Storm recovery events help build Macedon Ranges community strength
Macedon Ranges residents can focus on gaining strength in the next few months through the Department of Fairness, Families and Housing, DFFH, Targeted Funding Initiative Grant.
The grant comes after the June 2021 storm, which Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Woodened Neighbourhood House, Lancefield Neighbourhood House, and Macedon Ranges Seed Savers provided to help storm affected individuals and families.
The grant goes to several activities and events that have successfully kicked off, including three rounds of chainsaw skills to help locals.
Locals can look forward to other activities that build resilience, including the Ranges Festival at the Woodend RSL on October 16, storm recovery psychological self-care events at Woodened and Lancefield Neighbourhood Houses and environment recovery at Hanging Rock.
Youth focused art workshops will be offered in October and November, where Macedon Ranges can create a wonderful caravan with artist Katy Holoko to focus on mental health support and environmental recovery.
The storm recovery fungi recovery is a statewide initiative to be shared with other storm affected councils across the state in 2023.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council director community, Maria Weiss, said funding would take care of the affected individuals and families, and ensure community-led projects continue.
“Council is proud to be working closely with these valued community organisations to deliver activities that have been designed to respond to the unique needs of our communities,” she said
Woodened Neighbourhood House’s Melissa Baker encouraged residents to participate in the focused workshops and activities held throughout the next few months.
She said these events were developed to build mental resilience in preparation for future emergency events.
“In the wake of the June 2021 storm we saw residents of Woodend, and across the shire, going above and beyond to help one-another. One of the best ways to build resilience is to build strongly connected communities,” she said.
“As well as skills focused workshops, there are a number of exciting community events coming up which I would encourage people to get involved with.”
Macedon Ranges Seed Savers’ Kylie Swan said she would also want to see locals participating in the upcoming events to share knowledge.
“We’re looking forward to sharing knowledge about how we can support each other in future emergency events and build our community’s knowledge about seed sharing and self-sufficiency. Come along, learn something new, and connect with like-minded people,” she said.
Upcoming events and programs will be published on the Woodend Neighbourhood House website www.woodendnh.org.
Oil drums abandoned on side of O’Gradys Road
By Pam Kiriakidis
An unknown resident dumped three 44-gallon drums full of sump oil and other rubbish along O’Gradys Road, Kilmore East.
Wandong local Robert Neil noticed the dumping about a month ago, finding more than 100 gallons of oil and reporting the waste to Mitchell Shire Council three weeks ago.
Council officials said they had been previously notified, but Mr Neil said he was worried about a lack of action on the abandoned drums.
The waste is next to the train tracks at Kilmore East, near the power lines and drainage that extends to Kilmore Creek, which is contains wildlife including platypuses and fish.
Mr Neil said he was worried about the potential for oil to lead into the creek if council did not act to remove the drums.
“If they crack open and start spilling out, you’re going to have over 100 gallons of oil running through the Kilmore Creek,” he said.
He said an oil dump was a massive risk with the fire season approaching, giving council more reason to remove the waste as quickly as possible.
“You get 100 gallons of oil that’s leaked down through the railway line and into the creek, it only takes a quick spark to get into that and off it goes again,” Mr Neil said.
“It’s not just a pile of rubbish that’s been dumped, it’s an environmental hazard. It’s a catastrophe waiting to happen if these drums crack open or the lids pop off, and all that sump oil leaks right in through the creek.”
Plenty Valley Christian College celebrates ‘HeART of the Valley’
By Grace Frost
Plenty Valley Christian College, PVCC, hosted its HeART of the Valley event earlier this month for the first time since the pandemic, celebrating talented students in the music, art, drama, technology, humanities and media departments.
First hosted in 2017, HeART of the Valley is renowned in the PVCC community for being an interactive arts event.
Principal John Metcalfe estimated the event attracted 1000 attendees to the school on September 15.
Multiple stations simultaneously operated across the school grounds, with kindergarten to year 12 student artwork and woodwork projects displayed in classrooms, media projects playing in a dedicated outdoor cinema area and drama performed in the amphitheatre, all while food technology students hand delivered snacks baked onsite to attendees.
Families gathered around fire pits to listen to student and teacher bands perform against the valley backdrop, while young students ran between each station to collect stamps in their HeART of the Valley booklets, beaming as they showed parents and friends their artworks.
