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1 CHEWTON CHAT CHEWTON DOMAIN SOCIETY (INCORPORATED) Reg. No. A0034364L P.O. Box 85, Chewton, 3451. Published on the 1st of each month Issue 189 November, 2014. www.chewton.net Not sure if we’ll have 20 or 200 to cater for was a remark passed during the week leading up the Chewton CFA bon- fire! Chewton people, apparently, aren’t great at RSVP- ing! But come they did. A mini-music festival under the pines down by the CFA was the result. The combination of live music and cars parked up and down Mount Street was a sign some- thing special was going on. The CFA truck out on the street, Hooked on Bossa, amplified rock, a bonfire struc- ture, chairs supplemented with hay bale seating, barbe- cue smells, CFA shirts and familiar faces relaxing in each other’s company combined to make a busy, bustling and noisy scene. Then the right to light the bonfire was auctioned and the heat was literally turned up several notches. Chairs were hastily moved and a retreat was on – many seeking refuge close to the CFA building. That had to be safe didn’t it? As the fire subsided the eating, chatting, social- ising and music-ing all kicked off again. Would the CFA be doing this again next year someone asked. This CFA-inspired event had obviously been adopt- ed by the Chewton community – and was starting to show the potential of not only being a long night, but maybe a succession of long nights for years to come! Turning up the heat... ...and simply turning up!

Chewton Chat November 2014

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Bonfire night at Chewton CFA, world heritage listing workshop, sales, Fragments of Fryerstown, Kidnapped by Time in Faraday, and the Chat’s success in the 2014 Community Newspaper Association of Victoria Awards.

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Page 1: Chewton Chat November 2014

1

CHEWTON CHATCHEWTON DOMAIN SOCIETY (INCORPORATED)

Reg. No. A0034364LP.O. Box 85, Chewton, 3451.

Published on the 1st of each month Issue 189 November, 2014.

www.chewton.net

Not sure if we’ll have 20 or 200 to cater for was a remark passed during the week leading up the Chewton CFA bon-fire! Chewton people, apparently, aren’t great at RSVP-ing! But come they did.

A mini-music festival under the pines down by the CFA was the result. The combination of live music and cars parked up and down Mount Street was a sign some-thing special was going on. The CFA truck out on the street, Hooked on Bossa, amplified rock, a bonfire struc-ture, chairs supplemented with hay bale seating, barbe-cue smells, CFA shirts and familiar faces relaxing in each other’s company combined to make a busy, bustling and noisy scene.

Then the right to light the bonfire was auctioned and the heat was literally turned up several notches. Chairs were hastily moved and a retreat was on – many seeking refuge close to the CFA building. That had to be safe didn’t it? As the fire subsided the eating, chatting, social-ising and music-ing all kicked off again. Would the CFA be doing this again next year someone asked.

This CFA-inspired event had obviously been adopt-ed by the Chewton community – and was starting to show the potential of not only being a long night, but maybe a succession of long nights for years to come!

Turning up the heat...

...and simply turning up!

Page 2: Chewton Chat November 2014

2

Parking in the lower paddock please! The Ralph Family clearing sale was finally open for business. And it was time to meet old mates and inspect the goods to be put under the hammer. With brilliant sunshine replacing the squally weather of earlier in the week, the blue tarps had come off the tables and the sheds were opened up. Following the auctioneer meant battling the crowds doing the same but the array of items made the pursuit worthwhile. Groups, predominantly men, gathered in numbers discussing items that obviously meant something to them. This was obvi-ously a fascinating and memory-jogging collection.

Whilst the auctioneer kept up the traditional patter, the registration table in the “office” ticked over and the Castlemaine Lions cooked and served, cooked and served and cooked and served! It was a long day for some people.

The price is right... selling, selling, selling...

• “Bikies never stop riding even POST life?!” - Andrew Milton.• Biker crying to postmaster, “I seem to get the cold shoulder wherever I go! ....

and I was dying for a drink too!” - Alex Mellins.• “How much longer before the pumps open?” - Anne Therese Courtney.• “I cannot find the self starter!” - Paul Carrington via Anne Therese Courtney.• “Ive been gone so long, I am scared to go home!” - Paul Carrington via Anne

Therese Courtney.• “My other bike was a bone-shaker,” - Paul Carrington via Anne Therese Court-

ney.• “Geeze it must be fast....” - Glen Harrison.• “Rob is confused. Where is Susan?” - Kate Daly.

Last month’s Chat carried this plea and the responses came in...

Wanted - a caption for this photo!

Page 3: Chewton Chat November 2014

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... and even more selling at the park!Just when you’d be forgiven for thinking there couldn’t be anything left in Chewton to sell, the Chewton Soldiers’ Memorial Park turned into a retail hub.

The RSPCA’s fund-raising car boot sale saw a line of stalls stretch from the George Archer pavilion to almost

the Pyrenees Highway. Art, bikes, books, stuffed toys, plants, shoes, vacuum cleaners, generators, golf clubs, wool, clothes, acquariums, sculptures - and even a $2 red hat (below right) to keep the sun at bay whilst coffeeing and browsing.

Specialising in Brick, Stone, Granite and Slate

www.marcushoustonbricklaying.com

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]

Page 4: Chewton Chat November 2014

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The Chewton Community has dug deep this month and showed incredible support for the Chewton CFA in the lead up to another fire season.

Just over $900 was raised by the brigade from dona-tions given at Chewton CFA Community Bonfire Night on Saturday 18th October. The event was held at the station in Mount Street and proved to be a great family-friendly night out. The streets of Chewton were filled with the sounds of live music from bands Hooked on Bossa and Dr X while all those who attended sat down to have a drink and enjoy a free barbeque served by the brigade. A wood raffle was also drawn on the night and the honour to light the bonfire was auctioned off to the highest bidder. The lighting of the bonfire proved quite spectacular with the large pile igniting very quickly and sending some people from their seats. Overall, the night went off without a hitch and was enjoyed by all in attendance.

Chewton CFA would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who attended and donated. The funds raised on the night will go a long way in a small brigade such as ours. More importantly, the support for the bri-gade shown on the night means a lot to all our volunteers who work tirelessly to help keep the community safe. We hope that everyone had a great time and we hope to see you all again.

Preparations for the bonfire were, however, tempo-rarily interrupted when the brigade was called out to a reported fire. Only half an hour before the bonfire was set to start, members down at the station were taken away from their work in order to attend an incident in the local

CFA Update – November 2014area. Chewton’s brigade, with support from other local brigades, turned out to a fire which was burning on Endall Road, off Golden Point Road. Thankfully, the fire was not serious and our hard-working volunteers made it back in plenty of time to sit back and relax with all our guests.

Finally, as the weather continues to warm up the bri-gade would like to stress the importance of cleaning up around your home. Cleaning up your house can be as simple as picking up sticks, mowing lawns and cleaning out gutters.

Having and practicing a fire plan is also a great idea in the event that a fire should impact on the local area.

Anyone planning to burn off on their properties will also need to do so before fire restrictions are put in place. If burning off, please make sure you notify your burn by calling the Burn Off Notifications line on 1800 668 511. Calling this number before burning off ensures that the CFA is not unnecessarily called out to your property.

Paige Mounsey, Chewton CFA Communications Officer.

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Page 5: Chewton Chat November 2014

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Preparations for summer are heating up at Chewton Community Pool.

The Pool’s first working bee was held on Saturday 11 October. Many thanks to all the hard workers on the day. We’ll be on-site every Saturday now from 10am to 1pm to get the pool ready for opening in late November, so drop in and there will be a job for you.

This month the fundraising team is hosting a Chewton Trivia night on Saturday 22nd November at 7.00pm at Chewton Senior Citizens hall. Bookings are open for tables of 8, or you can book as an individual or couple and join random tables. Drinks, including wine and beer, will be available. BYO supper. Trivia Night bookings can be made by contacting Bronwyn Dawson on 0407 889 390.

Fundraising is for improvement projects such as a family seating area and re-commissioning the baby pool, currently hidden below the decking. With so many new families and babies in the district, we need to provide these facilities.

Make sure you buy a ticket or two in our huge Festive Raffle. The hamper is growing daily, so drop in to the Chewton General Store, Post Office or the pool kiosk to get tickets. The raffle will be drawn at our Festive Season Party on Saturday 20 December at 4.00pm.

Vote 1 Chewton Pool!

Make Chewton pool your number one preference!

Saturday 29th November is State Election Day and we’re asking you to Vote 1 for Chewton Pool!

The 2014-15 Chewton Pool season opens at noon, so once you’ve done your democratic duty come along for a fun time. Food, games and a special surprise is on for our great patrons.

You might have seen groups of people around the pool in recent weeks. They have been doing their practical workplace health and safety to prepare for any emergency. This month our lifeguards will be undertaking their in-service training and our kiosk volunteers will be training in CPR. We take your safety very seriously!

New volunteers for facilities, kiosk, fundraising and communications are most welcome. Have fun, meet new friends and get a discount on your season ticket.

This year the entry prices are the same as last year: $4 for adults, $3 for under 16, and $12 for a family day pass. Season tickets are $45 and a family season pass is $125. If you are a regular swimmer this is great value.

For more info check out our website www.chewtonpool.com our Facebook Page, follow us on Twitter @chewtonpool, phone the Pool Manager Dash Cook on 0498 637 534, or email [email protected]

Excavators 5 &13 tonne Backhoe Grader Tip Trucks 6 & 10 metrePost Hole Auger Rock Grab Roller

Trenches Site Cuts Drainage Foundations Driveways RetainingWalls Septic Land Clearing Erosion Control Explosives

We also supply & deliver a variety of large rocks, crushed rock & gravels

Jai Baker 0419 364 815 Sharon Baker 0417 347 372Email [email protected]

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We’ll be on-site every Saturday now from 10am to 1pm to get the pool ready for opening in late November, so drop in and there will be a job for you.....

Page 6: Chewton Chat November 2014

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The eagerly awaited Fragments of Fry-erstown exhibition finally arrived. A lovely atmosphere was created for the launch, with people passing in and out of the gallery space – a space with excel-lent lighting for this event. And all of this was complemented by the photographers, Maz and Chris, being available and willing to chat about their photographs. Great

photos, stunning exhibition, the old Fryerstown School, Marion Williams, Chris Derzsy – weekends don’t get bet-ter than this. And the crowd that gathered for the launch was too large for the gallery space, so the veranda was pressed into use.

