Chewton Chat March 2016

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Chewton Primary Weather ReportHello and welcome to this week’s weather report.

Our school officially launched its weather station on Monday with thanks to Rob for making the station and John Leavesley for donating the equipment.

On Monday the first four students Ivy, Scout, Max and Peter were elected as this week’s weather reporters.

Their job is to check the weather in the amazing weather box that our trusty staff member Rob has built for us. Here is a quick report of Monday and Sunday’s weather.

Sunday 21st:Rain: 0mmMinimum: 8.1.c Maximum: 34.0.c

Thank you for reading this weather report.By Scout and Ivy.

CHEWTON CHATCHEWTON DOMAIN SOCIETY

(INCORPORATED)Reg. No. A0034364L

P.O. Box 85, Chewton, 3451.

Published on the 1st of each month Issue 205 March, 2016.

www.chewton.net

Weather

eyes

out!

An invitation to bring the camera and turn up for Monday morning’s assembly at Chewton school is not one to be sneezed at. Something big must have been happening.

And it was. A new weather station in the garden area! Turns out that the Chewton Chat’s weather recorder and reporter John Leavesley has been going to the school to pass on weather knowledge to the children for some time. Pre-retirement, John was a master mariner – probably only one of a handful in Chewton now Forest Creek has run dry! Such a weather dependent career has placed John in an ideal position to teach others, and the children are very enthusiastic as a result.

The weather lessons

Monday 22nd:Rain: 0mmMinimum: 8.1.CMaximum:31.9.c

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‘Lateral Thinking’ , Oil on canvas, 180 cm X 120 cm

Every picture tells a story. Or does it?

Once you look deeper into the layers of a composition, your mind can take you on a flight of fancy far exceeding your initial reaction to an image.

Katharina Rapp’s paintings have intrigued for many years. When she was asked about ‘the meaning’ of her works, she found she so enjoyed telling a yarn, that it led to her eventual writing of short stories based on her images. They can be purchased as E-Tales on www.rappland.com, or in book form direct from the studio.

This year’s show is a patchwork of her oeuvre, and most of it is fun!

• Please park on the nature strip opposite Studio Rapp at 57 Pitman Street, Chewton. • Opening times are 10 to 5, on the long weekend March 12-14, and then again March 19 -20. • Tel. 0419 103 960. Website: www.rappland.com

Katharina Rapp, P.O. Box 888, Castlemaine, Vic. 3450. Australia [email protected]

have been going so well John decided to add to the children’s experiences by donating some weather recording devices. Enter Rob Noll who is always taking on tasks around the school - and a weather station was created and installed.

Monday morning was the launch! John and Rob were on hand as the first team of children were introduced to the intricacies of the weather measurements – and recording them. On paper for now but in a few days time a prepared tablet will be ready to accept and file them so a long-term picture can be built up.

Rob insisted the station only cost $5 to produce – along with a day’s labour and, obviously, a lot of love and patience.

Teamwork produces results at Chewton school.

Clean Up Australia Dayand helpers are needed

Another blitz on roadsides leading into Fryerstown is planned to coincide with Clean Up Australia Day. If you are able to lend a hand on the morning of Sunday 6th March, please register at

cleanupaustraliaday.org.au/register/?Fryerstown+area or call Janobai on 5473 4153.

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Something magical in the air here?A request seeking a photo of the early days of the stone sculptures near the railway line and Fryers Road in the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park was treated dubiously. That was some time ago and any photo was either going to be at the end of the film era or at the beginning of the digital age. If one existed it was either going to be in a box in a shed or in a file on a computer. A big ask.

First stop was the Chewton Chat collection. The CD compilation of every Chat means an electronic search takes just seconds. And there it was - an article about sculptor Brigid Heller’s work in September 2002 Chat! And a photo. Which meant a photo that would have been taken in the weeks leading up to the September edition. Early digital photos aren’t the best, but they still survive. So there are photos of the sculpture site taken in August and March 2002.

As the years passed various people and groups have worked intermittently in this area. And it was a group of young workers in a Green Corps group there that discovered the only place mobile phone reception was possible was standing in certain place on one of the stone sculptures! Magical eh?

Whilst the validity of that magical power claim is uncertain, there is something else happening that is magical. A revitalised Chewton Landcare Group has now had several Friday morning working bees and the transformation is truly magical. Inspired by Parks Victoria work on the site this group has taken up the challenge – and with even more volunteers and even more support the result will be even more magical!

This photo is from Brigit Heller’s website.

Dear Landcare Worker Bees,We will continue with our working bee schedule this coming Friday 11 March at the usual time 9.30 until 11.30am. Usual place amongst the wattles too - near the railway line close to the Fryers Rd railway bridge. The gorse and blackberries are still sprouting so we will whipper snip and cut and paint them with herbicide. Great work has been started on the railway verge which we will continue.

Warm regards, Maggie. P.S keep an eye on the weather because if it’s too

hot we will cancel.

Clean Up Australia Daywith Golden Pointers

Sunday March the 6th at 10 a.m. - meet at Expedition Pass Reservoir.BYO gloves/hat/water - Bags/high vis vests/good humour provided!

It’s on again - funny enough the rubbish that is picked up gets less each year which is great BUT it would be even better if there was none and all the

volunteers across Australia could spend this Sunday in their own gardens! Call 0423 900 590 for further details.

2016 sees changes thanks to “worker bees”...

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Rolling, rolling, rollingIt’s been a quiet season for Road Bowls with only a couple of matches being played over the past year, but this was remedied last Sunday as a boisterous batch of bowlers took to the tarmac to test their skill in Chewton’s own traditional version of bowling.

Locka “Morlock” McMillan had put together a formidable team from his family and so it was that “McMillan’s Marauders” took on the “Chewton Chumps” - ooh sorry - “Chewton Champs”.

One of the golden rules of Road Bowling is that there is to be no practicing before matches. Consequently, first time bowlers can take a few goes to get the hang of the game and refine their bowling technique but this was not the case for the Marauders who blitzed the Chewton side 59/62. There were suggestions that perhaps some infringement of the rules had occurred with such fine first time bowling, but this was vehemently denied by Captain Morlock Marauder McMillan.

A hot day ensured that the Life Support Vehicle (wheelbarrow filled with icy refreshments) was frequently visited and dry conditions meant that the danger of bowling from the middle of the creek was eliminated.

A very fine game was contested and the next match is expected to be in early May when the coveted Randall Percy Memorial trophy will be fought over between the Paddies and Chewton.

Watch this space!

Wesley HillCommunity Market

Every Saturday7.30am – 1.00pm

An old fashioned Country MarketOpposite the Albion Hotel

New stallholders always welcome.Call the Market Manager

0418 117 953

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Helen McGeachin has a long association with this sport and explains…If you were driving around a certain back track in Chewton at certain times, you may have pondered the presence of a large number of people milling about on the road. A local uprising perhaps? Civil unrest in Chewton??

None of these, but the resurrection of a game that was very popular in the area around 30 years ago - the noble sport of Road Bowls. Road Bowls is actually an art practised in many different countries. In Ireland they bowl 1kg round steel balls down the road. In France it is cheeses. And in Italy, a variation of bocce is taken into the street. But in the long tradition of Chewton eccentricity, here it is 4lb. Salter scale weights that are used for the basis of the game!

The traditional Road Bowls course in Chewton was along Dinah Rd and Whitehorse Gully Rd, with the finishing bowl needing to be placed through the front gates of the Chewton Captain’s property. Of more recent times the game has been played along Walker Street from North Street to the CFA and back. The rules of Road Bowls are quite simple. Teams of around seven players take it in turns to bowl the weights along the road, and the team to complete the course in the least number of throws is declared the winner. The bowl must be thrown underarm, and bowled from the exact spot it landed. This can lead to some interesting shots being taken, such as in the midst of blackberry thickets, halfway down a drain (necessitating the bowl to be thrown from a horizontal position!) and in one case, with the player up to their thighs in the middle of winter in freezing cold creek water! In the interests of team unity, it is a good idea to try and keep the bowl on the road, or at

least in a reasonably accessible position.Other rules (apart from Rule

Number 1, which is “Chewton must win”) include no stopping of the road bowl. Not only is this highly illegal, it is also extremely dangerous, as a 4lb weight thrown at speed and colliding with a stationary object is no laughing matter. Penalty shots may be awarded against the team for faults such as taking your turn out of order, procrastination, and not finding the bowl within thirty seconds. These ensure that the game flows along at a reasonable pace and give a degree of leeway for arguments regarding the rules and the subsequent enforcing of them. Whilst the rules of Road Bowls are simple, the art of throwing necessitates quite a degree of skill. The camber on the scale weight means a bowl must be thrown accurately and at speed in order to gain the distance required by a winning team. Of course, the Chewton team perfected this, and in its hey day was quite a force to be reckoned with.

Led by Captain Roddy Read, they followed fervently the motto of “Chewton Must Win” and blitzed the opposing teams who were game or foolish enough to challenge them to a match. (At this point it probably should be stressed that there is no truth is the rumour that Chewton’s consistent

victories had anything to do with the fact that the scorer was related to the Chewton captain.) The other teams - “The Paddies”, “Faraday” (or “Faraway” as they were commonly known), the “Karate Chop” (a burly team of black belt Karate experts) and “The Hills” (from the Dandenongs) all fell under Chewton’s superior strength, and Chewton reigned supreme as Road Bowl champions for many years.

Helen McGeachin.

And what exactly is Road Bowls?

And the Paddies are coming in early May!

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CFA Update – March 2016Community Safety was at the fore-front of Chewton CFA’s mind as we remained vigilant throughout the last month of summer. Members from the brigade embarked upon a mission in early February to help members of the public get Fire Ready. On February 7th the brigade door-knocked in Adelaide Street to speak to residents about their fire plans and provide them with some crucial information for fire season. Community members have provided positive feedback for this program and plans are in place for further door-knocking in the area in March.

Turn-out numbers have been low so far this summer which is great for our community and shows that fire danger is being taken seriously.

Structure fires did pose a problem during February, however, with the brigade turning out to a shed fire in Castlemaine behind the old Hunt & Lobb building. Chewton members were called to the fire at 5.30am on the 8th of February and were on scene for a few hours. Crews

Community Safety UpdateEureka Street, Henry Street and Steele Street homeowners please be aware that Chewton CFA volunteers will be visiting your street this month to provide useful information about the fire season. Members from the brigade will be door knocking in those streets on Sunday the 6th of March between 10am and 12pm.

This is part of the brigade’s new Property Advice Visit

from Castlemaine and Campbells Creek also attended.In late January our volunteers were also called to

investigate a burn off along the Main Road in Chewton.This event acted as a timely reminder that fire restrictions are still in force.

Despite cooler weather and some rain recently the community should be aware that fire restrictions are still in place and it is illegal to burn off without a permit. Fire restrictions will remain in place until further notice even with summer coming to an end.

