The timeworn tale of the wicked stepmother is given an about-turn in a sold-out Melbourne show which had its final rehearsal in Daylesford before its world premiere.       

An enthusiastic audience of around 60 people saw Hepburn’s Aurora Kurth, actor, singer and cabaret performer, produce a performance that showed why critics describe her as one of the most extraordinary cabaret performers ever produced in Australia.       

And it was her captivating comedienne craft that moved an expatriate Australian playwright, Hannah Pyliotis, to ask Aurora to help stage the play.       

For this, Aurora turned to Daylesford’s Megan Jones, who is directing Mara, described as a fearless retelling of the Cinderella story from the stepmother’s perspective. Mara struggles to find work as a single mother of two children.

She marries a wealthy grieving widower but there is no happily ever after.  Says Megan: “It throws a light and helps us understand why the stepmother in Cinderella became cruel.

Cinderella was the victim of her stepmother, but here Mara is excluded by her step-daughters, who punish and abandon her, so Mara returns to her mother.”       

Playwright Pyliotis, who has lived in France for 20 years, took six years to write Mara. And there is a fascinating real-life connection: Megan taught her for two years when she was in her twenties.       

“I directed circus for two years,” says Megan, “and had a successful theatre company. I’ve been directing since I was in my twenties. In Mara we had to take the words off the page and have the story make sense of it.”      

 It’s a demanding work, with Aurora playing 10 characters, using five accents. With quick costume changes, athletic leaps, including onto a table, she captivated the  audience, who followed the run-through with keen questions and suggestions.       

Then there is the music, plus sound effects. Astonishingly, this was written in a matter of days by Ania Reynolds, who comes from Circus Oz. She also plays it with a lot of verve.      

 “It’s been so much fun working together,” says Megan. “We’re all working for nothing, and so we were so happy to get such outstanding feedback and hear from people who want to see how the play ends. We are hoping to get it into a European festival.”       

Mara is part of La Mama’s Explorations season and to Megan it also shows  the potential for part of the Daylesford Town Hall to become a much-needed  performance centre.       

Words: Kevin Childs | Image: Supplied       

ABC presenter and journalist Virginia Trioli and Australian food legend Annie Smithers will be talking about their books at the Phee Broadway Theatre in Castlemaine.          

 The Northern Books event will be held on October 2 from 7.30pm.           

Annie (pictured above) and Virginia (pictured below) have both written books showcasing their love of great produce, their passion for sharing food and the idea that the memory bank for  delicious meals in fabulous places is deeply connected to a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality.

Virginia Trioli is a journalist, broadcaster and author. She is a two-time Walkley Award-winner and lives in Melbourne with her husband and son. Her book is titled A Bit on the Side.          

Annie Smithers is one of Australia’s most highly regarded chefs and one of the first chefs to truly epitomise the paddock-to-plate ethos.           

At her restaurant, du Fermier in Trentham, Annie does all the cooking, starting  with baking her own baguettes each morning and offers a menu du jour that features vegetables picked that day from her kitchen garden and meats and poultry from the surrounding area.

She carefully sources all products to ensure their environmental and animal husbandry credentials. Her first book was Recipes for a Kinder Life with Kitchen Sentimental the perfect companion.           

The Trentham Railway precinct has undergone huge changes in the last 18 months.   

Trentham Rail and Tramway Association secretary Phil Davis says with a new committee and volunteers, the gardens and amenities have been revitalised along with some restoration work to make the precinct “a very popular place for the community and visitors who come to Trentham”.   

“New wheelchair-friendly picnic tables have been installed around the gardens, a mobility pathway from the platform to the rail line has made it easier for people to start the Domino Trail walk from Trentham to Lyonville, and stairs onto the rail line allow everyone to explore some of the oldest rolling stock in Victoria.   

“The railway precinct is now the hub for our annual Tractor Pull, Spudfest and many classic car events. We have an amazing facility that the town is very proud of.”   

Mr Davis said to continue the rejuvenation of the railway precinct, and to raise much needed funds, TRATA will be running a seasonal market over the next seven months.   

The dates for the market are October 27, November 24, December 15, January 19, February 23, March 30 and April 27.   

