A total of $4.4 million in grants is on offer to help volunteers and the next generation of Victorians in caring for the state’s precious environment and biodiversity.

Minister for Environment Ingrid Stitt late last week announced the opening of two rounds of grants – the 2023 Victorian Landcare Grants and the 2023 Victorian Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants.

Through the Victorian Landcare Grants, environmental volunteer groups can apply for up to $20,000 for on-ground works and community education projects that protect or improve the natural environment, including native vegetation and wildlife, waterways and soils.

Grants of up to $500 are also available to help with group and network administration and running costs.

The Victorian Landcare Grants are open to environmental volunteer groups, including Landcare groups and networks, Friends groups, Conservation Management Networks, Committees of Management, Coastcare groups and Aboriginal groups, to support their work in helping protect the health of Victoria’s natural environment.

More than 200 projects were funded through last year’s grants, including rehabilitation of wetland near Anglesea, monitoring and maintenance of nest boxes for sugar gliders and brush-tailed phascogales and the planting of thousands of Indigenous plants to in East Gippsland.

The cost of using V/Line public transport is now hitting the hip pockets of regional travellers less hard with the state government’s new regional fare cap now in effect.

Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll last Friday, March 31, joined the first passengers to benefit from the new regional fare cap, travelling by train from Southern Cross Station to Woodend Station.

The cost of a daily ticket on the entire regional Victorian network is now capped at the same prices as metropolitan daily fares – currently $9.20 for a full fare or $4.60 for a concession. On a weekend or public holiday, daily fares are capped at $6.70 and currently just $3.35 for concession.

That means more money in regional Victorians’ pockets, and more opportunities for families in Melbourne and visitors to the state to explore everything Victoria has to offer. It also ensures families living in rural and regional Victoria can visit loved ones, and access health and education services in other regional cities and in Melbourne.

^{Pictured above: Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll with Mary-Anne Thomas at Woodend station last Friday, March 31.}

For those who take long-distance V/Line journeys, the regional fare cap can save people more than $40 for each and every one-way journey on the regional public transport network.

The cap also applies to interstate travel within 60 kilometres of the Victorian border, as well as Albury, Merimbula, Deniliquin and Mt Gambier, to ensure those living in border communities in New South Wales and South Australia benefit as well. The fare cap applies to all PTV regional buses, town buses and V/Line trains and coaches.

The state government says it’s continuing to boost the public transport network across regional Victoria, running more trains, more often – investing nearly $1.5 billion in 59 new VLocity trains since 2014, which has created around 500 jobs.

Pictured: Mary-Anne Thomas MP with the Minister for Public Transport Ben Carroll on his visit to Kyneton last Friday, March 31.

Commuters in Gisborne, Kyneton and Riddells Creek will find it easier to park, catch the train and
travel – with works to build new and upgraded car parking spaces at the train stations now
complete.

The state government has delivered the new and upgraded car parking spaces across
Gisborne, Kyneton and Riddells Creek stations, which also includes accessible car parking and the
installation of 35 new bicycle hoops. One-hundred car parking spaces, including four accessible spaces, have been upgraded at Gisborne Station in the former gravel carpark on the north side of the tracks.

At Kyneton Station 50 new car parking spaces, including one accessible space, have been
constructed to the west of the existing car park on the north side of the tracks. Riddells Creek Station also has 50 new car parking spaces, which includes three accessible spaces,
built to the east of the existing car park.

The new car park at Gisborne Station opened earlier this month, while the new car park at Kyneton
is now open.

A man and woman have been arrested after an extended follow in a vehicle with an allegedly stolen trailer in recent days.

Police spotted a car towing an allegedly stolen trailer on Stud and Bergins Road in Rowville about 4pm on Sunday, March 26.

It is alleged the car collided with a vehicle, then sped off through a petrol station.

With assistance from the Air Wing, police followed the car and trailer through Endeavor Hills, Pakenham and Garfield.

The vehicle came to a stop on Nar Nar Goon-Longwarry Road, where a man and woman allegedly got out and fled the scene on foot.

A 37-year-old Cobram woman was arrested at the scene.

A 41-year-old Officer man was arrested nearby.

They had both been assisting police with their enquiries as at the time police had released a report on the incident last week.

Moonee Valley Crime Investigation Unit detectives have in recent days arrested a man following an investigation into an alleged text message scam.

Investigators attended a home in Drinkwater Crescent, Sunshine West about 8.20pm on 25 March and arrested a 27-year-old man.

The Sunshine West man has been charged with five counts of obtain property by deception in relation to five alleged incidents that occurred between July and November 2022.