Finally, with school now back the Chewton CFA Junior Brigade is about to start again for 2016. Training will be run fortnightly on a Wednesday night and we are looking for some more members to sign up this year. Anyone who has children aged 11-15 who may be interested in joining the brigade should come down to the station one Sunday morning and speak to our members.Paige Mounsey, Chewton CFA Communications Officer.

Service (PAVS) sessions which will be run completely by volunteers. These sessions will provide crucial information about preparing your home and planning for fire season.

Members door knocking will be wearing CFA Turn Out Gear so that they can be clearly identified and we would like to speak to as many households in the area as possible so please try and be home on this day.Paige Mounsey, Chewton CFA Communications Officer.

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Know Your NeighbourHave you met Annie Morabito?

Annie Morabito grew up in Sydney. ‘We moved to the NSW south coast, to Wollongong, where my three children were born.’ The family later moved to the north coast of NSW. ‘During their early years I home-schooled my children. I was a stay-at-home mum, totally focussed on my children.’ Annie then moved to Beechworth where her children entered the school system.

When her children left home and moved to Melbourne Annie moved to Castlemaine, to be closer to them.

Why Castlemaine? ‘I knew I didn’t want to live in the city, and friends told me they thought I would like Castlemaine, that it’s quite arty. I’m not a professional artist, but I love to paint. The kind of clothing I wear reflects my creative expression and love of colour. I also sing and write music with my partner, who I met here.’

She spent her first year living right in town, ‘then my partner and I bought a house together in the Chewton bushlands where I’ve now lived for seven years. During this time I have been studying from home. I’ve studied grief and loss counselling and art therapy.’ Annie explains that art therapy is not about being an artist. It’s a form of counselling, a non-threatening way to explore feelings. ‘I work with all age groups.

I’ve also just completed a Soul Midwifery course, which is ‘end of life’ midwifery. It’s like a death doula, which is having someone to assist you at the end of your life, providing spiritual and holistic care, a non-medical support person for someone who’s going through the end of life stage.’

Annie says she loves living right in the bush. ‘We have a red cedar house in a valley at the end of a dirt road. It’s really beautiful. And I love living off the grid. You learn to live more consciously. You can’t take things for granted.

You have to think about your water and the power you are using. We’ve never run out of water, but we’re very conscious of the fact that we’re relying on the rain. I just love living amongst nature. I like coming in to town, to cafes, but I also love to come home and be surrounded by the bush, listening to the birds. We also have a dam that we swim in.

I really love the Chewton township. I think Chewton is so beautiful. It’s got a lovely little village feel to it and now that my studies are finished I’m more ready to become involved.’ Gloria Meltzer.

40 Lyttleton Street (P.O. Box 632) Castlemaine 3450Ph: (03) 5472 4622 Fax: (03) 5472 4315

Email: [email protected]: Andrew & Sue Thomas

STATIONERY IS OUR BUSINESS

Call in and see Andrew, Sue and Lindafor that “special” service

PROUD TO SUPPORT THE CHEWTON CHAT

Castlemaine OffiCe supplies

ABN 99 464 754 995

A busy life?Work - Open 9.00 Mon-Fri 9.30 SatRest - Close 5.15 Mon-Fri 12.00 SatPlay - Closed Sunday and P/Holidays

We’d love to see you to put a face to your purchase!

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Fryerstown

Numbers were down all round for the Fryerstown Antique Fair this year with three days of trading, the first of which was cool with heavy showers dampening visitor's enthusiasm. However the 150 stallholders with 200 stalls generally expressed satisfaction at the amount they made and were optimistic that next year would be better. Pat Cubeta and her family have organised the Fair for over forty years seemed to think it went quite well. The old school made over $2,500 towards the next project, the landscaping of the grounds, and there were nearly 50 local volunteers who worked cooking and serving food and drink. A thank you get together was held on Friday 19th where everyone agreed how vital it is to feel you can make a difference, get to know and care more for neighbours, feel more secure that someone will be keeping an eye out in our fire prone area and generally bring the community together. Added to this there were over 12 in the CFA tent serving BBQ food, ably led by James Cole (Captain),

Glenda Athey and Chris, Bill and Jenny Burridge, Barbara and John Young, Haridas Fairchild, and others. Six or so led by Maureen Timson and her family served superb Barista coffee. And then there were all of Pat's volunteers who do it every year. All in all, it is a remarkable effort from a population of about 350. Mount Alexander Shire Council also helped with roadside 'No Parking' signs to keep the traffic flowing and safe.

Paul Gahan's book 'Celebrating Fryerstown, Past and Present' continues to bring in calls and stories from new and different sources and has raised greater awareness of and interest in Old Fryerstown and the bush. The following message came through from John Ellis on Friday 19th: 'A phone call came from someone who had just come across the July 2015 Chat - or more specifically, Kay's article in it. It was a two part article and he was ringing because, try as he might, he was having troubles downloading Part 1 which was in the June 2015 edition. Easily fixed - that was emailed to him. An hour later a thank-you email arrived. It contained this moving sentence... The Ben Edhouse in the Fryerstown article is my great, great grandfather, and 24 hours ago I had never heard of him! Amazing eh? And he went on to mention that... I might even be in Castlemaine towards the end of the year doing a talk at the library about my book. (see: www.theonlywomanatgallipoli.com or go and see it at Stomemans!)" Interestingly, while having lunch at the school during the Antique Fair, we met Simon Edhouse with his young son. Simon provided me with all the material for the 2015 article. So we have been able to put those two distant relatives in contact with each other! Kay Thorne.

Photos courtesy Max Lesser - who responded to a frantic email. Thanks Max!

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We Call Fryerstown HomeJulie Millowick, Christopher Derzsy and Marion Williams bring their own unique perspective to the visual interpretation of the Fryerstown environment and its inhabitants. Photography is used to visually explore the diverse and unique elements of the town; fragments from the gold rush era, local fauna, the beauty of a landscape that has survived the ravages of intense mining, and of course, the diverse people who have gravitated to the area and now Call Fryerstown Home. It is a place of contradictions; isolated yet connected, harshly barren yet at times lush and fruitful, echoing with stories of indigenous dispossession and gold miners’ miseries as well as tales of fortune and prosperity. This is our home.

• Location: Cell 41 - the Old Library at the Old Castlemaine Gaol

• Times: 11am - 4 pm on Sat 12th – Mon 14th and Sat 19th – Sun 20th March

• Phone: 0411 462951

• Email: [email protected]

Paterson’s CurseA recent Facebook question posted by Daniel Bee Shepherd asked, “Has anyone seen any Paterson’s curse (Echium plantagineum) around Castlemaine or surrounds?”

The simple answer is yes - in Chewton! Any ex-horse paddock where hay was brought in seems to have the seeds for the problem. These pics came from an ex-horse containment area that is beside Forest Creek just downstream from the Monster Meeting site. Established plants (right) were flowering despite the dry, and rosettes (below) looked pretty healthy too.

According to Agriculture Victoria, “Paterson’s curse flowers from July to January and sets seed from August to March. Seeds germinate from March to May and plants die off from around December to February. As Paterson’s curse is an annual, it completes its life cycle, from germination to the production of seed, in one year and then dies.”

Paterson’s Curse is native to regions around the western Mediterranean and was naturalised in Australia between 1850 and 1900. It occurs mainly in degraded pastures, on roadsides and in disturbed sites. It is poisonous to

grazing animals, with pigs and horses most susceptible. It is well-named

because Patto is a genuine curse!

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Think global, act localTilly Griffiths, 9, of Fryerstown delighted residents and friends recently when she ran a ‘pop-up’ café at the old Fryerstown School, raising funds for the charity organisation OrphFund.

“I met Steve (Steve Argent, founder of OrphFund) at his stall at the Castlemaine Artists’ Market and helped out collecting donations. Steve then told me what the money raised would buy. It’s a really good charity and I wanted to raise money for them,” Tilly explains. “I like to cook and be a waitress, and I had tonnes of fun helping a friend run a charity afternoon tea in Melbourne once, so I thought that if I ran a café with a bigger range of food I could make more money to do more things for people in need.”

When asked how she felt the about the experience, Tilly said, “It was a bit stressful but it feels good to raise money for something you believe in. I enjoyed making meals for people and I learned how generous people can be for a good cause. The Fryerstown School even waived the fee to use the space.”

With the help of her parents and older sister, the café served a range of delicious crepes, toasted sandwiches, pasta, a fruit tart and hot and cold drinks.

Tilly raised just over $312 for OrphFund, which will feed a child at school a meal every day for a year.

For more details about OrphFund visit www.orphfund.org.au

Photos are of Tilly’s tea service, and Steve Argent was delighted to receive the donation from Tilly.

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Hi all,I hope everyone has enjoyed the beautiful weather. It is a busy time on Council with the new year well under way. I was pleased to see the youth engagement policy adopted at Tuesday night’s meeting. Cars and sport were the focus when I was growing up. We are now in the communication age where everyone has instant access to everything. It makes me wonder are we spending too much time with devices rather than enjoying our surrounds.

It is worth noting that Council meetings are public meetings so everyone is welcome to attend. Community engagement is very high on the agenda and Councillor listening posts are scheduled over coming months.

It was good to see the plans for the new supermarket which is to be built on the old gas works site. This project still needs to be ticked off by the Planning Minister but it will be great to see that site developed. Hopefully the new supermarket will encourage more people to shop local. Competition has to be a good thing.

Kangaroos on our roads continue to be a serious risk. The numbers do appear to be out of control. Our local panel beaters are making a fortune but that will eventually result in increased insurance premiums.

Councillors have been receiving a lot of feedback about costs and charges. With the work up of the budget we will look at containing costs where possible. Rate

Councillor’s Chat capping is being implemented in this year’s budget. What that means is there is a cap on Council’s overall budget increase. At an individual level there will still be variations on rates as a result of changes to property valuations.

Many of you will know I am very keen to get more development and new buildings underway. There are three reasons for this. It provides work for local trades people, contractors and businesses and it also has a flow on of rate revenue. The other aspect is an increase in dwellings allows more people to enjoy the lifestyle we enjoy in Mt Alexander Shire.Best regards to all, Tony

Cr. Tony Cordy, Calder Ward.0439 742 434

Listening PostsMount Alexander residents will have the opportunity to meet and discuss matters of interest with Councillors through a listening post in March.

Listening posts will be held on the first Saturday of each month. The next two are local.

• 9.30am – 11.30am on Saturday 5 March at the Chewton General Store.

• 9.30am – 11.30am on Saturday 2 April at Maxi IGA Supermarket Building, Castlemaine.

Taken from a Press Release.

