Police are investigating an assault at Lal Lal near Ballarat earlier this month.

Investigators have been told a 29-year-old woman was running through a forested area near the Blast Furnace Picnic Area when she was approached by a man sometimes between 4-5.30pm on Saturday night, February 11.

The offender struck her in the head with a hand-made weapon, knocking her unconscious.

The victim woke to find the offender had fled, and reported the incident.

The woman was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening facial injuries.

The male offender is perceived to be Caucasian in appearance and was wearing black jeans, a cap and no shoes or shirt.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or with dashcam footage or CCTV is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log onto Crime Stoppers website online.

Water Police officers have charged a man after drugs and two knives were located on a jet ski in St Kilda marina on Friday, 17 January.

Patrolling police sighted a male travelling on a jet ski with a dog, speeding into the marina about 3.30pm.

Officers signalled for the man to pull up at the dock.

The man allegedly became aggressive towards police and was subsequently arrested.

A search of the jet ski resulted in police seizing two knives, a quantity of cannabis as well as a quantity of a clear, white crystal substance.

The 23-year-old Clayton man was charged with:

• Possess methylamphetamine

• Possess LSD

• Possess cannabis

• 2 counts of possess a controlled weapon without excuse

• Exceed speed limit specified for the area of water.

He has been bailed to face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 1 May.

Detectives from the Criminal Proceeds Squad have extradited a man to Victoria in recent days as part of their investigation into a significant money laundering syndicate allegedly operating in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

A 35-year-old Whittlesea man was arrested at Sydney Airport on Friday, 10 February by Australian Federal Police after attempting to board an international flight.

He faced an extradition hearing at Sydney Central Court on February 13 and extradition to Victoria was granted.

The man has been charged with knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime and trafficking a drug of dependence, and was to face Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday, February 14.

He had previously been arrested on 8 February along with four other people as part of this investigation.

A 29-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman, both from Epping, have been charged with traffick large commercial quantity drug of dependence and knowingly deal with the proceeds of crime.

The duo were remanded to appear at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on 3 May.

A 36-year-old man and 31-year-old woman, both from Kalkallo, were released and are expected to be charged on summons.

Detectives also seized almost $1.2M cash during warrants at Whittlesea, Kalkallo and Epping addresses on 9 February.

The investigation followed information provided to police in relation to money laundering and drug trafficking by a syndicate in the northern suburbs of Melbourne and remains ongoing.

Anyone with information on organised crime activity is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential crime report via Crime Stoppers online.

The Daylesford District Community Bank has awarded scholarships to two local students in recent days.

Taron Malter and Lucy Muscat were each awarded a scholarship of $5,000 per year for two years with the money able to be used to cover expenses related to studying. The scholarships will help fund study costs in their first years of post-secondary education.

Taron Malter will study a Science degree at The University of Melbourne. Lucy Muscat will study a Professional Communication degree at RMIT.

“I am so excited to receive this scholarship. It makes a real difference to my ability to move to Melbourne this year to go to Uni,” Taron said.

“Thank you so much. I am really glad to receive this scholarship because going to Uni is expensive, especially for regional students who have to leave home or commute a long way,” Lucy said.

Although local students of TAFE study are eligible for the scholarships, all applicants this year were enrolled in degree-level study.

Community Bank Chair Mark Rak: “We are delighted to provide these scholarships to support local studentsin their education after secondary school. We are able tooffer these scholarships because our customers choose to bank with us. The scholarships are part of our ongoing commitment to community investment.

“Since we began business in 2012, our bank has invested over $600,000 into the local community and returned over $400,000 by way of dividends and capital returns.”

Daylesford District Community Bank Scholarships are part of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Scholarship Program, which partners with Community Bank branches, Rural Bank and The University of Melbourne.

Victoria Police is issuing an urgent warning to regional motorists following a significant spike in lives lost on rural roads this year.

The latest police intelligence shows that there were 24 lives lost from collisions on rural roads as of 30 January, a 64 per cent increase on the five-year average for fatal regional collisions in January.

Of those 24 lives lost on rural roads, 21 resided in regional locations and two worked in regional centres.

Eighteen of the 21 fatal collisions occurred within 100km of the deceased’s residence.

More than 85 per cent of rural fatalities occurred on high-speed rural roads, with speed limits between 80km/h – 110km/h.

Police suspect driver error, resulting from distraction and inattention, has contributed significantly to rural road fatalities in January.

They’re urging regional road users to take more care as the state enters another particularly high-risk period.

There were eight lives lost in five days between 12 and 16 February last year – with six of those eight fatalities occurring on rural roads.

Police are determined to avoid a repeat of this concerning rural road trauma trend, with highway patrol deployments to be bolstered to regional areas throughout February, ahead of a statewide operation over the Labour Day long weekend in March.

