The Hepburn Shire Council is calling for community feedback on its inaugural Arts and Culture Strategy with submissions open until April 14.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood said that Hepburn Shire is known as a creative and cultural hub in the region and that this strategy would help to guide and support local arts and cultural communities. 

“Council plays an important role in creating opportunities to experience and create art and culture across our Shire,” he said.

“This is our first arts and culture strategy and we welcome feedback from our community to ensure we’ve got it right.

“Our community and visitors value our local arts and culture scene. We want to ensure that Hepburn Shire continues to be an attractive home for artists, artistic organisations and creative businesses.

“The strategy shows a commitment to our inclusive and respectful future and also a celebration of our history.”

The draft strategy was developed following consultation with the community, arts and culture groups and council staff. 

The focus areas of the strategy are Continuous cultural connection, Access and equity of opportunity, creative places and spaces, A viable and dynamic arts sector and living local heritage. 

Victorians have generously donated to the Good Friday Appeal this year, helping the CFA raise a remarkable $1,819,800 for The Royal Children’s Hospital.

CFA volunteers were seen in trucks and at traffic lights across the state, raising money in their local communities for The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Good Friday Appeal. 

CFA has been a major fundraiser of the Good Friday Appeal for the past 73 years, having now raised almost $39 million for The RCH since 1951. 

The overall total for the Good Friday Appeal in 2024 was $23,368,724 – a record-breaking final tally. 

The CFA Group General Manager Kylee Bates in recent days presented the CFA cheque to The Royal Children’s Hospital alongside Caroline Springs Captain Anthony Jenkins and members Sammie Lowe and Lauchlan Wright. 

CFA Chief Fire Officer Jason Heffernan wants to congratulate and thank all participating brigades across Victoria for the amazing contribution they’ve all made to this year’s Good Friday Appeal. 

“Our members give up their time to serve their communities in times of need and it’s no surprise that their selflessness extends to worthy causes such as supporting The Royal Children’s Hospital,” Jason said. 

“All members and their communities should be so proud of what they’ve achieved for this year’s Appeal, and we thank you for your time and generosity to help save the lives of our future.” 

The money raised for The Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal will be used to ensure kids are provided with the best possible treatment and care. 

Words & Image: CFA

The Hepburn Shire Council and the Foundation for Young Australians have launched the Young Mayors Program (YMP) in the Hepburn Shire.

Nominations are open between 8 April 2024 and 5 May 2024 with elections to be held 25 -27 June 2024.

The program is now inviting young people of Hepburn Shire to actively participate in shaping the community through leadership and decision-making roles.

Hepburn shire mayor, Cr Brian Hood said that the Young Mayors Program allows young people to nominate themselves as candidates, to campaign and be elected to a youth council.

“Young people will be elected through a democratic voting process by their peers and will have an opportunity to lead, inspire and make a significant impact on the community,” Cr Hood said.

“Whether your passion lies in social equity, advocacy, environmental sustainability or your community’s specific needs, your voice can help shape the future of Hepburn Shire.”

The Hepburn Shire is one of very few councils in Australia selected to participate in the program, which delivers on an action contained in the council plan and Youth ‘ACE’ strategy to investigate the formation of a youth council or youth advisory committee.

The ouncil and the Foundation for Young Australians will be hosting a young mayors launch event on Friday 19 April 2024 at The ARC in Daylesford from 3.30pm to 5.00pm.

“We are encouraging our shire’s young people to attend the launch event for an opportunity to meet the program’s facilitators, ask questions and understand the benefits of being involved,” said Cr Hood.

Eligible candidates must be aged between 11 and 17 years and live, work, or study in Hepburn Shire. The program is completely free, and young people will be compensated for their time in the program. The program seeks to engage young people who are:

• Passionate about voicing their opinions and effecting positive change in their community.
• Interested in addressing specific social issues.
• Eager to develop skills and receive training which may benefit their future careers.
• To be recognised for their contributions to the community.

The state’s Water Police Squad has issued a timely school holiday warning as new figures show the unit has responded to around 700 incidents in just four months.

Significant water activity is expected both inland and along the coast, during the current school term holidays, with Water Police to conduct proactive patrols right across the state to enhance safety.

Police will also blitz boat ramps to conduct breath tests and licence checks as well as carry out vessel inspections to ensure vessel operators have the required safety equipment on board such as lifejackets, torches and fire extinguishers.

