Actor Liam Neeson will return to regional Victoria to film his next action-thriller.

Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks said cameras would roll on The Mongoose from late this month.

The production is expected to create 453 jobs for Victorian screen workers, inject more than $19 million into the state economy and engage an estimated 150 local businesses, including specialist screen industry businesses to accommodation providers, retailers and hospitality.

The Mongoose stars Neeson as Ryan “Fang” Flanagan, a war hero who, accused of a crime he didn’t commit and with nothing to lose, leads police on an epic televised cross-country car chase. 

Helped by members of his former Special Forces Army battalion he is closely monitored by a fascinated public cheering for his safe getaway. 

The Mongoose will be filmed across Melbourne and regional Victoria and will base production out of the Melbourne Screen Hub in Footscray.

The Mongoose will be the third movie that the Northern Irish-American actor has made in Victoria in four years. 

Council rate increases in the state of Victoria will again be capped at the forecast Consumer Price Index for 2025, continuing the state government’s drive to reduce pressures on household budgets.

The three per cent rate cap for the next financial year is part of the government’s Fair Go Rates System.

The rate cap limits the amount Victorian councils can increase their total revenue from general rates and municipal charges.

Councils may apply to the Essential Services Commission for a higher rate cap if they can demonstrate a critical need for spending on services or projects that would require a rate rise above the capped amount.

Contending with financial pressures, the Hepburn Shire Council last year, prior to the election of the current council, decided to apply to the Essential Services Commission for a 10 percent rate cap variation, including the applicable rate cap for the 2025/26 financial year.

The council, in September, issued a statement confirming that it will begin the process of making an application to the Essential Services Commission, with the application required to be submitted between February 1 to March 31 this year.

The ESC must then notify the council of their findings within two months of receipt of the application.

A woman charged with the murder of a man in the Ballarat suburb of Mount Helen on Saturday remains in police custody following her first appearance in court on Monday.

Cheryl Lucas, 38, of Mount Helen, appeared in the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Monday December 30.

She did not apply for bail and was to be detained in custody at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Melbourne’s west, to re-appear before the Magistrates’ Court again on April 15, 2025.

Homicide Squad Detectives have charged Lucas following the fatal stabbing that occured in the Ballarat suburb of Mount Helen on Saturday morning, December 28.

The 38-year-old Mount Helen woman has been charged with one count of murder.

It is alleged that Lucas stabbed a 47-year-old man at a property on Park Lane just before 8am on Saturday, 28 December.

Emergency services had attended and performed CPR, but the Mount Helen man died at the scene.

Officers had arrested Lucas, who was known to the deceased, at the property.

This story based on a Victoria Police report

Headed to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat in the new year Suhani Shah is described as the world’s most subscribed mentalist with over four million YouTube subscribers and two million Instagram followers. 

Suhani has been performing on stage since she was just seven years old and now her show Spellbound is scheduled for Her Maj on Friday evening, March 14.

In the past two decades Suhani has presented over 5000 performances and is now acknowledged as a “certified superstar in the magic industry”.

She regularly tours to packed out stadiums and has wowed some of the biggest names in entertainment and sport with her skills. 

After sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe, and RISING festival in 2024, Suhani is bringing her smash-hit show Spellbound to Ballarat for the first time.

With her charm, incredible knowledge of human behaviour and unparalleled skills in mind reading, Suhani will have the audiences on their feet.

More details are available on the venue’s website.

Christmas is done and dusted and now it’s time to kick back and chill – whether you want to add Netflix or not is completely up to you. 

It’s also time for the crew at The Local to have a little bit of downtime but not without completing a great look back at the year that was. 

Some people might think this is a lazy edition, an easy way to fill a paper without much work involved but I can sincerely say it is probably the most work I have done in a while – especially because I kept slipping down memory lane and reading way too much from each edition. Like when you look in a real photo album. But I digress.

This edition is mostly, well completely, about the good news that happened over 2024 – because we get enough bad news on the morning television.

 So, while I understand many things happened which were challenging and led to plenty of tears (the Daylesford tragedy anniversary) and others led to lots of conversations (Hepburn Shire’s town plans), we decided to focus on the festivals, the people and then fun – all the things we all love about living in the Central Highlands. 

