Ballarat Highway Patrol officers remain keen to hear from witnesses as they continue investigating the critical injury collision that occurred in Burrumbeet last Wednesday afternoon.

Police have been told a white four-wheel drive, travelling east towards Ballarat, crashed into a tree on Remembrance Drive about 4.30pm on Wednesday, 25 September.

The male driver of the car was airlifted to hospital with critical injuries.

The investigation remains ongoing and officers are keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the vehicle travelling along Remembrance Drive prior to the collision.

Anyone who witnessed the incident, has CCTV, dashcam footage or any other information that could assist police is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au

Glen unmasked…

Glen Heyne is the eldest fourth-generation member of Adelaide’s leading nursery, where he worked until his two younger brothers finished school.

Realising that he could make better use of his communication skills in more conducive surroundings, he packed up his battered old typewriter and left home.

Now, after 60 years of freelance journalism, radio, TV and PR agencies, you’ll find him here, in Daylesford, ancient, retired and having a ball. Dredging up almost lost memories to entertain himself and (hopefully) help in your garden.

I only hope that my mentor, great-grandfather Ernst Bernhard was sitting in ‘The Garden’ when the first copy hit the streets. I know he would have smiled to see the Heyne name at the masthead of ‘his’ garden page of The Chronicle, South Australia’s Weekly Times counterpart – almost 100 years from his final edition on July 5, 1974 – my birthday.

E.B.H., the second son of Meissen surgeon, Carl August Heyne and Marianne Tierof, was educated at Leipzig University where he received his Diploma of Botany.

He was also an accomplished linguist and mathematician. E.B obtained a position at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Leipzig and was appointed to lead a party of noted botanists to seek new orchids in South America.

That was cancelled due to the political uprisings in Europe of that time. His brother Carl, involved in politics in Hamburg, had just shot and killed a military officer in a duel and was obliged to flee to America.

Although E.B.H. had played no part in the duel, other than hold his brother’s coat, with the political situation ready to boil over, he decided to emigrate.

He left Hamburg on October 2, 1848, on the sailing ship Godefroi and accompanied a family to Victoria, as a tutor.

He wrote on his journey and arrival in Melbourne, in a series of letters and included detailed observations of the climate, soil and vegetation, the habits of the colonists and gave excellent advice for prospective migrants. Much of which is still relevant.

E.B.H. was appointed chief plantsman and draftsman at Melbourne Botanic Gardens (pictured above) and drew up one of the earliest designs, under the direction of Dr von Mueller, for the layout of the Botanic Gardens.

E.B.H. then travelled to South Australia in 1868 on a plant-collecting expedition. He is credited with making a collection of the tree fern, Dicksonia Antarctica, in its natural habitat, possibly the last collected in the Mt Lofty Ranges.

In 1869 he moved to Adelaide, bought a house in Norwood and established a small nursery on an adjoining property to supply the shop he had opened on Rundle Street. He married Laura, the daughter of publishers/booksellers Edward and Laura Hanckel.

In 1871 his books, The Amateur Gardener for South Australia and The Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Garden, were published and eventually ran to four editions – the first of their kind in South Australia.

E.B.H. was commemorated by the naming of two species he discovered on the several plant-collecting expeditions into the outback with von Mueller during the 1850s – aster heynei F. Meull and Cyperus ornatus heynei.

He was secretary of the Vignerons’ Club which, in 1876, presented him with a gold watch as a tribute to his work with the wine industry, especially in the eradication of the vine-killing plague, phylloxera.

As an aside, I recently discovered the list of phylloxera-resistant wine grapes he produced had been taken up and published by the wine growers of California helping somewhat, one would presume, to save their industry.

It has been more than a century since E.B.H. put the Heyne family on the Australian botanical map. I am delighted and proud to have heard and answered the call, through my broadcasts and writing

Victoria’s 40-year-old Freedom of Information laws are outdated and no longer able to cope with the demand on the system, a new report has found.

Victoria receives more Freedom of Information (FOI) requests than any other state or territory. In 2022/23, close to 50,000 formal requests were made. But many of them are unnecessary, according to a report from the Victorian Parliament’s Integrity and Oversight Committee.

