The Bacchus Marsh Fire Brigade has officially received the keys to a new breathing apparatus (BA) support vehicle in recent days.

The vehicle was jointly funded through a successful grant from the Victorian Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP), the Bendigo Bacchus Marsh Community Bank and Bacchus Marsh Fire Brigade.

Captain Ryan O’Shannessy said the brigade had traditionally relied on other BA support brigades as far away as Eltham or Ballarat to replenish its used air cylinders.

“We were grateful to have other brigades help us with our BA requirements but we were also conscious that it would take them valuable time to go back and forth,” Ryan said.

“Having our own vehicle not only makes things easier for our brigade but it also helps ease the demand within our patch.

“Another benefit is that the future growth of the brigade is secured because as key operational members decide to scale back they can still have a meaningful place within CFA performing some of these support functions.

“It’s not just about getting out to a fire, it’s also the team behind the scenes that help reinstate getting back to normal.”

Local MP Michaela Settle visited Bacchus Marsh station late last month for the official handover.

“Despite being a bit chilly in the engine bay, everyone was in good spirits,” Ryan said.

“Michaela is a previous CFA volunteer and was acutely aware of the extra capabilities the BA support vehicle provides.

“Now it’s our time to pay back the generosity by providing the support when called.”

CFA Head of Fleet & Protective Equipment Danny Jones said BA support vehicles are used to assist firefighters at incidents where breathing apparatus is needed such as hazmat incidents and major structure fires.

“These vehicles will also provide future benefits as we move to a more contemporary cylinder management arrangement where brigades will be able to exchange an empty cylinder for a full one on the spot without the need for double handling,” Danny said.

Lyster Opera, Victoria’s Travelling Opera Company, returns to Daylesford with Rossini’s hilarious comedy, The Italian Girl in Algiers this September.

From the production team that brought opera fans Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea, this opera features one of Rossini’s most dazzling scores, brought vividly to life by some of Victoria’s most exciting professional singers.

L’italiana in Algeria (Italian Girl In Algiers) is a comic opera by Gioachino Rossini, composed in 1813 when he was only 21 years old.

It tells the story of Isabella, a spirited Italian woman who shipwrecks in Algiers and outwits the local ruler, Mustafà, who wants to marry her.

She rescues her lover, Lindoro, who is Mustafà’s slave, and teaches him a lesson in female power and charm. The opera is full of witty humor, lively music, and vocal fireworks.

The Italian Girl in Algiers will be staged as an afternoon matinee in the Daylesford Town Hall on Sunday September 8 with bookings through Trybooking.

Then and now

A brief glimpse back into the growth of Australian nurseries – specifically South Australia and Victoria. I’m most familiar with those, having been born into one of the earliest and still thriving, nursery families in Adelaide.

One of the earliest forms of business set up in the colony of South Australia was that of the nurseryman. It was imperative that the colonists grew their own fruit and vegetables as the nearest greengrocer was three to four days away in Victoria.

The place to find a supply of seed and young plants was their local nursery. Several such businesses date back to 1860, only 14 years after the first free settlers arrived at Glenelg Bay.

Among them was a young German botanist who, having drawn up the initial plans for the newly built Government House and Melbourne Botanical Gardens, decided to join with the others to be “his own man” and so began the Heyne dynasty.

In those early days, all business was conducted from the nurseryman’s backyard, where he would be self-employed (not counting his wife and kids), growing and tending his young plants, his only tools being shovel, rake and spade.

His only means of watering the tender young plants was by watering can, no doubt filled from a rainwater tank or well.

Anyone needing advice on the best plants and the best way of caring for them was still being given friendly and helpful service from their nurseryman’s experience.

Gardening must have been a real effort in those days when the only fertiliser was dried cow or horse manure and the best way to deal with aphis was to scrub them off with a stiff wire brush and no doubt leaves, skin and buds as well.

Plants were relatively expensive. For example an araucaria (Norfolk Pine) would have cost between a shilling and sixpence.

