The Macedon Ranges Shire Council has launched a new online hub to help it gain useful feedback from the community on significant council policies or initiatives.

People will be able to view current public consultations and have their say in new ways through the
new Your Say hub, which has the capacity to host surveys, interactive maps, Q&As, forums and more.

The launch of Your Say supports a strategic priority in the Council Plan 2021-2031 to ‘Enhance
customer experience through the transformation of our services, to ensure they are easy to access
and provide user-friendly experiences’.

It also supports a specific Council Plan action also set to be completed this financial year, with new
Community Engagement Guidelines under development to better guide council staff in undertaking
effective, relevant, and transparent community consultation.

Macedon Ranges Chief Executive Officer, Bernie O’Sullivan (pictured below) said it was integral to hear from the community to help tailor the projects, policies and services Council delivers.

“We have subject matter experts here at Council who work hard to develop initiatives relevant to their
field, but two-way conversation is essential to make sure we’re hitting the mark,” he said.

“Council is committed to genuine consultation and closing the loop with the community. This new
online engagement hub – together with the new staff guidelines – will support that commitment. I
encourage residents to continue taking the time to review public consultations and provide feedback.”

A number of draft policies or initiatives endorsed by the council for public consultation late last year are currently inviting feedback including:

Romsey Skatepark designs – proposed designs for a new skatepark that would feature a
large bowl, a quarter pipe, pump track and a series of hips and corners. Funding of $550,000
has already been committed by the Victorian Government towards construction, while Council
allocated $20,000 towards initial planning works in the Budget 2023/24.

Draft Complaint and Unreasonable Behaviour Policy – this policy outlines how Council will
manage complaints and unreasonable behaviour and provides clear guidance for both the
complainant and Council.

Draft Special Charge Scheme Policy – this policy applies to Special Charge Scheme (SCS)
infrastructure projects such as resident-funded upgrading of roads and drainage.

Draft Fair Access Policy – this policy supports Council in the identification and removal of
systemic factors contributing to gender inequality relating to the availability of quality
community sports infrastructure at times that are suitable.

Those keen to have input are invited to jump online and visit yoursay.mrsc.vic.gov.au to view current consultations, provide feedback and sign up to receive tailored alerts about future consultations as they are listed.

Emerging like mist from a glassy moonlit lake, Ben Mastwyk & The Energy rise from dusty streets of Melbourne’s inner north to bring their unique brand of cosmic-cult-country to Palais-Hepburn on Friday evening, Feb 16.

Sydney power-country priestess Katie Brianna and country starlet Katie May join forces with Ben Mastwyk to deliver two sets of harmony-laden hillbilly sermons and cult country tunes.

Melbourne cosmic-country-rocker Mastwyk writes his songs on the move. Planes, trains, rivers and highways set the mood.

“There’s something about the rhythm of the world rolling by that stimulate the process” he says.

As a teenage noise-rocker, Mastwyk’s love of twang was instilled when he watched family members produce a country record, exposing him to artists such Cash, Kristopherson and Parsons, confirming his love of classic country music.

After ceasing music to explore Fine Art, Mastwyk was thrust back into the country music scene when a borrowed guitar spawned a flood of songwriting.

Twice nominated for Best Country Album (Music Victoria Awards), Mastwyk has received high nation rotation on ABC Radio and toured his songs around Australia, NZ and the USA.

His third album, 2021’s LIVIN ON GOLD STREET, debuted at #1 on the Australian Independent charts, #2 on ARIA Australian Country charts.

The City of Ballarat is developing a Footpath Construction Strategy to guide how it prioritises and funds where new footpaths are built with two community pop-up sessions taking place today.

Footpaths are important to the local community and play a vital role in keeping residents and visitors active, safe and connected to others and to community facilities, services, public transport and open spaces.  

Once completed, the Footpath Construction Strategy will outline a framework that prioritises where new footpaths are needed most, where sealing of existing unsealed footpaths should take place and identifying missing links in the city’s footpath network.  

The City of Ballarat currently has 844 kilometres of existing footpaths. However, there are about 600 kilometres of “missing footpaths” in the municipality which is estimated would cost about $100 million to construct.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said with an annual budget of about $900,000 for the construction of new footpaths, the city needs to prioritise which footpaths are built.  

