The Local

The lady of the manor on ‘Gardening Australia’

22-12-2024

Helen Hayes has always been a keen gardener but a busy corporate career kept her from creating something on the scale befitting her imagination.

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Ritchie: Gregarious, flambuoyant, kind

23-11-2024

Richard Herr, otherwise known as Ritchie Rich, is a Daylesford icon. There is no doubt about that. Many people are familiar with his sartorial excess as part of his many appearances in the yearly Chill Out parade. Others know him as the best dressed Santa in town.

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Finding small wins and sharing stories

22-11-2024

After a long period of closure, retired sportsperson Chris Anstey re-opened the refurbished Trentham Hotel last January.

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Tommy’s amazing life

21-11-2024

The scars are still there. Not only mentally from the cruel abuse Richard “Tommy” Campion and his sister suffered in a home after being abandoned when young but also on his back from beatings.

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Jean’s Kitchen opens with high tea at Korweinguboora

08-11-2024

Long-standing Korweinguboora resident Jean Howard has had the local reserve's kitchen named after her - as part of a revival of the reserve's complex.

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Book launch of Naku Dharuk (message on bark)

08-11-2024

My husband Malcolm Bray and I, Ruth Bray, were recently fortunate to attend the launch of Professor Clare Wright’s book Naku Dharuk, The Bark Petitions. How the people of Yirrkala changed the course of Australian Democracy.

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Spring Racing Fever: Melbourne Cup tour reaches Trentham

23-10-2024

There was no shortage of Spring Racing Fever in the air as the legendary Lexus Melbourne Cup paid a visit to Trentham last Wednesday as part of its much wider international and Aussie tour that began way back in May.

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Clunes booktown on Sunday returns

18-10-2024

Coming up November 10, Clunes' Booktown on Sunday series will feature Ross McMullin, author of “Life So Full of Promise: Further Biographies of Australia’s Lost Generation”.

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Family pilgrimage

12-10-2024

In every community around the country there are a multitude of stories to be told. So many of those tales are ones of diaspora, of individuals and families from all backgrounds fleeing poverty, war and social upheaval and creating a new life.

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Something old, something new: the tale of a wedding dress

11-10-2024

The story of a lavish 1880s wedding dress and its painstaking restoration is about to be shared as the historic Trewhella gown goes on display later this month at Daylesford & District Museum.

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Virginia Trioli & Annie Smithers in discussion at the Phee

28-09-2024

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.

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Daylesford’s Arlo has a passion for puzzles

13-09-2024

While most are content to pit their wits against the latest Wordle or tackle the crossword in their local newspaper, not so Daylesford’s Arlo Schwarz Deakin.

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Bob Conroy inducted into Hall of Fame

12-09-2024

The late Bob Conroy has been inducted into the Victorian Harness Racing Hall of Fame.

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Pests, partnerships and people power at the biodiversity seminar

03-09-2024

There is still time to grab a ticket to the Wimmera Biodiversity seminar that is back for its 27th edition with the theme 'Pests, Partnerships and People Power'.

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The Rex – No Report

02-09-2024

The Local Government Inspectorate has issued a media release about the Hepburn Shire Council and The Rex Theatre Development.

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Wolf-Tasker accepts Readers’ Choice Icon Award for Lake House

31-08-2024

Australian culinary hero Alla Wolf-Tasker has accepted the Gourmet Traveller's Readers’ Choice Icon Award for her Daylesford restaurant Lake House, which celebrated its 40th anniversary recently.

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Daylesford’s merry men of The Shed

30-08-2024

There’s little doubt that the blokes at the Daylesford Men’s Shed could whip up a nifty set of gates, a neat kitchen table or some handy signage.

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Commendation for thwarting assault on police

12-08-2024

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.

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Pets@Work – Dianne, Pepper & Rishi

01-08-2024

Ducking into the Clunes IGA supermarket for a few essentials, the sound of a puppy yap from somewhere within says it all. Dianne Hill, owner-operator of the supermarket has another puppy in her care.

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Don is good, but out, and the show goes on

01-08-2024

Don Harvey sharply remembers the jargon of a local council officer when he was getting involved with the Daylesford Show.

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Long-serving Clunes Museum curator steps aside

23-07-2024

Clunes' Dot Keller has retired as head curator at the town's museum after serving in the role and on the committee for many years.

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Return to Hamilton Island – after 30 years

21-07-2024

After 30 years Kyle Barnes and Donna Kelly returned to Hamilton Island, the place where they met while working on this tropical paradise.

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GoFundMe for world champion title tilt

20-07-2024

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to help a young Clunes girl achieve her dream of becoming a jiu jitsu world champion.

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Kate Redwood celebrated for community passion

19-07-2024

Tireless volunteer Kate Redwood will step away when her current term ends with the Central Highlands Rural Health Board of Management to focus on new projects closer to home.

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Lauretta Hanson on the road to Paris

17-07-2024

Fern Hill's Lauretta Hanson is heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympics. The road cyclist will compete in the women’s road cycling event on August 4, alongside teammates Grace Brown and Ruby Roseman-Gannon.

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Town criers all about history and tradition

04-07-2024

It’s the sense of tradition, history and occasion that Creswick’s Philip Greenbank most loves about his role as town crier.

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Melbourne Cup coming to Trentham

25-06-2024

The Melbourne Cup is coming to Trentham as part of the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour.

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Regent closes its doors

25-06-2024

Ballarat’s Regent Cinema has suddenly closed its doors – just a week out from the winter school holidays.

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How Alan ‘took’ his dad to Gallipoli

24-06-2024

The desire to go to Gallipoli for the Dawn Service burnt strongly in Daylesford’s Alan Eaton. Major heart surgery and three operations firstly stopped him, but even when he did go it was with an undiagnosed broken leg.

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Gripping survival tale of sibling abuse

22-06-2024

My Father’s Suitcase is described as a gripping tale of resilience and survival that offers hope to others who have experienced family violence and suffered at the hands of a sibling.

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Happy 70th anniversary!

22-06-2024

An unlikely match produced an incredible 70-year bond for Joan and Stuart McEwen of Hepburn, who celebrate their platinum wedding anniversary next Wednesday, June 26.

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Planting seeds: a chat with Patrice O’Shea (OAM)

19-06-2024

Coomoora’s Patrice O’Shea recently received an Order of Australia Medal in the General Division for services to the environment and secondary education in the King’s Birthday Honours list.

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Woman of vision: meet videographer Nadine Jade

08-06-2024

After many years of paying her dues in the competitive world of professional video production, Bullarto’s Nadine Jade has reached the stage where she can finally choose which projects to accept.

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Out of despair comes … art

07-06-2024

Brilliantly coloured images of rock and pop stars fill a book by Yandoit’s Dave Lewis. They arose out of extreme trauma.

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Sweet sound of success: Hepburn couple crack global games market

09-05-2024

World-wide, some truly remarkable things have come out of the global Covid pandemic and one of them is the meteoric rise to international success of a new part game developed by a Hepburn Springs couple during lockdown.

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Gisborne’s Charlie makes young achiever finals

03-05-2024

Young Gisborne artist, Charlie Jackman has been named as a finalist in the 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards (Victoria) in the Josh’s Rainbow Eggs, Ethical Business category.

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A century of that big band sound

29-04-2024

Michael Gilchrist and his extended family have lived in Broomfield since relocating from Melbourne in 1978.

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Pubs and women’s work in Australia’s history: guest talk in the ‘Rat

15-04-2024

Professor Diane Kirkby is presenting a guest talk on the socio-political history of women running pubs in Australia at Ballarat's Eureka Centre on Thursday May 2.

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Prof Lake to give guest talk at Ballarat Heritage Fest

15-04-2024

One of Australia’s leading historians, Professor Marilyn Lake AO will present a talk on colonial radicalism and democratic equality as part of next month's Ballarat Heritage fetival.

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Writers launch new Chequerboard anthology

12-04-2024

The Clunes writers group is a diverse lot so it’s little wonder that their new anthology has something in it to appeal to just about every kind of reader.

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Ancestory detective connecting generations

11-04-2024

It’s the thrill of the chase in large part that makes family history research such an addictive pursuit for professional genealogist, Lynda Collier.

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To feel the need, the need for sidecar speed…

28-03-2024

When you’re doing well over 200 km an hour, just centimetres from the ground with no seat belt and no air bag you don’t think about much other than remaining upright.

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Those fascinating folk, now at rest…

14-03-2024

Retired Anglican priest, Trentham’s Peta Sherlock admits she’s more than a tad addicted to fossicking out fascinating stories of the past.

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A wonderful journey of food & friendship

17-02-2024

Sometimes there are people who wander into our lives and our communities with an unexpected gift of compassion and connectedness. It is often hard to articulate the extent of their reach. Raman Richards is one such example.

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Artists of the Central Highlands

03-02-2024

The artistic oeuvre of Newstead-based Carol de Graauw is impressively diverse. Jeweller, silversmith, ceramicist, sculptor, this mutli-talented local designs and creates jewellery using gold, silver, bronze, cloisonne enameling and resin. She is just as at home, however, working with clay to create functional and decorative pieces. De Graauw has described creativity as “an escape pad” that “engages the heart, mind, soul and body in the act of making unique pieces”.

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Mayhem for Megan, back on the boards

02-02-2024

Long-time Daylesford resident Megan Jones whoops for joy as she tells of at last becoming a poster girl. At 70.

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Council awards for citizens and events

31-01-2024

Creswick's Neville Cartledge OAM and Pat Tacey have shared the top honour and jointly been named Hepburn Shire Citizen of the Year.

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Berry fine way to spend a day

18-01-2024

Going summer berry picking makes for an idyllic holiday activity whether you’ve got kids along for the fun or not.

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Teaching the next generation: Returning the Fourth Bark Petition to Country

17-01-2024

In 1962 my husband Malcolm Bray went to Yirrkala Mission in Northern Territory to work as a mechanic. I joined him three years later. We learnt the local Aboriginal language, and would often go to listen to the singing, the didgeridoo and the clapsticks in the evenings, and loved going out on Country with the Yolngu people.

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Santa House at Creswick

21-12-2023

Creswick’s Santa House is in full festive season glory once again.

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Tiny nativity a welcome waiting room distraction

21-12-2023

The lovely little hand-made nativity scene in Central Highlands Rural Health’s Clunes campus has been winning fans and influencing busy and preoccupied people to take a moment and reflect on the meaning of Christmas.

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Beginning to look like Christmas

21-12-2023

Christmas is coming, and so are the outfits, decorations and trees. The Local caught up with a few of those making the most of the silly season.

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Very merry lunch for Probus

19-12-2023

There was no mistaking the season as the Daylesford Probus Club collectively pulled up a seat at the lunch table yesterday.

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Madame Borovansky and 46 West Street, Daylesford

10-12-2023

WHO'S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY HOUSE was the title of an ABC television series which researched the fascinating history of a selection of Australian homes and the people who once inhabited them.

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Sign of the times: it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

08-12-2023

If you have ever wandered around Daylesford in November, you have probably seen Robbie Holbery signwriting the windows of Daylesford Meat Co in Vincent Street, and Albert Street Butchers, just around the corner.

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Celebrating extraordinary lives with Simone Kaplan

08-12-2023

Ellie Young of Trentham was born in New Zealand. Her father was a lighthouse keeper, and her mother was a schoolteacher.

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Deva launch at Royal Yacht Club of Victoria

26-11-2023

Former Glenlyon resident Jill de Vos has written a cat book. But this is not about any ordinary cat, nor an ordinary life.

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How Tony takes the plunge, again and again

24-11-2023

If Tony Kelly didn’t exist, someone possibly would invent him.

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Des returned as mayor for City of Ballarat

17-11-2023

The City of Ballarat councillors have elected Cr Des Hudson as Mayor and Cr Peter Eddy Deputy Mayor for the 2023/24 term.

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Just sayin’…

12-11-2023

It was a real shock to hear of the sudden death just last week of Serge Kislinsky. I hope you are not just reading it now in this column.

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Vale Tim Hayes

10-11-2023

Tim Hayes was a community leader and internationalist who rejuvenated the township of Clunes and saw its population double.

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Community mourns loss of much-loved Serge

08-11-2023

Popular Daylesford taxi driver Serge Kislinsky often told his daughter Natasha Waters he couldn’t visit the grandchildren in Melbourne because “the village needs me”.

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Pitch perfect..

08-11-2023

When it comes to playing soccer, many children learn bad habits. Lee Stevens wants to put them right. At 38, this Coomoora resident with two young children understands how some parents may struggle to coach their offspring.

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Breast cancer survivor tells her story to help fellow firefighters

06-11-2023

A CFA volunteer firefighter and breast cancer survivor has shared her story and the support she received with the hope she can help others in a similar situation.

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National human rights award for Creswick’s Tony Clark

14-10-2023

Creswick’s Tony Clark has received the inaugural Kimberley Kitching Human Rights Award at the recent ALP National Conference in Brisbane, using the opportunity to advocate strongly for a cause so dear to his heart.

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Classic ‘win-win’: the inside story of WomenCAN

12-10-2023

Former corporate lawyer, Mikaela Stafrace, (pronounced Staffarachi) is clearly passionate as she discusses her role as founder and CEO of WomenCAN Australia. The highly motivated change-maker will be guest speaker at the upcoming U3A AGM taking place in Daylesford on October 16.

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Guildford firey Will ‘always happy to help’

08-10-2023

A CFA volunteer since the age of 14, Guildford Fire Brigade Firefighter Will Dodson is always happy to help.

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Communication the key to Swift Conveyancing

29-09-2023

Daylesford’s Kirstie Swift got into property conveyancing in quite a surprising way.

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Artists of the Central Highlands

28-09-2023

Renown for his photographic landscape studies and creation of gaze-grabbing images in the commercial realm, acclaimed Hepburn based photographer David Rosendale enjoys an ongoing love-affair with light and its transformative role in image-making. He currently has an exhibition taking place at Eastern Peake Winery Cellar Door, Coghills Creek as part of the wider Ballarat Foto Biennale happening now through to October 22.

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About to bloom: Musk gardens open day nears

28-09-2023

Two of the region’s premier gardens are preparing to open their gates to visitors for a fundraising picnic day on Saturday, November 18.

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Farewell to a woodchop champ: Vale Harold

28-09-2023

The state’s woodchopping sports fraternity is mourning the recent loss of one of its favourite locals, Korweinguboora’s Harold Suckling.

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Jim Lycett: Residents’ advocate at Hepburn House

16-09-2023

It's a job you have to do well. Jim Lycett was an hydraulics engineer with Ansett Airlines - working on the important things like landing gear and brakes - and he loved it.

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CFA service runs in the family

11-09-2023

Frank and Luke Commisso are just one of the many wonderful family pairs within CFA.

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Cardiac arrest survivor’s tearful reunion with life-savers

10-09-2023

A father who suffered a cardiac arrest while driving home from work a few months ago has reunited with the emergency services responders who saved his life.

