A document aimed at guiding future heritage protection throughout the Macedon Ranges Shire features among several significant items endorsed by the Macedon Ranges Shire Council at its final scheduled meeting for the year.

Following earlier community consultation, items given the green light by the council at its December meeting included the adoption of four different significant plans, reports or strategies.

Among them, the Macedon Ranges Shire Thematic Environmental History Report, will now be used to guide heritage protection and to inform the council’s draft Heritage Strategy 2024.

The report identifies the unique history that has played a role in the development of the shire over the last two centuries, covering key themes including how the environment was shaped, people migration and settlement and the development of industry and farming.

Except for the war years and Covid, the New Year’s Sports Day at Glenlyon has been run every year since 1857 – but some of the “older” members joke that they can’t quite remember back that far!

Entertainment throughout the day, at the Glenlyon Recreation Reserve, includes
Midlands Axemen’s Association wood chopping event.

In memoriam of Harold Suckling, who sadly passed away earlier this year and who had for over 50 years been both competitor and announcer at Glenlyon New Year’s Day, a new event will be run
in his name to honour the contribution he has made to the sport and the club.

Novelty events will also be held such as Bullboar Eating and Mineral Water Drinking competitions, children’s running races later in the day along with face painting and magic workshop, other children’s activities, women’s nail driving and gumboot throwing competitions.

The Daylesford Brass Band will perform and equestrian events will be run
throughout the day along with the running of the much-acclaimed Glenlyon Cup.
Catering is provided by St Michaels Primary School and there is a licensed bar
onsite.

People are encouraged to come along with their chairs/rugs/picnics and celebrate
the New Year under the wonderful shade offered by the massive old oak and elm
trees.

This community-minded event is wholly run by volunteers with all monies raised
donated back into local charities/sporting clubs.

Due to rising costs the gate fee has risen to $15 but those under 16 are offered
free admission.

Once inside the reserve, all events are free to enter and a gate prize of a voucher
worth $500 will be drawn on the day.

Glenlyon Sports Club has its own Facebook page for more information or email
glenlyonsportsclub@gmail.com

See you there to welcome in 2024!

Expressions of interest for the 2024 Victorian LGBTIQA+ Leadership Program, encouraging diverse rainbow sector leaders to put themselves forward have opened.

As part of an eight-week course, up to 25 leaders from Melbourne and regional Victoria will develop their skills and be supported to build a legacy of lasting leadership within their organisation, as well as learn how to create stronger connections across the LGBTIQA+ sector.

The program is open to LGBTIQA+ Victorians who hold a leadership position or an influential role within a Victorian LGBTIQA+ organisation or group.

Burnout in the LGBTIQA+ sector is a key issue the program seeks to address, with course units designed to improve individual resilience, with others focusing on making sure leadership is impactful at an organisational level.

Applications for the EOI round will close on Friday, January 19 and those keen to apply should visit the
vic.gov.au/victorian-lgbtiqa-leadership-program website.

Meanwhile, the state government is also funding a safe new space in Ballarat for young lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex, queer and asexual (LGBTIQA+) Victorians and their families to get support and connection.

QHub Ballarat has officially opened its doors in Ballarat’s health services precinct,
with the service now able to take referrals for local LGBTIQA+ youth across the region.

Co-designed with communities, the hub will be a central, safe, affirming and inclusive space for LGBTIQA+ youth aged up to 25 from Western Victoria, providing access to crucial mental health support, social connection opportunities and wellbeing activities.

QHub is a state government-funded LGBTIQA+ youth mental health and social connection program delivered in partnership with Drummond Street Services’ Queerspace, Wellways and Cafs Ballarat.

December 31 means just one thing to many people in Daylesford and Hepburn – the New Year’s Eve Parade and Gala.

And no wonder – committee president Cathy Davies has been doing some research and believes the parade goes back to 1914.

Cathy said the evening will be divided into two parts starting with the Gala from 6pm to 8pm – which sees Vincent Street transformed into a huge fun community area.

