THE world has gone and gotten into a “woke” tangle of unpicking history and
misunderstanding around every corner.

If I rewind the clock 34 years or so, I remember having two good mates who I knew from my early
days at school through to my early 20s. We all ended up in the fishing industry where you worked
hard and played harder.
We weren’t exactly blue-collar workers, as we earned a lot of money for the time and wasted it as
quick as Old Macca, the pub owner, would cash our cheques. Every day that ends in Y except Sunday (due to laws at the time) you would find us rolling up to the Tutukaka Hotel for a feed, fight and a fornication (I changed the last F-word for the sub-editors, but you get the picture).
One of my mates, George, was known as the “lean mean fighting machine” and
the best fella to have in your corner, but his story didn’t end well. He is currently
doing time after getting heavily involved in drugs and eventually, as it turns out, murder.
My other mate was Gary. Picture the band Flock of Seagulls and you will have a
visual. He was a lot like me, an affable bloke born into a world of tough fisherman
fathers. We didn’t know about the world of LGBTIQA+ in those days and when Gary
“came out” into our world, there was not much in the way of any support – except for
me and I wasn’t much help.

Hard times in those days.

Fast forward to today and I get that things had to improve, however we should
never unpick history such as the Roald Dahl rewrites and over-censorship. We need
to certainly acknowledge how things were done in the past and how wrong it was so
as we don’t revisit it, but what’s next?

Rod Stewart wrote a song about sleeping with Maggie May, an older woman
(most straight young guys’ fantasy) and he sang: “It’s late September and I really
should be back at school.” Which, for me, means he was underage and a magistrate
should have thrown the book at old Maggie for an age of consent violation.
Should we remove this song from the vaults? Or what about the lyrics from in The
Summertime song by Mungo Jerry who disrespected poor women by saying: “If her
daddy’s rich, take her out for a meal, If her daddy’s poor, just do what you feel.”
And then went on to break the speed limit by singing: “Speed along the lane,
do a ton or a ton and twenty-five.” That’s 125 miles per hour in a built-up zone
followed by “Have a drink, have a drive, Go out and see what you can find”.

That’s an immediate suspension of license and probably a stretch of hard time in today’s world.
Should we throw all the Mungo recordings from the highest building in the land?
The world I grew up in and the world now are at juxtaposition and I have changed
and moved with the times, but let’s not lose sight of the times.
To do this is to throw the baby out with the bathwater, to forget about how
people used to think not that long ago about racism, sexism and now ableism.
We need to remember how it was so as we can never go back there again, but a
way of remembering is to not destroy and unpick the past.

I once did a ton and twenty-five, rant over…

“When I play, my instrument becomes the extension of my soul.”
This is a quote from internationally acclaimed solo violinist, Alexandre Da Costa, currently
one of the top and most sought-after violinists and soloists in the world and headed
to Daylesford to perform this month.

Da Costa and his 1701 Stradivarius violin will join the Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra in the Daylesford Town Hall to celebrate the magic of the era of the great Viennese balls, combining tradition and elegance in a matinee performance 2pm, Sunday March 26.
Winner of numerous major international prizes, Da Costa is a violinist of
international reputation, which led him to be a guest soloist and guest conductor
on four continents, in 30 countries and in more than 2000 concerts in the most
prestigious orchestras in the world.
At a very young age Alexandre showed an extraordinary interest in the violin
and piano and gave his first concerts at the age of nine, earning him a reputation as
a musical prodigy. He had the astonishing ability to perform his first concerts with
stunning virtuosity on both instruments, rarely seen before. At the age of 18 Da
Costa obtained a master’s degree in violin and a bachelor’s degree in piano.
Da Costa has played widely as a violinist, appearing at such major venues as
New York’s Carnegie Hall and Vienna’s Musikverein, and with the most prestigious
orchestras in the world such as London’s Royal Philharmonic, the Montreal
Symphony and the Vienna Symphony.
The mesmerising program will include immortal works by Johann Strauss II such
as The Beautiful Blue Danube and the Emperor Waltz.