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Artists of the Central Highlands

03-09-2023

Rose Wilson’s prodigious artistic talent for creating captivating portraiture has seen her make the finals of some of the nation’s most prestigious arts awards including the Archibald Prize. This acclaimed Trentham artist is also renown for her impressionistic paintings paying homage to the natural environment and to the living creatures that inhabit it.

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Here’s cheers: Great times ahead at The Pig

02-09-2023

Eammon Hamilton was determined when he set about securing kitchen maestro Joel Reilly to be head chef at the Pig&Whistle.

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Amanda to compete in Deaf Bowls Champs, Scotland

31-08-2023

Hepburn’s Amanda Care is heading off to Scotland to compete in the International Deaf Bowls Championships.

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Winning youth in Macedon Shire

25-08-2023

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s annual Youth Awards were held at Kyneton Town Hall earlier this month with a crowd of over 100 people gathering to celebrate the outstanding achievements of young people in the shire.

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Pacific Air Show 2023

22-08-2023

The inaugural Pacific Airshow Gold Coast was a sensory overload. The show sported aerobatic aircraft from the mid-sized two airplanes in one, a super loud Yak110 and the huge C-130 Hercules through to my favourite the air ripping F/A-18 Super Hornet’s handling display.

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Artists of the Central Highlands … with Eve Lamb

20-08-2023

An enduring love affair with the Australian landscape, its power and diversity, underscores the work of much-collected Daylesford painter and printmaker Greg Mallyon. Greg’s abstract topographical images are inspired by an aerial perspective and his life story includes constant study, travel and rich exposure to European, Asian, Middle Eastern and our own Indigenous cultures. The many arts awards that this talented local creative has collected along the way include the 2021 National Capital Art Prize for Landscape and the Digital Art Award for the 2023 Queenscliff Art Prize.

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That’s a lot of bull!

19-08-2023

Trentham's John and Sue Harvey, on the cusp of their retirement, are delighted with the recent news that a son of their bull Torr Down Marvel 3, AI Z Providence Dr Octopus (pictured above) has won Supreme Exhibit and South Devon Breed Champion at the UK National Show.

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Friday’s time to ‘get your uke on’ in Clunes

18-08-2023

It’s Friday on a chill mid winter afternoon in Clunes but the sounds emanating from the town’s Attitude building have a distinctly sunny edge. The weekly ukulele group gathering is in progress.

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Trio to be honoured at Rotary’s 70th party

18-08-2023

Tourism stalwarts Carol White, Tina Banitska and Alla Wolf-Tasker, will be the guests of honour when the Rotary Club of Daylesford celebrates its 70th anniversary next month.

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Keep the legend simmering

17-08-2023

In his day yesteryear Creswick identity Simon (Simmy) McDonald was something of a household name in folk music circles.

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Vale Graeme Johnstone 18.01.1946 – 30.07.2023

16-08-2023

The central Victorian goldfields township of Clunes is mourning the loss of community stalwart, Graeme Johnstone.

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Firey’s commitment to helping others

12-08-2023

Inverloch Fire Brigade’s 1st Lieutenant Matthew King has been making blood donations for around a decade now, and he’s kept this habit up for this year’s Lifeblood Emergency Services Blood Drive.

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Clarksdalesfordians – a musical exchange

05-08-2023

CLARKSDALE is a town of 15,000 in the US state of Mississippi and considered by many music aficionados to be an important part of the development of blues music.

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Sharing your stories …

04-08-2023

TRENTHAM'S Mary Walsh describes herself as a simple Irish girl, from a farming family, in Brideswell. She doesn’t like talking about herself and her mum used to say “self praise is no praise”. Even still, we had so much to talk about and the essence and wisdom of Mary Walsh was abundant.

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Viva the vinyl retro revolution

03-08-2023

There’s a moment of aural frisson, the needle dropping, the prelude crackle just before the soundwaves hit and transport you to...

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Long walk to leave limbo

03-08-2023

Keep an eye out and you may just spot him hiking along the chilly, muddy Hepburn Shire roads this week.

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Researching sonic boom times at Werona

02-08-2023

THE world is a strange place. Even after most of the earth has been explored, mapped and explained there is always something weird which can rattle our peace of mind.

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Way forward for Sutton Grange and Myrtle Creek Fire Brigade

31-07-2023

Jan Hull has been striving towards captaincy within CFA for over 30 years, and now as Sutton Grange and Myrtle Creek’s first woman to become Captain, she is ready to put her promising ambitions into action.

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Aromatic Healing with massage and facials

22-07-2023

ORIGINALLY from Sydney, Fiona Harris grew up by Cronulla Beach before moving to Victoria in 1995. After 12 months in Melbourne it was time for a tree change, so with husband Stan, the couple moved to Daylesford.

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Jine loving her new role at Hepburn House

21-07-2023

JINE Alpuerto has just started in the role of clinical nurse manager at Hepburn House and is already loving the staff and clients.

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Local Lines

09-07-2023

Ernie Hug was a back pocket for The Pies in ‘65but up front were his hands With 28 centimetre spans...

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Artists of the Central Highlands …

08-07-2023

Formerly Sister Maleita, serving as a nun with a French Order in New Zealand, Daylesford’s Millie Gouldthorpe came to painting later in life than many, but once she did – Oh Boy! The canvas really exploded. Millie’s style which emerged in a torrent of creativity during the time of COVID lockdowns is vibrant, abstract expressionist, and the way she revels in the sheer joy of colour is all the more fabulous for the fact that she is classified as blind due to the development of a degenerative eye condition. When she makes art, sometimes literally in the dark, this local arts talent almost seems to be channelling some higher force.

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Order of Australia for staunch advocate

05-07-2023

“Grateful” is the way Clunes local, proud Yorta Yorta and Barkandji woman, Karen Heap humbly described being appointed a Member of the Order of Australia.

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Leeanne socks it to us

22-06-2023

Finding an enterprise that makes beautiful handmade socks in every colour of the rainbow in Clunes is really not so odd.

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Being seen … for a career in ophthalmology

21-06-2023

DR SANDRA Staffieri has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to medicine as an orthoptist and vision researcher, and to paediatric ophthalmology.

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King’s Birthday honour for Anneke Deutsch

21-06-2023

DAYLESFORD’S Anneke Deutsch has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to the community.

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Service to medicine recognised

13-06-2023

Dr Sandra Staffieri has been awarded the Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to medicine as an orthoptist and vision researcher, and to paediatric ophthalmology.

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Award for community service

12-06-2023

Daylesford’s Anneke Deutsch has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to the community.

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Greater purpose in growing clean, healthy food

WHEN Edward Benedict lived in a bedsit in East Melbourne, his neighbours called him The Farmer. He had a small patch opposite the MCG, where his veggies grew and grew and grew.

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Equal the Contest to premiere at documentary film fest

09-06-2023

When documentary maker Mitch Nivalis contacted The Local a little way back requesting use of an article the paper had published in 2017, editor Donna Kelly was happy to oblige.

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Beautiful vocal music coming to Daylesford

07-06-2023

Renowned opera singer and director Christine Douglas may have had a distinguished career, and continues to do so, but she remains down to earth when it comes to describing her passion.

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DFNC launches Jim Gull Memorial Scoreboard launched in style

04-06-2023

It may have been cold rainy and bleak, but that wasn't about to stop the Daylesford Football Netball Club launching its new Jim Gull Memorial Scoreboard in recent days.

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Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize launched

26-05-2023

The 2023 Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize has been launched by Holmgren Design with a major prize of $1000.

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Lockdown life leads to sequel and 10th novel

25-05-2023

OH, WHAT one could do if only given the time to think, to have the freedom from the millstone of work and social distractions. What art we could create, what books we would write.

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Beth headed to Hungary for world champs

10-05-2023

DAYLESFORD'S Beth Whiting is heading to Hungary next month to take part in the World Kettlebell Sport Federation championships.

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Legends: Eastoe and Murray drop a new life track

16-04-2023

FROM supporting Pink Floyd and featuring on Countdown to doing guitar for The Wiggles, the combined experience of local musos Gilly Eastoe and Terry Murray is the stuff of legend.

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As happy as…

12-04-2023

THE sky rolls wide and blue above Pig and Earth, a sustainable free-range organic pig farm set on the volcanic plains just out of Kingston.

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In the ring at Wombat Fight Club

01-04-2023

AS A a paramedic, Baydon Beddoe says he picks up the injured by ambulance. As a boxer, he says, he knocks ‘em down.

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Magical birds, joyful singing & art exhibits

31-03-2023

DAYLESFORD artist and musician Vanessa Craven has just published a children’s colour picture song book, Birds in My Tree: The Magic of Birds and the Joy of Singing.

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From furniture to philandering: a fascination with fungi

30-03-2023

FOR countless years the mysterious world of fungi has been the domain of a fairly exclusive handful of boffins.

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The Path well travelled

29-03-2023

TURNS out simply hanging with horses is really good for your health and happiness. It’s a basic tenet that underscores the good things happening at The Path of the Horse, just out of Trentham.

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Clues about Russia revealed at Clunes

19-03-2023

AS AN adolescent, Sheila Fitzpatrick challenged her father, including questioning his view on the Soviet Union. Being a socialist, he was hopeful that it was achieving something like socialism...

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Coffee? You’ll love Daylesford’s Brew Jays!

18-03-2023

IF you like a good brew...Espresso, filter, pour over, batch or cold brew. If you like your coffee you’ll love Daylesford’s Brew Jays. This new kid on the block...

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Lessons from Lucy book launch at Convent

17-03-2023

Elizabeth Huxtable is a former Daylesford resident and has written a memoir about her time in the town while parenting her daughter with disabilities, Lucy.

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Move over Icebergers, we’re the Polar Bears

16-03-2023

In the weeks since it was publicly floated as a thought bubble, the Calembeen Polar Bears swimming group has quickly caught on as Creswick’s inland answer to the coastal Icebergers.

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Revealed: How The Local helped an ex-truckie become a demented killer

15-03-2023

FOR some time now there’s been a belief that print is dead. Many say the world is all online.

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ChillOut 2023

12-03-2023

ChillOut 2023

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Goodbye Glyn!: Castlemaine State Fest director soon vacates director’s chair

08-03-2023

Glyn Roberts, current director of the Castlemaine State Festival has announced that the 2023 iteration of the premiere arts event will be his last in the director’s chair. After six years, he will be stepping down next month.

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Sweet new role gives Karla the buzz on bees

28-02-2023

Meet AgVic's newest apiary officer, Karla Williams.

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Artists of the Central Highlands with Eve Lamb

16-02-2023

The prolific creative output of Wheatsheaf artist Frances Guerin is informed by a background in philosophy and transpersonal psychology.

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Locking in love: Happy Valentines

14-02-2023

Happy Valentines! Daylesford's Alexis Saville and Odin Jonsson, who has just moved from Trentham to Ballarat, have been dating for just one month but have known each other for 10 years and been best friends for seven.

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Powercor reply to Just Sayin’… Feb 13, 2023

12-02-2023

Powercor is working to address reliability issues affecting customers in Daylesford, Glenlyon and surrounding areas.

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Meet MC Art Simone

09-02-2023

Art Simone will MC the All Ages event Saturday Sound Shell, and co-MC at Carnivale with ABC’s favourite weatherman Nate Byrne! She chatted with ChillOut Festival's Fabry-Jenkins.

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Chilling Out with Sam Lohs – one half of the Tuck Shop Ladies

09-02-2023

Sam Lohs, one half of the Tuck Shop Ladies, will be performing at a few events at ChillOut (see below). Sam chatted with the festival's Amy Fabry-Jenkins.

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Central Highlands artist profiles

03-02-2023

GLENLYON artist Pam Gleeson brings her background discipline as a professional photographer to her creation of imposing landscapes that reflect her deep love of the land and its stories. Pam is no slouch when it comes to observing detail. She’s previously worked as a medical scientist. Here, she chats to The Local journalist Eve Lamb about her art.

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Meet Stella Savy, conductor of the Creswick Chorus

03-02-2023

Quite a few will know her as the friendly face up front conducting the Creswick Chorus, Creswick’s own community choir for adults who like to sing.

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PETstock: For all creatures great and small

03-02-2023

As all pet owners know, running out of pet food is not an option.

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Hepburn House and regional Vic: best ever

02-02-2023

Jo Beswick has already led an amazing life but she says moving to the Central Highlands and taking up the position of care manager at Hepburn House are the “best decisions ever."

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The doco history of the projectionists’ craft

01-02-2023

A DECADE ago, cinema complexes across Australia were going digital, dumping their old analog equipment and almost overnight, projectionists found themselves out of a job.

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Community Awards recipients announced

01-02-2023

HUMBLED and “a bit surprised” is the way farmer John Drife describes discovering he’s this year’s Hepburn Shire Citizen of the Year.

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New citizens welcomed to Hepburn Shire

02-02-2023

Twenty-one people took the pledge to become Australian citizens at Hepburn Shire Council's civic event last Wednesday, January 25.

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Carol calls time on her Lavandula property

20-01-2023

CAROL White is calling time on Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm, putting the historic Shepherds Flat property up for sale.

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Craig Barrett: A love of art and pared back simplicity

19-01-2023

Creswick’s Craig Barrett is one of the region’s accomplished artists whose love of landscape and the natural world and the way human endeavour has interacted with it, resonates through his creative output. He has works held in the National Gallery of Victoria, the State Library of Victoria and the Shrine of Remembrance in addition to private and corporate collections. He chatted with journalist Eve Lamb about his love of art and his personal arts practice.

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Meet Sally Buck: Supercharging the plant-based protein industry

18-01-2023

Dr Sally Buck never dreamed of becoming a scientist when she grew up. But that was only because she didn’t know it was an option.

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Cricket, art, writing…

06-01-2023

In our July 18 edition we sadly reported on the loss of Trentham's Peter Young, who wrote many pieces for The Local.

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Principal inducted onto shire honour role

05-01-2023

In our March 14 edition, we reported on Bullarto Primary School Principal Jo Pegg and her induction onto the Hepburn Shire's Heather Mutimer Honour Roll.

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Civic recognition for Danny’s tireless work

04-01-2023

In our February 14, 2022 edition we reported on volunteer extraordinaire Danny Moynihan and his appointment as Hepburn Shire's 2022 Citizen ofthe Year.

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‘Sex is never just sex’: Miller to feature in library author talks series

02-01-2023

Acclaimed Castlemaine author Alex Miller will be discussing his new novel, A brief affair, with Prue Mansfield in a special event coming up at Bendigo Library.

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Dragon Dance: Lauren Mitchell and Geoff Hocking

01-01-2023

Dragon Dance is a story of hope, resilience and creativity, and a celebration of Bendigo's much-loved Chinese dragons and a special event is this month offering central Victorian locals a chance to hear first-hand from its creators.

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The eyes of the storm

23-12-2022

MEMORIES of the June winter storm that cut a swathe through much of Hepburn Shire last year remain strongly etched in the mind’s eye of Trentham’s Charl Parris.

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Riding for Cambodia

23-12-2022

PREPARING to cycle 650 kilometres through the heat of a Cambodian January may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

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Wait a minute – 2023? What happened to 2022?

