Students and teachers at schools in Macedon are anticipated to benefit from a planned ‘maintenance blitz’, a local MP says.
Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas said the blitz – which includes repairing day to day wear
and tear, fixing roofs and windows, repainting walls, resurfacing floors and replacing windows,
pathways and stairs – will soon take place as part of the Planned Maintenance Program.
The program will see 80 schools across the state share in $4.51 million of funding for the works,
which will ensure the schools are safe, modern and properly maintained.
Planned Maintenance Program recipients in Macedon are:
Taradale Primary School has received $20,000 for addressing high priority maintenance tasks
including ceiling repair, external floor revarnishing, fascia repainting, roof repair, wall repainting,
shade structure repainting, addressing the school’s roof and structural issues.
Yandoit Primary School has received $55,000 for high priority maintenance works on the school’s
Shelter in Place building.
Macedon Primary School has received $64,189 and Gisborne Secondary College has received
$20,000.
Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas: “This program is about making sure students and teachers have access to the safe and modern learning environments they deserve.
“From repairing day to day wear and tear to external surface repainting and addressing roof issues –
the blitz will provide a huge benefit to our local schools and ensure they’re properly maintained.”

Ferns for fabulous foliage
These beautifully foliaged plants, always a great addition to any shaded windowsill, porch or shaded corner of the garden, are making a welcome comeback.
One of the few remaining links with pre-history, they date back to the beginning of time and have remained almost unchanged since forming the basic vegetation of primeval time. Botanically ferns differ from higher forms of life in that they do not flower, but reproduce themselves from dust-like spores which form on the backs of their fronds.
Growing conditions
In spite of their delicate, even fragile appearance, ferns will grow quite readily if the conditions suit them – moist air, damp acidic soil and plenty of shade.
Remembering that most ferns originate from the banks of forest streams or even the foot of rain forests, find yours a cool spot under established trees, or a dark corner of a room. Ferns do well in poorly lit spaces. They need little feeding, especially if the potting mix contains a liberal dressing of well-rotted cow manure.
Growing from spores
Ferns will usually grow quite readily from their spores if the following steps are carried out:
Collect the spores by holding a sheet of white paper under the spore-laden fronds and tapping them lightly to dislodge the ripe ones;
Sow them by dusting them onto a mixture of equal parts of finely crumbled peat moss and coarse sand;
Place them in a humid position either in a seed box covered with frosted glass or a pot covered with clear plastic. Either way, maintain humidity by placing a shallow bowl of water in with the pot. Whatever you use, remember to keep the container shaded at all times;
After two or three weeks, pinhead-sized, green dewdrops should appear from which, after a few weeks, small fronds will emerge. Once these plantlets are about two centimetres high, they can be gently lifted with tweezers from the pot and put into larger containers, of the same mixture, spacing them 4-5 cm apart; and, finally, the little ferns can be potted into small individual containers, once they reach about 5-7 cm high.
Potting
(Rather than add to the local discarded plastic mountain, make your own pots from cut lengths of cardboard toilet or other paper cores. Cut them at 2cm longer than the pot height and then cut and fold the extra length to form the bottom of the pot. I usually scrunch up a plug of newspaper for the bottom to keep the soil intact.)
The potting mix should be crumbly and friable with a slightly acidic quality. Mix it with equal parts of sand, peat moss, well-rotted compost and good garden loam, or quality potting mix. It isn’t necessary to repot ferns too often as they prefer to be a little pot-bound.
Minimal care
Ferns require minimal care. Cut off any old fronds and keep pests at bay. Mealy bugs are the worst of these. They are a downy-white scale-like insects which form clusters along the back of the fronds.
An old but very effective means of dealing with them is to mix a teaspoonful of methylated spirits in 500ml of water. Touch the little bugs directly with this mixture using a cotton bud or child’s paint brush. But be sure not to touch any of the foliage with the mixture…it will turn it to toast.
Not all ferns produce fronds like the delicate little cup fern (dennstaedtia), or the rather sturdier, larger growing polystichum proliferum I have thriving under spreading branches of an ancient rhododendron.
Enjoy the summer holiday season and see you “about the house” next year! Glen.
Got a gardening question? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

A special guest visit from prolific author Alexander McCall Smith is among the diverse highlights featured on a packed program that Kyneton Town Hall has launched to host in the first half of the new year.

Tickets sales have opened for a wide range of live shows that are set to feature at the Macedon Ranges’ unique centre for performances. They range from the Multicultural Comedy Gala in March to a performance from the inimitable Diesel in April.

