That was an interesting Friday.
First we did a bit of work, nothing unusual, and then we headed to the gym. But as we do sometimes, we decided at least we had ‘been’ to the gym and left without any exercise. Best efforts and all that. And we had been a few times this week and to Pilates.
So then we headed to the Daylesford Community Op Shop. Love this place and needed to buy a veggie steamer. Got that sorted – oh, keep the oppy in mind for Christmas shopping – and bumped in Danny Moynihan, as you do.
Danny was picking up a cupboard for Dianne and delivering it to her Daylesford home. It’s just the sort of thing Danny does. But the cupboard looked heavy so we got a little involved and headed to Dianne’s place to help unload it.
As Danny says, you just help when you can. No biggie. I also found out Dianne is a seamstress so that is invaluable information. She is flat out at the moment, no wonder, there are always hems to take up.
And that was our good deed for the day. Simples.
So then we headed to Coles in Daylesford which is undergoing a huge transformation while still being a working, open store. It’s quite funny watching shoppers wander around aimlessly looking for that one particular item that has ended up in the wrong aisle.
Full marks to the staff there who are still smiling through it all. I am sure they are getting lots of queries and comments but they take it in their stride and keep on keeping on. Well done you guys!
Anyway, we bought our few things and headed back to the ute which was parked opposite the two Click & Collect parks. And in that innocuous place was where the road rage took place.
A bloke was parked in one spot, in a ute, looking very unhappy. And at that moment another bloke headed to the car in the other spot, clearly not clicking or collecting. Poorly done but whatever.
But the first bloke took umbrage and started mouthing off about the spot being only for clicking and collecting, and the other bloke said something about already having collected. Probably not true but you have to give it a go.
This just enraged the first bloke even further and next thing, as the guy tried to leave, he was in his face and then banging on the side of the car. Seriously. First world and all that.
Eventually the driver made his escape but the first bloke was not finished and looked over at us, watching the event unfold. He called out: “You OK?” to which Kyle replied: “Not necessary, mate.” And over he came, ranting. (Obviously he did not realise he was up against the greatest ranter of all time.)
Kyle locked the doors, closed the window and indicated for the bloke to leave. With a friendly gesture. And he did, once he realised we were in a ute weighing about 2000kg, that was already running.
I know it’s annoying when people park in the wrong spots. Unauthorised people in disabled zones drive me nuts and I do say something but I would never rage on. And now we have a Tesla, ICE (internal combustion engine) cars parked in electric charging spots also annoy me. Finally, if we are delivering The Local and cars with no signage are parked in loading zones, it’s also pretty on the nose.
But, you know, we are not living in Gaza, or Ukraine, or even the US for that matter. We mostly have pretty good lives and it always feels better to help than hinder. It also makes you happier, just sayin’…

Hi, I am Indi – a two-year-old female, white and tan bull arab x staffy.

I have boundless energy and intelligence and love the company of other dogs. I need a home with high, secure fencing and lots of mental stimulation. I am very affectionate and playful once I warm up to new people and I am very eager to learn and please.
If you want a loyal friend, come and meet me at MAAWs in Castlemaine or call 5472 5277.
Microchip no. 97810108732207

Pick me, pick me is run in memory of Rosie the Kelpie & Curly the Cocker Spaniel – we picked them from the Peninsula RSPCA. This photo is a very young Rosie, and a very young Kyle…despite the slightly distressed look, no dogs were harmed in the making of this image.

(Pick me, pick me is also proudly supported by Daylesford’s petstock – where pets are family.)

cocktail party

the evening drips on and on. champagne
bubbles too brightly for a decision that is really
rather flat. some old fool with old fool’s teeth
prattles about verisimilitude in a dry
manner of seeming that rarely rises
to a drone above white noise. another
of no known antiquity is speaking (i think) across me
at an oblique angle; such thoughts as punctuate
time with reality are an eternal
tomorrow. my eye sleepsearches
across a smoke haze of possibility and catches
a star winking at me through a window.
i smile inconsequentially, writing
my slow epitaph. i walk to the window and
talk to the star.