Victoria Police figures show Water Police has responded to around 700 incidents from November 2023 to February this year, ranging from vessels capsizing and collisions to kayaks and paddleboards becoming stranded and needing urgent assistance.

Particular concern has been on those putting others at risk – with around 540 infringement notices issued to people committing offences on the water.

It includes around 300 infringement notices issued just for jet ski offences.

The Water Police Squad will use police boats and jet skis to support its rapid enforcement, with anyone caught doing the wrong thing to face significant fines.

The Small Boat Team, part of the Water Police Squad, will also be in out in force to boost efforts – using a mix of jet skis and inflatable rescue boats to respond to search and rescue incidents on the water and target those putting others at risk.

Fines include up to $380 for travelling at more than five knots within 50m of a vessel or swimmer, travelling at more than five knots within 200m of shore, as well as for operating in no-boating zones.

Those caught failing to wear a lifejacket face fines up to $385. The law requires boat users to wear a lifejacket on a powered vessel up to 4.8m, when travelling solo, and at heightened risk.

It is mandatory for jet skiers and kayakers to wear a lifejacket at all times, yet police are still seeing people without them. Children aged under 12 must also wear a lifejacket at all times when in open areas of a vessel.

Those caught using an unregistered vessel or operating unlicensed also face fines up to $925, while police also have the power to take away a jet ski operator’s licence and prohibit their vessel from use if they’re putting other water users in danger. This includes penalties of up to $43,381 or imprisonment for two years.

The Water Police Squad has warned that it maintains a strong presence at key waters throughout the entire season and are all now equipped with a body worn camera to record video and audio of incidents on the water and interactions with vessel operators.

Police detected over 8,000 traffic offences across Victoria over the recent Easter weekend as part of Operation Nexus.

This included almost 4,000 Victorians caught speeding, with over 400 people clocked travelling more than 25km/h over the speed limit.

On top of this, 378 impaired drivers were taken off the roads for getting behind the wheel with alcohol and drugs in their system.

Over 1,200 people were also detected either driving unlicensed or unregistered vehicles.

Sadly, three people died over the long weekend, including two separate motorbike accidents in Oakleigh South and Gordon where it’s believed the riders lost control of their bikes.

Motorbike riders are overrepresented in road fatalities in Victoria this year, with 17 deaths compared to 13 at the same time in 2023.

A third man was killed alongside his dog, while standing near his vehicle, in a tragic accident near Morwell.

Pedestrian fatalities have doubled this year compared to last year with 10 in 2024 and 5 at the same time in 2023.

Two of the fatal collisions occurred in rural areas, a trend which police have been particularly concerned about.

More than half of all deaths on the roads in 2024 have occurred in rural Victoria.

A breakdown of key offences detected during Operation Nexus include:

• 8,238 traffic offences detected over the five-day operation.

• 3,691 people caught speeding. 2,835 drivers were travelling between 10km/h and 25km/h over the limit, while 411 people were clocked travelling 25km/h or more over the speed limit.

• 231 drivers detected drink driving from 137,763 preliminary breath tests – a strike rate of 1 in 596.

• 147 drug drivers from 2,878 roadside drug tests – one in 20 tests were positive.

• 480 people caught behind the wheel without a valid license (disqualified or unlicensed).

• 728 people driving unregistered vehicles.

• 283 people intercepted while driving and using their mobile phones.

• 444 Disobey Signs/Signals

• 129 Vehicle Impounds

• 147 Seat Belt Offences

Operation Nexus targeted dangerous and reckless behaviour across the state during a traditionally high-risk period on our roads.

So far this year 73 people have died on Victoria’s roads compared with 82 at the same time last year.

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner, Glenn Weir: “In the lead up to Easter we were concerned a number of people would drive impaired over the Easter period and sadly that became a reality.

“And to see people combining alcohol and speed is terrifying, putting not only their lives but the lives of others at serious risk.

“We saw two separate occasions of people overloading their cars, with children, then driving impaired.

“This is complete idiocy and it’s lucky none of those children were killed or injured.

“The Easter long weekend has finished but we will continue to be on our roads, anytime, anywhere.”

Hi Glen,

I wonder if you could identify the plant in the photograph for me? I was told it was probably a Solomon’s Seal. I think it might be but it looks a little different to others I’ve seen. This one was flourishing in a large pot on a shaded porch.

Thanks, an avid reader, Sheryl.

