Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen 16 January 2015

Warragul & Baw Baw

MONTHLY // FRIDAY 16 JANUARY 2015

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CUTS A THREAT TO DOCS + 3GG SOLD! FULL STORIES: PAGE 4

Driving through history ORGANISERS of the "Back In Time" event in Noojee on Sun­ day have said the turn out for the event exceeded expectations.

The event, held by the Noojee Historical Society, featured classic cars, traction engine rides, histo­ rical displays, raffles and other events and was held at the Noojee Railway Station, recently rebuilt by society volunteers.

Society president Lynn Mizen told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen the group was now looking to make the meet an annual event.

"I think it's exceeded our expectations," she said.

"It started off as an idea with the Ford car club saying they wanted to come down for a drive and we thought 'well, why don't we build an event around it?'

"We got in... Cont. Page 4> PICTURED: Gary Aitken, Alex Schellekens, Lucas Schellekens and Brian Aitken work on a Foden traction engine in Noojee on Sunday.

UNFARE

By William Kulich

COMMUTERS travelling between Gippsland and Melbourne by rail will see no drop in ticket prices despite the state government slas­ hing metropolitan ticket prices.

Customers travelling in myki ticket zones 1 and 2, which covers

Harriet Shing moves in

Page 2

Rail ticket costs down in city, up in country

stations between the Melbourne CBD and Pakenham, enjoyed a ticket cost drop of around $5 on a full fare daily ticket at the start of the month.

There was however no drop in

'White gold' rush

Page 3

the cost of travelling from regional areas to the city despite those journeys travelling through the discounted zones. In fact, fares increased with CPI on 1 January.

Travel on V/Line services in

Snapped: events, gigs & more Page 6

metropolitan zones is restricted to prevent most metropolitan passen­ gers boarding regional services, however such rules do not apply to those travelling between Melbourne and stations at the end of Zone 2,

Saving the holidays Page 7

for example Pakenham which is serviced both by the Gippsland regional line and Pakenham metro­ politan line. The reduction of Zone 1 and 2 fares with no change to regional fares covering the same zones means passengers travelling only between Pakenham and Melb­ ourne Continued on Page 4 >

New local music releases Page 7

LOCAL NEWS 2 | THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN 16 JANUARY 2015

Harriet Shing moves in WHILE there was no change in the lower house seat of Narracan as a result of last November's state election, the corresponding upper house seats in the sprawling East­ ern Victoria Region now feature several new faces.

One of those faces is Labor's Harriet Shing, who earlier this month moved into her new electo­ rate office on Napier Street, Warra­ gul. The office was previously occupied by Labor's Matt Viney, who retired at the 2014 election having represented the region since 2002.

Ms Shing is not new to the Eastern Victoria Region, but is still settling into her new town of Warragul after moving here a year ago.

The Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen sat down with Ms Shing to discuss her background, what drove her to enter politics and several ele­ ctorate issues.

WBBC: Although you obviously had enough support to be the second most popular candidate in the region, a lot of people will be wondering who you are and what is your background.

HS: I grew up in the Danden­ ongs and went to school in the very outer­eastern suburbs at the edge of Melbourne. I studied arts/law at Monash University and also studied overseas, did an honours thesis in German and lived and studied in Germany for a while. And I've worked for the Australian Services Union as a lawyer. I've worked in private practice as a lawyer as well and was industrial relations man­ ager in the Department of Premier and Cabinet for some time in the Bracks/Brumby government and have also been an associate to a member of the Industrial Relations Commission, which is now called the Fair Work Commission. So employment and industrial relat­ ions laws are very much a part of my background.

WBBC: So what made you want to get into parliament?

HS: My background shows pretty clearly I've done a fair bit of public service, and I think politics is another version of public service.

One of the things that strikes me is the benefit of education. I had the opportunity to access great primary, secondary and tertiary education and a lot of people don't. A lot of people don't have the opportunities that I had not because I did anything spectacular or special but because of where and how I was born and the opportunities my parents had and I think that when

Above: Harriet Shing outside her new electorate office, which was previously occupied by her predecessor Matt Viney.

you have those opportunities you have an obligation to contribute and pay it forward, so that's what I'm hoping to do.

WBBC: That brings up an issue which affected this region quite considerably under the previous state government ­ changes to TAFE funding saw courses dropped by what was then GippsTAFE and the closure of the Wattleseed Training Restaurant. What is Labor going to do about that, can we expect to see funding for more to happen in Warragul?

HS: Absolutely. There was, as part of Labor's commitment to restore a heartbeat to TAFE, a commitment to provide an initial $300 million in funding after the $1.2 billion in cuts under the coalition. The TAFE review is also a really important part where the La­ bor government will assess what's missing from TAFE and where and how we ensure that educational op­ portunities to young people again.

WBBC: I'm assuming the goal of the review is to put more money in rather than to find efficiencies?

