Warning: The first three paragraphs of this editorial will probably put you to sleep!

Hepburn Shire Council has seven councillors elected every four years by the community to represent them on local public issues. They represent five wards. Birch and Creswick wards each have two councillors while Cameron, Coliban and Holcombe wards each have one councillor.

That was until the Minister for Local Government announced a new electoral structure for Hepburn Shire. The extensive report, found down the back of the Google where the elephants go to die, reveals a panel held an online public hearing for those wishing to speak about their response submission at 10am on Wednesday, April 26, last year.

Now, maybe I didn’t want to get involved or maybe I like to keep things the way they are, with an ‘if it ain’t broke’ kind of attitude, but for whatever reason it slipped my radar, unlike the Hepburn Shire locals who had their say, including the 19 preliminary submitters.

And then there were the 34 response submitters and don’t forget the three people who spoke at the public hearing. Follow the QR code below and checkout the riveting argy-bargy on page 24 of the document.

(But this is what I love about our region, we punch above our weight in folks trying for continuous improvement. To this matter I must admit I was asleep at the wheel while true public sentiment helped to shape our future.)

Now my nap at the helm is because it is boring, and after many punches in the gut I feel powerless, which makes me no longer give a good God damn. I do appreciate the folks who have taken an interest in the situation, as it has relieved me of my civic duty in doing the same.

But honestly, will it ensure my bloody bin gets picked up on schedule so I don’t have to take my rubbish and recyclables to the tip every other bin day? Or will it help fund the constant wheel balances from the potholes, or my skyrocketing rates bill?

I think not and at the end of the day I believe the council is there to provide the municipal services of roads, rates and rubbish. The councillors roles are to air out their respective community’s interests, and draw the attention of the council to those interests as a body through a democratic vote.

In plain speak it’s just meant to be a few well-meaning folks spotlighting community issues for the council to attend to and those folks get a little bit of coin for their troubles. A very little bit.

A big reason for my fogginess and not giving a toss attitude when it comes to HSC matters is that I can’t get past the last few years of financial blunders.

We must have some hideous sized holes in the books from things like the Daylesford Rex débâcle and now the rehoming of HSC staff to God knows where for 18 months or more so the town hall can be tidied up and maybe turned into a hub. And this was what The Rex project was meant to be in the first place.

There doesn’t seem to be any accountability because the faces have changed, people have moved on and the memory of the community gets dulled by time. My noodle scratching and propensity to run into the streets in my underwear and yell “I give up” goes even deeper.

After almost two and a half years I have managed to secure a planning permit to lop off a bit of land.

The property in question is a flat piece of land with zero substantial overlays in a township zone and the tiny subdivision was given the green light ages ago by Goulburn Murry Water. No wonder I have given up.

Just do the job rant over…

The Hepburn Shire Council is offering local families a range of free activities to help keep kids entertained over the Easter term holidays.

The council has a range of free activities and programs for children and young people aged from six to 25 years.

Activities include skate competitions, hands-on craft sessions including making compost and growing plants, creating your own flag, making paint, learning how to cook dumplings, and even taking home sensory packs from local libraries.

“Our free school holiday program offers some interesting options for younger members of our community,” said Mayor of Hepburn Shire, Cr Brian Hood.

“If you have a young person in your life – whether they live in the Shire or are visiting for the holidays – I encourage you to make the most of these free activities,” he said.

“Our teams have worked hard to organise a diverse collection of events over the school holidays so I urge families to get involved.”

More information is available through the council and the council’s website.

With Eve Lamb

Lyonville artist Suzi Donovan is not sure how to describe her artistic style. She is still experimenting with landscapes, clouds and still life but also trying seascapes, rocks and forests. Also extending into abstract work, this local creative is busy right now preparing for her first public exhibition, together with fellow artist Gayle Cykner, at Trentham’s Cosmpolitan Hotel.

Eve: How did you come to art?

Suzi: From an early age I always wanted to be a fine artist. My parents steered me into graphic design.

