Wellbeing counsellors work hand in hand with experienced financial counsellors to ensure that your mental health receives as much attention as your bottom line. 

Providing practical strategies and helping you to tailor them to your specific circumstances, across the north and south west.

Wellbeing counsellors can visit you at your property or talk over the phone to assist with:

✔ Managing stress
✔ Building resilience for tough times
✔ Balancing work and life with practical tools
✔ Getting support for big decisions and life changes.

To speak to a Wellbeing Counsellor call 1300 735 578.

Find out more at wswrcs.com.au/

For further drought support visit: agriculture.vic.gov.au/drought or call 136 186.

Has your farm been impacted by recent bushfires? 

The Victorian Government has recently announced measures to support Victorian primary producers affected by the January 2026 bushfires.

You may be eligible for a recovery grant or a concessional loan to help with cleanup, restoration and rebuilding, including:

• engaging a tradesperson to conduct a safety inspection of damage to a property, premises or equipment
• hiring and leasing equipment, or purchasing materials to clean a property, premises or equipment
• purchasing, hiring or leasing equipment or materials that are essential for immediately resuming operation of the primary production enterprise, including pumps and generators
• removing and disposing of debris, damaged goods and material, and injured or dead livestock
• Other activities as listed in the program guidelines.

A full list of eligible activities is included in the program guidelines.

When applying for a grant or loan, it’s important that you don’t self-assess and if you’re unsure of your eligibility, contact Rural Finance with any questions.

Applications are now open and will close at 4 pm on 21 October 2026.

You can check your eligibility via Rural Finance www.ruralfinance.com.au or call them on 1800 260 425 with any questions.

The state government is helping the Latrobe Valley attract the key workers it needs to enable greater community access to essential health and aged care services, with new worker housing in Newborough completed.

Member for Eastern Victoria Harriet Shing represented Minister for Regional Development Jaclyn Symes during last week’s official opening of Latrobe Valley Village’s new worker accommodation, delivered through the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund.

Latrobe Valley Village is a vital, trusted residential and aged care facility in Newborough and Moe that supports elderly Victorians and their carers to achieve positive health and wellbeing outcomes.

Works delivered at the Newborough site have transformed a disused wing of the company’s existing aged care facility into seven new self-contained units for workers and their families. Now known as ‘Cedar Workstay’, the wing features a new communal kitchen and laundry facilities for staff.

Cedar Workstay will attract skilled workers able to provide much-needed services for the Latrobe Valley community, which has an ageing population that had previously outpaced skilled worker availability.

Construction supported multiple jobs across a range of industries, with 45 workers and 15 businesses directly benefiting in addition to the seven professional aged care workers who now call Newborough’s newest units home.

Across the region healthcare providers are leveraging the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund to attract workers, including Bairnsdale District Health, Omeo District Health and Bayside Health.

The Government is also investing $5 million from its Council Support Package to help deliver a range of activities across the Latrobe Valley, such as sporting and streetscape upgrades, new community and volunteer programs, improved internet access and support for Aboriginal-owned businesses.

The state government is supporting one of the state’s leading pathology providers to open a state-of-the-art laboratory and Victorian headquarters, creating hundreds of jobs and significantly expanding its services.

Minister for Industry and Advanced Manufacturing Colin Brooks recently visited the former Costco site in Docklands, where Melbourne Pathology will open a new Centre of Excellence.

The centre is expected to create more than 200 jobs during construction, and over 250 new ongoing jobs once completed. The roles will include highly skilled scientists, pathologists, biomedical engineers and geneticists.

It will more than double Melbourne Pathology’s operational footprint and include over 10,000 sqm of laboratory space capable of processing 200,000 tests each day, significantly boosting the state’s pathology and diagnostic capacity that Victorians rely on.

Expanded services will include advanced genomic testing and a drone landing area to transport time sensitive samples to and from hospitals and collection centres across regional Victoria.

The centre’s 700-plus staff are also expected to help revitalise the northern end of the Docklands by injecting more than $6 million into the local economy every year.

Melbourne Pathology is the oldest established private pathology practice in Australia, operating for more than 100 years and delivering medical testing and pathology services for Victorians every day, at 350 collection centres across the state.

