Following its critically acclaimed production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola
in 2022, Lyster Opera is now touring with the early music masterpiece The
Coronation of Poppea.
Composed in 1643 for the Venice Festival by the most acclaimed composer of the
day, Claudio Monteverdi, The Coronation of Poppea was an immediate success and was
played across Europe. The score then mysteriously disappeared for over two centuries,
and when it was rediscovered, it was met with renewed acclaim.
The story is set on Mount Olympus, where three goddesses compete to establish
their supremacy over the mortal world. They set into action the story of the Emperor
Nero, who is determined to have his mistress Poppea ascend the throne – but needs
to remove a few obstacles along the way, including anyone who might stand in the
way.
Monteverdi’s music is sweeping in its emotion, ranging from humour to romance
to revenge. The roles of Poppea and Nero are sung by soprano Piera Dennerstein and
tenor Hew Wagner, with Helen Koehne as the Empress Ottavia, Michael Lampard
as Poppea’s discarded lover Ottone and Kerrie Ann Bolton as Poppea’s nurse, Arnalta.
The goddeses are sung by Mandy Lyn Brook, Angelique Tot and Adelaide Soccio
Greenaway, with Troy Castle and Josh Morton-Galea as the soldiers Liberto and
Lucano. Pamela Christie returns as musical director and accompanist.
For director Jamie Moffat, who is also singing the role of Seneca, The Coronation
of Poppea presents special challenges. “It’s important to not treat it as a museum
piece,” he says. “It’s a witty and really theatrical work, so we shouldn’t smother it with
too much reverence. It clearly wasn’t intended by its creators to be taken literally. At
the same time, we shouldn’t be gimmicky about it. It has survived over the centuries
because its story and music are so strong.”
Lyster Opera will be performing the opera in English in an edition edited by
conductor Raymond Leppard. New costumes designed by Maddy Connellan will be
featured. The performance will include a brief talk by Rachel Buckley.
The Coronation of Poppea will be performed at Oxley Shire Hall on May 27 at
2pm and Christ Church Daylesford on June 3 at 2.30pm. Tickets are $35 and $28
(concession) from www.lysteropera.com.au Details: 0410 890 388.

Words: Tony Sawrey | Image: Contributed

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.
So, while being traumatic for many when Covid drove the country into isolation
in early 2020, it was for others an opportunity to think, research and create.
Author Catherine de Saint Phalle was one of those people. After coming to live
in the Central Highlands scant months before everywhere went into lockdown her
response to the isolation of Covid was to sit down and write another book.
Her new work is titled Call Me Marlowe and published through Transit Lounge
Press. The work was released on May 1 with an official launch at Brunswick Bound
bookshop in Melbourne on May 18.
Born in London, Catherine’s childhood was spent between France and England
and she started writing stories at seven. She left France in 2003 to live in Australia
and was shortlisted for the 2017 Stella Prize for a memoir of her parents called
Poum and Alexandre. Call Me Marlowe is her 10th book and a product of her life in
lockdown in a little cottage in a big garden overlooking Daylesford.
“I bought the house in late 2019 and I was here full time for three and half years,”
says Catherine.
“I think that place is always important to any writer and being in the country
offers a different pace, different feeling with people who live there and it inspires and
nourishes you. I wrote my whole novel here during that time and along with two
translation projects I was actually quite busy.”
Set in both Prague and Melbourne, Call Me Marlowe captures a man’s search for
his heritage in the hope of understanding his estrangement from his mother. And
with a gentle touch, the novel explores the nature of trauma – both personal and
political – in the lives of its characters.
“I wrote it as a sequel to my 2019 novel The Sea and Us but the publisher wanted
it to be a stand-alone so I worked on it again which made me revisit it in a different
way.
“So it can be considered as a stand-alone but by the same token it is the same
character (Harold Vaněk) and the story just continues. I may even write a third novel
about him, I don’t know. I am even referring to him in a new book in a very distant
way.”
Catherine says it is typical for her to take two to three years to write a book,
putting aside time for writing in the morning with translation projects in the
afternoon. The next work is, in her words, a strange mix between a memoir and a
novel.
“The main character is a potter but I’m only five or six chapters into it. I’m still on
the worksite as it were, with piles of rubble peeping out of everywhere.”
And when looking at a screen, researching, writing and thinking become a little
tedious, there is always the garden to retreat to. Catherine is passionate about growing
things, the beauty of nature and the respite gardening offers from the mental toil of
writing.
“My garden kept me sane during Covid,” she says. “It continues to do so now and
I work very hard on it. The presence of nature is so important to me. You feel safe and
never feel alone because nature is so omnipotent and always there.”