“Footpaths are important to everyone however with limited funds, we need to prioritise where new footpaths are built,” he said.

“We encourage you to provide your feedback about how you use local footpaths and what new footpath links are important to you.

“Join the conversation and help shape where and when we build new footpaths. You can also mark on an interactive map where you think new footpaths should be constructed.”

Feedback from the community will help inform the Draft Footpath Construction Strategy. The community will be invited to provide feedback on the Draft Strategy through a second phase of community consultation.  

The council says all feedback will be considered in the development of the final Footpath Construction Strategy, which will then be presented to the council for consideration.  

Residents can provide feedback on the construction of new footpaths until 5pm, Sunday 3 March via the council’s online mysay platform.

There are also two community pop-up sessions where interested locals can share their feedback with the City of Ballarat team in person today, Saturday 10 February at:

• Ballarat Farmers Market, Zoo Drive, Lake Wendouree, from 9am-12pm and
• Skate Park Leagues Competition, Ballarat Skate Park, Main Road and Barkly Street, from 2-4pm.

The City of Ballarat’s 2023-2024 footpath construction program will build 13 footpaths, including a footpath of approximately 220 metres in Raglan Street (Miners Rest), extending from Sharpes Road to near Howe Street.

This footpath is intended to provide greater access to a nearby early learning centre and a public bus stop.

This month marks a significant milestone as the Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial in Ballarat commemorates 20 years since its grand opening in February 2004. 

The special service to honour this occasion will be held at the memorial (Carlton Street, Lake Wendouree) from 11.30am this Sunday, 11 February 2024, to be attended by dignitaries, veterans, and the public.

The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial was inaugurated by General Peter Cosgrove AM, MC, and witnessed by more than 11,000 people, including His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery, AC, CVO, MC (Ret’d), the Governor General, and the Honourable Steve Bracks, Premier of Victoria. 

This memorial was the first dedicated tribute in Australia to the brave ex-prisoners of war and was the culmination of more than eight years of planning.

The idea for the memorial was sparked during a Remembrance Day ceremony in 1996, where remarks were made about the need for a more fitting tribute to Australian prisoners of war and their families. 

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said from those initial conversations a committee was formed and weekly meetings were held to bring the spectacular vision to life.

“The City of Ballarat is very proud of our many war memorials across the municipality, but this particular space is extra special – supported by the fact that it attracts more than 50,000 visitors each year,” he said.

“The memorial stands as a testament to the pain and suffering endured by all prisoners of war, honouring the thousands of mates left behind and recognizing the sacrifices made by families during wartime.

“It proudly displays 36,400 names of Australian ex-POWs on a 130-meter-long granite wall, serving as a powerful reminder of their courage and resilience.”

Renowned sculptor Peter Blizzard created the memorial using natural stone materials, including basalt and granite. 

The construction of this significant tribute was made possible at the time by a generous $1.1 million donation from Tattersall’s and the Estate of the late George Adams. 

Additional support from the Federal and State Governments, the City of Ballarat, and donations from various businesses and individuals raised a further $900,000.

Invitations have been distributed for the 20th anniversary event, however the community is also welcomed to attend. 

Standing room will be accessible to the general public. Shade will be limited, so intending attendees are being advised to dress appropriately for the weather, stay SunSmart, and bring umbrellas for shade if needed.

“I’d encourage residents to join us in honouring the legacy of our ex-prisoners of war at the Australian Ex-POW Memorial in Ballarat,” Cr Hudson said. 

“Together, let us remember their sacrifice and pay tribute to their enduring spirit.” 

The City of Ballarat’s efforts to improve customer service appear to be paying off with the announcement that it has taken out the national and state Customer Service Award in the Snap Send Solve 2023 Solver of the Year Awards.  

Snap Send Solve is an easy-to-use mobile app that allows residents to report issues to relevant authorities.  

The Snap Send Solve Solver of the Year Awards highlight top performing organisations across several categories on the Snap Send Solve app, which is widely used across Australia and New Zealand.  

The Customer Service Award recognises the organisation with the highest star rating by users and the highest percentage of updates provided to users who have made reports.

Throughout 2023, 2,015 people made 6,434 reports to the City of Ballarat, which is nearly three times the number of reports handled in 2022.  