Up the southern end, think Frangos, there is live music with a blues band, food trucks, barbeque and plenty of tables and chairs. Next door is the “soft area” with the astroturf laid covered with bean bags, deck chairs, small tables and big games like noughts & crosses and jigsaws.

It’s the place for families to come and sit around and chat about the year that was while the kids play games. Big pots of flowers, created by the Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, will provide a festive feel.

Keep heading north and you will find yourself in the woodchop area – where the woodchoppers will show off their expertise with an exhibition for an hour or so.

If that’s not enough, head further north, think Coles way, and that’s the Kids’ Corner with a petting zoo, face painting and fire trucks. Old fashioned games include coconut shy, quoits and pin the tail on the donkey. There’s also balloon creatures and craft on offer.

By 8pm the floats – walking and motorised, historic vehicles, fire trucks and everything in between, will have found their spot in Duke Street, and the always colourful parade gets underway.

The festivities finish with the Daylesford Community Brass Band playing a few tunes, ending with tearjerker Auld Lang Syne, before parade prizes are presented.

Cathy said the committee was hoping many people would register floats, with a special Hepburn Wind Sustainability Award for the best walking/sustainability float on offer, by December 30.

To register with a hard copy head to the Daylesford Regional Visitor Information Centre or for an online copy email tracey.petrie@gmail.com

See you there to farewell 2023!

Central Vic Climate Action members and Central Victorian locals have participated in a week-long December Rebellion in Melbourne, with their Red Rebels leading marches and members of the group arrested.

Red Rebels are an international activist performance troupe, who silently participate in climate actions. Red Rebels primarily from Castlemaine were leading two of the marches during the week.

The first march on December 6 was to MP Peter Khalil’s office, to draw attention to the federal government’s refusal to put an end to new coal and gas projects.

“Red stands for love for our planet and our rage about our current climate breakdown. Our silence represents our lack of voice as an everyday person compared to the powerful fossil fuel industry and the politicians who support them,” said Serena Everill, who supported the Red Rebels during two events.

“Red draws attention from people on the street. Their white faces spook the police and shows the mortality we all face on a dead planet.

“The December Rebellion was organised by Extinction Rebellion and the week-long event created disruption throughout Melbourne to bring attention to the destruction of our planet.

“The final event of the week was the Slow March and Mass Arrest on December 10.

Over 300 people participated (along with) a motorised effigy of a burning koala. Two of the 77 arrests on this day were CVCA members. Mass arrests are a potent form of democratic protest.”

CVCA members will support the next Extinction Rebellion series of events in March. Minister Khalil did not return email queries from The Local by press time.

Words & image: Contributed

It would probably be pretty hard to beat the creation of a sundial as a well-rounded learning experience.

The analemmatic sundial that was progressively created by students at Daylesford’s Dharma School over much of the 2023 school year provides a perfect example.

The idea came about when students were attending “bush school” and developed from there, leading to a pretty interesting learning experience for staff as well as students, says grade five-six teacher Rachel Taylor.

Students become totally engrossed in the creation of the ancient practical means to telling the time of day by virtue of the angle of shadows cast by the changing position of the sun relative to directional compass bearings in the landscape.

The resulting sundial is not just a useful tool for telling the time of day, it also became an investigation into the ancient Egyptian origins of sundials, the precursors to analogue watches of today.

Research, maths, geography, science and practical building skills all got a fairly rigorous workout in the process, as did a bit of interpersonal politics with students encouraging parents to get on board and help out, which they generously did along with the Daylesford Rotary Club.

The students and their various staff and parental helpers also created a beautiful herbal meditation and tea garden around the sundial.

“It was amazing to see a student-led project that produced such passion and follow-through,” reflected Dharma school principal Andrea Furness, admiring the sundial in its beautiful little herbal garden, just days out from the end of the school year.