‘Our current FOI system is broken,’ said Committee Chair Dr Tim Read.

‘It’s unable to cope with the volume of requests for information, so we need a system that will push more information out.’

Victoria has a first-generation FOI system that requires users to ‘pull’ information out of agencies through formal requests.

Instead, the report recommends, Victoria should replace its FOI laws with a more modern ‘right to information’ law found in some other states. It recommends the Victorian Government introduce a third-generation ‘push’ FOI system, which prioritises the proactive and informal release of government and public sector information.

‘Our inquiry heard reports of long delays, unacceptably high fees and the poor state of public records, meaning that information sometimes couldn’t even be found,’ Dr Read said.

Moving to a ‘push’ model would mean fewer formal FOI requests, helping agencies cope with the volume of requests they are now receiving, according to the report.

More than two-thirds of the requests made under Victoria’s current FOI system come from individuals seeking information about themselves held by nearly a thousand government agencies. The requests can take many months, sometimes up to a year, to be processed. 

‘We’ve recommended an end to application fees for access to information, and that Victorians shouldn’t have to pay for getting their medical records,’ Dr Read said.

The report recommends a presumption favouring disclosure of information with limited exceptions and a new three-part test to apply to almost all those exemptions.

‘First of all, that they need to be protecting a legitimate interest. Secondly, release of the information must cause substantial harm and third that harm needs to outweigh the public interest in releasing the information,’ he said.

The Committee received 69 submissions, held six days of hearings and has made a total of 101 recommendations to improve and modernise Victoria’s FOI system.

The report can be found on the Committee’s website.

Ballarat’s Regent Cinemas will reopen under new ownership from this Thursday, October 3.

The new owners are Palace Films, an independent, family-run distribution company based in Sydney.

The historic CBD cinema that was first opened by the Hoyts theatre chain in 1928 closed in June this year.

Its sudden closure on June 24 shocked Ballarat and also the wider regional community, leaving the regional city and surrounds without their longest-running movie theatre.

But now, after finalising the venue’s takeover, Palace Cinemas has confirmed it plans not only to re-open this from this Thursday, but also to introduce some new elements to the Regent, including a greater diversity of films and also its signature food and drink offerings.

Palace Cinemas chief executive Benjamin Zeccola has described The Regent as one of Australia’s best cinemas.

He says the main difference for patrons will likely be in film selection, but that fans of blockbusters need not worry, as Hollywood fare will still make up about three quarters of the cinema’s program.

However, for fans of art house there’s good news too, as the traditionally commercial movies will be shown alongside more international features, as well as film events like the British Film Festival this November, and French, Italian and Spanish festivals next year.

“We’ll still be supporting and playing all the best Hollywood products, [but] it’s got to pass a quality test,” Mr Zeccola says.

The 2024 Hepburn Swiss Italian Festa is looking for amicis – or friends.

The Festa is after 100 community supporters prepared to donate $100 to be recognised as a Festa Amici and provide a solid $10,000 financial base to help guarantee the future of the Swiss Italian Festa.

People can donate to the Swiss Italian Festa Bank Account – BSB: 633000, A/C Number: 117944470 with their name and email, or head to www.swissitalianfesta.com.au

The Hepburn Swiss Italian Festa is a community festival that celebrates the enduring contribution of Swiss Italian migrants who came to the Hepburn Springs and Daylesford region during the 1850s gold rushes.

These Italian speakers came from the villages and towns on either side of the Swiss Italian border. Into a world of mutton, potatoes and beer, they brought salami, pasta and wine.

The Hepburn Swiss Italian Festa was first staged in 1993 and has run for more than 25 years.

A man has been charged after he was allegedly caught driving with a disqualified licence and over the legal limit in Kyneton last week.

Kyneton police officers intercepted the driver who was allegedly driving north bound in south bound lanes on the Calder Freeway just before 11pm last Monday September 23.

It is alleged he had several near misses with oncoming vehicles.

The 39-year-old Northern Territory man underwent a preliminary breath test, before allegedly returning an evidentiary result of .288.

