Three new recruits have helped to reinvigorate the Shepparton East Brigade and also assisted in educating newly settled migrants.

In the last two years the brigade recruited Kamran Malik, Usman Umer from Pakistan and Hem K.C from Nepal who have all migrated to Australia. 

Shepparton East Fire Brigade Captain Dean Marsland reflected in recent days, at the beginning of Culture Diversity Week, about how the brigades new recruits have been an incredibly humbling and educational experience for them all. 

“The new members have reinvigorated and brought a refreshing perspective to a brigade that acknowledges it has had challenges in the past with recruitment,” Dean said. 

“The area of Shepparton East is evolving, it is increasingly diverse and having Kamran, Usman and Hem, means we can break down some of the cultural barriers that exist between emergency services and newly migrated Australians.” 

“We have migrants in our area from war torn countries, where people in uniform don’t represent the same thing it does here in Australia.” 

“I now understand more about the local religions and cultural sensitivities when it comes to emergency response.” 

Cultural Diversity Week runs from March 18 to 24 and this year theme is “Our Shared Stories -Celebrating together”. CFA aims to reflect the communities that we serve by ensuring CFA is a safe and welcoming place to volunteer. 

Kamran Malik, joined Shepparton East Fire Brigade two years ago and is originally from Pakistan where bush and grassfires don’t occur. His interest in CFA came from wanting to learn more about what he had only previously seen in the media. 

“Being in this role, I have been able to educate my family and friends about the fire risk here in Victoria,” Kamran said. 

“Speaking a second language I am also able to communicate to the Pakistani community here in Shepparton.” 

“After I joined and told my friend Usman about the brigade, and how great it was. He is now a member too. 

“Being able to communicate with him in our native language means I can help explain things to him as he trains to be a firefighter.” 

Dean is excited about the direction of the brigade and hopes others can see the benefits of being truly reflective of your local community. 

“Respect should be at the core of what we do and how we interact with people.” 

“I see diversity within our brigade as having more tools and skills to support our mission of protecting life and property.”

A traumatic bus incident last year inspired the Eynesbury Fire Brigade to raise money for the annual Good Friday Appeal.

Eynesbury brigade was on scene last May when a bus crash caused injury to multiple children.

Good Friday Appeal area manager and Eynesbury Fire Brigade volunteer Adrian Kendall said a lot of members in the brigade have young kids and we wanted to do more for such a great cause.

“Then the bus accident happened, and we saw doctors flying in from hospitals around Victoria to help and thought what more can we do,” Adrian said.

“It’s not just about raising money, we wanted to go to the hospital because as corny as it sounds kids like firefighters and if we can do something with our time it’s just as valuable.”

Last year the brigade raised money through shaving a member’s mullet off, making $8,333.  This year the brigade wants to get juniors involved in the cause.

“For a town with a population of around 3,000, the money raised is a pretty good effort per capita,” Adrian said.

On Good Friday (March 29 this year), the brigade is allocated a hospital ward for children who can’t make it to the lobby.

Adrian said one child really stood out to them after their visit last year.

“A little boy wouldn’t let anyone near him, but he really warmed up to us,” he said.

“It was awesome to see his happiness but also his mum happy, sometimes you forget how much families are affected too.”

Adrian also lives near where the Eynesbury bus accident happened and his wife Cheslea was one of the first people to reach the scene, comforting children involved.

“For me and other people it emphasized the importance of being there for kids, rather than just raising money,” he said.

“To be able to do something so small and show up in a costume and put a smile on a kid’s face, it’s gratifying.”

CFA members will be out and about rattling tins across the state on Good Friday or you can donate to the Good Friday Appeal online.

World music is something Gosti does well.

The Queensland trio is among the headliner acts featured on the diverse program of live music set for CresFest over April 5-7.

Gosti is a world music trio including Tunji Beier (South Indian percussion), Philip Griffin (oud, laouto, rabab + bass ) and Linsey Pollak (self designed and made wind instruments).

