Words: Eve Lamb | Image: contributed

Quite a few will know her as the friendly face up front conducting the Creswick Chorus, Creswick’s
own community choir for adults who like to sing.

Stella Savy is the talented local muso whose unique blend of funk, soul, reggae and ska has won her fans
Australia-wide. Her original music is influenced by her Seychelle Island heritage – the sounds of the islands where her father was born.
Beyond performing with various combos – like Stella Savy Avek Frers – Stella derives plenty of soul food from her role as community choir conductor.

She says the Creswick Chorus formed about this time last year, initially specifically to perform at last year’s
inaugural CresFest.
But after eight weeks of rehearsals and then achieving their goal of performing at CresFest, none of the choir members were ready to see it all end there. So it didn’t.
Instead, Stella says Creswick Chorus now has about 25 regular members and after its term break, has now just resumed weekly Wednesday evening rehearsals (as of earlier this week February 1) as part of the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre program. And it will once again be performing at CresFest that happens March 31-April 2.
“The Creswick Chorus is open to everyone and you don’t need to have experience,” Stella says, also
mentioning the Creswick Kids’ Choir which will also be performing at CresFest this year as well.
Stella has been a musician and teacher for more than two decades and has taught many age groups and people of a wide range of musical abilities all over Australia.
She is an engaging storyteller and teacher and those who participate in her workshops tend to leave with a smile as well as some new musical skill.
Her live performances feature original works with contagious beats and her music career has taken her to
amazing locations around the world, including Africa and the Seychelle Islands, where she facilitates yearly tour groups.
Stella has also worked with choirs for many years, ranging from community – like the keen Creswick
Chorus – to professional, and her extensive skill set includes body percussion, harmony, hand-drumming
and singing.
“The Creswick Chorus is for adults,” she said, ahead of the local choir’s resumption of its well-attended
weekly rehearsals at the town’s neighbourhood centre as of Wednesday evening earlier this week.
“It’s a lovely group of people and it’s really fun. We sing a range of world music, contemporary, a bit of
gospel and a bit of African stuff,” Stella says.
“It’s such a great way to really connect with people in your community.”

As all pet owners know, running out of pet food is not an option.

So there’s little doubt that when Matt and Melissa Barnes opened Daylesford’s
PETstock store just over a year ago, many pet and livestock owners relaxed a little.
One of the first things they did on purchasing the former Stockfeed store on
Knox Street was to extend trading hours.
“We extended the opening hours on our first day,” says Matt, who with Melissa,
also owns and operates the Castlemaine PETstock store. We’re open seven days
a week and our hours are now 9am to 4pm weekends, and 8.30am to 5.30pm
weekdays,” Matt says.
Understanding the practical needs of all sorts of pets and livestock is something
they’ve honed over many years. Matt and Melissa had taken on the PETstock
franchise for the Hoppers Crossing store way back in 2003.
“That was back when there were only about 17 PETstock stores across Australia,
and now there’s over 200,” Matt says. In 2018 the couple made a big move,
purchasing the Castlemaine PETstock store. “We sold our house, bought a little
house in Castlemaine and moved with our four kids,” says Matt.
Their purchase of the Daylesford store on Knox Street in November 2021 now
strengthens their place in the lives of local pet owners. “I think one of our strengths is
that we have a very generous rewards program,” Matt says.
“There was already a good product range at this store but now that it’s a
PETstock, this has expanded even more and everything on the PETstock website is
available to our customers. We have an extensive online offering, and click and collect
is available from our Daylesford store.”
Matt doesn’t hesitate when asked what he enjoys most about his work.
“It’s always the customer interaction,” he says. “It’s all about customer service,
things like carrying goods out to the car. And we do deliveries two or three times a
week. People take their pets very seriously, whether it’s horses or goats or pigs or cats.”
The couple’s own household includes Rhodesian ridgeback pup Lilybet, Jack
Russell Dusty, and cats Millie, Chippy and Kevin.
“It’s nice to talk to people about their pets. It always brings a smile to their face.
“Covid really highlighted the importance of the bond between pets and people,
especially for those who live on their own. We love serving the Daylesford community
and we’re here for the long term.” _Advertorial

BLOOM, an exhibition of new paintings by local artist Kevin Smith is now showing at the The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Trentham.