He was charged with reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, driving in manner dangerous, careless driving and disqualified driving.

He has been bailed to appear at Kyneton Magistrates’ Court on December 2.

The Hepburn Shire Council has resolved to pause the Glenlyon Recreation Reserve Masterplan project that addresses the location of the pavilion at the reserve.

It has also identified the first step in designing the renovation or replacement of the pavilion as being to assess the suitability of the site in case of bushfire.

The council now plans to establish a Project Advisory Group to assist with the investigation of alternate location options.

The PAG will consider whether a pavilion should be built at an alternate site at all, and will consider the potential for minor renovations to the existing pavilion, taking into account heritage values and key uses of the popular local reserve.

Future updates on the project are to be made available at https:// participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/glenlyon-recreation-reserve-masterplan

By Donna Kelly

Hmmm. So Dan Murphy’s is appealing a Victorian Liquor Commission decision and still trying to open a store in Daylesford.

Back in August, the Commission decision was the first using the new definition of “harm” under the Liquor Control Reform Act, a landmark decision.

Hepburn Shire Council CEO Bradley Thomas said the decision was made namely on the basis that granting the licence could pose a public risk, encourage harm (particularly to minors) and have adverse social impacts.

In announcing its decision the Commission concluded “that granting the Licence would be conducive to or encourage harm, specifically to minors”.

“In particular, the Commission concludes that there is an appreciable risk that granting the Licence would result in an increase of secondary supply of alcohol to minors in Daylesford and (therefore) an increase in alcohol consumption by minors and (therefore) increased harm from the misuse and abuse of alcohol by minors.

“This conclusion is driven by the accumulation of a number of factors … deriving from the ‘particular local, social, demographic and geographic circumstances’ of Daylesford.”

But Dan’s apparently knows better and is giving it another go. I guess, if you were sceptical, you would think owners, The Endeavour Group, would be just a little bit worried it could lead to more knockbacks in other small towns.

Daylesford leading the way. Or do they just think we all have the right to cheap alcohol? Not sure. But it is a bit of a body blow to many in the town.

As Kyle, just over there to the left, has written, we have put our wonderful Glenlyon property up for sale. So many people say they would love it, and we did for many years. And still do but there comes a time when you realise you are getting a bit older and it’s time for some downtime in between getting The Local out each fortnight.

I remember when we first bought the property, we were so excited. Mum called it “a ruin” at the time but we just thought it was full of potential and fun.

We loved everything about our move from Frankston to the country – our home, its history, the people, the surrounding region. We even got rugged up and sat at the Glenlyon Store enjoying mulled wine during winter. Outside!

But it is time to call time, and we will look for somewhere in Daylesford, closer to restaurants and pubs, and supermarkets and stores. To be honest, the taxi ride home from Daylesford was always a bit of an adventure, thanks to the great, late, Serge. Miss him and his “hello lovers”.

I worked out I have lived in about 25 homes so far. And apart from perhaps 22 years all up at 2 The Range, Frankston, the second longest has been at Glenlyon.

There have been some strange places. Japan twice, in Niihama in the island of Shikoku and Ome, about an hour from Tokyo, Alice Springs, Karratha in northern WA and quite a few places around Queensland.

Then there is Caulfield, near the track, and Mordialloc, where we felt like we lived in a retirement village. Now and again an ambulance would arrive during the night and the next morning someone would tell us, “another one of us has gone”. I kid you not.

Anyway, time for a new caretaker for the school, and hopefully someone who gets the history, potential future and myriad possibilities. And The Local will continue, in a new office, with the same passion for sharing stories and connecting the community. Love this place. Just sayin’…

The cat is now out of the bag. TL HQ (AKA The Old Glenlyon Primary School) is on the market with rumours and speculation whirring about the future of The Local. (It’s all good…)

And the old story stands true, if you don’t know what you are doing in a small town, just wait a moment and the townsfolk will tell you.

So, after 20 years of enjoying our wonderful home, creating a business (The Local) in what is arguably one of the best offices I’ve ever worked from, we have decided to hand over the role of custodian of the school to the next people.

