A support package is available for flood-affected farmers in Victoria, including grants of up to $75,000.

Assistance announced in recent days includes:

• Primary Producer Recovery Grants: Up to $75,000 grants to cover the cost of recovery  and get businesses up and running again. Note: This replaces the $10,000 Primary Producer Flood Clean–Up, Relief Grants announced on 19 October. Producers that have received a Primary Producer Flood Clean–Up Relief Grant of $10,000 can now apply for up to a further $65,000 under the Primary Producer Recovery Grant, bringing the total to $75,000.
• Rural Landholder Grants: Up to $25,000 grants to cover the costs of disaster impacts for small-scale producers.
• Primary Producer Concessional Loans: Up to $250,000 to restore or replace damaged equipment and infrastructure, or to cover the short-term business expenses.
• Primary Producer Transport Subsidies: Up to $15,000 to support the transport of emergency fodder or stock drinking water, and the movement of livestock.

To apply for support or for more information, flood-affected primary producers are being encouraged to visit the Rural Finance Website. 

As part of the international campaign of 16 Days of Activism against gender-based
violence, Hepburn Shire Council invited community members to walk together in Trentham, Daylesford, Creswick and Clunes last week.
The walks started at the library in each town at 3.30pm on International Day for the
Elimination of Violence against Women, Friday 25 November.
It marked the first day of the 16-day campaign, which runs until Friday 10 December –
International Human Rights Day. The council is using the walks as an opportunity to raise
awareness about gender-based violence and as a call for action to prevent it.

Vincent Street in Daylesford is awash with locally handcrafted decorated trees thanks to
a community partnership led by Daylesford Men’s Shed.
The Men’s Shed has built 23 2.4 metre-high wooden trees, which have been painted in
varying designs, each adorned with 40 wombats. Every tree and wombat (almost 1,000
of them!) have been lovingly decorated by students of local childcare centres and
schools, community groups and residents of aged care facilities.
Chair of Daylesford District Community Bank and member of Daylesford Men’s Shed,
Mark Rak, led the project which he said aims to bring some local Christmas spirit to the
town.
“We thought a community-led collection of Christmas decorations would help to make
the town more festive,” said Mr Rak.
“Since Daylesford was once called Wombat, these furry creatures were an obvious
choice to decorate the handmade trees,” he said.
“We just wanted to get people of all ages together to bring some Christmas cheer to
Daylesford. Everyone’s got on board and we’re pretty proud of what we’ve achieved.”
The Men’s Shed is grateful for the support of Daylesford District Community Bank,
Rotary Club of Daylesford, Hepburn Shire Council and all the community groups, centres
and schools involved.
“Our members provided the design, skills and labour for the project.”

The Hepburn shire Council is conducting a review of its grants program in an effort to ensure its effectiveness and value to the community.
Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said that Council awards a significant number of grants
throughout the year, including Community Grants, in addition to grants for Artisan
Agriculture, Biodiversity, Events and Climate change projects.
“We’re looking for feedback on what our community thinks of the process to access
grants and whether there are any improvements that will make the application process
easier,” Cr Hood said.
“We want to hear from people or groups who have applied for or received grants, and
even those that may not know much about our grants program.”
This community feedback will inform a review of our grants program so we can ensure
it’s both meeting expectations and managed efficiently.
Community members and groups are encouraged to visit
https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/grants and complete a short survey. The survey
closes on Tuesday, 13 December 2022.

