In the 1990s, Em Ireland ran open mic events, combining poetry and music. Now, as director of the Words in Winter event, Em has loved calling in poets and friends “from back in the day” to be a part of the community festival, held on August 25, 26 and 27.
“Words in Winter is all about our community and its poets and authors, and people from further away, coming in to show how writing and poetry can be exciting.”
Em said she had worked on growing the festival and a gala launch would be held on the Saturday night with media legends Jon Faine and Marieke Hardy, at the Palais- Hepburn.
“I really do hope everyone comes to honour Jon Faine on Saturday, I am sure all of us would have had a chat to him on his radio show about bushfires or potholes over the past decade or so.
“It will be a gorgeous event and I really like the idea of the community coming together for these festivals. They can be honouring our potato farmers, our goats, our Swiss Italian heritage…our community is just so supportive.
“And it is really important that we get out from behind books, into a room and talking about them.”
Em said the festival started on Friday, August 25, the same day as Wear Purple Day, and that had been incorporated with author Erin Riley coming from Sydney to talk about gender diversity.
On the Saturday, there were many events from Women to the Front brunching, to workshops and poetry readings at venues including Paradise Books, Daylesford Hotel, Radius Art Gallery and Cliffy’s.
There are also events at Creswick, Trentham and Maryborough with free readings in the shire’s libraries and shadow puppetry performances.
Words in Winter was started by David Hall and his late wife Lorelle in 2001. Link: www.wordsinwinter.com

Words: Donna Kelly

A PLANNING application for five dwellings at 1 Raglan Street, Daylesford, has people wondering if it is the site of next year’s series of television show The Block.
The site is diagnally opposite the Farmers Arms Hotel.
The application to Hepburn Shire Council has a report prepared by Niche Planning Studio but the name of the applicant and owner of the land, on the corner of Raglan Street and the Midland Highway, has been redacted (blacked out).
The application says it supports the proposed development of five carbon-neutral, architecturally designed residential dwellings.
Each has a large kitchen and living/dining area with a mezzanine. There are five bedrooms in wings, two with en-suite bathrooms and all with access to a terrace. There is also another bathroom, rumpus room, three-car garage – and a heated swimming pool.
The application says a key principle is to maintain Daylesford’s leafy and spacious entry along the Midland Highway, transitioning from rural farmland to township-built form character.
It says access to the Midland Highway for the 3.8-hectare site has been proposed in a previously lodged application to Hepburn Shire Council.
Queries to Hepburn Shire Council Birch Ward councillors Jen Bray and Lesley Hewitt, and Mayor Brian Hood, were not responded to by press time. A query to Niche Planning Studio was also not responded to.
Hygge Property director Adam Walsh said he could not comment on the application but 1 Raglan Street, Daylesford was part of Hygge Property’s Middleton Field community.
The Block has told media outlets it does not comment on future sites although a number of media outlets have published articles saying that The Block will return to a regional area next year and is looking in the Hepburn Shire region.
Meanwhile, reaction on social media to the application is mixed.
“Anyone know more about The Block attempting to get permits to build massive houses and pools on the Wombat Park corner block near The Farmers? That would be devastating for the town! We don’t need a bogan TV station bringing hoards of day trippers.”
“Don’t know what the problem is – they won’t be the only ones building. Think of the money it will bring into the traders of the town.”
“With their Macca’s food van and Bunnings vouchers? Doubt the local small businesses are sponsoring the show.”
“Those places would look ordinary in that paddock. I’m interested to see how long permits take for them in comparison to local applications. Could be interesting.”
“Mitre 10 is the sponsor, and I’m sure there is one across from the site. I think they will be pretty happy to be supporting the build. I think a lot of businesses will benefit. Three months accomm for over 100 production staff, fuel and food just to start with.”
“I bet The Block gets permits while everyone else in the Hepburn Shire has to wait years for a simple one, typical of this shire.”
“The only positive that I can see for this is that otherwise that area is going to be subdivided into suburban (city) sized blocks and then be filled with cookie cutter big houses with little to no yards. If the rumours are true then these Block houses will be older period homes that have been relocated and then renovated and will at least provide a visual buffer from the Midland Highway to what will otherwise be a mini Caroline Springs housing estate.”
“I like that this is where we draw the line…have you looked at the town? It’s a joke. It’s already Caroline Springs.”
“You aren’t going to stop tourists coming or people moving to Daylesford. It’s a commutable distance from Melb and has all the amenities making it a very liveable town for all ages. Better to push for upgrades to services than to fight a losing battle.”
“It’s called progress and brings visitors and dollars into the town. Also more residents that will support local business. Great idea.”
“Don’t know about you but a home on a 2 acre or 1 acre block would be preferable than an estate for 50 blocks and actually help retain the trees. If it was a housing estate you’re more likely to see wholesale cutting out of trees. I do agree that the traffic will be bad and surprised they have built in such a prominent block rather than down some back road where they can control things.”
“I’m pretty sure something else is going in that location and the block is going in Glenlyon.”
“I swear if The Block get permits before us I will sue the council.”
“As they are always having McDonalds does that mean Daylesford will get a Maccas?”

Daylesford’s Brian Nash has long captivated art lovers with his powerful interpretations of the world around him, particularly landscape. Right now his work, together with that of photographer Bec Walker, is part of a feature exhibition showing at the Convent Gallery. In recent days, Brian generously shared his time with journalist Eve Lamb to provide some insights into his creative process, sources of inspiration, and life as a professional artist.

