PUBLICATION OF THE ANGLESEA COMMUNITY HOUSE
ISSUE 125 AUTUMN 2016 Albatross - Studio 66
By Melinda Solly—Fragility
Madame Butterfly - Moongate Studios
Anglesea Art Studios Launched A new collaboration of local artists has been formed in Anglesea – known as ‘Anglesea Art Studios’. Liz Clark recently met with one of the members, Cinnamon Stephens, who introduced her to their creative initiative. By Liz Clark
We are so fortunate to live in Anglesea for a huge variety of reasons, but if you want one more, consider the amazing talents of our local artists. The Surfcoast Arts Trail is an annual event that highlights a vast range of artistic styles and invites the public to visit various studios and see just how creative local residents can be all the way along the coast. Last year, a group of Anglesea participants in the Arts Trail met together after studying the informative Community Houses are for Everyone
brochure advertising the event. They discussed the fact that on the actual weekend, they are unable to look at one another's work, as they need to be in their own studios - they felt they were missing out on the range and diversity of the art that is on display. So they decided to have a progressive art studio/wine sipping event on the Friday prior to the Arts Trail and find out what was going in everyone else's backyard.
Highlights Garden to Table Feast
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Children’s Hub
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The Fire Game
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River Update
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The Joy of Singing
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Great Reads
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Bellbrae Memories
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Anglesea Art Studios continued page 5> 1
Published By Anglesea Community House Inc. 9.15am - 2.30pm Monday - Friday (During school terms) 5 McMillan Street, Anglesea PO Box 43, Anglesea, VIC, 3230 Tel: 5263 2116 Fax: 5263 1077 Email: newsangle@anglesea.org.au
Feedback/Comments To be addressed to the NewsAngle Editorial Committee, c/o Anglesea Community House or by email.
Advertisers If you wish to book a casual or annual advertisement for 2016 please request an Order Form by email.
Contributors/Writers Please leave news items, order forms or notices at the Community House or send by post or email and the Editor will get in touch with you.
Distribution NewsAngle is free of charge. It is delivered to permanent residents in Anglesea and those with Aireys Inlet Post Boxes. Copies are available from Anglesea IGA Supermarket, Maid's Pantry, Information Centre, Aireys Inlet General Store and Post Office and various other locations. NewsAngle can also be downloaded at: anglesea.org.au/news/newsangle
Deadlines Issue:
126
Casual ads:
16 May
Articles/Contributions :
16 May
Subject to availability of space Distribution:
20 June
Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Community House.
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News from the House By Alex Leknius, Anglesea Community House Coordinator
will facilitate the exchange of information on news, events, community projects and Shire consultation and information. The website will be used to improve communication in the town and provide for the opportunity to act as a community portal and communication tool in the event of a major disaster.
The fire at Wye River and Separation Creek was an uncomfortable reminder that we live in one of the most beautiful but most fire prone areas of the world. The biggest lesson we can learn from this event is to be prepared by having a written and well practiced fire plan. Have the conversation with family, friends, your local CFA about what you are going to do BEFORE bushfire threatens.
The new website will be officially unveiled in April 2016. We will keep you updated about the launch date via the Anglesea Community House Facebook page and on our current website www.anglesea.org.au
Citizen of the Year Congratulations to Jim and Helen Tutt on winning the Surf Coast Shire’s 2016 Citizen of the Year. Jim’s passion for recycling has seen the establishment of
the Anglesea Resale Shed located at the Anglesea Landfill. This is a fantastic community initiative. Since 2014, tonnes of used goods have been diverted from landfill and raised more than $30,000 for the community groups who volunteer their time to open the Resale Shed on a Saturday morning from 10.00am-2.00pm. Read more about Helen and Jim Tutt’s award and achievements on page 18.
If your community group is interested in volunteering at the shed, earning some money for your group whilst doing your bit for the environment, contact Alex at the Community House.