Recent flooding events combined with warmer weather conditions has produced favourable
conditions for blue-green algae to thrive in farm water supplies and standing flood water.
Senior Veterinary Officer Dianne Phillips said livestock owners need to remain alert – ingestion of
blue-green algae can result in the poisoning of livestock
“As there is no specific treatment for blue-green algae poisoning, producers should check standing
bodies of water and farm water supplies daily for blooms, as this remains the most effective way of
preventing stock deaths.
“Blue-green algal blooms typically appear as surface scum that looks like a suspension of green
paint, often with an earthy smell. However, the colour may range from pale green to dark brown,”
Dr Phillips said.
Deaths can occur when stock drink toxins produced by the blue-green algae, often when it is
concentrated on the down-wind side of a water supply and has formed a dense, surface scum.
Animals that have consumed blue-green algal toxin may appear ill very rapidly, develop a
staggering gait, collapse, begin to convulse and die – typically within 24 hours – depending on the
toxicity of the bloom and the concentration of the toxin.
Those that don’t die immediately, often suffer from severe liver damage. This may lead to the
development of jaundice (the yellows) or photosensitisation over the next few days. Livestock that
recover from these ailments often suffer from chronic ill-thrift.
If a suspicious bloom is noticed, the water supply should be isolated as quickly as possible, and a
safe alternate water supply provided.
“Where possible producers should identify an alternative water supply, prior to their primary source
of livestock drinking water being affected by a bloom. There may not be time to identify an
alternative water source once the primary water supply is affected,” Dr Phillips said.
“We recommend laboratory testing of the water supply for the presence of blue-green algae and a
post-mortem or examination of dead or sick animals by a veterinarian.”
Contaminated water should not be used to irrigate vegetables and fruit or come in contact with
plants being grown for food, particularly fruit and vegetables that are mostly eaten raw such as
apples, grapes, tomatoes, strawberries, cabbages and other salad greens.
Dr Phillips said dogs are also prone to poisoning as they can swim in farm water supplies and
should be kept away from suspect water sources

We have recently had need to search out a letter in The Local (Issue 256, June 20, 2022) submitted by Dave McLachlan detailing his life now he is surrounded by bed and breakfast businesses.

Mr McLachlan details loss of amenity and privacy and privacy in his life and the total disregard of the letting agents and it seems the council is not interested either. He has our complete and utter sympathy.

Here in our quiet Trentham street only six months ago we had zero B&B businesses and now we have three and rumours of at least another one soon, possibly two. There are many more in the town already and the list continues to grow.

Hosted B&Bs are one thing but those that are agency-controlled are a blight on the community and it’s little wonder rental accommodation in the town, let alone Hepburn Shire, is virtually non-existent. Under current Victorian law a B&B facility capable of accommodating five or less people apparently does not require a planning permit but does need to be registered with the local council.

That application must include a plan of the premises drawn to a scale of not less than 1:100 and show the proposed use of each room. Said premises might require registration of food premises if the business provides food and the local environmental health officer should be contacted to ensure compliance if it is deemed necessary.

One imagines in these events the council would have certain fees it can charge. According to council’s own website there is also a higher rate charge applicable to these premises even where the owner lives on site. Does the council charge this rate in all cases?

I do very much doubt that this is happening as again many of these business are not reported to the council as per my comments above. Council is hereby requested to provide details regarding the number of B&B premises in its jurisdiction (if it actually knows) and how many are actually being charged the higher rate.

Council is also asked what its policy is on B&Bs in general and does it have plans to review this situation? Frankly it’s high time the general community decided to take back our environment and amenity from these people as they are not in the least interested in community. It’s all about the sacred dollar.

From – David Somerfield, Trentham.

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…!)

The Hepburn Shire Council is hosting three public events to celebrate International Day of People with Disability in partnership with its Disability Advisory Committee.

The day aims to increase public awareness and understanding of people with disability and celebrate their achievements and contributions.
A community talk will be held in Daylesford tomorrow, Thursday 1 December, with special guest speaker
and blind advocate Karan Nagrani.
Karan is legally blind, but if you passed him in the street it’s likely you wouldn’t know. Diagnosed
at the age of 11 with a degenerative genetic condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa , the now 36-
year-old only has a fraction of his vision remaining. In a few years he will lose whatever little
vision he has left.
Karan is also the first openly LGBTIQA+ person to be nominated for Blind Australian of the Year.
Karan is dedicated to helping people across the globe understand that blindness is a spectrum
and normalise being gay and having a disability.
“International Day of People with Disability is a chance for all of us to challenge the way we think
about disability and help Hepburn Shire become more inclusive,” said Mayor, Cr Brian Hood.
Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) member David Moten encouraged community members to
come along to the talk or head to a drop-in session at Clunes or Creswick.
“We’re hoping to talk to community members about the DAC and promote the experiences of
people with disability in the Shire,” said David.
“We’ll also be talking to people about the new Disability Action Plan and how it relates to people
living with disability, their friends and family.”
International Day for People with Disability community event
When – Thursday 1 December from 2pm to 4pm
Where – Victoria Park sports pavilion, Daylesford.
Drop-in sessions to discuss ideas for the new Disability Action Plan are also set for:
Clunes – Friday 2 December from 10.30am to 12 noon outside The Warehouse – Clunes. Led by
DAC members Andrew Brown and John Condon.
Creswick – Friday 2 December from 1pm to 2.30pm outside the IGA supermarket (wet weather
location is inside Creswick Hub). Led by DAC member David Moten.

