Everyone is invited to enjoy some top live music with two free family-friendly community concerts taking place over the next two consecutive Friday evenings this month.

The Hepburn Shire Council is hosting the free Sunset in the Springs concerts as an opportunity for the community to come together and enjoy performances by local and regional artists in a relaxed setting at the Sound Shell at Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve.

“Bring a picnic with friends and family and join us at these concerts to support young local performers,” said Mayor of Hepburn Shire, Cr Brian Hood.

“Free activities and entertainment will be on hand for children and young people. We would love to see people of all ages come along and enjoy these free evenings of entertainment,” said Cr Hood.

Attendees are welcome to bring their own picnic, and food will also be available for purchase on the evening.

Sunset in the Springs will be held:

• Friday 9 February from 5pm until dark – featuring performances by Freya Josephine Hollick, Sunfruits and Sky Scraper Stan.
• Friday 16 February from 5pm until dark – Featuring Leah Senior, Coda Chroma and Pyrex.

Bring back sanitiser station

I note that Coles Daylesford has removed its sanitiser station from the front door. There is still one at the side entrance.

Surely we have learnt one thing with Covid, that hygiene is of the utmost importance in stopping the spread of disease. Even if that is just stopping the ‘flu or a cold spreading, surely that is good thing that is easy to continue.

I appreciate all the store and staff have done over the years but please bring back the station. It was well used.

From: Louise Oldfield, Hepburn Springs

Letters to the editor are always welcome. Keep them short and to the point, or long and interesting. Some letters may be edited for clarity or length. Email news@tlnews.com.au Any addressed Dear Sir will be deleted 🙂

The Hepburn Springs Golf Club is running a series of activities to encourage more women to
play golf at the club.
Spokesperson Sue Howard said Back in the Swing was a relaxed and social way to get back into golf in
a supportive environment with friendly and helpful club members.
“You’ll play five to nine holes with experienced players giving tips on golf etiquette and rules – with
some fun activities and prizes thrown in.
“The cost is $15 per session which will be held on Sundays from 3-5pm, from October 15 until November 26. Book by text to Bev on 0437 122 756.
“We promise a fun couple of hours for golfers of all levels.”
Meanwhile, the Girls Getaway Women’s Golf Promotion includes a discount on 18 holes of golf and cart hire ($30 each) for groups of six or more women.
“The Girls Getaway is aimed at groups of golfers looking for a new place to come and stay and enjoy a
game at the wonderful Hepburn Springs golf course.
“Games can be booked online at the Hepburn Springs Golf Club website at www.hepburngolf.com
Book using the Girls Getaway promo code to receive the discount.”
Support for the activities has been provided through the Victorian State Government’s Change Our Game Community Activation grants program.

From Motown to “The Blues Brothers” and everything in between – MOTOR CITY SOUNDS pays tribute to the classic era of Soul music.

Packing dance floors wherever they play, MCS bring an energy that can only be created by a live 10-piece band and they’re headed to The Palais, Hepburn to do their funky thing next month.

Performing songs from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, The Supremes, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding, MOTOR CITY SOUNDS recreate the essence and atmosphere of Motown and Soul from the 60s and 70s, with authentic arrangements and instrumentation.

Performance credits include: Melbourne’s “Soul a Go-Go”, White Night (Melbourne & Ballarat), Memo Music Hall in St.Kilda, Backing “The Merindas” at Crown Casino, CluBarham, Ballarat’s Begonia Festival and warm-up band for ABC TV’s “Q & A”.

The line-up features top-class musicians from across Victoria, including an X-factor finalist, a former member of the John Butler Trio.

MOTOR CITY SOUNDS will be bringing their tribute to the greats of Soul music to The Palais-Hepburn on Saturday, August 19th.

A shelf full of albums by James Taylor, Paul Simon, Jason Isbell and Dawes has given Grand Baxter a distinct sound.

Considered songwriting, bitter-sweet lyrics and a sprinkling of country-folk influence are all clearly audible in his music. Songs dance between the dark, the delicate, and the cautiously optimistic, with beautiful acoustic guitars anddelicate melodies.

Grand Baxter delivers his heart on a silver plate, best described as ‘a bold hamper of honesty, musicality and folk charm.’

He’s set to play The Palais, Hepburn on Friday evening, August 11.

