Hepburn Shire Mayor Cr Don Henderson has welcomed “Australia’s much loved renovation competition reality TV series, The Block“.  

Filming started at the Raglan Street, Daylesford site last week.  Cr Henderson said Daylesford was known for its charming streets, culinary delights, mineral springs and spa resorts, and was set to benefit from the anticipated  influx of visitors.

“The cast, crew and travelling fans, will be able to indulge in Daylesford and all of our shire’s hospitality and shopping at our artisanal businesses and the local craftsmanship.

“Hosting The Block is an excellent opportunity for our shire. It will deliver noticeable economic benefits and showcase our beautiful landscape, rich history and vibrant community to millions of viewers across the country.   

“As filming takes place over the next few months, we look forward to the business The Block will bring to our accommodation providers, cafes, restaurants, local trades  and suppliers.”  

“The shire stands to gain far more than architecturally beautiful homes, the exposure will boost tourism beyond the show’s broadcast, reinforcing Hepburn Shire as a must-visit destination for local and international travellers.

“Council and our  communities look forward to The Block shining a national spotlight on our shire’s  charm, heritage and businesses.”  

Meanwhile, The Block contestants took part in their first challenge creating floats for the ChillOut parade last Sunday.

The show will air later this year.  

Above, Daylesford’s first Bunnings Warehouse, on The Block site  Words & images: Donna Kelly  

By Donna Kelly

“You should have never started it,” Trump said. “You” being Ukraine and “it” being the war that Russia clearly started when it launched a full-scale  invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, having annexed Crimea in 2014.  

The world has gone nuts. And the sad thing is some people, perhaps mostly MAGA idiots, will believe it. And history is rewritten. Much like the Gulf of America with Google maps already showing the new title – almost before the ink was dry on the presidential order.  

Then there’s the renaming of Denali, the highest mountain in North America, to Mount McKinley. Denali is based on the Koyukon name of the mountain, with the Koyukon a people of Alaskan Athabaskans.

The McKinley bit happened in 1896  when a gold prospector came upon it and thought he would randomly commemorate former US president William McKinley. Of course, McKinley never stepped foot in Alaska.  

Anyway, enough about that. I am just glad I got to Europe before Covid and then America last year. I love Australia and I think I will just do a bit more wandering around this great nation – which doesn’t need to be made great again, no matter what Clive Palmer thinks. Good grief.  

New Zealand is also wonderful and I hear the Chinese are buying up land there in droves in readiness for climate change. Along with southern Australia. Smart  buggers.  

We popped over the ditch a couple of weeks back for a family catch-up. Had a  great time, well apart from the B&B which you can read about over on the left in Kyle’s Rant.

The family was fun, food was great, scenery (Kaikoura) was absolutely breathtaking and Kyle and his 80-year-old dad and a few others even went ziplining.  

Came back a little worse for wear but obviously had the time of their lives. Not my thing so I went shopping with the 11-year-old great niece who was so cute I couldn’t resist buying things for her. Mind you, she loves op-shopping so it wasn’t too onerous on my credit card.

Charlie ended up with a present to give her grandmother, another one for her mum, a stuffed alpaca, lip gloss, strawberry fudge, a tin of marshmallow, some chocolate biscuits, Kiwi biscuits including Shrewsberries and Ginger Nuts to give to Kyle, an orange slushie and a can of Dr Pepper – yuk.  

Kyle’s sister’s family used to live in Christchurch, until that massive earthquake, with Sharlene working just across from the CTV building that collapsed. She ran all the way through the city, through liquefaction, to her son’s school.

I always  remember thinking she was fitter than I realised.  So they moved to Kaikoura just in time for the earthquake there that lifted the sea level by three metres.

They were living by the beach, heard the tsunami warning,  got to the grandchild staying with them and then drove off up the hill – pulling up only to unhitch the boat that was being towed behind them.

I have asked them not to move to Hepburn Shire – just in case.  

Anyway, back home now, with summer slowly coming to an end which means it’s time for fun with festivals – like ChillOut.  The Local has been a proud media partner for 11 years now and I must admit I do love being in the parade. This year is no  different.

The theme is circus which, as  Kyle says, suits us perfectly. We are pretty much a three-ringed circus most of the time, just keeping the balls in the air. And the general manager is a bit of a clown at  times. Just sayin’.  

The Block 2025 is being filmed in Daylesford and the Raglan Street site already has the steel bones of five huge houses up, waiting for the contestants to arrive next month to turn them into homes.

The Local’s editor Donna Kelly chatted with the show’s executive producer Julian Cress, above, about all things Daylesford, local businesses, leaving legacies, building and a worldwide profile – for free. 

Donna: How are things shaping up for this year with The Block. 

Julian: Fantastic. We are just finalising our pre-production at the moment, getting all of the properties ready, getting our contestants ready and getting our crew ready. 

We kick off in a few weeks’ time, and everything’s looking really positive. We start filming in March, and we’ll finish in June. 

Donna: What’s the feeling like for you and your guys in the town now, because you know you had a bit of opposition for a while there? 