– Rory Hudson

Rory Hudson lives in Point Cook and writes various kinds of poetry as and when the mood seizes him, some of which he reads at Chamber Poets, Woodend. His poems have been published in different Australian magazines.

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

I shake my head in the general direction of the TV as an advert comes on promoting skincare for the three-plus year-old crowd.
Rini is a new product from some Instagram mummy group trying to get rich off frightening other Insta-mummies into putting facemasks on their children. FFS. It’s called youth and it will take care of itself. God provided youthful skin, fearless behaviour and a positive view of the world just for babies. But it seems to be sacrilege to gather wrinkles and the rigours of time on one’s face as you age.
As a kid I lived in a rural fishing village in the top of the north island in New Zealand where Dad had leased a barn on a farm which abutted a harbour.
One memory that sticks out was at the age of four, one of my many “complimentary aunties” calling out from the long drop for some toilet paper. Now, at the time I was dragging an old case around the farm pretending I was a train and what better job for the train than to load it with a toilet roll and deliver it to my toilet captive. After about half an hour I finally arrived at my destination after a few stops en route, and with my auntie by then quite desperate for me to arrive.
My two sisters and I shared a caravan awning as a bedroom – we watched the six-inch black and white TV with one channel and a picture that always rolled, from Mum and Dad’s bed in the caravan as there was no lounge. We played in and around sheep dips, cattle yards, wharves and crawled around the hulls of rusty old boats and barges. Our money came from selling pipis, eels and rubbish salvaged from the local dump to drunk fisherman and cockies who would pass our gate from the pub 50 metres up the road. Our shower was a quick fill of hot water from the jug mixed into a watering can – pull on the rope and get third degree burns or hypothermia.
The only skin routine mum used on us was butter on burns and dad cutting a small incision into your foot when you picked up one of his fishhooks in your foot.
As a school-aged child, I endured playgrounds that had hard dirt under the monkey bars to encourage you not to fall, metal slides that in the summer would require an egg slice to release you from the bottom. I withstood skateboards made from salvaged and sometimes illegally procured parts that would throw you 20 metres after pulling up on a small rock. And then there was many a bicycle accident caused by loose chains and the wobbles. Not to mention the jumps.
As a young teenager I took on a paper round, and then a milk round which was more profitable. Sometimes the two would coincide so I dumped the newspapers down the creek. There was a lot of milk-money being stolen in those days and the only guy who wasn’t suspected of the theft was the milkman. Yours truly would come up to a bunch of bottles in the dark and take the money for myself, rendering the resident milk-less. This is not something I am totally proud of, but when there is no food in the cupboard at home it was about survival.
As I grew older and more civilised, I survived the 80s where a deckchair could go off like a beartrap plus the continous inhalation of second-hand cigarette smoke. Then there were the heated-up seatbelts which provided a nasty burn from the buckle on a hot day, not to mention the vinyl seats which stuck to the back of your legs.
I didn’t get to a nightclub until I was well into my 20s, a drunken dance at the local hall was our scene. Trying to avoid cigarettes being put out on your face, not through an exercise in torture, just your mates wielding the things while dancing. At one dance I picked up a bottle to guzzle down some beer but unfortunately it had become the designated ashtray and I ended up with a mouth full of cigarette butts.
Now I’m not saying you should put your children through all this, but I think a lot of Gen Xers would agree with me that the parent pendulum has swung too far the other way. Wrinkled rant over…

This year’s Daylesford Show really does promise something for everyone – from magic, to bubbles, mini golf to music.

Cath Jamison

She has been described as a “wickedly funny entertainer (who) takes a feminine approach” to the world of magic.
Dawn French raved about her. “Love her, she’s fantastic, I want more.” Tim Burton called her “simply extraordinary”.
Cath, pictured right, will spend her time at the show as a roving magician, engaging with groups and individuals and will also run a magic workshop for juniors.
“We very much look forward to adding this new attraction to our free entertainment program” said John Nicholls, Daylesford & District Agricultural Society president and show secretary.

