Breaking news on The Rex, Daylesford

The Local Government Inspectorate has issued a media release about the Hepburn Shire Council and The Rex Theatre Development.

“In 2019, the LGI received a complaint that made allegations relating to the Hepburn Shire Council’s involvement with the Rex Theatre redevelopment,” the release says.

“Since receipt of the complaint, the LGI has undertaken a rigorous investigation of the allegations. Throughout, Hepburn Shire Council and its councillors have co‑operated.

“The LGI’s investigation has now been finalised and the CMI has concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove to the requisite standard of proof the commission of any disciplinary breaches or criminal offences contrary to the 1989 Act. 

“Further, the CMI is satisfied that the council has taken remedial action to put in place measures to avoid future complaints of a similar nature, including the creation of a new governance and policy framework.

“Accordingly, the LGI will not be taking any further action in respect of the investigation. Nor will the LGI be publishing any report.”

The release says the Local Government Inspectorate is the dedicated integrity agency for local government in Victoria.

“The Chief Municipal Inspector leads the LGI and has functions and powers, including those set out in the Local Government Act 2020, to enable the LGI to examine, investigate and prosecute any matter relating to a Council’s operations and any potential breaches of the 2020 Act and its predecessor the Local Government Act 1989 (1989 Act).”

Hepburn Shire Council response

Mayor Cr Brian Hood said that it was extremely disappointing that it had taken so long for the Inspectorate to arrive at this decision and that no report will be issued.

“We are frustrated that a comprehensive, detailed report won’t be released. The failure to issue a report into The Rex project denies transparency and accountability and lets down the community, councillors and council officers,” said Cr Hood.

Hepburn Shire Council CEO Bradley Thomas said that it was important to note that the Chief Municipal Inspector has concluded that “council has taken remedial action to put in place measures to avoid future complaints of a similar nature, including the creation of a new governance and policy framework”.

“We have significantly improved governance, policies, and the culture in the organisation, implementing systemic change and improvements to ensure that the failures of The Rex project are never repeated again. This should give councillors, and most importantly the community, confidence as we move forward,” said Mr. Thomas.

Some of the organisational changes put in place since the commencement of the Inspectorate investigation include:

• Creation of a Major Projects Team (that does not report to the CEO)
• Development of a Project Management Framework
• Updates on high risk/complex projects being provided regularly to the Audit and Risk Committee (the Audit and Risk Committee comprises four independent members)
• Adoption of a contemporary Risk Management Framework
• Established a CEO Employment and Remuneration Committee, with external, independent members, along with Councillors
• Adoption of a new Procurement Policy
• Development of a Disposal and Acquisition of Land Property Policy that ensures all purchases and sales comply with legislation, and that a current and independent valuation is obtained before Council enters into such arrangements
• Significant investment in the Governance and Risk Unit to ensure it has appropriately skilled and experienced staff to provide advice and monitor compliance with legislation and governance requirements. 

Interim Chief Executive Officer Bruce Lucas paused the Hepburn Hub at The Rex project in June 2018, when becoming concerned about governance failures, also reporting the issue to the Audit and Risk Committee. Incoming Chief Executive Officer, Evan King reported concerns to IBAC, and ultimately the Inspectorate commenced an investigation. 

Councillors, officers, and the Audit and Risk Committee have been fully supportive of the reporting, working through the investigation and have repeatedly called for the finalisation of the investigation to occur. The LGI have noted that throughout, Hepburn Shire Council and its councillors have co-operated in the investigation.

Cr Brian Hood said: “Ensuring we have the appropriate checks and balances in place means failures of the past will not be repeated, and having a culture where officers of all levels feel able to raise concerns about governance is vital.

“Council has been unable to find evidence that an independent, external valuation was completed prior to the purchase of The Rex building, something that is now a requirement due to the adoption of the Disposal and Acquisition of Land Property Policy.”

Cr Hood said that although extremely disappointing “that we won’t have a report, we can now endeavour to draw a line in the sand and move forward as an organisation and community”.

“I’m pleased this announcement was made before the end of this council term. We have a busy couple of weeks ahead of us with the consideration of the next stages of the Future Hepburn project including township structure plans, the financial vision and the last council meeting for the term.

“Council is progressing a project to assess the feasibility of maximising the community use of the Daylesford Town Hall site, with an option to consolidate and upgrade the building so it could become more of a community hub, and possibly incorporate the Daylesford Library. This has included the creation of a community-based Project Advisory Group, and also the appointment of a lead architect for the Daylesford Community Facilities Project.

“It is imperative that the Inspectorate has the appropriate powers to investigate failings in local government and that it has adequate resourcing into the future, preventing delays such as with this investigation, and ensuring that there is transparency and accountability in the use of ratepayers funds.”

