The state’s Department of Transport and Planning is inviting all Victorians to nominate someone who has made a significant contribution to be considered for a new place name.

They are particularly keen for nominations that recognise under-represented groups including women and First Nations people.

Within the Hepburn Shire Council nominations will be added to a council name bank, to be considered when places need naming.

Those who think they may have the perfect name idea can out more at https://engage.vic.gov.au/name-a-place

The Kyneton Fire Brigade has celebrated its long 140-year history with members and dignitaries attending a commemorative dinner and awards presentation event.

The brigade marked the important milestone alongside Chief Officer Jason Heffernan and Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas MP on Saturday 27 July, at a dinner that featured significant service awards.

Macedon Ranges Shire Deputy Mayor Janet Pearce proposed a toast to CFA and the brigade, commending and thanking the members for being ordinary people doing extraordinary things for the community.

Kyneton Captain Greg McIntyre said the brigade has been operating continuously since 1884 – when it had 30 members and was located at the former bluestone police stables.

“Eventually, it was moved to a timber building next door to the current fire station,” Greg said.

In 1998, the brigade moved into its current location in town, maintaining a strong presence in the community.

“The brigade has always been a very active brigade in the community and in CFA competitions as well as operations,” Greg said.

“We have about 70 members at the moment and over half of them are active firefighters. We also have close to 30 per cent female firefighters.

“We provide urban support to brigades in the group and beyond; we respond to the recently closed Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre, which used to have lots of alarms.

“And we do a lot of the usual incidents such as structure fires, car fires and motor vehicle accidents.”

Receiving around 170 callouts every year, the brigade has a 2007 Hino 3.4C tanker, a 1998 Type 3 Isuzu pumper and a field command vehicle, alongside a hazmat trailer servicing the wider Macedon Ranges area.

“I remember our pumper when I first joined was a Mazda, it was a very small vehicle and not very powerful, so the one we have now is a big improvement on that.” 

Greg said the brigade is proud of its heritage.

“We certainly had a lot of people involved, before my time, in the Ash Wednesday bushfires and we were heavily involved in Black Saturday as well as Black Summer,” he said.

“We’ve had many members participate in those and they’ve contributed a lot to the culture and learning at the brigade.

“We have quite a heritage program in the brigade with trophies and other memorabilia and we try and encourage members to be good representatives of the brigade and of CFA as they serve in the community.”

For Greg, not only does his passion lie in mentoring up-and-coming firefighters but helping community members during a traumatic time.

“Sometimes it’s hard if we get called at Christmas dinner time but then I think well, actually this is the worst day of somebody else’s life so I haven’t got anything to complain about,” he said.

“I think the brigade is very well respected in our community. We’re included in a number of community activities.

“I’m very proud when I see members committing, putting in the effort to train, and then being able to apply that when the situation requires it.

“To see the members working with one another, even though we’re immensely different people, and we come from different backgrounds, we’re all there to carry out the functions of the brigade and help save lives and property.”

A plaque commemorating an extension finished in 2016 – now officially named The RG & RB Walker Extension – was handed over to members at the event.

The extension is named after members Ronda Beckley Walker OAM and ex-Captain Roger Gordon Walker AFSM.

“I felt honoured to participate with our Chief Officer in the official naming of this facility and the presentation of the commemorative plaque to honour two members who have contributed so much to the culture and development of the brigade for many years,” Greg said.

“This commemorative plaque will serve as a reminder to future brigade members of the heritage of service on which we build.”

Creswick’s Oscar Broad, and Lachlan McKenzie were just 16 when they noticed a police officer being assaulted and seriously injured in a park in Creswick several years ago, and rushed over to help.

It’s a moment the two young men, now both aged in their early 20s, are unlikely to forget any time soon.

About a fortnight ago Lachlan and Oscar each received a Citizen’s Commendation award at a special Victoria Police ceremony held at the state’s police academy in Glen Waverley.

Recalling the moment they noticed the assault back in 2019, Oscar, now a customer relations officer at the Bendigo Community Bank Creswick & District, says it’s troubling to think about what may have occurred had they not rushed over to help that day.

The commendation citation that both Oscar and Lachlan, respectively, received says it all. It reads “On the 7 December 2019, At Creswick, without hesitation he went to the aid of a Victoria Police Officer who had been assaulted and seriously injured.

