Do you sometimes despair when your child sings around the house, perhaps not quite in
tune while banging out some crazy rhythm on the kitchen counter? Don’t!
The Creswick Neighbourhood Centre knows that your child is sending you a message that
says look at me! Your child is developing all sorts of skills in readiness for the next stage of
life. And the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre has the very program to harness the energy of
your child to make more than just music. Music is fundamental in all areas of childhood
development and skills, from listening and reading, counting and sharing, to learning to be
part of a team.
The Creswick Neighbourhood Centre has tailored a special music program that includes
singing, African drum playing and being a member of a choir. The program is run by Stella
Savy who is probably one of Australia’s best-known advocates for and specialist of music for
young people.
“I’ve been working with young people for over 30 years and I see the way in which music
helps the overall development of these wonderful children. The sounds and the rhythms
that we work with help the body and mind work together. The freedom to move and express
themselves encourages the building of motor skills and, of course, music strengthens
memory skills. Music is the most amazing package: learning, development and fun wrapped
in one happy bundle.”
For your child to be part of this innovative program, which starts on Wednesday 4 October,
bookings can be made through Humanitix or through the CNC website.

Young gaming enthusiasts are in for a treat tomorrw Thursday 21 September when the Creswick
Neighbourhood Centre hosts ‘Level Up Creswick’ as part of Youth Week.
This event has been funded by the Victorian Government and Martha Haylett will be in attendance to
see the kids doing their thing.
The event will be run by Level Up who are bringing with them the latest tech and games as well as VR
headsets, PS5, Xbox series X, Switch, Last Gen +++ and Mario Kart.
The CNC is very exciting to be hosting such a fun event, centre manager Chrissy Austin says.
“We know there are not many offerings for young people aged 10-14 apparent from sport, so we are thrilled to be hosting this event,” Ms Austin says.

“We have been flooded with inquiries from young people who are keen to come together and share their love of gaming”.
The CNC will be using this event to launch their brand new Youth Program in term 4 which will run on
Thursday’s after school from 4-5.30pm with Tom Brooker heading it up. This program for 10-14 year
olds will be a combination of gaming/tech, board games and lego building.

How sweet it is – daphne odora and odora alba. Although often considered tricky to grow, the supposedly finicky daphnes will certainly earn a place in your garden even if it’s only for the sweet perfume or as a finishing touch to a bouquet or vase display.
In fact, given the right conditions – a cool semi-shaded position with protection from any hot afternoon sun or frost in a well-drained, humus-rich soil – they will flourish and reward you with long-lasting flowers galore.
Slow growing and compact, they need little in the way of pruning other than removing any damaged stems, or an occasional light, shaping trim. A regular picking of flowers for indoors will take care of that.
A major consideration is they dislike being over- or under-watered or having their roots disturbed. A regular dressing of liquid seaweed solution and top dressing with well-rotted cow manure and compost seems to be all the fertiliser they need.
You will soon know when your daphne is uncomfortable, that’s when the usually shiny, rich green leaves turn a little yellow or droop. Curling leaves indicate the presence of aphids or some other leaf-sucker.
They will normally grow to about one metre high but we inherited ours as a pair of ancient drought-ridden skeletons, sprawling up the eastern wall of the house.
A decade of TLC and serious pruning and we now have two flourishing two metre high, reasonably happy daphnes.
Daphne odora, or any other of the 70 other members of the daphne tribe, can be successfully grown in containers, enabling them to be grown in the best conditions.
The pots should be well drained and the potting mix kept moist but never dry or wet, and kept in a cool spot out of direct sunlight. So a shaded porch or under a spreading evergreen tree would be perfect.
Daphnes are reasonably slow growers so don’t need to be repotted very often and that’s just as well because, as mentioned, they’re rather finicky about having their roots disturbed.
Perennial division
Such early flowering species of perennials as iris, shasta daisy, etc, are best divided in autumn to give them time to become re-established before forming new flower buds, but those which flower from midsummer onwards will do well if divided now.
The easiest way to divide a large clump is to use two digging forks – one from each side, obviously best if done by two people. Lift the whole clump, then place the two forks (back to back) into the centre of it, then lever the forks apart and the clump should part with the minimum of damage to the crown or roots. A spade can be used, but there is a chance of collateral damage.
Pull apart all the individual plantlets, and obviously divisible segments with usable roots, and set aside for replanting. If the clumps are very large, discard all but the youngest and sturdiest outside shoots, as those from the centre are likely to be weak. You could, of course, plant the best of those up either as reserves, or to pass on to gardening friends.
When replanting perennials put them into soil that has been well fed. Plenty of compost plus a handful of organic fertiliser will keep them going for another year. As the tender young growth will be particularly attractive to slugs and snails, scatter a handful of bait among the crowns. This applies equally to any clumps which are not being divided, and in the case of delphiniums.
Got a gardening query? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

The Hepburn Shire Council is offering a range of free fun in the current school holidays for young locals aged 6 to 18 years. From do-it-yourself book bags and skate workshops, to song writing and an all-ages gig, there’s something for everyone.