It comes as Victoria has recorded 45 lives lost, up from 31 at the same time last year and well-above the five-year average of 27.

There have been 30 lives lost to date on rural roads in Victoria.

For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.

Assistant Commissioner Road Policing, Glenn Weir: “It is a common misconception that it’s not locals losing their lives on country roads. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

“The reality is, people residing in regional areas make up the majority of those killed on rural roads.

“Distraction and basic road user error is significantly contributing to regional lives lost. It just shows a simple lapse in concentration can have catastrophic consequences.

“It is imperative all road users remain alert, particularly when travelling on high-speed rural roads.

“It’s been a terrible start to the year on our roads, and we’re entering another particularly high-risk period. Please don’t be complacent and think that road trauma can’t happen to you, because a split-second of inattention is all it takes.

“Police will be doing everything they can to reduce road trauma during this high-risk period, but we need everyone to do their bit”

Bendigo Crime Investigation Unit detectives are investigating a serious assault which occurred in Eaglehawk earlier this month.

Officers have been told a man and two woman were walking along Simpsons Road about 10pm on Saturday 4 February.

A car drove up behind the group and there was a verbal altercation between the occupants of the car and the male victim.

It is alleged the driver threw an object out the window at the group which struck the victim, a 35-year-old Jackass Flat man, in the temple.

The car started to drive off but returned so the occupants could retrieve what was thrown at the victim before driving off.

It was last seen travelling on Simpsons Road towards Eaglehawk-Neilborough Road.

The victim was taken to hospital with serious facial injuries and is still receiving treatment.

The car is described as a light coloured four door sedan and one of the occupants of the vehicle is perceived to be a Caucasian male with light brown or red hair.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or with dashcam footage or CCTV is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or log onto the Crime Stoppers website online.

Hepburn Shire Council has replaced a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with King Charles III in the Daylesford Town Hall.

CEO Bradley Thomas said while displaying the portrait of the king was not a requirement for council meetings, it is a requirement under the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code to display the official portrait of Australia’s Head of State at citizenship ceremonies.

Council meetings are held in the town hall.

Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.

He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to accede to the British throne, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.

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Applications for the 2022-23 round of the Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program are now open.

The 2022-23 Change Our Game Community Activation Grants Program funds community-based initiatives that enable participation, build capability and celebrate the role of women and girls in sport and active recreation.

Grants of up to $10,000 are available to support eligible community sport and recreation clubs or organisations.

Activities can be open to the whole community (ie. activities are not required to only involve women and girls).

Applications that support the equitable inclusion of women and girls from all background and experiences are encouraged.

Now in its sixth year, the program is once again supporting local activities to increase participation, build capability and celebrate the role of women and girls in sport and active recreation.

Applications close Monday 6 March 2023

Link: www.changeourgame.vic.gov.au

And so the La Niña blues roll on
And you thought (hoped)! we had seen the last of her. With the little girl still hanging around I figured these two very common problems of this season deserved sharing.
Hi Glen,
I have a 28-year-old walnut tree in the back garden. This year it has barely come into leaf and is looking sick. I am wondering if it is due to being a wet winter and the fact it was heavily watered last summer. Do you think it would benefit from a trim back? Or could I dig a trench out from the trunk and fill it with Seasol or something similar? I don’t want to lose the tree. Do you have any suggestions?
I also have had difficulty getting rid of the cherry slug by using copper spray at leaf burst, lime sulphur, and pest oil – to the extent that I have lost young trees including a weeping flowering cherry. I would value your opinion.
Thank you in advance, Marg

1 The Walnut tree

Walnuts grow best in deep, well-drained loam and do appreciate compost, organic manures etc. They are best planted on the high side of sloping gardens, not down the bottom where, in heavier-type soil, water tends to lie.
I can tell you that damned interloper Ms Niña’s re-appearance causing this awful, miserable and overly wet, and not to mention, violent weather, has caused my deciduous fruiting trees similar grief to yours. I only hope the rest of summer is a little benign, at least for long enough for everything to recover.
Hopefully your walnut’s roots didn’t suffer any great damage. The best course of action would be to dig a few shallow channels radiating from the trunk out to just past the “drip-line’ (just past the branch ends) making sure you don’t damage any shallow roots.
Don’t put any fertiliser around until you see positive signs of young growth, so you know it’s ready to get going again. Then you can let fly with the manures, Seasol etc.
Walnuts aren’t all that fond of pruning so wait until you see some real movement before you trim off any damaged or weakened growths.