The Victorian Government’s investment in health and medical research continues to drive growth, create jobs and support incredible breakthroughs in treatment and care.

Health technologies and medical research are identified as key priority sectors for growth and investment in the Government’s Economic Growth Statement.

Had a chat with Michelle Clifford from the Daylesford Community Op Shop last week.
Many of you would know that somehow they received a bag of clothing infested with bed bugs. Yuk. They did all the right things; made sure their volunteers were safe, shut down and then chucked out so much stuff.
Some people said they went overboard, but they’re doing the best they can to keep the community safe, which is what they do. And now the op shop crew are running a big donation blitz, because they really need money.
Of course, people jumped in to help. The GoFundMe page is going well and people like Eddie and Malinka Comelli have let them off paying rent. Loads of other people have also donated great items for a raffle, with the date still to be decided. Well done everyone for what you have done so far.
If you have a few dollars, and I know things are tight for many people, please think about donating if you can. They are so much more than just an op shop and do things behind the scenes we will never know about.
And when I say we, people who sleep in warm beds every night and don’t have to think about running from domestic violence or trying to find a place to stay. And be assured the money will stay in the region.
When they’re up and running again, if you can donate goods, that’s fantastic as well. So have a look in your cupboard, see what you don’t need. Just please make sure it’s decent quality that you would be happy to own yourself. Being strapped for cash doesn’t equal taking crap.
What else? On the ankle front, by the time you read this, I’ll be four weeks through the six week non-weight bearing period, which has been a pain in the butt, literally, because I’m always sitting.
And thanks to all the people who have asked how I am going although Kyle would rather you ask about the carer. Poor Kyle. He has done a great job – the only thing I would change is getting an adult carer, not a child. But it’s been OK.
I also want to thank the person who sent me some flowers. I have looked everywhere for contact details but nothing. They were really beautiful and certainly tsumaranai mono de wa nai yo! Arigato gozaimusu.
Another story we covered, which sort of came in per chance, was the Musk CFA organising a donation of hay for Harcourt.
That was amazing enough but they have also done a bit of a recruitment drive after some next-generation planning and have about seven new members, men and women.
We’ve got a lot of new people in the region, so if you’ve thought about giving your time back, maybe join your local brigade? You’re going to make some friends really quickly, get to know who’s who and if you are not designed for fighting fires there’s plenty of other things to do.
Also, Musk CFA has started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for a second tanker. At the moment they just have the one with a huge area to cover and when they join the strike teams it means they’re leaving their region without a tanker. Sort of. Other brigades cover them but it’s not the same.
So, again, if you can help with fundraising…
Finally I had a call from Earle Kent at Clunes. His golfing mates read an article by our tree guy John Beetham about fabulous trees around the region and reckon he has better at his home. Well, bigger. So Kyle and I popped out to Clunes and there was a massive tree. A Murray River red gum some 15 metres high, with a huge girth. It’s on the front page so you might have spotted it by now.
Earle said the tree was there when he bought the property 38 years ago and while it waned a bit during years of drought, it keeps on keeping on. He actually asked the forestry people at Creswick about it in the early days and they pretty much said to leave it to its own devices. So he did – and it is magnificent. Size does matter.
I love these stories. They are known in the newspaper game as ‘pumpkins’. In the life of all journos, well those working on smaller community newspapers, some time or another a call will come in from someone who has the biggest pumpkin/apple/zucchini ever. And you go and take a photo and pop it in the paper and then, as soon as you hit print, someone else will call with a bigger pumpkin/apple/zucchini. And on it goes.
It’s really good fun until someone then writes in to say bigger is not necessarily better and huge fruit and veggies don’t have the same flavour…stop now if you were about to write in.
When I worked on the Centralian Advocate in Alice Springs we had a dedicated journo, Crispin, who wrote about people making their way across Australia on bikes, trikes, unicycles…they always assumed they were the wackiest ever. I was deputy editor by then so it was lovely to call out: “Crispy, got one for you.” Just sayin’…