“Once again young people in our Shire have a wide selection of free fun activities to keep them busy and entertained throughout the school holidays,” said Mayor of Hepburn Shire, Cr Brian Hood.

“For young people aged 12 to 18, we have a Song Writing Workshop, with participants guided through the basics of performing live, and setting up shows,” said Cr Hood.

“There’s also a trip planned for young people aged 12 to 18 years to visit Ballarat’s annual PopCon Convention for a full day of free games and activities, market stalls and a cosplay competition. Transport is provided,” he said.

“For younger children we have a great range of fun activities happening at our libraries across the Shire, along with two Learn to Skate workshops in Creswick and Trentham.

“If you have a young person in your life – whether they live in the Shire or are visiting for the holidays, I encourage you to make the most of these free activities. Our teams have worked hard to curate a diverse collection of events so please get involved!”

Central Highlands Water has secured $60,000 in project funding through the state government’s Waste to Energy Bioenergy Fund.
As part of the funding, CHW will explore the circular economy benefits of the localised production of bioenergy such as utilising the unused resource of the forestry wood residue left onsite after the pine plantation is clear felled.

In a statement CHW says this includes exploring the viability of processing this material into a biomass product such as a pine pellet, which can then be used as a fuel source.

The $15 million Daylesford Water Supply Pipeline project is making good progress with trenchless works and pipeline installation under way at Eganstown over recent days Central Highlands Water reports.

⁠In a statement released last week the local water authority reported that it had now installed over 4 km of pipeline since work commenced. This project will help secure Daylesford‘s long-term water supply.

Once complete, the 14 kilometre water pipeline is expected to provide enhanced security of water supply within the region, future-proofing the water needs of the service area against the impacts of climate change.

When needed, the pipeline will be able deliver more than 300 million additional litres per annum of supplementary raw water for the community. This means during periods of dry climate and drought, the pipeline will complement Daylesford’s 2 existing major surface water supplies, the Wombat and Bullarto Reservoirs.

The underground 400 mm raw water pipeline will extend from Blampied, connecting to the Goldfields Superpipe, and utilising existing power easements and road reserves where possible. The end connection for the pipeline will be at the Daylesford Water Treatment Plant.

An ageing population has driven a local CFA brigade to install smoke alarms into more than 50 homes this month in an effort to keep the community safe.

CFA’s Yallourn North Fire Brigade identified a high number of homes with no smoke alarms or alarms that weren’t placed in the most effective areas of the house, such as bedrooms.

To address this safety issue, the brigade is running a two-day campaign on September 9 and 16 to install free 10-year lithium smoke alarms in homes locally. This is part of CFA’s Smoke Alarm Installation Program which is a vital initiative aimed at enhancing residential fire safety.

Yallourn North Brigade Captain Hayley King said the local area is made up properties with an average age of 60-80 years old and they might not be aware of the risk associated with not having a working smoke alarm.

“In previous years the brigade has organised a 9V battery giveaway, but this is the first time the brigade is actively installing smoke alarms,” Hayley said.

“The high number of uptake locally is due to the fact many residents were previously unaware of the associated fire risks and the added protection that smoke alarms in sleeping areas can provide.

“This initiative is specifically aimed at residents who are unable to install, test, or maintain their own alarms.”

Yallourn North has around 600 houses in total and the program and installations are completely volunteer driven.

More than 50 houses have signed up for the free smoke alarm installation so far and the brigade welcome more registrations for the 16 September.

As the Central Highlands emerges from winter chill, the Hepburn Golf Club is opening its doors to locals on Friday nights.
Firsttee starts September 22, and will run from 5pm to 8pm, offering fun and games in a community get-together. Club members say there will be a raffle with prizes, a live performance and interactive games, promising plenty of laughts and “friendly competition”.

Members are keen to see more locals hit the fairways of Hepburn Springs’ 18-hole golf course.

