Wilding the valley 2021 Census: local religious affiliation 10–11 Surf Coast Arts Trail 2022 12–13

By Michael Loughnan

The local Indigenous nation, the Wadawarrung people were displaced long ago and the Painkalac Valley was cleared for agriculture and grazing. Over the past several decades, large areas of the Valley, the Painkalac Nature Reserve and Mellor’s swamp have been revegetated and restored to a much more natural state.

Travelling from Anglesea if you turn right up Bambra Rd, just before the bottom shops in Aireys Inlet, you travel along the edge of the Painkalac Valley, a stretch of floodplain and ephemeral coastal wetland for several kilometres. The Painkalac Creek meanders through the Valley, under a bridge across the Great Ocean Road, and flows out to the sea under the Aireys Inlet Lighthouse –although, of course, it usually ends at a barrier sandbar separating the creek from the ocean. If you travel about 2.5 km up Bambra Rd, you will come to the Painkalac Valley Wetland Rehabilitation Project – an approximately 4.4 hectare (11 acre) block of land purchased privately in 2018 for the purpose of rewilding. Working with the amazingly enthusiastic and knowledgeable community groups Angair and Aireys Inlet & District Association (AIDA), and partly funded by Australian Landcare and Wild Otway’s Initiative grants administered through the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority (CCMA), horse grazing has ceased and over 8000 indigenous seedlings have been planted.

Replanting indigenous species

Using plant survey lists maintained by Angair, over 60 different species known to be indigenous to the Valley have been planted. All seedlings were propagated from locally sourced seeds and this has meant that plants specifically evolved to the conditions in the Eastern Otways have been planted. This is reflected in the incredibly rapid growth that’s occurred. The diversity of planting is crucial for insect, mammal, and bird biodiversity. We’ve also brought in local stone for reptile habitat and planted a large area of native grasses, all indigenous to the Valley. These are crucial habitat features for one of the most threatened group of animals in Australia – small native mammals. The wetland, an old ox-bow lake or billabong, has been re-established. Freed from the pressures of grazing and trampling by hooved animals, it is now largely covered by

Photos: Michael Loughnan

indigenous sedges, rushes, grasses and annual wildflowers that have naturally returned to the area. This area provides an opportunity to re-establish one of the most biologically diverse and threatened habitats in Australia –coastal wetlands.

Re-establishing habitats

The site will provide a continuum for native animals from the creek through a wide riparian area to a native grassland, ephemeral wetland and on to a dry woodland. Rehabilitating this area will not only restore the flora, but also provide habitats for birds and native animals, especially small mammals. Since commencing the project, several types of small native mammals have re-established themselves on the block. The sound of frogs calling at dusk can be deafening and over 35 bird species have been observed on and around the block. The re-establishment of this wetland and surrounding vegetation also plays a vital role in biologically filtering and retarding the passage of rainwater crossing the land, thereby improving water quality in the Painkalac Creek and reducing flood risk. This year, supported by a different Wild Otway’s Initiative grant, and with the fantastic help of the Surf Coast Shire, Angair has begun work on rehabilitating another area of land along the banks of the Painkalac Creek, the Salt Wedge Project. Together these projects will help establish a biodiversity corridor along the Valley to aid the survival of our precious threatened native birds and animals.

You can follow progress of this project on Instagram at: WildingtheValley.

Looking at the 2021 Census: Local religious affiliation

By Geraldine Ditchburn

What does the 2021 Census tell us about current religious affiliation? A steady decline in Christian worship, but little change it seems in Anglesea and Aireys Inlet.

Identifying religious affiliations has been an integral part of each census since 1901. Understandably, given the cultural mix of the non-Indigenous population, the vast majority of Australians at that time identified with the Christian religions. Since then, however, there has been a steady decline in people identifying as Christian (see Figure 1), a rise in the number who identify with other religions, and, a massive rise in the ‘no religion’ option. Christian religious affiliation has steadily declined, particularly over the last 50 years. Kevin Yelverton, it comes as ‘not a great surprise’ that the 2021 Australian Census revealed that 38.9 per cent of Australians (more than 10 million people) do not identify with any religion. According to the 2021 census, Australians are affiliated with the following religions.

