Talented young creatives have recently been recognised at the City of Greater Bendigo’s 2024 RAW Arts Awards at a special presentation held last night at The Capital with the Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf.

The RAW Awards showcase and foster the talents and artistic pursuits of young people in the region 25 years of age and under, and this year’s awards attracted 76 applicants.

The winner and a highly commended entry are recognised in five categories: Visual Arts, Literature, Performing Arts, Short Film and the Yo Bendigo/Ambedo award. 

The Ambedo prize in partnership with Yo Bendigo is given for work that captures the experience of being a young person living in Greater Bendigo in 2024.

The Ambedo magazine is a free quarterly magazine designed, produced, and edited for young people.

Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the RAW Arts Awards evening and accompanying exhibition provided a fantastic opportunity for young talent in the region to showcase their work.

City of Greater Bendigo councillors and staff have congratulated Cr Margaret O’Rourke OAM, who recently received the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to the community in the King’s Birthday Honours List. 

Cr O’Rourke was elected Mayor in 2016 as a first-time councillor and held the position for a record four consecutive years, and in that time was instrumental in some of the most significant community outcomes of that time. 

In particular, the arrival of Qantas in Bendigo and advocating strongly for State Government funds and the council’s commitment to the recently opened Galkangu – Bendigo GovHub.

Other highlights included travelling to Hong Kong to represent Greater Bendigo during the making of Imperial Dragon Dai Gum Loong and negotiating hosting rights for White Night. 

However, the most defining moment of Cr O’Rourke’s Mayoral terms was the onset of COVID-19 and leading the community through the many unknowns that came with it. 

Current Mayor, Cr Andrea Metcalf, said Cr O’Rourke’s recognition was much deserved and was also a reflection of her broader commitment to the community. 

“Marg has been an outstanding leader over more than 20 years, beginning when she was a Telstra Area Manager across central Victoria,” Cr Metcalf. 

“She has also held several board positions, including as Chair of the then Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE, leading the organisation to successfully merge with the Kangan Institute and form what is now Bendigo Kangan Institute.

“Today, she is again Chair of the TAFE and will soon leave the Board after a remarkable contribution. 

“Other significant leadership and governance roles Marg has held include as Non-Executive Director of Goulburn-Murray Water and as a Bendigo Health Board member.

“Marg has an undeniable passion for our community and the power of regional areas, and this has been evident over her two terms as a councillor, which also included serving as Chair of Regional Cities Victoria and as a representative on the Local Government Minister’s Mayoral Advisory Panel.”

Cr O’Rourke said she was humbled by the recognition.

“I was hugely surprised and not at all expecting anything like this. I am grateful to those who nominated me and really proud to have been able to contribute to my community, which has always been what has motivated me,” she said. 

“The past eight years on council have been a defining period for our city and region, building on the leadership of the past, and to have served as Mayor during that time was an enormous privilege given to me by my councillor colleagues. 

“I joined council with a focus on sustainable growth and attracting investment into the city centre, and it’s been wonderful to watch it transform in that time – Galkangu, Bendigo TAFE expansion, the Law Courts and new hospital buildings – Bendigo is a leading regional city in so many ways. 

“In my time as a councillor I have also been proud to be an advocate for our First Nations community and share in the many amazing multicultural traditions and celebrations Greater Bendigo has become known for. 

“I’m really grateful for all the leadership opportunities I have had in my career and that I have been able to act as a voice for our community, but never did I expect to receive an honour such as this.”

Thousands of firefighters will be better protected on the frontline with a new foam fit-out on all of CFA’s ultralight vehicles.

The CFA has commenced the new $3.19 million retrofit program which includes 246 existing ultralights plus $4.95 million for the purchase of 33 new ultralights with crew protection.

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said significant laboratory, simulation and real fire exposure testing was conducted over the past few years to ensure the new systems met the occupant survival criteria.

“Retrofitting all our ultralights gives our members the best possible chance of survival in a burnover,” Jason said.

“The safety of our firefighters is our number one priority and we’re continuously looking for improved measures to do this.”

CFA introduced crew protection systems, such as water spray deluge and radiant heat shield curtains in all new tankers with at least 1,000 litres of water from 2006.

Between 2011 and 2013, CFA also retrofitted the same crew protection systems to all existing pre-2006 tankers.

The ultralight retrofit includes a compressed air foam based external deluge system (CAFS) and radiant heat shield curtains.