The Fire Game is a locally developed and interactive tool designed to test and build your bushfire survival skills. The Community House will shortly have a copy of the game that you and friends or family can come together and use at the House or alternatively, if you would like the Community House to organise a Fire Game event for your group or organisation, please contact Alex on 5263 2116 or admin@anglesea.org.au
Anglesea Community Network The Community House embarked on a project last year to help the Anglesea Community become better connected. The aim of the network is to connect and unite community groups, residents, homeowners and businesses to work smarter and collaborate to build a better Anglesea. One of the initiatives around this project is to redevelop the Community House website to create an online community, so interested groups and individuals are able to raise and discuss issues of importance to them and the town. The redeveloped website will have a broadened community focus and NewsAngle | Publication of the Anglesea Community House | Community Houses are for Everyone
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Weekly Yoga Classes Seasonal workshops Amy Murphy 0431 704 217 Maureen Finemore 0400 534 534 www.aireysyoga.com.au
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Anglesea Art Studios Launched <Continued from page 1
What fun they had! And what a great opportunity to discuss ideas, offer suggestions, enjoy the originality, diversity and creativity of each others' works. One gets the feeling that it wasn't so easy to get up early the next day ready to greet all their visitors! As a result of that happy evening, they decided to band together and let people - locals and visitors - know just what happens in Anglesea in the art scene. Various meetings ensued, and so was born this group of artists with a contemporary vision - ‘Anglesea Art Studios’. You are invited to visit eight local studios (by appointment), meet the artists and view the artworks in each artist's own creative space. You will discover a panorama of amazing studios, burgeoning talent, artistic enthusiasm and wonderful creations straight from the heart of the artists involved. Anglesea is amazingly abundant with talent, diversity, inspiration, resourcefulness and ingenuity. By appointment, you can visit: Moongate Studios Gallery where Jan and Geo Francis invite visitors to experience their working art and sculpture studios, gallery and bush gardens. Commissions are welcome. 0414 876 383; jangeoart2.com Elaine d'Esterre's paintings, mixed media and etchings are about the way her creative process is mirrored in geomorphology and the forces of nature. 0488 632 846; elainedesterreart.com
The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web. Studio 66 is where Cinnamon and Rowan are known for their distinctive creative metalwork sculpture and functional artwork. Commissions are most welcome. The studio and the garden are eye openers and give some amazing insights into why recycling is becoming so popular. Cinnamon gets her inspiration from nature, the garden, birds, and the wonderful area in which she lives. 0400 436 308; cinnamonsart.com Caroline Hawkins uses plant fibres, which are sourced from the local surroundings. Her pieces include functional and sculptural baskets, lampshades, garden teepees and necklaces. She also holds workshops. 0413 609 085; carolinehawkins.com.au Muddy's She-shed is a collaboration by three Anglesea artists Elaine d'Esterre, Maggi Jean and Evie Wood, in a transformed Anglesea boat shed, which is dedicated to showing ceramics, printmaking, painting, drawing and poetry. muddyssheshed.com Maggi 0487 842135 Evie 0467 737425 Ginkoh is Stephanie Hocking's studio where she creates her handmade pieces via lost wax casting. Her contemporary jewellery incorporates unique carvings, recycling and nature - earthy, edgy and raw … different is good! 0447 379 496; ginkojewellery.com Fragility is a family collaboration of artwork, featuring a potter working with translucent porcelain including lamps, jewellery, sculpture and stoneware, a woodworker, a watercolourist and a printmaker. 0404 676 036 or 0439 358 526; fragility.com.au You will find Jill Treloar at Treehouse Studio, where she displays oil and watercolour paintings inspired by the elements - water, earth, air and fire in coastal and bush settings. 03 5263 3781
Painting by Elaine d’Esterre
(Pablo Picasso)
This group of artists live their art. They provide a great range of art forms, which complement each other. They hope to reach out to residents and visitors and, through the internet, contact people from far and wide. Already they have brochures in local real estate offices, caravan parks, cafes
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The beautiful new advertising brochure from Anglesea Art Studios suggests that we should all 'get up close to the process'.
