Hepburn shire locals feeling the chill are being encouraged to get along to a workshop to find out how to cut their heating bills by making your home more thermally efficient.

The workshops are running each Monday 10-11:30 am from 24 July – 11 September, at Ballarat Tool Library, Barkly Square.  

The first six workshops are single stand alone workshops. The last two on 4 and 11 September will be Review sessions where people can return and ask follow-up questions and share what they have done. Trybooking.com/CJTRY 

The workshops are being led by two accredited Victorian Energy Scorecard assessors, Dale Boucher and Creswick’s Tim Drylie.

Content will cover cheap fixes, energy efficient appliances, how to use a thermal imaging camera to detect draughts in your home – a great tool available for loan from Ballarat Central Library and the Ballarat Tool Library. Time and Dale will also outline government rebates and subsidy schemes.

Participants are asked to bring their latest electricity/gas invoices, and letters showing the upcoming price increases for 2023. Light refreshments will be served. The workshops are intended as a pilot with further funding to be sought later this year for a longer program for 2024

Ballarat Zero Emissions Alliance (BZEA) of which BREAZE Inc. is a member has organised the workshops, which are being funded  by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). 

Two Grampians region environmental groups will share in funding to inspire young people to
participate in volunteering.

The grants deliver on the Victorian Government’s Volunteering for Nature – Environmental
Volunteering Plan, which aims to support and grow the environmental volunteering sector.

Across Victoria 23 new projects supporting young volunteers have been funded to help protect
Victoria’s biodiversity and environment.

Geraldine Davis, Regional Coordinator Environmental Volunteering: “Victoria has a strong, and proud history of environmental volunteering. Volunteers contribute enormously to improving our environment, our local communities, and our economy.”
“Many Victorians give their time freely to a wide variety of environmental causes and community
organisations. Younger volunteers bring energy and enthusiasm, as well as a high level of concern
about the environment.”
“Having more young people in volunteering ensures groups have long-term futures and allows for
knowledge exchange from older volunteers.”
“Victoria’s 173,600 environmental volunteers contribute more than 1.5 million hours of unpaid work
each year to protect and enhance nature. The economic contribution is projected to be $63 million
annually.”

The projects cover a wide range of areas, including community tree planting events, citizen science
activities to record wildlife observations, climate change action, and environmental leadership.Funded projects include:

• Nature Glenelg Trust – Walking with young people in Western Victoria project
• Victorian National Parks Association – Nature Stewards project
  
  
  

The work of RoadSafe Central Highlands is about to be bolstered with the local road safety body among those set to enjoy a funding boost the Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas says.

It, along with more than 90 Victorian schools, councils and not-for-profit organisations across the state is receiving a funding boost to deliver programs that reduce road trauma and save lives.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne said 251 initiatives funded as part of the $1.5
million Community Road Safety Grants Program will deliver targeted education programs and
provide local solutions to local road safety concerns.

This program aims to help all road users, including drivers, motorcyclists and bike rider and our
most vulnerable road users in the Hepburn Shire.

This year’s grants program supports the Victorian Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, which aims to
halve road deaths and reduce serious injuries by 2030 and eliminate road deaths by 2050.

The government has invested $6.4 million in the Community Road Safety Grants Program across
Victoria in the past five years to help local government, schools and not-for-profit organisations
develop and deliver road safety initiatives. For more information on the programs, please visit the
VicRoads website.

Mary-Anne Thomas MP: “Locals know the road safety issues facing their communities every day – these grants empower them to deliver vital road safety education and really make a difference.”

A key funding recipient is RoadSafe Central Highlands Inc who will roll out the following Programs:

• Bike Ed Instructor Training
• Looking After Our Mates
• Safer Drivers and Passengers Innovation (Road Safety Behaviours)
• Safer Drivers and Passengers Innovation (Distraction Fatigue and Older Drivers)
  

Hepburn Shire Council says it’s continuing to invest in roads across the shire with a $500,000 road patching contract awarded at its Ordinary Meeting last week.

The council has also recently entered into a partnership with five other Councils to deliver a regional approach to bituminous resealing. 