Steve Balbi has just announced a run of tour dates to promote his new track – We Were Lost – following the successful Noiseworks’ reformation and recent NZ Tour with 1980s new-wavers Mi-Sex. The Palais at Hepburn Springs is among them – on Saturday July 29.

Balbi’s new tour promises a reimagination of the creative chameleon’s diverse catalogue of songs ‘n’ stories – from Noiseworks, Electric Hippies, Mi-Sex, his recent solo LP ‘I Think I Know For Sure’, and more… in eclectic, three-piece [GRID] mode – featuring Balbi (Noiseworks, Electric Hippies, Mi-Sex) on vocals and guitars, Colin Coorie (Richard Clapton) on the synth, piano, organ and keys, and Pete Drummond [Dragon] playing a live-looping launchpad, BVs, cymbals & snares.

Transcending rock and pop while coalescing sentimentality and soul, Balbi bespeaks Bowie and Dylan in melody and verse, exploring the heterogeneity, refinement, and dirty rotten groove of Radiohead. Be enlightened. Be inspired.

The new track – We Were Lost – is out now on Triplespeak/Metropolitan Groove Merchants (MGM). A sensuous, impossibly romantic journey, this latest song by the artist, composer, and producer Steve Balbi casts new light upon the way, following the recent reformation of Noiseworks. It also forms part of a 5-track EP to emerge throughout the first half of 2023. Recorded and produced in his Sydney studio, Balbi plays all instruments on the track, with Pete Drummond on drums. Mixed in collaboration with Tony Wall, ‘We Were Lost’ was mastered by fellow electric hippy Justin Stanley.

From his Sydney studio, which he affectionately calls his happy place, Balbi reflects upon his latest release. ‘It started out as a totally different song,” he says. “I’d written the melody in an awkward key for me, so I changed the melody, I changed the lyrics, I changed the chords, and I kept throwing stuff at it, so it became a different song.

“What’s the song about? Well, it’s a metaphoric journey through childhood. Driving down a road, creating this masterpiece, being young and invincible. To be honest, I think we needed a miracle to make it through, and we did. But I found myself lost for many, many years.

“I guess that, in a nutshell, is what the song’s about. It’s not the happiest song you’ll ever hear but it’s sung through the lens of victory and survival. In this sense, I guess ultimately, it is a happy song. I wasn’t sure that I was going to release it, but I really feel something for this song, so I hope that you do too.”

Contemporary Folk trio, ‘Little Tree’ is preparing to branch out and present a show of original songs at the Palais, Hepburn Springs on Friday July 28.

This is the culmination of a three-year musical collaboration of Lee and Tim, and more lately, Yenni. Recent months spent in the studio refining the band’s first EP has produced songs of delicate human experience. These songs draw inspiration from the band member’s personal experiences and observations.

Little Tree is a local, contemporary folk trio which formed in 2022.

Tim and Lee have played together for several years as multi-instrumentalists, singers, and songwriters. Both musicians share an interest in exploring both modern and traditional folk styles as well as finding novel ways of using the sounds and colour of guitar, mandolin, ukulele, and harmonica.

Lee’s background is predominantly percussion of which he plays various styles and instruments. Yenni is from Finland, predominantly a vocalist exploring her song writing and instrumental skills. The band has produced both English and Finnish songs and are about to release their first EP, recorded entirely in Daylesford which was engineered and produced by Tim.

Locals have been left speculating after a notice was recently posted on Hepburn Springs’ historic Savoia Hotel, stating that the Mortgagee has taken possession of the land.

Last month, a notice had been posted on the doors saying that the Savoia was closing for three weeks for renovations and an update to their menu.

The hotel had reopened after a lengthy closure last September and its return had been warmly welcomed by the local community.

The hotel was purchased about two years ago by Paul Morwood, an ex-AFL footballer who played for South Melbourne, St.Kilda and Collingwood in the 1980s. It remained closed for about one year for renovations. The original façade of the pub was retained because it is protected by a heritage overlay but inside cathedral ceilings, a wide-open bar area and a games room gave the hotel a very different look and feel.