Eve: How should we best describe your artistic style?
Brian: Realist, impressionist.
Eve: How did you come to art?
Brian: I didn’t come to art. It came to me. For as long as can remember I was always drawing and painting and I thought everybody could do the same.
Eve: How did you nurture your innate arts talent?
Brian: I am completely self taught, I nurtured my art through observation and practice.
Eve: Where do you do most of your art work?
Brian: Mostly in the studio although I sketch subjects as well, but I like to finish work in the studio.
Eve: Which artists have influenced your creative practice?
Brian: Quite a lot actually, but some of them are Andrew Wyeth, John Singer Sargent, Sorolla, Hans Heysen, and Edgar Degas.
Eve: Are there any other particular factors that have influenced your creative practice?
Brian: Not really but I have always been a keen observer of what is around me.
Eve: What is your media of choice?
Brian: I work in acrylic, oil, pastel and watercolour.
Eve: What is your subject matter of choice? Why so?
Brian: I am mainly a landscape painter and living here in Daylesford I find inspiration and diversity within Hepburn Shire and the Central Highlands.
Eve: Have you ever worked in any other areas besides working as an artist?
Brian: I worked in a large printing company in Melbourne for 18 years before I decided to make art my career.
Eve: What are you working on at the moment?
Brian: A series of paintings of the Hepburn Shire.
Eve: What work, goals or projects do you have in mind for the future?
Brian: I am in the process of producing a book of paintings featuring the many beautiful subjects of the Hepburn Shire. The book is called The Golden Shire and should be published by October this year; very exciting for me as I have been working on this project for over 20 years.
Eve: When you work in the studio do you like to play music and if so what is your music of choice?
Brian: I do listen to music in the studio. Mainly classical.
Eve: To date what have been your career highlights as an artist?
Brian: One of them was a painting trip to Tuscany with a group of prominent Australian artists that was followed up by an exhibition of the works in Melbourne.
Eve: Do you have any exhibitions or special arts events taking place that you would like to let others know about?
Brian: At the moment I have an exhibition at the Convent Gallery with photographer Bec Walker, that will be shown till the end of August.
Eve: What would you rate as the biggest challenges in being a professional working artist today?
Brian: The biggest challenge for me is for my type of art to be accepted by the public as there are so many different styles of art to compete with.
Eve: And, for you personally, the greatest rewards?
Brian: I think the greatest reward for any artist is to believe in what you do, in the hope that your work is appreciated now and long after you are no longer here.

Words: Darren Lowe

Following its sell-out success last year, Winter Sounds is returning to Daylesford in August with a great line-up of Australian artists performing in a range of local venues.
From August 17-20 the line-up including Mo’Ju, Gareth Liddiard, Jen Cloher, Tex Perkins & Matt Walker,
Adalita, Watty Thompson, Jess Ribeiro, Martin Frawley, Leah Senior, Coda Chroma, Skyscraper Stan and Jarrah Olive will play gigs around the region – Daylesford, Glenlyon, Bullarto and Clunes.
Winter Sounds is produced by the team behind the successful Riverboats Music Festival and supported by Visit Victoria and the event’s director Dave Frazer says: “Winter Sounds is about providing audiences with the opportunity to experience extraordinary performances in extraordinary spaces, and we are so excited to be rugging up and returning to the Daylesford region this winter.”
For one of the unique shows in the series, take the train to the Bullarto Hall for sets by Gareth Liddiard, Adalita, Martin Frawley and Jess Ribeiro. After a half hour journey through the Wombat State Forest on the Spa Country Railway, wander up the bush track to Bullarto Hall, where the fire drums will be roaring and the Mountain Goat tinnies will be on ice.
Alternatively, audiences can take a leisurely drive to Clunes, where Watty Thompson and Leah Senior will perform in the Clunes Town Hall.
In Daylesford, the phenomenal vocals of Mo’Ju, supported by Ballarat’s Coda Chroma, will play the Daylesford Town Hall on Saturday night, while Jen Cloher and Tex Perkins & Matt Walker will take over St Peter’s Catholic Church for two evening concerts.
Both buildings will be spectacularly lit by the team from RTR Productions to showcase the buildings’ architecture. Tickets on sale at www.wintersounds.com.au

The Daylesford Town Hall was decorated in red, white and blue and alive with the festive music of France, and other parts of Europe too, for the annual Quatorze Juillet celebrations conducted by the Hepburn Shire U3A French Group and the Daylesford Community Brass Band.
Over 120 people braved the weather to celebrate the French National Day in style. There were prizes for French-themed dress and French-themed tables and almost everybody arrived in some form of French tribute costume.
This was the ninth annual French Night in Daylesford and all present enjoyed a happy evening of food and music and a little can-can in the grand finale.
This is the Daylesford Community Brass Band’s major fundraising event of the year and the band provided a number of rousing tunes from Bizet, Dvorak, Lecuona and even Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Christine Douglas sang Songs my mother taught me, by Dvorak and Millie Gouldthorpe sang La Mer. Euphonium soloists Chris Billings and Mark Lyall performed the duet from the Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet, and Jenny Jordan led the band through the other numbers.
There were raffles and a silent auction to raise funds for the band and notable this year was the large number of Daylesford eateries who provided meal vouchers to be snapped up in the silent auction.