Daylesford, Creswick and Western brass bands will present Soundtrack of the Globe in Daylesford on
Saturday, May 20.
The three brass bands will take people on a cultural and geographical trip around the world, all from the
comfort of Daylesford Town Hall in Vincent Street.
The town hall doors open at 2.30pm and the concert starts at 3pm.
Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for concession. Tickets are available at the door. BYO drinks and nibbles.
Pictured, the Daylesford Brass Band, at a former Swiss & Italian Festa in Hepburn Springs

DAYLESFORD’S Beth Whiting is heading to Hungary next month to
take part in the World Kettlebell Sport Federation championships.
Looking at the woman many people call “a pocket rocket”, there are plenty
of toned muscles and a very healthy glow from a strict workout regime. But it wasn’t
always that way. Eleven years ago, Beth was working with the Melbourne Festival and on
tour for six months of every year. With no fridge or pantry stocked with healthy food, and
always on the go, she found herself losing control of any food or fitness regime.
Beth used that moment to change her life around and rather than just find a diet,
she did a personal training course and started to eat well and work out. Still with the
Melbourne Festival, she took part in a boot camp at The Tan in Melbourne, worked out
on the stage of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl and toned up. It was fun however Beth
certainly never thought it would be the start of a career. But it was.
She moved to the Central Highlands to live with her now husband, Brett, and found
work at a gym where she was also approached by a few people to see if she was interested
in starting an early morning local boot camp. Victoria Park in Daylesford was the first
location, starting on the oval, eventually moving into the table tennis pavilion and finally
now running full-time fitness classes for all abilities and ages at Integrate Fitness, out of a
purpose-designed space off East Street with “an incredible community all keen to be the
best versions of themselves”.
It was during the building of her fitness business that kettlebells came along and life
changed again. Beth had always loved them and had been looking for something for “just
me”.
“As every mum knows you lose yourself a bit and working in the business meant
I didn’t have time for my own workouts and my mental health needed that. I did a
kettlebell coaching course in 2014 with my now coach Shannon Pigdon and then
basically stalked him until he agreed to train me. He lives in Albury and I go up there
every three months or so to do a session with him.
“In the first competition I ever saw, the competitors were lifting continuously for 30
minutes so I went home and wondered if I could do that, and I picked up a kettlebell
and did it. It turns out I can do that – and more.
“Shannon sent me a program that involved three sessions a week, and I am all about
being accountable, so since 2019 I have done those three sessions every week. And it was
about finding me – I was a mum running a business – kettlebell is my meditation, my
flow, my time. And I had found not only something I was good at, and enjoyed, I also
found the strength it brought into my life.”
Beth says being good at kettlebells is all about a combination of mental and physical
resilience and the ability to keep going, no matter how tough that going gets. In
competition, once you start, you never, ever put a kettlebell down. The kettlebell itself is
a hollow ball of iron with a handle made of iron, weighing from eight kilograms to 50kg.
They are all the same size with the same handle, just the weight and colour vary.
Competitions include single and double lifts and range from 10 minutes to half
marathons of 30 minutes and full marathons of 60 minutes. The competitor’s weight, the
weight of the kettlebell and repetitions completed all come into the winning equation.
Beth sometimes competes against people who weigh five kilos less than her, or 40kg more.
And after competing at the Australian Nationals in September last year she was offered a
place on the Australian team to compete in Hungary.
“I am excited and I can’t wait to experience being a part of the Australian Kettlebell
team with 10 other incredible athletes. We have a wonderful community and this is a
really good opportunity to be involved in that.”
Beth is the Girevoy Sport Australia treasurer and also among those working to have
the organisation recognised nationally, to gain some much-needed funding, with a dream
to one day have the sport in the Olympics.
Back home, she now trains five people in kettlebell at Integrate Fitness. “We have an
incredible lifting community in Daylesford. I love watching our athletes achieve things
they never dreamt possible. They inspire me every day. They are amazing people who all
do incredible things.
“We had wanted to call ourselves The Daylesford Swingers, but the name was already
taken – with a very different meaning,” she laughs.
“But I would love to get more of the community involved. We have two competitions
being held at Integrate Fitness on May 20 and July 15. Athletes will be competing from
Daylesford, Melbourne, Geelong and Albury. We’d love for people to come along to see
what the sport is all about.
“It’s not for everyone, throwing a kettlebell around, some people find it a bit scary, but
I love it and I love my kettlebells – they are affectionately known as my babies. And if you
don’t want to watch a competition, we train most Saturday mornings from 8am – contact
us to join a session.” Details: Beth at info@integratefitness.com.au