22-12-2022

KEEN-eyed readers of this paragon of print media that you hold in your hands at this moment might have noticed that its United States correspondent hasn’t been contributing much news over the past several months, and many, perhaps, have even asked themselves, “why?” Which could have led to the follow-up query: “who cares?”

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Cath: Magic roller coaster of emotions

08-12-2022

IT'S not your average job description but being Australia’s “leading female magician and mentalist” is a profession Daylesford’s Cath Jamison simply loves.

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A note to attend mass this Christmas

03-12-2022

Daylesford district locals and visitors are being invited to get along to some of the upcoming Catholic Church Christmas Masses as part of their festive season celebrations this year.

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social enterprise shifts the menu to nutrition-rich eats

28-11-2022

FORGET the days when school lunch meant a pallid pastry followed by a fizzy saccharine chaser and a stomach ache.

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Ruth leading lady in Ageing DisGracefully

27-11-2022

RUTH Irving has come a long way. Raised on a farm at Mollongghip, she is now gracing the front cover of Hepburn House's latest calendar albeit disGracefully!

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Tonia says ‘I do’ to challenges and projects

26-11-2022

TONIA Todman, well-known television personality, queen of craft and author feels very lucky with the opportunities she has been given over a long career

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Welcome Week at Daylesford Lawn Tennis Club

17-11-2022

Daylesford Lawn Tennis Club is running Welcome Week starting Thursday 24th November 2022. We welcome any new players, young and not so young, beginners and people who haven’t played for yonks. There is something for everyone with free tennis events running all week on Daylesford’s beautifully maintained grass courts. Come down and give tennis a go! It is a week of free smashing good fun!

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Just briefly: some rainbow-coloured funds

15-11-2022

ChillOut is among three organisations to receive funding for 2023 from Victoria's Regional Events Fund.

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Travels with, and without, our vase by Jeff Glorfeld

15-11-2022

MOST everyone has antiques of some kind in and around their home, and by antique I don’t mean beat-up old slobs like me.

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Go Local Clunes

13-11-2022

Home or gardenware gifts, ethically-produced meats, the freshest fruits and veggies, your pick of great coffee, a pot & parma and so much more. It’s time to remind ourselves of the value of buying local.

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Kyle’s rant

30-10-2022

DOROTHEA Mackellar wrote: "I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains.

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Just sayin’… By Donna Kelly

30-10-2022

BLOODY hell, that was a busy week.

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Camera win leads to love of photography

30-10-2022

ARTIST Kaye Dixon grew up in Brisbane, moved to Melbourne in 1980 and then to Yandoit in 2000. Her love of photography started when she won a camera at a school fete.

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Horoscopes

27-10-2022

A busy couple of weeks happening overhead with eclipse season upon us, as well as Mars turning retrograde, both might cause some upheavals.

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Battery power to the rescue: Daylesford CFA

14-10-2022

THE value of forking out a cool $100,000 or so to upgrade the Daylesford CFA rescue truck was well demonstrated in recent days. When the truck was called in to help free a man trapped in a crushed utility following a head-on collision near Glenlyon, the new addition of battery power to run its critical lifesaving equipment proved a massive help, members of the volunteer brigade say.

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The Big Rainbow comes to Daylesford They swiped right!

05-10-2022

DAYLESFORD has been named the home of The Big Rainbow, Australia’s first “big” landmark dedicated to the celebration of regional LGBTIQA+ pride and inclusion.

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R U OK?

30-08-2022

A number of activities are being planned for R U OK? Day on September 8 to help people to be able to start a conversation that could change a life

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Empathy in the classroom

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The bistro is back at the Daylesford Bowlo

28-08-2022

THE new chef at the Daylesford Bowling Club Bistro, Lenny Giri, has a philosophy which is that food is the way to healthier living if it's made with soulful dedication and emotions.

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Performance at Kyneton

26-08-2022

Kyneton Town Hall will host a spectacular one-night only performance of Fred Smith and the Urban Sea Shanties Community Choir on Saturday 10 September. The not-to-be missed performance is the culmination of months of choir rehearsals under the guidance of choral leaders Andrew Price and Seija Knight.

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Changes to aged care services at Macedon Ranges

26-08-2022

Macedon Ranges Shire Council has decided to change the way it provides aged care services as of 1 July 2023, following Commonwealth Government changes to the sector under Aged Care Reforms.

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St Augustine’s Church celebrates 150 years

28-08-2022

ST AUGUSTINE'S Church Creswick will celebrate its 150th anniversary on the weekend of September 17 and 18.

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Amy’s connection with Olivia

17-08-2022

WITH the news of the death of Olivia Newton-John last Tuesday, there were many shared tributes and memories.

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Where is the Big Rainbow?

17-08-2022

Six weeks after voting closed, there is still no word if Daylesford will be the home of Tinder’s Big Rainbow, the first big landmark celebrating regional LGBTQIA+ Pride and inclusion.

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Reservoir dogs

16-08-2022

The Mount Players' third production for 2022, Reservoir Dogs opens on Friday, August 19 playing through to Sunday, September 4.

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Find Your Wings theme for ChillOut 23

16-08-2022

CHILLOUT has unveiled its theme for 2023 – Find Your Wings. Festival director Emma Ireland said the theme came from the discovery of the bright-eyed brown butterfly at the Grove of Gratitude at Wombat Flat, Lake Daylesford.

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Police, businesses, call for CCTV cameras

15-08-2022

DAYLESFORD business owner Chris Hartigan came to work last Tuesday to find someone had tried to break into his Vincent Street business.

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Trains almost back to Bullarto

15-08-2022

DAYLESFORD Spa Country Railway trains are not far from heading back to Bullarto after the track was covered by fallen trees and debris in the June 2021 storm.

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Back on track

15-08-2022

The Daylesford Spa Country Railway volunteers have been kept busy since the June storm last year. But they are almost back on track to Bullarto thanks to their hard work and that of Bushfire Recovery Victoria.

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Hepburn Shire still can’t get no satisfaction

14-08-2022

THE 2022 Victorian Community Satisfaction Survey has found that Hepburn Shire Council has shown a decline in 14 of 16 key areas since last year including Overall council direction, Overall performance, Community decisions and Sealed local roads.

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Spotlight on homelessness with Narelle Groenhout

14-08-2022

‘LET’S go far – together.’ There’s an African proverb that resonates across our local towns. “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

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Horoscopes August 14-28 with Jennifer Hart

14-08-2022

Horoscopes August 14-28

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Ageing with Attitude: Clunes to host a new ageing well conference

13-08-2022

On Friday October 28, the regional town of Clunes will host nationally acclaimed leaders and experts in positive ageing in the community at the Talking Ageing with Attitude conference. This new conference hosted by the Clunes community group Attitude will offer local perspective on the global conversation around strategies for ageing well in community.

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Mental health help for kids

07-08-2022

Macedon Ranges Shire Council invites parents and teachers in the Macedon Ranges to participate in an upcoming focus groups to help shape a new holistic mental health education program to support the wellbeing of grade five and six students across the shire.

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Education staff recognised

04-08-2022

Two staff members from Daylesford College have been recognised for their long-serving dedication to students and families through the Recognition of Service to Victorian Education program.

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Just sayin’…

01-08-2022

SO, The Rex is for sale to the highest bidder. Not really a big surprise although it did look like a last-minute reprieve might have happened thanks to Councillors Halliday, Bray and Drylie. But it was not to be. No stalling, said the other councillors, it was time to bite the bullet and put up the For Sale sign.

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Inspiring Jasmine

01-08-2022

From a young age, Daylesford’s Jasmine Gruar knew she wanted to be a ballet dancer. Her memories of dancing with her sister at home cemented her love of dance.

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The Rex now for sale to the highest bidder

31-07-2022

HEPBURN Shire Council will sell The Rex building to the highest bidder despite 66 per cent of survey respondents being against the move.

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Horoscopes August 1st to 14th with Jennifer Hart

31-07-2022

Horoscopes August 1st to 14th with Jennifer Hart

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True event stage drama

27-07-2022

A powerful stage drama based on a true event and set in a farmhouse in rural Victoria, is now in rehearsal at Castlemaine’s Phee Broadway Theatre.

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New fire station at Mount Macedon

26-07-2022

Construction is underway on a new fire station in Mount Macedon, which will deliver a significant boost to fire services in the Macedon region.

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Building new roles for women in sport

25-07-2022

Victorian women now have the chance to build specialist skills to thrive in leadership roles in the sport and recreation sector.

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Sell The Rex: Council

23-07-2022

Hepburn Matters is calling on the Hepburn Shire Council to hold off on any decision to sell The Rex until the end of November and “commit in principle to a co-design process between the council and community, to explore and reach mutually satisfactory outcomes”.

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Snap rally

21-07-2022

More than 50 people attended a snap rally in Gisborne last Friday, called by the Wombat Action Group to voice their concerns about the VicForests’ salvage logging in the Wombat State Forest.

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End of an era for Peter

18-07-2022

An advert in the local paper - and his wife’s avid reading - led Peter Matthews to the Board of Kyneton District Health. After almost a decade as a board director, including a long stint as board chair, the Woodend local is stepping down from the now Central Highlands Rural Health.

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Peter’s life: Art, cricket, writing, style

18-07-2022

TRENTHAM artist and PR legend Peter Young passed away last Thursday, July 14, after a short illness. His own Twitter handle describes him as: "Former Cricket Aust head of public affairs-turned-slow-left-arm painter. Of canvases, not houses."

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Vale David Endacott

18-07-2022

DAYLESFORD's David Endacott has sadly passed away after an accident on July 1, just short of his 76th birthday.

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Ukraine Appeal

17-07-2022

The Daylesford Parish launched its Ukraine Appeal in late April 2022 and is currently remitting close to $800 to the Anglican Diocese of Europe who are managing this appeal and the distribution of aid.

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Looking back

07-07-2022

BACK in September 2013, Glenlyon Anglican Church held a wonderful Blessing of the Pets service, above. Father Andrew Eaton met with a 20-strong crowd with their beloved pets - all canines on the day.

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Venie Poetry Prize

07-07-2022

The 2022 Venie Holmgren Environmental Poetry Prize, in partnership with Rabbit, a journal for nonfiction poetry, has been launched.

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The sick state of our health system

05-07-2022

ACROSS the country, a medical crisis seems to have erupted. Some rural hospitals have become so short of staff the military has been called in. In the cities, reports abound of lines of ambulances and crowded waiting rooms.

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Ageing well and time to talk

04-07-2022

CLUNES is a place of firsts. First gold town. First Book Town and now the first country town to tackle the issue of ageing well in the community by bringing the conversation right to its own door.

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Hepburn Matters

03-07-2022

HEPBURN Matters, a community advocacy group, was launched at the Daylesford Town Hall on June 22 in front of more than 100 people.

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A tribute to Dear Fay

03-07-2022

WHEN well-known and much-loved local John Hungerford started sharing Facebook posts about his beautiful wife ‘Dear Fay’, he never expected the outpouring of emotions from friends and strangers alike. John and Fay were well known in the Newlyn and wider district with Newlyn Antiques and Nursery and their shared love of people.

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40 years in education

25-06-2022

Teacher Vicki Hughes from Creswick Primary School, has been recognised for 40 years in education.

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Ciao!

23-06-2022

I'm Mara Ripani and I love being with community, talking and discussing all that is important to us. Problem solving and diving deep into conversations about everything and anything, no matter how difficult, no matter how light.

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Congratulations Fr Jeff and Terry

22-06-2022

On Sunday morning, June 5, (Pentecost Sunday), Father Jeff O’Hare, left, and Terry Langevin were married by the Anglican Bishop of Ontario, the Right Reverend Michael Oulton, in front of Father Jeff’s congregation of Christ Church Belleville.

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Silent films at Radio Springs Hotel

22-06-2022

When silent films first made an appearance, they were almost always accompanied by live music, starting with a pianist at the first movie projections by the Lumière Brothers in Paris in 1895.

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Resorts with Narelle Groenhout

20-06-2022

IT’S no secret that Aussies love a resort holiday. Thousands of us flock to tropical destinations like Fiji and Bali for family-friendly, cheap and cheerful holidays. Well, before Covid anyway. But as life and international borders start looking like pre-Covid days we start dreaming and planning our escapes.

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The pub with no wine with Donna Kelly

20-06-2022

IT MAY be a long way to Tipperary but it’s also a long way from Glenlyon to Cairns. About 4000km. You can apparently do it in four days if you really push yourself but what’s the fun in that. Road trips are about taking it easy, taking in the scenery and chatting to locals. Connecting, breathing, dropping back to a slower pace.

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The grey nomad life with Peter Young

19-06-2022

MY wife Sally, aka “my gal Sal” has often reminisced sentimentally about happy childhood holidays on the Murray and at Eildon in her family’s tiny plywood teardrop caravan.

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Amy turns 103 and celebrates a great life

09-06-2022

ATHLETICS legend Amy Burow AM celebrated her 103rd birthday on Monday, May 30.

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Multiple portfolios for Catherine King

06-06-2022

BALLARAT Federal MP Catherine King has been sworn in as the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.

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Horoscopes – June 6th

05-06-2022

Horoscopes - June 6th

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& Juliet to premiere in Melbourne

21-05-2022

The West End’s award-winning contemporary musical & Juliet will make its Australian premiere in Melbourne at the Regent Theatre in February next year.

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Funding for kids with a disability

19-05-2022

The state government is boosting funding for Victorian schools to support kids with disability, to ensure they have the tools they need to learn and thrive in the classroom and in life.

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Say on youth in Hepburn Shire

06-05-2022

If you want to have a say on the development and coordination of services, programs, activities, for people aged 12- 25 years, take a look at Hepburn Shire Council’s Youth Development Strategy – known as THE ACE.

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Lighting the hall for Ukraine

04-05-2022

Macedon Ranges Shire Council will be lighting up Kyneton Town Hall in the Ukrainian colours every evening from Friday 6 May until Thursday 12 May as a sign of solidarity and support for the people of Ukraine.

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Making tracks: the timeless history of our trees

04-05-2022

WHO would guess that to some people big storms and bushfires are almost welcome? The measured pleasure they get is because these disasters may laying bare secrets tucked away in the bush, such as century old timber-getting tramways in the Wombat state forest.

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Backflip on The Rex?

27-04-2022

Hepburn Shire Council appears to have done a backflip on the sale of The Rex building in Vincent Street.

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All things potatoes and more at Spudfest

26-04-2022

AS AUTUMN stretches out, Trentham spud farmers are starting to pull their potatoes out of the ground – just in time for The Great Trentham Spudfest on Saturday, May 7.

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The local who killed off Neighbours’ Madge

25-04-2022

FOR many of us who grew up watching iconic Australian television series Neighbours, news of its axing after nearly 38 years on our small screens is unthinkable.

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Battle brewing in forest

25-04-2022

A NEW forest battle is brewing, not even a year after the state government announced three new national parks, including linking the Wombat and Lerderderg state forests to create a new park of 44,000 hectares between Daylesford and Bacchus Marsh.