At the age of ten was Tunji was studying Yoruba drumming in Nigeria, Philip’s extraordinary and diverse talents defy categorisation and Linsey has toured his solo shows all over the world.

The final program for the award-winning local festival, now in its third year, is out now and available online.

CresFest general manager Sarah Wade: “It takes a village to stage a festival and at CresFest there’s a space for anyone to participate, learn new skills and, for volunteers and contractors behind the scenes, work through the challenges and triumphs of mounting a multi-day regional event in a ‘post-covid new-normal’ world.

“It’s our contribution to and investment in community, culture and the arts for all generations for now, tomorrow and the future.”

Hailing from Québec, Canada, Melisande is among the headliner acts headed to CresFest next month.

Celebrating the tenth anniversary of her électrotrad project, multiple award-winning singer Mélisande revisits songs from her repertoire with a traditional Québécois sound, surrounded by four seasoned musicians.

With over 300 performances around the world, Mélisande gets the crowd stomping, dancing and singing wherever she goes.

Festival Director Judy Turner says the musicality that will be on display over the festival happening April 5-7 “is awesome”.

“We’ve created a program with four concert stages and five key ‘zones’,” Judy says.

She says these include:

KidsOwn KidZone – “fun across the weekend for the littlies, including Railway Bob the puppet show, The Magic Pudding in two slices, circus skills, MarimbaTaters craft and more”.

Dance Zone – “where you can brush up or learn new clogging, salsa, ballroom, Scottish and belly dancing skills”.

Conversation Zone – “where you sit in our charming Courthouse Theatre listening to erudite people discussing matters of import, or simply chewing the fat with hosts Cate Kennedy and James Fremantle”.

“Workshop Zone – “where festival-goers can learn Indian drumming, guitar skills, singing, American fiddling and more”.

Session Zone at the American Hotel, led by a diverse array of talent from the festival artist list and serving up live music into the wee small hours.

The CFA is calling for interested members headed to Mallacoota this coming Easter to lend a hand in the Vols on Hols program as tens of thousands of visitors are set to make their way to the region.

Following a successful summer campaign which saw 21 CFA members based in the area participate in the initiative, local members are enlisting further help to respond to the anticipated influx of call outs come the end of March.

CFA Deputy Chief Officer South East Trevor Owen said while it has been a quieter bushfire season than usual across East Gippsland due to regular rain events, it has subsequently assisted in the implementation and learning of this new pilot program.

“We’ve provided an additional tanker to Mallacoota given the increased number of volunteers, and it has been of great benefit to the community,” Trevor said.

“Some of the involved visiting members have also taken up the opportunity to actively participate in brigade training as well.”

Alongside local volunteers, Hazelwood North Fire Brigade Vols on Hols participant, Ray Beaton joined Cann Valley Fire Brigade in a combined session, running through advanced pumping activities and attack and boosting drills for a car fire.

“We’ve really seen the social connection grow between CFA members, local Mallacoota residents and visitors to the region.” Trevor said.

Mallacoota Captain Tracey Johnston has the pleasure of inviting those members who have extended an expression of interest down to the station for a meet and greet before turning out.

“We’re so thankful for the assistance from brigade members who come from across the state. We like to give them a run through of our facilities and equipment before they jump in,” Tracey said.

“From the feedback we’ve received, families of the members have been really supportive, and understand how much CFA volunteering means to them.

“Some of their kids have also enjoyed coming down to the station to see the trucks and meet the local members.”

A prominent new garden that will celebrate Ballarat’s diverse cultural backgrounds has taken a major step towards completion.

The Ballarat Intercultural Garden will this year be constructed at the intersection of Sturt and Pleasant streets, designed to provide a public space that can be used by all members of the community and cultural groups to celebrate events.

Tender documents have now been released calling for construction of the project, with works expected to start mid-2024.

The garden will beautify and improve the existing space at the north-western corner at the intersection of Sturt and Pleasant streets, near the City Oval football ground and City Oval Bowling Club.