The new paintings, created in his Little Hampton studio during the past three years of Covid lockdowns,
capture the townscapes and landscapes of the central highlands and beyond in Kevin’s colourful,
vibrant, expressionist style.
Trained in fine arts at the National Gallery Art School in the 1960s, Kevin has been creating, exhibiting and selling his original works for almost 60 years. He has won multiple awards including the Swiss Italian
Art Prize in Daylesford and Trentham Art Show prizes for best oil, acrylic, pastel and best
sculpture.
To meet the artist, head to The Cosmo on Saturdays, February 4 and 11 from 4pm to 6pm.
Kevin said the title BLOOM expressed the joy of “being able to once again connect with
the creative loving populace”.
“The time has come to help the creatives of the region to ‘bloom and blossom’ after being
unable to exhibit and sell their works for the past three years.”
The exhibition runs till the end of March.

Daylesford is a special place, and Emma Ireland would know.

After decades working on major events like Bluesfest and Big Day Out as well as organising
club and circus events in Melbourne’s inner city scene, she chose to raise her family here well before she became ChillOut Festival director.
“I love this year’s theme, Find Your Wings. It’s as much in celebration of the
rediscovery of the bright eyed brown butterfly near Lake Daylesford as it is about
finding your community, and your true self.

“I’m telling everyone – find your wings and enjoy the beautiful transformation
that is the ChillOut Festival on the long weekend, March 2023. And bring your
wings – because we all know how important costumes are.”
This year’s festival will be more accessible for people with disabilities, with improved facilities and inclusion being front and centre of programming and logistics, including an accessible seated area outside the Town Hall at the street parade, more Auslan interpreters and more accessible toilets at Victoria Park.
“We’re actively seeking out how to use accessibility best practice across the festival
so that people living with a disability can enjoy the weekend,” Emma said.
Events will include the famous bush dance, street parade, and carnival day, as
well as new traditions like the All Ages Sound Shell event which started last year by
Daylesford Secondary College’s student-led ‘Pride BriGAYde’.
Up and coming LGBTQIA+ talent will rub shoulders with stars like national
treasure Kate Miller-Heidke, Drag Race superstars Karen from Finance and Art
Simone, as well as Miss First Nation 2021 Cerulean, cabaret queens Dolly Diamond
and Tash York, Greg Gould, live music from Dean Arcuri, Tuck Shop Ladies, This
Way North, Marz, Jude Perl and more.
“I’m excited to bring back the ChillOut fundraiser lunch at 1pm. There will be
surprise guests performing, giveaways, a silent auction, it’s a bit of fun and it helps
keep the festival going. We’ve also brought back welcome drinks at the Daylesford
Hotel at 5pm, just like old times.
“And we have two incredible cabaret shows at the Town Hall from 6pm.
Diamond and York, and Karen from Finance. We have 55 events this year – so there
really is something for everyone.”
Cabaret and comedy shows: Dolly Diamond and Tash York are Attention Seekers |
Friday 10 March | 6pm | Daylesford Town Hall
Karen From Finance is Doing Time | Friday 10 March | 8pm | Daylesford Town
Hall
Daytime fun: Carnivale: Sunday 12 March | 11am – 5pm | Victoria Park
Find your wings at Carnivale – set up a picnic for a day of community, laughter,
singing and joy hosted by our way-beyond-fabulous MC duo Nate Byrne and Art
Simone. It’s a full day of stellar performers including Kate Miller-Heidke, as well as
community events, kid-friendly activities, dog pageant and the annual “tug of love”
rope-pulling competition.
Night dance parties: Ballroom Blitz | Friday 10 March | 8pm – 12 | Victoria Park
Hey Hunny! Saturday 11 March | Daylesford Town Hall | 7pm to 1am
Bush Dance | Saturday 11 March | 8pm – midnight | Victoria Park
Sunday after parties: Poof Doof After Party: Sunday 12 March | 7pm to midnight |
Victoria Park
Tomboy Goes Bush: Sunday 12 March | 5pm to midnight | Daylesford Hotel

The Local is proud to be ChillOut’s media partner.
Image: Michele Donnelly Link: www.chilloutfestival.com.au

Jo Beswick has already led an amazing life but she says moving to the Central
Highlands and taking up the position of care manager at Hepburn House are
the “best decisions ever.