The announcement of the national customer service award follows extensive efforts by the City of Ballarat to improve customer service across the organisation, particularly in the digital space.  

This has included trialing new systems to increase communication and improve feedback to residents who report issues via the Snap Send Solve app by creating a new Digital and Emerging Customer Experience Officer position.

A significant element of this role is to monitor Snap Send Solve reports and to communicate updates to app users, and to close the loop with them when their report is completed.  

The City of Ballarat has also created its first Customer Charter— a document outlining what residents can expect when interacting with the City of Ballarat which includes a series of Customer Response Standards.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said the Customer Service Award reflected the organisation’s commitment to improvement.  

“We heard from the community that improving communication with residents who contact the City of Ballarat — particularly via our digital channels, such as Snap Send Solve — was a priority,” he said.  

“This national Customer Service award is a testament to the hard work of our Customer Service staff during 2023 to provide the best possible service to our community.”  

Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives have been investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal collision that happened in Ballarat last week.

It is believed a 75-year-old female pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in a Peel Street carpark about 6.35pm last Tuesday January 30.

The Sebastopol woman died at the scene.

The driver of the vehicle, a 77-year-old Sebastopol man, stopped at the scene.

The circumstances surrounding the crash are yet to be established and the investigation is ongoing.

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

Excitement is building ahead of the 72nd annual Ballarat Begonia Festival, which is set to draw thousands of people to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens across the upcoming Labour Day long weekend (9-11 March).

The full program of activities, entertainment, food, flowers and fun has been unveiled in recent days in the lead-up to the long-running annual attraction.

Headlining the action-packed program is the world premiere of a new show called ‘These Things’ by performing artists SWAY (pictured above).

Festival-goers will be invited to immerse themselves in a sensory experience where music, dance and circus acts transport viewers to a world where the boundaries between reality and fantasy are blurred.

The company’s new production will see the performers swing, spin and bend atop tall poles adorned with begonias, entertaining audiences on the main lawn.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson described the festival as a Ballarat institution that “just seems to get better and better each year”.

The Ballarat Begonia Festival’s full program is now available online.

Detectives from Taskforce Lunar are investigating following a suspicious fire that broke out in Bakery Hill, Ballarat, last Thursday morning.

The incident occurred at a tobacco store on Little Bridge Street just before 4am on Thursday, 1 February.

Nobody was inside the premises at the time but the store sustained significant damage.

A burnt-out car was located on Boundary Road in Brown Hill just before 4am on the same day.

Detectives are investigating whether it is linked to the Bakery Hill tobacco store fire.

Investigators are treating the fire as a targeted attack and said they would look at any possible links to other recent fires.

Police are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the fire or who may have CCTV or dash-cam footage.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the Crime Stoppers website online.

Cardinia Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged a man in relation to multi-million dollar investment frauds going back 13 years.

Investigators received reports from 15 victims who have each lost between $20,000 and $2.1 million since the investment scam was first reported to police in 2011.

It’s alleged the scams involve a man who approaches people and offers to assist in knocking down their homes.

It is believed the man then offers to build townhouses in their place by convincing his victims that he is an established developer.

Once the victims hand over the funds to build the townhouses, their developments were bought out by other investors without the building works proceeding.

The offender then takes off with the cash from both the original property owner, plus the new investors.

Detectives have in recent days executed a search warrant in McGregor Street in Malvern East and a 51-year-old Malvern East man has been charged with 35 offences including use false document, obtain financial advantage by deception and obtain property by deception.

He was been bailed to appear in Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today, 8 February.

More than 700 people have provided their feedback to help develop the City of Ballarat’s new Open Space Strategy.  

It represents the first stage of a collaborative approach to guide how Ballarat’s open spaces will look in the city over the next 10 years.  

The focus of the consultation stage was to understand how Ballarat uses open space and determine the community’s key priorities for open spaces, while also identifying some potential risks to open space.

The first round of feedback is now being analysed by the City of Ballarat and it is expected that a draft Strategy will be available for review and a second round of consultation in early April 2024.  

The first round of community feedback showed that people rank biodiversity and trees as one of the highest priorities in Ballarat’s open spaces.  

Following that, the community said accessibility and inclusion were important, followed by appropriate infrastructure, paths and trails, play spaces and mitigating climate change.  

