In September this year, five Daylesford artists travelled to outback NSW to paint and create new art inspired by the fauna, flora and unique landscape and spiritual connections to country and history that is Lake Mungo.

The artists were Josh Bowes, Kristeena Saville (pictured above) Peter Gandrabur, Phillip Edwards and Michael Lelliott and the work they produced is currently on show.

But if you want to catch the show you’d best be quick.

The works are on display at Bullarto Gallery until November 17 with the gallery open Saturday and Sunday 10-4pm, or by appointment on 0487 437 173.

The Mount Players final show for 2024, A Bunch of Amateurs, opened on Friday, November 1 but there’s still time to secure your tickets as it runs until Sunday, November 17.

Join the Stratford Players in Suffolk who are putting on King Lear and have brought in a fading Hollywood action hero, Jefferson Steele, to help boost ticket sales in order to save their theatre from the developers. What could possibly go wrong?

Come and enjoy the show at our unique Mountview Theatre in Macedon and receive a complimentary sherry on arrival, free tea/coffee and treats at interval and drinks at very reasonable prices from our bar.

Evening performances on Friday and Saturday at 8pm with matinees on Sundays at 2pm. Tickets via www.themountplayers.com or call 0419 329 052 for assistance.

Words: Karen Hunt | Image: Karlana Santamaria

The state government is calling for nominations for outstanding Aboriginal Victorians to be recognised on the Aboriginal Honour Roll.

Since it was established in 2011, the roll has recognised 150 inspiring First Nations people for their outstanding work in a wide range of fields including health, education, justice, sport, the arts, community leadership and military service.

Nominations for the Honour Roll are now open and will close at 11.59pm on Friday, December 13. Link: www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au/VAHR

Northern Victoria Region MP Wendy Lovell is concerned that only four roads in the Macedon state electorate are on a state government list for maintenance and resurfacing in the 2024-25 maintenance program.

Ms Lovell is asking people to nominate other arterial roads in their area in need of maintenance and resurfacing.

“An arterial road is a highway or major road, which would be identified by M, A, B or C classification on a sign or road map,” she said.

“For example Calder Fwy M79, Hume Freeway M31, Romsey Lancefield Road C325. Please email me the road name and location so I can continue my work to make roads in your area safer. My email is wendy.lovell@parliament.vic.gov.au”

Australian women can now access treatment for uncomplicated urinary tract infections at a community pharmacy, without a prescription.

UTIs are the second most frequent preventable cause of hospitalisation and on average 1 in 2 women develop a UTI in their lifetime.

“This unlocks the nation wide harmonisation of community pharmacy’s ability to treat women suffering from common everyday conditions, safely and easily”, Pharmacy Guild of Australia national president Trent Twomey said.

“Women are busy mothers, carers, bosses who need timely easy-to-access relief to get on with their day and prevent long-term health complications and discomfort.”

By Donna Kelly  

There are a lot of big things going on. The biggest is the memorial service on Tuesday for the tragic incident last November which changed the history of Daylesford.  

There are also elections in the wind, a legacy of a book being launched and even a woman recognised for her tireless work in getting CresFest up and running – and  much more.  

So plenty to write about but I am going with what some people might think is a smaller thing, but it really is one of those things that keeps our communities strong.

You may have already read the story on page 9 but long-standing Korweinguboora resident, and renowned cook, Jean Howard has had the local reserve’s kitchen aptly named after her – Jean’s Kitchen.

The kitchen was part of extensive renovations at the reserve’s complex, with an official high tea attended by 50 people on October 27 to celebrate.  

Now even if you can’t spell Korweinguboora you should know where it is, on the Daylesford to Ballan Road. Blink as you drive by and you could easily miss it.  

And that is why some people might think it’s a story of little consequence. But I  reckon it’s a huge story and just one reason local papers need to continue. Like The Local.  Because without people like Jean, and committee chair Sue Bottrell, and indeed all the committee members, places like Korweinguboora could easily find themselves without a gathering space.  

