A striking blue tree, made of steel and created by Overwrought at Blampied, has been erected in the grounds of the St Peter’s Catholic Church in Daylesford.
Parish spokesperson Leonie Keynes said Blue Trees was a national movement that used the powerful image of a painted blue tree to spark conversations around mental health and remind people they are not alone.
The St Peter’s initiative is between the church, St Michael’s Primary School, also in Daylesford and Call Your Mates Hepburn.
“The tree must be dead to be painted blue, which you see in some parts of the Hepburn Shire, but as the Daylesford church grounds had no dead trees, we opted for the steel one,” Leonie said.
“The parish along with the school collaborated to sponsor the steel, blue tree. The blue tree serves as a visible reminder to check in with each other, to speak up and to keep the conversation going around mental health.”
Call Your Mates Hepburn is a local volunteer group dedicated to improving mental health support and connection in rural communities.
On its website, Call Your Mates says no-one should be left without the mental health support they need.
“Based in the Hepburn Shire, we are dedicated to ensuring that people in our community can access additional mental health care when they need it most.
“We are committed to fostering a stronger, healthier community where mental health support is available to everyone. Because sometimes, all it takes is a check-in, a conversation, and a little extra support to make a world of difference.”
Link: www.callyourmateshepburn.org

If you or someone you know needs help (most available 24/7):

Lifeline
Crisis support & suicide prevention.
13 11 14

Beyond Blue
Help with anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention.
1300 224 636

Suicide Call Back Service
Support for those at risk, concerned loved ones, and the bereaved.
1300 659 467

MensLine Australia
Free counselling for men.
1300 789 978

PANDA
Support for perinatal anxiety & depression (pregnancy to first year).
1300 726 306
Available weekdays, 9am – 7.30pm

1800 RESPECT
Support for those experiencing sexual assault, domestic or family violence.
1800 737 732

headspace
Mental health support for young people (12–25 years).
1800 650 890

Beyond Blue
Help with anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention.
1300 224 636

Kids Helpline
Counselling for children and young people (5–25 years).
1800 551 800

QLife
Anonymous, LGBTIQ+ peer support and counselling.
1800 184 527
Available 3pm – midnight, 7 days