Words and Images: Eve Lamb

Potato and bacon soup, baked ham with roast seasonal veg, piping hot apple and rhubarb pie with cream… I could be at a cafe, pub or restaurant – or a good friend’s place about to be fed. But no I’m in the Uniting Church Hall on a Thursday surrounded by the Good Grub Club’s good deeds in action… and it’s all pretty yummo.

Everyone needs tasty nutritious nosh – and good company – in their life. But for an increasing number of local folk, getting a good square meal on a regular basis isn’t always easy. Or possible.

That’s where Daylesford’s Good Grub Club comes in to cheerfully help out, not just with the proverbial “good grub” but also with plenty of good companionship as well.

Every Thursday the club does exactly as its name suggests – dishes up hot nutritious lunches, free of charge, to those who are struggling to make ends meet.

These companionable sit-down three-course lunches are entirely free of charge and take place at the Uniting Church Hall at the corner of Central Springs Road and Camp Street, Daylesford, from 11.30am – 12.45pm. As volunteers point out, the only thing asked in return from diners is their first name.

And, that’s not all. The club also does food hamper and pre-cooked meal deliveries to those in the community who are unable to make their Thursday community lunch sittings in person.

Lately demand for the club’s services has been increasing, say stalwarts who volunteer with the club, people like Daylesford’s Cathy Walker, Gary Carter, Liz Bennett and the (retired) Reverend Jenny Hayes, who’s really anything but retired when it comes to making The Good Grub Club happen.

Cathy and Gary say that the type of social demographic represented among the diners has been changing in recent times.

“Every week there’ll be one or two new faces and it’s working people, which is the thing that’s disturbing, at the moment,” Cathy says.

“People will do anything to keep a roof over their head and sometimes that means no food.

“Some are regulars who come every week and there are some one-offs that we get. These are people who might just have had a big dental bill or something like that. That can throw the budget out. It’s a real mixed bag of stories.

“We deliver as well to 15 or 20 households, people who are isolated and elderly,” Cathy says.

“We probably have 15 to 20 people who sit down to lunch each Thursday but we also have others who aren’t looking for the social engagement as well, who will just get take-aways.

“All up at the moment we’d have about 60 to 70 households (using the club’s services) – or about 100 people.”

Gary, who’s the club’s acting secretary, says that sometimes it’s the need for social connectivity, a good chin-wag, that people are most in need of when they roll up to a Thursday lunch with the club.

“I love it because it’s something that is very direct and you can see the results of what you do,” says Gary when asked why he volunteers with the Club.

“There are no middle men, no bureaucracy, no means-testing of people, just a friendly and direct way of making a contribution,” he says.

Gary is “semi-retired” and has a background in the corporate world, in franchising. His professional background has left him with distaste for “bureaucracy”. It’s also left him with the ability to write successful funding applications, a talent which has very recently resulted in the Club’s receipt of a tidy $6000 grant from the Bendigo Community Bank Daylesford and District. The dollars are being bestowed on the Club at a rate of $1500 per quarter for the new financial year.

Marking that happy fact, two staff from the local Bendigo community bank, including branch manager, Melanie Tudball had also dropped in to visit the Club – and have lunch – while The Local was visiting.

Enjoying a seat at the Good Grub Club table, Melanie described the soup of the day – potato and bacon – as: “Great. Really good! Hitting the spot.”

In the kitchen, volunteers including former professional chef Rose Carrington, Robyn Zanon, who previously taught in a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen, and Robyn’s husband, Walter Zanon, were bustling about with delicious dishes featuring the aforementioned baked ham with roast veg and a dessert choice of apple and rhubarb pie or golden syrup, apple dumplings with cream or ice cream.

They were even happy and able to cater for special dietary needs, like gluten sensitivity.

“It’s very rewarding to do something for people who otherwise may not have a decent meal,” Rose said.

All of the diners that The Local chatted to gave the menu a decisive thumbs up, while many regulars mentioned that another main motivation for being there was the companionship.

“Basically it’s for the social interaction and it does get difficult cooking for yourself if you live by yourself,” said Hepburn local, Paul, enjoying the soup of the day.

“The food is very yummy and there is good community spirit. I’m a social butterfly. I like being with other people,” said fellow diner Sharon.

“The food is lovely,” added another regular, Nola of Daylesford.

The club runs on the goodwill and community-mindedness of its volunteers and more are always welcome, as are donations of in-date non-perishable food items.

“We currently have probably 15 to 20 volunteers. Some do the deliveries. We’ve got a couple of really good cooks, some of our volunteers pack hampers or help with serving lunch,” Cathy says.

The Good Grub Club is an independent registered and incorporated charity, and at times works quite closely with other community service organisations like the local Rotary club.

“Over the last 12 months, and especially since the pandemic, the demand has increased significantly, but surprisingly many people in our community are still not aware of the support services we provide even though we’ve been doing this for coming up ten years now,” Gary says.

“The (Thursday) lunches are cooked on site on the morning, and volunteers also cook on Mondays and Tuesdays and then we freeze so we can distribute,” says Rev Jenny who describes herself as “the general dog’s body actually”.

“We rely entirely on volunteers to keep the kitchen going. We also get good support from Coles through its Second Bite program. So every Thursday I go to Coles and pick up perishable fruit and vegetables that are left over.