I never really thought of myself as the owner of the school, it was more like it owned us and we were simply the caretakers, and it has been an absolute pleasure and honour.

But The Local is a lot of work alongside my other commitments, which these days include visits now and again to the Gold Coast writing for boating industry magazines.

Yes, my other dream job. I mean, who wouldn’t want to write about and capture the joys and handling characteristics of gin palaces while clipping down the humpback highway at outrageous speeds. Dipping a toe into the lifestyles of the rich and famous, seeing how the other half live and not having to pay for the fuel.

So, we are going to downsize and live in the lovely town of Daylesford where life is a little more convenient, the watering holes are but a stagger away, and yes, it will be business as usual for The Local which these days is mostly run by Donna.

I simply keep the air in the tyres in terms of logistics and bookwork. The decision has been a five-year back and forth arm wrestle with her indoors, but finally we are ready to make the move. It’s not easy.

The Glenlyon School is not just a home but also a very special place shared by generations. God knows it’s so hard to make the decision to sell your home, let alone to sell something with so much history that gets all the ooohs and aahhs as visitors come through the doors.

A place where the crew from The Local have spent many a relaxed afternoon shooting the breeze in the aptly named “boardroom”, a 16-seat long table positioned under the 150-year-old oak tree.

So I hope this puts to rest anymore rumours that we are off, and that we are simply doing what many people do, decide it’s time for a smaller home and one that is a bit closer to amenities.

But that’s enough about our journey and on to the current affairs of the day, starting with old Trumpy and the strange claim immigrants are “eating the cats and dogs” in Springfield.

Except the woman who started the rumour, found her cat alive and well under the house, and then popped next door to humbly apologise to her neighbours for the baseless accusation. I doubt a spare cup of sugar is now available.

And then we move on to the discriminate killings that are going on in the Middle East which have turned indiscriminate. Killing innocent people who just happen to be in the same place at the same time as the target.

Who dreams this kind of madness up, the world’s in enough of a pickle as it is and now it won’t be long before an upgraded mobile phone could be your end.

Finally good news, and closer to home, huge congratulations to all of our sporting heroes involved in this year’s football and netball finals.

And especially to the efforts of the Daylesford Seniors Netball and Football teams who had a cracker performance in the Grand Finals. Congratulations. And commiseration to Hepburn netballers – so close but no cigar. Rumour rant over…

The Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, in its annual Feast of Music, produced an outstanding four concert program in the Daylesford Town Hall from September 13-15.

The virtuosity and commitment were breathtaking while exploring and reimagining music from J.S. Bach to contemporary compositions.

The passion and energy commenced with Haydn’s Gypsy piano trio on Friday evening and finished with a blaze of tango from all musicians on Sunday afternoon.

At the forefront of this event was classical accordionist James Crabb. His arrangement of the J.S. Bach Cm concerto for two keyboards, accordion and piano, was one of many highlights.

With the irrepressible Stefan Cassomenos at the piano and the superbly disciplined MCO Strings in full flight, the performance was genuinely convincing.

Similarly, Crabb’s arrangement (piano and accordion) of Lutoslawski’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini sparkled with its complex rhythms, precisely realised, while contrasted with the grand romantic theme late in the work.

The traditional chamber compositions were delivered with enthusiasm and freshness. The power and energy of the Brahms Piano Quartet Op.25 was balanced perfectly by the understated elegance of the Vanhal Divertimento in G major.

The world premiere performance of Cassomenos’s Quintetsatz was the ideal companion to Schbert’s Trout quintet.

This new work clearly references the late classical style while adding a new dimension, particularly with its rhythmic drive.

The pleasant surprises were not limited to the accordion. Violinist Sophie Rowell demonstrated subtlety and bravura technique in Alan Ridout’s music for Ferdinand the Bull, with Lucien Fischer narrating the popular children’s story.

Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte, for string quartet, revealed a broad range of unusual string techniques within its challenging style. Finally, it was the irresistible appeal of the tango which had the last say.

