The Fire Danger Period (FDP) will finish at 1am on Monday, April 22 in the Hepburn Shire, the CFA has declared.

While restrictions are lifting in these areas, CFA still expects the grassfire risk to remain across the state, so Victorians need to be alert and prepared.

CFA District 10 Assistant Chief Fire Officer Aaron Worcester said recent rainfall has allowed for fire restrictions to ease.

“Due to the wet weather over the last couple of weeks, conditions are now more favourable for residents to burn off,” Aaron said.

“Farm paddocks are starting to green up, and it is now safer for landowners to clean up their properties from recent storm damage and take the opportunity to reduce fuel loads ahead of next summer.”

It is important that residents check that local conditions are safe before undertaking these activities.

You must still register your burn-offs, check weather conditions and follow local council laws, as well as EPA laws and applicable regulations.

“Registering your burn-off ensures that if smoke or fire is reported, the incident is cross-checked with our register, which prevents firefighters from unnecessarily responding,” Aaron said.

“When conducting burn-offs, remain alert and always have resources on hand to extinguish the fire.”

The Palais at Hepburn Springs is delving into its in-house spirits as it prepares to host a Paranormal Investigation with medium later this month.

The evening event is set for Wednesday April 17 at the local venue that is reputed to be home to it’s own spirit diva who loves messing with the stage lights and parading her feathers backstage.

There is also said to sometimes be a Mafiosa gentleman sitting and smoking in the middle of the dancefloor, a touchy feely and well known spirit loitering in the ladies room.

Organisers reckon there could be more so they’ve decided t explore with psychic medium and hostess Dolly Adamson of Kyneton Paranormal.

Further details are availabe through the venue’s website.

The Hepburn Shire Council and the Foundation for Young Australians have launched the Young Mayors Program (YMP) in the Hepburn Shire.

Nominations are open between 8 April 2024 and 5 May 2024 with elections to be held 25 -27 June 2024.

The program is now inviting young people of Hepburn Shire to actively participate in shaping the community through leadership and decision-making roles.

Hepburn shire mayor, Cr Brian Hood said that the Young Mayors Program allows young people to nominate themselves as candidates, to campaign and be elected to a youth council.

“Young people will be elected through a democratic voting process by their peers and will have an opportunity to lead, inspire and make a significant impact on the community,” Cr Hood said.

“Whether your passion lies in social equity, advocacy, environmental sustainability or your community’s specific needs, your voice can help shape the future of Hepburn Shire.”

The Hepburn Shire is one of very few councils in Australia selected to participate in the program, which delivers on an action contained in the council plan and Youth ‘ACE’ strategy to investigate the formation of a youth council or youth advisory committee.

The ouncil and the Foundation for Young Australians will be hosting a young mayors launch event on Friday 19 April 2024 at The ARC in Daylesford from 3.30pm to 5.00pm.

“We are encouraging our shire’s young people to attend the launch event for an opportunity to meet the program’s facilitators, ask questions and understand the benefits of being involved,” said Cr Hood.

Eligible candidates must be aged between 11 and 17 years and live, work, or study in Hepburn Shire. The program is completely free, and young people will be compensated for their time in the program. The program seeks to engage young people who are:

• Passionate about voicing their opinions and effecting positive change in their community.
• Interested in addressing specific social issues.
• Eager to develop skills and receive training which may benefit their future careers.
• To be recognised for their contributions to the community.

For one show only, Australia’s premier collective of female songwriters and performers, Women of Soul, bring their soul revue to the Palais Hepburn Springs on Sunday March 24.

It’s a matinee show – 1pm-4pm and a chance to catch Melbourne’s own fierce femme ensemble live before they perform at the iconic Byron Bluesfest.

For over ten years, Women of Soul have presented original soul featuring artists such as Mo’Ju, Clairy Browne, Kylie Auldist, Stella Angelico and many more.

In 2023 the second Women of Soul release ‘Feel Good’, produced by Anna Laverty and Chelsea Wilson, was the first LP in Australian to be entirely performed, produced and composed by an all female team.

The album was featured on double j, TODAY EXTRA Channel 9, and Frankie Magazine, and nominated for the Australian Music Prize.

Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham have created a sacred place in the hearts of those who cross their path with their candid and charming music and storytelling.

They’ll be bringing both to The Palais, Hepburn as part of their Birdsong tour this month.

Their newest album Birdsong (released last September) is a 10-track celebration about conquering the cage and finding your voice, delivered with the masterful songwriting and musicianship listeners have come to expect from the pair.