It is also alleged that over $34,000 was obtained by the scam.

He has been bailed to appear at Sunshine Magistrates’ Court on 21 September.

A 35-year-old man has had his drivers’ license suspended, after allegedly driving almost six times over the legal limit in Taylors Lakes on March 23.

It is understood the man was allegedly driving erratically, before he crashed into a parked car on Lindsey Court about 4.15pm.

The car, which was being driven with only three operational wheels, also caused damage to the road.

The sole driver was uninjured in the crash.

After returning a positive breath test, the driver underwent an evidentiary breath test and returned a reading of .288.

The 35-year-old, from Maribyrnong had his license immediately suspended and has been charged with conduct endangering person.

He was required to face Sunshine Magistrates’ Court at a later date.

A Ballarat duo has been charged over a crime spree across Victoria and regional NSW involving the theft of two firearms, 10 cars, and approximately $75,000 worth of jewellery.

Police allege the man and woman, who are facing more than 160 charges, were involved in 65 aggravated burglaries and car thefts over the last month.

They allegedly targeted homes and vehicles across Ballarat, Benalla, Bendigo, Berrigan, Colac, Cobram, Moama, Tocumwal, and Warrnambool as well as Geelong and Melbourne.

Following an extensive investigation from Western Region Crime Squad detectives, the Ballarat duo were arrested in a stolen Isuzu Utility at a Maribyrnong shopping centre on Wednesday 22 March.

Over the course of the operation, police seized 10 stolen vehicles valued at approximately $350,000 including:

• 2018 Isuzu Dmax Utility

• 2019 Ford Ranger Utility

• 2015 Ford Ranger Utility

• 1993 Toyota Landcruiser 4WD

• 1992 Ford Falcon Station wagon

• 2011 Holden Omega station wagon

• 2013 Landrover

• 2003 Ford Falcon sedan

• 2015 Mitsubishi Triton utility

• 2008 Ford Ranger utility

Police also seized:

• A stolen Rizzini shotgun

• A significant amount of stolen jewellery valued at approximately $20,000

A 29-year-old Ballarat East female and a 24-year-old Alfredton male have each been charged with over 80 offences, including possess traffickable amount of firearms, aggravated burglary, theft of motor vehicle, and theft from motor vehicle.

Both have been remanded to appear at Ballarat Magistrates Court on Thursday 29 June.

Western Region Crime Squad Detective Senior Sergeant Matthew Kershaw: “There’s no doubt that crimes such as home burglaries and car thefts can have a significant impact on our community, which is why we are determined to bring those responsible to justice.

“When linked offending occurs across multiple parts of Victoria, we work collaboratively with local detectives to gather intelligence, which ultimately leads to swift arrests.

“It is particularly concerning to police when firearms end up in the hands of thieves as we know the damage illicit firearms can enable within criminal circles.”

All foot and stomach
If any zoological name was totally descriptive ‘gastropod’ (stomach foot) surely
sums up the gardener’s oldest foe – snails and slugs – undoubtedly among the oldest of
the common garden pests.

These terrestrial members of the mollusc family mainly consist of a long stomach-
supporting foot and, of course, obviously, a voracious mouth.
They slide along on this foot, in cool weather and mostly at night, aided by
exuding a slimy substance, leaving a silvery ‘snail trail’ as they go. A dead give-away
when hunting them down.
Snails are hermaphrodites, obviating the need for ‘two to tango’ and bury large
clusters of small tapioca-like eggs in the ground – often to be found when digging in
moist ground. After hatching they grow rapidly, devouring everything green and leafy
in their path, even climbing trees and citrus in particular, to feed on the young leaves.
They particularly love passion fruit, usually ringbarking them on their way up to
the foliage, to say nothing of your freshly planted flower and vegetable seedlings.
The bad news is that, if undisturbed, they have been known to survive for up to
10 years.
The good news is that they can be easily disposed of without the need for toxic
or expensive methods. Probably the oldest and most successful method is to find and
eliminate their hiding places, and maybe, persuade neighbours to do the same thing.
Once you know their favourite haunts, usually in long grass or at the base of
clumps of agapanthus, lilies etc, regularly inspect them and dispose of any slugs and/
or snails marauding there.
They will usually be on the move after a decent rain shower in autumn when
collection is quite easy and successful. You can activate them in drier times with your
sprinkler.
One of my boyhood weekend tasks around the nursery, was the Snail Patrol, after
every decent period of rain inspecting all the likely areas of the property, armed with a
bucket and a bag of garden lime. A goodly layer of the lime spread over the top of the
snails did the trick.
Common household salt has the same effect in the garden but you should make
sure to keep it from burning your plants. You can, however, use powdered alum,
dissolved in water, for the same results without any harm to the plants.
Alum can also be used, mixed with sawdust, and placed as a barricade around
your small seedlings or shrubs. The sawdust clogs up snails’ and slugs’ lubricating
systems and the alum will kill them.
Another good remedy is to place baits in strategic places to attract and dispense
with them.
My favourite is the glass jar, buried up to the rim in a strategic spot with a
centimetre or two of beer – I know, a great sacrifice – in the bottom. The trick is
that the snails fall in and are unable (perhaps unwilling) to escape. (The sounds of
drunken revelry are only faint and well worth the effort.)
Send in the cavalry
If, like Peta and I, you have eschewed the use of all things chemical in your
garden to do things naturally, you should look to our friendly helpers, the birds and
predator insects and the role they can play in keeping the pests at bay.
I know that there can be problems that nature can’t fix without a little help from
us but that still doesn’t call for the use of toxic materials.