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Kyle Barn

The owner of Daylesford Victory Vapes says the federal government decision to crack down on the sale of vapes will put him and his wife out of the family business they’ve run for a decade.
Steve Douglas says the business he and his wife Stacy Kilpatrick have run for the
past 10 years will have to put off staff and shut up shop as a result of the new rules
expected to come into force later this year.
The federal decision will see vapes heavily regulated and the importation of all
e-cigarettes will be strictly controlled under a federal government crackdown on the
smoking alternative. Non-prescription vapes will be banned from importation, and
the federal government will work with states and territories to close down the sale of
vapes in retail settings.
The tax on tobacco will also increase 5 per cent each year for the next three years,
as the government also seeks to curb cigarette smoking through higher costs.
Under new rules, vapes will only be sold in pharmacies and in “pharmaceuticallike” packaging, with certain flavours, colours and other ingredients banned, and the
concentration and volume of nicotine reduced.
“These are supposed to be pharmaceutical products,” Health Minister Mark
Butler told the National Press Club last week.
“They have to present that way – no more bubblegum flavours, pink unicorns or
vapes disguised as pens for kids to hide in pencil cases. Instead, we will have plain
packaging with plain flavours.” All single-use disposable vapes will also be banned.
However, the government will also make it easier for people to get a prescription
for “legitimate” therapeutic use, such as using vapes to help quit smoking.
And all doctors will be able to prescribe nicotine vapes to smokers looking to quit,
rather than smokers needing approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
While many have welcomed the move as helping to avoid creating a new
generation of nicotine addicts who will go on to develop serious and costly health
problems, Mr Douglas believes it will drive sales underground.
“The black market will continue to flourish, the same one that’s selling chop-chop
here in town, while our market, the regulated market will be gone,” he said.
“We are age-restricted and we’ve never sold to a minor in the 10 years we’ve
operated. We are going to be shut down with no recourse whatsoever. We also have
stores in Ballarat and Cairns and this will mean 12 employees over our three shops are
going to be out of a job.
“It’s going to wipe us out. It’s going to completely shut down our 10-year-family
business. I’ve had locals in here in the last two days literally crying. The first one was
a 70-year-old retired nurse who we got off cigarettes eight years ago. She doesn’t want
to use tobacco.
“People are panicking because they don’t want to go back to smoking cigarettes.
This will mean many people will go back to cigarettes.”
Mr Douglas believes the crackdown is motivated by a concern to “balance the
budget” and to “make up for a shortfall in excise tax on tobacco”.
“The federal government normally make $16 billion a year on tobacco taxes but
this year they’ve only made $12 billion. This will balance the budget but at what
cost,” he said.
Cancer Council CEO Tanya Buchanan has praised the government’s move
describing it as an “historic shift toward ending the vaping epidemic”.
“Unlike smoking, we have a window of opportunity to take policy actions that
prevent the growing use of e-cigarettes,” Professor Buchanan said.
“With support from all levels of government, we can reverse the e-cigarette
epidemic and prevent history repeating itself for a new generation of Australians.”
Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Kyle Barnes

THE Harry & Peggy Maddicks Golf Day, held on April 14, raised just under $14,000 for medical equipment and facility upgrades at Daylesford Health.
Central Highlands Rural Health board deputy-chair Kate Redwood spoke to the
players, sponsors and guests to thank them for their generosity and to highlight the
need for significant upgrades across the ageing Daylesford Health facilities.
“What a wonderful day at the Hepburn Springs Golf Club for a good cause.
Thank you to all who gave generously to ensure the success of Daylesford Health’s
first charity golf day. The funds raised will contribute to the future of the health
service. We will continue to rally support so that locals can be assured that they will
continue to receive quality healthcare close to home,” Kate said.
Event sponsor Tim Byrne, Harry and Peggy Maddicks’ estate executor, said he
knew his friend Harry “would be so happy that his and his sister Peggy’s legacy live
on. We need to keep supporting the rural hospital; it’s essential.”
The Maddicks family estate has been supporting the Daylesford Hospital since
1999, thanks to Mr Byrne, who sponsored the event in their honour, bringing the
total giving to $278,000.
Hepburn Shire councillor Lesley Hewitt and the late William Stanbridge (MLC),
Hans Gunter Brachmann and Ernest Zelman were also honoured at the event for
their individual contributions to the health service since it opened in 1862.
The family of Ernest Zelman, who led a capital campaign to upgrade the hospital
in the 1930s, are still contributing to the health service he was passionate about,
almost 100 years later. His grandson Max Zelman and great-granddaughter, Kate
Sellars-Jones, donated items to the auction in his memory.
Cr Hewitt reflected on the day after enjoying afternoon tea with players, sponsors,
Central Highlands Rural Health’s Board and staff.
“I am so pleased that the idea raised with Hepburn Springs Golf Club’s past
president, Barry Files, has evolved into this successful event enjoyed by all involved.
“Honouring the legacy of those who contributed so much to create and maintain
our local health service is important. This is a great opportunity for us all to consider
the legacy we are creating for ourselves and the impact we could have on future
generations of Daylesford residents.”
Words & image: Contributed

BECK Lewis has breast cancer, but she doesn’t want your sympathy. She wants you to check your boobs. And that’s you blokes as well.
In October last year, the 41-year-old was happily looking forward to a few
weeks of long service leave, after working as a casual for seven years, mostly at That
Bargain Place, and also Brick Lane Bazaar, both in Daylesford.
But finding “a weird lump” in her underarm eventually put paid to some much-earned time off. Beck knew something was not quite right but friends and family told her she was too young to worry about breast cancer.