The bubble fairy

A very popular addition to the entertainment in 2024 was the bubble fairy, Fern, who creates giant bubbles for kids to jump up and pop.
Don’t be fooled by the tiny wings you see in the photos, the real ethereal wings are cosmic in size, shining bright with all the colours of the rainbow.

Mini golf
In 2025 the show will also welcome a mini golf course, courtesy of the Great Trentham SpudFest.
And it is hoped the petting zoo will be back after it was cancelled last year because of hot weather.
There will also be pony rides, the Puppet Man, rescue ferrets and a face painter. All free of charge.
Kids will be kept busy with plenty of activities in and around the Tom Ford Pavilion, including a children’s art table. It will also house the junior competitions and the school displays.

Music
There will be a music program under the shade sail featuring local choirs Sweet Justice and the Honeytones, the Cool Country Ukes, the Gordon Gypsies, Barbed Wire Canoe, a music group from Daylesford College and the Daylesford Community Brass Band.
Local music act Lake Mist will again perform in the Hall of Flowers.
See you at the show on Saturday, November 22. The gates, at Victoria Park, will be open from 9am to 3pm.
Link: www.daylesfordshow.com

The Shamick’s Castlemaine Rotary Truck Show 2025, held over the weekend of Saturday, November 29 and Sunday, November 30, is the 37th consecutive year that the trucking industry will gather at the Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve.

Ranked as one of the top three regional shows Australia-wide, Castlemaine’s high quality was confirmed earlier this year with its 2024 Truck of the Show taking out the Champion of Champions trophy in Brisbane.
Wandering among over 250 gleaming, chromed big rigs is only part of the fun. Spectators travel from far and wide for the country music program and to enjoy an affordable day out with the family.
As part of this family-friendly event, children under 16 are admitted free and all of the kids’ rides and music entertainment are also free.
A new attraction for the kids will be The Fun Factory, plus long-time favourites such as face painting and miniature train and pony rides, and the Steering for the Future educational truck.
R&R McClure Excavations are once again sponsoring the live music offering, this year headed up by well-known media personality and Coodabeen Champion, Greg Champion OAM and award-winning country singer-songwriter Sandee Facy. Sandee and her band will definitely have everyone’s toes tapping.
A record number of trade stalls will be on the ground with something for everyone – including some Christmas shopping opportunities – plus 17 sponsor displays for those in the industry. Test drives of a Volvo electric truck is something new being offered this year.
The Cycling Without Age trishaw will also be available for the foot-weary to take a leisurely turn around the grounds to check out the sights.
And when the exploring is finished, there is undercover seating to rest and partake in a range of food and refreshment options, including a licenced bar on site.
Before leaving, cast a vote for the favourite truck in the People’s Choice Award at the Castlemaine Toyota stand.
Gates open at noon on Saturday and at 10am on Sunday with a crowd favourite the traditional 9am Sunday morning convoy through Castlemaine to the Campbells Creek Recreation Reserve where the event will be held. All proceeds raised go to support Castlemaine Rotary’s community projects and youth scholarships.
Link: www.castlemainetruckshow.com