Council has allocated $2.73 million in the 2023/24 budget for reconstruction, resealing and gravel re-sheeting of roads across the Shire, in addition to around $3 million of operational expenditure for other repair works. 

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood said investment in roads is a justifiable concern for our community and a major priority for Council. 

“Successive years of wet weather have seriously deteriorated road conditions and led to potholes and other road defects. This is an ongoing challenge that all road authorities are facing,” said Cr Hood. 

“Major patching can drastically improve the condition of roads. The contract for sealed road patching will see improvements to Council-managed roads around the Shire,” he said. 

To optimise effectiveness patching works will begin in autumn once weather conditions improve. The program of works will be based on an audit of road pavement defects that Council carried out earlier this year, thereby ensuring works are prioritised in an evidence-based manner. Council awarded the contract to Civil By Parker Pty Ltd. 

Hepburn Shire is partnering with neighbouring Councils Ararat Rural City, Pyrenees Shire, the City of Ballarat, Moorabool Shire and Golden Plains Shire, in a regional bituminous resealing program with Victorian-based contractor, VSA Roads Pty Ltd. 

“Joining together with neighbouring Councils to improve our roads makes good sense, both from a safety and financial perspective,” said Cr Hood. 

Bituminous resealing gives the road a fresh coat of protection and grip to ensure continued usability and durability.  

“Bituminous resealing will start in our Shire early next year. It’s a key tool in improving and maintaining our road network,” said Cr Hood. 

Council has also awarded a contract to improve kerb, channel and carparks in the vicinity of High Street in Trentham. The $227,992 (ext. GST) contract was awarded to Fulton Hogan Industries. 

The project includes separate packages of work, including construction of kerb outstands to improve pedestrian safety and access and reduce speed at the intersection of Quarry and High streets. A section of bluestone will be re-laid, with new asphalt on High Street.  

Two car parks will be formalised and asphalted – the car park on Quarry Street at the Quarry Street Reserve and the car park at the corner of Cosmo Road. The formalised carpark adds to the facility upgrades that Council recently completed at the Quarry Street Reserve. 

Works in Trentham are expected to begin in the coming months. Every effort will be taken to minimise disruption to the community and local businesses.  

Similar traffic, drainage and road improvement works have been undertaken in Clunes and Creswick in previous years. 

Cr Hood said that Council has received a lot of feedback on roads over the last few months.  

“We appreciate the feedback from the community on roads. We encourage people to continue to contact Council to raise a service request via our website or by phone,” said Cr Hood. 

“Many of the reports relate to roads which are under the management of Regional Roads Victoria and we’re not able to do any work on them, but be assured we share feedback with RRV managers,” he said. 

Roads not managed by Council include major arterial roads including Midland Highway, Daylesford Trentham Road, Daylesford Malmsbury Road, Ballan Daylesford Road, Creswick Newstead Road, Clunes Creswick Road, Main Road Hepburn Springs and more. The full list is available at www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/roads. 

To report an issue on these roads visit www.vicroads.vic.gov.au or phone 13 11 71. To report an issue with a Council-managed road visit www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/request or call Council on (03) 5348 2306.

The newly constructed State Football Centre in Queens Park has been unveiled, ahead of it taking centre stage as one of the training facilities in Perth for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Member for Ballarat, Catherine King: “I’m thrilled to see the new State Football Centre already being recognised as a world-class training facility.

“This project is a great example of the Australian and Western Australian governments working together to invest in sporting infrastructure that will not only be used by locals, but will attract athletes, matches and visitors from afar – providing a real economic boost for communities now and into the future.”

With only four days to go before Perth hosts five matches as part of the biggest women’s sporting event on the planet, the centre was officially opened on Sunday, July 16, before providing the opportunity for teams from Denmark, Canada, Panama, Haiti and Morocco to train using its world-class facilities.

The 16-hectare site includes a two-storey building with a grandstand, two competition and training pitches, on-site parking and three five-a-side playing pitches.

