The much loved Footscray Gypsy Orchestra is once again headed to Clunes to play at this month’s Clunes Book Town Festival.

Renown for its lively crowd-pleasing sound, this city-based multicultural outfit makes music that breaks through boundaries and brings people together.

It weaves various languages and ethnic influences into its up-beat tunes and won plenty of local hearts when it performed at the annual Book Town festival last year.

This time round they’ll be playing as part of the fesitval’s featured Tin Shed Show from 7pm -10pm on Saturday evening March 23, and then again at the Clunes rotunda on Sunday afternoon, March 24, from 1pm-1.45pm.

For 35 years, Cranbourne CFA member Debbie Jackson has been tin rattling for the Good Friday Appeal, raising much needed funds for sick children attending the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Debbie is the coordinator of the appeal for Casey Group and this year they’ll reach a huge milestone, raising $350,0000 for the extremely worthwhile cause. 

Debbie said each year eight to nine brigades stand on the major intersection of South Gippsland Hwy and Sladen St in Cranbourne and rattle tins, last year they raised a massive $15,710 for the cause. 

“I remember my parents throwing out a donation through the car window to CFA and now it’s my turn to help,” she said. 

“You don’t even have to ask people twice to give donations on the day. Most people throw out the window what they have. Anything above a zero and you’re helping out.” 

She said she was motivated to keep going after many years because it was such a good cause. 

“My job wouldn’t get done if I didn’t have the support of other CFA members on the day. I appreciate everyone’s help and it couldn’t be done without them.” 

Debbie said it’s important to raise money for the Good Friday Appeal because nurses and doctors could only do so much without fundraising for the children. 

“The bigger the total the better is it and the more you can give to the kids, the more equipment you can buy,” she said. 

“In the past I’ve had relatives go to the children’s hospital. Most families know someone who has gone for treatment at the hospital. You give back what you get.” 

And every year brigade members and people driving past to donate are excited to be part of the collection on Good Friday. 

“It’s a good atmosphere, it makes brigade members want to collect on the day. The kids get so excited to see the fire trucks and all our firefighters collecting,” Debbie said. 

The award-winning Creswick Brass Band is headed to Clunes later this month to perform as part of the annual Book Town Festival.

The band is a community outfit made up of local residents with members aged from eight to 80.

It has gained a reputation for being “the happy band of the Central Highlands” whose members love to perform at local events with the annual Book Town festival among their favourites.

Members say the band is also happy to give lessons to anyone willing to learn.

They’ll be playing at the Clunes rotunda from 2.30 to 5.15pm on Saturday March 23 as part of the free community entertainment that will be on offer as part of the festival that’s celebrating its 18th year and takes place over March 23-24.

Featured guests who will be appearing in discussion during the festival include Helen Garner, Jane Clifton, Wayne Macauley, Jacinta Parsons, Alice Pung and Nicole Chvastek.

Ballarat-based duo One Part Gin like to play dark folk music that’s splattered with grit and gloom.

They do not apologise for that, nor for the fact that melodies and pain collide as you follow in the forlorn footsteps of fools and freaks.

This duo consists of Sam Bell on guitar and vocals and Holly Sewell on vocals and ukulele, and they’re headed to Clunes to bring their sound to this month’s Book Town festival where they invite their audience to “sink yourself into narratives that interweave throughout a family tree that roots itself in dirt filled with blood, tears, grief and hope”.

They also suggest that you may want to “grab a whiskey shot, shed a tear and surround yourself with stories of cursed convicts and deceitful drunks”.

If you haven’t caught them live to date, this talented duo has a sound that may well remind you of Graveyard Train, Tom Waits, Dead South, Toot Toot Toots, Crooked Fingers and Eric Bachmann.

They’ll be performing at this month’s Book Town festival in Clunes at the town’s central rotunda venue on Saturday March 23 from 11.45am-12.30pm and then again on Sunday March 24 from 10.30am to 11.15am.

Get along to the Radio Springs Hotel (AKA the centre of the universe) for the longest lash feature event.

Organisers of the Blackwood Collaborative 2024 Artist Series Songwriting Retreats say they’ve staged a coup by gathering the talents of some of Australia’s best songwriters and musicians for a two-day songwriting workshop series to be held in Blackwood.

An impressive roster of talented Australian writers will be offering insights into their own song writing processes and helping to guide workshop guests through the often difficult process of getting their own musical ideas realised, Ben Sims says

Among the array of professionals on offer for the weekend retreats will be solo artist Charles Jenkins (pictured above) of ‘Ice Cream Hands’ fame, kicking off the first event of the series on the 18th and 19th of May by hosting “Techniques to help your songs make a more powerful connection with the listener” and singer/songwriter, and member of the beloved indie rock band ‘Clouds’ front woman Jodi Phillis.

The workshop series will also include events focused on film and TV scoring and instrumental composition and arranging, Ben says.

Those keen to book a spot can head to Blackwood-collaborative.com to join the mailing list and check out the full roster of Artists on offer, organisers say.

Funky world renowned singer-songwriter, Geoffrey Williams is headed to Clunes to perform at this month’s Book Town Festival.