If you have a read through you will see most of the people we wrote about during the year and if you didn’t make it onto these pages don’t worry, it just might be we had too many great stories in one month to choose all of them. 

This edition is also featuring our Artists of the Central Highlands which run every second edition, along with our Walks of the Central Highlands. Both are written by our talented journalist Eve Lamb, whom many of you would have met by now. 

She is always out and about with not only writing her stories but also taking great photos. And we all know she will never run out of artists to interview or interesting walks to trek along. 

I would also like to thank all of our wonderful crew and contributors – they really put in the hard yards and keep The Local punching well about its weight. 

I hope you enjoy this edition and feel free to delve into more stories from the year at www.tlnews.com.au under archives.

 Oh, if you have any ideas for next year please let us know. Someone recently said sudoku would be a good idea – but they still want us to keep the crossword going. 

Personally I can’t do it but I did see many people on our recent cruise heading to the library every morning to pick up the latest puzzle. I guess I am more about the words. 

Catch you in 2025, January 13 to be precise or online on January 12, with all the news that’s fit to read. And more. Happy New Year, Donna 

Coming up for a Sunday matinee performance in Ballarat, ‘Two Psychics and a Medium’ offers a chance to step into the world of the supernatural.

Happening at 2pm on Sunday, March 23 in Her Majesty’s Theatre, the extraordinary live show will feature the unusual talents of Julia Cartagena, Annette Boyle, and Anthony Grzelka – also known as Australia’s Ghost Whisperer.

This captivating event offers a unique opportunity to explore the realms of mysticism and spirit communication.

The three promise to connect with the other side – “delivering heartfelt messages from loved ones who have passed and beyond”.

The show offers an opportunity to “witness a blend of clairvoyance, divination, card readings and channeled messages, as they provide comfort, validation, and profound insights into the afterlife”.

More details are available through Her Majesty’s Ballarat website.

Coming up Saturday evening, February 1 at Ballarat’s Wendouree Performing Arts Centre, ‘Solid Gold Hits of the 70’s and 80’s’ promises to bring back the sounds of an era – if just for one night.

Selling strongly, it will revive the songs many Australians listened to, sang and partied to at home, in the car and at the beach.

The Solid Gold Band promises to deliver “powerhouse performances by two highly acclaimed recording and touring vocalists backed by seasoned musicians”.

The high octane, two-act show kicks off with smash hits f the disco-inspired 70’s from Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer, Bee Gees (pictured above), Gloria Gaynor and more.

The second act features classic 80’s rock hits – think Summer of 69, Livin on a Prayer, I was made for Lovin You, She’s got the Look…

Those keen not to miss out can find more details through the Wendouree Performing Arts Centre website.    
 

Does anyone else remember getting ready for 2000? We were going to party like it was 1999 – because it was. But it was also a bit worrying that all of the world’s computers would grind to a halt. 

A few friends stocked up on toilet paper (pandemic triggering) and champagne while my Nan stocked up on flour and sugar and things to bake with. She was a great baker – did a very nice scone. They were always scooped out of the oven into a tea towel in a colander. Not sure why. Keep them light perhaps? 

Kyle and I did nothing to prepare but I still remember wandering around Myer Frankston, which no longer exists, Myer not Frankston, wondering what it was one wore to the potential end of the world. I think I chose a pant suit kind of thing. Not much one for dresses. 

Of course nothing happened although the son of one of Mum’s friends got a very cheap midnight flight to America – the only one aboard apart from the crew. That’s how scared we all were. 

I have had a few memorable New Year’s Eves. One was in Japan where we did nothing that night but the next morning climbed a mountain to watch the first sunrise of the year. And drank some really disgusting thick, sweet sake from a square wooden cup. And then visited lots of families and pretty much ate for the day. 

Only a few years back we had a small affair at Glenlyon and burnt a giant blow up Corona beer bottle Kyle had managed to acquire online. Along with a big photo of Trump. They were clearly both gone for good. Hmmm. 