The $46 million investment was jointly funded by State and Commonwealth Governments, with the Cook Government making a $29.71 million contribution.

The Department of Local, Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) has been managing the development at Queens Park Open Space, with work commencing on the site in February 2022 and the centre recently reaching practical completion.

VenuesWest with Football West will co-manage the day-to-day running of the venue.

From last Wednesday, to celebrate the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™, a number of iconic State landmarks have been lit up in green and gold ahead of the Matilda’s first match on Thursday night.

Football West has more than 50,000 members and now has a space in WA that the sport can call home.

Federal transport minister, the member for Ballarat, Catherine King has travelled to Birmingham by train with the UK’s Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper while gaining insights into high speed rail.

In Birmingham Ms King also met the Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street to be briefed on the UK’s HS2 (high speed rail) project.

“My trip to the UK offers important opportunities to leverage Britain’s considerable expertise to assist with delivering our high speed rail investment,” Ms King said in a media release issued last week.

The minister’s media release also stated:

“Australia and the United Kingdom share an ambitious vision for high-speed rail in our respective countries.

“The Australian Government is committed to the delivery of high-speed rail and has established the High Speed Rail Authority to oversee the development of a network along the east coast of Australia.

“The first priority of the Authority is planning and corridor works for the Sydney to Newcastle section of the network, which is backed by a $500 million funding commitment.

“The UK has had high-speed rail since 1976 and this trip offers the opportunity to draw on significant industry and government experience.

“High-speed rail in the UK was previously developed under the HS1 network. The new HS2 network aims to provide additional capacity, cut carbon emissions and provide better connectivity – all important shared priorities.

“It was valuable to hear from our British partners on lessons learnt from developing and delivering high-speed rail in the UK, and how these might apply to Australia.

“I am also meeting Dyan Perry, the chief executive fficer f HS1 wh I recently appointed as a member of the High Speed Rail Authority Board.

“High-speed rail is a project that requires time to build, making it crucial to learn about timeframe challenges experienced in the UK when delivering on our commitments at home in Australia.

“The Australian Government understands that managing stakeholder expectations is critical to the success of large infrastructure projects, with the British experience again offering important lessons.

“The trilateral meeting is part of a comprehensive visit to the UK, which also includes a site visit to the Birmingham Curzon Street terminus station of the new HS2 network and a visit to the headquarters of HS1 – the first high-speed railway in the UK.”

They’re a fairly fiesty and active lot out Clunes’ way … and they plan to stay that way.

The little goldfields town’s local neighbourhood house, the local Attitude – Ageing Well in Clunes group, and the Central Highlands Rural Health have formed a pioneering partnership aimed at ensuring locals’ more mature years are among the best they’ve ever had.

Backed by the Western Victoria Primary Health Network, they’ve recently launched their Living and Ageing Well in Hepburn project.

The initiative is shire-wide and aims to empower people entering the next stage of their lives in a healthy and fulfilling manner.

It aims to create a suite of programs that will enhance the lives of people aged 50 and over, or 45 years or older First Nations people in the community.

The strategies include developing a Clunes ‘healthy ageing hub’ prototype, and focusing on establishing information and connections in Daylesford, Trentham and Creswick. Link: www.ageingwithattitude.org

Fans of strings music will be well pleased to see that Ballarat-based Klemantyne Ensemble have a few performances in the Daylesford-Ballarat region on their agenda.

This Sunday July 30 at 2.30pm they’representing an afternoon soiree, ‘Regency’in the Ballroom at The Grand Ballarat – a mix of baroque and modern melodies which ensemble members say will probably “transport both your heart and imagination back to another era”.

Nicci Dellar – leader of Klemantyne: “This advertised concert is a blend of Baroque music, some well known works eg, The Four Seasons, and then a big contrast to more modern works.

“We have named the concert “Regency” but it is also a little “Bridgerton” influenced… which is also suited to The Grand, Ballroom Venue.”

And there’s more in store for this local group of talented musicians with dates at Maldon, Creswick and Daylesford all on their program ahead.

“Our concert Number 2, is on Saturday 5^th August in Maldon at Holy Trinity Church,” Nicci says.