Eve: How did you nurture your innate arts talent? Studies?

Suzi: As a teenager I went to the Maryland Institute College of Arts (in the US) where I did a three-month course in drawing the human form from skeleton to skin. I learned to “see” as an artist. It was amazing. As a graphic designer before computers, I was trained in all disciplines – illustration, photography, drawing, typography and design. In my 30s I took up watercolours and botanical art for many years.

Eve: Where do you do most of your art work Suzi? Where is your home studio?

Suzi: I now work in what was the potting shed at my home in Lyonville. There is lots of natural light and I’m nestled right in the garden which is lovely. There are sparrows nesting in the roof who chatter away constantly.

Eve: That sounds like a suitable ambience for creative endeavour. Can I ask you which artists have influenced your work?

Suzi: I love the work of John Olsen, Fred Williams, Margaret Olley, Manet, Monet, Chagall, Matisse and Brett Whiteley.

Eve: Are there any other factors that have influenced your creative practice?

Suzi: I have always been an observer. I am very influenced by the beautiful landscapes and skyscapes surrounding us here in the Macedon Ranges. I love colour – colour is important to me.

Eve: Yes we are so lucky here with our landscapes and skyscapes. What is your media of choice?

Suzi: I now paint in oils. On holiday I take my drawing journal, pencils and watercolours.

Eve: What is your subject matter of choice?

Suzi: I paint landscapes because everywhere I look around me is a beautiful painting. I paint the clouds because the sky is so big here. The clouds are so big. I paint a still life of something important to me – my nana’s vase, my grandmother’s teapot or homegrown veggies on a kitchen bench.

Eve: The beautiful things in life! Have you ever worked in any other areas besides working as an artist?

Suzi: I am a yoga teacher. I have taught yoga asana, pranayama, meditation and yoga Nidra to children, teenagers and adults for about 20 years. The practice of yoga has taught me to observe on a deeper level. After graphic design I worked as a colour consultant for a few years. This work enhanced my awareness of subtleties in colour.

Eve: What are you working on at the moment?

Suzi: I am currently working on a large abstract landscape.

Eve: Any particular projects in mind for the future?

Suzi: In the future I hope to work on larger canvases. I would like to try mixing media – maybe try creating more texture, going more abstract. Having more fun.

Eve: Sounds like you’re having a fair bit of fun already. When you work in the studio do you like to play music and if so what is your music of choice?

Suzi: Yes, I do play music – depends on my mood – usually I like music that is peaceful. I often play yoga music.

Eve: To date, what have been your career highlights as an artist?

Suzi: I am very new to oil painting. I had my first private exhibition last year when we opened our garden for the Real Gardens of Lyonville event. It was so exciting to sell my work for the first time and people loved it. One couple drove all the way from Melbourne to buy one.

Eve: Do you have any exhibitions or special arts events coming up that you would like to let others know about?

Suzi: My first public exhibition is coming up in April. The opening is on Sunday, April 14, at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Trentham from 3pm to 5pm. I am exhibiting with my friend Gayle Cykner. The paintings will be on display until mid-May.

Eve: That sounds like an event to attend. Suzi, what would you rate as the greatest rewards derived from your personal artistic practice?

Suzi: The greatest reward for me is to create a painting that celebrates the beauty around us – a painting that I love and that brings joy to others.

A motorcyclist has had his license immediately suspended after allegedly riding more than six times over the legal limit in Lorne last weekend.

The 40-year-old rider was spotted by police on Bay Street, correcting his bike that lay on its side in the middle of the road, about 5.40pm on Sunday, 24 March.

The rider, from Lorne, allegedly got back onto the motorcycle and continued along Bay Street.

He was intercepted by police on George Street, where he underwent a preliminary breath test and allegedly returned a positive reading.

He later returned a reading of 0.30, over six times the legal limit.

The Lorne man had his licence immediately suspended, and he is expected to be charged on summons with drink driving related offences.

This CresFest World! is a podcast series of interviews with the people who inspire and are part of CresFest, Creswick’s own home-grown folk music festival.