Another time, Kyle, who seems to play a role in these events most of the time, decided he would light a handful of sparklers, inside the school.

They quickly caught alight, to his apparent surprise, so he ran outside and promptly dropped them on the deck.

This was also at Glenlyon where the dry summer meant there were plenty of leaves under the deck, just waiting to catch fire. 

Luckily a friend, who was just a bit more onto it, poured his beer through the cracks and put the fire out before it took hold.

Yes, it can happen as easily as that. And Kyle, who had managed to stand on some of the burning magnesium, ran inside as it burnt a hole into his heel, and flushed his foot down the toilet. I don’t mean his foot came off, just ended up pushed into the S-bend. I guess that’s toilet humour. 

One of the strongest memories, and I shouldn’t really remember this at all, was when we lived at Frankston and we took a limo to a boat tour out of Hastings. It was all very posh and we had a great night.

We returned home, feeling quite grand, only to find our dogs had obviously had something frightened out of them by fireworks. All over a lovely, shaggy wool rug.

The smell was unbelievable, so we dragged the huge rug out, draped it over a balcony rail and sprayed it down. 

We were exhausted and for some reason I decided it was time to make some cookies. Special cookies using some lovely herbs some friends had given us in a fair sized Tupperware container.

I mixed the concoction up, waited for it to cook and then chomped in. The more I ate the hungrier I got. Strange that. And then the world took a turn for the worse.

I realised Kyle had died. He was lying on the floor, Pink Floyd in the background, and he was clearly dead. I was so sad. I called 000 but luckily, in my altered state, I called the old trunk line 013 and no-one answered.

This was probably quite good for my future but I railed against the unfairness of life. Kyle dying while just listening to music. 

I then popped out to the balcony and screamed “my husband’s dead” but no-one came. Again, quite lucky in retrospect.

I decided to drag Kyle to a more comfortable spot, down the hall, and hoisted him onto the bed. Obviously I had developed superhuman strength. On the bed, I felt a hand grab my wrist. “Paranoia,” Kyle said. 

Oh, I thought, not dead, just me being paranoid. And I slept well. Until I woke up and wondered if I had put the rest of the cookies away or left them in reach of the dogs…Dogs fine, Kyle fine, no more herbs ever. Happy New Year! 

Coming up in the new year, James Ehnes leads musicians from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in an all-strings program being staged for the first time in Ballarat.

Set for Friday, March 21 at her Majesty’s Theatre, the evening performance bridges the old and new worlds with works ranging from classical to contemporary.

It’s a prime opportunity to journey into the heart of the violin with one of today’s most masterful soloists. 

This special event features a work by Grammy Award-winning composer Jessie Montgomery who is renowned for her socially inspired and richly layered music.

The contemporary masterpieces by Montgomery are performed alongside Mozart’s playful Violin Concerto No.4, which he wrote while still a teenager, and Dvořák’s uplifting and optimistic Serenade for Strings. 

Further details are available through her Majesty’s Theatre website.

Ballarat Lyric Theatre is preparing to present the award-winning musical ‘Kinky Boots’ at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat, with four shows set for late February and early March in the new year.

Kinky Boots is the big-hearted musical extravaganza that won six Tony’s including Best Musical, the GRAMMY Award for Best Musical Theatre album and London’s Olivier Award for Best Musical. 

It  features a joyous score by pop icon Cyndi Lauper, and a hilarious, uplifting book by four-time Tony winner, Harvey Fierstein. Billy Porter won a Best Actor Tony Award for his portrayal of Lola. 

The musical tells the story of Charlie Price who has reluctantly inherited his father’s shoe factory, which is on the verge of bankruptcy.

Trying to live up to his father’s legacy and save his family business, Charlie finds inspiration in the form of Lola, a fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos.

Lola turns out to be the one person who can help Charlie become the man he’s meant to be.

As they work to turn the factory around, this unlikely pair find that they have more in common than they realised… and discover that when you change your mind, you can change your whole world. 

Kinky Boots is the ultimate story of acceptance.  Further details are available from the venue’s website.
 