Words: Eve Lamb. Image Kyle Barnes

BACKED by a scholarship from the Daylesford Foundation, Hepburn resident 19-year-old
Lucinda Lowe had the stress removed from her travel equation as she tackled a double
diploma course last year.
Lucinda had to travel multiple times during the week to complete her Diploma of Sport/Diploma of Leadership and Management through the Swinburne University of Technology and the Richmond
Football Club.
“I won the Daylesford Foundation scholarship last year and it covered all my Myki transportation costs,” Lucinda said.
“They even offered me more but I didn’t need it. It was amazing. It just took
such a load off my mind. It saved me about $40 to $50 each week which, for a uni
student, is huge.
“Doing the course was a full-on transition from year 12,” said Lucinda who had
completed her year 12 schooling at Daylesford Secondary College in 2021.
The keen local netballer and cricketer who plays for Hepburn not only completed
her double diploma, she was one of only four students who took out the program’s
excellence award as well.
“Doing the course has honestly been the best thing I ever could have done.”
Lucinda is also a keen swimmer, gym-goer and devoted Richmond Football Club
supporter.
Now, having completed her studies in style, she’s tackling some casual
employment opportunities while waiting to pounce when just the right position
comes up.
“I definitely want to do something in sport and now I’m just taking my time
to think about what direction to take next and earn a bit of money and explore my
calling. Leadership is also something I’m passionate about.”
Lucinda was very grateful for the assistance she received from the Daylesford Foundation.
“The Daylesford Foundation scholarship was so helpful, to not have to stress
about travel,” she said. “I would encourage others to take up the Daylesford
Foundation’s offer of help.”
Foundation Youth Scholarships coordinator Jo Van Son says the focus is very
much on helping young people fulfil their potential and helping young locals succeed
in pursuing further education.
“The idea of the scholarships is to support people to transition well from school
to further study,” Jo said.
“Last year we provided five scholarships and this year we’re providing seven.”
Jo says the Foundation’s scholarships are individually tailored to assist local young
people who have the desire to pursue studies.
“It might be with the cost of laptops or other study materials or with travel costs
or mentoring and accessing other supports that are out there and available to them
but which they otherwise may not know how to access,” she says.
“There is an application process and we meet with the young person. They need
to have an offer (of further study) or the desire for further study.”
The Foundation’s scope of support is varied and may also include essential foods, household goods, household maintenance, emergency vehicle repairs, medical appliances and computer hardware and software.
Assistance to cover the cost of school fees, school camps, excursions, apprenticeships, and other education-related activities is also available.

with Eve Lamb

HEPBURN Springs artist Lisa Gervasoni is renowned for her imposing abstract landscape works. As a child she was fascinated with geographical and street maps. Her passion for cartography persisted into adulthood informing her preoccupation with land and the many layers of value it holds. Today this abiding interest informs both her professional work as a strategic and town planner and the creation of her imposing art works, some of which are about to feature in her new exhibition, Reimagining our Cultural Landscapes, held from today, May 11 to June 25, at the Art Gallery of Ballarat.
Eve: What is your artistic style?
Lisa: Abstract landscape, predominantly aerial or aerial oblique viewpoint work with a Fauvist colour
palette and using paint or thread. I’ve always enjoyed art and I have a sister who’s an art teacher and a mother who’s a master decouper. Traditionally I’ve worked more in thread and photography, but I
went back to painting during lockdowns. I was inspired by Jackie Case and her book Flying Penguins to start painting again.
Eve: Who has influenced your work?
Lisa: Von Guerard. He painted so many places that are important to me. The Impressionists and the fauvists. Grace Cossington Smith, Sybil Craig, the Hermannsburg School, Fred Williams and Peter Tyndall.
Eve: What is your medium and subject matter of choice?
Lisa: A mix of acrylics on canvas or board, thread on linen. And landscapes. I’ve always had a close connection to Australian landscapes through family connections, as a student of geography and then as a heritage planner. People have strong connections to place. While places will change and evolve this change can cause discord within the community and break intergenerational connections to place. I saw this through my work and in our local community after the changes to Hepburn Mineral Springs
Reserve. People would be looking for the places they, or their parents, came to on their honeymoon or as children, and although these places still existed the place no longer held that connection through time. My exhibition is inspired by that idea. Some views remain. Others have completely changed but you can still see connections on close examination.
Eve: Do you work outside your arts practice?
Lisa: I work full-time outside the arts. I have qualifications in applied science (planning) and environmental studies and I’m into my fourth decade as a planner. As a child I loved the Melway. I knew all the maps so my family were not surprised when I became a planner. The cartographic symbolism in my work also stems from that way of seeing different elements or layers in a landscape. Over the last few years I’ve also
seen the failure of many professions, including my own, to understand farming and
farmland. Productive land is valued in the UN Sustainable Development Goals but too many people see it as vacant land where they can do anything without impact. That tension inspired one work in particular.
Eve: What are you working on at the moment in your current arts practice?
Lisa: I’m currently focused on getting everything ready for the exhibition in Backspace at the Art Gallery of Ballarat. I have several other works planned, both on canvas and in thread. One work that I didn’t complete for this exhibition I really want to start next. I invited a colleague to the exhibition and found out she has links to the subject. She was a stalwart through the months after Black Saturday and a
champion for better understanding of social license and agricultural impact