The campaign to sell The Rex in Daylesford has “generated strong interest thus far”, according to real
estate company Fitzroys’ senior manager Lewis Waddell.

David Bourke, another agent who shares the listing, told real commercial.
com.au that the theatre “has been awaiting its next storied chapter for some
time”.

“This is an ultra-rare opportunity
to revitalise, restore or reimagine a local icon in the centre of a thriving tourist
destination.”

Expressions of interest closed last Thursday, November 24 at 4pm.

Hepburn Shire CEO Bradley Thomas said: “At this point we expect council to
consider the sale of The Rex at the December council meeting.”

Road Rage incident

Our rural property suffered flood damage to two of our dams in the recent
floods/storms. One of these dams has been an ongoing restoration project for
us since the massive floods of 2011.
As part of the restoration we recently took another trip to Castlemaine to the
Pyrenees Quarries, where we handpicked stone to suit and stacked it in my box trailer
up to a safe weight for my 1996 Magna wagon to tow home, carefully, to Daylesford.
Towing a heavy trailer is not a fun exercise at the best of times, but I had not
reckoned on the selfish, intimidating tactics of a silver Mazda driver as I was about to
depart from the Castlemaine outskirts.
Waiting stationary at the Maldon Road to the Midland Highway T-intersection, I
gave way to many cars approaching from my left, and when I spied a reasonable break
in the southbound traffic and moved forward facing Daylesford.
Naturally, taking off from a standing start, I had to respect my clutch and was
not able to go raring off down the road. This driver from probably 250 metres back
suddenly sped up to the rear of my rock-laden trailer and freaked me out as he drew
level with my window, as he leant on the horn to show his displeasure.
I was in shock as he continued this tirade as he was still on the wrong side of the
road and facing oncoming traffic. I hope he reads this letter and has a personal think
back to his actions that were completely unwarranted and apart from lacking a bit of
patience had chosen to show me who was boss, in no uncertain terms. That was road
rage (and) he could have easily caused an accident.
People who live in country towns are aware that they often share the roads
with folk who are pulling trailers, caravans and such and that it is sensible to show
consideration, because one day they may be towing a heavy load themselves.

From: Stefan, Sailors Falls

From my living room window

My all-time favourite rose rosa mutabilis has finally reached maturity as a small
tree and with its first full crop of ever-changing coloured, butterfly-like blooms.
Their masses of bright yellow buds turn through shades of pink as they ‘mutate’ to
finally turn to crimson.
A tall, spreading evergreen, long-flowering shrub (if allowed) can reach the eaves
of your house. (I chose to train mine as a small specimen tree.)
Rosa mutabilis’ beginnings, although definitely oriental, are unclear and
apparently introduced to horticulture probably from China, sometime in the mid
1930s. It is usually listed as a China rose, but some list it botanically as rosa x odorata
‘mutabilis’.

Thank La Nina and prune now

Spring time is normally clean-up time for citrus trees. The time to remove weak
or spindly growth and dead wood.
As citrus trees grow, they tend to accumulate dead, woody twigs and light growth,
towards their centre. By using a sharp pair of pruners and a little patience you can
open up the tree and allow plenty of sunlight in to prevent the fungal disease and
insect pests that normally thrive on weak, shady growth.
Do not take too much growth from the top or centre of the tree because citrus
prefer a healthy covering of leaves all over to protect the young growths from the
summer sun.
Hard pruning of citrus is usually carried out in late August to early September
but, as long as this unseasonable cloud-covered, wet weather persists, it may as well be
put to good use.
A good dressing of mulch and organic citrus food would be helpful as well.
Christmas trees live:
Whatever way you look at it somehow Christmas would feel incomplete without
that all-important piece of traditional equipment – a real Christmas tree.
Although the many synthetic trees on offer certainly make things easy, they lack
charm and character.
The other alternative, the cut tree, has even more problems. Sure it’s real, it even
smells like Christmas, but by the time New Year comes around…just think of all the
messy needles you’re going to have to clean up.