They will also be provided internal cabin stowage for fire blankets, making them more accessible for protection in a burnover.

All CFA crews undertake annual entrapment drills to ensure the continued familiarity with the new crew protection system.

Upper Beaconsfield Fire Brigade Captain Ian Pinney said their ultralight vehicle was one of the first in the program to receive the new foam fit-out.

“It’s an additional protection feature for the occupants in the vehicle. Hopefully we never have to use it, but it’s comforting to know it’s there,” Ian said.

“Ultralights have a light footprint so they are great to use in difficult-to-reach areas that trucks can’t.

“Our brigade is based in a high-risk rural bushfire area and we’ve attended significant fires over the years, so I can definitely see the benefit to further protecting our firefighters.”

The ultralights retrofit program is expected to be complete by the end of 2024.

Words & Image: CFA

On the rear deck of the Sebastopol library, a community garden is sprouting to life and providing vital skills and knowledge, as well as building community cohesion.

The Sebastopol Library Small Spaces Community Garden project was officially opened in recent days, with Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison and City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson touring the facility.

The project was funded with $34,900 from the State Government’s ‘Jumpstart! Round 2 Program’ and delivered by the City of Ballarat.

The funding enabled:

• The installation of raised planter boxes and establish small spaces gardens.  
• The installation of a small outdoor kitchen, to deliver cooking workshops with community partners.
• Workshops to facilitate small spaces gardening and seed saving during school terms, with a focus on children and young people.
• The establishment of a seed library alongside the garden, so that the community can continue with their gardening activities at home.

The Sebastopol Library project is one of 180 VicHealth Jumpstart! projects across the state, which aim to provide more opportunities for Victoria’s children and young people through sport, active play, art and food.

The City of Ballarat has been partnering with community groups, such as Food Is Free, and hosting cooking masterclasses with the likes of chef Tim Bone to teach useful and transferable skills that can assist with ongoing health and nutrition.

In total, more than 230 people have participated in programs including planting days, school holiday programs, and cooking activities.

Now fully established, the programs and garden will be supported by the City of Ballarat into the future.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the project would prove a vital community asset.

“At a time when cost of living pressure is high for families, there is a lot to be gained from educating people about gardening and growing your own food,” he said.

“We often say that libraries are about so much more than just reading books and projects like this reinforce that. Libraries are great social hubs and broader learning environments that go far beyond sitting down and quietly reading.”

Member for Wendouree, Juliana Addison MP said the new space would certainly be an asset to the community.

“Creating opportunities for our community to become skilled up in gardening creates not only social cohesion, but a deeper understanding of where our food comes from,” she said.

“The Small Spaces Community Garden Project is about promoting learning, developing knowledge and encouraging participation.” 

More than 7000 offences were detected during a major road safety effort over this month’s King’s Birthday long weekend.

Operation Regal saw police targeting high-risk driving behaviour across the state over four days in an effort to drive down road trauma.

The number of infringements issued by police increased eight per cent on the same period last year, with speeding making up 40 per cent of all offences detected.

Police conducted 107,025 preliminary breath tests, with one in every 541 motorists tested caught drink driving.

A further 147 drivers returned a positive roadside drug test, with 2,263 tests conducted.

Automatic numberplate recognition technology helped police detect 410 unauthorised drivers – either for being unlicenced, disqualified or suspended.

The total 7,099 offences detected during Operation Regal included:

• 2,855 speeding offences

• 676 unregistered vehicles

• 410 disqualified/suspended and unlicenced drivers

• 259 disobey signs/signals

• 222 mobile phone offences

• 198 drink driving offences from 107,025 preliminary breath tests

• 147 drug driving offences from 2,263 roadside drug tests

• 100 seatbelt offences; and

• 94 vehicle impoundments

There were two lives lost over the long weekend, including a 29-year-old Dandenong North female pedestrian who was struck in a fatal hit-run in Dandenong on 7 June, and a 29-year-old Chelsea male motorcyclist who died following a collision in Chelsea on 9 June.

The weekend’s fatalities bring the total lives lost to 126 in Victoria, with motorcyclist fatalities increasing to 33 from 19 at the same time last year.

Pedestrian fatalities have doubled to 20 from 10 at the same time last year.