and other studios and art venues. They hope to cross-promote their works, generously acknowledging the various talents of each of the 14 artists. If you are looking for a wonderful day out, phone one or more of these studios and arrange a time to visit, browse some exciting art studios, make contact with hands-on artists, discover amazing pieces to buy, or take the opportunity to commission your own art work from a range of talented artists. Cinnamon Stephens will run a course for artists in Term 2 at the Anglesea Community House, called Using Social Media to Promote Your Artwork . Two interactive workshops will introduce you to Facebook, Instagram, Arts Atlas and more. Cost is $30 per session. Call Cinnamon for details and bookings. T: 0400 436 308 5
Christmas By the Sea By Alex Leknius
This exciting new event held in Anglesea last December was the brainchild of Anglesea resident Robyn Lucas, and successfully raised $1,000 for Anglesea/Aireys Foodlink. The Anglesea shopping area was transformed into “Christmas By the Sea” with Christmas decorations, a community Christmas Tree and beautiful tree lighting. Santa’s mailbox located outside of the post office was a huge hit with the children of Anglesea and visitors alike. The shops got into the spirit of Christmas by decorating their windows and participating in the ‘best window display’ competition. Congratulations to Ocean Corner Café (left) which won the “People’s Choice Award” for best window display. Frangipanis won “Business and Tourism Anglesea’s 2015 Best Window Display” (right). The highlight of the event was the Moonlight and Mistletoe supper held on 3 December. The aim of the supper was not only to bring the community together but to highlight the work of Foodlink – a food service for disadvantaged people in Anglesea/Aireys Inlet, staffed by volunteers. The sumptuous sit down supper of delicious tasting plates was prepared by Anglesea food vendors - Roses Chinese Restaurant, Off Shore Café, Bistro 73, Sea Eyes, Ocean
Guests at‘Christmas by the Sea’ (above) and Frangipanis’ winning decorations (below). Photos by Rebecca Hosking Photography.
Corner Cafe, Café Danielle and Nordenfine. Kids’ food was supplied by Jums Chicken and Anglesea Fish & Chips. A huge thank you to each of these generous businesses for participating and preparing the tasty food for those attending. Also thank you to all of the volunteers who helped to serve the food. The menu consisted of a Bellini cocktail on arrival, prawn dumplings, mussels in ginger and coconut, pulled pork sliders, turkey and cranberry roulade, three salads, panna cotta and plum pudding ice cream for dessert. Children were catered for with chicken tenders and chips or seafood basket. Live entertainment was provided by the Anglesea Community Rock Choir and we were serenaded over supper by internationally renowned opera singer and Surf Coast resident Wendy Grose. Of course, what would Christmas be without a visit from Santa who arrived on the CFA truck? Everyone had a fantastic night. Thank you to the sponsors of the event – Anglesea Community House, Anglesea Lions, Anglesea & District Community Bank, Business and Tourism Anglesea and the Surf Coast Shire. A special thanks to Sally Ford for painting and decorating Santa’s mailbox, to the staff at the Anglesea Post Office for helping Santa to answer the letters, the Lionesses for serving the food at the dinner, the CFA and to the many other volunteers who helped to make the event such a success. And special thanks to Robyn Lucas for her efforts in making the night so memorable.
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EVENT: EAT LOCAL MONTH
Garden to Table Community Feast By Alex Leknius
Eat Local Month started in 2015 to showcase the growing local food and wine industry in the Surf Coast and Otway hinterland. In 2016 Eat Local Month has expanded to include 20 events across the region. The Anglesea Community House is excited to announce the inaugural “Garden to Table Community Feast” to be held on Wednesday 13 April at 5.30pm at the Anglesea Community Garden, as par t Guests will enjoy a delicious lunch at the ‘Garden to Table Community Feast’ to be held on of Eat Local Month. Wednesday 13 April at the Community Garden in Anglesea..