Don’t settle for second best – grow a living Christmas tree

A great feature of a living Christmas tree is that it brings joy and pleasure to the
children for many years and can become the children’s project to protect and nurture
from year to year.
Because the tradition of featuring a decorated tree sprang from the ancients’ yule
log, and later, the Tannenbaum, the Germanic Christmas symbol has always been a
conifer.
There are now many beautiful conifers available from nurseries and garden
centres, all eminently suitable for growing as a Christmas tree.
Among the winners are: abies douglasii or Douglas fir – the traditional American
tree that is a beautiful dark green needled tree with attractive lush green pendulous
new shoots. (The ones that the plastic Christmas tree manufacturers try to emulate.)
Picea abies, the Norway spruce – the delightful symmetrical conifer with tightly packed branches and light-green needles. It is the traditional European Christmas tree
and an excellent choice for a small tree setting.
For a real, almost Aussie traditional look you couldn’t do better than to settle on
the araucaria heterophylla (Norfolk pine). Its beautifully symmetrical shape makes it
perfect for decorating even when it’s small enough for a table top.
Each of these three plants are relatively slow growers which means they will serve
you well for a good many years. They will all still continue to serve outdoors in a large
tub on a terrace or porch before necessity causes them to move out into the garden.

Got a gardening question? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

Aries: If your mental health has seen better days, hopefully those better days are
here. Anything to do with higher education, overseas travel or publishing have been
stuck in the mud. Hopefully the ground will start to dry out allowing you to get some
traction in these areas of your life.
Taurus: Your time to take a leading role in your community or within your
commune of mates is here, it’s your time to shine. Something as simple as playing a
mentorship role with a friend or it could be speaking to something more along the
lines of political leadership.
Gemini: Things within your work sphere might be starting to offer you up some
juicy opportunities, perhaps in the form of new business partnerships or leadership
options. Even if you aren’t feeling full of drive and determination right now, grab
these sorts of opportunities with both hands.
Cancer: Look to your daily routine and how you might improve your health and
wellbeing, if you’ve been struggling to implement a routine beneficial to your health,
dive deeper into it from a mental health perspective. An opportunity to connect
mind, body, and spiritual health together is presented to you currently.
Leo: Hobbies and leisure activities can bring you some much-needed cup filling.
Make time to hide away in your mancave or she-shed, it might be the metaphorical
hermit’s cave that you have been craving. Or grab a bowl of popcorn with your
favourite movie, or have a day out doing something fun with your kids.
Virgo: If you’re counting down the days until the Christmas break, you’re not
alone, but you’re likely feeling the desperation to escape your desk more than any
other sign. Your work situation might be feeling stuck and stalled, but your private
life offers you respite and joy.
Libra: Short trips might be on the cards, a weekend away or day trip might offer
you up some lovely memories that you’ll cherish. If you’ve been feeling hemmed in,
unable to have that great escape, a “staycation” is likely to be just as memorable as a
large-scale trip or adventure.
Scorpio: You might be experiencing a boom in your personal economy; your
spouse or partner might be experiencing a bust. You might be able to cut away some
financial burdens through loan debt, insurances, or taxes. Delve into these areas (or
pay an expert to), you might find some more cash is freed up.
Sagittarius: Focusing on your home and family can be a good thing right now,
this can be a great time to finish up some renovations or improvements around the
house or even to upgrade to a better home than the one you are currently in.
Capricorn: If your physical health has been giving you troubles, either from
overexerting yourself or under, remember to be kind to yourself regardless. Be gentle
and not try to push so hard for changes, find a way to float and flow for the duration
of this year.
Aquarius: Your social life is booming and now’s the time to enjoy it, say yes to
all the invites and attend all the parties. Your love life might be hitting the skids, try
not to force the situation. Or this could be a time when your kids are testing your
patience, hang in there.
Pisces: Advancing your career is on the cards, be an active participant and chase
down what you’re after. Tensions at home could be tied into how much of your focus
is on your work, it’s only temporary, things will settle down in the new year.
Until next time, Jennifer Hart

AS IF things aren’t bad enough,
the bottom feeders have
stepped it up a whole other
gear in terms of brassy, ballsy rip offs.
I got a phone message the other day
from my daughter which read that she
had changed her phone number and to
click on the link to put her new number
in my phone.
I must admit the alarm bells started to
ring, because surely someone that close to
me would call with their new number.