Popular annual calendar fixture, the Lyonville Woodchop takes place Saturday February 1 from 10.30am at the Lyonville Hall. 

Once again, this time-honoured competitive event will provide a showcase for the prowess of local and visiting axe-wielders and the hammer–hefting ladies at the nail drive competition.

Organisers say all the usual attractions will be available at the woodchop: “a bar, BBQ, barista coffee, cakes and light lunch stall, plus raffle and spinning wheel with lots of great prizes to be won”.

Proceeds go towards the maintenance and improvement of the Lyonville Hall, the local community’s hub.

Event essentials

Date: Saturday 1st February 2025 from 10.30am

Venue: Lyonville Hall, Corner Bremner Ave & Gleeson St, Lyonville

Cost: Entry is $5 per adult, children are free.

Enquiries: Vicki Jackson ph 0438178150

Police are keen to hear from anyone who may have information relating to a recent car fire that happened in the Ballarat suburb of Cardigan a few days before Christmas.

The vehicle had been found on fire near Blind Creek Road about 1.40am on Friday, December 20, just metres from the railway tracks near the Dowling Road intersection.

A CFA spokesperson had reported that firefighters had been alerted to the burning vehicle when callers to 000 reported the blaze.

The CFA spokesperson said firefighters had arrived at the scene to find the car alight and about five metres from the train line and the rail authority was notified

The fire had been brught under control at 1.53am with the incident classed as suspicious and the matter handed to Victoria Police.

It comes as newly released Crime Statistics Agency statistics indicate criminal incidents in Ballarat had risen 16.6 per cent in the year ending September 2024.

The latest crime statistics also revealed that the number of motor vehicle thefts in the regional city of Ballarat were at their highest levels in at least a decade and that they had increased by 22 per cent in the past year.

Incidents had increased from 431 in 2023 to 526 in 2024 with the rise in vehicle thefts also reflected state-wide. Police have reported that the number of offences in Victoria were at the highest levels since 2003

An alarming number of motorists are choosing to start the new year by getting behind the wheel despite knowing they might be over the blood alcohol limit, Victoria Police report.

Many people are miscalculating their alcohol intake, mistakenly thinking they’re OK to drive.

Some are blatantly ignoring the rules, knowingly putting their own safety and the lives of others at risk.

New Victoria Police analysis shows over the last three years almost half of drink drivers detected on New Year’s Day were caught between midnight and 6am.

There were 68 drink drivers detected during the time period compared with 145 across the entire day.

Around two-thirds of motorists caught drink driving on New Year’s Day recorded low-level to mid-range blood alcohol readings of between 0.05 and 0.099.

It suggests the majority of drink drivers are opting to run the gauntlet after a few celebratory drinks.

Police warn they’ll be out anywhere, any time across New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to keep all road users safe.

The force’s entire booze bus fleet will be deployed, while every police car also has the ability to perform roadside breath testing.

The penalties for drink driving are severe.

Even first-time offenders with a low-range reading face a $593 fine and will be disqualified from driving for three months.

They will also need to complete a drink driver behaviour change program, have an alcohol interlock for at least six months when allowed back on the road and maintain a zero blood alcohol requirement for at least three years.

Most importantly drink driving can cause catastrophic and irrevocable harm.

Victoria Police’s focus on drink driving over the New Year forms part of Operation Roadwise, an all-out statewide policing effort which began on 13 December.

A total 260 drink drivers were detected on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day over the last three years.

This comprised 115 drivers caught on 31 December and 145 on 1 January.

To find out more about how to stay safe on the roads, those keen to stay out of harm’s way can visit the Victoria Police safety page at https://www.police.vic.gov.au/road-safety

Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir, Road Policing Command: “A hangover lasts a day. Road trauma lasts a lifetime.

“We want everyone to separate their drinking and driving.

“Even if you’ve only had a few drinks, don’t risk it.

“Police will be out anywhere, any time during New Year’s celebrations.

“We’ll be testing hundreds of thousands of drivers so if you think you won’t get caught, think again.

“Even if you’re a first-time offender who is just over the limit you’ll receive a substantial fine and be disqualified from driving.

“It’s simply not worth chancing it.