Julian: We had a couple of people who were anti the development, but the response we’ve had from the wider community has been absolutely awesome, extremely positive, and very welcoming. And a lot of business owners I’ve talked to see it as a great economic benefit. 

Donna: Do you find regions like Phillip Island (2024) get an economic lift out of it? 

Julian: Yeah. I’ve been a bunch of times since we were filming last year, and I’ve had incredible responses from local business owners who are so grateful that The Block was there.

They’ve seen a really big uptick in tourism and trade. I noticed that our friends at the Penguin Parade put out a press release recently saying that The Block effect had delivered a record year for them.

So we can really see that it’s not just the money that we spend in the community when we’re making the show, but it’s all the money that flows when people watch the show and choose to go to that destination. 

Donna: There are a few people selling their own properties and hoping The Block will shine a light on the region. Does that happen? 

Julian: I think there’s no doubt that people who aren’t familiar with an area can learn a lot about it from watching our show. And let’s not forget, it’s not just about the audience watching the show in Australia.

Our show goes to over 170 territories around the world. And I think that what we can deliver for tourism isn’t just people around Australia coming to Daylesford, but people from all over the world choosing to visit Daylesford when they come out to Australia. 

Donna: You would know that Daylesford is the largest LGBTIQA+ regional town in Australia. Are you choosing any contestants based on that? 

Julian: Absolutely. The Block was the first TV show in the world to have a gay couple. And we’ve had a bunch of contestants from that community on the show over the years. This year will be no different. 

Donna: Do the contestants know what they are getting into? 

Julian: No. No contestant, no matter how much they’ve watched the show, can really understand just how challenging it can be to do it. And I know that because they all tell me. Every season, every contestant says to me at some point, ‘Jules, I knew this would be hard. I just didn’t know it would be this hard’. But they also at the end, when they finish, they always say to me, ‘that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it was also the best’. 

Donna: And do you still enjoy it yourself? 

Julian: Very much so. And I’m very, very much looking forward to doing this series in Daylesford because I live in the Macedon Ranges. I moved up from Melbourne a few years ago. So I’m a local (and) I’m really pleased that I won’t be away from my family for four months, like I was last year. I absolutely love it. You know, I’m fully in love with the area and planning to spend the rest of my life here. 

Donna: And is that how Daylesford was chosen? 

Julian: I wish I was that powerful. We came across the location through a friend of ours, Natalie (Fagan), at Belle Property. She’s a great agent in the area there. And she introduced me to the developers. I just love the fact that the property is so well positioned.

It’s like the gateway to Daylesford. And obviously we’re taking the responsibility of that very seriously and planning to put in a lot of effort to create homes that really will set the scene for people arriving in Daylesford. 

And, you know, we’re going to spend millions of dollars locally. A bunch of my builders have been on site now already for a couple of months and they’ve already all become members of the local bowling club and they’re loving it up there. 

I think once my film crew starts to arrive in the next few weeks, you know, I think local businesses are going to see a lot of new customers because all of those people need to eat and drink. And we’re renting accommodation for everyone.

We’ve booked many, many homes for many months. They’ll spend a lot of money locally. And then of course, when the show is on the air later in the year, you’ll start to see tourists coming. And that tourism will happen for many years to come as the show rolls out around the world. 

Donna: A win-win for the community. 

Julian: I certainly hope so. And we’re going to really work very hard. We’re actually going to be doing some community projects while we’re there. Some charity projects that the community has told us they really want. 

We’re looking forward to not just leaving five great homes behind us but an even more valuable legacy for the community with other projects that we can undertake as well. 

Donna: Well, I can’t wait to see what you have in store and for the show to start airing. Thanks for your time. 

Julian: My pleasure and I look forward to showing you around the site when we get under way. 

Blackwood – A Haven in the Hills is the name of a poem by the late Grace  Rayner. It is all about the village’s rich history and scenic beauty.  

And it has also provided much of the inspiration for new Blackwood Hotel owners Jerry and Jess.  The couple, with their two young children, have been locals of Blackwood for more than seven years.

They also have plenty of hospitality experience with other venues including two in Docklands where their Cargo and Berth, in conjunction with the Salvation Army, host annual Christmas Day Brunches for those less fortunate.  

So, they are local and know food, hospitality and kindness. A great combination.  

The fantastically renovated pub opened over the January long weekend and it has been pumping with plenty of local support, and visitors keen to find a real country hotel again.  

Kyle and I headed there on Saturday and were met by Jerry, as was pretty much every customer as they arrived. Along with meeting and greeting, Jerry is also hands-on with serving, pouring drinks behind the bar and even cleaning tables.

Busy but  relaxed and clearly enjoying his latest venture, Jerry showed us to our table by the window in the dining room. There’s also a  dog friendly verandah and an inviting bar.

We opted to leave the food selection up to  him – a great idea.  Three entrees arrived – the sizzling saganaki with peppered figs ($16), hummus with caramelised onion, sumac and flat bread ($12) and Asian glazed pork belly with sticky soy ($20). All fantastic.