And then the rather large penny dropped when my life flashed before my eyes and
I realised I didn’t have a daughter, at least none that I knew of.
I must admit a few years after my promiscuous sea-going career ended, I would
feel weak at the knees around Father’s Day while standing by the letterbox, but those
days are long gone.

But back on topic. These online and phone scams are absolutely prolific so once
they get on the phone to me I consider it my duty to hold them there as long as
possible.
This practice hopefully clogs up their day, making less time for their
skulduggerous pursuits, especially on the more vulnerable members of the
community.
I once annoyed a guy claiming to be from Telstra so badly he called me back not
once but three times after our call was violently disconnected. What he threatened
is not for print but suffice it to say my mum was going to have a wild time with him
and so was my daughter. And there they go assuming I have a daughter again.
There is no accountability for these creeps and I am not sure how you could sleep
at night when your job is robbing people blind through misleading information using
tactics designed to confuse the vulnerable. That sort of sounds like a politician’s job.
But back to my point. The other day, head in hands, elbows on the desk and as
bored as batshit, (yes, it was my turn to think up what’s for dinner) the phone rang.
After a short delay in, what I imagine was the time it took for the perpetrator on
the other end to don the headset and yell ‘shush’ in his rather crowded office booth,
the phone crackled and came into tune as a nice foreign-sounding gentleman from
the Commonwealth Bank enquired how my day was going?
I fear my retort came quickly and unfortunately, a little too excited. I proclaimed
it was really boring but was now looking up with his call.
Fabulous, I thought, someone to play with. However my over-enthusiasm had
obviously alerted him to my plan to hold him up for as long as possible, and he
smartly aborted his project and disconnected the call.
Maybe now instead of a no-call register the bandits are starting to raise a no-call
list of their own – avoiding people like me who will take advantage of their time and
frustrate them to breaking point.
Timewasting rant over…

DECEMBER 5 is/was International Volunteer Day. The is/was is
because it depends what day you are reading this.

I don’t volunteer at the moment. Although with the tiny wage I receive
from The Local Publishing Group (are you reading this, Kyle?) sometimes I feel like a
volunteer.
But I have done my fair share. Certainly not as much as many of those featured in
our pages in this edition, and in many other editions, but I can hold my head high.
Which is amazing when I remember what a poor start I got off to.
I played the piano when I was younger, I think my mother was channelling some
inner hope of her own, and my teacher decided her students should play at an aged
care home for Christmas.
This was fine, although thinking back I do feel sorry for those kind, older people
who listened ever so politely and even clapped at the end of each terribly played piece.
The smart ones would have removed any hearing devices. Perhaps they all had?
Anyway, we all had a small bag of lollies to hand out to any stranger who took
our fancy. I saw a man up the back, who looked like he liked a lolly or two, and
shyly pushed my bag into his wrinkled hands expecting to see tears of happiness and
gratitude. But no, he pushed the bag back and said, quite rudely, “no thank-you”.
What the hell? As any 10-year-old would do, I fought back and pushed the bag
towards him again, and was hit with another rejection.
I was getting pretty annoyed by now, as I glanced around I saw every other
bag had been happily received, but then a staffer came and gently steered me away,
telling me that man did not in fact eat lollies. Looking back now, I think of things
like diabetes etc, but honestly, if a kid offers you lollies, just accept them politely and
either re-gift them or throw them away later. Like crappy Christmas gifts.
So my first volunteer effort did not go down well. But a few years later, after I
had calmed down, I tried again. This time it was as the editor of the school magazine
at Mt Eliza High School – that was a pretty easy gig but it did take up quite a lot
of lunches, and we, the editorial team, had to juggle between what we thought was
a great read and what the teachers would allow. We all loved the “12 ways to have
sex” cartoons by two year 9 boys, but the teachers were so prudish. And then there
was the “Guide to shoplifting” which got dropped as well. Again, year 9 students,
girls this time, who were so proficient in shoplifting that they stole 25 presents so
every student in the class could give a birthday gift to our English teacher. She was so
overcome with emotion, she cried. (Note to kids, don’t try this at home. You will get
arrested and end up with a record. Just like they did. Nah, joking, they were fine but
don’t steal anyway.)
There were a few other organisations in my 20s and 30s but mostly I was working
or travelling. But when we hit regional Victoria, volunteering gigs really ramped up.
I think Kyle and I were on about seven committees at one stage. Glenlyon Fine
Food & Wine Fayre, Glenlyon Art Show, Glenfest Music Festival, Glenlyon Progress,
Glenlyon News…and Kyle was even in charge of the volunteers at the Hepburn
Shire’s information centres. (I actually think the volunteers were in charge of him.)
I remember taking the dogs for a walk one morning, about 6am, and being
stopped by someone in a car asking if I could join their committee. Too tired to
think, I just said “yes” and wandered home to break the news.
Now, our commitment to volunteering is to share the work of volunteers in the
pages of The Local. So Belated/Happy International Volunteer Day. Just sayin’…