U3A Hepburn Shire is hosting The Stradivarius in Vienna Concert.
Ticket link: www.trybooking.com/CFONT

Newstead is a dynamic centre for artists of all stripes and once again the little town that punches above its weight when it comes to creativity is inviting people to visit its studios and exhibition spaces over three weekends.

This year 18 artists, including Roger McKindley, pictured, are involved in the trail,
showing their work across 14 locations.

The Newstead Arts Hub will be showing ‘It’s a Small World’ sculpture prize.

The Newstead Open Studios Art Trail began in 2015 and since then thousands of people have
made their way around the ever-expanding map.

It is a great chance to see first-hand the inner workings of an artist’s studio and pick their brains
about the how, what and why of their creative process.
This year the line-up includes printmakers, jewellers, painters, potters, fibre artists, photographers and sculptors.

For an overview of individual artist’s work the artistically curious can go to www.newsteadopenstudios.org while those who visit six studios in person can enter the draw for a door prize comprised of work
donated by participating artists.

The prize is drawn April 15.

The Central Goldfields town of Newstead is 10 minutes from Castlemaine. The
trail is on March 25-26, April 1-2 and April 8-9, 11am to 5pm. Look out for the red
flags around town.

Further information is available from Belinda Prest on 0490 865 626.
Links: www. newsteadopenstudios.org
Facebook: Newstead Open Studios
Instagram: @newstead_open_studios

with Eve Lamb

WORKING in her attractive little Springmount studio, just out of Creswick, ceramicist Kim Haughie
draws much of her inspiration from the region and its diversity of beautiful natural shapes and
textures. This talented ceramicist creates functional pieces that are as much purposeful, practical items
to be used and appreciated every day as they are unique works of art.

Eve: How do you prefer to describe your artistic style?
Kim: My artistic style can be defined as refined earthiness.
Eve: How did you come to art?
Kim: I have always been creative. My parents are creative too so it’s always been fostered. I spent endless
dreamy hours mucking in the sandpit as a kid and making mud pies.
Eve: Which artists have influenced your own work?
Kim: I love the forms of Australian sculptor Bronwyn Oliver and I will never forget the emotional
power of seeing American painter Mark Rothko’s Chapel series. Local artist Petrus Spronk has been
very influential for me from the very beginning of my ceramic practice. I have much respect for the simplicity of his beautiful blackened bowls.
Eve: What is your media or medium of choice?
Kim: Clay is my medium. I find its earthy smell and cool, pliable feel is dreamy and calming. When I find my centre at the pottery wheel everything else drops away. I love the elemental nature of making pottery.
Eve: What is, or are, your subject matter of choice? Why so?
Kim: I like the idea of art in motion, making things that have a use is for me rewarding; platters, bowls and vases.
Eve: Have you ever, or do you currently, work in any other area?
Kim: I have a background in the fashion industry which I loved being in as a
form of ‘art in motion’ too.
Eve: What are you working on at the moment in your current arts practice?
Kim: I am working towards a fabulous mid-year group show coming up in July
at the The Little Gallery in Trentham. It is a major highlight in the gallery’s calendar
year whereby regional artists are invited to exhibit and raise significant funds for a
local charity. I also have a contemporary Sydney homewares gallery interested in
featuring my work so am working on a body of work to send there.
Eve: When you work in the studio do you like to play music and if so what’s your
music of choice?
Kim: Music is essential in my studio and I am blessed to have an awesome sound
system so I like to listen to a lot of ambient, fusions of classical and electronic. I love
it when the birds outside sometimes chime in, it’s magical.
Eve: To date, what have been your career highlights as an artist?
Kim: As a graduate I was invited to exhibit in an international group exhibition
in South Korea which was incredibly solidifying as an emerging artist. I have much
admiration for Korean pottery and have returned several times.
Eve: Do you have any other projects in mind at the moment?
Kim: I am currently renovating my home studio and gallery to return to teaching pottery later in the year, which is exciting.
Eve: What are the main rewards that you derive from your arts practice, Kim?
Kim: The ability to make beautiful things of earth, from the heart, is incredibly rewarding for me.