Organising a music festival involves conversations with so many interesting and amazing people, it seems a shame for those conversations and experiences to become things of the past and lost to posterity.

In the This CresFest World! podcast series, Neil Adam, one of CresFest’s founding team, talks to the amazing people he has met on the CresFest journey about their lives and music.

The series is an ongoing attempt to record some of these marvellous interactions.

Link: www.cresfest.com.au or scan this QR code…

Jakob Lindberg will perform at Stanbridge Hall at Christ Church, Daylesford on Saturday, April 13 at 2.30pm.

Celebrated for his profound musicality and virtuosity, Swedish lute master JakobLindberg will present an intimate performance on the noble lute and stunning theorbo.

Accompanying slumbers and rousing celebrations of the kings and queens of Europe venture through the royal courts of the 17th-century in this unmissable program.

This rare event explores the great works of the English, French and Italian baroque with music by John Dowland, Robert Johnson, Alessandro Piccinini, Giovanni Kapsperger, Robert Ballard and Robert de Visee.

Combined with the haunting folk melodies of Scotland, in the abundant acoustic of Stanbridge Hall, explore a fascinating time in European history in the hands of the world’s greatest lutenist.

Jakob Lindberg read music at Stockholm University and studied lute and guitar at the Royal College of Music, London. Towards the end of his studies he decided to focus on renaissance and baroque music and is now one of the most prolific performers in this field.

Jakob has made numerous recordings for BIS Records, many of which are pioneering in that they present a wide range of music on CD for the first time, he has also brought Scottish lute music to public attention, demonstrated the beauty of the Italian repertoire for chitarrone and recorded chamber music by Vivaldi, Haydn, Boccherini and more, on period instruments.

An active continuo player on the theorbo and arch lute, Jakob has worked with many well-known English ensembles, it is however, particularly through his live solo performances, that he has become known as one of the finest lutenists in the world today.

Those keen to make the performance can visit the Christ Church Concerts Facebook page for more information

When I left the USA, in 1983, the only Australian music to be heard on mainstream radio was Men At Work, songs from that amazing album Business As Usual, which was released in 1981 in Australia, 1982 in the USA.

Coming back to the USA in 2018, imagine my surprise to discover that – nothing much had changed!

Radio stations were still playing Down Under and Who Can It Be Now, and occasionally they’d add some INXS, but that’s pretty much all there was.

So when a cool little community radio station broadcasting out to my part of northern California ran an on-air promotion telling listeners that they too could be on the radio, I thought, why not, and pitched the idea of a show playing nothing but music made by Australians.

And, given Americans’ familiarity with Men At Work, I called my show The Down Under Hour.

The music I play runs from the 1960s right up to 2024 and includes rock, country, a taste of hip-hop, some mainstream pop, a tiny bit of jazz, and even some classical. You will also hear music by Central Victorian artists such as Adrian Kosky and The Cartwheels.

The show has been running for more than a year now, once a week, and I have stayed with the format, with a few exceptions: we love New Zealand people and music; and we don’t mind if Aussie musicians go overseas to make records, as long as they come home afterwards.

We have a bit of fun with expat musos like Nick Cave and Acca Dacca in an occasional segment I’ve named “Still Call Australia By Phone”.

As one of my good mates says, “It’s songs I don’t know by bands I’ve never heard of ”. It’s all just a bit of fun, and maybe, just maybe, some poor Yanks out there will be enthused enough to go looking for more Australian music.

The Down Under Hour is broadcast every Wednesday at 1pm, here in California, on radio KKRN 88.5FM.

The show can be live-streamed at KKRN.org. In Victoria that’s 7am Thursday – sorry about that. Several programs have been archived on the website, so check that out too.

Jeff Glorfeld moved from Wheatsheaf to California a few years back. He loves great music and a decent red. Oh, and Carol, his wife.

Behind Closed Doors is being presented by the Daylesford Regional Arts Cooperative as an Easter pop-up art show at 94 Vincent Street, Daylesford.

