Central Highlands Rural Health is currently running a raffle for an excellent cause with those who snap up a ticket in the running to win some attractive prizes.

The local health service provides acute care, urgent care, residential aged care, social support, community nursing and community health services to the 60,000 people living in the Hepburn Shire and Macedon Ranges Shire areas with campuses in Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford, Trentham and Kyneton.

Each campus has a range of programs that care for the community that they serve with the health service recognised at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards in November last year.

Fundraising manager Kathryn Kosloff said the night was a celebration of health services around the state and highlighted the important role they played in their communities.

“It was great to have the incredible team at Central Highlands Rural Health acknowledged for their commitment to high quality care.”

Ms Kosloff said Central Highlands Rural Health was incredibly grateful for all the support it received in 2023.

“We received gifts and donations from generous donors that have enabled the health service to complete facility upgrades and internal refurbishments, purchase much-needed equipment and resources, as well as organise experiences for our patients, residents and clients.

“In 2024 the service has allocated donated funds to the Clunes Health Wellness Garden landscape designs and refurbishments in the Kyneton Health Dialysis Unit as well as upcoming campaigns to raise funds for a scalp-cooling machine for oncology patients and construction costs for the Wellness Garden.”

Ms Kosloff said rural health services continued to need local support. While they receive government funding, donations enable them to expand their programs and services, build new infrastructure and purchase the latest medical equipment that would otherwise not be possible.

“There are many different ways that people can assist their health service to deliver quality care to their community such as donations of funds, vouchers and goods or volunteering to assist with the delivery of meals on wheels and other projects.

“Community contributions have an enormous impact on the wellbeing of a town’s population.”
Ms Kosloff said each campus was currently raising funds to support their programs through their Christmas/New Year raffles.

The prizes are impressive and include a currently sold-out, limited edition Thermomix® TM6 Sparkling Black along with a Cookidoo®, its exclusive recipe library.

People can also win a $500 fuel voucher or a $250 grocery voucher from a local business.
Ms Kosloff said limited tickets were for sale so the chance of winning was good!

Tickets are $25 each and available now via www.chrh.org.au/donate or campus receptions. The raffles will be drawn on Monday, February 12 at 12.30pm.

To find out more about the services offered around the region or how to contribute to the wellbeing of family, friends and neighbours visit www.chrh.org.au or call your nearest campus reception.

A significant number of secret lives have been uncovered in Clunes.

There was once a man, let’s call him Toddy, and he stumbled quite unawares into one of them.

It all happened one Saturday when Toddy, visiting Clunes from inner Melbourne sauntered into Boom Clunes, the main street community retail hub representing local makers and selling books new and pre-loved.

Inside the handsome double-storey 1800s building, Toddy had wandered past a diverse array of  handmade products created by local artisans, craftspeople and cooks, and took himself straight to the pre-loved books room. He wanted some good holiday reading.

Toddy selected a biography penned by a reputable writer and took it to the counter, delighted with his find and pleased to see that all of the pre-loved books cost only $5 each.

“A bargain,” he thought, as the biography he’d found on the life of a former notorious sporting personality was in top-shelf condition and, he knew, that if acquired brand new would have cost him that asking price many times over.

The friendly woman at the desk flipped the book over and told Toddy “Ah! That book has a secret life”.

“Sorry?” replied Toddy, unclear as to what she meant.

“Yes,” said the woman. “It has a secret  life which means it comes with this…”

She reached  beneath the counter, pulled out a cardboard box and from it extracted a neatly filed white envelope which she handed to Toddy. “That’s yours to keep,” she told him.

And that’s how Toddy ended up immensely enjoying a secret life.

He’d just discovered the Secret Lives of Books project happening at Clunes. It’s a unique project, where anyone who may be feeling writerly (and there are reputed to be quite a few in Clunes who regularly do) can volunteer to pen anywhere up to a page-long “secret life” for any of Boom’s pre-loved books that they choose.

When a customer then purchases a book that has had a secret life written for it (and is especially demarcated with an ‘S’ on its back cover as such), they receive not only the book but also it’s written secret life in an envelope to take away and delve into as well.

It’s a bit like getting a surprise gift, or participating in an exclusive book club where you get to receive a personal original response to the book in hand.