“Not bad”, you may say until you remember that a good wage was about 30 bob a week. The same plant today would cost you at least $15 – $20, so you can see plants have really increased little in price from those days, when compared with the great proportional increase in wages.

Throughout the development of each state, the nursery industry has kept up to date with all modern trends and is now a very different business from that of 60 years ago, when I left the family business.

In those days all soil and potting mixtures were moved with shovel and wheel barrow, soil was sieved and mixed by hand, usually by throwing it through an old bed spring base.

Today, in most cases, the soil is moved by front-end loader and mixed by power-driven machinery. Even the containers have changed. In the early days, the pots were made of clay and advanced plants were grown in wicker baskets.

After World War II, to help overcome the dire shortage of clay-made products, the nursery industry took to growing their large plants in metal cans and drums.

Then, after years of trial, the plastics industry came to the rescue and now finally, plants of all shapes and sizes come resplendent in colourful, hygienic plastic containers.

My youngest brother, who took over the nursery business with his daughter and son, passed away recently – another victim of that dreaded Alzheimer’s disease.

Naturally, Peta and I were at his funeral where we met up with, not only lots of long-lost family, but most of Adelaide’s nursery industry identities.

Peta wanted to have a probably final look at the original house and nursery on our way home to see all the developments since our last visit some 10 years ago, hence my pose in front of the relatively restored glass house – the black and white 1930s shot is of my grandfather Carl Heyne.

Got a gardening query? Email glenzgarden@gmail.com

Italian feast – a wealth of opportunities to taste some wonderfully different wines. That is the joy of choosing Italian grape varieties and I’ve recently been able to see a good cross section of wines made in Australia.

It might be too chilly at the moment, but you could try some Australian prosecco.

My recommendation is Freeman Prosecco 2023 which has some touches of barrel-fermented fruit to give the wine extra texture and creaminess.

Vigneron Brian Freeman owns 200ha of vines in the Hilltops region of NSW and produces some excellent Italian-inspired wines.

Also check out Heathcote’s Vinea Marson and Mount Towrong Vivace N.V. that uses nebbiolo instead of pinot noir in their more traditional sparkling wine blend.

Pinot grigio and fiano are two leading Italian white grape varieties. Freeman produces both and they have a savoury texture and long palate length that is typical of his wines.

When it comes to textural white wines the Vinea Marson Grazia 2019 fits the bill. A blend of pinot bianco, friulano, malvasia d’Istria and picolit grapes this wine is a different proposition, displaying nuts and a hint of reductive struck match on the nose.

It has saline, nutty, herbal flavour with a hint of orange peel. A complex palate with a creamy, long, elegant finish. Already with some bottle age they are also selling a 2013 back vintage to show how age worthy this blend is.

What captivates me most is Italian red/black grape varieties. I’ve recently had some excellent barbera, sangiovese, nebbiolo and corvina/rondinella.

Barbera wines are usually earthy, meaty, cedar oak driven with black cherry fruit and usually medium to full bodied.

If you get the chance try Skimstone or First Ridge, both from Mudgee. One of Australia’s best nebbiolos comes from Freeman Vineyards and their 2022 is outstanding.

Finally, a unique wine for Australia but takes its inspiration from the wines of the Veneto region. Freeman Vineyard Secco Rondinella Corvina 2017 has a deeply complex nose with dried herbs and fruits, medicinal and blackberry notes.

It’s a rich, silky, full bodied, tannin-driven wine coming from the winemaking process which involves drying a proportion of grapes in a prune dehydrator for 7-10 days then placing them at the bottom of the fermenter before filling it with fresh grapes.

The resulting wine is aged for up to four years in old barrels. There is a special release wine called Robusta (2015). It has a rich, raisin, sultana sweet nose.

Powerful complex palate with a super long, slightly warm finish. You hardly notice the 17% alcohol. Wonderfully different.

Clive Hartley is an award-winning wine writer, educator and consultant. Read more at
www.australianwineguide.com.au

The long-awaited Macedon Ranges Sports Precinct in New Gisborne is now open, unlocking
significant recreational and social benefits for the entire Macedon Ranges Shire area.