Jo started her working life in international trade finance and lived away from
Australia in places including China, London and Switzerland for many years.
“I was really lucky to travel the world but I actually always wanted to be a nurse.
The only reason I didn’t go into nursing when I left school was because my father
didn’t want me to. He thought finance would be better money.
“But after I had my second daughter and it was time to go back to work I didn’t
want to go back to the corporate world – so I finally ended up in the world of
nursing. That was 12 years ago.”
Jo worked in the acute sector for many years and then gained experience in other
fields including medical, surgical oncology and orthopaedics, “and a little bit of
mental health” and then decided to get into management.
“Someone told me to get into aged care because you can progress much quicker
but really the biggest drive for me was that I really love people and can talk easily with
people. And I had noticed that with nursing in a hospital you meet amazing people
but they are only with you for a few days – and I always found myself wondering how
they were.
“With aged care you can form a long-term relationship, not only with the
resident but also the family members. And that is really why I decided on aged care.”
Jo said the move to regional Victoria after many years in Melbourne, came three
years ago when she was headhunted for a 12-month contract at Bendigo.
“That lead me to regional life and I really loved it and so I sold my home in
Melbourne and am now living on a big property at Kyneton with my daughters, who
are now 25, 22 and 15 and three cats, two ragdolls called Paisley and Paddington and
a Siamese called Twiggy, and Remy the Staffordshire bull terrier. It’s the best decision
I have ever made and I have never looked back.”
Jo said while it was only her second week at Hepburn House she was loving it.
“Everybody is so lovely and really supportive, the residents are just so nice, and the
families as well, and the staff are just amazing. I am living my best life.” _Advertorial

Words & image: Eve Lamb

ELECTRIC vehicle owners are keenly watching to see when the newly installed charge station at Creswick will come online.
It’s one of three being installed under a collaboration involving Hepburn Shire Council, the state government, Chargefox and Hepburn Energy.
New charge stations are also set to be installed at Hepburn Springs and at Trentham over coming months, while the new Creswick station is next to the town’s visitor information centre.
This follows Chargefox securing $89,500 through the Victorian Government’s Destination Charging Across Victoria Program to enable installation of the new 50kW DC fast-chargers at the three locations.
The program is the first launched under the Acceleration of Zero Emissions Vehicle Adoption Program – part of the Zero Emissions Vehicle Roadmap. The Roadmap is a $100 million package of policies and programs to encourage the adoption of zero emissions vehicles.
The program aims to install about 141 EV fast-charging stations at 116 key tourist destinations and high-use locations across Victoria by July this year with the charging stations to be deployed on the Chargefox network, the largest EV charging network in Australia.
“We are excited to expand our network in the Hepburn Shire, which is a beacon of sustainability initiatives,” Evan Beaver, head of Charging at Chargefox, said.
Hepburn Shire mayor Cr Brian Hood said the Creswick station would open soon.
“Connection to the network is under way and it just needs to be tested and then there’ll be an opening.”
Each of the new 50kW DC fast-chargers are to be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, and availability of underground electricity supply has been a key factor in determining the locations for the new charge stations.
A little further down the track, the installation of a new EV charge station is also slated for Clunes. “We’ve got a further one planned for Clunes. It’s a ‘this-year’ project. That will take the number to five,” Cr Hood said.
Into the longer term, a second EV charge station is also mooted for Daylesford, complementing the town’s existing charge station located outside the town hall. And an EV charge station is also planned for Glenlyon as part of “the longer term plan”.
Installation of the new charge stations is just one of multiple efforts being made
by Hepburn Shire to drive down carbon emissions, Cr Hood says.
Under the council’s Sustainable Hepburn strategy it’s also aiming to make inroads
in areas including regenerative farming, transitioning its own light vehicle fleet to
electric, and establishing a circular economy. It’s currently employing its first circular
economy officer.
“Together with the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance and Hepburn Energy
we’re also looking into neighbourhood battery storage. We’re doing feasibility and
technical studies into how it would work and what role local government would
play.”
As to the new charge station at Creswick, Clunes EV owner Patrick Hockey, pictured above, is among the many closely watching – and discussing – the movements in this space.
“The convenience and economy of using an EV is profound,” Mr Hockey said.
“Making charging infrastructure available is a no-brainer. The location (of the
Creswick charger) will be very convenient, near the supermarket.
“I’d like to see a rank of 12 as the next step.”