100 90 80

Percentage 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 86.1%

76.4% 74.0% 68.0%

61.1%

43.9%

1971 1981 1991 2001 2011 2021 Christianity Islam Hindu Buddhism No religion

Source: www.abs.gov.au/articles/religious-affiliation-australia

Source: www.abs.gov.au/articles/religious-affiliation-australia

For Anglesea Anglican Minister Sharon Valentino, Baptist Minister Michael Varney and Uniting Church Minister To broadly make sense of this statistic, the ministers suggest that internal factors such as the findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and external factors, such as COVID lockdowns and an increased willingness by Australians to acknowledge ‘no religion’ on the Census have all contributed to the decrease in the number of Australians who are affiliated with a religion.

Christian churches in Anglesea and Aireys Inlet

However, in a trend that suggests a slight divergence from the overall Australian statistic, Sharon and Michael say that indications of religious affiliation – such as Christian church attendance - in Anglesea and Aireys Inlet has dropped by as little as 1–2% over the past five years. None of the ministers sees this decline as significant. For Michael, ‘demography is influential’ in church affiliation and attendance, and each of these church ministers agrees that any cultural shift, such as those regarding religious

affiliation and practices, ‘don’t change that rapidly’ in rural communities, especially when those communities are populated by an older demographic. The median age is 59 years in Anglesea and Sharon believes that this older population is less likely to shift their allegiances or alter traditional expressions of faith – hence the minimal decline in local church attendance. Similarly, for Kevin, the lack of population growth in the parish, especially in the number of younger people and families permanently moving to these towns, means that we are unlikely to see growth in traditional religious observance and affiliation.

The future?

Even with such factors as increased numbers indicating no religion, a declining number of those identifying as Christian, and an ageing local population, Sharon and Michael are still optimistic about the future of the Christian churches in Anglesea and Aireys Inlet. While both believe that traditional church services will still play a vital role in their communities, they recognise that changes are likely in their ministries. The challenge for the Christian churches, they agree, and particularly those in Anglesea and Aireys Inlet, is to be aware of the ‘holes’ in the needs of the community, to keep listening to the community and to ‘freshen up … (and) get creative’ in responding to pressing social needs and ‘care for those who can’t care for themselves’. They are agreed that inter-denominational collaboration is vital if they are to sustain, support and grow their communities. Collaboration is currently evident in a number of combined social events, regular shared church services, and the sharing of resources (including church buildings) and they see this trend continuing. While still retaining their particular traditional church practices, these collaborative efforts provide a signpost for the future, a broadening and practical expression of the core values of Christianity. Kevin says that whenever necessary, the ‘Christian churches have always been fluid and have had to change’ but he is reluctant to speculate about the future. ‘Relations with one another are vital if we are to sustain our communities,’ he says. ‘We don’t really know what it’s going to look like’. It seems that the decline in religious affiliation raises much bigger questions about where communities such as Anglesea and Aireys Inlet find sources of meaning and spirituality when traditional forms of religious observance may no longer be recognised or sustainable. These are ongoing questions to which there are a few simple, agreed or consistent answers.

Note: The Anglesea St Christopher’s Catholic Parish Priest Father Linh Tran was unavailable for comment for this article. The St Christopher’s community has a strong and special relationship with the other Christian church communities in Anglesea with regular interaction involving shared services and activities.

Local cafe signs up on sustainability

A new partnership is brewing to create a more sustainable Surf Coast and support local cafes to reduce their waste.

Surf Coast Shire Council has partnered with Responsible Cafes – a not-for-profit program supporting local cafes to reduce their plastic waste and single-use cups. Council now invites local cafes to join the program, with the first 30 cafes that register to receive a starter pack of reusable cups worth over $300. GROW Anglesea is one of 13 cafes which has already signed up for the initiative, with owner Lyndelle Flintoft believing small steps can make a big difference. ‘It’s about taking little steps – not buying things wrapped in plastic, considering if something has been made by a local designer rather than a mass producer, taking your own coffee cup to a cafe. It takes a little bit more effort but it’s all possible.’ Mayor Cr Libby Stapleton praised cafes like GROW in Anglesea and its core values of sustainability, highlighted through its ‘slow shopping’ focus that enables customers to learn where their food has come from, and where store items are created. ‘We are also dedicated to reducing waste – from our composting commitment to our wholefoods section where people can bring in their own container, rather than plastic packaging, and only grab the amount they need,’ Ms Flintoft said. For more information on Responsible Cafes and registration details, visit surfcoast.vic.gov.au/ responsiblecafes.