One man, a loop pedal and a whole lot of soul, Williams has won plenty of fans throughout the region which he now calls home.

He is famed for his apparent ability to conjure a beautiful melody and a killer groove out of thin air.

Williams will be performing on Saturday March 23 at the Clunes rotunda from 3.15 to 4pm as part of this year’s Book Town Festival that happens of March 23-24, and will also be performing prior to that together with his daughter Milla Williams, as the Milla Williams Duo.

The duo, that also performs at the rotunda venue from 2.15pm to 3pm on the festival Saturday, features daughter on vocals and father accompanying on acoustic guitar to create plenty of soulful chilled-out vibes.

The performance will be free to catch as this year the festival committee has opted to drop the entry fee, while ticketing still applies to get into featured special guest, panel and writer discussions.

“This year we’ve dropped the entry fee and extended the Booktown footprint so that visitors will be free to roam across the entire township without the hassle of wristbands and fences,” festival chair Kadir Hussein says.

The diverse array of headliner guests appearing as part of this year’s ticketed program of conversational sessions include Helen Garner, Jane Clifton, Wayne Macauley, Jacinta Parsons, Alice Pung and radio favourite Nicole Chvastek.

Another feature this time around is the Saturday evening Tin Shed Show which will feature Sally Ford and the Idiomatics with Helen Garner, Jane Clifton and Wayne Macauley, presenting Underscore, a genre-bending musical and literary salon.

And don’t miss Daylesford artist, Brian Nash, who will join Ian Roberts, Geoff McArthur and Rebecca Russell in the chair to talk about their fictional, visual and historical explorations of the region in Goldfield Stories on Saturday, March 23 from 1.30pm.

Words: Eve Lamb.

The Spooky Men’s Chorale has been described as ‘a vast, rumbling, steam-powered and black-clad behemoth of mansound‘ and it’s headed to Creswick to perform as part of next month’s CresFest.

In their performances of (literally) breath-taking harmony singing and comedy, the Spooky Men draw on a combination of musical and theatrical values including Georgian male polyphony, a running joke on man as a vast, oblivious useless object, whispers of clown, bouffon and Monty Python, and forays into massively pleasurable grunting tribalism.

Their 800+ crowd-pleasing gigs have included WOMAD, The Great Escape Festival, the Woodford, Cobargo, Port Fairy, Blue Mountains and Bellingen festivals.

They’ve appeared on Spicks and Specks, The Mix and The New Inventors, performed live on ABC radio many times and have earned great international acclaim including WOMAD New Zealand and more than nine UK tours.

These spooky blokes hail from NSW and are among the headline acts that will be performing at this year’s CresFest that’s set to transform the little township of Creswick with a feast of live acts and participatory fun held over three days April 5-7.

Acts on the program include Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse (WA), The Cherry Pickers (SA), T-Bone (New Zealand), Melisande (Canada), Guanaco Trio (Argentina), Linn Phipps (UK), Chutney (NSW) Michael Waugh, and Jen Hawley’s Gypsy Jazz Jam.

The diverse line-up of artists performing as part of the program complements a wide array of participatory workshops with a focus firmly on the community not only watching, but also being part of the fun.

The event’s big emphasis on community involvement is a main reason why the annual festival took out the Best Community Project gong at last year’s Australian Folk Music Awards.

Local community groups who will be particpating, and inviting festival goers to join in as well, include Creswick Ukestra, Creswick Kids Choir, Creswick Chorus, Creswick Drum Circle ,Creswick ‘Street’ band, Creswick’s Friday night ‘jammers’.

Tickets to the award-winning festival are currently available via the festival’s dedicated website.

The competition for the upcoming State Firefighter Championships is heating up, with CFA members from districts 9 and 27 joining forces to hit the running track.

Having both formed in 2018, the dedicated Women’s Networking Groups are made up of over 150 passionate members, with 100 in District 9 and 77 in District 27. This will be the first time they have representation at the championships.

With the March weekend looming, Warragul Fire Brigade firefighter and Women’s Network member Dani Watkins is excited about the highly anticipated occasion in Mooroopna, having never participated before.

“Like most of the South East region, we have a Women’s Network in District 9 and 27. However, we decided to combine the two for the event because 27 is quite small,” Dani said.

“A couple of us decided we would put together a running team because it looked like a bit of fun.

“We’ve got seven members at the moment, six are from District 9 and one is from District 27.”

The team has enlisted the help of Pearcedale Fire Brigade to get up to speed with the specifics of the events, training once a week or once a fortnight in the lead up to the state event.

“It has been really good to train with Pearcedale. We were essentially starting from scratch with no prior knowledge of any of the activities,” Dani said.

“We asked Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) for some help, and they pointed us in the direction of Pearcedale because they were the closest brigade to us that runs in rural events.

“We called them up and asked them if we could join them for a training session and they’ve been really accommodating since and have taught us so much.”

Fellow network member and Tanjil Fire Brigade firefighter Margaret (Maggs) Harrison was quick to put her hand up to represent her brigade at the Championships.

“When we met to discuss the State Firefighter Championships, I thought I may as well jump into the opportunity and give it a shot with the other women for the first time too,” Maggs said.

