DONNA and I have decided to hit the road for a bit of time away over
winter. We did the same journey a while back but this time it has to
be planned within an inch of its life.
The problem is that we will be away for one production of The Local and we will
be outback in the north-west, which has been devastated by floods that no one much
over here has heard about – but they covered the same land mass as the UK.
The hardest thing about the journey is that places like Fitzroy Crossing are trying
to get on their feet, swamped by tradies fixing the buildings and roads up and there is
not much in the way of accommodation or communication.
We were going by way of a caravan, however most of those for sale claim to
have done the big trip once and I don’t want to make that mistake, so it is a frumpy
motel trip for us. I have secured accommodation in all the places that are hard to get
and have invested in Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet. Meaning that particular
edition of The Local will be beamed up to the cosmos and back down to our printers
(what a ride).
Around 20 years ago, which seems like only a couple of years to me, we embarked
on the same journey which ended up getting cut short by a family emergency. I was
working selling luxury motorboats under the Westgate Bridge at Pier 35 Marina.
I mention where I was working because I can draw a parallel to the type of car
I was driving which was a gold Hyundai Sonata. Most of my clients were mega rich
and had gloriously lavish cars, boats, houses and toys. When I saw this thing twirling
around on a display in the car showroom, I had to have it for its ostentatious colour
and the fact the body design was extremely close to the Jaguar of the day. And then
there was the price, a modest 25K, more of a me price.

Although I have some idea of an engine room in a boat and a little less but
passable knowledge of what is under the bonnet, I never looked at my Hyundai’s
power plant. It blasted along the freeway, had Bluetooth and a good CD player. It was
only when I took off on a slippery road up a hill, I realised it had front wheel drive.
Anyway, one winter’s day Donna and I decided to hit the road and took six
weeks off work to drive up the guts through Alice Springs, turn left at Katherine, pull
into Darwin and then follow the road until we got back. We had no plans and no
particular timetable. Our accommodation was a tent and we booked into powered
sites so we could run the heaters, fans, TV, phone chargers and electric blankets. I kid
you not. Gotta have some home comforts.
Now around sunset at most of these caravan parks a stir begins to happen as
the women attend to the meals and the older blokes start to roam. At first it’s just
a couple and the group grows as they walk around, stubby in hand. These guys are
harmless enough, they just enjoy talking about what septic system you have onboard
your RV and how many miles to the gallon you do, that sort of thing.
One evening while partaking in a hashish farewell gift for the trip, this throng of
blokes came over the hill into my powered tent site, looked around at our abundance
of appliances and then drew their gaze to my shiny new Hyundai.
They started asking what I had under the hood…questions like the economy
of the vehicle and even what sort of tyres I had chosen for the journey. Drawing a
complete blank from me they tutted and almost as one mumbled about safety and
young drug addicts.
There won’t be any intentional ingesting of illegal substances on this trip, even
vaping, and it should be just a very relaxing, pleasant and long, long drive.
Long drive rant over…

By Donna Kelly

A FRIEND once told me, as the editor/journalist, I should attend council meetings. I told her she could go along in my stead. Her reply? “No thanks, what a waste of time.” Exactly.
I do get asked now and again why we don’t cover things like the aforementioned
council meetings, court rounds, police rounds or why we don’t chase ambulances or
perhaps do death knocks. If that has kept you up at night, it’s time I came clean.
Council meetings. Firstly, covering them is pretty much note taking. All the
decisions have already been made and these days the public pretty much gets about
two minutes to speak before they are pounced on for wasting time. Much better to
do the story before or after the meeting – and some of them last for hours. They are
live-streamed on Facebook if you are bored and have finished rearranging your sock
drawer.
Courts. When I was a young journo working on the Southern Peninsula Gazette
out of Rosebud, you would spend every Friday covering the courts in Dromana.
Now, sometimes you would find something good but mostly it was something pretty
ordinary. But we were there because that’s what old-fashioned newspapers did/do.
So some poor school principal who had spent 30 years giving his all to educate
thousands of kids, gets his name in the paper, and probably loses his job, for
being .051, or some woman with three shitty kids and a nasty, abusive husband is
named because her only chance to cry for help was stealing something at the local
supermarket. But we named and shamed. Not my kind of journalism and because I
am the editor, I get the last say.
Police rounds. Now, in the old days, police reporting was fun because cops and
journos would talk to each other. In fact there was more than one young female
journo, not me, who got all the best yarns in return for the odd bit of sex. And I also
remember one police station burning off a huge stash of marijuana – we all stood
around breathing deeply. And I am sure some of it went missing. But these days
everything has to pretty much go through the media liaison unit – so that was the end
of that.
Ambulance chasing. Who does this? Someone is having the most crap night/day
of their life and you want to know who and where and why. Maybe put a photo of
the crashed car on social media before the family has been informed? Maybe if you
are a TV station you can get a journo to stand in front of the Alfred Hospital and talk
about their condition? Maybe you could get a helicopter to fly above and get some
footage of the person being wheeled into said hospital? What a great way to spend a
day and what fantastic news. Really changing people’s lives. No thanks.
Oh, death knocks. Ever done one? There’s where they send mostly young journos
to someone’s house to try and find a relative to talk about the dead and dying.
Perhaps say things like “people would like to know what sort of person they were” or
“how is everyone holding up?”. If all really goes to plan you could take a moment to
grab a quick snap of a photo on the mantelpiece. Done the knock, nothing else, and
never again.
When we started The Local 10 years ago this September we wanted something
inspiring, educational, fun and informative. And I think we have done that.
And if you really want all that news above, just head to your phone. It is there
24/7 and we could never compete with that, even if we wanted to. Which we don’t.
We’ll just keep to connecting the community. Just sayin’…