Eve: When you work in the studio do you like to play music and if so what is your
music of choice?
Lisa: I used to play and study music (piano, saxophone, voice, theory) so I have an eclectic taste in music – from Gregorian chant through to punk rock. Safer to say what I don’t listen to – Rod Stewart and Fleetwood Mac. I often have news radio or TV on as well.
Eve: What are your career highlights as an artist?
Lisa: I won the lovely Madi McCrystal’s Daylesford Small Art Prize many years ago (with an embroidery of the Savoia Hotel) and was a finalist in the Harden Art Prize last year. My photographs have been in several galleries as part of 40 works nationally selected by the ABC and one year one of my photographs was chosen as the managing director’s corporate Christmas card. One highlight is curating an exhibition at Warrnambool Art Gallery that looked at local people who shaped the city, or wider, from builders to Nobel Laureates and a lot in between.
Eve: What are the challenges for artists today?
Lisa: Well, I have a full-time job that helps pay for the equipment, and I think that is common to most. Most art needs time. A work that might challenge you initially can end up becoming a favourite when you spend the time to engage with it. I’m lucky to have a trained art teacher as a sister. She has no fear in challenging me to evolve or resolve.
Eve: And the main rewards?
Lisa: Art is an expression. It is a great way to start to switch off the analytical brain, but at the same time you often resolve issues while the other side of your brain is switched on. I think that is quite important for me. It helps deal with work that can be quite stressful but also keeps open those neural pathways that are looking at the big picture, at the connections in the detail and how it all fits together.

Words: Bill Wootton

Poetry collection launch
Pushing my own barrow here, I am chuffed to announce that Ross Gillett
will launch Watch, my new poetry collection, at Radius Arts, 76 Main Road,
Hepburn Springs on Saturday, May 6, from 3pm-5pm. All welcome.
Here is the title poem:

Watch
Face the size of the newly released ten cent bit
the watch Grandma Beat gave me for my tenth birthday
was just right for my narrow wrist
A thin red second hand jerked over solid black numbers
Luminous lime on skeletal gold
outlined the prime movers
The brown leather band was stiff and the buckle flimsy
but whizzo was its presentation in a crimson Bevilles box
which closed with a soft huff
Long ago the watch was left in a squash change room
but the box is still in fine order
home to badges also once worn
No Nukes The Clash Legalise it
and already obsolete –
a pea-green iPod nano
Time back then was on everybody’s hands
Pre-digital creatures we were
Wrist ready
Does it mean anything now to tap
on your forearm interrogatively?
Grandma Beat ran out of time a year after gifting me
The old box having seen off its ticker within
may yet outlive
its worn wearer

Matt Joe Gow grew up in the deep south of New Zealand in a town with bad weather and good music: Dunedin.

Surrounded by music, he was encouraged to pick up a guitar at an early age. After traveling the world, Matt moved to Melbourne, Australia, drawn by its vibrant music scene. In 2009 released his debut record The Messenger, produced by multi-Aria award-winner Nash Chambers, and featuring contributions from Jim Moginie of Midnight Oil, and iconic Australian country guitarist Bill Chambers.

As Alternative Country continued to grow in popularity, Matt toured and supported acts such as Chris Isaak, Justin Townes Earle, James Reyne, Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson.

Whilst regularly working on other projects in the studio, it would be 2016 before the next Matt Joe Gow record, Seven Years, was released to critical acclaim. The record was self-produced by Matt and guitarist Andrew Pollock. After touring and numerous festivals in support of the record, and encouraged by its positive reception, Matt returned to the studio in 2018 to make the follow-up, Break, Rattle and Roll. An ambitious record which went on to win the Music Victoria Award for Best Country Album.