Director Community Maria Weiss said the annual events program typified the Macedon Ranges’ vibrant arts and culture scene that is active all-year-round.

“Staying connected and involved in positive activities is extremely important for our health and wellbeing, so we encourage everyone to get out and enjoy what’s on offer,” she said.

“From classical music to comedy nights, cultural icons to kids’delights, there is sure to be something for everyone.”

Inventi Ensemblekick of the season in February, with their performance of The Enchanted Forest featuring a new arrangement of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphonyand Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faunalong with a world premiere of a new Australian work by Melody Eötvös.

If laughter is more your thing, there will be the opportunity to enjoy some of the biggest comedy names in Australia including Nurse Georgie Carroll in February, the popular Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow in April and much-loved duo Lano and Woodley in May.

For bookworms, one of the world’s best-loved and prolific authors with over 100 books to his name, Alexander McCall Smith, comes to town in March to celebrate the release of three new books and to reflect on his expansive four-decade career.

If live music is what you are after, you can join Daniel Champagne in March for some amazing acoustic tunes or Diesel in April for an intimate two-set solo concert performance designed especially for theatres.

Not to be forgotten, children and young people will also be able to choose from a range of shows across June and July including JUNKLANDIA, Whalebone and The Alphabet of Awesome Science.

THE Glenlyon Sports Day will be held again on Sunday, January 1, 2023.
The historic annual event is held at the Glenlyon Reserve, a picturesque setting well shaded by magnificent old oak trees. A bar and catering facilities with a good selection of food will be available.
There will be wood chopping, bullboar eating & mineral water drinking competitions along with the ladies’ gumboot and nail driving challenges. Children will be entertained with a well-equipped playground and children’s foot racing events. Tickets can be purchased prior to the event this year via the trybooking.com website.

You can also visit the Glenlyon Sports Day Facebook page. (Unfortunately due to recent flooding there are no horse racing events due to safety concerns.)
See you there!!!

Aries: Jupiter is on your side, having entered your sign, giving you the opportunity to grow and expand, bringing some positive situations and people your way. This can also be a time when you are likely to overindulge and have a good time.
Taurus: Opportunities to expand your worldview are upon you, through travel, higher education or meeting new people with different views and ideas to share with you. If you can approach new situations and people with an open mind, you might find yourself quite changed over the next few weeks.
Gemini: This can also be a time when you are more easily able to obtain funds that you have been chasing to make a big-ticket purchase like a new car or home. Be sure to check over any contracts that you sign.
Cancer: Jupiter is offering some positive expansion around your career. Celebrate your successes and then dream big for what’s next. This is a great time to expand what you think is possible for your career, you are likely to attract some lucky opportunities.
Leo: Your health, wellness, and daily routines are ready for a makeover. While you might have a lot of different plates spinning now, try to take a little time to think about what you want the new year to bring and prioritise the things that you want to achieve. Be clear about your goals and map out pathways to success.
Virgo: Love, romance, and good times are on the cards, leisure activities, sporting events and the arts beckon you, how fun! Say yes to all the invitations that flow your way and enjoy them, this is a time of year that offers you opportunities to enjoy the finer things in life.
Libra: A focus on your home and family is present over the next few weeks, you are likely to welcome others into your home over the festive season. If you are doing repairs to your home, be prepared for setbacks during the Mercury retrograde at the end of this month.
Scorpio: Your daily life gets busier in a positive way, possibly a new routine that flows well and feels good. If it feels like life is too small, this can be the trigger to make some major changes and start to live bigger, shake things up and start a new.

Sagittarius: You’re busy juggling new love interests, hobbies, or creative activities, an exciting time with new and unexpected opportunities and people landing in your world. Sex, love and rock and roll, it’s all happening for you. Say yes to things that you might normally to be too scared to try.
Capricorn: The next few weeks are all about you and where you’re headed, this is your time to shine and focus some attention on yourself. Your home and family situation might be expanding too through marriage or birth. This could be a time when you upgrade or upsize your home.
Aquarius: You might find at this time that you are bursting with ideas, thoughts, plans, and schemes. Write it down, talk your plans out with a trusted friend, communicate it however suits you best. Maybe you’ve been sitting on an idea for a book, and this can be a brilliant time to start writing.
Pisces: Your social scene might be on overdrive, everyone wants to catch up and bask in your company. Jupiter is gracing your financial situation for the next few months, take advantage of this as best you can. Opportunities to earn more money might be coming in thick and fast, careful you don’t spend it just as quickly.