The art show features a vibrant display of creativity, showcasing a diverse range of artistic styles and mediums.

From intricate paintings to captivating sculptures, each piece tells a unique story and captures the essence of the artist’s vision.

The art show provides a platform for both established and emerging artists to share their talents with visitors, fostering a sense of community and appreciation for the arts.

Visitors will be transported to different worlds and perspectives, experiencing the power of art to transcend boundaries and connect people through shared beauty.

The cooperative originally formed as a collective almost two years ago before incorporating in May 2023.

The original three members have grown to 35 with 12 active members and others moving in and out as life commitments allow them. To date it has held seven successful pop-ups at 94 Vincent Street.

The art show is currently being held from Easter Friday through to Monday, April 1 from 10am to 2pm.

The cooperative and the Stanbridge Hall Heritage Committee will also hold a sausage sizzle today, Saturday, March 30 to raise funds for further renovations and group exhibitions.

The New School of Classical Painting will hold a student exhibition at Stanbridge Hall, Central Springs Road, Daylesford on Saturday, April 6 from 1pm to 5pm.

Deny Christian, the director and teacher of the school, said the exhibition of drawings and paintings was the progressive works of her students in their path of the atelier study of fine art.

“Some of these students have been with the school for the past two years, some are in their third or fourth terms.

“All are showing great progress, through application and critique, toward the goal of painting from life.

“There will be several works from each student exhibited. These are unframed drawings on paper, pastel on paper and oils on canvas which study tone, form and construction principles.

“Most are for sale, at student prices. And many excellent studies are included.”

There will be an opening presentation at 1.30pm.

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Work by teacher Deny Christian

A pioneering healthy ageing project in the Hepburn Shire has been expanded to Daylesford, Trentham and Creswick after a successful pilot program in Clunes.

The project is a result of a partnership between Clunes Neighbourhood House, Attitude – Ageing Well in Clunes, and Central Highlands Rural Health and is backed by the Western Victoria Primary Health Network.

It encompasses two key strategies designed to empower older individuals and improve their quality of life.

The project seeks to inspire healthy habits, foster connections and provide ongoing support to ensure these positive changes persist well into the later years.

The first phase of the project was to develop a ‘healthy ageing hub’ prototype in Clunes that would provide a range of connections, activities and resources in partnership with community groups, and the second phase was to use the lessons learned from the pilot to expand the project’s reach and impact across the region.

Central Highlands Rural Health deputy CEO Phil Catterson said the project was about enhancing people’s lives by reducing the risk of isolation.

“We wanted to make sure that people have access to information and opportunities to connect with their community as those who are active in their community can feel more purpose in life which has many positive health benefits.

“It’s been fantastic to work with the neighbourhood centres across the region to bring this program to life.

We strongly believe that for projects like this to be successful and to get the community to get on board, it has to be done with the community and in partnership with existing community groups and services like the neighbourhood centres.

“Working closely with local neighbourhood centres, the healthy ageing project builds on existing community initiatives and local groups to centralise accurate information on programs and groups available to the community through the creation of a ‘What’s On’ guide.

“This printed booklet has a list of groups available with information on how to get involved. At each neighbourhood centre in Creswick, Daylesford and Trentham there has been a kiosk installed that the community can use to find programs and groups to join to stay connected with technical support offered by the neighbourhood centres and the program volunteers.”

Clunes Neighbourhood House manager Lana de Kort said a key outcome of the pilot program in Clunes had been improved connections through existing groups and community services.

“We’ve been able to reach out to people that we wouldn’t necessarily have known who might be in vulnerable positions or at risk of isolation to form connections and look out for their wellbeing. Big things can come from little beginnings where people collaborate at all levels across the community. And that’s what this is all about.”

Words & image: Contributed

Trenthamites have gathered in recent days, to raise a glass to a new mural that really puts their neck of the woods on the proverbial map.

The map is the work of local artist Natalie Davis from Chalkysigns and can be found at the Vic Market Community Cafe in Trentham.

