Bendigo local, women’s cricket trailblazer and primary school teacher, Barbara Rae, is set to be immortalised in bronze, as part of the state’s Victorian Women’s Public Art Program.

Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins last Saturday announced the statue will have a permanent home in Bendigo – the home of the first women’s cricket match to be held in Australia in 1874 between the ‘Blues’ and ‘Reds’ at the Easter Fair.

The winning captain and top scorer of the ‘Blues team’ at just 19 years old, Barbara Rae (pictured above) broke ground in the sport at a time when women required permission to play what was considered a ‘male only’ game. 

Playing a significant role in organising the match, she recruited other women to join the teams and ran coaching sessions at local cricket grounds.

Now, 151 years since that first match, her leadership and legacy lives on as women’s cricket in Australia thrives, with record-breaking crowds and participation levels.

The sculpture of Barbara Rae is the first of six successful projects set to be made permanent as part of the public art program, honouring the legacies of those who have forged a path for all Victorian women – reflecting diversity, and highlighting leadership, excellence and service to the community across a range of fields.

The program aims to address the under-representation of women in public art and women artists, as well as address gendered stereotypes about women’s achievements. 

More than 10,000 votes were sent in by Victorians across the state, with the $1.2 million Labor Government program supported by the expertise of McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery.

In 2023, six new public art works were unveiled across the state, celebrating women such as journalist, comedian and disability rights advocate Stella Young and equal pay campaigner Zelda D’Aprano.

Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins:“Barbara Rae was a trailblazer in her time, and I can think of no better place than Bendigo – the birthplace of women’s cricket – to immortalise her in bronze to recognise her achievements and legacy in women’s sport.”

Premier and Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan:“Women’s achievements deserve to be seen and celebrated in our public spaces and this sculpture of Barbara Rae will honour her legacy and inspire generations to come.”

Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards:“The next generation of Bendigo’s girls should be able to dream big. This statue of Barbara Rae will give them an inspirational role model as well as celebrating a great chapter of our city’s history.”

City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf:“This is fantastic news for Greater Bendigo and a wonderful way to honour Barbara Rae who played a pivotal role in the evolution of women’s cricket despite facing much hostility and discrimination.”

This story based on a state government media release

Crews have begun works to rebuild a section of Heathcote-Kyneton Road from Diss Road to Watts Lane, in a project expected delivering a smoother and more reliable journey for thousands of motorists travelling between Heathcote and Kyneton each day.

The project will completely rebuild 2.4km of Heathcote-Kyneton Road in Langley from the ground up, helping to strengthen the road’s foundations and ensuring it lasts for years to come.

A gateway to Victoria’s world-class Heathcote wine region and a key link between two of central Victoria’s regional hubs, Heathcote-Kyneton Road caters to a wide range of road users, including local people as well as drivers exploring the area, visiting loved ones or accessing vital services.

During the duration of the 12-week project, lane closures and reduced speeds will be in place within the work site – drivers are asked to follow detour signs and allow extra travel time. 

This work is being carried out as part of the state government’s record $964 million road maintenance investment, which is rebuilding, repairing and resurfacing hundreds of roads across the state.

Seventy percent of that funding is set to be spent in regional areas, helping to connect rural communities to family, friends, education and employment, and repair damage caused by flooding and above-average rainfall in recent years.

Other roads set to be repaired across the area include sections of the Calder Freeway, Macedon-Woodend Road and Tylden-Woodend Road.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne: “We’re rebuilding important routes such as Heathcote-Kyneton Road to make journeys smoother and more reliable for the thousands of locals and tourists who rely on the road network every day.”

Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas: “Heathcote-Kyneton Road is a gateway to the incredible Heathcote wine region and is important to the local economy – this project will ensure the route supports the region for years to come.”

This story based on a state government media release

The Hepburn Shire Council has announced it is developing a new plan to guide its strategic direction for the next four years, from 2025 to 2029.

Members of the community keen to have some input now have an opportunity to become part of a Deliberative Engagement Panel to help prioritise intended outcomes.

The new Council Plan will focus on key areas such as financial sustainability, service delivery, and promoting economic growth. It will be informed by both councillor and staff feedback, and feedback from the community.