The 74th Daylesford Highland Gathering will take place on Saturday, December 6 at Victoria Park. This event invites locals and visitors alike to don their kilts and immerse themselves in a vibrant celebration of Scottish heritage, music, dance, and athletic prowess.
The gathering was founded in 1952 and is not only a much-loved community event but also a highlight on the Victorian Scottish cultural calendar.
Established as an opportunity to celebrate Scottish heritage and culture, the Daylesford Highland Gathering has now grown into an event which hosts the Victorian Highland Dance Championships, Daylesford’s own Pipe Band Competition and the recent return of the Highland Games.
With hammer throw and caber tossing as highlights it’s easy to understand that the games are quite a crowd pleaser. On the day there will be something for everyone, from enjoying a haggis burger and Irn-Bru, watching the Highland breed dogs put on a show, taking a photo with a Highland cow or wandering through the Scottish Market to topping up on on tartan scarves and enjoying some sweet Scottish tablet.
This year’s gathering kicks off with the Pipe Band Street March through the heart of Daylesford, setting the town abuzz with the stirring sounds of the pipes and drums.
Attendees can look forward to the prestigious Victorian Highland Dance Championships, a spectacular showcase of skill and tradition, alongside the fiercely contested Pipe Band Competition.
The highlight of the day remains the thrilling Highland Games, featuring crowd favourites like the hammer throw and caber toss, guaranteed to draw cheers from all ages.
Bring the whole family for a day of culture, community, and camaraderie.
Whether you’re a seasoned gathering attendee or a first-time visitor, the 74th Daylesford Highland Gathering promises something special for everyone. Mark your calendars for December 6.

The 156th Kingston Agricultural Show, Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 December, will once again showcase country life.

Visitors can expect a true country show experience where this much-loved local event blends simple traditions with hands-on-fun that children (and their grown-ups) will remember for years. It’s the kind of day where kids can wander wide-eyed from the animal pens to the gumboot throw, discovering something new at every turn.
Saturday is all about free family fun, from circus and woodcraft workshops, face painting and the cardboard box tractor competition to exploring a pavilion filled with creativity. Families can relax and enjoy live music in the marquee as local performers fill the day with tunes. Watch the harness and heavy horses, enter your pony or pat a chook.
The Best Ute Show also held on Saturday brings fresh energy to the arena and is a modern nod to the rural lifestyle that sits beautifully alongside the show’s time-honoured traditions.
On Sunday, the focus turns to day two of high-quality equestrian events and the second day of top class working yard dog competitions. With free admission it’s an easy, family-friendly Sunday activity.
What makes the Kingston Show special is its authentic country spirit – a show that’s gentle on the land, celebrates local breeders and talents and welcomes every generation to take part. With more than 20 competitions for juniors, there are plenty of ways for young exhibitors to get involved and shine.
So, pack a picnic, or buy delicious food from the canteen, grab a coffee and settle under the old oak tree and enjoy a country show experience where the laughter is genuine, the community is strong and the memories last long after the final ribbons are handed out.
Visit the show program with full details via the QR code.

International Men’s Day, held on Wednesday, November 19, is a global awareness day celebrating the positive value men bring to the world and raising awareness of men’s wellbeing.
If you need help, you can access professional support by contacting your doctor or local health service, or connecting with a mental health professional by calling Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. Free telephone and online counselling is available for men at MensLine Australia on 1300 78 99 78. For immediate crisis support, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

The Country Fire Authority has announced that the Fire Danger Period starts on November 24 in Hepburn Shire.

Hepburn Shire Council officers will inspect properties across the shire to identify long grass, overgrown vegetation, and other potential fire hazards. The council encourages all residents and landowners to act early by mowing grass, clearing debris, trimming overhanging branches and ensuring access for emergency vehicles. Free green waste disposal is available at the Creswick, Daylesford and Trentham transfer stations throughout November.

Blue Trees, a symbol to break the silence and the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide, are popping up around Hepburn Shire.

Hepburn Shire Council has partnered with the Call Your Mates group to install Blue Trees at several locations including on council-owned land outside The Daylesford Royal Hotel and the Band Rotunda in Creswick. CEO Bradley Thomas said a number of sites were considered in Daylesford where the tree was visible, would support community conversations and assist in removing barriers to support services. “Council has received many messages of support and appreciation for supporting the initiative.”