Robert Maclaurin

exhibiting internationally, with gallery representation in London, edinburgh and melbourne,Scottish artist, robert maclaurin, original committee member and contributor to arts Open, iscurrently working in Scotland. robert is painting towards a large solo exhibition in edinburghlater this year, as well as a number of group shows in the Uk.

w: www.robertmaclaurin.com e: [email protected] continues to support arts Open even while swanning around europe like thefly fishing dandy he is.

painter and printmaker www.artsopen.com.au/artist/robert-maclaurin/

Arts Open - coming to a studio near you!

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Limited Seating with General Admission Only

This production is part of the 2016 Castlemaine Fringe Festival

Playhouse presents

Directed by Jeff Jones

Featuring

Sue Bester as Beth Susan Casey as Enid Carol McCoy as Pat

Steve Cooper as Father Jim Catherine Koerner as The Singer

and introducing Pietra Dekker at Vanessa

Tickets are $25 full price & $15 concession Bookings: www.trybooking.com/KAZE

Venue: Trades Hall, 127 Mostyn St., Castlemaine (next to Restorers Barn)

Four Shows Only!! Saturday 12th March @ 8pm Sunday 13th March @ 2pm Saturday 19th March @ 8pm Sunday 20th March @ 2pm

‘Come Back For Light Refreshments After The Service’

A play by Julie Day BY ARRANGEMENT WITH ORIGINTM THEATRICAL, ON BEHALF OF SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

From the production team

that brought ‘Outsiders’ to the

Castlemaine Fringe Festival & the Melb Fringe

Festival in 2014/2015

Guildford’s Ron Barassi bust project

The Guildford Community is in the process of erecting a plinth and bust in the John Powell Reserve to commemorate Ron Barassi’s connection to Guildford and his achievements in Australian Rules Football.

Ron was born in Castlemaine on February 27, 1936, the son of Ronald James and Elza Barassi. He spent his formative years in Guildford attending the Guildford Primary School before moving to Melbourne where he began one of the greatest football careers in VFL/AFL history.

Ron played 204 games for Melbourne (as Captain 1960-64), including six premierships, and 50 games for Carlton. He was in the all-Australian team three times and the AFL team of the century. He captain-coached Carlton and coached North Melbourne to two premierships each as

well as coaching Melbourne and Sydney. He is an official Legend of the AFL (1996) and a member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame (2006).

The Project is an initiative of the Vingt Cinq Club, a club which Ron is a long standing member, consisting of prominent football greats, ex-Olympians and other leading sportspeople, such that, it is sometimes referred to as the “Who’s Who of Australian Sportspeople”. The cast bronze bust, itself valued at $23,000, has been donated by the Club. This initiative is being realised by the Guildford Progress Association Inc. who are seeking further donations to construct the plinth and beautify the area of the John Powell Reserve where the bust will reside.

The unveiling ceremony is planned for 11.00am. on the 3rd of March 2016 with Ron Barassi AM, and many members of the Vingt Cinq Club and representatives of Mt Alexander Shire Council will be in attendance. Please contact Tony Shea on 0408 051 996 or [email protected] for further information.

The unveiling ceremony is planned for 11.00am. on the 3rd of March 2016 with Ron Barassi AM.

Many members of the Vingt Cinq Club are expected too!

ADVERTISEMENT

Authorised by M Edwards, 8 Panton Street, Golden Square.This material has been produced by Maree Edwards MP using her Parliament’s Electorate Office & Communications budget.

Listening Post held in Castlemaine last Friday of the Month 10am to 2pm.Please phone for appointment.

8 Panton Street, Golden Square VIC 3555P: 5444 4125

@mareeedwardsmp mareeedwardsmp

www.mareeedwards.com.au

13

While writing this issue I became aware that our term is almost at half way point. Now, admittedly, it is a short term, or maybe I am just getting older but whichever way you look at it, time seems moves fast on the hill at Chewton.

Our achievements in these first few weeks have been well worth celebrating. I recently completed a survey for the Department on how swimming is taught at our school. There was insufficient space on the form to fully express my admiration of our program. My summary comment stated that I believed we had the best swimming program of any public primary school in Victoria. The last two years have seen us complete the full 10 days with a minimum of 8 on our plan. Our students have season passes and this is greatly supported by the Chewton Pool Committee. We can walk to our venue and parents are always there to help with the pick up of younger students from the pool. Our staff do an amazing job with the children in the water and we have Patsy Braybrook as our coordinator. Every one of our grade 2 + students is working in deep water. Thank you Chewton for providing this very special venue.

My article would not be complete without commenting on enrolments. We have 63 students at our school this year and are running 3 full time classes with specialist areas in art, Chinese, social skills, music and computing. All of our teachers work with all of our classes and despite our increased numbers, we are able to connect with every child and family on a personal level.

Student leadership is a prime focus this year with our senior students taking a keen interest in many of the

Nurturing the whole child

in every child

programs offered. We have new school captains in Samuel and Amara however, a

record number of children expressed an interest in this role and presented some great cases during their election campaign speeches.

Our sustainability teams have started work with the ‘Waste Team’ currently working on a school policy document that will help ensure that the great work we are doing is imbedded in our curriculum. We have set a goal to be a 5 star sustainable school and with 3 of the 5 modules complete and the others near completion. I am confident we will have achieved this by the end of the year.

I am actually writing this Chat article on the bus (not a train) on the way to St Kilda. I am spending the day on the Pelican 1 catamaran learning how to use the new biodiversity tool in the bay. I was selected for this program in recognition of the achievements at our school so far. This opportunity is not a normal part of my job however despite needing to leave home at 5am, it was an invitation I was not planning on turning down. Our students get their turn soon, with a team heading to Philip Island as part of the Coastal Ambassadors Program. They will be learning skills in project leadership, coming back to Chewton to develop a presentation around an environmental issue relevant to our local environment.

With one more ‘Chat’ before the holidays I will leave some achievements for the next issue. Julie.

Trenches ExcavationsLandscaping

Posthole Digger Rubbish Removal

Driveway Construction

Phone Colin on 5470 5975 or 0417 509 699

At the swimming carnival More photos over the page.

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Chewton School never ceases to amaze! Last Friday afternoon the aspiring school leaders presented their campaign speeches. The art-room was filled with students, teachers and parents – a daunting scene for any public speaker! But seven children took turns to step up to the lectern and speak of what they could offer by way of leadership. Speeches that used expressions like leadership, role model, helping, school community, guidance – and each speech was applauded strongly at its conclusion. After photos to mark the occasion, the children filed out to cast their votes. Democracy in action in Chewton again!

Forward two days to assembly on Monday morning. Hats off and the National Anthem (both verses!) is sung. The children (and family members) celebrating birthdays for the week are acknowledged and a planned emergency drill for later in the morning is explained. A gas leak!

The school would have to be evacuated – mobile phones, medicines and all the important things that have to be taken were outlined. And everyone would be escorted to “safety” from the school-ground to the Chewton Community Centre. Impressive safety planning! Once the planned simulation was over, it was back to the agenda, and all 7 leadership contenders were called to the front.

Manager of Castlemaine’s National Australia Bank (NAB) Harry Koponen was at the school to present the captain and vice-captain badges. And then it was announced and the badges pinned on Sam and Amara. The applause that followed showed the decisions were well received – although principal Julie Bishop did point out that any of the 7 would have had the ability to carry out the role and do the school proud.

Photographs of the group, smiles, congratulations – and then it was back to the school’s prime business. Education! Just another day in the life of Chewton School.

Pretty impressive, huh?

Photos: The School Captain aspirants after their speeches - and Vice-Captain Amara and Captain Sam.

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School captains

15

63 students at Chewton in 2016! Who’d have believed it even a few years ago? And walking through the school’s front gate the new children, their parents and their friends can reflect on the history of education in this area as they read the plaque. A history that they are now part of…

Taking photos around Chewton School it is impossible to miss the support offered by Harry Koponen, Manager of Castlemaine’s National Australia Bank. Harry is a regular visitor, often presenting awards or performing official duties. And, as happened recently,

singing the National Anthem with the children! Harry was invited to tell us about his involvement with Chewton Primary...

It is a pleasure for me to support Chewton Primary School. This month I was thrilled to pin the badges on the new Vice Captain and Captain. Congratulations Amara and Samuel!

NAB has been a proud partner of The Alannah and Madeline Foundation since 2003 and has dedicated in excess of $4 million to date to the development of key initiatives to provide children with a safe and happy childhood. One of the initiatives developed to address the issue of bullying in Australian primary schools, is the Better Buddies Framework, a bullying prevention program that encourages older children to “buddy up” with younger children, who together participate in activities that foster happy and safe school communities.

My small way of contributing to help encourage the

Supporting Chewton school...

right values and behaviours at Chewton Primary School is to sponsor and present the annual Integrity Award. This award is voted on by all the students and recognises the student who consistently acts and behaves in the way deemed to be with greatest integrity for the year. Apart from a certificate, I am happy to present the winning student with a gift card for Stoneman’s Books

In the last couple of years I’ve visited the school I have been most impressed with how the school has grown and the work Julie Holden and the teachers have been doing.

Photos: Harry at the 2015 end of year award presentations, and with Scott, Amara and Sam after assembly.

Chewton’s best-kept little secret...

...a secret no longer!

16

Change, change, change... ad nauseamA well-known long-time Chewtonian shared an observation – going to the Post Office these days I don’t know anyone! How many times have we all heard that? Or thought that ourselves?

Change is constant, and seemingly getting faster! And it’s not only in Chewton… people notice it in other towns too In other cities! In other countries! People go. People arrive. Buildings spring up or disappear. Vegetation grows. Trees are removed. Our memories don’t match the new realities. Change, change, change!

Iris DeMent’s song “Our Town” captured this sentiment poignantlyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9-pDSYPrio&list=RDo9-pDSYPrio#t=75

as did Mark Knofler’s “Telegraph Road” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci3OyvBvWnQ

although many prefer the Dire Straits version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wtdFf5QLFw

When did Chewton start to change? On September 1st 1917 the Weekly Times published a letter to Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben apparently was the title of a children’s column in that paper (as well as in many other publications). 1917 - with WW1 in full swing there were obviously local concerns. 99 years ago this was penned – maybe what goes around comes around!

THE HISTORY OF CHEWTONHorace Berndt, who lives at Main Street, Chewton, writes:

Dear Uncle Ben,Chewton is the town I live in. It is about three miles from Castlemaine. It was once a mining town, but now all the mines are closed down, and Chewton has gone down a good deal also. Chewton has a post office, and a railway station. It is on the Bendigo line. The people of Chewton do their main shopping in Castlemaine. Chewton has a State School, No. 1054, and three halls. There are only four or five shops in Chewton, so you can tell that it is a very small town. There are many people shifting from Chewton to bigger towns, in order that the men may get: work. Chewton is a country town and I think that country life is far better than town life, therefore I would rather live in Chewton, where I was born. I am 12 years old.