Lecturer at the RMIT University’s School of Art Rhett D’Costa had been invited to launch the exhibition and his words introduced us to this exhibition…

Hi everyone,Welcome to Fragments of Fryerstown, an exhibition

by two local resident artists, Marion Williams and Chris Derzsy.

My name is Rhett D’Costa, I too am a local resident, an artist, and also a lecturer in art and a personal friend of Chris and Marion’s. I guess this is why they have asked to say a few words today. But those people who know me, know that I am rarely a man of few words. I am usually a man of far too many words! But I will try to keep this short, as I don’t think exhibition openings should be about long speeches with too many words – they should be a time to celebrate. This is why I am staying to a script.

However, I do want to share a short reflection. The thing about exhibitions is that when we arrive at them, they always feel so effortless. Friends attend, food is provided and of course drinks flow – a wonderful time to celebrate. But what we see on the walls doesn’t always give us an in-dication of the amount of work that goes into these shows – often most of this work is done by the artist – there is their ideas, the process of making, the anxiety and doubts as to whether the work is good enough to show, the logis-tics of installing, writing artist statements, press releases, invitations, all the organization, on and on, lots of time and money spent. And then its show-time!

Being an artist takes courage, conviction, commit-ment and a lot of hard work! So why do we do it? Well…. making and exhibiting art often provides a way for the artist to make some form of poetic, cerebral and/or emo-tional sense of the places and people we engage with, and to make pictorial these observations and considerations. Secondly, it provides a way for us, the viewers to look, think, reflect and consider these spaces and places we share.

All three of us are relatively new to this region and to Fryerstown, specifically. The thing I notice when I look at both Marion and Chris’ work and read their statements, is the deep value they both place on being and living in

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Page 7: Chewton Chat November 2014

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this landscape and the importance of community on their psyche.

Cultural theorist, Benedict Anderson, in 1983, coined the wonderful and now widely used, phrase (which was also the title of his seminal book), ‘Imagined Communi-ties’. Talking specifically about nationhood, he says, a na-tion “is imagined because the members of even the small-est nation will never know most of their fellow members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion.” Well we don’t have to ‘imagine’ our community in Fryerstown. It is very much real. We share, engage, respect and value each other and this wonderful landscape we live in and which we never seem to take for granted. We have wonderful spaces, such as this community school as a meeting point to build even strong links to community.

In Marion and Chris’ images they capture beautiful moments and reflect them back for us to enjoy; whether it is the expression of a kangaroo looking at us, or the ephem-eral moment when light or mist falls or breaks through trees, reminding us of the fragility of the environment. The images in the exhibition are beautiful and loaded with so much for us to consider and enjoy. Their photographs en-gage us so eloquently of our sense of place and community.

So thank you Marion and Chris, for your artworks and for bringing us together today to celebrate your won-derful exhibition in our local community.

Rhett D’Costa.Rhett is pictured above with photographers

Marion Williams and Chris Derzsy.

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For membership message Maree or Carl on 54705500 or email [email protected]

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For Muay Thai contact Jim Moran Classes at the old Gaol, For Kids & Adults

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Gym Operating hours Monday to Friday 6am - 8.30 pm & weekends 8.30 am to 4.00 pm.

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The large blue gum (above) that crashed across the walking and cycling track to Expedition Pass Reservoir is now dis-appearing bit by bit. Land manager Parks Victoria offered the firewood to Harcourt Lions and a series of working bees have been held. Solid firewood that will presumably benefit people in the area that the Harcourt Lions serve is being carted out on a regular basis. The track should be open for business again shortly.

Lions’ firewood...

Page 8: Chewton Chat November 2014

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A History of the Par-ish of Faraday has been written and published by volunteers from the Faraday Community Association with the as-sistance of a grant pro-vided by the Mount Al-exander Shire Council. Kidnapped by Time is the intriguing title and, according to those who have already read it, it is beautifully written and thoroughly documents

the evolution of the Faraday community.The book was launched on a bright sunny day in

the superb setting of Dunstans Flat. More than 50 people gathered for the occasion and were welcomed by Alan El-liot. 94 year old Charlie Ellery, who has lived all his life in the same Faraday house, was very warmly received as he spoke to a crowd that was very aware of the significance of the living history he represented. Cr. Christine Henderson followed, congratulating the community and the authors for their achievement.

After the speeches the array of food and refresh-ments in the marquee became the focus and the reminis-cences began in earnest. Occasions like the launch of a local history book quickly become an informal and very effective re-union!

Kidnapped by Time - Faraday’s history recorded...

November at St John’sSunday 9th at 9.15:

Morning Prayer.

Sunday 23rd at 9.15:

Morning Prayer.

And the good news is the Parish has a part time locum Priest for the rest of this year!

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

Email: [email protected]: Andrew & Sue Thomas

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Page 9: Chewton Chat November 2014

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Know Your NeighbourHave you met Dorothy ‘Dash’ Cook?

Dorothy Cook likes to be known as Dash. ‘This is my Chewton nickname, bestowed upon me by a couple of cheeky Chewtonians when I moved here.’

Dash was born in a little village in New Guinea. ‘My parents were working there on the Anglican Mission. When I was two we moved to York Peninsula in South Australia, where I went to primary school. We then moved to Esperance in WA where I went to high school. I grew up in the bush which is one of the things I love about living in Chewton.’

She spent a year studying arts at university in Perth but deferred and moved back to Esperance. ‘I got a cadet job on a local paper. That was the start of my journalism career.’ As a child Dash would spend hours writing stories. ‘I had my own ‘office’ in an upturned rainwater tank.’

‘After two years I moved to another paper in the Margaret River region, then went backpacking up north.’ After further travels in Australia and overseas Dash got a job at the Melbourne Age where she spent eight years as a reporter and sub-editor. She also studied part-time and finally finished her B.A. ‘majoring in Philosophy and Geography.’

After The Age she spent the next 10 years dabbling in media, PR and ‘speech writing for government ministers. I then thought I wanted a tree-change. I had grown up in the bush and I missed it. I used to come up here and fantasise about buying a house with vague dreams of moving here.’ Her partner at the time was not a bushy person. ‘He couldn’t see the vision that I could see. We broke up, my job came to an end, and there was nothing keeping me in Melbourne.’

Initially she moved to Kyneton, ‘but Kyneton didn’t feel like my kind of town. But I did get my dog there. He came with the rented property and was destined for the pound. I blame my dog for my moving to Chewton. Hardly any rental places will take a dog, so I thought, well I’ll have to buy a place, so I began house hunting. The second house I saw was in Chewton and I thought it was great, and I could afford it.’

So although she knew no one here, in 2011 Dash took the plunge.

This was just after the pool had been saved and the

general store had re-opened after a fire, ‘so there was quite a lot of excitement in the air.’ She took a job at a Bendigo newspaper, ‘but I found the roster system meant I was away from home so much that I was hardly ever here in the community. Then the job of pool manager came up and I was successful in getting that.’

Dash enthuses about life in Chewton. ‘I love the people here and the bush. It’s such a beautiful little place, very special with its amazing gold mining history,the old-timers, those fantastic old characters who are still here, as well as the new people coming in. I wanted to get more involved locally and the pool is a great opportunity to do this as it’s such a hub of the town, central to the community. It’s so wonderful that it was saved and scary to think how close it came to being closed. It’s a very precious asset and one we need to guard fiercely. It’s the kind of asset a town needs to keep people engaged.’

In her capacity of pool manager, Dash says she would like to keep things ticking over, keep everyone informed. ‘Communication is very important between volunteers, myself and the lifeguards. That’s all part of my role. It’s a very different organisation to any I have worked for and that’s quite challenging, to keep everyone informed and feeling loved. I would like to try and do that. I think this is going to be a great Summer, lots of sunshine and families and events.’

Dash says she would love to have more pool volunteers, particularly to help in the kiosk. If interested, people should contact her on: [email protected] or Mobile: 0498 637 534.

This season’s grand opening of the pool will take place on Saturday, November 29, starting at midday. According to Dash, ‘this will be a party, with food, entertainment, swimming, and lots of fun.’ Gloria Meltzer.

Page 10: Chewton Chat November 2014

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It is rapidly turning into summer with the weather becom-ing warmer and a noticeable dryness in the bush and gar-dens. The gardens are past the spring flowers and bulbs and are moving in to summer mode with roses coming into bloom. Summer seems to have come on so fast and I am amazed at how dry everything is already and before I have got around to mulching. The birds are nesting and we have pardelotes going in and out bus-ily, galahs too, and to my delight we have an Owlet Nightjar back after an absence of several months. It is one of my great delights to look at that nesting box and see the familiar little face of a nightjar sunning itself in the morning. It appears to sleep in the afternoons and hunt in evening, returning to the nest to feed around dawn. In all the time I have been watching I have never wit-nessed a departure or arrival at the nest, I just look up to see a comforting little presence watching me when I am at the clothes line and I know that Ollie, or a relative, is back.

The famous Fryerstown Antique Fair held in January is getting near and plans are well underway for the 2015 Fair, scheduled for Saturday 24th, Sun-day 25th and Monday 26th of January 2015. The opening hours are in the advertisement that has been appearing in

the Chat for several months and which also states the ad-mission price is $6 per day, and that the purpose of the Fair is to maintain and restore Fryerstown’s Historic Hall as required, and to meet running costs for the Hall through the year. The Fair is a huge undertaking for a small town and work for the next Fair starts before previous Fair ends each year because many stall holders book for the follow-

ing year during the Fair itself, many preferring to have the same site each year. Stallholders often work together with their neighbours to help out with security and the carrying and lifting that sometimes is needed to set up the stalls. Many have built up strong friendships over the years, and look forward to the reunions at each Fair. Because it is a mostly open air Fair, it is easy to catch up after hours or in quiet moments and a great deal of discussion goes on about the state of the “trade” in the various collectables, and the gossip generally - who has retired, who has been ill. Stallholders I have spoken to over the years say it’s their favourite Fair of the year. The Fair generally has a happy feel, a bit of the festive sea-son and holidays lingering, before life

settles down to routines of work and school. So if it isn’t in your diary, put it in and allow plenty of time. Food is available at the Fair and at the Old Fryerstown School dur-ing the Fair so make a day of it – there is plenty to see and lots of stalls to explore so don’t miss it.