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Kyle Barnes

After last edition’s Home Care articles in The Local, a number of people have been in touch with further accounts of incidents involving a range of care providers.
One woman said she had called after months of waiting for help, only to find her husband’s name had been removed from the waiting list.
When she explained to the staff member that she had been waiting for a long time, the staffer told her bluntly to try elsewhere. The staffer reluctantly returned her husband’s name to the list.
One issue not touched on in the last edition was the fees being charged to home care clients – which seem high and not at market value.
Central Highlands Rural Health was the only provider to send through its Community Services Fee Schedule. It is easy to see how a client could quickly use their subsidies – especially for unforeseen visits by nurses on weekends and public holidays.
The fee, (excluding GST) for personal, home or respite care is $77 per hour from Monday to Friday. It rises to $113 per hour on weekends, and weekdays after 6pm. Public holidays are $148 per hour and public holidays which fall on weekends are $185 per hour.
A registered nurse receives $140 an hour on Monday to Friday, $211 for weekends, $281 for public holidays and $349 per hour for public holidays which fall on weekends.
An enrolled nurse receives $117 for Monday to Friday, $176 for weekends, $235 for public holidays and $293 for public holidays which fall on weekends.
Allied health professionals receive up to $199 per hour for Monday to Friday.
For property maintenance or gardening the going rate is $90 per hour.
The Local sent a list of questions to CHRH last week. We asked about the high fees charged and if the staffer received that amount? We also queried if the client could choose to use services from other people to stretch their funding further.
Finally, The Local asked if the care management fees of CHRH’s 120 client was attributed equally the organisation was receiving almost $1.5 million in management fees – where does that money go?
In response, CHRH Care at Home Manager Jo Cocks said the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website provided comprehensive information on the Home Care Package program.
“This resource outlines key program details for both community members and service providers, including obligations, fee structures, and service lists,” she said.
“As a public health service, CHRH operates under strict regulatory oversight. Our programs and services, including the Home Care Package program, are subject to regular reporting, audits, and accreditation processes. CHRH has been assessed as compliant and meets all relevant legislative and regulatory requirements.
“As the new Aged Care Act highlights, choice and control sit firmly with the individual, and we fully support that approach. We encourage anyone considering a Home Care Package to do their research when choosing a provider. It’s important to compare not just services, but also pricing and how those services are delivered.”
From November 1, 2025, the federal government will introduce a new Support at Home program that will replace the Home Care Packages Program and the Short-Term Restorative Care Programme, and from no earlier than July 1, 2027, the Commonwealth Home Support Programme will transition into Support at Home.
The changes are in response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, from 2018 to 2021.
Support at Home will have eight classifications for ongoing services, replacing the four Home Care Package levels. Each classification will have a budget for participants to access services and annual budgets will be broken into quarterly budgets.
Participants can carry over unspent funds of up to $1000 or 10 per cent of the quarterly budget (whichever is greater). Ten per cent of each participant’s quarterly budget will be set aside for care management delivered by their service provider.
The new End-of-Life Pathway will give participants who have three months or less to live access to a higher level of in-home aged care services. This aims to help them stay at home for as long as possible.
From November 1, 2025, the federal government will also run a pooled funding trial for older people in group settings – such as a retirement village.
Trial participants will have the option to use some or all of their funding to access services on a more flexible or as needed basis (for example, a mini-bus service).
Some of the feedback on the last edition of The Local included:
“Your article summarised what we as a community have always known about aged care. I am greatly disturbed by the cost of administration, how can there be a justification of 30 to 35 per cent being paid as fees. When I read about the wages paid to senior executives of the companies and the profits made by the organisations running the schemes I am a little disgusted. Making money out of the suffering of the aged. I guess an inquiry into the fees charged is warranted.”
Meanwhile, a woman wrote to The Local.
“I have just been reading your article re Aged Care – help or the lack of it. Some years ago, when my husband, now deceased, required safety rails in the bathroom he approached Hepburn Council who eventually sent around an assessor.
“We already had the rails and all we needed was a handyman to attach them. However, the assessor eventually sent around the handyman who insisted on fitting his own rails. As a result, I have, in their boxes unused, a 900mm grab rail and 2 x 450mm grab rails. I would gladly give these to your needy elderly, and if needed, pay for someone to install them – unfortunately to do so myself is a little beyond my scope.” If anyone would like the rails please email donna@tlnews.com.au
Please be someone really in need, in the spirit in which they are offered.
(Ed’s note: There are many home care agencies. CHRH was just the only one to send its fees – without being asked. So full disclosure from the agency.)
Words: Donna Kelly

Talkin’ ’bout my g-g-generation
The Who sang “hope I die before I get old”.
Oops – too late, says Jeff Glorfeld