A culmination of decades of advocacy and planning by the council and the community, the precinct’s
$29-plus million first stage has delivered a three-court indoor sports hub, a natural turf oval with an adjoining sports pavilion and other facilities such as a playground, BBQ facilities and a fitness loop.

It will play host to a range of local user groups and sports including AFL, basketball, netball, badminton, volleyball and futsal, with facilities also available for hire for corporate or social functions to make the new precinct a true community space.

Victorian Government Minister for Community Sport Ros Spence and Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas were among those present in recent days to help open the new facilities.

They then toured the facilities alongside councillors and council staff, contractors, funding partners, primary user reference group members, other user groups and more.

Macedon Ranges Shire Mayor, Annette Death, said the precinct was the largest capital works project ever undertaken by the council, with the first stage made possible with generous funding support from the Victorian Government ($14.8 million), Melbourne Water ($377,590) and AFL Victoria ($100,000).

“The need for more indoor and outdoor recreational facilities in the region has long been identified in
our strategies, so we’re absolutely delighted to finally have a new state-of-the-art facility that will benefit our community for generations to come,” she said.

Along with the practical elements required of a modern sporting facility, the complex also features
innovative design and environmental elements such as solar panels, water-saving irrigation systems
and double-glazed floor-to-ceiling windows making the most of natural light and surrounding views

The City of Ballarat is preparing for the future of sporting facilities by outlining a 15-year plan to ensure the municipality’s recreation infrastructure keeps up with forecasted population growth.

The Draft Recreation Infrastructure Plan 2024-2039 is now open for public exhibition, having been endorsed by Ballarat City Council at its June meeting.

The plan is designed to guide future planning and investment in sport and recreation facilities, addressing the needs of our growing community over the next 15 years.

The plan aims to provide a strategic framework for developing and maintaining active open space assets on City of Ballarat-owned or managed land.

The road map within the plan lists over 70 sporting venues or projects that will be considered for delivery in the next 15 years, identifying what year those projects will be scheduled subject to the council’s annual budget process.  

The plan will facilitate and guide the council’s ongoing advocacy for external government funding opportunities.  

It will be reviewed every two years to ensure needs are being met and priority projects remain relevant.

With Ballarat’s population projected to grow by over 50,000 residents by 2041, existing recreation facilities are nearing capacity.  

Detailed demand modelling indicates significant shortfalls in various sports facilities by 2036, including deficits in AFL fields, basketball courts, cricket fields, soccer fields, hockey fields, and tennis courts.  

The plan outlines strategies to address these gaps through enhancements to existing facilities and the development of new ones in growth areas.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said having a clear roadmap for the next 15 years was vital to ensure Ballarat’s facilities continue to meet demand, are provided across all sports equitably and remain at a standard expected by the community.

“We have invested significantly in our sporting facilities for a number of years now, because the benefits of people playing sport are so significant,” Cr Hudson said.

“There is always more work to do though, so having a clear plan that the community can see shows that our commitment is unwavering.

“We know the Ballarat population is growing and the need for diverse sporting infrastructure is going to accompany that population growth.”

Some of the major projects identified in the plan include:  

• State Government Regional Sports Infrastructure Program: Expansion of Mars Stadium, a new regional athletics facility, upgrades to the Ballarat Sports Events Centre (BSEC), and developments at Miners Rest Sporting Reserve and Frank Bourke Oval.
• Indoor stadiums: An eight-court indoor stadium at Winterfield North in the Ballarat West Growth Zone and the proposed increase in indoor court provision to service the Ballarat North Growth Zone.
• Growth areas: New reserves in Ballarat West and North, including facilities at Greenhalghs Reserve and Glenelg Highway Reserve.
• Regional facilities: Enhancements to Prince of Wales Park, including a new regional hockey facility, and expansions to Len T Fraser Reserve Skate Park and other renewal or enhancements to sports facilities including badminton, table tennis, tennis and soccer.