After the rewarding but demanding process of making Break, Rattle and Roll, Matt headed back into the studio in 2020 with the concept of making a stripped-back album. Midway the world was hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The result is a unique record which, although laborious to make during a dark time is the most pure expression of Matt’s songwriting and artistic vision of his career.

Right now he’s headed to Hepburn Springs to perform live, this Friday evening March 31, as part of The Palais’ popular SuperClub Friday series.

Words: Donna Kelly | Images: Kyle Barnes

THE Savoia Hotel in Hepburn Springs has been a fixture of the region for 150 years in some form, or name, or another.

But it has recently undergone a major transformation and is now under the watch of manager Ross Gregory with well-known chef Lizzy Payne in the kitchen.
Stepping inside, the first thing you notice, and you can’t not, is the bar. It’s an impressive 14 metres and reaches from the bistro to the sports bar areas. And everywhere feels both spacious and welcoming.
Ross has been busy getting his team together, no mean feat at the moment, and also working through offering live local music, getting ready for functions and listening to what the locals want.
But, with the atmosphere ticked off, we are here for the food. And it is hands-down amazing. Lizzy has worked at a number of local venues and knows her stuff. There are the traditional favourites that we all know and love, as well as some very modern offerings. A big thumbs up too to our wait staffer Ashleigh – spot on.
Entrees
Kyle’s starter choice was the kingfish tartare with avocado, pomegranate and
wonton ($22). This ended up being tuna, no kingfish available, but it was just divine
and I reckon the dish of the entire meal. Presentation was delightful and the flavours
were perfect. Felt more like fine dining than a pub.
Now, everyone knows I love all things Asian-y, so I couldn’t go past the sulphur
spring mushroom with buckwheat, nori, wasabi and candied lemon ($19). Again, what
a winner. Umami flavours everywhere and again, that presentation. Delicate and robust
and mouth-watering. Compliments to the chef.
Mains
For mains Kyle had the braised lamb pita with Greek chips, pickled onion and
mustard aioli ($36). A big serve of fall-apart lamb, topped with a Greek-style salad and
with a huge side of the chips. Kyle wrapped the whole lot up, not the chips, in the pita
bread and remained quiet for quite some time.
I chose the calamari, which I often do, but this was done Szechuan-style with
tomato, chickpea, chorizo and rocket ($30). Big, oh-so-tender calamari pieces with an
amazing blend of bold, spicy, sweet and garlicky flavours – topped with a rocket salad
with pickled onions. It is really different to the “normal” calamari and definitely worth
trying. I loved it.
Dessert
Full, but determined to try just one of the many desserts on offer, we choose the
aptly named chocolate nemesis with chocolate soil, raspberries and coffee cream ($18).
OMG. Just try this for the coffee cream and then bite into that delicious chocolate slice
– so rich, so creamy, so yum. The raspberries are the perfect foil, with their tartness, but
then the chocolate soil is too tempting and you are back in chocolate heaven. Or is that
a chocolate coma happening?

Other offerings
We went on a Friday but I highly recommend heading to The Savoia on a Monday
for the Mad Monday’s Locals’ Night Feed Me ($59). It’s a shared banquet-style three-
course meal and includes a schooner of house lager, or a glass of house red/white wine.
Hearing lots of good feedback on this one. Don’t have a big lunch.
There’s also Thirsty Thursday with selected cocktails for $15 from 6pm-8pm. Also
on Thursdays is Parma Night with your choice of parma for $31 which also includes a
schooner of house lager, or a glass of house red/white wine. Can’t do better than that.
Finally, if you love your Sunday roast albeit “a slightly fancier version of your
mum’s/nan’s Sunday roast” with all the trimmings for just $25, you are sorted.
More casual
If you are after something a little more low-key, try the bar menu. Plenty of choices
for everyone, from chicken adobo wings with chilli and coriander ($14) to tempura
mushrooms with lemon aioli ($16). And you can enjoy that amazing bar!
Functions
The Savoia Hotel team prides itself on being able to offer the perfect function at an
affordable price. The menus can be packaged to suit a stand-up/cocktail style function
or a sit-down function. The function room can cater for between 80 and 100 guests
depending on the room arrangement. And really, you will be joining in 150 years of
history in Hepburn Springs. Just imagine the parties and celebrations that have been
held within these walls since the gold rush. Something special there.