Antonio Agri and Jose Carli’s Desde Adentro, with the gorgeous solo violin entry performed by Elizabeth Sellars, grew into a kaleidoscope of tonal colours and syncopated rhythms.

Piazzolla’s Libertango drove the program to an exciting conclusion.

Words: Bronislaw Sozanski BA DipEd ATCL VMTA

“Didn’t you do this already?” has been a comment from some curious locals, regarding the second season of The Vessel and Until Then, says writer Dawn Bamforth.

“My reply is ‘well, yes, but there has been an extension of the show…it’s longer…there are two more scenes…some people were disappointed that they didn’t get to see it the first-time round’ and my response was sounding like more of an apology than an advertisement.

“So, I want to set the record straight and explain the process we go through, each time we have a new creative work released into the public domain and the huge effort it takes from us; physically, mentally and financially, to do what it is we do, for love and dare I say, money.

“The battle to get our many and varied ducks in a row often seems like an impossible task.

“Indeed, it is one of the reasons that theatre companies came about, to assist with the number and complexity of very specialised jobs in our industry required to put on a show in the first place and what many of us have done for many years in spite of the dwindling coffers, venues, companies and investment in our industry, with dogged persistence for the Fair Work equivalent of table scraps for the most part.

“The creative development process, to rewrite The Vessel based on feedback from our Kyneton show at the Social Foundry in 2023, involved five actors, the director and myself spending about a week reading, re-writing, rehearsing, re-blocking, relearning and reselling a new show.

“We have this time sold our show outright to two councils (City of Greater Geelong and Mt Alexander Shire), received a generous donation from the Trentham and Districts Bank and have a partnership deal with our venue operators (Social Foundry) in Kyneton.

“So…please come and see one of our four shows. You have a choice of venue, cost and day or night experience.

“Support us to keep making theatre in and for our regional towns, employing local artists to put on original work that makes a difference.”

The Vessel, says writer and producer Dawn, is the story of an older woman, in the latter stages of dementia, living in aged care.

The play is a deeply personal account of the small acts of kindness in her final days and hours, as she shares memories from her earlier life with the audience. It is directed by Paul Canlan with cast members Suzanne Sandow, Ian Rooney, Christina Curtain-Magee, Rexine Perry and Melanie Thomas.

Until Then is about the relationship between a father and his son “clinging onto hope but until then, I won’t be holding my breath”.

“We need to connect in the physical world rather than look for confirmation from others who don’t matter.

“Connecting with your dad should be easy and natural, but sometimes we lose touch of what is real and most important in our lives, but it works both ways.”

Writer and director is Paul Canlan with cast Ian Rooney, Paul Canlan and Rexine Perry, and artwork and set design and construction by Tim Jones and Amanda Marburg.

Redesdale plays host to three private country garden openings for Open Gardens Victoria on the weekend of October 19-20.

Coliban Springs is a beautiful and tranquil five-acre garden, set in the middle of a wider 200-acre sheep property.

Owners Kathy Hall and Rod Gibson have spent nearly 20 years creating an oasis from a bare paddock.

“We have very hot, dry summers and frosty winters,” says Kathy. “So from the beginning, we planned a drought-resistant garden filled with mostly natives.

“We have no straight lines. Gravel paths meander from one room to another, where there is usually a place to sit and watch or a little sculpture to contemplate. There is a definite ‘dry creek bed’ look about it.”

Located 15 minutes north-east, Gibbards Crossing is a three-acre garden nestled within the undulating hills of the local landscape.

Surrounded by a 40-acre olive grove and vineyard, with a remarkable one-kilometre river frontage on the Campaspe, the property is named after the old bluestone river ford at the end of Gibbards Lane.

Owners Frederika and Mark Laurie stumbled across the property about eight years ago and set about renovating the original bluestone homestead and rejuvenating the property’s soil.

Organic compost, mulch, fertiliser, and an advanced irrigation system have ensured a flourishing garden of established trees and striking mass plantings, set against locally sourced stacked stone walls.

Highlights include the kitchen garden with a stylised labyrinth, bursting with herbs and citrus trees, and a fully enclosed vegetable garden mass planted with garlic, chillies, and tomatoes, all for preserving.