Among our own many useful insects is the praying mantis, like the ferocious-
looking, little aphis-eater, pictured middle, looking to ambush his next lunch.
Got a gardening query? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

Police are appealing for public assistance to help locate missing Morwell man John Swiety.

The 57-year-old was last seen near a property on Old Kent Road, Nurran on the night of 17 March.

John’s two dogs, two small terriers, were found by a passer-by wandering near the road on the Bonang Highway, north of Orbost, on 18 March.

The dogs were microchipped and John’s sister was contacted in relation to them.

She subsequently reported John missing on 22 March.

Police last week reported that they had concern for John’s welfare as his disappearance is out of character.

His disappearance was being treated as suspicious and is being investigated by detectives from the Missing Persons Squad as at the time police released a public report last week.

Investigators were reported to be of the belief that John had met with foul play.

An image of John has been released (below) in the hope someone will come forward with information about his current whereabouts.

Police are also keen to speak to anyone with information about his movements in the days leading up to his disappearance.

It’s believed John was heading to Goongerah and had left his Morwell address about 2am in the morning of 17 March in a white Toyota Hiace van (pictured above).

Investigators would like to speak to anyone who saw this van travelling that day between Morwell and Goongerah.

John is described as being about 170cm tall, of Caucasian appearance with short brown hair.

Anyone who sees John is asked to call triple zero (000) immediately.

Anyone with any other information regarding his disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report via the Crime Stoppers website online.

Central Highlands Water has donated $10,918, raised by team members, to
Water Aid Australia in recognition of World Water Day which took place on March 22.

The donation will support the important work Water Aid does in Papua New
Guinea, like the recently completed program in the Wewak District, focused on
increasing equitable and universal access to sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene
services.

The donated funds were raised by CHW team members through a workplace
giving program and a series of internal events, coordinated by a volunteer committee
of staff.

If you need to ‘spend a penny’ or get changed for a swim or other sporty activity at Creswick’s beautiful Calembeen Park then you will no doubt notice the facilities to hand have recently become quite a bit swankier than they use to be.

The upgraded Calembeen Park facilities were opened in recent days – Friday,
March 24 – by Ripon MP Martha Haylett.

Fr thse who havewn’t checked it out already, the upgrades include refurbishment of the public amenities (three accessible unisex changerooms with toilet, shower and baby change facilities), an
accessible footpath leading from the changerooms to the lake concourse, an all abilities accessible
car parking space, drinking fountain, park furniture renewal and landscaping.

The $425,350 project was funded in partnership by the Victorian Government and
Hepburn Shire Council.

Calembeen Park’s two beautiful waterways are home to birdlife and waterlily displays.  Chinese miners first mined at the site for shallow alluvial gold between the 1850s and 1860s and it became a Chinese settlement.

The first recorded use for swimming was around 1910 and Calembeen Park’s lakes precinct is now increasingly popular for swimming, fishing, walking, the local park run which started in recent times, and cycling.

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said that the upgrade of these facilities was an important step in improving accessibility and connectivity at Calembeen Park.

“Calembeen Park is a much-loved community gathering spot and these upgraded facilities improve access for the community, but particularly those with a disability,” said Cr Hood.