A TLPromo. Words: Eve Lamb. Images: Supplied

IF you like a good brew… Espresso, filter, pour over, batch or cold brew. If you like your coffee you’ll love Daylesford’s Brew Jays.

This new kid on the block officially launched in January and specialises in all things coffee – particularly roasting its own ethically sourced beans.
Sited at Shop 5, 22-24 Howe Street, it’s quickly become a magnet for the coffee connoisseur. It’s a place where you can watch the single origin beans being roasted, absorb the delicious aromas, enjoy a perfectly made coffee (accompanied by a croissant s’il vous plait!) and leave with a stash of freshly roasted and ground beans.
“All of our coffee beans are ethically sourced and a lot are directly sourced from the farm to the roaster, “says Brew Jay’s Jay Gaschk, a Hepburn Springs local with a love of top notch coffee.
Unique flavour profiles are created on site by teasing out the beans’ innate natural qualities in the roasting process to emphasise tones including caramel, chocolate and berry fruits.
The results include unique coffee blends paying homage to nostalgic delights like Kit Kat, Cherry Ripe, Caramello Koala and Killer Python.
By evening Brew Jays has something else special to offer. It’s also a fast-paced cocktail bar with 15 different coffee martinis on the list.
“Our main focus is coffee roasting and we use our vintage Probat UG15 coffee roaster which was handmade in Germany in 1967 and imported into Australia about a decade ago, and completely refurbished so it can now do computer programming,” says Jay.
“This means we can use probes to find out exactly what’s going on in the barrel so that we can make sure the roast is perfect every time.”
When it comes to high end coffee, Jay knows his stuff, having started out as a coffee barista at age 15 in the Macedon Ranges. From there he worked in the fast-paced Gloria Jean’s in the Qantas lounge at Tullamarine, before honing his craft with inner city boutique coffee retailers, learning from some of the best in the business.
In creating Brew Jays, he’s joined with co-owners – “local hospitality legend” Daylesford’s Rubi Stone, Bendigo’s Sam Arye and Paddy Cummins, Melbourne’s Ben Ward who owns The Coffee Mob, and famed barista Craig Simon, one of the world’s elite coffee Q Grade instructors.
“I’m super passionate about anything to do with coffee,” Jay says.
“At the moment particularly cold brew and exploring experimental coffees and liqueurs.
“Our cold brew coffee is a really big seller for us. It’s made with a hard tank machine especially imported from Poland. We sell our cold brew in-house and it’s also used in our coffee martinis.”
The vision for this new coffee kid on the block is big.
They’re already selling their cold brew retail bottles into bars across Central Victoria. Their roasts can be found in retail outlets from Bendigo to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the launch of a website, enabling them to retail online Australia-wide, not far off.
There are also plans to offer coffee classes. “We’re looking to expand into offering classes like coffee cupping and coffee basics,” Jay says.
Noteworthy, too, is the fit-out at Brew Jays, custom built to create a space that envelops the coffee-needy customer like a warm hug.
“Once you step in you don’t want to leave,” Jay says.

Kyneton’s Botanic Gardens will once again host Puppy Pride, an event to celebrate puppies and bring together the LGBTIQA+ community, their friends, families and fur babies.

Organised by Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health with support from
Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Puppy Pride is on Sunday, March 26 from noon.

It will feature various food and market stalls, activities, competitions and plenty of space
to enjoy the Botanic Gardens and the Campaspe River.

Those planning to romp along can get more details from phoning 5421 1666 or email
puppy.pride@scchc.org.au

The Kyneton Horticultural Society is hosting its annual Autumn Flower Show next month.

The vibrant annual show is being held as part of the wider Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival.

A firm favourite among flower and garden lovers, it will take place at the Watts Pavilion, Kyneton Showgrounds on Saturday, April 1, 1pm-5pm, and Sunday, April 2, 10am-4pm.

The show highlights dahlias, roses, cut flowers, shrubs, pot plants, cacti and
succulents, floral art and vegetables.

There’s also a children’s section.

As the April 5 deadline for submissions looms, The Hepburn Shire Council is now urging the community to make a submission on the latest consultation report into the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) project.

