Hepburn Shire Council announced the recipients of the 2025 Community  Awards last Friday, January 24 at a civic event at The Mechanics Trentham.  

The awards recognised individuals and community organisations that have made  outstanding contributions to the local community.  

The event was attended by a number of councillors along with Ballarat MP  Catherine King and Ripon MP Martha Haylett.

Dja Dja Wurrung Elder Aunty  Marilyne Nicholls performed a moving Welcome to Country.  Citizen of the Year was awarded to Steve Ellis, a member of the Creswick CFA for  40 years, for his exceptional community service and volunteer efforts in various local  initiatives.  

“Steve has over 40 years’ service to the Creswick Fire Brigade with his many  leadership roles, CFA and the Running Championships, as well as his service to the  football community.”  

The Event of the Year was awarded to the 160th Anniversary Clunes Show, for its  significant impact in celebrating and promoting the region’s heritage and community  spirit.  

“The Clunes Show has always shown a wonderful exhibition from local and  surrounding districts, of stock, machinery and homecraft exhibits, illustrating the  abilities and dedication of both the farmers and townspeople to produce only the best  products.”  

Hepburn Together was awarded to the Daylesford and Hepburn United Soccer  Club, for fostering inclusivity, team spirit, and youth development in the region  through soccer.  

“Daylesford and Hepburn United Soccer Club is a 100 per cent not-for-profit  community-run sports club with its number one commitment to provide a safe,  welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of the Hepburn Shire  community.”  

The civic event also included an Australian citizenship ceremony, with six people  becoming citizens. The new citizens hailed from Germany, Philippines, Vietnam,  New Zealand and Ireland.  

Words & image: Contributed  

The Hepburn Shire Council is inviting all residents to attend a special event this Friday and celebrate the Community Award  winners for 2025, while also welcoming the shire’s newest Australian citizens.  

The free community event will take place at 2pm this Friday January 24, in the Loddon River Room at The Mechanics Trentham.

The council will announce its Citizen of the Year,  Community Event of the Year, and Hepburn Together Award winners.  

The Community Award winners for 2024 were ChillOut Festival  (Event of the Year), Pat Tacey and Neville Cartledge (joint Citizens  of the Year) and Alice Newitt (Young Citizen of the Year).

During last year’s event a Special Commendation was also presented to the local band Elysium.  

The Hepburn Shire Council is inviting all residents of the shire to attend a special free event celebrating its community award winners for 2024 and welcoming its new Australian citizens on Thursday January 25.

The free event will be held from 2pm on Thursday 25 January and will be held at the Daylesford Town Hall.

Refreshments will be provided and during the event the council will announce its Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Community Event of the Year.

Community events are also being organised by local community groups at Clunes and Trentham on Australia Day/Survival Day Friday January 26.

At Clunes, the town’s Tourism Development Assoication is hosting a sunrise walk and flag raising ceremony with a 5.45am start from the Mt Beckworth Reserve (meet at the Dam). A pancake breakfast atop Mt Beckworth is also on the program.

Then at 12 noon there’s a flag lowering ceremony, community barbecue and live entertainment at Collins Place in the town’s Fraser Street.

At Trentham there’s a flag raising ceremony, a community barecue and entertainment in the town square.

The Trentham Lions Club is hosting the event and music starts at 10 am with the main event including flag raising and speech from Hepburn mayor Cr Brian Hood scheduled to get under way from 11.30 am.

Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Supplied

HUMBLED and “a bit surprised” is the way farmer John Drife describes discovering he’s this year’s
Hepburn Shire Citizen of the Year.
At a civic event in Daylesford last Wednesday, the Hepburn
Shire Council named John its Citizen of The Year, also announcing Daylesford’s Atticus Punt-Trethewey as its Young Citizen of the Year.
The Great Dividing Trail Association’s Reconciliation Walks took out Event of the Year as part of the shire’s 2023 Community Awards.

“I was a little bit surprised. It’s very humbling just to be nominated and I’d like to congratulate all the others who were nominated,” said Clunes farmer John Drife.
John and Billie Henderson-Drife farm sheep, cattle and crops in the Glendaruel-Mount Beckworth area just out of Clunes. Both of their families settled in the area back in the mid-1800s.
John paid special homage to his wife Billie, stating that he believed she deserved the award as well.
The farmer is a pivotal part of the community in and around Clunes. He’s on many committees and community groups including the CFA (a member for more than half a century),
Waubra Wind Farm Community Fund Committee, Mt Bolton/Beckworth Landcare Group, Clunes & District Agricultural Society Committee and many more.
John coordinated multiple fundraisers for individuals and groups, in particular playing a central role in Bushy’s Cutout fundraiser in 2018, which raised more than $85,000 to support local shearer Tony
‘Bushy’ Hill in his battle with Motor Neurone Disease.
Other Citizen of the Year nominees were Terry Bolton, Gayle Chappell, Michelle
Clifford, Margaret Giles, Natasha Hall and Jennifer Hind.
The shire’s Young Citizen of The Year, Daylesford’s Atticus Punt-Trethewey, was
similarly humble.
“It’s not something I ever would have expected,” he said.
The 21-year-old Australian College of the Arts music production student initiated and organised the free youth music event AltWave, held for the first time last year in the Daylesford Town Hall.
Atticus engaged a team of young musicians and entertainers and coordinated support of community groups and businesses to run the event that raised awareness and money for youth mental health.
“I guess more than anything I’m just grateful that the message we’re trying to spread with AltWave has cut through,” said Atticus, who is already busily planning the next AltWave event for later this year.
“The issues that young people face in the region are very important,” he said.
The other nominees for the shire’s Young Citizen award were Flossy Haughie,
Lucinda Lowe and Sasha Taylor.

Meanwhile, president of The Great Dividing Trail Association, Daylesford’s Tim
Bach, was keen to pay homage to others when the association’s Reconciliation Walks
scooped the shire’s Event of the Year award.
“The driving force for this particular event was Barry Golding who did a lot of the
research and got permission from landholders, because some of the walks cross onto
private land, and he liaised with the Djarra people,” Tim said.
As part of its ongoing, wider guided walks and rides program, the Great Dividing
Trail Association held educational guided walks to local sites where Aboriginal
Protectorates had been established in the mid-1800s.

The walks highlighted the early post-contact history of First Nations peoples and
emphasised the need to acknowledge their mistreatment as a step in the reconciliation
process.
The Reconciliation Walks had strong support from Djarra people and have
become a regular feature of the GDTA’s wider guided walk program.
“This year we are doing two more walks in significant Aboriginal areas – one to Mount Beckworth on Sunday, August 27 and one to Mount Tarrengower on Sunday, June 25,” Tim said.
“I’m honoured that we received this award. I’m surprised too because there were some really high quality nominations and I feel that we are only a little organisation.”
The other nominees for the shire’s Event of The Year award were AltWave Youth Music Event, CresFest and Wombat Trees Festive Project.