With wet weather and poor visibility increasing as winter sets in across Victoria, police are urging motorists to take extra care on the roads and be on the lookout for vulnerable road users – particularly motorcyclists and pedestrians.

Police will remain highly visible on the roads across the state, with targeted operations to take place over the coming weeks focusing on vulnerable road user safety.

Operation Regal ran from 12:01am Friday 7 June until 23:59pm on Monday 10 June 2024.

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir: “It was very disappointing that we detected so many people disregarding the road rules over the long weekend, especially considering there was some fairly poor weather to contend with.

“It is much harder to avoid a collision in wet weather if you’re speeding, distracted, or driving while impaired, and yet we caught so many people taking those risks.

“Even more concerning was the high number of people detected drink or drug driving – these people are making reckless and selfish decisions that not only puts themselves at risk, but all other road users.

“It only takes one poor decision and a split second to cause a tragedy, and yet we’ve seen far too much of that on our roads this year.

“Police will continue to enforce against those who engage in risky driving behaviour – there will be zero tolerance for those who blatantly disregard the road rules.”

It’s time to dust off the winter coat, pull on the beanie and embrace the cold – the Ballarat Winter Festival is coming.

This year the Ballarat Winter Festival will celebrate a special milestone, give a boost to local businesses, and offer discounted entertainment for people during tough economic times.

By simply collecting a discount code from any Ballarat hospitality or tourism business when you spend $25 or more, you will receive 15 per cent off your ice-skating ticket.

This year will be the 10th anniversary of the ice-skating rink, which has become a staple of the festival program.

The ice-skating rink will be open for the entire three-week festival, spanning from Saturday 29 June to Sunday 21 July. Located in Armstrong Street South, the winter icon will bring thousands of visitors and locals into the heart of Ballarat.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the Ballarat Winter Festival was the perfect festival for families during the winter school holidays.

“We are very aware of the impact that high cost of living is having at the moment, that’s why we’ve tried to keep the cost of ice-skating to a minimum, while also helping our hospitality businesses,” he said.

“After a very successful Heritage Festival and White Night, we look forward to delivering another event to Ballarat and welcoming even more visitors to our city.

“The weather might be cold, but the Winter Festival makes Ballarat a true winter destination.”

In addition to the ice-skating rink special offer, there will be a range of Winter Festival favourites back once again, plus a few new delights on offer.

Like the ice-skating, Sovereign Hill’s Winter Wonderlights will celebrate its 10th birthday, while Frozen Kingdom at Kryal Castle will take you on an enchanting journey.

The Ballarat Mining Exchange will feature a series of events during the Ballarat Winter Festival. Beer lovers will have the chance to raise a glass at the inaugural Obsidian Dark Beer Festival, while the Design Exchange will take place the following weekend on 6-7 July.

And for those keen to indulge in some dramatic live music by candlelight, the Mining Exchange will also come alive with a tribute to Queen on Saturday 13 July.

Words & Image: Supplied

Twenty-five new pumpers will be added to CFA’s fleet which help brigades better protect and serve their communities.

The new pumpers will be capable of delivering 4,000 litres of water per minute and once operational will replace pumpers that are older than 20 years of age.

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said the new pumpers are a welcome addition to the fleet and will result in a significant uplift in capability across the state.

“With the latest technology Scania Cab Chassis and the ability to integrate breathing apparatus sets in the rear seats, the pumpers will carry all the necessary equipment and tools to operate on a fireground,” Jason said.

“The pumpers can continuously pump thousands of litres of water at high pressure from a static supply such as a street main, lake or reservoir.

“They will also have the ability to produce Compressed Air Foam using an onboard compressor for enhanced asset protection.

“These new pumpers will ensure our volunteers continue to be well equipped to protect their communities during an emergency.”

“The pumpers were designed by our volunteers to include gender specific requirements to support women within CFA and to help encourage women to join in the future.”

The first ten brigades to receive the new pumpers will be Wendouree, Kangaroo Flat, Sebastopol, Eaglehawk, Narre Warren, Rochester, Emerald, Benalla, Bairnsdale and Lorne.

Manufacturing of the new pumpers began late last year at SEM Fire and Rescue in Wendouree, with the first of the 25 pumpers due for completion mid-2025.

The Victorian Government announced additional funding of $18.6 million for 15 new pumpers last month on top of the $9.9 million for 10 pumpers announced last year.