“Many people told me it was just a cyst and I was overreacting,” she said.
Beck put the doctor’s visit off for six weeks but after feeling it again, and knowing
in the back of her mind she had to take action, made the call. It was just as well she
did.
“I had an ultrasound and the woman doing it was all chatty and there seemed to
be no worry about that lump but then she went a bit quiet after finding another one
in the upper part of my breast. A week later I got a call to go to Ballarat Base Hospital
for more scans and they booked me in for an ultrasound which led to multiple
mammograms and more ultrasounds. And in the afternoon, a half hour core biopsy
followed by another mammogram after inserting a tiny marker, called a magseed. You
know then something is really wrong.”
One week later, on January 19, Beck returned to see a doctor. She and her very
supportive partner Aaron Reading waited 40 minutes, and just as he left for a quick
toilet break, the doctor walked in with a McGrath Foundation breast nurse to share
the bad news. She asked them to wait for Aaron’s return.
“That is when the shock set it and I didn’t really know what shock was before
that. I remember looking at the wall, trying to process everything, this was happening
to me, looking at the wall again, trying to process again. I was shaking and then the
tears came. I didn’t want them to, they just came. They told me 10 women received
the same news as me, in that building, that day.”
Beck was fast-tracked for surgery just four days later with no time to think about
the future. “I just knew I had cancer and it was coming out. During the ultrasound it
was measured at 16mm but when it was removed it was 20mm. I was told it had been
growing for 10 years, since the age of 31, and had just started to spread over the past
two or three years.
“There are three grades – one, two and three, and I had grade two, not good or
bad but because I got it relatively early they said it was 99.9 per cent curable. If it had
been grade 3 things would be very different. Because I got in early, I avoided chemo.
And the radiation is really, just to quote the medical people, to ‘mop up’ anything left
after surgery.”
Beck had a week off work, thanks to that hard-earned long service leave, and
then went back to work on light duties for six weeks, waiting and getting ready for
radiation treatment. “I had to have 19 treatments in total. Fifteen plus four, they call
it. The last four are a different technology, stronger. And the radiation takes place
every day except weekends and public holidays. Having Easter and Anzac Day public
holidays have extended my treatment.”
Beck is now down to her last few treatments this week and while her breast is red
and raw, and likely to start blistering, she does not have pain which she thinks might
be because she takes daily antihistamine tablets for a skin issue.
Having daily radiation treatment has “thrown a spanner in the works” to say the
least for the woman used to getting up, getting things sorted and getting to work.
Daily trips to Ballarat from Hepburn Springs and back, and waiting for treatment
while talking to other patients or reading a book, are not much fun. Less so when
one of the two radiation machines breaks down, as happened recently. Despite any
malfunctions, Beck is quick to add she has huge admiration for those working at the
Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Care unit.
It is probably not as much admiration as those around have for her and the way
she has taken on her diagnosis and treatment – also taking time for daily updates on
social media under #checkyourboobs – with the eye-catching eight-ball emojis. They
have already led to many people leaving messages of not just support but “just got my
boobs checked – thanks Beck!”.
“I really just want people to check their boobs. Men as well. And if anything feels
wrong then go to the doctor, check it out. Follow your intuition, you know your
body. And if people say you are too young, or too old, or too healthy, just ignore that
and get checked. Don’t put it off. It could save your life.”
Oddly, given all she is still doing to give back with her message while going
through treatment, Beck said she had been surprised by the support from her
community, friends and family. It’s coming in spades.
“I really want to thank the community, no need to name anyone, they know
who they are. And my workplaces, That Bargain Place – I love that place, and Brick
Lane Bazaar, have been wonderful. My thinking through all of this is, I am going
to get better, it is just a little hurdle, and then I get back to my new normal. And to
everyone, please check your boobs!”
Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Luka Spoljaric

with Eve Lamb

AN ONGOING love affair with all things Italian informs the aesthetic in the much collected and admired work of Daylesford artist Brian Reberger. Each year, Brian spends time working in his studios in both Daylesford and Umbria, Italy. Now he’s preparing for a significant exhibition coming up at Steps Gallery in Carlton in May.

