The CFA is boosting its driver training capability across Victoria thanks to 10 new driver training trucks along with additional driving educators.

In recent days (November 15) the keys to five of the 10 new driver training trucks were officially handed over to CFA by the Victorian Government.

Deputy Chief Officer Operational Doctrine and Training Rohan Luke said the new custom-designed driver training trucks will be delivered to CFA training grounds across the state, which will provide greater access to driver training without the need to draw on operational vehicles.

“These trucks have been built to replicate the size, weight and configuration of operational firefighting vehicles,” Rohan said.

“We’re one of the first in the Australian fire services to have purpose-built driver training trucks for our volunteers to use for driver training.

“Driver training courses are important for future capability within a brigade as they provide the key elements to ensure our drivers operate safely in high-risk environments whilst protecting Victorian communities.”

The 10 new trucks, which cost a total of $2.2 million, can be used for both on-road and 4×4 off-road driver training as they are self-sufficient, containing everything the trainer needs to deliver driver training.

CFA recently offered the first female-only Driver Educator Course (DEC) which six women have successfully completed.

CFA Commander State Driving Malcolm Hayes said this group of newly qualified women will soon be delivering driver training to brigades in their area and across the state when required.

“As a result of this female-only course, we will have tripled the number of volunteer female driver educators in CFA which is an incredible achievement and asset for the future of driver training,” Malcolm said.

“While we always encourage any CFA members to undertake the course, we do find creating female-only courses provides a more comfortable space and environment for them to train.”

Female driver educator and 2^nd Lieutenant of Kangaroo Ground Fire Brigade Kate Lamble said CFA has a strong representation of women so we need to encourage them to take on these challenges.

“My motto is you can’t be what you can’t see. If we want more women to do these things, we need to show women we can do it and we need to get women out there doing it,” Kate said.

“I want to help break down those barriers and empower women to become CFA truck drivers and educators, creating a more equal representation across the organisation.”

Story & Image: Supplied by CFA

Hydroponics, a means of growing plants without soil, has long been  recognised as a means of producing food in areas where traditional  agriculture is unsuitable. Its also a fascinating and rewarding hobby.

Flowers,  vegetables and herbs can be produced in a limited space without digging,  mulching or weeding.  

Hydroponics is not a new science, nor is it difficult for home gardeners to  produce lush, healthy plants with a minimum of equipment or effort.

In fact, anyone  who has grown sprouting vegetables, struck cuttings or grown a pineapple top or an  avocado seed in a tumbler of water, has dabbled in hydroponics.  

To put it in its simplest form, the plants are grown in a watertight container, anchored by a clean medium such as cinders, pebbles, sawdust or peatmoss, and fed by having water, to which the correct balance of a soluble mixture of plant nutrients  is added having passed through the medium to keep the roots fed and moist.  

The solution can be recycled until the effectiveness of the nutrient mix is  diminished, after which it can be changed or simply recharged or replaced with a  fresh mix.  

Commercial growers in areas where water supplies are either non-existent or unreliable have found that the water can be recharged more often if is aerated in much the same way as an aquarium.  

On the smaller domestic scale, the plants can be watered, simply by using two  plastic containers. the outer one to contain the solution and the inner one, several sizes smaller and raised on small rocks, to level their rims.  

Drill at least a dozen small holes in an even pattern around the bottom and insert  them to protrude through to bottom of the outer container to draw moisture through  the growing medium to the plants.

Nutrients are replenished by topping up the water  level in the outer container.  The term hydroponics was coined by Californian Dr. W. F. Gericke from two  Greek words hydro (water) and ponos (labour or work). It was through the professor’s  laboratory experiments and trials in the late 1920s that hydroponics was able to  developed to a commercial reality.  

It was World War II however that brought about fulfilment of Gericke’s dreams.  Troops stationed on remote islands needed fresh fruit and vegetables – and hydroponics was the answer.

One of the best examples of this was on rocky, soilless  Wake Island where from tanks, 11 square metres in area, grew 15 kilograms of  tomatoes, 20 heads of lettuce, 9 kilograms of string beans, 8 kilograms of marrow and  20 kilograms of sweet corn weekly.  