“Don’t start the new year in the back of a police car.”

This story based on a Victoria Police report

Ballarat’s reputation as a creative hub is the spotlight as 2025 gears up to be a big one for the region’s artists with a suite of opportunities to develop new works within the city.  

As a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, the City of Ballarat continues to support all forms of artists, makers, creatives and producers.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the creative sector in Ballarat is crucial to the city’s prosperity, helping develop creative capacity and better places to live and work.

“It is creative thinking that helps all sectors to bloom, and underpins a healthier, happier and wealthier city,” she said.  

The following creative concepts are currently seeking Expressions of Interest:

Artists in Residence  

The City of Ballarat is inviting Ballarat based artists from across all creative sectors and career stages to apply for the 2025 – 2026 Art Hub Residency program.  

This opportunity offers access to Art Hub, which is centrally located on Lydiard Street North with high visibility in the Arts Precinct, for a period of three or six months.

The key objectives of the Artist in Residency program are to provide artists with a physical location and time to develop work and explore new creative ideas. It also encourages connections and engagement between creative practitioners and the broader community.

Applications close 11.59pm tomorrow, 31 December 2024. For more information, and to apply visit the Creative City’s website here.  

Projection Masterclasses  

A series of masterclasses for eight artists in the region to develop their skills in projection art with the Centre for Projection Art.  

The participants will learn through practical workshops and will be supported to test their ideas and experiment with new emerging methods of creative projection practice.  

Applications close 11.59pm on 17 January 2025, with classes to be held in February and March 2025.  

The works will be exhibited at the end of the classes.  

For more information, and to apply visit the Creative City’s website here.   

Ballarat’s Intercultural Garden – Empty Plinth Project

Creation of a temporary 3D or sculptural artwork to be displayed at the already constructed ‘empty plinth’ in the new Intercultural Garden in Ballarat, which was opened in September 2024.  

The works should intrigue, interpret, interrupt and involve the local community, complementing the city’s rich heritage.  

The stories told on the plinth should include global contemporary issues within a local context and should be mindful of all users of the gardens, including users of City Oval, nearby residents, businesses and visitors.  

Applications close 10am on 20 January 2025, with installation required to be completed by 19 May 2025 and on display until May 2026.

For more information, and to apply please visit the Creative City’s website here.   

Seedpod

Seedpod, running for the third year, is a residency opportunity for live arts practitioners who live, work or study in Ballarat.  

Proposals are invited from artists of all stages of their careers working in any area of live arts or contemporary performance.  

The residency, with regionally based live arts company Punctum, offers the successful artist time, funding, resources and spaces to test ideas, push boundaries and understand how their work creates meaning with members of the public.  

Applications close 11.59pm 28 January 2025. For more information, and to apply visit the Creative City’s website here.  

Unicorn Lane  

Applications are now being considered for 2026, for emerging artists to showcase their works in the public gallery of Unicorn Lane, off Sturt Street, just before Lydiard Street South.  

There are nine light boxes of various dimensions to show the art, it is ideal for emerging visual artists or 3D creatives.  

For more information and to apply, visit the Creative City’s website here.  

This story based on a City of Ballarat media reslease. Image: Supplied

To be staged at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat early in the new year, ‘One Single Action’ is a new dance work from internationally acclaimed choreographer Lucy Guerin.

Two dancers traverse a narrow path, in and out of sync, in conflict and in harmony – moving through fragmented terrain that leads in one direction.

In an attempt to interrupt the acceleration of our times and pause the relentless scrolling of their thoughts, they resort to a single desperate action. 

Performed by Amber McCartney and Geoffrey Watson, this captivating duet embodies the disjuncture between the internal and external dimensions of the human experience in a world fraught with interference. 

Following the premieres of two large-scale works in 2021 (PENDULUM) and 2023 (NEWRETRO), One Single Action is a return to the intimacy of Guerin’s award-winning work Split. 

One Single Action first premiered at Chunky Move Studios for RISING in Melbourne, June 2024 and is now set to be performed at her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat on Thursday evening, February 13.

More information is available through Her Majesty’s Theatre website.