Statement by Macedon Ranges Shire Mayor Dom Bonanno

I need to tell the community that I have let myself, my family, the council and my community down for a major lapse in judgement, which I take full responsibility for.
On the evening of Friday 31 October 2025, I was caught speeding on McGeorge Road in Gisborne South, but worse, with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit, whilst driving the Mayoral vehicle. I will be disqualified from driving for six months from the end of November.
I appreciate that my family, fellow councillors, council staff and the community put their trust in me, which I have breached, of which I sincerely apologise.
I can’t turn the clock back, but I will work each day to re-build this trust in me over the months and years ahead.
I am very disappointed in myself, and I have given my all to be a good councillor and mayor, and always listen and strongly represent our residents and broader community.
I have returned the mayoral car, which was neither impounded or damaged during the incident.
I have taken personal leave and will return on Tuesday 25 November at 11am, which is the annual Council Meeting to elect the Mayor. I will not be standing for re-election to this position.
As I work through what is a difficult and challenging time for me and my family, I ask for your forgiveness and to please respect our privacy.
Thank you.

Landcare and community groups will share in almost $340,000 of Victorian Landcare grants.

Managed by the North Central Catchment Management Authority and funded by the state government, the grants provide funding for environmental projects across the catchment, as well as administrative support.
North Central CMA Regional Landcare coordinator Belinda Pritchard said the 19 project grants and 50 support grants would enable community-driven initiatives to continue to protect the landscapes and waterways they love.
“These grants deliver lasting benefits to communities and help groups support their volunteers,” she said. “We are excited with the range of successful projects this year and that we were able to support groups right across the catchment.
“The support grants are also really important for our Landcare groups. They help with everything from recruitment of volunteers to covering insurance and can make a big difference for hard working groups.”
More than $300,000 will be spent on projects such as: Revegetating the Lake Buloke lunettes; Fencing, revegetation, and rabbit control at Wychitella; Revegetation on the Moolort Plains; Removing weeds on Axe Creek; Building squirrel glider nest boxes in the northern Grampians; and Flora and fauna monitoring in Woodend’s Five Mile Creek
Black gum (eucalypus aggregata) is endangered at a state level and is listed in the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1989. In 2015 it was also recommended for listing as ‘Vulnerable’ on the EPBC Act. In Victoria, the species only occurs in a 4 km radius of Woodend. Its limited geographic range makes it highly vulnerable further loss and the protection of the black gums is a major goal for Woodend Landcare.
Pictured, Woodend Landcare Group’s Nicole Middleton (president) and Peter Yates (vice president)

The 2024/25 Local Government Performance Reporting data, published last week, has Hepburn Shire Council again looking for ways to improve its services – especially in planning and workforce turnover.

Council’s audited data was published in its 2024/25 Annual Report, which was adopted by the council at the September council meeting.
The ‘Know Your Council’ dashboard that was released allows the community to compare council service areas.
The tool compiles data collected from Victorian councils and shows whether a council has met its own targets and how this compares to other councils across the state. It can be accessed via the Local Government Victoria website.
Council CEO Bradley Thomas said the council was disappointed with some of the results but had the people, resources and systems in place to improve.
Mr Thomas said the results reflected some challenges that the council, and the broader local government sector, were facing, particularly in the areas of planning and workforce turnover.
Service areas listed for improvement were: 102 days taken to decide planning applications, above the state average of 72.5 days (down from the previous year of 180 days); 26.5 per cent of planning applications were decided within required timeframes (up from 17.9 per cent last year and way off the state average of 69.7 per cent); and a 22.4 per cent workforce turnover (above the state average of 15.1 per cent).
On the Know Your Council dashboard the council stated a turnover of staff in key roles over the past 18 months, coupled with a number of ongoing complex planning, enforcement and VCAT matters, had resulted in a challenging backlog of planning applications.
“However, the percentage of applications decided within 60 statutory days, is steadily improving, in response to vacancies being filled and the continuing implementation of targeted process improvements.”
The council stated, in relation to the unplanned employee turnover rate of 15.73 – where staff move to a new workplace – when the overall turnover was adjusted to include planned turnover, (redundancies, terminations and retirements) the total annual turnover was 22.4 per cent, a reduction of one per cent on 2023/24.
“The overall employee turnover rate is higher than would be preferred. Council’s turnover rate remains consistent with the industry average for a small rural shire and reflects the challenges of small rural councils in recruiting and retaining suitably qualified individuals.”
Mr Thomas said the community deserved high-quality, transparent and reliable service delivery.
“And while in most circumstances we deliver that, we believe we can and will continue to get better, and we are making the necessary changes to achieve that. It’s important for us to look closely at the data, but we also have to keep the bigger picture in mind.
“While we know our planning application timeframes aren’t where we’d like them to be, our planning team has been working hard on major projects like the Dan Murphy’s appeal, the campaign against the Western Renewables Link, and shaping the Future Hepburn township structure plans. We appreciate the community’s understanding as we balance these significant initiatives.”
Mr Thomas said the council had already implemented a range of initiatives to address some of the issues identified including:
Recruitment of planners and streamlining planning processes; continued investment in staff development and engagement to build a stronger, more stable workforce; improved technology and systems; and enhancement of transparency and accountability through regular reporting.
The council also came under fire for missed bins (11.6 per 10,000 households, above the state average of 6.3 per 10,000).
Words: Donna Kelly