“While Mount Prospect is no longer the preferred option for a terminal
station, it still remains an option,” mayor Cr Brian Hood says.

“We also note that the proposed route of the Western Renewables Link transmission line through Hepburn Shire remains largely unchanged and is highly problematic,” Cr Hood says.

“A major concern for Council is the recommendation to increase the capacity of the proposed power lines from 220kV (kilovolt) to 500kV along the west section of the Western Renewables Link.

“We are very disappointed that the undergrounding of power lines has not been considered. The unwillingness to consider this option for the more sensitive sections of the route demonstrates an indifference to genuine community concerns,” Cr Hood says.

AEMO and Transgrid are this month hosting online and in-person information sessions. Details on
session times and how to book, along with links to the reports and how to make a submission via the council’s engagement website https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/VNI-West. Feedback on the report is
due by 5 April 2023

DAYLESFORD’S Repair Café is alive and kicking after hiccups caused by Covid.
Over the past 12 months the café has stopped almost half a tonne (482kgs) of household items from ending up in landfill.
Spokesperson Nikki Marshall said more than 140 household items had been repaired and returned to good working order during the past year.

“Favourite clothes are now being worn again after darning and mending, garden tools are digging and lopping and pruning again, bikes are free-wheeling and toasters and coffee machines are back on kitchen benches,” she said.
“As well, electronic items like radios are tuned in and lamps are illuminating at night, knives and scissors are cutting cleanly, vacuum cleaners are again sucking up dirt, chairs are being sat on once more
and chain-saws are preparing wood for the winter months.”
Nikki said in addition to repairing items, the team of talented and generous fixers also share their skills with locals.
“Over the past year the café has run how-to workshops on darning and mending clothes, basic wood working, sharpening drill bits, bicycle maintenance, understanding electrics and electronic equipment, knife and tool sharpening, taking things apart and putting them back together and on chain-saw and garden-tool sharpening.”
The next workshop will be held at April’s Repair Café and focus on basic plumbing skills with Mr Fixit – Julian Alaba. People can learn how to change a tap washer and much more.
Nikki said the café does more than repair broken household items. “Thanks to
Meg, you can sit, share a cuppa along with your troubles, and experience how being
listened to helps with the healing process.
“In addition to our regular venue at Daylesford’s Victoria Park Pavilion, the café is branching out to other locations across Hepburn Shire.
“Last month, February, there was a buzz of activity in Creswick where the café
was hosted by Creswick Transitions Group and the Neighbourhood Centre. The
community is looking to set up a regular event in Creswick so please get in touch if
you are interested to offer a repair service – transitioncreswick@gmail.com”
The March Repair Café will be back at Victoria Park Pavilion this Sunday, March 19 from 1pm to 4pm.
Details: Veronica Baker on 0428 180 200 or Nikki on 0432 232 073.
Link: www.facebook.com/daylesfordrepaircafe/
Words: Contributed | Image: Tim Drylie

COMMUNITY groups keen to get their own community battery, fed by clean renewable energy, up
and going need to make sure they know their stuff first.
That’s the main message as Hepburn Energy releases a new booklet that carefully examines
the potential of community-scale batteries across Central Victoria – and offers clarity on their
opportunities and constraints.
“The community needs to be really cautious about the type of community scale battery they go for,” says key author Marie Lakey.
The booklet’s publication follows a Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance-led project called Community Sparks, funded under the state’s Neighbourhood Battery Initiative, assessing potential of community-scale batteries across the region.