Hydroponics of a kind was practised by the Babylonians in their famed Hanging  Garden, and the Aztecs who grew crops on soil-covered rafts tethered on shallow  lakes.

The roots grew through the soil layer and down into the water.  Records of hydroponics experiments as far back as the 17th Century show that  John Woodward of England experimented with growing plants in water to which  were added different types of garden soil, to show that certain substances were  obtained from the earth itself and not from the water.  

The experiments of Sachs and Knop in the late 1860s were recognised as the  real scientific breakthrough and beginnings of hydroponics when these two plant  physiologists proved that plants were able to grow in a solution of in organic salts,  showing that they were essential plant nutrients.  

It may seem at first that hydroponics could create a lot of unnecessary work  to provide much the same as growing plants in a normal garden bed, but there is  no doubt that a soilless culture has distinct advantages over traditional methods, apart from making it possible to grow plants where normal gardening is out of the  question.  

Plants growing by hydroponics require no digging or weeding, and are usually  pest and disease resistant due to being healthier, while at the same pests and diseases  are more readily detected and controlled.  

Most important of all is that when the crop is harvested, the old plants can be  easily removed, old beds readily cleaned and renewed and new plants quickly planted.  

Got a gardening query?Email glenzgarden gmail.com  

The CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is calling on the community to track their farts, to help scientists better understand the frequency and characteristics of one of the leading gut health symptoms experienced by Australians. 

While passing wind is a normal bodily function, a 2021 CSIRO gut health study found over 60 percent of Australians reported experiencing what they identified as excessive flatulence, with up to 43 per cent reporting experiencing it most days.  

People aged 14 or older are being asked to track their flatulence for at least three days in total, using the free ‘Chart Your Fart’ phone app. 

Participants will track the quantity and quality of their outputs, including attributes such as stench, loudness, duration, linger and detectability. 

By sharing their fluffs, people will help to create a chart of what ‘normal’ wind may look like in different groups of Australians.   

CSIRO Research Dietitian, Megan Rebuli, said that while some can find farts embarrassing and uncomfortable, healthy bodies are meant to let them go.  

“Passing wind is a natural occurrence and a sign that our digestive system is working as it should, to expel excess gas that is produced from breaking down and processing the food we eat,” Ms Rebuli said.   

“Talking about diet often leads into discussion about the other end of eating.  

“Different foods, medical conditions, or even the way we chew, or swallow can have an impact on how our body processes the excess gas, leading to different smells, frequency or even volume.” 

The Chart Your Fart campaign is part of newly launched public-led research initiative being driven by CSIRO health and wellbeing researchers in the citizen science space.  

Project Lead and CSIRO Behavioural Scientist, Dr Emily Brindal, said when it comes to health and wellbeing, the community bring personal experience and observations that can better inform research.  

“Research is only as good as the data we have, and we want to work with as much of our diverse Australian community as we can to drive innovation in health and wellbeing research and deliver meaningful outcomes,” Dr Brindal said. 

“We want to showcase the potential of public-led research and ask the community to come on board with shaping our future health and wellbeing science.  

“We rely on the public to share their experience with us for so much of our health and wellbeing research, but we also want to hear what research the community wants us to do – it is about keeping it real and relevant, but why not have some fun too?”  

To take part in the Chart Your Fart campaign please register.

Find out more about CSIRO’s Health and Wellbeing community science projects.

Story & Image: Supplied by CSIRO

The Hepburn Shire Council is inviting everyone to get along to this Saturday’s official opening of Djuwang Baring, the new 60-kilometre Djuwang Baring mountain bike trail network.

The event happens from 11am to 1pm this Saturday (November 30) at Creswick’s Hammon Park Trailhead & Recreational Park.

To be attended by a range of community groups and plenty of keen mountain bikers, it will include:

• Opening Ceremony
• Music
• Food trucks

Parking will be limited so, in keeping with the theme, those planning to attend are being encouraged to arrive by bike.

The council is celebrating the partnership with the Traditional Owners, the Dja Dja Wurrung and acknowledges that the trails are located on Dja Dja Wurrung Country.