And it is repeated throughout all the small towns and hamlets in Australia.  Volunteers giving up their time to ensure that future generations can enjoy  weddings, birthdays, dinner dances, Christmas parties and even funerals in their own communities.  

No matter how much money local, state and federal governments hand out, if  there’s not a willing band of volunteers, it ain’t going to happen.

Jean, who has lived in the town for 75 years and was on the committee for 26  years, says it was exciting to have the kitchen named after her. A real honour, she says.  

“It was a lovely get together and catch up, especially with those who mean the most  to me.”  

And the town is rightly proud of her work. Committee chair Sue Bottrell says the facility “is the most wonderful asset for Korweinguboora and brings people together to develop bonds and friendship”.

“In these times of unprecedented loneliness and isolation, it is very important.  Jean is renowned for her cooking and was a key driver behind upgrading the hall in the late 1990s by purchasing the local school and moving it to the reserve,  instantly doubling the size of the facility.

“Without Jean’s leadership, dedication and determination, we would not have this wonderful space to use today.”  

So that’s my take on the news this week. Wonderful people just going about their days, doing wonderful things for others. Never expecting anything in return but quite chuffed when their contributions are noted.

This is what keeps our communities  strong and vibrant. And why places like the Central Highlands make for such  wonderful living.  

Oh, back to the importance of local papers. I don’t think Jean’s Kitchen will make the Herald Sun or The Age or The Australian. But it makes The Local. Because Jean is local, and we only celebrate locals. Just sayin’…   

Although we have a family of magpies at TL HQ,  I have never been attacked, that is until a recent trip to Melbourne.  

My relationship with the birds was galvanised during the pandemic. Each day after toiling away on the paper, in the cut and thrust of lockdowns, Donna and I would sit down with a drink on the balcony, rain, hail or shine and feed our black and white feathered friends.  

At the time we would barely see anybody. We would collect our groceries at the Click and Collect in Woodend and then spend half an hour cleaning them on the  stove hob and in the sink. I would light up the hob after the food cleaning exercise to kill bugs and spray the sink with Glen 20.

The booze was delivered courtesy of the good people at Cellarbrations in Daylesford and it would spend a few days on the back deck de-bugging.  

Exercise was with a mask around the Glenlyon Reserve and an excursion to  get out of the house was a drive through Daylesford with the air conditioning on reticulation as recommended by a nurse we know.

The world was upside down and if  a pig had flown past the window, I would have simply said ‘G’day’.

But back to the backyard birds. They were all individually named – there  was Uncle Bulgaria, Dumper Duck and Puffy just to name a few. It was a multi generational family of maggies that even during the breeding season never swooped, I  have heard they do recognise individual people.

Yes, it was crazy times and at times I  thought I was going crazy, but things were what they were.

Speaking of crazy and before I bore you with the rest of my magpie yarn, scan the  QR code below to check a battle myself and my nephew had.

It was during an alien invasion at a recent virtual reality experience and will also give you some insight into the vocal levels during the magpie attack.  

But back to bird skirmishes. I have chuckled my fair share of times at the  “funniest home video style” antics of folks I have seen being attacked both on video and IRL.

The screams, gyrations and at times, flesh wounds, as folks throw themselves on the ground, crash their bikes and do the ‘hands in the air’ dance.

Now it was my turn. As I walked around the corner under a low set of trees in a garden bed, I felt the first contact of the claws on my head.

My first reaction was to put my sunglasses on my head as swoop two commenced with that horrible snapping noise they make with their beaks.  

My second defence was to yell out “I know Uncle Bulgaria and his family” as I  got lower into the garden.

There seemed to be no escaping this pair of protective dive bombers, I kept running and stumbling into the undergrowth.

At one stage, in an  effort to pull some speed off my combination headfirst run and breakdance move, I  hooked my arms around a tree trunk to slow me down and skun up my wrists, only  to look up and see the mad bastard birds were  only a metre from my face.  