“The offenders continued to menace the officer until he intervened, placing himself between the officer and further harm. Under the real threat of physical assault, he continued to provide significant support until further assistance arrived.”

Recounting the incident Oscar says he and Lachlan, who now works at the town’s IGA supermarket, were both students at Ballarat High School at the time of the incident and had been preparing to go to a Christmas party when they noticed the assault taking place in a Creswick park.

“There were three people assaulting an officer and he was on the ground tussling with one of them and the other two were throwing things at him,” Oscar recalls.

“We just looked at each other and ran across the road. We didn’t really think much. We just ran over there to help him out.” Oscar says that during the violent incident he and Lachlan became aware that the officer involved had been injured.

“There was no one else around,” says Lachlan, recounting the 2019 incident. Their actions were enough to fend off and stop the offenders who Oscar estimates to have been aged in their late teens or early 20s.

“It was pretty scary,” says Oscar recalling the incident and describing the way he and Lachlan reacted as “just sort of instinct”. Oscar says that receiving the commendation in recent days was memorable and also involved getting to see new police cadets graduate at the academy.

“It was inspiring. It is a great award and meeting the commissioner was quite surreal,” he says. “It was a privilege.”

“I was very honoured,” says Lachlan when asked for his thoughts about attending the recent commendation presentation.

While it’s understood that the officer they had assisted at the time is not currently working with Victoria Police, a currently serving officer with the Creswick police station, Leading Senior Constable Peter Brown also went along to the recent ceremony at the police academy, acknowledging the impressive effort made by Lachlan and Oscar.

Words: Eve Lamb  

Police have appealed to anyone with information to come forward following a brazen smash and grab burglary at a North Ballarat supermarket last week.

It’s understood that four offenders were involved and a quantity of cigarettes and alcohol were stolen in the early morning burglary at the IGA Northway supermarket on Ballarat’s Doveton Street.

Police say four offenders smashed their way into the supermarket at about 5.20am on Monday, August 5, and helped themselves to cigarettes and alcohol before fleeing the scene in a white SUV.

On attending, police had found the front door broken and the store’s cigarette cabinet had been broken into, leaving the store’s owners and managers counting the cost of the brazen act.

Anyone with information, dashcam or CCTV footage of the incident was urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

A confidential report could also be made online at crimestoppersvic.com.au

In the Hepburn Shire LGA alone a total $13,883,548 was poured into the pokies for the 23-24 financial year, the latest Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission figures show.

Statewide, regional Victorians poured a massive $692 million into poker machines in the 2023-24 financial year, the biggest regional spend on the machines ever recorded by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission.

At a per capita level, the amount poured into the pokies in Hepburn shire equated to $249 per person, while in the City of Ballarat LGA the rate worked out at $538 per head of the population.

The number of machines in the Hepburn Shire local government area is 167 while in the neighbouring local government area of Macedon Ranges Shire the number of poker machines is 103.

In the Macedon Ranges Shire LGA a total $9,695,883 was fed into the pokies in the 23-24 financial year, equating to a spending rate of $183 per capita.

Geelong – which has the most pokies of any LGA in the state – poured $136 million into the machines, the largest amount for any regional LGA, while Ballarat was the second biggest pokies spender in regional Victoria.

Victoria-wide amount fed into gaming machines topped a record $3 billion for the financial year, and the findings in regional Victoria come despite nine regional local government areas having no pokies.

Taking those nine pokie-free LGAs into account, the commission’s figures show that country Victorians spent more per capita than Melbourne residents, with an average $557 fed into the pokies compared to $548 in metro Melbourne.

The Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission data shows that Ballarat gamblers were feeding nearly $174,000 a day into the machines over the past year, pouring $63,550,282.39 all up into the pokies over the 23-24 financial year.

And the commission’s number crunching shows that despite its larger population, Greater City of Bendigo gamblers fed $58,668,802.26 into the gaming machines in the same period – $5 million less than Ballarat.

Coastal Warrnambool notched up the highest comparative per capita spend rate for any regional LGA, pouring the equivalent of $646 into the pokies for each one of its 35,907 residents.

Of course, it needs be noted that in actuality, a much smaller number of people would have accounted for the millions of dollars in losses.

All up a total $23.2 million was spent on Warrnambool poker machines in 2023-24, an all-time record for the coastal location the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission figures show.

If you’re struggling with gambling addiction, contact Gambler’s Help on 1800 858 858 or visit the website.

Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Supplied

The City of Ballarat is assessing community feedback gathered during the recent flood modelling mapping consultation to help complete the final report.  

The flood modelling is intended to better understand the effects of flooding on properties throughout the municipality and is the first step in a bigger sequence of works at the City of Ballarat.  

The mapping helps the City of Ballarat to better understand the current landscape, and therefore identify and update flood-prone areas so it can continue to invest in ongoing infrastructure to mitigate the risk.

From this modelling, several projects will be added to the City of Ballarat Capital Works program to manage storm water and help reduce flood risk.  

Flood protection across the City of Ballarat is a continuous process, most recently highlighted by a $5 million investment to create a water drainage basin at MR Power Park in Sebastopol, which will be able to hold up to 30,000 cubic metres of storm water.  

The City of Ballarat is also preparing the Miners Rest Flood Mitigation Plan and undertaking dam wall projects in Buninyong.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said it was great to see such an engaged group of people participate during the consultation.  

“I understand the community’s interest in this mapping, and appreciate their concerns raised,” he said.  

“This flood mapping process is just the start of helping us identify opportunities to develop infrastructure that mitigates the risk of flooding in the first place.”  

During recent consultation sessions concerns were raised from community members regarding impacts on development, and that the modelling may inhibit future opportunities.  

However, this flood mapping is not about stopping development in these areas but providing more accurate information to developers and landowners in the initial stages to better consider their design proposals.

Questions were also put forward about the impact this modelling may have on private insurance premiums.  

Once finalised this flood mapping should have no impact on insurance premiums or home valuations. Insurance companies use a separate up-to-date system (the National Flood Information Database) to assess flooding risks rather than flood overlays developed by Local Governments.

City of Ballarat officers are now working through this round of community feedback and will continue undertaking further consultation in the coming months before a report is expected to be presented to the Ballarat City Council in early 2025. 

Words & Image: Supplied

Getting into the mindset of successful entrepreneurs will be the focus of a unique collaboration between Commerce Ballarat and Ballarat’s Federation University Australia.

Taking place from next month the collaboration will feature Federation University alumnus professor Murray Gillin, adjunct professor and CEO of Ararat Regional Council Dr Tim Harrison, and six experienced entrepreneurs.

Expected to help drive growth in the region, it will also provide a unique chance for local businesses, students and innovators to speak to leading entrepreneurs.

The course will takes place at Federation University’s SMB campus on 16 and 17 September, 7 and 8 October, and 28 and 29 October from 9am to 1pm with lunch included.

It will cost $340 to attend and those who successfully attend and complete the course will receive a digital certificate of completion.

Organisers say those who attend can expect to gain valuable insights into the entrepreneur mindset including intellectual, spiritual and emotional intelligences and how to foster an entrepreneurial culture in teams.

Further information is available through the university.

The Trentham Golf Club has announced it will be running a new Women’s Golf Program starting next month.

The new program will take place at the poplar and leafy local club supported by a Change Our Game Activation Grant.

The program is designed to help women new to the game enhance their golf skills in a fun and supportive environment.

It will cost $150 to enrol in and will be led by the club’s highly-regarded professional golf instructor, Matthew Duncan and supported by community instructor Lisa Caines.

It will cover all aspects of the game, including golf swing, positioning, chipping, driving, putting, mindset, exercises, and the mental aspects of golf.

Club members say the goal is to create a welcoming environment where women can learn and improve their skills and enjoy the game to the fullest.

The program will offer fortnightly lessons starting September and running through to November 2024 and starting February running through to April 2025.

Limited spots are available with more details available by calling 0402 199 290 or by booking online now at https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1250618

The Hepburn Shire Council’s Quick Response Grants program has opened for applications from local community groups and organisations.

The council’s Quick Response Grants are designed to support community groups who may have experienced an unforeseen disruption, urgent issue or to facilitate smaller projects that are less costly than the amount available in the Community Grants scheme.

Grant applications will be assessed monthly in an effort to ensure a timely response to community issues.

Applicants can apply for a grant up to $1,000 at any time but can only receive one Quick Response Grant per year.

Due to the upcoming Council Election in October, the outcome of grant applications received after 17 September cannot be announced until after 26 November 2024.

More information about the program is available from the council.

Ballarat’s Best Pie competition is back with nearly 30 local bakers, restaurants, and cafes contending for the tasty title.