“We can always do with more non-perishables and people can drop them off here (at the Uniting Church Hall) on Thursdays.”

Rev Jenny also says anyone keen to sign on as a volunteer and help keep the Good Grub Club dispensing its warming food and hospitality is more than welcome to contact her on 0408645248.

Words: Eve Lamb | Images: Louise Gay English

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

When the romance with retro vinyl began to bloom, Luke Cameron (pictured above) had something special to offer those smitten. A massive collection of vinyl records he’d been lovingly assembling over a quarter of a century, many of them coveted original press.

Last September this local music lover and former DJ turned his vinyl record collecting bug – that had begun at the tender age of 14 – into a flourishing business, opening Daylesford Records in the town’s Howe Street.

He has not looked back.

“I love vinyl and have for many years,” says Luke who lives just out of Daylesford.

“I’ve been collecting vinyl for about 25 years and my personal collection is about 15,000 records.

“The reason I started collecting was my mum gave me a crate of records when I was 14. From there I just started collecting.”

Offering between 1500 to 2000 highly collectable vinyl records in store at any one time, Daylesford Records has taken off and is now inviting music lovers to help it celebrate its first birthday with a special event on Saturday September 23.

“We’re having a really special day with DJs all day, and some other special things happening that we’ll be announcing closer to the day,” says Luke.

“It’s been amazing. We’re so busy and on weekends in particular we’re packed. We specialise in vintage vinyl. We’ve got new records as well.”

Much of the vinyl on offer in store is sourced from Luke’s own back-catalogue of collecting including many “holy grail of record collecting” first presses, made in the first year the record came out.

“We’ve got amazing records in stock and we can also source records for people,” Luke says.

“That’s been really popular with locals who are hunting for specific records. We can pretty much get any record in”

Luke says they also buy records from people who have them to sell and who may otherwise be unwittingly “sitting on a heap of money”.

“We’re basically cleaning and pricing records all day long,” he says.

“We grade the condition and we include the pressing year and the pressing location. We put a lot of detail into our pricing so you can browse through and know what you’re getting.

“We also sell turntables and amps, vintage turntables and new turntables and we can set people up with packs.

“I’ve always thought vinyl is fantastic, but what we’re getting now is young people who are picking up vinyl again. They have Spotify in their pockets but they’re loving the tangibility of vinyl.

“The sound of vinyl is so rich and deep, and full spectrum. People put on an album and listen to it from front to back the way the artist intended, and they discover tracks that they love but may otherwise not have heard. I love seeing it.”

Since the shop opened last September it’s been drawing music lovers and collectors from far and wide – Melbourne, as well as from close to home.

The gift cards are proving particularly popular. The act of physically browsing through all those collectible recording moments captured in time and in vinyl is a big part of what collectors love.

The shop situated at 8/11 Howe at is open Wed-Sunday 10am-4pm – and keep an eye out
for NBA Jam arcade game round robins happening soon on Friday nights.

Vinyl facts
Manufacture of disc records began in the late 19th century. Price, ease of use and storage made the disc record dominant by the 1910s. The standard format of disc records became known to later generations as 78s after their playback speed in revolutions per minute. In the late 1940s new formats pressed in vinyl, the 45 rpm single and 33 rpm long playing LP, were introduced,
A new report published by the Recording Industry Association of America revealed that US music lovers snapped up 41 million vinyl records in 2022, compared to 33 million CDs.
In Australia, vinyl is the fastest growing category in music sales, increasing by nearly 23 per cent in 2022, according to the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Supplied

Keep an eye out and you may just spot him hiking along the chilly, muddy Hepburn Shire roads this week.
While many of us stay rugged up indoors, much loved Ballarat-based Tamil refugee, Neil Para, 44, is this week walking through Hepburn Shire as part of his far bigger 1000 km trek all the way from Ballarat to Sydney.
Neil (pictured above) who with his family arrived by boat in Australian waters in August 2012, has set himself a target of covering 30 kilometres a day as he highlights the plight of refugees who have been left in limbo after their bridging visas were removed with no assurance of residential permanency anywhere sight.
Starting at 8am from federal minister Catherine King’s office in Ballarat this Tuesday, August 1, Neil aims to reach Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s office in Sydney within a month.
There, he will intend to present a petition bearing 11,000 signatures and calling for “fairness for refugees who’ve lived here in Australia for more than a decade”.
Supporting him logistically will be groups like Ballarat Rural Australians for Refugees and others in the network.
Neil says the idea for the long walk came to him as he reflected on the response to a four-day sit-in protest that took place at Parliament House in Canberra in March.
“I feel we were seen, but we were not heard,” says Neil who lives with his wife, Sugaa, and their three young daughters in Ballarat.
“Every single politician – they were passing by – but they didn’t come and talk to us.”
Neil says that reaction has prompted him to launch the Union of Australian Refugees group and to tackle the walking challenge to draw attention to the plight of his family and those on bridging visas.
Before settling in Ballarat in September 2013, the Para family had spent months in offshore and onshore detention facilities, including in Darwin and Dandenong.
Neil says the move to Ballarat was part of what immigration officials told him was a program to “fast-track” visas for refugees and asylum seekers moving to regional Australia.
But he says the promise of a visa was later reneged on, and the family’s bridging visas were removed, leaving Neil and Sugaa in a situation where they struggle to survive without the ability to work.
Neil volunteers with the State Emergency Service in the evenings, while Sugaa, also volunteers in aged care and for a local community centre.
Refugee advocates say there are as many as 12,000 asylum seekers and refugees in Australia who were excluded from the federal government’s announcement in February on a pathway to a permanent visa.
Those eligible included 19,000 people – from the Legacy Caseload – who had been living in Australia on temporary protection visas (TPV) or safe haven enterprise visas (SHEV).
Neil and his family are now understood to be among the up to 12,000 people who missed out. Meanwhile, data released by the Department on July 13 shows it has approved 2740 applications from asylum seekers and refugees who pursued the permanent pathway option announced in February, while 15,676 claims are still being processed.
Of the 32,045 individuals in the Legacy Caseload group, 7725 are reported to have had their cases closed either through refusal, cancellation or expiration.
After leaving Ballarat this Tuesday, Neil plans to head on to Newlyn, and then to continue on Wednesday from Newlyn through Daylesford and on to Malmsbury.
Former members of the now disbanded Rural Australian for Refugees Daylesford are supporting him during the Daylesford section of his walk and locals are being encouraged to get out, welcome him and cheer him on.