That was 1917. Go back a little further - to 1859. From the Mount Alexander Mail Monday 19 September 1859, when the creation of a new Chewton municipality was in the air and blow-ins and changes were causing concern in Chewton! Not easy to read but entertaining!

Some excerpts from TO THE INHABITANTS OF CHEWTON.

...certain Yorkshire and Cornish Chapmen, dealers in chaff, metals, wood, pottery, &c., together with certain miners, millers, carpenters, and men of straw, dwelling within or about the confines of our district of Chewton, have basely conspired together to raise our territory into a township, and thereby cause taxation to fall upon the inhabitants thereof, under the pretext that our subjects shall be furnished with good roads, drainage, markets, gas, police protection, banks, court house, railway station, mechanics’ institute, and all such advantages as appertain to advanced civilization, thereby bestowing incalculable good on all residents as well as land owners in Chewton (as no doubt would be the case if the fellows succeed in their project), but under this pretext lies hid the fell design of personal aggrandisement, of causing these men to be made magistrates and common - oh how common - councillors...

...What want we of progress? Can we be better than we are?

...Let the cry be, We won’t have it. We won’t have it. What want we of progress? We won’t have it.The full letter is on chewton.net Facebook page and it concludes...

And may every Taffy’s blessing be with you. SADDITH. John Ellis.

17

Flawed Landscapes‘There is a crack, a crack in everything.That’s how the light gets in.’ Leonard Cohen, 1993

Flawed Landscapes is an exploration of scars on the landscape of the human body. Trauma and healing. Wounds and regeneration. Five women bear and bare their scars for photographer Marion ‘Maz’ Williams in a collaborative project combining words and images.

Cell wing wall 6, Old Castlemaine Gaol

11am - 4 pm, Sat 12th – Mon 14th and Sat 19th – Sun 20th March

Ph. 0411 462951 E. [email protected]

Facebook. Marion Williams Photography and Painting

Strange things are afoot this season! Parson’s Bands are Autumn orchids and are now flowering in the Wombat Forest. A Castlemaine family has noticed a fairy-wren family move through their place (something that is normally an annual autumn occurrence), the wattlebirds are flocking and on the move, and blueberries are already ‘turning autumnal’. A moth enthusiast has noticed that all the January emerging insects came out in November last year. And red robins are already being sighted in Golden Point, although Geoff Park has pointed out that they can be seen year round around Newstead. They are hard to find over summer but they are always there according to Geoff.

Geoff’s observations can be followed on https://geoffpark.wordpress.com/page/2/

We really are seeing a very strange spring/ summer/ autumn. More change in the air?

and even more observationsJust an observationWe all seem to notice when we think it is hotter, colder, wetter or dryer than what we consider "usual" for a certain time of year but are the animals really that much smarter than us? Do they actually know? Are they further north or south than "normal’? I can't answer those questions but here is a simple observation I have made since Christmas concerning our small feathered friends.

I have been sitting in the same place at our house on most mornings and evenings [having a cuppa ;-)] for more than seven years (that means from before the breaking of the last drought) and in that time I have been observing my birdbath which is filled daily.

The different bird species calling on us have been written on a chalkboard since day one. The number had stagnated at 53 for more than two years but as our countryside has dried out there have been regular visits by;

• Black-eared Cuckoo• Brown-headed Honeyeater• Fuscous Honeyeater• White-fronted Honeyeater• Willie WagtailThese have all been multiple visits not just one-off

sightings.There was also a Sacred Kingfisher but it was only

here for a few minutes.Now everybody will have a word to say about the

Willie Wagtail - that's not a rare sighting around here! - It is at our home. A lot of birds frequently seen "up the hill" in our area are often only occasional seasonal visitors to our home.

If only we could talk to the animals.............Glen Harrison.

A spectacular sacred kingfisher - a Geoff Park photo taken from the internet.

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MoBQ - Chewton’s community BBQThe MoBQ (Chewton Community BBQ) proved to be a popular event in February with a larger number attending. The nominal theme was Australia Day. A small number made an attempt to wear their Aussie pride, Nigel in particular in his blue singlet, stubby shorts and thongs with white socks. What appeared at first to be white socks, however, turned out to be just where the sun don’t shine. He is not a regular thong wearer and his tan stopped just above the ankles.

The larger than usual number of BBQers caused some congestion in the immediate area of the BBQ. Consequently there was a breakout group, of mainly aged-care professionals, who took up residence at the nearby picnic table. There wasn’t much shoptalk, however. It was more about life, and love, and love lost, and “I’ll have some more champagne”. By the conversation and general frivolity, it seem a good tonic for those who spend their working hours caring for others

March’s BBQ will be – you guessed it – the first Saturday of the month – in this case the 5th. The optional theme for March is “Black and White”. And please, can local Collingwood supporters refrain from the obvious?

Rob Palmer (who also supplied the photos).

NextMoBQMarch

5th6 p.m.Ellery Park

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Poetry Corner

Services for St. Johns, Chewton• TherewillbeaserviceonSaturdayat6pmforthefirst3Saturdays.WewillhaveamealtogetherafterthefirstSaturday,the5th.Everyoneiswelcome.

• We are unsure of Easter services until our newpriestcommencesonthe1stMarch.Pleasecheckthe local paper or the church office for EasterServices.WewouldlovetohaveyoucelebratethefestivalofEasterwithus.

Theofficephonenumberis54721137.

Figures of SpeechI sometimes sit and wonder - Why Good order should be “apple pie”. Could some bright person please explain: Why ev’rything is “right as rain”? Plain as the “nose upon your face”. Do noses have another place? Why can’t you “give a tinker’s cuss”? Would giving one be too much fuss? You tell me something “gets your goat”: Why not your badger or your stoat? And one with which my brain still grapples: That weird expression “She’ll be apples” Why can’t the speaker make it plain? Perhaps he means it’s “right as rain”.

David Watson January 2016.

Nonsense!A nonsense rhyme is one that doesn’t Like my darling kissing cousin t--Oo proud to mix with poor relation--S with ideas above their station.A nonsense verse is like a Panzer Tank careering t’wards a stanza Intent on winning wars with word--S that drunk’ly lean to the absurd.A nonsense poem’s one that’s writ--Ten not by poet but by wit Who, short of proper words and time, Writes anything to make a rhyme.*(* OrShort of proper words and rhyme Writes words like this to pass the time.)

David Watson February 2016.

YOUR TURN NOW?The Chewton Chat welcomes contributions to

Poetry Corner each month; just as news, articles, letters, photographs and ideas are welcomed. Email to [email protected]

or leave

in the Chat box at the Chewton General Store.

Sunday 13th March 9am-10am Dog’s Breakfast at Café

All well behaved dogs welcome Competitions and doggy bags

Bold Gallery reopens Saturday 12th March with a focus on Dogs

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Logo designed

by Morgan

Williamson.

Real Estate GossipProperties for sale around Chewton are listed as follows:

Bendigo Property Plus:• 40 Eureka Street, stone and weatherboard 4 bedroom,

3 bathroom family home with retreat and picturesque outbuildings located adjacent to the Diggings, 2000 sqm and 2 hectare leasehold, price range $470,000,00 - $495,000.00;

• 28 Eureka Street, well maintained and comfortable 3 bedroom brick home sits within well-established mature gardens on 1400 sqm. Outbuildings and rain water tank. For sale at $399,000.00.

Cantwells Real Estate:• 1/40 Madigans Road, craftsman built off-grid on

14.5 acres in the Bushlands with space for 6 vehicles, $349,000.00;

• 29 Old Reservoir Road, lightly forested 4 hectares with stone shack, $218,000.00;

• 11 Eureka Street, rear vacant level lot of 3030sqm with views across to the Bushlands. Township Zone with services available. Building covenant applied. $199,000.00;

• 50A Fryers Road, 1982sqm vacant site with panoram-ic views, located on the fringe of town, $129,000.00;

• 28 Albert Street, 674sqm vacant site with north-east-ern views to the Castlemaine Diggings National Heri-tage Park, services available, $159,000.00;

• 41 Galway Street, 2 bedroom mud brick with stone facing home in peaceful setting not far from the centre of town on 5.26 hectares of box iron bark trees. Trust for Nature protected adjoining Crown land. Well set up for off grid living with organic vegetable garden. Additional Architecturally designed plans for an 8.5 energy rated dwelling by local Architect Geoff Crosby available upon negotiation, $379,000.00;

• Lots 1 & 2 Archers Road, each lot measures 1600 – 1700 sqm, spectacular views and planning permits for a dwelling on each, $185,000.00 each lot;

• 14 Church Street, elevated 1050 sqm lot with northern views to Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, services to front boundary, $160.000.00;

• 562 Pyrenees Highway, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms with multiple indoor and outdoor living areas. Multiple shedding on 2 hectares. $695,000.00;

• 1/72 Steele Street, north facing vacant allotment of approximately 2234sqm. Backing onto state forest but with services available. $190,000.00;

• 225 Sparks Road, 58 hectares on the edge of the Bushland for sale, reduced to $480,000.00.

Cassidy Real Estate:• 97 Pyrenees Highway, 2 bedroom, 2 living areas and

plenty of period features. Large allotment of 1500sqm with workshops and room for several cars. For sale at $515,000.00;

• 29 Mount View Road, 2 bedroom stone home nestled in 6 acres of the Bushlands, offering views over Chewton itself, $349,000.00 (UNDER OFFER).

Castlemaine Property Group:• 114 Fryers Road, clean and crisp 2 bedroom with low

maintenance gardens on the rural edge, $275,000.00 - $295,000.00;

• 23 Archers Road, light filled contemporary home designed around environmentally principles, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, with professionally designed gardens and spectacular views, $740,000.00,

• 77 Pioneers Road, single bedroom log cabin set high in the Bushlands with views over Chewton and onto Castlemaine, $295,000.00.

Waller Realty: • 173 Main Road, renovated 1800s miners cottage right

in the middle of town, 2 bedrooms and terraced rear gardens, $329,000.00;

• 184 Goldspeck Road, 2 separate mudbrick homes, off grid and bursting with character. Located high in the bushlands, on over 2 hectares, with dam and bushlands. For sale at $425,000.00;

• 717 Pyrenees Highway, 3 bedroom double storey home on 3 acres on the rural edge of town, in ground solar heated pool, great outdoors areas and outbuildings, $565,000.00;

• 107 Sinnett Street, interesting vacant parcel of 2711sqm with some services connected, for sale at $195,000.00;

• 6 Baker Street, charming early goldrush miners hut sympathetically restored and extended, 3 bedrooms and a north facing verandah , located in the heart of town, $355,000.00;

• 16 Main Road, 1 acre with views over the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. With a sealed road frontage and the walking track into Castlemaine at rear. Connected to the reticulated sewerage system and with all other services available, $250,000.00.

Lynne Williamson.

NICK HASLAM

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Sprout bread now availableWednesdays, Fridays and weekends!