Hepburn Energy and Hepburn Shire Council were key partners on the project.
Drawing on technical analysis from independent consultants, Orkestra, legal research from the University of Melbourne and a social feasibility study from Hepburn Energy, the booklet offers in-depth information about community-scale batteries.
“Our social feasibility study highlighted that community members are interested
in community-scale batteries. With terrible grid reliability in many parts of Central
Victoria, lots of residents are being proactive and looking for a solution,” Hepburn
Energy general manager Taryn Lane says.
Community batteries are proposed as a tool to address this issue. Advocates
suggest they can improve reliability, enable more solar, cut greenhouse gas emissions
and help households save on bills.
But the team at Hepburn Energy have found a more complicated picture.
“When we received technical reports back from Orkestra, we were stunned,” Ms Lane said.
“The conventional battery that many people are advocating for (one located on
the street level, at an electricity transformer) doesn’t seem remotely viable.
“They’re just too expensive, so community members would face an ongoing cost,
rather than saving, and there is a risk of stranded assets with that model.”
The booklet offers clear cautions about some models of community-scale batteries
but other opportunities are presented.
“There’s lots of potential for behind-the-meter batteries. These can be located at
community facilities, or even at an industrial facility, but in a way that offers benefits
back to the community,” Ms Lane says.
The Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance’s Dr David Gormley-O’Brien agrees
and highlights opportunities for community groups to install behind-the-meter
batteries on key infrastructure like community hubs.
“Installing behind-the-meter batteries on key buildings, using lots of solar on
the building, represents a real opportunity to help in emergency situations such as
bushfires or major wind events to enable emergency power supply,” Dr Gormley- O’Brien says.
“And if the battery is large enough we can get a surplus and participate in the
energy market.
“For a 300-kilowatt battery you are looking at something around $400,000 but we’re expecting prices to come down.”
Backup power systems are a “no-brainer”, Ms Lane says.
“Particularly for regional areas such as our shire, and another viable model is
batteries co-located at a community generator, such as what we’re proposing at
Hepburn Energy.”
The report examines these different models in detail, offering guidance on relevant regulations and case studies of existing community-scale batteries.
“We hope this booklet can answer lots of the questions we’ve been receiving about this technology,” Ms Lane said.
More information and downloadable copies of the report are available through Hepburn Energy.
Release of the report examining the community battery pros and cons comes as Hepburn Energy also facilitates a second heat pump hot water bulk buy from March 16.
Government rebates now mean premium heat pump hot water systems are cheaper than ever before, with bulk-buy participants able to save on a new hot water heater.
After the success of the 2021 round 1 sold-out heat pump bulk buy, Hepburn
Energy is now extending their round 2 bulk buy beyond the Hepburn Shire to
include neighbouring areas.
Hepburn Energy and installation partner t2zero will be running two webinars to
demystify the technology, explain the bulk buy process and give community members
an opportunity to ask questions.
Business executive with t2zero, Jürgen Rhyon says the benefits of heat pump
technology are clear as storage water heaters account for a substantial component of
household electricity consumption.
“Imagine being able to reduce this component of consumption by 80 per cent,” Mr Rhyon says.
“The Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificate rebate is at levels never seen before, making this a perfect time to transition to this technology.”
Those keen to find out more can join the Heat Pump Hot Water Bulk Buy webinar on Monday, April 3 from 6.15pm to 7.15pm.
Words & images: Eve Lamb

Elizabeth Huxtable is a former Daylesford resident and has written a memoir about her time in the town while parenting her daughter with disabilities, Lucy.

Lucy passed away 16 years ago but most of her life was spent in the town, attending Daylesford Primary School part-time, and Ballarat Specialist School.

Elizabeth, who was known by her first name Anne while in Daylesford, is holding a book launch for Lessons from Lucy at the Convent Gallery this Saturday, March 18 and would love Lucy’s former
school friends to come along.