I have been listening to Nicole Chvastek’s show Statewide Drive on the ABC
radio for many years. I tune in most days to keep abreast on issues relevant in
my life. I also enjoy the light-hearted, witty banter and music segments.
I’ve heard on many occasions politicians on both ends of the spectrum being
challenged and held accountable when they are making decisions which affect us. She
is an A-class journalist and has become a trusted spokesperson for us.
We are being told she will be back in a few weeks, I and many others hope this
to be true. To tune in one day and not have her on our airwaves with no reason or
explanation is disrespectful to listeners.
There are many others who share my view, you just have to read the comments
listeners are writing on the change.org petition. We just want her back, in her seat, on
her show, doing what she does best.
Nicole is one of the best presenters in the country and doesn’t deserve to be the
victim of in-house, conservative, political posturing at the ABC.
I miss hearing Nicole on my radio every afternoon. Nicole lives in regional
Victoria and she knows the issues which are important to us. She is such a
compassionate person who is able to discuss very emotional and emotive issues so
respectfully and with a focused and balanced approach.
I miss her sense of humour and banter with guests, people who call in and her
colleagues. Please bring her back.
From – Chantal Leaver, Creswick

Upon my arrival in Australia, I couldn’t wait to explore the country and all it had to offer.
One of the first things I noticed was the stringent biosecurity measures, which
were in place to protect the country’s unique flora and fauna.

Despite the late hour, the city was alive with activity, and I couldn’t help but feel excited about all
the adventures that lay ahead.

One of my fondest memories of my time in Australia was visiting a local pub a
few times with my Uncle Kyle and Aunty Donna.

The ribs at the pub were simply delicious and had a unique smoky flavour that I
still remember to this day. I would die just to have those mouth-watering ribs again.

As I explored the nearby quaint town of Daylesford, I was pleasantly surprised
to find a vast selection of brands at the supermarket at significantly lower prices than
what I was used to back home. It was a shopper’s paradise and I couldn’t resist buying
a few souvenirs to take back with me.

The wildlife in Glenlyon was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The chorus
of bird songs in my new home was markedly different and louder than those I was
accustomed to.

I was fascinated by the kangaroos and wombats that roamed freely in the area. I
was lucky enough to ride on the back of a ute one day and get up close and personal
with a mob of kangaroos. It was an experience I will never forget.
Autumn in Glenlyon was a sight to behold. The stunning beauty of the changing
leaves captivated me, and I relished the opportunity to capture its essence through
my photography. The landscape was simply breathtaking, and I couldn’t help but feel
grateful for the chance to witness it firsthand.

All in all, Glenlyon proved to be a picturesque place that photography enthusiasts
would surely adore. From its unique wildlife to its stunning landscapes, it was a place
that left a lasting impression on me.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a one-of-a-kind travel
experience. There is so much I could talk about like the delicious automated Japanese
restaurant in Ballarat, the different football rules, my first Anzac Dawn Service
experience, making meals, the Bullarto/Trentham Tractor Pull and much more, but
overall this place is amazing.