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Biggest Morning Tea

24-04-2022

On Monday, May 9, head to the Daylesford Bowling Club for a Biggest Morning Tea event from 10.30am.

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Bringing back bird species

21-04-2022

Bringing the world’s most important bird species back from the brink is a story that belongs on a big screen. And now it is.

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Community access hub opens

20-04-2022

Residents in the Macedon Ranges and surrounding communities now have better access to a range of vital health, family and community services under one roof, after the opening of the Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health Hub in Kyneton.

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Ageing DisGracefully

15-04-2022

HEPBURN House is taking orders for its 2023 calendar, with the theme of Ageing DisGracefully!

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Turn on, tune in, drop out with Jeff Glorfeld

15-04-2022

THERE'S a joke told on baby boomers that goes: “If you remember the 1960s, you weren’t there.” The funniest part about that old witticism is that no one remembers for certain who said it first.

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Lest We Forget

14-04-2022

Anzac Day services for April 25

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Music and movies

14-04-2022

SMALL Space Music and the Radio Springs Hotel are pairing live improvised music scores with classic movies for the Magic Lantern Sessions.

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The future is now, local tells uni students

13-04-2022

STAYING home during the pandemic has meant a quiet revolution. For Daylesford’s Craig Mutton it changed a lot, including his job.

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From convict to land holder

13-04-2022

ON THE river flats along Creswick Creek in the area known today as the township of Clunes, European settlement emerged to take advantage of the land for the growing of livestock.

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5000 Club back

13-04-2022

After several years of necessary closure, the 5000 Club has decided to re-open operations. President Loretta Little said the first day back would be a celebration on Friday, April 29 at noon at the Victoria Park Pavilion.

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Night of the Proms

12-04-2022

Night of the Proms will be held at the Daylesford Town Hall on Saturday, April 30 and is a fundraiser for the Daylesford Community Brass Band, sponsored by Community Bank Daylesford District and U3A Hepburn Shire.

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No more dropping in on planning department

12-04-2022

HEPBURN Shire Council is actively looking for new planners, CEO Bradley Thomas says. The statement comes after a number of people contacted The Local to say the planning department was either understaffed or had no staff remaining after a number of resignations.

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Good Friday Appeal: Cash, card, online, cheque

12-04-2022

IT’S that time of year – Easter and the Good Friday Appeal for the Royal Children’s Hospital.

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Don’t sell The Rex – group’s call to council

11-04-2022

A PUBLIC meeting held by organisation Rethink The Rex, has resulted in a call for Hepburn Shire Council to “rescind the motion to sell The Rex and release the Crowe Haworth auditor’s report”.

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Bullarto Tractor Pull great success at Trentham

11-04-2022

THE Bullarto Public Hall Committee reports that the 2022 Tractor Pull and Classic Car Show at Trentham was a great success, with over 700 people attending.

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Vicki on Team Vaccination at the Top End

11-04-2022

MOST people take long service leave to get away from work. Not so Vicki Sundblom.

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Support for older residents to stay in their homes

09-04-2022

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is holding free information sessions for older people, their families and carers about Commonwealth Home Support Programme services across the shire during April and May.

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Waterbirds on the increase

09-04-2022

The diversity and numbers of waterbirds breeding and feeding across the North Central region’s wetlands continued to rise this season, thanks to the Victorian environmental watering program.

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Frontline for biosecurity risks on farms

08-04-2022

Grain Biosecurity Officers (GBO’s) are at the frontline of protecting Australia’s $18 billion grains industry by helping growers manage biosecurity risks at a farm and industry level.

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Duck talk

08-04-2022

Kirsten Diprose lives and farms near Caramut in the state’s south west. She’s the co-collaborator of ‘Ducks on a Pond’, a podcast series connecting and sharing stories and advice among rural women on the land.

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Rabbit woes?

08-04-2022

Are rabbits a problem in your garden or small land holding? Would you like to know more about best practice rabbit control in regional communities?

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Desexing pets to improve animal welfare

08-04-2022

The Victorian Government is supporting councils and not-for-profit organisations to desex thousands of dogs and cats to improve animal welfare outcomes and reduce the number of unwanted pets.

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Zero Emissions Vehicle subsidy uptake

07-04-2022

Thousands of Victorians are saving up to $500 a month on fuel costs after taking advantage of the Zero Emissions Vehicle subsidy.

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Accessible information & support is critical for the wellbeing of Australians with IBD

07-04-2022

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects around 100,000 Australians – that’s 1 in every 250 people living with chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. With no cure for the disease, access to relevant and up-to-date information, and a strong support network to manage this chronic illness, are vital.

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Upgrade for Lauriston Hall

07-04-2022

The 90-year-old Lauristone Hall in Lauriston has been transformed from a much-loved community hub into a more accessible space to be better equipped to host more events.

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Quail callers suspended for the 2022 Stubble Quail season

06-04-2022

The Game Management Authority has today announced the use of electronic quail callers will be prohibited during the 2022 Stubble Quail hunting season.

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New riverside camping sites online

06-04-2022

The first of hundreds of new riverside camping spots are now online with the hundreds more of the Croown Land sites to be added progressively in the coming weeks.

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Japanese encephalitis update

Agriculture Victoria is working closely with both the pig and horse industries in response to Japanese encephalitis.

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Help for business

05-04-2022

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is again encouraging local businesses affected by COVID-19 to apply for vouchers of up to $1000.

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Listening to veterans

05-04-2022

Minister for Veterans Shaun Leane has asked the Victorian Veterans Council to commission the third Veterans Sector Study, an assessment of the needs and priorities of veterans and their families, as well as the ex-service and community organisations that support them.

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REIV wants fairness and transparency

04-04-2022

The Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) is calling for full sales price disclosure, standardised residential sales contracts, identity verification of buyers and sellers and the same price estimation standards that apply to estate agents, to be enforced for all residential sales.

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CresFest 2022

04-04-2022

Cold Central Victoria-type weather seemed to sync with the end of daylight saving, perfectly setting the scene for a new, sprawling and cosy music festival - Creswick's CresFest.

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Money for emergency groups

04-04-2022

The state government has announced the Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program (VESEP) is open for applications.

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RUNNERS RETURN TO STRIKE IT RICH ON THE GOLDFIELDS

03-04-2022

Hundreds of running prospectors are expected to strike single track gold in Victoria’s Daylesford-Hepburn Springs spa country with return of the Goldrush Trail Runs on Sunday 10 April.

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Ageing DisGracefully

03-04-2022

IF YOU missed out on last year's Hepburn House movie-inspired calendar, don't fret, the residents are already working on 2023 - and the theme is Ageing DisGracefully!

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Blackwood Woodchop & Easter Carnival

02-04-2022

THE Blackwood Woodchop & Easter Carnival will be held on Saturday, April 16.

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Open for (men’s) business

02-04-2022

TRENTHAM'S Cool Country Men’s Shed was officially opened after a two year delay thanks to Covid restrictions. The shed, at 55 Mulcahys Road, opened on March 19.

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Small halls

30-03-2022

Award-winning indie folk darlings Charm of Finches and prolific singer-songwriter Jack Carty have hit the road for the Festival of Small Halls Autumn Tour 2022.

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A bank with a heart

30-03-2022

In the 10 years since the Community Bank Daylesford District opened its doors on Vincent Street, it has contributed more than $500,000 in community funding.

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Puppy Pride

29-03-2022

Is your dog a puppy prodigy? Do you swell with pride at the tricks your dog can do? Or perhaps your pooch has a unique feature to share.

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Operation Cookies

28-03-2022

MANY of us have watched in horror and disbelief as Russia has rolled over Ukraine, killing soldiers and civilians, and wondered what we can do to help.

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Daylesford…not just a place but a community

28-03-2022

Sarah Flemming 31, and Marlie Regis 30, met in England six years ago.They left their IT and marketing careers to see the world and have been in Australia for four years and are now influencers and bloggers, highlighting the sights and people they come across on their journey. Their recent return to Daylesford, a community that supported them during lockdown, homeless and alone, has seen them spread the joy of ChillOut with their Instagram, Facebook posts and videos - so far reaching more than 200,000 keen followers. This is their story.

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Hepburn Shire pulls pin on aged services

21-03-2022

Hepburn Shire Council will stop delivering aged care and disability services to more than 300 residents.

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Farewell to Anne, ‘the ground’s
not the same’

28-03-2022

FOR Anne E Stewart, brilliant storyteller, one long narrative is about to end and another to start.

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Public meeting to Rethink The Rex

27-03-2022

The sudden decision by Council in November 2021 to sell the Rex, against the recommendation of council officers, prompted the formation of the ‘Rethink the Rex’ community group aimed at halting the sale pending a proper community consultation.

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New school opens

21-03-2022

Senator for Victoria Sarah Henderson has joined students and staff members at Iona College Geelong to open a new secondary school funded by the federal government.

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Apology for forced adoption

17-03-2022

Victorian women who had their children taken from them under heartbreaking historic forced adoption practices will receive redress, counselling and formal apologies from the Victorian Government.

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Help for diversity in sports

16-03-2022

Sporting clubs and physical activity-based community groups across the Macedon Ranges are being given the opportunity to be active allies for diversity and inclusion, and create clubs that are welcoming and safe for everyone.

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Simple, easy, power

16-03-2022

GENERATORS have been lifesavers in the Central Highlands over the past few years as the electricity grid reliability has deteriorated, culminating in the period after the 2021 storms where many people were without power for days.

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Full of energy

15-03-2022

Hepburn Energy’s Impact Fund has provided $10,287 to help six Hepburn Shire schools save energy and emissions with demand management and education.

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Pete Risstrom: Ambo, greenskeeper

14-03-2022

PETE Risstrom is one of those Daylesford locals who make up the essential character of the town. His story, like many of those who have moved to the region over the years, is a circuitous route.

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Creating a musical festival – CresFest

14-03-2022

HOW many people have thought to themselves: “I’ve got a great idea”, “I can do that”, “how hard can it be?”

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Rallies to Stop AusNet

14-03-2022

TRACTORS rumbled through Melbourne last Tuesday, March 8, as hundreds gathered to protest at Parliament House against 85-metre high towers planned to cross valuable farmland and destroy pristine vistas in Hepburn Shire and beyond.

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Principal inducted onto shire honour roll

14-03-2022

INSPIRATIONAL Bullarto Primary School principal Joanne Pegg has been inducted onto Hepburn Shire’s Heather Mutimer Honour Roll.

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Our Time To Shine

13-03-2022

ChillOut was back with a bang with the Sunday Street Parade.

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Macedon Ranges Autumn Festival

12-03-2022

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is committed to fostering respect, understanding and trust between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and all Macedon Ranges communities.

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Celebrating our schools

12-03-2022

While the state government is getting on with building the schools of the future, 2022 marks a massive milestone – the 150th anniversary of the Victoria’s world-class public education system.

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Cash cow

06-03-2022

Thousands of Victorians are sitting on a surprise windfall, with the state government calling on potential beneficiaries to check if they can lay claim to a share of millions of dollars in unclaimed cash.

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Just Molly and me – by Sandy Breen

06-03-2022

IN THE lead-up to ChillOut, less than two weeks away, Daylesford local Sandy Breen reminisces about her lifelong friendship with music guru and 2022 ChillOut Ambassador, Ian (Molly) Meldrum.

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CresFest – the story unfolds

05-03-2022

LIKE an intricate tapestry, the threads that weave together the story of CresFest start to reveal a cohesive picture that celebrates what started out as the initiative of a few to a collaboration of many.

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Lyonville Hall – the township’s heartbeat

05-03-2022

WHEN Lyonville’s Anne Bremner was approached to be featured in a story given her devotion to the local area, her commitment to the preservation of the original mill town and its history, she agreed on the proviso the little country hall was part of the story.

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Fire & wood

04-03-2022

Creswick and Ballan are among a number of regional fire stations to receive new dual cab tankers, replacing single-cab tankers and allowing the entire crew to sit in the cabin.

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Your Say – Wobbly Woodend Warblers

28-02-2022

WHAT? Me? Sing? When my daughter, newly arrived in Woodend with her family this year, suggested I join her to give Woodend Warblers a try, all I could think of were obstacles.

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Subbing The Local

28-02-2022

SINCE its inception, Lindsay Smith and Nick Bunning have been sub-editing The Local.

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Protecting cyclists

27-02-2022

More than 20 Victorian communities are set to receive funding for local road safety projects to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.

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Still floating ideas, after all these years

25-02-2022

Fantasyland is a carousel that sits out the back of Tom Henderson’s place. It seats four, with two people propelling it by cranking an arm up and down.

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Creaks and groans lead to paranormal career

21-02-2022

AROUND 18 months ago Dolly Adamson and her family moved into a century-old house in Kyneton. Not long after that the weirdness commenced, the shadows flickering in the corners, the creaks, the groans. All those little things that suggest that your new home harbours something more than you may expect or even wish for.

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Sadie after forever home

20-02-2022

BEAUTIFUL Sadie is now looking for her forever home after a life saving, crowd-funded operation. Sadie is a purpose-bred golden retriever born with a hereditary genetic condition issue known as ectopic ureter(s).

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Anger over aged care moves

18-02-2022

HEPBURN Shire Council’s in-principle decision to outsource the delivery of aged and disability services to more than 300 local residents has sent shockwaves through the community, causing anger and concern for many receiving the services, their families and carers.

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Simply messing about in boats at Paynesville

18-02-2022

THE alarm sounded as we rounded the point into Metung. I quickly bolted down the boat's stairs in the blustery wind trying to figure out what was making the racket, and then the sound gave way to silence as the motor took its final breath.

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Simply messing about in boats at Paynesville

18-02-2022

WITH overseas holidays still a long way off, for us at least, we headed to Paynesville in Gippsland for a little break and a water view recently. It was fabulous.

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Final say on solar farm

17-02-2022

THE decision on whether eight hectares of industrial solar panels will be placed at Leonards Hill will be made by DELWP some time after February 14.

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Avenue may be overshadowed by AusNet

15-02-2022

IN AUSTRALIA , Avenues of Honour are a ubiquitous feature of the landscape. Planted to commemorate those who fought and died in theatres of war, particularly WWI, there are 547 known Avenues of Honour in the country with over half of them in Victoria.

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ChillOut on its way

15-02-2022

IT'S just weeks until the community celebrates 25 years of ChillOut. Festival director Em Ireland said this year's theme was Our time to shine, "so get your shiny wardrobe ready for some well-deserved celebrations".

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Upgraded facilities for Creswick North Primary School

14-02-2022

Creswick students now have the facilities they need for a great start in life with the Andrews Labor Government completing an upgrade at Creswick North Primary School

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Things to see and do

08-02-2022

The MANet upcoming I Be Human portrait prize exhibitions will be held at the EDGE galleries in Maldon. The painting, drawing and mixed media finalists exhibition will be held February 5-13 and photography exhibition February 19-27.

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Local tourism business insights

29-01-2022

Do you run a local tourism business and want to learn more about the eight types of customers that visit our region? If so, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

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Local Lines

27-01-2022

Local Lines

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More mental health help

28-01-2022

The federal government is investing a further $44 million to increase access and reduce wait times at headspace services for young people aged 12 to 25 years.