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At the first meeting of POHAG for 2016 several unresolved issues were discussed with a view to finalizing them during this year.

Further funding from Communities for Nature has been received to maintain weed control measures and improve habitat for phascogales. POHAG reps have met with Asha Bannon, newly appointed Landcare Facilitator with Connecting Country and Peter Barrow, leader of the Green Army group that will be in the area for several days assisting with rubbish removal and weed control.

A major project this year is to prepare an historical, photographic and written record of Post Office Hill to be added to the Chewton Town Hall collection. Bronwyn Silver, a keen photographer and experienced in this type of venture has kindly offered advice and guidance in its implementation. Further information to come in future Chats.

The next meeting will be on Sunday 13th March at 10am. First in the Chewton Town Hall - then moving to Post Office Hill. All welcome!

Ian O’Halloran (President).

POHAGPost Office Hill Action Group

Castlemaine Evening VIEW Club is moving

After many years of meeting at Chewton Senior Citizens Hall, the VIEW Club is moving to another venue for their meetings. We would like to thank the Chewton Senior Citizens for their support to our Club over the past years. They have been very helpful in accommodating our needs each month. We would also like to acknowledge their support for the Smith Family’s Learning for Life programme. The Club sponsored a student for many years. This was greatly appreciated.

Jill Brennan President.

Underground activity!

Mining is still going on in central Chewton! But by animals rather than people. The clearing of the pines on Argus Flat has exposed this very active hole just above

Forest Creek. Plenty of footprints and evidence of activity. Can anyone guess what the animal(s) is/are?

22

The Sustainable Living Workshop Series was developed to assist residents and farmers to live and work more sustainably as part of Council’s plan to foster the development of environmentally responsible and liveable communities across Mount Alexander Shire.Bookings are required for these free workshops. Spaces are limited in some workshops. For more information or to register your interest contact Dallas Giles, Healthy Environments Administration Officer on (03) 5471 1768 or [email protected] details are subject to change without notice. The next two workshops planned for March and April are:

MosaicingSaturday 19 March 10.30am – 12.30pm

Castlemaine Botanical Gardens Tea Rooms, Castlemaine.Whether you’re a mosaicing pro or just a beginner, this workshop will open your mind

to the artistic ways you can use your old or broken cups, plates and tiles. The workshop will be presented by local mosaicer Sue Tomlinson who will teach you some handy tips and tricks about all things mosaic.

Salvage artSaturday 16 April 10.30am – 12.30pmRay Bradfield Rooms, Victory Park.

Chloe Gunn is back again by popular demand for another of her fabulous salvage art workshops, where you’ll turn recyclable goods into practical stuff. Come along to this great hands-on workshop and learn how to make your very own wallet out of Bonsoy milk cartons. Open for all, this workshop will inspire you to get crafty with your own stuff at home.

There are limited positions for these workshops so please book early.

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Tom and his hand-crafted horses...We’ve seen the garden furniture Tom Taft is always creating because items are often on display. But it was an eye-opener to be invited in to see the smaller wood carvings Tom does. Horses, birds, angels as well as those themed chess sets the Chat featured some time ago.

Time for another photo of Tom with one of his creations!

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Golden Point Landcare’s 2016 calendarThis calendar is a guide to the year’s events and there will be more information in the Chat each month - and more information can be found on

www.connectingcountry.org.au

Birds on our Blocks as our focus:

March: Mount Alexander Schools Landcare Day - contact with Chewton PSMarch 6th: Clean Up Australia Day Expedition Pass Res 10 a.m. March 9th: Connecting Country Project/EOI presentation to combined Chewton/Chewton Bushlands/GPL Landcare at Chewton Town Hall 7 p.m.March 19th: Connecting Country’s Feathered Five Festival (post on CCs website)

May: Guided walk to Golden Point ReservoirJune 5th: World Environment Day (and winter) - theme for 2016 is ‘Join the race to make the world a better place’July 31st: National Tree Planting Day along Forest CreekAugust: GPL AGM August 30th or September 6th or 13th: Schools Landcare Day event - attending/helpingSept 11th: Landcare Open Day October: Working bee on weeds along Forest Creek October 24/25th Camp-out-on-the-Mount Pine tree pull.Late Nov/Early Dec - native grass ID/seed collection workshop

Other related events include a second Landcare Linkup and a FOBIF Eucalypt Guide launch.

Winners of the 2014 Mount Alexander Shire Heritage Award for sustainability Lesley Wright and Ian Jones are encouraging others to nominate for this year’s awards.

A 159 year-old brick cottage is not the architectural style that usually comes to mind when imagining environmental sustainability, but Ian Jones and Lesley Wright have managed to transform their cold and draughty nineteenth-century house into an environmentally efficient and cosy home.

Ian and Lesley won the 2014 Mount Alexander Heritage Award for sustainability for a renovation and refurbishment to their Castlemaine home.

“The project was hard work, so winning the award reinforced to us that it was special and worthwhile,” said Lesley.

The couple are encouraging others to nominate heritage projects around the Shire for the next round of awards.

“The awards are a great way to showcase that heritage projects are both feasible and doable,” said Ian. “Particularly in relation to sustainability, the more people who become aware that modern solutions can be sensitively incorporated into old homes means these projects will become more common, and older homes more energy efficient.”

The couple installed wall, floor and ceiling insulation, photovoltaic solar power and solar hot water. They also sealed the building to prevent draughts and installed a heat exchanger as part of the one year project.

“When we began this project there wasn’t much interest in making ‘green’ changes, but fortunately that seems to have changed now,” said Lesley.

The judges’ decision was based on the unobtrusive manner in which modern solutions had been applied to a heritage home, whilst retaining its architectural character.

Nominations for the 2016 Mount Alexander Heritage Awards are open in six categories including:

• Creative reuse and contemporary design in a heritage place

• Incorporation of sustainability principles in heritage restoration/adaptation

• Specialist heritage trade skills• Heritage advocacy• Adaptation and conservation of historic commercial

spaces• Restoration of a heritage place

Nominations close on Friday 4 March. To learn more about the awards or to make a nomination visit http://mountalexanderheritageawards.com.au.


2016 Mount Alexander Shire Heritage Awards

CHEWTON SERVICE STATION

* Trading hours 6am - 7pm every day* Winter diesel additive available on request* Premium 98 available* BULK FUEL DELIVERIES* Firewood, Ice, Swap N Go gas bottles, Grocery items* $1 SOFT DRINK CANS* Photocopy services* Slushy & Coffee now available* Like us on Facebook for a chance to win monthly fuel vouchers

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[email protected]

24

what’s on? This is our new column where you can

advertise what’s happening at your gallery, theatre, or studio: anything arts related can be

advertised here. It’s very affordable: up to 50 words for $5.

If you would like your arts event listed in the What’s On? column, please send your information in no more than 50 words to [email protected] by 15th of the month for inclusion in the following edition of The Chewton Chat.

Payment for your listing can be made where you buy your copy of the Chewton Chat: please place payment in an envelope along with your details.

Anyone placing a paid display ad in The Chewton Chat gets their event listed in What’s on? for free.

The Monster Meeting Book by Jan Wositzky and edited by Pat Healy is now available from the Chewton Domain Society (contact Pat 0422 759 661), the Chewton General Store (Main Road Chewton) and the Castlemaine Tourist Information Centre in Mostyn Street. Cost is $20

The Castlemaine Artists Market trades on the first Sunday of each month (excl January) and is based on a strong commitment to things that are individually handmade and objects of beauty or artistic intent made with skill and care. Arts Open Labour Day Weekend 12 - 14 March 2016, and 19 - 20 March 2016. For more information about Arts Open, go to the website: http://www.artsopen.com.au/ or ring Michelle Day on 0417-825-261.

Arts Open kicks off in March. The Chat has offered free space to artists with a Chewton or Chat connection and their ads appear through this edition. Please support them!And our Art Chat editor is leading a tour through India at present. This is what she’s been up to...

Hello Chewtonites! Your arts correspondent is currently absorbing some of the ancient and modern artistic treasures of India. Here is an extract from my ongoing blog from the subcontinent. I hope you enjoy some of the ancient art of India.

The day had been busy, spending a lot of time in open-sided autoricks with the late winter breezes tangling my hair and rendering me a rather scruffy, but happy, in-dividual. The mission today was to visit the wonderful Calico Museum of Textiles and stepwells Adalaj and Dada Harir Vav.

After a sustaining Indian style breakfast with some excellent masala chai (spiced tea), I headed off to the Mu-seum, only to find that I had missed the one very controlled tour (restricted to 20 visitors) for the day and would have to book in for Monday. I’ve visited the museum on an ear-lier trip, but for serious lovers of textiles, one can never get enough of this place. It is one of the most celebrated in-stitutions of its kind in the world for its distinguished and

25

comprehensive collection of textiles and artefacts from all over India with some exhibits from other cultures includ-ing an Australian Aboriginal dillybag.

Unable to visit the museum, I was, however, able to visit both stepwells and am in awe of the skills of the engineers, designers and artisans who created these very practical structures. Stepwells are wells or ponds in which the water is reached by descending a set of steps. They are most common in western India, but are also found in the more arid regions of South Asia, extending into Paki-stan. Stepwells are examples of the many types of storage and irrigation tanks that were developed in India, mainly to cope with seasonal fluctuations in water availability. They also provided a welcome cool place for people dur-ing the heat of summer. Unfortunately, most are now dry and out of use due to changes in weather patterns and the dropping of the water table.

Some stepwells are quite austere in their design (see Agrasen ki Baoli in Delhi), and then there are Adalaj and Dada Harir Vav. Both are a riot of intricately carved sandstone which after more than 500 years is amazingly crisp in most places. They have a lot of similarities in design, with Dada Harir Vav the more accessible in a quiet corner of old Ahmedabad near the Hazrat Harir Mosque. Just a stone’s throw from the railway line, a quiet dusty street lined with with chai and snack stalls leads to the unassuming entrance to this amazing monument.

One enters the stepwell area via a metal turnstile to a vista of not very interesting ground-level structures and an entrance portico with a view of the mosque in the back-ground. Steps lead down to the well five stories deep, and it is here that the true beauty of the structure reveals itself: layer after layer of pillars surround the nine sided poly-gon shaped-well, and as one descends, the air is noticeably cooler, even though there is no longer any water in the well. One would never guess from the streets above of the architectural treasures below.

If you would like to read about more Indian treasures, visit https://kasutours.wordpress.com/category/blog/

Beverley Bloxham.

Aussie comedy with a twistFollowing sell-out shows at last year’s Castlemaine Fringe Festival, Hobo Playhouse is back with a wonderful Australian comedy, Come Back for Light Refreshments After the Service, in March.

Directed by Jeff Jones, this beautifully written play by Julie Day is packed with laughs and also has quite a few dramatic twists.