One year ago my mother sold her home and moved into an “assisted living” facility. But that’s not where this story starts.
Eight years ago, she and my father sold the family homestead and moved into a “manufactured home” in a community for residents older than 55 years – an up-market trailer park. But that’s not where this story starts.
Thirty years ago my mother and father signed up for something called long-term care insurance. Every month they paid premiums on two policies, and year by year those policies grew. But that’s not where this story starts.
It starts 75 years ago; my grandparents – my mother’s parents – moved from Los Angeles in southern California to Redding in rural northern California. They bought 16 hectares of rocky hard scrub land and built a house with their own hands.
Grandma died young: stroke, hospital, gone. Grandpa remarried, smoked and drank and died, without much lingering. His wife didn’t smoke or drink and lived on, and on, and on. Dementia set in, and my mother, with a husband and three young children of her own to manage, had to find care for her. In-home help was elusive and the quality was poor to adequate. There were places called nursing homes, which amounted to a hospital bed, minimum staff interaction, and not much else. Money was an issue – the family wasn’t poor and wasn’t wealthy and, anyway, private facilities weren’t readily available.
My mother learned a lot, finding care for her father’s wife, knowledge she used when called upon to manage the final years of her two elderly aunts. The key lesson was that she was not going to end up like those old women, in institutional facilities and relying on the ministrations of family members. Hence the long-term care insurance.
My parents took over the family property, and when the land and stairs became too much, moved into their up-market trailer park. My wife Carol and I left Australia in 2018, bought the homestead, and assumed responsibility for my parents’ wellbeing, with the aid of their by now substantial long-term care insurance.
It took work to get to grips with the policies, but soon enough we hooked up with an in-home healthcare company. My father was in poor health and my mother is extremely demanding but we finally were linked up with some good care-givers. One woman came in Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, and another worked four hours a day on Saturdays and Sundays.
Both women had low-level nursing qualifications that allowed them to help my parents shower and dress. They could make certain that they took all their medications but they couldn’t handle the medications – that job fell to me or my brother. My dad became completely incontinent so the nursing daily duties included cleaning him and making up the beds and doing laundry.
Both caregivers were required to fill out daily reports on their activities because the insurance company had strict criteria regarding the services they would pay for. It was considered a viable task for them to help my parents eat meals but not to prepare them. Which, as it turned out, was what my parents required the most. Both women were happy to bend the rules and prepare meals but neither had any culinary abilities. But that worked out all right because it gave my mother, an accomplished cook in her time, nearly endless opportunity for complaint and criticism.
The cost of these services was not cheap but my parents had amassed a good amount of money in their long-term care policies.
My father died in February 2024 – he was 93 and his passing was mercifully quick. My mother decided she could no longer justify having full-time in-home care, and, with her eyesight failing, she didn’t fancy staying in her house alone, and she didn’t want to live with me and Carol, so she asked me to look into care facilities.

Redding, California is typical of many medium-size cities, full of old geezers. One of the only growth industries around here is in geriatric healthcare. With a population of 92,000 people, the area has 18 facilities offering various levels of “assisted living” care.
We settled on one of the older, smaller developments, which offers assisted living and the opportunity to transition to the next stage of ageing life, memory care, for those dealing with the onset of dementia. It has studio and one-bedroom apartments, and just a few with two bedrooms. Not many couples survive intact into old age, and where my mother lives most of the 150 or so residents are women.
My mother rents an unfurnished one-bedroom apartment. Her living space, filled with her own possessions from her previous homes, is comfortable and is combined with a kitchen of sorts that has a sink, fridge, microwave and storage space.

All the residents have a 24/7 call-button, which they carry at all times. It can be used for anything from a health emergency to needing help reading the label on a jar.
We have taken the option of having staff manage her medications. Meals are from a cafeteria, serving wholesome but institutional-type food, which is a problem for my mother, who has extremely specific likes and dislikes. There is a library and an exercise room, lovely grounds with paved footpaths, and ongoing social events. For this she pays $US7000 a month.
For the last five years of his life my father was not capable of taking care of himself. For my mother it’s been more like three or four years. He died in a hospital but generally speaking he lived his final years at home. My mother still lives “independently”. None of that would have happened had they not had the foresight to plan for it, decades in advance. There is no safety net in the US for growing old.

After many happy years living in Victoria and working at The Age, former Wheatsheaf resident Jeff Glorfeld, and his wife Carol, went back to California, the land of his birth, where in the past seven years he has survived bushfires, snowstorms and drought. And Trump. And Covid. And Trump again. The cicadas and locusts didn’t arrive. Well, not yet. Jeff is also the voice behind The Down Under Hour which is broadcast every Wednesday at 1pm, in California, on radio KKRN 88.5FM. The show can be live-streamed at KKRN.org In Victoria that’s 7am Thursday. Several programs have been archived on the website.

James Lane Railway Station opened on February 16, 1880 on the Carlsruhe to Trentham Line. Its name was changed to Fern Hill Railway Station on April 15, 1880. Why, may you ask? The discovery of ferns in the area could be a possible reason or there simply may be no explanation for the name change.
The introduction of the railway saw Fern Hill become an important transport hub which enabled the expansion of the area. The Railway Hotel and Clowes Store relocated to the station precinct in 1879 and 1880 respectively. The Post Office opened in 1882. They were all taking advantage of the increased numbers coming to town and capturing a share of the railway business in the process.
However, some farmers in the area were not happy with the railway department and the lack of action on acquiring the ‘necessities’ for the railway station.