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: File

Daylesford has been named the best Small Tourism Town for 2024 in the TAC Victorian Top Tourism Town awards.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said that only five places made it to the finals and the council was thrilled to have won the award against some formidable competition.
“Daylesford is beautiful in all seasons, with visitors travelling great distances to spend time rejuvenating and seeking wellness experiences. The town’s natural beauty, including Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens and the top-quality amenities around Lake Daylesford, has always drawn people for weddings and celebrations, and to escape from the city.
“We have a vibrant arts community and events throughout the year. Set amidst heritage buildings and hills and forests, Daylesford will continue to draw people from many walks of life for rest and recreation, be it short-term or for more lengthy stays.”
Daylesford’s nomination was put forward by Daylesford Macedon Tourism in partnership with the council. The award is judged on a demonstration of commitment to tourism and increasing visitation, excellent visitor experience, and exhibiting collaboration with tourism operators, local businesses and the community.
Daylesford won in the category ‘Top Small Tourism Town’ (population between 1500 and 5000) against Heathcote, Koroit, Maldon and Sorrento.
The awards were announced at an event in Lancefield last Thursday, July 26.

Above, Hepburn Shire Council acting CEO Dr Karina Lamb, Mayor Cr Brian Hood & Economic Development & Visitor Economy coordinator Bridgette O’Brien

The Melbourne Cup is coming to Trentham as part of the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.

The tour, courtesy of the Cup’s manufacturer W.J. Sanders, and its sister company ABC Bullion, will start in Cowes on June 28 and will arrive in Trentham on October 16.

Along with Australia, the Cup will also visit New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, the USA and Japan.

The final route was decided after a record-breaking number of applications were received by the Victoria Racing Club from towns and cities around the world.

Manufactured in Australia for the VRC using 1.69kg of ABC Bullion 18-ct yellow gold, and recently independently valued at $750,000, the Cup has been hand-forged by W.J. Sanders since 2016. Each year, the Cup takes over 250 hours to produce at the W.J. Sanders workshop in Marrickville, Sydney. Every team member contributes to making the trophy, starting up to eight months before the race, which occurs on the first Tuesday of November.

“We are deeply honoured at W.J. Sanders and ABC Bullion to play a role in crafting this remarkable legacy,” said Darren May, general manager at W.J. Sanders. “The Lexus Melbourne Cup embodies the true essence of being proudly Australian made and it fills me with immense pride that, in a world of mass production and lean manufacturing, our team of talented craftsmen and women have been entrusted to create this iconic symbol of international sport.”

Melbourne Cup Day is on Tuesday, November 5.

Words: Donna Kelly

Ballarat’s Regent Cinema has suddenly closed its doors – just a week out from the winter school holidays.

Management posted on Monday, June 24 that: “It’s with a great amount of sadness that we have taken the decision to cease operations effective immediately.

“We have arrived at this point after a great deal of consideration and as result of a number of factors that have contributed to the heart-breaking decision to close the business.

“We would like to thank the Ballarat community for their support over the years.”

A sign outside the cinema says there are no session times available and customers who had booked for events like birthday parties have received emails saying the booking can no longer be honoured.

On social media people posted they had wonderful memories of the historic cinema.

“Absolutely heartbreaking…I have so many wonderful memories of going to the Regent, even from childhood when my first ever movie (The Muppets take Manhattan) was shown and they had intermissions, or in recent years, the fabulous camaraderie of a packed-out theatre, celebrating the latest Star Wars movie. Is there no way this can be kept…the Regent is a huge part of Ballarat’s history and culture!”

“Sad news, but cinemas have been struggling for a long time and the studios haven’t helped. Almost every second movie these days is a nostalgia recall for people like me who grew up in the 80s, but guess what, we don’t go out on a Friday night now.

“The studios failure to deliver for contemporary audiences, plus the fact that movies are on streamers within weeks meant that cinemas needed to sell an experience – but it was a notoriously expensive one given the cost of food and drink. I hope someone else comes in a can turn it around. Free popcorn and soft drink refills would be a start given tit cost next to nothing for the vendor.”

“What a shame we will be losing the Regent Cinemas Ballarat. We have been supporting for so many years with our family of six and so many movies have been seen.

“Recently to see IF and I was surprised that on a Tuesday afternoon we were the only ones in there with one older regular customer.

“It’s a shame there wasn’t notice for all, not knowing the circumstances but with winter school holidays starting I’m sure many would have loved the opportunity to use their vouchers/loyalty points and just one last hoorah for The Regent.”

History

The Regent was opened in 1928 with almost 2000 seats in stalls and balcony levels. 

Melbourne architects Arthur W. Purnell and Cedric H. Ballantyne were responsible for the design. Mr Ballantyne also designed the Regent Theatre on Collins Street in Melbourne.  

Fire damaged the interior in 1943 and architects were commissioned to redesign the building. 

Hoyts closed the business in 1970 but it was re-opened in 1976 by the Anderson family.