TIME IS UP

They say that times are tough
Yet time has no discernible traits
It cannot present as strong or weak
It can only be an hour, a day, a week
and its characteristic does not
care what you seek

They say that it is enough
To wake, and breathe, and work
And time will inevitably reward
The pain of each day of facing the sword
Yet time is nothing more than a tick
then a tock and a hand moves forward

They say that love transcends time
That it lays above and beyond
Such a fickle, man-made construct
Yet both have the power to ultimately disrupt
All the dreams in one’s heart
and deliver nothing but constant mistrust

They say that time makes everything ok
The bleeding will thicken and stick
on the edges of exhausted skin
Mend bones and bruises on bludgeoned shins
Yet its passage degrades the flesh within

They say that time is fleeting
Yet its momentum can be relied upon
Measured and metered out with maths
No variance in its existence reacts
To the will of every little whim
and desire of every single psychopath

They created time to manipulate
The beating of one’s heart to a new rhythm
A way of life governed by bells and alarms
Devoid of natural and simple charms
Flayed to the core by clocking on
to a life full of lies and harms

– Anita Chompff

Anita is a poet, writer, and sandwich queen living in the Central Goldfields of Victoria.

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

There’s a new advert on the TV about Medicare. The scenario is that a bloke walks into the doctor’s room and with lots of smiles exchanged, walks out.
Obviously, he wasn’t too worried about the rash he had just reported or the fact that he had just contracted Covid for the 10th time or, even worse, had a brush with the latest Nipah virus. But I digress.
He goes to pay the bill and the nice smiling girl at the counter says, “no worries Medicare’s got this”. The advert finishes with a bloke saying “authorised by the Federal Government, Canberra”. And not at a horse-race commentator or auctioneer speed, a kind of nah-nah-nah speed slowed right down so we are certain that the opposition hasn’t bought it in.
Now for those who remember, Medicare was launched in its current form on February 1, 1984, by then Prime Minister Bob Hawke. It is a national, tax-funded universal health insurance scheme and was designed to provide free or subsidised access to medical services, hospital treatments, and medicines. It evolved from the earlier 1975 “Medibank” system, which was introduced by the Whitlam government. Originally one per cent of your wage, it has now gone up to two per cent of your hard-earned cash.
To break it down in terms of what the change is I took to old mate Google which spat out an estimated income impact, which is very compressed but good reading, and for all you kiddies thinking about new careers, a consideration.
Salary growth: A full-time, fully bulk-billing GP who earned roughly $280,000 in 2023 could see their salary exceed $400,000 by late 2025/2026.
Practice Revenue: Practices that adopt full bulk-billing may receive approximately $350,000 a year in additional Medicare payments, ranging from $90,000 for small to $1.2 million for large, metro practices.
Note: These figures are based on metropolitan 2025–26 Budget projections and “fully” bulk-billing, meaning the practice has opted into the new incentive program for all eligible services.
So, this is a great outcome, however as I told one politician when they opened a new roundabout outside the Daylesford Farmers Arms Hotel: “It isn’t your money.”
Medicare was a program set up for universal healthcare for all Australians. We have paid for, and continue to pay for this level of care, and I don’t mind, but stop patting yourselves on the back for doing your bloody job.
Speaking of bloody jobs, and the Hepburn Shire Council sticking to theirs, which is roads, rates and rubbish. Australia Day is well in the rearview mirror, but we shouldn’t have to check in with the council, who have enough on its plate, to check on our own moral compasses. Next year if you want to celebrate Australia Day or feel incensed at the whole thing – you do you and let others do themselves. For me the date has nothing to do with anything much. It was the day Captain Arthur Phillip and his crew raised the Union Jack flag on the beach and had a couple of beers.
But the thing is he actually arrived in Botany Bay six days earlier with the rest of the fleet. And there had been a load of comings and goings before that and not just the British. You have to make up your own mind on these matters and not rely on government bodies. And as we next wrap up 2026, gorge on our body weight of delicious food and booze and slide into 2027, the same argument will ensue, pitting the celebrating and non-celebrating camps against each other. The cookers will hit the streets to protest on whatever cause is going at the time and the rest of us will wait until the ruckus clears. And then we can truly raise a glass to this wonderful place we call home.
Aussie, Aussie, Blah rant over…

Well here I am again writing an article for you, the reader, to enjoy.
This time I’ll be entering the world of endangered flora around the world.
Simply, the term endangered relates to any plant that lives in a threatened natural habitat that is still needing preservation or has indeed been lost.
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has established a public access database that lists not only plant species but animals as well, with categories that range (in the case of this article) from endangered to critically endangered to extinct in the wild.