She chatted with Donna Kelly.
Donna: What prompted you to write your book?
Elizabeth: I was hoping that sharing my experiences might give ideas and
inspiration to other parents of children with disabilities.
Donna: What do you hope it will give others?
Elizabeth: I learned to look at my situation from a very different perspective near
the end of Lucy’s life. It might save parents time by seeing what I learned. However,
as I wrote, I realised that this story has wider appeal. It can apply to any adversity in
life. When we change our perspective, we can see the gift in the situation.
Donna: What did it give you?
Elizabeth: Writing the book was a cathartic experience. In the intervening years, I
have done a lot of healing and when I looked back on the events that started 27 years
ago, I gained some powerful insights and understandings.
Donna: What are your top three lessons learned from Lucy?
Elizabeth: 1. My biggest regret after Lucy died was all the time wasted worrying
about the future. This stopped me from more fully enjoying the present moment. I
no longer look too far ahead. The future is unknowable and so it’s best to enjoy what
is happening right now.
2. Lucy was unable to communicate in the usual way since she was non-verbal. I
discovered that it is only when our mind is quiet and still that we can truly listen to
another person. It is easy for our mental chatter, worries and fears to interfere, and
allow us to presume we know what another person is trying to communicate, rather
than truly listening from the heart.
3. I learned that unconditional love is about totally accepting what is, and not
trying to change it. It’s loving completely what is, instead of what I wish, or what I
think could have been.
Donna: You lived in Daylesford for 10 years – how was that?
Elizabeth: I loved living in Daylesford. Right from the beginning, we were made
to feel welcome. Anytime I pushed Lucy up the main street, children would rush up
to say hello. During Lucy’s first year of life in Byron Bay, she cried for hours every day
but amazingly, as soon as we moved to Daylesford, the crying stopped. The energy of
the place really suited her. I felt supported emotionally, but also physically. The local
permaculture group came and constructed a concrete path and wheelchair ramp from
the car port to the back door of our house, which was a huge help.
Donna: You now live in Malaysia – how is that and what prompted the move?
Elizabeth: After Lucy passed away, I tried turning my house, with its
modifications, into a B&B for people with wheelchairs. However, most tourists
wanted to rent the whole house rather than share it with me, so it wasn’t a viable
business for me. My brother has a business in Malaysia and he needed help to manage
the warehouse so a year after Lucy’s passing, I accepted his offer to join him. It was a
chance to reinvent myself. No one knew about my past. I found it easier to move on
and heal from the grief and trauma of the previous 10 years.
Donna: The book is being launched at The Convent Gallery – was there a reason you
chose that particular place?
Elizabeth: A friend suggested it as a venue and I recall loving the beauty and
ambience of the place. Years ago, I attended a Singers Festival event in the chapel
and loved the acoustics. I’m planning to share some of my sound healing work, with
crystal bowls and voice, at the launch, so it seemed like the perfect venue.
Donna: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Elizabeth: I’m hopeful that some of Lucy’s classmates, in their mid-20s by now,
still live in the area and can come. It would be wonderful to see them again.
RSVPs to Marija at The Convent Gallery at marija@theconvent.com.au

Open Gardens Victoria will open the Presbytery at Clunes and the Vale Hill House in nearby Ullina on the weekend of March 25 and 26.
Overlooking Clunes, The Presbytery was built in 1905 and has been restored
by owners Dr Kevin Lee and Daniel Cronin, the main landscaper.

Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, the garden consists of a number of beautiful
rooms with distinct and naturalistic plantings that enhance both the history and the terrain of the site.
Kevin’s passion is medicinal plants, and the intimate garden rooms are filled
with plants inspired by the gardens of the Royal College of Physicians in London.
The garden is set over several levels down the gently sloping block. Alongside
the garden rooms, there is a lawned garden for picnicking and a monastic garden
for peaceful reflection.
Guided tours of the medicinal plants will be led by Kevin across the open weekend.

About 15 minutes east is Vale Hill House, a property located in Ullina, the
pastoral heart of Victoria’s Goldfields region. Originally built in 1858 by Scottish
stonemasons, the house, pictured above, was destroyed by fire in 1978, leaving only four
walls and a trio of chimneys standing. The historic house has been reconstructed by
its previous owners, business operators Chris Malden and Wayne Cross, who spent
11 years meticulously transforming it and the garden.
Under the care of current owners Lisa Rosen and Chris Taylor, the garden sprawls elegantly over ten acres, including almost five acres of what is arguably the largest domestic edible garden in the state. Its charming serpentine design contains a wide range of fruit trees and shrubs, including a large number of unusual and rare species, along with sweeping terraced beds for seasonal and annual plantings.
Tickets at the gate or via Trybooking

At Trentham East, St Patrick’s Day is now an annual, modern and weekend
celebration of the best of Irish culture.
The Pig & Whistle Hotel is holding a weekend long affair from tomorrow, Friday, March 17
to Sunday, March 19 with a traditional Irish menu and plenty of Guinness. There is live
music from Irish instrumentalists and roaming dancing.