Andrea says anyone who is interested in the project is now welcome to go check it out, while enthusiastic students say anyone keen to create their own site-specific sundial would do well to check out the Solar Schoolhouse human sundial website.

with Eve lamb

From his childhood in rural America, Ryan Kennedy (aka RFK) moved to New York City and worked in the fashion industry including textile design and runway installation. From there he pursued his own creative studio practice in Brooklyn and in 2009 hosted a tour group of Australian art educators, curators and collectors which led to him accepting an Artist in Residency at Melbourne Girls Grammar and a solo show at Forty Five Downstairs. Since his 2014 immigration to Australia RFK’s work in performance, installation and sculpture have won accolades including the 2018 Lorne Sculpture Biennale Land Art Sculpture-scape Award. Currently RFK is deeply ensconced in the Glenlyon landscape, where he resides and where his creativity continues to enrich the wider community and to inspire communal thought ‘outside the square’.

Eve: Hi RFK, Is that an American accent I detect?

RFK: It is. Yeh. I was born in Virginia on the East Coast. It’s known to be for lovers, Virginia. Where I grew up we had the Appalachian in the backdrop.

Eve: So how long have you been here, in Australia?

RFK: In Australia permanently, at least ten years now.

Eve: And what brought you here?

RFK: Work brought me here and love kept me here.

Eve: Did you meet an Aussie?

RFK: I did. Yeh (laughs).

Eve: That’s great.

RFK: Yeh. I initially came over as I’d been living in Brooklyn at the time and I had a tour group of Australians from the art world come through my art studio and the head of art at Melbourne Girls Grammar offered a month long residency.

Eve: So what is your area of work exactly?

RFK: I mostly work in performance, sculpture and installation. I call it PSI and the ratio of those three elements varies with the work itself. I mainly work these days by commissions and I take my time with the works. The last work was about three years in development.

Eve: And the genre?

RFK: I’d say I’m in the avant-garde. I like to really work with relationships whether that’s between ourselves and our history or the landscapes. They’re very site-specific these works. For instance, with the last piece I was asked to do a piece that celebrated the creators of the Great Ocean Road so I went down to the Great Ocean Road, began research….

Eve: Was that part of the Lorne Foreshore Sculpture Show?

RFK: Yes.

Eve: So can I ask you a little bit about what you’d rate as some of your career highlights as an artist?

RFK: The Lorne Sculpture Show was definitely a big one for me. I’ve worked with White Night, in Melbourne, which was a lot of fun and then I’d say my residencies, whether they’re at schools or libraries. I really enjoy engaging with youth as well as the general public.

Eve: What materials are you typically working with?

RFK: I almost always use found materials. I try my best not to buy them. I also came from fashion and was a bit disheartened by the amount of waste that was there. There is something really special about the stories that come with those materials. And no matter what subject matter I’m working with I do try to project a sense of a hopeful future.

Eve: Do you have a particular exhibition or show coming up that you are working towards at the moment?

RFK: Radical Fieldz. It’s an exhibition taking place in Glenlyon for myself and other artists, also involving several community groups. It uses a six-month timeline. It began in October and culminates on March 16 with our end of season harvest event.

Note: You can read more about the Radical Fieldz project that’s unfolding in Glenlyon in a separate article in The Local.

It was a happy occasion in Creswick.

Dean Recreation Reserve president Brian Maher and treasure Rob Turley both rolled up at the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre a bit over a week ago, especially to do one of their favourite things – present a cheque.

This time it was to Anglicare Victoria’s food relief program that runs out of the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre.

The cheque was for a handy $1500 and was the proceeds of money raised through raffles run at this year’s Dean Kite Festival in September, and the Dean and District Sheepdog Trials in October.

The Dean Recreation Reserve committee run both popular events on their attractive little rec reserve and each year donates the proceeds raised to good local causes.

“We like to see the money we make go to the local community and we’d especially like to thank all our supporters who donated items for the raffles,” said Dean Recreation Reserve treasurer Rob Turley.

On the receiving end of the cheque this time round, Anglicare Victoria’s Ballarat-based community development manager, Kim Boyd said demand for the emergency relief program is increasing.

“We’re certainly seeing an increase this year in the demand for food support and extra support around Christmas,” Kim said.

“The demand on us is steadily increasing.”

The swiftly accepted $1500 cheque will be used to purchase food items which will now be distributed to those in need in the local area.

“This is an outreach centre and we work in partnership with the Creswick Neighbourhood House and the local parish and other community groups,” Kim said.

