From: Richard Cornish

We are a land of pork and honey here in Daylesford, with some of the best pig
growers and beekeepers in the nation right here on our doorstep. We love the
honey from Des O’Toole in the heart of town and John Cable out near Glenlyon
and use their honey to make this delicious glaze to go with our magnificent smoked
free-range hams.

Set the oven rack to the lower part of the oven so the ham will fit in a large
roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 170°C / 160°C fan.
Remove ham from wrapping, rinse, cover with foil and bake for 1.5 hours.
Make the glaze by placing the sugar, honey, and herbs in a small, heavy-based
saucepan and place over medium heat, covered to dissolve the sugar and absorb
flavour from the herbs for 10-15 minutes. Stir frequently.
Remove the ham from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. With a
sharp knife, cut the skin on the side of the leg and around the bone joint. Peel
away the skin to reveal the fat.
Cut across the fat to create diamond-shaped cross-hatching. This allows the fat
to render and take the glaze down into the meat. Place a whole clove on each
corner of the diamonds for decoration.
Remove the herbs from the glaze and brush three-quarters of the glaze over the
ham. Return the ham to the oven and bake for a further 25 minutes.
Remove, brush, over the remaining glaze and roast for a further 15-20 minutes.
Remove and rest for 20 minutes to 2 hours.
Carve and serve with mustard, gravy and even some cranberry jelly. Garnish
with extra rosemary and pomegranate seeds

Macedon Ranges Shire Council has shone a spotlight on its hard-working volunteers this
month to coincide with an annual celebration.
Among the region’s many volunteers, the council alone has close to 80 active volunteers at any given
time, delivering a range of services across various areas including visitor centres, community support
services, environmental activities, arts and culture activities and the Kyneton Museum.
Friday December 5 marked International Volunteer Day (IVD): a day to raise awareness of the important rolevolunteers play and to thank them for their contribution.
This year’s IVD theme is ‘Solidarity through Volunteering’. Kevin and Faye Oakley exemplify this
theme, as volunteers with Council’s Community Support unit who understand the importance
volunteering plays in helping build a positive community.
“Having experience with transporting family members for medical appointments made it obvious for us
to see the need of the service,” they said.
“After retiring, offering our services to those in the community who required the same assistance was
an easy decision.
“We have had many varied conversations during our trips and have enjoyed the company of all we
have met. We have also found all of the staff at Macedon Ranges Shire Council a pleasure to deal
with and extremely amiable and understanding when we are available or not.”
Local volunteering has a range of benefits—for the individual volunteering, the recipients and in
helping to enhance the community. It provides a way residents can build a sense of citizenship,
strengthen local bonds and help improve community life.
The council’s Director Community, Maria Weiss, said IVD was an opportunity to acknowledge, celebrate
and shine a light on the important work Council volunteers do for our community.
“Council also partners with many third party community organisations who provide volunteers that
dedicate their time to Council services,” she said.
“Many of our programs and services could not run without the help and support of our volunteers. I
would like to thank them all for their generosity and commitment to helping make a huge difference to
the lives of other people and to our community.”

The Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival has been crowned the state’s best
of its kind at the 2022 Victorian Tourism Awards in the Festivals & Events
category.
The festival – delivered by the Macedon Ranges Shire Council – edged out the Adventure Park
Geelong Winter Glow Festival and the Ballarat Heritage Festival to take top spot in the Festivals &
Events category.
The Autumn Festival attracted close to 15,000 visitors this year and provided a welcome boost to
the local economy. As a category winner, it will now go on to represent Victoria at the Australian
Tourism Awards to be held in Sydney in March 2023.
Mayor, Cr Annette Death, said she was thrilled to see Council recognised for its hard work as a first-time entrant in these awards.
“The last couple of years have presented significant challenges for tourism,” she said. “We have
worked really hard to get tourists back to the region to visit our amazing attractions and support our
local businesses,” she said.
“I’d like to congratulate our team on an incredible effort, and thank all of our local businesses and
everybody who supported our Autumn Festival program.”
Macedon Ranges Shire Council also took out bronze in the Local Government Award for Tourism
category, which recognises excellence in tourism planning, facilities and the contribution to the
Victorian tourism industry.
Judged by a panel of industry leaders appointed by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council, the
Victorian Tourism Awards showcase the state’s leaders in tourism excellence and acknowledge
outstanding innovation, industry professionalism and collaboration.
Planning is now underway for the 2023 Autumn Festival, which will take place throughout April across
nine historic villages to showcase the region’s makers, producers, artisans and attractions.
Visitors can explore and discover the beauty of autumn in the Macedon Ranges by experiencing
vibrant farmers markets, curated trails and itineraries, open gardens, foodie experiences, artisan
workshops and events.
New ‘Tipple Trail’ itineraries will encourage visitors to discover country pubs, breweries, distillery and
cellar doors in the region, providing further opportunities for businesses to get involved.
Bakeries, cellar doors, pubs, cafes and restaurants are also encouraged to submit a signature pie or
tart for the Autumn Pie & Tart Trail, a popular event launched at this year’s festival
Submissions can be made at mrsc.vic.gov.au/autumn-fest. For information on the Victorian Tourism
Awards, visit vtic.com.au/victoriantourismawards.