So buckle up and travel around the globe with four trees and one shrub that I have selected for you.

1. Acer griseum (paperbark maple), a member of the Sapindaceae family, is one of the finest medium-sized maples to add to your garden with its extraordinary peeling bark (see image top right) and stunning autumnal foliage. Native to parts of China it has been declared endangered due to heavy deforestation – worth seeking out from rare plant nurseries.
2. Clianthus puniceus (New Zealand glory pea or kaka beak), a member of the Fabaceae family, is a small, wide-spreading shrub (see image middle right) endemic to New Zealand’s North Island where it is now extinct in the wild. However there are now efforts to reintroduce this species back into the wild after a chance discovery of a pack of seeds in a garden shed that were found to have origins back to a recognised habitat before the species was overrun by rabbits, goats, deer and snails. They were germinated successfully and subsequent plants produced more viable seed and so hundreds of plants will be let loose to form new populations.
3. Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant redwood), a member of the cupressaceae family, is represented most famously in the wild by the specimen (the largest of any known tree species by volume) with the name of the General Sherman Tree (see image lower right) whose dimensions are dazzling – a height of 84m, average canopy width of 31m, a circumference of 31m at the base and a diameter of 5.3m at 18.3m above the base. Declared as endangered, this remarkable species can live for over 3000 years and can only be found in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California USA. There are many registered significant giant redwoods in Victoria including a ripper down at the Spa Reserve in Hepburn Springs.
4. Sophora toromiro (toromiro), another member of the fabaceae family, is a small tree that has also been listed as extinct in the wild. Once common on the island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) its population was lost due to heavy deforestation. When Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl sailed to Rapa Nui in 1955-56 he collected seed from the last existing tree that was then cut down in 1960, took the seed back to Europe and now plants can be found growing in gardens around the world. The National Arboretum in Canberra has a dedicated forest – #77.
5. Wollemia nobilis (wollemi pine) another member of the araucariaceae family that is critically endangered, is last but not least, as its botanical history is almost unimaginable in this day and age. Back in the early 1990s a NSW park ranger (David Noble) came across a hidden canyon in Wollemi National Park that contained a forest of these living fossils and so the process of identification and naming began. Propagation was successful and there are now specimens to be found all over the globe all with the same DNA.
I hope you, the reader, have been entertained by these anecdotal notes on a small selection of plants that have struggled to survive in their native habitats around the world.

Cheers John Beetham (Trees in Australia)

Next time: Creating micro-climates in the garden

Clem Sturmfels, Land Management Extension Officer
Recent bushfires have had devastating consequences for many farming families, destroying infrastructure such as fences, sheds, and water systems. Amongst this devastation, they also offer an opportunity to review and update farm layouts.
Farmers are encouraged to consider if their current layout is still the most effective for their business and to reflect on the following questions:
•
are you making the best use of more productive areas on the farm?
•
are you protecting areas vulnerable to soil erosion, structure decline, and inundation?
•
can you better protect areas of bush, native grasslands, and waterway frontages?
•
would a new laneway system make running the farm easier and more efficient?
•
are your gates and troughs in the best location to maximise production and allow the efficient movement of stock and equipment?
Along with those questions, consider reviewing your fencing requirements. Do you need traditional fencing, or might electric fencing offer more flexibility and lower cost? Would you consider virtual fencing sometime in the future?
Rather than putting fences where they were prior to fires, consider re-fencing along land management unit or land class boundaries. Land class fencing allows you to better manage different land types on your farm and can result in better pastures and crops, improved productivity and the protection of soils, wetlands, and remnant vegetation.
While slope is a key criteria in determining land class, it’s also important to consider the depth and structure of soil, the presence of stone or rock and the risk of water logging or inundation.
In normal times these are the sorts of things you might consider over a longer period of time. It might involve discussions with your family and employees, attending a whole farm planning course and preparing a plan of your future farm using a large, laminated aerial photo or computer mapping program.
A video providing an overview of whole farm planning is available on Agriculture Victoria’s Feeding Livestock website www.feedinglivestock.vic.gov.au/pasture-resources/pasture-tools/
To assist with land classing, Agriculture Victoria has also developed an application which can be used on smartphone, tablet or computer. The application is available via our Learning Management System at https://learning.agriculture.vic.gov.au/
For more on fire recovery support and information, visit www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/bushfires or call 136 186.