The map features Trentham’s iconic spaces and fauna Vic Market is a new space opposite the historic Trentham Railway Station offering locally made consumables and crafted goods.

More than a thousand recruits have joined Victoria Police in just a year as the force readies for a landmark recruitment event.

The Victoria Police Career Expo, to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday 13 April, will showcase the many career pathways working in policing can provide.

More than 2000 people are expected, with 800 signing up within just two weeks of registrations opening.

It comes as figures show 1025 police recruits commenced training at the Victoria Police Academy last year.

Already in the first two months of this year 161 recruits have begun their policing careers.

Next month’s careers expo will feature general duties police, including officers from regional Victoria, as well as specialist units.

They include the Air Wing, Dog Squad, Water Police, Search and Rescue Squad, Crime Scene Services, Road Policing, Public Order Response Team and Police Prosecutions.

Victoria Police’s recruitment team will be on hand to provide advice about the application process including preparation tips.

The medical advisory unit, including psychologists, will attend to address medical queries one-on-one.

Victoria Police is embarking on its biggest recruitment drive ever, with applications since January surpassing 1800.

While Victoria Police continues to look to people with life experience for much of its recruitment pool, it is reminding suitable younger people including those who have recently finished secondary school or taken a gap year they can also be considered.

Applicants no longer need to have completed the VCE and don’t need an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank.

The benefits of joining the force include seven months paid training, nine weeks paid leave and the opportunity to make a difference in the community.

Probationary Constables receive a starting salary of $75,604 a year plus allowances.

The upcoming expo is free but attendees are asked to register online.

Attendees can also learn about working as a protective services officer or police custody officer.

Inspector Ashley Wigg, Victoria Police Recruitment Division: “This event is a fantastic opportunity to find out all a career in policing can provide.

“We’ll have general duties police and specialist units on hand to answer any questions attendees may have.

“Our recruitment team will also be there to talk you through the recruitment process.

“If you’ve ever thought about joining Victoria Police, now is the time to apply. Policing is rewarding, challenging and no two days are ever the same.”

Daylesford teacher Natalie Kirby, and a host of volunteers, are again collecting donations for The Royal Children’s Hospital’s Good Friday Appeal – and they hope to best last year’s total of just over $21,000.

Natalie, who teaches physical education and health at Daylesford College, said this year monies raised would be shared with regional paediatric health services – including Grampians Health.

It’s the first time in the appeal’s history that funding will help take the RCH excellence into the regions to support training, scholarships and state-of-the-art equipment.

“I was really pleased to hear that because spreading the money is really great and gives children in rural and remote areas access to excellent health care. Sometimes it can be tricky to get to Melbourne and if you can get care closer to home that is fantastic.”

Natalie said last year’s Good Friday weather conditions had been “horrific, almost monsoonal rain all day” with people reacting by being very generous.

“I think they felt sorry for us and we raised over $21,000. Of course, the competitive part of me always wants to do better each year, and with Covid meaning people don’t carry cash anymore, we are also inventing lots of ways people can donate electronically.”

That includes the online fundraising page and there will also be EFTPOS machines at the raffle table in the Daylesford Coles breezeway most days from now until Good Friday, and outside the Daylesford Town Hall on the big day.

Natalie said every little donation and raffle ticket purchase helped the cause, which she is passionate about for many reasons.

“I spent a fair bit of time in and out of the Children’s as a kid, a lot as an outpatient, and I have lots of friends whose children or brothers and sisters have been there. Also, as a teacher I believe very strongly in the power of children, they are our future, and if we can nurture them, and support them and keep them healthy, we should.”

For more information head to the group’s Facebook or Instagram pages and to donate go to www.fundraise.goodfridayappeal.com.au/fundraisers/Daylesford

How the appeal started

In 1931, the Children’s Hospital was at risk of closure due to soaring costs, overcrowding and under resourcing. On hearing this, a team of journalists from The Sporting Globe, part of the Herald and Weekly Times, decided to hold a sports carnival to raise money for sick children.

