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CHEWTON CHATCHEWTON DOMAIN SOCIETY (INCORPORATED)

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

Published on the 1st of each month Issue 187 September, 2014.

www.chewton.net

It’s been pointed out that the front page stories in the last two Chats have featured no people! July’s stone wall and August’s snow on the mount were both accompa-nied by people-less photos. So this front page acknowledges some of the people who make Chewton the vibrant place it is…

Chewton - a place to live, work and play...

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A cosy group of nineteen took the opportunity to step inside the town hall for its first post-renovation use as a meeting venue. CDS President Helen McGeachin welcomed ev-eryone and gave a Welcome to Country – no doubt the first of many to come in the town hall now that its life has been considerably extended. The five apologies were accepted and the meeting agenda was worked through.

Minutes for the 2013 AGM were confirmed and Hel-en presented her report.

CDS President’s reportOnce again I am privileged and delighted to present the 2013/14 President’s report.

It has been another busy year with a great deal of the Society’s energy being taken up with the ongoing work involved in the Chewton Town Hall restoration. Looking over last year’s President’s report, it’s hard to believe that

we had just then taken possession of the keys of the hall – ten months down the track and we are only now on the cusp of taking possession of the hall itself. It’s an exciting time and we look forward to the hall being once again being an integral and important part of community life in Chewton.

However, the hall is not the only interest that the Chewton Domain Society has and the many subcommittees continue their valuable work quietly behind the scenes while the hall has remained out of action.

The People and Places committee has been working out of the school and whilst we remain thankful to the school for the opportunity to share their space, the move back to the Town Hall will be most welcome and the display will once again be able to be open to the public.

The Chewton Chat is still at the core of community life in the town. The Chat is one of the real success stories in this town and a recent online summary revealed just how far across the globe its readership extends. Congratulations to that subcommittee for all their hard work.

The Monster Meeting is still an ongoing project and continues to attract more attention each year the anniversary comes around. Last year saw the Monster Meeting awarded the Victorian Community History Award for Best Historical Interpretation – a real feather in the cap of that sub-committee. The Archive book has just been posted on line, along with filmed interviews with historians – both of these projects have been entered in the Victorian Community History Awards this year and we keep our fingers crossed for more recognition of all the time and energy that has been committed to this project.

A few thank yous to finish up:• Thanks to the Soccer Club for the use of their rooms

while the town hall renovations have been taking place.

• Thanks again to our hard working committee and in particular to Jillian Milton who is standing down this year.

It’s always a privilege to work with such an enthusiastic and talented group of people and I look forward to another interesting and successful year as we move back into our beautiful hall with all of the possibilities that this may involve. Helen McGeachin, President.

Inside our town hall again!

The Chewton Domain Society 2014 AGM

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$10 per person ($5 concession) starting on July 1st 2014, and that the annual memberships be paid on the 1st July.

The formal part of the meeting closed at 2.25 p.m. and guest speaker Sera Jane Peters gave a background to the progress made with the Chewton Town Hall Restora-tion since October 2013 and outlined the issues facing the CDS into the future regarding financial management of heritage properties. A cuppa followed and those present then inspected the hall and kitchen areas and their com-ments will be collated into a report that will outline the next stage of the project.

The audited financial re-port was presented by Treasurer Marie Jones who explained that the CDS is now GST reg-istered due to the large grant to restore the Chew-ton Town Hall, a grant that was received in in-stalments over two years. The tabled financial re-port had been prepared by the CDS bookkeeper and the books will be audited

later this month. Two grants have been acquitted – the State Government grant for the restoration of the Chew-ton Town Hall and the Federal Your Community Heritage grant that funded the Monster Meeting project archive col-lection. That collection, filmed interviews and a resource book, are now readable or downloadable from www.chew-ton.net Marie explained that it appears that government grants will be more difficult to access in the future so we will need to plan for financial independence and sustain-ability into the future.

Election of the CDS Management Committee for 2014/15 then took place. Single nominations were re-ceived for President - Helen McGeachin, Vice-president - Judy Cobb, Secretary - Bettie Exon and Treasurer - Ma-rie Jones and these people were declared elected to these positions.

It was then moved and seconded that there be nine ordinary committee positions for 2014/15. Nominations had been received from Rose Darling, Gloria Meltzer, Pat Healy, Joan Maher, Phil Hall, Sera Jane Peters, Glen Har-rison, Marion Landy and Elaine Appleton and the chair-person declared these members elected.

The CDS joining fee was then set at $0 and the an-nual subscription for the CDS for the 2014/15 year set at

Annual General Meeting Notice

The 4th AGM of Chewton Pool Inc. will be held at 3.00pm on Sunday 14 September 2014 at the George Archer Pavilion meeting room, Fryers Rd, Chewton. Nominations for President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer will be received until close of business Friday 7 September. Nomination forms for membership and committee can be obtained by contacting the Acting Secretary on 0418 306 900 or by email chewtonsplash@hotmail.com Nominations can be sent to Chewton Pool Inc., PO Box 24, Chewton, Vic 3451. All supporters most welcome.

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Castlemaine Goldfields Football Club kicked up its heels over the weekend of August 9 and 10 to celebrate turning 40. Nearly 100 juniors took over the club’s home ground at Chewton’s Soldiers’ Memorial Park on the Saturday for a morning of fun, fairy floss, jumping castles and small-sided matches. That night, around 90 guests attended a birthday “party” at the NewNorthern at which a club history book was launched and men’s and women’s All Star teams were announced.

Then, on Sunday while visitors browsed the extensive display of records, articles, old playing tops and other historical items in the clubrooms, the three senior teams put icing on the birthday cake by each winning their match. As one club stalwart remarked on Sunday evening, “It’s been a rich weekend. It’s linked the past to the present and given a context in which the club operates in the community today.”

Saturday evening’s celebration brought together players from across the 40 years since the club formed in 1974. Original players in that first season, Jim Shepherd, and the Evans brothers, Mick, Bob and Terry, who arrived in Castlemaine from England, were among the guests. Special 40th anniversary certificates were awarded to the Leversha and Berry families, to club legend Jim Shepherd, Rob Schroeder (president 1998,1999, 2000) and wife Pam (former treasurer), and long-time player, current committeeman and all-round hard worker, Ray West.

Chief organizer of the weekend’s celebrations, Robyn Lewis, who along with Mick Evans, authored the club history book which was launched by noted soccer historian Roy Hay on the night, also received a “thank you” certificate. Praising the book for its thoroughness and honesty, Roy Hay said that the club could be proud of its place in the local community and he noted its goal of inclusion above winning.

MC for the evening, current club president Ian Flavell, read an excerpt from a 1913 Bendigo Advertiser article reporting a game at Camp Reserve between workers from Thompsons’ Foundry. The reporter observed that soccer was slow compared with “the Victorian game” (Australian Rules) and would not “take on” in Castlemaine. “The fact that we’re here this evening celebrating shows how wrong that prediction was,” Ian noted.

One of the evening’s highlights was the announcement of the All Star teams. The women’s team featured Lyn West and two of her daughters, Michelle and Christine Duffy, as well as Linda Newton and her two daughters, Sarah and Becky. Current players included Jayde Steer, Bridget Woods, Kate Forrest and Iona Muller.

The men’s team, on the other hand, featured only one current player, gutsy midfielder Jono Burris. Many players from the club’s sole championship year, way back in 1980, rated spots. These included playing coach, Celly McCluskey, Bob Evans, George Dolphin, Tom Penny, Graham West, Mick Evans, Brian Harding, Peter Noulton and goalkeeper Jim Shepherd.

Women’s All StarsPlaying coaches Lyn West 1994-2014*

Linda Newton 1994-2001Forwards

Jayne Bassett 1998-2011, Bridget Woods 2008-14*,Tanika Wolff 2008-11, Christine Duffy 2008-13

MidfieldEmily Leversha 2001-2008, Danni Lowry 1995-2002, Michelle Duffy 2004-2013, Sarah Newton 1994-2004

DefendersJayde Steer 2000-2014, Lauron Gowty 1996-2012,Kate Forrest 2010-2014, Becky Newton 1998-2010

Goalkeepers Kythera Watson-Bonnice 1999-2002 Iona Moller 2009-2014*

Goldfields Football Club Celebrates 40 Years

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Men’s All StarsPlaying coaches

Head/playing coach - Celly McCluskey 1979-81Assistant/playing coach - Terry Attwood 2002-13

ForwardsBob Evans 1974-86, George Papadimos 1986-94,

Nick Burris 2002-11,Jean Lucchesi 2003-06, John Gunter 2002-12*

MidfieldPeter Richardson 1981-2007, George Dolphin 1980-87, Jono Burris

2002-14*, Tom Penny 1979-89, Scott Doty 2002-13, Joel Huzzey 2007-11

DefendersGraham West 1980-2012, Mick Evans 1974-83, Brian Harding 1976-82, Peter Noulton 1974-82,

Tim Richardson 1999-2008, Dave Gunter 2006-09Goalkeepers

Jim Shepherd 1974-85Tristan Evans 2006-14

Photos clockwise: All Star goalkeeper Jim Shepherd, All Star mid-fielder Peter Richardson, All Star team mates Lyn West and Bridget Woods, Club stalwart Ray West, Current player Aaron Shooter ham-

ming it up, Current players Ruby Huzzey and Iona Muller (a goal keeper in the All Star team), Guest speaker Roy Hay with current

player Martin Myles, President Ian Flavell addresses the 90 guests at the NewNorthern, All Stars Joel Huzzey and Jean Lucchesi with Joel’s father Jeff , Mary Harding, Life Member Robin Jensen with wife Lyn,

Members of the All Star team present on the night with Helen Har-ley who received the certificate on behalf of son Tim Richardson and

Players and coaches of the Women’s All Star team are on page 1.