A creative initiative between Boom Clunes, the Clunes Neighbourhood House (that manages Boom) and the Western Victorian Primary Health Network, it all  started during Covid in 2021 and since then has produced all kinds of “secret lives” to go with numerous selected books.

“It’s taking the interaction with the book to another level,” says Lois Nichols, project manager at Boom Clunes. Lois is a keen amateur short story writer with a background in magazine publishing who has so far penned 15 secret lives for selected books through the project, and counting…

Locals feeling inclined to pen a secret life for one of Boom’s pre-loved books get to read the book themselves for free first, before handing it back along with the secret life they’ve written for it.

These secret lives range from imagined fantastical globe-trotting pasts people by characters whose hands and lives the book previously graced, to interesting factual aspects of its narrative teased-out for special focus, to genuine heartfelt personal responses to the book’s content.

“Everyone’s got a different take on it,” says Lois. “Some write about how they related to the book as they were reading it or, if they were struggling with something, how the book helped them.

“It’s a bit of fun. It gets people writing and encourages people to read and it’s a way of connecting people.”

 “We sell pre-loved books donated to us by local people and we have two book rescuers here, Rhonda and Patsy, one is a book lover and one is a professional librarian, and they clean, sort and beautifully file the books on the shelves so we have a fabulous range and just about every known genre.

“The idea was inspired by a book called The Secret Life of Dresses which is about a pre-loved dress shop owner who made up stories for her dresses.

“At the moment we have about 60 books in stock that have secret lives. The books with secret lives are marked with an ‘S’ on the back and each secret life is very different.

“The customers who pick up a secret life book are fascinated, thrilled, and want to know more. What started as a retail promotion has become a community activity.”

 The Secret Lives of Books project fits snugly with Clunes’ reputation as a Book Town.

“We get a lot of visitors here on weekends,” says Lois.

Clunes Neighbourhood House manager Lana de Kort says the Secret Lives project is reaching and appealing to a wider range of people than the usual suspects who put their hands up to get involved in community activities.

“It’s a project that really appeals to people who are perhaps a little more introspective and who wouldn’t necessarily connect or volunteer in other ways,” she says.

“A good book really captures your imagination and this project takes that further. It’s brought a lot of people together and it’s drawn people in from Clunes and surrounding areas as well.”

Many have heard that Clunes has an annual Book Town event and they expect to be able find and purchase books in the town. Open on weekends, Thursdays to Mondays, Boom Clunes is helping to meet that expectation, Lois says.

“We also have a really strong writers’ group in town and two book clubs which isn’t bad for a little town of this size,” says Lois, herself a member of the Clunes Book Club that meets at Attitude Clunes on the third Monday of the month at 7.30pm. Meanwhile, the Book Lovers book group meets at Boom once each month as well, she says.

With the project now set to continue throughout 2024 anyone interested in writing a secret life for any of the Boom books can simply roll up at the Boom Clunes counter in person to learn more, or can call the Neighbourhood House.

Words: Eve Lamb

Going summer berry picking makes for an idyllic holiday activity whether you’ve got kids along for the fun or not.

At Eganstown just west of Daylesford, Claire Gunner and Peter Monea operate Morningswood Farm growing strawberries galore and plenty of different types of cane berries including raspberries, boysenberries, youngberries, loganberries and blackberries.

At any one time, they’ve got 20,000 strawberry plants growing on the property which, although not certified, is run as a spray-free organic operation.

Berry-growing season is in full swing right now with the season running right through to March and plenty of demand from locals and visitors to get out and pick the delicious ripe fruit, or snap some up pre-picked.

Claire and Peter say the recent deluge over the Christmas weekend didn’t cause as much damage as you might have guessed, because at that particular moment they’d just been temporarily picked out of strawberries, while the cane berries are growing under protective netting.

But since then there have been plenty of new berries ripening up to be picked, particularly strawberries, and a good range of different cane berries.

“It’s a big job,” says Peter, who has a background as an accountant.

“We do everything sustainably so we don’t use single-use plastics. We use heavy duty plastic for weed suppression so it can be re-used.”

Several years back, with a little creative input from a neighbour, the couple devised their own special compostable punnets for people who go fruit picking on their farm to use.