HS: I would really hope so, I think that there's always room for a system to improve. The Premier has been really really clear about the importance of providing better opportunities to everyone across Victoria to access different courses and training, whether that's a tech

school, one of which will be in Morwell, but also in addition to that, restoring the LLENs and the TAFE sector.

WBBC: What kind of time frame is it until that review comes back?

HS: It will be a process for the review to determine when and how.

WBBC: Oh right, so it could be years down the track?

HS: No no, it's not going to be something that we drag our heels on. Daniel Andrews has been really really clear about that needing to happen as a priority.

WBBC: Is it daunting to have such a massive electorate?

HS: It's huge! I've got a really wonderful parliamentary colleague in Daniel Mulino, and he and I are working out how we best cover that to ensure people have as much ready access to us as possible.

WBBC: Since moving into this office you've already had people drop in. What have been the issues they have been raising?

HS: There are issues and concerns around public housing and around access to improved amenity and services, and also jobs around local jobs and industry ­ people are really concerned about the future of employment opportu­ nities, and again education. These are all issues that featured very highly as Labor priorities and it's something which the community

was very very strong about in bringing to my attention, and that was across the whole of Gippsland.

WBBC: On the topic of jobs in regional areas, the Regional Growth Fund and the Latrobe Valley Indus­ try and Infrastructure Fund were both Liberal party­introduced prog­ rams. Will Labor look to continue those programs with a renewal of those programs? Because those did see grants given to a lot of local businesses to help employment.

HS: The Future Industries Fund and regional development is a really key priority for Labor. We need to have a really good, strategic focus on regional growth and developm­ ent and to identify options and areas for growth. Labor's identified six areas for focus, which include pulp and paper, food and fibre technology, and also renewable technology. Those are the sorts of things which we can really focus on to create competitive advantage for Gippsland.

WBBC: But the previous funds appear to have been a successful way of supporting growth of busin­ esses, would there be any move to renew funding for those programs too?

HS: There is capacity for funding for business and industry, so there shouldn't be concern about fearmo­ ngering from the Coalition that business isn't a priority for Labor.

Economic growth is a really strong part of Labor's focus.

WBBC: The focus of the question was whether these progr­ ams would be kept.

HS: Programs and funding have been the subject of individual announcements and commitments from Labor, so it comes down not to the name of the scheme in parti­ cular but the funding arrangements which have occurred under those umbrellas and the way funding can continue.

WBBC: You mentioned Labor was looking to grow renewable ene­ rgy. Gippsland has some very windy places and Labor has very different views on wind farms to the Coal­ ition which made the construction of turbines very difficult. What would you like to see in the area?

HS: I am a fan of wind and solar energy. I think the uptake of solar in the domestic market has shown it really can work. I think that renew­ able energy technology is a really important component of transiti­ oning from finite energy sources.

WBBC: What are Labor's views on the future of the coal mines in the Latrobe Valley?

HS: The current energy mix can be better, and that's where the consideration of emerging technologies is important.

WBBC: Is that emerging technologies to replace the coal or to work alongside coal?

HS: I think in the immediate term it is to work alongside. I think when we're talking about any sort of transition it's hardly sensible to talk about cutting one source of energy off immediately. It has to be done in a considered way [and] it has to be done in a way that takes into account local jobs.

WBBC: There was also a move under the coalition to look to expor­ ting brown coal from the valley.

HS: Yes. The professional views on the brown coal we have from the valley are not enormously complim­ entary. The brown coal we have is highly volatile when dried out and inordinately wet when it's not, and to export that it either needs to be reduced to sludge or transported very carefully. I think export markets should always be exam­ ined, but markets also change really quickly. If there are commercial opportunities, and they're able to deliver productivity, outcomes and economic benefit for the valley, then I think by all means they need to be considered.

More from this interview will be published in future editions of WBBC.

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Rakesh cashes in on 'white gold' rush THE MAN who ignored the banks and turned a mothballed milk factory in Longwarry into a succe­ ssful export­oriented dairy manuf­ acturer has sold his company for $67 million.

Rakesh Aggarwal last month sold Longwarry Food Park, producer of milk carrying the popular Gippy Mi­ lk brand and other products, to the French­owned Parmalat Australia.

The decision to sell was not an easy one ­ Mr Aggarwal had been building the business since 2001.

"Yes it was difficult," he told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen.

"The business has grown quite a bit over time and we can see that milk is going to do very well in the future, in fact it's no longer milk, it's white gold that we produce in Australia.

"But to get to the next level of growth in the business, the business needed significant investment that we as a family couldn't make. We made a decision that we needed to find somebody who would be able to take the business to the next level."

The business has prided itself on being family­owned and, according to the food park's website, "comm­ itted to reinvesting back in the Australian community." Asked how the sale to a multinational fitted with that idea, Mr Aggarwal said the expansion plans under the new ow­ ners would benefit the region.