This big weekend is now on the Football Federation Victoria website - a write-up by Roy Hay.

http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/index.php?id=17...

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CFA Update – SeptemberChewton CFA has experienced a very quiet month with no turnouts over August. This is good news and it is great to see members of the community keeping their homes safe over the cooler months.

Despite incident numbers being low, members have been kept busy with various training, maintenance and meetings throughout the month.

Delegates from all brigades within the Metcalfe Group recently attended a meeting at the Castlemaine Fire Station which was held in conjunction by the CFA and Victoria Police. The meeting was held to discuss the recent break-ins at fire stations across the State. In light of this the brigade would like to encourage all members of the community to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity around local fire stations and within the wider community. Should you see anything of this nature you are encouraged to contact 000 and note any useful information for police, for example car registration numbers.

On July 29th members from Chewton, as well as some other local brigades, were given the opportunity to tour the new section of the Castlemaine Gaol. The purpose of this exercise was to give volunteers an idea on the prison layout, the location of fire equipment and access points.

The idea behind this is to ensure that local brigades are better prepared for any incidents which they may be called out to attend at the premises.

In other news, Chewton CFA will also be hosting a bonfire night for all current members of the brigade. The event will occur on Saturday October 18th and both active and non-active members are invited to attend. It is hoped this night will be a great social event for our members in the lead up to the 2014-2015 fire season.

Paige Mounsey, Chewton CFA Communications Officer.

St. John’s Chewton

Services for St John’s Chewton for September are:

• Sunday, 14th 9.15 a.m. Morning Prayer with Helen and Bri-an. Everyone welcome.

• Sunday, 28th 9.15 a.m. Morning Prayer with Jill and Chris-tine. Everyone welcome.

• On the first Sunday of the month, the 10.30 service at the An-glican Christ Church is designed for children.

www.lifecyclegym.net

We offer 1 free trial spin class or workout on Monday & Wednesdays at 6.30pm

(You may need to book in for spin class, please arrive around 6.15pm)

For membership message Maree or Carl on 54705500 or email lcg@aapt.net.au

For Massage contact Libby Mayes 0439 653389

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

0418 377930

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

732 Pyrenees Hwy, Chewton Lifecycle Gym is a pin code entry system for members & staffed part time.

Lifecycle Gym proudly supports

Chewton’sCommunity Planning Group

Next meeting Tuesday 9th of September

at 7.00 pm Chewton Primary School

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John Preece was born in Wolseley, South Australia, in 1927. ‘In 1942 I went to Kerang where I was apprenticed to an uncle as a baker and pastrycook. In 1947 I married Edna Scoles and we moved to Chewton in 1948.’

In the early days John did relief baking at Tongala and Tatura. When the combination of smoking and flour dust began to affect his lungs he was advised to get work in the open air. ‘So I then got work building houses for Thompsons Foundry workers. This folded when the Housing Commission started building homes in Castlemaine.’ John’s next job was planting and trimming pine trees for the Forestry Commission.

John and Edna thought it was time to have a house of their own. ‘As we couldn’t afford to buy one, we decided to build. I bought a block of land on the main road in Chewton and began building. When the house was liveable we moved in, even though there was a lot more still to be done. The final rendering didn’t go on until 1956.’

By this time John was working as a delivery driver for Tonks, but in 1958 baking lured him back. ‘I worked at Blumes bakery, then in 1964 I bought the business and remained there until 1975.’ John says that the business kept him busy seven days a week, ‘so after eleven years I’d had enough.’ His final job was as head cleaner at the Castlemaine Junior Tech campus.

Amongst his local interests, John joined the Chewton Fire Brigade. He competed in running events and was Brigade captain for 1966-67. ‘I also played football for Chewton and in 1948 I played in the premiership team.’ John’s sporting interests also stretched to playing cricket for the Castlemaine Imperials, lawn bowls for the C-grade Castlemaine Premiers from 1983-84, and as a keen carpet bowls player his team won several premierships and he was singles champion twice. One of his favourite stories is telling everyone that Ray Applebee offered to train him for the Stawell Gift.

John and Edna have four children, six grand-children and one great grand-daughter.

Has much changed in Chewton since he moved here in the ‘40s? ‘The biggest change has been the closing of the small shops. We had a butcher, baker, two grocers, two garages, both selling petrol. Nowadays with the big

supermarkets and most houses with two cars it’s easy to slip into Castlemaine for anything needed. The main street, where we live, hasn’t altered very much. A lot of new houses have been built, but they seem to be mostly in the Wattle Gully area. And we now see soccer played on the oval where we once played football and cricket.’

Although he doesn’t drive anymore, most mornings John can be seen going down to the general store with his wheeler, to collect the paper and have a chat to anyone he meets. Gloria Meltzer.

Know Your NeighbourHave you met John Preece?

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FryerstownIn a previous Chat I quoted George Wathen’s description of the extremely unsatisfactory communications in the colony of Victoria in the early years of the gold discoveries, and the pain and heartache caused by very difficult communications between diggers and their families whether they were in their old home country, somewhere else in Australia or in the colony of Victoria. It was common for a husband to go to the diggings leaving a wife and family to follow when he had set up somewhere for them to stay, only to have dreadful problems in making contact with them again, especially as many had limited education and limited reading and writing skills. There are many heartrending examples in the press of the day, and Wathen wrote: “Many (diggers), after long suspense, returned to their homes to bring back their wives to the gold-fields. But, in the meantime, many of the latter, equally anxious and equally unable to account for the silence of their lords, had started to Victoria to seek them. It can readily be understood what confusion, embarrassment, and distress this often led to. The husband would perhaps be sailing out of the harbour while the wife was entering it. At the diggings, it is much more difficult to find any particular individual than even in London; for the tents are ranged without order over a vast area; there is no register of names, and the occupants of one tent can never tell the name even of their next neighbour. Failing some better mode of inter-communication, trees of the forest were now converted into advertising stands. Every conspicuous trunk was covered with notices, often ill-spelt, in which friends informed friends how they might discover their abode; and wives notified their distressed husbands that they had arrived, and were in anxious search of them. In a walk through the diggings you might see a hundred of these notices, beginning with the formula “ If this should

meet the eye of,” etc. Copied verbatim from a tree near Forest Creek was:‘If this should meet the eye of my wife, or of the

carrier who brought her and my articles from Melbourne, she will find me at Saw Pit Gully or if any person can give any information of the same, they will greatly oblige The Distressed Husband, JOHN BROWN.’

When the newspapers came to be circulated on the goldfields, these messages were placed as advertisements in their columns. There they still formed a characteristic feature, under the heading “Missing Friends”. Wathen

gives some examples as contributions, he says, to the early history of Victoria. The following are quoted from the “Argus” newspaper published at Melbourne:

‘Mary. -- Mrs. Stephen, by the Spitfire from Sydney, November 21st. It is no dream, and I am desolate. Ballarat, or office of this paper.”

James Fowle. - if this should meet your eye, your mother Mrs.

Hurbard would like to see you, as she is not expected to live ; address to Little Bourke street.

Mr.Jackson of Collingwood, will oblige Ellen Barnham by letting her know if he can tell her where her husband is at present; address Ellen Barnham, 22, Collins-street”.

Laura Keene. If this should come under the notice of the above named lady, who is supposed to be in Melbourne, this is to inform her that Henry Keene is at present at the Bendigo diggings, and is anxious to hear from her. A letter addressed to Post Office, Sandhurst, Bendigo will reach him. Any information respecting the above lady would be gladly received by the advertiser.

If John Nelson Anstead who was wrecked in the Monumental City, and late of New York, will call at the Emerald Hill Hotel, he will hear of his wife, just arrived.

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If this should meet the eye of Sally Moylan, of Toona, County Clare, she is requested to write to Michael Heffernan.’

The notices go on and make fascinating reading. The one in Wathen’s book that I enjoy the most is: ‘Should this meet the eye of Mr. Jones, who left Hull about four years ago, he will greatly oblige by writing to those he forgot to say good-bye to.’