The community’s feedback raised concerns about the lack of biodiversity in Ballarat’s open spaces, followed by population pressures, upkeep of open spaces and maintenance, as well as access to walking and cycling paths.  

There were more than twenty reasons people visited open spaces in Ballarat, the top reasons are:

• To observe and be in nature  
• To undertake casual exercise  
• To spend time with family and friends  
• To use the play spaces with children  
• Cycling and mountain biking.  

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson said it’s encouraging to see so many people sharing their views on the city’s open spaces.  

“The Open Space Strategy will guide us in developing parks and reserves for our community for the next ten years, it’s important it reflects the Ballarat’s community’s needs,” he said.  

“We look forward to the next stage of the consultation, to work with specific user groups to co-design and develop the strategy.”  

The next step will be to present a draft Open Space Strategy to the community and hold focused collaborative co-design sessions with specific user groups, to enable completion of the strategy.

The strategy will provide guidance to the City of Ballarat on where to locate different types of parks, reserves and open spaces, and what activities and equipment are needed in the spaces, as well as providing guidance on how the parks can suit the varying needs of the Ballarat community.  

Police have been investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal crash which occurred in Gisborne last Friday morning.

Emergency services were called to the intersection of Campbell Road and Kilmore Road about 3.40am last Friday, February 2, after reports a car had left the road and rolled.

On arrival services located the male driver deceased in the vehicle.

The exact circumstances surrounding the crash had yet to be determined and investigations remained ongoing.

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

Macedon Ranges Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged two people following a fire at the Malmsbury Railway Station on 31 January.

Emergency services had been called to Daylesford-Malmsbury Road about 5.45pm after reports the station master’s residence was on fire.

Crews extinguished the blaze and the fire was deemed to be suspicious.

On Sunday, February 4, detectives charged a 17-year-old Bendigo girl and 16-year-old Bendigo boy with burglary and criminal damage by fire.

Both have since been bailed to appear at a children’s court at a later date.

Kerbside bin collection is set to change in townships in Hepburn Shire with the introduction of a weekly food and garden organics service (also called FOGO) from Monday April 8.

With the introduction of weekly organics collection for townships, red-lidded landfill (general rubbish) bins will move to fortnightly collection, with no changes to the fortnightly yellow-lidded recycling collection.

Households in Creswick, Trentham, Daylesford, Hepburn and Hepburn Springs will receive a lime green-lidded bin and kitchen caddy in mid-to-late-March, with the weekly collection starting in townships after Easter. The weekly organics collection will continue in Clunes, where residents have successfully trialled the service since 2021.

Mayor of Hepburn Shire Cr Brian Hood said a separate food and garden organics collection will help to divert thousands of tonnes of organic material from landfill.

“Our bin audits show that more than half of the contents of the average red-lidded landfill bin are items that will be able to be placed into the new organics bin. This includes food scraps and leftovers, meat, bones, dairy products, garden clippings, leaves and weeds,” said Cr Hood.

“Instead of ending up in landfill these items will be treated as a valuable resource and converted to high-quality compost at in-vessel units at the Creswick Transfer Station. The compost will then be used to improve soil for local farms, parks and gardens,” he said.

Residents will also be able to drop off up to 120L of food and garden organics for free at Council’s three transfer stations from 8 April – but fees will be introduced from 1 July.

Cr Hood said there are many compelling environmental reasons for diverting organics from landfill.

“Composting organics emits about one-tenth of the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent compared to when it is sent to landfill. In addition, when food ends up in landfill it creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that is at least 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide,” said Cr Hood.

“When we developed our four-year Council Plan the community told us that sustainability and protecting the environment is the highest priority. We have since developed our Sustainable Hepburn strategy, in partnership with the community, which identified introducing a food and organics collection as a key action.”

The council will fund the roll-out cost and collection for 2023/2024 through its Waste Reserve Fund. Ratepayers won’t see any change to the waste charge until the 2024/2025 financial year.

“We will have greater clarity on the actual cost of the service to households when we develop our 2024/2025 budget. However, processing organics locally and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill will help to minimise the cost to ratepayers,” said Cr Hood.

The council has acknowledged that some households may be concerned that a fortnightly general rubbish bin won’t be sufficient for their needs, and households will have the option to purchase additional collection services.