Fans of strings music will be well pleased to see that Ballarat-based Klemantyne Ensemble have a few performances in the Daylesford-Ballarat region on their agenda.

This Sunday July 30 at 2.30pm they’representing an afternoon soiree, ‘Regency’in the Ballroom at The Grand Ballarat – a mix of baroque and modern melodies which ensemble members say will probably “transport both your heart and imagination back to another era”.

Nicci Dellar – leader of Klemantyne: “This advertised concert is a blend of Baroque music, some well known works eg, The Four Seasons, and then a big contrast to more modern works.

“We have named the concert “Regency” but it is also a little “Bridgerton” influenced… which is also suited to The Grand, Ballroom Venue.”

And there’s more in store for this local group of talented musicians with dates at Maldon, Creswick and Daylesford all on their program ahead.

“Our concert Number 2, is on Saturday 5^th August in Maldon at Holy Trinity Church,” Nicci says.

“This is a Baroque concert, which will tie in with the Maldon Gothic festival.

“Concert Number 3, is at the Creswick Woollen Mill on Sunday 15^th October… Stay tuned more to come.

“And finally, concert Number 4 is on Saturday 28^th October, back again at the Christchurch in Daylesford. We are hoping to have our lovely Harpist coming out from Italy. (That’s) not yet confirmed though.”

Local lovers of baroque music are in for a treat in Daylesford this weekend.

Ensemble Pompadour with Laura Vaughan – viola da gamba and Simon Rickard – baroque musette will be performed at Christ Church Daylesford this Saturday, July 29 at 2.30pm.

Laura Vaughan and Simon Rickard are two of Australia’s leading exponents of baroque music.

They share a particular love for the French baroque, and for weird and wonderful historical instruments – the more exotic the better.
Bookings for this Saturday’s live performance can be made via www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1040691

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Kyle Barnes

It’s always a great meal at the Daylesford Bowling Club. It starts with a warm welcome as you walk in, sometimes from the manager Neil, or the bar staff, and the good vibes continue.
The bistro is run by chef Lenny Giri who clearly loves his career choice – and is always working towards more flavour and flair. His latest move is a food carving course in Thailand – just to keep things interesting.
We chose a table overlooking Daylesford – with most of the restaurant ready for a big group from Woodend celebrating Christmas in July. It’s a great view and one that Neil says many of the members enjoy for their evening tipple.
We leave the menu choice to Lenny and it’s fantastic. A little bit of many things finishing with the huge lamb shanks.
We start with chicken lollipops with a special schezuan sauce. They are delicious and crunchy on the outside with really tender chicken inside. The sauce is sweet with a fair bit of heat. Just right. ($19 for four, $30 for eight with chips)
Next up is the bruschetta with tomato, basil and extra virgin olive oil topped with a little parmesan sitting on a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Really fresh and mouth-watering. I could just enjoy a plate of these on their own. ($14)
Lenny’s special lamb and parmesan meatballs are up next. Lovely bite-sized flavour bombs with a little rocket on the side. Yum. ($16)
Finally, out comes the lamb shank. It’s a huge serve on top of mash with loads of sauce and vegies. The bone just comes straight out – no wonder seeing it has been cooked for 24 hours. Lenny also makes the sauce from scratch and that takes 48 hours which accounts for the massive flavours. Perfect winter fare. ($29)
Ok, it wasn’t the last dish. Lenny then brings over the tiramisu with rose water and whipped cream. It is really light and rich, if that is possible, and it’s devoured in minutes. I think we are starting to become dessert people. ($18)
Now, those who know me know I like a little wine and I like it even more at the Daylesford Bowling Club where it is just $6 for a glass of Hanging Rock Chardonnay. Same for the Duck Shoot pinot noir. Yep, just $6. That must be the best value for a drink in the region.
As I said Lenny likes to keep things happening and every month there is a Thursday to Sunday change of menu from somewhere around the world. We just missed Italian and before that was Greek but Egyptian is the next one coming up – so keep an eye on the club’s Facebook page. Could be very interesting. Belly dancing anyone? Oh, and don’t forget Wednesday, it’s steak night. A 300gm scotch or porterhouse for just $29. There’s that value again. See you at the bowlo!