By Miranda Millen

The 10th anniversary of the Surf Coast Arts Trail was a great opportunity to visit artists at various locations and their studios – the first time the event has been held in three years due to COVID restrictions. Five of the artists involved are profiled here.

Monika and Julia Freake

Fairhaven SLSC (mother and daughter duo) Monika remembers enjoying sketching in her exercise books at school and she has been painting for about three years. She explained that she has always wanted to try painting, however, life and children got in the way. It was through local art classes with Pat McKenzie and Sharryn Jenkinson that Monika found her motivation to give painting a go and she has never looked back. Monika’s artwork is realistic and very detailed, so much so that people often comment that her paintings look like a photo. Her favourite colour to paint with is blue as it reminds her of the ocean and the sky. Monika proves that it is never too late to pick up new artistic skills and flourish. Julia likes to refer to herself as a ‘creative’ and it’s easy to see why! Julia is immersed in many creative projects –mixed media, sculpture, jewellery making, macrame, craft and drawing and she paints using different mediums and techniques. Julia always wanted to be an artist from an early age. As a child she would make friendship bracelets and experiment with making polymer clay objects. She recalls reading Garfield comics where she would spend hours copying the drawings to perfect different drawings techniques. The graphic style of Julia’s paintings creates a point of difference as an artist living on the Surf Coast. There is not a lot of detail – rather bold shapes implying suggestive figures and other objects. Her inspirations include the immediate environment of the coast and nature, but even closer to home, her children. Julia’s painting style is influenced by Salvador Dali (Spanish) and Edvard Munch (Norwegian). As well as her artwork, Julia is enthusiastic about nurturing creativity among children and allowing them the freedom to explore. She also believes that art therapy is a powerful way to express creativity, develop connections and to be mindful. Julia has founded Art And Healing (AAH) – a range of art therapy programs for children and adults.

Minerva Lamorgese

Mivart Creations Studio 8 Anglesea ‘Bringing illustrations to life’ is Minerva’s motto. She believes that illustrations have the power to engage connection through meaning and storytelling, to convey important messages. It was a Greenpeace children’s picture storybook that first inspired Minerva to become an illustrator – an instant connection to the environment aligned with her values. For her, it felt like she had a gift, and Minerva wanted to share that with others. At high school, Minerva studied psychology and became fascinated by the effect of colours and the healing side of art. She completed her BA in Illustration and a year of design study. Her latest studies in comic design offer a different narrative as she continues to evolve her illustrations through storytelling and storyboard. Her most recent illustration is a metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Minerva hopes this design will be published into larger concertina books. In line with Minerva’s environmental beliefs, she has collaborated with Surf Coast’s Coastal Nectar. She has designed a colouring-in page with information about the importance of bees, pollinating and other facts about the environment and native animals. Minerva emphasises that her illustrations are not only for children, but also for adults to awaken their inner child: to reconnect. Minerva’s designs are whimsical, evocative and inspiring messages through illustration. The old saying, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ definitely resonates with this artwork.

Workspace Gallery and Studio in Fairhaven One thing is obvious when visiting Nicky’s private studio – her striking colour pallet. She uses earthy tones and even when depicting water, the colours are subdued. Her connection to the environment and surrounds is clear. When asked about her favourite colour, straight away Nicky responds, ‘Australian Red Gold’ and this colour features frequently in her work. My guess is this colour has derived from the red earth of Central Australia. Nicky uses oil-based paint for her landscapes in which she loves the ability to blend colours when wet. She uses a mixture of glazes and washes to highlight the colours and textures. These layers create her point of interest. She describes her paintings as abstract, emotional and linked to a memory. Nicky forms these memories through places travelled and by creating a romantic attachment with these experiences. Tree House Studio, Anglesea Of all the artists that I visited on the trail, Jill was the only one painting portraits of people. Jill promised herself years ago that when the time was right, she would paint. After moving to Winchelsea, Jill found a beginners art class that used different mediums and was facilitated by the Winchelsea Community House. She grew native plants at her property in Winchelsea that provided inspiration for her work. Flowers are still a favourite to paint. Recently she did a class in portrait painting, again at the Winchelsea Community House. Jill’s paintings include a portrait series of ‘seasonal women’ and another soulful portrait of an older man – ‘a face that has a lived life’. Jill paints using bright colours and likes to include mood and personality in her artwork. Jill is part of an artistic group formed in Winchelsea called the ‘RiverLee Art Group’.