International Volunteer Day on
December 5 allows us to celebrate
and acknowledge the outstanding
contribution and commitment of
Central Highlands Rural Health
volunteers.
Volunteers are an integral part of our
workforce, and they give their time so
generously across all areas of the
healthcare service.
Volunteering is a reciprocal
arrangement. While giving of their
time, skills and experience, volunteers
also receive great satisfaction through
working in areas of particular interest
and gaining new knowledge and skills,
as well as in improving social contact
and making new friends.
Volunteering provides people with a
sense of belonging and is a way to
actively contribute to the health and
strength of the community.
Even your dog can volunteer if it’s
suitably well-behaved, visiting
residents in our Aged Care facilities
through our Therapy Dog Program.
Central Highlands Rural Health is
proud of its diversity and inclusion of
all people.
We acknowledge the First Nations
peoples of Australia and their unique
role in our history and society.
We recognise the important
attributes that those who followed
from culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds have brought
to our communities. We welcome
people of different sexual
orientations and gender identities,
who are a significant portion of our
population and who have helped
shape our local culture.
If you are interested in finding out
about volunteer opportunities
available at CHRH, please get in touch
with J Cawton, Volunteer Engagement
Manager at j.cawton@chrh.org.au
All volunteers are required to be up to
date with COVID vaccinations and the
annual fluvax and undergo a police
record check prior to commencement
(at no expense to the volunteer).

I am honoured to have been elected Mayor
of Hepburn Shire Council by my colleagues.

I appreciate their support, encouragement and
confidence. I also acknowledge Cr Drylie’s term
as Mayor in what undoubtedly has been a
challenging year for all of us.
In taking on the leadership role as Mayor I am
mindful of the responsibility the role carries.
At the half-way point of our term as councillors
the organisation is facing numerous challenges.
These include external factors such as extreme weather events and
their effect on Council infrastructure, especially roads and drains.
Council is assessing the damage to roads and will implement repair
works in a prioritised and systematic manner. Safety of road users is
paramount.
There are also internal challenges within the organisation that must
be addressed, most notably work to substantially improve council’s
financial outlook so that we become a more financially sustainable
organisation in the medium to long term. Important decisions must
be made in order to achieve that goal.
Most importantly, outward focussed performance in customer
service is in need of improvement, as evidenced by customer
satisfaction survey results. The timely processing of planning
applications will always be a critical service and work to update
planning regulations, sadly neglected in past years, must continue
as a priority so that planning regulations reflect the community’s
aspirations for our built and natural environments.
It should be recognised that the cumulative impact of rate capping,
cost shifting, the lack of economies of scale and geographical
realities make the delivery of services for which Council is
responsible increasingly difficult.
These are substantial challenges for any organisation and I look
forward to tackling them with my colleagues in a strategic and
prioritised manner.
A strong focus on core business in the coming year and addressing
fundamental challenges will enhance Council’s ability to better serve
our community and ultimately embrace more aspirational projects.
Addressing the underlying problems will also require action and
support from the State Government.
Clear, timely, informative communication and consultation will be
key, as it could be argued that in its absence the disparity between
community expectations and Council’s financial and human capacity
will only linger. There are opportunities to improve in those areas.
I look forward to working with Councillors and staff to strengthen the
Hepburn Shire Council in the coming year, working with all residents
and continuing my role as Coliban Ward Councillor.

Words: Cr Brian Hood