The Kyneton Observer of March 23, 1882 reported on the Tylden and Trentham Farmers Union meeting.
Mr Hanson had the attention of the meeting citing the very great inconvenience existing at the Fern Hill Railway Station, lacking a weighbridge, cattle, sheep, and pig yards. Also, there needed to be more suitable and commodious passenger waiting rooms, in place of the present shed – and promised to the residents about six months earlier.
Mr Hanson urged the union to take the matter up but it would take many years for his wish list to be completed.
Fast forward to 1886 and the Fern Hill area was still progressing rapidly. Tenders were awarded for the erection of railway station buildings in that year. The sheep and cattle yards followed in 1888, and the long-anticipated station master’s residence was erected late in 1889.
The immediate area around the railway station had a hotel, post office, mechanics’ hall, butchers, post office and a general store all in close proximity and life’s necessities were taken care of. But where there is progress, there is also opportunistic behaviour.

The Kyneton Observer of August 11, 1887 reported on a robbery of a case of brandy from the Fern Hill railway station towards the end of the previous week. “Mr M O’Connell, who keeps a hotel in James Lane, took delivery of sundry goods, which had arrived with his order by rail from Melbourne, and removed part of them in his cart, leaving the balance for a second load.
“On returning to the station, he noticed that a case of brandy was missing, and though a diligent search was instituted the case was not discovered, and Mr O’Connell had to return without it.”
Another incident was reported in the Ballarat Star of May 7, 1890, this time letter stealing.
“Mounted Constable Mahoney, this morning arrested a lad, aged 16 years; named John Thorneycroft, on two separate charges of stealing letters addressed to Fern Hill, and the property, in trust, of the Postmaster General.

“The date of the first alleged offence is 11th April, and that of the second, 18th April. Much regret is expressed for the lad’s family, who are well and favourably known throughout the district. The accused has for some years been employed in conveying the mail bags to and from Fern Hill railway station and East Trentham.”
Even with the bad behaviour of a minority, Fern Hill Station was known for transporting timber, potatoes, hay and of course, passengers.
The Timber, Spuds and Spa book shows the statistics of the station over the years. In 1890: Passengers 8002, Goods-in 802 tons and Goods-out 5985 tons. By 1930, the passenger numbers were down to 1451 but the tonnage in was 1350 and tonnage out 6311. With passenger numbers on the decline due to the motor vehicle, the stationmaster was removed on June 18, 1930.
The Fern Hill Railway Station was closed to all traffic on July 3, 1978. It was a historical reminder of what a bustling centre Fern Hill had been.
In March 1998, the area fell victim to an arsonist, and the disused but historic railway station is no longer. It is unknown whether anyone was charged.

Note: Some of the buildings listed above still exist as private homes.

Images: Top two images courtesy of Trentham Historical Society, 1970

The filming of television show The Block had its final hurrah on Friday, July 18 with a gathering of hosts Scott Cam and Shelley Craft, the contestants and a host of media showing up at the Raglan Street, Daylesford site.

The houses were open for inspection, but with an embargo on any identifying photos, and in House 1 Scotty gave a short speech saying after number crunching he could reveal the production spent $8 million in the town.
“That’s on catering, cleaning, challenges that we do. And that’s not including employment, employing local people as well.”
Scotty said community service was also a part of the show’s mantra.
“We re-did the cinema, which would have cost a fair bit. And we did the Hepburn Springs Bathhouse. Whenever we come to a town like Daylesford, we really embrace the local community for what they offer us. Pete and Zac from the Seafood Bar, they named a hamburger after me. The Scotty Camburger. And it was very popular. They sold thousands, apparently. It’s still on the menu.”
Scotty said the town was also known for its hatted restaurants and some which are “just off a hat”.
Shelley said the cast and crew had all enjoyed their time in Daylesford.