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New Local Jobs commissioner

28-01-2022

Victoria’s new Local Jobs First Commissioner will champion local businesses and workers getting roles in the state’s big infrastructure, manufacturing and services projects.

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Your Say

27-01-2022

Why I voted "No" to selling The Rex - Cr Jen Bray. At the November council meeting the 4-3 decision to halt the Hepburn Hub at The Rex project, and sell the building, has sent shockwaves through the Hepburn community.

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Just sayin’…

27-01-2022

THIS edition is all about looking back so I thought I would take a stroll down memory lane, to my "born and bred" town of Frankston.

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Australia Day protest

26-01-2022

A number of people gathered outside the Daylesford Town Hall on Wednesday, January 26 to protest against Australia Day.

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Survey on cosmetic surgeon meaning

22-01-2022

All Australians will be invited to take part in a national consultation on the use of the title “surgeon” by medical practitioners, with Victoria leading the way.

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Be wary of heat stress in livestock

21-01-2022

Heat stress in livestock can become a major issue both for production levels and animal welfare, but there are precautions you can take to help minimalise the risk.

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Community-minded, passionate and dedicated

02-01-2022

GIVING back to her community has been very rewarding for Janine Booth – and it’s been pretty rewarding for her home town of Creswick, too.

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Glenlyon Sports Day back for 2022

13-12-2021

THE Glenlyon Sports Day will be held again on Saturday 1 January 2022.

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So, this is Christmas

10-12-2021

Santa, aka Richard Herr, and his naughty helpers have come down from the North Pole to Daylesford and will be around town from December 1-25.

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Iso Pod at Springs

07-12-2021

SPRINGS Medical Centre in Daylesford has introduced an “Iso Pod” as part of its fight against Covid-19, and any other contagious diseases. The pod, which is set up fo

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Industry recognition for The Local

07-12-2021

THE Local has been awarded three runner-up awards in the highly-contested 2021 Victorian Country Press Association awards. The awards were announced last Friday, December 3.

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Launch of the Grampians Community Power Hub

26-11-2021

The Grampians Community Power Hub, led by BREAZE Inc, was officially launched on Friday bringing together community members, those working on the hub and the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio.

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Hepburn Hub project scrapped, Rex for sale

05-12-2021

THE controversial Hepburn Hub at The Rex project has been scrapped.

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Daylesford’s Annual ChillOut Festival announces Silver Jubilee Programme

03-12-2021

ChillOut Festival is thrilled to announce their 2022 programme. Join us from the 10-14th March as the Central Highlands of Victoria will loudly and proudly celebrate the 25th Anniversary of ChillOut Festival. A time for us all to bring our community together after being apart for so long. Whether it’s dancing, tennis or bushwalking shoes you need, dust them off and be a part of what we are planning to be the biggest and best festival yet. Bring all the moves that missed their dancefloor debuts and remember what it feels like to be celebrating what makes us proud of who we are, together as one incredible community, where we shine the brightest.

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Bush not so ideal when the sun goes down

23-11-2021

THE forests of the Central Highlands are lovely in the day. A bucolic place, abounding with precious orchids, meandering butterflies and grazing kangaroos. A benign arcadia, safe, beautiful, serene.

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Did somebody say that’s D’Arcy Spiller

23-11-2021

SINGER/songwriter, and former Smeaton resident, D’Arcy Spiller is one of the stars of Menulog’s reworked Snoop Dogg’s Did Somebody Say track.

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It’s beginning to look like Christmas

22-11-2021

Daylesford Trading Co owner Gary Grach has always loved Christmas so what better time to go overboard with his own store.

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Megan and Tom excited to take on The Guilly

22-11-2021

THERE is a real vibe happening at Guildford. And driving around you get the feeling it’s about to boom.

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Have your say about our water future

22-11-2021

You’re invited to one of three Central Highlands Water online Urban Water Strategy community sessions to help shape the future of water in our region.

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GET INVOLVED IN SUSTAINABLE HEPBURN

21-11-2021

Hepburn Shire Council is calling on residents to get involved and help shape Council’s updated commitment towards environmental sustainability. Sustainable Hepburn will be an inclusive, aspirational yet realistic, strategy to guide Council’s environmental sustainability ambitions into the future.

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Sprouting joy

20-11-2021

THE shopfronts of Daylesford and surrounds came alive over the weekend with 120 beautiful floral installations designed to celebrate spring.

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NEW ANTI-SCALPING LAWS CRACK DOWN ON INFLATED BUNDLE DEALS

17-11-2021

Victorian fans attending major sports and entertainment events will be further protected from scalpers under new legislation that outlaws the back-room bundling of tickets with other items to circumvent existing laws.

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RECOGNISING VICTORIA’S OUTSTANDING SENIORS

17-11-2021

Ballarat dementia advocate Anne Tudor OAM has received the 2021 Premier’s Award for Victorian Senior of the Year for her tireless work campaigning for dementia awareness and inclusive aged care services for the LGBTIQ+ community.

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Teaching kids to swim

17-11-2021

The state government is helping the next wave of Victorian kids learn to swim and have fun safely at the beach and in the pool this summer.

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Women recognised

16-11-2021

Women leading their communities through disaster, helping address cybercrime and lifting-up vulnerable communities are some of the 23 remarkable inductees to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women this year.

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Help for new parents

16-11-2021

New parents will soon have better access to the vital mental health support they need, with an investment from the state government to expand and reform community perinatal mental health teams across the state.

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Tackling crime

15-11-2021

The state government is continuing to support projects that tackle the causes of crime through the Building Safer Communities Program.

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Kate Taylor imagines no more disability tropes

12-11-2021

IMAGINE there’s no disability tropes. I wonder if you can.

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Hepburn House residents out and about

11-11-2021

IF YOU think it's been a long 20 months or so, put yourself in the shoes of the residents of Hepburn House.

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Toys and vouchers needed for Christmas

11-11-2021

EVERY year Hepburn Regional Community Cheer collects toys and gift vouchers to make sure every child receives a toy for Christmas.

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Just sayin’…

11-11-2021

WENT to a function the other day. It was pretty exciting. I even washed my hair. It's not that hard once you get around to it.

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Backing regional events

10-11-2021

The state government is backing regional Victorian events of all sizes, to ensure the state’s diverse and vibrant calendar of community events can continue to thrive.

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Environment boost

09-11-2021

The Victorian Government has delivered a boost to the Macedon environment and economy with grants to Landcare Groups and for upgrades to caravan parks and campgrounds.

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Accommodation boost for silo trail

07-11-2021

The state government is boosting accommodation along the state’s popular Silo Art Trail, giving travellers more options to stop and enjoy regional towns.

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Susie O’Neill and how tragedy can turn to triumph

08-11-2021

WHEN Susie O’Neill was writing When Bad Things Happen...Good Things Can Grow, to be launched in Daylesford next month, she couldn’t believe how her title turned into reality.

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Flowers of joy

08-11-2021

THE shopfronts of Daylesford and surrounds will come alive later this month with 120 beautiful floral installations designed to celebrate spring and move towards a better future.

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Celebrating five years at STIHL Shop Daylesford

08-11-2021

AS A youngster Dave Osborn would spend time with his grandfather who was in the logging trade. He learnt how to use a chainsaw and a passion for power garden tools, and particularly the STIHL brand, started to grow.

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Swamp success something special

07-11-2021

When hectares of a rare aquatic plants are growing over a once-degraded wetland, you know something is working well.

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Online agriculture courses

07-11-2021

A selection of online courses can be undertaken at your own pace, at any time and from any-where with an internet connection is available from Agriculture Victoria.

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Best practice lessons for farmers

07-11-2021

For some farmers, running a business according to best practice management techniques is something to aspire to, but for many it’s not always easy knowing where to start.

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Grants for emergency service volunteers

06-11-2021

Emergency service volunteers will get a critical boost to important equipment needed to keep Victorians safe, just in time for the summer season thanks to grants from the state government.

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Boost for regions

06-11-2021

The state government has delivered a boost to the state’s regions and environment with $6.1 million in grants for Landcare Groups and upgrades to caravan parks and campgrounds.

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Tree changers not thinking about natural disasters

06-11-2021

Suncorp research has found 27 per cent of Australians have moved or considered relocating during COVID. And although experts are predicting more cyclones, fires and floods this summer, half failed to consider the impacts of natural disasters.

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Boost for Victorian health system

05-11-2021

Victoria’s health system will be boosted further with a range of measures to free up capacity in public hospitals, as we head toward an expected surge in COVID patients.

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Boost for regional culture, heritage and arts

05-11-2021

In a boost for community organisations across regional Australia, the federal government has announced the opening of the new $3 million Culture, Heritage and Arts Regional Tourism (CHART) program, to be delivered in 2021‑22.

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Work starts on Tylden Primary

05-11-2021

Better facilities are on their way for students at Tylden Primary School with works commencing on an important upgrade thanks to the state government.

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Better homes for renters

04-11-2021

Rental providers are now eligible for a rebate to upgrade inefficient heating and cooling systems to make homes more comfortable, drive down power bills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

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Small Towns Big Difference

04-11-2021

The state government is supporting small community-based organisations in the state’s north-west to back projects in their region.

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More footage from June 2021 storm-affected properties

03-11-2021

Over the past few months, Bushfire Recovery Victoria has been capturing video footage from June 2021 storm-affected properties which have registered with BRV’s clean-up program. They include Diana and Shane who took over the Jubilee Lake Caravan Park just two months earlier.

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footage from June 2021 storm-affected properties

03-11-2021

Over the past few months, Bushfire Recovery Victoria has been capturing video footage from June 2021 storm-affected properties which have registered with BRV’s clean-up program. They include Central Highland local Paul Ulrik.

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Business award finalists

25-10-2021

Josh’s Rainbow Eggs Macedon Ranges Business Excellence Awards 2021 finalists have been announced.

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Helping business recover

25-10-2021

The state government is providing more support to small businesses and sole traders with a new round of grants for local business chambers and trader groups.

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Backing regional Victoria

25-10-2021

The state government is backing regional Victorian events of all sizes, to ensure the state’s diverse and vibrant calendar of community events can continue to thrive.

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Regional and rural events

25-10-2021

The Victorian Government is backing the return of a packed calendar of crowd-pleasing public events in regional and rural areas in 2022, bringing thousands of visitors and creating local jobs.

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Helping young Victorians

The state government is making sure young Victorians have the physical and mental wellbeing support they need to thrive

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2021 Youth Awards Winners announced

25-10-2021

Macedon Ranges 2021 Youth Award winners have been announced. The ceremony was presented online on 28 October. This year received a total of 33 nominations across our six award categories.

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Power savings on offer

25-10-2021

The Victorian Government is encouraging people doing it tough to apply for the one-off $250 Power Saving Bonus. Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio announced today that 300,000 payments, totalling $76.6 million, had been made to Victorians since the program was established 12 months ago.

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New jobs for aviation

25-10-2021

Victoria’s aviation industry will benefit from an influx of new jobs as the sector begins to recover from the effects of the pandemic and looks to the future of flying.

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Mental health support for students

25-10-2021

Schools in Macedon will be able to pick the mental health tools that best match the needs of their students, with the Victorian Government’s Schools Mental Health Fund providing a suite of options to give students tailored support.

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Two new free courses to upskill

25-10-2021

More Victorians will be given the skills to identify and respond to gender inequality and family violence, with two new courses added to the Victorian Government’s Free TAFE program from 2022.

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New jobs for Ballarat region

25-10-2021

The Ballarat West Employment Zone (BWEZ) is going from strength-to-strength with five new tenants bringing more than 150 new jobs to the precinct – cementing BWEZ as an engine room for growth in regional Victoria.

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Investment in new ideas

25-10-2021

The North Central Catchment Management Authority has created a new program aimed at facilitating and enabling NRM investment in local projects, and is looking for community ideas

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Volunteer nominations open

25-10-2021

Nominations are now open for the 2021 Volunteering Awards, which celebrate the extraordinary efforts of Victoria’s hard-working volunteers.

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Building new regional homes

25-10-2021

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Cooking with Jen Clarke

25-10-2021

Cooking with Jen Clarke

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BOOM Clunes up for Mainstreet awards

25-10-2021

BOOM Clunes has been shortlisted in the Mainstreet Australia awards to be announced in November. The awards have been running for 20 years and recognise and celebrate the achievements of businesses or volunteers who ensure the ongoing success and survival of main streets.

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Just briefly

25-10-2021

Just briefly

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Movie extras needed

25-10-2021

A FEATURE film, In God’s Care, is being shot in Hepburn Shire in November and December - and they need extras! Harvest Pictures Group co-CEO Tony Coombs said the film was inspired by tragic and true events which happened in the mid-90s but the story line was being kept under wraps for the time being.

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Daylesford to come alive with ‘Art on Vincent’

25-10-2021

DAYLESFORD'S town centre will come alive with colour when ‘Art on Vincent’ kicks off this Friday. As part of the 2021 Daylesford Art Show, hosted by Rotary, the exciting new concept will bring artwork to the community and truly highlight our region's remarkable talent.

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Vale Bob McKinnon

25-10-2021

SILENCE fell over the small town of Clunes last Tuesday in a beautiful farewell for town stalwart Bob McKinnon. A small family service ended in a community event that some locals have described as a once in a lifetime moment.

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Stories of the Storm

25-10-2021

SANDY Scheltema's Stories of the Storm series is supported by Hepburn Shire Council, Trentham & Districts Community Bank and the Trentham Lions Club. The series showcases stories of courage, tenacity, bravery and resilience within the community from people who experienced the terrifying storm of June 10, 2021.

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Fresh wave of myxomatosis concern for domestic pets

25-10-2021

RABBITS came to Australia with the First Fleet in 1788 and were bred and maintained as food animals with more introduced in later years for recreational huntin

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Clay trail roadmap

25-10-2021

The Central Victorian Clay Trail is one roadmap that will lead you on a journey of discovery to the inner sanctums of the region’s ceramicists and help blow out the lockdown cobwebs.

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Romsey Stranger winner

WHILE the pandemic killed off the Words in Winter writers’ festival for the second year, it couldn’t stop a vigorous short story competition under the theme of The Stranger.

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Support for carers

19-10-2021

Local unpaid carers who selflessly support their loved ones will receive more support from the Victorian Government to help care for their own wellbeing.

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Time to check assets and insurance

19-10-2021

A good insurance policy is important when it comes to preparing for the fire season, but just as important is knowing exactly what you have on your farm and in your shed.

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Farm thefts – speak up

19-10-2021

Crime Stoppers Victoria is urging farmers and rural property owners across the state to speak up about theft on farms

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eLearning from home

19-10-2021

A selection of online courses that can be undertaken at your own pace, at any time and from anywhere with an internet connection.

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Duck survey

19-10-2021

The GMA is conducting its annual helicopter survey across Victoria to monitor the abundance of game duck populations, to help improve our knowledge of waterfowl ecology.

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Mental health tools for students

20-10-2021

Schools will be able to pick the mental health tools that best match the needs of their students, with the Victorian Government’s Schools Mental Health Fund providing a suite of options to give students tailored support.