The project has been instrumental in strengthening the relationship between the Hepburn Shire Council and DJAARA. The branding and signage suite has been designed by DJANDAK and features art by Nukara Nicholls-Moore, a Djaara artist.

Meaning ‘long track’ in Dja Dja Wurrung, Djuwang Baring begins at the Hammon Park Trailhead, a five-minute walk from the centre of Creswick, and winds its way through to just north of the Cosgraves Reservoir.

Those eager to know more can visit www.djuwangbaring.com for more information about the trails

The state government says it’s supprting more regional businesses to attract the workers they need, with another round of the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund now open. 

Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas MP in recent days has welcomed the opening of applications for the program’s second round. 

The Regional Worker Accommodation Fund supports shovel-ready projects, with co-investment from private businesses, industries, regional councils, or local community groups to deliver the worker housing that local industries and workforces need to support communities in regional Victoria to thrive for years to come. 

Eligible local housing projects will be fit-for-purpose to meet the skills needs of key sectors such as health, agriculture, education, manufacturing, and tourism – from self-contained units, worker villages, family dwellings, shared accommodation, and studios – and unique to the needs of the local community. 

Regional Victorian cities and towns that have robust, shovel-ready ideas in partnership with local business and industry are strongly encouraged to apply in this second round. 

The opening of applications for round two comes on the back of last month’s announcement of funding for more than 20 successful projects that unlock nearly $250 million in combined private and public investment through the program’s first round, boosting affordable housing options for workers and their families. 

Applications opened from Monday, 18 November and will remain open to Friday, 31 January.

For more information about the fund, visit rdv.vic.gov.au/rwaf. 

Minister for Regional Development Gayle Tierney: “We’re working closely with private sector businesses, industry and community groups to build the homes and accommodation our towns need – supporting Victoria’s regions to have the skilled workers they need so our communities can prosper.” 

“The second round of the Regional Worker Accommodation Fund is one of the ways we’re creating more housing where it’s needed most.” 

Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas: “This program will help our communities in Macedon secure much-needed housing for local workers, supporting regional businesses to grow and thrive.” 

The cruise so far…  

We picked up the ship in Los Angeles on November 7 for a 17-night voyage,  down the west coast of south America through the Panama Canal and eventually onto Florida – where there is a bit of concern about a hurricane visiting the port at the same time we dock.  

Anyway, we have just left Antigua and find ourselves at the half way point. And to steal a line from Good Morning America “it is hot, dam hot, hot and wet, which is okay if you’re with the ladies but not so good if you’re in the jungle.” And this is their autumn, and according to the locals summer is “hell”.

The food halls onboard, particularly the buffets are full of huge Americans, an older mob, mainly an eat-in crowd.

But you can’t let the copious consumption of canapes fool you, although half of them are electric chair bound, as it turns out they can move fast. Even faster if they are on their feet, as two couples from either side of the Trump camp found out.

There was a bit of lip to one another followed by a bit of biffo, and then the wives joined across the buffet.

Their cruise ended the next day with an unceremonious departure from the boat, after being locked up, while everyone else went onto their shore excursions.  

One thing that has left me gob smacked and with a feeling of throwing my hands up in the air in terms of climate change is the pollution. This seems to be due to the rich getting richer and the poor getting the picture. Thanks Midnight Oil.

Most of these countries however seem to be rich in resources with oil, jade, silver and coal to name a few, being hauled out of the earth. Where are the royalties going?  

Then there was an information session on the ship, just asking the usual questions like how many eggs do you need onboard and what happens to the food we don’t eat.  All I suppose in an effort to justify the never ending whirring of the turnstiles at the buffet.

But Donna piped up and asked a beauty with the 20-minute answer from a senior officer flooring me. She asked “what happened during Covid?”  

So they had left Sydney in early March with a full complement of passengers  aboard. They got word that the world was starting to shut down and tried to re-enter Sydney with their mainly Australian passengers to no avail.

So, they bounced up and down the Pacific eventually tying up in Hawaii. The company chartered planes for the passengers and then took off for Miami where they sat for months.

By this time,  they were onboard distancing with the crew maintaining the two-metre rule wearing masks 24/7. All but a couple of decks had been closed to preserve power and all the bars, restaurants and meeting rooms were covered with sheets.  