Eve: How do you describe your artistic style?
Brian: My artistic style isn’t easy to categorise. I guess a realist with a twist, capturing fleeting
moments in people’s daily lives, or aspects of nature. The finished works often resonate deeply with
the viewer.
Eve: How did you come to art?
Brian: I came to art almost by accident. As a floundering 19-year-old in a very small
country hometown in NSW, one day a close family friend invited me to visit her art studio. She sensed that there was perhaps an untapped artist flair awaiting release. That day changed my life, I never looked back and I will always be indebted to Molly Lewis.
Eve: Which artists influence your own work?
Brian: My influencers and admired artist list has always been broad and varied.
They include Piero della Francesca and Raphael for an Italian Renaissance mix. Then
Edward Hopper, David Hockney, Francis Bacon and Jeffrey Smart for a more modern
addition.
Eve: What is your medium or media of choice?
Brian: In the past I have worked in oil on canvas, and chalk pastel on Italian
rag paper. For the past few years, I have specialised in charcoal on rag paper. It
is a medium that many artists find difficult, but I thoroughly enjoy the depth of
contrast achievable and the challenge of keeping it in total control. Sometimes I also
incorporate a broad mix of varying media with the charcoal. It all depends on the
individual piece, and the look I want in the finished work. I love that there are no
‘rules’. Anything is possible and experimenting can often surprise both the artist and
the viewer in a very positive and unexpected way.
Eve: What is your subject matter of choice?
Brian: My subject matter has always had a very strong Italianate influence.
Indeed, I have always had a very strong calling for everything Italian, and now I
am very fortunate to spend time in Italy each year, cementing and gathering the
inspiration, and working in my Italian second studio. The first studio being in
Daylesford. It is fascinating how spending time in a place as a local totally changes
the finished outcome. You are able to view from the inside, not merely as an outside
observer passing through.
Eve: Have you ever worked in any other area besides your arts practice?
Brian: Of course, in my younger days there were the hospitality experiences to
supplement my art practice. Later on I was fortunate to be the buyer for a boutique
homewares store specialising in European high end products. Even though I am a
full-time artist, I now work casually as an extra for film and television.
Working in the art studio can become a solitary, introspective experience, so the
extras work allows me to meet new people, experience at very close range a totally
diverse art practice – the crazy, manic world of film production – and travel to many
varying locations. It allows great flexibility with working hours.
Eve: What are you working on at the moment in your current arts practice?
Brian: I am completing two major private commissions to take back to Italy later
this year. I have been very lucky in recent years to have successfully completed many
major commission projects. This was particularly so during the Covid lockdowns. I
am also working towards my solo retrospective exhibition to be held the first week of
May 2023 at Steps Gallery in Carlton.
Eve: When you work in the studio do you like to play music?
Brian: This is a very important question for me, and one that artists are seldom
asked about. My artworks take from weeks to months to complete each one, and for
me working on them becomes like a form of meditation. Hence the preparation for
work each day is an important ritual. With lighting, scent, and of course sound in
the studio all being important considered elements. For the music I have created a
carefully edited, and often tweaked, Spotify playlist for the studio comprising close to
10,000 tracks.
It is a very eclectic mix ranging from opera and classical, to ambient, Italian pop
and current music, each one chosen for a personal resonance. Played on shuffle, so I
am constantly surprised and the concentration is tweaked without being interrupted.
Eve: To date, what have been your career highlights as an artist?
Brian: Every exhibition is a wonderful highlight. Over the years I have had many,
and the opportunity to share your work, and discuss it with visitors and clients, is
always wonderful. Also I have been told on numerous occasions from collectors of my
works that my paintings have changed their lives, or give them endless joy when they
look at them daily. Such feedback is always such a positive affirmation that the time
spent on the creative process is never in vain.
Eve: Do you have any exhibitions or special arts events coming up?
Brian: Yes, I have a very special exhibition planned very soon. This will be my
40 + 1 year retrospective exhibition. I have called it ‘My Italian Life’ and it will be
a celebration of my career as an artist for over 40 years, and also celebrating my
ongoing love affair with all things Italian, in particular the people, the landscape
and its culture. Works from all periods of my career will be exhibited. It is at Steps
Gallery, 62 Lygon Street Carlton (the city end) from May 2 to May 7. The opening
hours are 11am to 5pm daily. I invite all your readers to visit if they can, and make themselves known to me, as I will be there each day.

MY dining companion (Paddy H) and I are ravenous as we enter the Daylesford Hotel for lunch, mid Monday, me having done a gruelling morning group weights class and Paddy having arisen
well before 11am.
And so, it’s with relief that we notice immediately the robust nature of the menu
on offer. There’s plenty here for the hungriest of carnivores – ranging from small
plates to share like the popcorn chicken with chipotle mayo ($18) and the confit pork
belly with apple and wild fennel slaw, celeriac puree and jus ($19) to the Scotch fillet
with buttered kipfler potatoes, beetroot puree, roquette salad and red wine jus ($49)
among the main meat options.

But, notably, we see vegetarians and vegans are also well catered for. The
roast Moroccan seasoned cauliflower steak and the spring saffron ricotta gnocchi
(handmade) are among the tempting options that leap off the menu in this
department. I’m also delighted to discover there’s also an excellent range of options
for those who do not tolerate gluten. At all. And it isn’t just a trendy lifestyle choice.
Atmosphere
We settle in. The atmosphere in the Daylesford Hotel dining room is welcoming
– mellow and relaxed. Green panelled timber walls, a high pressed metal ceiling,
beautiful stained glass windows and a gas log fire which is going (as though in
homage to the season’s shift) all enhance the soothing country ambience.
Nearby, the attractive bar is well stocked with all manner of glinting temptation.
Paddy does the honours, ordering us a lovely lunchtime local wine – Lachlan’s
chardonnay 2021 from Amherst Winery at Talbot. It comes in French glassware.

Starters
For starters (or “small plates to share”) Paddy selects the spiced lamb ribs served
with mint yoghurt, dukka and pickled cucumber ($22). I opt for the gluten-free
mushroom and mozzarella arancini with tomato relish (3 pieces for $15).
Arriving in no time, my choice of starter proves to be golden and crunchy on the
outside with an easily assimilated comfort food factor within. We make swift work,
Paddy happily musing on his selection: “old school flavours, tangy accompaniment”.
Mains
Next up I don’t resist the market fish (salmon) served with buttered kipflers,
avocado mousse, orange and fennel salad GF ($34). Paddy goes for the Daylesford
Hotel pie (beef bourguignon) served on a bed of mashed potatoes, peas and gravy
($29). Our mains also arrive swiftly and prove both ample and satisfying. By the time
they’re but a mere memory on our emptied crockery we agree we can hardly fit in
dessert.
Dessert
But we’re on a mission. So we push on, Paddy plumping for the house-made
decadent chocolate brownie with orange blossom syrup and ice cream ($16) while
I can never go past a good creme brulee. This one comes with vanilla ice cream and
strawberry and is also GF ($16). Both of our selections arrive with fresh violas for
garnish and multi-coloured sprinkles on the ice-cream.
There’s just the right degree of crunch on the brulee’s toffeed top while beneath
the surface my choice of dessert is pleasingly creamy. Paddy reports the brownie to be
“warm, rich, and very dark for chocolate lovers”.
Venue manager Trae Galea stops by to ask how things are, and we’re very happy to
report satisfaction. In response to my question, Trae confirms that the chicken dishes
on the menu here are free range. These include a parmigiana for die-hard devotees
with both half ($21) and full ($30) options available.
We note too that burger and pasta fans are well catered for, and that, beside my
large salmon plate of choice, there’s a good range of other seafood options including
classic fish and chips, chilli mussels, salt and pepper calamari, and barramundi which
comes with vegetables and lemon butter sauce.
Country pub
On the other side of the bar, supervisor and bar attendant Sion says the thing she
enjoys most about working here is the conviviality. “It’s just a very nice country pub
atmosphere, very friendly and a nice little community hub.”
Leaving with dessert lingering agreeably on the palate, we can see what she means.
Along with the satisfying portion sizes, good range of gluten free, vegetarian and
vegan options, the Daylesford Hotel gets a big thumbs up for laid-back ambience. It’s
somewhere you can really chill while getting a fill. Words & images: Eve Lamb