“The ladies, and the gentlemen, we hit the shops a fair bit of time. I think we supported a fair bit of the community in the fashion stakes of town.
“We felt really welcomed, we felt really loved.”
Special guest, Ballarat MP Catherine King thanked the show on behalf of the Daylesford community “for taking care with us”.
“It’s really important. This is a really beautiful community. I really do want to thank you for the way in which you’ve worked with the community and worked so hard to make sure that this place is showcased. You’ve done that and invested (in the area) and taken care. To the contestants, this is a life-changing experience for all of you. Thank you for being part of our community for all the time that you have been.
“We’re delighted to hear that you’ve spent so much money in the district and you’ve enjoyed the restaurants. But what you’ve also done is you’ve showcased what regional Victoria is like.
“I look forward to seeing your finished product. I watch every season. And I’m very glad to have met some of the amazing people who have been part of it. “
Words & bottom image: Donna Kelly
The Block is now airing on Channel 9.

Communities across Victoria will be better protected from future flood impacts thanks to the $5.8 million Regional Flood Risk Reduction Grants Program.

Ten funded initiatives will focus on increasing flood protection and mitigation for local communities – including the installation of moveable flood barriers, connecting gaps in existing levee systems, improving flood risk mapping and updating flood studies to reflect current conditions.

These projects aim to address the ongoing impacts of climate change while strengthening existing infrastructure and expanding community knowledge about future disaster risk.

The funding will be shared by Buloke Shire Council, Campaspe Shire Council, Ballarat City Council, Gannawarra Shire Council, Hepburn Shire Council, North Central Catchment Management Authority, Victoria State Emergency Service, Warrnambool City Council and Wellington Shire Council.

Victoria experienced some of its worst flooding on record in October 2022, and these grants further the state government’s work to support communities across the state to be better prepared for flood events – with locally led solutions that reflect each area’s unique needs.

One of the key projects will improve flood resilience in Rochester and Echuca by investing in flood mitigation infrastructure, including moveable barriers and flood gates.  

This will protect homes, infrastructure and essential services like the Rochester Early Learning Centre – reducing reliance on labour-intensive sandbagging, supporting businesses and maintaining access to medical and emergency services in the event of a flood.

The program is funded through the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and is administered by Emergency Management Victoria.

Sheepvention will be hosting the first Women in Agriculture luncheon this year with the help of Agriculture Victoria. 

A chance to connect with likeminded women who champion rural resilience and community, Agriculture Victoria are organising an impressive panel of women in agriculture to tell their stories. 

Sharing insights on leadership, innovation and the future of women in agriculture, the panel will consist of: 

• Georgina Gubbins, Warrnambool cattle and sheep producer, founding member and chair of Food and Fibre Great South Coast. 
• Esmee de Looff, Agribusiness Consultant from Pinion Advisory. 
• Bec Cruise, Carwarp cattle and sheep producer, Producer Demonstration Site member. 

Attendees can engage with the panel discussion while enjoying a delicious two-course plated meal by The Speckled Frog, and a refreshing mocktail crafted by Noodledoof Brewing and Distilling Co. 

Agriculture Victoria staff will be there to offer information and resources for drought from our stall in the Innovation Hub across the two-day event. 

Sheepvention Rural Expo has been a leading event in the Australian sheep industry since 1979.  Held over 2 days at the showgrounds in Hamilton, it brings together agribusiness, machinery, livestock and professional services in the heart of Australia’s pastoral region.

All farmers, anywhere in Victoria, can register for a free consultation with a farm management specialist. 

The advisory service offers a session of up to 3 hours (face-to-face or online) and a follow-up call, to help farmers take stock and develop a plan for managing drought conditions.

The advice is suited to your situation, from a consultant that you nominate from the registered panel. 

Agronomists, livestock nutritionists, veterinarians, pasture and grazing specialists and farm business advisors, can support you with: 

• feed and water budgeting 
• farm safety and workload management  
• farm business and financial management 
• soil health and pasture re-establishment 
• animal health and welfare, and more.

For more information about drought support: www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/drought or call 136 186. 

More Victorian families will benefit from upgraded and inclusive kinder facilities.

Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn has announced that applications are now open for the latest round of Building Blocks Inclusion Grants – giving kinders $4.5 million in funding they need to create safe, welcoming and inclusive learning environments for every child.

Grants of up to $200,000 are available to upgrade early childhood buildings and outdoor play spaces, helping kinders become more accessible for children of all abilities.

Kinders can also apply for up to $10,000 to purchase inclusive education equipment including sensory tools, adjustable seating and mobility aids.

The state government is investing billions to build and expand hundreds of kindergartens across the state, supporting the delivery of 15 hours of three-year-old kindergarten each week by 2029 and up to 30 hours of Pre-Prep each week by 2036.

Free Kinder is saving families up to $2,600 per child, every year – helping make kinder more accessible for every child.

To apply for Building Blocks Inclusion Grants, visit schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/building-blocks-grants-inclusion.

Victoria’s $964 million 2024/25 road maintenance program wrapping up this month.

Hundreds of kilometres of road across the state have been repaired, resurfaced or rebuilt to keep Victorians moving delivering more reliable journeys for local drivers, tourists, and freight operators.

Crews have inspected roads and responded to calls from local communities – 24 hours a day, seven days a week, undertaking repairs on more than 211,000 potholes and mowing and slashing more than 50,000 kilometres of grass.

Almost 41,000 signs have been repaired or replaced, and crews have cleaned over 20,727 square metres of graffiti from the road network.

Workers have inspected more than 8,000 structures on the road network, including bridges and culverts to ensure they continue to be operational and more than 3,000 safety barriers have been repaired on major highways.

Approximately 70 per cent of this program was delivered on roads and roadsides across regional Victoria – with major works delivered along the Great Alpine Road, the Mallee Highway, the Monaro Highway, the Surf Coast Highway and the Western Highway.

Accessing Maryborough’s newly expanded, state-of-the-art hospital will soon be made easier with work progressing on a new patient drop-off zone and forecourt.

Built by the state government, the $115 million upgraded Maryborough and District Hospital was opened in April this year – giving residents across the region access to world-class healthcare closer to home.

With the main works now complete, the demolition of the hospital’s old Urgent Care Centre is underway – delivering the new forecourt and patient drop-off zone, as well as accessible parking, a pedestrian ramp, extra onsite carparking and native landscaping.

The ambulance bay on Clarendon Street and other disused buildings, including the old dental and pathology buildings, will be also demolished to make way for the new spaces.

The hospital’s existing 165-year-old original façade, previously hidden from view, will be uncovered and patched-up as a part of the works. These works are expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Featuring a new urgent care centre, 32-bed inpatient unit, two operating theatres and recovery spaces, as well as a day medical centre with imaging, pharmacy, and oncology, dialysis and infusion services, the hospital’s dedicated doctors and nurses are able to treat 4000 more patients every year.

Local mums can now also have their babies closer to home, with the upgrade delivering a new maternity unit too.

Main works were delivered by the Victorian Health Building Authority and builder Fairbrother Construction and created and sustained more than 340 local jobs during peak construction.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council has a plan for the former Woodend Racetrack which proposes improvements to sport and recreational facilities to meet the needs of a growing community, enhancements to the site’s heritage value and ongoing protection of the grasslands.

The draft master plan can be viewed, and feedback welcomed from September 1, 2025.
Mayor Dom Bonanno encouraged the community to find out more about these consultations and provide considered feedback, particularly on the key strategic council documents that will guide the council’s aspirations and strategic direction over the coming years.
“There are many important policies and plans that help drive the important work that we do as council, but this trio of Integrated Strategic Planning documents are at the very core,” he said.
“Each proposal has already been informed by some form of earlier consultation, demonstrating our commitment to considered and genuine community engagement, but we would really appreciate any further feedback to ensure we can make well-informed decisions in consideration of our community.”
To participate in these consultations, visit yoursay.mrsc.vic.gov.au