Getting back to the formal postal communications about which I quoted a couple of Chats ago in relation to the Forest Creek Post Office, later in the book George Wathen says, of the situation about 1854,

“It is only fair to state, that very great improvements have recently been made in the administration of the Offices Colonial Post. During the last three years the action of the Government of Victoria may be described as one of habitual languor, varied occasionally by spasmodic activity. An evil is allowed to gather head until public longsuffering exhausted, and a burst of public clamour elicited, and then a desperate effort is made to remove the ground of complaint at any cost. Such was the case with that important institution which has the hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows of thousands in its hands the Post-office. Its inefficiency has already been alluded to. At Melbourne, long after the opening of the gold era, great crowds daily collected round the solitary window where letters were deliverable, and jostled and strove from morn till night for access to the inapproachable hole in the wall; the weak and the delicate mixed up in the mêlée with rugged bearded diggers and “rude mechanicals” There was no attempt at any provisional amelioration of this crying evil. It was not until 1853 that a vigorous effort was at length made, a large iron building erected and the present complete and admirable organization introduced.” His footnote states, “Some idea of the magnitude of the present operations of the Melbourne Post Office may be gathered from the following statement: -On the 12th July last (1854) there was received by the English overland mail, 31,961 letters and 79,542 newspapers in 230 boxes. By other ships 1450 letters, 1193 newspapers, and by inland mail 4751 letters and 1024 newspapers. Total received that day, 38,162 letters 836, registered, 74,759 newspapers. All the letters and nearly half the newspapers were delivered and forwarded on the two following days. This return does not include the town letters.”

On Sunday, 27th July, the Fryerstown community lunch at the old school was billed as Christmas in July with

a roast turkey dinner and Christmas puddings with custard and ice cream. The room was decorated appropriately with Christmas decorations and the tables were covered in red, with candles and pine. It was a magnificent effect, and a joy to eat such a dinner in good company without the heat that generally accompanies Christmas in December. I looked again at Ruth Rowe’s description of her childhood family Christmas in Fryerstown in the early 1900s (prior to the 1st World War). She wrote, “At Christmas time father and the uncles built a big mia-mia shelter of branches and foliage. We decorated it and set up tables and chairs. Then Mother, Aunt Lucy and the older girls served our Christmas dinner out there. We had goose, duck, ham, lamb and lovely vegetables followed, of course, by a big Christmas pudding with money in it. We had great fun together.” Ruth’s simple accounts of life in Fryerstown amongst her large extended family always appeal to me and it is clear that community and family played a large part in her life. She wrote her little book of reminiscences at the age of 87 so the history and stories of life in Fryerstown would not be lost and now with the resurgence of the Fryerstown community and the desire to know more about the town we are much in her debt.

The next Fryerstown film night is on the 27th September at 7.30 pm in the Burke and Wills Mechanics Institute Hall. The film is EUREKA STOCKADE (1949). This black and white production was carefully researched with a small team of historians. The well staged action was led by Chips Rafferty as Peter Lalor, presented as a man of doubts and principles rather than as the charismatic rebel leader of legend. $5 per person with tea and coffee included and supper if someone brings some. Please bring a comfy chair if you wish and any supper you would like to share. Kay Thorne.

References: George HenryWathen ‘The Golden Colony, or, Victoria in 1854’

Ruth A Rowe ‘Fryerstown’.

Illustration: The sketch from George Wathen’s book. As the subscript says it is a ‘View of Murdering Flat, Fry-

ers Creek’ which is close by us here along the Campbells Creek Fryers Road.

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August the 2nd was the day! The Red Hill Hotel opened on the 2nd of August 160 years ago and the party was ready to go in the early afternoon. Johnny Gibson and the Hur-ricanes kicked things off, old identities gathered, tall tales were stretched even further - and there were smiles all around.

The entertainment continued and by six o’clock the party was warming up - big time. All corners of the pub and beer garden were filling with people and noise, and the

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...doesn’t happen every day!pressure on the staff was becoming obvious. But party time it definitely was - and the facial expressions captured say it all!

Photos of the post 6 o’clock period were difficut to come by - the crowd and the constant movement meant blurry outcomes for many. Fortunately, publican Di man-aged to capture some later evening shots in between overseeing one of the memorable days in the Red Hill’s 160 year history.

Above, a selfie from Elaine Appleton, pictured with staff members Deb Alex,

Lana Forrester and Nathan Newling

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Nurturing the whole child

in every child

Our school is abuzz with our upcoming performance of ‘Still Waters’. There have been some major issues trying to find a venue that would cater for this show as we are working with Castlemaine Primary School on a shared project. We finally settled on the Capital Theatre in Bendigo as it has sufficient seating for all as well as excellent sound and lighting on site. Parents are busy putting the finishing touches on costumes and teachers are finalizing songs and dance routines. Working with two schools

on different locations has it challenges as we don’t actually rehearse together until 10 days before the show. As a lead up to the show both schools followed the walking track along Forest Creek (the setting of our story) to meet and greet for the official launch.

Other features of this term have been our strong focus on teaching Financial Literacy as part of an integrated program in Maths and English. Students have engaged in a range of tasks to strengthen their knowledge and understanding of how money affects their daily lives. There have been sessions on needs versus wants as well as developing knowledge on savings, credit cards and creating budgets.

There are some traditions at school that can never be ignored. The annual Book Fair and Dress up Parade for Book Week are two of them. This year I left the organization of these activities for our Student Leadership Team. All children and adults who came as a book character received a book prize and this was followed by multi-aged activities around this year’s Short Listed Picture Story books. The only complaint from the children was that the day’s events ended far too soon as they all believed that there really was no need for maths classes on that day.

This week we were informed that we are the first Victorian School to receive 3 stars in the ‘Victorian Achievement Program’. This program recognizes our efforts in health promotion over a range of criteria. It includes items such as our commitment to student mental health, healthy food and initiatives that keep our students active. Many of these pro-grams are part of our daily routine, however we do encourage expert advice such as this week’s visit from the Dietician from CHIRP. The children were then kept busy reading food labels and calculating the fat and sugar content of various items. There was no shortage of maths and English skills in this session and it was all part of the 3-6 program focus-sing on the body.

Over the next few weeks many of you will see me at various Chewton Community Meetings as we move to the next stage of our ‘People Solar’ project (see details below). Marg Rasa and I will be explaining the project to as many groups as possible so that our community is aware of the school’s commitment to renewable energy and the sustainable programs in our school. This is an information talk as opposed to a fundraising spiel.

This week I head off on school camp. There is nothing like 24 hour supervision for 3 days solid to help you fully appreciate yet another holiday break.

Julie Holden.

We are the first Victorian School to receive 3 stars in the ‘Victorian Achievement Program’.

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Our goal is for Chewton Primary School to be a beacon of good social and environmental practice. With solar panels installed we expect the savings on electricity charges will be over $1,000. We want to spend that money in ways that build our students’ practical understanding of sustainability and to encourage the involvement of the school, families and the community in local sustainability practice.

In the first three years we aim to:o Fund practical projects that help us engage with the Chewton community in joint environmental and sustainability actions including landscape restoration, waste and recycling and renewable energy. o Integrate our film making and sustainability curriculum, with kids having the opportunity to create, document and publish their stories and activitieso Reduce our energy use by building knowledge and awareness of energy saving measures amongst students and staff, and by replacing inefficient equipment. This will release even more savings in the future which we can re-direct towards other practical sustainability education initiatives.

And we want to involve the whole of the Chewton community in the school’s activities!

We want to continue to reduce our environmental footprint, particularly in energy use, and to provide a positive, real environment for the students to learn about landscape, food creation, waste management, recycling and energy use. Generating our own energy will spark the imagination of the children and open up discussions within our school and the community about how our energy savings can support local, community building activities.

The People’s Solar is a great way for the school to build on our education program as it will involve parents and other community people and make sure that the children have a sense of community. We want to involve parents and community in this journey – as a way of reinforcing the sustainability message but also to build our community’s ability to cooperate and solve problems together.

The Solar SystemWe are fund raising for a 4kW solar system priced

at $8,250 including GST. We will have 2kW facing east and 2kW facing west. This will ensure we minimise the energy we export to the grid without compromising system performance, at the same time optimising our financial savings.

We will be using Hareon Panels with Tigo optimisers to extend panel lifetime and improve performance,

Chewton Primary School and People Solara Fronius Inverter and radiant framing system. These are top of the range Tier-1 products with 10-year product warranties.

We have undertaken a detailed energy assessment, and our assessors have calculated that we will export approximately 25% of all the energy we produce, resulting in around $1,000 of savings on our energy bill each year, for 25 years.

Our installer will be local Morgan Kurrajong, who has more than 300 installations to his name.

The risks - giving money to this project is not without risk and we want you to understand that we have thought about it. We see three primary risks, and how they can be mitigated, as follows:

The School ceases to operate - BUT the school has robust student numbers with a strong demand and increasing enrolments. We believe the school will be operating well into the future, beyond the life of the solar panels.

The panels malfunction - BUT we use Tier-1 products that are expected to perform reliably - well beyond their warranty period. Our supplier, Infinity Solar, is a Clean Energy Council accredited supplier. If the products were to fail prematurely, we will be able to replace them with costs recovered from the supplier.

The panels do not provide $1,000 value per year - BUT the energy assessment we have conducted provides a conservative estimate of the value of the panels. We have every confidence this assessment is thorough and accurate. While we understand our energy tariffs may change in the future, the experience of other states around Australia suggests such changes are not likely to adversely affect the value of our panels. In fact, we believe that over the course of the next five to ten years the price of electricity will rise and release greater value from the panels. Our Fronius inverter can be configured to accommodate energy storage should it become cost-effective to do so in the future.

Julie Holden.