Rooted in the Blues, Country, and Folk traditions, their music is subtle and arresting, weighty and spacious.

The duo have secured an impressive six CMAA Golden Guitar nominations, including “Group or Duo of the Year”, while their album Birdsong is nominated for “Traditional Country Album of the Year” and “Album of the Year.”

Radio single “Size Up” has also been nominated in three categories, including “Song of the Year,” “CMT Video of the Year” and “Single of the Year.”The freedom song of a bird in full throated ease is glorious and captivating. Don’t miss out on experiencing Birdsong live.

This heavyweight album and show is sure to impact audiences, plus performances feature ARIA and Golden Guitar-winning songs from the duo’s back catalogue that fans know and love. They play at the Palais on Saturday evening March 23.

Hussy Hicks, the dynamic duo of Leesa Gentz and Julz Parker, have conquered the last decade of the Australian music industry with their unique blend of folk, blues, country, and roots.

With their innovative approach and relentless drive to stretch themselves creatively, Hussy Hicks have continued to innovate and push boundaries with their music and projects, captivating audiences all over the world.

They are set to perform at The Palais, Hepburn on Saturday, March 16.

This will be a special night with the full band and special guest Kelly Brouhaha, an accomplished acoustic guitarist with a vocal so powerful the audience is sometimes left in tears.

Brouhaha has racked a string of major festivals in 2023 including Gympie Music Muster, Woodford Folk Festival & Groundwater Music Festival.

Folk, blues & country audiences alike are discovering a modern day Brandi Carlile / Chris Stapleton and it’s easy to see why audiences across Australia are banding together at her infectious live shows.

OZACT will present Shakespeare’s As You Like It at the Hepburn Sound Shell on Saturday, March 16 and Sunday, March 17 from 4pm.

A pastoral comedy full of Shakespeare’s classic hidden identities, As You Like It is a perfect show to see in the great outdoors.

Trees and shrubbery provide the perfect cover for characters to hide and watch the mischief and deceit unfold in this play that is generally acknowledged as Shakespeare’s funniest comedy. 

Exiled by the wretched Duke Frederick, Rosalind and Celia are cast out into the forest. There they find challenges, adventure, and love, as city meets country.

As You Like It showcases one of Shakespeare’s greatest character ensembles. There’s an uninhibited Fool, a spunky no-nonsense country girl, a thoroughly depressed Lord, a liberated exiled Duke, and many, many more. All with the shared goal of finding their place in the world.

Tickets and information are available through www.ozact.com, admin@ozact.com or facebook.com/ozact

It may have been a comparatively mild summer fire season out Hepburn-Daylesford way so far … but it’s not over yet.

That’s the informed opinion of long-serving local volunteer CFA firey Barry Yanner, captain of the Hepburn Fire Brigade.

Barry for one certainly isn’t relaxing just yet. He reckons things are looking pretty dry out Hepburn way and surrounds and says February and March are not times to become complacent.

“February and March are always our worst months,” he said, chatting presciently to The Local about a week before the major fire incident broke out in the wider Beaufort area last Thursday.

“The forest (in the Hepburn area) has dried out now and the grass is drying out. On Mount Franklin it’s as dry as a chip.”

Admittedly this season to date has been fairly low key, but the local brigade that will celebrate its 80th anniversary later this year, has been called upon on multiple occasions nevertheless.

These have included two recent callouts to lightening strike events earlier this month, and a concerning number of callouts also to assist at the scene of motor vehicle accidents.

“We’re not a rescue brigade like Daylesford is, but we do attend motor vehicle accidents and do assist with things like traffic control and first aid if required,” Barry says.

“The thing I’m noticing is that we’re getting called out to a lot more motor vehicle accidents these days. We’ve been to six already just in the first month for 2024, and out of those six, three of them were reasonably serious and one was a fatal (at Denver).

“There’s just so much traffic on the roads these days and the state of the roads doesn’t help.”

Across at Daylesford,  brigade captain there, Glenn Webster also believes current road conditions are a factor in the recent uptick in motor vehicle accidents that the local brigades have attended. He also says having a rescue unit adds a lot of pressure, and a lot of training takes place. 

“Last month the brigade turned out to six serious car accidents, far more than usual,” he said. 

“We have had a particularly busy year due to potholes in the road that have caused some driver distraction.” 

Members from both the Hepburn and Daylesford brigades recently met with CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan to highlight the importance of road crash rescue brigades and the vital work they do in the community.The CFA has 21 road crash rescue brigades state-wide, Daylesford among them.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of road crashes and fatalities in Victoria,” CO Heffernan said. 