I did a backwards worm through the undergrowth that would have won at the Olympics, and then that was it, I was  obviously at the limit of their protection  zone.

I finally emerged from the urban jungle bloodied, bruised and breathless, with a large  audience looking on at the man responsible for the blood curdling screams.  

Embarrassing bird rant over.  

Home gardeners may not realise that three potatoes, brushed, but not washed, that are a nice shape, about the same size and texture and look good enough to eat could be good enough to enter in the Daylesford Show on November 23 with entries closing on Sunday, November 17.  

Three good examples of different home-grown vegetables or a bunch of parsley, or five sticks of rhubarb, a bunch of spring onions, three whole heads of garlic, 10 pods of peas or indeed any other vegetable could also be entered.  

You may have eggs from your hens or ducks, honey from your own bees, or cheese from goats or cow’s milk that may also be good enough to enter, and don’t  forget the showgoers are waiting to be impressed by your growing or collecting skills.  

Many gardens in Daylesford have a lemon tree with at least three lemons of  uniform size and texture and looking nice but if you want to show them make sure that you leave a little piece of green stem showing.  

Daylesford and District Agricultural Society is proud to present Farm and Garden Produce and Flowers in our Hall of Flowers. On Show Day look for the Rijk Zwaan sign on the Table Tennis Centre.

The Daylesford Show is proud to be supported by  the Daylesford/Musk branch of the international seed-producing firm each year.

Inside the Hall of Flowers you will find our display of Cut Flowers and Floral Art, surrounded by floral stalls by the Daylesford Horticultural Society, Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, Spring Park Nursery and a number of other  local groups.

The gentle music of Vanessa Craven and her band Lake Mist in the background makes this a quiet haven for the garden lover.

It has been a very good season for spring flowers in Daylesford with the low rainfall making the ground a bit warmer and blooms a bit more vibrant, so expect the  hall to be full of shades of pinks, yellows, oranges, reds and mauve/magentas.  

If you are looking around your own garden and thinking it looks great this year, then download the schedule and see what you can enter.

Our bright and colourful  flower and vegetable displays will be made better with your entries and this year we have extra rosettes and prizes to commemorate the 150th Daylesford annual show in our 160-year history.  

If you are interested, head to www.daylesfordshow.com, check our schedule and  enter online. Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, November 23 from 9am.  

As owner and managing director of Marshmallow, Creswick’s contemporary and innovative hair salon, Casey Lenaghan will affirm the importance of continuing to deliver products that are a point of difference from other salons in the Central Highlands region.  

In choosing Creswick to create a salon that would make a difference to people wanting to feel good about themselves, having hair styled to suit their personality and lifestyle, Casey was determined to introduce practices that were holistic in their delivery.  

“I understand that my clients trust me to keep ahead of trends, to introduce  products that are not available elsewhere in the region, and to employ hair stylists that  share my values and philosophy,” Casey said.  

Casey recently introduced Nanoplasty, a high-tech product from Italy, that restores and straightens hair without the use of harsh chemicals.  

“I’ve always been concerned about the use of harsh chemicals on young children, or pregnant women. Now we can safely give our clients the look they want, knowing that their hair will be straightened and nourished with organic and amino acids. The  really good news is that the treatment lasts for up to eight months!”  

Two months ago, Casey was delighted to welcome to Marshmallow a highly regarded hair stylist and long-term friend, Adam Noel. With over 30 years’ experience, and having worked with Casey 15 years ago in her Ballarat salon, Soho, Adam brings a unique understanding as stylist, cutter and colourist.

He has quickly  acquired new clients from around the district as well as retaining his loyal clients from  Ballarat.  

“I can’t be more excited that Adam has joined the team at Marshmallow along with Sophie and Corina,” Casey said.

“Adam has already made a positive impact on both the salon and on Creswick in general. A broader client base, from as far as Melbourne, means that there will be a whole influx of new people coming into Creswick, supporting all the amazing local businesses. That’s what’s so good about  working in a small community. We all benefit by working in together.”  

