The 2023 Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize has been launched by Holmgren Design with
a major prize of $1000.
In her late 50s Venie Holmgren began to write poetry and her first published anthology, The Sun
Collection for the Planet in 1989, became a poetry best seller.
At the same time, she applied her environmental activist skills and commitment to the campaign to save
native forests near her home on the far south coast of New South Wales, where she was arrested twice for
obstructing log trucks.
After 16 years of solo self-reliant living she moved to the local town of Pambula where she penned her travel memoir, several more books of poetry and travelled widely as a performance poet.
In 2010 Venie moved to Hepburn where she wrote her last poetry collection, The Tea House Poems. In January 2016, Venie “caught the bus” at the age of 93.
The judges for the newly launched poetry prize named in her honour are Hepburn Springs resident Peter
O’Mara and Alison J Barton.
Peter’s long friendship with Venie Holmgren is still held close. Peter has poetry work published in magazines, literary and critical writing journals, anthologies and online both in Australia and overseas.
Alison is a Wiradjuri poet whose work is widely published in myriad journals. In 2022 Alison’s poetry
was recognised in the Queensland Poetry Oodgeroo Noonuccal Poetry Prize, the WB Yeats Poetry Prize for Australia and the Liquid Amber Press Poetry Prize.
All entries must be received by Monday, August 7 with the winner announced at the Words in Winter
festival in Daylesford on Sunday, August 27.
*In a tribute to Venie after her death, journalist Kevin Childs started his piece in The Local’s February 15,
2016 edition with the following:
“The farewell to Hepburn poet Venie Holmgren was as spectacular an event as many she saw in her 93 years.
“From her astonishing coffin, to the graveside where a bloke jumped into the hole, it was a day for some tears, much laughter, stories, and such warmth and affection that, were the day not so hot, would warm you through.
“For instance, how many funerals are there where, prominent among papers marking a life, is an ASIO
file, noting that Venie and her late husband Jack ran a specialist magazine business opposite the Perth garage where the spooks parked their cars?”
Read the full story at www.tlnews.com.au
Poetry prize link: holmgren.com.au

It is getting harder for academic cheating services to target Australian higher education students with another 100 academic cheating websites blocked.
This is the third time the higher education regulator TEQSA has used protocols with Australia’s major ISPs to disrupt access to websites targeting students studying with an Australian higher education provider.
This brings the number of illegal cheating websites blocked under these protocols to 250 since August 2022.
Cheating websites offer to sell students essays or assignments or accept payment
for someone to sit exams on a student’s behalf. Illegal cheating services threaten
academic integrity and expose students to criminals, who often attempt to blackmail
students into paying large sums of money. Blocking these websites seriously disrupts
the operations of the criminals behind them.
Analysis shows that after TEQSA began using these protocols in August 2022,
web traffic from Australia to illegal cheating services halved in semester 2 2022
(September – November) compared with the same time in 2021.
The federal government is working with the higher education sector to reduce
the risk posed by cheating services. Australia’s anti-cheating laws make it illegal to
provide or promote academic cheating services. Penalties include up to two years in
prison and fines of up to $110,000. Students who are found to engage in cheating are
subject to their institution’s disciplinary penalties.
In addition to TEQSA’s enforcement action and work with providers and
international partners to share intelligence, the agency has also developed a range of
resources for students and staff.
These include advice on avoiding cheating services for students and a new
training course to upskill academics and staff within institutions to deter, detect and
respond to cases where students outsource work to third parties.
Suspected cheating services can be reported to TEQSA for investigation at www.
teqsa.gov.au/cheating