The Central Highlands Water has celebrated its 100th Choose Tap drinking fountain
with a new installation at Gong Gong Reservoir Park on the outskirts of Ballarat.

The new drinking fountain marks the 100th installation across the CHW service region, which provides easy access to quality drinking water, in a sustainable way, to the local community.

Since the first installation in 2015, in partnership with local shires and councils, schools and many community organisations, CHW has continued to encourage reducing single-use plastic waste to protect the environment for future generations.

In addition to the fountain, CHW installed their first bicycle repair station for recreational cyclists accessing the Gong Gong Reservoir Park.

The station includes a bicycle pump and tools to assist cyclists in maintaining their bicycles while visiting via the Yarrowee River Trail and surrounding roads.

The amenities, combined with CHW’s Choose Tap program, will encourage the community to choose tap water over bottled water, for health, cost and sustainability benefits.

The eye-catching fountains feature the artwork of Billy-Jay O’Toole, a proud Wadawurrung Traditional Owner. The artwork, known as Managing Country Together, represents the relationship between CHW and the 4 registered Aboriginal Parties on which CHW’s catchment extends, being Wadawurrung, Dja Dja Wurrung, Wurundjeri and Barenji Gadjin.

Choose Tap facts:
• Your body is 70% water.
• Dehydration reduces your ability to concentrate by 13%.
• Drinking 6 to 8 glasses a day helps to keep you in top shape.
• More than 50% of plastic bottles end up as landfill or rubbish.
• In Australia, we spend more than $680 m a year on bottled water.
• Over 90% of the cost of a bottle of water is for the bottle, lid and label.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council has waived a burn-off permit requirement
this month for property owners of small blocks, to streamline clean-ups
ahead of the fire season.

Property owners of land less than 4000 square metres will not have to obtain the
usual permit from the council to burn off throughout December.

Anyone burning off,
regardless of property size, must register their burn with VicFire on 1800 668 511.

The Community Bank Daylesford District has established two new scholarships for
students from the local area.

One scholarship will support a student undertaking bachelor degree study and the
other scholarship will support a student undertaking TAFE study.

Each scholarship offers up to $5000 per year for up to two years and can be used to cover expenses
related to studying.

Applications opened on December 1 and close on January 27

From: Ross Redwin, Creswick

The latest Victorian election results, particularly the results in the seats of
Ripon, Eureka, Wendouree and Melton have some very particular lessons for
the Liberal/National Party Coalition.

These seats were made the focus of a protracted campaign around the
construction of the WVTNP. The LNP seeded a campaign fronted by local
protagonists opposed to this project.
Let me be clear that the campaign was based on absolute lies. Claims as ridiculous
as the towers would be 165m high to farming would cease through the proposed
corridor, and sought to blame this federal project on the Victorian Labor government.
This project is absolutely necessary for the achievement of Victoria’s emissions
reduction targets, and as such the opposition to it was a political campaign designed
to capitalise on the sentiments of climate change deniers.
This campaign has been roundly repudiated by the voters in the four seats most
affected by this campaign.
Louise Staley, a major player in this campaign, lost her seat of Ripon to Labor on
a 2.39 per cent swing, Wendouree and Melton were retained by Labor with swings
of 3.37 per cent and 0.92 per cent respectively to Labor and Eureka was retained by
Labor with a 5.23 per cent swing against it, in part due to issues in Bacchus Marsh
around contaminated soil disposal.
The lesson in this for the LNP is stop the bullshit and stop playing politics with
the environment.