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.
Fiona tried her hand at many jobs from office temp and switchboard operator to service station attendant and telemarketer, but then found her true calling in the wellness industry.
Daylesford Aromatherapy opened in 1999 – a move that came about after Fiona found her own eczema and asthma was failing to respond to traditional pharmaceutical treatments.
After 20 years and adding massage to her business after completing a number of courses including a Diploma of Remedial Massage, Certificate IV in Aromatherapy and Certificate IV in Massage Therapy, Level 1 & 2 Oncology Massage and Level 1 & 2 hot stone massage, Fiona opened a home clinic – with a separate entrance of course – on the edge of the Wombat Forest at Glenlyon.
While at first not interested in massage, Fiona said from her first hands-on class in 2008 she was hooked and never looked back.
“I just love giving massages and being able to connect with people and with healing. Generally my clients are locals which is great because I get to know them and their bodies and their issues. Not everyone’s health and wellbeing is the same, so every day is an interesting challenge.”
Fiona’s clients range from farmers and retirees to office workers, chefs and artists. The conversations can flow easily, or Fiona and her client can just enjoy the relaxing space and music.
“And if I can’t help someone out we have so many great therapists and healers around the region I can always refer people on.”
Fiona, who loves keeping fit with regular gym classes at Integrate Fitness, is also into running, walking and hiking, especially with her groodle Luna.
Finally, if you are not looking for a massage there are also relaxing facials on offer, all using aromatherapy products created by Fiona.
Discounts are available for locals living in Hepburn Shire – and there are health fund rebates available.
www.aromatichealing.com.au or 0417 371 587

with Eve Lamb

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.

Eve: How long have you lived in Daylesford now Millie?

Millie: Seventeen years. Came with my husband; he died in the front cottage. Then moved out to the back cottage with Jude who’d been a Loreto nun. And I also was a nun with Sisters of Our Lady of The Missions, a French Order, in New Zealand for twenty years in New Zealand. We entered the nun hood same day, same month, same year. Two different countries. Two different orders. We were both twenty years in the convent. She’s now my carer. I was Sister Maleita (that’s my real name). Born in Wales. Named after a cow. Entered the convent. They said ‘Can’t use that name’. I said ‘Oh. It’s a Holy Cow’.

Eve: Great story. When did you take up art?

Millie: I took up painting during the COVID period … and I suddenly had this burst of energy. I knew I had to paint. So I went out there (to the undercover space which has since become a studio) Pouring rain. Two o’clock in the morning, and got three canvasses at once. Got a yard broom, threw paint on the three canvasses, dragged the yard broom over the three at once. Could feel and see texture of blue and gold, and then I threw chalk paint and shoved a stick into the chalk paint… Later I was putting it outside and a friend, Miriam, came and said ‘Oh! You’ve drawn my homeland! The Wimmera!’. I said ‘Oh? Yes I have!’ (laughs) Anyway, she bought it! A triptych. But I was so driven with paint. And it sort of gave me a sense of independence. Of control and delight. Sheer delight with the colour. And because I wasn’t using a brush there’s no ego involved.

Eve: You obviously have a huge amount of fun. How do you paint? Do you just flick paint with the palette knife?

Millie: Yes. A stick, or anything.

Eve: Acrylic on canvas?

Millie: Yes. But I’ve gone through different stages.  I went through a stage of mono-printing, just splashing and squeezing (marked surfaces together) and some amazing things happened with that!

Eve: People really love your work. It’s amazing that you only took up painting during COVID. What have been some of the highlights for you since then?

Millie: Well an artist, a real artist, and friend of mine, said ‘why don’t you enter the Castlemaine Art Exhibition?’ And so I put three in. I had an enormous one that went through so many metamorphisms. And the joy for me is that I’m not despairing. I know there’s something emerging and I can’t control it. I have to let it happen. It draws me. It paints me… So suddenly I’m seeing the browns and the blacks – and I began to just put handprints. Some white. Some brown. And I called it ‘Reconciliation’ . And it sold and I got such a shock! Then I donated a dancing dragonfly to the Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra here last year. U3A were sponsoring it. I said ‘would you like a raffle prize?’ So I did this big dancing dragonfly. At the end of the thing I got a tap on my shoulder and the conductor said ‘Are  you Millie?” He said “I haven’t won the raffle but did you paint that?’

 I said  ‘Yes I did. Who are you?’ (I was upstairs and I couldn’t see). And he said ‘I was the conductor and I want to commission you’… I said ‘You don’t!’ He said ‘I have to’. So I’ve had three commissions from him.

Eve: So people are responding really strongly to your work and it’s an interesting irony, isn’t it Millie, that somehow with the loss of eyesight it’s really bringing to the fore an absolute passion and appreciation for vision and for colour.

Millie: Well. That’s exactly it.

Eve: So I have to ask you… What is the visual condition that you have?

Millie: It’s dry macular degeneration. The back of my eyes are covered over with whatever it is, so I can’t really see. I have to look up to catch you. So I’m relying on peripherals all the time.

Eve: How does the eyesight condition influence the way you go about creating work?

Millie: Well the other night the power went off. So I thought ‘Oh well I’m in the dark anyway most of the time’. So I reached  across to where I knew there was a fresh canvas and I pulled it over and then I put my phone on, and got the light on the phone and just hovered over five colours with the light. Gold, verde, black, those sorts of colours. And I filled five little frisky tins with the paint. I got four, five sticks and I just sat there in the dark, and I just threw the paint blindly. In the morning Jude came in and said  ‘Where did that come from!?” I said  ‘Oh I was just playing around’.