The Local is running a producers’ series over the next few editions. Here Kevin
Childs talks with Peter McQueen from Red Hare Estate Vineyard.
Black-faced Suffolk sheep graze in Denver, with alpacas not far away. Nearby the grape-stripped vines are shutting down.
Here, at the Red Hare Estate Vineyard, the grapes were on the vine longer thanks to late flowering, followed by wet conditions, then dry and cold.
Despite the unpredictability of the seasons, and with the passion that often seems to come from those in the wine game, owner Peter McQueen is not afraid to talk of his love of the land.
Mind you, this is from a bloke who seems unafraid to take a punt. Having lived
in Queensland and Melbourne, he took his family, including children aged four, six
and eight to the south-west of France, where he spent two years renovating a chateau.
“Through my oldest son’s schoolfriends I got involved with wine,” he says. “I’m
not a winemaker, our business is architecture, business development and real estate.”
(His wife, Kim McQueen, has a Daylesford real estate firm.)
Over 18 months the vineyard was totally renovated, reopening in July. It now
opens Friday to Monday (Thursday by appointment), has a new bar outside and a
pizza oven. From experience I can say it’s a casual and enjoyable place, with delicious
charcuterie plates and dogs welcome (up to 10 one weekend).
An extra attraction in October is the romping of black lambs in the vineyard.
“City people can get a country experience, as well as the wine.”
We turn to the name of the winery. There’s a lot of red, in the autumnal leaves
and the soil. There are hares in the vineyard. Apparently, they keep down the rabbits
and their young, they have no scent to draw the vineyard’s two dogs.
Grapes were first planted here by John Fontanella about 17 years ago, says Peter.
Just over two hectares are under vine and another 2.4 hectares are being planted. One
vineyard has pinot grigio and pinot gris and another the only prosecco in the shire, he
says.
“This is one of the highest (level) proseccos in Australia. The cool climate means
the grapes ripen extremely slowly, leading to subtle wines.” His new vines will be
gamay and pinot noir.
The wine is, he says, “a reflection of us: very fresh and not sweet…”
Having just had 14 people pick four tonnes of grapes last weekend, Peter gets a hearty laugh out of the notion of the romance of wine. “You’re asleep by six.”
Next day the aching muscles and backs are memorable. But worth it.

Words: Kevin Childs | Image: InkdFoto

The Mountview Theatre was buzzing at the gala night of its second production for the year, Buried Child, on May 12.
Mount Players president Karen Hunt said a full house enjoyed the debut
performance of the intense drama, above, which is the company’s entry in this year’s
Victorian Drama League Awards.
“The stage was transformed into an old, run down farmhouse set in Illinois
in the mid 70s, creating a macabre, tense atmosphere from the moment you sat
down. The cast and crew are to be congratulated on the acting, set design, sound
and lighting which, after months of hard work, culminated in a production we are
incredibly proud of.”
Karen said the One Act Play Festival will return for July 8/9 with “a very funny” Shakespeare production in August.
Link: www.themountplayers.com

Following its critically acclaimed production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola
in 2022, Lyster Opera is now touring with the early music masterpiece The
Coronation of Poppea.
Composed in 1643 for the Venice Festival by the most acclaimed composer of the
day, Claudio Monteverdi, The Coronation of Poppea was an immediate success and was
played across Europe. The score then mysteriously disappeared for over two centuries,
and when it was rediscovered, it was met with renewed acclaim.
The story is set on Mount Olympus, where three goddesses compete to establish
their supremacy over the mortal world. They set into action the story of the Emperor
Nero, who is determined to have his mistress Poppea ascend the throne – but needs
to remove a few obstacles along the way, including anyone who might stand in the
way.
Monteverdi’s music is sweeping in its emotion, ranging from humour to romance
to revenge. The roles of Poppea and Nero are sung by soprano Piera Dennerstein and
tenor Hew Wagner, with Helen Koehne as the Empress Ottavia, Michael Lampard
as Poppea’s discarded lover Ottone and Kerrie Ann Bolton as Poppea’s nurse, Arnalta.
The goddeses are sung by Mandy Lyn Brook, Angelique Tot and Adelaide Soccio
Greenaway, with Troy Castle and Josh Morton-Galea as the soldiers Liberto and
Lucano. Pamela Christie returns as musical director and accompanist.
For director Jamie Moffat, who is also singing the role of Seneca, The Coronation
of Poppea presents special challenges. “It’s important to not treat it as a museum
piece,” he says. “It’s a witty and really theatrical work, so we shouldn’t smother it with
too much reverence. It clearly wasn’t intended by its creators to be taken literally. At
the same time, we shouldn’t be gimmicky about it. It has survived over the centuries
because its story and music are so strong.”
Lyster Opera will be performing the opera in English in an edition edited by
conductor Raymond Leppard. New costumes designed by Maddy Connellan will be
featured. The performance will include a brief talk by Rachel Buckley.
The Coronation of Poppea will be performed at Oxley Shire Hall on May 27 at
2pm and Christ Church Daylesford on June 3 at 2.30pm. Tickets are $35 and $28
(concession) from www.lysteropera.com.au Details: 0410 890 388.