The markets will be open from 9am to 1pm with the first market free to stallholders and not-for-profit organisations.  

Subsequent markets will be $10 for a stallholder not requiring power. Mr Davis said stallholders were needed to make the market, and fundraising, a success for the town.   

Contact: trataattrentham@gmail.com   

Australia’s music and comedy superstars have dazzled and enthralled huge audiences around the world…but now they are headed to a retro performance space in Lyonville’s Radio Springs Hotel to play a unique live show.      

Less than 40 people at a time will get into this remarkable venue and the shows will run for about 90 minutes.

The MC will be Australia’s most experienced comedy compere Simon Rogers who will interview each star about their careers, their best gigs and their worst gigs and take questions from the audience.

He says he loves the vibe of this small theatre experience with its classic movie seating, tiny stage, choc tops for sale, lush red velvet curtains and intimate atmosphere.

The shows are deliberately in the moment and won’t be podcast or recorded.      

“It’s a one-off experience. It’s the cream of Australia’s performing arts chatting to me and you and a few friends and if you ain’t there you miss out.

“It’s not a TED talk – you can’t watch it again and again on YouTube, the bloopers won’t be turned into memes… It’s more like Midnight in Paris where you’ve accidentally stumbled into a dinner party of comedy and music icons and they invite you to sit around the table and have a chat.”      

Before or after the events, guests enjoy fine food and wine in front of a crackling wood fire and can even stay overnight in one of the beautiful, olde-style bedrooms.      

The “An Afternoon With …” series will host regular shows on a Sunday afternoon throughout 2024 with more headliners to be announced soon for 2025.      

So far songbird royalty Marina Prior and her husband renowned actor Grant Piro perform on October 6, comedy legend Tony Martin on October 13, star of The Merger and Double Act comedian Damian Callinan on November 10, stand-up comedian and broadcaster Richard Stubbs on November 17, and the musical genius of David Bridie, frontman of My Friend the Chocolate Cake and Not Drowning Waving will be shared on December 1.

Bookings: Radio Springs Hotel on 5348 5562 or trybooking.com          

With its cute retro body, classic details and gleaming indigo duco, Paul  Dwyer’s very collectible 1956 FJ Holden ute turns heads and start conversations wherever it rolls up.

But Paul’s treasured and restored little FJ ute will be just one of in a throng of character-packed cars headed to the upcoming Cars and Coffee event that’s making a comeback for Daylesford on October 6.

Set to happen from 8am to 10am at Daylesford’s Amazing Mill Markets site, the upcoming Cars and Coffee event marks a return for this  previously popular fixture on local car-lovers’ calendars.

The brainchild of local car collector and motoring enthusiast Peter Olver, the  first Cars & Coffee happened in March 2016, and was replaced in 2017 by MotorFest which was last held in 2023 but is currently in recession.

While the event has previously raised some serious dollars for good local causes including the Daylesford hospital, the returning version is firmly focused simply on fun and providing a social outlet for car owners and their prized sets of wheels, Peter says.

“It will be happening each month on the first Sunday of the month from 8am to 10pm at the Mill Markets,” he says.

“There’s a need for it. People have been wanting it back again. We’d like to invite anyone who has got a classic or vintage car, or any auto of interest.”

“Something that people want to stop and look at,” adds Paul who a fair way back was able to purchase and restore his beloved FJ ute from another local resident on the proviso that he love and cherish it appropriately.

“This local person had purchased it in 1956 and then left it parked in a shed in 1978. I came to know about it and made an offer.”

The classic little ute’s conversation-starting features extend to what’s carried beneath the rear tarp – a retro Victa lawn mower and gladstone bag containing yesteryear “gentlemen’s reading matter”.

“The public are invited to come along and view the vehicles and chat to the owners. It’s a social gathering,” Peter says.

“And a really good reason to get the vehicles out of the garage,” Paul adds.

As the name suggests, this returning local event is all about cars and … coffee.

“So we’d really like to say a special thankyou to Mark Ward of The Mill. The Mill cafe is even opening early for us,” Peter says.

He says anyone who’d like to know more about the returning event can get in contact on 0400482427.

Words: Eve Lamb

Creswick residents have already started delving into the depths of their garages and assembling all manner of goodies and curios ahead of the town’s popular community garage sales set for next month.