The significant initiative will outline the key outcomes the council aims to achieve for continued growth, development, and well-being of the community.

Mayor, Cr Don Henderson, said the council was excited to embark on the development of the new plan.

“This is an important opportunity for our community to have input into the future direction of our council,” Cr Henderson said.

“Together, we will work to create a plan that reflects our shared vision for a vibrant, sustainable, and prosperous community, while acknowledging the challenging financial circumstances that Council finds itself in.”

“Council has conducted a significant amount of community engagement over the last 18 months, including consultation on Future Hepburn and our Financial Vision. 

“The community feedback obtained through these engagements will inform the draft outcomes that a deliberative engagement panel will discuss and prioritise.”

“An expression of interest for the Deliberative Engagement Panel is now live. We are looking for 44 community members who reflect the demographics of our shire.

“I strongly encourage anyone interested in participating to get involved,” Cr Henderson said.

The Deliberative Engagement Panel will work through a series of questions and activities to review a community vision and help to prioritise outcomes the council intends to deliver over its current term.

The EOI to be part of the panel closes on February 24.

“We will have a strong focus on community and customer service, and we encourage members of the community to take part in the consultation process,” Cr Henderson said.

“This is your opportunity to have a direct say in how our council can best serve the needs of the community over the next four years.”

The draft Council Plan will be presented for public review and feedback, through an online survey and a series of community listening posts, after the council meeting on April 29, with the final version expected to be adopted in June.

For more information or to participate in the consultation process, those interested can visit https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/hepburn-together-2025-2029

This story based on a Hepburn Shire Council media release

With thousands of children having returned to school in recent days for the first term of 2025, police are again reminding motorists to slow down and take extra care around school zones.

It follows a devastating number of pedestrian fatalities in 2024, with 48 pedestrians killed, including three children aged 12 years or under.

Sadly, all three children were at, or commuting to and from school when they were hit by a vehicle.

Police are urging motorists to slow down around school zones and be on the lookout for children walking or crossing the roads.

Police have warned that motorists should also be on the lookout for school crossing supervisors and consider their safety as they step out onto the roads to assist children safely across the road.

A 63-year-old Wodonga school crossing supervisor was killed after he was struck by a vehicle on Melrose Drive, Wodonga on Friday February 2 last year, during the first week of school.

Police have witnessed and issued 42 infringements to motorists for failing to stop at a children’s crossing over the past three financial years (July 2021 – June 2024).

The penalty for failing to stop and remain stationary at a children’s crossing is $494 and three demerit points.

Police say speed and distraction are major factors in collisions around schools and will be on the lookout for drivers failing to adhere to the speed limit or using mobile devices while driving around schools.

Police issued 12,867 speeding infringements between 6am and 9am, Monday to Friday in the last financial year (July 2023 – June 2024).

While not all speeding infringements issued between 6am and 9am on weekdays occurred in school zones, police say it highlights that motorists are being caught speeding during a time of day renowned for commuting to school and work, and coincides with increased pedestrian activity which is particularly concerning.

Exceeding the speed limit by less than 10km/h attracts a $247 fine and one demerit point, but increases to $395 and three demerit points if the speed limit exceeds 10km/h but less than 25km/h.

Parents, carers and teachers can also help prioritise road safety by teaching children how to stop, look, listen and think when crossing the road, and supervising young children around roads.

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

State Highway Patrol Inspector, Nicole Yin: “With kids heading back to school … we want everyone to take extra care when travelling around school zones.

“Children are amongst our most vulnerable road users. They’re less developed physically, cognitively and have less experience around traffic.

“It’s up to all of us to ensure kids are protected.

“For motorists, this means slowing down and being more alert around schools.

“We’re also asking parents, carers and teachers to talk to children about the importance of road safety and teach them to stop, look, listen and think when crossing the road.

“Please also consider the vulnerability of our school crossing supervisors, who work tirelessly to keep our kids safe.

“Slowing down means everyone can get to school and return home safely.”

This story based on a Victora Police report

Celebrated Scottish duo Chris Stout and Catriona McKay are returning to CesFest this April, bringing their “emotional music of stark beauty and driving energy” to multiple festival stages across the town.