A message from Jennifer Hart
This will be my last horoscope published in The Local for a while as I pursue other passion projects and a little higher education. It has been such a great experience writing about the heavenly spheres and hopefully giving people a little heads up about what’s around the corner. Thanks for reading my cosmic weather forecasts and know that I am wishing you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2023.

The poet William Butler Yeats wrote that ‘education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire’.

On Tuesday, December 13, 75 grade six students visited Daylesford College for their kickstart into secondary school.
With the intent to foster an educational spark, students were offered a rotating range of academic, creative and hands on activities.
In English/humanities students introduced themselves to their English teacher through a poetry activity, while in science they explored the conductivity and magnetic properties of metals. During the maths session students engaged in problem solving tasks and in technology they participated in an introduction to basic hand tools, complete with an identification quiz. In drama students were introduced to the theatre space, participating in the telling of stories without talking, while in art they engaged in portraiture and composition games.
The Wellbeing team facilitated a workshop that enabled these new students to not only tell the story of who they are, but also explore the future they wish to create. In Italian students produced a new background to the Mona Lisa and sung I Dodoci Giorno di Natale – The Twelve Days of Christmas – in Italian. Continuing in this festive spirit, students finished the day with a tour of the college’s Christmas door competition, where they were asked to vote on their favourite decorated door.
We trust that these upcoming students, like those above, left orientation day feeling, as Christopher Robin describes, ‘braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think’.
Words & image: Contributed

G’day! I’m Jackson. I’m a desexed boy, if you must know the personal stuff, and I’m 18 months old.
People say I’m – to quote – “an extremely sweet and affectionate boy who absolutely loves attention and being with people”. Their words, not mine. It’s true to say that I would love to find a home where I will routinely receive a lot of love and excellent company.
Because I’m a vanilla dude, with pink skin, I need to be an inside-only resident to minimise my UV exposure, maintain my complexion, and dodge skin cancer.
I would prefer a home without dogs or other cats, and I’d love to meet you to see if we can sort something out. Microchip no. 956000015709736
If you would like to meet me then please contact the Mount Alexander Animal Welfare shelter in Castlemaine to make a time on 5472 5277.

Dear Kyle, (Kyle’s Rant, December 5, 2022) Yes, the geese are gone, and I note your bereavement, though it is one borne of a passé colonial attitude, that the Australian fauna is actually inferior to that of the Old World.
Your remarks might even have been made by the quaint and ignorant Victorian Acclimatisation Society of the mid-19th century. One of those mutton-chopped gents even proposed that monkeys be let loose in the bush so that they might entertain a weary traveller with their treetop antics (much in the way you are entertained by the Malmsbury gaggle).
Of course, in this age of runaway extinction, we can’t let the whim of an individual decide what species to have and not to have. Why, some people may object to the slashing of gorse at the lake because they delight in the yellow blooms; others the removal of rabbits, because they remind one of a Beatrix Potter tale.
I don’t mock your great love for and enjoyment of the domestic goose, but I wonder what you think of native waterfowl; the coots, moorhens and swamphens that forage unmolested along the (shit-free) lake shore? And of the reed warblers that can now be heard among the cumbungi?
There are cormorants (three species) too, diving or hanging out their wings. I saw a darter last month. Are these animals not loud enough or showy enough to be worthy of your attention and appreciation?
You don’t mention these animals, but they and many others are there and all the more noticeably so, now that the barnyard flock has been packed off to a comfy retirement on the Peninsula.
I correct myself, you do mention one native bird. I too have seen a few of these on the lake since the geese went south, but I do not recall anyone claiming ‘the skies would soon be thick with native black swans’.
I suspect you made this up, a sneer at those (such as the biodiversity officer and the elected councillors) who believe that our native Daylesford fauna is part of a heritage worthy of protection and appreciation. And for those for whom the lake fauna is lacking, there’s always Malmsbury. From Greg Pyers, Daylesford

Here is an incident that highlights Daylesford’s inadequate public toilet facilities.
A number of buses from Kyneton, carrying a large group of young adults/teenagers, stopped in Daylesford near Coles on a Saturday morning recently (December 3), obviously looking for public toilet facilities.
Soon after, I observed one of the buses pull up outside a private residence on the corner of West Street and the Midland Highway.
A group of males got off the bus and ran into the front yard to relieve themselves, while the females all squatted behind the bus on the road – not a pretty sight at all.
Surely this is not a situation a popular tourist town such as Daylesford should accept.