The much-anticipated event happens Saturday October 19 and raises funds for the town’s neighbourhood centre and also for ongoing efforts to establish an indoor aquatic centre for the town.

Local households with goods to sell and garages to cleanse are invited to register for the all-of-town event and can then host a garage sale at their own address on the day.

Alternatively, they can get in contact with the neighbouhood centre and for $20 they can book to instead use one of a limited number of tables to sell their goods at the town’s regular monthly market happening on the same day as the big community garage sale.

“We’d love people to have a spring clean for  a worthy cause and help both the neighbourhood centre and  also the aquatic centre project,” says Creswick’s Hether Ingram, a staff member at CNC and coordinator of this year’s big community garage sale event.

“The old saying is that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure and it may be a bit cliched but it’s also true.”

Secretary of Creswick and District Aquatic Centre Inc, Julie Moran says efforts to establish an indoor aquatic centre for the town are gaining momentum with the tabling of a feasibility and business case study for the long-mooted project at this month’s council meeting.

Julie says the goal of getting an indoor aquatic center, complete with hydrotherapy facilities, for the community has been a long-held vision with the committee driving it formed back in 2012.

She says that the popular annual community garage sale is a great fund-raiser toward helping to realise the project and has proven particularly popular in previous years.

“Last year we had 55  registrations for the garage sale and we’re hoping to get just as many again this year,” CNC manager Crissy Austin says.

“Registrations have opened and registration forms are available at the Post Office and the Information Centre and also here at the neighbourhood centre, although we will be closed over the school term holidays.”

“We recommend that when people register to participate that they list the top seven items that they will have for sale, rather than just say ‘bric-a-brac’ for example,” Crissy says.

Julie says the list of goods for sale is  pretty much endless: “clothing and children’s toys, workshop tools and camping  gear, plants, seedlings, pots and garden tools, sewing machines, fabric, mirrors, tiles and renovation materials, fishing rods…”

“Creswick Community Garage Sales have been an annual fundraising event for the Creswick Aquatic Centre Campaign  since 2014,” she says.

“The need for year-round access to aquatics provision was identified as part of the Hepburn Shire Council’s Aquatics Strategy.

“Creswick is a growth area with young families and healthy retirees choosing a regional lifestyle where they have access to all the city facilities. But Creswick has no swimming pool.

“A feasibility and business case study has now been presented to the council but due to council now being in caretaker mode any decision or discussion regarding the report has been held over until early next year.”

On the day of the big garage sales event maps with addresses and directions to all participating garage sales will be available from 8am at the Creswick Bandstand and the Creswick Market, and from 10 am at the Creswick Information Centre.

Maps will cost $5 and proceeds will be shared between the CNC programs and the ongoing campaign to get  indoor heated pool for the town.

Words and Image: Eve Lamb

Surrounded by family photos, keepsakes and memories of her late husband Donny, Daylesford’s Sandy Breen creates magic on canvas sitting on a stool in her kitchen.

Her happy place. It’s here she’s putting the finishing touches on her latest exhibition of botanical artwork. 

“I called this exhibition My Botanical Phase as over the years I developed a love of botanicals. It first started when I spent many happy years conducting colouring classes with a local senior citizens’ group,” she said. 

“Then around five years ago a friend asked if I could paint Australian botanicals that she could use for a series of scarves she was having produced for the local and overseas markets. I called on a local horticulturist who gave me three images to paint…I have been in my botanical phase ever since.” 

Sandy and Donny had been long- time visitors and over that time cemented life and connections in the community before moving here permanently in 2009.

Sandy spends countless hours giving back to the community every week, running the weekly community lunch in Daylesford – the 5000 Club. 

‘Honoured’ to be showcasing her botanical artwork at the Convent Gallery in Daylesford from October, Sandy’s love affair with art began as a child.

As a teenager she landed a cadetship in the advertising department at Myer Melbourne. These were the days when artwork was done by hand and Sandy created thousands of layouts for press ads with her own manual artwork, not design software on computers. 

While still living in Melbourne, and with three children, Sandy started her freelance design company in order to have the flexibility to work from home.