We were in Castlemaine and met Jason Mills of Tonks Bros in the street; he is now running TONKS SEC-OND HAND CENTRE at 41 Templeton Street. He told us that he had found a photo of members of the Fryer-stown Cricket Team and we could see it at the shop. We were there about 5 minutes later! A photo was found in the office in a small envelope, it was a bit ragged at the top, and quite small so we took it to Chapman’s in Mostyn Street and asked them to enlarge it. In the meantime I looked for what I could find about the local Cricket Club in George Brown’s book Reminiscences of Fryerstown. I was amazed to learn that cricket was played in Fryerstown

Fryerstown

This is believed to be a group of Fryerstown cricketers

Page 11: Chewton Chat November 2014

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before the town was surveyed and declared a township. The games were played on the site of the present cemetery before it was reserved for that purpose. Around 1860 an area known as Graces Flat on Sawpit Gully Road became the Fryerstown Cricket Ground and a Board of Trustees was elected. In March 1862 twenty-two local district players, four of whom were selected from Fryerstown, played an English touring team. The four were J W Amos, Mark Amos Snr, John Culmer and J S Oddie. On that occasion the Eng-lish tourists were defeated. J W Amos bowled with great skill and took seven wickets for thirteen runs. One family who contributed greatly were the Err-ington brothers. Arnold (Guardie) was a fine batsman and wicket keeper who played for the Collingwood Club and was considered to have been of interstate class. His brother Frank (Tankie) was also an excellent bat. Arthur Rowe was another local who made his presence felt in district cricket in Melbourne. He was a fine left arm spin bowler. The years 1905-07 were gold-en years for the local cricket teams. Spring Gully mine was in full production. This brought many miners to work in the area; among them were many good cricketers. At the end of the 1905 season Fryerstown emerged premiers and winners of the Newham Trophy and again in 1907 de-feating Castlemaine United. Scores were

Castlemaine United . . . . all out for 187Fryerstown . . . . . . . . . . . 1 for 189

Arnold Errington 118 not outCricket was the popular sport in Fryerstown and

there was even a ladies team who, according to George Brown “wore a standard uniform of white blouse and a long black skirt when playing, and on their heads, large black picture hats trimmed with white.” I wish we had a photo of them! But getting back to the photo we do have, it turns out we were given the wrong photo - it may not be of the Fryerstown team at all, but it would be great to date it, and identify the players. So any suggestions would be welcome and if anyone has other photos that could help please get in touch. It is likely to be before the First World War. And where is the Newham Cup???.

The following item was first published in The Age

newspaper in February 1865 and published again in 1965 when the Age republished a series of items from 100 years earlier:

“NUGGET OF 190 OUNCES AT FRYER’S CREEKIt is very rarely that we have been called upon to re-

cord so gratifying a piece of intelligence as is conveyed in the above heading.

Large nuggets have been scarce enough of late, and it is therefore not surprising that the discovery which we are about to notice should have created a genuine sensation in Castlemaine.

The facts are as follows: On Wednesday afternoon, a lad, 14 years of age, named Jeremiah Fullerton, son of an old resident of Nuggetty Gully, sunk a hole in some unbroken ground at no great distance from where, about six years ago, a heavy lump of gold was un-earthed.

The boy, whose parents are – or we should say were - by no means well off, was in the habit of searching about

for what gold he could obtain in the old workings, and by lucky chance, commenced to dig upon the spot from which he obtained this splendid specimen. When he had sunk about two and a half feet, his pick struck something hard and glittering, and repeated blows in the vicinity of the first stroke convinced him that he had made a discovery.

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Page 12: Chewton Chat November 2014

12

With very little more labour he succeeded in un-covering the welcome obstruction, which proved to be a handsome nugget of solid gold, eight or nine inches in length and about two or three inches broad.

Shortly after this he turned up another nugget weighing two and half ounces, besides several others, which, contrasted with these magnificent lumps, may be regarded as scarcely worth talking about.

The father of the fortu-nate boy brought the treasure into Castlemaine, yesterday afternoon and sold the large nugget to Mr. Aaron of Market Square, for the sum of £739/2/-

It is at least gratifying to know this good fortune has overtaken a family who, to all appearances, are respectable and industrious people, and who do not seem to be extravagantly overcome by their unlooked for wealth.”

Recently I met Ian Holm, a great, great grandson of Jeremiah Fullerton who told me this story and sent me a copy of the newspaper article. Ian comes to Fryerstown when he can and he and his family stay in the family cot-tage in Castlemaine Street when they are here. The house is built on land which Jeremiah and his father William pur-chased in 1871. Ian arranged for me to receive a copy of the family history which has been compiled by his cousin Paul Fullerton and which goes way back about 1000 years in Scotland and then comes to the Australian Fullertons who arrived here in the 1850s, when William FULLER-TON, married Mary McARTHUR, and they travelled to Australia with their two sons, Jeremiah aged 7 and James aged 5 on the Omega and arrived in Geelong on Septem-ber 16 1856. Their daughter Sarah was born February 7, 1857 while they were on route to the goldfields. They eventually got here and settled in Nuggetty Gully or along Nuggetty Creek near Irishtown. They had three more chil-dren - John William born in 1859, Mary in 1861 and Jane in November 1865 but the struggle to survive was changed by the gold find of their eldest son Jeremiah in February 1865. The family moved into the town and obtained 7 acres of crown land just south of the Fryerstown cemetery for grazing cattle. Subsequently, William is listed in the Victorian Post Office Directory for 1869 as a dairyman

in Fryerstown. He bought shares in mining companies, and with Jeremiah he bought land in Castlemaine Street opposite Carters Boot Factory. William died following an accident in German Gully when he fell from a 10-foot embankment whilst looking for a straying horse. He did not regain consciousness and died on 2 Jan 1875. He was remembered as a strong, healthy, well-respected and sober man and a brother of the Society of Odd Fellows – this

was a mark of his standing in the town. He was a blacksmith by trade and worked for some years at the Burdett Coutts Co. mine in Fryerstown. When he died he was recorded as leaving 5 children (and 3 deceased). The youngest was Mary, aged 13, and the el-dest Jeremiah, aged 24. Jeremiah married Hannah Jane Underdown on 16th of September 1874 in Fry-erstown. They had five children - four born in Fryerstown, and one in Malmsbury. There was a com-

pany called Fullerton and Co that was involved in quartz crushing in Blacksmiths Gully and in dredging washdirt somewhere near Fryerstown in 1903 and 1904. Jeremiah continued to live in Fryerstown for most of his life with Hannah Jane and to state his occupation as miner. Jeremi-ah died on 18 September 1923 in Fryerstown and is buried in the Cemetery here.

I am very grateful to Ian Holm and Paul Fullerton for allowing me to reproduce these family histories in the Chat and share the stories of these people who settled in Fryerstown in the early days, had families here and be-came the foundation of the Australian communities in which we now live, and celebrate.

The next Fryerstown Film night is the last for the year, on Saturday on November 22 at 7.30pm in the Fryer-stown Mechanics Institute Hall. The film will be TWELVE ANGRY MEN (1957) starring Henry Fonda. It is the story of the deliberations of the jury in a homicide trial. It was broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The fol-lowing year it was adapted for the stage, and in 1957 was made into a highly successful film. As this is our final film night for this year we will be discussing the choice of films for next year. $5 per person includes a light supper. Feel free to bring a comfy chair if you wish. Kay Thorne.

Photos courtesy Tim Todhunter:

Ian Holm and family in Castlemaine Street

[email protected]

www.goldfieldelectronics.com.au

Page 13: Chewton Chat November 2014

13

It’s old news already, but not official until the statutory meeting of Council at 5.30 pm on November 11th. My fellow councillors have chosen me to be mayor for next year. Every councillor is a potential candidate for mayor, and should see themselves as such. There are no particular qualifications required for the job. I’ve met councillors from other rural and metropolitan councils who’ve told me that they found themselves in the role of mayor in their first year as a councillor. Does this mean that being mayor is a breeze? Most surely not!

The Municipal Association of Victoria provides a good overview of what the role of mayor entails. Here are a few extracts:

Leader of council:The mayor presides over council meetings and en-

sures they’re conducted in accordance with local laws and established conventions and protocols…..

It’s not often that Mt Alexander Shire council meet-ings have a large public gallery. A few stalwarts attend on a regular basis, asking questions during public question time at the start of the meeting to bring issues to the atten-tion of council or to remind council of its shortcomings. People with planning permit applications before council attend to plead their case, as do those who object to a per-mit being granted. From the mayor’s perspective the chal-lenge of public question time is to give everyone a chance to speak and receive a response, while ensuring that Local

Law number 1 is adhered to. This local law sets out the procedures for council meetings. The section on public question time specifies a question may be disallowed if it is “….defamatory, indecent, abusive, offensive, irrelevant, trivial or objectionable in language or substance”. Do we really get that type of question? Well yes we do.

Enhancer of good governance:…. ensures effective and respectful communication

between councillors and the chief executive officer.....One of the first things to learn about as a new coun-

cilor is the relationship between councillor and council employee. We’re not workmates. They’re the profession-als and the civic centre is their workplace. Councillors are elected community members on an expenses allowance who might work elsewhere or be retired. We can’t tell a council staff member what to do. In most cases we’re expected to keep at a distance from day-to-day council op-erations. The one employee that councillors have power and influence over is the CEO. We’re responsible for ap-pointing the CEO, reviewing his or her performance and communicating effectively with the CEO on what we want the organisation to achieve. The mayor takes the lead here, ensuring that all councillors’ voices are heard.

Other headings under ‘role of the mayor’ include “Builder of external and internal media relations” which can involve answering the mobile while cooking a stir fry to find it’s the local ABC wanting a comment on a recent planning decision, or playing host to a visiting state politi-cian at short notice.

“Promoter of civic and institutional pride” is prob-ably the gentlest and most pleasant aspect of being mayor. The mayor receives invitations to exhibition openings, events, book launches, ceremonies, presents awards and so on. I’m really looking forward to this aspect of the role. It’s always a privilege to represent council at community and official functions.