Eventually in October, 2020 the Norwegian Jewel, which we currently call home,  was ushered to a private island in the Caribbean where she was pressed into action as a quarantine ship.

Most of the crew went home via other ships leaving a skeleton crew of 98 keeping things going for two years while some of their family members died back home.  

This has got me thinking about the bad old days of Covid and how there has never actually been an end, it just kind of drifted away.

It has not exactly been like the celebrations around the end of WWII and we have no way to mark the event, and process our feelings. Long lockdown days that drove us all spare and tore families  apart.

Extra-long rant over…  

Trentham ambos have celebrated the official opening of the town’s upgraded ambulance station in recent days.

The state’s Minister for Ambulance Services Mary-Anne Thomas joined local first responders to attend the opening of the upgraded station that’s sited in Station Street, on Friday, November 15.

The new station has been fully fitted out with a training room, kitchen, bathroom and rest and recline areas, security upgrades, car parking, and houses a fully fitted out ambulance capable of transporting patients to care. 

The new branch houses Ambulance Community Officers (ACOs), who are trained to respond to medical emergencies, provide early interventions and respond with paramedics in the delivery of care.

ACOs can also transport patients to hospital. ACOs are an important provider of care in rural and remote communities. 

Minister for Ambulance Services and Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas: “This upgrade will ensure Trentham’s dedicated first responders can continue to provide our growing community with the high-quality care they deserve.” 

“Living in rural and regional Victoria should be no barrier to receiving quality care, and investments like this are helping to ensure that these communities can get the care they need, when they need it.” 

By Donna Kelly

I am sitting in an information centre in Puerto Rico – trying to finish The Local – after finding the promised  high speed internet on our cruise is not so high speed.  

You might think it is not a bad place to be but it is hot, really hot and humid, and a pretty poor country. At least the internet works.  

The info centre has a nice lounge  suite, a round table with four chairs,  some banner signs and two people sitting under aircon which is set at 23 and struggling to keep the temperature down.

The big swinging glass door is not quite built right and every time someone comes in it sounds like it is breaking.  Outside people perch on concrete steps, with colourful flags trying to wave in the wet conditions.  I guess I am not Hepburn Shire Toto.  

But the internet is whirring away and I have managed to download the photo of Jack and various other images. The download is not really the big problem, it’s when we finally finish and we need to upload this big ol’ edition of The Local.

I just asked Kyle how long the ship is in port and he answered: “Until we get The Local up.” Hmmm.

Now we couldn’t get our regular sub-editors involved, Nick and Lindsay, so  I have done my best to edit, but I am sure there are a few typos. If you find them please don’t tell me. It’s a need to know basis and I really don’t need to know.  

Last edition, after all our work, I had an email saying I had chosen a European/Asian crow as an image for a funny letter about some breakfast cereal. They said I  should build up an Australian bird catalogue.

Sadly I don’t know my birds and my free web photos come from a site that mainly sources from Americans, Europeans  and Asians. Not so much Australian content. Anyway, I will check from now on.

The cruise has been interesting. Long, but fun, although sadly we have lost two of our people so far. As in they died. I guess people die on land and with the age and,  let’s be honest, some of the health issues of the passengers, there has to be a few who don’t make it.  

There was also that brawl that Kyle has already mentioned over there on the left.  It wasn’t actually in the buffet but a high end restaurant. Apparently one bloke stood  up and said “Make America Great Again” and another bloke punched him in the  face.

Then the wives got involved and it was on. The blokes went to ship jail and the  wives were contained to their staterooms – and all four were escorted off the following  morning.

I wonder if they get a refund.  

Talking of America, there is a great piece by Jeff Glorfeld on the back page about the election results over there. And if you are over that you can read where you can listen to his radio show, The Down Under Hour. All good fun.  

Anyway, I think I better get going now. Time for a beer. It is 12 o’clock  somewhere – and it is actually just 12 in Puerto Rico. I wonder if they have chardy?  

So see you when we return in a week or so. Another column about travel perhaps.  Did you know you need an electronic form so you can waiver needing a visa for the US? Neither did we until we tried to check in at the airport. Always something to  learn. Just sayin’…  

The Hepburn Shire Council has received a $92,949 Circular Economy Organics Council Fund grant from the state government.