Creswick Neighbourhood Centre manger Chrissy Austin said they’ve also noticed the increased demand from people seeking help through the emergency food relief program.

“We see people in need daily here. We’re so grateful to Anglicare,” she said.

“This is a very important program to us. We have a steady stream of people. There’s just so much need in the community.”

Words and Image: Eve Lamb

Using a motorbike to “paint” with doesn’t just produce a fairly unique work of art in the landscape.

It also produces a pretty decent physical workout. Just ask local artist Tony Sawrey (also known in his other guise as a writer for The Local).

Tony is among a group of several artists currently planning or creating work as part of the six-month-long arts project that is Radical Fieldz.

It’s the brainchild of Glenlyon artist Ryan Kennedy (aka RFK).

The project started in October and involves a series of arts events taking place every month at Glenlyon through to March 16 when they culminate in a day-long outdoor event.

This will take place on a yet-to-be publicly disclosed private estate and will feature a range of unique works including installation and performance pieces.

Tony’s motorbike “painting” will be among them and he was happily working on his creation when The Local caught up with him on site recently.

“I do a lot of artwork, painting and installations, in outdoor environments but it’s the first time I’ve used a motorbike,” he said.

“In this case we’ve laid out a roughly 90 by 80 meter wide design. We’re thinking come April we might put in rye grass (in the soil cut up by the bike’s tyre tread) which will strike pretty quick.

“And we’re hoping that will be growing by the time the final event happens – the final harvest,” Tony said.

“I’ve got to do ongoing work with this, just running the pattern until we can turn up some of the dirt.

“I’ve wanted to do something like this for years, but it really takes that collaboration with someone like Ryan which is why the Radical Fieldz program is so interesting and different.

“There’s a lot of collaboration involved. It’s transforming something which has a prosaic use and creates something else out of it.”

Ryan, or RFK as he is also known, will also have site-specific work included as part of the final culminating event on March 16 as will not only other artists, but also a few less likely suspects.

These include a local ornithology group and a local fitness group who are getting involved in various interesting ways.

“I’m working with several community groups to reframe how they work in the community through the lens of art,” RFK says.

“We’ve got Daylesford CrossFit joining us and we’re literally doing a tractor pull. We’ll be working in teams. It will be a choreographed piece, basically an exercise to drag the tractor across the field.

“We’re also working with FLOCK which is the Friendly Little Ornithology Club, and Castlemaine Zen will be doing a meditative walk to really set the tone of awareness and intention for the day of the event.”

In the lead up to the day-long March harvest event, there’s an ongoing series of events featuring artists attending the monthly Glenlyon market that happens each third Saturday of the month.

This is followed in the afternoon, after the market, with a different co-creative arts event at the Glenlyon community dam.

“We are doing a community sound composition at our next event on December 16,” RFK says.

“We’ve got a sax quartet, a cellist, an eastern European band, some friends with fascinating horns and engines to rev and we’re going to be exploring sound.

“We’ve also been given a grant and we’re going to do some work on a big painting event on Saturday, January 20 from 2-6pm with the Glenlyon Progress Association.

“We’re going to be working on a mural out the front of the Glenlyon Shire Hall.

“It will be like an abstract map of the town highlighting what the town’s about, referencing landmarks around the town.

“I just felt like there was room for a constant and creative space within the community and that’s something I wanted Radical Fieldz to offer.

“I feel like the more we empower the community to be creative the more interest they have in our own work as artists.”

With the location of the March 16 culminating harvest event to be revealed closer to the occasion, RFK can divulge a bit more of what may be expected on the day.

“Expect something you probably haven’t seen before,” he says.

“We’re on Facebook and Instagram and I am encouraging local artists and community groups that want to get creative to get in touch with us. “The program is unique and we’ve got a lot of creative individuals around there.”

Words and Image: Eve Lamb

The Christ Church Daylesford (Anglican) will hold a Christmas Eve service at 10am on Sunday, December 24 and a Blue Christmas service at 6pm for people who have lost someone this year.

All are welcome to this all-faith no-faith service of prayer, reflection and hope. The Christ Church Daylesford (Anglican) will also hold a Midnight service at 11pm and a Christmas Day service will be held at 10am.