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14

Earlier this year Chewton PS applied for funding through Round 4 of the Communities for Nature Small Grants program. We have been successful along with two other Castlemaine based projects. The McKenzie’s Hill Action and Landcare Group and the Castlemaine Steiner School and Kindergarten were also successful.

Funding for our project ‘Our Place on Post Office Hill – Over the fence’ will enable the school to undertake landscape restoration and revegetation works on both school and adjacent land on Post Office Hill. The project seeks to address multiple but related issues: • the culture of dumping household and other rubbish

and waste on public land, and how this effects habitat for flora and fauna,

• educating the students and through them, the broader community about the assets of regenerating landscapes and creating habitat connectivity, and

• control of weeds on public land. The project will tie in with a number of current pro-

grams and projects being led and undertaken by students including the Coastal Ambassadors project by Grade 6 stu-dents looking at the effects of rubbish dumping on public land, and ResourceSmart modules for Waste and Biodiver-sity, and our EnviroWeek focus project led by the Waste Warriors Team (more on that closer to EnviroWeek!) and of course AusVels and environmental education within the school curriculum.

Working in partnership with several local organisa-tions and contractors, the project has 4 components: • Earthworks - including removal of an earth pile result-

ing from the school oval creation a number of years ago. Old dumped rubbish will be pulled out and lo-cated for easy removal. By understanding the impact of past dumping practice including the effort required to redress these actions, students can help to inform

the broader community about more appropriate ways to deal with our own rubbish.

• Weed control and rubbish removal – including cut and paint works to remove the weedy Acacia Decurrens (Early Black Wattle) a species indigenous to NSW but invasive in our locale, and the removal of any rubbish uncovered by the earthworks.

• Community planting - with families, friends and all community welcomed, students will lay out and plant a landscape of local indigenous small plants, herbs and grasses. This ‘over the fence planting’ will be marked for easy identification and showcase local indigenous species suitable for local ‘home‘ landscapes and con-sequently creating increased flora and fauna habitat.

• Locating our local birds - with the assistance of lo-cal Habitat for Bush Birds project coordinator Tanya Loos, Chewton PS will host a community workshop focussing on our local birds, how to hear, locate, iden-tify and protect the habitat of birds in and around Post Office Hill and the gardens of Chewton and surrounds.

This project continues our school community’s par-ticipation in the on-going restoration of Post Office Hill, the historically (both pre and post gold-rush) and environ-mentally significant landscape surrounding our school. By participating in, and seeing, the rejuvenation of a natural landscape (including removing waste and dumped rubbish), students and the broader community can better understand the link between the regeneration of indige-nous flora and preserving all indigenous species including woodland birds.

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15

Councillor’s ChatLast time I wrote for The Chat my subject was the Castlemaine Town Hall and the Shire’s ageing infrastructure, in many instances a legacy of the 1850s gold rush era. Two months later the saga continues, the most recent high profile items being a closed theatre and a condemned bridge.

Most people will be familiar with The Phee Broadway Theatre next to the Castlemaine library. Perhaps your children or grandchildren have performed there in a dance concert, or in a school play. You might be a regular theatre goer and patronise the Bendigo Capitol Theatre’s touring program which sends a season of performances to The Phee, or you might even be part of a performing group yourself and have strutted the boards of the theatre in a local production. So it was with consternation that councillors received a recent report on the closed theatre’s condition, informing us of a seven figure sum that was required to return it to a useable state. We’d only just formally signed off on the 2014/15 annual budget, having queried, puzzled over, wrangled and negotiated capital expenditure of close to ten million dollars. We felt that we’d spread allocations as fairly as possible, but there remained many items that had to be put into the ‘Not now, later’ pile. And now here was an urgent call to repair, restore and re-open the Shire’s only theatre. Emails began to arrive from distressed users, parents, supporters; councillor briefings from experts and council officers took place. Councillors talked among themselves. Could we justify the expense? Where would the money come from? One bright idea was to look at money left over from last year’s capital budget, but we quickly remembered that we’d agreed, in a formal council meeting resolution, to allocate all ‘underspends’ to progressing Stage one of the Wesley Hill Junior Sports Hub as soon as possible. They’ve been waiting for a long time.

Eventually a plan began to emerge as theatre users, including the Castlemaine State Festival, discussed with council staff what works were essential for a ‘skeleton’ operation and what could be added later, to bring ‘The Phee’ back to its previous level of functioning. On the night of the council meeting when a decision had to be made – stay closed or re-open – the public gallery was packed. Phee Broadway herself, who ran the first nine Castlemaine State festivals, told the meeting about the 1994 conversion of the old library hall into the theatre, then the 2004 addition of the foyer. The structure of the building itself is very

old, dating back to the 1860s. When it came to the item in the agenda, councillors agreed unanimously that the Phee had to re-open. There were modest sums in the budget allocated to non-essential works in the theatre, which we agreed to direct towards the restoration. To find the rest of the money, we agreed to use part of the budget allocations towards two infrastructure items which were unlikely to be completed this year due to delays. Putting these amounts together gave us sufficient to get the theatre open and operating in time for the next Festival. Of course that’s not the end of the story. Further works will be needed, spread over the next few years. I’m confident that with continued involvement of key local theatre users and technicians in the planning process, the Shire will in future have a better, technically smarter theatre than the one we had before.

“What about the condemned bridge?” you ask. The bridge across the Loddon at Vaughan has been deemed to be unsafe. Expert inspection has determined that it cannot be repaired. The 44 gallon drums full of concrete that support the piers are evidence of its age and quality of construction. The bridge and access lanes are on Crown land controlled by DEPI. There are both European and Aboriginal heritage considerations to be managed. The Catchment Management Authority has a controlling interest in what goes across the river. Estimated cost of replacing the bridge: $1.3 million. That’s five times what we managed to scratch together for the Phee Broadway theatre. Vaughan residents have been silent about their closed bridge while an emergency access ford was usable, but now that the river is flowing, they have a long, awkward detour. Councillors are in agreement that the river crossing must be reinstated. How are we going to manage it? Ideas are flying around, regulatory authorities are being consulted. Watch this space. There’s always something new in council business, which is why, when people ask me ‘Do you enjoy being a councillor?’ it’s easy to say yes. It has its challenges, but it’s never boring.

Cr. Christine Henderson, Coliban Ward.

LIC 24063

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16

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After the recent restoration works (part of the new kitchen above) the Chewton Town Hall is now structurally sound but, as with all restoration works, there’s still a lot more to be done to ensure that the hall is made attractive for use by the community and is compliant with OH&S and building regulations.In the short term the things that need to be done include:• Develop a hire policy • Undertake an assessment for universal access require-

ments • Complete the drainage works and request council in-

spection of future footpath management • Replace the spouting and downpipe at the rear of the

town hall and install leaf guard• Employ an arborist to trim the peppercorn and elm

tree branches overhanging the roof• Plant water wise ground cover plants at the front (an

offer has been made to do and maintain this)• Purchase and install the display system in the town

hall (grant from FRRR)• Purchase a new light system for main hall.• Replace rear door and exit sign to building regulation

compliance• Set up the meeting room –purchase a heater , rubbish

bins and inspect the suitability of catering equipment• Check with Local laws at MASC to see if side door

requires a screen • Check compliance of a locking system for internal

doors under building regulations. • Selling excess equipment (see ad following)• Check the fire extinguishers for compliance• Check insurance and warranties for new equipment

and works

• Professional cleaning of windows (an offer has been made when we are ready)

• Provide appropriate mats at the entrance doors• Return the People and Places resources and rearrange

their materials in the meeting room • Check the Bentwood chairs for repairs• Prepare and oil the small cupboard to be returned to

the Hall• Install appropriate outside light at the front door (an

offer has been made for this)• Check security light at the rear door• Clean out lock up and organise storage of resources• Assess the soundness of the skylights in the toilets. • Assess the condition of the toilets (installed in 1996)• Request VicRoads to amend the sign directing visitors

to the Chewton Town Hall Museum• 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.

• Replace the gravel and grade area to the west of the Hall for safe public use.

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Chewton Town Hall Progress Report

17

Poe try

Corner

ReflectionWandering aroundTotally confusedHoping when it’s “Curtain Up!”I won’t miss my cues.

Life’s not a rehearsal.You only get one chance.So when the piper plays your tuneYou have no choice - you dance.Will I live to regret this?

Will I have wasted a life? I got my wish and became a star And not just somebody’s wife.Children are out of the question, Husbands? A dozen a dime. ‘Stead of love I have shocking digestion Besides I just don’t have the time.

Where can you go when you’ve got to the top?Will I still be the toast of the town? Living in fear lest the next gig’s a flop: The only direction is down.

Are fortune and fame the real answers? Is this all it’s for my dear friend? To die in a home for old prancers With no-one to love in the end?

Will I sigh for the life that I might have led When at last I retire from the stage? Will I sigh for the boy that I might have wed? Will I die of inglorious age?

David Watson.

Tricky situationsWhy does my mind play tricks on me?

I really wish I knew.I’m sure I can’t be the only one,

Does your mind play tricks on you?I’ll put something down quite carefully

So that I can find it again,But when I go and look for it,

Though I look with might and mainIt’s never where I thought it was

Though I search the whole place through.I think things go on holiday.

