A LANDMARK reforestation project is under way at Mount Macedon with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) to restore native forests to former pine plantation sites.
The project received $1.13 million in funding through Victoria’s BushBank program, which saw the planting of over 22,000 native tree saplings during winter across the 94-hectare site on the south-east side of Mount Macedon.
“The Mount Macedon Plantation Restoration Project is a huge win for our region and its communities,” Member for Macedon, Mary-Anne Thomas, said.
“The BushBank program is restoring natural environments across Victoria and right here in Macedon, helping to stop the decline in our native plants and animals and improve our natural environment.”
Seeds from native local trees were collected from the Macedon Regional Park in July 2023 to ensure the new forest was established with local progeny.
The seeds were collected, cared for, and grown into healthy saplings by a local nursery, ready for planting.
Monitoring sites were created across the project area to observe the impacts of browsing animals. Protective fencing was installed in March 2025. Drone-based weed mapping and spraying took place in spring to prepare the ground for planting.
Minister for Environment, Steve Dimopoulos, said the forest would provide several benefits to the community and the environment.
“The restoration of this forest will create even more green spaces for the community to enjoy,” he said.
“Not only will the renewed forest be a place for people to come and enjoy, but it will also provide more habitat for native species and contribute to climate change resilience.”
The forest will significantly increase habitat for native wildlife, improve soil health and water quality.
The $77 million BushBank program funds projects across Victoria that aid in revegetating land to reduce carbon emissions and create habitats for Victoria’s most iconic species.
For more information, visit environment.vic.gov.au/bushbank
FEDERAL Member for Nicholls Sam Birrell has encouraged the Federal Government to adopt a more balanced and community-focused approach to water management, following confirmation that water buybacks will continue under newly appointed Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt.
Mr Birrell said he had hoped the change in ministerial leadership would open the door to fresh thinking and wider consultation with Basin communities.
“We hoped a new Minister would bring change, but Minister Watt is proving he’s continuing the same approach to water buybacks as his predecessor,” Mr Birrell said.
“The Government has expanded the buyback program in the Southern Basin from 170 gigalitres to 300GL, a figure that contributes to the broader target of recovering 450GL of additional water under the Basin Plan. This water recovery target was established in a 2018 agreement that sought to ensure basin communities would not experience negative socio-economic impacts.”
Mr Birrell said the original intention of the agreement was to provide safeguards for regional towns and irrigators.
He expressed concern that buybacks, if not managed carefully, could place pressure on local industries.
“Buybacks are a blunt instrument that removes water from the consumptive pool, reducing productivity and affecting the prosperity of rural communities that rely on irrigated agriculture,” he said.
The expanded buyback program comes ahead of the release of project details under the Federal Government’s Resilient Rivers Water Infrastructure Program.
Mr Birrell said communities are keen to see progress on water-saving and efficiency projects, which many believe can complement environmental goals while supporting local economies.
“Water saving and efficiency measures have an important role to play, and people want to see these projects moving forward,” he said.
Mr Birrell reaffirmed his view that collaborative solutions, developed alongside Basin communities, offer the best path toward meeting environmental objectives without compromising regional livelihoods.
NO DOOM and gloom, it’s a march to recover past glory days – shared with lots of smiles and yarns.
It sure was a time for celebrations as Kilmore Probus Club recently held an induction ceremony to welcome five new members.
The club, formed 35 years ago, was once a magnet for locals, having 100 members 10 years ago. But, as like the rest of Australia reeled under COVID-19 pandemic in 2000, the club couldn’t stay immune, with member numbers falling since then.
The member tally came down to 19 three years ago, but with the latest inductees, the total now stands at 26.
Spokeswoman Tricia Cochrane says the club offers a lot to its members and it is launching a new drive to attract more.
An offshoot of Rotary Club, Probus members have a strong bond among themselves.
Ms Cochrane said with goals of fun, fellowship and learning, Probus focuses on the social aspect for members, catering to needs of its members ranging in ages from 70 to 94 years old.
“We have strong ties with other clubs, men’s shed and U3A and our five new members will continue to spread the spirit of joy, fellowship and continued learning – the guiding ideals for Probus.
“The induction ceremony was well attended by members and the Kilmore club welcomed members of the Wallan Probus, Tony Wertz from OKR FM radio and John Perrott from Kilmore Men’s Shed to help celebrate the club’s continued growth and commitment to fellowship and community involvement.
For more information or to become a member, phone Margaret Jakymczuk on 0412 335 657.
THE spring weather delivered exactly as promised when members of the Combined Probus Club of Whittlesea boarded their coach and headed down the National Highway M80 to Geelong in mid-November. The day’s itinerary featured a visit to the eclectic Amazing Mill Markets, a stop at Moorabool Valley Chocolate, and a buffet lunch at a local hotel, a schedule that proved as enjoyable as it was varied.