Police were earlier on scene investigating a fatal collision that happened at Laanecoorie on Monday morning earlier this week.

It is believed a utility and a SUV collided at the intersection of Bendigo-Maryborough Road and Bridgewater- Maldon Road just after 8am.

The driver of the SUV died at the scene and had yet to be formally identified when police issued a report following the fatal incident.

The male driver of the utility was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Central Goldfields Highway Patrol officers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision.

Anyone who witnessed the collision, has dashcam footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report via Crime Stoppers online.

Words: Tony Sawrey | Main image: Contributed | Inset: Kyle Barnes

A DECADE ago, cinema complexes across Australia were going digital, dumping
their old analog equipment and almost overnight, projectionists found themselves out of a job.
Gone were the old large film reels as movie releases moved to what were known as Digital Cinema Packages.

One of those projectionists was Ken Parfrey, pictured inset, of the Radio Springs Hotel in Lyonville. He began his career at the Carlton Movie House and subsequently worked at numerous theatres around Melbourne and the Melbourne Film Festival before taking over the hotel in 1997.
Cinema Nova
Later Ken heard that Cinema Nova, where he worked for many years, was getting rid of their projectors. “The owners told me to come and get them,” Ken recalls, “or they are going to the
tip.”
“We brought them here and decided to do a backyard blitz as it were and do up the garage as a form of cinema/ performance space using the salvaged machines.”
Today, Ken maintains his old role of movie projectionist in one of only a handful of theatres in Victoria that still present celluloid as a relic of a bygone age.

Splice Here
But now, more than a decade after the demise of film in most commercial venues, it is the subject of Splice Here: A Projected Odyssey, a documentary by filmmaker and former projectionist Rob ‘Bert’ Murphy, pictured main image.
Debuting at the 2022 Melbourne International Film Festival and also having been shown at the Wide Screen Weekend in England and DOC NYC in America, the documentary explores the history of the projectionists’ craft over the decades and the enthusiasts who today hoard old film stock, equipment and maintain film-only theatres around the world.
This network of mostly retired projectionists offers a fascinating glimpse into a lost world and Bert points out that; “There are a few key people in the projectionists’ underground and Ken is one of them. He was chief projectionist at Carlton’s Cinema Nova and an important character in Melbourne film culture. That’s why he features prominently in Splice Here.”
The digital age
The digital age as we know it has been around since the early 2000s. In 2023
everything from music to books, news and film via the internet, streaming and
formats such as MP4 are produced and distributed in digital format.
During that time an entire generation of people have grown up knowing nothing
else but digital. However, while there remain people who remember the days when
movies were recorded and exhibited on celluloid ribbon treated with light sensitive
chemicals instead of ones and zeros, there will remain an endless digital vs film debate
sitting at the very heart of the work.
The documentary begins by delving into Cinerama, a format which emerged in
the 1950s presented on enormous, curved screens utilising three separate projectors.
The search
From here Bert explores the world of projected film and goes searching for old
equipment and mouldering prints in museums, sheds and abandoned rural theatres.
He talks to archivists, filmmakers and producers and documents the return of film-
only events including the debut of Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight on 70mm at
the Sun Theatre in Yarraville in 2016.