"I think Parmalat would be able to make the business grow even more and at a much faster rate than what we've done," he said.

"Parmalat has [invested] about $200 million in the last 12 months in Australian export­oriented dairy

Pictured: Rakesh Aggarwal will continue to manage Longwarry Food Park.

businesses. I think it would be a great thing for Australia, for Longw­ arry Food Park, and for the region to have such a strong player which will have export focus to take our dairy products to a world market."

Mr Aggarwal said he will conti­ nue to work at the company despite the multi­million dollar sale.

"I would like to stay back with the business as long as possible. That's what I enjoy most and this is what all my blood, tears and sweat have gone into and I would like to see the growth.

Mr Aggarwal will also continue to run his food processing and resea­

rch company Saurin Group, which was not a part of the Parmalat sale.

Several options for funding the expansion of the company were considered before the sale, includ­ ing a potential float on the ASX. But "this was the best option for the business."

Planned expansion projects focu­ sed on milk powder and UHT milk production.

"There are many areas of growth that have potential for Longwarry," Mr Aggarwal said.

"One area is UHT, which the new owners plan to do fairly shortly, then we also intend to make our

dried milk more diversified, to be able to do more products with [it]."

Longwarry Food Park already exports to around 30 countries.

Gippy Milk products are exported to China, Vietnam and the Philli­ penes, and other products to count­ ries in South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

"What attracted [Parmalat Austr­ alia] to our business was the export­ oriented nature of the business," Mr Aggarwal said.

"It gives them a new market. If you go to any major city in China, in any supermarket you will definitely find Gippy on the shelves.

"I think this site would be an export­oriented place. We export more than 80 per cent of our product even today, and I think that will continue and grow.

"They already have a huge presence in Australia in terms of domestic market, so it will make more sense to export into overseas markets and grow there."

The Gippy Milk brand was sold as part of the sale and will continue to be used by Parmalat. Fresh milk with the Gippy label is sold in Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

The food park presently employs around 50 people at any one time, and Mr Aggarwal said under his management that was expected to double in the next three years "but with Parmalat involved I believe growth will be much faster."

There will be no changes to milk suppliers' contracts, and it is expec­ ted the company will look to source more milk locally as part of its expansion.

Residential expansion a risk

Asked whether he thought resid­ ential expansion into farm land was a risk for dairy in West Gippsland, Mr Aggarwal said "we shouldn't allow the conversion of dairy land into residential land."

"Dairy is an important and susta­ inable business model in Australia," he said.

"It's one of those products that not many countries can do as well as we can in Australia.

"We as a country must encourage dairying as a profession and keep it growing [to] be the food bowl of Asia and the rest of the world."

LOCAL NEWS 4 | THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN 16 JANUARY 2015

Metro commuters pay less for regional service

3GG buyer found

By Greg Pretty AFTER last year's failed sale atte­ mpt, Warragul radio station 3GG has finally sold.

Resonate Broadcasting has sold the AM station to Capital Radio network owner Kevin Blyton.

Mr Blyton has a growing portf­ olio of broadcasters, including 2CA and 2CC in Canberra, 2XL and Snow FM Cooma, as well as stations in Perth and Goulburn.

3GG will be his first Victorian station.

The sale of Gippsland's third oldest radio station for an undis­ closed amount follows a failed atte­

mpt last year. 3GG was under contract to be sold to Dan Bradley’s fledgling Watermark Media in May but the sale fell through in August.

Mr Blyton said "3GG has a proud history of strongly serving the Gippsland area which will continue under my ownership."

3GG went to air with the callsign 3UL in 1937, preceded in the region only by 3TR (1932) and 3GI (1935).

3UL's original licence holder was the Argus newspaper, which was already operating radio stations in Melbourne, Shepparton and Warrn­ ambool.

3UL was renamed 3GG when it temporarily moved studios to

Traralgon in 1989.

While not being drawn on any future plans for 3GG, Mr Blyton said "the station will continue its long standing ties with local comm­ unities throughout Gippsland and be managed and operated by local people.”

It is believed Resonate offloaded 3GG to help fund an expansion of its network of stations in Queensl­ and. The company currently holds four licences in that state and another four on Hawaii’s Big Island.

3GG was its only station in Victoria.

For more by Greg on the history of 3GG, visit greatergippsland.com and search for "3GG".

Back In Time at Noojee <from Page 1 during peak periods now pay less than half as much as those travelling further east do for travel in those two zones.

The Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen has been told there are no changes planned for Gippsland line services.

The Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen asked a spokesperson for Public Transport Victoria ­ the body responsible for overseeing public transport in Victoria ­ whether there would be a review into continuing to allow Pakenham commuters on V/Line services given the price difference and the high number of seats taken by Zone 2 commuters on overcrowded evening peak services.

"PTV continuously reviews how the public transport system can be strengthened or improved as part of its regular business activity," the spokesperson replied.