“You will be laughing in the aisles one minute, gasping at the severe honesty of the characters the next and you might even end up wiping a few tears away at the end of the show,” Jeff said.

Set in a kitchen in Melbourne in the 1980s, the play follows four women as they prepare traditional food - you know, curried egg sandwiches, asparagus rolls, cakes, party pies and pots of tea - for a wake.

Beth’s father slowly succumbed to Alzheimer’s and she nursed him for five years. Now that he has passed away, Beth suddenly announces that she plans to sell the house and go backpacking around Europe.

“It’s a shock to some of the women but welcomed by others and that’s what creates the tension in this play,” Jeff said. “The play is about relationships and the different expectations of three generations of Australian women as they explore the role of carers in our community.”

The cast includes Sue Bester, Susan Casey, Carol McCoy, Pietra Dekker, Steve Cooper and Catherine Koerner.

The play garnered rave reviews and a Fringe Award for Excellence at the Edinburgh Festival.

Tickets: $25 adults/$15 concession.Don’t miss the chance to see Come Back for Light

Refreshments After the Service at Trades Hall, 127 Mostyn St., Castlemaine on Saturday, March 12 at 8pm; Sunday, March 13 at 2pm; Saturday, March 19 at 8pm and Sunday, March 20 at 2pm. Bookings: www.trybooking.com/KAZE

Susan Casey (left) and Pietra Dekker rehearse a scene in Come Back for Light Refreshments After the Service.

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There’s diamonds in those hills – Diamond Firetails, that is. This jewel of a bird is one of the ‘feathered five’, our very special woodland bird species that are a focus for Connecting Country. Over the years, we have supported a number of on-ground projects that strive to ensure these five species and other woodland birds are flourishing in the Mount Alexander region of central Victoria now and in the future.

Our inaugural Feathered Five Festival is a celebration of woodland birds and their habitat with two days of birdwatching, activities and talks over the weekend of 19-20 March. However, you don’t need to be a budding birdwatcher to attend the free Saturday Evening Forum on the 19th of March in Campbells Creek.

From 5pm until 6pm, Connecting Country staff members will be on hand to answer your land management concerns; Bonnie Humphreys can help you identify any plant, Jarrod Coote will consider whole farm planning and funding opportunities, Tanya Loos knows lots about birds and other fauna, Alex Schipperen is great with practical things such as fencing and the control of weeds and rabbits, and Asha Bannon will help you link-up with your local Landcare Group. You can bring along any plant samples you’d like identified and you can contact us beforehand if you’d like a detailed aerial photo of your property to discuss. Meanwhile, Judy Laycock will be running some exciting nature art activities with the kids.

Following a tasty dinner from Growing Abundance and music by Castlemaine’s Chat Warblers, we are thrilled to have Professor Andrew Bennett, from Latrobe University and the Arthur Rylah Institute, and Phil Ingamells, from the VNPA, share their thoughts on the future of biodiversity in the area. Andrew has been a scientific advisor to Connecting Country since 2010 and will discuss “Drought then flooding rains; how do woodland birds respond to climatic change?” Phil Ingamells is sure to inspire us with his talk “Collaborating on ten things we can all do to help nature adapt to a new climate”. A short panel discussion will take place after the talks.

On both mornings of the Feathered Five Festival, bird walks in search of the feathered five will occur in various locations around the Mount Alexander region. Connecting Country’s Woodland Bird Coordinator, Tanya

Diamonds in the hills and speakers by the creek:

Feathered Five Festival

Loos, explains that “in the last year or two, through walks and workshops, we have been encouraging a cohort of budding birdwatchers to get out there and improve their birdwatching skills. This weekend is their time to shine as a number of community led walks will be carried out simultaneously on the Saturday morning – the feathered five drive!”

On the Sunday morning, we’re pleased take part in a guided nature walk with a special focus on woodland birds and their habitat. The walk will take place at a private property in Strangways which is a woodland wonderland, with a lovely grassy understory and grand old eucalypts. This joint Connecting Country and the Friends of Box Ironbark Forest (FOBIF) event will be led by Tanya Loos and Andrew Skeoch from Listening Earth.

You can come to one event – or all three! Bookings are essential.

www.connectingcountry.org.au/featheredfivefestivalFor more information and to book, or call Connecting

Country on 5472 1594. This festival has been made possible with funding from the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust and the Australian Government.

Photo: This Diamond Firetail is damp and covered in dew from the recent much needed rainfalls that have

graced the Castlemaine region in recent weeks. Photo by Geoff Park (Natural Newstead).

27

You are invited to an information session on Wednesday 9th March at the Chewton Town Hall starting at 7.30 p.m. (the hall will be open from 7 p.m. with the kettle on) and to meet Asha Bannon, Landcare Facilitator for the Mount Alexander region

Connecting Country is a not-for profit community organisation which aims to restore landscapes and biodiversity across the Mount Alexander shire and immediate surrounds.

It currently has the capacity to take on new projects on private land during 2016 and 2017. If your property or project area is found to meet the criteria, the activities that we support can include:

• Site management plans • Bushland protection• Revegetation of paddocks• Weed and Rabbit Control • Grazing Regime Change

If you are interested in a project on your property or would like to know more, you can also contact Jarrod or Bonnie at Connecting Country.

• Site management plans: With input and feedback from the landholder, our technical specialists will develop a plan for the property which identifies its environmental values (including flora lists), the threatening processes and agreed management actions.

• Bushland protection: We will support the management of existing remnant bushland areas, and also in younger vegetation areas that are naturally regenerating, by actions such as the installation and repair of protective fences, pest control and supplementary planting.

• Revegetation of paddocks: Using specially-designed machinery, we will sow locally sourced indigenous seed (including Eucalyptus and Acacias) within your property. We also provide tubestock plantings where direct seeding is impractical.

• Weed and Rabbit Control: Our works crew will assist landholders in the control of rabbits and environmental weeds using best practice methods.

• Grazing Regime Change: In some situations, we can support bushland protection and enhancement through stewardship payments for grazing regime change.

Find out more about...Connecting Country - 2016 Environmental Works Opportunity

Applications for New Projects Now Open

[email protected] or call 5472 1594.

Volunteers falling off?The ABS has revealed an alarming fall off in the level of volunteering in Australia, from 36% in 2010 to 31% in 2014. Those who do volunteer are increasingly doing more jobs with less time at their disposal. This inevitably triggers burnout, which leads to more departures (not to mention dysfunction), which means fewer hands still to share the load, and on it goes. Volunteering as we know it may well be in its death throes. But people do still want to give. We have to find another way to help them do that. Make 2016 the year that you rethink your volunteering strategy. Courtesy of www.ourcommunity.com.au

Local volunteers acknowledged!

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Expedition Pass Reservoir is a fantastic community asset, appreciated and used by many. As part of the Coliban System it had fulfilled various roles during its long existence. When Coliban Water identified it as in excess to its needs the first thought was to breach it. That was in the 1990s. An economic decision as there was no return for them. Fortunately, wise heads prevailed and the newly created Mount Alexander Shire being run by interim commissioners purchased it. But the mandatory annual consultant reports cost app. $10,000 a year with no income to offset it. So when the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage park was created the shire handed the res. on to Parks Victoria. And that’s where it sits – no income but upkeep costs. But there are risks – big risks!

An early February Sunday afternoon was passing peacefully until a roar of some trail bikes approached along Chapel Street. About 60 kangaroos dining in the neighbouring property took off over fences and directly across a road. Fortunately the 4 utes that came hurtling over the hill on that road had gone through minutes earlier.

But the trailbikes turned off the road, rode over a pushed down boundary fence and entered the Expedition Pass Reservoir reserve – in the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. More noise as the bikes were ridden into and across Forest Creek and the res. spillway. On to the dam bank itself (passing the no trailbike sign on the way), then down the wall, across the bottom and up the wall just before Golden Point Road. Unbelievable! But the images of the bikes and riders, especially that distinctive blue and white outfit worn by one, will live on.

Off road riding is only an issue for some trail-bikers apparently. But some areas are more fragile than others and those “some” trail-bikers need to be a little more aware of their surroundings.

Expedition Pass Reservoir is fragile. Very fragile. Built in the late 1860s the reservoir embankment is made of earth with a puddle core, made before modern machinery was available, so was compressed by flocks of sheep being driven to and fro during the construction period. A mud

core wall such as this one is vulnerable to erosion so recent works have removed trees that were growing along the wall for fear they would topple and their roots would expose the “innards” of the wall to erosion. The

first photo is of the res. in 1878, long before dirt bikes became an issue there (the big issue then was obviously tree removal for the mines and industry!).

A visual inspection of the wall is done continually and regularly, and an annual engineering report is a requirement for all major Australian dams – and this is classified as one! Any wear or damage to the wall has to be constantly repaired. Expensive, with no income to offset the costs. If only the original designers and builders had sufficient foresight and trailbike-proofed the res! But then, in 1868, a blue and white clad rider ripping into the wall would have seemed too far-fetched to give credit to. Just as the stupidity or selfishness of someone in 2016 being so thoughtless or dismissive of the value of a community asset would have been hard to countenance.

A community asset deserving of protection

Footnote:When this item was posted on the chewton.net

Facebook page earlier in February it attracted some defensive comments - and some aggressive ones. The reason for articles like this is not to promote such behaviour, but to put a spotlight on thoughtless and/or illegal behaviour and, hopefully, bring it to the notice of senior members of that fraternity so some mentoring and counselling of their less disciplined colleagues can take place.

Chewton.net Facebook... https://www.facebook.com/Chewtonnet-288889464550308/

LICENSED FOR ROADWORTHY

VEHICLE TESTINGPetrol and Gas

Ring 5472 3469Main Road, Chewton

CHEWTON GARAGE

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Dredging at Golden Point As the the Metcalfe Heritage Study explains...Dredging also became popular during this

period. A dredge was a floating barge equipped with gravel and water pumps and powered by steam engines. They avoided the need for a transported water supply by actually working in the creek beds and swampy gullies, scooping up water and gravel from metres below the surface. George Brown, local historian, writes that “Mile upon mile of the district’s main leads were treated in this way leaving behind great heaps of tailings and other debris”. One of the two main dredges at work in the Forest Creek locality between 1903 and 1911, Endall’s, obtained 10,500 ounces of gold after dredging 59 acres of land. During the 1930s depression, both sluicing and dredging proved particularly lucrative due to the rising price of gold.

The photo is an old one taken of a dredge operating at Golden Point. But occasionally

dredging caused issues as the article on the left shows. From the Mount Alexander Mail 10 November 1909:

The Town Clerk reported that the dredge at Golden Point had approached close to the edge of the road near Mr. E Madigan’s. The company were now working away from the road, and the manager stated that the present excavation would be filled in by the next paddock worked. A temporary fence had been placed there for the protection of traffic. Adopted.