One of the things about shooting and projecting digital is it’s a great medium
and has allowed a lot of amazing new things to be done,” says Bert. “It’s just that it
has also introduced a certain form of laziness to the production process and I have
always felt that digital is a poor substitute for the look of film which has both a
softness and richness that’s hard to surpass.”
Re-emergence
Despite a downturn during Covid, there has been a gradual re-emergence of film-
only theatres. The most well-known is arguably Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema in
Los Angeles. Melbourne has two, the Sun and the Astor and they are just a few of
hundreds that have appeared around the world.
While making celluloid prints for commercial release is a luxury that only big
name directors like Quentin Tarantino or J.J. Abrams can swing, there has been a
significant return to celluloid film as Richard Tuohy of Nanolab, Daylesford can
attest.
“Certainly there has been an analog renaissance,” he says. “We have been running
our business for 16 years and the number of people who shoot on film these days
has definitely increased significantly over the last five or six years. The immediate
fascination with digital has passed and an appreciation of what film was or is in
contrast has definitely remerged.”
Film romance
Like with all forms of superseded technology, there is a latent romance connected
to projected film. Its shadow is long and Splice Here, which has a few more theatre
runs before going to DVD and then possibly being streamed, is a love letter to its
memory.
While digital is ubiquitous and here to stay, history has shown that most
communication disruptions from the printing press to social media eventually see old
tech settle back into the cultural fabric in often unexpected ways – due in no small
part to the efforts of people like Bert Murphy and Ken Parfrey making the effort to
rescue old formats from oblivion.
Ken, who hopes to show the documentary at the Radio Springs Hotel, ironically
when he gets a digital projector, says film and old projectors are like “big boys’ toys”.
And there are certainly a network of enthusiasts like himself around the world
who are, as he says, “keeping the dream alive”.

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Supplied

HUMBLED and “a bit surprised” is the way farmer John Drife describes discovering he’s this year’s
Hepburn Shire Citizen of the Year.
At a civic event in Daylesford last Wednesday, the Hepburn
Shire Council named John its Citizen of The Year, also announcing Daylesford’s Atticus Punt-Trethewey as its Young Citizen of the Year.
The Great Dividing Trail Association’s Reconciliation Walks took out Event of the Year as part of the shire’s 2023 Community Awards.

“I was a little bit surprised. It’s very humbling just to be nominated and I’d like to congratulate all the others who were nominated,” said Clunes farmer John Drife.
John and Billie Henderson-Drife farm sheep, cattle and crops in the Glendaruel-Mount Beckworth area just out of Clunes. Both of their families settled in the area back in the mid-1800s.
John paid special homage to his wife Billie, stating that he believed she deserved the award as well.
The farmer is a pivotal part of the community in and around Clunes. He’s on many committees and community groups including the CFA (a member for more than half a century),
Waubra Wind Farm Community Fund Committee, Mt Bolton/Beckworth Landcare Group, Clunes & District Agricultural Society Committee and many more.
John coordinated multiple fundraisers for individuals and groups, in particular playing a central role in Bushy’s Cutout fundraiser in 2018, which raised more than $85,000 to support local shearer Tony
‘Bushy’ Hill in his battle with Motor Neurone Disease.
Other Citizen of the Year nominees were Terry Bolton, Gayle Chappell, Michelle
Clifford, Margaret Giles, Natasha Hall and Jennifer Hind.
The shire’s Young Citizen of The Year, Daylesford’s Atticus Punt-Trethewey, was
similarly humble.
“It’s not something I ever would have expected,” he said.
The 21-year-old Australian College of the Arts music production student initiated and organised the free youth music event AltWave, held for the first time last year in the Daylesford Town Hall.
Atticus engaged a team of young musicians and entertainers and coordinated support of community groups and businesses to run the event that raised awareness and money for youth mental health.
“I guess more than anything I’m just grateful that the message we’re trying to spread with AltWave has cut through,” said Atticus, who is already busily planning the next AltWave event for later this year.
“The issues that young people face in the region are very important,” he said.
The other nominees for the shire’s Young Citizen award were Flossy Haughie,
Lucinda Lowe and Sasha Taylor.

Meanwhile, president of The Great Dividing Trail Association, Daylesford’s Tim
Bach, was keen to pay homage to others when the association’s Reconciliation Walks
scooped the shire’s Event of the Year award.
“The driving force for this particular event was Barry Golding who did a lot of the
research and got permission from landholders, because some of the walks cross onto
private land, and he liaised with the Djarra people,” Tim said.
As part of its ongoing, wider guided walks and rides program, the Great Dividing
Trail Association held educational guided walks to local sites where Aboriginal
Protectorates had been established in the mid-1800s.