Words & Image: CFA

The CFA is encouraging its members and the community to roll up their sleeves to save lives for the 2024 Emergency Services Blood Drive.

The Blood Drive, held annually by Australian Red Cross Lifeblood from 1 June to 31 August, calls on emergency service workers to compete in a bit of healthy competition by providing the highest number of blood and plasma donations.

In recent days CFA Deputy Chief Officer Garry Cook and Hillcrest Fire Brigade members Rochelle Poulton and Molly Drane joined the launch of the drive alongside our emergency service partners at the Melbourne Donor Centre.

Hillcrest Fire Brigade 4^th Lieutenant Rochelle Poulton kicked things off by donating plasma in the hope of rallying CFA members across the state to donate before 31 August.

“Each year when the blood drive starts I try to get a team together from my brigade to donate as it’s another way we can give back to the community,” Rochelle said.

“I try to donate plasma every fortnight because it’s important to me knowing my contribution is something larger than myself and it’s helping saving lives.

“I also receive a text message telling me where my blood is going and how many lives it’s saving.

“My blood went all the way to Western Australia once, which is incredible and makes it a reality that people out there need your help.”

Deputy Chief Officer Garry Cook said he hopes our members and the community can get behind the challenge this year to help save more lives.

“The need for blood is ongoing and one donation can save up to three lives so it’s a small amount of your time for an incredible cause,” Garry said.

“Our members are always great at rising to the occasion, so I encourage them to roll up their sleeves and donate before the end of August.”

To book a donation, visit www.lifeblood.com.au, call 13 14 95 or download the donate blood app.

Words & Image: CFA

New real estate data suggests property sales are on the uptick in the Hepburn shire region property market.

Data from realestate.com.au  for postcodes 3460 and 3461 show that the first two months of the April-June quarter have seen a noteworthy increase in the sales rate compared to the first quarter.

In the calendar year to date (31 May), 60 houses and 18 land blocks were reported as sold.

House sales for Daylesford properties increased from a monthly average of 5  for the first quarter to 9 per month in the second quarter.

For the total reporting area, 32 houses were sold in 2 months (April and May) compared to 28 for the previous quarter.

Although the rise may be seasonal, industry sources attribute much of the improvement to more realistic pricing and improved interest rate sentiment.

The large number of properties on the market reflect the increases to interest rates. Many investors are exiting the market citing the impact of the hike in land tax and the increased cost of government compliance.

This has seen a number of short-term accommodation and long term rental properties being offered for sale.

While there has been a modest drop in sale prices, it is expected to impact the availability and affordability of long term rentals with sales going to either  new owner-occupiers or to investors.

Investors will have a higher cost base due to land tax changes and increase compliance costs leading to a  need for better rental returns.

Of the 46 houses that reported their sale price, 15 (33%) were under $700K, nine of which were in Daylesford.

Another fifteen properties were over the $1 million point. Fourteen properties did not disclose a sale price.

Lynne Cullen

Lily Langham, who has created a gardening wonderland with her husband Rodney on five acres in Basalt Rd, Basalt, was the guest speaker at the May meeting of the Daylesford & District Horticultural Society.

Lily talked to the audience about her experience creating the garden from basic farmland which had vicious winds, driving summer sun, harsh soil, sloping land and little natural water. She was able to tackle all these challenges and still create an oasis of grasses, perennials, annuals and trees.

They began by planting many oak trees on the property which are now twenty years old and providing shade coverage in summer.

Lily fashioned stone steps and used granitic sand for pathways which form a sculptural effect in the garden. One of her favourite plants are grasses and she has created a natural grass garden by mowing pathways through a paddock and planting different grass species and kangaroo grasses.

Her degree was in Fine Art and Sculpture and Lily has been able to incorporate her academic study into her garden creations and also into her artwork.

She has a studio in her garden and there she creates sculptures, jewellery and illustrations based on the natural environment of her garden.

In November 2023, Lily opened her garden for a weekend and some Wombat Post readers may have visited. Lily intends to open her garden again in 2024 and if so, it is well worth a visit.

Quite recently Lily has been interviewed and featured in the Design Files and on the ABC’s Gardening Australia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAAv2WpfNso

The Daylesford & District Horticultural Society meets on the first Tuesday of every month. New members are welcome.

Words: Lynne Cullen

The redeveloped Ballarat Library is open and attracting hundreds of people to its weekly programs.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson officially opened the redeveloped library in recent days with a tour of the facility.