From Hunter, 12, Southland, New Zealand

(Ed’s note: Hunter is our great-nephew and came to stay from New Zealand for
a week during the school holidays. We asked him to write a little piece about his
experience. Nicely done.)

Letters and musings are always welcome. Keep them to the point.
Email news@tlnews.com.au Any addressed Dear Sir will be deleted. 🙂

A pilot project to trial weekly kerbside collection of food organics and garden organics in Clunes has been hailed as a “great success”.

The trial, operated by Hepburn Shire Council, began in 2021 and mayor Cr Brian Hood now says it’s been a great success.

“We’ve diverted 200 tonnes of organic material from landfill and residents have seen up to a 40 per cent
reduction in waste in their general rubbish bin.

“We are extending the trial collection of FOGO (Food Organics Garden Organics) in Clunes while the council considers the plan to roll out FOGO collection to townships as part of the kerbside collection shire-wide, which we are expecting to be within the next 12 months.”

Central Highlands Rural Health is after new members for its Community
Advisory Committee.
The role of CAC is to advise the board on effective consumer partnering
and participation; advocate on behalf of the community and consumers on new
initiatives to deal with current or emerging health issues; and to provide direction and
leadership in relation to the integration of consumer, carer and community member
views into all levels of CHRH service operations, planning, and policy development.
Community representatives who are passionate about local healthcare and live in
the Macedon Ranges or Hepburn shires are welcome to apply. CAC meets four times a year. To apply to be a member of the CHRH Community Advisory Committee write a short application and send to Elise Hart via email at elise.hart@chrh.org.au

The Rex building in Daylesford is looking more colourful with paintings,
including images of T-Rex dinosaurs, now on its facade in Vincent Street.
The building was bought earlier this year, from Hepburn Shire Council, by Eddy
and Malinka Comelli and Yuge and David Bromley. The Local recently asked Mr
Comelli if there was any progress happening inside but there was no official comment
at this stage. A Local Government Inspectorate report into the 2016 purchase of the
building by the council for a Hepburn Hub project is still be be released.

The electorate of Macedon has the lowest number of applications, 8047, for
the state government’s Power Saving Bonus.

The program gives $250 to people who look for a better energy deal through
the Victorian Energy Compare website.

In addition, more than 17,000 households statewide have received the bonus through a community outreach partner including the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria, Good
Shepherd, State Trustees and neighbourhood houses.

Ochre Medical in Clunes and Creswick continues with its mask wearing policy
which will be reassessed after winter.

Meanwhile at John Curtin Aged Care in Creswick, mandatory mask wearing ended on April 26 but rapid antigen tests are continuing for visitors, workers and medical staff.

At Springs Medical in Trentham, Daylesford and Kyneton, patients and staff have the choice to wear a mask. And for Central Highlands Rural Health, N95 masks are no longer required unless staff
are working in high-risk areas.

A surgical mask is the minimal PPE required to be worn by staff working in all clinical areas in acute, residential aged care services and community nursing. RAT requirements prior to entry continue in aged care.

Daylesford author Catherine de Saint Phalle moved to the region in 2019,
just before lockdown, using the time to write another book.
Call Me Marlowe is published through Transit Lounge Press. It was released
on May 1 with an official launch to take place at Brunswick Bound bookshop in
Melbourne this Thursday, May 18. Journalist Tony Sawrey spoke with Catherine and his story
will run in the May 22 edition of The Local.

with Darren Lowe

Newstead Arts Hub and Newstead Live will present two events in June featuring Australian singer-songwriter, Fred Smith.
On Friday, June 2, Fred Smith and band will present his new show, Sparrows of Kabul at the Newstead Community Centre from 7pm.
Then on Saturday, June 3, from 10am to noon, Fred will hold a songwriting workshop for young aspiring songwriters and musicians in year 9 upwards with a maximum of 20 participants.
Newstead Live is also calling for youth volunteers who are interested in gaining
experience in live performance management. Volunteers must be 15 years or older.
Details are available from Kelly Skinner at nedkelski@yahoo.com.au or 0448 234 758.
Links: https://events.humanitix.com/sparrows-of-kabul or
https://events.humanitix.com/songwriting-workshop-with-fred-smith
Gig Guide
Daylesford Hotel, Daylesford
Thursday, May 11, 6pm – Bud Wilkins
Friday, May 12, 6pm – Mijo Biscan
Sunday, May 14, 6pm – Adrian Deakin (residency)
Thursday, May 18, 6pm – Oceanique
Saturday, May 20, 6pm – Beth Winter Trio
Sunday, May 21, 6pm – Adrian Deakin (residency)
Odessa at Leavers, Creswick
Auld Alliance – Saturday, May 27
Dave Graney and Clare Moore – Saturday, June 3