The walks highlighted the early post-contact history of First Nations peoples and
emphasised the need to acknowledge their mistreatment as a step in the reconciliation
process.
The Reconciliation Walks had strong support from Djarra people and have
become a regular feature of the GDTA’s wider guided walk program.
“This year we are doing two more walks in significant Aboriginal areas – one to Mount Beckworth on Sunday, August 27 and one to Mount Tarrengower on Sunday, June 25,” Tim said.
“I’m honoured that we received this award. I’m surprised too because there were some really high quality nominations and I feel that we are only a little organisation.”
The other nominees for the shire’s Event of The Year award were AltWave Youth Music Event, CresFest and Wombat Trees Festive Project.

Detectives from the Homicide Squad have in recent days charged a teenage boy with murder as part of their investigation into a fatal stabbing in St Kilda in December.

A 15-year-old Taylors Hill boy was charged on January 20 with one count of murder and was required to face a children’s court at a later date.

The teen was initially charged in December with a range of offences in relation to the incident, including violent disorder and affray, and had been remained in custody since that time.

The more recent charge of January 20 followed the painstaking review of hours of CCTV footage by Homicide Squad investigators.

Seven males in total, aged between 15 and 18 years of age, have all been charged in relation to the incident with a range of assault, drug and weapons offences.

The arrests follow an incident where emergency services were called to St Kilda beach just after 7.30pm on 4 December, 2022 following reports of people fighting.

An 18-year-old Tarneit man was located with stab wounds on the beach in the vicinity of Pier Road.

He was transported to hospital but subsequently passed away.

Detectives remain keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident or has further information about those involved.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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

Assistant Commissioner Bob Hill, Crime Command: “Significant displays of public violence such as this strike at the heart of the feeling of safety our community is entitled to have.

“This incident has been subject to intense investigation over the past seven weeks, resulting in seven people being charged.

“However we know there are still people out there who have information about this incident who are yet to speak to police or have been reluctant to provide information.

“This includes a number of witnesses who were part of the groups involved on the night.

“Investigators are again appealing directly to those people to speak to us and tell us what they know – whether it’s the identity of others who were present on the night or any other information about the fatal stabbing.

“We know there were friends of the victim present on the evening who witnessed the stabbing – for the sake of Hashim and his family, please do the right thing and contact police.

“I remind people that information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers.

“Victoria Police will do everything possible to hold those involved in this incident to account, but this is undoubtedly a situation where we need the support of the community.

“Too many lives have already been lost and families ruined as a consequence or incidents such as this.

“I can assure the community that any incidents of gang violence will not be tolerated by Victoria Police.”

Renowned Indian slide guitarist Manish Pingle is preparing to bring his virtuosic playing to Hepburn Spring later this month.

Manish is a virtuoso Mohan veena (Indian slide guitar) noted far and wide for his traditional Indian ragas and folk tunes

He is getting set to bring his talents to The Palais, Hepburn for an evening of live Indian classical music, coming up Saturday, February 18.

Manish began his tutelage under the late Shri Vishnu Waliwadekar, and is now one of the senior disciples of Ustad Shahid Paravez, the famous sitar maestro of Itawa gharana.

For this month’s show at the Palais he will be playing a selection of traditional Indian ragas as well as some folk tunes accompanied by the Melbourne-based tabla player Ravi Madhawan.

Words: Donna Kelly

Twenty-one people took the pledge to become Australian citizens at Hepburn
Shire Council’s civic event last Wednesday, January 25.

The new citizens, pictured above with family members watching on, hailed from Argentina, Britain, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Israel, Italy, France, Germany, New Zealand, Philippines, Romania and United States.
One of those taking the pledge was Denise Connors, pictured (below) with her husband Ian. Denise arrived in Australia from the US 35 years ago and after travelling she eventually met her husband Ian, an Australian, with whom she has run Advanced Trees Trentham for many years, while also working in aged care in Kyneton.

“It was just time,” she said. “It was partially to do with Covid – if I had been in
the US during a lockdown that would have been difficult, but it was really just time. I
had a good friend help me with the paperwork, and apart from that, it was easy.”
Denise said the council ceremony was “very nice” and she also enjoyed watching
the shire’s awards handed out.
Asked if she felt differently after the ceremony, Denise said she was “pleased”. “I
am just proud that I have finally done it, and I am very happy to be an Australian.”