As the group travelled along the M80, they crossed Hovell Creek, prompting memories of the region’s early explorers Hamilton Hume and William Hovell, who reached Corio Bay in 1824 after a long overland trek. One traveller recalled a humorous moment of modern-day “reunion” when a Hume’s Concrete truck once ended up in the creek many years ago.
The Amazing Mill Markets, known for leasing space to hundreds of stallholders, lived up to its reputation for variety. With vintage clothing, furniture, memorabilia, jewellery, books, collectables and antiques on display, there was “something for everyone.”
While most visitors proved to be more “tyre kickers” than buyers, the browsing was lively and some were still exploring when it was time to reboard the coach for lunch. Along the way, the group noted the transformation of the once-iconic Ford factory area, now dominated by large warehouses and outlet barns.
In the afternoon, the tour moved to Moorabool Valley Chocolate, which began in a humble farmhouse kitchen in 2005 and has since expanded into a dedicated production space with specialised machines for moulding, spinning and enrobing. Visitors enjoyed watching chocolatiers at work and sampling an enticing range of treats, including the popular Solid Ruby Chocolate Footprints Bar.
During lunch, President Marje and her husband Kevin shared that the following day marked their Ruby Anniversary, 55 years of marriage, prompting speculation about whether the Mill Markets’ ruby-themed jewellery might inspire a surprise gift.
The journey home gave everyone time to reflect on a full and satisfying day, and to observe, once again, the peak-hour challenges of the Western Ring Road, where lane discipline and indicator use remain optional for some drivers.
On November 22 at approximately 2am three unknown offenders allegedly damaged a letterbox in Malthouse Street, Kilmore, causing significant damage.
Theft from motor vehicle
Between 6pm on November 18 and 6.30am on November 19 unknown offender/s allegedly stole batteries from four buses on Butlers RD, Kilmore valued at approximately $2500.
Wallan
Attempted theft of motor vehicle
Between 2.30am on November 18 and 6am unknown offender/s attended a construction site in Speckled Warbler Loop, Wallan and allegedly attempted to steal a white Mitsubishi Tip truck. They allegedly stole sunglasses, two way radio, hard hat, and ear muffs valued at approximately $200.
Between 1:45pm on November 21 and 5pm unknown offender(s) attended a business carpark located on the corner of Northern Hwy &, Queen St, Wallan. They allegedly stole a silver 2013 Toyota Prado registration plate.
IT was, as Mr Charles Dickens might have put it, an age of steadiness in one shire, an age of uncertainty in another, and an age of rueful reckoning in a third.
For in the realm of local government, where the fortunes of towns and parishes rise and fall not with the turning of empire but with the choices of mayors and councillors, leadership is the quiet engine that drives a community forward, or leaves it stalled upon the roadside.
In Mitchell Shire, the lamps burn bright and steady. There, Cr John Dougall has been entrusted with a second consecutive term as Mayor, an honour bestowed by his fellow councillors and embraced with the humility of a man keenly aware of the weight of service. Amidst the clamour of rapid population growth, the fastest in all the state, Mitchell stands as a model of continuity, coherence and calm direction. Cr Dougall’s reflections ring with the sturdy values of gratitude, resolve and fidelity to the Council Plan. His talk of advocacy and long-term purpose conjures the image of a municipality striding confidently into its future, charting its course with deliberate and disciplined hand.
But journey a little further down the civic thoroughfare and the scene changes. In Whittlesea, the shadows gather longer. Leadership there has been as fickle as the November wind; mayors rise and shift with disquieting rapidity. The suspension of Councillor Aidan McLindon by the state government once again set the council on its heels, prompting the hurried, unopposed elevation of Cr Martin Taylor, a worthy stopgap, but not a settled cure. And now, with Cr Lawrie Cox newly elected mayor, the task before him is formidable indeed: to restore confidence, to quiet the murmurs of past governance troubles, and to steady a council long beset by turbulence. The inability to hold a firm hand at the tiller lingers like a ghost in the corridors of Whittlesea’s chambers, and it is now for Cr Cox to attempt its banishment.
Then, at last, to Macedon Ranges, a district where this month’s tale has taken on the melancholy of a farewell chapter. Mayor Dom Bonanno, having admitted to speeding and driving over the legal alcohol limit in a council vehicle, finds his term ending not with a flourish but with a sombre lesson in fallibility. His decision not to seek re-election is fitting, yet the shadow cast by this lapse is undeniable. It stands as a stark reminder that the office of mayor is built upon trust, and that even a single moment of misjudgement can weigh heavily upon years of earnest labour.