The Victorian Government is getting more homes off the ground faster – accelerating the approval of more than 750 new homes across three projects in Melbourne’s southeast and north, close to transport, jobs, and services.

Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny has fast-tracked three housing projects – 399 homes in Windsor, 123 homes in Sandringham, and 254 homes in Mill Park through the Labor Government’s Development Facilitation Program.

These three developments bring the total number of homes accelerated through this pathway to more than 8,000 in just over two years since the program started.

The $158 million build-to-rent development on Punt Road in Windsor will provide homes in one of Melbourne’s best connected inner-city locations. Future residents will be close to Windsor and Prahran stations, trams, Albert Park, the Alfred Hospital precinct, and shops and cafes along Chapel Street.

Mill Park’s $155 million project on Bush Boulevard, which will also include a new medical centre, will provide more homes close to Westfield Plenty Valley Shopping Centre, the 386 and 387 bus routes, and services.

The $70 million project on Bay Road in Sandringham will provide homes within walking distance of the 822 and 825 bus routes as well as the local shopping district, schools, childcare, parks and green space.

The Government’s Development Facilitation Program streamlines the planning process for eligible priority projects that boost investment in the economy, keep people in jobs, and create homes for Victorians – housing projects must deliver at least 10 per cent affordable housing.

Victoria continues to lead the nation when it comes to delivering homes – approving and building thousands of more homes than any other state, accounting for around 70 per cent of Australia’s completed build-to-rent homes, and leading the nation when it comes to first home buyers.

The Labor Government continues to deliver on its bold housing reforms that are about giving Victorians real housing choice – more opportunities to live in the communities they love.

These reforms include overhauling outdated planning laws, slashing stamp duty on eligible off-the-plan homes, setting housing targets for every council, delivering more homes near public transport, making it easier to subdivide, and simplifying townhouse and duplex approvals.

Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny:

“This is about making sure more Victorians have the opportunity to live in these great locations – close to the public transport, jobs and services they rely on.”

“Whether it’s apartments and townhouses in our inner suburbs or family homes in our greenfields, we’re making it easier to build more homes to give more Victorians real housing choice.”

Member for Southern Metropolitan Region John Berger said:

“This is exactly the right place for new homes in Windsor – close to great public transport, Albert Park, The Alfred and Chapel Street.”

Member for Southern Metropolitan Region Ryan Batchelor said:

“Melbourne’s southeast is a great place to live, and these new homes will help more people be part of these communities and live close to the things that matter to them.”

Member for Mill Park Lily D’Ambriosio said:

“More homes in Mill Park means more opportunities for families and young people to live close to the public transport, jobs and services they rely on.”

The Victorian Government has fast-tracked two more renewable energy projects – helping drive down Victorians power bills by bringing more new renewable energy online.

Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny has approved a 300-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS) in Heywood, and 400-megawatt BESS in Glenrowan through the Development Facilitation Program (DFP) – a pathway that is fast-tracking cheaper and cleaner energy projects for eligible projects.

The DFP pathway is about making good decisions faster, and since the program was expanded to include renewable energy projects less than two years ago the Labor Government has unlocked more than $9 billion worth of investment across 25 projects that will create more than 3,300 new jobs in construction and operations.

Once completed, these 24 projects will collectively generate enough power for more than 735,000 households annually – with the battery storage capable of meeting evening peak demand for two million households.