The neat little hand-made punnets are created using the sustainably sourced timber veneer discards of a Melbourne-based timber business, Peter says.

For the cost of entry to the farm to pick their own berries, visitors receive one of these nifty little punnets to place their haul in and take home.

As far as Claire and Peter are aware, they are the only people in Australia offering such  punnets, although Peter says they are in pretty widespread use in Europe and Asia.

 “Before we started sourcing it, the timber veneer was going straight into the rubbish bin. It’s taken us on a  five year journey. No one else in Australia is using these timber punnets,” he says.

In an interesting twist, the little hand-woven punnets that they devised to help run their pick-your-own berries business, have since led to another additional enterprise and income stream, producing more elaborate natural packaging boxes using the same  timber veneer industrial by-product.

“They’re used by a large online retailer and by Source Bulk Foods. It’s actually become as much of a business as the berries themselves,” Peter says.

“We also use the veneer under the mulch to help with weed suppression.

“We’ve had the berries in the ground here for the past seven years and the farm has been open for four years.”

During the summer berry season, picking your own berries at Morningswood Farm is available to the public on weekends (unless they’re picked out or they’ve been impacted by a destructive weather event) with updates going out on their Instagram and Facebook sites.

“This has been the earliest start we’ve ever had to our picking season,” says Claire who has an environmental science background and also works at local properties as a professional gardener.

“This year it went off with a bang in the second week in November.”

 She says the berries they grow at Morningswood also go to supply local restaurants including some well known top end eateries.

Meanwhile, Peter is also on site “chief jam maker” cooking up a delicious range of berry jams, including triple berry options, which make for another source of income.

Peter says dehydrated berries have also proven to be a real winner for use in their own household.

He says rain in itself is not necessarily a problem at this time, providing it doesn’t hang around too long and is not accompanied by too much high humidity.

It’s been almost eight years since the couple have had the farm at Eganstown, and the berries they grow, and the pick-your-own activity they offer visitors during the warmer part of the year have won them a legion of fans and followers.

“We get a lot of locals and a lot of tourists who travel easily up to an hour from Bendigo, Ballarat and Melbourne, and a lot of regulars,” Claire says.

“Some of them will come and pick berries every second week.”

Words: Eve Lamb

Bring back sanitiser station

I note that Coles Daylesford has removed its sanitiser station from the front door. There is still one at the side entrance.

Surely we have learnt one thing with Covid, that hygiene is of the utmost importance in stopping the spread of disease. Even if that is just stopping the ‘flu or a cold spreading, surely that is good thing that is easy to continue.

I appreciate all the store and staff have done over the years but please bring back the station. It was well used.

From: Louise Oldfield, Hepburn Springs

Letters to the editor are always welcome. Keep them short and to the point, or long and interesting. Some letters may be edited for clarity or length. Email news@tlnews.com.au Any addressed Dear Sir will be deleted 🙂

Words: Ruth Bray

In 1962 my husband Malcolm Bray went to Yirrkala Mission in Northern Territory to work as a mechanic. I joined him three years later. We learnt the local Aboriginal language, and would often go to listen to the singing, the didgeridoo and the clapsticks in the evenings, and loved going out on Country with the Yolngu people.

We were thrilled when we received an invitation to a Bungul, or ceremony celebrating the return of the Fourth Bark Petition to Yirrkala in the first week of December. As Malcolm was unable to travel, our grandson Keaton from Hepburn, and I travelled to Yirrkala.

Yirrkala Bark Petition was the first formal petition presented to the Australian Parliament on Aboriginal Land Rights, and is considered a significant turning point in the recognition of Indigenous Rights in Australian history.

As a result a Select Committee on Grievances of the Yirrkala Aborigines, Arnhem Land Reserve, was
established. This was followed by the 1976 Land Rights Act, and eventually the Mabo ruling.

During this year, children from the local schools at Yirrkala, Nhulunbuy and Gunyangara attended workshops, learning the history of the Bark Petitions. They were told how when the government, without consultation with the Yolngu or the mission, permitted mining exploration at Yirrkala, Aboriginal Elders from the 13 clans sent a petition to the Australian Parliament concerning land rights, attached to bark paintings.