The draft plan has been developed through consultation with state sporting associations, local sports clubs, leagues and associations, and City of Ballarat departments.  

A survey also helped gather further feedback, highlighting critical facility provision gaps and community priorities.  

The community is now encouraged to review the Draft Recreation Infrastructure Plan 2024-2039 and provide feedback during the public exhibition period.

Feedback closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 21 July and may be provided via the City of Ballarat’s My Say page online where the plan can also be found in full.

The final Recreation Infrastructure Plan 2024-2039 is expected to return to the council for adoption in August. 

The newest piece of public art in the North Gardens sculpture park will be developed by Wadawurrung artist, Kait James.  

The artwork will tell the story of Time, Place, Country and Culture which may include stories about the geography and geology of Lake Wendouree, Ballarat and the larger Western Basalt Plains. 

Kait’s work asks questions relating to self, perception and the collective lack of knowledge of Indigenous culture and community and exploring her identity as an Australian woman with Indigenous and Anglo heritage. 

Wadawurrung artist Kait James said creating a new work for the North Gardens Sculpture Park is both an honour and a profound responsibility. 

“It offers an opportunity to share our rich culture with the broader community, I’m thrilled to not only contribute to this space but also follow in the footsteps of my cousin Deanne Gilson, who created Murrup Laarr in 2019,” she said.

Kait will now commence working on the concept for the design for the newest addition to the North Gardens Sculpture Park. 

The North Garden Indigenous Sculpture Park is located on the edge of Lake Wendouree and an important site for the traditional owners of the land, the Wadawarrung people. 

Launched in 2019, the North Gardens Indigenous Sculpture Park is a significant project for the City of Ballarat and is designed to feature works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, celebrating the richness and diversity of culture and telling important cultural stories.

The sculpture park highlights the cultural connections to Country and the Wadawurrung people’s occupation of the land surrounding Ballarat.

This piece of art will join the inaugural sculpture in the park, Murrup Laar (above) by local Wadawurrung artist Dr Deanne Gilson.

Murrup Laar was created using local basalt stones to tell Wadawurrung stories of dreaming, memory and ceremony.

City of Ballarat Councillor Belinda Coates said the sculpture park is a place to celebrate and respect the environment and the long‐standing relationship the Wadawurrung have with their Country.

“It is important to have public art that symbolises continuing traditions, of healing, ecologies and a venue for gatherings to celebrate the spirit of the Lake Wendouree landscape,” she said. 

Words & Images: Supplied

The Hepburn Shire Council has launched a ‘financial vision’ survey and information as it invites public submissions to help develop a financial way forward.  

The Victorian Local Government sector is facing severe financial challenges due to increased costs of service delivery and construction, a limited range of revenue options and recovery from costly natural disasters.

Hepburn Shire, and others, have been adversely impacted by rising inflation affecting the delivery of services and infrastructure, cost shifting from other levels of government, and extraordinary costs associated with climate change beginning to impact.

In a public statement, the council said that “Multiple years of state government-prescribed rate cap adjustments below inflation has also had a negative impact on its financial sustainability, and as a rural council, Hepburn has limited opportunities for alternate income streams”. 

The council says it’s committed to transparency and accountability surroundings its financial strategy and the service deliver.

In its newly adopted 2024/25 budget the council has committed to making $1.5 million in operating savings and is now committing to working with community in an effort to ensure its long-term financial viability. 

In 2025/26 and beyond, the council needs to find an additional $4 million in long-term savings or additional revenue to ensure it develops a financially responsible plan to deliver on its shared Community Vision. 

The council now wants to hear from ratepayers, community members and visitors on their priorities regarding service delivery, community infrastructure renewal or upgrades, and the potential for a rate increase.

The survey can be completed via the council’s Participate Hepburn webpage.  

“We want to build our financial roadmap together, and we invite the community to attend one of our drop-in sessions across the shire or to have their say on the Participate Hepburn page of the website,” mayor Cr Brian Hood said.

“We can either increase rates or change the delivery of, or even cut, some of our services or undertake a combination of both options.