I love saganaki but this absolutely hit the next level with the sweet and slightly spicy figs. Kyle’s favourite was the pork belly, tender meat  with crunchy crackling.  

Next up, the mains, a very decent sized Parwan Valley porterhouse with chips, salad and a huge round of garlic herb butter ($45) and the barramundi atop cashew cream with green beans, roasted tomatoes and a fennel and herb salad ($38).  

Jerry couldn’t have known but this was the perfect pairing. I am not much of a  meat eater but while Kyle rarely has steak, he pretty much ate the lot. “I don’t need a  steak knife,” was about all I got out of him for a while.  

Buying from Parwan Valley is just part of Jerry and Jess’ ethos to shop as local as possible. (They are also providing work for locals – with a crew of 20 plus –  Blackwood’s biggest employer!)  

The barra was amazing. Perfectly cooked with crisp skin and firm flesh atop the  veggies and cream. And these are big serves – no-one is going home hungry from Blackwood.

We didn’t do dessert, we couldn’t.

But there’s sticky date pudding and choc mousse ($15 each) and a seasonal sorbet ($12).  It’s not a huge menu but it covers all the bases and every dish is done well, something I think most people appreciate these days. I think the days of broadsheet sized menus is well and truly over – or should be.  

The Blackwood Hotel is a great country pub and I am sure it will be one of those places long talked about as it reclaims its place in the history of not only the town but also the region.

I love the “real” front entrance, not a side door, the nod to its past with some of the original wallpaper left up and framed, a front bar with a bar  you can actually sit at, staff with big smiles and the sound of friendly banter.  

Oh, I nearly forgot the drinks. Plenty of beers from the tap, a good choice of wines by the glass, nothing overly expensive. As I said, a good country pub.  See you there. I’d give you an address but just find Blackwood. You can’t miss it.  

Link: www. blackwoodhotel.com.au Words & images: Donna Kelly  

By Donna Kelly  

I think ambos are among the nicest people in the world. And I have never met one I didn’t like. (Well, there was one but there’s always one.)  

Mind you, when you do catch up it’s usually in a pretty stressful situation, but it always feels like “the adults have arrived”.  

They never run, not sure if that is part of their training, they are calm, serious but ready with a smile, and never tell you off for doing something stupid like breaking your ankle.  

So I reckon the media release that came across my desk this week is a real winner.  It’s headline was: “AUSTRALIA’S FIRST PARAMEDIC PRACTITIONER LAWS  PASS PARLIAMENT.”

Not sure why they have to do that in shouty capital letters  but lots of media releases come full of random caps. Must be something they teach in PR school.  

My training was in journalism. Old school. I had an editor who would throw my work back at me, it was bits of typed paper stapled together, a couple of paragraphs to a page, and yell “this is shit, do it again”.

I also had a sub-editor who asked me about something I had left out of the story. I told him “if in doubt, leave it out” and he yelled back “if in doubt, bloody well find out”. But I digress.  

So this media release said Paramedic Practitioners will be able to deliver urgent care and prescribe medicines while saving Victorians a trip to hospital.  That is just fantastic and makes so much sense.

Ambos do so much training but spend half their time just sitting with patients waiting for hospital beds to open up.  

The release continued: “Paramedics regularly transfer patients with serious, but not life-threatening, conditions to hospitals. With their new advanced clinical  training, Paramedic Practitioners will now be able to assess, diagnose and treat patients in the field, make clinical decisions and take pressure off our busy emergency departments.  

“The key change will allow Paramedic Practitioners to prescribe and administer scheduled medicines when treating patients, providing Victorians with immediate  treatment on the spot.”  

So the first lot of 30 is now at Monash Uni getting their free Paramedic Practitioner master’s degree, with the next cohort starting in a few weeks.  

Once they graduate, the ambos will be equipped to treat conditions that often lead to hospital visits, such as urinary catheter care, wound care and closure, minor infections, dislocations and fractures.  

Of course, only a sceptic would wonder if this could eventually lead to the closing of small regional hospitals, which generally cover this kind of thing.  

And only a sceptic would wonder if the ambos will now be really run off their feet  and become like a quasi, and free, doctor on call. Caring for people in their homes so those people can avoid paying a doctor for simple treatments.  

I must say on the face of it, this seems like a great idea. If it works.  

Oh, the ambo I didn’t like. He was no longer an ambo, having quit during Covid after being completely stressed out. Almost PTSD according to him, and I get that.  But he had taken up a job doing first aid training and he was awful. Rude, belligerent, making fun of people who did not have English as their first language.  

We also had to make noises when we sucked in our fake Ventolin, and got yelled at if we didn’t. But because I yelled when I had my fake Epipen jammed in my thigh I got in trouble.  

And when we had a short break he leaned back and asked if anyone had any pets.  He had a snake, of course. And any other animal mentioned was “better off dead”.  But apart from him, never met an ambo I didn’t like. Just sayin’.  

ChillOut president Matt Clarke was born and raised in regional Victoria in the small town of Wycheproof.