Celebrating Ballarat’s cultural diversity, the garden will also include a community flagpole, picnic shelter, park furniture, an arts display plinth, and electrical and water connections.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the Intercultural Garden had been a project that had been on the radar for some time.

The initiative to create the Intercultural Garden was part of the City of Ballarat Intercultural Plan 2002-2026.

Ancient language, contemporary music and poignant stories will come together when Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse perform at CresFest next month.

The final program is out with organisers reporting strong ticket sales ahead of the third annual festival taking place over April 5-7.

Among headliner acts, Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse use their music and performances to highlight one of the most beautiful and rare languages on the planet; the Noongar language of the southern corner of Western Australia.

As conduits of a fractured past, they have made it their mission to become agitators for a hopeful future, by rewriting the script through song.

They are a multi-award-winning duo, but allow their performances and the power of the music they create speak for itself.

Although there are less than 400 speakers of Noongar language left, their work has always been about what connects people, regardless of background.

CresFest Director Judy Turner: “Our small town will be swelled by more than its total population in the weekend of April 5-7”.

CresFest General Manager Sarah Wade: “This effort includes 560 performers, 160 volunteers, 31 partners/supporters, 11 venues, 4 campsites, 3 days, 2 nights, and 1 hour extra thanks to daylight saving change over.

“It’s clear to me how CresFest was the winning community cultural project of 2023 at the Australian Folk Alliance Awards”.

CresFest Associate Artistic Director, Stella Savy: “CresFest is shaping up to be a wonderful weekend filled with interactive performances and experiences that I am eagerly anticipating”.

The CFA is set to deliver more than 18,000 new radios across the state in order to improve brigades’ communication in the field.

The CFA conducted a three-month pilot in March 2023 which involved 15 brigades from different parts of the state. The pilot program assessed a range of radios in everyday operational activities, installation processes and training materials. 

The feedback from the pilot brigades enabled selection of the preferred radios and contributed extensively to the planning for the full rollout across the state.

Acting Chief Officer Garry Cook said this significant upgrade to our radio devices will strengthen our communications at incidents which also strengthens our emergency response from brigades.

“The new radios will have multiband capability which allows direct communication with our partner emergency service agencies here and interstate, further boosting our interoperability,” Garry said.

“They also include additional functionality including GPS on the handheld portable radios which improves firefighter safety on the frontline.

“It’s important for CFA to continue to upgrade its devices with the latest technology and we look forward to the completion of this vital program.”

The $138.8 million Radio Replacement Program was funded by the Victorian Government as part of a 10-year services contract to upgrade and support CFA’s radio equipment.

The rollout of the new devices will include all vehicle, handheld and base radios.

Plenty Fire Brigade Captain David Rumble, whose brigade was part of the three-month trial, said the new radios are fantastic.

“They’re simple, intuitive, easy to pick up and use and their multiagency ability is incredibly useful at an incident,” David said.

“Our brigade has thoroughly enjoyed using them and we look forward to seeing them utilised across the state.”

The CFA expects the radios will be rolled out over a 15 to 18-month period commencing mid 2024.

Victoria’s water bombing aircraft have been put to the test to help determine the best aircraft tank to use in the future.

Staff from multiple emergency service agencies have been working in a field at Balliang this month to assist with a research project looking at water drop patterns. 

Bushfires in Victoria exhibit a wide range of behaviours and have different suppression needs.  
 
The CFA, on behalf of fire management agencies, has been commissioned to better understand what makes one drop different to another so that we can make the most of our suppression tools and strategic investments. 

Many factors can impact the effectiveness of a water drop. Some of these include weather and atmospheric conditions, aircraft speed, height and altitude, the volume of water to be dropped and the rate it’s released, the design of the aircraft delivery system and engineering. 

The CFA’s Predictive Services Specialist Andy Ackland said every year Victoria’s firefighting aircraft play an important role in helping to control bushfires and protect communities from fire.  