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.
“The Covid-19 lockdowns created a ‘stay-at home’ world in which I began to interact with the birds in my garden and in the bush around me,” she says.
“Several photographs of these wonderful feathered friends and a new song that I was moved to write, combined together to provide material for my children’s book, Birds in my Tree: The Magic of Birds and the Joy of Singing.

“It is a colourful picture songbook on birds. Their antics and their individual
characteristics play an important part in the lyrics of the song. Each birdcall is a live
recording at the end of each verse pertaining to the bird.
“This book is an interactive tool for teaching kids about the different bird varieties
and their birdcalls, and inviting kids to recognise and have fun with mimicking. A
QR code and a YouTube link give free access to the live performance of the song,
Birds in My Tree.”
Vanessa said the “picture, music book and teaching tool” was filled with colourful
bird photographs, lyrics, guitar chords and music notation at the back of the book.
“It provides children, parents and teachers with an audio-visual experience and
an opportunity to learn about different birds, their birdcalls and learn a new song as
well. It allows for creativity and experimentation with creating bird sounds, flapping
wings, strutting about and having fun singing together.
“The book invites the reader to let their hair down and be part of a bird’s life and
enjoy interacting with them and embrace their quirkiness. It invites the reader to sing
or recite the lyrics in the book.
“I hope the book brings much joy and appreciation of our flighty feathered
friends. May their quirky personalities, bird sounds, photographs and the song
enlighten and enliven the imaginations of ‘little folk’, aged 4 to 7 years of age.
“I hope it gives them a love for nature, leading them to a sense and desire to
treasure, nurture and protect wildlife; to grow up and be advocates for protecting our
ever-diminishing wildlife and their habitats; to spend more time in the fresh air and
not lose the art of connectedness to earth, and nature.”
Originally from the foothills of the Himalayas in India, Vanessa made the move
to Daylesford from Melbourne and has built an eco-friendly house with her partner
and enjoys living in this beautiful area.
She is a singer/songwriter by profession, and has three CDs, two of which have
original tracks which won awards from the Australian Songwriters Association.
Her music is folk, blues, alt-country, pop and Latin. She has three bands, Lunar
Dust, Lake Mist and Sugar ’n’ Spice and plays music in a variety of settings including
folk & blues festivals such as Newport, Denny Blues and Roots, Newstead, Maldon
and the Girgarre Moosic Muster along with performing at pubs, clubs, art galleries
and special occasions.
“Music, art, photography and writing are my loves. My music reflects the Himalayas, Ganges to right here with the Murray River. My photography captures poignant moments and moods in flora, fauna and landscapes, some published in Birdlife Australia. My artistic flair stems from my observations of nature, life and living. I love letting the paint and ideas run freely together to create ‘something’. I am mostly self taught.”
Easter pop-up art exhibition
Vanessa is also a member of DRAC, the Daylesford Regional Arts Cooperative,
and will join its Easter Pop-Up Art Exhibition at 94 Vincent Street (next to the post
office) and be signing her book on Saturday, April 8 from 11am to 2pm.
Artworks from 10 local artists will be available for viewing and purchase with
media including paintings, tapestries, collage, printmaking and timber homewares.
The exhibition is open Friday, April 7, 10am-4pm, Saturday, April 8, 10am-4pm,
Sunday April 9, 10am-4pm and Monday, April 10, 10am-2pm.
Exhibition details: Sandy Angliss – sandyangliss@bigpond.com
Book links: www.vircravenbirdsongbook.com
Song link: https://youtu.be/IVMNggnhpiA
Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Kyle Barnes

IT’S been said that “clothes maketh the man” – and there’s little doubt that applies for women as well.
But sometimes obtaining snappy threads, so essential to making a vital good first impression, is easier said than done.
That’s where Thread Together comes in. Based in Sydney and also run in Victoria, under a partnership arrangement, by Ballarat’s Cafs (Child and Family Services) this not-for-profit provides new in-vogue clothing and accessories to those who otherwise could not afford such goods.
We’re talking new fashion house labels provided gratis to those doing it rough, thus diverting countless tonnes of perfectly good new clothing that would otherwise be dumped in landfill annually by big fashion houses.