"Community feedback regarding how PTV can improve service provision is always welcome."

The spokesperson added some V/Line commuters on the Ballarat line had benefited from the changes and suggested Gippsland line custo­ mers buy in bulk to make savings.

"V/Line customers travelling beyond Zone 2 can also receive heavily discounted myki passes.

Customers travelling from Southern Cross to Traralgon can purchase a 70 day myki pass at a cost of $12.16 a day. This is only slightly above what the cost of a Zone 1 and 2 daily

fare was prior to the reduction in Zone 1 and 2 pricing ($12.12)." myki passes require payment for all days between the start and end of the pass period regardless of whether any trips are made. They are also available to Zone 1 and 2 commuters.

A spokesperson for Victorian public transport minister Jacinta Allan did not respond to questions from the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen on why regional fares were not reduced with the metropolitan reduction, whether or not the department believed it was time to review allowing customers who could catch Metro services to travel with V/Line and whether Labor would reduce regional fares.

The spokesperson did, however, say the introduction of the free tram zone in the Melbourne CBD could benefit Gippslanders staying in Melbourne for more than one night.

"Labor has already got to work fixing our public transport system, introducing cheaper fares through the free tram zone and the elimination of Zone 1+2 tickets, which will directly benefit regional visitors to Melbourne," the spokesp­ erson said.

Homesafe update The spokesperson for the public transport minister said detailed planning for Homesafe ­ the 2am bus service to regional centres pro­ mised by Labor ­ was underway.

Ticketing and other service deta­ ils are yet to be determined.

<from Page 1 the realm of 70 car entrants, so that was really good ­ we were hoping for around 30.

"I think after today we will certainly look at this becoming an annual event, certainly with the classic cars.

"I think the idea is we will probably run two major events a year, this being one of them."

Ms Mizen said most visitors were from within Baw Baw, especially the towns of Trafalgar and Warragul.

"We advertised around the dist­ rict, so I think that's where a lot of people have come from," she said.

The society officially opened the rebuilt station building in March last year and, despite a slow start, the historical centre housed within and the steam locomotive on

LATE BREAKING UPDATE: The federal government announc­ ed yesterday the changes to the rebate will not go ahead on Mon­ day as previously announced, ho­ wever some form of co­payment will be considered in the future.

GENERAL practitioners from me­ dical clinics across West and Cent­ ral Gippsland have warned fede­ ral government cuts to Medicare could "threaten the viability of local... clinics."

The funding changes which were to be introduced on Monday would have seen the government cut the rebate for doctor visits lasting less than 10 minutes by more than $20, a cost for GPs which would likely have passed on to patients.

GPs from 12 clinics between

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ude further rebuilding and restor­ ation, however plans to restore the historic locomotive on the site to working order are not a priority.

"In terms of any major restorat­ ion [of the locomotive], you're looking at really significant funds to be able to do that. The idea is to try to get it into a better state than it is now in terms of the rust and paint­ ing, but to ever get it working as a locomotive is a significant amount of money," she said.

"I think there's other things we want to do first, like our next major project is the goods shed. Then we can store historical artefacts that we can't fit in the station."

The goods shed project will invo­ lve reconstructing the shed which used to be on the site from scratch.

Federal cuts a threat to local GPs

BECOMING TWICE MONTHLY IN FEBRUARY

Distribution across Baw Baw. Printing 5,000 copies.

display outside it have begun to firm as a tourist destination.

"The society has a group of very dedicated volunteers, [and] as people have got to know that the centre's here and word of mouth has [spread, visitor numbers have increased.]

"Certainly in the couple of mon­ ths before Christmas we were gett­ ing really good patronage on the weekends.

"We actually now have gone out to groups and we do a day visit for Probus clubs and other groups, who have even come down from Mildura and Melbourne, where we do a day thing for them so it's not on a normal weekend.

"They love it."

Future plans for the group incl­

ABOUT Formerly The Warragul Citizen Editor: William PJ Kulich editor@warragulcitizen.com PO Box 1111 Warragul, VIC, 3820 Also designer and owner Articles and photos without author credits are by the editor Please support those who support WBBC Know something you think WBBC should cover? Please email your suggestion to editor@warragulcitizen.com

Warragul and Traralgon met in Moe earlier this week to discuss changes.

"The Federal Government’s deci­ sion to implement these changes will impact on both the cost and the availability of health care in the Gippsland and Latrobe Valley com­ munity," Gippsland General Prac­ tice Forum spokesperson Dr Robert Birks said in a media release.

"This change alone will cost patients four times the Governm­ ent’s announced $5 reduction in the rebate for longer consultations and force clinics to reduce the amount of unfunded nursing hours.

"Doctors are concerned that the cumulative effect of the Federal Government cuts may lead to service reductions and ultimately clinic closures in smaller centres."