The Catholic Parishes of Creswick and Daylesford will hold Christmas Masses on: Christmas Eve, Sunday, December 24, 8.30pm at St Peter’s Daylesford and Christmas Day, Monday, December 25, 9am at St Augustine’s Creswick.

The Uniting Church Daylesford will hold: a Sunday service on Christmas Eve at 9.30am and a Christmas Day service at 9am.

Late last month the Victorian Supreme Court granted an injunction to stop VicForests timber harvesting operations in a coupe known as ‘Silver Queen’ in the Wombat State Forest. This replaces the interim injunction that has been in place since September.

In September, Wombat Forestcare, an environment group based in the Wombat Forest sought an interim injunction to stop salvage harvesting in a coupe where they alleged that VicForests had not carried out adequate surveys for a range of threatened species.

Surveys by VicForests’ contractors found nine endangered mountain skinks in and around the salvage harvesting coupe, and VicForests have applied to the Department of the Environment regarding whether special protections will be required.

During a previous hearing VicForests had said that they had not surveyed for mountain skinks as there was no evidence that they could be found on the coupe.

Wombat Forestcare convenor Gayle Osborne said this showed how important it was to survey rigorously for all species.

“There has already been some salvage work on the coupe, and we do not know if some populations of the endangered skink have been destroyed by heavy machinery.”

Wombat Forestcare expanded its case to allege breaches of species survey requirements in other western forests, including the Mount Cole, Pyrenees, Cobaw and Enfield forests.

“The Victorian Government has committed to creating three new national parks: the Wombat Lerderderg, Mount Buangor (Mt Cole area) and Pyrenees National Parks.

“These forests have conservation values making them worthy of national park status, and contain many threatened species, some of which are critically endangered.

VicForests should not be allowed to carry out timber harvesting operations without establishing whether threatened species are present.”

VicForests’ barrister argued that the salvage operation was not timber harvesting as defined in the code of practice for timber harvesting, however Justice Richards said that it was premature to argue that point.

The case will return to court for a directions hearing in February and is expected to go to trial next year.

Creswick’s Santa House is in full festive season glory once again.

The private residence at 166 Creswick-Ballarat Road features the decorative work of local residents Lawrie and Dot Porter and various family members, all of whom confess to being fans of the celebratory season.

Their passion for Christmas time seems to be catching as locals and passersby pause to appreciate the seasonal splendour of their Yultide handiwork.

Even the award-winning Creswick Brass Band is not immune and members say the band are planning to pay a couple of visist to this unofficial local Christmastime attraction to play a couple of evening gigs on December 23 and 24.

Pictured above is Lawrie photographed outside the eye-catching home a few days ago.

The lovely little hand-made nativity scene in Central Highlands Rural Health’s Clunes campus has been winning fans and influencing busy and preoccupied people to take a moment and reflect on the meaning of Christmas.

The textile piece was created by Clunes resident Betty Ingram, who has since passed away, and is now on display in the clinic waiting room, providing something festive for patients to think about as they wait to see a doctor.

“We just think it’s beautiful. It’s gorgeous. It’s different,” said Clunes resident Marlene Pitman who was in the clinic recently.

The little handmade textile scene is part of the Clunes health campus’s overall effort at celebrating the season with no shortage of tinsel, glossy baubles and the obligatory tree also on display in the clinic’s waiting room.

But as administration staffer Janet Hineman explained it’s also part of friendly Central Highlands Rural Health inter-campus rivalry to see which health campus takes out the annual Christmas Decoration Competition.

Clunes has form on this front having won the competition in both 2019 and 2020 and Janet said they’ll find out if they’ve won again this year at about the same time that The Local hits news stands and online reading.

Meantime, Janet said the little nativity scene has been receiving plenty of admiration and positive comments from those consigned to spend some minutes in the waiting room. “One lady said it made her day.”

The future of much-loved Hepburn Wildlife Shelter hangs in the balance with DEECA threatening to enforce the removal of all wildlife in its care from early in the new year.