“These experiments look at measuring the performance of the air drops so we literally measured the water drops that came from the aircraft tank as well as the spread pattern, coverage, and the amount of water used so that we can try to understand the effectiveness of wetting the ground and helping to control fires,” Andy said.   

A Helitak was used to make five water drops over a grid of plastic cups mounted on wooden stakes three metres apart. 

After each drop the cups were capped with a barcoded lid and transferred to a weighing station where they were scanned and weighed.  

“It’s good that we can get some objective measurement of the performance of the different aircraft tank designs to use in certain fuel types so we can actually understand the performance of aircraft in different circumstances. 

“I’m hoping by later this year we might have some insights into the relative performance of the aircraft.  
 “We may still have more aircraft to test next spring but it’s going to be really good to have some of that baseline data.  
 
“CFA scientists can look into the relative performance and we can start planning the future fleet and also factors such as positioning and the effectiveness in different parts of the state.” 

The award-winning Autumn Festival returns this April, showcasing towns across the Macedon Ranges through a range of new and returning trails, events, activities and participating business specials.

Joining the popular suite of tailored trails and regular markets this year from 5 to 28 April are the Live & Local in Community Halls series, celebrating locally based artists and community venues, and the Treasure Trail highlighting some of the region’s top leafy picnic spots.

Returning are the Autumn Pie and Tart Trail, the Food and Drink Passport, Tipple Trails and the Edgy Veg Trail, with the Woodend Visitor Information Centre the go-to festival hub.

Macedon Ranges Shire Mayor Annette Death said the festival, now in its fourth year, was a growing celebration of the region’s natural beauty mixed with some of the best local, seasonal produce and performers.

“I’m unashamedly biased but proud in saying that the Macedon Ranges has so much to offer all year round, but there’s definitely something extra special in the air during autumn,” she said.

“Whether you’re a first-time visitor to our shire, a regular visitor or a resident, we encourage you to plan your trip in advance and enjoy all of what our beautiful towns have to offer.”

To specifically support Macedon and Mount Macedon residents and visitors during the busy autumn period, limited temporary measures will be reinstated along Honour Avenue and surrounds, following a comprehensive review that has prompted Council to refocus on its core responsibilities.

To help manage the influx of visitors, from late March through to 12 May (Mother’s Day weekend), temporary signage will be installed along Honour Avenue and other council-managed roads, to clearly highlight – and enable council officers to enforce – no parking zones.

Then from 29 March (Good Friday) through to Sunday 28 April, on weekends and public holidays, traffic management personnel will enforce a full road closure along the same section of road from 8am to 6pm, to support public safety and in anticipation of higher visitation on these days.

Extra toilet and waste facilities will also be provided in the immediate area, while residents/guests within the road closure area will be provided with exemption passes in addition to multilingual signage to display on their properties.

“The Autumn Festival helps to disperse visitors and economic benefits across the shire, but we acknowledge that people continue to be drawn to Honour Avenue and Council is working to proactively communicate expectations with visitors before they arrive,” Mayor Death said.

“We are committed to supporting residents and this year’s core safety measures reflect that, but it became clear that pursuing extended measures over the longer term would not be financially sustainable or responsible without external support.

“We are however working closely with our partner agencies, such as the Department of Transport and Planning and Victoria Police, on areas they are responsible for such as Mount Macedon Road and the Calder Highway, and providing advice to our local community groups and businesses who may wish to explore further temporary measures to improve amenity of the area on busy days.”

“I’d like to thank all those local residents and businesses who took the time to provide valuable feedback during our review, and we will continue to manage this peak period as best we can.”

Pet owners in Ballarat are being gently reminded that pet registrations fall due on April 10 for renewals and new pets.  

Owners of Ballarat’s 21,000 plus registered pets will soon receive their 2024/25 registration form in the mail or via email, if they haven’t already.

Renewing registration each year ensures all contact details are up to date and officers can return animals home, not have to impound them, reducing stress on pets and owners.  