Dr Birks said job losses "seemed

to be inevitable" should such changes go ahead.

"The government did not consult with the AMA or GPs about these changes," he said.

The changes to rebates would not have lasted long even if they had not been withdrawn ­ senators from the Labor party and the Greens, along with a number of cross bench senators, have said they would vote to overturn any changes.

Prime minister Tony Abbott has told media the change needs to happen.

"We are serious about budget responsibility," he said.

"I say to all of the critics, if you don't like what we are doing come up with your alternative because we simply cannot go on... as a country living beyond our means."

COMMENT Calls for a progressive council

16 JANUARY 2015 THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN | 5

Got something to say? Email editor@warragulcitizen.com or tweet to @WarragulCitizen

LAST month WBBC published a front page story showing Baw Baw's mayors since 2012, Murray Cook and Debbie Brown, did not think it was this council's role to innovate on policy, a very different position to that of the leaders before them.

The paper has since received a number of lengthy replies to the article. This first of these was a comment from Ruth McGowan, posted at warragulcitizen.com: I'm making these comments as a former Baw Baw mayor and councillor who is somewhat confu­ sed about what this current council actually stands for after reading the recent comments in the Warra­ gul and Baw Baw Citizen.

It is often said “management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” As ratepa­ yers we aim to elect leaders, not bureaucrats.

"Advocating for the community" at various forums should be a part of a councillor's job, but not the main focus, as it’s also something that the council CEO and directors do as part of their normal, everyd­ ay work. Surely we as ratepayers aim to elect leaders not bureau­ crats?

By definition, if current councill­ ors just "follow the lead" of other innovative councils then they are n­ ot leading, just managing, and our well­paid council staff can do that.

Ideally, leaders should inspire us, as a community, with a vision to take us from point A to point B. And then, take the community alo­ ng with them. That’s how the Baw Baw 2050/Shaping the Future vis­

ion was established five years ago.

With extensive community consult­ ation, a strategic plan was develo­ ped to take us into a future, desig­ ned by our citizens. That plan is bearing fruit as Warragul and Drouin face a growing building boom and development. Without it, now we would "just be another Pakenham" as so many people feared.

The previous council was progr­ essive, because things had to be done. As a member of that 2009 – 2012 council I make no apologies for having a vision of what this community could be. An example of our innovative planning was mak­ ing it a requirement that "active by design" guidelines were built into all new housing estate developm­ ents to assist people being active; an important thing to do when obe­ sity rates are climbing. This initia­ tive won Baw Baw a national award from the Heart Foundation along with many other programs Baw Baw used to show leadership in. Other initiatives such as the Youth Council set up in 2009 to prepare tomorrow's young to be leaders have now been scrapped by the current council.

So, I’m confused – do we want followers in the chamber or do we want leaders? I guess the next elec­ tion will demonstrate the commu­ nity’s wishes now that the (in)acti­ ons of this council are becoming obvious.

Responses to the article were largely critical to the more conservative approach of the present council, however one letter to the editor from Walter Sholl of

Trafalgar supports recent develop­ ments: Compare the current "conser­ vative" council with the previous so­called "progressive" council. It is all very well to be progressive, but at what cost? The last two years of the progressive council’s term resulted in rate rises of 11.2 per cent and 8.9 per cent respec­ tively.

The example given, in relation to the smoking bans, is a state government issue, not a local government matter as rightly stated by Baw Baw mayor Debbie Brown, and was not funded by the state government. There is also the point that one must take respo­ nsibility for one's own well being and that of those nearby.

Australia is still considered to be a Christian country, built on Christian values and I applaud the former mayor, Cr Cook for reinstating an opening prayer at Council meetings. For those who don’t hold Christian beliefs, these could be times of silent reflection on their purposes for being in the community’s services.

The comparison of the former and current councils can be sum­ med up by the ratepayers’ response at the last election when six of the nine "progressive" council mem­ bers were not re­elected, including Julie Grant (who was also quoted in WBBC's article), because basic infrastructure such as roads and drainage were being neglected.

It should be noted that Ms Grant, although having stood for council on a number of occasions never won a seat in her own right and

when eventually joining council, it was on a count back following the resignation of another councillor.

One can only take Ms Grant’s comments as sour grapes.

As a former councillor and shire president of another Gippsland municipality, I congratulate the current councillors on their "back to basics" attitude, particularly their attention to the budget and getting on with the job they were elected by the ratepayers to do.

Walter's letter was the only one received indicating support for the council and an online poll condu­ cted by WBBC (albeit with a tiny sample size) suggested people in Baw Baw think their council should lead with innovative policies.

The majority of comments recei­ ved on the issue were critical of the present council. For example, this post by "Jack B" on our website, warragulcitizen.com: True leadership takes guts and courage to stand out from what everyone else is doing, when it is needed by your community. Sadly, it seems that genuine leadership is missing with this council.