She said ‘But the power went out. We had a brown out’. I said ‘I know, but I’m blind anyway’.

And then a neighbour came and saw it and said ‘Oh I have to have it Millie! I have to have it. I’ve got the place on my wall’… I really  don’t know how to respond to you, other than that I have a passion, a feel, and I think that the fact  that I can’t see gives me freedom from ego and thinking. And, well, I’m connected to The Source. My influence is God. My faith. And I know that I’m imbued with the source of creation. I didn’t come to art. Art came to me.

Eve: Can people visit you and your work here at your Daylesford studio by appointment?

Millie: Yes. Probably by appointment.

Words: Donna Kelly

Jon Faine left the ABC after 20 years as morning radio host in September 2019 – just a few months before Covid hit.

Used to a busy life, he had plenty lined up. First there were publishers knocking at the door looking for a memoir – to which he said no.

“I told them I was not going to leave a job I loved and immediately start reliving it, I wanted to look forward through the windscreen, not into the rearview mirror.”

A few gave up but eventually Jon agreed to write a “thinly disguised memoir” about a disputed deceased estate – with materials he had been collecting for four decades.

The book, Apollo & Thelma, A True Tall Tale, published last year, is the story of the Mighty Apollo, a strongman and circus performer and his sister, Thelma, the publican at Top Springs in the NT for more than 20, who died in 1981.

To tell their story, Jon says, he must tell some of his. But back to Covid.

“I had been collecting materials for this story for 40 years and whenever I found stuff that was relevant I put it in this box and tucked it away for later. Or I might meet someone I thought could add to it and would put in a cassette in those days. I had a lot of oral history. And it was one of those backburner things I could do when I retired.

“Eventually when I did leave the ABC I had a number of things lined and then because ofr Covid they all collapsed. There was one time when I had absolutely nothing in my diary except a dentist’s appointment. That was it for the rest of my life and for someone who has been really busy that is actually quite confronting. I don’t mind telling you I got a bit miserable and felt sorry for myself and retreated into my shed where I started pulling things apart – I play with cars.

“But after a week or two I gave myself a kick up the arse, told myself to get a grip and to find things to replace the ones that had vanished. So I climbed up a ladder, pulled out the box and started going through it. I thought if I am ever going to do it, now is the perfect time, and if not now, when. So I got myself an office at the Abbotsford Convent and put in a second standup desk and acomputer and I used to lock myself in the room. The offices there are the old nun’s bedrooms and the walls are about a million metres thick and they are absolutely silent. Just read things, whole lots of books and interviewed people over the phone to fill in the gaps and it was very therapeutic. It was the opposite of what I used to do and for someone whose entire working life had been talking to people all week it was pretty different and probably good for me in hindsight.”

Jon said he delivered his first draft to his publisher who read it and said the first third was fine but then it fell apart. That was when Jon’s father died. The second draft was returned with the comment that the first two thirds were good but then…and that was when Jon’s mother died. Both were in their 90s “and it was horrible but it’s what happened”.

Jon was also told to give more of himself in the book which he found difficult as a private person and very much in charge during his radio work of how much he shared of his personal life. But he says publishers exist to save authors from themselves and editors “to tell you are not as good as you think you are”. “Once a book is printed it can’t be fine tuned – fresh eyes are vital.”

Jon said he was happy with the finished book but Apollo’s sons and Thelma’s nephews are not despite being interviewed on the record. Apollo, says Jon from his many interviews and personal knowledge was extremely vain, and Thelma, who he never met, was widely known in the 50s, 60s and 70s as a racist redneck.

“The sons are not happy with the final product. They view their father and aunt differently to everybody else. I describe their father in very complimentary terms but also as vain and they are furious that I have sullied his memory, yet he was the vainest person I have ever met. Families are complicated but I am really sad about that. I asked the oldest son if he would launch the book and he said no, he couldn’t do it.”

Jon, who also wrote a travel book about journeys with his son back in 2012, From Here To There, said he had no plans for another book but “you never say never”.

Currently he is working half-time at the University of Melbourne and “pretty much working harder than I have ever been”.

At 67 he says he is too busy and young to retire and it’s also not a good idea to go from “100 miles at hour to zero – a lot of people who retire are miserable”.

He left the ABC, a lifestyle, because he was tired of waking up at 4.15am and also wanted to choose his own time of stepping away. “Some people never recover from that shock when they get tapped on the shoulder. I never wanted to be one of those and I am quite saddened by what is happening at the ABC now but that is someone else’s problem.”

Jon is the guest speaker at Words in Winter and will be in conversation with Marieke Hardy at The Palais-Hepburn on Saturday, August 26.

He first met Marieke at her grandfather Frank Hardy’s funeral, just one of the many stories in his book, but said he had talked many times since. As to their August conversation, Jon said he had no wish to try and decide where Marieke would take that – “it could be as unstructured as my mind or as creative as hers”.

“Marieke is going to interrogate me and anyone who has been on the other side of a conversation with Marieke would be very brave to predict where it might go and I am not that brave. I have know her a very long time, she was just a teenager at the funeral, but then to reconnect in her glittered, celebrated media life and to host her in the ABC studio many, many times over the years is nothing short of a delight. When they said would you come and speak at our festival and we will ask Marieke as well, I just thought how wonderful that would be. I am really looking forward to me.”