The youngest of six kids, life was all about “heavy” farming, agriculture and local sport. “And then you finish school and move away and come up with whatever you’re going to do for the rest of your life,” he said. 

“I was a bit lost when I left school, I didn’t really know what I was going to do. I could have been a lot of things. I wanted to be a vet, I wanted to be a paramedic. I wanted to be a heap of things. But I had a really underlying passion for horses and the equines.” 

Not into doing things by halves, Matt headed to a big harness racing stable in Great Western, Victoria and spent the next 15 years there, on and off, training horses and competing all over Australia and New Zealand. 

It was a hard life, but one he loved, with the only downside the region and industry not offering the chance to open up as “a proud gay person, or lesbian or trans”. 

“That just wasn’t something that would happen. I mean, I was never scared to come out and I had to my family, it was just the environment you were in. It was a challenging space. But, you know, if people believed or had an idea that I may have been gay, that’s fine, and if someone was to ever ask me, I would have talked about it.

“But in such a small community people just had their own views and mindsets, and that is just how it was.” 

After a while Matt, doing that full-on thing again, moved to Ballarat for “the love of my life – but that didn’t work out”. 

He puts the end of the relationship down to a few things including having his mum pass away from a quick and sad death from melanoma. 

“That was really challenging. I was extremely close to my mum. So I guess that played on a lot of the emotions and the challenges of a relationship.” 

Matt said he remained in Ballarat but was lonely and without a tribe. 

“I’d been to ChillOut a number of times, viewed the parade, been to Carnival Day and just immersed myself in that from a distance. And then there was a call-out for a meet and greet for potential committee members. 

“It was a workshop day where you were asked to talk about yourself, like is there something that is going to let us know a little bit about yourself. I got up and I explained to the group about two tattoos that I had put there after my mum had died.

“One thing she always said to me was that she didn’t want me to have a challenging and difficult life as a gay person and before she died she told me to be strong and she told me to be happy. 

“The first tattoo on my left arm is a symbol of strength. And then the second tattoo on my right arm is a symbol of happiness. I look at them every day and they remind me of those powerful words. I shared that story to a group of strangers and just burst into tears.” 

Matt learned more about ChillOut and its history and “a little bit of a fire was lit”. Next thing he was on the committee and then the president. 

“It’s been great. A really satisfying journey on a personal level of growth and development and connection.

“It’s also seeing the festival continue to evolve, also in terms of engagement from community stakeholders and sponsors.

“We’re up to our 28th consecutive festival and rolling into our 30th anniversary, which is really exciting.” 

Matt joined the committee in the first year of Covid. A challenging space, he says.

“We all had to learn about Skype and Teams and FaceTime calls and how do we communicate. And then the ever-evolving process of, are we allowed to be together? What do the spaces look like? 

“The festival did go ahead in a live space, down at the amphitheatre at Hepburn Springs with big circles drawn on the grass and people having to sit within their circle. They essentially had to be self-contained.

“And the flagship event of the weekend, the parade, took a whole new turn. It was done virtually and we asked our supporters to record a clip of themselves in full gear or costume and we blended them into a streamed parade. And we took that as a tick, it was a festival.” 

Matt said this year’s ChillOut would offer many of the loved activities like the Bush Dance, the Grand Parade, Carnival Day, the Youth Muster and the Friday night opening which will be held in the Big Top at Victoria Park instead of the currently under renovation Town Hall. 

The theme for the weekend is Circus, which gives people plenty of scope for fun outfits which relive the fun times of country carnivals and circuses. 

Matt said his many skills from the equine industry and also in sales and management had given him a great skillset for ChillOut and he was loving the role.  

“One of the things that we love is seeing all of the businesses get involved in the festival. I mean, there are many queer-owned businesses in Daylesford and those that aren’t are just as welcoming to a queer community in regional Victoria.

“When the committee members go down and line the streets with our bunting, many of the businesses ask if they can get more – because they love the festival.”

Hobsons Bay City Council CEO Aaron van Egmond remains suspended from his position. 

In a joint statement on February 1, Acting CEO Sustainable Communities director Rachel Sarah Lunn and Mayor Cr Daria Kellander said councillors became aware of concerns about safety in the workplace, as well as the CEO’s fulfilment of his duties and responsibilities more broadly. 

“Councillors continue to take these matters very seriously and made the decision to suspend Aaron van Egmond (on January 25), pending further investigations, following thorough and careful consideration. “

The Acting CEO has taken immediate steps to seek to ensure the safety of staff and the commencement of a fair, comprehensive and respectful investigation into a range of concerns, as well as supporting the continuity of council services. 

“Council requests that the names or other identifying information of council staff, and speculation as to matters under investigation, are not published in the interests of protecting staff safety and providing procedural fairness. 

“Council can make no further comment at this time.” 

Mr van Egmond was CEO of Hepburn Shire from 2012 to 2018 when he left to undertake the same position at Hobsons Bay City Council. 

Mr van Egmond could not be contacted for comment. 

Words: Donna Kelly  

By Donna Kelly  

Like many, our first Radio Springs experience was during their first week.  Ken and Jackie had opened during Easter and it was a disaster.  

