The Macedon Ranges Shire Council is inviting the community to join a special free lunch event and shared storytelling at the Kyneton Town Hall on Friday 22 March to celebrate Cultural Diversity Week.

Cultural Diversity Week is an annual state-wide celebration held in March that recognises the value cultural diversity brings to our community.  Its timing coincides with the United Nations Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March.

In partnership with Regional Victorians of Colour, Kyneton Community House and The Kindness Collective, the council will bring together culturally diverse people living in the community to share their stories along with information from the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health.  

The event will also feature a lunch lovingly prepared by community chef Valme, who will bring a taste of the Philippines to the town hall.

The council’s community director, Maria Weiss, said the event reflects this year’s theme of Our Shared Stories – Celebrating Together and will be the first since the council adopted its inaugural Cultural Diversity Statement in 2023.

“Council is committed to promoting an inclusive community ensuring that people of all faiths, cultures, languages, genders and abilities are welcome and connected,” she said.

“We warmly welcome everyone to join us in this inclusive event to celebrate and reflect on the value what cultural diversity brings to our community.”

According to the latest 2021 Census data, overseas-born residents living in the Macedon Ranges form about 13 per cent of the population, with non-English speakers representing about 4.5 per cent.

The free event will be held from 11am-2pm.

Kyneton’s Barkly Square will soon welcome back local user groups following a comprehensive upgrade of its playing surface.

State Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas and Council Mayor Annette Death were among those to inspect the ground recently and mark the $1.26 million project’s completion, which comprised close to $756,000 from Council and $500,000 from the Victorian Government’s World Game Facilities Fund.

Currently home to the Kyneton District Soccer Club, Kyneton Obedience Dog Club and Kyneton Smallbore Rifle Club, the ground’s drainage issues had previously made it prone to waterlogging, resulting in events – such as soccer matches – often needing to be cancelled or relocated.

Identified as a key project in the Macedon Ranges Shire Council’s Barkly Square Master Plan, the completed sports field reconstruction aims to provide a fit-for-purpose, water-resilient playing surface that results in better reliability and greater opportunities for participation.

On the project, Mayor Death said: “It’s so pleasing for Council to have been able to deliver these much-needed Barkly Square upgrades, which will allow user groups to expand their offerings and future-proof their existence.”

“I’d like to thank the Victorian Government for their vital contribution to making this project a reality, and I’d also like to thank the user groups for their patience and collaboration during the works – particularly Kyneton District Soccer Club, which advocated for these upgrades for several years.”

Works undertaken throughout this year included removing the existing turf wicket table, installing new irrigation and drainage systems, and overhauling the existing playing surface by stripping, regrading, cultivating, and resurfacing it.

New sporting infrastructure, including a synthetic cricket pitch and soccer goals, was also installed. The ground is anticipated to be ready for use in February 2024 once the turf has established.

As a primary user of the ground, Kyneton District Soccer Club President Ron Cole said: “The big benefit for our club is that we’re going to be able to train and play throughout the year without having to worry about moving – that makes it more enjoyable and beneficial for everyone involved.”

“We’d like to thank Council, the Victorian Government, all our sponsors and everyone else who continues to support us. We’ve managed to continue to grow our numbers and we’re excited for what the future holds.”

The Barkly Square Master Plan also proposes to build a new pavilion to replace the current ageing changeroom facilities. Council is continuing planning and design work on this aspect.

The Kyneton and Districts Toy Library has successfully relocated and reopened in recent days, ensuring local families will be able to continue lending quality toys.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council has worked closely with the toy library committee to find a suitable alternative location, following the decision to hand back its former home – the leased site of the former Lady Brooks Kindergarten on Hutton Street – to the Victorian Government.

The toy library is now located at 127 High Street in Kyneton – adjacent to the current Visitor Information Centre – and is open from 10-11am on Saturdays, with its transition also supported by a $3,000 grant through the council’s Small Project Grants.