Does this ever happen to you?I took out my hearing aid one day

And laid it down carefully,But when I went to pick it up .

It had vanished. Oh where could it be?I looked here, and I looked there,

I searched both far and near,And where do you think I found it?

I had put it back in my ear!!!Rae Hawkins, August 2014.

In Another TimeIn another time and another place, Under a diff’rent name, behind a stranger’s face; One came and went without a trace Beyond the grasp of a warm embrace. Touches of the lips, whispers to the ear, Drift soft on promises so far removed from here; And distant ships in moonlight clear Carry away the dreams once so dear. Unbound from our youth and the chains held tight, Tomorrow’s mystic road moves through a sleepless night. Yesterday is soon lost from sight Like silent prayers on an endless flight. Underneath the skin, deep within the heart, Are the remains of love killed by a poisoned dart. Blinded is the soul torn apart By that unseen from the very start. Then in morning light coming from the east, The earth is shaken loud by a retreating beast. Once shackled minds are soon unleashed; To another time we are released. Daniel Larson.

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18

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Real Estate GossipWow, those extra couple of degrees are sure making a dif-ference to the temperature. Sunny weekends bring flocks of visitors to enjoy our balmy Spring days. Get those houses ready for market. Properties for sale around Chewton are: 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:• 53 Eureka Street, 3 bedroom bushland retreat on 1

acre, with plenty of outside living and surrounded by Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, $365,000.00;

• 11 Monks Hill Road, renovated 1800’s 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

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• 173 Main Road, 1800’s 2 bedroom timber cottage, re-styled and updated, within walking distance of every-where, $339,000.00;

• 6 Fryers Road, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, craftsman built stone home, located in the heart of town, ex-tensive landscaping and plenty of vehicle storage, $675,000.00;

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

• 7 Railway Street, fully renovated 4 bedroom, 2 bath-room home on large allotment of 1120sqm, lovely shade trees and vege garden, $375,000.00;

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

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Red Ribbon Rebellion Remembered...

...see page 30

19

It was another chilly night for the August MoBQ with places around the brazier warmly contested by the 14 people braving the weather – and it was great to see Bob back in full MoBQ mood. It’s funny the different shapes people take when they are layered up to beat the cold. And, of course, it was the beanie and scarf night so recognition of neighbours wasn’t easy.

Nonetheless the wine flowed freely during the evening (and “free-ly” had nothing to do with the price paid for it) and the jokes were often fast and furious. When it came to the judging and prize-giving the ladies’ beanie award was taken out by Jill, and the men’s by Mike for a specco “helmet” and scarf set. The standard of the prizes rises month by month according to Mo - and the prizes awarded seemed to bear this out. Two toy bears of course! All in all, enough to bring a tear to Mo’s eye. Fortunately Rob was on hand with the camera so we have a record of the night.

September means Spring so Spring bonnets are all the go next month – the first Saturday in Sep-tember (the 6th!) at 6 p.m. up at the BBQ beside the town hall. Look for the glow from the brazier – the light on the hill so to speak!

The last of the winter MoBQs for 2014?

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20

Ever heard of road bowls? A traditional Irish game was transported to Chewton some thirty five years ago, but with the original bowls being difficult to obtain, scale weights were adopted. Specifically, 4 pound scale weights. Now you know why sets of weights in the local second hand shops are light on for four-pounders!

From the internet we learn the ver-sion of road bowls played in the Australian folk community was brought from Ireland by the late Randall Percy, who in collabo-ration with the late Roddy Read, reworked the game and rewrote the rules for matches played initially around central Victoria. During the late 1970s/early 80s, teams were named after the local towns where the captains and/ or players lived, and as well there was an “Irish” team. Teams included Chewton, Faraday and The Hills.

After Randall passed away in 2006 a trophy was created and an annual tradition of the Paddies coming to Chewton, visiting Randall in the Chewton cemetery and then taking on a Chewton road bowls team began. Thus it was that people (and quite a few dogs) began gathering at the corner of Walker and North Streets in the early afternoon of Sun-day the third. Is it on? Where are the Paddies? Where’s Locka? So many questions and so few answers until a convoy of vehicles arrived, fresh from “a few words, a few songs and a few ports” at the cemetery.

Teams were sorted, team members allocated a bowling order and officially recorded under the watchful eye of the match umpire. There was a lot of self-analysis and self-diagnosis during this exercise as po-tential players weighed up the possibility of being able to effectively heave the four pounders despite recent injuries and/or bad backs. Ap-parently the team numbers can vary from match to match as long as each team has equal numbers on the day, so the problem of late with-drawals was quickly overcome.

At this stage a wheelbarrow appeared and was quickly filled with refreshments and ice. Amazingly, there didn’t appear to any shortage of takers for the onerous role of wheelbarrow pusher. All was in readi-ness so the action moved to the starting line in Walker Street where it became obvious this activity has been going on for many years. The faded starting line, complete with the fading team symbols of a four-leafed clover and the Southern Cross, gave this away.

Each captain tossed a bowl and the odds-evens decision saw Chewton draw first blood and Locka took the first bowl. Apparently there is no foot-fault rule like tennis in this game – but it was now game on! In turn the bowlers heaved, occasionally seeking advice about the bias of the weight. Such advice was necessary because this

Road Bowls...

21

section of Walker Street has a slope to the steep bank of Forest Creek. It must be pointed out that a local rule applies for this part of the course – any team member is permitted to stop a bowl in its tracks without penalty if Forest Creek appears an inevitability.

On an on the game progressed, with some well-rehearsed strategies being into play when the tight right hand turn into Mount Street and the narrow ford had to be negotiated. Up the hill and the 180 degree turn around the parking barrier was the next obstacle, but that was after half-time – a pit-stop that was obviously well received by many of the players. The most heated moment of the afternoon followed when much discussion and objections were raised as to whether Judy’s delicate bowl had actually gone around the obstacle – or over it! This moment was overcome with a replay – a repeat of the delicate manoeuvre that was deemed accept-able on this occasion.

And so the return journey began – back over the ford and into the setting sun in Walker Street. Splash! A bowl disappeared beneath the water in a substantial roadside puddle. It’s amazing how far a submerg-ing object travels once it penetrates the surface. Much feeling, guess-ing, shuffling and advice-giving followed and eventually the bowl was retrieved – wet, muddy and slippery. Fortunately one of the players had an aversion to dirty hands and had come prepared with a towel.

Shot by shot the game progressed and the newly painted finish-ing line (“the end is nigh”) drew closer. Boredom had set in amongst the accompanying dogs by now and their decision to find diversions around the base of Argus Hill at this crucial time was a huge distraction – so much so that the actual scores of both teams were discussed before the draw was officially pronounced. An amicable draw was obviously appreciated by both teams – as was the following suggestion to make the pub the next stop.

At the Red Hill the Holy Grail of road bowls was removed from its resting place in the bar. The engraver looks like being busy!

Footnote: The next annual Road Bowls match when the Pad-dies (or the Paddy’s?) come to Chewton will be in May 2015. And for those interested in discovering more about this unique game the Ben-digo Advertiser has a report on last year’s Cup Day match http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/1887742/chewton-cup-day-tradition-gains-momentum/ and it is on You Tube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIAuwRNirkc

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Chewton Domain Society

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The August meeting opened with a comprehensive prog-ress report on the Chewton Town Hall from Sera Jane Peters (see separate article on page 16). The committee expressed its thanks to Sera Jane for her work and com-mitment to this complex project.

The treasurer’s report showed a balance of $45,266.05 with accounts for payment totalling $14,022.24. These were mainly for town hall renovation works, but included a final payment from the Your Community Heritage Grant and a GST component of $1,066.00. The already com-mitted component of the CDS balance totalled $9,550.00.

CDS membership is now 82 paid up members, with 6 new members being accepted at this meeting.

Elaine Appleton presented $40 for the payment of 2 DVDs sold. The MAS Thematic History Project was discussed - Pat Healy attended the last meeting and the historic information is being reviewed.

The Chewton Chat report was about recent changes to circulation. With bigger numbers accessing the month-ly Chat via the internet, a small reduction in the number of printed copies has been possible and some half size copies are being printed and being made available. This has happened because of a printing error a few months ago inadvertently led to a few small Chats that were left at the shop. Some readers preferred this size and suggested some be printed each month – obviously readers with bet-ter eyesight than the average Chat reader! For the present some smaller Chats will be available each month at the Chewton shop, Post Office and East End Servo.

It was also reported that the YCH grant for the ar-chive collection for the Monster Meeting has been final-ised with the final report sent to the Federal Government. Jan Wositzky acknowledged the professional contribution made by Pat Healy in this process. As per this grant, the filmed interviews with historians and the archive book are now available on www.chewton.net with a launch yet to be arranged.

The Property Management report mentioned con-cerns found when the ducted heating in the PO building was serviced – parts for this unit are becoming increas-ingly difficult to obtain so the CDS has purchased replace-ments that are to be stored in the PO for future use.

The Park report included the news that Golden Point Landcare donated, planted and guarded suitable plants in

the park on National Tree Planting day. Paths have been sprayed and dead branches are about to be removed. CDS and MAS Council are working on a Memorandum of Un-derstanding for the cleaning of BBQ and toilet, with new toilet signage on the Pyrenees Highway being part of this.