Hi Sheryl, it certainly is one of the many forms of polygonatum or Solomon’s Seal. This one appears to be polygonatum odoratum or angular Solomon’s Seal.

Polygonatum, also known as King Solomon’s Seal, is a genus of flowering plants placed in the asparagaceae subfamily. It was originally classified in the lily family, liliaceae.

Solomon’s Seal is a genus of elegant perennial plants native to woodland areas of several continents including North America, a genus distributed throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Most of the approximately 63 species occur in Asia with 20 or so belonging to China.

Unfortunately, although a distant relative of our flavoursome asparagus, this bunch are certainly not safe for the table but very desirable for your garden.

The small, tubular flowers which can come in white, green or pink are charming. But it’s the slender arching stems and long, lance-shaped leaves that make Solomon’s Seal such a favourite in shady settings. Small blackish berries remain after the flowers fade, to be enjoyed by birds.

Once established, Solomon’s Seal slowly spreads and creates a blanket of foliage that turns a golden yellow in autumn.

Most of Solomon’s Seal varieties will grow from 30-60cm in height and rapidly spread in breadth. If planted at 60cm to 1-metre apart in beds you will soon have a beautiful carpet of colourful foliage and, in time, flowers.

Next autumn you will be able to divide the plants and take the new little plantlets from around their bases to replant in the gaps or other beds.

Dividing and tidying up your perennials

Between now and late April you can increase your stock of perennial plants by division. Clumps of aster, erigeron, penstemon, scabious, campanula, shasta daisies and similar plants can be lifted and split apart by the two-fork method using a pair of garden forks, or spades if necessary, to lever the clump apart.

The sturdiest younger portions can be replanted in good soil to which a fairly liberal dressing of blood and bone or similar fertiliser has been added.

One or two of the more popular perennial plants are best left until early spring. These include cannas and those that normally die back to a dormant crown during the winter months.

In spring, at the first sign of new growth, the plants can be lifted and divided without damage. At that time of year the warming soil will encourage rapid root growth.

As for the other perennials it is usual to cut them back and remove the dead leaves as soon as they have finished flowering. Not only does it make for a cleaner looking garden it also reduces the number of hiding places for slugs, snails and other leaf eating pests.

Obviously, in areas of severe frosts, these should be left until warmer weather. Many plants will begin to make new shoots when there are a few days of mild weather in late winter and a subsequent hard frost can damage that young growth.

If the old leaves and dry growth are left on, they protect these shoots and are just as well removed after frosts have finished and the new growths are well established.

Got a gardening query? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

Cool local cabernet

Cool climate cabernet sauvignon can be a disaster. It is a late ripening grape variety, so to grow it successfully the vintage needs to be a long one with a warm sunny autumn.

If it fails to ripen sufficiently you get an abundance of obnoxious green herbaceous characters driven by a compound called methoxypyrazine.

This compound is more commonly found in sauvignon blanc and can be attractive, in moderation. The two grapes are related as cabernet sauvignon is the offspring of cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc, so it is not surprising they can share some traits.

In the Macedon Ranges we have a small band of producers who persist in growing cabernet sauvignon, even though the climate could be considered too cool. Why?

The answer lies in the different sub-regional climates that exist, and there are pockets of vineyards that achieve enough warmth to ripen the grapes, sometimes.

There is a history of cabernet in the region with Tom Lazar planting it in 1968, alongside other reds, at Virgin Hills at Lauriston West.

At Drummond North, Zig Zag Road has some 50-year-old cabernet vines that were nearly pulled out in 2019. They have been retained and the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon ($55) is leafy, herbaceous, minty and earthy with touches of red cherry fruit.

Medium bodied at the most, this is a classic example of cool climate cabernet. Another local example can be found down the road at Wombat Forest Vineyard.

Its 2019 ($35) is a light and leafy medium bodied wine with smoky, tobacco and menthol notes. It’s a bit too oak-driven in style, but there is an elegance to the palate that I liked about this wine. The sad news is that the vines have been grafted over.

Blends do seem a more successful option in the region with Glenhope Vineyard’s Gervergizian Cabernet Merlot Shiraz 2022 ($65) showing plenty of pepper, spice and black fruits.

At Granite Hills, vigneron Llew Knight does a couple of red blends involving cabernet. I particularly like his 2017 MCC ($30) which is a classic ‘right bank’ Bordeaux blend of merlot (57%), cabernet sauvignon (28%) and cabernet franc (15%).