We finish on this suggestion from "Tony", also posted at warragulcitizen.com: As ludicrous as this sounds, if you have an idea on how to improve something in our commu­ nity, suggest it to a neighbouring council and get them to implement it and gain the benefits. Then, and only then, will the Baw Baw Flat Earth Society take it seriously!

Advertorial policy THE Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen newspaper does not publ­ ish unmarked advertorial content.

While uncited positive news coverage of advertisers is often fou­ nd in newspapers, 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 busin­ esses will be run when the editor sees fit, not when advertisers pay.

WHAT'S ON IN BAW BAW 6 | THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN 16 JANUARY 2015

GIG GUIDE IN ORDER OF PERFORMANCE DATE

The Baw Baw Dive­In Movie screenings will also feature music.

See "Events" for deets.

EVENTS

GIPPSLAND GEM SHOW 17+18 Jan @ Yarragon Town Hall

FLAMING MOES DUO 16 Jan @ Middels, Drouin Free STEPHEN McCULOCK 16 Jan @ BANK Warragul MICK & GRAHAM 17 Jan @ BANK Warragul WILL SHEILS 17 Jan @ Warragul Farmers'/Arts market, Civic Park See profile on Page 11 Time: 11.00. Free SESSIONS WITH GRAHAM HAWES 18 Jan @ BANK Warragul SWEETLIP 23 Jan @ Middels, Drouin Free THE ANIMATORS + MERCURY WHITE + LOBES OF JULIA 24 Jan @ The O&H, Warragul Animators EP Launch.

ANDREW SWIFT 24 Jan @ Criterion Hotel, Trafalgar Time: 2100 ­ late Entry: $5 MARTY BOX 25 Jan @ Criterion Hotel, Trafalgar Time: 1400 ­ 1700 LEVI McGRATH 30 Jan @ Middels, Drouin Free ANDREA MARR & BAND 04 Feb @ BANK Warragul Blues & Roots club gig SNAKE AND WALLY 06 Feb @ Middels, Drouin Free EMILY MURDICA 13 Feb @ Middels, Drouin Free CHAMBER PHILHARMONIA COLOGNE 28 Jan @ St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Warragul After several successful European tours in 2013, Germany's Chamber Philharmonia Cologne is coming back to Australia and New Zealand with a powerful new program. The group's expanding hand­picked repertoire is broad. The group says the appeal of its program "lies in the meeting of popular and unknown works from a wide variety of musical epochs."

Time: 2000.

Tix: on sale at the venue on the night from one hour before start.

Cash only.

LOBES OF JULIA 31 Jan @ The O&H, Warragul Free.

ZAC GOODWIN TRIO 7 Feb @ The O&H, Warragul Covers.

Free.

NOMAS TEGRO 14 Feb @ The O&H, Warragul.

Free.

LOBES OF JULIA 21 Feb @ The O&H, Warragul Free.

HAVE A GIG OR EVENT COMING UP? Get it listed here. Email deets to editor@warragulcitizen.com.

The Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen supports local live music.

Above: last year's junior showcase winner Tylah.

The Warragul and District Lapidary Club will be hosting the Combined Gippsland Gem Show this month.

Held at the Yarragon Town Hall, all the Gippsland Gem Clubs will be represented, with displays and sales of interesting rocks, minerals, gems and fossils as well as hand crafted jewellery.

For more information about the show or the Warragul and District Lapidary Club, email Secretary Ruth at wdlc@dcsi.net.au.

Entry: adults $5 / concession and children free.

BAW BAW SUMMER POOLS: DIVE­IN MOVIE Bring along your pool noodles, pool lounge chairs and li­los for a night of splashing fun! Wet weather policy applies. Movies will be postponed (except Rawson) in the event of bad weather. Normal entry fees apply. Movie showing: The Lego Movie.

Times: music from 1700, BBQ between 1830 and 1930, movie from 2000.

Dates and locations: 17 Jan: Drouin Outdoor Pool 19 Jan: Rawson Pool 20 Jan: Thorpdale Outdoor Pool 23 Jan: Neerim South Outdoor Pool NEERIM AND DISTRICT COUNTRY SHOW 25 Jan @ Neerim Recreation Reserve The Neerim District Country Show has been a successful agricultural and horticultural show and the enjoyment of the local community and visitors for almost a century.

The Show is a major festival for the Neerim District and provides many activities for the local community and its visitors to the district to enjoy.

Being family and children focused, the show provides a great opportunity for youth to demonstrate their skills in a friendly environment.

Encouragement is given for the community to display their skills in various exhibitions.

School children are encouraged to present individual art drawings for show and to participate in the show personality event that is part of the festival. These junior programs help in developing their confidence and communication skills in front of an audience.

Entry:adults $15/ kids free.

Unlimited rides wristbands $25 until COB 24 Jan from the Neerim District Community Bank or $30 at office on show day.