High school students dressed in elaborate costumes, from Mario and Luigi to Thing 1 and Thing 2, entertaining younger students and handing out lollies.
The recently-renovated high school area was used for the first time in the event’s history, with the new undercover seating area hosting a piano for performances, seating space operating as a dedicated cinema area and the new clock tower central and open for visits.
Mr Metcalfe said he was ‘so proud’ of the students for using their gifts, and that the event showcased the importance of gathering to share common values and vision.
“Heart of the Valley is a showcase of the blessing of God-given creativity in all aspects of human life including the arts, sciences, technology and humanities studies at Plenty Valley Christian College,” he said.
“After a COVID induced two-year break it was heartwarming to see parents and students of all ages enjoy the community and fun of an evening together.
“It was worth all the effort and hard work from the students and our staff organising committee headed by Mrs Lucille Warwick.”
HeART of the Valley began in 2017 when Mrs Warwick, who was the learning extension coordinator at the time, recognised a lack of emphasis on arts and technology at the college.
Mrs Warrick said she designed the event as a learning activity to encourage creativity in students, wanting to celebrate the variety of student creativity in music, art, wood technology, food technology, film, robotics, Italian activities, poetry and drama.
“The design allows spaces for any creativity and provides a smaller audience for building confidence in performers,” she said.
“Although there are lots of people at the event, each performance has a small group of people watching as the performances happen simultaneously.
“It’s inspiring to see how creative people are and how the community has embraced this event.”
Members of the Student Senate have been quick to get involved with the event each year, remaining behind after school this year to set up seating around food trucks, start a barbecue for the ‘famous’ Plenty Valley sausage sizzle, and to decorate seating areas in fairy lights, streamers, banners and artwork.
With the recent addition of a visual communication and design subject to the school curriculum and the upcoming 2023 musical production of ‘High School Musical’, the college is aiming to have more talent to celebrate at future instalments of HeART of the Valley.
Mitchell Shire locals pay their royal respects
By Pam Kiriakidis
When Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne, Kilmore local Eileen Buckley witnessed the celebratory street parties in College Park, London.
Ms Buckley saw tables dragged to the centre of the roads and her home town covered in red, white, and blue bunting to honour the Queen’s coronation.
“I can remember neighbours from one end [of the street] to the other and it was a really lovely experience as a child to see everybody chatting, everybody laughing, everybody having fun,” she said.
While the adults were caught up in the celebration, children used to their imaginations to wrap their heads around the Queen’s coronation.
“For me as a little girl all I can remember is a lot of children dressing up, whether it was their mother’s best tablecloth around their shoulders or a cardboard crown put on your head,” she said.
“I think we all became queens on that day, and after seeing the vision in black and white on the TV and at the cinemas, there was a lot of parading around, as children do. To make sense of something that happened, children will act it out,” she said.
Soon after the festivities, Ms Buckley, at three years old, and her sister received certificates to mark their presence.
“As each one of us left home, we were given our box of treasures and this is my treasure,” she said.
From that day on, Ms Buckley maintained a strong connection to the Queen, viewing her as a symbol in many events that mattered during her lifetime.
“On the day I was married, I was married in a registry office in London and the Queen’s portrait was on the wall; when I took my Australian citizenship here, there was a portrait; when I was sworn in as a Justice of the Peace, there was a portrait,” she said.
“She was there – if you think about those offices, the Queen is always present in the shape of a portrait on the wall.”
Ms Buckley felt the Queen’s symbol and visits to London were enough to bond her with Elizabeth II. When she received news that the Queen was dead, she was in a state of disbelief, describing herself as ‘empty’.
As the news sunk in around the world, Australians received a public holiday on Thursday last week to pay their respects.
Seniors from Wallan Circle of Friendship, Wallan Neighbourhood House and University of the Third Age, U3A, Wallan gathered at the Neighbourhood House for a morning tea to show their appreciation on the public holiday.
Neighbourhood House coordinator Pauline Cornish planned the event for citizens to bond and to celebrate the Queen’s life.
“It’s more that they celebrate – we’re supposed to have a day in mourning, but it’s not really a mourning day, it’s about celebrating her life, and what they remember by her as well,” Ms Cornish said.