In 1963, there were four Bark Petitions. Two representing the different moieties of the Yirrkala clans are now on display in Parliament House and one is in the National Museum in Canberra. The fourth was recently discovered in Derby, Western Australia by Professor Clare Wright of La Trobe University and was returned home to the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre at Yirrkala.

On the morning of the Bungul, Keaton and I accompanied Aboriginal Elder, Witiyana Marika and Professor Clare Wright, as the students were taken to each place of significance, in the preparation of the petitions.

In the church Clare told the students how in the 1960s, at the request of Rev Edgar Wells, local elders had painted two large significant bark paintings. These stood in the front of the church, and told their important traditional stories. I remember seeing them each time I was seated in church. These large bark paintings are now in the Buku-Larrngay Mulka Centre.

When MP Kim Beazley senior, was brought to Yirrkala by activist Stan Davey in response to the Elder’s concerns, and saw the magnificent bark paintings in the church, he suggested that the Elder’s petition should be attached to bark paintings.

Then we followed the schoolchildren up to a shady tree on the cliff top, beside what was the site of the old Mission House. The story of the night the Elders painted the barks under that tree was told. My husband Malcolm was there that night and recollects watching the elders as they painted the barks.

To celebrate the return of the petition, some weeks previously, each school collected ochre, cut a bark, and painted it. Like their elders before them, they wrote and fixed petitions to their bark paintings. Their petitions included modern problems with children not attending school and the need for better roads.

The children learnt how mission staff, mainly the wives, carefully translated the words of the Elders into English. Ann Wells, wife of the Superintendent Edgar Wells, typed 12 copies of the petition in both Yolngu language and English.

One key on her typewriter had been altered to type the tailed n, common in Yolgnu language. This
typewriter has been donated to the Buku-Larrngay Mulka Centre.

The students were then taken to the place where the Elders gathered to sign the petition. We heard how as the copies were passed around, each Elder made his thumb print, which was witnessed by younger literate members of the Yolngu community who then signed the petition.

After visiting these places and hearing these stories, the students then returned to the shade outside the Buku-Larrngay Mulka Centre and gathered around their own bark petitions, and added their thumb-prints.

Later that day, women in red, carrying long digging sticks, were seen singing and dancing towards the centre, accompanied by a replica of the fragile Fourth Bark Petition.

It seemed to me that the original Djankawa sisters from the old stories, who arrived with their digging sticks and occupied the land way back in history were bringing the claim for land rights.

After speeches from the different Yirrkala clans, the replica petition was slowly danced into the centre by the men, with the clapsticks echoing, and the sounds of the singing. It was powerful.

The replica disappeared and the petition, already hanging on the wall, was suddenly unveiled. The clapsticks went on and on and on, with the men standing there in front of the petition singing and singing and singing, louder and louder. When they eventually stopped, the Fourth Bark Petition was home.

Professor Wright has not only researched the Bark Petitions, discovered the lost petition, facilitating its safe return to country, but she and Elder Witiyana Marika have taught and encouraged the younger generation at Yirrkala to learn about the importance of the Yirrkala Bark Petition.

Moorabool Highway Patrol are investigating a fatal crash near Clunes, at Dunach, on Sunday.

It is understood a vehicle was travelling along Ballarat-Maryborough Road, before it lost control and crashed into a tree about 4.15pm on Sunday, January 14.

The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, a 70-year-old Maryborough woman, was airlifted to hospital but died overnight.

The exact circumstances surrounding the crash are yet to be determined and investigations remain ongoing.

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

Wildlife shelter concerns

I read with interest your article, and comments, re the impending ‘delicensing’ of the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter. (The Local, January 1, 2024).

The change of acronym struck me as particularly noteworthy under the circumstances. It’s virtually an unwritten law that whenever a new CEO is appointed or restructured into these semi-government bodies, a first move is to change the name so that the new structure can effectively distance itself from the assumed incompetence and poor judgment imposed by the previous management.

A long time ago I retired after some three decades in a position in tertiary education which required a talent for hands-on technical and personnel management. From this viewpoint I was able to see the destruction and chaos created by ruthless corporatisation of higher education.

The fallout is very apparent today in the lack of trades skills and scientific research that is modern Australia. Upper level academics started to take early retirement, or moved to other disciplines fairly early in the piece when top level decision-making positions were handed willy-nilly to inexperienced MBA graduates and the like.