The meeting closed at 8.26 p.m. The next CDS Man-agement Committee meeting will be on Tuesday 16th of September in the Chewton Town Hall.

23

Walking along Forest CreekBack in January 2009 the Chewton Chat car-ried an article on the 10 kilometre Forest Creek Track that takes walkers from Castlemaine to Expedition Pass Reservoir. On that occasion the wooden board walks had just been installed by Parks Victoria. A lot of water has flowed under (and over) the bridge(s) since then – and they have been reinstated since the flood dam-age was done.

A photo of a stone sculpture in the creek appeared recently on social media – and that led to a re-visiting of the Forest Track story. Many people refer to the walk from Castlemaine to the Res as the best in the area. It’s not hard to understand why – off road, following a very

gentle slope that shapes the course of the creek and walking through the picturesque Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. And with the advent of Spring the wattles are out, the creek is gently flowing and the Track is just waiting to be walked.

The ever-changing stone sculptures are there to be admired and the historic Welsh Street bridge is still hanging in. Only just though, so a look from a safe distance might be one of the last chances you get! And with the creek flowing it means the Res is full to overflowing. Now is the ideal time for a gentle stroll along the Forest Creek Track!

And, of course, the chance to break for a coffee at the Chewton shop is an added bonus.

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New creek sculptures and old infrastructure...

...bonuses along the way!

24

Twelve brave walkers braved unpromising forecasts to take on FOBIF’s August walk into the isolated upper reaches of the Columbine Creek catchment. As it turned out, the weather was brisk but kind, with plenty of sun-shine to take the edge off the breeze.

Walkers were able to observe the growing abundance of wildflowers in the area. Less inspiring is evidence of illegal timber cutting on an almost industrial scale. Al-though there have been recent prosecutions for illegal firewood collection in this district, we have no doubt that foresters are still battling to cope with the consequences of the Coalition decisions to weaken the firewood permit system. This system, which had been introduced by the Bolte Liberal government, served as a means of regulating the effects of firewood collection in public forests.

21 September - Next FOBIF walkEach third Sunday of the month we meet at 9.30am

outside 30 Templeton Street, Castlemaine (Continuing Ed.) and carpool to the start of the walk. Bring water, morning tea and lunch for all walks. Walks normally fin-ish mid afternoon. People of all ages and non-members

are welcome. No cost.The next walk is on 21 September in the Muckleford

Forest. This will be amongst the Ironbarks in the Muckl-eford Nature Conservation Reserve, starting at the poppet head of the mine. The walk will go through old mining areas and forest rich with woodland birds and wildflowers. c. 8kms. For more information contact Neville Cooper on 0401 319 659.

7 September - Youth Bush WalkThe Spring Youth Bushwalk will be held on Sunday

7 September in Poverty Gully. Young FOBIF member, Nioka Mellick-Cooper, received a grant last year from the Mount Alexander Shire Council’s Youth Grants Program to run bush walks around Castlemaine for younger people.

The first youth bush walk in March saw an eager group of people walk 5km through the Muckleford For-est and explore Dunn’s Reef and the Red White and Blue Mine. The next walk will be a bit longer. It will start with the Eureka Reef interpretive trail and walkers will make our way up to the Monk for some wonderful views, and then back down to walk along the Poverty Gully wa-ter race, and through the Box and Ironbark forests of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park.

“It’s great exercise, and it’s a lot of fun to explore the bush,” say Nioka. “You never know what you might see when you’re in the forest.”

The walk is supervised by adults, and participants are taken to and from the walk site by buses. Lunch is provided at the end of the walk, and interested people are encouraged to book on 5472 4609.

28 September - Family Forest Walk The second walk for children up to the age of 12 with

their families will take place at Kaweka Park. The walks will begin with an introductory talk followed by a walk at child’s pace and then a cuppa. There will be informal chats along the way with people who have local plant and ani-mal knowledge. Bring sunscreen, hats, snacks, and sturdy footwear and a thermos of your favourite walk drink. The sessions will take place between 10am and midday.

Walkers are meeting at the Hargreaves Street Park entrance at 10 am. For more information on this walk con-tact Naomi Raftery on 0422 585 585.

Taken from the FOBIF website.

Walking with FOBIF

Walkers in the upper reaches of the Columbine Creek catchment. The wildflower season is getting under

way, but illegal timber cutting is rampant.

One of the dozens of examples of illegal firewood cutting in the Columbine Creek valley.

25

Come to the Landcare Camp Out on The Mount and experience Mount Alexander in whole new way.

Camp Out activities will include:• the big ‘pine purge’ working bee

in the afternoon (safe for adults and kids) to help stop pines taking over the native forest;

• nature activity for children with Krista Patterson-Majoor from the Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests;

• talk on some of Mount Alexander’s interesting history by George Milford from the Harcourt Heritage Centre;

• barbeque dinner prepared by Harcourt Lions Club members;

• wildlife spotlighting walk with a Parks Victoria ranger;

• the Campfire Dessert Banquet. It will go well beyond marshmallows!

The Camp Out is an annual event organised by the Harcourt Valley Landcare Group and Parks Victoria with support from Connecting Country and the Mount Alexander Shire Council. It aims to help stop the spread of invasive Radiata Pine trees in the Mount Alexander

Landcare Camp Out on The Mount 2014Regional Park.

The Pines on Mount Alexander are native to California and are a legacy of commercial plantations that were once grown on Mount Alexander. Surveys done by students from Victoria University in May 2014 found 920 pine trees growing in the Park, with almost half the area yet to be surveyed. It’s already a lot of trees, and every year there are more coming up. This is changing the landscape and destroying important habitat for many native plants and animals.

The Camp Out will take place at the Leanganook camp ground on Mount Alexander on Saturday 4th October.

It is important to register your planned attendance with Max Schlachter at Connecting Country

by emailing max@connectingcountry.org.au or phoning 03 5472 1594. More information can be found at www.connectingcountry.org.au/landcare.

If you’re not the camping type, feel free to just come for the activities and head home Saturday evening. Mount Alexander will thank you for it - the pines won’t!

Kids around the fire at Camp Out in 2013

Plumbing works at the town hall resulted in

anexcavation that revealed a spaghetti bowl

of sewer, waste water, cold water, hot water

and gas pipes along with electrical conduits.

It pays to look beneath the surface!

26

Chewton - 100 years ago...Mount Alexander Mail

Wednesday 5 August 1914THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.

CHEWTON VOLUNTEERS. ENTHUSIASTIC SEND-OFF.LARGE PUBLIC MEETING.

PRESENTATIONS MADEThe Red Hill Hall was packed by an enthusiastic crowd on Saturday evening (writes our Chewton correspondent) to bid farewell to departing Chewton members of the Expe-ditionary Force.

The Mayor (Cr. G. Cribbes) opened the proceedings by asking the gathering to rise and sing the National An-them. Needless to say, there is no disloyalty in Chewton, so all rose and sang it heartily.

Mr John McCance and Mr Victor Bloch were present, and the remaining four of Chewton’s soldiers, Messrs Olaf Bloch, Charles Curtayne, George Barnes and Samuel Thomas, were unable to be present.

It is interesting to note that Mr Theodore Bloch, li-censee of the Red Hill hotel, fought against the Prussians fifty years ago in Denmark, and now two of his sons are going to the old country to fight against the same foe. The Mayor introduced the two volunteers, and in a stirring patriotic speech, frequently punctuated by cheers, eulo-gised those who are going to assist the Mother Country in her hour of need, and voiced his firm conviction that Britain would emerge triumphant from the terrible strug-gle. Assuring the guests of the evening of the good-will

and good wishes of all, the Mayor presented them with a razor and accessories, and also one each for their absent comrades.

Rev. A. Rowlands spoke of the seriousness of the task which is before us all, and expressed as much confi-dence in the volunteers as was felt when our boys went to the Boer War. He quoted Nelson’s immortal signal, “Eng-land expects that every man will do his duty.” The Rev. gentleman concluded a forceful address by expressing his belief that the God of Battles would be with our army and preserve the right.

The local Rechabites were present in regalia owing to the fact that three of the six volunteers are members of the lodge, and the Chief Ruler (Mr Olly Jones) on behalf of the lodge wished them good luck and a safe return. Mr T. Docking also spoke on behalf of the lodge and drew atten-tion to the Bible history of the nation which slaughtered helpless women and children, and for doing so were wiped out of existence, and he compared Germany with that na-tion, with probably a like ending. He also expressed the best of good wishes for the departing boys. Mr Beckerleg, who represented the Church of England, spoke of the Kai-ser and his arrogance, and also of the abominable cruel-ties which have been, and still are being, inflicted on the helpless and wounded. The British bull-dog would get his teeth in and hold on. The speaker concluded with hearty good wishes for the soldiers’ welfare.

The Mayor then asked the guests to say a few words. Jack McCance thanked those present for their kind wel-come and farewell, and mentioned that it was not the first time that he had said farewell to them. Mr Victor Bloch also returned thanks to those present, for the good wishes, but it is evident that our volunteers are better fighters than talkers? Continuous cheering greeted both speakers.