Guests will be treated to a ‘chemical-free’ tasting menu prepared by local cook Jemma Lewis. The community meal will feature freshly harvested produce and organic meat from local suppliers from across the region with an emphasis on whole vegetable - ‘root to leaf’ cooking. Be sure to join us for an evening filled with great food, local wine, good music and wonderful community spirit. Tickets are available from the Eat Local website www.eatlocalmonth.com.au. A $12 charge for adults is to cover some of the cost of the event. Children under 12 are free.
The Garden to Table Community Feast will be held at Anglesea Community Garden as part of Eat Local Month in April.
For more details about this and other local events, visit the Community House website at www.anglesea.org.au/events
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Children’s Hub Up and Running It’s smiles all round at the new Anglesea and District Children’s Hub, where children have started the year in a brand new learning environment and play space. Bringing together Anglesea Kindergarten, Platypus Toy Library, Playgroup and Maternal Child and Health into one newly developed and refurbished space at the McMillan Street precinct, the new Children’s Hub is the result of great vision and hard work. Committee member Kristine Stephens tells us how this achievement came about.
Anglesea, Aireys Inlet and district areas. We expect at least 100 families per year to use this space, with two groups of children able to attend kindergarten three days per week with a five-hour program.
Landscaping was a major part of the Kinder redevelopment project.
Three years ago, two members of the Anglesea Kindergarten Committee, Fiona Saw and Kristine Stephens, started the conversation with the Surf Coast Shire about adding another room for kindergarten sessions.
Program. Additionally, kinder committees over many years had saved $60,000 that was raised 40 years previously, and with interest gained, were able to allocate $100,000 towards the project.
Previous committees over the past 20 years had also tried to gain funding for this idea.
The works to be carried out included demolishing the playgroup building, refurbishing the existing kinder room and adding an extension to provide a new room.
The Kinder representatives met with Councillors, Council Officers and State Members, with briefs, statistics and other documents provided to support their vision. The Anglesea, Aireys Inlet and District Children’s Community Hub Group was formed during this time. Some committee members believed that they might be lucky to see their grandchildren start in a new building! However, after some persuading, we applied for a children’s building grant of up to $350,000. Surprisingly, in October 2014, it was announced by the then MLA Terry Mulder, that we had been successful in our application for $350,000. This was prudent timing, as the Surf Coast Shire had allocated $300,000 from its 10-Year Capital Works 8
In addition, the new rooms will cater for 3 to 4-year-old kinder programs, mothers’ groups, playgroups, toy library and parenting sessions. We are absolutely thrilled to have been able to see the fulfilment of our vision for the future of all local children in the new Hub.
Once the funding announcement was made, it was full steam ahead. There were plans to be finalised, fundraising for furniture and landscaping (as this was not covered in the budget), relocation ideas, contacts to be made, communication to be ensured, and processes to be documented … and these were just the first thoughts. Michelle Vernieux, also on the Kinder Committee was nominated to arrange landscaping. Michelle designed and managed this part of the project with the Shire, which was a monumental task, and the new play space now looks absolutely amazing. The new building ensures we are able to cater for all children within the
Children enjoy the new Kinder play space.
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Children’s Hub Up and Running Background - Our Vision Anecdotally, it seemed that there were many new families in the Anglesea district. We understood that new people to the area needed to socialise and find common interests, to feel a part of the community or be at risk of becoming transient and leaving before there was an opportunity to be involved. Anglesea has always had a successful and strong community. We are great contributors and always prepared to work together, but to ensure that we continued to have a cohesive and engaged community, our facilities needed to reflect our passion, which is our children and our families. By improving and extending our facilities, current and new children and families would be able to seek, meet, engage, understand and help to welcome and embrace our community. Whilst Anglesea Kindergarten, Platypus Toy Library and Playgroup were clustered together in the southeast corner of the community precinct of McMillan Street, Maternal Child and Health was situated within the Barwon Health Medical Centre. The poor functionality and lack of integration of these services was confusing and disconnected in its layout.