“We want to gauge community sentiments and ideas on reshaping the budget, and on the management of our buildings and infrastructure.’” 

The Participate Hepburn page will be open for comment between 1-17 July, with a long- term financial plan to be presented to the council for adoption in September.   

Recently a friend of mine was walking around Lake Daylesford with their dog and was verbally assaulted by an idiot after an off-leash dog incident.

It was an ordinary day in their mind and the fresh air was beneficial simply because of the ordinariness of the day and the chance for a tiny bit of “me time”.

You see, they are part of the sandwich generation, folks around their 50s who are sandwiched between teenage kids becoming adults and ageing parents. Trying hard to carve out time for themselves to keep healthy both mentally and physically, rather than taking a back seat to the others in their lives who require their constant attention.

But back to the attack. Lake Daylesford, despite what people think and do, is not a leash-free area and my friend had a small dog on a lead.

The attacker in question’s unleashed larger dog got a little too close for comfort and my friend asked if they wouldn’t mind heeling their dog.

This birdbrain then called her a “Karen”. You know, Karen from Brighton who shot to infamy after complaining about lockdown walks around her posh beach-side suburb.

This was “whatever” in my friends’ eyes until the guy took a second look and decided she was not only a Karen, but she was a fat Karen. WTAF?

Now I know quite a few Karens, and they are great people, and it is a pity Ms Brighton gave them a bad reputation, but it is the buzz-word, meme-ridden universe we live in. But the fat comment? And he repeated this a couple of times.

“You’re not just a Karen, you’re a fat Karen”, he laughed. Just like a parrot.

I have yoyoed my way along life’s road and know if I’ve put on a lump or two and I don’t need anyone to enlighten me. I have multiple mirrors I can look at and clothes that become a little tighter now and again.

I don’t need someone to point it out. And it’s not like the surprise of having your fly down when someone kindly points it out (thanks lady in the chemist the other day). Or like someone saying you have left a bit of food on your cheek. Those comments all come from a good place.

Being honest, guys are particularly cruel, and say things to one another like “it looks like you’ve been in a good paddock”. I am sure my guy didn’t mean anything wrong, while I was just looking around the supermarket for a dinner idea, but I just wanted to shrink away.

But maybe he should think about it next time. I hadn’t been busy exercising as I had spent the last three years of my life dragging his free newspaper from inception to a great read. Read that!

Back to my friend’s aggressor. Just don’t be a dick. My friend is a wonderful person who spends her time helping others. Not just family, also friends and the community. And she has been through a lot. And you made her cry.

Believe me if people knew your identity it would not end well. Aggressor rant over…

In a move likely to please local bushwalkers, Forest Fire Mangement Victoria has recently installed a new boardwalk on the Domino Rail Trail.

The Domino Rail Trail is an attractive six kilometre stretch that links Trentham and Lyonville, running through the Wombat State Forest.

The new boardwalk replaces a bridge that was severely damaged in the 2022 rain events.

The new upgrade complements surface works recently completed by the Hepburn Shire Council, and new signage installed by the Committee of Management.

The new boardwalk is 15 metres long, and crosses the headwaters of the Coliban River, keeping the slippery ground safe and firm for locals and visitors walking the trail in the wetter months.

by Darren Lowe

Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Forest Hills Stadium, NYC, May 14, 2024

I have been beyond excited for these gigs, a trip to the Big Apple aside, a chance to see Neil with The Horse was a reason to alter and amend accommodation dates, leaving a month earlier for this trip.

Joining Neil Young Archives as a paid member allowed access to a pre-sale, so after a second show was announced, advice from family, friends and one Rhythms editor was ‘what am I even thinking about?’ when a second show went on sale Forest Hills Stadium is a converted tennis stadium, with an intimate feel to the venue, obviously outdoors, a slight problem on the second drizzly evening.

The Love Earth tour experience featured an array of environmental groups in the entry to venue, with information and signing people up to mailing lists.