The $7.48 million redevelopment and upgrade of the Ballarat Library was funded with $6.98 million from the City of Ballarat and a $500,000 State Government contribution.

The redevelopment of the Ballarat Library included an expansion of the second level of the building, and major internal and external works, such as:  

• A new main entrance with improved accessibility, landscaping and interaction with the Gov Hub, Civic Hall and CBD precincts.
• Reimagined internal spaces with improved flexibility, upgraded floor finishes, fittings and fixtures. Highlights include the light filled Rotunda on the ground floor, offering views to the Civic Hall Plaza and curved work benches providing space for 45 people to work, study and read.
• Boosted WiFi and power, with increased seating to accommodate 450 people.
• Additional public meeting rooms, with upgraded AV and conferencing technologies.
• An expanded children’s space, comprising a children’s ‘discovery’ space and mini computer lab.
• A baby feeding/change lounge and parenting facility, located adjacent to the children’s section.
• The Co-Lab, or youth space, complete with a community demonstration kitchen.
• A designated performance/event space with streaming technologies.
• Landscaping adjacent to the library, creating informal seating areas and safer pedestrian access.
• Kitchenettes
• Refurbished public amenities, including Changing Places facility
• The Maker Space, which is dedicated to learning through experimentation and play. It offers access to popular creative technologies such as 3D printers, laser cutters, sewing and crafting equipment. 

Since re-opening in recent months, the Ballarat Library has relaunched its full suite of children’s programming, including daily story times, which regularly attract close to 100 people.  

Library staff are also launching new programs for adults, including two ‘Book Chats’ and an album club.  

Library staff in the Maker Space — a new addition to the library featuring 3D printers, vinyl cutter and heat press, sewing machines and digitisation equipment — are offering inductions to the space* and drop-in hours for members to use the equipment. Programs in the Maker Space will expand in the coming months. 

Library staff will also be launching regular youth programming in term three, with a weekly rotating roster of programs, including Dungeons and Dragons, craft and popular culture clubs.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the redeveloped Ballarat Library is so much more than books available for loan and a quiet place to read or study. 

“With a suite of new facilities that go well beyond the historical service offerings of libraries, the newly redeveloped Ballarat Library offers a glimpse of the future of libraries in Australia that function as important community hubs,” Cr Hudson said.  

“These spaces are designed to be places for the community to come together, learn new things and support each other in creative ways — it’s great to see so many community members participating in the Library’s programs.”  

Member for Wendouree Julianna Addison said the Ballarat Library is a much-loved community facility for people of all ages.  

“There are so many reasons to enjoy the library, including borrowing books, social connection, gaining access to the digital world and story time for little ones. I encourage everyone to pop in and see all that it has to offer,” she said.  

The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is delivering a number of Stand for Council information sessions for the community and prospective candidates.

Every four years, City of Ballarat residents vote to elect Councillors to represent the Ballarat community. The next Council Election will be held on Saturday 26 October 2024. The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) is responsible for managing local Council elections.

Local democracy hinges on the need for councils to represent the diverse needs and aspirations of our local communities. This year’s council elections are an opportunity for Victorians to elect the candidates who they think best represent, at the local level, their vision and interests for a better, stronger and more sustainable future.

This election, the Ballarat Municipality will move from three wards to nine, each of these nine wards will have one elected Councillor, these new wards will be:

1. Alfredton Ward
2. Brown Hill Ward
3. Buninyong Ward
4. Central Ward
5. Delacombe Ward
6. Golden Point Ward
7. North Ward
8. Sebastopol Ward
9. Wendouree Ward

In partnership with Victorian councils, the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) is delivering a number of Stand for Council information sessions for the community and prospective candidates. These sessions can be attended either in-person or online.

By attending one of these sessions, participants will be provided with information about:

• Local government and the important role councils play for our local communities
• The role and responsibility of a Councillor, Mayor, Deputy Mayor and CEO
• The election process and candidate requirements
• What newly elected councillors can expect soon after the elections
• Councillor training and development opportunities.

The sessions will be held at various metropolitan and non-metropolitan locations across Victoria, with interested participants able to register to attend more than one session, including outside of their municipality.