Words: Tony Sawrey | Image: Contributed

OH, WHAT one could do if only given the time to think, to have the freedom from the millstone of work and social distractions. What art we could create, what books we would write.
So, while being traumatic for many when Covid drove the country into isolation
in early 2020, it was for others an opportunity to think, research and create.
Author Catherine de Saint Phalle was one of those people. After coming to live
in the Central Highlands scant months before everywhere went into lockdown her
response to the isolation of Covid was to sit down and write another book.
Her new work is titled Call Me Marlowe and published through Transit Lounge
Press. The work was released on May 1 with an official launch at Brunswick Bound
bookshop in Melbourne on May 18.
Born in London, Catherine’s childhood was spent between France and England
and she started writing stories at seven. She left France in 2003 to live in Australia
and was shortlisted for the 2017 Stella Prize for a memoir of her parents called
Poum and Alexandre. Call Me Marlowe is her 10th book and a product of her life in
lockdown in a little cottage in a big garden overlooking Daylesford.
“I bought the house in late 2019 and I was here full time for three and half years,”
says Catherine.
“I think that place is always important to any writer and being in the country
offers a different pace, different feeling with people who live there and it inspires and
nourishes you. I wrote my whole novel here during that time and along with two
translation projects I was actually quite busy.”
Set in both Prague and Melbourne, Call Me Marlowe captures a man’s search for
his heritage in the hope of understanding his estrangement from his mother. And
with a gentle touch, the novel explores the nature of trauma – both personal and
political – in the lives of its characters.
“I wrote it as a sequel to my 2019 novel The Sea and Us but the publisher wanted
it to be a stand-alone so I worked on it again which made me revisit it in a different
way.
“So it can be considered as a stand-alone but by the same token it is the same
character (Harold Vaněk) and the story just continues. I may even write a third novel
about him, I don’t know. I am even referring to him in a new book in a very distant
way.”
Catherine says it is typical for her to take two to three years to write a book,
putting aside time for writing in the morning with translation projects in the
afternoon. The next work is, in her words, a strange mix between a memoir and a
novel.
“The main character is a potter but I’m only five or six chapters into it. I’m still on
the worksite as it were, with piles of rubble peeping out of everywhere.”
And when looking at a screen, researching, writing and thinking become a little
tedious, there is always the garden to retreat to. Catherine is passionate about growing
things, the beauty of nature and the respite gardening offers from the mental toil of
writing.
“My garden kept me sane during Covid,” she says. “It continues to do so now and
I work very hard on it. The presence of nature is so important to me. You feel safe and
never feel alone because nature is so omnipotent and always there.”

The Hepburn Shire Council has released its $59.10 million draft budget for 2023-24, which is now open for community feedback.

Any member of the community can now view the draft budget and budget summary online at https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/draft-budget and make a submission by 5pm on Thursday 8 June. Council will consider the budget at a Special Council Meeting to be held on Tuesday 27 June. Council meetings are livestreamed via Facebook.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said that the draft budget includes a record $19.56 million investment in capital works projects, which are predominately funded by Council.

“The budget has been prepared in one of the toughest financial environments in recent history. Our Shire has been significantly impacted by the COVID pandemic, multiple extreme natural disasters, rising inflation and interest rates, sector-wide shortages of construction contractors and extraordinary increases to material and construction costs,” said Cr Hood.

“We have sought to deliver a fiscally responsible budget that aims to achieve actions in our Council Plan, whilst balancing available resources and community expectations. We are in a delicate and challenging financial position which we will continue to manage prudently,” he said.

“While we have aimed to deliver a financially responsible budget, we are continuing to invest in projects that are important to our community and that align with priorities in our four-year Council Plan and the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan.

“There is a lot of work to be done as part of our recently adopted strategies, such as the Early and Middle Years, Youth and Positive Ageing strategies, Disability Action and Inclusion Plan and Gender Equality Action Plan,” he said.

The budget also continues the implementation of the Sustainable Hepburn strategy, including initiatives relating to circular economy, reducing emissions, protecting the natural environment and biodiversity, low waste initiatives and climate and water resilience.

Capital works highlights

· Major investment in roads of $2.73 million, made up of $1.28 million for pavement rehabilitation, $950,000 for road renewal, and $500,000 for gravel road re-sheeting.

· Construction of the Creswick Trails ($5.9 million).