Mayor Annette Death said the council’s Children, Youth and Family Services team had been working with the toy library committee to investigate alternative accommodation options and ensure a smooth transition to a new site.

“We’re really pleased for the toy library to have a new dedicated space, which we hope will make it easier for their volunteers to run sessions and manage toys,” she said.

“Thank you to the Kyneton and Districts Toy Library committee members who worked closely with Council on the relocation and new fit-out, and thank you also to the council staff involved on this positive outcome.”

The toy library’s move follows the other remaining tenant of the former Lady Brooks Kindergarten – council’s Maternal Child and Health Service – moving to Kyneton Health’s Ambulatory Care Centre in February this year.

The Old Kyneton Primary School is preparing to host a range of festive season community events next month in the lead-up to Christmas.

On December 2 there will be a celebratory cardmaking workshop from 11am to 1pm followed by a live On the Couch with Beck Lister chatting with Tonia Todman, Terry Jaensch and Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas.

On December 18, from 11am to 2pm, there will be an End Of Year Cheer concert with three local choirs hosting a singalong and live music for young and old. Those who plan to get along are advised to bring a chair.

The Kyneton community came together in recent days for a celebration of First Peoples’ culture, and to launch a new series of ongoing creative community events at the Old Kyneton Primary School site.
Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas attended the event which was the first in a
series of community focused activities aiming to open up the much-loved site to the
community while construction works continue on the heritage bluestone building.
The free event featured a performance of Ngarrandjeri/ Djab Wurrung/Gunditj Mara
musican and dancer Amos Roach in collaboration with Kulin Nations dance troupe
Murrundaya Yepengna Dancers.
Future activations will nw take place on two Saturdays each month through until March 2024
and local creative and community groups werre encouraged to submit proposals for activities.
The early Early Activation Program is being delivered by prospective site managers, Working
Heritage and is supported by the state government through Creative Victoria.
November and December dates are now confirmed with events today and 18 November
focusing on activities for young people and families and events on 2 and 16 December
celebrating the theme ’Radio GaGa’ including radio workshops, choir singalongs and a
Christmas-themed “crafternoon”.
Member for Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas: “This Old Kyneton Primary School project is about revitilising the site for the people of Kyneton and creating a vibrant new creative drawcard for the region.
“This event is the first of many as part of the activation program which will bring the site to
life and provide opportunities for local creatives to showcase their talents.”

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council says it’s leading the way in reducing waste to landfill by providing resale shops, textile and polystyrene recycling, and free mulch for residents at its resource recovery facilities.
The council has been awarded just over $150,000 through the Victorian Government’s Circular Economy
Councils Fund for an upgrade of the resale shop at the Kyneton resource recovery facility and the
development of a new resale shop in Romsey.
The $5.9 million fund, delivered by Sustainability Victoria under the Victorian Government’s Recycling
Victoria New Economy policy, provides funding to councils and alpine resort management boards for
projects that reduce waste to landfill and transition towards a circular economy.
The council’s Director Assets and Operations, Shane Walden, welcomed the funding and said resale
shops were a fantastic way to divert usable goods from landfill while giving residents and visitors the
opportunity to buy unique and affordable items.
“We know our community is passionate about recycling and repurposing goods, and trying to reduce
the amount of waste that goes into landfill,” he said. “The resale shops will provide another local
option for residents to donate usable goods and pick up items at bargain prices.”
The upgrade of the Kyneton resale shop is scheduled for completion by Christmas this year, while the
opening of the resale shop at the Romsey resource recovery facility is planned for mid-2024.
The council has also recently expanded its services to include free textile and polystyrene recycling at
resource recovery facilities in another proactive step to reduce waste going into landfill.
Residents can drop their damaged textiles including clothes, shoes, linen and more, at resource
recovery centres where they are then collected for reuse, repair, and recycling. Items that are not
damaged and still in good condition should still go to the nearest op shop.
The textile recycling initiative is delivered in partnership with Upcycle4Better, who turns recycled
textiles into other reusable items such as bags and cleaning cloths.
Clean, white expanded polystyrene can also be recycled for free at resource recovery facilities as
long as it is free from dirt, tape, labels and ink. Recycled polystyrene is turned into items such as
picture frames, skirting boards, decking and other household products.
In keeping with sustainable practices, Council also has free self-loaded mulch available to residents at
all three of its resource recovery facilities, with delivery available within the shire for a fee.
“Spring is the perfect time to apply fresh mulch to your garden to stop topsoil from drying out over
summer, reduce water consumption, maintain consistent soil temperatures, and prevent weeds,” Mr
Walden said.
“We have plenty of mulch available across our three sites, so I encourage you to take advantage of the free offer or the reasonable delivery fee option.”