Fee-paying overseas and remote learning students were expected to create massive profits, while the education standard plummeted – you were not allowed to fail a fee- paying student.

We all saw how well that worked out during the pandemic. Many of the lost tenured positions, and innumerable casual and sessional staff, who were made redundant have moved interstate or elsewhere and will probably never return to education. “The Education State” imprinted on your Victorian car number plate now looks like a sad joke.

Anyway, back to DELWP/DEECA. Look familiar? Which brings us back to the matter of volunteering. I can’t imagine what goes on in the heads of these pseudo government authorities that gives them the idea that volunteers are merely out-of- work dilettantes who are there for the presumed prestige, and to help to fill in their spare time.

The fact that most volunteers are, and have been, experts in their fields and are now earnestly taking up positions from which they can contribute to society. They do not need to be bullied by some johnny-come-lately puffed up latter day executive.

Unless governments value the contribution of these thousands of unpaid workers, and start treating them with the respect they deserve the nation will lose a highly valuable sector and workforce.

My wife, who prior to retirement held high-level managerial positions in the public health and education sectors, now volunteers in the local/regional health and aged care field.

With the most recent government ‘shake-up’ which has produced masses of new and revised legislation purporting to ‘regulate’ the sector, she and other volunteers are expected to understand and oversee the implementation of new (and frequently ambiguous) regulations that even paid and experienced CEOs have difficulty interpreting.

Your (quoted) use of the words “unrealistic, unreasonable and absurd” barely scratches the surface when it comes to the tangled and bully-ridden mess of authorities claiming to be responsible for regional services.

Unless and until more helpful and supportive oversight is forthcoming, together with adequate funding for implementation, the State will continue to alienate and lose the goodwill and services of this army of very competent and willing volunteer workers.

From (Mr) Kerry Williams, Creswick

UK festival favourites Dan and Emily bring to the stage a unique blend of English folk music fused with country/Americana.

The duo are headed to Hepburn to play The Palais, Hepburn this Friday evening January 19.

They bring with them a reputation for their energising combination of distinctive warm and powerful vocals and guitar interlaced with a dexterous meld of celtic- and country- style fiddling and beautiful harmonies mesmerises a multi-genre audience.

Dan Webster and Emily Lawler hail from York, UK, and this month will once again be bringing to Eastern Australia their unique blend of English folk music fused with Americana.

After their successful Australian debut in 2023 saw their formidable live performances captivate folkies and country fans alike, Dan and Emily are this time hoping to explore and immerse themselves further in the Australian folk and alt-country music scenes

Whether an introspective ballad or upbeat festival dance tunes, Dan’s distinctive warm and powerful vocals interlaced with Emily’s dexterous meld of celtic- and country- style fiddle playing mesmerises a multigenerational, multi-genre audience.

A favourite of the UK festival circuit playing major shows at Green Man, Shambala, Kendall Calling, and Maverick festivals, Dan has been booked for both festival headline slots and to open for acts such as The Levellers and Turin Brakes.

Dan’s duo partner Emily Lawler has been performing with him for about 6 years, bringing to his music beautiful harmonies and some of the very finest fiddle playing.

Having previously led the Suffolk Youth Orchestra, she has more recently studied a Master’s degree in Community Music and immersed herself in the worlds of folk and country musics, playing in the UK line-up of Lachlan Bryan and the Wildes, with Colin Lillie at Tamworth Country Music Festival 2023, and The Weeping Willows on their UK tour.

A fine singer, writer, and guitarist in her own right, she has won praise across the UK – including Alison Moyet’s seal of approval!

Picnic in the Park, the latest addition to the City of Ballarat summer event calendar, is set to return to Ballarat’s Victoria Park on Friday 26 January 2024.

Organisers say the family-friendly all-ages event promises “a relaxed afternoon with great food, market stalls, kids’ activities, and entertainment”.

Intending participants can bring a picnic or enjoy food and drink offerings from a variety of local food trucks on site.

Homicide Squad detectives have continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a man in Donnybrook on Sunday January 7.

Investigators believe three to five armed men gained access to a property on Middlemount Street about 4.20am on that day.