Tin Kettling

The folk custom of ‘tin kettling’ welcomed many newly married couples into rural communities during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
It usually happened after the bride and groom had retired to the place they were going to spend their first night of wedded bliss.
After allowing them enough time to settle down and be comfortable in their marital home, the rowdier youths and younger men and women of the area gathered near the home equipped with kerosene tins, pots, pans, maybe a concertina or anything else that made a lot of noise and serenaded them with one heck of a welcome home.
At that moment in time, they would be beating on their tins and pans, catcalling and often throwing stones onto the roof of the marital residence. This would invariably set the neighbourhood dogs into a barking or howling frenzy which was met with mixed reactions from the wedded couple and their neighbours.
Sometimes, the additional honour by the rowdy revellers during the winter months was having a bag placed over the chimney to smoke the newlyweds out of their home. They would either be happy and see the fun of it all or unhappy because they wanted peace after the nuptials and wedding reception.
A Trentham local recalls tin kettling for Bill and Effie Gillis and how it was cut short unexpectedly.
The younger folk from Coliban and Little Hampton went to the Gillises’ place on the evening of their wedding to give them a welcome home to remember. Bill came out and told them to get going, or he would deal with them.
About a week later, Bill sheepishly requested them to please call again. It was deemed an honour to be given a tin kettling and it also welcomed the newly married couple into the community and signified the community’s acceptance of them as a married couple.

The Horsham Times, October 2, 1942
Tin Kettling – Who originated it? E. H. Webb gives an insight into this time-old tradition that has fallen into obscurity. Even in these trying times the good old habit of tin kettling is still kept up in the country.
“I have never heard of this custom in the city, but the country sticks to it unfailingly. Of course, the tin kettling is only a prelude. The ritual is that when sufficient noise has been made the happy couple invites the serenaders inside for a party!
Then the night is spent in singing and dancing or playing cards among the more stoic tin kettlers. Refreshments are handed round, and in the end, everybody wishes bride and groom long life and happiness. I don’t know when or where the custom originated, but it is certainly as old as.
I remember if my family were attending a wedding, we would save our tin cans, pierce holes in them and string them all together and tie them to the tow ball of the car. The newlyweds would drive away to a rousing performance of the cans as they went down the road and all to the delight of the onlookers. Add to that the endless toilet rolls used to cover the car. My darling brother did both of these to me on my wedding day!”

Image: Tin kettling on Robyn Annear’s blog

From Natalie: On a personal note, I eloped with my current husband. Relatives and friends unaware; no tin kettling for us.

(Ed’s note: My parents were married in Frankston in 1956 and my mother said they were given a very noisy tin kettling.)