Words: Eve Lamb. Images: Supplied

There could hardly be a better way to welcome the quickening pulse of the season. All who are partial to a good wine will be keen to note that the famed Macedon Ranges Bud Burst Festival is back and happening over the weekend of Friday 17-Sunday 19 November.

The quintessential Macedon Ranges wine-tasting experience, Budburst is a once-a-year chance to step behind the vines and meet the knowledgeable winemakers.

Over a glass of something good, and amidst a backdrop of lush vineyard rows, volcanic rock and ancient plateaus, festival-goers soak up a unique sense of how the region’s family-owned and small-batch makers shape mainland Australia’s coolest wine region.

Across the weekend more than 25 of the Macedon Ranges region’s winemakers across 18 budburst sites, will open their wineries and cellar doors offering tastings, curated food menus championing local produce, art shows, sculptor walks and live music.

Notably, last time it all happened was 2019, pre-COVID, and this time there’s additional good reason to mark the event up big on your personal wine appreciation calendar.

That’s because this time the vineyards on the western (Daylesford) side of the Calder Freeway will also be offering a special wine bus loop – in the same way that those on the eastern (Kyneton) side do.

Among the ‘Daylesford side’ wineries participating is Musk’s Passing Clouds Winery owned and run by Cameron and Marion Leith (pictured below).

In recent days Marion chatted to The Local about preparations for the festival and explained that previously the wineries from this end of the region had participated by showcasing their wines at a central hub at Trentham’s Cosmo Hotel.

But Bud Burst really is all about getting out into the beautiful vineyards themselves – experiencing the terroir where it all happens.

“This time we have created a special bus loop for the Daylesford end as well,” Marion says.

“We have teamed up with Attwoods at Glenlyon and Zig Zag Road winery, and with Wombat Forest Winery and also Shadowfax Wines to offer a bus loop.

“To have a bus loop is a new thing for us and I think it’s a great way of bringing the wineries together.

“People can really make a weekend of it and stay for the weekend, so they could do the wineries on the Kyneton side on one day and then the wineries on the Daylesford side on the other day,” Marion suggests.

Festival goers can jump aboard any of the festival buses and visit up to five wineries on four different dedicated bus routes – including the new Daylesford Drive loop. There’s also the Lancefield Loop, the Kyneton Cruise or the Woodend Wander bus loop options.

Alternatively, wine appreciators may travel independently around the region’s winding country roads and scenic ranges to visit participating wineries and vineyards.

“The festival is really championing cool climate wine,” Marion says.

“Here (in Musk) we are one of the highest vineyards in the Macedon Ranges at 774 meters above sea level.

“Some of the wineries will be offering music and food and there will also be some special umbrella events on the Friday as well.

“We (at Passing Clouds) will be offering an exclusive tasting list highlighting our cool climate wines.

“The Macedon Ranges Vignerons’ Association, which we are part of, really wants to get people to the vineyards. It’s really nice for people to see the vineyards and experience where the wines come from.

“It’s a great weekend for locals to come out and support their local businesses and wineries.”