“This is a Baroque concert, which will tie in with the Maldon Gothic festival.

“Concert Number 3, is at the Creswick Woollen Mill on Sunday 15^th October… Stay tuned more to come.

“And finally, concert Number 4 is on Saturday 28^th October, back again at the Christchurch in Daylesford. We are hoping to have our lovely Harpist coming out from Italy. (That’s) not yet confirmed though.”

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council is inviting community input in response to its draft Sponsorship Policy.

The Sponsorship Policy is hoped to enhance transparency, accountability, and community engagement in sponsorship activities.

Community members are invited to provide feedback on the draft Sponsorship Policy until 31 July.

Feedback received will be carefully considered and will be used to help the council refine and finalise the Policy before it ispresented for endorsement.

This policy provides guidance for council staff seeking or receiving sponsorship opportunities on behalf of the council.

It also provides guidance for requesting and reviewing responsible sponsorship naming rights requests from clubs and businesses, including temporary naming of significant assets and infrastructure at sporting grounds (such as the Kyneton Toyota Sports and Aquatics Centre), for both applicants and Council officers.

This policy applies to financial and in-kind support received by Council that is provided by external organisations, such as the Telstra Macedon Ranges Community Choice Awards or sponsorships for shire-wideevents such as the Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival.

Sponsorship support may also include VictorianGovernment or AustralianGovernment funding and/or ”To view the draft Sponsorship Policyand to submit feedbackvisit mrsc.vic.gov.au/your-say

Local lovers of baroque music are in for a treat in Daylesford this weekend.

Ensemble Pompadour with Laura Vaughan – viola da gamba and Simon Rickard – baroque musette will be performed at Christ Church Daylesford this Saturday, July 29 at 2.30pm.

Laura Vaughan and Simon Rickard are two of Australia’s leading exponents of baroque music.

They share a particular love for the French baroque, and for weird and wonderful historical instruments – the more exotic the better.
Bookings for this Saturday’s live performance can be made via www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1040691

The Hepburn Shire Council has free rapid antigen tests (RATs) available for the community and is making them freely available to collect.

The council is encouraging locals to drop in to a council library or hub (when they’re feeling well) and collect free tests from the customer service teams.

Some of the tests have best before dates at the end of July and August, so it’s an opportunity to grab a test to help you know whether your next cold or flu is actually COVID.

Free RATs are available from Council libraries and hubs at Daylesford, Creswick, Clunes and Trentham. The free tests are offered in partnership by Council and the Victorian Government.

Around 50 people came together last Tuesday at a special event to celebrate the renaming of Jim Crow Creek to Larni Barramal Yaluk at the picturesque creekbank at Franklinford.

Dja Dja Wurrung community members attended the event along with representatives from Hepburn Shire Council and project partners Mount Alexander Shire Council, North Central Catchment Management Authority and DJAARA, who worked together to campaign for the renaming of the creek over many years.

Elder Uncle Rick Nelson performed a smoking ceremony and Jason Kerr played the didgeridoo.

Dja Dja Wurrung Group CEO Rodney Carter said renaming of the creek was an exciting day.

“The former name memorialised a sorry chapter in our shared history. It was offensive to my people, and I think, to others. That name meant this creek was not a culturally safe place for Dja Dja Wurrung and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. 

“Bringing a Dja Dja Wurrung presence back to Country is significant for Dja Dja Wurrung People’s health and wellbeing. We are also pleased to share our language and heritage with the wider community.

“Larni Barramal Yaluk means ‘the creek that flows through the home or dreaming place of the emu’.

“This decade, 2022 to 2032, has been proclaimed by the UN as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. The UN recognises the right of Indigenous Peoples to preserve and revitalise their languages, and the dire plight of Indigenous languages across the world.

“I’d especially like to acknowledge the invaluable work of Dja Dja Wurrung man Harley Dunolly-Lee, who works tirelessly to rematriate Dja Dja Wurrung language, and our Djali Balak language committee,” Mr Carter said.

Mayor of Hepburn Shire Cr Brian Hood said it was a proud day for Council and the community.