Launched last week and running until 31 August, the competition will feature 10 first-time entrants and 18 returning competitors.

Creswick’s Le Peche Gourmand, Aussie Oggie Pasty Co, Apple Crumble Pie, Itinerant Spirits, Saltbush Kitchen, and The Shared Table will all compete in the Sweet Pies division.

Venues competing in the Savoury Pies category include 1816 Bakehouse, 321 Cafe, Aunty Jacks, Beechworth Bakery, Black Cat Truffles, Boatshed Restaurant, Cornerstone Cafe, Golden City Hotel, Grainery Lane, Sovereign Hill’s Hope Bakery and New York Bakery, Hop Temple, Hotel Canberra, Kilderkin Distillery, Mitchell Harris Wines, Mondergreen Cafe, Nolans Restaurant, Peasant, Red Duck Brewery and Distillery, Roy Hammond, The George Hotel, and Turret Bakehouse.

The event is being run through Tourism Midwest Victoria, whose chair John Pandazopoulos said it’s the ideal opportunity to savour some of the region’s best pies.

“Victoria’s midwest is brimming with some of the best produce in the state and it’s remarkable seeing these flavours brought to life by the region’s talented chefs, especially in the form of a pie,” he said.

“More than 2500 pies were purchased last year, proving Ballarat’s Best Pie can deliver on its goal of getting people out and exploring the region during the tail end of winter.

“To this year’s contenders, good luck, and to everyone else, what a good excuse to invite your friends and family to town and taste as many pies as you can.”

Throughout August, pie lovers can taste all Ballarat and the region has to offer, from traditional flavours with twists, to creations not normally known to be in pies, there will be plenty of pies to sample.

In 2023, Flying Chillies was crowned Grand Prize Winner for its Babi Ponfteh Pie, while Kilderkin Distillery’s Grandma Harriet’s Bramble and Apple Pie took out Best Sweet Pie and the Smoked Brisket and American Cheddar Pie from 1816 Bakehouse was named Best Savoury Pie.

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said Ballarat’s culinary scene is one to watch, and the pies are some of the most mouthwatering you’ll ever have!  

“I encourage you, your family and friends to get out and about in our city and sample the great pies we have to offer. Why not start ticking them off the Pie Trail and rank your favourites?” he said.  

“Ballarat’s Best Pies is a much-loved competition in our city, and I am incredibly fortunate to be one of the lucky pie judges for 2024.”

Tim Bone said as a returning judge, he would have the enviable job of sampling all the amazing creations and cannot wait.

“We are fortunate enough to have some incredibly talented producers and makers right here on our doorstep,” he said.

“I urge you to commit the month of August to exploring the Ballarat Pie Trail and indulging in as many pies as you can handle.”

For more information or to download the self-guided map, head to visitballarat.com.au/ballarats-best-pie.

The RACV has released results of its My Country Road survey with more than 7000 Victorians providing valuable input shining a light on the condition of regional roads state-wide.

The most dangerous intersection in regional Victoria was identified as the junction of the Midland Highway and Howard Street in Epsom, north of Bendigo.

And the Tylden-Woodend Road from Woodend to Tylden, used by many locals travelling to Melbourne, received the second highest number of complaints across the state.

Poor road conditions and pot holes rated among the top issues of concern with 64 per cent of participants identifying them as the primary safety issue, up from 46 per cent in 2021.

Potholes are a major safety risk for drivers as they try and avoid damaging their vehicles. Swerving to avoid a pothole at the last moment is dangerous as drivers may lose control of their vehicles or swerve into oncoming traffic.

Other roads that generated substantial concern were Kilmore Road from Monegeetta to Gisborne, and the Goulburn Valley Highway from Nagambie to Shepparton.

Overall, 14 per cent of participants supported ‘a lower or more appropriate speed limit’ as a measure to improve road safety.

That response rose to 56 per cent on the top 12 worst roads, highlighting that many Victorians believe reducing the speed on highly dangerous roads is an appropriate approach.

The RACV will use the data from the survey to encourage the state government and local councils to make commitments that deliver safer regional roads.

RACV Head of Policy James Williams said the data from the survey indicated that the condition of regional roads has become a major safety concern for Victorians.

“Over 7,000 Victorians have provided us with data about safety on our regional roads, with potholes or poor road condition being the number one safety issue,” Mr Williams said.