It wasn’t long before her clientele included major fashion houses, magazines, shopping centres and her beloved St Kilda Football Club. 

In the late 1990s Sandy experienced a yearning to get back to painting. She enrolled in a watercolour course and her love of painting bloomed.

In the early to mid- 2000s Sandy exhibited at the Gardiner Contemporary Gallery in Hawthorn and held a residency at the Sofitel Hotel in Melbourne.

Twenty years on and Sandy feels honoured to be exhibiting again. 

“Sandy Breen: My Botanical Phase (aka Pearl’s Petals), given Pearl has been my nickname for more than 50 years, is an exhibition of over 40 of my botanical images which I am delighted to be showcasing at the iconic Convent Gallery,” she said.

“My exhibition includes a trip down memory lane with a display spanning my working life.”

And while Sandy said she feels Donny’s presence sitting at her kitchen bench, paintbrush in hand, a canvas perched on a cushion, her exhibition will also feature her artist daughter Keele’s contemporary works.

Fitting for Sandy who believes her family is her greatest achievement, she is delighted that her daughter Keele will be exhibiting some of her works in tandem with hers.

“I never dreamed of having an exhibition at the Convent Gallery, but I am truly thrilled.” 

Sandy Breen: My Botanical Phase exhibition will be held at the Convent Gallery, 7 Daly Street, Daylesford commencing on October 3 until December 5. 

Words & Image: Narelle Groenhout 

The Hepburn Shire Council has expressed its disappointment by the Endeavour Group (Dan Murphy’s) decision to appeal the Victorian Liquor Commission ruling to refuse a licence to operate in Daylesford.

CEO Bradley Thomas said the council and community strongly advocated for the refusal during the submission process and at hearings.

” We continue to believe that there is a public risk, and any decision to grant a licence would have adverse social impacts,” Mr Thomas said.

The council will seek legal advice and determine what steps it will now take.

With the close of nominations and ballot draws for this year’s local council elections, 2231 candidates nominated for 646 council vacancies in 466 separate electorates.      

Hepburn Shire has 12 candidates for its seven vacancies.      

In the order they will appear on the ballot in the upcoming postal vote they are:  Don Henderson, Tony Clark, Christian Porochowsky, Tim Drylie, Derek Sedgman,  Benny Pettersson, Brian Hood, Cameron Stone, Pat Hockey, Lesley Hewitt, Shirley  Cornish and Bernie Winfield-Gray.      

Of the 12 candidates, four are former councillors.      

Following a review in 2023, the Minister for Local Government announced a new electoral structure for Hepburn Shire.      

The changes see the shire move from five wards with seven councillors, to no wards with seven councillors.

Voters will be able to vote for any candidate, regardless of where they or the candidate live in the municipality.      

The election will be conducted by mail in October.    

  A Victorian Electoral Commission media release said the number of candidates this year was higher than the 2186 candidates who nominated for 622 councillor vacancies in 298 separate electorates at the 2020 council elections.     

 “As of the close of nominations, 42 of the 466 individual elections are uncontested, where the number of candidates is equal to the number of vacancies.     

 “All wards in Yarriambiack Shire Council were uncontested, which means the general election for that council is entirely uncontested. Voters in these uncontested elections will not be required to vote.”  

Words: Donna Kelly     

Police officers from Ballarat Crime Investigation Unit, Ballarat Division Response Unit and Critical Incident Response Unit members last week arrested two people after executing a warrant in the Ballarat suburb of Wendouree.

Police attended an address on Lorikeet Place about 10.25am last Wednesday, September 18 as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged aggravated burglaries, thefts of motor vehicle and dangerous driving offences.

A 24-year-old man and an 18-year-old woman were taken into custody.

A search of the property was conducted and police allegedly located a number of stolen items including tools, jewellery, clothing, registration plates and a stolen Volkswagen Touareg.

The woman has been charged with burglary and will face Ballarat Magistrates’ Court on 14 October.

The 24-year-old man was last week being interviewed by police.

A scruffy terrier from Daylesford called Squid is about to hit the big screen as a star that rescues a drought-hit farm. 

Not only that, three cats that live with Squid have been cast in a horror film. 