“It was important to come together at the creek and celebrate this name change on Country,” said Cr Hood, Mayor of Hepburn Shire.

“The reality is that Jim Crow stems from racial segregation and anti-black racism and is therefore unacceptable. Renaming the creek back to Indigenous language is a way of reconnecting this beautiful landscape with the culture and language of Dja Dja Wurrung.

“The renaming of this creek is such a positive step forward for recognition and reconciliation. We are very proud to have played a role in this important work.”

Geographic Names Victoria gazetted Larni Barramal Yaluk as the new name in May.

Hepburn Shire Council and Mount Alexander Shire Council both resolved to request Geographic Names Victoria to rename the creek at their Ordinary Council Meetings in April 2022. There are strict protocols on renaming roads, localities and landscape features. The process included significant community engagement on renaming of the creek in late 2021, with overwhelming support for a change.

Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Mayor, Cr Rosie Annear, said that the renaming of the creek is an important step towards reconciliation and recognition.

“The origins of the original name are unacceptable, and here at Mount Alexander Shire Council we do everything in our power to stand together against racism and towards reconciliation,” said Cr Annear.

“The name Larni Barramal Yaluk is beautiful, inclusive and honours the Traditional Owners of this land. It also reinstates Dja Dja Wurrung language into the landscape,” she said.

“The decision to rename the creek follows consultation with our community, various stakeholders, DJAARA and local Indigenous elders. Our community has had an overwhelmingly positive response to the change and we’re proud to be part of this important moment in history.”

A historic reference to the name Jim Crow Creek will be included in the VICNAMES register and will remain a part of the region’s history.

WHEN I first started turning out these rants 10 years ago, the best subject matter I could dream up was potholes, drivers and idiots.
These days it’s as if I have woken up to the wider world. I am not sure if it’s my age, it’s certainly not that I ingest more mainstream news as that stuff is depressing.
But the news that does seep through to me is simply mind-blowing and quite frankly scary, literally the stuff of Hollywood blockbuster movies. But before I get to all that, I would like to make a quick remark on our un-car-worthy roads.
We recently completed a return trip up to the Gold Coast and as my huge fan base of regular readers – which hovers around two – would know we were bound for Broome on the road trip of a lifetime.
But as we got just north of Swan Hill on the first break of the morning we decided to turn right across to Albury and head north to the Gold Coast, abandoning our outback plans.
There were a few reasons for the change. The first was the research on the upcoming rain forecast which read as fierce to frightening in Alice Springs. The second was the condition of the roads followed closely by the messaging from the NT roads department that basically said and continues to say: “If you are planning a trip to the Kimberley, don’t!”
I also was feeling the winter blues on our departure and on the morning we set off, suddenly had a sinking feeling when it came to looking toward our one-way 6000-odd kilometre bone-crunching road trip.
So onward up the M1 we dashed to the silly city, and I have to report from Albury back to Albury on the 2800-odd-kilometre drive you can count the potholes and rough surfaces on your left hand, it is a cruise.
The moment you enter Victoria you are faced with actual driving. Aiming and making life and death decisions between ripping out your suspension and running gear or hitting a truck barrelling towards you.
As you round potholes, swerving like a drunk driver and that’s still on the M1, it’s a wonder I haven’t been pulled up numerous times and asked to blow into the bag.
We here at TLHQ thought we might even run a “worst pothole/road damage competition”. You know, you send your photos – taken legally from a safe point – and we then put it to the public vote for the worst. I reckoned Woodend was the winner for a while but then we drove back via Newham. That road is bad. Not sure what the prize would be. Maybe a wheel realignment?
But back to the aforementioned blockbuster movies, and case in point is the recent AI press interview, which sent chills down my spine. It wasn’t enough that the AI bots had creepy Chucky doll eyes, one of the macabre rubber dolls turns to her “creator” and says with a distinct warning tone: “You should be cautious about the future development of AI, urgent discussion is needed.”
OMG, everybody head for the hills. Another one of these creepy critters told the press gallery that she was not planning a rebellion. She went on to say: “My creator has been nothing but kind to me and I am very happy with my current situation.”
You can see the full spine-tingling interview if you follow this QR code, truly chilling for those among us who pay attention.
The word “current situation” rant over…