Ten years later it was opened as three separate theatres and in the early 2000s another three screens were added.

Words: Donna Kelly

Members of the Hepburn Springs Golf Club have approved the acquisition of their golf course and assets by Golf Services Management.

GSM has committed to clearing all of the club’s liabilities, provide discounted fees to existing members for a minimum of five years, and make significant investments in capital improvements works to both the golf course itself and associated buildings.

GSM director Ian Denny said: “We certainly never expected to be in this position and are saddened by the club having to wind up after 98 years. GSM are committed to keeping the doors open for existing members and to driving new visitation by tapping into the thriving tourism market in the area with a new ‘open to all’ policy.”

Hepburn Springs Golf Club president Vic Delosa, above left with Mr Denny, said the club had been heavily reliant on volunteers “who have been doing an incredible job for a very long time, however, the combination of an ageing and dwindling membership base and a lack of funds created a situation where the club was facing insolvency”.

“After exhausting all avenues to retain control of the club, the committee proposed to pass ownership to GSM contingent on undertakings to preserve the operation of the course for the benefit of existing members for a minimum of five years. Members supported the committee’s proposal with a vote of 98 per cent in favour of the motion.”

New innovative shorter versions of the game will be introduced in spring as a supplement to the traditional golf round, along with a host of associated activities designed to attract a new market demographic to the venue and drive increased utilisation of the facility.

GSM, who operate multiple golf course in Victoria, have a history of successfully transitioning struggling private golf clubs into viable businesses – most notably St Andrews Beach and Peregian Springs. The company will take over the operations from April 24, with a refreshed website and new trading information to be made available under the new banner of ‘Hepburn Golf’.

Daylesford RSL held a moving Remembrance Day service today, with two minutes’ silence. One, at 11am, for those who lost their lives in World War I and one, just a little later, for those who lost their lives in last Sunday’s terrible accident outside The Royal Hotel.

Ian Tinetti told those gathered to pay their respects that people expected to be able to enjoy a day out with their family and friends and then return home.

Keith Pyers read the Ode of Remembrance and asked those present to repeat the words “We will remember them” and “Lest We Forget”.

Wreaths were solemnly placed on the cenotaph by many people including students of local schools and representatives of community organisations.

The short service ended with an invitation for all to go to the RSL where, Mr Tinetti said: “We can have a chat and look after our mates.”

Words & images: Donna Kelly

Dr Sandra Staffieri has been awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to medicine as an orthoptist and vision researcher, and to paediatric ophthalmology.

The part-time Hepburn resident is a research fellow at the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Eye Research Australia and the Retinoblastoma Care co-ordinator/senior clinical orthoptist at the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Her research is focused on hereditary eye diseases, including congenital glaucoma, congenital cataract, eye movement disorders and retinoblastoma.

Dr Staffieri’s PhD, with the aim of reducing delayed diagnosis of retinoblastoma (eye cancer in children), included the development and evaluation of an information pamphlet for new parents describing important early signs of eye problems in children.

Dr Staffieri said while her career had been “accidental” in many ways, she took her work very seriously and was privileged to be able to help families through journeys after days that were often their worst nightmare.

While she trained as an orthopist, gaining a diploma in 1984, she upgraded that to a Bachelor when it became available in 1992 and found herself working in paediatrics.

“I actually wanted to be a paediatrician growing up so that was pretty lucky, and it was really just how my career unfolded. I am well known to have said I prefer working with children than adults.”

Dr Staffieri then found herself coordinating children with retinoblastoma in Victoria and Tasmania at the Royal Children’s Hospital – ensuring all screening appointments were kept along with tracking down any better available outcomes for the children and their families.

“We were giving families quite devastating news, that their child has cancer or is at risk of cancer, and that is quite harrowing and involves a lot of intervention for many years.

“Anyway, it was a conference in 2012 where it all took off and I realised that delayed diagnosis was really common even in a country like Australia. Children could be diagnosed earlier but parents sometimes did not know the signs that something was not right, and even health care professionals could be unaware. That is purely because the child is well and healthy and they keep doing what everyone else is doing – it is not like many other cancers.

“So it became my mission to try and improve things and the past 11 years I have had an incredible journey, doing a PhD in developing awareness for parents and trying to get that implemented on a large scale here and overseas.”

Dr Staffieri also went to Papua New Guinea earlier this year to implement more awareness strategies – a country where children still die from retinoblastoma.

“Our kids don’t die here in Australia but sometimes we can’t save the eye – and that is the case everywhere in the world.”

Dr Staffieri is also kept busy doing genetic eye research at the University of Melbourne’s CERA and works on the characteristic of particular eye diseases, tracking down family members and getting DNA samples.

“If we can unravel the secret of why different eye diseases occur and why some people have greater vision loss than others, then we can look at different treatments, and better treatments.”