They say the highly rated country course is a delight to play any time of the year, but in Spring and Autumn the open air experience can be even more memorable.

Established in 1926, The Hepburn Springs Golf Club Golf Club is considered by many to be a gem of country golf course. And right next to course, the clubhouse has a unique rural and rustic atmosphere that brings more than a hint of welcome to all its members and visitors.

The state government has announced the opening of the Stronger Fishing Clubs Grant Program, welcoming angling clubs and associations in Macedon to apply for grants of up to $10,000.
Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas said the grants are available under the $1.2 million
program to help strengthen and increase club membership, and to promote participation in recreational fishing. Applications for round one of the program close on 6 December 2023.
This program delivers on the state overnment’s election commitment to help fishing clubs attract new members, encouraging more families to take up fishing, and is part of the government’s record $96 million package to improve fishing, boating, piers and aquaculture.
Projects eligible for funding include events that provide recreational fishing tuition for
women, multicultural groups, First Nations peoples and all-abilities, alongside open days,
training and events, and guest speaker nights.
Projects involving IT upgrades, website development, clubroom improvements, and
equipment that will benefit all members are also eligible for funding.
Those who are interested are being encouraged to apply online or learn more by visiting vfa.vic.gov.au/strongerfishingclubs
Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas: “We want to help our local fishing clubs grow because they support newcomers to the pastime of fishing and share generations of knowledge amongst members.”
Minister for Outdoor Recreation Sonya Kilkenny: “Our Stronger Fishing Clubs Grant Program will ensure clubs can attract local members and support them to enjoy all the benefits that come with spending time on the water with family and friends.

Daylesford’s annual Chillout Festival has received $50,000 in funding from the state government’s Regional Events Fund to help stage next year’s event.
ChillOut Festival is Australia’s premier regional LGBTIQ+ arts and cultural festival, held annually in the villages of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs. ChillOut Festival 2024 will be the 27th iteration of the festival, making it Australia’s oldest and longest running regional queer festival, now attracting 28,000+ visitors and filling accommodation and restaurants in the region.
To be held from Thursday 7th March – Monday 11th March 2024 (Labour Day Weekend), the festival is made up of over 55 diverse activities and events, including visual arts, live music, comedy, cabaret, parties, sport, social events, and public forums. This includes ticketed and free events from a range of LGBTQIA+ artists and performers. Chillout has continued to raise the profile of the Hepburn Shire as a visitor destination.
The Government is backing a jam-packed calendar of crowd-pleasing public events in regional and rural areas in 2023.
The $20 million Regional Events Fund is a critical component of the $633 million Visitor Economy Recovery and Reform Plan and supports festivals, sports events, creative exhibitions and other cultural celebrations.
The Regional Events Fund drives economic benefits to Victoria by increasing visitor numbers and length of stay, thereby boosting spending in regional areas and supporting local jobs.
Since 2016, the Government’s Regional Events Fund has funded more than 300 events across the state.
Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas: “We are proud to support Australia’s premier regional LGBTIQ+ arts and cultural festival because it encourages people to visit regional destinations and enjoy the wide range of experiences on offer.”

with Clive Hartley

Fireside Wines
We have finally turned the corner on winter, but as any resident of this region knows, we are far from over the cold weather. So, there is still an opportunity to sit in front of an open fire and sip a good red. These fireside wines need to be bold and beautiful with plenty of guts and layers of flavour.
The Italians called these wines vino da meditazione. Meditation wine to sip whilst you contemplate monumental questions, such as the outcome of the impending referendum perhaps. Italy has a few contenders for these wines including the intense and high alcohol Amarone della Valpolicella from Veneto. This wine is made from semi-dried corvina rondinella and molinara grapes, and makes a more concentrated and intense wine. Ripasso is another technique in Valpolicella where a fresh wine is passed over the dried amarone skins which causes a refermentation. I always considered this a lighter style but was aghast recently to see a ripasso at 15% abv. We cannot use the term amarone or ripasso in Australia, but it doesn’t stop us using these techniques of drying grapes. One of the best in Australia is Freeman Secco Rondinella Corvina from the Hilltops region in NSW. Winemaker Brian Freeman uses a prune dehydrator to dry a proportion of grapes for 10 days. He then ages the wine in oak for two years.
Rich, powerful black cherry fruit-driven wines laced with new vanilla oak is the hallmark of a Barossa Valley red. The valley has some of the world’s oldest shiraz and grenache vines. Couple that with some sub-regional nuances and it is a complex and rewarding region to drink by the fireside. The Barossa Valley is split into three ‘Grounds’, Northern, Central and Southern which was based on their soil profile. The north, around the Ebenezer, Moppa and Kalimna wards gives you the most powerful shiraz. The Central Grounds includes the parishes of Bethany, Krondorf, Vine Vale, Light Pass, Gomersol and Marananga, has fruitcake, black-fruits aromas and is medium to full bodied. The Southern Grounds, in Lyndoch and Rowland Flat, is at a lower altitude and is slightly wetter and warmer than the other two regions. It produces more red than black fruits with soft ripe tannins.
Clive Hartley is an award-winning wine writer, educator and consultant. Want to learn more about wine? Try his Australian Wine Guide (7th ed) now available for purchase from Paradise Books in Daylesford or via his website – www.australianwineguide.com.au