From: Bernie Bourke, Balliang

There is a lot of discussion about rising interest rates and mortgage stress.
However there is no discussion about banks charging interest on loans they
create out of nothing.
For transparency, all bank loan agreements should have an origin of funds
declaration clause stating that “the sum of the loan was created out of nothing under
a capital adequacy ratio of ten to one”, for example,
People need to wake up to the lopsided terms of bank loans and not get caught
up in the make, break and take debt trap.
It is no surprise that there are record debt levels and record bank profits built
upon banks’ credit creation out of nothing and the manipulation of interest rates.
The licenses of the major banks should have been revoked years ago due to
breaches of fiduciary delegation. Former Australian Democrats senator Paul McLean
highlighted banking corruption and malpractice during his time in the senate.
Also the 2018 Banking Services Royal Commission heard from people who had
become victims of banks’ predatory practices.
Rather than have a bankers’ dictatorship that has closed hundreds of bank
branches in recent years there is a need for a people’s bank to restore some balance.
This can be achieved by having a people’s bank operating out of post offices
Australia-wide.
A post office people’s bank needs to be supported by thinking people and
politicians.

• Letters or musings are always welcome. Keep them shortish and to the point.
  Or long and interesting. Any addressed Dear Sir will immediately be deleted.
  You know why…:)
  

Before you go away…
If you have thoughts of taking advantage of this, our first post-Covid summer
break and are not certain who could take care of your garden while you are away, here
are a few precautions to take before you leave to keep it in good shape for your return.
For the shrub and seedling beds, a good thick layer of mulch is the answer. There
are a good many materials that can be used successfully for this purpose – washed and
dried seaweed, tan bark, almond shells, straw, pebbles, even coarse sand. Anything
porous that will allow moisture in and keep the roots cool and moist will do.
Lawn clippings make excellent mulch, that is after they have been let stand
but regularly turned over to dry, as they can become clogged and greasy during the
rotting-down process.
A word to the wise, don’t use clippings from a couch-blend lawn as couch will
shoot, grow and take over your garden beds.
Flood your garden and shrub beds for several days before you leave, for this, with
the help of the mulch, should keep them moist for at least two or three weeks.
Your lawns, if any, will need to be soaked in the same manner to ensure their
survival until you come back.
Fern house and porch plants will dry out quickly and should be well watered
before you leave.
If possible, stand the pots or hanging baskets in a trough or sink and fill them
with water to within several centimetres of the top of the pots. Leave them in the
water to soak up all the water they can safely hold.
Keep the hose running on tubbed plants until the water runs out of the bottom
hole and once the water has completely soaked in, repeat the performance several
times until you are satisfied the water has reached all of the roots in the pot.
Indoor plants will keep longer if they are well watered and stood in a trough with
about 2cm of water in the bottom.

A rose by any other name – cistus, the true Gallipoli Rose…

Although most of us have at least heard of the beautiful red rose that was
designated Gallipoli Centenary Rose on Anzac Day 2015, few would know that our
Diggers fought amidst another, less glamorous, little white “rose” – cistus salviifolius,
which flourished and bloomed prolifically atop the cliffs.
Cistus salviifolius or sage rock-rose is but one of many variations, natural and/
or hybrid, to be found in the dry and temperate regions extending from Turkey right
through to Central Europe.
Growing mostly to around 1 to 2 metres high, or prostrate as ground covers, they
thrive in our dry, sun-filled climate and make their presence felt with their profusion
of multicoloured flowers.
I have four of my favourites growing throughout my garden. These include the
white Gallipoli rose. It isn’t hard to see why they were likened to the old English
bramble roses.
The main image, above left, is of cistus ladanifera – 1.5-2 metres and also known
as the gum cistus due to its long narrow ‘clammy’ leaves. It is widely thought to be
the original source of the historic fragrant resin labdanum.
The image on the top right is pink rock-rose, C. creticus which growns to 1-1.5m
with soft velvety foliage and large deep pink flowers.
The image centre right is one of the C. skanbergii hybrid group. It has a soft semiweeping habit and is great for draping over steps or low garden walls with bountiful
flowers.
The final image bottom right, is the hero of this story – C.salviifolius. It grows 60-
90cm tall with smallish (3cm) white flowers, borne singly or in threes with five sepals
on the buds and small woolly, sage-like foliage.
Got a gardening question? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