History of the Community Precinct In 1959, children of Anglesea attended an informal pre-school environment held at the Anglesea Memorial Hall. After many years of lobbying Council, in 1963 Anglesea Kindergarten was established in the Infant Welfare Centre (built in 1961) until the new building was developed in 1976.
Until last year’s new development began, this building had remained the same with only minor alterations to the kitchen and cupboards in the main room. In September 1983, the initial idea for a Toy Library was discussed at a public meeting hosted by the Anglesea Kindergarten, to decide the best use of a donation received from Burwood and Heathmont pre-schools. Platypus Toy Library was given its name, with the receipt of the first donated toy. A small kindergarten at Nyah West in the Victorian Mallee donated a wooden puzzle. You guessed it - a platypus! During the first year, Platypus Toy Library also received a grant for a room from the Shire of Barrabool and a vital gift from the Australian Red Cross Society to purchase the first toys. On Monday, 9 April 1984, the doors were opened for borrowing. Membership records show that 67 children from the local community could now call Platypus Toy Library their own. Anglesea Playgroup was established in 1977 at the previous infant welfare centre and then the Anglesea kindergarten, which was built in 1961. Playgroup shared the building with the 3-year-old kinder program from the early 1990s until the building failed to meet regulations for a kindergarten.
The vision of the working group was to provide cohesiveness for the children and families of our community, and create optimal learning spaces. We wanted to provide an additional learning space to complement the current programs and sessions, providing areas that could accommodate all kindergarten sessions, playgroup, toy library, maternal child and health appointments, and family information sessions. The plan was to provide access and inclusion for all children aged between 0 to 6 and parents of these children. The building used for Playgroup was dilapidated and in need of many repairs if it were to be used in the future. Children’s Hub continued page 10 > NewsAngle | Publication of the Anglesea Community House | Community Houses are for Everyone
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Children’s Hub <continued from page 9
The new kinder building provides more space for local children .
Surf Coast Shire Council, as well as the Playgroup Committee, recognised that a substantial amount of money would need to be spent to improve it. Developing the existing building to create a better space with the kindergarten was a great option. In the long term, it would save the Council as well as State and Federal Government money by having these services in the one building and not having to support and maintain multiple spaces.
Onwards and Upwards After receiving our Certificate of Occupancy on 21 January and having the inspection from the Department for Licensing on 22 January 2016, we made it just in time for the start of this year’s kinder programs. There is only one outstanding process to undertake, and that is to retain 40 square metres of land that the Playgroup has used for 25 years for play space. Unfortunately this was not officially transferred, so still remains technically a roadway. We hope to have this rectified for the benefit of the children of our communities this year and for future years.
We are committed to providing the best opportunities for our children and families to ensure that everyone who lives in the Anglesea, Aireys Inlet and District feels welcome and connected. There are so many people and businesses to thank who supported the whole process, especially the Anglesea YMCA Recreation Camp, which let us use their facilities for more than a term! The Surf Coast Shire officers in Children’s Services and Project Engineering have also been extremely professional and must be commended for their ethos. The businesses, especially the Community Bank and Seaside Seconds, have been extremely supportive too. All individuals who donated a paver or made a donation towards fundraising, or donated time in assisting with this exciting project, are greatly appreciated. To celebrate the wonderful achievement of creating a Children’s Hub, an Opening Ceremony will be arranged once the date is confirmed with the Minister. All who have been involved, past, present and future, will be welcome. 10
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Playing with Fire — The Fire Game By Terrence Hoffmann
Lauren Watt works as a Resilient Communities Officer for the Surf Coast Shire. What is a resilient community? I hear you moan. What indeed? Is it just more jargon that seems to come at us so often these days, or is there something more to this notion of resilience? Lauren tells me that there are three responsibilities to her job:
The Fire Game is a great way to teach people about fire, so that we can learn about it without sitting through long lectures or uninteresting meetings.