2 Pear/cherry slugs

These little monsters are as persistent as blowflies around a picnic and will take constant action to clear up. So it’s useful to know their life cycle to understand the several remedies needed.
Pear/cherry slugs are larvae of one species of insect commonly called sawfly. The adult fly lays her eggs on the back of the selected tree’s leaves and dies. The eggs hatch and become the slugs, which gorge themselves on your tree’s succulent leaves, then head south to dig themselves a cosy spot in the ground at the foot of the tree to mutate into flies…which then proceed up to the next season’s succulent leaves to continue the life cycle.
So you have several chances of stopping them, as well as physically removing and killing the slugs – spray the pest oil as soon as the leaves are fully opened to get the eggs before they hatch.
Hit the slugs with the oil or water to knock them off the tree, and stop them either going down, or coming back up to eat, by placing a barrier ring of pest oil-soaked rag about 5-10cm above the ground. This not only deters the little blighters, if you regularly repeat dousing the rag and completely break the life cycle, you could be lucky enough to rid your garden of them – and maybe a few of their cousins for at least a couple of seasons.
Happy Hunting!
Got a gardening query? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

Detectives from Wodonga Crime Investigation Unit have charged a man following the alleged theft of a Triumph motorcycle from a property in Wodonga earlier this month.

Police have been told the 2007 black and chrome Triumph motorcycle, which was attached to a brown Holden Acadia SUV, was parked outside a business on Melbourne Road on 6 February.

It’s alleged the motorcycle, and trailer which it was on, were stolen from Melbourne Road about 2.45pm on 6 February.

The trailer and motorcycle have since been recovered and today a 51-year-old man from Howlong in New South Wales has been charged with theft.

He was bailed to appear at Wodonga Magistrates’ Court on 13 June 2023

Investigators would like to thank the public for their assistance.

IF YOU are sick of people bagging the Hepburn Shire Council then it’s
time for you to turn the page. For the rest of you I have a tale to tell that
will have you saying “that would be right” under a slow, shallow exhale.
A couple of years back while in the office at TL HQ I noticed a deep thudding
reverberating through the floorboards in the office. Now at my age that could be any
number of medical issues rearing their heads for the first time. So after a quick self-
check I concluded the thudding was coming from outside the office.
It turns out that the gang from the HSC roadworks department had put their
heads together, for whatever reason, and decided “bugger the potholes, we will create
a 100-metre bitumen track right outside TL HQ”.
This was an unrequested item. The, what I call a roadlet, covers the driveways
of three houses and I think the gravel road was better because it is a deterrent to
any tourist wandering around in awe of the fresh air and tall trees. They need to be
corralled into the shops and pubs where they do their best, spending money in our
local economy.
But back to the roadlet. It was being created by a giant whacker-packer (WP),
and while that may not be its official term, it was the source of the thudding and
vibrating. Having a double-brick house, built in 1861 well before the WP was
invented, I immediately turned my attention to the cracks which were appearing
in the walls. I quickly ran out on the road and effectively shut the job down to the
disappointment of the WP driver, who proclaimed he only had one more run to do
to complete the road.
So, we are left with a piece of tarmac that goes nowhere in particular and, because
I didn’t take photos of my house before the incident, HSC will not admit liability and
the repair bill will be around the 12K mark when completed.
This sort of behaviour seems to be repeated with works around the shire with not
much thought put into the “whole of life” of a project. That is, how we will maintain
a project, why are we doing a project and what value does it give the ratepayer.
I know I sound like a curmudgeon banging on about those in their ivory tower,
however another case in point is this giant rainbow. For God’s sake, who decided that
we were going to buddy up with a giant corporation whose entire ethos consists of
“swipe right” to like, or “swipe left” to dislike.
I was never asked if I thought a big rainbow was the best representation of
our community. This place is a lot of things including an already diverse, inclusive
community. We also have a lot of history in gold and more recently have become
known for being a romantic getaway location.
But here we are lumbered with the huge hunk of coloured plywood, so let’s make
the best of it, but no, we have to stick it in a location where apart from the visiting
netball and football teams only the locals will see it.
Yes, it is a fabulous thing to show off on the one ChillOut day where it will be
Instagrammed into the viral-sphere, but by and large it will sit, lonely, visited by the
odd dog walker or ping-pong player who happens to be wandering by.
And this is exactly the sort of shortsightedness I am talking about. Where is the
signage to say where it is, what about the lighting to protect it from vandals at night
and who will look after it and at what cost? Curmudgeonly rant over…

Ed’s note: A council spokesperson said the sections of road were constructed as part of
the 2020/21 Road Upgrade Program which prioritised sections based on factors such
as traffic volumes, safety, amenity, road functionality and connectivity between main
roads and local access roads. Who knew our road was so important?

Days of words
Beginning with birdsong
without words at all from magpies
the word trill forms up in bed
Crows hardly sing –
their unoiled hinges creak
Cockatoos let fly with their squarks
Further words try themselves on
for size and furnish
a running commentary
The day thickens with words
and tonight for sure they will
hop into bed with me
– Bill Wootton
Bill’s days and nights are crowded with words. Here are some of them.

