History

THE great storm of June 9/10 will go down in history as one of the most devastating events in the Central Highlands. Thousands of trees came down, crashing onto homes, cars, sheds, fences and powerlines. More continue to fall as people deal with the aftermath and the clean-up.

Just a few photos of some of the damage around the region

KEVIN Tolhurst is one of many leading Australian foresters whose career commenced with training at the Creswick School of Forestry.

The current Hepburn Hub at The Rex project may be cancelled.

THE Clunes Town Hall and Courthouse is a striking municipal building designed by Percy Oakden. Built in 1872, the distinctive building reflected the prosperity of a gold mining town in its heyday. But this is not a story about the Clunes Town Hall as such, though it is worth mentioning that the grand building has recently had a substantial makeover, returning it to its original glory.

HEPBURN Shire Council says it continues to advocate on behalf of community groups concerned about the construction of 190km of overhead transmission lines, proposed as part of the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project.

Numbers were down at some Anzac Day services around the region, again thanks to Covid concerns.

THERE is something truly special about living in a smaller community. The sense of connectedness, caring and support, in good times and in bad, continues to live on in smaller communities across Australia, and it’s seen every day across the Macedon Ranges and Hepburn shires.

DAYLESFORD Sunday Market, at Daylesford Railway Station, celebrates its 40th anniversary on Sunday, April 18 - with plenty of fun for everyone.

ALF Morrison of Yandoit was two months short of his 21st birthday when a bullet cut him down. Now, 104 years later, his nephew, 89-year-old Don Morrison, plans to wear replicas of Alf’s medals at the Anzac Day service in Daylesford. The two medals shine brilliantly on Don’s chest as he talks in his Yandoit home, with its glorious views of the countryside, including Mt Franklin.

ALAN Graham, gravedigger at Daylesford Cemetery, is tall and weather tanned, with the demeanour of a solitary man who has worked with his hands for a long time.

Trentham Aged Care Facility was bustling with activity and there was an air of excitement when the Grampians' mobile vaccination team from Ballarat Health Services arrived with the AstraZeneca vaccine last week to begin vaccinating aged care residents.

FRONTLINE workers at Central Highlands Rural Health's Kyneton campus received the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 last week.

Vaccination Part II

FRANKLINFORD’S Dr Monica Nolan is among those leading the way in developing and implementing an innovative program monitoring wastewater across Victoria state for traces of the COVID pathogen as an early detection tool.

THE Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by a pioneer of Catholic education Nano Nagle in 1775. Historically, the Sisters have focused their energies on creating and staffing schools to educate young women.

THE hamlet of Lauriston, nestled in the Coliban Valley between Drummond and Kyneton, boasts around 235 residents. It is a figure, give or take a dozen people, that has remained unchanged since World War I.

IT LOOKED like Victoria had beaten COVID-19 into submission, and then new cases began leaking in from NSW.

THERE is no doubt, the Hepburn Hub at The Rex in Vincent Street, Daylesford has been an absolute disaster from the outset.

THE site of the old Port Phillip Mine in Clunes is nothing but an intriguing pile of dirt and gorse these days. But while every scrap of plant and infrastructure has been long obliterated, the remains still dominate the heart of the town.

THE many friends of Joan Oates remark on her capacity to respond to life with grit and determination. She is seen as a shining example of independence and strength, with a wonderful, sometimes wicked, sense of humour and a sharp, observant mind.

IT'S been an 'unprecedented' year and for most Central Highlands residents it's been one of lockdowns but also open spaces for enjoying masked walks. But for some former residents it's been a different year. Some better, some worse. "Out of the frying pan…into ???. In the fourth of our series, former Glenlyon resident Jill de Vos, pictured far right, talks about life in Europe with partner Shelley Beer, right, aboard their boat SV Eucalyptus.

WHEN Dr Amy Spiers, artist, writer and researcher, chose Woodend’s Hanging Rock to study as part of her artistic research into a significant Australian landmark, she had no idea where her work would take her.

IT'S been an 'unprecedented' year and for most Central Highlands residents it's been one of lockdowns but also open spaces for enjoying masked walks.

MOST people are aware of Clunes’ gold mining history. It was home to Victoria's first registered discovery, made by one William Campbell in 1850. Up to the 1890s, gold powered the town’s growth and gave it many fine buildings which survive relatively intact from ornate public halls to austere worker cottages.

IT'S been an 'unprecedented' year and for most Central Highlands residents it's been one of lockdowns but also open spaces for enjoying masked walks. But for some former residents it's been a different year. Some better, some worse.

CRESWICK’S Park Lake Botanical Reserve turns 160 this year, but celebrations are on hold until April 18, 2021.

ONE thing the pandemic has done is bring us to Edition 200 much quicker than we had planned.

AN 1890s painted wall-hanging capturing a sardonic depiction of the Australian coat of arms will be incorporated into Trentham’s new community hub in the town’s revamped Mechanics Institute building.

THE history of Creswick, indeed the entire geography of the Victorian political and social landscape, would be much different if not for Sir Alexander and Lady Millie Peacock. And they have left a fascinating legacy for anyone who chooses to look.

Looking north over the town centre the Convent Gallery has received thousands of visitors since its refurbishment.

And next up are memories of the Daylesford Courthouse, now the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre.

THE series continues in May featuring the Daylesford Court House (now the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre).

IN 1972, resident Neville Thurgood gathered together a group of locals to form The Mount Players.

THE unofficial history of …… series starts in April featuring the Daylesford Town Hall.