Chris and Catriona take the most traditional of Scottish instruments, fiddle and harp, and create glorious soundscapes and music of breathtaking simplicity.

Voted best instrumental duo at the BBC Folk Awards 2018, they have delighted audiences all over the world with their unique sound.

Ahead of the upcoming April 4-6 festival organisers say their new programming strategy means festival-goers will get five chances to see them in action.

Releasing the full festival program grid over the past weekend, festival co-director Judy Turner says an aim for this year’s festial is to feature more stages.

“We’re resolving to bring you more stages, more comedy (like Tuckshop Ladies) more crowd participation, more street and kids stuff, more Big Things to finish the festival and more food,” Ms Turner said.

Alongside the many featured, visiting and headliner acts, the festival team is encouraging talented locals to enter the annual festival busking competition.

“Once again the generous folk at Creswick IGA have sponsored our busking competition and we are seeking talented players who are not on the main bill, but who reckon they’e got something pretty special to offer,” Ms Turner says.

“This year (will be) convened and judged by a team led by Jen Hawley (the brilliant guitarist from The Royal High Jinx).

“We are offering three prizes and the chance to perform on Rosie the Caravan Stage, with the ultimate winner doing a cameo at the Town Hall on Sunday at 3pm, supporting the multi-award winnning act The Maes.”

Full festival details, including the new program grid can be found on the festival website https://cresfest.com.au/.

Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Supplied

Police are investigating after heartless thieves stole memorial plaques from a cemetery in Gisborne last week.

Investigators believe eight plaques were stolen from the cemetery on Aitken Street sometime between 10am on January 23 and 12pm last Tuesday, January 28.

The plaques, worth approximately $250 each, are thought to be made out of cast bronze.

Police are investigating the incidents and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Detectives warn scrap metal dealers to be wary of thieves attempting to sell the plaques and report any suspicious activity to police.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has dashcam/CCTV footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or file a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Meta’s plans for the removal of fact-checking services on content posted to its platforms in the US has brought a renewed focus on the importance of regional, rural and local news publishers, media industry leaders say.

Country Press Australia president Andrew Schreyer (pictured below) said publishers have never been tasked with so many layers of responsibility, and it’s never been more vital for the work they do to be appropriately recognised and valued by government and the broader community. 

“The decisions local newsrooms make about content, photo selection, accuracy, fairness, balance and integrity go to the heart of the craft of journalism,” he said.

“Our papers don’t engage in clickbait, they don’t produce or publish fake AI content, they work hard to ensure mis and dis information are not allowed to fester in the communities we serve.” 

Mr Schreyer said the vast majority of Country Press Australia publishers are the only local media outlet with boots on the ground in these communities, producing public interest place-based journalism that fulfills a vital role in our democracy. 

“Country Press Australia is disappointed at Meta’s decision to abandon third-party fact checking on its Facebook and Instagram platforms in the US.

“Third-party fact checking has not yet been abandoned on Meta platforms in Australia, however the move in the US may be an indication of Meta’s intentions worldwide and is a worrying development regardless.” 

Equally, Country Press Australia has welcomed Communications Minister Michelle Rowland’s strong comments that came in the wake of Meta’s announcement and her support for high quality fact checked information for the public, such as the place-based public interest journalism produced by Country Press Australia’s 240 member mastheads. 

“We are also heartened by comments from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant on the harms of social media and the responsibility to comply with Australian law,” Mr Schreyer said.

“The mis and disinformation that spreads on Meta’s platforms are harmful to people’s health, wellbeing and to social cohesion.

“This information can be hard for consumers to recognise. The removal of third-party fact checking will see the levels of mis and disinformation on social media increase exponentially.

“Without any fact checking mechanism the rates of mental health issues caused by social media will no doubt rise”, Mr Schreyer said. 

He commended the Australian federal government for its recently announced News Bargaining Incentive and News Media Assistance Program funding which will help Country Press Australia member publishers continue to produce the quality local public interest journalism that is so well trusted by its audiences.

 “Professionally produced local public interest journalism, such as that produced by Country Press Australia mastheads, is the antidote to mis and disinformation and this has been well recognised by the government.”   

The Australian Government has officially given the green light to the Victorian Goldfields’ bid for World Heritage Listing.