One last word on the subject of mayor: I have great admiration for the way in which Mayor Redden has led council for the past two years. Being a disparate group, as all good councils should be, we needed a strong, steady leader, a role which Michael filled admirably. I know that I’m going to be grateful for his advice and words of wis-dom in the months to come.

Cr. Christine Henderson, Coliban Ward.

Councillor’s Chat

Cr Christine Henderson has been endorsed by her fellow Councillors to be elected as Mayor at the Statutory Meet-ing of Council to be held on Tuesday 11 November 2014.

Cr Henderson is the current Deputy Mayor of Mount Alexander Shire, and the Mayor Elect process will allow for a seamless transition to her new role.

Cr Henderson was first elected to Council in 2008. She is the elected representative for the Coliban Ward.

Following the Statutory Meeting, Cr Henderson will replace Cr Michael Redden who has been in the Mayoral role for the past two years. Cr Redden is the elected repre-sentative for the Loddon River Ward.

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Page 14: Chewton Chat November 2014

14

After the flurry of a whole stage production the last week of term 3, it was a quiet but energized beginning of our final term for the year. Our transition programs are well underway with the grade 6 students finalizing their sub-ject choices and making visits to Castlemaine Secondary College. This year all of our grade 6 students are going to their local school and we are hopeful that families liv-ing in Chewton will continue this theme as they decide on the school for their prep child in 2015. Nicole and I will be visiting kindergartens in the next few weeks with the formal visits to programs at our school starting in late November.

The grade 3-6 class has begun preparations for our bike camp in the first week of November. This is an am-bitious program with students cycling from Geelong to Queenscliff along the rail trail. We will be staying at the Queenscliff Dive Centre overnight, before more cycling the next day. Tony Russell is an enthusiastic parent at our school who is currently teaching bike education, working on safety and stamina with the children.

Our school is renowned for the varied programs we offer, however we should never overlook our excellence in educational achievements. This was once again highlight-ed with yet a second year of a Chewton Primary student taking out the winning entry at the Castlemaine Poetry Prize Junior Awards. Uma Dingemans was the winner

Nurturing the whole child

in every child

in 2013 and Minka Peters this year. With several hundred entrants in the competition, our school had 6 children re-ceiving recognition - by far the highest representation in the shire.

Our goal to install solar panels (above) by the end of the year is still on track. With $6000 still to be raised we have a busy few months ahead of us. The Off the Grid

Kirsty, Zeke and Peter are learning new bike skills in preparation for our bike camp in November

WinterThe slow trickling noise of a sleeping stream hid the whispering of the wind as it danced between the moon coloured trees. The snow fell covering the tracks of the autumn leaves and slowly the darkness of winter descended

By Minka Peters, grade 6, Chewton Primary School,winner of the under 12 section.

Page 15: Chewton Chat November 2014

15

Day held early in the term had a small but very enthusi-astic number of attendees. My partner was there and is now totally convinced that this is the way the farm house will be powered in the future. The food cooked by our dedicated parents was fantastic, as was the musical enter-tainment provide by Hillary and Joel Blackshaw. Our next big event will be the show procession, which will be fol-lowed by Election Day where we will continue to seek tax deductable donations.

P-2 children compare and contrast Japanese and

Australian cultures.

Class is in at Chewton School’s Off the Grid Day.

Each year we have one term focus more closely on a country in Asia, and this term it is Japan. Lots of compari-sons are made between Australian costumes and traditions and those of our neighbours. In art classes the children are learning some Japanese writing skills and the P-2 class is trialling tables and chairs in rows. We have future plans for both an Asian and an In-digenous garden in our school grounds. With the warmer weather my P-2 gardening group has been fi-nalizing the harvesting of the winter crop and preparing to plant summer vegetables. Some rain would be nice.

It will not be long before we commence report writ-ing and detail our plans for 2015. Julie Holden.

The cooking, the music and the lunching at the Off the Grid Day.

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(See the article on Page 28)

Page 16: Chewton Chat November 2014

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The October MoBQ has been and gone – but will be long remembered for the western outfits that graced the desert around the BBQ. Macho moustaches added the finishing touches to some outfits – but their tenure seemed very lim-ited. Shaken loose by all the fast talking probably (defi-nitely not shaken fast by loose talking though!)

It really is amazing what is available in some op shops around the area. Boots, moleskins, shirt, cravat and hat for a song apparently – if you know where to go or have the contacts. And moustaches are available in the thousands.

The brazier was eventually set alight – what western scene is complete without the campfire? In its light smoky haze the two prizes were judged and awarded – and with three almost identical outfits and only two prizes some brutal decision-making was needed. It obviously pays to be sunsmart because the two with hats took home the ba-con.

This MoBQ was unusual in that the conversation turned to running in October’s Melbourne half-marathon. One of the barbecuers discovered a fellow barbecuer had also entered in the big race - so talk of half-marathon times, past performances and strategies intrigued those standing around. Fancy that, a Chewton MoBQer running in a half-marathon in our capital city – let alone two of them! Aah

Country or Western? Or both?

– the changing face of Chewton!

The first Sat-urday of November is the next gath-ering around the BBQ beside the town hall. And it’s November the 1st as well. Not long to prepare for this one… hesitate and you’ll miss it!

163 years ago there were thousands of miners gathered at the Forest Creek diggings doing whatever they could to find a share of the alluvial gold that made it one of the world’s richest fields. Some made their fortunes. Oth-ers got nothing. But all shared a growing anger about

the threat from Governor La Trobe to double the cost of a licence to dig – whether they struck gold or not. From 30 shillings to 3 pounds – that was too much for the diggers.

They banded together to protest and organised the first Monster Meeting of diggers at Forest Creek on 15 December 1851. Their actions stopped

the increase and began the diggers’ struggle for social justice and democ-racy. It was the first step on the road to Eureka.

Each year we re-member the diggers and celebrate the Monster Meeting. This year we will be meeting again on the afternoon of Sunday 14 December at the Mon-ster Meeting site. Join the march at 2pm from the Chewton Soldiers’ Memorial Park and the Red Hill Hotel to the site, listen to the stories, en-joy the music. And remember the diggers!

The Monster Meeting remembered

Page 17: Chewton Chat November 2014

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Long time agoDreamt a dream that I was dreaming of a time so long ago That yesterday had not yet come; was so much we’d never know.

Day by day we were wandering without rhyme or reason why, Been going off to nowhere fast, underneath a big blue sky.

Saw visions in a forest deep of those once already been; From each one lost that had been found to the last who would soon win.

Somewhere is kept the journey’s end as a secret futures share, And glimpses only do we see of lives to which we compare.

Far beyond the snow-capped mountain and the narrow valley stream, Tomorrow’s such a long time gone that life’s nothing but a dream.

Daniel Larson.Facing the Truth

First thing in the morning I look in the bathroom mirror

And see an old, old lady Cleaning her teeth.

Her face looks familiar, I see her every morning.

I feel that I should know herI wonder who she can be.

She rinses her mouth And gives me a smile.

She seems quite friendly, She might be nice to know.

Why is she in my bathroom.She’s using my toothbrush, She’s using my toothpaste

What am I going to do?

Come tell me old, old lady Why are you here old lady,

Why are you in my bathroom?Oh dear! It’s me.

Rae Hawkins. September 2014.

HuffaloYou can say “Hello” To a dignified Crow, A friendly “G’day” To a colourful Jay. You may even shout “Hi!” To a bluebottle Fly

ButNever say “Huffalo” To a Buffalo.

For a buffalo is,As you may know,In the thinking departmentA little bit slow.His mind can’t be calledThe scholastical sortYou won’t see him ponderingDeeply in thought.

‘Though he looks like he’s thinking, You can bet on this hunch: He’s probably wondering “What else can I munch?” Whenever you meet him –Wherever the venueJust make certain that you Are not part of his menu.

His brain’s a bit small.His eyesight’s not good.If you stand very stillHe will think that you’re food.His jaws are enormous:In one mighty crunchHe can change you from personTo buffalo lunch.

No-one knows why a greeting That sounds like his name Should cause the beast’s temper To burst into flame But one word of warning Should be enuffalo

JustNever say “Huffalo” To a Buffalo.

David Watson July 2014.

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Page 18: Chewton Chat November 2014

18

Community newspapers are the community owned pub-lications published by communities throughout rural, regional and metropolitan Victoria. Locally there’s the Elpho Info, Newstead Echo, The Core (Harcourt), Guild-ford Globe, Taradale Talk and Faraday Farrago. Moving outside Mount Alexander there’s papers like Malmsbury Mail, Kyneton Connect, New Woodend Star and moving further still there’s Mallacoota Mouth, Otway Light, Dar-go Bush Bulletin and Kinglake’s Mountain Monthly. And in the metro area there’s papers like Rowville/Wantirna Community News, Around Point Cook and Flemington/Kensington News. Across Victoria, there’s more than 200 of these papers – by the community for the community is how Warrandyte Diary describes itself.

All operate their publishing and news gathering poli-cies independently – coming together as a network un-der the umbrella of Community Newspaper Association of Victoria (CNAV). CNAV is a world first in this role. And, yes, community newspapers are flourishing! Defy-ing the dying trend of the commercial and larger newspa-pers, community newspapers don’t need to satisfy owners, investors and shareholders – and experience shows they are embraced, trusted and widely read by the communities they serve.

The CNAV conference was held in early October. Always an inspirational networking gathering, this Em-bracing Change themed conference was set up beautifully by keynote speaker Don Watson. Don then stayed on to autograph copies of his new book “The Bush”. Work-shops on generating articles, achieving editorial balance, working with a community and digitizing archives were interspersed with social media demonstrations and open microphone discussions.

And, yes, the standards of community-owned news-papers are rising as evidenced by the entries in the 2014 CNAV annual awards. This year there were 147 entries across 9 categories. A full list of finalists and winners fol-lows but suffice to say here that the Chewton Chat was the winner of the Best History Story in a Victorian Com-munity Newspaper in the past 12 months! The story, Mrs Fanny Finch: Chewton’s first business woman? was re-searched and written by Dr. Marjorie Theobald, and was published in the June 2014 Chat.

Success for the Chat...