· Renewal of the historic Wheelers Bridge ($3.2 million, supported by $2.8 million from the Federal Government).

· Renewal works to protect and improve the historic Daylesford Town Hall ($1.0 million).

· Completion of the Trentham Community Hub ($2.02 million), which will deliver a library, Council hub and community facilities.

· Detailed planning for Glenlyon Recreation Reserve Pavilion redevelopment ($150,000).

· Repairs to Trentham and Drummond tennis courts ($140,000).

· Detailed designs for the Clunes Recreation Reserve Masterplan ($100,000).

· Cyber security initiatives for data protection ($130,000).

· Review options for increased regulation of short-term accommodation properties ($30,000).

The budget proposes $5.9 million of new borrowings to support the delivery of key infrastructure assets, including $1 million for stage one of critical remedial works for the Daylesford Town Hall to ensure the long-term structural integrity of the building, and $4.9 million to be allocated to the construction of the 60-kilometre Creswick Trails.

The total cost of the Creswick Trails project, which started in 2017 and is under construction, is expected to total $9.4 million. Council has secured government funding

of $2.57 million towards this project and is continuing to lobby government for additional financial support.

“Along with hosting Commonwealth Games competition in 2026, the Creswick Trails network will be one of Australia’s key mountain biking destinations,” said Cr Hood.

The budget continues the important delivery of more than 100 services to the community, including road maintenance and repair, library services, early years, youth and positive ageing programs, emergency management response, major projects, tourism, grants and more.

Hepburn Shire was severely impacted by storm events in June 2021 (east of Shire), in January 2022 (west of Shire), and in October 2022 (Shire-wide). Forecast expenditure on storm events is $20.8 million by June 2024, with a net cost to Council (after government grants) close to $2.5 million, equivalent to 12.4% of Council’s annual general rates revenue.

“Planning for our future is an important component of our draft budget, with $2 million allocated to further enhance and support both our statutory and strategic planning activities. This includes development of critically important town structure plans as part of our Future Hepburn project,” said Cr Hood.

“We will also invest $130,000 in cyber security initiatives to ensure protection of data and will review possibilities of increased regulation of short-term accommodation properties ($30,000).”

Rates and charges

Rates and charges make up over half of Council’s annual budgeted revenue and are vital to provide the services and facilities that our community needs. Rate increases have been capped at 3.5% in line with the Victorian Government’s Fair Go Rates System.

“There has been a 7% CPI increase in the past year (to March) and we know that households are struggling with the increase in living expenses,” said Cr Hood.

Properties are revalued each year by the State Government and rates are based on the value of a property.

“There can be a misconception that Council receives additional revenue when the property market increases. This is not the case. The rate revenue for 2023/24 can only increase by 3.5% over the amount of rates collected in the 2022/23 (current) financial year,” said Cr Hood.

Consequently, based on property value, some residents will incur a rate increase of more than 3.5%, while others will incur an increase of less than 3.5% and some will see a decrease in rates.

Pensioners who qualify under the State Government’s Pensioner Rebate Remission scheme will be entitled to a Council-funded rebate of $21.

Under the draft budget the annual waste charges will increase approximately 6.2% on average to meet the increased costs of the service. The standard annual fee for a residential property (weekly garbage collection and fortnightly recycling) will be $570 (or $10.96 per week).

Words and image: Eve Lamb

Creswick’s upcoming Repair and Share event is pretty much what the name suggests.

Organised by local sustainability group Transition Creswick, it’s all about repairing broken items, similar to the successful Repair Cafe concept that’s keeping serious volumes of perfectly fixable stuff out of landfill in many communities already.

To get the ball rolling, a couple of months back Transition Creswick tested the waters by running a Repair Cafe event at Creswick, with a little help from the established Daylesford Repair Cafe.

About 40 people turned up at the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre hall with things that needed repair, and many broken or not-working things were fixed. It all went so well that now Transition Creswick is getting set to hold another similar event.

The upcoming Repair and Share event is set for Sunday May 28 and will take place from 1 to 4pm, once again in the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre hall.

Transition Creswick facilitator Tim Drylie says everyone is welcome to roll up with items that need fixing – and, in this case, also with goodies to share.

He says the Repair and Share concept will incorporate a share table where locals can share and swap intrinsically valuable things like home-baked cakes, or that excess quince crop that would otherwise go to waste in the back yard, or those eggs the chooks have laid in over- abundance.