It has lovely, sweet plum aromas with floral and peppery undercurrents. The palate displays ripe red fruits on an elegant, medium bodied structure with soft tannins and a long finish. A wonderful cool climate red drinking extremely well.

Clive Hartley is an award-winning wine writer, educator and consultant. His 305 page full colour book Australian Wine Guide (7th ed) is available for purchase from Paradise Books in Daylesford or via his website – www.australianwineguide.com.au

The state government is spending $25 million to build hydrotherapy pools at seven specialist schools throughout Victoria.

The pools will be built at Ballarat Specialist School, Yarraville Special Developmental School, East Gippsland Specialist School, Lake Colac School, Echuca Twin Rivers Specialist School, Bass Coast Specialist School, and Springvale Park Special Developmental School.

The Victorian School Building Authority will oversee the construction of the hydrotherapy pools in consultation with schools, with all projects to be completed by September 2026.

Victorian Minister for Education Ben Carroll: “We are making it easier for parents and carers to access hydrotherapy treatments for their child by providing these facilities in more specialist schools across the state.”

“Our record investment in delivering the biggest reform to disability support for Victorian schools will give our hard-working students and staff the facilities they deserve.”

Hydrotherapy is a valuable treatment that can offer children and young people with disability improved physical health and wellbeing.

A new resource will serve as a one-stop-shop for farmers and gardeners keen to understand and improve their soil health.

The North Central Catchment Management Authority and Agriculture Victoria have teamed up to create the region’s new Soil Health Guide.

The guide includes a physical and digital book, a step-by step website, and instructional videos on how to understand, test, and improve soil.

The resources provide information to help identify possible soil health issues using nine simple visual tests that can be conducted in the paddock.

The tests are cheap and easy, and can be undertaken using home-made equipment such as wire quadrants.

Observations and results can be used to determine management actions to improve soil health and assess differences in soil health between paddocks, farms, management practices and/or growing seasons.

Those keen to find out more can go to www.nccma.vic.gov.au/projects/agriculture/soil-health-guide.

A 58-year-old woman had a lucky escape after falling into a flooded stormwater drain in Daylesford last night.

The Daylesford woman fell down an embankment and into the Raglan Street drain about 8.50pm.

She was carried some distance in the fast-flowing water before coming to a stop in a culvert and managing to grab hold of a metal pole.

With water reaching her neck, she cried out for help but wasn’t heard over the roar of the water.

Miraculously, the woman was able to fight against the force of the water and climb up the embankment to safety.

She walked to a nearby friend’s house where she was treated for only minor cuts and bruises.

Three artist and designer groups have been shortlisted from a field of 18 applicants to develop designs for the City of Ballarat’s long-awaited Continuous Voices public art memorial.  

The shortlisted candidates have begun eight weeks of design development, finishing with their proposed design of the memorial which will then be presented to an expert panel. The panel will make a final recommendation which will be considered by Ballarat City Council.

The competitive submission process has included supplying entrance statements, declarations and drawings. These were reviewed by the expert panel and narrowed to the successful shortlist of three.  

The final three shortlisted candidates will meet and work with the Community Reference Group, made up of survivors of abuse and advocates for change, as well as Traditional Owners to further develop their concepts.  

This will ensure the designers are guided and informed to create their designs, ready for the final stage of competition, presentation and review in May 2024.  

Continuous Voices is a project that connects trauma and creativity to stand for change and resistance against sexual assault and sexual abuse. The project acknowledges the courage of those who have stood for change and provides hope for these continuous voices to be heard.  

The project stems back to 2016, when the City of Ballarat acknowledged community advocacy to develop a permanent site to recognise the impact of sexual assault and sexual abuse in Ballarat. The call for a memorial became more focused after the release of the 2016 Royal Commission into the Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, part of which was held within Ballarat.

The design competition is the latest stage in the detailed process which has directly involved local artists, community organisations, survivors of sexual abuse and their families and friends over many years.  

Each of the three final shortlisted proposals will receive $5000 to continue deepening their design concepts to develop a comprehensive project plan, before one design concept is finally chosen.

The expert panel is responsible for making the final recommendation on the successful design. The panel has been carefully selected to include people with a profound understanding and sensibility to the issues and intent of the memorial, together with esteemed design professionals.

Local resident and primary school teacher Blake Curran, whose father was abused as a child by multiple priests in Ballarat and in turn passed away at the age of 43, remains a driving force behind the development of a memorial to recognise the trauma inflicted on Ballarat, but also to help the community move forward.