DROUIN FICIFOLIA FESTIVAL 12 ­ 15 Feb @ Drouin Civic Park and township Drouin Ficifolia Festival Celebrate all things Drouin with the 2015 theme “I love Drouin”. Program includes the popular street parade, party in the park market, movie in the park, Drouin Ficifolia Art Show, Open Studios and fireworks.

Free. Web: ficifoliafestival.org.au

E: jess.mckellarelec@bigpond.com

FICIFOLIA ART SHOW 12 Feb (1930­2130) ­ 15 Feb @ Drouin Football Club Social Room The official opening of the art show and presentation of awards will be held on the opening night. Work from the artists of Baw Baw and beyond. Rob Robson, manager of arts, culture and events at the Baw Baw Shire Council, will officially open the event.

Tix: Opening night: adults $10/ exhibitors $5/ concession and children $5. Tickets can be purchased from The Station Gallery in Yarragon or at the door.

Other days: gold coin donation.

SEASONS OF PAIN ­ SUMMER 14 Feb @ Mt Baw Baw Alpine Resort Multisport athletes, fitness fans and families alike can experience the amazing summer conditions at Mt Baw Baw on 14 Feb when they participate in the second round of the expanded Seasons of Pain multisport series held on the flanks of Victorian alpine resort, Mount Baw Baw. The series, in its third year, has introduced sprint, enduro and kids formats for the first time, allowing adventure racers of all abilities and fitness levels to participate.

Spring edition sprint racers will tackle a 5km run and 5km ride followed by the notorious ‘Sting’, which has been lengthened to a 4km run. Enduro competitors will sign up for an extra dose of adventure with a 12.5km run, 14km ride and the ‘Sting’.

For a complete family experience bring the kids along and they can try the 1km run, 2 km ride and 400m ‘sting’.

For more information and to enter visit seasonsofpain.com.au/next­ race SHAKESPEARE IN THE VINES: MACBETH 15 Feb @ Wild Dog Winery

Above: Macbeth and the witches.

Image supplied The acclaimed Essential Theatre Company will tour its Shakespeare in the Vines for its lucky thirteenth year and the Wild Dog Winery leg will go ahead. Sophie Lampel, Director of the Essential Theatre Company said their choice of Macbeth was a welcomed break for audiences who love outdoor theatre and have seen all the comedies multiple times.

"Macbeth is exciting! It’s a bit dark and moody and not your usual romp through the vines but we thought our thirteenth year would be a great excuse to do something a bit different. We’ve had fabulous feedback from our audiences so far.

It’s very fast­paced and energetic and we are loving each performance," Sophie said.

Time: From 1700 Tix: macbethwilddog.eventbrite.co m.au NEW MARKET: NEERIM DISTRICT ALLEY MARKET The Neerim District Alley market will be held between 0900 and 1300 on the 4th Sunday of each month in the laneway and rear car park between Neerim District Com­ munity Bank and Foodworks Supe­ rmarket in Neerim South.

The market will initially accommo­ date 12 to 15 stall holders in the short term, with a view for greater expansion, momentum allowing.

Snapp

ARTS & RECREATION

16 JANUARY 2015 THE WARRAGUL & BAW BAW CITIZEN | 7

ed

New Saving the releases holidays

Backyard Tourist with Greg Pretty

SBMRGE Roam (Ft. Belle Jarre)

SBMRGE, creator of some of the region's greatest electronic music, has teamed up with Melbourne singer Belle Jarre to produce a spectacular new track.

The Drouin­based musician, real name Cooper Dodge, has kept to his usual euphoric electronic style while proving he is not only capable of instrumental songs. This latest release perfectly balances Jarre's impressive, soaring vocals with the bouncy notes of Dodge's synths.

There is plenty more for fans of SBMRGE to look forward to.

Responding to fan mail on Faceb­ ook, Dodge said "there's a lot of music in the works behind the scenes at the moment" ­ pleasing news after the writer's block the musician experienced late last year.

You can read up about SBMRGE at warragulcitizen.com ­ just search for "SBMRGE".

To hear his latest track and more, head to soundcloud.com/sbmrge.

released his third solo album, "Circle in a Square".

Angerame, who goes by the name of Grid Method, has changed his sound with this latest release. The new album has a much more simpl­ istic, hook­driven sound compared to his earlier works. Largely gone are the atmospheric vocal and elec­ tric guitar echos of "Grind Method" and the experimentation of "Mee­ ting with an Alien".

One of the more notable songs on this release is the title track. Carried largely by soft, simple acoustic guitar, Angerame shows off his bea­ utifully soft voice with self­made harmonies.

While remaining simple, the song is interesting until the end with a carefully considered build which gradually pulls in electric guitar and drums.

In comparison, Got to Be Careful is based around a rapid cycling between a chorus that will get stuck in your head and short verses.