In recent days Thread Together, or TT, held its second ever pop-up day in
Daylesford, working in with the town’s Thursday Good Grub Club to reach folk in
genuine need of the innovative free quality clothing and accessories.
Cafs TT program and volunteer lead Nicole Roberts says Threads Together is
extremely rewarding to be involved with and, come July, will have been running in
Ballarat for two years.
She says TT held its first visiting pop-up event in Daylesford in March last year
and it was extremely well received, providing free quality new clothing and accessories
for men, women and children.
“I absolutely love it,” Nicole says, recounting some of the heart-warming stories of
those whose lives have been changed for the better as a result of TT.
“I remember one young guy, a teenager, who lived in a caravan at the back of a
factory and had been offered a job interview in hospitality, but didn’t want to attend
his interview because he didn’t have anything suitable to wear.
“We decked him out in quality labels including R.M. Williams boots. And he got
the job. He was so kind and grateful.”
In the time it’s been helping out residents of Victoria’s Central Highlands
region TT has helped so many people doing it tough including some who have led
comfortable lives but, due to circumstances, have found themselves in a place they
never thought they’d be.
Sometimes it’s domestic violence escapees, sometimes it’s prisoners coming out of
prison with nothing, who need to find work and reintegrate.
“Sometimes it’s people with a serious illness who can’t work,” Nicole says.
“There was a lady, a single mum, who had a terminal illness and had nothing to
wear to her son’s debut. We were able to deck her out in a beautiful Carla Zampatti
dress.”
Besides Daylesford, TT is also delivering its pop-up visiting van services to
Bacchus Marsh and Ararat, driving out to locations in the Cafs van full to capacity
with new fashions of all sizes and styles.
“But now we’re about to get a new dedicated wardrobe van – and we will be
returning every three months to Daylesford in the future,” Nicole says.
She says presenting well in new, impressive attire for a job interview, work
placement or application for a rental property can be the first step towards a better
life for many doing it tough.
“It can break that cycle. It’s that one step forward, which means someone can
then keep taking more steps forward,” she says.
To use TT clients have to first receive a referral to it from another agency – or
from Cafs itself.
“All of the clothing is new and is donated from fashion houses. The fashion
industry regularly pays for landfill and TT was started about 15 years ago by Andie
Halas, a partner in Seafolly, who thought that surely it would be possible to do
better,” Nicole says.
Thread Together headquarters remains in Sydney and Nicole says the donated
clothing is transported free of charge by Toll.
As a non-profit, TT runs on fundraising, and the Hepburn Springs Golf Club has
become a staunch supporter through its annual Tee-Up for Kids Day, held in memory
of Ian Stanley.
Now, as TT introduces its new quarterly seasonal pop-up visits to Daylesford with
its new dedicated wardrobe van, Nicole says it is keen to provide the pop-up visits for
those in need wherever it can throughout the Central Highlands region.
“We are open to everywhere that it’s possible to get to,” she says.

Words: Eve Lamb | Images: Contributed

This Easter is a great chance to support Daylesford and surrounds annual Good Friday Appeal raising funds for The Royal Children’s Hospital.

The main sponsor of this annual fundraising favourite locally is Biggin Scott, real estate agents in Daylesford.

Biggin Scott director Michael DeVincentis, pictured above far right, with fellow director Tom Shaw and local coordinator Natalie Kirby and her children, says it’s a cause close to his own heart.

“I spent some time in The Royal Children’s Hospital myself as a kid. They basically saved my life,” Michael says.

Michael survived that childhood playground misadventure and went on to have children and now grandchildren of his own.

“We all have kids in our lives,” he says.

Natalie also spent some of her childhood in The Royal Children’s where she forged some wonderful friendships.

As someone who also clearly cares deeply for children it’s a cause very close to her heart as well. She says there’ll be plenty of great opportunities to support this year’s appeal and help it strive to better last year’s record fundraising total of $22,981.

There are some great prizes to be won through the appeal’s raffle with tickets being sold at multiple sites ranging from Biggin Scott’s main street offices to local schools and childcare providers as well as various local businesses.

“We’ll also be selling tickets outside Coles (Daylesford) from this Saturday (April 1)  – so Saturday, Sunday and throughout the week,” Natalie says.

Then on Good Friday (Friday, April 7) Biggin Scott will have a marquee at the front of the Daylesford Town Hall in Vincent Street, Michael says, providing another prime chance to grab a ticket or several, and support the excellent cause.

Daylesford has a long history of generously supporting this cause. In fact this is the appeal’s 93^rd year.

“We couldn’t do it without the community and the generosity of local businesses,” Natalie says.

“We aim to raise a bit more each year and last year we raised nearly $23,000.”

Michael reckons $30,000 is a good goal to reach for this time around – “why not?” he says.

Those keen to contribute can go to the dedicated Facebook page for Good Friday Appeal Daylesford and Surrounds.

There’s also an Instagram account and dedicated fundraising page, making it easy to donate via the virtual tin shake.

The Good Friday Appeal relies on the support of the community to raise funds to ensure that The Royal Children’s Hospital is able to keep providing world-class care to young patients and their families.