Service was crap, food was late, no one seemed to know what was happening…  But still, it felt like our kind of place.  

So we gave it another try. And then another try. And then finally it was our place.  

We were Radio Springers.  What caught our eye was the fun, the eclectic experience, the bar where anything could, and would, happen.  

Ken was the maestro, Jackie was the perfect host, people like Simon, Julian and then Graeme, were the perfect bar people. Great with bar banter and great with whatever drop you preferred.  

The kitchen was always pumping. Chips from local spuds, my favourite of all time, the scallop salad reigned supreme, and Kyle found his best scotch fillet with multiple gravy and jus combinations. And plenty more.  

The late, great, David Wellings called it the Centre of the Universe, and it was.  We filmed a fun little piece, I don’t know why now, with some Daylesford locals  chanting: “Time travel, when do we want it? It doesn’t matter.” I kid you not.  

Strange things happen at that pub. Magic perhaps.  

Thanks to Radio Springs you are still reading The Local. It was early days and the cost of our print bill was killing us.  

We sat at the bar and wondered how we would continue. Then I looked down the  bar and slowly said: “You’re not Tony, are you?” And the guy said: “Donna?”  And we realised we had worked together on the Frankston Standard, before Leader days, in the 1980s.

And we told Tony about our printer issues and he told us about an affordable printer and we were away again. The magic of Radio Springs.  

Another time we were sitting there and Kyle said to some bloke: “You’re not Grubby (from radio) are you? and he said:”That’s my brother.” And it turned out to  be my late uncle’s best friend whose daughter had just bought in Glenlyon. Talk about the six degrees of seperation.  And so much more.  

Kyle spent many days over many months working with the late Don Breen,  another great bloke. They worked on the generator and Don shared plenty of  knowledge with Kyle. Slowly changing him from his usual “rip, shit, bust” to a more  methodical way of working.  

He also taught Kyle to worry less. Kyle called Don his “Daylesford Dad”. Sweet.  

With The Local we have covered so many events from car club gatherings to the longest lashes, from the opening of the Henri Langlois Screening Room to Toga parties. Always wild and wacky.  

Of course, not everyone got Radio. You could sit at the bar and watch people come in and they were either in the “I love this” camp or the “how odd” camp.

The lovers lingered and came back again and again, the odd ones drank up their wine or  beer as quickly as possible and drove off in search of a pub with televisions, perhaps  pokies, and maybe not someone behind the bar, looking a little like Tim Finn,  wearing a suit with a vest and tie.  

But despite all the big memories I think most of all I will miss just heading over on a Thursday or a Sunday arvo, pulling up a chair or a barstool and just shooting the breeze with whoever is behind the bar, whichever local has turned up, or one of  the “lovers” who has pulled in on a whim and randomly found the Centre of the Universe. And get it.  

Radio Springs is just one of those magical pubs where things happen. And you never know if you will end up friends with the republicans but it has happened. And that is just lovely. Ken and Jackie are now our friends, and we feel very lucky to have them in our lives. Even though they went and closed our favourite pub! Just sayin’..  

Former Hepburn Shire Council chief executive officer Aaron van Egmond has been suspended from his position as CEO of Hobsons Bay City Council.  

In a statement released on the Hobsons  Bay City Council’s Facebook page on Saturday, January 25, Mayor Cr Daria Kellander said:  “Following an unscheduled meeting of  council today, Aaron van Egmond has been  suspended as CEO of Hobsons Bay Council  effective immediately.

“Councillors became aware of concerns about safety in the workplace and the CEO’s fulfilment of his duties more broadly. Councillors take these matters  very seriously and have made this decision following thorough and careful  consideration, pending further investigations.  

“Given the sensitivity of these matters for all concerned, council can make no  further comment at this time.”

Hobsons Bay City Council’s website says Mr van Egmond started his role on  June 12, 2018 after six years at Hepburn Shire Council.  

“Aaron has been a strong leader in the Victorian local government sector for 15 years. Aaron previously served as CEO of Hepburn Shire Council for six years where he had a strong focus on project delivery, financial sustainability, operational efficiency and occupational health and safety. He also focused on significant  improvements in customer service and community engagement.”  

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: File  

Last drinks called for Radio Springs Hotel  Radio Springs Hotel has served its last drinks after 17 years providing  refreshments, and plenty of bar banter, with locals and visitors alike.  

The final day, Sunday, January 26, saw many people make their way to  the Lyonville pub to say farewells and reminisce about great times over the  years.  

The decision to close the doors came after owners Jackie Airey and Ken Parfrey started to think about the next phase of their lives.  

“We’ve been doing it for nearly 17 years now and we felt we might like  to move on,” Jackie said.

“However, on the weekend, two weeks ago, we had a sudden change in our staffing and we thought about it and whether or not  we had the energy to recreate what we’ve got.  

“We’re pretty picky about our staff so it would take us a while to find the  right people and train them up. And we thought, well, would it be right to do that for only a few months, take on new people and all that kind of thing?  So we thought maybe we’ll just call it now.”  

