The final meeting of the Hepburn Shire Council for 2024 went awry as three councillors left before a vote could be held on the final agenda item, a confidential planning matter.

With the three councillors gone, and only three remaining – with the resignation of Juliet Simpson earlier this year – a quorum was no longer met.

Those who left were councillors Tessa Halliday, Tim Drylie and it is believed Jen Bray. Ms Bray said as the matter was confidential she could not comment on it.

Those who remained were councillors Brian Hood, Don Henderson and Lesley Hewitt. Council CEO Bradley Thomas said four councillors were needed to meet a quorum so the meeting finished with the matter not voted upon.

It had however already gone before council with a decision made earlier this year. That decision was then upheld by Mr Thomas. Mr Thomas said it was not completely unusual for councillors to walk out of meetings but they were usually meetings open to the public and done to make a stand on an issue.

“This one is a bit weird because it was in the confidential section of the meeting so it is difficult for people to know what that stand was. But it is not illegal, councillors have the right to be in the room for whatever items they want to vote for.

“In this case three councillors decided for their own personal reasons that they didn’t want to vote on the matter so they left the meeting.”

Mr Thomas said the planning item had a previous decision so it would not return to council.

“From our point of view the matter is now closed and we have moved on and done what we needed to do with the planning permits.

“There are different personal thoughts on whether councillors should leave a meeting but there is nothing to stop them or force them to be in a meeting, that is the process we have.”

Mr Thomas said the issue had come back to council because “extra information had come to hand” and he made the decision to put it back on the agenda for the council to vote again with that added detail.

“Ultimately they didn’t make a decision because there were not enough (councillors) in the room and I have gone with the original decision.”

Tim Drylie, one of those who left the meeting, said he understood there was some community concern about councillors walking out without making decisions, calling it “somewhat extraordinary”.

“I am happy to go on the record, but as it was a confidential matter there is not a lot I can actually say, and I can only speak for myself.

“I am certainly standing on the platform of transparency and accountability in local government. It just makes it difficult to discuss the reasons behind it but fundamentally for me, it was a complex decision which involved ethical and legal issues around what was appropriate in that instance.

“It was not just a matter of walking out, it was a more complex situation. In this instance it was about accountability and transparency around that particular matter and also noting the CEO has stated it has not affected the overall situation in the broader scheme of things.

“It is certainly not a decision I took lightly and certainly not something councillors consider as a normal part of doing business – we are very respectful and understand the gravity of our position and the importance of governance and behaviours.”

Mr Drylie said it was not something that had been planned but rather “thought through on the day”.

“It was based on the evidence that was before us and I made up my own independent mind on that.”

Tessa Halliday, who also left the meeting, said she did not believe the council should have been voting on the issue which already had a decision in play and unresolved outstanding legal issues.

“It would not have been fair to the applicant, they have done nothing wrong.”

Words: Donna Kelly

Words and image: Eve Lamb

Creswick’s upcoming Repair and Share event is pretty much what the name suggests.

Organised by local sustainability group Transition Creswick, it’s all about repairing broken items, similar to the successful Repair Cafe concept that’s keeping serious volumes of perfectly fixable stuff out of landfill in many communities already.

To get the ball rolling, a couple of months back Transition Creswick tested the waters by running a Repair Cafe event at Creswick, with a little help from the established Daylesford Repair Cafe.

About 40 people turned up at the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre hall with things that needed repair, and many broken or not-working things were fixed. It all went so well that now Transition Creswick is getting set to hold another similar event.

The upcoming Repair and Share event is set for Sunday May 28 and will take place from 1 to 4pm, once again in the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre hall.

Transition Creswick facilitator Tim Drylie says everyone is welcome to roll up with items that need fixing – and, in this case, also with goodies to share.

He says the Repair and Share concept will incorporate a share table where locals can share and swap intrinsically valuable things like home-baked cakes, or that excess quince crop that would otherwise go to waste in the back yard, or those eggs the chooks have laid in over- abundance.

Tim says it’s hoped the concept will become a regular monthly fixture, and he also says more people with handy repair skills of all kinds are encouraged to get in contact as their abilities will be very welcome.

This includes things like the ability to provide basic bicycle repairs, mechanical repairs, ceramic repairs and even IT know-how. A volunteer fixer who is a qualified electrician would also be most welcome, Tim mentions.

“The Daylesford Repair Cafe has been very successful over several years and has made a big difference in terms of stuff not going to landfill,” he says.

 “We ran our first Repair Cafe a couple of months ago in conjunction with the Daylesford Repair Cafe as a bit of an outreach. It was very successful and we had people with all sorts of repair skills including clothes mending, knife-sharpening, bike repairs, ceramics repairs and small appliance repairs 

“Repair and Share is a slightly different approach but we have a strong affiliation with the Repair Cafe. At the moment we’re putting the structures in place to ensure it’s all done safely and the checks and balances are done. It’s with the broader idea of having a community exchange market down the track, enabling non-monetary trading.

 “It’s also about good conversation. These sorts of events are very good for community connectedness.

 “There is a natural abundance that we can all bring to our community that helps build resilience.

“I think a lot of people are experiencing frustration at having appliances break down. Built-in redundancy is an issue, and it might be something as simple as needing a bike tube changed or a sweater darned.

 “We’re tapping into expertise that may not otherwise be valued as much in our current economy, and it’s often very satisfying for people who have these sorts of skills to give back in this way.

“Of course unfortunately some things can’t be repaired, and it may be a matter of referring people to someone else with the expertise to help.”

Transition Creswick is auspiced by the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre and some of the other projects with which it’s also currently involved include the Hepburn EV Bulk Buy scheme and the creation of an Indigenous food garden.

Those who would like more information, or who think they may have useful repair skills to contribute are encouraged to contact Transition Creswick at transitioncreswick@gmail.com