Tim says it’s hoped the concept will become a regular monthly fixture, and he also says more people with handy repair skills of all kinds are encouraged to get in contact as their abilities will be very welcome.

This includes things like the ability to provide basic bicycle repairs, mechanical repairs, ceramic repairs and even IT know-how. A volunteer fixer who is a qualified electrician would also be most welcome, Tim mentions.

“The Daylesford Repair Cafe has been very successful over several years and has made a big difference in terms of stuff not going to landfill,” he says.

 “We ran our first Repair Cafe a couple of months ago in conjunction with the Daylesford Repair Cafe as a bit of an outreach. It was very successful and we had people with all sorts of repair skills including clothes mending, knife-sharpening, bike repairs, ceramics repairs and small appliance repairs 

“Repair and Share is a slightly different approach but we have a strong affiliation with the Repair Cafe. At the moment we’re putting the structures in place to ensure it’s all done safely and the checks and balances are done. It’s with the broader idea of having a community exchange market down the track, enabling non-monetary trading.

 “It’s also about good conversation. These sorts of events are very good for community connectedness.

 “There is a natural abundance that we can all bring to our community that helps build resilience.

“I think a lot of people are experiencing frustration at having appliances break down. Built-in redundancy is an issue, and it might be something as simple as needing a bike tube changed or a sweater darned.

 “We’re tapping into expertise that may not otherwise be valued as much in our current economy, and it’s often very satisfying for people who have these sorts of skills to give back in this way.

“Of course unfortunately some things can’t be repaired, and it may be a matter of referring people to someone else with the expertise to help.”

Transition Creswick is auspiced by the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre and some of the other projects with which it’s also currently involved include the Hepburn EV Bulk Buy scheme and the creation of an Indigenous food garden.

Those who would like more information, or who think they may have useful repair skills to contribute are encouraged to contact Transition Creswick at transitioncreswick@gmail.com

Words and image Eve Lamb

The permanent relocation of Clunes Neighbourhood House to the town’s former Free Lending Library Building is poised to breathe new life into one of the town’s historically significant sites, invigorating the CBD as well.

For the previous 20 years or so Clunes’  historic former free lending library in Templeton Street, has sat largely unused, save for some assorted community meetings and a brief stint involving youth activity.

But plenty of groundwork by dedicated community volunteer committee of management members has paved the way for the beautiful old building’s reinvention – for essentially the very same use its founding mothers intended way back in 1852.

Stage one works inside the building, are now in full swing and are scheduled for completion in June, says Clunes Neighbourhood House manger, Lana de Kort.

When the new flooring and other internal works are done come the end of June the Neighbourhood House will then base itself there permanently, having previously been housed in the town’s Lee Medlyn Bottle Museum complex for the past 10 years or so.

In the meantime, while key works are under way, the Neighbourhood House HQ is temporarily working out of the town’s BOOM co-working space in Fraser Street.

Lana says the move to the former free lending library building has been informed every step of the way by what the community wants, guided by the ethos “focus on the Neighbourhood and the House can follow”.

“The Committee of Management and Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) approached us to use the building at a time that was perfect for us,” she says.

“We’re still continuing to take responsibility for the Lee Medlyn space and we will work out how the community wants to use that into the future.

“Most of the works here (in the free lending library building) will be finished by the end of June, and that will enable us to get into the building. The current work is the first stage of a series of stages and we expect there will be four stages,” Lana says.

She says funding for this work was “just the latest in a series of smart decisions made by people protecting this building” and was secured by Graeme Johnstone, Phil Taig and Denise Fordham (the then committee for the building) through the Hugh D.T Williamson Foundation.

“The volunteers that went before us did engineering and structural reports and historical reports, and stabilising works so now we’re at the stage where we can preserve and restore.

“With these reports, as well as engineering reports completed over the last decade, we have been well placed to work with DEECA to begin the safety works to restore the entrance and meeting rooms.

“The volunteer committee stabilised the building and we had an event in February where people could look through the building and share their ideas for it.

“The real magic is that the ideas that the community has come forward with are essentially exactly the same ideas that brought the building into being in 1852,” Lana says.

“Back in 1852 a group of women from Clunes identified a need for a space where people could come together and read and learn together.

“They worked with the community to raise the funds for the building. They lobbied landowners and the mining industry to support the development of the building as a place to develop literacy skills.