The state government has awarded the grant, through Sustainability Victoria, to the council’s Optimising Compost Quality for Beneficial Application project.

The council’s CEO, Bradley Thomas, says the council is proud to support actions which champion Victoria’s transition to a circular economy.

“The project will enable Council to carry out a scientifically rigorous study of soil and tree health after applying compost generated from our organics collection to a range of Council-managed parks and open spaces,” Mr Thomas said  

In a media statement announcing the grant, the council highlighted findings that encouraging healthier soils and trees leads to improved climate resilience, assisting plants to tolerate changes in climate and related impacts such as increased flash flooding, drought and heatwaves. 

“We will be working alongside Gaia Envirotech to optimise compost production at the Creswick Transfer Station to achieve the highest possible quality compost,” Mr Thomas said.

“An array of laboratory tests will be carried out on the compost and the soil. The soil in our parks and open spaces will be tested both before and after compost application to inform us of the beneficial microbial and chemical change in soil health achieved by applying compost.” 

The study will inform a business case assessing different investment pathways for using the compost within the council’s operations, potential availability for residents, landcare groups and farmers in the shire.  

Part of the project will be the production of several short videos informing residents how their food and garden organics can be used to benefit the shire and how important their collaboration is, particularly with avoiding contamination. 

This story based on a media release from Hepburn Shire Council. Images: Supplied

With Darren Lowe

Mick Thomas’ Roving Commission, the hard-working band led by ARIA award winning singer songwriter and former Weddings Parties Anything main man Mick Thomas, is headed our way as part of their All you Christmases tour.

In the tradition of ‘Weddings, Parties, Anything’, Mick will play a series of festive shows, this time on an extensive tour, including two shows in the region.

The band are fresh from recording a new album in Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios in Auckland with award-winning producer Steve Schram.

To help make the record, which will follow their 2023 ARIA Top 40 Coolin’ By Sounds record’s release Where Only Memory Can Find You, the band has announced a number of pre-order crowd funding packages.

Mick explained the decision to cross the Ditch: “It’s a really important thing for us to keep going forward each year and actually make new music and even though there’s been plenty out in the past few years, the origins of this album go way back to pre-Covid lockdown days when we had planned to go to America to make another album.”

Expect a selection of Mick’s recent solo material with the band featuring stalwarts Jen Anderson (fiddle), ‘Squeezebox Wally’ ( Mark Wallace on accordion), Brooke Taylor (vocals/guitar), Mark Foley (drums) and Ben Franz from The Waifs (bass).

They’ll be playing at the Bridge Hotel in Castlemaine on November 29 and Leavers in Creswick on December 1.

Leavers, Creswick live gigs coming up include:

Isobel Knight – Friday, November 23

Emily Lubitz and Tom Woodward – Friday, November 39

Mick Thomas – Sunday, December 1

Elly Mack and the Unbelievers – Friday, December 6

The Royal Highjinx – Saturday, December 7

Ben lee – Sunday, December 8

It was a highly anticipated occasion for Heathcote Fire Brigade and VICSES members in recent days, as members gathered to announce the acquisition of land for a new shared emergency services hub.

Back in November 2022, Minister for Emergency Services Jacyln Symes visited Heathcote Fire Station and VICSES facilities to announce the rebuild of a shared hub after the facilities were severely affected in the Victorian Flood events of October 2022.

CFA Acting Deputy Chief Officer North West Bill Johnstone and Heathcote Fire Brigade 1st Lieutenant Jim Staggard joined Minister Jacyln Symes and VICSES Heathcote Unit Controller Darren O’Connor at the new site on Friday November 15.

The new home base for community protection will be located on Herriot Street and will feature seven drive through motor bays and two ancillary sheds, alongside individual administrative offices, turnout areas, a laundry and a tea area.

Bill Johnstone said the new facility will allow both agencies to provide greater service to the local community.

“Not only will the hub enable effective response to fires, rescues, floods and storms, but it will also support the retention and recruitment of new volunteers,” Bill said.

“Many areas within the new facility will be shared, reinforcing our existing close working relationship and shared dedication both agencies have toward protecting their local areas.

