straight into this album. "It will be really great to get the album out next year." Cooper said launching at the O&H (see gig guide on Page 13 for details) was something the band was looking forward to. "It is really cool," he said. "There hasn't been a live music scene down that way for ages.
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