“I think it started off as the mechanics institute but it was always a place of informal learning. It’s always been a space where the community can come together and grow and that’s what we intend it will continue to be as we go forward.

“It is a community space where people can connect, learn and gain support.”

The Clunes Neighbourhood House itself has existed for four decades, operating from various venues, and is a vital community hub delivering social connection activities including group exercise, training courses, general support including digital literacy, and help navigating things like applying for the state government’s power saving bonus.

“We also provide emergency relief support,” Lana says.

The newly reinvigorated former free lending library building will provide contemporary meeting, office, kitchen and training spaces, all set off beautifully by the historic high timber ceilings, fine old arched windows and stained glass.

Lana says staged work planned ahead will also include shower and laundry facilities that will be made available for use by those who need them through a partnership with Anglicare Victoria.

 There are also plans to accommodate the re-introduction of a regular children’s playgroup for the town.

“We are certainly looking at having a playgroup here, after the playgroup in Clunes ceased operating as of the middle of last year,” Lana says.

There are also plans to use one of the beautiful old high-ceilinged rooms within as a parlour to host music events among other activities.

“For us it means we have a permanent home,” Lana says.

“We will be operating from here three days a week from Tuesday to Thursday, and this location is much more visible and accessible to people.”

Lana notes that with CNH temporarily based in BOOM Clunes, that shopfront will be open until the June long-weekend, seven days a week from 10am – 3pm with staff available on Wednesday and Thursday to assist with the power saving bonus.

In the meantime concept boards are being used to highlight the different ways the community has imagined spaces might be used at Clunes Neighbourhood House once the Clunes Former Free Lending Library building is fully restored.

“All of the activities that the Neighbourhood House does in Clunes are community–led so people can continue to come forward with ideas.”

Creswick Theatre Company has been having a wickedly good time preparing to stage dark comedy Arsenic and Old Lace.

The script by American playwright Joseph Kesselring was written in 1939 and sweeps its audience into the world of two (seemingly) dear older ladies, the Brewster sisters, who live with their nephew in Brooklyn. 

The gals are sweet and welcoming older ladies who just happen to have a personal practice of murdering single men – to save them from being lonely. 

“It’s a farce,” says director of the Creswick Theatre Company version, Jenni Sewell. “It’s a very funny script, subtle but clever, and there’s bits in it where we just crack up in rehearsals.”

The original Arsenic and Old Lace made its Broadway debut in 1941, enjoyed a successful three-year run, and went on to be made famous by the 1944 film adaptation directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant as Mortimer Brewster.

The Creswick Theatre Company production features a cast of 13 and is being staged over June 16-25 with four evening shows and two matinees, and tickets are on sale through Humanitix online.

Jenni says they’re selling, so best not mess about if you want to be sure of catching it.

“We have a seating limit so if people really want to see it they should get tickets.”

Elly Kries has one of the lead roles as Martha Brewster and, when The Local dropped in on a recent rehearsal, was obviously having a rollicking good time getting into character for the part. But there are challenges.

“It’s really hard when everyone’s breaking up laughing, not to crack up yourself and just keep performing the part,” Elly said.

“It’s a great script and I do like playing dress-ups and being someone else for a little while.”

There are plenty of strong character parts including Elaine the minister’s rather naughty daughter played by Imogen Nooney.

“She’s a bit saucy, a bit more worldly then a minister’s daughter really should be,” Imogen said of her character.

Delacombe’s Ellen Scott plays Officer O’Hara, an interesting character as well.

“He could best be described as duplicitous,” Ellen said. “He lives one life to earn his keep but has been writing a play… for twelve years.”

Like many of his fellow cast members, Ballarat’s Chris Andrew has been with CTC for a while and has appeared on stage in previous productions with this lively little community theatre company. For Arsenic and Old Lace he’s playing Dr Reverend Harper.

“It’s a challenging role but I love it,” he said. “It’s heaps of fun. I love being on stage and bringing fun and laughter for the audience.”