The departmental threats come after the shelter, that’s been operating for more than two decades, refused to reapply to renew its authorisation (or licence) due to the imposition of conditions which the shelter’s operators say are “unrealistic, unreasonable and absurd”.

Highly experienced local wildlife carers Jon Rowdon BSc and Gayle Chappell BSc have been running the shelter just out of Daylesford for 22 years, rehabilitating hundreds of orphaned and injured wildlife annually, and say it’s the first time the department has ever attempted to enforce such conditions.

“We can’t reapply for our authorisation because we can’t operate under those conditions,” Ms Chappell says.

Their current authorisation to function as a wildlife shelter is due to expire on December 31 with tensions building for the past year and coming to a head this week.

On Wednesday amid the threats, Ms Chappell and Mr Rowdon had been expecting DEECA officers to visit and inspect the shelter that currently has some 100 animals, including some threatened species, in its care.

Anticipating the visit, on Wednesday Mr Rowdon, Ms Chappell, fellow wildlife carers, shelter operators and rescuers from across the region, and Animal Justice Party representatives, gathered at the shelter in a show of support.

But at the eleventh hour the DEECA representatives themselves cancelled their visit and failed to show.

“We’re a good shelter. They need to extend our authorisation to at least allow us to keep the animals currently in our care to the end of their rehabilitation, and essentially they need to engage with us properly,” Ms Chappell said.

She says they and a concerning number of other shelter operators have been subject to “bullying” from the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA).

A letter, dated December 18, to the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter from Ash Burns, Regulatory Program Manger with the department reads:

“Please be aware that from 1 January 2024, any wildlife acquired under your authorisation must either be released or transferred to another authorised shelter or foster carer with the appropriate skills and experience to continue their care.”

Among the most experienced wildlife carers in Australia, Ms Chappell and Mr Rowdon say that forcing the relocation of animals currently in their care to other shelters would be extremely stressful for the animals and potentially risk causing some to die.

They and other shelter operators like Manfred Zabinskas OAM of the East Trentham Wildlife Shelter say there’s a critical need for wildlife shelter operators, carers and rescuers to be enabled meaningful input into the regulation of the sector which is entirely volunteer-run and unfunded yet provides a crucial service.

The brewing crisis at the Hepburn shelter highlights the far wider need for the work of the state’s wildlife carers, rehabilitators, rescuers and shelter operators to be properly valued and funded accordingly, they say.

“Wildlife rescues and calls to Wildlife Victoria have been dramatically increasing over the last couple of years, says Greendale based wildlife rescuer and foster carer Trevor Crawford.

“We’re all volunteers and we get no funding support at all,” says Mount Alexander region wildlife rescuer Glynn Jarrett, also on site on Wednesday.

“We do it because we love it and we rely on people like Gayle and Jon. If we lose this shelter we’re really going to struggle.

“We feel the department is working against us not with us.”

The Hepburn Wildlife Shelter is understood to be the largest such shelter in the state and Ms Chappell said the Animal Justice Party is now making ministerial representations on its behalf.

 A Conservation Regulator spokesperson with the department has since confirmed that the Conservation Regulator had “received further communication from the authorisation holder indicating they would like to continue operating beyond the expiry date”. 

 “This request will be assessed with consideration of the minimum legal requirements for shelters and carers to operate under the Wildlife Act 1975 and relevant Code of Practice.” she told The Local. 

She also said: “The Conservation Regulator cancelled a planned inspection at Hepburn Wildlife Shelter on 20 December 2023 due to the prioritisation of other operational matters”.

Words: Eve Lamb

The Macedon Ranges Shire has endorsed a new Climate Emergency Plan 2023-30 among multiple significant decisions rubber-stamped at its last scheduled meeting for the year that took place last week.

All up matters endorsed include the adoption of four different plans, reports or strategies following earlier community consultation.

The Climate Emergency Plan 2023-30 (CEP), developed through the Cooler-ER Changes
initiative, aims to accelerate action in the shire to address climate change.

It includes a total of 56 actions across six themes to mitigate and adapt to the current Climate Emergency, and was collaboratively developed alongside the community, relevant agencies and the Victorian Government.