Police have been told a man and a woman were home at the time.

It is believed an altercation between the group of men and the couple ensued, leading to shots being fired.

A short time later, officers were called to the address for reports of an injured man outside the property.

Emergency services performed CPR on the man, however he died at the scene.

Police believe the deceased man is one of the armed offenders who attended the property.

The man has not been formally identified.

It is believed one of the residents home at the time, a 27-year-old Donnybrook woman, fled to an address in Doreen, before being taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The other resident, a 28-year-old man, is assisting police with their enquiries.

A 22-year-old man from Clifton Hill later self-presented to a hospital in Epping with a suspected gunshot wound to the lower body. Police are investigating if he is one of the men who attended the Donnybrook address.

A short time ago, investigators located a firearm in Kumalea Drive, Doreen. Officers are working to establish if this firearm was used in the home invasion.

Police believe the incident was targeted.

The exact circumstances surrounding the incident had yet to be determined and a crime scene had been established.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has CCTV, dashcam footage or any information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online via the Crime Stoppers website.

Country music fans have Ballarat firmly in their sights ahead of the upcoming tour by Charley Crockett with Special Guest Emma Donovan and Sweet Talk.

Presented by Love Police Touring Pty Ltd, Charley Crockett, everyone’s favourite Texan cowboy is back for an Australian summer tour with his band, The Blue Drifters and they’re locked in to play the Ballart Civic Hall on February 9.

From Texas to Tamworth, the award-winning country and western superstar returns to Australia after his mind-blowing sold out shows here in early 2023.

Oozing Americana and drenched in timeless classic tales, Charley Crockett’s neo-traditional country swagger lassos the listener into dreamlike nostalgic westerns of wandering, whiskey, and the wild, wild west.

This event is restricted to adults only with further information available online through the City of Ballarat’s In The Know events listing site.

Bonegilla Fire Brigade volunteers were pleasantly surprised to see their first fire truck return to the station as part of their centenary celebration held in recent days.

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan and CFA Board Member Ross Coyle joined around 140 CFA members and their families to mark the momentous occasion on Sunday, January 7.   

Bonegilla Captain Brian Church, who has been part of the brigade for nearly half its existence said he was pleased to be able to purchase the old 1958 Austin fire truck. 

“The Austin has a steel tank which holds around 1,600 litres on the back of the truck and a rope start motor which was hand wound on a starter pulley each time the motor was pulled to start it,” Brian said. 

“Sometimes the rope would break in the haste to start it for a fire!” 

“I’ve had the truck restored to its original condition and it will be a great historical asset to hold onto.” 

Bonegilla Rural Fire Brigade was formed on 7th January, 1924. A water cart and hand pump was purchased which was all they had until CFA was established in 1947.  

From the early days of fighting fires with five gallon knapsacks and beaters, Brian said a lot has changed over the years. 

“The brigade started using furphy water tanks and a terrier fire pump. Firefighters would use their private vehicles to cart the fire equipment around to fires.” 

The brigade members built their first fire shed back in 1959 on land acquired from the Education Department on the corner of the Murray Valley Highway and Mahers Road, where its replacement station stands today.  

“The new 2.5 bay station was built in 2009, which has been incredible facility for our members and the local community with many fundraising activities and community gatherings taking place over the years,” Brian said.  

There have been only nine brigade Captains since 1959 with Brian the longest serving at 26 years.  

“I’ve had my own business the last 32 years and the two guys working with me were also CFA volunteers so if there was a fire, we all dropped everything and went to the fire together,” Brian said. 

“I always put CFA first, I like responding to incidents and we have a really great brigade. It’s a great team.” 

Brian said the trucks, equipment and training have improved significantly throughout his 46 years with CFA. 

“Back in the day anyone could jump on the back of a truck! But there’s mandatory training requirements now which is vital for everyone to do.” 

Bonegilla currently has 65 members, 29 of those are operational members who have responded to many major fires over the years including the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires, the February 2009 Black Saturday bushfires and more recently they were deployed to NSW and then Victoria for the 2019/20 fires. 

As part of the 100th anniversary celebration, several brigade members were presented awards including Captain Brian Church who received his 45 year service award, alongside Christopher Frauenfelder who also received the same recognition. 