From A.P. Liddle, Smeaton

JULY 20 1969, 3.17pm American EST, a huge shift in human history began. Neil and his band of merry men landed on the big cheese.
Of course, I am talking about the moon landing, which quickly drove conspiracy theories and speculation
that this event was staged in a movie set.
Did the crew not like the aliens they bumped into up there, was this just a ruse to beat the Russian’s attempts to land on the rock? I wasn’t even two years old, so the landing made less than no difference to me.
Besides, my family was in the thick of the Jehovah’s Witness religion movement with my grandfather one of the head preachers in the congregation. So my world was chock-full of fear and probably had no room for that sot of chitter-chatter around the dinner table.
This amazing feat of man should really be unacknowledged because it seemed to
lead nowhere. Where are the moon hotels and moon amusement parks and moon
shuttles we grew up expecting? “They” say that as a result of the moon exploration
Teflon was invented, however it only takes a couple of mouse clicks to know that Roy
J. Plunkett accidentally discovered it at the DuPont Company’s Jackson Laboratory
in 1938 before it was widely banned in 2014.
“They” also say the microwave was an invention which came out of our walk on
the moon. But again, just a quick couple of clicks on Google reveals an American
engineer, Percy Spencer, is generally credited with inventing the modern microwave
oven. It was after WWII, and advances in radar technology, when he noticed that a
block of butter would melt when placed next to the radar.
So, what was the point of the moon exercise? And did it really happen? I am not a
conspiracy theorist and don’t waste my time with speculation but I do have to wonder
why after 50 years of radio silence are we bothering to head back up? Especially when
the best we can come up with, and not even land, is sending three mannequins – Helga, Zohar, and Moonikin Campos.
Why has it taken so long, what is the purpose and did the Apollo 17 actually land
50 years ago? These are the head-scratching questions I would like to get answered.
And are we now technologically qualified to tackle the rigours of space travel?
Another theory I heard was that “they” finally reverse-engineered something for
Area 51’s Aladdin’s cave of alienware. I’ll leave you with that to think about, or not.
And that’s my last rant for 2022. I hope 2023 will be better than the last dumpster fire of a year and I hope the weather finally improves and the visitors return to our area.
The not-so-good oil on the weather front, according to most models, is La Nina
has a 90 per cent likelihood of remaining in place over the next three months.
And looking further into the future, this outlook suggests that El Nino becomes
the most likely state for next winter, hopefully a return to business as usual.
Stay safe, enjoy your family and friends and remember to breathe shallow and
sanitise.
Moon rant over…

By Donna Kelly

SO, this is our last edition for the year. But don’t worry, despite repeated attempts we failed to win either Powerball or Tattslotto so will probably be back next year.
I say probably because there is a big Tattslotto draw happening on December 31. And I have always said, as much as we love connecting this community, sharing stories and supporting our fellow Central Highlanders, if we win a few million we are out of here. Jokes. Maybe.
Anyway, it’s been another roller coaster of a year with Covid still refusing to bugger off, and the rain. Rain, rain, go away, come again another year. But I have been loving the memes on Facebook. Things like “I hope summer is going to be on a weekend this year” and “Rebooting summer, upload failed”. People are so quick.
I haven’t really thought much about Christmas yet. Been pretty busy with The Local and getting out the summer visitor guide and that last edition of House.Land.Home.Premium. No wonder I am tired.
I remember Christmas Days as a young kid. Hot summer days, tables groaning with food, ovens doing overtime despite the heat, adults all in various states of cheer – depending on what they were drinking, dogs wandering around looking for scraps – of which there were many. Halcyon days, perhaps.
As a teenager it was all a bit naff. Crowding into the car for the trip to my mum’s brother’s family in Kangaroo Ground. Over-zealous relatives leaning in for kisses, the same old ‘boring’ food, trying to snaffle some booze without being sprung, smoking cigarettes with the cousins, retreating to bedrooms to listen to some ‘decent’ music away from the incessant carols on the tapedeck.
In my 20s I had one white Christmas in Tokyo with Canadian friends who cooked a whole turkey in a benchtop oven and tried my first eggnog. Loved it. Another one was with Kyle in Cairns. So humid, we headed to Crystal Cascades with chicken and champagne (probably not the real stuff) and then managed to terrify ourselves so much that there could be salties in the water, we ended up at a Chinese restaurant. Followed by the latest James Bond at the cinema.
Into my 30s and it was lots of family Christmases with Mum. She was getting older so I felt we should be with her. So Frankston and Glenlyon gatherings. Oh, and one at Wheatsheaf with Jeff and Carol Glorfeld and some of their neighbours. Mum went for a walk with one who asked her if she would like to have a bit of chuff, you know, marijuana. Mum said thank you, but no. Could have started a whole new tradition that day. Stoner Betty.
We managed a real family day for 2019 after I coerced my sister and her sons, and my brother and his wife, to come to Glenlyon for the day. It was a great day although Mum had misgivings about how we would all get along. Somehow, for Mum, we managed very well and a good time was had by all, as no journalist ever should say.
Mum died in May 2020 and so Christmases have been pretty small. But this year we are back. It will involve family, friends, lots of kids, dogs, seafood, pavlova, booze and that dreamy chilled late afternoon bit where the food coma kicks in – the one that only happens on Christmas Day.
And then, a few days later it will be 2023. Wow. I remember looking around Myer Frankston in 1999 for an outfit for the turn of the millennium.
Anyway, whatever is your thing, my thing is to wish you a joyful Christmas and all the best for a safe, healthy and happy New Year. See you in 2023. Maybe.
Just sayin’…