Each year the hospital treats more than 44,000 children in the wards and medical centre, 91,000 in emergency and sees over 470,000 through telehealth or as outpatients in the community.

To contribute to the appeal head to:

Facebook: Good Friday Appeal Daylesford & Surrounds 

Instagram: goodfridayappeal_daylesford

Web: https://fundraise.goodfridayappeal.com.au/fundraisers/Daylesford

Words: Eve Lamb

Music students from Daylesford Primary School, Daylesford College, and Ballarat’s Loreto College
were thrilled to meet Canadian superstar violinist and conductor, Alexandre Da Costa, and his 1701
Stradivarius violin, at an afternoon tea in Stanbridge Hall, Daylesford in recent days.
One of the questions from the young students was “Have you ever dropped it?”, to which the answer, luckily, was no!
The event was organised by U3A Hepburn Shire and funded by the Community
Bank Daylesford District.
Students Lucy Martin-Lucoszek, Arlo Schwarz-Deakin and Olive Schwarz- Deakin with Alexandre Da Costa
Words & image: Sandy Scheltema

CHILLOUT 2023 may be over but festival director Emma Ireland is already looking at headline acts for next year.
She is also busy catching up with people and asking how the weekend was for them, something she loves doing.
This year, she says, was exactly how ChillOut should be every year.

“The intention was that everybody in the community created the overall festival
and by that I mean it wasn’t just myself and the committee putting on certain events
– everywhere you went felt like a mini ChillOut.
“All of the venues across Daylesford, Hepburn and surrounds just felt like
ChillOut and it was absolutely superb in that sense of connection with community.”
Emma said while some people had been wary during the pandemic with what
they could and could not do, this year many people who were on the sidelines last
year decided to step forward “and say ‘this is awesome, let’s do this’.
“A lot of people are already involved in ChillOut but there are a lot of new people
with new venues and properties who got fully involved this year and that made a
really big difference – everybody carried the festival.
“Even venues which had sat previously in the background realised it was up to
them. I worked really hard coming out of the pandemic to engage with community
to get involved putting on events in their spaces but this year everybody put their
own events on in their own spaces.
“And that is how ChillOut really works, when everybody gets involved. It was
fantastic because there was so much variety for people of all ages and all those events
really complemented the events we put on. People just had so many choices and no-
one was waiting to do something, there was enough for everyone.”
Emma said about 32,000 people attended the weekend, based on accommodation
bookings with even more people coming along as daytrippers on the Sunday for the
parade and Carnivale at Victoria Park.
“We know that accommodation for Daylesford and the rest of the region was full
so ChillOut was definitely bigger than last year but being spread across the village
made it less like a pressure cooker.
“It was also great having both the Daylesford Town Hall and Vic Park activated
for the main events, and then there were the Palais-Hepburn and the Daylesford
Hotel – there was just so much going on.”
Emma said the feedback on the Big Rainbow, which arrived at Victoria Park just
in time for celebrations, had been fantastic.
“Haters are going to hate, but we have a really strong voice in the community
and the feedback was really good. A lot of people loved that it was smaller than they
thought and much more glittery.
“It was prettier than I thought it might be too, and it just looks lovely and
complements what we do, and how cool to come to Daylesford and have your photo
by the Big Rainbow. It’s better than the Big Pineapple!”
Emma said with the weekend over the hard-working committee had pretty much
“gone to ground to hibernate”.
“We have only just finished taking down bunting but we are already working on
reports for the committee, the council and government and looking at headliners for
2024 as we move forward.
“The exciting thing is now having time to talk to people about how the weekend
was for them, those face-to-face mements with the community, I really love that bit.”
Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Nadine Jade

“When I play, my instrument becomes the extension of my soul.”
This is a quote from internationally acclaimed solo violinist, Alexandre Da Costa, currently
one of the top and most sought-after violinists and soloists in the world and headed
to Daylesford to perform this month.

Da Costa and his 1701 Stradivarius violin will join the Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra in the Daylesford Town Hall to celebrate the magic of the era of the great Viennese balls, combining tradition and elegance in a matinee performance 2pm, Sunday March 26.
Winner of numerous major international prizes, Da Costa is a violinist of
international reputation, which led him to be a guest soloist and guest conductor
on four continents, in 30 countries and in more than 2000 concerts in the most
prestigious orchestras in the world.
At a very young age Alexandre showed an extraordinary interest in the violin
and piano and gave his first concerts at the age of nine, earning him a reputation as
a musical prodigy. He had the astonishing ability to perform his first concerts with
stunning virtuosity on both instruments, rarely seen before. At the age of 18 Da
Costa obtained a master’s degree in violin and a bachelor’s degree in piano.
Da Costa has played widely as a violinist, appearing at such major venues as
New York’s Carnegie Hall and Vienna’s Musikverein, and with the most prestigious
orchestras in the world such as London’s Royal Philharmonic, the Montreal
Symphony and the Vienna Symphony.
The mesmerising program will include immortal works by Johann Strauss II such
as The Beautiful Blue Danube and the Emperor Waltz.

U3A Hepburn Shire is hosting The Stradivarius in Vienna Concert.
Ticket link: www.trybooking.com/CFONT