Each registration fee contributes to the City of Ballarat’s Animal Management Officers supporting the community by attending to nuisance complaints such as:  

• barking concerns
• cat and dog roaming reports
• welfare and cruelty complaints
• wandering and stray animals  
• investigating dog attack incidents and
• picking up stray cats and dogs.

In addition, the fee helps cover the cost of education and community information as well as managing and running the Ballarat Animal Shelter.

Guide dogs have been exempt from registrations fee requirements for some time, and now this has been extended to all assistance dogs.  

Subject to meeting the eligibility criteria (outlined below), assistance dogs are exempt from the registration fee.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said pets are a wonderful addition to our families.

“Registration fees ensure the City of Ballarat staff can provide essential services to domestic animals in Ballarat such as welfare complaints and picking up stray cats and dogs,” he said.  

A standard registration for a dog is $43.00 annually, whereas a pensioner rate is $21.50. Restricted breeds, as determined by the Domestic Animals Act 1994, are $249.00 annually.  

A standard registration for a desexed cat is $43.00 annually, and a pensioner rate is $21.50. Cats that are not desexed can be registered for $167.00 per year.  

To be eligible for the registration fee exemption, the owner of an assistance dog is required to make an application to their council, providing reasonable evidence that:  

• the applicant has a disability that necessitates an assistance dog.  
• the assistance dog has been trained to alleviate the effect(s) of the disability (as per the definition of assistance dog under Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (EO Act)).
• the assistance dog has completed obedience training, as defined in the Order.  
• the assistance dog is at least 12-months old.
• the assistance dog is microchipped.
• the assistance dog is desexed.  

An applicant is not eligible for free registration of their assistance dog if:

• not all eligibility criteria are satisfied.
• the applicant has been found guilty of two or more offences under the DA Act with respect to the same assistance dog.  
• the assistance dog has been declared menacing or dangerous.  
• the assistance dog is a restricted breed dog. 

Ballarat celebrates all things multicultural as the city hosts its annual Harmony Festival from this Friday March 15 through to March 27.

The festival this year is being headlined by the Harmony Day Flag Raising Ceremony and Harmony by the Lake, with more than 30 events to be held across the two weeks.  

From Indian food festivals to Chinese library tours, global markets to daily musical performances in Sturt Street, there are many events on offer to help celebrate Ballarat’s cultural diversity.

In line with the Victorian Multicultural Commission, the 2024 Cultural Diversity Week theme invites us to weave a tapestry of vibrant experiences with “Our Shared Stories – Celebrating Together.”

Attending the launch of the 2024 Harmony Fest Program at Latin American restaurant Pancho on Mair Street, City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said Harmony Fest had created a better understanding of Ballarat’s cultural diversity.

“As the first officially recognised Intercultural City in Australia of the Intercultural Cities Network, we pride ourselves on maximising and valuing our cultural diversity in Ballarat,” he said.

“An Intercultural City is where diversity is deemed to be the norm and an advantage. What better way to showcase our diversity than Harmony Fest?

“I encourage people to explore the program, see what we have on offer and see what they can get out of Harmony Fest this year.”

Details for the two key events are as follows:

Harmony Day Flag Raising Ceremony, Thursday 21 March, 10.30am

• The annual Harmony Day Flag Raising Ceremony will be held on Thursday 21 March (the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination), at Queen Victoria Square (in front of the Town Hall).
• A morning tea will then follow, and all are welcome to attend.

Harmony by the Lake, Sunday 24 March, 12pm-3.30pm

• A free community picnic, with music, dance, and activities for families and everyone to be held at Lake Wendouree.  
• Bring your own chairs, picnic blankets and enjoy the day, to be held at View Point (opposite the Lake View Hotel)  
• Food trucks will be on site at own cost.

Harmony Fest is designed to align with Harmony Day, the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is celebrated on 21 March. The day encourages Australians to come together to reflect on and celebrate the many cultures that create our great nation.