Jon said he was also a regular visitor to “your delightful neck of the words as long as I can remember” and Hepburn was a go-to destination for holidays.

“So also to be invited to come and speak in a community that has been so consistently a place we have visited is just lovely and it doesn’t get much better.”

“These regional festivals are a really important part of the cultural life of a town or regional or state and they happen all over the place. They are a wonderful celebration of your community and what it has to offer and it is great to be asked to be invited to me a small part of it.” Link: www.wordsinwinter.com

Words & images: Eve Lamb

On a recent chill winter’s evening, just after dark, the mellow light that issues from our dining destination – the Daylesford Steakhouse – is warm and inviting.

My worthy dining companion, Paddy H, and I climb the small flight of polished wooden stairs to enter this central Vincent Street eatery – and thaw out.

At the top of the stair we’re warmly welcomed by the venue’s manager, Mike, and by the equally warming wood smoke aroma that can only mean a real log fire is present. In fact, Mike tells us, there are two fires on site to warm diners, and we can seat ourselves beside either, he suggests.

Whether you’re a carnivore or not, the Steakhouse gets full marks, straight up, for ambience. The lights are soft. The background music likewise, and the log fire that I strategically place myself beside, makes this a top spot to while away an extremely pleasant few hours. Particularly at this time of year.

Mike informs us that the new winter menu is just out – and we take our time perusing it over a generous glass of Geelong region pinot.

Now, let’s be clear, this is a steak house. It takes its steaks seriously. All of the Steakhouses’ steaks are local 100 percent pasture-fed Black Angus Beef, hormone and antibiotic free, the house literature tells us.

The menu contains an illustrated guide to ordering your steak, char grilled to your specific taste, with options ranging from “blue rare” to “well done” all technically detailed.

The char grilled steaks are, as you’d expect, a feature of the menu. The “standard house cuts” include Petite Mignon (200g), Eye Fillet (300g), Sirloin (400g), Scotch (400g), Highland Rump (400g), T-Bone (800g) and Cote de Boeuf (900g), and every steak comes with the diner’s choice of side and sauce.

Options for sides include: Grilled Asparagus, Stuffed Mushroom, Rosemary and Pumpkin Dauphinoise and more. Options for sauces include Truffle Sauce, Peppercorn, Béarnaise, Garlic Butter and more, while additional steak toppers include King Prawns, Grilled Vic Lobster Tail, Grilled Balmain Bugs – and more.

And If the standard house cuts don’t “meat” diner’s requirements, the menu suggests that they “see board for larger steaks cut to order”.

But don’t worry if you’re not a big meat-eater, or even a meat-eater at all. Besides all the multiple vegetable side possibilities, there’s also plenty of seafood options to choose from. These include: Apple Cider Mussels, Stuffed Lobster (half or whole), Atlantic Salmon Steak, Grilled Seafood Platter and Lobster and Seafood Pasta – to name some.

For starters I go with the Panko Funky Brie ($19). It’s crisply fried on the exterior and deliciously melted within, accompanied by a Tomato and Mango Chutney.

Paddy, recounting that his mother used to be a dab hand at making the traditional Scotch egg, nominates the Steakhouse Posh Scotch Egg with Truffle Aioli and Tomato Relish ($25) for starters and, on sampling, declares it to reward with “nostalgic” flavour.

For mains Paddy opts for the Petite Mignon ($59) with Garlic Butter and a side of Broccoli and Bacon. The steak arrives swiftly, criss-crossed with char grill sear lines and the aroma of hot coals. Paddy declares it “Spot on! Beautifully tender”.

I go for the Apple Cider Mussels with Tomato, Butter, Mustard, Parsley and Dipping Fries ($39) as a main. While the menu informs that they come with dipping fries, my gluten intolerance is obligingly accommodated and, instead, mine is arranged to come with a locally grown, baked and deep-fried spud, which proves particularly satisfying. As to the mussels – the serve is generous and pops an instant and transportive taste of the sea.

When it comes to desserts ($16), Mike highlights the ‘Disco’ Crepes Suzette as a flambéed house speciality. Other possibilities include the Salted Caramel Fried Ice Cream Bombe, the Classic Affogato, or the Cheese Plate – Blue and Brie with Relish. But Paddy is a self-confessed cheese cake nut who once confided that, if on death row, he’d select cheesecake as his last mortal crumb. So no surprises that it’s the New York option here for him.

I’m very tempted by the Ultimate Choc Fudge Sundae – containing “nuts and awesomeness”. How could you not be? But my gluten sensitivity compels me to instead select the Vanilla Crème Brulee, a dessert choice that (I may have mentioned) I always find hard to ignore. This one has a really home-made, delicate quality beneath its crunchy toffeed top. Both desserts are accompanied by the Steakhouse signature “glorious whipped ‘schlag’ vanilla bean ice cream” … and following their arrival, are rapidly transformed into sweet memories.

It should be mentioned, here, that one of the ‘house attractions is the100-plus different cocktails – “and if there’s a cocktail that you really like and we haven’t got it, we’ll have a go at making it,” Mike mentions.

It’s true to say that we’re sorry to have to leave the warm embrace of our respective club chairs beside the log fire, but this place is clearly popular and, with a degree of difficulty, we bid its mellow ambience farewell. Until next time.