I loved reading about David Hall’s epic journey across Asia and Europe – and the release of his book about his escapades. Head back to page 13 for a really great read. Journalist Kevin Childs sums it up well, saying that trips of that nature are no longer possible due to political and social upheaval. […]

Governments. Sometimes they just don’t govern well. Now I am all for following the rules. Well, most of the time. I think if the lockdowns were ever brought back I would ignore them. And I would never wear a mask while walking alone around the Glenlyon Reserve again. But who knew at the time. Anyway, […]

What a rollercoaster for councillors, council staff and ratepayers. Last week five of Hepburn Shire’s councillors – Don Henderson, Tony Clark, Shirley Cornish, Pat Hockey and Lesley Hewitt – and former CEO Bradley Thomas were cleared of all criminal charges brought against them by shire resident David Penman. Apparently, the Director of Public Prosecutions attended […]

I was going to write about Hepburn Shire Council – but it appears there is not much council to write about just yet. Sure as eggs, something will happen on Monday, just after we go to press. I am guessing an administrator or two but what would I know? Watch this space. In the meantime, […]

In this column, in the last edition, I wrote that Hepburn Shire Council CEO Bradley Thomas said the council was doing its best and just needed more time. That was after the Community Satisfaction Survey came out saying the council’s overall performance score was the worst in 10 years. I said I knew plenty of […]

As a journalist, I love it when the Community Satisfaction Survey is released. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, and as long as I have been editing The Local – Hepburn Shire Council has done pretty poorly. So, you know, it makes for a good story, I can always use the ‘can’t get no […]

I love being a journo but sometimes reporting is hard work. And hard to do properly. And especially hard to do as an independent publisher with not a lot of financial backing. People have sometimes said I used to go harder when I was employed at The Advocate in Daylesford. Or The Courier in Ballarat. […]

A major opinion poll last week forecasted One Nation would win dozens of seats if a federal election had been held then. Pauline Hanson’s party would have pretty much wiped out the Coalition, but also taken seats from Labor. It’s scary stuff. I know it is just a poll, and I mean, who would vote […]