The Chewton State School children, under the direc-tion of Mr Dixon, largely helped to make the gathering the great success it was, and sang several patriotic songs very nicely, and a special vote of thanks was passed to Mr Dixon and the children for their help.

A collection in aid of the Patriotic Fund realised £5 11s. which, added to the amount previously acknowl-edged, is very creditable to Chewton.

The gathering was rather an impromptu one owing to short notice, but still it will rank as one of the most successful and enthusiastic held in Chewton. Auld Lang Syne and the National Anthem closed the proceedings, af-ter which a number of young folk organised a dance.

Glen Harrison.

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

Email: shop@castlemaineofficesupplies.com.auProps: Andrew & Sue Thomas

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

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27

Ian Crofts, who grew up in Chewton during the 1930s and ‘40s (Ian is 83 years old) came up to purchase and collect a copy of A History of Golden Point after he read a review on the web page.

Ian’s grandmother, Mrs. Taylor, was Chewton’s Postmistress for many years and Ian lived at the Post Office with her. His mother, Mrs. Crofts, succeeded Mrs Taylor when she retired. Together these women served the Chewton community for over 50 years.

Like those of us who were born during the early part of the last century, Ian remembers services that were offered then but have disappeared from life today. Not only did the Postmistress handle letters and parcels, there were telegrams to deliver by hand and then there was the telephone exchange! All ‘phone calls had to be connected manually and this duty could eat into each day but it also allowed for a personal service to residents. (Rather like Rob gives us today - but in a different way.)

Ian remembers his grandmother delivering telegrams, which probably had been dictated to her from a telegraphist in Castlemaine. Edna Preece, whose father ran the bus

service between Chewton and Castlemaine, tells of how Mrs. Taylor would open the exchange at any time to help in an emergency. These small country exchanges were very important to small communities during difficult times, and particularly during bushfires.

Ian remembers his childhood here with great fondness. He says that he will keep returning to Chewton while he is capable. Barbara Dry.

Photo: Ian Crofts and co-author Allan Dry

That History of Golden Point, Chewton

Following on from the excitement of having Tanya Loos and Chris Timewell from Connecting Country determine the GPS readings of the nesting boxes with Chewton Pri-mary school pupils, things have been relatively quiet. An on-site meeting at the end of Hunter Street with Graeme Oxlade (DEPI Property Manager), property owners and POHAG was held to determine how best to retain public access through to Church Street and control unwanted ve-hicle intrusion as has happened on occasions in the past. The preferred solution was to install removable but lock-able bollards at the end of Hunter Street which DEPI has agreed to carry out.

To replace the current 10-year license which has been operational for seven years, a new license for POHAG to act as manager of Post Office Hill Reserve has been issued by DEPI to continue in this role. As well, POHAG will no longer have to take out and pay for public liability insur-ance. The group is now covered under the umbrella of DEPI’s public liability insurance policy which is a saving financially for us. We appreciate the continued support and advice from DEPI which will assist in future funding applications for works on Post Office Hill, and our man-agement of the area.

On a less positive note, illegal dumping is still hap-pening along Railway Street and most of the native grass seeds which were cast over the former tip site have been churned up by a thoughtless thrill-seeker in a car (or more than one), and will probably not survive.

Thank you to Chewton Primary School for the invita-tion to be at their “Dinner with a Scientist”. A delightful

evening! We had a very pleasant meal prepared, cooked and served by parents and pupils. Julie, the energetic and dedicated principal, brought us up to date with the running of the school. And Trace Balla, the scientist, intrigued us with her travels in different places, and her illustrated re-cords which have culminated in the production of her first children’s book - with the promise of more to come.

Repairs have been carried out on a nesting box which was damaged by the high winds and the tree guards were removed from the last planting.

The next meeting of POHAG, the annual meeting, will be in Sam’s Shed or Chewton Town Hall at 10:00am on Sunday, September 12th. All welcome.

POHAG - Post Office Hill Action Group

1 September is Wattle DayWattle you do to celebrate?

28

Chatting about the arts sans Phil & Debbie HallWith Phil and Debbie taking a well-earnt break to check out the arts scenes in different locales, this column takes a different look in the interim.

Diggings: The Portraits The new exhibition in the Phee Broadway Theatre Foyer space is called Diggings: The Portraits by local photogra-pher Darron Davies. It will run until Friday 26 September. The exhibition features a series of photographic portraits that Darron has taken since moving to Castlemaine in ear-ly 2013.

The portraits feature a range of local people such as the filmmakers Arthur and Corrine Cantrill, actor and film theorist John Flaus, philosopher and writer Raimond Gaita, as well as neighbours Laurie Williams and May Leyshan. Darron Davies has exhibited widely in recent years work-ing between digital and film cameras, landscape work as well as interior and studio based photography.

The Castlemaine Phee Broadway Theatre Foyer, off Mechanics Lane, Castlemaine is open: Mon – Wed 10-6pm, Thurs 10-8pm, Fri 10-6pm and Sat 9.30-3pm. Ad-mission to all exhibitions in this space is free of charge. The foyer exhibition space remains open during the tem-porary closure of the theatre.

For more information about the photographer Darron Davies visit http://www.darrondavies.com/

http://pheebroadwaytheatre.com.au/exhibitions/

Intercept – Temporary Public Art Project Community members are invited to the launch of Inter-cept, a temporary public art project, on the East Lawn of the Castlemaine Market Building on Sunday 7 September from 4.00pm – 5.00pm.

Anthony McInneny, Acting Program Director, MA Art in Public Space at RMIT University will officially open the Intercept project.

Intercept will explore the moments and points of interaction between the community, art and public space. This project features artworks by local artists Jessie Boylan, Kirsty Hulm, Forest Keegel and Candy Stevens.

The project aims to present a cohesive, and engaging arts experience. It presents an opportunity for Council to extend its ability to plan for, respond to and support local artists working in the public realm.

On the day of the launch there will be tours of the works available from 2.00pm – 4.00pm. Those interested are to meet the artwork tour guides at the Market Build-ing. It is suggested that people wear comfortable walking shoes.

Please RSVP to m.fowler@mountalexander.vic.gov.au by Friday 29 August, and specify whether you will be attending the tour and launch, or launch only. Tour num-bers are limited, so bookings are required.

For more information contact Tegan Lang, Arts Of-ficer at Council on (03) 5471 1700.

practice- an exhibition exploring the gaining of expertise..

annette ratcliffe, sheridan jones, ashley mariani, chris barker, lauren steller, kate berry, alice steel,

nici wright, minna grahamopen weekends 2-5pm -till 7 September

Lot 19McShanags Lane (off Langslow St) Castlemaine

http://www.lot19art.com/

The fourth annualCastlemaine Children’s Literature Festival

September 29th - October 5

Castlemaine Artists MarketFirst Sunday of the month 10am to 3pm

Brickyard Garden Theatre RoyalHargraves St Castlemaine

Email: market@theatreroyal.info Website: www.castlemaineartistsmarket.com.au

Conversations at the CommaZen What?

With Emeritus Professor Richard Perry Wednesday 10th September, Comma Hotel

16 Hargraves Street Castlemaine Phone: 5472 2205

http://www.thecomma.net.au/

29

Delicious DishesSpaghetti Bolognese can be a healthy meal, and will be one of the dishes showcased as part of a series of free cooking demonstrations across the shire called ‘Delicious Dishes’. Participants will learn how to prepare a simple yet delicious meal which includes lots of vegetables. All demonstrations start at 10:30am and end with a free

lunch. Demonstration dates and venues: Castlemaine - Wed 10th September,

Castlemaine Uniting Church. Maldon - Thurs 11th September,

Maldon Community Centre. Castlemaine –Wed 17th September,

Castlemaine Salvation Army. Newstead – Thurs 18th September,

Newstead Community Centre.‘Delicious Dishes’ is a project organised by Castlemaine

District Community Health, Central Victorian Primary Care Partnership,

Maldon Neighbourhood Centre, Mt. Alexander Shire Council and Maldon Hospital.

For bookings and further information, Contact John: 5472 5333

Taken from a Press Release.

Can you help?Friends of Lolotoe, Mount Alexander’s Timor Leste friendship group, is organising their annual garage and book sale on 20th of September at Westend Hall, View St Castlemaine from 8am.

Last year’s garage sale raised over $3000 which has gone toward scholarships. Due to Lolotoe’s remote location children have to live away from home to attend secondary school so our scholarships provide for food and accommodation. Prior to this we have funded the repair of community buildings and facilities and build-ing bunk beds for students.

Friends of Lolotoe thank the wonderful commu-nity response to our last two garage sales.

Donations of any kind of house hold goods includ-ing white goods, clothes, linen, bric a brac and books would be appreciated.

Donations can be delivered on the day or collect-ed, if people prefer, by phoning Paul Perry for larger items on 54357202 and for smaller items, Chris Hooper on 54705508

SEND US SOME IMAGES FOR THECHAT’S OCT ISSUE!!!!!!!!

We are taking a break from chatting about the arts so here is your chance to send in some photos of great shots you have taken, artwork you have seen or made, or action shots from events you have been to, or some of those beautiful mornings in Chewton.

We will be back for the November edition with a more international flavour in our chatting about the arts pages.