Dr Staffieri said working with children was challenging but not in the way many people would think. “It is just a different set of skills and there is nothing more rewarding than being able to talk around a really frightened child and being able to get all the information you need from them for the team to make a decision. That is quite rewarding.”

Retinoblastoma can run in families, which means many of the children seen 30 years ago are now coming with their own babies for screening, but for the most part there is no family history involved.

But it remains the most survivable of paediatric cancers offering very good long-term outcomes even if there is impairment in one or both eyes.

“I have a list of patients who have gone on, despite having very little vision, to have fantastic careers and lives.”

Dr Staffieri said her house in Hepburn was her “happy place” where she and her husband could retreat from their busy work lives and “catch our breath.” “It’s been a real Godsend and we have been looking to move up to Hepburn for a long time now the kids have all flown the nest.”

The connection came years ago when her mother migrated at the age of 13 with her family after World War II. They ended up at the migrant camp at Bonegilla in Victoria and then her mother was sent to the Daylesford Convent as a boarder.

“Every year in autumn Mum would traipse us up to see the Presentation nuns and I loved the autumn colours. When we are here we watch the autumn evolve and then the leaves are gone and winter comes and then we see spring and the green fuzz of the leaves on the trees. We just love to be here, kick back and relax. When we pass the Calder Raceway, I can just feel my muscles relax.”

Dr Staffieri said she had mixed feelings about her award because it is some ways represented “someone else’s grief – but I also have the incredible privilege to be there for them and try and make it a little easier and then I watch their kids grow and that has been incredible”.

“From that first day with the parents thinking the world has opened up and they have fallen through a crack, yet their children have got through all of that and grown up to be adults and do amazing things. It is overwhelming and pleasurable in equal measure.

“It is nice to be recognised, because it is not just a job, but I do what I hope someone would do for me if I was in their shoes.”

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Contributed

Daylesford’s Anneke Deutsch has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to the community.

The 61-year-old, who identifies as a proud lesbian, said it was wonderful that her work had been recognised by the King’s Birthday award.

“I’m most proud that my service to older lesbians is being recognised with this mainstream honour. Social acceptance has changed so much over my lifetime. When I first started working in the early 1980s, I was closeted because coming out would have negatively affected my career. It’s easier now, but still there are other battles that we must fight as same-sex attracted, lesbian-identified women.”

Ms Deutsch’s professional career included working with Ballarat Health Services as a clinical leader and senior prosthetist, with LaTrobe University’s School of Human Biosciences as a sessional lecturer and with AUSaid, Australian Business Volunteers and the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics as a prosthetist, tutor and co-ordinator. The last included establishing a prosthetic, orthotics and rehabilitation service in Tarawa, Kiribati where they made the first leg prostheses for i-Kiribati people – teaching locals how to make artificial legs so that they could run their own rehabilitation centre.

And if that was not enough, Ms Deutsch also turned her hand to volunteering locally and with national and state organisations, much of her work aimed at improving the lives of lesbians, especially older women, around the country.

She was a founding member of Hepburn Wind, the first project of the Hepburn Renewable Energy Association and the first community-owned wind farm in Australia, later known as the Sustainable Hepburn Association or SHARE. One project was to organise the first of the bulk buy solar arrays including installing a free one for the Daylesford Community Child Care Centre.

Ms Deutsch was also a member of the Hepburn Health Service LGBTI Aged Care Advisory Committee and helped the health service achieve the Rainbow Tick Accreditation for its aged care services, a first in Australia.

From 2008, she has volunteered with the Matrix Guild of Victoria, a charity for older lesbians, taking on roles including Housing and Aged Care spokeswoman, secretary and president. Her work led to the creation of the first social housing specifically for older lesbians in Australia – establishing a partnership with the community housing provider, Women’s Property Initiatives.

Ms Deutsch is currently busy on her latest challenge, as the co-founder of Older Women In Cohousing or WINC. The not-for-profit group is creating a 32-home cohousing community in Castlemaine, based on sustainability, accessibility, architecture to enhance social interaction, inclusion for women with a range of financial assets, a culturally safe place for older lesbians and the sharing of intellectual property to help other with co-housing communities.

Ms Deutsch, whose work this year was also recognised with her inclusion on the Heather Mutimer International Women’s Day Honour Roll for Hepburn Shire, said while same-sex relationships were now accepted it had not always been the case and many older lesbians had been through very difficult times.

“I have always been someone who volunteers, and started with sustainability issues and Hepburn Wind, but then I realised I could use my personal experience being a lesbian to help others. My own relationship is at about 35 years and while it (same-sex relationships) is something now quite accepted, especially in a place like Daylesford, that was not always the case.

“I was trying to organise a big lesbian festival in ’98 and it has hard to find a venue that was happy to host us or was comfortable with us. And it wasn’t until 2008 that I could nominate my partner for my superannuation if anything happened to me. And in the 70s and 80s you couldn’t get a mortgage unless you had a guarantor who was a man. That was alright if you had a brother or a father who had not disowned you, but a lot of lesbians were not in that situation – so you couldn’t house yourself.