1) Awareness 2) Preparedness 3) Connectedness
Lauren is currently working on getting The Fire Game more widely available, at community groups, schools and even available for families to play at home – so watch this space.
At the moment, a chief concern with communities such as ours is fire. We live in one of the most fire prone areas of the state. Hence her job consists of increasing people’s awareness of fire, increasing people’s knowledge about fire and preparedness for it, should it occur, and finally, improving people’s connectedness with each other and with the various agencies who carry the responsibility of managing fire. In combination, the three elements may save lives. The Fire Game has been created to help Lauren achieve the three responsibilities of her job. It was developed by Surf Coast Shire Council, together with emergency services and some help from the talented grade 5/6 students at Anglesea Primary School. It’s a board game, a little like “Trivial Pursuit”. That is, there are five stacks of cards containing questions to answer. Each player in the game has a counter, initially placed on the board in the community from which they come.
Hopefully with more people playing the game and talking about bushfire, knowledge can spread and become part of what everyone knows. It seems as though Lauren has achieved her goal of creating a more resilient community by getting people to use this game. Lauren Watt is using The Fire Game to increase awareness of fire in local communities.
Lauren has now trialled The Fire Game with around 400 people and used this feedback to revise and grow the questions and how the game runs.
If you have not yet played The Fire Game but would like to learn more about fire and what you need to do to save yourself and help others, contact Lauren Watt at resilient@surfcoast.vic.gov.au Learning like this is fun.
There are all the familiar Surf Coast towns such as Winchelsea, Lorne, Anglesea, Aireys Inlet and others. All the questions relate to fire and what you would do before, during, after a bushfire, or related to knowledge about fire behavior. Then there are the ‘Chance’ cards that may reward a player for being prepared or punish them for not. The winner is the first person to correctly answer a question from each category. The game starts like all games but soon gathers momentum and noisy participation. People learn new things, sometimes they are challenged and need to alter their opinion, if it is not based on facts. NewsAngle | Publication of the Anglesea Community House | Community Houses are for Everyone
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LOCAL PROFILE: REBECCA HOSKING
Capturing Moments in Time By Jenna Crawford
"More often than not I pre-visualise a photo/scene and then when I see it I am ready to photograph it and in a way that pays respect to my inner visualisation." These are the words of Rebecca Hosking, photographic artist who has photographed far and wide. Rebecca completed a Bachelor of Arts at Latrobe University, where she began to appreciate the artistic ability of photography and its unique form of expression. It is an art form very close to her heart. She completed an Honours study in Literature and Philosophy and so has been able to combine all of these formal qualifications to enhance her natural skill for photographing, whilst paying attention to the ethical issues that must always be adhered to in her work. Rebecca states that she is committed to making change through the development of her ideas and concepts, with much of her work fostering the reflection and acknowledgement of positive values. Her exhibition commissioned by the Surf Coast Shire for International Women's Day, concentrated on the nominees who were community
Award-winning local photographer Rebecca Hosking
contributors and many unnoticed, quiet achievers. Rebecca dedicated this display to the recognition of resilience in all of her subjects. Similar attitudes were presented in the Photo Biennale at the Ballarat Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka.
One of the photographs from this collection saw Rebecca win “National Photography Winner of the 2015 Resilient Australia Awards”, which she and her subjects collected at a presentation ceremony in Melbourne.