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Lest We Forget

20-10-2021

Schools, ex-service organisations and community groups across Australia will soon receive resources to help them plan Remembrance Day commemorative services and activities.

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New all-abilities fishing platform and kayak launch

20-10-2021

A new all-abilities fishing platform and kayak launch has been constructed along the Campaspe River, near Rochester – to provide safer access to the river as part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to boost recreational activities along waterways.

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Funded kindergarten

19-10-2021

The state government is making sure all children in Macedon attending a funded kindergarten program in 2022, have the right support in place to help them transition from early childhood education to the start of their formal school life.

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Free access for childrens’ mental health

18-10-2021

Victorian parents and carers now have free access to dedicated online programs to support children experiencing anxiety, as part of the Victorian Government’s latest mental health funding boost.

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Water win for Hepburn students

19-10-2021

Central Highlands Water commenced National Water Week celebrations with the announcement of Hepburn Primary School students winning the region’s poster competition.

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Planning underway for theatre upgrade at Daylesford Hospital

19-10-2021

Central Highlands Rural Health has commenced planning for the upgrade to its theatre facilities at Daylesford Health. Regional Health Infrastructure Fund recently announced an allocation of $4.5 million for the upgrade that will re-develop the theatre and sterilising areas at the hospital.

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More rental choices

18-10-2021

The Victorian Government is continuing to ensure more people have the safety, security and stability of a home, thanks to new incentives for investors to build rental properties.

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Recruiting healthcare workers

18-10-2021

The Victorian Government will recruit up to a thousand healthcare workers currently living overseas, including Australian healthcare workers wanting to return home, as part of a package designed to help ease the pressure on hard-working staff in the state’s hospital system.

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Agricultural shows and field days to share in $25 million Covid recovery fund

18-10-2021

Agricultural shows and field days cancelled or postponed during to the Covid-19 pandemic will be eligible to apply for the $25 million Round 2 of the Supporting Agricultural Shows and Field Days program in coming weeks.

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Funding for business events

11-10-2021

The Victorian Government has expanded the National Business Events Program in further support for the business events sector in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

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Storm help

11-10-2021

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is continuing community recovery sessions to help local residents and landholders directly affected by storm damage.

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Storm help ending

11-10-2021

Macedon Ranges Shire Council encourages residents who were impacted by the June storm, and whose property is eligible for the Bushfire Recovery Victoria (BRV) Residential Storm and Flood Clean-up, to make sure they register by 31 October.

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The Last Word: Kate Taylor is no Paralympian

11-10-2021

“YOU should be a paralympian.” What?!

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Art X Music exhibition opens at Mt Franklin

11-10-2021

NICK Carpenter's Music Is My Muse exhibition will open at the Wildwood Instruments Art Gallery at Mount Franklin on the Cup Day long weekend, October 30.

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Building revolution

11-10-2021

THERE’S a building revolution happening – in Daylesford – and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.

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News from Ballarat Health

14-10-2021

As part of the state-wide response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ballarat Base Hospital is now a designated streaming hospital for adult COVID-19 patients, as required. Ballarat Health Services will continue to provide the best possible care for our community and broader Victoria.

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Speak up

11-10-2021

Macedon Ranges community is being called to action to speak up against sexist and abusive behaviours. Research demonstrates that being an active bystander can discourage perpetrators of sexist and abusive behaviour and at the same time supports the victim.

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To market, to market

11-10-2021

You can find everything you need at weekend markets, from fresh fruit and veg to handmade jewellery and wares, throughout the Central Highlands and surrounds. Here are just a few.

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Ageing (Dis)gracefully at Hepburn House

11-10-2021

THE Convent Gallery is proving a popular meeting place for Hepburn House's LGBTIQ initiative Ageing (Dis)gracefully.

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Lauren’s continuing passion for media

11-10-2021

CLUNES local Lauren Goodrham has always had a passion for the media. Working part time as a 15-year-old camera assistant at the then Ballarat television station BTV-6 to now owning one of Australia’s leading audio agencies based in Ballarat, Lauren was instrumental in paving the way for female camera operators at a time when women were generally in front of the camera.

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A gratitude page to our Local Legends!

11-10-2021

The Local asked people to tell us who is helping them through this tough time, and our readers responded. Some were quite specific and others just sent us the names of their legends. Send us more and we will print them in the next edition. Email: donna@tlnews.com.au

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In brief

11-10-2021

Eight of the state government's promised mental health pop-up clinics have opened with one for the Central Highland still to appear.

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New sporting facilities

11-10-2021

THE Hepburn Burras Football and Netball Club and Hepburn Cricket Club now have more room to grow, with the completion of a new, female-friendly pavilion at the Laurie Sullivan Reserve.

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Affordable housing snub

11-10-2021

HEPBURN Shire has been left off the preference list for the state government's four-year $5.3 billion Big Housing Build which calls on developers and landowners in regional Victoria to put forward any developments or vacant land that could be turned into social or affordable housing.

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Hospital appeal done

THE $100,000 needed for a masterplan for the Daylesford Hospital has been raised 10 weeks ahead of schedule. The committee had hoped to reach its target by Christmas but was overwhelmed with the support, passion and generosity of the Daylesford community.

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Stories of the Storm

11-10-2021

SANDY Scheltema's Stories of the Storm series is supported by Hepburn Shire Council, Trentham & Districts Community Bank and the Trentham Lions Club. The series aims to showcase stories of courage, tenacity, bravery and resilience within the community from people who experienced the terrifying storm of June 10, 2021.

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Wombat fundraiser

11-10-2021

MUSICAL tribute to the wombat is the feature of a Daylesford benefit concert for the planned Central Victoria Wildlife Hospital.

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Can you help beautiful Sadie live her best life? Woof…

11-10-2021

BEAUTIFUL Sadie is a purpose-bred golden retriever born with a hereditary genetic condition issue known as ectopic ureter(s).

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CresFest: A new style festival in an old style town

11-10-2021

NEWLYN resident, fundraiser and musician Judy Turner was coming to the end of a contract with Sovereign Hill, when an epiphany occurred – what better thing to do in retirement than to start a new festival, right here in beautiful Creswick?

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Take a bow, young writers and dreamers

THIS is the second in The Local's series of primary students tackling the topic My Dream and secondary students on The Stranger for the Words in Winter festival.

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Take a bow, young writers and dreamers

THIS is the second in The Local's series of primary students tackling the topic My Dream and secondary students on The Stranger for the Words in Winter festival.

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Take a bow, young writers and dreamers

The Stranger for the Words in Winter festival.

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Covid-19 care factor zero in California

A FEW Fridays ago I went out for lunch with a vaccinated friend. Isn’t that a sign of the times - I don’t describe him as an old friend, a good mate, someone I’ve known since high school, who I’ve shared many adventures with over the years. No, he’s a vaccinated friend.

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Hey honey!

KYNETON resident, and founder and CEO of Sweet Justice, Claire Moore, has received the inaugural Rotary Melbourne Environmental Sustainability Award in recognition of her work to support and protect the honey bee population.

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Funding for Talbot

NEW outdoor exercise equipment has been installed at a park in Talbot, thanks to funding from the state government. Minister for Regional Development Mary-Anne Thomas opened the Activating Talbot project last week. It was given a $150,000 investment from the Healthy Heart of Victoria initiative.

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GDTA guidebook for walks and bike rides

MOST people heading out into the bush for a walk or a mountain bike ride don’t have all day, so the Great Dividing Trail Association has produced a new guidebook, consisting of walks and bike rides within the Daylesford region, all short enough to complete in four hours.

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Tutor program to continue

The Victorian Government will make sure that not one school student is left behind in the wake of the pandemic, with the state’s extraordinarily successful tutor program to continue until the end of 2022.

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Upgrading public care aged care facilities in Creswick

The Victorian Government is upgrading public sector residential aged care services in Western Victoria, creating new jobs and ensuring hundreds of older Victorians continue to receive the care and comfort they deserve.

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Business recovery support for agriculture industry

The Victorian Government is fast-tracking the road to recovery for agriculture and food supply chain businesses in rural and regional Victoria.

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Community grants open for Hepburn Shire

With COVID restrictions easing, this is an opportunity for community groups to apply for Round 2 of Community Grants.

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Creswick trails update

The planning work is continuing on the Creswick Trails Network, a project which will see delivery of 60km of mountain bike paths and a trailhead at Creswick, with council expecting to begin works next year.

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Proposed renaming of Jim Crow Creek

Hepburn Shire Council is working with project partners, Mount Alexander Shire Council, North Central Catchment Management Authority and Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation trading as DJAARA, on the proposed renaming of Jim Crow Creek to Larni Barramal Yaluk.

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Celebrating Macedon Ranges Seniors

The Victorian Seniors Festival Reimagined is back in 2021 and to celebrate, Macedon Ranges Shire Council will deliver 'celebration boxes' to 30 older residents who have made significant contributions to the Macedon Ranges community. Council’s Corporate and Community acting director Gina Lyons said this year’s festival theme of ‘keep’n on’ recognised the resilience of older people and the many different ways they contribute to our community.

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Stories of the Storm

SANDY Scheltema's Stories of the Storm series is supported by Hepburn Shire Council, Trentham & Districts Community Bank and the Trentham Lions Club. The series aims to showcase stories of courage, tenacity, bravery and resilience within the community from people who experienced the terrifying storm of June 10, 2021.

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Battles continue for hospitality businesses

HOSPITALITY businesses around the Central Highlands are doing it tough as Melbourne remains closed and inside limits remain at just 10 people per building.

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Kyle’s Rant

LAST week I hired a post hole digger from the blokes at Kyneton Hire. The reason for the post hole digger procurement was as an easy way to plant a few plants that have grown too big for their pots. The cost was $90 for a 24-hour hire and when you are looking down the barrel of a dozen or so big tree holes, a bargain by anyone’s calculation.

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Just sayin’… By Donna Kelly

27-09-2021

YOU will find it hard to believe but I get annoyed at times. Yep, kind, placid me. If you really want proof, just ask Kyle. Maybe don't.

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The Last Word: Daylesford Lawn Tennis Club

26-09-2021

HELEN Jenkin joined the Daylesford Lawn Tennis Club as a player in 1967, before becoming secretary the following year, holding the position until 1970. She was also president for two years from 1987 and started running the juniors for 10 years from 1997.

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Pothole causing costly chaos but no compo

16-08-2021

A MAJOR pothole on the Ballan-Daylesford Road near Victoria Park in Daylesford has caused thousands of dollars in damage to residents' and visitors' vehicles.

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Housing policy but no quick fix on cards

16-08-2021

HEPBURN Shire Council has included funding for a strategic plan into an affordable housing policy in its June budget but there will be no quick fix.

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Storm damage and relief in sight for Trentham

10-06-2021

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

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Completing Year 12 in the time of Covid

07-06-2021

AS KIARA Clifton says, it’s been a year like no other. The Glenlyon resident, who completed Year 12 last year at Daylesford College, concedes that there are many worse off, but says she is not alone in feeling ripped off by Covid. Kiara chatted with Donna Kelly.

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Cinema frustration

07-06-2021

THE Daylesford Cinema Committee is "frustrated, bitterly disappointed and gobsmacked" that plans for the Hepburn Hub at The Rex are being revisited by Hepburn Shire Council, with the project now being workshopped by councillors.

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High tea at Daylesford Bowling Club

07-06-2021

THERE has never been a better time to indulge in a high tea - designed to take you away from reality and into a more pleasant era where people took time to sit back and indulge in decadent food and gentle conversation.

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Embracing the six seasons of our land

07-06-2021

A TRADITIONAL smoking ceremony, community elders, a didgeridoo performance and a captivated audience of school children, set the scene for the unveiling of an amazing indigenous mural depicting the six main seasons of Djandak.

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Pets@Work

07-06-2021

These pigeons have certainly chosen a great perch.

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Aussie rules future bright for Chloe Leonard

07-06-2021

AS ANY regular follower of Australian rules football will be aware, women’s footy has really taken off. While state based leagues emerged as far back as the 1980s it was really only in the past decade that the women’s game became professionalised.

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Rush to buy regional double-edged sword

05-06-2021

ALL tiers of government need to think and act faster with Covid leading more and more people to regional lives, says REIV president Leah Calnan.

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Kevin Tolhurst – a life devoted to forests and fires

01-06-2021

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

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The little school that could

24-05-2021

FOR 163 years, Newlyn Primary School has seen many changes in its time.

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Hepburn Hub at The Rex project in doubt

24-05-2021

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

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Pets@Work

24-05-2021

Rod Poxon is the greens director at the Daylesford Bowling Club - and is usually there with his dog Minty.

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Push for national parks

15-05-2021

MORE than 40 state, national and international groups, representing hundreds of thousands of Victorians, have called on the Victorian Government to accept recommendations for new national parks in Victoria’s central west.

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Biggest Morning Tea at Daylesford Bowls Club

15-05-2021

The Daylesford Bowling Club will be busy this Monday, May 17, with a Biggest Morning Tea event at 10.30am.

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Lending many helping hands to refugees

15-05-2021

GREGORY Clark joined the Macedon Ranges Rural Australians for Refugees three years ago. He heard about three Malaysian refugees living in Melton sleeping on blankets on the floor with only three plastic chairs, three cups, bowls, spoons, and an esky for a fridge.

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Ford: Councillor, horticulturalist, artist

15-05-2021

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.

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Concern over transmission lines

15-05-2021

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.

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Pets@Work

15-05-2021

Dougie the labrador is only five months old but is already hard at work at laundry service Daylesford Green.

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Attitude, attendance and ability

09-05-2021

IT’S a long way from its origins in Korea, but tang soo tao has quickly become a popular martial art in Daylesford where it is being taught at the ARC at Daylesford College.

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Eggs, wine: Uber balloon?

26-04-2021

AUTUMN evenings in Daylesford are peaceful affairs at Rob Alexander and Ros Marsden’s Mistover property. So when a sudden roar engulfed their house on recent afternoon, they rushed outside to investigate the menacing sound.

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Pets@Work

26-04-2021

Jay-Jay (rear) and Didak are hard working office companions for Brendan Hutchinson (front) and Troy Daff of Daylesford Country Retreats.

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Lest We Forget

26-04-2021

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

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Ambulance times cause for country concern

26-04-2021

HEPBURN Shire residents have “a valid concern” about the time it could take for an ambulance to arrive in an emergency, Mayor Lesley Hewitt has told The Local.

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Creating BOOM in Clunes to avoid a bust

12-04-2021

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.

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Celebrating 40 years of the Daylesford Sunday Market

12-04-2021

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

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A century on, a dinkum digger’s medals glisten

12-04-2021

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.

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Pets@Work

12-04-2021

Belle the pug, and Lola the border collie spend their days at Tylden's Springhill Nursery & Garden working hard as therapy dogs

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It’s a grave job but Alan never lost the plot

12-04-2021

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.

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COVID vaccine roll-out in Hepburn Shire

29-03-2021

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.