He said he wanted to meet up with the two local brigades to share his gratitude for the hard work and dedication they perform for the community.  

“I also wanted to recognise the horrific accident that happened in the town (on November 5) that touched so many in the community,” he said. 

“The members have been doing it tough. It’s an opportunity for me to come along and say thank you on behalf of the community and also listen to them and continue to support them in their recovery.” 

As the Hepburn Brigade now looks forward to celebrating its 80th year of serving the community later this year, Barry says members of the public are always welcome to simply roll up to any of the brigade’s regular training sessions that take place on the first Sunday of each month from 10am to 12 noon.

“Anyone can join in with our training sessions every Sunday and we meet here (at the Hepburn Fire Station),” he says.

“This time of year we’re mainly focused on suppression of bushfire and grassfires. In winter we focus more on structure fires.”

The Hepburn brigade has about 30 members who range in age from 16 to 78. The eldest is Barry’s uncle, Mick Yanner who’s been with the brigade for an impressive 65 years, while the youngest is Daylesford Secondary College year 11 student Linkin Hughes, 16, who’s hoping to eventually become a career firey.

“I joined the CFA as a volunteer at Glenlyon in 2019 when I was 11,” says Linkin who has recently qualified to turnout on the tanker to incidents.

“It’s probably the community commitment,” Linkin says when asked what it is that keeps him motivated to be a volunteer CFA firey.

“I like the hands-on tasks,” he adds. “You learn a lot from it, including from the online challenges.”Acquiring first aid skills including CPR training is part of the training, along with learning how to use appliances like the new tanker that the brigade received last year.

For the eldest member of the brigade, Mick, having notched up 65 years of CFA service for his community is a source of pride, as is seeing three generations of the Yanner family be part of the brigade.

Today, Mick’s grandsons Mitchell, 17, Brayden, 19 and Kyle, 21 are also volunteer members of the local brigade, as is their father Neville (Mick’s son).

Looking back over his own considerable time with the CFA, Mick – who’s received life membership and a 60 year service medal for his decades of dedication – chuckles as he recalls some of the changes he’s witnessed over those 60-plus years.

Today both of the Hepburn brigade’s tankers are equipped with defibrillators. But it wasn’t always the way.

“Years ago the trucks didn’t even have a first aid kit,” Mick says. “You were lucky to find a bandaid.”

Reflecting on the big changes that have occurred since those early days, Barry says something special is being planned to celebrate the big 80th anniversary that ticks over on December 9 this year.

“We’re going to do something. It’s quite a milestone,” he says.

In the meantime he’s encouraging anyone interested in joining up as a volunteer member to get along to one of the brigade’s regular training days.

The New York Times called him ‘deliciously addictive’ and said that when you listen to Harry Manx ‘you are listening to an original.’

Seven time Maple Blues Award Winner, Folk Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and recipient of six Juno nominations, Harry Manx is headed to The Palais, Hepburn next months so locals will soon get the chance to see what the New York Times was talking about.

Manx has spent years fusing eastern musical traditions with the blues, switching effortlessly between conventional guitars, harmonica, and banjo and the decidedly different Mohan veena, a 20-stringed instrument invented by Manx’ Indian mentor Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

Manx is often referred to as the “Mysticssippi” Blues Man because musically Harry lives where the depth of Indian music meets the deep groove of the Blues.

Blend Indian folk melodies with slide guitar blues, add a sprinkle of gospel and some compelling grooves and you’ll get Manx’s unique “mysticssippi” flavour. It’s hard to resist and keeps audiences coming back for more.

He will play at the Palais Friday evening, March 15.

Happening at The Palais, Hepburn next month, the Freeza Youth Pride Ball is a free event for LGBTIQA+ and allied young people to come together and celebrate in a safe, discrimination free environment, embracing pride, diversity, and inclusion for all.

Featuring plenty of live music and a dance competition, the Pride Formal 2024 ball is locked in for Saturday evening, March 2.

Presented by FREEZA and the Hepburn Shire Council this dance party is aimed at the 12-17 age group LGBTIQA+ and allied young people to come together, dance their socks off and celebrate in a safe, discrimination free environment.

It will also feature tasty bar food – think burgers, fries, pizzas, fish & chips – with the entire evening will be hosted by the one and only Elektra-lite (pictured above).

Organisers say it will be an “unforgettable evening filled with love, acceptance, and fabulousness” and a prime opportunity to dance the night away to amazing music from artists Memphis LK.

They strongly that those who planning to be there should “put on your most dazzling outfit, because this is the perfect opportunity to show off your style and express yourself freely” with prizes up for grabbed for best dressed.