Jackie said what the next phase was remained unclear.  

“We haven’t really had a chance to decide all of that. We’d started  thinking about all those alternatives but we hadn’t really come to any conclusions yet. And so with this sudden decision to close we’ll just wait for  the dust to settle and then we’ll have a good think.  

“We don’t want to make a rushed decision, we want to make the right  decision.”  Jackie said deciding to close came with a sense of freedom but also sadness.

“If you could imagine all the possible feelings that anybody could  have at this stage, I think Ken and I are feeling all of them. It’s very hard to  describe, just think of anything and add it in.”  

Jackie said she and Ken never set out to create something as magical as Radio Springs and being at the “coal face”, didn’t realise how much it meant  to their patrons.  

“For us, we just created a place that we would like to go to. We just  trusted our sense of this is what we would like a pub to be. But we didn’t  realise that we’re so weird.  

“When we first started putting this all together and gathering stuff over  our long renovation, we had a chat about what kind of pub are we going to  be? And we thought nothing that we do is going to please everybody. And we  have to live here.  

“We’re going to be here 24 seven. And it’s going to be our lifestyle as well as anything else. So we had to feel comfortable and happy in it. We knew there would be some people who like it and some people who don’t. And  that’s how it’s worked out.”  

Jackie said their reincarnation of the Lyonville pub came after they bought the property to live in.  

“And then while we were here, people would drop in all the time and ask  us when we were going to open the pub and that they needed a pub, there wasn’t anything. Back then, that was in 1997, there wasn’t anything decent between Woodend and Daylesford.  

“That coincided with Ken and I feeling that we didn’t necessarily want to  stay in the careers that we had for much longer. And so we thought, maybe we’ll open it just as a B&B.

“And then the continued numbers of people  who were calling in made us think maybe we’ll expand that and open it as a pub. And then people said we need food. So it just really grew like Topsy, it became a bit of a juggernaut in and of itself.”  

Jackie said while there had been times which had provided challenges – like Covid – overall it had been a great part of their life.  

“I met so many people and got to the point where I would get such a  kick out of watching people enjoy themselves and listening to laughter and  watching people eat and really enjoy their food.  

“And there are a lot of people who have, through the hotel, become very  good friends of ours who we wouldn’t have met otherwise and we wouldn’t  have been able to welcome into our lives.”  

And the final word?  

“I want to thank all the patrons and customers and all the regulars and all the locals who have supported us over the years. Because really, without all of  those people, the pub’s just a pub.  

“I mean, it’s like a theatre or cinema. Unless you’ve got an audience, it’s  just celluloid. It’s just words in an empty space.

“You can be as quirky with your decor, as fancy with your food and as comprehensive with your wine list  as you like. But if you don’t have customers, it’s an empty space.”  

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Kyle Barnes  

By Donna Kelly  

Went for a bit of a roadtrip over the silly season. Up to family at Port Macquarie, then to Queensland for more family time, and then back down again.  

We took the Tesla and it was a lot of fun. Mostly. There’s an EV thing called range anxiety. It happens when you start to wonder if you have enough power to get to the next charging station.  

It shouldn’t really happen at all because you can plan a trip and the car’s computer tells you exactly how much power you will have left when you reach the next charging station on your journey.  

That’s how it’s meant to happen. But one memorable day when we were going to end up in Coffs Harbour with 33 per cent, it trickled down to just four per cent.  

I was having a meltdown, not literally because the aircon was humming away, but certainly my anxiety was up.  

I managed to convince Kyle to call into our motel, about four kilometres from the charging station at the shopping centre down the road, and call for Tesla roadside service. Which we have.  

Turns out the problem, running out of power, is our fault, so there is no service provided. Just a tow at the owner’s expense.

I was a bit annoyed with that. I mean, if you run out of petrol, the RACV will come and top you up. We just needed a few extra amps. I probably should have looked around for an extension lead instead of heading to the bar, while Kyle did the grown-up thing and pushed through the last few kilometres.

Each to their own – again I chose the wrong year to give up drinking.  

Anyway, long story short, we got the top up and decided it was the extra hot,  humid day – and the aircon – that had drained the battery so quickly.  

After that, we had no problems and just enjoyed the quiet drive and the enforced breaks to power up – playing solitaire on the car’s huge screen. Not a bad idea really,  in the past we have often pulled in for petrol and decided to go “just another 100km” without getting a rest.  

The Tesla does well on the open road, no change between going up or down hills,  no straining on gears and quiet as – although it does beep now and again if you go too close to other vehicles or the white lines on the side of the road.

And there is that pesky phantom braking now and again. Just Google that…  

It was really nice to catch up with family too. Lots of kids on Kyle’s side and on my side more people trying to look after ageing parents and work their way through the tricky end-of-life stuff.

Dementia and cancer make for very hard work.

It also has those of us without children wondering who is going to step in and advocate.  

Back at Glenlyon now, to a very dry garden, but also the wonderful sounds of  summer – the cockies (as mentioned by Bill Wootton over the page there in his haiku) and lots of cicadas.