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Peter Waters: Running his own race

29-03-2021

PETER Waters lives by two mottos…never give up and always do your best. Despite living with cerebral palsy and being a wheelchair user, Peter does just that and proudly admits he runs his own race.

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Pets@Work

29-03-2021

Molly, an 11-month-old Brittany, can be found at Quality Floorz in Daylesford with owner Jill Barker.

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Good Friday Appeal

15-03-2021

EASTER is not far off, with Good Friday on April 2, and that means it's also time to donate, if you can, to the Royal Children's Hospital Good Friday Appeal.

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The life and times of our Swiss Italian settlers

15-03-2021

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Corruption, intrigue and damn delays and danger

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Exotic fauna or a pesky pest? Still no idea!

15-03-2021

BACK in the 1880s various species of deer were introduced to Australia as game animals and their descendants remain in forests across Australia.

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Beautiful blooming begonias…and bees

15-03-2021

BEGONIAS have captured the imagination of flower lovers for hundreds of years with their almost quirky and often flamboyant offerings.

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Alice, crossing the desert of love and Sufism

15-03-2021

TRENTHAM novelist Alice Melike Ülgezer’s life is like a best-selling thriller, or even a riveting TV series.

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How Basil brewed a golden beauty

15-03-2021

LYONVILLE'S Basil Eliades was on a break down the coast when a thought struck him. Why not, he pondered, enter my vodka in an international competition. Hundreds of kilometres away at home, his wife Jane was thinking the same.

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Kyneton frontline workers get COVID jab

15-03-2021

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

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Pets@Work

15-03-2021

Fiona Harris adopted Luna five years ago and now she is working from home in Glenlyon, has her employed in her business, Aromatic Healing.

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Local Lines

15-03-2021

Central Highland Limericks

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Your say on the Malmsbury Botanic Gardens

08-03-2021

THE Friends of the Malmsbury Botanic Gardens committee is encouraging the local community to contribute comments to the draft Master Plan for the Malmsbury Botanic Gardens.

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Electronic control addictive for Aimee

08-03-2021

NEWSTEAD musician Aimee Chapman has been working at her craft since the 1990s, with her career based on jazz studies at Victorian College of the Arts and Music, majoring in lead vocals.

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A fungus lover’s foray into fun foraging

08-03-2021

INTEREST in foraging for wild food is on the rise, and magnificent mushrooms are very much on the menu. But if you’re gathering your own, you’ve got to get it right. From the right knowledge and equipment, to following a forager's Code of Practice.

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Wild horses couldn’t keep her away

08-03-2021

THE Rolling Stones wrote a song about them and now Clunes' own resident Leslie Scott has her own incredible story about wild horses that became the focus of her life during COVID.

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Travel: Water views and Western Victoria

01-03-2021

A COUPLE of weeks ago we headed over to Nagambie and then up to Moama. The first real escape in about 15 months. It was great to get away for a few nights. So good we thought we would try it again. This time, over west and down to Port Fairy.

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Pets@Work

01-03-2021

Miss Mollie, a three-year-old schmoodle, works with Father Gary Jones, the priest for St Peter’s Daylesford and St Augustine’s Creswick parishes.

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The Last Word: Another shot in the arm

01-03-2021

Vaccination Part II

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New category mooted for Wombat Forest

01-03-2021

THE investigation into public land in the state’s Central West region was commissioned by the Victorian Government in 2017.

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Hepburn Shire’s housing crisis in focus

01-03-2021

A GROUP of Hepburn Shire residents is determined to spotlight the issues of the housing crisis in the shire.

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A chance meeting, friendship and a time to shine

01-03-2021

ANGUS O’Callaghan always dreamed of becoming a famous photographer. Fascinated by people going about their daily lives, Angus captured shots of Melbourne. Shots that evoke memories for those who lived or visited Melbourne in the 60s.

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Festival: fun and fundraising

01-03-2021

ON SATURDAY, March 13, the Macedon Ranges Festival will take place in Gisborne providing some much needed live music for people in the area after a year of not much at all.

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Just 15 and creating futuristic folk songs

08-02-2021

SAGE Roadknight, 15, is a singer/songwriter from the Macedon Ranges creating, in her own words, futuristic folk music. She comes from a musical family and has been involved with music for pretty much her whole life, starting with piano at the age of six.

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At one with a horse’s heart

08-02-2021

WHEN a group of 20 strangers, from all walks of life, all ages and all parts of Victoria, gathered together on a property in Drummond North last weekend to take part in a two-hour healing program involving horses, no-one really knew what to expect.

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Dr Monica Nolan at the COVID front line

08-02-2021

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.

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Local Lines

08-02-2021

Big ears and noddies

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Bullarto Primary: The little school that could

08-02-2021

A TINY school nestled at the edge of the Wombat State Forest has a simple but formidable motto: Where the forest meets the school and the children greet the future. And it has never been more relevant.

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Local Lines

15-02-2021

Silence and Pain

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Pets@Work

15-02-2021

THANKS to demand, The Local is bringing back Pets@Work. So if you know someone who has a pet at work, dog, cat, hamster, rabbit or other, let us know. Email donna@tlnews.com.au

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Uncovering the history of the Convent Gallery

15-02-2021

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.

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Playing games at Woodend

15-02-2021

DAVID Haines, a Woodend resident, has been playing board games for about 20 years and wondered if there were other local board game players within the community.

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Plenty of attitude for those ageing in Clunes

15-02-2021

THE Clunes Senior Citizens Centre in Fraser Street had been central to the needs of its older residents since the early 1970s. Sadly 2020 and the restrictions on social gatherings brought about the dissolution of the centre and a 50-year chapter of community history came to a close. The building, with its range of meeting rooms suitable for a whole range of intellectual, physical and artistic pursuits lay empty and silent.

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Carnies coming to curbsides near you

01-02-2021

HER stage name portrays her perfectly – Sophie deLightful. And delightful she is. While thousands of Victorian artists and performers were starved of work and an income, Sophie turned a negative (she had a double whammy – an entertainer and a home-based travel agent) into a positive and was the inspiration behind pop-up circus Curbside Carnies.

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Artist Dorothy Enders keen to hang work

01-02-2021

THE Kyneton Art Group has been operating for more than 40 years. Its members meet every Tuesday at the Red Brick Hall in Yaldwyn Street Kyneton. The aim of the group has always been to provide fellowship and a space for artistic creativity.

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Communities rally around Brad Fernando

01-02-2021

COMMUNITIES around the Central Highlands, Ballarat, Bendigo and beyond are rallying for wine connoisseur and regional wine advocate Brad Fernando, after he was diagnosed last year with an aggressive tumour of the jaw.

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Alex loving new work at Hepburn House

25-01-2021

Alessandro 'Alex' Micheli moved from Florence, Italy 25 years ago, taking up an IT position in Albury, New South Wales.

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Loving the locks at Lake Daylesford

25-01-2021

"SHE said yes!", is inscribed in one of the many lovelocks starting to take over the spillway bridge outside the historic change rooms at Lake Daylesford.

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Changing women’s lives – one pack at a time

25-01-2021

IT'S hard to imagine that in today’s day and age, girls and women across the world are denied access to basic sanitary needs. While periods are a part of every woman’s life, thousands endure unthinkable hardships, simply by being a woman.

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Beating the odds with incredible will power

25-01-2021

TWENTY-three-year-old Michael Smith is nothing short of inspirational. The Macedon Ranges resident has overcome the odds to become an inspirational role model for others and to prove that anything is possible even when you are paralysed on one side and unable to enjoy all the things able-bodied people do.

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Staying positive about the live music scene

25-01-2021

IF you’re a musician you definitely know how abysmal last year was for getting out and showcasing your music. And if you think it was bad in the capital cities, spare a thought for the people operating in regional areas like here.

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A shot in the arm

25-01-2021

ON JANUARY 16 I received a COVID-19 vaccination. This is how it happened.

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The Last Word – A pandemic reading guide

18-01-2021

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

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Bread tags: From little things big things grow

18-01-2021

BREAD tags, those pesky coloured plastic squares used to close bags of bread, are in high demand. From Woodend, and all across Australia, they are collected and recycled to fund wheelchairs for disadvantaged South Africans.

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Why not everyone’s a fan of a solar farm

18-01-2021

IT’S hard to find anyone today who is not in agreement about the need to find alternative replacements to fossil fuels. A recent poll by the Lowy Institute found 84 per cent of Australians believe that governments should increase investment in this area.

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Pandemic pivot: Seat swap for Steve

18-01-2021

AS THE the events of the year 2020 played themselves out across the world, perhaps one of the most visual manifestations of its far-reaching effects was the sight of dozens of aircraft lined up at disused airports across the world. Grounded almost instantly as international and domestic travel ground to a halt when borders closed, it was certainly not a good time to be holding your life savings in airline company stock.

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Rewiring neural pathways part of healthy ageing

18-01-2021

THERE is a commonly held assumption that as people get older they tend to fall into rigid habits and are less able to quickly learn and acquire new forms of knowledge. As people enter their 50s and 60s there may just be an element of truth in such assumptions; at least if one does not take steps to disprove them.

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One step forward… the Hepburn Hub

21-12-2020

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

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Magic hour in the Wombat Forest

21-12-2020

MOVING can become a habit with some people. Carol and I drifted through our share of flats and houses in St Kilda and Elwood before we finally settled on a five-acre block in Wheatsheaf. It wasn’t that we were stuck, or had lost the urge to pack up and go, it’s just that the thought of living anywhere else just didn’t quite feel right.

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Bland life in Clunes

21-12-2020

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.

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Joan looks back on sowing her wild Oates

21-12-2020

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.

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Local Lines

21-12-2020

Back tracking

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Kerryn Wildenburg: Out of the darkness, into the light

21-12-2020

THERE are people in this world who are so truly inspirational, that it’s hard to know where to begin to tell their story.

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Pandemic has brought people back to reality: Don

21-12-2020

CR DON Henderson asks to meet me at Caleembeen Park. He proudly tells me he was recently successful in achieving funding after lobbying for 12 years for upgrades at the popular swimming spot, including making it more accessible for those with disabilities.

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Group taking action on vegetable front

21-12-2020

MANY readers find statistics and reports awfully tedious, so let’s get them out of the way right now.

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Lighting up Trentham

21-12-2020

TRENTHAM Houses have been vying for the title of best Christmas decorations.

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A very Christmassy Clunes

21-12-2020

Christmas lights in Clunes!

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Harry’s Lights in West Street Daylesford

21-12-2020

HARRY Scascighinis's lights in West Street have been a Daylesford institution for more than 20 years. He started off small. They all start off small but then the obsession grows.

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Welcome to Dollywood

14-12-2020

IT’S no secret that Daylesford and the wider region is a destination of choice for many in the public eye. Some say it’s because they can enjoy privacy. For others it’s a place to blend in with the locals and tourists alike.

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Cr Juliet Simpson reviving a family tradition

14-12-2020

THE new councillor for Holcombe Ward is Juliet Simpson, and her connections to the area go back to the late 19th century. Her great-great grandfather, William Stanbridge, settled in the district before the gold rush four generations ago and became a sheep farmer.

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Out of the frying pan…

14-12-2020

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.

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Redesale quilt

07-12-2020

COMMEMORATIVE Quilt, a book which charts the creation of a triptych quilt made to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the opening and naming of the Redesdale Bridge on January 23, 1868, has been published.

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Volunteering role leads to Clunes councillor move

07-12-2020

COUNCILLOR Tessa Halliday’s infectious smile lights up her face as many locals driving past slow down to wave and chat.

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Punk lives on

07-12-2020

MUSICIAN Steve Douglas has been living in Daylesford with his partner and band mate Stacy Kilpatrick for 16 years. He grew up in the USA but decided to stay here after performing at the Harrietville Bluegrass and Traditional Music Convention in 2004. Best if Steve describes the circumstance that made him an Daylesford Aussie.

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No picnic at Hanging Rock

07-12-2020

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.

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War on waste

07-12-2020

A GROUP of Hepburn Shire residents has recently started their own war on waste - and they're looking for input from the wider community to collaborate and contribute across the shire's communities.

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Out of the frying pan…into???

07-12-2020

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.

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Out of the frying pan…

30-11-2020

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 second of our series, former Daylesford resident Helen Greenwood talks about life in Tasmania with her husband Andy and pooch Chewie.

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Keeping up with the Joneses in Clunes

30-11-2020

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.

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Principal and staff rise to COVID challenge

30-11-2020

DAYLESFORD Primary School, the oldest and longest running school in the town, has seen a lot of changes in its 155-year history.

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To bee, or not to bee

30-11-2020

BEE friendly. Bee friendly to each other and bee friendly to those busy, buzzing, winged creatures currently swarming in big noisy clumps all around the Central Highlands.

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Vision for sustainable future for Hepburn Shire

30-11-2020

Cr Tim Drylie arrives for his photo shoot in an electric car, which he is using to run test drives as part of the Hepburn Wind EV Bulk Buy. He enthusiastically tells me how he’ll plug it in to the power point when he gets home to recharge it. One of two new councillors for Creswick Ward, he has a vision for a sustainable future for the shire.

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Mayor back at Macedon Ranges

30-11-2020

WEST Ward Cr Jennifer Anderson, inset below, has been elected for a one-year mayoral term with Macedon Ranges Shire Council. It is the fourth time Cr Anderson will serve as mayor, having previously been elected in 2014/15, 2016/17 and 2017/18.

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New mayor for Hepburn Shire

30-11-2020

HEPBURN Shire Council has elected Cr Lesley Hewitt (Birch Ward) and Cr Brian Hood (Coliban Ward) as Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

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Out of the frying pan …into ???

23-11-2020

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.

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Ray Spencer – Creswick’s own forestry pioneer

23-11-2020

DR RAY Spencer has worn many hats over the years. A Creswick local, he travelled the world as a forestry and urban planning professional with his young family and later as an internationally renowned forest industry expert.

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Home grown and hand made at Trentham

23-11-2020

IRENE and Andrew Brooks have been at their Trentham East/North Blackwood property for 12 years. In that time they have turned a hectare over to a diversified cultivation of fruit trees and market gardens.

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An Aussie in America

23-11-2020

MELBOURNE is a great place for walking. One thing I loved about the tram network was how much exercise I got from walking all through the city.

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Woodend Warblers back to full rehearsals

23-11-2020

BACK in April 2018 Andrew Price saw a post on the Woodend Community Ponderings Facebook page that piqued his interest. Someone had written: ‘Would like to organise a small singing group – any ponderers who would be interested in coordinating?’

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Council to provide for the needs of community

23-11-2020

JEN Bray is one of the two new councillors for Birch Ward and is well known in the Hepburn Shire for her extensive work on community issues. Her commitment to projects such as the Daylesford Skate Park, festivals, youth, and improving the schools, led to many people encouraging her to run as councillor in the recent elections.

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A bell helps give new life to a Blackwood

23-11-2020

A LINK with one of the world’s most famous bells has been found in the tiny town of Blackwood, a discovery that is now part of its renewal.