Wallan Circle of Friendship coordinator Lorraine Alcock managed parts of the kitchen, preparing goods for people to enjoy when celebrating the Queen’s life.
“I guess there is a fair bit of the Queen to talk about, and I just think she’s been a wonderful mother, grandmother, great grandmother,” she said.
“I remember when her father passed away, I was at primary school, and we’re all around the flagpole, students at a state school, a little country school where I came from, so I remember that day very well.”
U3A president Marleen Westwood and Senior Citizens president Joan Childs also recalled their treasured memories of the Queen at the event, sharing small moments when the Queen arrived in Australia and when televisions were first purchased.
“When I was a child, I think I was about twelve, she came through Bell Street, Preston and we all stood on the side of the road to wave to her,” Ms Westwood said.
“My father even bought our first television to watch the coronation,” Ms Childs said.
Trials for COVID nasal medication start
A nasal medication that could reduce transmission of COVID-19 in homes and hospitals will soon begin clinical trials in Victoria through a new medical manufacturing centre in Melbourne.
Treasurer Tim Pallas met with researchers at Monash University’s Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre, MMIC, in Clayton last week to discuss preparations to trial the groundbreaking COVID-19 nasal spray later this year.
If the trials prove effective, heparin spray could quickly and easily be delivered in high-risk COVID settings such as medical wards or in the homes of COVID contacts, to reduce illness and transmission.
COVID-19 first infects the nose before spreading to the body, if there is not a strong enough immune response.
By coating the virus’s spike protein with heparin the virus is unable to penetrate into the cells of the nose and replicate, which would have the effect of reducing viral load and potential spread of the virus within the body.
Heparin is the second most widely used drug in the world and is primarily prescribed as a blood-thinner to treat or prevent blood clots.
The six-month clinical trial is being led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, University of Melbourne, St Vincent’s Hospital, Doherty Institute and Monash University, in collaboration with Oxford University. It is funded by $4.2 million from the State Government’s COVID-19 Research Fund.
Patient recruitment is set to commence in the coming months through Northern Health, with people presenting with respiratory conditions and tested for COVID to be offered the treatment if they test positive. The trial will involve about 400 households.
If the trial yields positive results, Monash University’s MMIC will prepare a business case to investigate the potential for local manufacture in Victoria.
The expansion of MMIC to Clayton was funded through an $8.58 million investment from the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund. Construction is expected to finish towards the end of 2023.
The MMIC is an initiative between the Victorian Government and the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MIPS, established in Parkville in 2017, to support Victorian manufacturers to collaborate on innovative pharmaceutical projects and move them through to commercialisation.
Victoria’s medtech sector is one of the fastest growing local industries, generating $21.4 billion in revenue and $3.5 billion in exports and supporting more than 31,000 jobs.
India’s nine-day celebration heads to South Morang
By Pam Kiriakidis
The nine-day Hindu festival Navratri is about to come alive in South Morang, celebrating with a night of Garba dancing and tradition on October 1.
Navratri is a period of nine days to honour Hindu mother goddess Mahadevi, who symbolises the divine feminine.
Various regions of India celebrate the annual event differently through religious ceremonies and Garba dance, which is traditionally performed around a lit lamp or a picture or statue of the goddess.
Mernda and District Residents Association, MADRA, invited Sanskriti Junction to perform two dances – a women’s performance and a children’s performance – during the celebration.
Traditionally the nine-day festival is danced to the beat of an Indian dhol drum, however, on the night a hired DJ will play traditional Indian music instead.
MADRA secretary Shweta Bhatti said the combined event ‘Vivid Navratri’ was organised to help the local Indian community feel at home, as it was a special time in Indian culture.
“When we are from another country, we miss our culture and sometimes we feel isolated, so this kind of community event gives them an environment where they don’t feel isolated and they don’t miss too much of their country,” she said.
“There is no age barrier, so every person there generally knows how to do the steps and dance, so every age – grandparents and grandchildren, everybody will be participating.”
MADRA received a grant of $1500 from the City of Whittlesea to host the event, which will be at Plenty Ranges Art and Convention Centre.
Food and drink will be provided by local food vendors, with a donation encouraged.
The celebration will start at 7:30pm and end at 11pm at 35 Ferres Boulevard, South Morang.