G’day. I’m Pheonix and I’m still a young bloke at just 10 months of age.

I am an extremely handsome red road Australian Cattle Dog. I’m pretty sporty and I love good human company.

I would love to find a home where there are good people and where I will get plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.

I already have some basic training but because I’m so smart I need ongoing training. I can be a little picky about who I choose to have as dog friends, but I will be an ideal best mate for the right human.

Come on over and meet me at the MAAW shelter in Castlemaine. Microchip no. 953010005017377. Adoption fee $220.

For those of you that have heard the story of The Local’s birth, you may find this read interesting as it is amazing how fact changes to fantasy with 10 years’ history and perhaps a little embellishment under the belt.
I was a lot younger 10 years ago and light lines on my face have since turned to deep lines. I was working as a mild-mannered photographer on The Advocate. It was a truly frustrating position, any photos I presented would run as postage stamp size except for the new roundabout between Dean and Ballarat that got a half page. No people, no traffic, just a stupid concrete roundabout. No kidding.
Donna and I both saw the writing on the wall for that paper although it took a pandemic to put the final nail in the coffin. So, we went for it. I cashed a $250 cheque which I had earned doing a private photography job and we were off. The first edition arrived as digital print, 500 copies servicing the strip between Hepburn and Daylesford and promising to be monthly. There was all of a sudden blood on the streets with locals running from basket to basket, some waving them in their hands, “I have my copy,” one local shouted to me. The same day we decided to go fortnightly, and it was on. Obviously we did everything in those days and I remember being shattered after a production week and opening the boot to the car at the Daylesford Post Office where people were just helping themselves to copies, like seagulls on a bag of chips.
The journey has been long and short at the same time. We have met many folks and had the privilege to be able to record locals’ achievements, accolades and grievances.
An outstanding memory I have is an effort to punk The Advocate. I borrowed a life-sized black panther from Mark at The Mill Markets and set up a Facebook page in the name of a fictitious woman called Thel Ocal (a photo of Donna with a wig), and had her travelling around the world on her page with pictures of family and scenes from around the globe. The last photo was at the Lyonville Mineral Springs. It was designed as a selfie with the panther discreetly tucked into the back of the photo looking into an opened esky. Thel had discovered the shot on her return from her travels and was going to contact The Advocate via Facebook to ask what sort of animal was in the background of the shot.

The punk was three months in the making and finally the scene was set. I knew that the staff would be light on because it was Easter so I sprung the trap and the photo came across the desk of the eagle-eyed chief of staff at the Ballarat Courier.
Unfortunately the only person left on that team who had worked in the newsroom with Donna some years back quickly worked out it was, in fact, Donna. The farce was instantly over, the game was up and the horse had bolted. I quickly shut down the FB page and Thel’s email account.
The bright side of this yarn was that I had taken a couple of extra prank panther photos and instead of cutting my losses we ran them in the paper. And they gained a huge response from locals. We were sent photos of sightings, did interviews on farms, were shown casts of panther footprints and even touched some alleged panther fur.
There have been countless other memories and the road is littered with uncertainties and growing pains, but by and large it has been pretty smooth travelling. We have been distributed shire-wide for a lot of years now and have covered some eye-rolling yarns including Geesegate, Rexgate and a bit of rubbish, rates and roadsgate. The team who have joined us through the years have largely stuck with us, and there are not many folks I have met during the last few years who I wouldn’t crack a beer with. Happy 10 years rant over…

By Donna Kelly
Wow, 10 years. It is a cliché but it really does feel like yesterday that we put together a little Word document and wandered the streets asking if people would like to advertise in it. For some reason many did. And thanks to them the first edition came out on September 2, 2013.
The front cover was Verna Baker’s grandchild watering daffodils, inside we featured artist Keele Breen and a nude, almost, Ian Tinetti. There was even a story on the Bridport Street bus shelter getting a makeover from a group of travellers.