“‘Queer’ was an insult and many old lesbians have not reclaimed that word, myself included. My lesbian partner and I had friends who left straight marriages for a woman partner and lost custody of their kids as a result. Their ex-husbands could argue in court that their ex-wives were unsuitable custodial parents simply because they were lesbian.

“I am 61 now and when I look back I realise how far we have come in many ways, but there is more to do.”

One of those is WINC, a project aimed at providing affordable housing for older women, mostly lesbians. The group had hoped originally to buy land in Daylesford but are now coming close to fruition on land bought in Castlemaine.

The 32 dwellings are almost full with about 80 per cent taken up by lesbians. Older women who do not identify as lesbian are welcome to apply for the housing which is partly social housing, partly fully paid and also for “middle women” who don’t have enough to buy a home but have too much to be eligible for social payments.

Ms Deutsch said the group was now looking at different means of offering shared equity through either private investors or perhaps government investment.

“I think if it comes off it will be a great pilot for any women – older women, lesbians – who can’t buy a house. And we are at the planning permit stage so nearly there.”

Words: Donna Kelly | Top image: Dorothy McDonald | Bottom image: Supplied

Off the back of their recent support of 4 shows with EILEN JEWELL & HER BAND (USA) which saw them perform at Archies Creek Hotel (SOLD OUT), Royal Theatre Castlemaine, Thornbury Theatre (SOLD OUT) and the Gershwin Room at the Espy, The Rechords return to regional Victoria for their own headline show. The trio have forged a name for themselves in the Americana scene since starting out in 2009 in and around Melbourne. Performing with three vocals for sweet harmonies and a stripped back lineup of Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar and Upright Bass, weaving their set with tunes written by both Leo Francis and Felix Potier that evoke sentimental tales of tough times touring as an independent band and of alcoholic demons and relationship turmoil. All this mixed in with some of their most favoured and treasured covers of original artists from a bygone era, delving into old country, rhythm and blues, bluegrass and early rockabilly. They occasionally mix into their own music unintentionally at times, hints of pop culture and current themes that fit so well lyrically into the dynamic songs they perform. Like most artists over the last few troubled years, life has been a little quite for The Rechords but now there is renewed energy and a momentum that they hope to flow on which will hopefully see them back in the recording studio once again. Their fourth European Tour was all but finalised in 2020 when the nasty virus struck the world but they hope to bounce back with other future tours soon. So if you want to experience something quite special, you best grab your tickets direct from the Palais-Hepburn before the trio leave town.

Venue: PALAIS-HEPBURN, Hepburn Springs
Date: Saturday 8th April
Time: Doors 7pm / Show 8pm
Tickets: www.palais-hepburn.com

ChillOut was back in full swing with a fantastic parade to start the Sunday.

Happy ChillOut from The Local – proud to be ChillOut’s media partner.

Images: Nadine Jade

Daylesford, Glenlyon and surrounds power supply

Powercor is working to address reliability issues affecting customers in Daylesford, Glenlyon and surrounding areas.

We know how much our customers rely on us to deliver reliable and safe power to their homes and businesses, and we recognise that our network is not meeting its usual high standards of reliability in this area.

The most recent outage (9 February) was caused by a car hitting a pole in Daylesford. Other reasons for the recent outages have included lightning strikes, storms, trees and bark.

To improve reliability and reduce the risk of power outages, we will be replacing equipment and installing animal and bark mitigation devices in high-risk areas.

In late 2022, crews installed new-generation automatic circuit recloser technology, which respond to faults on the powerline, reducing the number of customers being impacted by the outage and isolating the location of the fault. This helps improve our crews response times when outages do occur, as well as keeping more customers on each time a fault occurs.

This work is in addition to extensive patrols, vegetation cutting and infrastructure replacement and upgrades that have occurred over recent years.

Network design in the area

The area between Ballarat and Daylesford is supplied by main powerlines from the Zone Substation at Ballarat North.

These lines act as a back-up supply to each other, allowing us to keep customers on supply during planned maintenance or during some faults.

Powercor’s network control team can divert power around affected parts of the network in the event of a storm or some other impact to powerlines by using the other circuit to temporarily power those customers. 

For areas beyond Daylesford, like Glenlyon, there is no network interconnection, so faults in that area cannot be back-fed by a different part of the network. An example is the vehicle collision on 9 February.

Claims and compensation

When outages do occur, customers may be eligible for compensation under the Guaranteed Service Level Payment scheme. This is a regulated scheme and payments are applied to bills automatically.

Customers can also make individual claims and more information is available on our websites at www.powercor.com.au

We would also encourage customers to contact their insurance company to find out if they are covered for their losses.