Marshmallow opens from Tuesday to Saturday inclusive. Bookings can be made  in person or by phoning 0439 329 754.  

Advertorial Words & Image: Fiona Watson  

Shelley Simpson is the new manager at Hepburn House and after just five weeks is already  loving her place in the community.  

Raised in Geelong and living in Ballarat for the past eight years, Shelley said she came to health  care relatively late in life.

“I was a bit of a late bloomer to nursing. When my grandma was admitted  to hospital and getting cared for by the amazing nurses, I thought this is the career I want to do, and it  would be very rewarding.  

“I started off as a personal carer and then I went and completed my certificate of nursing (Div 2),  after that all my friends had gone off and become registered nurses so I did that as well.

“I worked in  aged care in Geelong while I worked my way through university. Once I became a registered nurse I  commenced work in community nursing and then kind of fell into community palliative care – and  that is where I spent most of my nursing.  

“When I moved to Ballarat I started work at Ballarat Hospice Care and then I just found myself in aged care and I’ve loved it ever since. I was an assistant manager at Bupa Ballarat and then stepped into  this role.”

Shelley said she loved working with older people, being able to have a chat and a laugh, learn  their history and have the ability to give them choices and to live there best life.  

“If the resident doesn’t want to get up at seven o’clock, have breakfast and have a shower, they don’t need to. It’s all about choice basically because it’s their home.

“Also being able to offier the ability for  person-centered care that focuses on their individual needs and desired health outcomes.”  

Shelley said after five weeks she was already loving the staff, residents and Hepburn House. And former manager Dianne Jones had been very supportive in the changeover.  

“Once I had settled into my role, I would like to become more involved in the community engagement for the residents.

“Having the local kindergartens/daycare, primary and high school involved  and doing more activities in home with the residents and out in the community. Having that big  community focus, I think that’ll be great.

“At my previous employment we used to have kindergarten  kids come and they had such a great relationship with the residents, and vice-versa.

“We even had a  resident who used to make little wooden toys for the children. It was just lovely. So I hope we can get  that happening. No big changes, just a bit more community-oriented.”  

Advertorial

with Eve Lamb

Mount Greenock Geological Reserve summit and return

We’re “guinea pigs” today, joining the Great Dividing Trail Association on a walk led by Professor Barry Golding. It’s a kind of test run for a walk forming part of a fairly spesh little public tour series that Prof Golding  will lead in early December. More on that later.

The walk we’re tackling this fine Sunday is described on the GDTA website as focusing on a number of lesser known legacies associated with Mount Greenock volcanic crater in southern Dja Dja Wurrung Country.

These include a Deep Time perspective, Major Mitchell’s visit, deep lead mining and a history of licenced and unlicensed grazing on the present-day Mount Greenock Geological Reserve.

After we climb Mount Greenock we’ll also visit the  public Scenic Reserve across on neighbouring  Mount Glasgow before we head on to nearby Merin Merin wetlands reserve, steeped in Aboriginal heritage going back thousands of years, for a lunch stop.

It’ll be 5km walking and 20km car travel between sites all up but for the purposes of this article, I’ll focus on Mount Greenock.

The Mount Greenock Geological Reserve is located between Talbot and Clunes, accessible off the Marybrough Road, on the right  just past McCallum Creek as you head toward Maryborugh.

Paddy H and I roll through the gate of the public car park, entry to the 120 hectare  Mount Greenock Geological Reserve, fairly early for a Sunday, to rendezvous with members of the GDTA including Prof Golding.

Prof Golding is soon to launch a book featuring  six of the  notable peaks of this wider region, Mount Greenock included, and the notable legacies that surround them.

There’s 15 of us walking today and after a bit of obligatory chit-chat we set off. It’s only about one km up to the top. Not far, but a really punchy little walk to the summit that stands 385 metres  above sea level.

“There is no track. There is no right way up. Choose your path,” says Prof Golding,  a tad Buddhist- koan-like, as we move off as a group.