Australian Energy Market Operator and Transgrid are investigating alternative options for the transmission line route and terminal station siting planned for the Victoria to New South Wales Interconnector West project.

Mount Prospect is the current proposed site for a 24-hectare terminal station.

Hepburn Shire Council Mayor Cr Brian Hood said the council had worked closely with the community to oppose the project and the review was a positive sign that council and community may have been listened to.

“The very large terminal station and power lines up to 80m high would be an incredible blight on our landscapes and have adverse impacts on the valuable and productive agricultural land in our shire,” Cr Hood said.

“Council is incredibly supportive of reliable renewable energy, but these projects will be part of communities for decades to come. They need to be well-planned and thought out. This has not been the case for VNI West nor the Western Renewables Link to date,” said Cr Hood.

“We have worked closely with our community to oppose this project and this review is a positive sign that we may be listened to,” he said.

“The very large terminal station and power lines up to 80m high would be an incredible blight on our landscapes and have considerable adverse impacts on the highly-valuable and productive agricultural land in our Shire.”

While no decision has been made to change the proposed location, Council is optimistic that the review opens the opportunity for a rethink of the project.

Council will work with AusNet and AEMO as to what impact on the Western Renewables Link project, scope and route will emerge when the terminal station is relocated, given these are two separate but interdependent projects.

Cr Hood reiterated the importance of meaningful engagement with impacted communities.

“We are grateful that levels of government are listening to our community’s concerns with this project and will be very interested in the alternative options that they propose,” he said.

A plan will see Macedon Ranges Shire Council reduce its carbon footprint with a series of initiatives across council-managed facilities and operations.

The plan, Counting Down to Zero, targets zero net emissions by June 30, 2030, outlining more than 30 recommended actions for council to reduce, avoid or offset its existing emissions while also influencing key stakeholders to do the same.

At a meeting earlier this month the council adopted its Counting Down to Zero policy, which outlines more than 30 recommended actions for council to reduce, avoid or offset its existing emissions, and to influence others to do the same.

Macedon Ranges mayor Annette Death said climate change was not something council could react to, and it needed to take steps to cut emissions now.

“This is a clear plan for the next decade that steps out a number of realistic, meaningful actions council can take, to build on the progress we’ve already made in this area,” she said.

Council said the target would be measured against the indicative baseline of 3260.6 tonnes CO2-e at June 30, 2022 – a figure already reduced over the past year largely due to a renewable energy contract secured through the Victorian Energy Collaboration (VECO).

“VECO, an agreement involving close to 50 councils across Victoria procuring electricity from renewable energy generators, has resulted in a collective saving of around 172,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in its first year – equivalent to taking 66,000 cars off the road each year,” council said.

Dan Murphy’s application for a packaged liquor licence at 63 Central Springs Road, Daylesford has been granted.

Liquor Control Victoria received more than 200 objections to the licence. They included the proximity to a kindergarten, primary school, swimming pool and residential properties.

There were also concerns about the potential for alcohol-related harms such as anti-social behaviour, violence and vandalism, and limited police and community welfare resources to address these harms.

Senior Licensing Officer Stephen Emmett said if liquor licence applications were to be refused on the basis there was a presence of risk factors “no further liquor licences would be granted”.

A planning permit application for a multi-lot subdivision and road reserve for 4719 Midland Highway, Daylesford has been lodged with Hepburn Shire Council.

The application, by Smith Development Partnership, takes in a triangle of land on Raglan Street and the Midland Highway opposite the Farmers Arms Hotel.

It includes an 18m road reserve, a 1.57ha ‘super’ lot, four 1600sqm lots, a 1560sqm lot, a 1592sqm lot and a 2393sqm lot.

There are also two recreation and drainage reserves which are 3754sqm and 562sqm.