More detail about the festival, participating wineries, and different ticketing options available can be found on the festival website www.macedonrangeswineandfoodfest.com.au

Locals are being offered the opportunity to become Rainbow Community Angels to enable them to take part in peaceful actions to support community safety at LGBTIQA+ inclusive events with a special training event happening in Kyneton this Saturday.
In partnership with Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health, the Rainbow Community Angels, a Victorian community-led safety initiative, are delivering training in Kyneton to the LGBTIQA+ community and allies.

Participants will learn how to shield and protect the LGBTIQA+ community, including young people, local council, business owners and venue staff should protesters attend LGBTIQA+ activities and events.
Talking about why it was important to provide this training, Country LGBTIQA+ Inclusion Program worker Belinda said: “The Rainbow Community Angel training builds hope and resilience in our community, empowering us to stand together in solidarity as a community and allies in support of LGBTIQA+ events.”
Rainbow Community Angels work with event organisers and venue staff to increase event safety through a peaceful, supportive and highly visible presence.
They have experience working with local councils, libraries and youth organisations to support the safe passage of attendees to and from the scheduled activities. The Rainbow Angels have formed in response to an increased presence of anti-trans and anti-drag activity in the community which has led to a series of event cancellations.
“By training to be Rainbow Angels, we can turn some of that anger and hate into love, kindness and community,” Belinda said. “It’s about working together and finding a structure to support each other and ensure inclusive events continue to go ahead.”
The upcoming Rainbow Community Angels training will be held in Kyneton this Saturday, September 2 from 10am to 1pm. The training is free, but registration is essential at www.sunburycobaw.org.au/rainbow-community-angels. Those living in Central Victoria and Sunbury will be prioritised for this training opportunity.
For more information about this event or Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health’s LGBTIQA+ programs, contact WayOut or CLIP on 5421 1666/ healthpromotion@scchc.org.au.
*If this article has raised any concerns, Qlife offers support for LGBTIQA+ people from 3pm to midnight – call or webchat 1800 184 527.

A fire that engulfed a shed in Kyneton’s Warren Street earlier this month was successfully contained by the quick actions of more than 30 firefighters.

The quick response ensured the fire, that broke out on Monday August 14, didn’t spread to neighboring buildings, and support from brigades including Woodend, Carlsruhe, Tylden and Macedon was crucial to control the situation.

The incident was reported to Triple Zero shortly before 4pm and crews arrived swiftly. They were faced with a shed and fencing well alight, and explosions were occurring.

A vehicle, multiple boats, and trailers were consumed by the intense blaze. Fortunately, there was only one minor injury to a resident.

The power company, Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria attended the incident.

“Our firefighters did a great job to contain the fire within about 20 minutes and prevent further spreading to nearby buildings,” Incident Controller Josh Gamble said.

The CFA fire investigation revealed that the fire was caused by a faulty lithium battery power hub, and it was confirmed that the fire was not suspicious.

This incident serves as a significant reminder to the community regarding safety precautions. Incident Controller Gamble stressed that while the occupant had followed all lithium battery handling protocols, it is important to purchase only compatible, Australian-certified batteries or chargers from reputable Australian retailers.

Also, do not leave batteries or devices unattended while charging and ensure they are charged on a sturdy, non-combustible surface with proper ventilation.

With the warmer weather approaching, CFA encourages the public to check sheds and garages to make sure that flammable liquids are stored in appropriate containers. Proper storage should be in a well-ventilated area, clear of electrical equipment and other potential heat and ignition sources.