The move marks a historic milestone after 35 years of advocacy, and follows its successful inclusion on Australia’s World Heritage Tentative List.

This significant achievement is the result of a collaborative effort led by 15 councils across the Victorian Goldfields, with Hepburn Shire Council a proud partner in the landmark initiative.

Other partners include Traditional Owners, the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments, and local and international experts.

World Heritage listing aims to bring international attention to the extraordinary story of the Victorian Goldfields, recognised as one of the most significant gold mining regions in the world.

Hepburn Shire mayor, Cr Don Henderson has expressed his excitement about the successful inclusion on Australia’s World Heritage Tentative List announced last Friday (january 31)

“Achieving UNESCO World Heritage would preserve our region’s rich history, while creating long-term social, cultural, and economic opportunities for communities across the Goldfields,” Cr Henderson said.

“It should also encourage and promote responsible recreational prospectors coming to our region.

“This is a pivotal moment for the Victorian Goldfields and for all the communities that have been a part of this historic journey.

“Achieving World Heritage status will not only celebrate our shared history but will help foster sustainable growth and global awareness of the region’s unique cultural and environmental significance.

“Victorian Goldfields represents the most extensive, coherent, and best-surviving nineteenth century global gold rush landscape anywhere in the world,” said Barry Gamble, Chief Advisor to the Victorian Goldfields World Heritage Bid.

The future recognition of the Victorian Goldfields as a World Heritage site would not only preserve its historical landmarks, but is also expected to boost local economies, foster pride, and attract people from around the world to experience the region’s stunning landscapes, historic towns, and cultural treasures.

This story based on a Hepburn Shire Council media release

Ballarat Crime Investigation Unit detectives have charged three people after locating and seizing drugs in the Ballarat suburb Wendouree last week.

Investigators executed the warrant at a residence on Hastings Street at 7:40am last Thursday, January 30, and located and seized approximately 4.8kg of cannabis, 18 grams of methamphetamine, one gram of cocaine, three LSD squares, 42 ecstasy tablets, and 203 vapes.

A 45-year-old Wendouree man was charged with traffick cannabis, traffick methylamphetamine, possess cocaine, possess ecstasy, possess LSD, and possess vapes.

A 41-year-old Wendouree woman was charged with possess cannabis and possess ecstasy.

Both were bailed to appear before Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on February 20.

A 45-year-old Wendouree man was charged with possess methylamphetamine and was released pending summons.

This story based on a Victoria Police report

The Victorian state government says it is bolstering fish stocks in 11 waterways across regional Victoria, helping to improve the populations of threatened fish species.

Minister for Outdoor Recreation and Environment Steve Dimopoulos last week announced the successful stocking of a record 141,000 trout cod and nearly 100,000 Macquarie perch into 11 waterways backed by a $15 million investment into expanding fish hatcheries. 

Five waters shared in the 141,000 trout cod fingerlings, which is nearly triple the previous best of 51,000 fingerlings in 2001. Amongst them were the Campaspe and Kiewa rivers, where trout cod have been absent for decades, along with Corryong Creek, and the Goulburn and King rivers.

The Kiewa River, in Victoria’s northeast, is the big winner this year with 30,000 trout cod and 30,000 Macquarie perch stocked. 

Macquarie perch were once abundant in northern rivers but declined significantly and have been extinct in the Kiewa River since 1939. 

Their recovery has been prioritised through stocking, habitat restoration, monitoring and dedicated research. 

The VFA’s Snobs Creek team and partners are pursuing the holy grail of ‘Cracking the Code’ to breed Macquarie perch in captivity, reducing the need to source fish from the wild every breeding season.

In a first for the program, male Macquarie perch that were bred at Snobs Creek in 2019 and 2020 have now been used to fertilise eggs from wild females, to produce some of this season’s fingerlings.   

Other waters to share in the Macquarie perch fingerlings stocked recently include Cudgewa and Hughes creeks, the Broken, Buffalo, Goulburn, Ovens and King rivers, and Lake Dartmouth. 

For the full list of stocked waters and fish numbers, visit www.vfa.vic.gov.au/fishrecovery.