On September 3, 1931, a crowd of 20,000 spectators enjoyed a sports carnival which began with a football match involving competing jockeys from Flemington and Caulfield, followed by a game with WWI veterans representing the north and the south of the Yarra. A total of £427 was raised to support the appeal.

In 1942, journalist and carnival organiser Jim Blake suggested to the Herald and Weekly Times managing director, Sir Keith Murdoch, that the appeal join forces with HWT radio station, 3DB and run an appeal on Good Friday.

Sir Keith agreed, and the partnership enabled the first all-day broadcast held on Good Friday, raising £8310 for the Children’s Hospital.

Words: Donna Kelly

There were 523,523 criminal offences recorded in Victoria in the 2023 calendar year, representing an increase of 40,351 offences or 8.4% from 2022, the latest crime data shows.

Released late last week, the latest Crime Statistics Agency data represents the first time since early 2020 that the two most recent reporting periods were unaffected by COVID-19 restrictions.

However, while there were no restrictions in place throughout 2022, society took time to return to “normality” following two years in a pandemic. Crime in Victoria has taken a similar pathway, gradually increasing back towards pre-pandemic levels rather than rapidly snapping back.

This is reiterated by the latest data released last week, which reveals that overall crime in Victoria remains 2.3% below the 2019 calendar year.

The true crime rate, which factors in Victoria’s population growth over the years, stands at 7,698.2 offences per 100,000 people – a 5.6% increase from 2022.

Despite increasing, the crime rate per 100,000 people remains at its third lowest level in the past decade. One of the two years with a lower crime rate was 2021 – a year heavily impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.

The top five offences to record the greatest year-on-year increase included:

• Theft from motor vehicle (56,810 offences, +9,037). While this offence recorded the greatest increase, there were still 4,229 less crimes of this nature than in 2019. The most common items stolen include registration plates and tradie tools.

• Theft from a retail store (28,174 offences, + 7,865). This offence has remained the greatest riser in recent quarters, driven predominantly by the theft of items such as liquor, groceries, and clothes. Cost of living pressures and rising inflation are linked to this increase. Police intelligence indicates as many as 40% of offenders are first time offenders.

• Theft (other) offences (46,620 offences, +5,028). The most common theft (other) offence is theft of petrol, followed by mobile phones.

• Motor vehicle theft (20,499 offences, +4,238). This is the highest number of offences since 2016 and 9.1% (1,742) relate to cars stolen through aggravated burglaries.

• Obtain benefit by deception (28,518 offences, + 3,864). One of the most common examples of this offence is a lost or stolen credit card being used to purchase goods or services. This offence is creeping back towards pre-pandemic levels in line with increased community movement.

Victoria Police report that they arrested more people in 2023 than the previous year and recorded the highest number of arrests in the last five years. 66,749 people were arrested and charged.

When you’re doing well over 200 km an hour, just centimetres from the ground with no seat belt and no air bag you don’t think about much other than remaining upright.

The niche sport of sidecar racing would have to be one of the most photographic, daring, arguably lunatic and heroic motor sports going.

 “It’s exciting,” says Daylesford’s Noel Beare, one of the fairly exclusive bunch of folk that belong to Australia’s  competitive sidecar racing fraternity.

“You don’t think about your house loan or that bill you have to pay,”  he laughs.

When he’s racing sidecar Noel, also known around town in his more sedate guise as a postie, also thinks (or perhaps it’s something more instinctive than thought) about how he’s using his own body weight to counterbalance the ferocious forces happening at those speeds to keep the  sidecar upright and  hopefully in a winning position.

These days when they race, it’s Noel on back doing the “passengering” (read balancing) and son Declan in the driver’s seat

They’re just back from Tailem Bend, SA where, totally self-funded, they put their F1 1000 CC sidecar through its paces at the Australian National Sidecar Championships.

They were doing very well up until a chain snapped setting them back somewhat.

But chat to father and son and it’s pretty clear neither are too worried about the chain-snapping set-back.