A RECENT trip to Lorne bought back some memories of 2020. You remember, the beginning of the pandemic.
You see, unbeknown to me it was exactly the same time we had taken a break in 2020. Always just after we have produced a big ChillOut edition and the autumn edition of The Little Local, we then fall in a heap after the fun of the parade.I remember it well, we had shut off the phones for the business and would only
take calls from Donna’s mum Betty, who is no longer with us. (Miss you Bet.)
So back to 2020 and after the first 12-hour sleep of recovery at our Lorne
apartment the phone goes and it’s Betty on the line, “Have you heard the news?” she
asks. “Spain is awash with Covid and they have just let a shipload of Covid-infested
passengers off at the docks in Sydney.”
My first reaction, as with most disasters, was to throw up, followed by packing
up and driving to the nearest place we could buy a freezer to store extra supplies – I’d
seen my share of contagion movies.
Fast forward to 2023 and the world has changed. I am not sure people have
learned much out of the whole disaster, but the memories are still fairly sharp and
vivid when you revisit a milestone place. Now I am back from my break with a fifth
shot in my arm I wanted to republish an abridged version of this column from March
23, 2020, it’s a bit spine tingling…
“In the great words of The Beatles, I heard the news today, oh boy.
What is going on in the world? For starters my personal hygiene has taken a hit,
with the only constant in my day being wine o’clock followed by a jagged little pill
that is the 6.30 news on the TV. But I have decided that next week is my week. I
mean I have to get it together. The Local is changing to a weekly format as of next
week so I’ll be busy as a beaver here at TL ‘socially isolated’ HQ.
Now, for all our existing advertisers the price does not change. Yes, you heard it
here first. We are offering a buy-one get one-free advert until the world has sorted
itself out. And that is also a big thank you to our amazing advertisers who fund our
stories about our beautiful locals.
Now, I suppose you want to know why we are going weekly? Well, it was
something we have been throwing around the office as an idea, but then all this
pandemic hysteria came along and we thought we should go up a gear and produce
a weekly magazine. Apart from the good regular stuff that has come out of our
communities we will be bringing you everything you need to know about staying safe
during this time.
Anyway, back to my cleanliness. Among my list of changes to my hygiene and
mental health regime pledge is to pull back on drinking and wake up fresh every
morning instead of coming to. Following this, I will have a shower and possibly a
shave although no guarantees on the latter.
I have resurrected the boxing gloves and have an inflatable bottle of Corona (the
drink not the disease) to bash the shit out of in an effort to ease my angst. I believe
regimentation and a small splash of booze is the only way through this débâcle.
I will be a little relieved when the Central Highlands borders become shut down.
There is beautiful autumn harvest available to eat, so plenty of food and provisions to
go around for residents. I would also like to plead shopkeepers to embarrass folks into
not panic buying – there is enough to go around. Yes, things have changed and the
society deck of cards has been shuffled, but we are not animals.
Calm the f@#k down rant over…”

By Donna Kelly

SOME things just make you smile. Like driving past the PISS OFF AUSNET sign mowed into the hill on the way to Creswick.
I love it. So simple, so annoying for a huge company like AusNet. Private
land, so not much they can do about it. And you can’t defame a company.
Mind you, there have been some interesting signs about our local pollies as well.
State MP Mary-Anne Thomas and federal MP Catherine King. Just wondering
where they stand as the community fights a David and Goliath battle to keep huge
powerlines out of pristine and valuable farm land.
It is a fight which has united communities and those with very different
ideologies. Greenies and farmers, working together, to save the environment. Who
would have thought? Town folk and country people together as one to stop the
desecration of the reason we all moved here, or choose to stay here.
The powerlines would look absolutely bloody ugly and destroy that drive through
the currently very serene countryside. And it would be gone forever. Yeah, a few
farmers might get a few bucks and there would be renewable energy for the city folk
of Melbourne, but it’s pretty short term thinking.
We have covered this story a few times, of course, but this week I talked to two
people really involved – Joee Aganetti-Fraser and Will Elsworth. Wow, talk about
passionate. These guys, if I can call them both that, are not going down without a
fight, in fact, I don’t think they are going down at all.
Sometimes big players think they will win because, well, they are big. But I
reckon AusNet has met its match. These guys, and their support base and that is
huge, might be farmers but they are also strategic thinkers with huge…well, I can’t say
that about a woman, but they have the courage of their convictions.
If you have not read the story on page five, Joee spent six hours, two years ago
almost to the day, mowing that sign into the hill to make a public stand. And keeps it
mowed – and we all know no-one really likes mowing except perhaps Forrest Gump.
And Will apparently has to keep apologising for his language but why should
he? If you were in a fight for your property, your livelihood, your family and your
community I reckon you would drop a few F-bombs.
I had another smile just as I was writing this. I rang the AusNet media hotline
and was asked why I was calling. I said I had been in touch with the Piss Off AusNet
group. The funny thing is that it is not very often you get to say you are calling an
organisation about a group that wants them to piss off. Mind you, the woman was
very professional and said someone would be in touch soon. And they were.
They asked who I was and what area I covered and said, yes, they were very aware
of the Piss Off AusNet group. And I said I thought they would be. And they said
could I email questions through and did not seem at all fazed that the deadline was
that afternoon. (I write this column as my last piece for the week – generally on a
Friday. Sometimes it’s harder than others because I will have already read Kyle’s Rant
and he has been known to steal ideas from me…)
Anyway, it is 3.16pm on Friday, March 24 and nothing back yet but I am sure
it will come.We just popped out to Mt Prospect and got a photo of Joee and her
message. So all about AusNet and pissing off this arvo. As the editor I am not meant
to have an opinion but as a columnist that is OK apparently. I wish Joee and Will all
the best.
Hmmm. And keeping to the theme, I think I might piss off after this to the pub
and have a wine. Just sayin’..