Local Lines features poetry by locals about local and any other matters.
Please submit poems to Bill Wootton at cottlesbreedge@gmail.com

The Macedon Ranges-based lunch group Birds of a Feather is spreading its
wings this month and heading to Melbourne to the Victorian Pride Centre in
St Kilda on Thursday, February 23 for a 12pm lunch on the rooftop terrace.
Organised by Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health’s Country LGBTIQA+
Inclusion Program, the event is free with meals and drinks at bar prices. RSVPs are essential and can be lodged at www.surveymonkey.com/r/BOAF-RSVP-Feb2023. Transport from Kyneton is available, email nathan.allwood@scchc.org.au or call 5421 1666.

Creative professionals with big ideas to transform their practice and
build their skills and careers can apply for the latest round of the state
government’s Creators Fund.
Applications are open to individuals and collectives working in any creative field
including digital games, literature, craft, theatre, music, screen, dance, visual art,
fashion and design.

First Peoples and general streams applications close on February
22, with the deaf and disabled stream closing on March 1. Link: creative.vic.gov.au/
funding-opportunities/find-a-funding-opportunity/creators-fund

THE experience of losing her mother to a form of dementia inspired
Tylden creative Dawn Bamford to pen a play highlighting some pressing issues.

Next month that play The Vessel will be staged at The Social Foundry in Kyneton
featuring a cast and crew of impressive local talent while spotlighting some of the big
challenges around ageing and care-giving.
The 40-minute piece will be staged Saturday March 4, 8pm and Sunday March
5 at 2pm and at 5pm, and will be complemented by a 10-minute play Until Then by
Paul Canlan.
Like The Vessel, the shorter play similarly deals with intense familial relationships –
in this case a father-son relationship – that can arise amid significant health challenges.
“The cast and crew of The Vessel and Until Then are a very talented bunch of local
and regional performers and it’s a pleasure to work alongside them as part of the
creative process, which started some four months ago as a reading around a table, over
a glass of wine at Chaplin’s in Trentham,” Dawn (pictured above) said.
Besides her creative activity, Dawn works in social support with Sunbury-Cobaw
Community Health and hopes the new stage production will go on to tour and
prompt useful conversation and policy changes.
She says she wrote The Vessel last year after she was initially prompted to write a
poem as a personal reflective response to the experience of losing her mother in 2017.
The poem has been worked into the stage play, marking its beginning and end.
“In early 2018, I wrote a poem, around six months after the death of my mother
in aged care,” she said.
“Mum was about four years into her initial early-onset dementia diagnosis with
Lewy bodies when she was admitted into care.
“Over a very long time she lost most of her physical and mental capacity and was
both non-verbal and non-ambulant at the time of her death. Between 2007 and 2017
I was a constant visitor, volunteer and eventually, part-time lifestyle worker there.
“I had a first-hand view of the operational and logistical complexity of care in this
setting and the limitations of this large-scale business model in the industry sector.”
Dawn said many of the problems of institutionalised care had been highlighted
in the Royal Commission recently, as a result of the rise of Covid in the sector, but it
had always been an industry in crisis.

“The private business model is really an imperfect solution to what is really a
social and community health concern, as much as it is a housing resolution for an
older population with high care needs.
“It survives because of the rampant ageism and neglect that we all contribute
to as a society. I do not wish to demonise any individual, service, group of workers,
families or healthcare agencies through my play.
“The aim is to humanise the condition that is dementia and remind us all of
the fact that it is a human condition and that sufferers have not had their minds
and memories erased, rather redistributed and rearranged, and that their emotional
intelligence and hearing are as sharp as ever.
“There’s an element very much of social justice and after the three shows in
Kyneton we’d like to see if there are touring possibilities. I’d love to see it prompt
more conversations and maybe some action and policy changes in the aged care
sector.”
Dawn has a well established background in theatre, TV and screen including
acting and singing, but bringing The Vessel to the stage marks her debut foray into
playwriting and production.
“It is quite confronting but there are delightful moments as well,” she said.
“There are some moments of hilarity. Behind every single human being,
irrespective of age, there is a story that nobody knows.”
The Vessel features many local names including Suzanne Sandow (Mary), Kate
Moonie (daughter), Mel Thomas (PCA), Ian Rooney (nurse) and Rexine Perry
(clown), Paul Canlan (director) Tim Jones (poster and set design and construction),
Caroline Sarah (costumes) and Toby Dutton (graphic design and set construction).
Until Then features Paul Canlan (Rhys/son), Ian Rooney (Tony/dad).
Bookings through TryBooking online.
Words: Eve Lamb | Images: Contributed