Charlie, a local fishing legend Photo: Miranda Millen

Peter Matthews, AO

By Liz Clark

Local resident Peter Matthews was awarded Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for ‘distinguished service to cave and karst surveying, documentation and publication and to speleological organisations’ – the highest award from this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours in the Greater Geelong area.

My initial meeting with Peter entailed a little bit of research. I needed to look up a few things, assuming NewsAngle readers may find these new words as foreign as I did – what is an AO awarded for, what is karst, and what does speleological mean? In addition, among Peter’s list of achievements, I found he has been Chair of the Informatics Commission with the International Union of Speleology since 1986. I needed to research what this might mean. The AO is the second highest of the four levels of the Order of Australia awards (AC, AO, OAM, AM), and is for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large. Karst is a geological term basically meaning a landscape formed by the solution of limestone – a rock that dissolves in acidic water. In karst, spaces form in the limestone that allow for rapid movement of groundwater. Water moves quickly from the earth’s surface underground in these places. Naturally formed underground spaces that people can enter are then called caves. Speleology is a branch of science concerned with all aspects of caves and cave systems. As well as exploration and mapping it includes many scientific disciplines: for example, archaeology, palaeontology, biology, mineralogy, hydrology, geology, geomorphology, climatology, and as such is of vast interest to a wide range of scientifically minded people. Informatics is the study of computer systems, especially data storage and retrieval. So the Informatics Commission is all about techniques for obtaining, storing and retrieving speleological information. Lastly, the more simple words services to in this instance mean around 60 years service, volunteering, dedication, commitment to something that started as a hobby and became a passion.

From curiosity to scientific research

Peter first became interested in caving in 1958 when he was a member of a skindiving club that was invited by a caving group to dive into a cave at Buchan in Victoria. So began a lifetime curiosity, not merely for caves and exploring, but for mapping and documentation of new caves as they were discovered. Before anything like accessible computers, Peter recorded all the results of their group’s explorations, setting up a system for mapping, surveying, numbering and coding each site. It was 1968 and about 1600 caves were known in Australia. Peter enlisted the help of caving clubs around Australia to compile all the information they could locate about each cave. Peter’s wife, Margot typed the information onto Multilith masters (similar to stencils) to print the first official Australian listing. Peter pursued a growing knowledge of computers both at work and with the Victorian Speleological Association and devised a series of data entry forms for collecting caverelated information. This work set the standard for documenting all caves as they were discovered. With a grant from the Australian Heritage Commission in 1974, and the cooperation of all caving clubs, Peter edited what was the definitive handbook for caving information, detailing information on 6600 caves, 2400 cave maps and 925 published cave references. This data is constantly being updated with new discoveries and information. It is now done via a website, making it readily accessible to speleologists around the world.

Engineering, caving and travel

As a young man Peter studied engineering, worked for five years with the State Electricity Commission then worked

for 15 years with a Swedish engineering company. This latter job afforded him many opportunities to travel overseas. Using his caving documentation contacts, he was welcomed in many countries, and with his company paying his fares to Sweden he managed to fit in many trips to visit caving documentation people all around the world. Peter is an honorary life member of the Victorian Speleological Association having been a foundation member in 1967, Cave and Karst Numbering Coordinator (1967–2018) and Records Keeper (1967–90). As a member of the Australian Speleological Federation Inc, Peter has worked as Commissioner for Documentation, edited three major publications, drafted the original Code for Cave and Karst numbering, and developed the national digital Australian Karst Index. He richly deserves his honorary life membership with this group. UNESCO has nominated 2021–22 as the International Year for Caves and Karst. Peter has chosen this year to step down as Chair of the Informatics Commission of the International Union of Speleology after 36 years of service. Time to give someone younger a go. He has worked on various projects for the Union, including the setting up and management of its internet facilities, cave data exchange standards, setting up and running its web-based multilingual cavers dictionary, the Commission’s website, and is currently convenor of the Karst Glossary Project. He also wrote the chapter on cave documentation and databases for the Encyclopedia of Caves.