“As a safety advocate, it’s important that RACV closely examines what Victorians think are the factors contributing to unsafe road conditions, so we can provide that information to all levels of government and encourage action.”

As Hepburn Shire residents prepare to vote for a wardless council this October, the Municipal Association of Victoria is preparing to deliver several Stand for Council information sessions for those thinking of standing.

A local candidate information session, hosted by City of Ballarat, will be held on Thursday 8 August at the Ballarat Town Hall from 6pm to 8.30pm.

The session can be attended either in-person. For more information and to register, visit the MAV website or email standforcouncil@mav.asn.au .

The Victorian Electoral Commission has announced that local government elections will be held across the state in October.

Voting in this election will by post with ballot packs to be be mailed to all enrolled voters from Monday 7 October.

The packs will contain a ballot paper, candidate statements, a reply-paid envelope and a leaflet with instructions in other languages.

Voting is compulsory. Those who are eligible must vote in the council election for their state-enrolled address.

If you own more than one property, it is optional to enrol for those additional properties you pay rates on in other councils but once you enrol you must vote in that election as well.

Voting papers must be mailed or delivered to an electoral office no later than 6:00 pm on Friday October 25.

Work to rennovate Daylesford’s historic Stanbridge Hall is expected to start within days after funding was secured from the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo from the sale of church properties.

Situated on Central Springs Road in Daylesford, the historic hall was once the first girls school in Daylesford and was established by the pastoralist and mining investor William Edward Stanbridge, a notable local historic figure.

It has been in urgent need of rennovation for some years and works are now expected to begin within days.

Work will include repainting walls, installation of window furnishings, re-flooring the stage, new and directional lighting in the hall, a new commercial kitchen and a new pantry.

The space currently known as “The Green Room” will be renovated and extended making it very suitable for small groups to hire for craft, small conferences and meetings, while the stage is well suited to live performances.

Grampians locals have answered the call to support Canadian firefighters during the country’s devastating bushfires. 

Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) has already contributed an International Liaison Officer to a 35-day deployment to Manitoba, while five arduous firefighters from Grampians last week departed for a month on the fireline in British Columbia.

These individuals from Grampians region are among a total 62 Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) personnel supporting the ongoing wildfire response, continuing a long-standing tradition between Victoria and Canada.

“FFMVic staff bring extensive emergency management experience taking on specialist roles including International Liaison Officer, Air Operations Manager, liaison and planning officers, Air Base Manager, Air Attack Supervisor and Strike Team Leaders,” Acting Deputy Chief Fire Officer Mark Corr said.

“Our arduous firefighters are well-prepared to face the challenging and remote terrain of Canada, bringing specialist skills in tree-felling and dry firefighting techniques.

“These efforts involve hard work, dedication and a commitment to making a positive impact.

“While providing much-needed relief to our Canadian counterparts, these deployments also offer invaluable opportunities for FFMVic staff to expand their bushfire knowledge and operational experience in different environments, allowing them to apply what they learn to manage large-scale bushfires at home.

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to our deployed staff and to their colleagues and loved ones who support them from home.”

CLASSICAL vocal group Vox is preparing to perform the third part of one of the most celebrated choral works of the Baroque era with a concert in Ballarat tomorrow afternoon.

Backed by a guest conductor and local instrumentalists gathered specifically for the show, the acapella ensemble is bringing George Frideric Handel’s Messiah III: The Redeemer to the region.

 The Ballarat show will be held tomorrow August 10 from 2pm at the Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ the King.

Led by guest conductor Michael Fulcher, music director of Christ Church South Yarra, and Polyphonic Voices, the show will boast 14 singers and 13 instrumentalists.

Vox bass singer Peter Freund says the show will offer something different from the group’s traditional performance.

Freund says preparing for the performance has presented a few growth opportunities for Vox.

“It’s a skills development for us as well because normally we don’t work with a conductor so that brings new approaches and new skills,” he says.

“Normally we’d sing with just the core membership as an acapella ensemble but from time to time in the nearly 20 years we’ve been performing, we undertake bigger projects,” he said.

“We’ll do works with an orchestra and an ensemble partly to offer our audiences a different experience. Accompanied pieces can be more inviting to an audience too.”

Tickets to the Ballarat concert are $40 adult, $35 concession, $15 student, and free for primary school children, and can be booked at bit.ly/4c8MkuK.