A nearby enclosed area for fruit trees also houses the chickens in a fun log cabin made from repurposed vineyard posts.

Located a further five minutes on and sitting high above the Campaspe River, Rocklands (pictured above) is a peaceful, rambling five-acre garden created by owners Peta and Gary Prendergast over the past 10 years.

Blessed with stunning views across an expansive lawn area towards the river valley, the garden uses volcanic rock, collected from the surrounding paddocks, to create low walls along meandering paths, as well as backdrops and edging for plant beds.

Paths wind in and out beneath 30-year-old English oaks – planted by the original owners of the property – and entice the visitor to venture forward and discover what lies around the next bend, including deep, colourful perennial beds with mass plantings of blue and white agapanthus, swathes of pink and white belladonna lilies in late summer, and purple iris in spring.

Link: www.opengardensvictoria.org.au

A vacancy had existed at Christ Church Daylesford since the departure of the  incumbent, Fr Neil Fitzgerald, to the Parish of Woodend in March.

In July, the Bishop of Bendigo The Right Reverend Dr Matt Brain announced  that Josephine Snowdon had accepted his invitation to take up the role of Curate in  Charge in the Parish of Daylesford.  

Josephine was not new to the Bendigo Diocese having worked throughout the  region in her previous career as an occupational therapist.  

She began exploring a call to ministry in 2014 undertaking theological  studies and a variety of lay chaplaincy roles in both the Dioceses of Newcastle and  Melbourne, alongside parish-based lay ministry roles.  

This month Josephine (pictured above centre) was ordained a Deacon at St Paul’s Cathedral, Bendigo to the Diaconate. On Sunday, September 15, Deacon Josephine was welcomed to the  Parish of Daylesford attending Holy Communion and assisting Fr Malcolm Thomas  in the service.  

Josephine felt called to pursue a career in occupational therapy, continuing to  study throughout her career attaining a master’s research degree in this area at La Trobe Bendigo, while raising two children, building a home and working throughout  the regional community.  

Passionate about rural health, Josephine worked hard to assist in establishing a  new rural school in occupational therapy with Deakin University in Geelong, in the  early 2000s, this being the final accomplishment in her OT path.  

An equally strong vocational calling, growing out of her work and the growth of  women ordained in ministry, was realised with Josephine’s return to study in the area of her faith and spirituality – theology studies at the University of Divinity.

This study  was enriched and encouraged through attendance at St Mary’s North Melbourne.  Josephine then entered into a pathway of lay ministry in both parish work and  chaplaincy, in Melbourne and Newcastle Dioceses.

Josephine’s ministry has a strong  focus on disability and inclusion of all people within the church community as well as  social justice areas of concern within the broader community.  

with Darren Lowe

The Watershed Springband has been added to the bill of the Ballarat leg of the iconic Out On The Weekend, an Americana, all things alt country and roots celebration, festival. 

The band features red-hot fiddle and banjo, dreamy vocal harmonies, snappy guitar picking and juicy double bass with a unique blend of vintage country, from driving bluegrass and old time dance tunes to Australiana and Western swing. 

The Watershed Stringband is a collaboration between Wendy Phypers and Dave Patterson from the Cartwheels (Glenlyon) and Cat Moser and Clint O’Grady (Blackwood). 

In 2022 the four had an impromptu jam around a fire at Mutawintji, a magical spot in outback NSW. They immediately gelled, blending acoustic instruments and four-part harmonies. 

The annual Out On The Weekend festival will head to Ballarat as well as its traditional home in Williamstown for its 10-year anniversary. 

Ballarat will be the first destination for the finest golden nuggets of country music.

Coming all the way from the USA is Uncle Lucius, Nick Shoulders, Margo Cilker, Jonny Fritz and Joshua Hedley, who will be joined by local legend Freya Josephine Hollick and city stalwarts James Ellis & The Jealous Guys. 

Out On The Weekend takes place at Itinerant Spirits in The Goods Shed in Ballarat on Friday, October 11.

The festival continues at Seaworks in Williamstown on Saturday, October 12. 