“It is a great achievement to be down to the final three designers, to develop a memorial that will not only be a space to remember victims of abuse that are no longer with us but also a place to recognise the lasting impact this has on the wider community,” he said.  

“I’m very proud of the collaborative and trauma informed approach that the City of Ballarat has had with victim-survivors, advocates, LOUD Fence and so many more to get to this very important stage”

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said this permanent public art piece will become an important part of the city’s extensive collection.  

“Every piece of public art in our collection tells an important story for a specific group of people and is often tied to an identified moment in time,” he said.  

“Continuous Voices memorial takes this so much further. The memorial will be a place for reflection, bravery, hope, grief and even rage – and it will be a place made by the community for the community.”

The location for the public art memorial will be near the lake adjacent to Plane Avenue in Victoria Park, Ballarat. Ballarat City Council voted unanimously to support the site proposed by the community, on 25 May 2022.  

By placing the memorial in a tranquil setting, near water and enveloped in nature, it is hoped the memorial will provide steps toward healing

The Continuous Voices project has been identified by the City of Ballarat as a priority project. To date the City of Ballarat has successfully advocated to secure State Government funding of $500,000 and continues to advocate to the Federal Government on behalf of the community for further investment.  

The City of Ballarat have committed $520,000 to the $1.5 million project.  

Preparations are now in full swing for the 2024 Ballarat Heritage Festival taking place in May.

Evening heritage tours, interactive exhibits, hands-on workshops and a vintage car show, are among the events that will be on offer as part of the festival this year.

The annual festival will also feature Old Gaol Tours, Craft Lab and the Ballarat Antiques Fair and Heritage Harvest weekend at Sovereign Hill.

The 10-day festival will be held from 17-26 May 2024, celebrating Ballarat’s rich heritage, unique stories and vibrant creative community.

With less than two months until the 2024 festival starts, those keen to find out more can now check out the full program online. 

More than 25,000 people are expected to attend this year’s festival, which is projected to contribute $2 million to the Ballarat economy.

Attending the program reveal for the Heritage Festival, City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the event has become a staple on the city’s events calendar since it was first held in 2006.

“Every year we see the Ballarat Heritage Festival celebrate the historic city’s rich cultural history and this year it is going to be particularly spectacular,” he said.

“With a large range of quality events on offer, there is almost certain to be something that interests everybody.”

by Donna Kelly

I love a cautionary tale. But not as much as I love a deserved refund. And I have two down and one to go. So feeling pretty happy.

The first one is from a furniture retailer. A big one. OK, Early Settler. I love this franchise. Really nice, interesting stuff. Great staff. But not so good at refunds.

A while back I bought some big, gold, clunky lights. I thought they would look great in the school. They cost a bit but I don’t spend much so, you know, why not?

Anyway, I got them home and then a few weeks went by and a sparky came to install them. But he just looked and told me I would need to reinforce the roof. Now that was a step too far, so I called the store and said I would return them. That was fine but because it was a big item I would lose 20 per cent and also could only have a voucher not a refund.

I must have been off my game because I agreed but recently I started thinking about them and if they were actually fit for purpose. So I called, and called and called. No answer. Then I emailed, and emailed and emailed. And finally someone called back. I told them the lights were not fit for purpose because under the pub test no one would buy lights thinking they needed to reinforce their roof.

They agreed, sort of, but said because they were big items they couldn’t do anything about the 20 per cent loss. (This is a furniture retailer, it’s all pretty much big stuff.) Then they said because I had taken too long I couldn’t get a refund, just the voucher. I finally cut and pasted something from the ACCC about the customer being able to choose a repair, replacement or a refund.

Suddenly the emails started coming thick and fast with the title “ACCC action pending”, which is not what I wrote, and I got the full refund within days. Noice.

The second was with the Bendigo Bank. Not the local branch, more operations. We asked for a credit card to be cancelled, I think it was misplaced, and instead they cancelled a totally different card which we never use. Something to do with the trading account.

Anyway, it meant we stopped earning Frequent Flyer points, which was annoying, but it also meant we got hit with a biggish subscription from a company for a service which we no longer wanted, and were not using, but had not got around to cancelling because we thought the card was cancelled.

So we called the Daylesford branch and the manager assured us all would be rectified but after a lot of argy bargy we only got the points back and were told by operations the bill was our problem, not theirs.