There were many other service awards presented ranging from five to 45 years service. Five members received National Medals and one member was presented their National Emergency Medal (NEM) to recognise his efforts in the 2019/20 fires. 

Two prestigious Life Membership Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV) awards were presented to Phillip Browne and Donald Bowers for their outstanding work at the brigade for many years.  

Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said it was an honour to attend the 100th anniversary event and to witness so many devoted members receiving their awards. 

“I congratulate the members who received medals and clasps yesterday and also all the brigade members for their ongoing dedication and commitment in protecting their local community,” CO Heffernan said. 

“The brigade should feel proud of what it has achieved and how much its grown over the years. 

“Bonegilla has a rich history which will continue to be honoured and remembered for future generations to come. 

“The restored Bonegilla fire truck is a special addition for the local community to admire for many years.” 

Detectives have charged a man with 15 offences following a series of stabbings in Melbourne’s inner-city suburbs over the night of Saturday January 6.

Police say it will be alleged the 31-year-old Melton man stabbed five people in four separate random attacks over a three-hour period.

A 24-year-old was allegedly stabbed outside a King Street burger store about 10pm.

The Melbourne man was taken to hospital with a non-life-threatening leg injury.

It’s alleged the man then stabbed a man and woman walking along Dandenong Road in St Kilda East about 11pm.

The 31-year-old St Kilda East woman was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries but is now stable.

The man, a 31-year-old from Glen Waverley, was taken to hospital with a serious arm injury and is now stable

In the third incident, a 31-year-old man was allegedly stabbed on Acland Street in St Kilda about 12.30am.

The English national was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening leg injuries.

The alleged offender was spotted by Protective Services Officers in South Yarra before being arrested by Public Order Response Team members on Powell Street about 1.15am.

He has been charged with:

2 counts of intentionally cause serious injury in circumstances of gross violence

2 counts of recklessly cause serious injury in circumstances of gross violence

5 counts of intentionally cause injury

5 counts of recklessly cause injury

1 count of possess controlled weapon

As at the latest police report, he was to have been conveyed from Prahran Police Station to the Custody Centre before a remand hearing at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Sunday January 7.

Detectives were investigating whether a stabbing in Southbank may be linked.

A 28-year-old man was stabbed while walking along City Road, near Kings Way, about 9.20pm.

The Mount Waverley man was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries to his leg and torso.

Detectives have now linked this incident and it forms part of the 15 charges.

Lightning strike has been blamed for a grassfire in Alexandra earlier this month.

Working alongside Forest Fire Management Victoria, multiple CFA crews from the area helped to battle the blaze which broke out on January 3.

They included Alexandra Fire Brigade, Acheron CFA, Eildon CFA, Taggerty Fire Brigade, Koriella Fire Brigade, Yarck CFA and Thornton CFA and they worked through the afternoon to stop the spread of the fire.

Crews had support from above with water bombing aircraft and support on the ground with a bulldozer and crews from Forest Fire Management Victoria.

Incident Controller, Chris Lynch said battling the fire was made more difficult as it didn’t have a fire front as it was spreading in all directions.

“The difficult terrain along with the fire burning in thick scrub near assets and properties also added to the difficulty in containing the fire.”

The fire was contained within three hours and the nearby assets were saved.

With the ever-changing weather patterns of recent days, property owners in bushfire risk areas are urged to ensure their property is fire ready, including easy access for emergency crews if required.

Ballarat Leagues Club is bracing for an evening of glamour and entertainment when it hosts Drag Bingo later this week.

Featuring the sensational Gabriella Labucci and her dazzling co-host, the hilarious Rubi Taboo, Drag Bingo takes place at the Ballarat Leagues Club in Humffray Street North this Thursday, January 18.

Organisers say: “Those who get along can expect lip-sync performances, outrageous bingo banter, and photo ops with the glamorous hosts.

“Doors swing open at 5:30pm, and the show kicks off at 7:00pm.

“Booking is essential due to limited capacity. If you plan to order a meal from the Bistro arrive early and book separately through Ballarat Leagues Club.

“Gather your friends, don your most fabulous attire, and join in for a night of laughter, entertainment, and unforgettable moments. Get ready to sparkle, strut, and shout ‘bingo!’ at Drag Bingo.”