 They both  rate the experience as resoundingly positive, and as a good “shake down” for what lies ahead.

“It was  bit tricky learning a new track,” said Declan of the Tailem Bend outing.

“We did the Friday practice day and by the end of that day we knew which corner was coming up next and so we were able to go a bit faster and have a bit of fun.

“On the last race before our chain snapped we started at 12^th and got up to sixth and our times had kept dropping.

“We were starting to get a bit of a feel for the bike again because it’s been about four months since we’ve been out. It’s good to be back out on the bike, and all the changes that have been made have been really positive – a lot to do with the seating for myself, for more support and just so I can get a bit more of a feel for what the bike is doing.”

And, Noel adds, any safe outing is a good outing.

Many Daylesfordians will recall that the Beare family lost  keen sidecar racer Dwight Beare, Declan’s brother, back in 2016.  He’d been racing at the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) at the time and following his untimely and tragic loss, the entire Daylesford Town Hall was packed out by mourners.

So, today Noel says that heading back to the Isle of Man this May will be “bitter-sweet”.

Bitter because of the loss of Dwight, 27, there. Sweet because it’s here on this island  that sits in the Irish Sea and is particularly famed for its F2 600 CC sidecar racing that  Noel feels especially close to the son he lost to this addictive sport.

The Isle of Man event  will be happening over May 27- June 12 and Noel will once again be making the trek, not to compete but rather  to spectate and to mark also the tenth anniversary since the first time he and Dwight ever attended  the  Isle to compete.

“It is a little bit bitter-sweet for us but I feel like we are close to Dwight there,” says Noel.

“I’ve been every year just to spectate. It’s fantastic. This year I am just going to spectate and it will be 10 years this year since I first raced there with Dwight.

“In 2014 there were 64 sidecars. We started in 61^st position and we came 12^th and won a bronze replica trophy.”

 In his career as sidecar passenger – which simply couldn’t be any further from the passive role usually associated with being a passenger as it entails literally using your body to shift and counter-balance the immense forces at play, frequently hanging over the side of the vehicle like a living rudder, Noel is current holder of two lap records at the Sydney Motor Sports (Eastern Creek) raceway where a lap is about 4.3km. One of those records was set with Dwight ten years ago, an F2 class race (1.44.84).He also retains a current lap record at Philip Island.

Before Noel heads off to The Isle of Man this year he and Declan are next up headed to Broadford in about a month’s time to compete in the Victorian Titles.

“All the changes that Hamish and the team have made (to the F1 1000 CC long chassis sidecar) are positive and you just hope for a safe and a fast time,” Noel says ahead of Broadford.

“Under a minute, five would be good.”

As they look ahead to take on the competition at Broadford there is a whole team of locals who they want to thank for helping them get their gleaming machine in order.

Noel writes the names down. The list (below) includes people like Hamish Millar who  has spent many months working on their F1  Road Race sidecar’s body, steering, and even its remarkable paintwork.

“The paint is called aurora chameleon interference mica pearl,” says Hamish who is noted as being the first person in Australia to have built an F2 sidecar, as raced at the Isle of Man.

Noel and Declan are also looking to compete at Philip Island in September, a track where they regularly top 220km an hour.

“You know you’re alive I tell you,” Noel says when asked what travelling at that sort of speed with  part of your anatomy leveraging balance, just five or so centimetres from the ground, is like.

Noel says the number of people in the sport of sidecar racing is dwindling and he is keen to attract more to this niche motor racing fraternity that he loves.

“It’s an unusual  sport. People often say ‘where are the safety belt and the air bag?’ And there is none! You just hang on.”#

Words and Images (Top and Inset): Eve Lamb

The local team that Noel and Declan wish to thank for getting Beare Boys Racing up and racing includes:

Howe Auto – Albert and Will Lamb, Kerry Lamb, Deb and Peter; Daylesford Tyre Service – Jamie Adams, Jason Liversidge and Aaron; Dan O’Toole Signs, Hamish Millar (for nearly everything); Mal Reid.