Tickets are through Humanitix.com

A Biggest Morning Tea will be held at Plaistow Homestead at Joyces Creek, near Newstead, tomorrow, Thursday, May 25 from 10am to 12.30pm. The event is hosted there by Lilian and Peter Skilbeck.
“Whenever people gather almost inevitably a discussion will occur about one’s health and of course that will include cancer in one of its many forms,” Peter said.
“In Victoria there is a fabulous organisation, Cancer Council Victoria, which provides a diverse range of services to support anyone currently diagnosed with cancer of any form and their families.
“Cancer Council Victoria have an online and telephone nurse support and
advisory service, provide wigs and some financial support, organise respite holidays,
are proactive in providing lifestyle recommendations to promote healthier, longer
disease-free lives but also provide extensive funding for research into causes and
treatments for cancer in its many forms.
“All of these services are provided free thanks to fundraising by the community.
Cancer Council Victoria receives no government funding for its programs.”
Lilian said for the past 25 years the community had attended a Biggest Morning
Tea at Plaistow Homestead with every cent raised going directly to the organisation.
“After such a wet late summer and autumn the gardens at Plaistow are looking
lush (and so are the weeds) so come with family and friends to enjoy some fellowship
and great music, spend some cash on the stalls all while you enjoy an endless cup of
coffee or tea and scones fresh from the oven.” Entry by donation.
Plaistow Homestead is at 324 Rodborough Road, Joyces Creek, about 7km from Newstead. Follow the flags from the intersection of the Pyrenees Highway and Rodborough Road to the venue.
Volunteers to help on the day would be appreciated – email Lilian and Peter at
plaistow@bigpond.com or call 0419 884 710

Things are gonna’ get jazzy at the Daylesford Hotel this Saturday night.

Jennifer Salisbury is an enchanting songstress who weaves her smokey jazz vocals with class, glamour and sophistication. Mark Morand has been described as a “truly authentic jazz guitarist” whose passion for music shines through.

Together this duo will jazz out the nostalgic classics of the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s with a focus on The Great American Songbook.

Jennifer and Mark are one of Victoria’s busiest jazz partnerships, performing at clubs, pubs and functions in all corners of the state since 2018.

This Saturday evening, May 27, is an opportunity to catch their rare synchronicity live, starting from 6pm

Melbourne Blues artist Lloyd Spiegel has been touring the globe for 30 of his 40 years. This Friday evening – May 26 – the 14-time Australian Blues Award winner brings his trio to The Palais, Hepburn Springs to treat blues fans.

Spiegel has one of the most interesting stories in music, having grown up on stage learning from, and touring with the founders of modern Blues.

The current show features the incredibly talented Lisa Baird on Trombone and long-time collaborator Tim Burnham on drums.

Combined with Spiegel’s guitar wizardry, powerful vocal performance and knack for storytelling, this trio with a twist delivers a truly unique entertainment experience that reinvents the blues and dispels the cliches associated with it.

The show starts from 6.35pm.

Melbourne muso Karlo Arcinue is headed to the Daylesford Hotel to perform live this Thursday evening May 25.

Karlo Arcinue is a Melbourne based singer-songwriter influenced by 70s folk artists such as James Taylor and Jim Croce.

He started his solo music project during the lockdowns, and unexpectedly grew a large global social media following (FB) through posting performance videos of his original songs.

As soon as the lockdowns ended, he has been gigging around live music venues in Melbourne and steadily growing a local fanbase.

Timed nicely to coincide with dinner this Thursday, Karlo’s on from 6pm-8pm.

Transportive and with a penchant for drama, Taylah Carroll wants to lay the world before her listener; a world she characterises neatly as: “a 60s Parisian detective, meets dystopian desert cowgirl”.

Hallmarked by commanding vocals and seamless transitions between vulnerability and strength, Taylah’s music melds confessional and dreamy alt-folk, with pop sensibilities and introspective lyricism. 

This Melbourne-based artist plays the Daylesford Hotel this Friday evening May 26.

Lyrics form the centrepiece of her craft, exploring themes of self-actualisation, growth and loss, rich with brooding contemplation and punctuated by observational wit. The dissection of what she sees and hears around her, whether observing a friend mid-breakup or describing a childhood walk through the suburbs, is by turns charming and withering. 

Her previous releases, ‘To Please Ya’, and ‘I’m Not Sold‘ have garnered support nationwide. Both singles received airplay across triple j, PBS, Triple R, FBi and rage, and featured on numerous Spotify curated playlists including New Music Friday, Indie Arrivals and Broad Chords. ‘I’m Not Sold’ was also included in The Guardian’s Best New Australian Music playlist for 6-consecutive months and secured her a performance at Federation Square’s Fed Live Summer Series.

This Friday evening’s gig is set to start at 6pm.