Kyneton will show its support for the LGBTIQA+ community next week as it raises the rainbow flag to mark International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on Wednesday, May 17.
Organised by Macedon Ranges Shire Council and Sunbury and Cobaw
Community Health, the event is an important date in the calendar as Macedon
Ranges residents, businesses and community groups join people all over the world
to celebrate diversity and raise awareness of the ongoing discrimination faced by the
lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex community.
There will be a free sausage sizzle and guest speakers including Macedon Ranges
Shire Council’s CEO Bernie O’Sullivan and Mayor Annette Death.
“IDAHOBIT is one of council’s key annual recognition days,” said Cr Death.
“I look forward to once again raising the rainbow flag this year, in a simple but clear
statement of our support for our LGBTIQA+ community and this year’s theme of
‘Together always: united in diversity’.”
The flag raising event takes place at noon at the Kyneton Mechanics Institute, 81
Mollison Street, Kyneton.
Details: Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health on 5421 1666 or email healthpromotion@scchc.org.au

BESTSELLING author Tim Winton is coming to the region with a message of hope: good
information and organisation can stop destruction of our world.
He’s spent decades striving to save one of the last intact wild places left on Earth, Ningaloo Reef on Western Australia’s remote coast, beside the Indian Ocean. Once given over to the fishing of turtles and whales and set to become a quarry and an oilfield, it now has World Heritage listing.
Winton will be in Castlemaine and Kyneton next month talking ahead of what is said to be his visually stunning three-part TV documentary on the reef.
Author of 29 books which have sold in the millions, and winner of countless awards, the 62-year-old father of three and grandfather of two is seen stopping a whale shark, getting hit by a critically endangered ray, holding a dugong against his heart, saving baby turtles and encountering sea snakes and
tiger sharks.
All this began about 23 years ago when he gave the campaign $28,000 from the Miles
Franklin Award for his book Dirt Music. Now a National Trust Living Treasure, Winton
largely set aside his writing to throw himself into the fight for Ningaloo, an indigenous
word for promontory.
Here, as he says, where the desert has its feet in the sea, survival depends on a clash of ideas. What has happened is a beacon of hope on the edge of an abyss. It’s a place, Winton says, that could teach us how to get things right if we just pause a moment and listen.
Not that it was a complete triumph, however. “We tried to get all three eco-systems (heritage) listed as an entity. Exmouth Gulf was to be included but developers white-anted it.”
One irony is that just recently thousands of people from all over the world came
to Exmouth to see another natural phenomenon, an eclipse of the sun.
So is he ever dispirited? “Every day. I’m enraged daily, and nightly, by the poverty of public discussion, but slipping into despair is giving victory to the dark side. We have to cling to life, we have to cling to hope.
“People are tired of being told something is impossible when it is possible. Every lake, every forest that is saved is because people acted.”
The documentary was made, he tells The Local, “in my other spare time” and done out of a sense of duty. He didn’t want to be on television but without him there was no money for the project, while cracking the old joke, “I’ve got a good face for radio”.
Cultural and ecological values are examined in the series which, Winton says, is not as outstanding as, say, the BBC might make, but nevertheless is blue chip natural history.
Making it meant working in “a bubble”, a massive, six-days-a-week undertaking
involving animals and children, where the day’s script changed all the time.
Having always worked alone, he found it strange at the age of 60 to be with a
team working for the long haul. “The writing is different. It’s a recipe, a wish-list for the animals to show up at a certain time…”
Filmed over 57 weeks during Covid lock-downs, and in collaboration with traditional owners and cultural advisers, the series involves almost 100 experts in fields such as archaeology, geoscience, biology, marine science and eco-tourism.
Now the documentary, called Ningaloo Nyinggulu, is to be shown on the ABC and in more than 100 countries.
This is not a campaign documentary, Winton adds. “I just hope that when people
see one of the last places of global significance they will be inspired.”
At the end of our 20-minute phone talk, Winton discloses that, in spite of the
demands of the documentary, he has that day finished another novel. “But I don’t
know if anyone will want to publish it. Shit, what else would I do?”
Words: Kevin Childs | Main image: Vee@BlueMediaExmouth

The Local has six books by Tim Winton to give away to readers. For the chance to win
email donna@tlnews.com.au with your name, town, contact number and which title
you would like to win from Eyrie, Shallows, The Shepherds Hut, The Riders, Three
Plays and An Open Swimmer. Entries close on Friday, May 5.