A traffic hazard we don’t have today! Thankfully.

Pooling photos...

Carnival, Blue Light, sports, certificates

Chewton Pool has it all!Make the most of what’s left of summer...

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Welcome to the Green Army Crew and its leader who will be supporting local groups in our area over the next few months. Chewton Landcare, Post Office Hill Action Group and Golden Point Landcare all have projects and plans to improve the crown land in our community. A lot of this work is dependent on the removal and management of weeds to start with (mainly blackberry and gorse) and this is where the crew's assistance is invaluable. Once this hard yakka is done these areas look just so different - the native plants have a chance to grow, birds and other animals can thrive, heritage and geological sites are revealed, walking tracks formed and a feeling of space can be appreciated by the locals.

Many people think that it is the responsibility of the various governments to do this work - and perhaps they are right but it seems that it is not a high priority at the moment so local groups continue with the work and appreciate all the support we can get.

This Green Army Program is funded by the Federal Government and is happening because of the broad partnerships with the North Central Catchment Management Authority, Manpower, Parks Victoria working with Connecting Country, the Landcare Facilitator and the local community groups.

For further information contact your local Landcare Group - Chewton's Pat Healy on 0422 759 661 or Golden Point's Marie Jones on 5472 2892.

Green Army in Chewton

Residents of Mount Alexander Shire have another opportunity to provide input into an action plan outlining how Council will reduce its carbon emissions and adapt to climate change over the next five years.

The draft Climate Change Action Plan will be available for public comment until Sunday 13 March.

Mount Alexander Shire Council Director Sustainable Development Jason Taylor said Council is seeking feedback from all members of the community. “The plan outlines the actions Council will take to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and move towards becoming carbon neutral,” said Mr Taylor. “It has been developed through many meetings with community groups, within Council and through a four-week consultation period late last year. We’ve incorporated a lot of feedback into this final draft and are making the document available for final comment before it goes before Council.”

To view the plan and provide input visit the Have your say section of Council’s website from Monday 29 February. Submissions must be received by midnight on Sunday 13 March.

A printed copy is available from the Civic Centre in Castlemaine on request.


Climate change action planTime to have your say...

Photos courtesy Asha Bannon.

31

We need friendly people with an appreciation of Chewton’s history, who are prepared to give 3 hours one Saturday or Sunday each month. Please ring Allan Dry 54723385 or Elaine Appleton 54722498 if you would like to be part of the team.

TOWN HALL EXHIBITION ROSTERSATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS (& most Public Holidays) 1pm to 4pm SCHOOL HOLIDAYS WEEKDAYS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

March, 2016Saturday 5 Glen Sunday 6 Rose Saturday 12 Frank Sunday 13 Elaine Saturday 19 MarionSunday 20 IreneSaturday 26 AllanSunday 27 Frank

Daylesford Advocate, Yandoit, Glenlyon and Eganstown Chronicle - 9th March 1916

A RECORD LOAD.On the weighbridge at Will’s Square a record load was registered yesterday morning, when mining gear from the Francis Ormond mine at Chewton was weighed prior to being taken to its destination, the Central Ajax.

A magnificent team of eleven horses drew the huge winding wheels of solid iron, and when the weigh bridge showed a weight of 15 tons 15 cwt. Cr King informed us that this was the record registration for the Borough weighbridge.

Jas. Jackson, carrier, of Castlemaine was responsible for the safe transfer of this immense load, and is to be con-gratulated on having safely negotiated a record in carrying for this district. The wagon itself weighed 1¾ tons, the front tyres measuring 4½ inches, and the back 4.

The loaded wagon and team standing against the sur-roundings of a typically Australian township made an in-teresting and impressive picture.

Mount Alexander Mail - 4th March 1916RED CROSS SOCIETY - CHEWTON BRANCH.

Contents of boxes forwarded to the depot for the month ending February 29th :- Box No. 1 - 15 flannel shirts (¾-sleeves), 11 pairs socks, 2 mufflers, 1½ dozen face washers. 1½ dozen hand kerchiefs, 1 dozen pillow slips, 3 sheets, 1 pair cuffs, 1 packet cornflour, 3 lead pencils, 1 tin tobacco. Box No. 2 - 18 flannel shirts, 4 cholera belts, 10 scarves.

Donations of goods :- Mrs Bloch, senr., 1 bed rest; Miss J. Johnson, 1 pair socks; Miss M. Johnson, 1 pair socks; Mrs R. Ottery, 1 pair paintings; Miss O. Bloch, 1 pair cuffs; Mrs Hawkins, packet cornflour.

Cash donations :- Proceeds of raffle of canary and cage, donated by Mrs J. Cock (per Miss Nelson), 10/; sale of “Zekle’s” Poems (Mrs G. Cribbes), 12/; Red Cross

Chewton - 100 years ago... box, 4/0½; Mrs Snell, Mrs T. Ottery, 5/ each; Mrs White, Mr W. Ebbott, 3/ each; Miss J. John son, 2/6; Mrs J. Dennis, Mrs Wind, Mr Kent, Mrs O. Juniper, Mrs H. Juniper, Mrs P. Elliott. Mrs D. Morrison, Mrs Dickenson, 2/ each; Mrs Curtayne, Mrs H. Juniper, Mrs Felstead, Mrs Edgell, Mrs J. Archbold, Mr Huckle, Mrs Richards, Mrs Millar, 1/ each; total, £8/8/0½.

Glen Harrison.

Have you moved into Chewton recently and want to know about your house - or your area?

Or have you read somewhere about a long lost relative who once lived here?

Or want to know if there’s a story about what used to be there before the pine trees?

Or are just interested in people and places?Volunteers are available to help you in your search

for information at the

People and Places DisplayOpen 1-4 p.m. at weekends

Chewton Town Hall

Chewton Post OfficeUnclaimed letters

This was on the 8th of January 1858 so they probably aren’t still there.

32

Do you have a BBQ or morning tea coming up and want to provide re-usable crockery and mugs etc? Mount Alexander Sustainaibility Group hires out boxes of melamine plates,

crockery, utensils etc at very reasonable prices. ($15 per box of 50 plates or mugs for example).

The Wash Against Waste Trailer which contains quality crockery and crockery for up to 250 people can also be hired. It’s a locally designed and developed trailer powered by solar PV with solar hot water washing facilities that enables events to dramatically reduce the waste they produce.

Mount Alexander Sustainability GroupT: 5470 6978 or email [email protected]

The waw factor! Wow!

Wash Against Waste...

Council to continue weed control

Mount Alexander Shire Council at its February meeting responded to a petition asking for it to cease using glyphosate based weed elimination substances for weed control.

Council resolved to continue to trial organic herbicides. However the use of glyphosate for weed control in the shire will need to continue.

Council began the trial of a plant-derived weed control product last year. The cost to purchase this product is higher than glyphosate and its use during the trial period is focused on high-use public areas and playground surrounds.

“Our Parks and Garden Team has reported that the herbicide alternative is less effective than glyphosate for weed control, but we will continue to trial various products in response to the community’s concerns about chemical use,” said Jason Taylor, Director Sustainable Development, Mount Alexander Shire Council.

Mr Taylor said that work practices have changed over the last few years to reduce the use of glyphosate while balancing Council’s legislative land management responsibilities. “Glyphosate usage has also been limited and is used in accordance with national safety standards. Whereas once we might have sprayed weeds along the roadside, we now use other methods like slashing, brush-cutting and mulching”.

Steam was trialled for weed control in 2014 but was not considered to be economically viable. Mr Taylor said that he expects other cost effective alternatives to chemical weed control to become more widely available in coming years.

On Council managed land, environmental areas and roadsides some weeds require control under state legislation due to their potential or current serious threat to primary production and the environment.


33

Australian Hearing opens new centreAfter more than 15 years of servicing the Castlemaine community at Castlemaine District Community Health (CHIRP), Australian Hearing has extended their services to the local community with the opening of a brand new permanent hearing centre in the heart of Castlemaine. Located on 177 Barker Street, Castlemaine VIC 3450, the new Australian Hearing centre offers a range of services to help local residents positively overcome their hearing loss, including hearing assessments, hearing rehabilitation and hearing aid fittings.

Natalie Betts, Manager of Australian Hearing Castlemaine, said with more than half of all Australians over 60 suffering from some form of hearing loss, it is important to provide the local community with increased access to hearing services. “The new centre is convenient and offers the local community access to a full range of hearing services,” Natalie said. “The Australian Hearing team is really excited about providing the best in hearing services from our new location. Maintaining good hearing is important for living a healthy and happy life, and we hope that opening a new centre encourages locals to take advantage of the services that are available to them.”

Australian Hearing offers free hearing checks for interested adults at the new 177 Barker Street, Castlemaine centre all year round. Those wanting to book a free hearing check should call (03) 5471 7600.

Australian Hearing provides subsidised hearing care for eligible people, including pensioners and most veterans. For more information visit www.hearing.com.au


Hearing loss facts: did you know?• One in six Australians has a hearing loss• By 2050, this number is expected to jump to one in four• Hearing loss affects more males than females and

around 37% of all hearing loss cases are due to exposure to excessive noise.

Conservation Volunteers Australia improve Castlemaine waterway

Castlemaine residents and visitors are encouraged to take a walk along Barkers Creek to have a look at the ecological improvement works that have been undertaken over the past six weeks.

Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) Regional Coordinator, Adam Smolak, said approximately 25 volunteers from CVA ran a ten day rehabilitation project in late December 2015 and early January 2016, in partnership with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), to improve amenity and waterway health and habitat.

“This project included both sides of Barkers Creek from Gingell Street to the railway line and along Governor’s Walk from the Old Castlemaine Gaol to George Street,” Mr Smolak said. “Long grass has been brush cut, trailer loads of rubbish have been removed and native plantings from the past few years have had guards and weeds removed to keep them healthy. Since the floods of 2011, CVA has been involved in the ongoing rehabilitation of this section of Barkers Creek. Works so far included the large scale removal of exotics such as ash, elms and willows and, planting of native trees and shrubs and yearly fuel reduction and maintenance of plantings. Local walkers have been giving positive feedback to volunteers with one resident even bringing out cold drinks to express thanks for their efforts.”

DELWP Senior Environmental Planner, Damian Sharrock, said this is one of several public land projects that DELWP and the CVA work collaboratively on in the Loddon Mallee Region. “The work of the CVA volunteers has been fantastic along this section of Barkers Creek. With the removal of exotic species and re-establishment of locally indigenous species through new plantings has improved the health of the creek immensely,” said Mr Sharrock.

Private landholders, land managers and community groups in Central Victoria looking for assistance with practical conservation projects and community engagement activities can contact Adam Smolak, Regional Coordinator at CVA on 0427 507 004. Taken from a Press Release.