Mahilpreet Singh (pictured above) moved to Australia from India in 2020 – just in time for
Covid lockdowns.
The now 22-year-old lived in Craigieburn with his uncle and found work at
Australia Post as a parcel sorter while studying to enter the health sector. He made
the move to Ballarat to be closer to his university at Mt Helen – and hopefully some
face-to-face classes.
By this time he was qualified to be a personal care worker and “accidentally”
applied to Hepburn House, not realising it was a bit of a drive from Ballarat.
He got the job and now loves both his work and the drive from home and back.
“That first day, when I applied, I was driving through Dean and Newlyn and when I
passed those towns they actually reminded me of my farming village, Nanakpura, in
India. So it’s just a lovely scenic drive. And I love my work. I have now graduated as a
nurse and am loving being in aged care.”
Mahilpreet said Hepburn House took great care of its clients and staff and while
he had another choice of working in the field of mental health, the decision had been
made for him.
“I am absolutely loving it. It is a very nice facility and everyone is lovely. I used
to help older people when I was living in India which is why I wanted to become a
nurse. My first placement was in aged care and I just loved it from the start.”
Mahilpreet said he moved at 19 from India for more opportunities, living with
his uncle for some time which made the move a little easier, especially with Covid in
the background.
And while he loves nursing he has plans to eventually continue his studies.
“But at the moment I am very happy where I am, loving Hepburn House and my
drive, so I will just see how things go.”
Hepburn House is a progressive aged care centre offering a highly advanced,
fully personalised range of aged care services for its residents. Dedicated staff, like
Mahilpreet, work to create a comfortable, friendly and diverse community. Residents
are cared for while meeting individual lifestyle needs and managing practical issues
for everyone.
For more information head to hepburnhouse.com.au or call 5348 8100

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Contributed

The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, intersex queer and asexual (LGBTIQA+) communities across Central Victoria are being highlighted through a swag of events supported by the state government.
Minister for Equality Harriet Shing says the activities in Castlemaine, including
an art exhibition, an evening with a legendary entertainer and a podcast launch, were
an opportunity to learn more about Victoria’s LGBTIQA+ communities.
An exhibition at the Castlemaine Art Museum (CAM), David Rosetzky: Air to
Atmosphere, explores the diversity, resilience, and pride of LGBTIQA+ communities
in Central Victoria.
Commissioned by CAM, artist David Rosetzky has collaborated with members of
LGBTIQA+ communities on Dja Dja Wurrung Country to bring together a major
body of work, which features photography, filmmaking, performance, publishing,
music, song and choreography.
The government has contributed $6750 through its Pride Events and Festivals
Fund towards the event, which opened in late March and will run until September.
A grant of $6930 was also provided through the Pride Events and Festivals Fund
to Vintage Drag in Mint Condition – An Evening with Stan Munro on April 29.
There was also a launch of the second series of the Pride Across the Ages Podcast
created by the team from community radio station MainFM’s Queer and Now
program.
Ms Shing said the government was proud to support events that tell the stories
of LGBTIQA+ people across Victoria. “Events like this matter to visibility, dignity,
pride and safety and they tackle the stigma and vilification so often experienced by
LGBTIQA+ people.”
LGBTIQA+ Communities commissioner Todd Fernando (pictured above) said regional pride
events were “fantastic opportunities for LGBTIQA+ people across the state to
express joy in who they are, come together with their partners, families and friends
as supportive communities and for allies to continue learning and showing their
support”.

The Local is running a producers’ series over the next few editions. Here Eve Lamb talks with Graeme Grigson from G’s Bees Honey – Down to Earth.

How does someone go from having just two bee hives to having 80? Don’t ask Clunes’ Graeme Grigson because he doesn’t know how it happened.

Suffice to say it did and now he’s a fulltime beekeeper. Bee-sotted you might say.

So is his buddy in all things apiary, Ian Macfarlane a former Clunes resident who now lives in Ballarat.

Ian keeps his four hives alongside Graeme’s, and, just between you and me, confides that it’s all part of a cunning plan to find out more about the pastime for which the two share a never-ending fascination.

“Graeme’s a great mentor. He likes to pass on all his knowledge,” Ian says.