Ho, ho, ho! Here are just some of the Christmassy things to do happening throughout the Hepburn Shire and beyond this festive season.
Daylesford and Hepburn
Daylesford Christmas Market – Daylesford Town Hall
Fridays, December 9 & 16 – 5.30-6.30pm
The Daylesford Community Brass Band will play carols at
the Daylesford Christmas Market (above)
then carols around Hepburn – Monday, December 12 from 6pm
followed by carols by candlelight at
Hepburn Sound Shell on Thursday December, 22, 8pm with the finale
being Christmas Eve Carols, Vincent St, Daylesford
on Saturday, December 24 from 10.30am
Clunes
Parade, carols, dancing & street feast – Friday, December 9 from 7pm

Christmas Lights – Register your lights in Clunes ‘Let your Light/s Shine’
competition at www.facebook.com/christmasinclunes
Creswick
Pre-Christmas Creswick Market, Victoria St. – Saturday, December 17
Trentham
Carols and Christmas teachings at St George’s Anglican Church,
Trentham, Sunday, December 18, 7pm
Kyneton
Kyneton Fire Brigade Santa Run
Saturday, December 24 from 10am
Leonards Hill
Leonards Hill Christmas Market
Saturday, December 17, 9am-2pm with Santa visiting from 11am to 1pm
Woodend
Carols in the Garden at St Mary’s Anglican Church, Woodend
Friday, December 16, 6pm
Got a Christmas event happening after December 19?
Email editorial@tlnews.com.au and we’ll give it a run in our
next edition of The Local

Aries: You’ll appear more charming, magnetic, and likeable than usual and this
might help you to get your big idea over the line with the higher ups. Pursue ideas
that you are in love with, causes that are close to your heart.
Taurus: It might be time to expand your mind, your beliefs and how you view
the world and your role in it. It can be heavy stuff to grapple with but with an open
mind and heart you might be surprised by what you learn.
Gemini: Little gifts and good karma are headed your way with Venus offering you
helpful connections. A monetary boost or connection with a mentor who is offering
a cornucopia of helpful information, or even an approval for a sum of money you’ve
been waiting for.
Cancer: Relations with your partner are copasetic for the next few weeks, with
clear, practical, and calming communications. Love and connectedness are a part
of this storyline, but not necessarily a steamy passionate time. But a great time to
reconnect and have a little relationship tune-up.
Leo: Conflict or tensions with friends are possible now, you might prefer your
own company or that of your kids while your besties want you to hit the town with
them. Retreating into your personal oasis isn’t a crime, you gotta do what you gotta
do!
Virgo: Possible rough waters at the start of the month around the commitment at
work and the pressures of home. It might feel like you’re being pulled in two different
directions. This wrinkle will smooth out around December 11th, and you can enjoy
the good stuff in your life.
Libra: Give the house a good tidy up for the holiday season, as you’ll want to
invite friends and family over to fill your house with love and laughter. It’s a good
time to set some goals and resolutions for next year, you don’t need to wait until
January 1.
Scorpio: You’ll be eager to talk to others and share ideas, Venus will add some
extra charm to your words, you might be more persuasive, with the ability to push
your agenda forwards. The pace of your everyday life might quicken with plenty of
short trips, appointments and general toing and froing.
Sagittarius: Venus is finally in the part of your chart that rules your money, assets
and income, hooray. Hopefully she brings you luck and gifts that can help boost your
financial picture, some fresh new ideas that come to you to earn more dosh or grow
what you’ve got.
Capricorn: The next four weeks offer you the opportunity to attract favourable
people and situations, others will perceive you as more charming and clever than
usual. You might find that you’re chattier, and your words are well received. It’s a
good time to reflect and contemplate what is next for you.
Aquarius: You might find yourself in a secretive relationship, or keen to keep
your new relationship on the quiet for now. Keeping secrets isn’t a crime (usually) and
can add a little spice to your life. It’s a good time to keep a journal to help process
your thoughts and empty your head if it’s feeling too full.
Pisces: If you aren’t happy at work, a new pathway is illuminated for you. Any
new work ventures might be met with tensions from the home front, but this will
quickly pass. It’s also a time when a friendship could become something more, this is
the time to shoot your shot, even if it’s a friend you haven’t seen in a while.