The Wimmera Southern Mallee region (hosted by City of Ballarat) Candidate Information Session will be held on:

• Thursday, 8 August at the Ballarat Town Hall. To register visit the MAV Stand for Council web page

To support and encourage a range of diverse candidates the MAV will also be hosting a number of additional sessions for women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people with disabilities, youth, culturally and linguistically diverse and LGBTIQA+ communities.  

Key dates* for the upcoming local government election process are as follows:

*These dates may change subject to the proposed Local Government (Governance and Integrity) Bill 2024.

The Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra returns to Daylesford for what promises to be a memorable concert this Sunday, June 16, at the Daylesford Town Hall.

German star violinist Anna Dorothea Mutterer (pictured above) will be performing Tchaikovsky’s monumental Violin Concerto with the ZMSO.

Anna Dorothea is fast developing a major international career as a soloist. Her recital at Marylebone Theatre in London recently received a full house standing ovation.

She almost ran out of prepared encores! Anna Dorothea not only got an invitation to return next year, but, there was a well-known conductor in the audience who requested a catch-up with her the next day before she flew back to Germany.

Anna Dorothea’s appearance with Zelman Symphony is generously sponsored by Andrew Johnston.

The second half of the concert features another musical Everest, Beethoven’s legendary Symphony no. 3, Eroica. The first of Beethoven’s truly great, dramatic symphonies, this magnificent creation never fails to astonish in its power to grip the audience from start to finish, even 220 years after it was composed.

Date: Sunday, June 16
Time: 2pm
Venue: Daylesford Town Hall
Tickets: $35
Bookings: www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1164701

Teenagers from across the state honed their firefighting skills during the recent CFA Cadet Camp.

Around 40 teens camped at the Lady Northcote Discovery Camp in Glenmore over the weekend for the fourth annual camp, which included a day at VEMTC Central Highlands performing fire drills and working with thermal imaging.  

The camp brings together CFA’s youngest senior members, 16-17 years old, to enhance their skills, knowledge, teamwork and leadership through practical, hands-on training. 

It was established to help address retention rates and strengthen engagement with teenage members. 

Volunteer Sustainability Team youth programs leader Jennifer Clement said the camp was a great way for the young members to get to know peers with similar interests. 

“It gives them the opportunity to build skills in leadership, teamwork, fire skills and there is huge opportunity for personal development,” Jennifer said.   

“We see young people nervous when they get there but by the end of the weekend they don’t want to leave and say, ‘We’ve had so much fun.’ 

“Fun is such a huge aspect of it… Having fun is when the learning happens.”  

Two participants this year, Mia Llewelyn, from the South Morang Fire Brigade, and Cody Polack, from the Warracknabeal Fire Brigade, said they enjoyed the camp. 

“The camp members have definitely become like brothers and sisters to me and I am very fortunate for that,” Mia said. 

Cody said his highlight was the fire training at VEMTC. 

“We got to see a real-life simulation of what you might witness on the fireground. Another highlight was making friends I will have for life,” he said. 

Words & Image: CFA

A CFA firefighter took an icy plunge recently, all in the name of charity.

CFA volunteers and residents in the Dandenongs and surrounds came together with the hope of fundraising $50,000 for motor neurone disease (MND) research at an event which saw participants slide into a big pool of ice.  

Emerald Fire Brigade 3rd Lieutenant Chris May said he wanted to pull out all stops to support event organiser Matt Stickland who suffers from MND. 

“Matt and his wife Sarah wanted me to dress up as someone fun and inspirational for the event and I thought given my one-year-old is obsessed with the Wiggles, it would be fitting to go as the blue Wiggle,” said Chris.  

“I then got in touch with Anthony Field, the original blue Wiggle on Instagram and explained what we were doing.   

“He got back to me and said he would send a skivvy straight down from Wiggles HQ in Sydney.  

“It played out as a nice surprise at the event which was supported by Clematis Fire Brigade and Emerald SES. 

“I arrived with my turnout gear on but then revealed my outfit for the organisers. They love the story behind it!” 

The Hills Big Freeze fundraiser took place on Sunday 2 June at the Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis.  

Twelve local identities including Jaidyn Stephenson from North Melbourne Football Club and Dylan Moore from the Hawthorn Football took part in the event to help raise awareness and funds to support FightMND.  

“This is about giving people who suffer from MND the best chance at life and hopefully finding a cure in the future,” Chris said.  

The event included raffles, silent auctions, food and drink and by the time the night set in more than $100,000 had been raised by the community for FightMND.