Watershed are also booked to play Mountaingrass Bluegrass and Old Time Music Festival in Bright on November 15-17 and Wirrina Bluegrass and Acoustic Roots Festival in SA on November 22-24. 

with Eve Lamb

Clunes-based Prue Simmons is a zoologist turned SAORI weaver who revels in colour and in this meditative form of creativity. Having discovered this beautiful form of Japanese weaving whilst exploring the mountains of Japan in 2007, Prue was instantly hooked. She has gone on to establish her Dyeing To Weave business and, as one of only three accredited SAORI teachers in Australia, is very busy sharing her love of the unique art-form through workshops, immersive retreats and special events throughout the district and way beyond.

Eve: Prue your journey to becoming a SAORI weaving textile artist and teacher is pretty interesting, and I get the impression it’s pretty much taken over your life.

Prue: Yes it has completely taken over my life in a wonderful way. I had worked as a zoologist for 10 years and if you’d said to me 20 years ago that I’d be teaching a meditative form of weaving I wouldn’t have believed you. It was not on my radar at all. I was very much a straight-laced scientist. And I didn’t come from a textile background. My poor mother tried to teach me to knit and I was terrible at it.

Eve: But you discovered  SAORI in Japan.

Prue: Yes, in my 20s. I was in Japan, volunteering and immersing myself in the culture and language. I turned up at this beautiful old school that had become an arts and crafts village in a tiny little hamlet in the middle of nowhere. I turned up to build a pizza oven. As a thank-you my first mentor, Toyomi, taught me SAORI and it opened up this incredible ability for me to see that I could be creative. It’s completely taken over my life in a beautiful way…

Eve: And you have gone on from learning the art of SAORI weaving to becoming a teacher of it as well, one of only a very few accredited in Australia?

Prue: Yes there are only three of us here in Australia  accredited to teach. I went back and did training to teach over a decade ago now. I trained with  Sensai Misao Jo who has since passed away just shy of her 105^th birthday.

Eve: What is it that about SAORI  weaving that so captivated you, Prue?

Prue: The SAORI loom is actually designed to be a moving mediation where you get a chance to get into that flow state and drop down into that creative space in your heart and it’s lovely to see that unlock for other people too. I am on a one-woman mission to share it with as many people as possible.

I don’t like having to concentrate when I create.  I want to create from the heart not the head.I want to just relax and enjoy my creativity, not feel pressured to recreate a particular pattern, to copy someone else’s work, to be worried if I’m doing it ‘right’. I never considered weaving in the past, as it seemed too complicated, too mathematical and too structured for me.

SAORI is not about repeating patterns. It comes from a person’s own inner source of creativity. The Japanese call it Kansei which translates to your inner creative spirit. No two pieces of SAORI weaving are ever going to be the same. It’s about self expression. And then you get to wear a part of your personality. You get to wear this tangible moment in time.

It’s been such a such an honour and privilege to teach hundreds of people. For me it’s not just a form of textiles I’m teaching, it actually offers people an amazing awareness of their own creative potential.

Eve: And I believe that you also happen to run llamas on your property at Clunes. Do you use the llama fibre in your work?

Prue: Yes. The llama fibre is a specialty fibre for me and I am getting my llama fibre commercially processed. But you can do SAORI weaving with any fibre. You can weave with wool, cotton, cashmere, silk, paper, even things like dried material from your garden… And it’s a very sustainable form of weaving which is something else that I love about it.

Eve: So now that SAORI weaving has pretty much taken over your life, through your own creative practice and teaching others, and also as one of only two people in Australia accredited to import SAORI looms, is it what you do full time now?

Prue: Yes. I had another part-time job at the library for 11 years, singing to young babies, and I loved it. But I had to give it up this year.

Eve: I know that you have plenty of workshops and teaching retreats on your calendar ahead, both in this area and interstate. Do you also have any exhibitions coming up?

Prue: Well the exhibition we held in June this year (at the Clunes Warehouse) was so successful that we’re going to make it an annual event now. We had people visiting from all over Australia. It was the largest exhibition of SAORI weaving ever in Australia.