However, they may be able to significantly reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill by carefully separating waste items. Council officers will host pop-ups at communities to share information about the new service and answer questions.

“Our bin audits show around 12 percent of the contents of red-lidded bins could instead be placed in yellow-lidded recycling bins. With around 50 percent of the red-lidded bin able to be diverted into the organics bin we expect many households could reduce the volume of waste going to landfill by around 60 percent,” said Cr Hood.

The council will review extending the service to rural areas next financial year. The initial roll-out does not include businesses (other than those participating in the Clunes trial).

However, businesses will be able to opt into an organics collection from July 2024. Township households will not be able to opt-out of the organics collection.

There has been an increase in the cost of sending waste to landfill in recent years. An organics service is expected to significantly reduce the amount of waste that Hepburn Shire sends to landfill, which will also reduce landfill fees and overall transport costs and emissions.

Food and garden organics services have already been introduced in many other local government areas including Macedon Ranges Shire, City of Greater Bendigo, Melton City Council, Central Goldfields, Campaspe and Southern Grampians. Fifty-three out of 79 councils in Victoria already offer organics collection services.

Under the state government’s Recycling Victoria legislation, all local governments must implement an organics service by 2030.

Residents keen to find out more about the upcoming changes can visit the council’s website for more details.

Hey! I’m Herbert. I am three months old and I am a ginger and white bundle of fun.

I  am a real cutie and I love to have as much attention as possible. I love to be with people and I am always ready to play.

I would love to find a family that will shower me with love and attention. I would fit in well with any good, caring home or family.

You can meet me at the Mount Alexander Animal Welfare (MAAW) shelter in Castlemaine. Phone: 54725277. Microchip no. 56000016181142

Perennials

Among the multi-classified members of the plant world, one group, probably
the largest, are the perennials. More than any other plant group they, in their
thousand-plus forms, can offer a year-round rich palette of colour, fragrance
and texture, either by their flowers or foliage.

Although multitudinous in their shape, size and behaviour, perennials are
defined as non-woody plants which live for two or more years. Some, including the
helleborus (winter rose), are evergreen, but most are herbaceous and die back in
winter. All adding to the year-round broad spectrum of colour.

All perennials are easily propagated, in fact, many do it themselves, like the shasta daisy and perennial grass, pictured above, and simply produce plantlets around their perimeter, as do carnations, gerberas, cannas and a plethora of other perennials. They are then easily gently separated from the parent and replanted.

Some more adventurous than the rest make it easy for you to produce their little
plantlets on slender stems for you to simply snip the stem and plant, either in a small
container of fibrous loam, or into the garden bed, depending on the size and strength
of the little rootlets.

While the title perennial doesn’t apply to bulb producers, such as daffodil,
hyacinth etc, a whole range of plants multiply from a corm, or tuber – a short,
vertical, swollen underground plant stem that serves as a storage organ that some
plants use to survive winter. These include iris and the ever-loving country fence
(including ours) hugging blue, and occasional white agapanthus.

There are plenty of popular plants that you and I would never have thought of as
belonging to the perennials brigade but on browsing the Royal Horticultural Society
Plant Guide’s Perennials section I was stunned to find names I would never have
imagined. Plants like African violets, begonias, primulas, pelargonium, sansevieria, (snake plant), and on and on.

Time for division

Between now and late April you can increase your own stock of perennial plants
by division. Clumps of aster, agapanthus, shasta daisy, campanula and similar plants can be
lifted, split apart by the two fork method – two garden forks placed back to back used
to lever – or if possible, gently by hand.

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

One or two of our most popular perennial plants are best left until spring. These
include cannas, pampas grass and those which normally die back to a dormant crown
during the winter. In spring the new shoots can be seen and divided without damage,
while the warming soil will encourage rapid root re-growth.

It’s usual at this time to cut back perennials when they have finished flowering
and to remove any dead leaves. This is partly to make for a clean looking garden but
also to reduce the number of hiding places for slugs and snails. That is, unless you are
living in a high frost area.

Many plants will begin to make new roots when there are a few mild days in
winter, and a subsequent hard frost can damage such growths. If the old leaves and
dry growth are left on they will protect young plants and can be removed just as easily
once the frost season is over.

Got a gardening query? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com