Calling Anglesea home

From Buchan Caves to Anglesea. How did this happen? It’s a story that repeats itself in this town over and over. His wife Margot had spent childhood years holidaying here, originally camping at the caravan park. Her parents bought land and built a holiday home in George Street. Eventually in 1994, they were looking for a holiday home, and Margot was drawn back to Anglesea by some wonderful memories and a love for this place. The rest is history for them. All this sounds like a lot of hard and tedious work, but Peter has thoroughly enjoyed himself. His zest for knowledge, his quiet enthusiasm and a pursuit of excellence have all been enhanced by a happy family life, countless trips to interesting places, companionship of likeminded cavers and a sense of pride in a job well done – and of course, the awarding of an AO for his services to the world of caving.

The inventor of the ute loved Aireys Inlet

By Mary Bremner

Lewis Bandt invented the ute. His name was given to the bridge that spans the Moorabool River on the Geelong Ring Road. He also had close ties with Aireys Inlet.

Bandt was the first designer to be employed at Ford’s Geelong motor vehicle factory. In 1932, a Gippsland farmer’s wife wrote to Ford, requesting the production of a combined work and passenger vehicle – one that would serve both to go to church on Sunday and transport the pigs to market on Monday. Bandt took up the challenge and the result was the ‘coupé utility’ released for sale in 1934. Henry Ford nicknamed it the ‘Kangaroo Chaser’. The ute became an iconic Australian vehicle, distinguished from the American pick-up truck because the cargo tray was integrated with the passenger body. Other manufacturers made their own versions – this writer went on her honeymoon in a Holden ute.

Aireys Inlet connections

Aireys Inlet identity, Ross Lamont has fond memories of Lew Bandt from their connection with the Methodist churches in Geelong. Ross recalls Bandt as a popular Sunday School superintendent and lay-preacher. Ross’s father-in-law worked with Lew Bandt at Ford, providing another family connection. In 1956, Lew Bandt bought ‘Mountain House’ – this popular Aireys Inlet guesthouse dated back to 1900 and was located at the site of the current Big4 caravan park. Bandt developed the caravan park started in a small way on the site by the previous owners and this tourist enterprise operated successfully until the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires when ‘Mountain House’, the old pine trees that surrounded it and the caravan park infrastructure were destroyed. The period that followed was a time of rebuilding and Ross Lamont remembers the town being transformed from a sleepy hollow, with many people coming into the town. The Lamont family and the Bandt family built small holiday homes in Taroona Road. The Uniting Church (formed in 1977 through a union of the Methodist, Congregational and Presbyterian denominations) held Sunday worship in the community hall and Lew Bandt often took services there. He was a great friend of the Reverend Pat Wood, grandfather of current part-owner of the Aireys Inlet Hotel, Tim Wood. Pat Wood was the part-time Uniting Church minister at Aireys Inlet.

Prior to selling the caravan park in 1984, Lew Bandt subdivided some land off the back of his block, downhill from the current fire station and donated it to the Uniting Church. He and Rev Pat Wood established a building fund to raise money to construct a church. Bandt also sold a block fronting the Great Ocean Road to the Anglican Church, which used funds from the Bushfire Appeal Fund to build the lovely little church that takes pride of place opposite the ‘Top Shops’. It remains, to this day, Aireys Inlet’s only church building. An amicable arrangement was made with the Catholic and Uniting congregations to share use of the building and the construction of a separate Uniting Church never went ahead. It was not long after this that Lewis Bandt died tragically in a car accident, at the age of 77. He was driving his 1934 model Ford home after recording a documentary about the ute at the ABC studios in Melbourne and collided with a truck near Bannockburn. These days, farmers and tradies favour dual-cab vehicles –all manufactured overseas. They’re still called utes but they’re not the same. Next time you see one on the road, spare a thought for the ingenuity of ‘our’ Lew Bandt (pictured here).