Our trip last year to Central America seems a long way back now, although Trump’s plans to reclaim the Panama Canal is a little triggering, and we have already  booked a trip to the Med in November – all going well.  

I think we have decided that rather than things, we really just want to gather up experiences as we get older.

And, like with Covid, you never know what is just around the corner.  So we are making the most of life, having fun and hanging out with family and  friends.

Oh, we even have two weddings to attend this year. One in Victoria and one in Sydney. One young couple – with one child, and one older couple who said it took 30 years to make sure they were the right fit.

I mentioned to a friend last night that I hadn’t been to a wedding for a long time.  She said, quite gaily I thought, that I could start looking forward to funerals now. I guess there’s always a silver lining. Just sayin’ … 

Construction works for The Block 2025’s sustainable pavilion-style homes are underway and local agents predict they are likely to fetch top sums on auction day, according to realestate.com.au.

The realestate.com.au website said new images of the 2400sqm Raglan Street, Daylesford site had given fans a sneak peek of the 21st season of The Block. 

“The hit renovation reality television show will see a new cast of Blockheads overhaul five homes, which will form a new neighbourhood within Hygge Property’s Middleton Field new housing estate, located at the regional town’s eastern entry point,” the website says. 

Last year, The Local reported on The Block coming to Daylesford, after plans for the 2024 edition of the show to be produced in the town were stalled. 

Executive producer Julian Cress, in a statement reported on by 9Entertainment, said Daylesford had been a destination for Australian and international tourists for a century and had “really cemented itself as one of the top weekend destinations in the country”. 

Mr Cress said Daylesford was originally intended to be the site for the 2024 season. “We put nine months of hard work into [Daylesford] before we had to pivot to Phillip Island,” he said. 

“But Phillip Island has taught us that taking the show to a place which is a holiday destination is great for The Block, and we hope it will be great for Daylesford as well. The fact that it was still an option seemed a no-brainer.” 

Mr Cress said he had been spending time with the Daylesford community.

“I think they are really excited for us to bring the show there. We think it will be a wonderful opportunity for Daylesford and for the community as a whole. 

“We also try to film much of our show focusing on the local community and whether that be renovating a community project, or just being able to showcase great local artisans and businesses, is something that is a real hallmark for The Block. 

“We want to make The Block not just about the properties in Raglan Street, but about the whole town. We work incredibly hard to make sure our houses are built with the best possible environmentally sound, modern practices available. 

“We are always looking at sustainability and environmental concerns, we are not just throwing up project houses, we are trying to build houses of the future.” It is believed filming will start in February. 

Words: Donna Kelly | Image: Kyle Barnes 

Central Highland pubs make up three of the best 10 regional pubs to plan a road trip around, food writer Richard Cornish says in an article in The Age’s Good Food, published on January 2. 

The Guildford Family Hotel, above left Radio Springs Hotel in Lyonville, above right, and the Daylesford Hotel, below, all made the grade. 

The Guildford Family Hotel is run by hospitality stalwart Megan Evans and her partner, music industry long-timer Tom Allen. The perfect pair for a hospitality and music venue. 

The couple took over the pub in 2021 and it’s now a great place for locals and visitors who enjoy the bar baner, beer garden and dining room. 

Megan, who is well known to Daylesford locals after working at a number of hospitality venues in the town, loved the idea of running her own pub and “getting the old girl back to life”. 

“I have loved hotels and pubs my whole life, in fact I have spent pretty much 26 years in hospitality working in country pubs, and I just love the locals. I have a very genuine smile when anyone walks in and that is what country pubs are all about.” 

Jackie Airey and Ken Parfrey bought the Radio Springs Hotel in Lyonville in 1997.

The 90-year-old pub, once owned by TV and radio personality Ernie Sigley, had been closed for years but the pair slowly renovated and 11 years later, The Centre of the Universe opened. 

Ken said he knew they had something special. And the people who wander in, realise that too. There’s no television, no wi-fi, no pokies, but there is plenty of great chat, excellent meals and always something new to discover in the wonderful decor.

Throw in plenty of live music, the Back Beach Bar and the Henri Langlois Screening Room – and it’s a winner. 

The Daylesford Hotel, with some of the best deck views in town, has recently been taken over by those who did such a great job at Cliffy’s Emporium and Beppe.

They have also engaged chef Rob Kabboord, formerly of three-hatted Quay in Sydney. The food, including drive-through pizza, is fantastic, and the old pub is quickly becoming “the local” with its Friday night charity raffles and down-to-earth vibe.

Words: Donna Kelly | Images of the Guildford Hotel and Radio Springs Hotel: Photoshopped by Kyle Barnes 

Christmas is done and dusted and now it’s time to kick back and chill – whether you want to add Netflix or not is completely up to you. 

It’s also time for the crew at The Local to have a little bit of downtime but not without completing a great look back at the year that was. 

Some people might think this is a lazy edition, an easy way to fill a paper without much work involved but I can sincerely say it is probably the most work I have done in a while – especially because I kept slipping down memory lane and reading way too much from each edition. Like when you look in a real photo album. But I digress.