Clean Up Australia Day6th March

34

FIELD NATSVISITORS ARE WELCOME AT CLUB

MEETINGS AND EXCURSIONS

Fri March 11th: Meeting. Long weekend so no March Field TripOrdinary membership: Single $30, Family $40, Pensioner or student: Single $25, Family $30. Subscription includes postage of the monthly

newsletter, Castlemaine Naturalist.

General meetings - (second Friday of each month, except January) are held in the Uniting Church (UCA) Hall (enter from Lyttleton St.) at 7.30 pm. Field Trips - (Saturday following the general meeting) leave from the car park opposite Castle Motel, Duke Street at 1.30pm sharp unless stated otherwise. BYO afternoon tea. Outdoor excursions are likely to be cancelled in extreme weather conditions. There are NO excursions on total fire ban days.

CASTLEMAINE FIELD NATURALISTS,PO BOX 324, CASTLEMAINE 3450http://castlemainefnc.wordpress.com/

Are you interested in

BOPPING THE BLUES?

You are invited to a monthly Jam Session at Elphinstone

This is a non-professional, informal get-together

of people who want to make some noise and have some fun!

If you are into Blues, R’n’B and Rock music and sing or play an instrument

you are welcome!

For more information: Email: [email protected]

Redesdale Bush Market - Sunday, 13/3/2016.Agnes Mudford Reserve

Children’s Entertainment includes Face Painting, an Animal Farm and a Jumping Castle. Several members of the “Kyneton Vehicle Appreciation Society” will be displaying their vehicles on the day. The “Australian Hearing Bus” will be in attendance offering free hearing checks.

The Market begins at 9.00 am and finishes at 2.00 pm Enjoy a wide selection of stalls, ranging from local produce including wine tasting, olives, apples, honey, jams, chutneys, preserves, beef jerky, cake stall and plants, through to clothing - new, pre-loved and vintage, fishing tackle, tools, art, photography, craft items, children’s plaster crafts, crochet, bags & baskets, glassware, crockery, toys, bric a brac, bbq lunch, devonshire tea, great coffee and lots more! All Welcome!

Outside Stalls Available - $20.00.Bookings/Enquiries: Alwyn - 0419 513 976 or Carolyn - 03 5425 3194.

CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT

Redesdale Hall @ the Agnes Mudford Reserve ~ Outdoor Stalls Available ~

Enquiries: Alwyn - 0419 513 976 or Carolyn-Anne - 5425 3194

Too good to leave out!

A photo taken from the Chewton Pool’s facebook page. “Our lovely lifeguards, Ana and Lachy,” was the caption.

Photos needed

Have you any old local photos of interest? Like this Chewton icon under construction?

They’d be great to share through the Chewton Chat!

35

Chewton Chat• 2007 - Winner - best editorial comment• 2008 - Finalist - best hard news reporting• 2009 - Finalist - best history article• 2010 - Special mention - best community reporting• 2011 - Finalist - best editorial comment• 2012 - Winner - best editorial comment• 2013 - Winner - best news feature story • 2013 - Finalist - best editorial comment• 2014 - Winner - best history article• 2015 - Finalist - best editorial comment

Published by the Chewton Domain Societyand produced on a voluntary non-profit basis

P.O. Box 85, Chewton [email protected] or 5472 2892

A CDS subcommittee of John Ellis (Ed.),Bettie Exon, Gloria Meltzer, Debbie Hall, Phil Hall and Glen Harrison is responsible for the publication. Many volunteers help with production and circulation. It is circulated on the first of each month, necessitating a deadline of about the 22nd of the month before. Material can be left at the Chewton General Store, with any of the sub-committee members, sent by e-mail [email protected] or by contacting 5472 2892.

Contributions of ideas, news items, articles, and letters are always welcome; as are advertisements that help meet monthly production costs. Circulation is via the Chewton General Store, Chewton Pet Supplies, Chewton Post Office, Chewton Service Station, Red Hill Hotel, Castle Automotive Enterprises and Tourist Information Board, as well as the Bold Cafe, Castlemaine Library, Market Building, CHIRP, CIC, Castlemaine Copy Centre, Castlemaine Office Supplies and Castlemaine Art Gallery and Museum. Mt. Alexander Hospital Residential receives monthly copies too. Whilst copies are free, there are donation tins at many collection points and donations can be mailed to the CDS address below. Subscriptions for mailed copies can be arranged. Circulation is now 700. A full colour Chewton Chat can also be downloaded each month from www.issuu.com - as can some earlier issues. Email subscriptions are also available.

The Chewton Chat wishes to advise that the views or remarks expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of the editor, the management team or the Chewton Domain Society and no endorsement of service is implied by the listing of advertisers, sponsors or contributors.

Advertisers in this Chewton ChatAppletown, Party Hire P 3Baker Earthmoving P 14Bendigo Property Plus, Real Estate P 21Ben Ross, All building work P 30Blues music, jam sessions P 34Bold Café P 19Buda Historic Home and Garden P 35Cameron Stewart, Podiatrist P 5Castlemaine Mini-Diggers P 4Castlemaine Office Supplies P 7CAE Performance Products P 22Chewton Garage P 28Chewton General Store P 21Chewton Service Station P 22Collector’s Cafe P 7Come Clean Window Cleaning P 14Computers in the Shire, Computer/Web support P 15Conrad Constructions, Builder P 4Doors ‘R’ Me P 26Doug Drury, Carpenter and Handyman P 32EzyDig P 13Five Flags Hotel P 22Goldfields Electronics P 15Goldfields Concreting P 8Hire A Hearse P 18Hobo Players P 12Iain Louden, Computer Technician P 24Lisa Chesters, Federal M.P. P 27Luca Ruiz Massage P 30Marcus Houston, Bricklayer and Stonework P 19Maree Edwards, State M.P. P 12Merlarue, Etching Presses P 19Newstead Natives, Native Nursery P 26Nick Haslam, Real Estate P 20Printz Plumbing P 22Ray Fowler, Master Painter P 18Red Hill Hotel P 16Robin Haylett, Gardens P 5Soldier and Scholar, 2nd Hand Books P 18State Government Fire Awareness P 6Surtierra Alpaca Stud P 16Thompson Family Funerals P 23Tim’s Gardening Services P 14Vault Self-Storage P 33Waylaines Tiling P 7Wesley Hill Market P 4Wildlife Rescue P 32All paper used in producing the Chewton Chats is donated by Ewen and Linda MacDonald of Moroolbark Excavations

Please support our advertisersWithout them there would be no Chat!

Buda Historic Home and GardenA property of national significance.

Home of the noted Gold and Silversmith ERNEST LEVINY and his family from 1863 to 1981, featuring authentic furnishings, arts and crafts collection, significant heritage garden and grounds.

Nursery selling drought-hardy plants, many propagated from the garden. Open hours Wed - Sat 12noon to 5pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm. Groups by appointment.

42 Hunter Street, Castlemaine 3450, T/F: (03) 5472 1032 E: [email protected]

36

The 2015–16 El Niño continues its gradual decline. Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean are cooling. Beneath the surface, cooler-than-average waters are advancing into the eastern Pacific. The atmosphere is also showing some signs of a declining El Niño. So says the Bureau of Meteorology. Hooray.

The Bureau continues, based on the 26 El Niño events since 1900, around 50% have been followed by a neutral year, and 40% have been followed by La Niña. Historically, the breakdown of strong El Niño events often brings above average rainfall to some - but not all - parts of Australia in the first half of the year. Whilst the Indian Ocean Dipole has little influence on Australian climate between December and April, the southern hemisphere Indian Ocean remains at record warm levels, with January 2016 adding to the string of record warm months observed since mid-2015. So it looks like another month or two, and we can look towards a more rainy autumn as long as the Indian Ocean behaves itself.

Turning from the general to the local, our rain has been typically very scarce. We have recorded some 29.5 millimetres since our last Chat report. All of it fell in the last days after 25th January – (the monthly cut-off date). You may recall we had a weather event that brought rain down from north-west Western Australia at the end of January, which brought my rainguage 25 millimetres. And very nice it was too, as it gave my tanks

The hot dry summer goes on and ona very healthy filip. Since then I have recorded just 4.5 millimetres. The end of last week looked promising, but ended up with just three NSR (not sufficient to record) events in which rain definitely fell, made a noise on my patio roof, but failed to impress the raingauge. Rain is generally in the 20 to 35 millimetre range over the three months of January, February and March unless we have a storm that brings century falls. The summer of 2011 was the last such weather.

The daytime temperature is still maintaining a healthy average of just 29 degrees celsius. The lowest daytime temperature I have is just 22 degrees. I have recorded just one day in the 40 degree range, that of 41, but I have some 39 degree days, so some of you may have more than one 40 degree days. Ten days above 20 degrees and 13 days above 30 degrees celsius but being a short month, there were none below 20 degrees C. That compares with a mode of 35 degrees C.

Contrasting with the overnight temperatures, we have had a number of nights that needed air-con for comfort. The lowest overnight temperature was 11 degrees C, and the highest 23 degrees C. The average was 16 degrees C and the mode 14 degrees C. We have recently had some high teens and low twenties. Twenties are not good sleeping weather without stout walls and good insulation.

John Leavesley.

Calendar of EventsMar 3rd Unveiling the Ron Barassi bust, 11 a.m., Guildford (see page 12).Mar 4th Heritage Award entries close (see page 23).Mar 5th Councillors’ Listening Post 9.30 a.m., Chewton General Store.Mar 5th Service and meal, 6 p.m., St. John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Mar 5th MoBQ – Chewton’s monthly community barbeque 6 p.m., Ellery Park. BYO everything!Mar 6th Clean Up Australia Day (see pages 2 and 3).Mar 6th CFA’s Community safety doorknock (see page 6).Mar 8th MAS Council meeting 7.30 p.m., Civic centre, Castlemaine.Mar 9th Connecting Country Presentation 7 p.m., Chewton Town Hall (see page 23).Mar 11th Chewton Landcare working bee (see page 3).Mar 12th Arts open (to 14th)Mar 12th Service, 6 p.m., St. John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Mar 13th Dogs’ Breakfast, 9 a.m., Bold Café.Mar 13th POHAG meeting 10 a.m., Chewton Town Hall.Mar 13th Last day for MAS Climate Change Action Plan submissions.Mar 14th Labour Day Public Holiday.Mar 19th Arts Open (to 20th)Mar 19th Connecting Country’s Feathered Five Festival (see page 26).Mar 19th Service, 6 p.m., St. John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Mar 21st Chewton Domain Society Man. Comm. mtg 7.15 p.m., Chewton Town Hall.Mar 22nd MAS Council meeting 7.30 p.m., Sutton Grange Hall.Mar 24th School Term 1 ends.Mar 25th Good FridayMar 26th Easter Saturday.Mar 27th Easter Sunday.Mar 28th Easter Monday Public Holiday.

Documents

Chewton Chat March 2016