“Our goal is to create a safe space where everyone can be their authentic selves, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation,” organisers say.

“Whether you identify as LGBTIQA+ or simply want to support and celebrate diversity, the Pride Formal 2024 welcomes everyone with open arms.

“It’s a chance to meet new friends, make lasting memories, and be part of a movement that promotes equality and love.”

Daylesford and Hepburn brigade members have met with CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan in recent days to highlight the importance of road crash rescue brigades and the vital work they do in the community.

This comes just four months after members attended a horrific incident where five people were killed outside a Daylesford pub.   

Recently the brigades did a road crash rescue demonstration, the extraction of a patient, and stepped the CFA Chief Officer through the process.  

Daylesford Fire Brigade Captain Glenn Webster said having a rescue unit adds a lot of pressure. 

“We do a lot of training, last month the brigade turned out to six serious car accidents, far more than usual,” he said. 

“Some years are busier than others. We have had a particularly busy year due to potholes in the road that have caused some driver distraction.” 

Speaking about the events of 5 November 2023, Glenn said they don’t generally train for mass casualty events like that one.   

“I was the officer in charge and tasked the team to split up, find someone who was conscious or was at least breathing and stay with them and keep them alive. Do what they could until more paramedics arrived. The team performed amazingly.” 

He said the days after were extremely difficult. 

“The team was wonderful. They attended public vigils, they attended church services, they held each other up. They held me up when I was struggling. I couldn’t ask for a better response from the brigade. They were amazing.” 

And the community rallied, even leaving the brigade flowers at the station and cooking for them.  

“It did take a while for the shock and pain to start to settle down, but I think the community is pretty much back to where it should be now.” 

Chief Officer Jason Heffernan said rescue units play a vital part in keeping Victorians safe. 

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in the number of road crashes and fatalities in Victoria. We are fortunate to have such dedicated rescue units like Daylesford, volunteers available day and night, to render assistance to anyone in a road crash,” he said. 

“I feel safe in the knowledge we have some of the best trained rescue operatives in this state should we ever need them.” 

CO Heffernan said he wanted to meet up with the brigades to share his gratitude for the hard work and dedication they perform for the community.  

“I also wanted to recognise the horrific accident that happened in the town that touched so many in the community. 

“The members have been doing it tough. It’s an opportunity for me to come along and say thank you on behalf of the community and also listen to them and continue to support them in their recovery.” 

The CFA has 21 road crash rescue brigades including Daylesford.

The Palais-Hepburn is preparing to host Claire Anne Taylor and her band, as they present ‘Giving it Away’ the highly anticipated third studio album from the lauded Tasmanian songwriter.

Taylor brings her ‘Giving it Away’ tour to The Palais on Friday, February 23, an evening performance also featuring special guest Jethro Pickett.

With a distinctively emotive and powerful vocal ability that simultaneously expresses both an inner strength and a vulnerability, Tasmania’s Claire Anne Taylor has garnered a reputation for her powerful live shows – tough and tender performances that command audiences to a silence.

“One of those rare artists that comes along once in a blue moon,” wrote Shane Howard of Goanna about Taylor.

And the Sydney Morning Herald wrote of her: “One could make many a comparison when it comes to Claire Anne Taylor’s voice – Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, early Mia Dyson, all spring to mind and all are evident in Taylor’s vocal delivery. But essentially, it’s hers and hers alone. Husky, smokey, velvet and barbed, it’s an instrument in itself and it commands your attention.”

Áine Tyrrell is an inspiring and thought-provoking multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and unmissable live act and she’s headed to The Palais, Hepburn to perform this Saturday evening , February 17.

Refusing to be boxed by the music industry with their narrow definition of Irish Folk, she is reclaiming and redefining her rise every step of the way with her own proclaimed genre, evocatively entitled ‘Irish as Fuck’.

Her set moves from singing in Irish, acoustic guitars, powerful vocals, to spoken word and hip hop – all unified by her fire.

Áine Tyrrell has built her international music career by thinking outside the box and saying it how it is.

Her life, an inspiring journey in and of itself, is the canvas for the music, words and powerful performances that make her a thought provoking multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and an unmissable live act.

Emerging like mist from a glassy moonlit lake, Ben Mastwyk & The Energy rise from dusty streets of Melbourne’s inner north to bring their unique brand of cosmic-cult-country to Palais-Hepburn on Friday evening, Feb 16.

Sydney power-country priestess Katie Brianna and country starlet Katie May join forces with Ben Mastwyk to deliver two sets of harmony-laden hillbilly sermons and cult country tunes.