Work has begun to explore opportunities to make Ballarat’s Forest Street in Wendouree safer, more enjoyable and more accessible for people walking and cycling.  

Forest Street is a key transport link in Wendouree for residents to get to local businesses, shops, schools, early learning centres, community facilities and Lake Wendouree.  

The street has many side streets and places of interest, and it has been observed that some people find this corridor unsafe and challenging to get around.  

The State Government has also recognised Forest Street as a strategic cycling corridor, and Ballarat Bicycle Network have identified the street as a key route in Ballarat.

The community’s local knowledge of this area is invaluable in understanding what improvements can be made to make it safer and more enjoyable.  

Feedback is being encouraged from people who use bikes, scooters or mobility aids as well as people who use the route without a car, such as pedestrians and parents who push prams.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said having safe and accessible routes for all the community is vital as the city grows.  

“We want your insights on Forest Street as it is currently and what you may like to see in the future,” he said.  

“If you have any areas of concern or suggestions as to how we can improve active transport in this area, we urge you to participate in the scoping exercise so our team can determine what changes may be made.”  

Thos keen to have input are being invited to visit the City of Ballarat’s MySay page, to pin their ideas on the map of Forest Street, answer a short survey or ask a question. Consultation closes on 8 April 2024.  

At this stage, this is a scoping project seeking to understand local issues and set the parameters for what improvements may look like in this area.

Feedback will be collated and reported back to the submitters and the design team will then prepare concept designs for community review.

Romsey residents – and those living within five kilometres of the Romsey Hotel – are being invited to complete a survey relating to an application for gaming machines, to help inform the Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s submission to the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC).

In response to an application to the VGCCC for 50 gaming machines at 90 Main Street in Romsey (Romsey Hotel), the council has commissioned an independent consultant to deliver a Social and Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA).

To inform the SEIA, the council is undertaking a community survey via independent company Insync, using a publicly available database from the Victorian Electoral Commission to target letterbox drops to all Romsey residents and those within five kilometres of the venue.

The council’s Director Community, Maria Weiss, said there may be people who have moved to the area more recently – or turned 18 and are newly eligible to vote – who are not captured in this database.

“We know this is an important matter for many Romsey residents and we want to ensure that we are giving as many eligible people (within five kilometres of the venue) as possible the opportunity to participate in our survey,” she said.

“It is important to Council that our SEIA is as well-informed as it can be, to ensure that our submission to the VGCCC best represents the sentiments of our community.”

Eligible residents who haven’t received a letter directly must “opt in” to complete the survey, showing proof of residency to ensure validity of the data collected. Residents can do this by contacting the council on 5422 0333, or by visiting a council office in person.

Individual survey results will be completely private and de-identified by Insync and a summary of results will be included in a future council report, expected to be listed for decision at the April 2024 council meeting.

Members of the public who live outside of the five-kilometre survey area but would like to share their opinion on the application, they can make a submission directly to the VGCCC.

The City of Ballarat Heritage Advisory Committee is currently seeking new members from the community.

The committee provides an advocacy platform for Ballarat’s citizens, communities, groups, organisations and businesses relating to heritage matters across the whole municipality, including rural areas and urban areas.  

It is seeking four additional community members for the final four months of the term, which ends on 30 June 2024. Members can reapply should they wish to continue following the end of the financial year.

While anyone can apply to be on the committee, First Nations, intercultural and younger members of our community members and youth are especially encouraged to apply.  

The committee’s role is to assist the City of Ballarat in the collection and dissemination of information, with the aim of sustaining Ballarat’s heritage.  

City of Ballarat Councilor, and Heritage Advisory Committee Chair, Cr Samantha McIntosh said the committee’s advice and recommendations on the city’s heritage is incredibly beneficial to the work that the City of Ballarat undertakes.  

“Our purpose is to provide an advocacy platform for Ballarat’s community, residents, organisations, businesses and visitors on all heritage matters. The committee is crucial in assisting the City of Ballarat and delivering on the Council Plan,” she said.