This success follows a string of other CNAV awards since the first awards entered in 2007.• 2007 Winner Best Editorial• 2008 Winner Best Hard News Reporting• 2009 Finalist Best Historical Article• 2010 Special Mention in Best Community Reporting• 2011 Finalist Best Editorial• 2012 Winner Best Editorial• 2013 Winner Best News Feature Story• 2013 Finalist Best Editorial• And now, in 2014, Winner Best History Story.

In summary, the judge’s comments on the winning article stated, “This article told us of Mrs Finch’s re-markable life as a woman on the gold fields – she wasn’t wealthy or privileged – she had to make her own way in the world to support herself and her family and she also had to overcome prejudice and bullying. The article had a lot of original research from a variety of sources and was written in an engaging manner.”

The other two history finalists were:• Creswick District News with an article that looked at

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the life of William Loo Ching who was a member of Creswick Chinese community. He was an ordinary person in many ways but had an eventful life, which is brought to life in this well written article.

• Village Bell with an article that was a scholarly look at the life of four soldier settlers from the Beaconsfield Upper area.

The Chewton Chat is incredibly well served by the many talented contributors who regularly supply relevant news and updates, interesting articles and items, poems and photographs. The competition between community newspapers in the annual awards is illustrated by the 3 fi-nalists in the Best newspaper category...

Ferntree Gully News, Traf News, and the

Warrandyte Diary which was the eventual winner!

Please support our advertisers......and let them know you’ve seen their advertisement in the Chat!

• Who did that?? • What is her name?? • When did that happen?? • Where is that again??• How many are there??

There will be lots of those sorts of questions at the Chewton Pool Trivia Night.

Have fun and support the Chewton Pool while you test out just how much you know about what is happening locally, about sport, current af-fairs, films, literature, TV, food, local history…

...and lots more.

Page 20: Chewton Chat November 2014

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Shadow came into this world reluctantly. This solid black huacaya alpaca boy was born at 2.30pm on 30th November 2011 at 8.8kg. Little did he know that he was destined for greatness.

His mother Salamanca, had carried this precious bundle for 354 days and was struggling to deliver him. She been labour-

ing for several hours and was becoming very tired. Every push seemed to sap her energy yet made little progress to-ward delivering her special one. So, together we worked, minute after very long minute. She pushed; I teased back her very tender tissues millimetre by millimetre with lubri-cated gloved hand up and over the brow of this rather large head. Shadow’s head finally emerged free from the tight band that had trapped him. His nose twitched, his ears shaking - he gasped and took his first breath. I heaved a sigh of relief as I realised, “It’s alive!” Salamanca relaxed and we rested for a few minutes.

Then it was time to deliver the shoulders; the wid-est part to squeeze through the birth canal. Together we laboured. I was sweating and I am sure Salamanca was too. She pushed, I pulled down on the cria’s front legs with one hand and teased back the vulval tissues with the other. After 45 mins of hard team work we delivered this rather large 8.8kg bundle of black fur onto the ground. We both heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s a boy……..I will call him Shadow!”

Shadow wriggled in the grass to free himself from the membrane that enclosed him. His mother cooed over him, humming gently. She appeared surprised but proud of this new little life; her first born. Gradually Shadow struggled into the cush position, closed his eyes, rested his head back and basked in the sun on this warm November

afternoon. His regal pose in those first few moments of life gave me a glimpse into his future.

Shadow’s journeyOnce Shadow had

found his land legs, his fleece had dried off and he had taken his first nurtur-ing suckle from his mother, it was time to explore his fleece …… the exciting time for me. I looked in amaze-ment as I ran my fingers through this beautiful black, shiny, soft, finely-pencilled and dense coat that this little man was wearing. I had never seen a fleece this developed on a black before, only on the whites and light fawns. I couldn’t believe what my eyes or my fingers were telling me. I knew he was different. I knew he was good - very good!

Shadow flourished under the care of his gentle and caring mother Salamanca. Every time I completed my regular assessments of his fleece, the word that sprang to my lips was “wow!” Alpacas are fleece producing ma-chines and he had plenty of fine, lustrous, soft blue-black gorgeousness.

I mapped out his future: weaning, halter training, registration, promotion through the alpaca show circuit, shearing, fleece shows, then certification and breeding once he became a mature adult. He did well in the show ring and in the fleece classes achieving champion black hua-caya fleece at Cres-wick Fleece Show, Colourbration and the National Show in 2013 & 2014; quite an achievement.

Shadow’s spe-cial qualities didn’t go unnoticed. He caught

Page 21: Chewton Chat November 2014

21

At the last CDS meeting a list of “things still to be done” was tabled and various tasks were allocated to committee members. As the eve-ning was quite warm we had left the side door open and were promptly besieged by mosquitoes. One of the tasks listed just happened to be for a fly wire screen door to be in-stalled on the side entrance to the

Chewton Town Hall. Gloria offered to see if she could find someone to help and by Sunday there it was – made, painted and hanging – and designed to complement the building. Thanks to Vaughan for his time, his expertise and his generosity – it’s actions like this that not only add value to the building and prepared it for the opening planned for the following Friday but makes us all feel that we are contributing to community life in Chewton.

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the eye of two black alpaca breeders from England who had flown out from the UK to the 2014 National Show in Bendigo, with the intent of purchasing the best black male they could find to inject new genetics into their herds back home. They certainly explored Shadow’s pedigree, show record, fleece stats, his frame and fleece. They were pleased with what they saw, so after minimal negotiations, a deal was struck and Shadow was destined to find a new home in the cool green fields of West Sussex.

Shadow is the culmination of 16 years of careful black huacaya breeding and I feel very proud of what I have been able to produce. A male of this quality deserves an international reputation, so I am happy for him. While I am sad to see him go, his new position will do him jus-tice. I am very proud to have known and worked with this very gentle, special black boy and be able to release him to weave his black magic into the herds of southern England.

Glenda Bartlett, Surtierra Alpacas.

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Page 22: Chewton Chat November 2014

22

The Mount Alexander Regional Park got a big helping hand on Saturday 4th October when a group of more than 150 adults and children took part in the second Landcare Camp Out on The Mount. Most people who attended came from Harcourt, Chewton and Castlemaine to take part.

Armed with saws, loppers, drills and Glyphosate, the group was bused from the Leanganook Camp ground to a site just north of Dog Rocks Saddle to dispatch invasive Radiata Pine trees growing in the Park. The pine trees are a threat to the native forests found on Mount Alexander and participants in the Camp Out are helping to protect

Children (and others) defeat pines

important habitat for native plants and animals. It was hard to tell exactly how many pines were

removed amidst claims of ‘hundreds’ by some individuals who were still in early primary school, but a very conservative estimate would be 600 trees.

The Camp Out is a project of the Harcourt Valley Landcare Group and the organisers would like to thank the Mount Alexander Shire Council, Parks Victoria and Connecting Country for their support, and also Big Tree T-shirts, the Harcourt Lions Club and Hancocks Victorian Plantations for their contributions.

Beck Edwards and the mob finish the job, and Bushlander Ken Savage with his enthusiasm trophy and the deadly weapon

Golden Point LandcareOn Sunday December 7th at 10 a.m. you are invited to come along and learn more about our native grasses. Golden Point Landcare has held Native Grass Identification Work-shops in the past and these have proved very popular. De-cember is an excellent time to identify grasses as the seed heads are the easiest way to know which grass is which – and you will find out about seed collection and storage so that you can practice your own direct seeding program on your own property. There will be no November meeting and there will be a further notice about the grass ID day in the December Chat.

Members also checked out and tidied up the planting near the Welsh Street Bridge that was done 18 months ago – whilst the wild oats made it difficult to see what had been planted the guards have protected the plants that are flourishing along the creek with the success rate being well over 75%.

Golden Point Landcare has also received funding of $1,500 from the Mount Alexan-der Shire’s Weeds on Roadsides Program. This allows a qualified contractor to continue the control of weeds on our local roadsides which helps private and public land managers in their battle against the usual problem weeds of gorse, blackberry, bridal creeper, boneseed and periwin-kle. A great partnership!

Display volunteers needed......for Chewton Town Hall...

...see People and places on Page 28

Page 23: Chewton Chat November 2014

23

Last FOBIF walk for the yearAlex Panelli led the last 2014 walk on 19 October in the Fryers Ranges around the Sugarbag Track area. Noel Young wrote the following piece on the walk and included an extensive flowering plant list:

On a day of glorious weather, the walk for most of us quickly turned into a Wildflower Walk as Alex had selected an area which was flowering profusely and ap-peared to be at the peak of the season. Unlike last month’s walk there was no sign of cup moth damage, and the trees looked very healthy. Another healthy sign was the almost constant calling of birds all along the track. Although I have not mastered all the bird calls, I could list as definites: Horsefield’s Bronze Cuckoo, Golden Bronze Cuckoo, Fan-tail Cuckoo, Grey Thrush, White throated Tree-creep-er, Rufous Whistler, Fuscous Honey-eater, Olive backed Oriole, Grey Fantail, Blue Wren, Kookaburra, and Spotted Pardalote.

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Castlemaine Hospital.Delivered: a new $12 million. Castlemaine Police Station.

I counted about 30 species of flowering plants: Yam Daisy, Slender Rice flower, Pink Bells, Milkmaids, Creamy Candles, Primrose Goodenia, Fairy Wax-flower, Common Beard-heath, Grey Everlasting, Sticky Everlast-ing, Downy Grevillea, Billy Buttons, Fireweed (Senecio sp), Showy Parrot-pea, Matted Bush-pea, Prostrate Flat-pea, Bulbine lily. Chocolate lily, Black Anther Flax-lily, Erect Guinea-flower, Daphne Heath, Native Violet and Twining Fringe-lily.

Orchids: Spotted Sun-orchid, Bearded Greenhood, Purplish Beard-orchid, Pink Fingers, Hooded Caladenia and Waxlip Orchid.

Photos: Spider Orchid (Caladenia phaeoclavia) courtesy Noel Young. Also a Spotted Sun-Orchid and Twining Fringe-lily courtesy Bronwyn Silver.

Taken from the FOBIF website.

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Logo designed

by Morgan

Williamson.