“It’s also positive to see the inclusion of female-friendly change rooms and showers, along with training and operations rooms, space for current and future vehicles, and areas for volunteers to meet and unwind.”

VICSES Interim Chief Executive Officer Kate White said VICSES Heathcote Unit volunteers play a critical role in their community.

“Today’s land dedication to build a new fit-for-purpose facility in 2025, will provide them state-of-the-art amenities to continue to offer that support,” Kate said while speaking on site.

“This will be a colocated facility for both VICSES and CFA volunteers which will only strengthen and refine emergency response for the Heathcote area and surrounds with more space available for members to respond, train and plan for future emergencies.”

Heathcote brigade has more than 45 volunteers, including 32 men, 13 women, and 19 operational firefighters who average 77 callouts each year. VICSES Heathcote has more than 24 volunteers and averages 213 requests for assistance (RFAs) annually.

Funding for the Heathcote Emergency Services Hub has been provided by the Victorian Government, with construction expected to commence mid to late 2025.

With Eve Lamb

The large-scale sculptures that Jannie Alday make are sophisticated works of beauty as much as they are fully functional one-offs, designed to appeal to the connoisseur. Middle-eastern architecture is among the influences that ignited this talented creative’s  passion for simple elegant form and fluidity of line. Alday deploys traditional fabrication methods, welding and rendering, alongside modern technology to make sculptures that are sensual, tactile and alluring. Right now she is preparing to celebrate the launch of her new Newlyn studio.

Eve:  Jannie, your new studio here at  Newlyn would be the envy of many an artist. How high is that ceiling?

Jannie: It’s about five metres. I need it to be that high to fit the the lifting equipment. This studio developed over COVID lockdown and now I’m ready to open it. My studio is rendered with a product made from recycled glass…  Before, I had been building my sculptures in the re-purposed Railway Goods Shed in Creswick. But that was a short term solution. I needed a crane to move my work so I decided to build this purpose-built studio here.

Eve:  Well, while we’re on the subject, we should take a look at why you need that lifting equipment. Your sculptural work is clearly large-scale.

Jannie: Yes all my sculptural work is functional as well. So that bathing sculpture you can see taking shape will be fully functional, as will the pool of reflection.

Eve: Your work is incredibly imposing.

Jannie: My work is for the right setting only. I’m really fussy about where they go. What I do isn’t for everybody. It’s for aesthetes, people who really invest in the environment they live in.

Eve: What materials do you use to make these imposing pieces?

Jannie: I use stainless steel, marine grade steel, mild steel for my armiture. All my fittings are marine grade stainless steel and it’s got to be absolutely bullet proof.  Burnished marble, cement fondue… The armature for everything is hot-dipped galvanised which means there can never be any rust.  With my materials I’m always trialing different products. At the moment I’m trialing silica sands.

Eve: Have you always worked in the arts sector, or do you have another background as well?

Jannie: I used to work in the health sector and in project management, but when my father died about ten years ago I decided it was time to get serious about my work. My father, Max, has been a major inspiration and influence. He was a fitter and turner and had a natural talent for all things engineering. When he died about ten years ago I realised  the time had arrived for me to focus on my sculpture.

Eve: These pieces look incredibly complex. How much time goes into making them?

Jannie: The complexity is in the design and the research and development. Easily a month of design, and then the making-of and fabricating elements are probably an eight-month process. They’re all one-offs…  A lot of problem-solving goes into them and there’s a lot of complexity that people don’t see, like the internal plumbing. It’s got to be absolutely bulletproof.

Eve: Who, or what, are your influences?

Jannie:  I was captivated with renaissance drapery back in art  class, the dramatic shadows created between the folds I found mesmerizing…  Rembrandt and Leonardo’s use of chiaroscuro technique created a sensual intrigue… Middle Eastern architecture ignited my love of simple elegant form and fluidity of line. I am also fascinated by the qualities of water, the way it moves and flows.