As we slowly gain elevation, Prof Golding stops to tell our walking party about the volcanic rock we’re now seeing strewn about, while also keeping a careful weather eye out for snakes at this time of year.

“Once you get up here you get basalt,” he says.

“And this is ropey lava with a flow structure,” he says, picking up a largish chunk. The basalt to be found here is so light it can just about float in your bath.

There’s scoria and  “tear shaped volcanic bombs” some containing the semi-precious gemstone olivine, ancient and dating back to the time of the volcanic activity that formed this landmark local peak “an estimated half a million years ago”.

“It’s quite young in geological terms,” Prof Golding says.

As we climb, the vista above is profoundly photographic, the sky huge.

Prof Golding talks about the importance of this place to the Indigenous people over many thousands of years, as all around us the view expands.

Below and beyond the grasslands stretch and sing.

“What you see now is what was here on contact,” Prof Golding says of the extinct  volcanic cone that is Mount Greenock itself. “Major Mitchell who climbed up here in 1836  described a bald green hill…”

“The rich grasslands were like a highway for the Aboriginal people. There were emus, kangaroos, wallabies, lots of small mammals.. There were silver banksia, bulloak, sheoak.

The grassland “highway” could be followed all the way to the coast at Portland, something  f which Major Thomas Mitchell also made good use, we learn.

About half way up, Mount Kooroocheang appears on the horizon and with each step we take toward the summit of Mount Greenock more volcanic hills and peaks can been seen all round.

“We’re high enough here at 385 metres to see back over the Divide to the south,” our guide says.

Here, at the top there’s a stone monument to Major Mitchell’s trek  in  1836. We stop and Prof Golding talks about the impacts on the Aboriginal Traditional Owners that followed the arrival of the  Europeans with their grazing ambitions in this area.

It’s not a happy history and is something that Professor Golding does not shy away from in his soon-to-be-launched new book, Six Peaks Speak: Unsettling legacies in southern Dja Dja Wurrung Country. He is also keen to highlight the rich Aboriginal legacies that remain in the landscape today.

In the days leading up to the book launch on December 11,  Prof Golding will lead a series of walks associated with the six peaks that act as focalisers in the book.

Mount Greenock is one of the six, and the walk we’re on today will be repeated for anyone keen to sample it at first hand. You can find out more and register to participate in the upcoming led walks through the  Great Dividing Trail Association website. Just go to ‘ Events’.

But now, we “guinea pigs” are finally standing  atop Mount Greenock. And the view is amazing – 360 degree of shimmering panorama. Peaks, volcanic grasslands and  hills.

“I suggest you download the PeakFinder app,” Prof Golding says. One of our party, a local teacher keen to  know more so as to share that knowledge with his students,  immediately does so  – for a cost of $8 apparently.

From where we now stand, we learn, there are 180 “visible” peaks – weather and treeline dependent – including Mount Buninyong and Mount Warrenheip way off near Ballarat, and even Mount Cole and Mount Warrenmang roughly to the west.

 It’s a view more than worth walking for. Be sure and pack a picnic.

Words & Images: Eve Lamb

I’ve become quite doddery now  that I approach 79. I seem to be  forgetting things more often than before.  

Yesterday I left home with a  carload of paper and cardboard for the Daylesford tip. On the way I stopped  at Coles to buy a couple of packets of Weeties breakfast cereal.

I returned to  the car and placed the Weeties on the top to give myself a free hand. (You  think you know what comes next, don’t you?)  

As I was driving away from Coles  I was ‘tooted’ by another driver. I  couldn’t understand why – I hadn’t done anything wrong, had I?

At the tip I soon discovered the reason. No Weeties.  Rushing back to Coles I approached the bloke mowing the nature strip near the inward goods delivery door.  

“Did you see anyone pick up two packets of Weeties?” I asked.  

“The crows picked them up,” he said.

“What do you mean ‘crows’,” I said, thinking he might be pulling my leg.  

“You know, birds,” he said. “Have a look around the corner.”  