A weekend pass to CresFest 2023 could be just the
ticket for anyone wondering about Christmas gifts,
spokesperson Fiona Watson says.
The second artist announcement for CresFest 2023
includes female musicians Natalie and Brittany Haas from
America and Monique Clare, pictured, Lucy Wise and The
Maggie Carty Band.
Male artists include Fred Smith, Archer, Greg
Champion, Headphones Jones and the Melbourne
Scottish Fiddlers who will be joining Kutcha Edwards,
While and Matthews, Ami Williamson, The Weeping
Willows, Bush Gothic, Charm of Finches and Kavisha
Mazzella and Austral.
Creswick, the home of CresFest 2023, will come alive from March 31 to April 2
next year. Earlybird tickets are now available.
“CresFest is also putting a call out to community members interested to volunteer
or to host a performer during the festival,” Fiona said.
Link: www.cresfest.com.au

By Donna Kelly

THERE’S been a lot of Black Friday sales going on, online. And that’s OK, but with Christmas fast approaching spare a thought for your local businesses.
It’s been tough, believe me we know, over the past few years, and you can bet there has been plenty of blood, sweat and tears involved. So this column is a real shout out to Shop Local! if you can. And especially Shop Local! with the wonderful advertisers who have kept your very local paper going over this time.
People sometimes ask us how we stay afloat – advertising dollars. In this edition alone, without our advertisers, you would not be reading about a potential gold mine, a real one, the Dogs of Trentham fund-raising calendar, ceramicists in Clunes, magicians in Daylesford, Christmassy things, churchy things, Glen’s wonderful garden tips, gig guides, recipes, Local Lines, horoscopes, letters to the ed, Just briefly, Pick Me, or, God forbid, Kyle’s Rant.
They are all here because someone chose to advertise locally. To locals. To you. So please, if you would like to say thanks to The Local for another year of news, views, features and photos, Shop Local! with at least one of our advertisers. Or more.
Now I am not keen on lists but I am going to give you just a few ideas of where to head to spend your hard-earned cash. And I reckon I am going to run out of room so it might be one of those two-part columns. Stay tuned for the next edition sort of thing. (And keep in mind these are just the advertisers in this one edition.)
So, in no particular order, first up is The Amazing Mill Markets. If you can’t find something to buy there, you just aren’t looking hard enough. And owner Mark continued advertising even through lockdowns because he loves local papers. Nice.Next, Daylesford Trading Co for fun, quirky and affordable. Energy prices causing you grief, call the Tin Can Collective. Cellarbrations is a no-brainer at this time of the year – say hi to Matt and the team. And what better for a night off cooking, yep, takeaway from Pizzeria La Luna. Love the Full Moon. Also on the food track, Daylesford Bowling Club for its food, drinks at genuine 1970’s prices and the best view in town. Or if you do want to cook, Daylesford Meat Co is more than your average butcher with plenty of ideas for quick, easy or more challenging meals. And back to not cooking, why not make a Christmas/New Year booking at the Daylesford Steakhouse? Great food and ambience.
Who else? Oh, Herbal Lore Liqueurs offers beautiful beverages which also make stunning gifts. And who can forget Roger and Sue handing out endless free sanitiser when it couldn’t be found for love nor money. God I love this community.
Music. What could be a better gift than a few tickets to CresFest in Creswick – a way off but it will be here before you know it. An earlier event is the Glenlyon Community BBQ/Picnic which has been an annual event since the 1970s. Glenlyon is such a cool little village with very nice people, if I do say so myself.
House stuff. I may fit everyone in here after all. Sanae Services for septic things, Skip Hire for a cleanup, Palmer, Stevens & Rennick if you need a lawyer son (quirky music reference), Onsite Flyscreens for screens and more, Carpet Flooring for all things flooring, not just carpet, and for the farmers out there, Macedon Ranges Ag Machinery. And if you need to fuel up, Trentham Petrol.
Whew, nearly there. Money burning a hole in your pocket and you want to donate to a good cause? Central Highlands Rural Health and Cafs are your go-to and your money stays local.
Hmmm. Now the hard ones. Not really sure how you spend your money on these at a particular time. Verey Funeral Directors. I really hope you don’t need them any time soon but Andrew and Alicia are lovely, kind people. That’s enough to know.
Daylesford Agricultural Show is another hard one. Maybe just plan to head there next year because if you didn’t go, you just missed their first one in three years. A really hard-working committee and a big call out to president Don Harvey and his president, wife Mary. Well done.
Hepburn Shire Council? I guess you could pay your rates on time? Or tell them the Daylesford roundabouts have been looking amazing. I did that. Credit where it’s due and all that. MPs Mary-Anne Thomas and Catherine King. Maybe you voted for them both so that is enough. But maybe you are more conservative, a Liberal voter or Nationals. Maybe Greens. Hard one. Christmas card saying thanks for supporting the paper? Daylesford Trading Co has Christmas cards. Two birds with one stone.
And lastly, I can’t believe I made it and I did have to move Max from here to page 25, Hepburn House. A really wonderful aged care facility in our community. I know, buy one of their Ageing DisGracefully calendars. Just $20, lots of fun, and will help kit out their bus. Done. But wait, there’s more, make sure you put the trade pages on the fridge – you are going to need them one day.
Really done. Go Shop Local! And tell them Donna sent you. Just sayin’…

WE HAVE an amazing collection of towns and villages here in the Central Highlands of Victoria, each having their own unique history and vibe.