Rebecca was commissioned last year by the CFA to photograph the successful program introduced by the Anglesea CFA branch and the Anglesea Primary School, where students were engaged to take an active role in teaching others, including their families, about the behaviours, dangers and awareness of bush fires. Her photographs aimed to capture the students stepping into the "knowledge shoes" and capturing all of the elements through the exploration of all the layers of personal satisfaction. Rebecca says, "It is all about the feeling or message that the photo imparts, capturing the spirit or essence to be shared with the viewers." Rebecca Hosking’s photo (right) won her the National Photography Winner of the 2015 Resilient Australia Awards (left).
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LOCAL PROFILE: REBECCA HOSKING More recently, Rebecca has been leaving home very early in the morning to attend the making of the Warner Brothers recreation of "The Legend of Ben Hall".
positive light. Rebecca spends about 80 percent of her time pursuing her photographic career, but still finds time to work for EcoLogic on a casual basis.
She is working with directors and film-makers using different photographic methods from her own and is learning a lot. Her still life photographs will be used in posters, publicity and on social media. Rebecca's photographic portfolio is varied, but underlying all of her work is her total respect for all her subjects, whether they be animate or inanimate.
With people she wishes to capture the layers and levels of the person through the development of respect and trust. She understands that capturing these moments cannot be replicated and the subject should always be presented in a
She has been on the committee of the Festival of Words at Aireys Inlet and the Torquay High Tide Festival, where her beautiful photographs are used in marketing and promotion of the events. If you are in need of a passionate, ethical photographer, with a huge variety of experience and expertise you can contact Rebecca at www.rebeccahoskingphotography.com
WILLOWS WILD WOMEN WALK TO RAISE CASH FOR KIDS
Four Aireys Inlet women will trek close to a marathon distance on Saturday, 9 April, to raise money for local charities, the Kids Plus Foundation and Give Where You Live in Geelong. Walking 40km from Aireys Inlet to Torquay, with 400 participants in this year’s inaugural Surf Coast Trek, the local team, known as ‘Willows Wild Women’, saw an opportunity to combine their love of walking with a worthy fundraising cause. Team coordinator, Marijke Tweedie, said her business ‘Willows Tea Rooms’ was happy to sponsor the team, as the event will pass right by the front door of their café near the lighthouse. “It will be an exciting day as 400 participants walk past Willows on the Surf Coast Trek,” said Marijke. “I don’t expect too many will be dropping in for a coffee and scones
From left: Yvette Hargraeves, Marijke Tweedie, Libby Stapleton and Emily Lens will walk 40km as ‘Willows Wild Women’ to raise money for local charities.
though. We’re only about a kilometre from the starting point! “The Surf Coast Trek brings together friends, fitness and fundraising for a good cause. By supporting it, we can make a real difference to the lives of those in need in the Geelong and Surf Coast region,” she said. The Surf Coast Trek starts at the Aireys Inlet skate park and follows the path of the Surf Coast Walk, taking participants through Anglesea, Point Addis and Bells Beach, before concluding at the Elephant Walk Playground in Torquay. Walkers will enjoy a diverse range of landscapes, including cliff scenery, scenic Ironbark bushland, and long sandy beaches.
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Kids Plus Foundation is a registered charity based in Geelong that provides specialist therapy and support for babies, children and young people with cerebral palsy and other neural developmental disabilities, assisting children and their families throughout Geelong, Barwon and the Surf Coast.
Since 1954, the Give Where Y ou Live Foundation has been bringing individual donors, corporate supporters and community partners together to help the region’s most vulnerable people. This financial year, Give Where You Live has contributed in excess of $2 million to address disadvantage across our G21 region (including the Surf Coast Shire). You can help ‘Willows Wild Women’ reach their fundraising target of $2,000 by making a donation online at www.surfcoasttrek.com.au Just search for WillowsWildWomen under ‘Sponsor A Participant’.