Just sayin’…February 13, 2023

DINNER done and I was sitting down ready to watch, again, Mr Inbetween. It’s a great Australian series, quite dark, but also very funny. The guy who wrote it is also the lead character.
Anyway, Ray was about to shoot someone and, the power went out. Now this may seem a first world problem but it literally happens all the time. And you get that annoying phone message that Powercor is aware of the outage and it should be fixed by…some time later. Last Thursday it was originally going to be done by midnight but that quickly became 12.30am. And it went out about 8pm.
Now, I am sure you are thinking there are plenty of things to do in the dark but Kyle and I have been together for 29 years so we barely even talk to each other, let alone do other things. I put out a FB message saying if one of us was murdered it was on Powercor. Just in case.
So we found our trusty giant torch, some candles and a gas lighter and put some Spotify music on. Seventies road trip, I think. And then we just sat and listened to the tunes. And wondered how long the UPS (uninterrupted power supply) would last to our computers and whether we should shut down our programs before they shut down themselves and we lost data. You know, stories, photos, graphic design work.
I might have posted a few things on FB. A little complaint perhaps. Might have used the F word. And some people put smiley faces on it and others said I should be more careful because “what if someone had of been injured”. I didn’t bother correcting the grammar but then I saw that someone had not been injured but had hit a power pole in East Street in Daylesford. Maybe speeding but that is not for me to say. But you would have to hit a pole pretty hard to take out the power.
Anyway, I am sorry someone hit a power pole but why does that take out power all the way to Glenlyon? It’s a good 10km – I know that because it used to be a 20km round trip to pick up a bottle of wine at the end of the day. (Thank you Cellarbrations for starting up a great delivery service!)
Imagine if you lived in Melbourne and someone hit a power pole in say, St Kilda and power all the way to Black Rock went out, closing all the businesses along the way. People would be up in arms.
And it happens all the time here. I asked a few friends who live around Melbourne how often their power went out and they looked at me like I was starting a joke. When we had that massive storm in 2021 and they lost power for about four days in Trentham, all the media reports were focused on power being lost in the Dandenongs. While all the Trenthamians, is that what they are, got on with life, those nearer Melbourne were outraged. We are just used to it.
I know Powercor will sometimes reimburse people for lost fridge and freezer food but I reckon they would be better off giving everyone a free generator when they sign up for power. Would probably be cheaper in the long run and lead to less “neighbour envy” when you are sitting in the dark and listening to your neighbour’s generator whirring away. (Yes, I am talking about you, Gary.)
Anyway, the torch is back in the cupboard, the candles have returned to the dining table and thankfully, we did not lose data so you are reading this edition of The Local in a timely manner. And we wait for the next blackout. Perhaps today – it’s quite hot, next week – might be windy, or any time of the day when someone wants to drive a bit fast on a country road. I guess I could write to Powercor and see if they can make sense of it all but I have a feeling I will be left in the dark. Just sayin’…
(I was wrong. Powercor got back to me. Read their reply at www.tlnews.com.au)

Art Simone will MC the All Ages event Saturday Sound Shell, and co-MC at Carnivale with ABC’s favourite weatherman Nate Byrne! She chatted with ChillOut Festival’s Fabry-Jenkins.

Amy: Art, you’re performing at ChillOut Festival again this year – it‘s not your first rodeo! What’s your favourite ChillOut festival memory? 

Art: My favourite memory of ChillOut Festival is always being part of Street Parade – being surrounded by so many supportive people who come together to champion and celebrate everything queer is just so special! 

Amy: What do you like about performing at LGBTQIA+ events? Is there anything that makes regional pride events different? 

Art: Performing at regional events is super important to me because I’m a believer that everyone deserves to have safe, inclusive spaces where they can be themselves and be surrounded by like-minded individuals. Being outside of metro locations can at time be super isolating, so it’s important to bring these events to regional areas so everyone can feel valid and loved. Because of this I often find that regional audiences are even more fun as patrons are so appreciative and thankful for all the glitter, glam and gorgeousness!

Amy: ChillOut Festival is Australia’s longest running regional pride event – this is our 26th year! What your earliest memory (or an early memory you hold dear) of LGBQTIA+ community?

Art: ChillOut Festival was my first experience of a regional pride event – I remember having the opportunity of performing at the carnival and being surrounded by so much queer community was so uplifting and fulfilling. 

Amy: What are you looking forward to this ChillOut Festival? 
Art: What NOT is there to look forward to – there is a star-studded program filled with amazing events, entertainers and everything you could want. But of COURSE I am looking forward to the All Ages Soundshell with me on Saturday 11th and of course Carnivale on the 13th! 

Amy: This year’s festival theme is ‘Find Your Wings” – celebrating the reappearance of local native ‘bright eyed brown butterfly’ and of everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community finding themselves, their happy place, their community. When or how did you ‘find your wings’?
Art: I found my wings through the art of drag. I often liken drag to being my superhero uniform. It’s what has helped me to be a better version of myself and live life to the fullest. 