Rebecca Faulkner, who has lived in Daylesford for seven years, spent five months hunting for a dog to play Runt in a film of the same name. 

“We knew roughly what we were looking for,” says Rebecca. “We wanted a dog that would thrive and enjoy it.”

The search was online and also by word-of-mouth with animal rescue people.

“We went to see 10 to 12 dogs and searched Victoria,” she says. 

Squid, “a mixed-breed mutt like some of the best ones” to train, was found in her third home.

“She was a ‘nightmare’ terrier. Terrier, terrier through to her bones. You get problem behaviour in animals just as you do in humans. I gave her a job to do. 

“She could easily have become an all-day barker, easily have become the kind of dog that tears up the houses and digs up the garden. 

“There was a lot of training from scratch. She needed agility and dogs’ agility is like that of Olympic athletes. They build muscles and coordination. 

“Squid just had to show her agility and do a lot of specific exercises. She would have been a nightmare left to her own devices. She has very long, supermodel legs and can jump fences like they’re not even there.” 

Little wonder, for the gruelling filming ran for six weeks of 10 hour days, five days a week.

“The biggest thing is building confidence,” Rebecca says.

“There was a lot of noise on the film set, with people coming and going.” 

Squid, as Runt, worked with nine-year-old Annie Shearer, who overhears her parents worrying about the loan on their farm.

With her compulsion for fixing things, she enters Runt in the Agility Course Competition at a local fair. Runt wins, getting $500, so Annie goes on to enter him in the massive Krumpets Dog Show in London. 

So there are hoops and hurdles, tunnels and see-saws in the film Runt, adapted from a best-selling book by Craig Silvey. 

Sharing the screen with Runt are stars such as Jack Thompson, Deborah Mailman, Jai Courtney and Celeste Barber.

Rebecca, who runs a specialised business finding and training animals for film, with her Sydney business partner Peta Clarke, reckons Squid, who is aged between two and three, could be up for another film.

“She’s got a lot of experience under her collar.”

As for the cats, named Birdie, Moss and Todd River (from Alice Springs), they will be in the upcoming movie Bring Her Back.

“All our animals co-exist. They live in the same house together, except for the chickens, but sometimes they do figure out how to stroll into the house. 

“It’s important that we teach all the animals how to interact with each other appropriately and co-exist without being worried about one another. 

“When we filmed The Rooster, a feature film by Mark Winter that was shot around Glenlyon, the introduction of the rooster to the family/team was really smooth because we had already gone through the process of introducing dogs to cats, cats to dogs and everyone to the chickens. It’s a process that we now all understand: family doesn’t hurt family.” 

But how in the name of felines do you train cats?

“Training is basically the same for all animals, tweaked to the species and the individual animal’s personality. 

“When working with cats we manage the environment on set so it’s safe and calm. We do not want them to get a scare or be fearful in any way. 

“We want the cats to be confident and comfortable. Just like the dogs.”

 Words: Kevin Childs | Image: Michelle Donnelly 

Daylesford is headed for massive exposure via TV show The Block.   

Channel Nine says the 20-year-old show averages 1.3 million viewers on Sunday nights and a million on the following three nights, as well as being shown in 170 countries.   

What is called pre-construction starts on the Raglan Street property this month, with filming likely to begin in February or March.

Casting started nationally last week. So far, 176 contestants have taken part in more than 900 episodes, winning more than $34 million in prize money.

For lovers of detail, there have been 98 homes renovated, 200 bathrooms built and 98 kitchens built. At least 70 crew members are expected to move to Daylesford, renting locally for three months.   

Hepburn Shire Council was anxious to make soothing noises about the advent of The Block, saying it believes it will create tourism and economic development opportunities by showcasing the district to a national audience.  

Asked about how the town would cope with the influx of so many crew members, with the attendant rubberneckers, the council said: “The production of The Block will enable opportunities for our tradespeople to work alongside the many cast, crew and in-house trades that will temporarily reside within our shire.”   

As for the possible influx of tourists after The Block is shown, the council  welcomes visitors and understands that there will be interest at the site.   

“The producers of The Block will be required to have traffic management in place to ensure the safety of people on and around the site.”   

As to whether the council had experience with something similar and if so, what it was and how was it handled, the council responded: “Council has experience with major festivals and events around our shire.