Graeme says he started out as a hobbiest beekeeper with just a couple of boxes about two decades ago..

“I’ve been in beekeeping now for about 20 years,” he says.

“It started out as a hobby with two hives. Then I started helping others and my two hives became 10 and now it’s about 80 all up. I don’t know how that happened.

“It’s become full-time over the last two to three years.”

While his beekeeping enterprise that’s called G’s Bees Honey – Down to Earth, is a boutique business compared to the bigger commercial operations, it nevertheless sees him producing some 3000 kilograms of honey annually, “in a good year”.

“Normally in a good year we’d get about 3000 kilograms,” Graeme says.

As a result Graeme now supplies multiple local retail outlets from Melton and Bacchus Marsh to Creswick and Clunes, and he also regularly attends local farmers markets, selling his bees’ delicious produce.

But honey is far from the only product that flows from this pursuit of choice.

G’s Bees – Down to Earth has now also helped to create part-time employment for a neighbour of Graeme’s, in Clunes, who uses some of the honey to produce a range of tempting confectionery including chocolate-dipped honeycomb, lolly-pops and ginger honey.

“The ginger honey has really taken off,” Graeme says.

As well as this, G’s Bees – Down to Earth provides wax to other enterprising locals who convert the raw product into beautiful candles including natural tealights, and moisturizing lip balms, which also sell at local markets and select retail outlets.

“There’s nothing in a bee hive that can’t be used,” Graeme says.

“The wax, the honey, the pollen, the propolis…”

Then there’s the almond pollination. Graeme’s 80 or so hives – plus Ian’s four – get to travel quite a bit including up north to pollinate commercial almond crops.

“We migrate our bees throughout the year to different sites from Clunes to the Little Dessert,” the Clunes beekeeper says.

We go north to Piangle on the border in August for almond pollination then down to Kerang, and Sheparton and the canola which helps build the bees up after the almonds.”

Depending on where the hives are stopped, they collect from tree species including “long leaf box, yellow box, brown stringy bark, yellow gum, red gum, grey box, orange blossom, messmate.” Grame reels off some of the species from which his bees typically collect.

When possible, this list may also include the type of tea tree from which the precious medicinal manuka honey is produced.

When The Local caught up with Graeme and Ian, it was at a magnificent Buninyong site where about 60 of the hives had been sited but were soon to be collected and shifted to another site near Mount Beckworth just out of Clunes.

“My first honey extraction is normally around October and if it’s a good season we can extract every four to five weeks after that through to May,” Graeme said.

He explained what drew him to beekeeping in the first place.

“I just love honey really. And what better way to enjoy honey? I never use sugar any more as a sweetener. Just honey. It’s medicinal as well and, I believe, the darker the better.”

Both Ian and Graeme take the occasional sting as par for the course, but are also careful about donning the correct protective beekeeping kit before getting up close and personal with their buzzzy charges.

The challenges of bee keeping include “keeping on top of pests”- something Ian mentions – to the sometimes prohibitive costs associated with travel and transport which Graeme mentions.

“And if we get a bad season that’s a big challenge,” Graeme adds

The wetter weather of last year was challenging and impacted yields for many of the state’s beekeepers, for example

But Graeme and Ian agree it’s one of the most addictive enterprises you can get into.

“Really I got into it when I started learning how wonderful those little insects are,” Ian said.

Graeme names the lifestyle and the practice of getting out and about into some glorious parts of the state among the sweet aspects of becoming a beekeeper.

“It’s a fantastic interest to enjoy,” he says.

But he has some parting advice for those who think beekeeping may be for them.

“If you’re going to start out as a beekeeper, do your researcher and go out with a mentor. Also there’s beekeeping clubs like the Ballarat club and the Melbourne Beekeepers Club. Join a club.”

Words and Images: Eve Lamb

(Next edition, Red Hare Estate Vineyard)

Hymn and Her Ensemble will perform at Yandoit Cultural, the old church in the bush at Uniting Church Road, on Saturday, May 20 from 4pm.
Consisting of new Yandoit residents Harmony Byrne and David Elias, pictured above, in collaboration with Serene Byrne and Gabriel Kenner, Hymn and Her Ensemble will present an acoustic performance consisting of vocals, acoustic guitar, flute and cello. Together they offer honest folk, bluesy songs of contemplation and country campfire vibes.
Entry is by donation with bookings via Alison King on 0415 555 081 or email ycfcpg@gmail.co