Real Estate GossipI was shaken out of bed this morning by an electrical storm the like of which hasn’t been heard for a long time. Great rolling claps of thunder followed by drops of rain which felt like the size of golf balls as I ran outside to close car windows and put the lawn mower back in the shed. It felt more like a tropical squall than central Victorian spring rains. Properties for sale around Chewton are listed as follows: Cantwell Real Estate• 6 Fryers Road, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house for

$649,000.00.

Cassidy Real Estate• 564 Pyrenees Highway, 3 bedroom character home on

5 acres with shedding and stables, $365,000.00.

Castlemaine Property Group• 77 Pioneers Road, single bedroom log cabin set high

in the Bushlands with views over Chewton and onto Castlemaine, $315,000.00.

Keogh Real Estate:• 40 Madigans Road, Eco friendly home on 5.79Ha,

mainly timbered lot though planted with a variety of fruit trees, for sale at $295,000.00;

• 53 Eureka Street, 3 bedroom bushland retreat on 1 acre, with plenty of outside living and surrounded by Goldfields Diggings Heritage Park, $365,000.00;

• 11 Monks Hill Road, renovated 1800s cottage set on nearly 6000sqm of park like gardens and seasonal creek, $490,000.00 - $510,000.00.

Stuart Real Estate:• 94 Fryers Road, 1610sqm vacant lot with services

available, $135,000.00.

Waller Realty • 3 Monks Hill Road, vacant undulating allotment of

3258sqm, with town water running along the front boundary and sewerage accessible. With old brick ru-ins and Crown land on 2 sides, for sale at $145,000.00;

• 173 Main Road, 1800s 2 bedroom timber cottage, re-

styled and updated, within walking distance of every-where, $339,000.00;

• 103 Golden Point Road, renovated 3 bedroom home with self-contained unit, no neighbours and views across Forest Creek, $469,00000;

• 732 Pyrenees Highway, ultimate family lifestyle with indoor pool and generous family room, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, set on an elevated 3 acres with expan-sive views, the exterior is well set for entertaining, $525,000.00.

Lynne Williamson.

NICK HASLAM

167 BARKER STREET, CASTLEMAINE 5470 5811

Thinking of selling? Want to know what your property is worth?

Call Nick for an obligation free market appraisal. www.wallerrealty.com.au

M: 0418 322 789 E: [email protected]

FOR ALL YOUR BUYING & SELLING NEEDS

From the Bendigo Advertiser 1 Nov. 1904.CASTLEMAINE.DEATH OF MR. R. MITCHELL, J.P.Mr. Robert Mitchell, J.P., one of the oldest and most re-spected residents of the district, died this evening. He was the first president of the Castlemaine District Old Pio-neers’ Association, and in a paper read before that body several years ago, he gave a synopsis of his career on the early gold fields. He left Glasgow in 1852 in the good ship Malabar. For many years past the deceased gentle-man presided at the annual gathering in Melbourne of the distinguished colonists who arrived by that vessel in 1852. On arriving at Sawpit Gully (now called Elphinstone), he and his mates camped, and tossed up as to where they should go. They decided to go to the Bendigo rush. He afterwards tried Eaglehawk, Maryborough, Ballarat, and Tarrangower, and finally settled down as a storekeeper at Forest Creek in 1854. Here he did so well that in 1859 he paid a visit to the old country. On returning he was elected one of the first councillors of the Chewton Borough, and was appointed Mayor. On removing to Castlemaine he was elected a member of the Borough Council, and was Mayor in 1893-4. Mr. Mitchell was, perhaps, best known in connection with the local charities. He was for many years chairman of the hospital committee, and only re-tired when failing health compelled him to do so. He was also intimately connected with the Benevolent Asylum, of which he was a good counsellor. Mr. Mitchell was for years an elder of the Presbyterian Church. His demise is very much regretted by all classes of the community. The borough flag is this evening flying half-mast out of respect to his memory. Mr. Mitchell leaves a widow and grown-up family.

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Fryerstown Workshop - The Economics of World Heritage“The Economics of World Heritage: Exploring the Business case and Cul-tural Significance of a World Heri-tage Bid for the Central Goldfields” was the title of a workshop held in the old Fryerstown School. An array of notable speakers explored this top-ic over two days and made the work-shop both a learning and thought-

provoking experience.Following Rick Nelson’s Welcome to Country, Pro-

fessor Keir Reeves (Federation University) introduced the topic and outlined the purpose and scope of the gather-ing. Chris Meddows-Taylor (Central Goldfields Shire and Chair of the Victorian Goldfields Tourism Executive) gave a history of the cross regional collaboration that led to the World Heritage Listing proposal and the development of a

Regional Strategic Plan. Historian and Maldon olive grower Professor Tony Dingle followed, suggesting a possible symbol of the central goldfield could be the humble min-er’s cottage.

Chris McCormick took up the topic of indigenous tourism, outlining both his experiences as an agency person and, lately, as a consultant. A review of aboriginal input and statistics about the “cul-tural enrichment seekers” indicated the potential of this aspect. A com-ment to Chris during this presenta-tion was that in these times about half of the “tourists” use on-line presentations for their enrichment seeking and never actually visit the sites.

David Leathem, Mount Al-exander’s Economic Development Manager, began his presentation on the shire’s perspective by play-ing a video that had been made for the Regional Living Expo ear-lier this year. He went on explain council’s role in any process like a World Heritage Listing proposal – leading community consultation, the planning processes, a strategic focus and advocacy and promotion of ideas.

The experience of Port Arthur was presented by Dr. Jane Har-rington. The economics and pres-sures on the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority were explained and this led to discussion about the relative advantages and

disadvantages of free entry versus charged fees. Jane em-phasised the need for community engagement as the Port Arthur experience was presented.

The first day ended with David Bannear leading a walk through the goldfields scenery at Irishtown, followed by dinner in the bush.

Dr. Lloyd Carpenter from New Zealand’s Lincoln University began day two with an introduction to the World Heritage listed Otago Goldfields. 22 sites with in-dividual identities comprise this setting. He outlined the challenges of ensuring social heritage, personal heritage, invisible heritage, dirty heritage, innovation heritage and what may be uncomfortable heritage are not neglected during any development stage as each can change the way heritage is defined.

Many goldrush landscapes have been mapped and drawn by Rob Kaufman, including extensive work within the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. He showed many of these outstanding interpretations and spoke of differences in landscape interpretation between indigenous (woven stories and timeless) and European (vi-sual and analytical).

Dr. Will Anderson spoke as a commercial archaeolo-gist and used his experiences of contract work during the Western Highway re-alignment work at Burrumbeet. The excavation, dig and discoveries of the Harp of Erin site there were used to illustrate his presentation.

The workshop then moved outdoors when Dr. Ros Bandt took everyone to her property, a short walk from the old school. The intangible heritage of sound in the land-scape was the focus – and the soundscape of the bush box ironbark woodland was explored by many ears during the time spent under Ros’ direction.

David Bannear’s experiences with the old copper mining landscape of South Australia’s Burra was inter-spersed with links to the Cornwall heritage sites. He spoke of cross country interest in such heritage projects – the interest in the UK because of their involvement in the Aus-tralian goldfields, and the interest in New Zealand as Aus-tralia was the people source of their gold rushes.

UNESCO’s criteria in evaluation of goldfield land-scapes was the topic Federation University’s Dr Chris Mc-Conville took up. He posed several “what if” questions relating to funding and possible effects on other forms of heritage – and pointed out the potential for delisting if cir-cumstances change.

Latrobe University’s Dr. Jennifer Laing and Associ-ate Professor Warwick Frost spoke of tourism and its chal-lenges. They had recent involvement in the evaluation of tourism projects in Bendigo and used these experiences to illustrate their presentations.

It was a fascinating two days thanks to the different insights provided by the presenters. A move for World Heritage Listing of the central goldfields region had begun in the time of John Brumby’s premiership, but had petered out. This workshop indicated there is still interest in this pursuit – but in a considered and an eyes wide open way.

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Chewton Domain Society

FULL BODY RELAXATION MASSAGE for MEN.Incorporating some LomiLomi strokes.

Feel relaxed and invigorated.

Also, offering advice on MEN’s personal health issues.

BRYN (Retired R.N.)

[email protected] 0402326576

One of the first decisions at this meeting was to write a let-ter of thanks to the Soccer Club (Castlemaine Goldfields FC) for allowing us to use the George Archer Pavilion dur-ing the town hall restoration works. It was wonderful to have the use of that meeting room.

The Treasurer’s report tabled showed a balance of $30,271.98 with accounts for payment totalling $1,525.09. and $5,300.00 of the balance already committed. The GST Refund from the 3rd BAS will be $1,389.00. The Shire rates for 2014/15 are $2,183.63 (2013/14 rates were $1,183.33 - an increase of $342.30). Accounts are still to come for town hall work that has been completed: cleaning (still to buff hall floor etc), plumbing including replace-ment of guttering/downpipe at rear of hall toilets, electri-cal connection of the gas HWS and the kitchen cupboard re-fitting. Works that still need to be done for compliance include drainage, side entrance levelling and surfacing and a ramp at rear door.

Membership secretary Glen Harrison reported that CDS membership is now at 123 with one new member joining this month.

Discussion then centred on the town hall. After the recent restoration works the Chewton Town Hall is now structurally sound – the project management of this stage of the restoration was done by Sera Jane Peters as outlined in the grant application. Sera Jane will continue to oversee these works:• Advertise for a person who would manage the book-

ings, hiring and cleaning of the town hall as per the policy

• Complete the drainage works, • Check condition of skylights• Assess the condition of the toilets (installed in 1996)• Replace the spouting and downpipe at the rear of the

town hall and install leaf guard• Landscaping next to town hall• Flue over the kitchen stove• Replace the guard over the gas meter• Repair the hinge on the town hall cupboard.• Install appropriate light at the front door • Professional cleaning of windows and buffing of town

hall floor• Oversee any repair works deemed the responsibility

of the contractor in conjunction with the Heritage Ar-chitect

It’s the responsibility of the CDS Management Com-mittee to ensure that the hall is made attractive for use by the community and is compliant with OH&S and other regulations. Committee members were invited to identify the issues that they would like to manage from this list – and there may be others that arise over a period of time.• Adopt a hiring/use policy including conditions of use,

cleaning, insurance, keys and a graded set of charges. It was agreed to use the draft policy as a basis and review it after some use. Bettie Exon to take all book-ings until a Booking Officer has been organised.