I’ve come to realise my grandmother has been an enormous influence too. She was a potter with a wonderful sense of colour and form and worked frm a tiny studio in her garden… And my father taught me so many skills… I turned my hand to wood carving, furniture making, welding, building, painting, sculpture and drawing…

At the rubbish tip one day I found a section of a burnt out mannequin. I was excited and inspired. I knew I  could use it to form part of the internal structure for a sculpture I had designed. Using my partner as a model I built my first serious sculpture ‘Arlechino’ (which became the Palais centrepiece during a Daylesford ChillOut Festival).

Eve: Do you have any special events coming up?

Jannie: Yes. I’m having a private showing here at my new studio in December.

Eve: Beyond that how can people see your work?

Jannie: By private appointment. People can reach me at jannie.alday@gmail.com

Richard Herr, otherwise known as Ritchie Rich, is a Daylesford icon. There is no doubt about that. Many people are familiar with his sartorial excess as part of his many appearances in the yearly Chill Out parade. Others know him as the best dressed Santa in town.  

Flamboyant, gregarious, larger  than life, you could call him the soul of contemporary Daylesford. A living  encapsulation of the town’s inclusivity,  exclusivity and idiosyncrasies.  

Like so many of the eccentric creative types who have found their way to  this town, Ritchie’s journey has been a long and convoluted one and began in Melbourne.  

“I was born from German Polish parents with a very traditional European upbringing in the suburbs of Springvale.  I was bullied at school for being both European and effeminate and while my grandpa was an artist and my mother was very creative, my father tried to suppress  all my creative inclinations.”

Ritchie, like any boy with dreams of a career in a creative field, decided to go to art school. But his father put a stop to all that.

“He said ‘no, you’ve gotta go and get a job’.”  

Consequently Ritchie began running  little cafes, became a film crew caterer and also travelled widely in Europe with his then girlfriend.

It was the 80s, an age of neon, punk, gender bending and artistic decadence and certainly  a great time to be swanning around the continent soaking up ideas and influences. But if there is a time in his life, a point upon which everything  pivoted, it was at the grand age of 36.  

“That’s when I took on Merricks General Store (built in 1922 by the Joyner family on the Mornington  Peninsula),” Ritchie says.

“And it was also the year I came out. It was an era of madness and creativity, alcohol, happiness,  sadness and table top dancing.

“From that point in my life I just went full steam ahead. Ever since then I’ve never had any boundaries. I’ve had businesses, I’ve lost money and I didn’t care. I would just shrug and think: ‘right, that chapter’s over’ and go and do something else.”  

But the film catering gigs remained a constant. He could not get enough of the intrigue and glamour of visiting Hollywood productions with their pampered superstars and people with big bad egos.

And if there is any department privy to the gossip, stories and tantrums of a film set it is the caterer.

At one point or another everybody will pass through the dining marquee, eating, drinking and letting their guard down over bountiful food.

And ultimately, it was film production catering that brought Ritchie to Daylesford in 2001, sparking his love affair with the town that smoulders to this day.  

“I was working on the short lived TV series Ponderosa at Kataminga near Newbury and ended up living here for two years,” he says.

“I then moved to the town permanently in 2014.”  

But then life bowled Ritchie another curveball around 50 years of age. He got  diagnosed with HIV and two shots of cancer.

“I also got my first tattoo,” he adds.  

Of course Ritchie remains here today to tell his tale which means he conquered his bouts of cancer and is managing his health. To say he is a survivor is stating the obvious but to thrive is another thing entirely.

But thrive he has and one of the things that helped was his segue into the world  of philanthropy and fundraising. It was both a way of helping people in need and best of all, another way to express himself.  

“First up I walked 740 kilometres from the Mornington Peninsula to Canberra  with artist Clare Whitney in 2008 raising $50,000 for the Scaffidi Foundation,” he says.

“After this I helped raise approximately $100,000 for the Kids in Cambodia Charity.  I have also assisted the local CFA and organised a ‘homeless couture’ event at the  Daylesford Town Hall in 2018 – raising money for the purchase and distribution of  backpack beds for Central Victoria.”  

Ritchie has spent enough time in the town to be acutely aware of the changes  that have taken place over the years and the things that have stayed the same.

His  first impression of the town over 25 years ago was one of an absolutely vibrant  Vincent Street with very eccentric people and fabulous shops, something Ritchie  contributed to with own place, the sorely missed Ruby Slippers on Howe Street.  