Support act Reverend Billy preached in an evangelical format, with a 10-piece gospel choir complete with duelling Hammond organs.

Neil and The Horse played a two-hour concert each evening with a varied setlist, so by going both nights I heard pretty much any song I could’ve hoped for.

Both concerts featured extended and gloriously fluid versions of Cortez the Killer, complete with lost verses. Cinnamon Girl, Like a Hurricane, My my hey hey, amongst the permanent structure of the set
Scattered, dedicated to David Briggs was beautiful both nights.

There was a deep dive into Everybody knows this is nowhere on Tuesday, with the title track and The losing end.

Technical difficulties hampered the sound on Tuesday, with glitches during Neil’s acoustic set of three, with us possibly being shortchanged by a song or two due to blackout during Human Highway.

This continued during the final song, pre-encore, My my hey hey, but the band played through.

Sedan delivery and Rockin in the free world rounded off the spectacular, no frills, dare I say ragged show, with both Neil and Micah Nelson breaking two, or three guitar strings each.

Sadly, Nils Lofgren chose touring with Bruce and the E Street band over Crazy Horse, but Micah’s guitar provided a lovely shredding interplay with Neil.

The band were in magnificent form, intros to songs and seemingly moments of extended improvised jamming mesmerising.

A number of songs were added/interchanged on the Wednesday night, with Dangerbird, Down by the river, Sugar mountain and I am a child in the acoustic set highlights.

In fact, the band returned for an encore of Roll another number unexpectedly with many of the audience having left the venue.

Neil’s playing was still fantastic, despite describing difficulties with some hand ailments.

The US concert experience was interesting for someone who hasn’t experienced this for a few years. From the unrestrained hooting, blatant and persistent unofficial t-shirt sellers and the presence of young people, younger than me anyway, actually excited by Neil and being familiar with his material, made this a different concert experience.

The added, very vocal, excitement at The Knicks’ lead at the end of the third quarter, in wonderfully rich New York accents only added to the experience.

Unfortunately I couldn’t get tickets for Sierra Ferrell, about three blocks away from my accommodation in the East Village.

By Donna Kelly

Hmmm. If I don’t hurry up this could be the first edition of The Local without a Just sayin’… column. OK, I agree, maybe not a bad thing.

Sadly I am a procrastinator so I have lots of ideas but not a lot of action. And I am also a perfectionist so if I start a column and then read it through and don’t like it, I hit delete and start again.

So after staring at this page for some hours, and wondering if Jane (above) would make a nice pet, I have decided to write about a few things.

Someone once told me when you start writing about your dog then things have gone pear-shaped, so no more talk about Jane. Although she does look sweet and greyhounds do make nice quiet pets. Anyone?

Anyway, here goes.

Firstly, I already feel sorry for the next set of Hepburn Shire councillors. Personally I think you would have to be mad to stand. The council is broke, has a low satisfaction rating (again), and it still has to work through its highly unpopular town structure plans. And the rates have just gone up.

So why would you put your hand up to step into the firing line? I guess if you are really keen on giving back to the community – although there is no money to give back with – or perhaps someone who should be popped into an institution to have a bit of a think about life.

The lack of wards will be interesting. I think there will be an over-representation from Creswick and Daylesford which may not play out so well for the smaller areas.

I guess we wait and see. The last council meeting for this current mob is September and then it’s into caretaker mode. So watch this space.

I can’t believe it’s been four years since we lost my mum. She died in May 2020 and after thinking about it I do blame the pandemic. She was in hospital, not for much at all, but things just kept going wrong.

And I think because everyone was so panicky that the ball got dropped a little with small things (not) like stopping blood thinners, wrong medications, a fall the family was never told about.

Of course we were wearing masks, you could only have one family member in at a time to visit and everyone had that look of fear, if you remember that part. The look of “I can’t believe I am in a hospital in a pandemic”.

Anyway, she died and we had a stupid tiny funeral with just 20 people. And everyone had to stand in their own pew which meant my mum’s best friends, who I had known all my life, were standing alone, crying. And I couldn’t even hug them.