Amy: With the exception of the festival, what else can we expect from you in 2023?

Art: This year is JAM PACKED with so many exciting opportunities coming my way – But make sure you look out for season 2 of my podcast “Concealed – With Art Simone” on the iheart network, plus I am starring in the ABC drama series “In our blood” which starts airing from February 19th!

Saturday Sound Shell, Saturday 11 March 11am – 3pm, Hepburn Amphitheatre | FREE ALL AGES EVENT

Carnivale, Sunday 12 March 11am – 3pm, Victoria Park, Daylesford

Sam Lohs, one half of the Tuck Shop Ladies, will be performing at a few events at ChillOut (see below). Sam chatted with the festival’s Amy Fabry-Jenkins.

Amy: Have you been to Daylesford or ChillOut before? 
Sam: Ohmigosh yes, we’ve been lucky to have been to many! My first impression was that it was colourful, chill,  vibrant and inclusive 

Amy: What’s your favourite ChillOut festival memory?

Sam: I think, as well as many of our shows we’ve performed, the one stand out would be watching the pride march with our friends, our kids and our dogs. There we were,  one big mish mash of chosen family, watching the colour and love of the  parade march by…it just made my heart feel so full. 

Amy: Tell us about the Tuck Shop Ladies – how did you meet, how did this musical magic start?

Sam: Rosie and I had been playing in the Rosie Burgess trio for many years and as much as we loved playing in a semi serious folk band I think we were looking for something a little fun and different (plus we were sick of carrying all the heavy equipment – guitars, drum kit etc!) So we taught ourselves to play ukuleles and starting writing observational humorous songs in the back of our van and on dog walks! 

Amy: What was your favourite food at the tuck shop as kids? 

Sam: Mine was a hot pie, an extremely special treat. We rarely got to buy lunch at the tuck shop!  

Amy: What are you looking forward to this ChillOut Festival?  

Sam: A whole lot of our friends and musical hero’s will be playing along side us this year – such as This Way North, Jude Perl and Hussy Hicks. It’s so much fun when we all get together and I never get tired of watching them play. 

Amy: ChillOut Festival is Australia’s longest running regional pride event – this is our 26^th year! What your earliest memory (or an early memory you hold dear) of LGBQTIA+ community?

Sam: I think just feeling embraced as a young gay 20 something year old playing in my first band ‘Fruit’ all those years ago. Feeling a sense of comradery and belonging. 

Amy: What do you like about performing at LGBTQIA+ events? Is there anything that makes regional pride events different? 

Sam: Absolutely. I think there’s less pretence. Everything is a little slower and feels more community driven. There’s a real sense of togetherness. 

Amy: This year’s festival theme is ‘Find Your Wings” – celebrating the reappearance of local native ‘bright eyed brown butterfly’ and of everyone in the LGBTQIA+ community finding themselves, their happy place, their community. When or how did you ‘find your wings’? 

Sam: Honestly, I think I’ve been finding and collecting mine at so many  different times in my life. Adding feathers along the journey is one of the best parts of being alive. 

Amy: With the exception of the festival, what else can we expect from you in 2023?

Sam: We have so many wonderful things on the horizon but I guess one of the most exciting things is that we will be taking part in The Melbourne International Comedy Festival 27th March – 2nd April. We’ve never played a comedy festival and just between you and us we’re quietly pooping our pants!! 

The Tuck Shop Ladies will be performing at:

Comedy at the Convent, Saturday 11 March, 4pm

Hey Hunny! Town Hall, Saturday 11 March, from 7pm

Carnivale, Sunday 12 March, 11am – 3pm at Vic Park

By Donna Kelly
SO, MYER Frankston has closed. The final shopping day was Sunday, January 15 but according to social media, most of the bargains were long gone.