“I’ve found training with Pearcedale to be enlightening. It’s been great to watch how they work together and understand how they work as a team. They are a really friendly brigade.”

Maggs said the development of the women’s team was to not only bring brigades together in a new environment, but to also continue empowering women.

The Senior Urban and Senior Rural events will be held at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve on Saturday March 23 and Sunday March 24.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council has endorsed a planning amendment paving the way for the development of a small supermarket, medical centre, office, two cafes and parking in Gisborne’s south.

At its recent February meeting the council adopted amendment C153macr, which will rezone vacant land at 101-105 Willowbank Road in Gisborne’s south from residential to commercial.

The proposed amendment had earlier gone on public exhibition from 8 May – 13 June 2023, with submissions presented at a Planning Delegated Committee on 12 July 2023.

The matter was referred to an independent planning panel on 8 December 2023, where it was determined the proposal was consistent with strategic policy directions, the location was appropriate, and the proposal could deliver acceptable planning outcomes.

However, the panel had recommended some changes to the plan, specifically regarding drainage, and the amendment which has now been adopted by the council includes these recommendations.

The council will now submit the amendment to the state’s planning minister for approval in accordance with the Planning and Environment Act 1987.

The City of Ballarat says it’s striving to make access to sporting and recreation facilities as equitable as possible for all genders.

To lay the foundation to achieve this, a draft Fair Access Policy document has been created, which seeks to address known barriers experienced by women and girls in accessing and using community sports infrastructure.

The policy will be specific to the City of Ballarat and is a requirement under the State Government’s Fair Access Policy Roadmap. It is set to be developed in mid-2024.  

Community members and organisations are invited to view the draft Fair Access Policy document and complete a survey on a City of Ballarat MySay page. The survey is now open and closes on Monday 1 April 2024. 

The City of Ballarat’s draft Fair Access Policy focuses on ‘intersectional gender inequality’, which recognises that gender inequality may be compounded by other forms of disadvantage or discrimination that a person may experience based on age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and other attributes.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said although there had already been a major focus on creating female-friendly sporting facilities in Ballarat in recent years, there was always more work that could be done.

“For many years now we have invested heavily in female-friendly infrastructure in Ballarat because we know that not having the right facilities can be a major barrier to encouraging participation,” he said.

“Having said that, we still want to hear from the community about what else can be done and how we can continue to improve in this area because we know there is still a lot of work to be done.”

In the last four years the City of Ballarat has completed 12 projects with a focus on female-friendly access, with new builds or refurbishments at seven football/netball facilities and five soccer facilities.

Most recently, this includes the North Ballarat Netball Changerooms, the Victoria Park Sport and Community Facility, and the Strengthening Wendouree Community Recreation Precinct – Soccer Pavilion, all completed in 2023.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council is inviting input from the wider community to help shape the future of transport for the growing community of Riddles Creek.

The council’s draft Riddells Creek Movement Network Study aims to provide a strategic transport plan proposing infrastructure to accommodate long-term population growth within the Riddells Creek township boundary, and to address the community’s transport concerns.

Recommendations are provided for pedestrian, cycling and intersection improvements and speed limit
reduction.

Various stakeholders, including the Riddells Creek Community Planning Group and the Department of Transport and Planning, have provided earlier input into the draft study.

At its February meeting the council endorsed the study to now go out for broader community consultation, inviting input responding to the top 30 recommendations that have been shortlisted.

The consultation will run until March 31 with those keen to view it and provide feedback able to do so via the council’s webiste.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council is calling for community feedback on the preferred site for a new multipurpose facility at Kyneton’s Barkly Square.

The council had previously endorsed the development of a multipurpose facility for the Kyneton and District Soccer Club and Kyneton Obedience Dog Club to replace the existing ageing infrastructure.

The outdated existing infrastructure currently includes Obedience Dog Club rooms, old soccer change rooms, social room area and public toilet block.

Several site location options have been considered for the construction of a new facility, with council
officers recommending the western side of Barkly Square as the most optimal.

At its recent February meeting the council endorsed putting the matter out for community consultation. Those eager to have input are now able to do so up until March 31 via the council’s website.

It’s been a sparkling ChillOut festival in Daylesford over the March Labour Day long weekend. On Sunday morning the parade, filled Daylesford’s main drag with radiant, positive vibes. Images below: Eve Lamb

Throughout the weekend, at myriad feature events including opening night, bush dance and carnival, some pretty amazing boots and bling shone as they received a serious workout in keeping with this year’s festival theme. Images below by Michelle Donnelly Photography

Emergency services responded to a motorcycle crash that claimed the life of one person in Bacchus Marsh last week.

Police say it’s believed the rider involved in the incident lost control of the motorcycle on the Western Freeway just before 4pm last Monday afternoon.

The male rider had died at the scene and had yet to be identified as at the most recently issued police report on the crash.

The exact circumstances surrounding the crash had yet to be determined and investigations remained ongoing as at the most recent police report.

Anyone who witnessed the crash, with dashcam footage or information was urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the Crime Stoppers website.