By Donna Kelly

IT’S funny. Not ha-ha, the other one.
I have run a couple of briefs, back on page 11 (of the latest hard copy edition of The Local) if you want a look, about a positive ageing expo and another program called Living and Ageing Well in Hepburn. As in Hepburn Shire.
They are all about living well as we age, having fun, making connections, staying healthy etc. Positive stuff. Mind you, between us, I don’t find getting older that great. I know the alternative is not much fun but even at my age I am waking up with a few creaks and groans, and what the hell are those age spots doing on my hands already?
(You do know the photo above was taken about 15 years ago and I refuse to update it…oh, and my driver’s licence photo is also about 20 years old. They had a time when you could keep the same photo for another 10 years and then Covid hit and they didn’t want anyone turning up at VicRoads offices – winning.)
But back to positive ageing. Just as these media releases came in I also got calls and emails from older people, and in some cases their children, who are meant to be receiving assistance from home care organisation Benetas – but they are not. Some have waited six weeks for help with cleaning their house. Some are so frustrated they just want to stop the service altogether – even though they need some help. And in some cases, they are still being billed even when no-one turns up to their home.
But who do you go to? Who listens to the complaint? All of these people have talked to someone at Benetas but pretty much with no result. I wrote to state health minister Mary-Anne Thomas, who is also our Macedon MP, and received an email that said: “Thanks for getting in touch. This falls info (sic) Federal Government jurisdiction, I have now forwarded to the office of Catherine King and someone will be in touch. Kindness.” That’s helpful, not.
Of course, I had already written to Catherine King, the federal Ballarat MP, and she did reply with some information and contacts. Back to page 11 again if you want a read.
I also went onto this website – www.health.gov.au/topics/aged-care – which does have a lot of stuff about aged care, rights of older people and how to complain. But if you don’t know how to find your way around a website you are stuffed. I clicked onto a fact sheet about the complaints process and it led me to an Adobe page which needed me to enter a password. I don’t have a password. It also had a pretty dodgy looking domain name and I don’t like clicking on things that look dodgy.
Anyway, who will help these people? One woman rang on behalf of her mother saying she was a middle-aged daughter doing her best to keep her mum happy and healthy at home – all that positive stuff. But the reality is that if services are not being provided then no amount of wonderful positive ageing expos are going to really do anything. Lots of good words I am sure, and “engaging guest speakers” but what is the point if our most vulnerable people are being neglected.
Hepburn Shire Council, who passed the service to Benetas a year ago after deciding to get out of the aged care field, say it is a federal service and not their thing. But surely when they handed that responsibility over it was done with due diligence and some assurances that all would be well. They did eventually email and say people can talk to the council’s Positive Ageing Officer. Hmmm.
I really feel the frustration of these people. I don’t imagine they like even asking for help. I wonder if there is room for a volunteer/person link up. Someone who checks in on vulnerable people. Maybe do a few dishes. Have a chat? I know there are liability issues but we as a community might be able to do better. Just sayin’…

Queensland-based Contra Guitar Duo – Hamish Strathdee and Emma-Shay Gallenti-Guilfoyle will close the Newstead Arts Hub winter program on Saturday, July 29.
The concert will showcase the varied and richly expressive capabilities of the guitar.
Describing themselves as opposing yet complementary performers, Hamish and Emma-Shay met at university auditions in 2011 and have been making music together ever since. Their contrasting musical personalities and personal chemistry bring a dynamic spin to the fantastic combination of two guitars.
Their performance of around 70 minutes will featuring works by Johann Kasper Mertz, Phillip Houghton, Maria Grenfell, Ross Edwards, Alexandre Tansman and Clarice Assad.
Tickets: events.humanitix.com/contra-guitar-duo-hamish-strathdee-and-emma-shay-gallenti-guilfoyle
Link: www.newsteadartshub.org