On Sunday at 11am, the community and visitors will meet in front of the Sacred Heart
Church at 600 James Lane to learn about history and folklore, hear from Irish locals and
follow behind bagpipes. Everyone is welcome to join in the march on to the Pig for all day festivities.

The Big Rainbow has been erected at Victoria Park in Daylesford.
Sponsored by Tinder, the rainbow is made of marine grade plywood and is
in the colours of the Philadelphia Pride Flag.

Daylesford won the Rainbow in a competition last year when it was up
against three other regional towns – Broome in WA, Katherine in the NT and
Hay in NSW.
The Big Rainbow is 12 metres wide and six metres tall. It was placed in
Victoria Park after the Hepburn Shire Council asked for community input on
a number of sites including the Lost Children’s Reserve, the Community Skate
Park and Lake Daylesford.
It was officially launched last Thursday, March 9, right, and, above, had
ChillOut committee members Debbie Greig and Tom Shaw jumping for joy!

Words & Image: Eve Lamb

In the weeks since it was publicly floated as a thought bubble, the Calembeen Polar Bears swimming group has quickly caught on as Creswick’s inland answer to the coastal Icebergers.

You know them. That early morning hardcore swimming set that enjoys crisp dawn dips in the sea – even if it’s mid-winter with a wind chill factor of minus three.

Clunes’ Paul Payne, a keen cold water devotee himself, came up with the idea and took to local online community notice boards, inviting others to join the new Calembeen Polar Bears swimmers.

The Bears roll up for early morning dips in Creswick’s Lake Calembeen at 9am Wednesdays and 7am Sundays – regardless of weather – and all, going swimmingly, will continue doing so right through the year.

“I didn’t realise there’d be this much interest and I’m a bit humbled to be honest,” Paul says. “We couldn’t believe there wasn’t a group established already.

“I put an ad on the Clunes and Creswick (online) noticeboards and there was a big response. We’re getting about 15 people now, but I’m there every day at dawn.

“I got through to May last year. But this time we’re hoping to egg each other on and keep going as it cools off. The whole idea is that it’s a bit social.”

As with the Iceberger groups well established in coastal parts, the Polar Bears note the accepted science that a brisk encounter with chilled water – aka cold water immersion therapy – is really good for one’s general well-being.

“Cold water immersion therapy triggers the mammalian dive reflex,” Paul says.

You can look it up, but effectively it means that being exposed to a chilly dip in nowhere-near-warm H2O really makes you know you’re alive, slows the heart rate and improves mood.

Those who regularly practice it like the Bears and the ‘bergers swear by the glowing mood boost and enduring positivity that follows such brisk encounters.

While it’s a known fact that Creswick gets frosty in winter, Paul and the other Bears – even ones like Creswick’s Rowena Miller who just quietly admits “I hate being cold” – are prepared.

“I have lived in North America and I lived in New York for 20 plus years,” Paul said. “I used to show up every New Year’s Day to take part in the big swim to Coney Island. It’s good for the skin. It’s really good for everything.”

Among the regulars to show up lakeside on a recent mid-week swim is trauma psychologist Louise Earnshaw. Louise is currently residing at Sandon, and knows more than your average person about cool – and healthy – ways to enhance one’s sense of wellbeing.

“The tropics are my natural habitat. I’m from northern New South Wales but my house in the Byron Shire was destroyed in the floods,” Louise said.

“You could say I am an aquatic nomad. This is for my wellbeing. When cold water triggers the mammalian dive reflex the parasympathetic system kicks in.

“Thirty seconds with your face in a bucket of iced water will calm one’s emotional overload. It’s an aquatic meditation.”

Paul says Lake Calembeen is a great little swimming spot as it’s reputed to have some health-giving mineral qualities.

“And the steep drop-off means there’s no frozen mud to wade through in winter,” he says.

The group now has its own Facebook page and the Bears say all are welcome to get along and experience the pleasure for themselves.