Macedon Ranges Shire Council has long supported ANZAC Day services across the shire through assistance with funding for traffic management and in-kind support, including Malmsbury and Kyneton as well as Woodend, Gisborne, and Romsey-Lancefield.
As part of the recommendations endorsed at the council’s 23 July 23 meeting, council will be reopening the ANZAC Day Commemorative Services Support Fund grant for an additional 10 days and Council officers will continue to work with Kyneton and Malmsbury event organisers on common-sense solutions to ensure these events can continue to go ahead in 2026.
To ensure Council’s support was being consistently and transparently documented, in March 2025 Council endorsed a move to a grant-based process for 2026 events and onwards, aimed at assisting with the costs of traffic management needed to run an ANZAC Day service.
In assessing the recent grant applications against the ANZAC Day Fund criteria, there were unfortunate conflicts with the Kyneton and Malmsbury applications – auspiced by the Kyneton RSL – and the council’s Gambling Harm Minimisation Policy, which came into effect in July this year. This was acknowledged at the July 2025 Council Meeting.
Due to these challenges, the council is affording local groups conducting ANZAC Day services the opportunity to still apply and have their services funded for 2026.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is partnering with Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health on a community event in August marking Homelessness Week 2025, to raise awareness of the issue and local supports available.
The event will be held on Tuesday, August 5 at the Kyneton Mechanics Institute, with doors opening at 10:30am and the event commencing at 11am, followed by a networking and service expo at 11:45am including a morning tea, where you can meet local services and find out what support is available in the Macedon Ranges.
Mayor Dom Bonanno noted that in some of the latest available data, being the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ March 2023 Estimating Homelessness report, homelessness in the Macedon Ranges had increased by 31.4 per cent between the 2016 and 2021 Census.
“Homelessness is a complex issue that touches more lives than many people realise. Events like this bring our community together, help reduce stigma, and connect people with the services and information they need,” he said.
“By working together and raising awareness, we can take meaningful steps towards ending homelessness in the Macedon Ranges.”
Cr Bonanno also reiterated that amid the Victorian Government’s recent housing targets, an essential aspect of meeting the future housing needs of the Macedon Ranges was to ensure the availability of local, affordable housing.
“A minimum $30 million investment has been allocated to the Macedon Ranges through the Victorian Government’s Big Housing Build; however, to date, only $12.5 million has been allocated to our region,” he said.
“We have requested confirmation from the Victorian Government as to the availability of the remaining $17.5 million and how it will be allocated, and we welcome future partnership opportunities to provide more local affordable housing.”
Homelessness Week is a national campaign that encourages community support and government action to end homelessness. It’s also a time to learn more about how the issue affects people in our own region.
The event is free and open to everyone. No registration is needed – just come along.
To learn more about this event and local housing support services, visit: mrsc.vic.gov.au/Homelessness-Week

Major construction is now underway on the new Melton Hospital, a more than $900 million project.

Premier Jacinta Allan, Minister for Health Infrastructure Melissa Horne, Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas and Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt recently turned the first sod on what will become a world-class hospital for people in Melbourne’s fast-growing western suburbs.

With site preparation now complete works over the next six months will focus on:

• Excavation including rock breaking and soil removal
• Trenching for in-ground services to be installed
• Piling works and retaining wall construction
• Pouring of concrete footings and ground slabs, forming the foundations of the hospital, and
• Installation of the first tower crane.

The new Melton Hospital will have the capacity to treat 130,000 patients each year and see almost 60,000 patients in its 24-hour emergency department – supporting the communities of Melton, Caroline Springs, Rockbank, Bacchus Marsh and Gisborne.

It will also include at least 274 beds, an intensive care unit, mental health services, maternity and neonatal services, radiology services, outpatient care and teaching and training and research spaces.

The hospital is located on a 68,000 square metre site on Ferris Road – more than three times the size of the MCG – and is designed to meet the health needs of the community as it grows.

It will be an important addition to the hospital network in the west, working with Sunshine Hospital and the new $1.5 billion Footscray Hospital to reduce wait times across the region. It will also be Victoria’s first fully electric hospital and will use carbon neutral power from day one of operations.

The project is expected to create more than 2,400 jobs during construction, and close to 4,000 health related jobs on-site in the hospital’s first year. It is on track for completion in 2029.