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Local Lines

16-11-2020

Ring of steel

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Horsin’ around in the family

16-11-2020

THE Conroy family are well known in the harness racing industry and have run trotting training stables in Daylesford since Bob and Pat Conroy bought a five-hectare bush block south of the town in the 1950s. Up to the time he passed in 2017, Bob was a familiar sight in Hepburn Regional Park where he would often venture to exercise his horses.

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Out to Africa: and now helping from here

16-11-2020

A SHY eight-year-old fights to survive alone on what she can find on a rubbish tip in one of Africa’s poorest nations. Fast forward 11 years and, having aced all her exams, Kadiutu waits to see if she’s off to uni to study business.

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An Aussie in America

16-11-2020

California schemin’ The United States of America staged one of its quaint cultural rituals on November 3. Yanks call it election day, but this iteration of the festival elongated into an election week, with the possibility of it becoming election month looming like a 500-kilogram bull moose in the headlights

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3bears: Just right

16-11-2020

ON A 48-acre farm in Tylden, a small family with a love for country living, ethically grown food and a passion for feeding people, is living their dream. 3bearsfarm is home to Tim, Madeleine and baby Leela along with 300 very happy chooks, a small herd of South Devon cattle and four incredibly loyal alpacas, who not only provide a great source of amusement, but guard the chooks’ mobile caravan with their lives.

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Communication, better performance, Trentham

16-11-2020

With six of the seven councillors recently elected to the Hepburn Shire, being new to the game, a sense of optimism and hope exists for more positive interactions between community and council. This weekly series by Sandy Scheltema will explore the new councillors' hopes and wishes for the shire.

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Newstead Live Music Festival back for 2021

16-11-2020

THE last weekend of January has always been a time to look forward to with the running of the Newstead Live Music Festival. It is a four-day event of folk, roots, Americana and Celtic live music performances, as well as workshops, open mic sessions, spoken word performances and has been a popular fixture in Newstead since 2007.

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Melbourne returns

14-11-2020

With the ring of steel down, Melburnians were keen to get back to the regions including the Central Highlands of Victoria.

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Kyneton Art Group goes online and ‘plein air’

09-11-2020

FOR SOME, living in lockdown due to COVID-19 has been a trying time, but for the members of the Kyneton Art Group there has been an upside. With nowhere to go, no interruptions and time on their hands this has provided the opportunity to paint, draw and produce to their hearts’ delight.

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Clunes history

09-11-2020

THE Independent Order of Rechabites is a fraternal organisation founded in England in 1835. Founded by a group of Methodists in Manchester, its name was lifted from the nomadic, teetotaller Rechabites of the Old Testament.

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Noel shadowing This Farm Needs a Farmer

09-11-2020

ONE day in 2015, Melissa Connors struck up a conversation with retired farmer, the late Noel Jenner, who passed by her property every day. She said how dedicated he was to be walking every day no matter the weather. He said: “I am off the farm now, so what else can I do with my time?”

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Macedon Ranges Shire: The tribe has spoken

09-11-2020

THERE are six new faces in Macedon Ranges Shire Council with just three councillors returned including West Ward’s former mayor Janet Pearce and Jennifer Anderson, and East Ward’s Bill West.

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Hepburn Shire Council: The tribe has spoken

09-11-2020

CRESWICK Ward's Don Henderson is the only former Hepburn Shire Council councillor to remain standing after the October 2020 election. And four of the new councillors are candidates supported by lobby group Community Voice after agreeing to align with the group's charter.

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The Mount Players: Marg and Allan Cameron

02-11-2020

MARG and Allan Cameron have been an integral part of Macedon's Mountview Theatre for the best part of 50 years.

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Love of all things fishing leads to kids’ club

02-11-2020

FINN Masuda is seven years old and loves fishing. His parents Hiroshi and Meaghan have a video of him, not much more than one year old, trying to take the rod off his dad and have a go by himself.

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Finally, it’s time to smell (and taste) the roses

02-11-2020

MARCH 18, 2020. This date is stamped into many people’s memories as the day everything shut. Among them is Lauren Richardson, grower of edible flowers in Glenlyon.

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Chainsaws v. trees: the Buangor battle continues

02-11-2020

A DAYLESFORD family has been relieved by a court ordering a halt to the chain-sawing of ancient gum trees on the Western Highway.

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Guiding a school in the time of COVID-19

26-10-2020

WITH all students in regional Victoria now back face-to-face, principal of Daylesford College Steve MacPhail reflects on the challenges of guiding his school through months of lockdown and a global pandemic.

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Simple life and ethical farming

26-10-2020

WIFE and husband farming team Catherine Taumoefolau-Evans and Bohdan Evans with their three children Angus, Hepi and Leon, have returned to a simpler life.

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Restoring Park Lake to its former glory

19-10-2020

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

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The quick brown fox always in Barry’s sights

19-10-2020

BARRY is a skilled shooter. His specialty is eradicating introduced feral animals and he is very good at it. But you won’t find him advertising his work in the paper or online. He prefers to remain anonymous.

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Of fish, massive gold and blackberries: Laurie’s world

19-10-2020

YARNING with Laurie Mitchell starts with the strange disappearance of the name plaque from the Daylesford Angling Club rooms, moves into decades of fishing contests, diverts into a fabulous gold find, and even makes its way to home building a hand-hewn, earthen-floored miner’s hut.

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A life-saving project within your back fence

19-10-2020

A LONG road for a pair of former journalists runs from country Queensland to a nursery at Tylden.

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On becoming a local

05-10-2020

DISCLAIMER: The following is an approximation of actual events, some of which may have occurred as described. My relationship with the folks at The Local was cemented over common interests and a question of propriety.

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Keeping us to account

05-10-2020

I HAD left my full-time job in July 2015 and started my own business. I looked at the first invoice I sent to The Local, it was in November 2015.

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Design with The Local

05-10-2020

LOCAL being the operative word. It goes with other words such as care, support, friendship, interest, meaningful, current, conscientious, convenient and beneficial.

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Journalist, paperboy… living the dream

05-10-2020

I WAS born in Queensland and came to Victoria as a kid when the family purchased a farm in north east Victoria in the late 70s. Both my parents were into fine art and Dad made a good career out of it. Mum spent her time reading, running a horse stud and breeding cattle.

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Dianne: Really connecting the community

05-10-2020

When Kyle and Donna asked me to write a piece for the 200th edition about how I started working with them, I really didn’t know how I would form the words that would show my appreciation to them both for taking me on as a member of the crew.

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Kate Taylor rocking the look with her awards

05-10-2020

IT ALL started with a pile of rocks that ended in an award. Well, kind of. A few years ago, my husband decided we should go for a drive around Hepburn looking at the old-school drystone walls. I had to try and turn it into something that would interest me – a story. It turned out that they’re actually pretty interesting, as well as being a popular geo-tourism attraction.

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Nick and Lindsay, keeping the typos at bay

05-10-2020

BOTH Melbourne born and bred, in 2007 we decided, like numerous other city slickers before and since, to opt for a tree-change. We moved to Daylesford in early 2008, and met and became friends with Kyle and Donna the same year, through our involvement with the Daylesford Regional Visitor Information Centre.

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Blizzards, ferret bites, all in a day’s work

05-10-2020

It’s not very often you’ll see an ad saying “Photographer Wanted” but back in May 2015 while reading The Local one magically appeared before my eyes.

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When telling your story is such a joy

05-10-2020

IT MAY be something as superficially simple as the renaming of a creek. Or as sad as the wanton shooting of a pet pig near Wombat State Forest.

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The Local celebrates its 200th edition

05-10-2020

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

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Butch’s model a hit on top auction site

21-09-2020

A MODEL replica of the Glenlyon Shire Hall made by Hepburn’s Butch Tori has sold on prestigious auction site Leonard Joel for $600. The asking price was $200-$300.

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Working towards a new COVID normal

14-09-2020

REGIONAL Victoria was set to open “imminently”, Daylesford Macedon Tourism CEO Steve Wroe has told The Local.

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Daylesford Post Office – Legends of Lockdown

14-09-2020

LUKE Zu and Steve Mason from Daylesford Post Office are the latest nominations for Legends of Lockdown.

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Come for the house, stay for the community

07-09-2020

ANGELA Flowers says, with a laugh, that when you buy in Clunes you don't just get a house, you get a community.

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Soup solace

07-09-2020

ON A cold wintry night in the depths of a pandemic affecting everyone, a warming fire and hot soup provided by the Daylesford Community Church offers nourishment, solace, a sympathetic ear and social contact.

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The tail of three dogs

31-08-2020

WE VERY nearly lost our Scout last week. Scout is a smooth-haired Jack Russell terrier. She came into our lives in 2003 - she was a puppy when we bought her in a pet shop in Woodend.

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Australia’s Best Pie at Kyneton!

31-08-2020

KYNETON'S Country Cob Bakery has done a hat trick, taking out the Baking Association of Australia's Best Pie for the third year in a row.

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To the Woodend community, with love…

31-08-2020

HELLO. My name is Aubrey, and I would like to tell you a story. It is an awesome story about kindness. I am learning to read, but can’t write yet, so I have asked my Mama to share this story with you.

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Hiroshi enjoying soccer again and winning

24-08-2020

HIROSHI Masuda started playing soccer in grade 2 at primary school – and as was the way with the country at the time, pretty much trained at least five days a week after school.

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New grassroots movement launched

24-08-2020

A NON-political grassroots movement, Community Voice, has been launched in Hepburn Shire and already has 643 members on Facebook.

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Local Lines

24-08-2020

Fairy Tale Ending

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Melbourne buyers on their way

24-08-2020

MELBOURNE residents, tired of lockdown and now realising they can work from home, are beating a path to the Central Highlands, real estate agents have told The Local.

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Loss of land use rights concerns residents

24-08-2020

A GROUP of residents are concerned that a Hepburn Shire planning scheme amendment will remove their rights in terms of land use and development.

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Coles Woodend – Legends of Lockdown

24-08-2020

STAFF at Coles Woodend have been nominated as The Local's Legends of Lockdown.

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Banding together for craft and company

24-08-2020

YOU might think a brass band which can’t play together, thus no longer a band, would give their instruments a miss during a global pandemic, but you would be wrong.

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Tradie Torque

17-08-2020

CHRIS Kendall has been painting houses for 19 years now and still enjoys his work – just don’t ask him for a really early start, like 3am. The Bullarto resident tried his hand as an apprentice baker for about six months after high school but didn’t like the early hours. Bricklaying was also not his thing.

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Game, set and healthy match

17-08-2020

IT’S a great, and healthy, match. Daylesford Lawn Tennis Club and Hepburn Wholefoods Collective have come together, with the latter sharing the club’s rooms to offer organic, local food to the community.

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Bold and passionate

17-08-2020

TALKING to Tahlia Stanton is like being caught up in a breath of fresh air. The 21-year-old “pop, abstract, realist painter” is bright, bubbly, passionate and clearly talented.

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A balancing act

17-08-2020

SOCIAL justice advocate, opera singer, mother and local event manager – Tiffany Speight is every woman, it’s all in her.

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Tonnas- Legends of Lockdown

17-08-2020

TONNA'S Fruit & Vegetables have been nominated as The Local's latest Legends of Lockdown.

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Local Lines

17-08-2020

Local Lines

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Chrissy busy taking part in community life

10-08-2020

LENDING a hand comes very naturally to Chrissy Austin. After spending the past 16 years working in the community sector, as well as having a background in working with refugee and multicultural communities, she’s now the chair of the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre board.

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Local Lines

03-08-2020

Poems for Local Lines come predominantly from a group of poets. However, other locals who would like a poem considered for publication can contact Bill Wootton - cottlesbreedge@gmail.com

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Balancing community work with paid work

03-08-2020

Gina Lyons is busy balancing community work with paid work.

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Roger McLean – a Legend of Lockdown

03-08-2020

Herbal Lore's Roger McLean is The Local's latest Legend of Lockdown.

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An Aussie in America

03-08-2020

Journalist Jeff Glorfeld wonders if he is an influencer.

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The Many Humans Of Clunes

29-06-2020

BARBARA Curzon-Siggers is a particularly fascinating human of Clunes.

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An Aussie in America Part 2

29-06-2020

I was already overdue for a haircut in late March, when California issued its first coronavirus shutdown orders.

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Vale John Madigan: July 21, 1966 – June 16, 2020

22-06-2020

JOHN Madigan was born into a Catholic family and belonged to a youth group run by the National Civic Council founder, B.A. Santamaria, in Melbourne.

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Changing Times:

22-06-2020

The times they are a-changing, So Bob Dylan sang some time ago.

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An Aussie in America

22-06-2020

The Coodabeens’ light-hearted football-centred banter is a much-needed respite from our regular news diet of COVID-19.

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Queen’s Birthday honour for Judith Fawcett

15-06-2020

SHE has just received a Queen’s Birthday honour for her services to the community of Clunes but really, Judith Fawcett isn’t one for all the fuss.

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Vale Betty 1932 – 2020

01-06-2020

OK, Mum is a true Frankston girl, born and bred.

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Vale Bill Hickey 1940 – 2020

18-05-2020

MANY people could write the story of William Thomas Hickey...

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Creating beautiful floral displays for all

18-05-2020

DENISE Robinson’s work is truly beautiful and even more than that, she is a beautiful person.

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Confessions from the great Glenlyon Confest

18-05-2020

THE Hare Krishnas were making meals. Just about everyone else was making love.

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Life changed with simple diet and exercise

11-05-2020

DAYLESFORD’S "Big" Dale Callahan is big no more. The 56-year-old has lost a massive 102kg in just 40 weeks.

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From sport to army to hospitality: a great story

11-05-2020

FROM international squash tournaments to the Israeli Army, to The Boathouse Restaurant, Claire Levine has a hell of a story.

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Storytelling online throughout COVID-19

04-05-2020

THERE are many ways to tell a story – and Anne E Stewart knows all of them.

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Recognition for Dallas’s ongoing work

30-03-2020

JUST talking to Dallas Kinnear is inspiring. So, if you put together all of the amazing work she has done towards creating a better environment ...

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Big contributions lead to honour roll

30-03-2020

IT’S Loretta Little’s big contributions to her community that have seen her inducted into Hepburn Shire’s Heather Mutimer Women’s Honour Roll.

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Instrument artworks at Mount Franklin

23-03-2020

A STUNNING new exhibition in Mt Franklin, now set for Spring, has struck just the right note.

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How to sustain wildlife in Hepburn Shire

23-03-2020

GLENLYON resident Jill Teschendorff and Wombat Forestcare have produced a new book.

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Citizen of the Year

10-02-2020

It’s traditional for the award to be given to one person, one citizen, and David is certainly well deserving of the nod.

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2020 great time to visit Dubai’s World Expo

10-02-2020

IT IS coming up to a great time to visit Dubai with the World Expo looming from October 20.

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Our Newest Australians

27-07-2020

ZIG Zag Wines owners Harriet and Henry Churchill became some of the nation’s newest citizens on Saturday night.

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Australia Day awards

27-01-2020

AUSTRALIA Day ceremonies were held by Macedon Ranges and Hepburn shire councils with recognition given to both citizens and events.

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