• Purchase the necessary catering equipment to allow appropriate use of the kitchen: has mostly been done – will be advised by the Booking Officer for other items. Manuals for kitchen appliances to be copied and made available for users.

• Cleaning the hall: Judy Cobb offered to clean until the Booking Officer has been organised.

• Purchase and install the lighting/display system in the town hall using the grant from FRRR – Phil Hall.

• Obtain quotes for 4 town hall window blinds – Judy Cobb.

• Check security light at the rear door - Marie Jones to check and add to electrician’s list if not working.

• Fly wire door for side door - Gloria Meltzer to check with Vaughan Greenberg..

• Check insurance and warranties for new equipment and works – Marie Jones.

• Painter to clean paint from windows, take off fire ex-tinguisher sign in the kitchen near the door into the town hall and paint, paint the spouting outside the rear door - Marie Jones to contact David Button.

• Check the Bentwood chairs and felt pads under all fur-niture – Glen Harrison.

• Prepare and oil the small cupboard and 2 tables – Jo Maher.

• Plant water wise ground cover plants at the front – to be followed up.

• Request VicRoads to amend the sign “Museum” di-recting visitors to the Chewton Town Hall – Jo Maher.

• Develop a memorandum of understanding with MASC regarding the cleaning of the public toilet and BBQ and the provision of signs directing visitors to these facilities – Marie Jones.

• Return the People and Places bookshelves and re-

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Chewton - 100 years ago...Kyneton Guardian

Thursday 5 November 1914A Chewton Volunteer.Private J. McCance, brother-in-law of Mr. Fred Beare, of Lauriston, one of the first contingent of soldiers who have already taken their departure from Australia, had a miracu-lous recovery from a mauser bullet which was embedded in his body at the Pink Hill fight in South Africa. Private McCance was one of the Victorian contingent. He had picked a position behind a rock and raised his body to look out when a bullet entered the apex of the right lung by its broad axis, passing in a straight line through the right lung, leaving a track 1¼in. broad, and is now located in the up-per part of the liver. This was the account given of it by Dr. Clendimen, who subjected the patient to the X-rays during his visit to Melbourne. No attempt was made to dislodge the missile, and the recovery has been so remark-able that Private McCance had no difficulty in being again selected for active service.

Also on 5 November 1914Pine Forest.The Forestry Department has decided to plant 2000 acres of pines on the slopes of Mount Alexander near Harcourt.

Oops from Elaine!

Last month’s Chat carried a roll call for a family on Page 27. Elaine has since discovered she inserted a wrong photo – this photo is of Alice Mary Huckel who is Elaine’s grandmother. The photo captioned Alice Mary Huckel last month was actually her sister Frances.

sources and set up. Afternoon tea for the People and Places volunteers to be organised – November 1st at 2 pm to discuss People and Places arrangements, servic-es offered and resource management (digitise photos in filing cabinet, computer/micro fiche reader place-ment, reference material, advertisement of what P&P will be doing, photocopier/scanner, clean out lock up and organise storage of resources) - Elaine Appleton, Marie Jones and Allan Dry.

• Trim the peppercorn and elm tree branches overhang-ing the town hall roof - Helen to get quotes

• Telstra be contacted about cancelling the phone ser-vice and seeking a refund.

• Replace rear door and include a crash bar and exit sign - a later priority.

• Bolt for internal door between meeting room and town hall room - not workable because of access issues.

• Request an assessment for universal access require-ments (wheelchair access, toilet, handrails, signs etc) - to be done when drainage and landscaping finished

• Request council inspection of future footpath manage-ment and levels - to be done

• Clean out all spouting - part of ongoing maintenance program

The official Chewton Town Hall launch is an event to acknowledge state government’s contribution, dona-tions made by supporters, contributions made by trades-people etc. It is to be held on 31st October at 10 a.m. Liberal MP Amanda Millar will replace Peter Ryan, and there have been more than 40 acceptances to the invita-tions so far.

The Community launch of Town Hall will be held later. It was felt that we would need more time to prepare and seek funding (Phil Hall) and early March would be the preferred timing.

Pat Healy reported that the Loddon Campaspe Le-gal Centre (Bendigo) had suggested that they join in the Monster Meeting celebrations with a fun run/marathon of 3 different events. The Subcommittee discussed this and recommended that this event be held first in September 2015 to give time prepare properly.

Rose Darling reported on the Chewton Community Plan. She has emailed copies around and put hard copies in the shop and PO for everyone to see and discuss. This is to go to Council on December 9th.

It was reported that the paths have been sprayed and the grass cut in the park.

In General Business it was reported the town hall has been booked for a violin concert by CSC students, and the possibility of having a fund raiser for a piano (if the com-mittee thought this appropriate) has been mentioned.

Acoustics in hall are excellent for music – 2 musical items are planned for the morning tea launch.

Tom Taft has donated a musical jewellery box to be raffled as a fund raiser for the town hall restoration.

The meeting closed at 8.35 p.m. The next CDS Man-agement Committee Meeting will be on Tuesday Novem-ber 18th 2014 at 7 p.m. in the Chewton Town Hall.

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Fire prevention inspections have recently commenced across Mount Alexander Shire. It is a timely reminder that this year’s fire season is fast approaching. All residents are reminded that grass growth and other flammable material will dry off quickly and will become a fire hazard if not addressed soon.

Council officers, in partnership with local CFA mem-bers, are conducting inspections to identify properties that could become a fire hazard and may issue a Fire Preven-tion Notice if action is required by the landowner.

Fine fuels such as fallen leaves and branches, long dry grass, weeds and some shrubs that are 6mm in diam-eter or less are the most common hazard. These can act as kindling for a fire by providing easy ignition and allowing it to spread easily. If a Fire Prevention Notice is issued and not complied with, costs associated with Council under-taking clearing works will be incurred by the landowner along with the possibility of an infringement notice.

As summer approaches it is important that all resi-dents are aware of their own responsibilities and that they take action to help mitigate the impact of bushfire on our community. Clearing rubbish, cutting grasses and clearing gutters around your home is a good place to start.

Council is involved with a number of fire manage-ment programs including –

• Strategic roadside slashing• Fire access road maintenance• Property inspections• Fire Prevention Notices and compliance

It is important to be aware that Mount Alexander Shire is in the North Central Total Fire Ban District.

For more information about clearing around your property visit the Country Fire Authority’s website at www.cfa.vic.gov.au or call the Victorian Bushfire Infor-mation Line on 1800 240 667.

Taken from a Press Release.

Fire prevention inspections have begun

Four additional firefighting aircraft bring Victoria’s airfleet to 46 this fire season. 46 specialist aircraft will help to support firefighters on-the-ground which is four extra air-craft than the previous fire season.

This will boost the state’s capacity to respond to, and suppress, bush and grass fires. The four extras are:• Two large fixed wing airtankers to be based at Ava-

lon airport, with a carrying capacity of approximately 12,000 and 17,000 litres of foam or retardant;

• A fixed wing aircraft with an on-board air attack su-pervisor to support the large air tankers.

• A firebombing helicopter which can carry approxi-mately 1,600 litres of water, to be based in the Latrobe Valley.

The total aircraft fleet consists of :• 2 large fixed wing airtankers;• 1 firebombing helicopter to be based in the Latrobe

Valley;• 2 Erickson Aircranes capable of dropping 7,500 litres

of water;• 2 large Sikorsky helicopters capable of dropping 3,500

litres of water or transporting up to 17 firefighters;• 5 medium sized firebombing helicopters;• 15 light helicopters;• 12 single engine airtankers;• 2 infrared line-scanning fixed wing aircraft;• 4 fixed wing firespotting aircraft; and• 1 fixed wing aircraft to support the large air tankers

The specialist aircranes will be available for use from De-cember, with the remaining fleet to arrive later this month.

Taken from a Press Release.

Fire fighting up in the air!

People and PlacesThe People and Places collection of historical records and material has been an integral part of the Chewton Town Hall since 1996. This comprehensive collection provides information about many of the people and places of our local area starting with the goldrush times of the 1850s. A group of volunteers has been opening the town hall to the public (and often by appointment) each Saturday and Sunday afternoon so that both locals and visitors could research their family histories or just browse through the fascinating collection.

This community service took a break while the town hall was being restored and it’s now time to re-view its future management. There will be a meeting in the Chewton Town Hall on Saturday 1st Novem-ber at 2 p.m. for the current volunteers to start plan-ning – and we would welcome other people who may be interested in helping out. This could mean pairing up with someone more experienced until you learn how to help people with their enquiries or offering to help prepare displays of material for special events. Please contact Allan Dry 5472 3385 or Marie Jones on 5472 2892 for further details.

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Offenders from Loddon Prison are performing community service across the Loddon Mallee region, giving back to the community and learning valuable skills. The prison’s Landmate crew had carried out significant bushfire recov-ery and prevention works at Riddells Creek Christmas Tree Farm after the farm was devastated earlier this year. Prisoners have cut down and stacked approximately 1,300 Christmas trees at the farm in a project that has been de-livering great outcomes for local communities, and at the same time enabling offenders to develop skills.

Loddon Prison has a long history of community work, including a partnership with the Macedon Ranges Shire Council this year to assist with bushfire recovery work. It also has a long standing partnership with the North Central Catchment Management Authority. These partnerships play an important role in supporting a safer, more productive community.

Works can be assisting communities on bushfire re-covery, working with the CFA to clear bushfire hazards or helping prevent soil erosion. Councils, not-for-profits and community groups can help offenders repay their debt to the community in a way that’s productive and can help of-fenders gain skills for future employment.

The Department of Justice works with hundreds of community and not-for-profit groups across Victoria on programs that benefit the community. Not-for-profit groups interested in forming a community work partner-ship should contact their local Community Correctional Services office or perhaps a nearby minimum-security prison.

Contact details can be found at www.corrections.vic.gov.au

Taken from a Press Release.

Loddon prisoners give back

LIC 24063

Concerned about your Gas Heater?W. R. Plumbing now have the equipment for testing your gas heating appliances.

Contact Simon to arrange a test before the winter sets in.