This edition is mostly, well completely, about the good news that happened over 2024 – because we get enough bad news on the morning television.

 So, while I understand many things happened which were challenging and led to plenty of tears (the Daylesford tragedy anniversary) and others led to lots of conversations (Hepburn Shire’s town plans), we decided to focus on the festivals, the people and then fun – all the things we all love about living in the Central Highlands. 

If you have a read through you will see most of the people we wrote about during the year and if you didn’t make it onto these pages don’t worry, it just might be we had too many great stories in one month to choose all of them. 

This edition is also featuring our Artists of the Central Highlands which run every second edition, along with our Walks of the Central Highlands. Both are written by our talented journalist Eve Lamb, whom many of you would have met by now. 

She is always out and about with not only writing her stories but also taking great photos. And we all know she will never run out of artists to interview or interesting walks to trek along. 

I would also like to thank all of our wonderful crew and contributors – they really put in the hard yards and keep The Local punching well about its weight. 

I hope you enjoy this edition and feel free to delve into more stories from the year at www.tlnews.com.au under archives.

 Oh, if you have any ideas for next year please let us know. Someone recently said sudoku would be a good idea – but they still want us to keep the crossword going. 

Personally I can’t do it but I did see many people on our recent cruise heading to the library every morning to pick up the latest puzzle. I guess I am more about the words. 

Catch you in 2025, January 13 to be precise or online on January 12, with all the news that’s fit to read. And more. Happy New Year, Donna 

Does anyone else remember getting ready for 2000? We were going to party like it was 1999 – because it was. But it was also a bit worrying that all of the world’s computers would grind to a halt. 

A few friends stocked up on toilet paper (pandemic triggering) and champagne while my Nan stocked up on flour and sugar and things to bake with. She was a great baker – did a very nice scone. They were always scooped out of the oven into a tea towel in a colander. Not sure why. Keep them light perhaps? 

Kyle and I did nothing to prepare but I still remember wandering around Myer Frankston, which no longer exists, Myer not Frankston, wondering what it was one wore to the potential end of the world. I think I chose a pant suit kind of thing. Not much one for dresses. 

Of course nothing happened although the son of one of Mum’s friends got a very cheap midnight flight to America – the only one aboard apart from the crew. That’s how scared we all were. 

I have had a few memorable New Year’s Eves. One was in Japan where we did nothing that night but the next morning climbed a mountain to watch the first sunrise of the year. And drank some really disgusting thick, sweet sake from a square wooden cup. And then visited lots of families and pretty much ate for the day. 

Only a few years back we had a small affair at Glenlyon and burnt a giant blow up Corona beer bottle Kyle had managed to acquire online. Along with a big photo of Trump. They were clearly both gone for good. Hmmm. 

Another time, Kyle, who seems to play a role in these events most of the time, decided he would light a handful of sparklers, inside the school.

They quickly caught alight, to his apparent surprise, so he ran outside and promptly dropped them on the deck.

This was also at Glenlyon where the dry summer meant there were plenty of leaves under the deck, just waiting to catch fire. 

Luckily a friend, who was just a bit more onto it, poured his beer through the cracks and put the fire out before it took hold.

Yes, it can happen as easily as that. And Kyle, who had managed to stand on some of the burning magnesium, ran inside as it burnt a hole into his heel, and flushed his foot down the toilet. I don’t mean his foot came off, just ended up pushed into the S-bend. I guess that’s toilet humour. 

One of the strongest memories, and I shouldn’t really remember this at all, was when we lived at Frankston and we took a limo to a boat tour out of Hastings. It was all very posh and we had a great night.

We returned home, feeling quite grand, only to find our dogs had obviously had something frightened out of them by fireworks. All over a lovely, shaggy wool rug.

The smell was unbelievable, so we dragged the huge rug out, draped it over a balcony rail and sprayed it down. 

We were exhausted and for some reason I decided it was time to make some cookies. Special cookies using some lovely herbs some friends had given us in a fair sized Tupperware container.

I mixed the concoction up, waited for it to cook and then chomped in. The more I ate the hungrier I got. Strange that. And then the world took a turn for the worse.

I realised Kyle had died. He was lying on the floor, Pink Floyd in the background, and he was clearly dead. I was so sad. I called 000 but luckily, in my altered state, I called the old trunk line 013 and no-one answered.

This was probably quite good for my future but I railed against the unfairness of life. Kyle dying while just listening to music. 

I then popped out to the balcony and screamed “my husband’s dead” but no-one came. Again, quite lucky in retrospect.

I decided to drag Kyle to a more comfortable spot, down the hall, and hoisted him onto the bed. Obviously I had developed superhuman strength. On the bed, I felt a hand grab my wrist. “Paranoia,” Kyle said. 

Oh, I thought, not dead, just me being paranoid. And I slept well. Until I woke up and wondered if I had put the rest of the cookies away or left them in reach of the dogs…Dogs fine, Kyle fine, no more herbs ever. Happy New Year!