“I look at Daylesford now and it has gone so mainstream and very business  oriented. But what I still like about the town is Monday to Friday, as daggy as Vincent Street is, the colourful people are still there and they all come out.”  

Words: Tony Sawrey | Image: Inkdfotogrfa Daylesford    

The 155th Kingston Agricultural Show happens Saturday, November 30 and Sunday, December 1 and will be held among the elm trees and in front of the heritage listed grandstand.  

The Kingston Show aims to provide good family fun, children under 6 are free with gate entry for adults just $10, and spectators get in the gate free of charge altogether on the Sunday. 

“We are excited that this year Kingston hosts the State Final of the Dog High Jump along with working yard dogs which includes  Australian champion trainers and dogs,”  President Fraser Hutchison said.

Another major attraction this year is the Fizzics shows which present amazing and fun science to everyone.

It’s a great chance to participate in a wide range of events, competitions and time-honoured show-day attractions. Show-goers can throw a gumboot, visit the poultry and pat a chook, inspect the goats and watch the heavy horses and harness horses competing.

The sheep will be there and so will the Creswick Brass Band. The recently updated pavilion hosts children’s arts and crafts as well as new  cookery classes.

The Rich Fruit Cake and Carrot Cake winners will qualify for the Midland championship. Children can decorate a plate of four cupcakes.  

If you have weeds (and who doesn’t?) you can even enter the weed competition. Just put ’em in a bucket and bring them into the pavilion by 9.30 on Saturday – it’s free.

Organisers also suggest that you raid your pantry and place the preserves, jams, chutneys, eggs, honey or anything you have produced or grown in a basket and enter the Produce Competition for a chance to win a great prize.  

Thse who get along can also watch, or perhaps participate in, the Rural Schools Challenge for primary school teams of five.

This will test the participants’ rural knowledge, problem solving ability along with fun physical team  challenges.  

Free parking is available on the grounds. Day two of the show, Sunday, December 1, the focus is on the horse competitions and the working yard dogs continue. Entry on Sunday is free for spectators.  

The full program is available #kingstonshow  

Words: Supplied

Fundraising for the new Rex Cinema has kicked off, fittingly enough, with a film. 

Radius Gallery in Hepburn Springs hosted a Flicks and Feast evening with an impromptu boost. Keen movie-goer and Rex supporter Dr Charlie Qi, of Qi Wellness in Daylesford, was involved in planning the Radius event and laid on a spectacular vegetarian Asian feast beforehand. 

The film was a delightful, animated fairy tale about the Clocks’, a family of “little people” living in a doll’s house who steal (or borrow) goods from the humans’ home. All is well until humans discover the family’s daughter and they flee for their lives. 

The message of the movie is about living together with nature in peace and harmony, a concept close to Dr Charlie’s heart. 

After this start, a host of other fundraising and promotional moves are in the works. They include raffles, a Christmas event, patron packages, business sponsorship, merchandise sales, such as vintage movie posters, t-shirts and badges, and a dinner. 

The Rex has a remarkable history of money raising, as recorded at the Daylesford Museum. The cinema’s founder, Aubrey Moulden Christie, began with weekly then twice weekly plus “weekly occasions” pictures at the old Drill Hall in Bridport Street, now the Daylesford Fire Station.

Next he bought an old hotel in Vincent Street and began building the Rex, securing more than 10,000 pounds, a massive amount for the time, to build a “Spanish colonial theatrical” style cinema. 

More money was needed to strengthen the foundations and flooring after old mining works caused some cave-ins. 

The Rex opened on Boxing Day 1929, showing an early version of The Student Prince, dubbed with synchronised sound before the modern integrated soundtrack, and before Mario Lanza.

One of the first small theatres, beyond Ballarat, Bendigo and Melbourne, to have CinemaScope in 1954, the Rex was badly hit by the local advent of television in 1960-61.

After 34 years’ operation the Rex was shut by Aubrey Moulton Christie’s son Max in May 1963, only to start again on a small scale, being run by dedicated volunteers between 2012 and 2016. 

To get involved contact Daylesford Cinema Group president Jules McDonald on 0400 455 993