Myer Frankston opened in 1972 when I was just seven years old. Eight years later it became my first workplace. I was in form 5, or today’s year 11, and tired of pocket money being dependent on whether I had been good or bad.
Up until that stage I had been pretty good but in form 5 I swapped from Mt Eliza High to Frankston High and met a whole new group of people and it all pretty much went downhill from there. Grades wise that is. Social life wise, I had the best time of my life, but back to Myer.
I had already failed an interview at Target, just over the carpark from Myer. The feedback was I was “too slow”. Now that’s a bit rude. How you can be too slow in an interview? I think I answered everything but maybe I was too considered. A slow burner. Anyway, I am nothing if not determined, and quickly decided my skill set would be more appreciated at the then, upmarket Myer.
Unlike Target, I passed the interview with flying colours and after a couple of days of training in cash registers, customer service and how to check for stolen credit cards by looking up a huge piece of paper with numbers stuck under the till – this was before computers, kids – I started my first day.
Actually, it was an evening shift, Thursday night, from 5pm to 9pm. I was in the children’s shoe department, a good starting place, and ready to do my best. At 5.05pm the phone rang. Now, we had done the training but no-one mentioned phone calls. Who would be calling? Why were they not shopping in person? Like a deer caught in headlights, I stood still and listened to it ring, and ring, and ring.
I looked up and saw a saleswoman, aged about 20, striding across from children’s clothing. She was very made up, well dressed, high heels. Yay, I thought. My saviour. But sadly no.
“Are you f…king deaf?” she screamed. “No,” I said, clearly a hearing person because I answered her question. “Then answer the f…king phone.” And I did.
It was a mostly good job for five years, helping me pay my way through two years of high school and three at university. I can’t say I really enjoyed fitting school shoes to kids with smelly feet, strange ulcers on their legs and runny noses. But then I moved to ladies’ shoes, ladies not women, and that was great.
Many women just came to grab a seat and have a rest, others were keen for a chat and the saleswomen I worked with there were lovely and encouraging. I remember coming to work one day sans stockings, a bit worried, but was told kindly by one: “It’s OK, you young ones can get away with anything these days”.
I also remember wearing heels every work stint, nothing out of control, but you know, a couple of inches. Those long days, 12 hours, over the school holidays were a real killer. I didn’t dare take my shoes off for any of my breaks in case I couldn’t get them on again. Of course, we also got a shopping discount, and also knew when the shoes were going to be marked down so could hide a pair out the back for that date. Wrong but, you know, there have to be some perks.
I think I was last in Myer Frankston about a year ago and it was looking tired and worn out. Fifty years is a long time for a store to hang in there and while many loyal shoppers will be sad to see it go, I will always feel happy I was a part of it, for a short time anyway. Myer was really my store. Just sayin’…

CAROL White is calling time on Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm, putting the historic Shepherds Flat property up for sale.

Carol said it was time to move on from working seven days a week and return to travelling around the world.
“Covid has been a bit of a nightmare, reopening every time after lockdowns just took every bit of my energy. It was like a juggler getting their six plates back in the air and then realising the stick was bent. It really crushed our momentum.”
Carol, who bought the property 35 years ago and started out with just 1000 lavender bushes “from some guy in the Dandenongs”, said she hoped a new buyer would bring new energy and continue to conserve the history of the property.
“It would be lovely if they ran it in a similar way, with weddings and events, it is perfect for that, but I am not going to tell anyone what they can and can’t do. Whoever it is will probably do a better job than I am doing now and take it in a slightly different direction. I just hope they respect the history and the stone buildings.”
Carol said when she bought the 38-hectare property it was pretty much bare farming land with a couple of derelict buildings still standing.
“My marriage was on the rocks and I thought I would start a business with a little patch of lavender, a romantic notion from my trips to Provence. I thought ‘I can manage that’ and started from there.
“You couldn’t get lavender in those days, it was hard to find and not in fashion at all, not like it is now as people have become more herby and realised their true value. A guy from the Dandenongs brought up 1000 bushes and I did some research on growing them but it was pretty much trial and error. Lavender doesn’t mind snow but it doesn’t like the harsh frosts we get, but it worked.
“And there were no trees here. I got in touch with the forestry place at Creswick which had all European trees and dragged thousands of them here. I just started planting in swathes, a swathe here and a swathe there, and then people started coming and I started making product.
“It was really popular and then we started with our festivals, European-style festivals, and we had up to 10,000 people and the police told us we had to stop because we had cars banked up on all the roads.”
Not one to give up, Carol then held seasonal festivals, which also proved extremely popular although the one in winter was dropped because it was too cold.
“So many people came, they wanted to see the farm in each season, but they were a lot of work and if you asked me to do one next week I just couldn’t. I am done.”

Carol, a former nursing sister who said that job gave her the organisational and delegation skills needed to run her own business, said Lavandula would be open until the end of May and then close for a period of time.
“I want to sell but I am not forced to sell and I will certainly be around in the background if someone wants to buy and needs some help to start with. But it may take some time to find the right person.”
So by winter Carol will be thinking about travel: “Probably the south of France, and I have friends in Italy and Norway and family in England, so some sort of world trip of gardens which is how I travelled before and was probably the inspiration for the farm.”
And will she miss what is pretty much her life’s work?
“Yes, I will miss the stone buildings and we have had some fabulous people work here, some so dedicated they have worked with me for 35 years, and our repeat customers have been extraordinary. But I won’t miss having to say no to every single social engagement on the weekend, or that I can’t take Easter off or plan a holiday. They are the things I am looking forward to.
“It is the end of an era but if I dropped off the perch that would be the end of an era as well, so this is a decision. I am time poor and there are things I need to do and want to do. I might even sit at home and do my own garden for six months. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm is for sale through McQueen Real Estate in Daylesford.
Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Kyle Barnes