There’s lots happening in the region, and it’s easy to miss out. Remember to check out http://massculture.com.au/ to keep up with what’s happening in the region.

Riparian - a public art piece Local artist Forest Keegel will be running a series of work-shops to allow community members to contribute to Ri-parian, a public art piece as part of Intercept, a temporary public art project.

Council commissioned Forest and three other local artists to create new art works that will be installed in pub-lic spaces throughout September and October.

During the workshops participants can contribute to the creation of pieces of fleece which are embedded with riparian zone native seeds from the area. The works will be installed as a blanket like installation across Barkers Creek as part of Forest’s public art piece.

The fleeces will form a weed mat and a growing me-dium for the seeds. It will be placed around the recent plantings by Conservation Volunteers next to the walking path near the Castlemaine Railway Station.

The public workshops will be held at the Tea Rooms in Castlemaine Botanical Gardens on:• Monday 8 September from 11.00am-1.00pm and

2.00pm-5.00pm• Monday 15 September from 11.00am-1.00pm and

2.00pm-5.00pmWorkshops are on a drop in basis, with no prior book-

ings necessary.Forest’s project Riparian will consist of installations

and engagement that remember, reimagine and rejuvenate the waterway and landscape along Barkers Creek. The work will have two elements: Golden Fleeces and Ghost Snags as temporary installations created from indigenous seed, waste and recycled products.

For more information contact Tegan Lang, Arts Of-ficer at Council on (03) 5471 1700.

For all your LPG requirements call

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30

Retail Forum... ...find out about the local economy

Local business people are invited to come along to the Mount Alexander Retail Forum on Tuesday 2 September from 5.45pm – 8.00pm in the Phee Broadway Theatre Foyer space.

The forum will offer information about what is hap-pening in our local economy and updates about the latest business initiatives. Attendees will be able to have their say on future funding submissions for the retail sector.

“We invite people who own, operate or work in lo-cal businesses to attend the forum. It will be an informa-tive session, whilst also offering a networking opportunity for people to share professional experiences and explore co-operative partnerships,” said David Leathem, Manager Local Economy, Mount Alexander Shire Council.

The event is presented by Business Mount Alexander in partnership with Council.

It will be a free event with light refreshments pro-vided. To RSVP, please contact Mary Dunne, Economic Development Project Officer on (03) 5471 1805 or email m.dunne@mountalexander.vic.gov.au by Friday 29 Au-gust.

Council is committed to providing learning oppor-tunities in our business community to support business growth and prosperity. Taken from a Press Release.

Red Ribbon Rebellion... The Red Ribbon Rebellion was remembered in Bendigo on August 27th – the 161st anni-versary of the occasion. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a turn-out of Chewton and Castlemaine people as happened in 2013 – no Monster Meeting flags at all. But, as always, when the late August Red Ribbon celebration takes place it is a reminder the anniversary of the Forest Creek Monster Meeting is only a few short months away. If anyone would like to join the organising committee for the MM it’s time to put your hand up. Call 5472 2892 and your offer will be relayed to the organisers.

...and the Monster Meeting

31

Vocal Nosh a good sing & good food

in convivial company Sunday 7th September

at the Newstead Community Centreled this month by

Jane Thompson and James RigbyTheme: Songs from Australian Indigenous Writers• 6.00 - 7.00 pm Vocal entrée - warm up/easy stuff

• 7.00 - 7.30 pm Food - Hearty soup, crusty bread, fresh fruit• 7.30 - 8.30 pm Musical main-course – Delicious harmonies

Songs in the folk style, mostly a cappella - no prior musical experience necessary and no need to read music

Singing for the pleasure of it No need to book – just turn up. For more info phone Julie 5472 5082

FIELD NATSVISITORS ARE WELCOME AT CLUB

MEETINGS AND EXCURSIONS

Fri Sept 12th: Meeting - speaker Ern Perkins on native pea plants

Sat Sept 13th: Field trip to HumboldtLeader Ern Perkins

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 goldenpoint2@bigpond.com 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.

Castlemaine Pioneers and Old Residents Association Inc.

Invite the general Publicto view an Historical Photographic Exhibition

showing the Shire of Mount Alexander and the City of CastlemaineCirca 1910-1940

Come and view our famous Australian Natives Association montage showing pictures of 72 local men who went away and fought in the First World War.

o See how the women and children coped on the home front while their fathers, brothers, husbands and sweethearts were away.

o See pictures of local R.S.L. Memorials and Avenues of Honour.

o Take a nostalgic photographic stroll around our town and district

o The Telegraph Station (built in 1857 and is now the home of the P. & O.R.A.) will be open, with a display of positively ancient technology. Early Internet?

o 2 Street Walks of Castlemaine’s War Memorials, such as the Drill Hall, the entrance to our Town Hall, the Boer War memorial and finishing at the R.S.L. hall in Mostyn St. Learn a little of their history.

o On the Saturday night there will be an Old-time picture show, showing a collection of old photos, taken from the Pioneers own archives.

Cost?Gold CoinDonation

Where?Faulder Watson Hall

Barker StreetCastlemaine

When?Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th

September, 201410 a.m. – 4 p.m.

21 September is World Gratitude DayOn World Gratitude Day we should focus

on what we are grateful for and appreciate what we have, rather than what we want

or think we need. It’s possible that we can keep our unnecessary and

frivolous consumption at bay too!

32

It is definitely not all gloom. The Spring foliage is not only in full bloom, some is even dying off having already done its best. There is a real feeling of Spring on its way. Even the vegetable patch is showing signs of movement that has been missing for months. I have noticed broad beans doing well and winter greens are looking quite luscious.

I was reminded of our variable micro-climates last week as we drove into Chewton from the direction of Tunnel Hill. Whilst there was not a skerrick of frost in our own paddocks, there was plenty lower down in the village areas, especially around the walking track to Castlemaine.

Talking of frost, we have experienced a good deal less frost in the later half of this month. The first week in August offered us a minus-3 one morning and a number of additional frost mornings. Since then, its been struggling to keep temperatures above zero degrees C. Our coldest day of the month kept company with a string of 2 to 5 degree C mornings in the middle weeks of the month. As the month progressed we have seen one overnight temperature of 9 degrees C, accompanied by overcast skies and rain that stopped the warm air escaping upwards. Our average low was 4.5 degrees, with a mode of 7 degrees C, getting higher in the last days of the month. Still fire-all-night weather in our house!

At the other end of the spectrum, our daytime temperatures have been all winterwise. Our average has

Serious signs of Spring appearbeen 13.5 degrees C. with a mode of 14 degrees. Our highest daytime temperature this month has been 21 degrees C, the only day in which we managed to make it to 20 degrees, the remaining days were largely lower teens. The lowest daytme temperature was 7 degrees, seen on the first day of this month.

Rain, or the lack of it, has been noticeable this month. After 260 millimetres of rain over the three previous months, the reduction in rain-carrying-nimbus clouds has been significant. To date, (the 25th. day of the month), we have had some 8.5 millimetres so far. We did have a 7 millimetre fall on the last day of last month, preceded by two NSR (not-sufficient-to-register) days late in July. Nevertheless, a typical August rainfall is something between 40 and 60 millimetres. We are a long way from that. Is this another El Nino sign? Discussion still abounds in weather conscious circles, especially the North Eastern areas of the nation. I notice that a very large proportion of Queensland is now drought declared and considering strategies to combat further months of low or minimal rainfall. My research of the El Nino literature (sourced from Google student), indicates that South-Eastern Australia is equally subject to lower falls in winter/spring when the north is El Nino bound.

Finally, it’s the POHAG AGM next month. We shall be vacating Sam’s Shed for the luxury of the Town Hall.

John Leavesley.

Calendar of EventsSep 6th MoBQ (Chewton’s Community BBQ), 6 p.m., Ellery Park.Sep 7th FOBIF Youth Bush Walk (see p. 24).Sep 9th Chewton Community Planning Meeting, 7 p.m., Chewton Primary School.Sep 9th MAS Council Meeting, 7.30 p.m., Mount Alexander Civic Centre.Sep 12th POHAG AGM, 10 a.m., Chewton Town Hall.Sep 14th Morning Prayer, 9.15 a.m., St John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Sep 14th Chewton Pool AGM, 3 p.m., George Archer Pavilion.Sep 16th CDS Man/Com. Meeting, 7.00 p.m., Chewton Town Hall.Sep 19th End of school term 3.Sep 21st FOBIF Walk in the Muckleford Forest (see p. 24).Sep 21st World Gratitude Day.Sep 23rd MAS Council Meeting, 7.30 p.m., Guildford Hall.Sep 24th Deadline for the Chewton Chat.Sep 27th Fryerstown Films (Eureka Stockade), 7.30 p.m., Burke and Wills Mech. Inst. Hall.Sep 28th Morning Prayer, 9.15 a.m., St John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Sep 28th Golden Point Landcare meeting, 10 a.m., Ellery Park.Sep 28th FOBIF Family Forest Walk (see p. 24).Sep 30th Folding Chewton Chat, 2.30 p.m., Chewton Town Hall.

Don’t forget to keep up to date in between Chewton Chats by following the chewton.net Facebook page! Close to 2,000 others did in the last 28 days!