Atmos Renewables’ 300-megawatt BESS in Heywood strategically located close to AusNet’s Heywood Terminal Station will have the capacity to meet peak evening demand for 103,000 homes. Up to 150 jobs will be created during construction with ongoing roles once operations commence.

Akaysha Energy’s 400-megawatt BESS in Glenrowan will connect nearby into AusNet’s Glenrowan Terminal Station and will have the capacity to power 138,000 homes during times of high demand and create approximately 100 jobs during construction.

The batteries will soak up and store cheap renewable energy during the day that can be pumped back into the electricity grid at times of peak demand, helping to deliver cheaper energy bills and reliable electricity to Victorian homes and businesses.

Proponents for both projects were required to undertake consultation with the community and relevant government agencies including local councils, the Country Fire Authority, AusNet, and DEECA.

The Victorian Government’s record investments in renewable energy means Victoria consistently has the lowest wholesale power prices in the country – bringing online even more renewable energy will ensure prices stay low into the future.

Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny said:

“The Development Facilitation Program is all about making good decisions, faster. This fast-tracked pathway has unlocked more than $9 billion worth of investment into renewable energy projects, helping provide cheaper and cleaner energy to hundreds of thousands of Victorian households.”

Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio said:

“More renewable energy projects means more reliable and cheaper power for families, more jobs for Victorians and a cleaner energy system for the future.”

Saturday 14 February, 6pm
Old Castlemaine Gaol

As part of the Share the Love Valentine’s Day Concert at the Gaol (see left), CASPA Gallery has organised an art auction. You can preview a few of the works here, and place your bid at the auction on the day. All proceeds to Harcourt Progress Association.

Saturday 14 February 12pm onwards
Old Castlemaine Gaol
36-48 Bowden Street

Bring one and all for a day of music, workshops, art auctions, food and drink to raise funds for Harcourt Progress Association. Donations at the door for entry.

The Victorian Government is making it easier and safer to move around Rutherglen’s historic town centre, with pedestrian‑safety upgrades set to begin this month following a $1.3 million investment.

Crews will commence works at multiple locations across the popular tourist town, with multiple pedestrian‑safety projects set to roll out and be completed over the coming months.

New pedestrian-operated traffic lights will be installed on Main Street between High Street and Murphy Street in place of an existing school crossing. 

The new lights will provide a safe crossing point for pedestrians, including students and families travelling to and from Rutherglen Primary School. 

A zebra crossing will be installed on Main Street near Warrens Lane to improve safety for pedestrians crossing near the newsagency and pharmacy.

Speed bumps will be installed on the approach to the new pedestrian-operated traffic lights and the zebra crossing to assist in slowing vehicles ahead of the crossing points.

Zebra crossings and raised safety platforms will also be installed across High Street on both the northbound and southbound approaches to Main Street to slow vehicles accessing the intersection and provide a safer crossing location for pedestrians.

The 40km/h speed zone on the eastern approach to Murphy Street will be extended further eastward along the Murray Valley Highway and the Chiltern Rutherglen Road.

The state government is supporting young people from refugee backgrounds to access vital road safety education and supervised driving experience through a new pilot program delivered by the Salvation Army as part of the TAC L2P initiative.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne recently announced the launch of the L2P Refugee Pilot Program, which will assist young learner drivers involved in the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing’s Refugee Minors Program.

Over the 12-month pilot, eligible learners will be matched with volunteer mentors from Kinetic – one of Melbourne’s major transport operators – to help them build essential road knowledge and log the driving hours required to obtain their probationary licence.

Building on the existing TAC L2P model, the pilot helps overcome key barriers faced by young refugees who may not have access to a car or a fully licensed driver to support their learning.

The program is focused on collaboration and community connection, benefiting learners while strengthening relationships between mentors and young people across Melbourne.

The TAC L2P Program supports the Victorian Government’s Graduated Licensing System, which requires learner drivers under 21 to complete at least 120 hours of supervised driving practice.

For more information, visit transport.vic.gov.au/road-and-active-transport/registration-and-licensing/licences/learner-permit/tac-l2p-learner-driver-mentor-program.