I recently found myself at Malmsbury. Driving up the road you can see the small squads of geese out for a walk and wandering through the botanic garden and lake, and are met by the gentle honk and squawk of these gorgeous creatures.
It takes me back to a time before the biodiversity officer for Hepburn Shire Council (HSC) took away the geese from
Lake Daylesford. They, for me, gave the lake a real character, a kind of a Darling Buds of May feel.
The day they took the geese was brutal and when I goose-stepped from mild-mannered reporter to goose protector along
with a small bunch of people trying in vain to save our exotic lake birds.
HSC told the community it was for the best and not to worry, soon the skies would be thick with native black swans coming to the lake. I have since seen just two black swans, clearly a fleeting visit, and a mere pit stop for them on their way to preferred shallow waters.
Aside from missing the geese, I think the issue is that we are meant to live in a democracy, but it seems the decision makers at HSC seem to make the big calls, leaving most of the community unconsulted.
The joke that just keeps giving, The Rex, is a case in point. The idea to house council staff in better facilities, take them away from our 100-year-old plus, damp,
old buildings into something environmentally sound was a solid concept. But because of what only can be described as a botched, miscalculated and bungled idea, HSC staff are still stuck in outdated retrofitted buildings for a long time to come.
For those of us that have been around longer, you may remember “Woodgate” – a storm in a teacup over some HSC workers and their side hustle with woodchip mulch. And then there was “Bullygate”, when a councillor was accused of bullying
the HSC CEO at the time. I was working for HSC then and it involved a lot of hours attending lessons on how not to bully people, yawn. And even “Tindergate”. When did the council decide to hook up with Tinder?
I am not writing this piece to kick the HSC in the guts, I am simply pointing out that we, the ratepayers, have had our fair share of stuff-ups and money wasting. And I think many are now nervous as a gold mine comes closer with an exploration licence
already granted. Advertised “locally” in The Courier and The Hun.
HSC needs to step up in terms of community consultation and representation, and leave nothing in the tank if it comes down to negotiating.
A giant conglomerate wants to mine under Daylesford and if this comes off, which is likely, it will require the highest diligence of negotiation in terms of potential air, noise and environmental pollution on behalf of the community that HSC
represents. Underground rant over…

Council officers have completed an assessment of all Shire roads and determined that 459 roads (74% of the Shire’s 1400 kilometres of roads) were damaged during the storms in October.

We have contractors working as quickly as possible to repair the roads across the Shire. We appreciate your patience and remind everyone to please drive to conditions.Summer has officially begun! Well, at least we hope and plan that it has! Some key points to keep in mind for the fire danger preparation and aquatics season:•We know that our landscape across much of the Shire is stillsaturated. However, the fire season will approach quickly andwe want you to be prepared. Reducing vegetation around yourhome is one of the most important things you can do to keepyour home safe during a bushfire. We have preparation advice,including a list of local slashing contractors if you require helpat www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/fire. The Country Fire Authorityalso has extensive information about preparing for the firedanger period at www.cfa.gov.au.•Our aquatics season is underway and entry is again free to ourpublic pools and aquatic facilities across the Shire. The poolsare well used on the warmer days throughout summer. We arestill recruiting for staff to join the Aquatics Team. Employingmore staff will enable us to expand opening hours. If you areinterested or would like to know more please visitwww.hepburn.vic.gov.au/jobs. We will have daily operatinghour updates on our Facebook page every afternoon.Walk Against Violence – Thanks to all across the Shire who participated in this initiative of Council. The walk is part of 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence, a problem that disturbingly continues to fester in the Victorian community. It runs until 10 December, which is International Human Rights Day. It’s been wonderful to see so many events underway, and what a delight it has been to head along and participate. In the last week we have had the very successful Trentham Twilight Night, the Daylesford Show, Daylesford Highland Gathering, Carols in Trentham and Glenlyon Antique Fair. We have Sue’s Twilight Christmas markets, Christmas in Clunes and the Kingston Show in the coming weeks. You are encouraged to attend events in your area, support local traders and have fun.

From: Cr Brian Hood