Minister for Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos: “Record stocking of trout cod is another important step towards the recovery of this threatened species, which was once common in Victoria’s northeast rivers.”

“Our investment into growing our hatcheries is paying dividends and will mean more fish in our rivers and lakes across the state.”

This story based on a state government media release

Marking the one-year anniversary of her disappearance, detectives from the Missing Persons Squad have reaffirmed their commitment to finding the body of missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy.

Samantha was last seen leaving her Eureka Street home about 7am on Sunday, 4 February 2024.

She had planned to go for a run and was known to regularly run through the Canadian Forest area.

A 23-year-old man was subsequently charged with murder on 6 March, 2024 in relation to Samantha’s disappearance.

Over the past 12 months, a number of extensive searches for Samantha’s body have taken place with particular focus on the Enfield State Park, Canadian Forest and Buninyong Bushland Reserve.

These searches have involved a range of units from across Victoria Police including Missing Persons Squad detectives, Crime Command detectives, local police, Dog Squad, Mounted Branch, Search and Rescue, Public Order Response Team, Transport Branch, Air Wing, Intelligence and Covert Support Command and Road Policing Command.

A number of other agencies have assisted with the searches including the Australian Federal Police, NSW Police, CFA, SES and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.

There have also been many dedicated local community members who volunteered many hours their time to assist the search.

The investigation remains ongoing and is focused on locating Samantha’s body, with further searches expected to take place in coming months.

Police are also continuing to liaise with the Murphy family.

Anyone with any information about Samantha’s disappearance is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at www.crimestoppers.com.au

Detective Inspector Dave Dunstan, Missing Persons Squad: “As we approach the one-year anniversary, our thoughts are with the Murphy family and all of Samantha’s friends and loved ones.

“Since Samantha’s disappearance, police have worked tirelessly to locate her. While nothing can erase their grief and loss, being able to return Samantha to her family has always been incredibly important to us.

“We also know that Samantha’s death has had an enormous impact on the Ballarat community, as well as the wider Victorian community.

“I want to reaffirm to the community that the Missing Persons Squad remains committed to doing everything we can to locate Samantha – while a year has passed, we still believe we can locate her.

“This year we will continue to conduct searches in the Ballarat area, including searches in areas highlighted by intelligence derived from a number of sources.

“We also ask people who may be using these areas, particularly in the Enfield State Forest, to be aware of their surroundings and if they believe they may have come across Samantha’s remains to contact police immediately.

“There is nothing we want more than to return Samantha to her family and we remain committed to doing this.”

This story based on a Victoria Police report

The Hepburn Shire Council will be hosting a series of community listening post events throughout the year with the first in the series scheduled for this month.

 The listening post events are aimed at strengthening communication and engagement with the  community.

They will be held in major townships as well as smaller  communities, with the opportunity for residents to share their ideas,  provide feedback on services, and discuss matters that are important to  them.  

As part of the initiative, senior council staff and councillors will be attending local community spaces throughout the year.  

The first three listening posts scheduled are:

• Saturday 15 February – Creswick IGA, 10am to 12pm  

• Thursday 27 March – Daylesford Coles, 4pm to 6pm  

• Saturday 3 May – Trentham Spudfest, 10am to 12pm  

Details of other Listening Post events, including dates and locations, will be  made available on the council’s website – www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/listening-posts  

We live in a house of many guises – beginning as two goldmine offices in Doctors Gully, Hepburn Springs  before being hauled onto logs by a team of horses to become the basis of a family cottage, after the closure of the mine sometime in the early 1900s.  

Those early pioneers must have been avid gardeners  judging by the selection of beautiful century-old trees and shrubs and traces of rock walls they left for us to build upon.  

We thank them, almost daily, as we are greeted by an ever-increasing variety of insect-eating and nectar sipping feathered friends, who daily visit our bird bath and seed feeders unknowingly helping us in our garden by pollinating our fruit and feasting on many of the insect and grub invaders.  

Among the regular feathered visitors are a couple of king parrots and a pair of  gang-gang cockatoos, who stop over on their yearly pilgrimage to feed on our ash trees.

One particular king parrot pair now have the cheek to land on our balcony and herald their arrival.  Last year the male left the others, came up and fed from my hand, while the female wavered in the distance.