A limited number of physical CDs have been produced, but a number of tracks from the album and previous albums can be heard on SoundCloud: /grindmethod LIBEROCEANS Liberoceans & Lesser

GRID METHOD Circle in a Square

WARRAGUL singer / songwriter Mark Angerame has produced and

TEAMING up with a friend from the United States, Warragul­based musician Liberoceans (Will Sheils) has recorded a two­track release of vocal harmonies.

Sheils and Rachel Lesser of New Jersey recorded the tracks in a stairwell at a Swinburne University campus.

The pair met while Lesser was on exchange in Australia last summer.

To hear the recordings, visit soundcloud.com/williamsheils and look for "Liberoceans & Lesser".

Above: Terry, Christine and Nick Ollington. Photo by Greg Pretty.

AS West Gippslanders travelled in different directions for their sum­ mer holidays, a number of families from the Warragul district retur­ ned to their holiday homes and permanently­sited caravans at Woodside Beach, near Yarram.

The small town of around 260 permanent residents is on Ninety Mile Beach, 10 minutes from Woo­ dside. The population of the area triples at this time of year as holida­ ymakers come from across Gippsl­ and and Melbourne's eastern sub­ urbs to stay.

Among the Warragul families are the Ollingtons, who have made holiday visits to the town for more than 10 years.

They are among seven Warragul district families who are active in the Woodside Beach Surf Life Sav­ ing Club, continuing a long tradition of Warragul involvement in the club.

The kids of these families start out as "Nippers", then as teenagers they train to qualify for Surf Rescue Certificates and Bronze Medallions, ready to go on the club's volunteer beach patrol roster.

The oldest of three Ollington children did just that. Twenty year old James worked his way up to Gold Medallion, successfully requal­ ifying for that four years in a row.

He has been Club Captain and is currently its Chief Instructor.

James' father Terry has been president of the Woodside Beach Surf Life Saving Club for the past five years. Terry's wife Christine coordinates the Nipper program and is a former club treasurer.

Terry's daughter Alyse is the current treasurer and his son Nick is a volunteer patrolee and a Nipp­ ers trainer.

Terry says around 12 kids from Warragul families are currently in the Nippers program.

Woodside Beach has good, clean sandy. Despite that it is not a ho­ liday destination that immediately comes to mind, with Inverloch and Lakes Entrance among the more popular beach destinations in Gipp­ land. But the fact Woodside Beach is not overly crowded is part of its attraction.

As an important fundraiser for the club, volunteers run a "bistro" during summer, providing meals and bar service for visitors and locals on Saturday nights during January and on long weekends in February and March.

There are also good fishing sites in the area if that is your preference.

Perhaps next holiday it would be worth seeing for yourself what other Baw Baw Shire residents like about Woodside Beach.

For more Gippsland tourism news by Greg visit his website, greatergippsland.com.

Radio Ga Ga with Greg Pretty

Gippslanders hot for Triple J VOTING in what is said to be the world's biggest music democracy is underway once again.

Triple J listeners have until Sunday night to vote online for their favourite songs of 2014 in the annual Hottest 100 poll.

The poll began as a "Hot" 100 in 1988 and for the first few years was a write­in poll of all­time favourites.

By 1992 it had changed to the "Hottest" 100, with listeners voting on songs from the previous 12 months.

In time it switched to phone and SMS voting, and now online voting through the Triple J web site.

In last year's Hottest 100 there

were 1.49 Million votes counted, with 43 per cent of those for Austr­ alian artists.

Voter participation is increasing nationally as Triple J's audience grows. That growth is certainly evident in Gippsland where recent audience tracking showed Triple J now has more listeners than ever.

Within Baw Baw Shire, local loyalty keeps Star FM ahead of Triple J, but the national youth network is gaining ground.

When Triple J discovered that listeners had the Hottest 100 coun­ tdown playing as a soundtrack to their Australia Day barbecues and pool parties, the station began

promoting the concept of "Hottest 100 Parties," offering prizes and give­aways.

Some are private parties at homes while others are public events, like one this year at Warra­ gul's O&H Hotel.

This year's Triple J Hottest 100 coincides with the station's 40th birthday.

What is now a nationwide FM network began in January 1975 as a single AM station in Sydney called 2JJ. The very first song the station played was one which was banned on 3UL Warragul and every other Commercial station, "You Just Like Me 'Cos I'm Good in Bed" by

Skyhooks.

In playing that, 2JJ announced it was here to shake things up a little.

As an ABC­operated station, it was­ n't bound by record bans and other such Commercial radio restrictions.

Today, Triple J leads in innovative youth broadcasting and the unearthing of new Australian music, launching Triple J Unear­ thed to feature home­grown acts from across the nation.

The station has much to celebrate over the next few weeks.

Greg has worked in the radio indusry for 38 years and is presently employed by the ACE network.

LOCAL MUSO? WBBC wants to hear from you. Email editor@warragulcitizen.com today!

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