The Local was meant to be a monthly publication but from the get-go we realised there was a real need for local news and a bit of fun. So that was the only monthly edition and after that we went fortnightly.
(You may remember during that first year of Covid we went weekly because we thought everyone needed a good read and real information. We also started Legends of Lockdown to give recognition to those helping others during that scary time. But it nearly killed us, being weekly, and we went back to our regular programming after a year.)
Still mostly it has been a lot of fun and we get great feedback on what we do. Sometimes we hold the council and the pollies to account, but that’s just part of the gig, mostly we focus on bringing you good news – to counter all that terrible stuff we see on TV each morning.
When we started Kyle asked what would happen if we ran out of stories. I told him not to worry – and we have never run out. People are always doing amazing things here and I really believe everyone has a story to tell. Well, almost everyone.
We have also had wonderful support with advertising from our clients, all of whom we know which is a really nice feeling. One of our policies is a “no arsehole rule” and we stick with that. We have told the team never to continue to deal with them and we have even lost a couple of advertising deals because they were not our sort of people. I know not many businesses can do that, but it is a great feeling. Also, we are too old to put up with crap. 🙂
But all the clients we have are lovely people and I hope you support their businesses because they are the reason you have a local community paper to read, for free. And while the world is slowly going digital I know many people still like their printed copy of The Local. So a promise that it will continue in print and online – unlike many other local papers run by much bigger companies than The Local Publishing Group.
With the anniversary I have also been thinking about my “best of” list over the years. Best front cover is easy – the council coming on a missile to get the geese – although the actual day they were taken was awful. Most interesting stories of mine have to be on The Rex. It was just the issue that kept on giving. From choosing a site, buying the building, Bromley paintings done before building works, building works, stopping building works, to council deciding to sell and the sale.
But then it gets hard. We have such a talented team, there are too many stories, great graphics and photos to choose from. So, a big shout out to our team and all those who have worked with us over the years. Many have stayed the course, including Nick and Lindsay, our wonderful sub-editors, who have been with us from the first edition. Now also working with Chester the Cat.
I hope that you have enjoyed reading The Local over the past 10 years and will keep reading for another 10 perhaps. After that it might be time for a new generation to come along. In the meantime, you’re stuck with us. Just sayin’…

It’s a job you have to do well. Jim Lycett was an hydraulics engineer with Ansett Airlines – working on the important things like landing gear and brakes – and he loved it.

Now and again Jim would get the call that he had an hour to get on a plane to Brisbane to work on a jet up there, and would call his wife Linda to say he would be home the following day.
“We never got much notice but I loved it. We would often sit up with the pilots and I just thought it was a terrific job.”
Jim retired in 1986 after Linda suffered from a few health issues but the couple continued with life in Ballarat, living pretty independently.
When Linda’s health worsened, from having a few falls at home to being kept in hospital for a week about eight years ago, the doctors made the call and said she had to move into full-time care. Hepburn House was the choice.
Jim, then 88, lived alone and thought he was coping pretty well. “I learned to cook a bit, nothing like Linda, she was a real hot cook. I remember her serving up meals to 300 people in a church one time, no problem. But I did a bit of slow cooking and I would freeze some meals, and our daughter and daughter-in-law arranged for fortnightly supermarket delivery.”
But eventually, after chats with his doctor, Jim also moved into Hepburn House and is loving life there, although Linda has sadly since passed away.
At 96 Jim has taken on another career as a sort of part-time counsellor and residents’ advocate.
“If the residents have a grizzle and don’t want to take it to the top they can refer it to me and I listen to them and ask if they want to take it further. Mostly they don’t but they can pour out their troubles and I listen. If they do want me to take it higher up I talk to the staff or even the manager Dianne.
“Mind you, I very rarely get any grizzles. It’s great here, we are very well treated, and it’s just like being with a big family. The staff cook great meals, they do the cleaning and then we have the carers looking after us. And I still get out and about – I visit my sister at Clarkfield for a week or so now and again. It’s a good life.”
Hepburn House is a progressive aged care centre offering a highly advanced, fully personalised range of aged care services for residents in a home-like setting.