Melbourne cosmic-country-rocker Mastwyk writes his songs on the move. Planes, trains, rivers and highways set the mood.

“There’s something about the rhythm of the world rolling by that stimulate the process” he says.

As a teenage noise-rocker, Mastwyk’s love of twang was instilled when he watched family members produce a country record, exposing him to artists such Cash, Kristopherson and Parsons, confirming his love of classic country music.

After ceasing music to explore Fine Art, Mastwyk was thrust back into the country music scene when a borrowed guitar spawned a flood of songwriting.

Twice nominated for Best Country Album (Music Victoria Awards), Mastwyk has received high nation rotation on ABC Radio and toured his songs around Australia, NZ and the USA.

His third album, 2021’s LIVIN ON GOLD STREET, debuted at #1 on the Australian Independent charts, #2 on ARIA Australian Country charts.

Kerbside bin collection is set to change in townships in Hepburn Shire with the introduction of a weekly food and garden organics service (also called FOGO) from Monday April 8.

With the introduction of weekly organics collection for townships, red-lidded landfill (general rubbish) bins will move to fortnightly collection, with no changes to the fortnightly yellow-lidded recycling collection.

Households in Creswick, Trentham, Daylesford, Hepburn and Hepburn Springs will receive a lime green-lidded bin and kitchen caddy in mid-to-late-March, with the weekly collection starting in townships after Easter. The weekly organics collection will continue in Clunes, where residents have successfully trialled the service since 2021.

Mayor of Hepburn Shire Cr Brian Hood said a separate food and garden organics collection will help to divert thousands of tonnes of organic material from landfill.

“Our bin audits show that more than half of the contents of the average red-lidded landfill bin are items that will be able to be placed into the new organics bin. This includes food scraps and leftovers, meat, bones, dairy products, garden clippings, leaves and weeds,” said Cr Hood.

“Instead of ending up in landfill these items will be treated as a valuable resource and converted to high-quality compost at in-vessel units at the Creswick Transfer Station. The compost will then be used to improve soil for local farms, parks and gardens,” he said.

Residents will also be able to drop off up to 120L of food and garden organics for free at Council’s three transfer stations from 8 April – but fees will be introduced from 1 July.

Cr Hood said there are many compelling environmental reasons for diverting organics from landfill.

“Composting organics emits about one-tenth of the amount of carbon dioxide equivalent compared to when it is sent to landfill. In addition, when food ends up in landfill it creates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that is at least 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide,” said Cr Hood.

“When we developed our four-year Council Plan the community told us that sustainability and protecting the environment is the highest priority. We have since developed our Sustainable Hepburn strategy, in partnership with the community, which identified introducing a food and organics collection as a key action.”

The council will fund the roll-out cost and collection for 2023/2024 through its Waste Reserve Fund. Ratepayers won’t see any change to the waste charge until the 2024/2025 financial year.

“We will have greater clarity on the actual cost of the service to households when we develop our 2024/2025 budget. However, processing organics locally and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill will help to minimise the cost to ratepayers,” said Cr Hood.

The council has acknowledged that some households may be concerned that a fortnightly general rubbish bin won’t be sufficient for their needs, and households will have the option to purchase additional collection services.

However, they may be able to significantly reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill by carefully separating waste items. Council officers will host pop-ups at communities to share information about the new service and answer questions.

“Our bin audits show around 12 percent of the contents of red-lidded bins could instead be placed in yellow-lidded recycling bins. With around 50 percent of the red-lidded bin able to be diverted into the organics bin we expect many households could reduce the volume of waste going to landfill by around 60 percent,” said Cr Hood.

The council will review extending the service to rural areas next financial year. The initial roll-out does not include businesses (other than those participating in the Clunes trial).

However, businesses will be able to opt into an organics collection from July 2024. Township households will not be able to opt-out of the organics collection.

There has been an increase in the cost of sending waste to landfill in recent years. An organics service is expected to significantly reduce the amount of waste that Hepburn Shire sends to landfill, which will also reduce landfill fees and overall transport costs and emissions.

Food and garden organics services have already been introduced in many other local government areas including Macedon Ranges Shire, City of Greater Bendigo, Melton City Council, Central Goldfields, Campaspe and Southern Grampians. Fifty-three out of 79 councils in Victoria already offer organics collection services.

Under the state government’s Recycling Victoria legislation, all local governments must implement an organics service by 2030.

Residents keen to find out more about the upcoming changes can visit the council’s website for more details.