So I’m hoping she will have the courage to accompany him all the way this year.  

 Q: A struggling liquidambar

I shall be grateful for your advice on a suitable replacement for a variegated  liquidambar we planted in our north-facing lawn last spring. It seems to be suffering from wind burn as the leaves are turning black at the edges. We plan to shift it to a more sheltered spot at an appropriate time and replace it with a more sturdy one once it has shed its leaves in winter. Perhaps the blackened leaves could  be caused by overhead watering and strong winds. Sarah, Creswick  

A: You have answered your own question when you say “perhaps it had too much water!” Especially if it’s mostly on the foliage. With your young liquidamber surrounded by lawn and, more than likely, nearby tree roots it would be unlikely to get its fair share.  

I would suggest that you should leave things as they are until late autumn when deciduous trees are bare and the soil super moist. You can then carefully lift your  liquidambar and replant it in a new shady non-north facing plot.  

As for a replacement I would suggest you would do very well with the bronze leaf  “smoke bush” (cotinus coggygria) which is a large shrub/small tree with large olive green leaves which turn bronze to purple in autumn.  

Q:. I have a lot of red gum seeds that have fallen off the tree and still remain in the pod. Some are open but most are still closed. How can I get them out without damaging them? Ray, Woodend  

A: The best way of opening the pods would be to place them in a dry box with a layer of dry sand on the bottom and leave them in the sun. They should soon dry out  and open of their own accord.     

Your garden questions answered!  Simply email your enquiry to:  Garden queries c/o glenzgarden gmail.com  You should see your answer in the next edition of The Local.

The Daylesford Hotel is hosting a series of live weekend music acts this month – and an added bonus for music lovers is that they’ll be free to catch.

Coming up this Saturday February 8, The Martini Set plays from 2pm – 4pm. The Martini Set are well loved for their diverse range of jazz, swing and early rock n roll with an inclusive spark and a whole lot of energy.

Their lively repertoire includes songs by the great Louis Prima, Bobby Darin, the Rat Pack crew, James Hunter and Indigo Swing.

Featuring vintage styling, smooth vocals, boogie woogie rhythms and a strong back beat, this band creates a sophisticated ambience and keeps the dance floor jumping.

Next up it’s Daylesford’s Vida Jazz Trio playing on Saturday, February 15 from 2pm – 4pm.

They’re fronted by the soulful vocals of Tania Vida Petrini and promise a chilled afternoon of swinging jazz, warm blues, and rising soul.

Their energy is infectious, their groove is strong, and their music creates an atmosphere that keeps audiences coming back for more.

Whether it’s a smooth ballad, an upbeat swing, or a roof-raising blues number, Vida Jazz has built a reputation for bringing a rich and dynamic sound that fills the space and lifts the mood.

Featuring a lineup of seasoned musicians, including pianist and composer Jem Challender, double bass and guitarist Bruce Millar, drummer Matt Bishop, and the occasional brilliance of trumpeter Vinnie Bourke, the band blends deep experience with a passion for live performance.

With decades of combined expertise, they deliver music that’s both timeless and celebrates jazz in all its forms.

And then on Saturday, February 22, EMILY GRANT are set to play, again in the afternoon, from 2pm – 4pm.

EMILY GRANT (pictured at top) is the unlikely but formidable duo of classically trained pianist Emily Kate (piano, vocals) and rock loving guitarist Grant Michael.

All dates look well worth locking into your weekend events calendar.

Words: Eve Lamb

In late January 2017 an insignificant US Republican Party dogsbody named Kellyanne Conway earned long-lasting infamy and ridicule when she told television interviewer Chuck Todd on the Meet The Press program that clearly false claims made by newly elected president Donald Trump’s press secretary,  Sean Spicer, were not lies, or “falsehoods”, but “alternative facts”.  

It’s worth remembering that Conway trotted out her logic-defying statement in defense of a lie over a trivial matter.

Trump claimed the crowd at his inauguration ceremony in Washington, DC, was the biggest ever seen, which was a demonstrable lie.  

Call it an alternative fact, or “untruth”, if you want, but The Lie is the hallmark of the Trump era in US politics.