“We will be working with the producers of The Block to support them. We have  also consulted with other councils that have had involvement with the production of various seasons of The Block.”   

Words: Kevin Childs | Image: Kyle Barnes        

The Liberal Party has been left to find a new candidate to stand against incumbent, Labor’s Catherine King, at the next federal election after its candidate pulled out of contention on the weekend.

Wes McKnight is no longer contesting the next federal election, pulling out as a candidate due to his dual citizenship.

A Victorian Liberal Party spokesperson said in a statement Mr McKnight advised the party he was pulling out on Saturday, September 21, due to “personal circumstances regarding the need to relinquish his US citizenship”.

“The Party will advise its new candidate for Ballarat in due course,” the Liberal party spokesperson said

The Australian constitution does not allow dual citizens to be federal political candidates, unless they relinquish their second citizenship.

Ahead of the federal election next year, Member for Ballarat, Catherine King, has earlier confirmed that she will once again contest the seat.

Ms King first won the seat in 2001 from Liberal member Michael Ronaldson and has been re-elected seven times since.

Victorian prosecutors will “carefully review” a magistrate’s decision to dismiss all charges against William Swale, the diabetic driver accused of causing the fatal Daylesford crash that killed five people last November.

Swale had been charged with five counts of culpable driving causing death, two counts of negligently causing serious injury, and seven counts of reckless conduct endangering life.

William Herbert Swale, 66, successfully fought to have the charges against him dropped last week, with defence counsel arguing the prosecution could not prove his decision to get behind the wheel was made consciously and voluntarily.

Defence barrister Dermot Dann KC argued the crash was the result of a medical episode and the prosecution had failed to prove his client was aware of what he was doing.

Last Thursday in the Ballarat Magistrates Court Magistrate Guillaume Bailin agreed, determining that no reasonable jury could convict him and directing that all charges against Swale be dropped. 

But families of those killed in the tragedy say the magistrate’s decision to drop all charges against the driver has left them questioning the justice system.

And in a statement, Victoria’s Office of Public Prosecutions has now said that Mr Bailin’s judgment will be reviewed and next options considered.

“The Office of Public Prosecutions acknowledges the decision of Magistrate Guillaume Bailin not to commit Mr William Swale for trial over the tragic crash in Daylesford last year,” an OPP spokeswoman said.

“As is the usual course, His Honour’s decision will be carefully reviewed in accordance with prosecution guidelines with a view to considering whether the matter should nonetheless proceed to trial.

“Our Office reiterates its deepest sympathies to the victims injured in this tragic event, and all the families of those who lost their lives.”

Under the criminal procedure act, prosecutors have powers to file charges directly in a superior court if a magistrate dismisses a case in what’s known as a direct indictment.

Most people recognise the love of four-legged friends in the home and now they’re starting to appreciate the benefits canine companions can have in the workplace.

Bailey an accredited therapy dog (pictured above) dropped by Victoria’s Parliament House to meet MPs and employees late last month.

Ably assisted by experts in animal behaviour, the five-year-old Golden Retriever was even given his own security pass.

The visit highlighted the positive impacts properly trained pooches can have on wellbeing and culture in a range of professional environments.

‘He spreads the love everywhere he goes,’ Therapy Animals Australia’s Melanie Rundle said.

‘He’s been trained as a therapy dog and that means wherever he goes he’s going to behave appropriately,’ Ms Rundle said.

Based in Bundoora, Therapy Animals Australia provides programs to meet the specific needs of individuals, workplaces and community groups.

‘It actually connects people together. So, getting them to stop what they’re doing, actually talk to people and spend a moment connecting with each other and that can really help with your own mood,’ Ms Rundle said.

‘It’s a relaxed, social time where you can connect with each other without any pressure.’

A therapy dog’s presence also raises the profile of mental health and can prompt discussions and initiatives related to reducing stress and improving overall wellbeing among staff.

Bailey’s visit to Spring Street follows a similar trip to Capital Hill in Canberra in June, where he was given the title of ‘Chief Therapy Dog’ by House of Representatives Speaker Milton Dick.

You can find out more about the various visits and programs at Therapy Animals Australia.