I even got an email saying, very oddly, “unfortunately we do not have a valid chargeback right to be able to dispute this transaction on your behalf as you have not provided any supporting documentation to validate your claim that you will be receiving a refund from the merchant”.

The whole point was that we were NOT receiving a refund. I wrote back with that and finally the money came through.

Last one is with Myer. Again, great store. Working there got me through high school and university. Anyway, I bought some very funky black cutlery, and because it was so nice, I also bought it in gold.

Only thing is that the colour wears off. So instead of lasting a few yearss, my colourful purchase is already a pretty boring grey.

Myer was a bit better but wrote “once the return reaches our store, our returns team will inspect it for any faults, and if needed, the product will undergo a repair process. If it cannot be repaired, we will proceed with your preference of a refund or replacement”.

I wrote back “my choice is a refund – check with the ACCC”.

The refund is on its way. Just sayin’…

The Hepburn Shire Council has launched its Circular Hepburn Toolkit, a guide to help local businesses reduce costs, reduce their impact on the environment and boost the circular economy. 

“The circular economy tackles climate change and other global challenges like biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution, and reconnects people to each other and the natural systems,” Hepburn mayor Cr Brian Hood says. 

“Practices like picking up goods for someone else, repurposing, sharing, refurbishing and repairing, are all ways that local businesses are contributing to a circular economy.

The Circular Hepburn Toolkit embraces these ideas and more and is designed for businesses of any size or sector.  

“Our aim in creating the toolkit is to help business operators to understand more about what the circular economy is and learn how their business and partners can benefit from becoming more ‘circular’,” said Cr Hood. 

The outcome of improved practices would be an economy, community and environment that are healthier, stronger and more resilient. 

The council recently launched the toolkit at the Sustainable Hepburn Day Out held on Saturday 16 March in Daylesford. 

“We had local business operators and community members representing circular economy leadership across a range of sectors; including food and beverage, housing, fashion and more at Sustainable Hepburn Day Out,” said Cr Hood who launched the kit.  

“There really are some extraordinary businesses in our Shire leading in the circular economy area, including designing buildings for disassembly (Inquire Invent), catering for events with food from farms that would otherwise be thrown away (Happy Scraps), and offering Australia’s only 100% traceable, biodegradable and compostable underwear and t-shirts (Farm to Hanger),” he said. 

“We want to encourage other businesses to see how they can benefit from embracing a circular economy.” 

The toolkit comprises a booklet, a card deck of circular economy strategies, and an accompanying webpage, which together:  

• Explain the concept of circular economy and how it is being developed in Hepburn Shire 
• Detail inspiring local circular economy case studies 
• Bring to life 14 strategies for bringing “circularity” into your business
• Links to circular economy tools, resources and stories from around the world. 

Hepburn Shire businesses are invited to download the toolkit from the council’s website.

“We’re encouraging local business operators to trial these resources and share their experience,” said Cr Hood.   

Printed copies of the toolkit are also available from the council’s Circular Economy Officer Jodi Newcombe.

The Hepburn Shire Council is inviting community members to apply to join an advisory group to help determine if Daylesford Town Hall can be refurbished to include a community hub with a library and multi-purpose spaces.

The Daylesford Community Facilities Project Advisory Group (PAG) will comprise up to eight members to represent the community, working as a reference group rather than a decision-making body.

Hepburn Shire Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, says the council has successfully utilised PAGs on other projects, including recently on The Mechanics Trentham.

“We are looking for a variety of community members to join the advisory group and to use their local knowledge and connections to support the future of this significant building,” said Cr Hood.

“Ideally the PAG would reflect a diverse range of skills, with applicants invited to outline their connections to the Daylesford and Hepburn communities along with how their skills and expertise would benefit the project.”

An expression of interest is available online via the council’s website with printed copies available from Daylesford Library and the Council Hub on the corner of Duke and Albert streets in Daylesford.

“The Daylesford Town Hall is an exceptionally important and well-loved building. We expect there will be many community members interested in helping with this project. We welcome expressions of interest until the cut-off date of Wednesday 24 April,” said Cr Hood.

The Daylesford Town Hall will be closed for essential electrical and roofing works for at least 18 months from September 2024. The works are necessary to preserve the structural integrity of the building and modernise the ageing electrical system. Priority works to protect the significant heritage building include extensive repairs to the roof, parapets and chimneys, with electrical upgrades to commence once the roof is replaced.