I trotted to the corner and there they were, two packets of Weeties, on the nature  strip of the Midland Highway, seemingly unharmed except for a hole punctured in the cardboard by a hungry crow.  

Giving the thumbs up to the helpful mower man I strapped myself in, turned the key and…shplatt! A yellow mess on the windscreen.

Crows are intelligent birds – they  don’t appreciate their breakfast being pinched from under their beaks. No kiddin’.  True story.  

From: Ken Mansell, Mount Franklin  

“Ah, look at all the lonely people.” The Beatles.  

Loneliness can be savage on aged people. There  is, however, a way to ease it.  

Creswick’s Nalina Phillips, pictured, is working with Elder Rights Advocacy to build relationships  with local groups, organisations and aged care homes on a scheme to break down isolation.  

Starting with two local volunteers who visit four people in Creswick and Trentham, she has taken on two more volunteers from Clunes.  As well, she is looking for local people who are feeling lonely or isolated.  

Besides easing the burden of loneliness on the aged, the scheme also gives volunteers a sense of purpose and meaning, improving their confidence through knowing that they are giving back to the community.  

Volunteers “genuinely love visiting their matched older people and hearing all the amazing stories  about how they grew up and the lives they lived,”  she says.  

The volunteers learn of the not-for-profit program through Seek Volunteer, Facebook groups and community events.  

The scheme has been running for almost more than six years. Regular visits from volunteers can help to both improve quality of life and make older people feel less isolated.  

Visits are available to anyone who is socially  isolated or gets government-subsidised residential aged care or Home Care Packages, including approved care recipients or those on the National Priority System for residential or home care  packages.  

Loneliness can affect some older people because they feel cut off from their culture and heritage, have little contact with friends or relatives, are immobile and so unable to take part in social or leisure activities, or feel different in some way.  

The scheme also focuses on the needs of older people from particular linguistic, cultural and complex vulnerability backgrounds who may be at greater risk of alienation.

These include people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and those who live in rural or remote areas.

Regular visits from volunteers can help to improve quality of life and enable older people to feel less alone, help the financially or socially disadvantaged, and the homeless or those at risk of being homeless.  

It also aims to help parents separated from their children by forced adoption or removal, those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex, people living with a disability, who are deaf or hearing impaired/hard of hearing, people living with cognitive  impairment, including dementia, those experiencing mental health conditions and/or who  have been exposed to trauma.  

Under the scheme, community organisations are paid to recruit, train and support volunteer visitors, conduct police checks for volunteers, match volunteers to older people receiving aged care and support relationships between the volunteers and the people they visit.  

Volunteers visit at least 20 times a year for one-on-one or group visits, to residential aged care homes, and to people receiving Home Care Packages.  

The scheme is federally funded by the Department of Health and Aged Care.  Older people can refer themselves.

The scheme also accepts referrals from aged care  service providers, family members, friends and health professionals. Monash University is testing the effectiveness of the scheme over three years to 2026.  

To find how to become a volunteer visitor or ask for a volunteer or visitor, see the Federal Department of Health and Aged Care website and look under Aged Care Volunteers Visitors’ Scheme.  

Words: Kevin Childs | Image: Contributed  

Long-standing Korweinguboora resident Jean Howard has had the local  reserve’s kitchen named after her – as part of a revival of the reserve’s complex.  

The extensive renovations included installing a new kitchen, officially opened on Sunday, October 27, with a high tea attended by 50 people.  

The renovations came after a new committee was formed in early 2023 and undertook $65,000 worth of work to revive the complex that first opened in 1969 as home of the Korweinguboora Football Club.

Initiated with the support of Moorabool Shire Council, the renovations have  included changing all appliances to electric, removing the hall from fossil fuel use,  painting the exterior and grading the driveway.  

“It is the most wonderful asset for Korweinguboora,” says committee chair Sue  Bottrell, “and brings people together to develop bonds and friendship. In these times  of unprecedented loneliness and isolation, it is very important.”