Thus, in these three municipalities, one marked by steadiness, one by upheaval, one by an avoidable stumble, we see how profoundly a community’s tone, spirit and sense of direction may hinge upon the character and constancy of its leadership. Local government may indeed be the tier closest to the people, yet it is leadership that determines whether the people feel truly close, or quietly estranged, from those who serve them.
Regarding last week’s letter on the native title claim by the Taungurung People, if people researched how native title affects them and their property they would know that it won’t affect them at all.
As stated on the First Peoples – State Relations website (https://www.firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au/fact-sheet-aboriginal-places-private-property), and I quote “Only vacant Crown land may be subject to a native title claim. Freehold land, which is almost all private property, is not subject to native title claims even if Aboriginal places are present. In general, having Aboriginal cultural places on your land will not affect ownership, or stop existing land use from continuing”.
It also has nothing to do with the last referendum, native title was a High Court decision handed down in 1992 and there are numerous native title determinations across the country and Victoria already in place without issue.
People need to accept that Taungurung people were here long before white settlers came, and in some cases brutally took their lands. Having native title gives back a small stake holding in what was taken that will not affect you or your properties.
Among the backdrop of scenes at next Saturday nights sold out function at the MCG will be the painting of an Assumption v Trinity game on the iconic Main Oval. Renowned Wandong artist Jayne Henderson painted the football and cricket scenes which adorn the Daniher Pavilion. Hundreds of former footballers and cricketers, quite a number travelling long distances-from overseas and all Australian states but not only sport will be represented-there is a large number of former students from areas of law, medicine, agriculture, teaching, the arts and industry, horse racing and politics.
Featuring on the night will be Bill Brownless, Shane Crawford, Tony Armstrong, Victoria Cross winner Neville Clark, Tony Ottobre, Damien Drum, Brian Forrest, plus Neale Daniher with almost all his First XVIII and First XI team-mates from 1977-78. Legendary “greats” attending include Francis Bourke (Richmond) and Jim Gallagher (Footscray).
REMEMBERING
I received a letter the other day from a sixties student John Kennedy. The last time I saw him was in centenary year 1993. A few years after graduating he wrote this little poem:
I saw once again the face I knew
I saw Kilmore’s Valleys and dells
I listened with joy as I did when a boy
To the sound of the old Shandon bell.
On the ovals the sturdy youths battled
To the cry of ‘onward blues-on’
O’ how green were the fields then-
And the fields of them that are gone…
A simple nostalgic piece by a Riverina lad who became a renowned surgeon. He, like many students returning to their alma mater invaluably drove round the ovals, checked out the old change sheds, the then handball courts, they would look warmly on the Shandon bell and sometimes their faces would cloud for a few moments and eyes dim as they recalled the years of youth spent at ACK and of how the old bell regulated their lives. They would think back on the only times of real freedom they knew -times before the onset of adulthood, mature responsibilities and the never-ending hassles of the ‘big world outside’. The look briefly in upon their classrooms, dormitories and dining halls; gaze reverently at the Honour Rolls in the old foyer-and maybe kneel for a moment in prayer in the little Brothers’ Chapel. In their separate minds’ eyes as they patrolled once more the realms of boyhood they must have seen through the mist of time their classmates and teachers as they were when their world was young.
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100 YEARS
Saturday nights crowd will in reality be celebrating well over a century of football and cricket at Assumption. Some names in the pictures from a hundred years ago still resonate across the generations.
SCOTT WYND
Really good to catch up with Scott Wynd the other day. The former star Bulldog and 1992 Brownlow Medallist. Scott played 237 games for the club and was a great admirer of his first coach at the kennel, Mick Malthouse. Scott joined me in the ACK coaching “gig” in 2007 and after my exit he continued on at the helm to a premiership. That title run was dedicated to the very talented team member Zane Collier who was in the throws of a really tough cancer battle. The much-admired Kilmore teenager lost his fight a year later. Scott and his wife Jodie are very fine people. Their four daughters attended Assumption with distinction. Scott’s younger brother Paul played some games for the Kangaroos. Pauls young son is a promising cricketer in the Assumption First XI.
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AREA LEGEND
A stalwart of the Seymour and District Cricket Association, Cameron Armstrong, a Yea plumbing business owner-can be highly termed a bush cricket legend. A talented cricketer from a young age he led Assumption First XI to the 2003 title. For several years after college, he played with much success for Melbourne Cricket Club 2nd XI and top flight suburban cricket. Returning to his hometown he has had a very fine career for Yea and has churned out thousands of runs. He is currently captain-coach of Yea and is in charge of the SDCA’s Inter-Association XI. He and wife Lily have three fine young sons with one in particular, Archie (11) showing much promise. Cameron was also a very good footballer for ACK and his home club.