Kyneton’s Botanic Gardens will once again host Puppy Pride, an event to celebrate puppies and bring together the LGBTIQA+ community, their friends, families and fur babies.

Organised by Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health with support from
Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Puppy Pride is on Sunday, March 26 from noon.

It will feature various food and market stalls, activities, competitions and plenty of space
to enjoy the Botanic Gardens and the Campaspe River.

Those planning to romp along can get more details from phoning 5421 1666 or email
puppy.pride@scchc.org.au

THE experience of losing her mother to a form of dementia inspired
Tylden creative Dawn Bamford to pen a play highlighting some pressing issues.

Next month that play The Vessel will be staged at The Social Foundry in Kyneton
featuring a cast and crew of impressive local talent while spotlighting some of the big
challenges around ageing and care-giving.
The 40-minute piece will be staged Saturday March 4, 8pm and Sunday March
5 at 2pm and at 5pm, and will be complemented by a 10-minute play Until Then by
Paul Canlan.
Like The Vessel, the shorter play similarly deals with intense familial relationships –
in this case a father-son relationship – that can arise amid significant health challenges.
“The cast and crew of The Vessel and Until Then are a very talented bunch of local
and regional performers and it’s a pleasure to work alongside them as part of the
creative process, which started some four months ago as a reading around a table, over
a glass of wine at Chaplin’s in Trentham,” Dawn (pictured above) said.
Besides her creative activity, Dawn works in social support with Sunbury-Cobaw
Community Health and hopes the new stage production will go on to tour and
prompt useful conversation and policy changes.
She says she wrote The Vessel last year after she was initially prompted to write a
poem as a personal reflective response to the experience of losing her mother in 2017.
The poem has been worked into the stage play, marking its beginning and end.
“In early 2018, I wrote a poem, around six months after the death of my mother
in aged care,” she said.
“Mum was about four years into her initial early-onset dementia diagnosis with
Lewy bodies when she was admitted into care.
“Over a very long time she lost most of her physical and mental capacity and was
both non-verbal and non-ambulant at the time of her death. Between 2007 and 2017
I was a constant visitor, volunteer and eventually, part-time lifestyle worker there.
“I had a first-hand view of the operational and logistical complexity of care in this
setting and the limitations of this large-scale business model in the industry sector.”
Dawn said many of the problems of institutionalised care had been highlighted
in the Royal Commission recently, as a result of the rise of Covid in the sector, but it
had always been an industry in crisis.

“The private business model is really an imperfect solution to what is really a
social and community health concern, as much as it is a housing resolution for an
older population with high care needs.
“It survives because of the rampant ageism and neglect that we all contribute
to as a society. I do not wish to demonise any individual, service, group of workers,
families or healthcare agencies through my play.
“The aim is to humanise the condition that is dementia and remind us all of
the fact that it is a human condition and that sufferers have not had their minds
and memories erased, rather redistributed and rearranged, and that their emotional
intelligence and hearing are as sharp as ever.
“There’s an element very much of social justice and after the three shows in
Kyneton we’d like to see if there are touring possibilities. I’d love to see it prompt
more conversations and maybe some action and policy changes in the aged care
sector.”
Dawn has a well established background in theatre, TV and screen including
acting and singing, but bringing The Vessel to the stage marks her debut foray into
playwriting and production.
“It is quite confronting but there are delightful moments as well,” she said.
“There are some moments of hilarity. Behind every single human being,
irrespective of age, there is a story that nobody knows.”
The Vessel features many local names including Suzanne Sandow (Mary), Kate
Moonie (daughter), Mel Thomas (PCA), Ian Rooney (nurse) and Rexine Perry
(clown), Paul Canlan (director) Tim Jones (poster and set design and construction),
Caroline Sarah (costumes) and Toby Dutton (graphic design and set construction).
Until Then features Paul Canlan (Rhys/son), Ian Rooney (Tony/dad).
Bookings through TryBooking online.
Words: Eve Lamb | Images: Contributed