A man was arrested earlier this month after an extensive Air Wing follow throughout Melbourne’s northern suburbs after police observed a motorcycle travelling in excess of 200km/h on the Melton Highway.

The Air Wing had observed the motorbike travelling in excess of 200km/h on the Melton Highway at Melton about 3.30pm on Thursday, 19 January.

The motorcycle was followed as it sped dangerously through suburbs including Truganina, Hoppers Crossing and Werribee.

It was seen to travel on the wrong side of the road as it consistently overtook vehicles at excessive speed, police reported.

The rider then took the motorcycle off road in an effort to evade police before he was ultimately arrested in Presidents Park at Wyndham Vale about 4.20pm.

A 21-year-old Melton man, currently on an expired Learner’s permit, has since been charged with reckless conduct endanger serious Injury, dangerous driving whilst being pursued, speed dangerous, manner dangerous, fail to stop on police direction, three counts of exceed speed limit, overtake when unsafe and unlicensed driving.

He had been remanded overnight to appear at Sunshine Magistrates Court on Friday, January 20

Anyone who witnessed the motorcycle speeding or has information that could assist police with their enquiries is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report via Crimes Stoppers online.

The Gisborne library is hosting a free event offering crochet know-how and conversation.

The hour-long afternoon session happens from 2pm on Monday February 6 at the local library, part of the Goldfields Libraries.

“If you’re new to crochet, or would you like to learn this session will be ideal,” said a spokeswoman for the upcoming session at the Gisborne library.

“It would really suit anyone who is working on a project and feels like some company.

“We’d just like everyone to come along to our friendly Crochet and Conversation group to share the love of all things crochet. You can bring your own supplies or current project.”

It’s part of the free ongoing series of diverse public events offered by Goldfields Libraries, with more information and bookings available through the library’s own website.

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Inkd Fotogrfa

A CUSTOM-built house set on grounds of just under an acre has set a new residential sales record for Trentham, selling for $2.2 million in recent weeks.

The “uniqueness” of The French House, as it’s known, was a key factor in its record result, sales representative with selling agent Belle Property, Natalie Fagan, believes.
“We had an outstanding marketing campaign. It was huge and very broad
spectrum,” Natalie says.
“It was also a very, very unique property.”
The French House located at 7 Gleeson Street sold by private sale for $2.2 million
in November.
“It’s pretty amazing,” owner-vendor Narelle Glynn said.
She and her husband Andrew Glynn purchased the property for $265,000 in 2014 and had the house custom-built on site to recreate an authentic French farmhouse, completing the build in 2015.
“When we bought the property, it was a vacant block with a shed,” Narelle said.
The French House went on to grace the pages of Country Style Magazine while its distinctive French-provincial style won it a global following.
Features include meticulously hand-selected European components and generous
romantic gardens.
Narelle, who works in consulting and professional services, and Andrew, an engineer who works for a private start-up in the defence sector, both share a love of France, speak the language and appreciate the French-provincial aesthetic.
“We lived in France in Toulouse together in 2007 and we fell deeply in love with
the aesthetic,” Narelle says.
“But after we had children we realised that we wouldn’t be travelling or getting to France so much so we decided to recreate a little slice of France here.
“We wanted to be really true to French farmhouse design and we pushed pretty
hard to achieve that. We had drafting support from an architect friend of mine.”
In setting the new record sales price for Trentham, The French House has sold to a Melbourne couple who are understood to be ultimately planning a transition to retirement at The French House.
“Initially it is going onto the holiday rental market through Daylesford Country Retreats,” Natalie Fagan says.
“But their (the purchasers’) goal is absolutely to retire to the property.”
Narelle Glynn says the decision to sell The French House was due to Andrew’s work commitments and their relocation to Sydney.
Following the sale of The French House the Glynns have since purchased a new property in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Like the selling agents, Narelle also believes a main reason The French House
was able to achieve the strong result it has, despite mixed movements on the nation’s
wider real estate sector, is largely due to its unique nature.
“I think that it represents the unique nature of the property and recognises the painstaking effort that went into recreating a little slice of France,” she says.
“I also think that buying in a little hamlet that has charm and several cornerstone businesses like Annie Smither’s Du Fermier, Redbeard Bakery, and the Cosmopolitan has also been a real factor.”