COUNTRY Press Australia president Andrew Manuel says the Media Innovation and the Civic Future of Australia’s Country Press report, released late last month, highlights the essential role local papers play in serving their communities and delivering civic journalism.
The report has been a three-year Australian Research Council project, led by
Deakin University, in partnership with Country Press Australia and RMIT University.
“This is arguably the most comprehensive study of our industry ever undertaken
and the report stands as a beacon for government, for policy makers and for the
community to take the appropriate and necessary actions to ensure newspapers can
continue to play such a vital role,” Mr Manuel said.

“The study was done across the most tumultuous time the media industry has
experienced, and local papers remain such an integral cog in regional and rural
Australia, despite the hardships we’ve all endured.
“The report defines regional and rural papers as essential services to the
community, and better support from government, and a better understanding from
government around this, is an important next step.”
Mr Manuel said people living in country areas remained passionate and engaged with their local mastheads.
Report finds papers playing essential roleThe report reiterates a parliamentary inquiry recommendation for 20 per cent of all federal government advertising expenditure to be allocated to regional and rural
news organisations and highlights the need for a better understanding of the role
regional and rural newspapers play as well as the need to provide more support.
The study included a survey into attitudes towards local papers and the
respondents’ likes and dislikes, as well as interviews and interpretive focus groups with
news editors, proprietors and key staff within the Country Press Australia network of
more than 200 mastheads, including The Local’s editor Donna Kelly, across Australia.
Lead investigator Professor Kristy Hess said as a research team “we have been
reminded of just how important local news is – especially in rural and regional areas –
for democratic, social, economic, historic, cultural, symbolic and emotional reasons”.
“If people see themselves as being ‘local’ or connected to somewhere, chances are
they have reached for (or searched online for) the local masthead to maintain that
sense of place. That said, if people reach out for the local paper and it just doesn’t ‘feel
local’, then the connection is lost. Game over.”

Report: www.localnewsinnovation.org/
Words: Donna Kelly

A beautiful dawn Service at St George’s Lake just out of Creswick is among the various Easter time services which are scheduled in the Hepburn Shire area.

There will be plenty of church services and masses helping locals to celebrate Easter by reflecting on the enduring meanings inherent in this special time of year. Across the wider Hepburn shire these include:
Daylesford & Creswick – Catholic
Holy Thursday April 6 Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper – 5.30pm at St Peter’s
Catholic Church Daylesford & 7pm at St Augustine’s Catholic Church Creswick.
Good Friday April 7 Celebration of the Lord’s Passion- 3pm at both St Peter’s
Catholic Church Daylesford & St Augustine’s Catholic Church Creswick
Easter Sunday Masses April 9 – 9am St Augustine’s Catholic Church Creswick &
10.30am St Peter’s Catholic Church Daylesford.
Christ Church Daylesford – Anglican
Maundy Thursday April 6, 7pm
Good Friday, April 7, 7pm
Easter Sunday, April 9, 10am
Creswick-Clunes Parish – Uniting
Sunday, April 2 – Palm Sunday, 9.30am – St Andrews Creswick
Thursday, April 6 – Tennebrae Service, 6.30pm – St Andrews Creswick
Easter Day, April 9 – Dawn Service at St George’s Lake 6.30am/sunrise –
Breakfast of fishes and loaves served at conclusion of service
Easter Sunday Service – 9.30am, St Andrew’s Creswick
“We welcome everybody to join with us in worship this Holy Week.”

Daylesford – Uniting Church

Good Friday at 9.30am

Easter Saturday at 3pm 

Easter Sunday at 9.30am  

Retired minister Jenny Hayes will be conducting these services.