In 2021 the fact-checking unit of the Washington Post reported that, “By the end of his term, Trump had accumulated 30,573 untruths during his presidency – averaging about 21 erroneous claims a day.”  

One of the strategies mastered by Trump and those who serve him is to deny and lie whenever confronted by inconvenient facts, and, if all else fails, profess your devout Christian faith. If you keep the lies coming fast and fantastical, any media watchdogs that might choose to check them will be overwhelmed, and the 24-hour news cycle is such that yesterday’s lies will be buried under layers of new lies.  

In my 30-plus years living in Australia, it seems to me that political discourse throughout the layers of government was often heated, sometimes rancorous, but generally took place with a policy outcome in sight.

Admittedly, some of Paul Keating’s  withering takedowns of rivals were pure theatre: “The little desiccated coconut’s under pressure and he’s attacking anything he can get his hands on,” he said of Liberal leader  and future prime minister John Howard; and for another Libs leader, John Hewson, this: “He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up;” and for Howard’s treasurer,  Peter Costello, “He’s all tip and no iceberg.”  

A lot of Trump’s shameless, cruel, thuggish behaviour has found favour among certain types of people in Australia, and not just fools carrying Nazi flags. Still, I cannot  imagine an Australian politician showing such complete lack of human decency as he and his trolls have during the recent fires in southern California.  

While the fires raged, while firefighters and first-responders were on the ground,  risking their lives, while the people of Los Angeles and its surrounding suburbs  were in the midst of experiencing devastation and loss and heartbreak, Trump and his stooges were delivering a torrent of lies to gullible and subservient media about who supposedly was at fault for the ongoing disaster.

Their completely transparent intent was to score political advantage over Democrats and culture-war opponents in  positions of authority.  

Even before the fires ignited in Los Angeles, Trump was preparing an assault on California’s progressive Democratic political structure.

Here’s a statement he made in September while still on the campaign trail: “…and the reason you have no water, you have the canals, the reason you have no water is because [California Governor] Gavin  ‘Newscum’ [his surname is Newsome] didn’t want to do it. I had it all done … So you have millions of gallons of water pouring down from the north, with the snow caps in Canada, and it is all pouring down, and they have essentially a very large faucet, and you turn the faucet, and it takes a day to turn it, it takes one day to turn it, it’s massive,  it’s as big as the wall of that building right there behind you, and you turn that, and all of the water goes into the – aimlessly into the Pacific, and if they turned it back, all of that water would come right down here and right into Los Angeles … And you have so  much water. And all those fields that are right now barren, the farmers would have all the water they needed.”  

It sounds like the mad rambling of someone in the throes of dementia, but it’s part of the formula – surround the lies with gibberish and no one knows what to make of any of it. It almost sounds funny, the old fool trash talking about things that clearly  don’t exist.

But then his pet media pals pick it up, clean it up, and suddenly the focus isn’t on the victims but on supposed scapegoats: Democratic politicians; the Mayor of  Los Angeles, Karen Bass, a black woman; Kristin Crowley, the first openly LGBTIQA+  person to serve as Los Angeles fire chief; and a tiny endangered fish, the smelt.  

As Trump and his minions embraced and amplified the lies, officials who could have been working on recovery efforts, instead were forced to spend hours defending themselves from false accusations.  

On January 20, as he was taking the oath of office to become US president for a second term, Trump took a moment to further denigrate the people who battled the Los Angeles flames. “From weeks ago, without even a token of defense, they’re raging through the houses and communities.”  

“Without even a token of defense”, he said. I wonder how the thousands of first responders with boots on the ground, putting their lives on the line, feel about that.    

After many happy years living in Victoria and working at The Age,  journalist and former Wheatsheaf resident Jeff Glorfeld, and his wife  Carol, went back to California, the land of his birth, where in the past  seven years he has survived bushfires, snowstorms and drought. And  Trump. And Covid. And Trump again. The cicadas and locusts didn’t arrive. Well, not yet. Jeff is also the voice behind The Down Under Hour which is broadcast every Wednesday at 1pm, in California, on  radio KKRN 88.5FM. The show can be live-streamed at KKRN.org. In Victoria that’s 7am Thursday. Several programs have been archived on the website – well worth a look!