0419836423

2015 Australia Day Awards Do you know a person or a group of people who have made a significant contribution to our community this year or over a number of years? Here is your chance to show your appreciation for their efforts.

Council is inviting nominations for the 2015 Mount Alexander Shire Australia Day Awards.

The award categories are:

Citizen of the Year• Resident of Mount Alexander Shire• Available to individual citizens over 28 years of age• Based on community/voluntary achievements

Young Citizen of the Year • Resident of Mount Alexander Shire• Available to citizens under 28 years of age• Nominees can be an individual citizen or a community based youth organisation

Community Event of the Year• This award recognises a community event that is of broad community interest and of social and economic benefit to the community and Mount Alexander Shire.Nomination forms are available from Customer Service at the Civic Centre, corner Lyttleton and Lloyd Streets, Castlemaine and are also available for download on Coun-cil’s website.

Nominations close at 4.00pm on Friday 12 December 2014.

For further information please contact Melissa Fowler on (03) 5471 1786 or email [email protected]

Oops! The photos of the tap dancing in the last Chat were incor-rectly captioned. David Watson was correctly identified, but his dancing partner was Lyn Ellery.

Lyn has been part of the dancing scene since David first took up teaching tap at Castlemaine Continuing Edu-cation. The dance school has since moved to Guildford and is now run by “Miss Evie”.

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The hugely popular Maldon Market will celebrate one year of successful operation on Sunday 9 November, with more than $20,000 raised for groups in town and local traders enjoying the monthly boost to business.

Maldon Neighbourhood Centre Co-ordinator, Amy Atkinson, said there is an average of 65 stalls every month and 1500 market visitors. “The market was established to provide an economic boost to the town, to provide locals with an opportunity to peddle their wares and to improve community connections. All of these things have been achieved in the first year, with the market now firmly in the hearts and minds of many Central Victorians and really healthy visitor numbers from Melbourne,” she said.

Ken Hercott lives in Maldon and bakes bread ex-clusively for the market. “The Maldon Market has cre-ated additional income for me every month, but it’s just as much about providing high quality produce to locals and creating vibrancy in the town that I love. We are a small tourist town and markets have broad appeal so the market gives visitors another great reason to visit our historical town,” he said.

Lisa Kennedy is a local jewellery maker who now has the chance to sell her product locally and avoid some of the costly and time consuming travel to markets fur-ther away. “The Maldon Market has allowed me to have a staple market every month close to home and to forego other markets further away, which gives me more time to actually make jewellery,” she said.

Local businesses are also singing the praises of the market, with noticeable increases to sales on market days. “The town buzzes on market days and around lunchtime, we are often run off our feet,” said Tess Ryan, owner of the Gold Exchange Café and Spotted Cow restaurant.

The President of Maldon Inc., which represents the businesses in town, congratulated the Maldon Neighbour-hood Centre on the success of the market. “The market’s success is a tribute to the excellent planning and hard work of both volunteers and Neighbourhood Centre staff and our member businesses have provided really positive feed-back about the impact on their trade”, Graeme Ford said.

The market also supports local community groups by providing the opportunity to have a free stall space, sau-sage sizzle and to collect gold coin donations from mar-ket visitors. “We fundraised at the June market and raised over $2000,” said Lee Mead, from the Maldon Tennis

Club. “This type of opportunity makes a real difference to a small organisation like ours and will allow us to re-surface the tennis courts.”

A bumper market is planned for Sunday 9 Novem-ber which will feature live music, kids’ entertainment, 70 stalls offering handmade and home grown products and produce - and a free piece of celebratory cake for some lucky visitors!

“The market has given Maldon residents real pride of place and our sponsors, volunteers and community fun-draising showcases Maldon as a caring community with a great willingness to participate and contribute,” Maldon Market Co-ordinator, Amy Atkinson said.

To find out the latest information on new stallhold-ers and market promotions, follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/maldonmarket

The Maldon Market is proudly sponsored by Octago-nal Resources Limited. Taken from a Press Release.

Walking Tours

Walks with expert, local guides Gentle, fun 1 hour walk, all ages and abilities welcome Historical and Botanical tours Bring your hat and water bottle

www.cdchcastlemaine.com.au

Aboriginal History Walk When: Wednesday 26th November, 10.00 - 11.00am Where: Meet at Castlemaine Art Gallery & Museum, 14 Lyttleton St Castlemaine. Who: Led by Rick Nelson, Local Elder, Jaara descendant and Dja Dja Wurrung

Traditional owner. Cost: Free

Botanical Walk When: Wednesday 28th January, 10.00am – 11.00am Where: Meet at Old Tea Rooms, Castlemaine Botanical Gardens, off Downes St. Who: Led by Gillian Miller, Head Gardener Cost: Free

For more information call Liza at Castlemaine District Community Health on: 5479 1000 Cancelled in the event of heavy rain or extreme heat

No RSVP required

Maldon Market’s birthday...

Trenches ExcavationsLandscaping

Posthole Digger Rubbish Removal

Driveway Construction

Phone Colin on 5470 5975 or 0417 509 699

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FIELD NATSVISITORS ARE WELCOME AT CLUB

MEETINGS AND EXCURSIONS

Fri Nov 14th: Meeting - speaker Nigel Harland; wildlife of India

Sat Nov 15th: Field trip to Pudding Bag Lane Reserve, Leaders Max and Chris

Ordinary 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 Cas-tle 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/

The Chewton Chat is published by the Chewton Domain Society. A 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 to [email protected] or by calling 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, East End Servo, 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 Camera Shop and Castlemaine Office Supplies. 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.chewton.net - as can earlier issues. The CDS can be contacted through PO Box 85, Chewton, 3451; or the Chewton Town Hall 5470 6131 (when open). 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.

A time to say thanks... Last year Mary Stuart opened her Tranquillo garden for a fundraiser for our Chewton Pool, and it was very successful. She is opening her garden again for the Garden Festival, not as a fundraiser but for her-self. If you didn’t get a chance to visit this little gem of a garden last year then may we suggest you see it during the garden festival?

A time to say thanks...

Coffee, Teas, Milk, Newspapers, Magazines, Fresh Bread, Soft Drinks, Groceries, DVDs and more...

You name it we’ve probably got it. At your convenience...

Sprout bread now availableWednesdays, Fridays and weekends!

Hours 7:30 - 5:30 Mon-Fri 8:00 - 4:00 Sat-Sun

...it’s your store Chewton!

Page 32: Chewton Chat November 2014

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Suddenly - Spring looks like Summermillimetres in October, but there is nothing certain about it these days. The thirteen millimetres arrived on four separate days, the heaviest fall being eight mils, leaving not very much for the other three days. We did have another day in which there was not enough to record, although it did keep the ground a bit fresh. Is it starting to look a bit El Nino-ish?

Temperatures over this month have seen significant change. In the first week we were enjoying the change to daytime low twenties, whereas the last week of the month has seen low thirties appearing. Our highest daytime temperature was 32 degrees C, contrasting with a daytime high of 23 degrees C last month. This month we have seen 15 days of 20 degrees or more, and even two days of 30 degrees or a little more. Last month we had only 2 days of 20 degrees plus. Our average was 22 degrees C, a big improvement on last month. So, Spring is here, the clocks have “sprung forward” and summer is on its way.

Overnight temperatures have also made getting out of bed much more pleasant than has been the previous few winter months. Our monthly average overnight temperature has jumped from almost 6 degrees to more than 9 degrees C. The mode was 10 degrees, but the highest overnight was a balmy 15.5 degrees. And I am looking forward to more of this in the days to come.

John Leavesley.

Calendar of EventsNov 1st Pool working bee, 10 a.m., Chewton Pool.Nov 1st People and Places volunteers get together, 1 p.m., Chewton Town Hall (see page 28 and

new volunteers are very welcome!)Nov 1st MoBQ (Chewton Community BBQ), 6 p.m., Ellery Park (see p. 16).Nov 4th Cup Day Public Holiday.Nov 8th Pool working bee, 10 a.m., Chewton Pool.Nov 9th Morning Prayer, 9.15 a.m., St. John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Nov 11th MAS Council Statutory Meeting, 7.30 p.m., Mount Alexander Civic Centre, Castlemaine.Nov 15th Pool working bee, 10 a.m., Chewton Pool.Nov 18th CDS Man. Comm. meeting, 7 p.m., Chewton Town Hall.Nov 22nd Deadline for the November Chewton Chat (it has to be printed by the 28th).Nov 22nd Pool working bee, 10 a.m., Chewton Pool.Nov 22nd Chewton Pool Trivia Night, 7 p.m., Chewton Community Centre.Nov 22nd Fryerstown Film Night (Twelve Angry Men), 7.30 p.m., Burke and Wills Mech. Inst.Nov 23rd Morning Prayer, 9.15 a.m., St. John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Nov 25th MAS Council meeting, 7.30 p.m., Chewton Community Centre.Nov 29th Election Day (State election so voting is at Chewton School).Nov 29th Pool opening party, 12 noon, Chewton Pool.Nov 30th Folding the Chewton Chat (Sunday), 2.30 p.m., Chewton Town Hall.

November means serious fire season preparations - are you ready already?

The burn off number is 1800 668 511 - always call this number before burning off!

I was driving home from Bendigo a few days ago, enjoying the bright new greens of tree and bush as whispy cirrus clouds draped themselves across the sky. It was a beautiful day, and I was thinking that it was really worth writing about in this month’s weather.

I was pleased to read in last months edition of our Chat that others too are aware of the widely differentiated rainfall occasioned by our local micro-climates. With only little feedback, I have often wondered just what differences in temperature and rainfall are experienced across our locality. It seems the difference can be as much as double the rain from one place to another. That has also caused me to wonder if one area consistently receives twice as much rain as another, thus resulting in a substantially different climate overall. Rae and Don Hawkins believed it was so in their area, merely some 500 metres away from my rain gauge. It would be good to hear from others who regularly record their rainfall over any given timeframe. I would be very interested in a comparison of collected data from around Chewton or even other nearby townships.

In terms of rain, we have had a very meagre month. Only January produced less rainfall than this month of October. Our 13 millimetres has been matched only by the 9 millimetres we received in the first month of this year. We usually get something between 25 and 35