Cr Ally Munari from Moorabool Shire attended to unveil the new facility and celebrate the contribution of Ms Howard who has lived in Korweinguboora for 75 years and has fond memories of her time working on the Recreation Reserve  committee.  

“I was excited to have the kitchen named after me,” says Jean. “It was a real  honour, and it was beaut to see lots of people. It was a lovely get together and catch  up, especially with those who mean the most to me.  

“The committee was more like a social group, locals who became friends. Everyone  just pitched in and did what was needed to be done.

“The reserve has certainly changed  over the years, with the biggest improvement being the addition of the primary school  building to the existing footy club rooms.  

“Gwen Bryant and I had to wade through lots of red tape to secure the building and relocate it. The committee had to work hard to fundraise $10,000 and then we had to borrow a further $10,000 from the Ballan Council.”  

Sue says Jean was a member of the committee from 1984 to 2010. “She is renowned for her cooking and was a key driver behind upgrading the hall in the late  1990s by purchasing the local school and moving it to the reserve, instantly doubling  the size of the facility.”  

With Jean as president, the committee raised money to maintain the reserve by  holding dinner dances at the pub, community raffles, Christmas functions, and hall  hirings.

“Without Jean’s leadership, dedication and determination, we would not have this wonderful space to use today,” Sue added.  

Korweinguboora, like so many localities dotted around the Victorian countryside,  has seen its ups and downs. The area began as a logging town in the 19th century, supplying timber to the mines of the nearby goldfields.  

At its height, Korweinguboora and nearby Spargo Creek were the main settlements  in the area, boasting stores, churches, pubs and schools.  

By the time of the old Mineral Springs Hotel closure a decade ago, the area including the Recreation Reserve, owned by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, was becoming increasingly vulnerable to the sort of decline  familiar to public facilities in many other rural areas.

However with the efforts of the new Committee of Management, the reserve has been given a new lease on life, ensuring the site flourishes as a gathering place for community, visitors, and celebrations well into the future.  

But the work is still ongoing, there are plans in place to install a wheelchair accessible toilet, paint the hall’s interior, and re-polish the floors.

All of this work is not only to offer a top notch recreation facility on the edge of the Wombat State Forest but to maintain the vitality of the Korweinguboora community.  

Words: Tony Sawrey | Image: Supplied  

The Daylesford Highland Gathering has a new committee – and the December 7 event will now include Highland Games after more than a 20 – year absence. Think caber tossing, weightlifting, hammer throws and stone puts.  

There will also be a Highland cattle display and a Highland dog display – along with plenty of bagpipes, dancing and kilts.  

The day starts at Victoria Park at 9am with the pipe bands marching along  Vincent Street at 9.30am. Then it’s back to the park for the band competition from 11am with the official opening at 1pm.

President Chris Sinclair said Victoria Park will also be alive with loads of other attractions, stalls and a variety of vendors.  

“We are trying to reinvigorate the event. And we also want the locals to come up  to Victoria Park and see us in action rather than just watch the street march.”  

Chris said the event will end with final presentations around 4.30pm with the  mass bands event – with all the competing bands and invitational bands coming together to play a salute to the chieftain and receive their results.

“It’s the end of the day ceremony with as many pipers and drummers we can get on the field.”  

Chris said the aim of the new committee was to start off small and slowly build  the event in the years to come for locals and visitors alike.  

“We’re trying to attract people who are travelling in the region with an interest in Scottish heritage and also wanting to build a strong local network.

The Daylesford  band will be taking part in the street march and the Highland Gathering has been happening at Daylesford since 1952 with the exception of two years because of Covid.  

“Last year we only had 600 through the gate, although if you add the participants it’s up to about 900. But we would like to hit about 1400 this year and then upwards and onwards.

“I’ve been going since 1975 when I was a teenager and played bagpipes in a band and the numbers back then were probably around the 3000 mark.”  

Entry is $15 for adults with free entry for children 12 and under.  Link: www.daylesfordhighland.com