It was two years later that we could finally hold a ceremony with about 80 people and scatter mum’s ashes off Olivers Hill in Frankston. Her wish. She used to go fishing with her dad off there in a little dinghy when she was a child.

He would tie her with a rope so she wouldn’t fall in. Her called her Sammy. This year on her birthday, June 21, I reached out (I hate that expression) to a Frankston Facebook page and asked if anyone would give their horns a little beep as they drove up or down Olivers Hill.

Lots of people wrote back that they would or had. So that was a nice thing. I hope to make it an annual event – Beep for Betty. Sorry in advance if it takes off and you live on Hopes Rise…

Oh, I know a few people who have lost parents recently and send them my love. It is a such a hard time. And even if they are “a good age” or “had a good innings” it’s always too soon.

Finally, and very much alive and well, is Maureen Andrew. She got in touch to say she is in a production of The Boy from Oz. So being a former local, and just a great person, I did a bit of a story and we also have some double passes to give away. Check out the story on page 14 (The Local current edition).

Maureen says performers, and all creatives, have a little bit of insanity going on and just keep on going with their passions.

I remember her atop our TL ute in the ChillOut parade one year. She was Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Just climbed up and over, no worries at all.

And Kyle watched her limbering up at the gym once. Let’s just say this woman can bend. I am sure the show will be a big hit – if you get time pop along and support our performers. They did it hard and are back with a vengeance.

And pop Beep for Betty in your calendar – you never know, you might just be in Franga for the day. Just sayin’..

In a move likely to please many motorists, free parking at Ballarat GovHub will be made available to the community from next year.

Minister for Regional Development Gayle Tierney said that 120 car spaces in the city’s GovHub will be open for everyone to use from 2025, so locals have even more free parking options that are close by to where they want to go.

The car parks, which are part of a 2018 state government commitment provide Ballarat’s CBD with 1000 free spaces, will be open to the public from 2025.

These car parks are in addition to 147 spaces already constructed at White Flat Oval, Havelock Street and Market Street, and another 400 spaces which are being built at the Ballarat Base Hospital.

The government claims it will have delivered a total of 1400 parks to Ballarat’s CBD by 2026, but this includes commuter parking as part of the Ballarat Station Redevelopment.

A number of community-led projects throughout the Hepburn Shire area are set to benefit from the state government’s $20 million Tiny Towns Fund.

Across the wider Ripon electorate, successful Tiny Towns Fund recipients include: $5871 for mosaic bollards at the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre; $8000 to refurbish the entry foyer for the Creswick Courthouse Theatre; $18,750 for the Newlyn Recreation Reserve Playspace Upgrade Planning; and $45,000 for a shade structure over the playground in Queens Park, Clunes.

On Sunday, July 14, the Daylesford Town Hall will take on a Parisian ambience. U3A spokesperson Janet Quilty said the French National Day event would celebrate all things French, and an important feature of the evening will be the music.

“This will transport us through Europe on a grand musical tour. As well as the performances from the Daylesford Community Brass Band, some of the musical highlights of the evening include wonderful soloists.

“We will immediately be taken to Paris with Val Goodwin singing Chanson D’amour, and by the band’s musical director Mark Lyall with Softly Awakes My Heart.

“Christine Douglas will fly us to Italy with the beautiful aria O mio babbino caro and the music will then take us as far as the Gates of Kyiv before bringing us back to France with Evidemment from Eurovision 23, and of course, the Can Can.”

The event starts at 5pm, BYO food, drinks, cutlery, crockery and glasses. People are welcome to make up a table or join one and make new friends.

Bookings are essential through Monica Cole via onicaske@hotmail.com or 0425 851 679. Tickets are $25 with the proceeds going to support the band in purchasing new instruments. The band’s major sponsor is the Bendigo Bank Daylesford District.

Janet said those wearing something French are eligible to win prizes. “With great music, prizes for themed table decorations, costumes and some exciting raffle prizes, it will be a brilliant evening,” she said.

Vive La France!