Mount Macedon wins bronze
Mount Macedon has won bronze in the top tiny tourism town category at Australia’s Top Tourism Town Awards 2022.
The awards, at Parliament House in Canberra last week, recognised Mount Macedon for its nature-based experiences, including Macedon Regional Park and nearby Hanging Rock, which visitors can enjoy year-round.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council Mayor Jennifer Anderson said she was excited to see the region place at the national awards.
“This award showcases the outstanding efforts of our tourism businesses that have persevered throughout COVID lockdowns and the devastating storm damage experienced in 2021,” she said.
“The Macedon Ranges offers a range of captivating experiences where visitors can relax, play, indulge and explore only 45 minutes from the airport and less than an hour out of Melbourne.”
The Top Tourism Town Awards each year recognise and reward Australian towns that demonstrate commitment to tourism, offer an excellent visitor experience, and show strong collaboration with tourism operators, businesses and the community.
The awards include representatives from each state across three categories: top tourism town – population over 5000 people; small tourism town – below 5000 people; and top tiny tourism town – below 1500 people.
An two-day itinerary to experience the town and its surrounds, along with a promotional video, was submitted as part of the award process and can be viewed at www.visitmacedonranges.com/itineraries/mount-macedon-nature-escape.
Sydney Street Kilmore tree tussle
By Colin MacGillivray
A KILMORE man is fuming after claiming trees planted by Mitchell Shire Council obscured the view of Sydney Street from his driveway, making it unsafe for him to turn onto the busy road.
Council is in the midst of a $4.65 million Sydney Street Rejuvenation Project, with works to upgrade and beautify the streetscape underway since April.
Stage one of the project concentrated on a section of Sydney Street between Clarke and Union streets, replacing damaged kerb and footpath sections, building a pedestrian outstand near Mitchell Street and planting nearly 70 new trees.
Ian Wright, who owns a property at 89 Sydney Street, said he clashed with council on multiple aspects of the project, including the pedestrian outstand, which he said would have blocked half his driveway if constructed as initially planned.
“I had to get a solicitor involved to get [the pedestrian outstand] moved, because I never got notified like I was supposed to,” he said.
“It was only when I saw the marks on the ground that I thought I should look into it. If I’d left it, half my driveway would have been blocked off and it would have been too late then.
“[Council] couldn’t come up with the working plans for me, and I went up to the library to have a look at the plans, but the plans they had there weren’t the working plans. They had already started work at this stage, so why didn’t they have the working plans available to view?”
Mr Wright said he negotiated with council to alter the pedestrian hub, but soon encountered other problems.
“They had plans for a tree on the pedestrian hub and I complained about that. They were going to leave it there, but they eventually saw sense because I said it would block my view coming out of the driveway,” he said.
Mr Wright said he raised similar concerns about two trees planted on the northern side of his driveway, but council refused to remove them.
“They block the view as you come out of the driveway, and we all know what the traffic is like on Sydney Street,” he said.
“[Cars] come out of the car wash pretty quickly at times and if you pulled out at the wrong time, they wouldn’t have much time to stop.”
Mr Wright said he contacted police to clarify road rules as he was concerned he was breaking the law each time he exited his property.
“I am illegally exiting my property if I cross the kerb to get a better view, because there is a turning lane there,” he said.
“I’m breaking the law if I have to get out to see what’s coming, but when you sit back where you’re supposed to be, those two trees are right in the road.”
Mr Wright said he invited council officials to visit his property and try to exit the driveway themselves.
“They would not come down and take up my challenge. They’re saying it’s no safety issue,” he said.
“It absolutely is a safety issue. Everyone expects a safe entry and exit from their property.”
Council acting chief executive Mary Agostino said both council and the State Government were satisfied the remaining trees posed no danger to traffic.
She said council worked with Mr Wright to achieve an outcome that suited both parties.
“Initial plans for a pedestrian outstand created a small blockage of the driveway of the property,” she said.
“After consultation with the property owner, these plans were amended including the removal of a tree to the south, as per the owner’s request.
“The Sydney Street Rejuvenation Project manager visited the site and took pictures of the trees to the north and communicated them to the Department of Transport.
“Both the Department of Transport and council are satisfied the trees do not hinder the property owner’s access or visibility.”