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Anglesea Futures: Our River Report By Gary Robinson
The department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) and the Surf Coast Shire Council have been consulting the community to help understand its views on the future use of the Alcoa Anglesea lease area. On 21 January, a fourth ‘Anglesea Futures’ meeting was held in the Anglesea Senior Citizens rooms. To provide the opportunity to read and consider the information it contains, the Anglesea River Estuary Flow Assessment Final Approved Report 2016 was released prior to the meeting, and is available on the DELWP website at http://www.delwp.vic.gov.au/parksforests-and-crown-land/angleseafutures/anglesea-futures-communityconversations/_nocache. These meetings have provided an excellent opportunity to stay abreast of developments. One of the features of the meetings has been the diverse knowledge of residents when it comes to the wide ranging issues relating to the closure of the Alcoa lease site. Some folk have a good understanding of the issues while others don’t fully understand the roles of the different bodies or the drivers impacting the processes.
This article provides a summary of the report on the flow assessment of the river into the near future, and some comments on feedback from the community.
to a generally neutral to alkaline pH and are within EPA license limits. Discharge from the mine and power station will cease on 31 March 2016. To ease any significant impact in the drier summer period, and at no small cost ($130,000 per month), Alcoa has continued to pump water into the Anglesea River—Photo by Rebecca Hosking Photography river past its original understand the changes expected to the cessation date of September 2015. Anglesea River estuary, when the To further complicate the issue, current treated discharge from the mine following the Ash Wednesday fire, a and power station site ceases. decision was taken to extinguish the The modelling showed that: underground fires in the bog pits by digging channels and flooding the area, Water levels could reduce by up to establishing what we now enjoy as 1m in summer, but should remain Coogoorah Park. unchanged in winter. Obviously This has increased the potential exposure of acid sulphate soils, should water levels drop. For the purposes of the DEWLP report, a series of scenarios were modelled to
variations in weather and climate trends will directly affect these outcomes. The decrease in water level may expose acid sulphate soils in the catchment and Coogoorah Park, which
Any river estuary system is dynamic and resilient and continually subject to change; the Anglesea River being no exception. Unlike other systems, the Anglesea catchment was the site for a now closed coalmine and power station that contributed water flows to the river since its establishment in 1963. Historically, river flows to the estuary were intermittent. Discharge of 4.5 ML per day from the mine and power station has resulted in a consistent year round discharge to the estuary. The discharge consists of 2.0 ML per day from groundwater extraction and 2.5 ML per day from the mine pit sump. Both of these water sources are treated 14
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Anglesea Futures: Our River Report will generate acidic water, and pose a risk to environmental, social and economic values. Work is ongoing and it is intended to report more comprehensively at the June meeting.  The cessation of flows from the Alcoa operation will no longer dilute flow contributions from Marshy Creek, flow from which is high in metals, and trending upward.  An estimated minimum flow of 0.751.0L per day is required to maintain water levels at a 1.5M AHD during the summer period.  Due to these changes, it was also predicted that there will be changes to the composition of the vegetation communities; possible impacts on frog breeding events and habitat availability for water birds. Additionally, reductions in the average sea grass coverage in the lower estuary, increased risks of algal blooms, and potential benefits to marine and estuarine fish from increased salinity might be expected.
estuary; or some combination of the these possibilities. These options are to be the subject of ongoing study. These changes are going to have a large impact on our river and our community.
Reduced water levels over the summer period are very likely to impact on water activities such as boating, swimming, fishing, bird activities, water sports, and local environmental education and outdoor recreation businesses. Several options to manage the oxidation of acid sulphate soils to reduce risk of acid drainage into the estuary are proposed in the report.
Both DELWP and the Shire are working hard to inform the community of the possible impacts, and residents are encouraged to attend future meetings to have an input into these aspects of life in our wonderful community. For further details: www.delwp.vic.gov.au/anglesea-futures T: 136 186 (DELWP Customer Service) E: anglesea.futures@delwp.vic.gov.au
These include discharge of treated mine pit water, including access to groundwater, but at a reduced rate to that currently from this site; alternative freshwater harvesting such as storm water harvesting and recycled water; pumping seawater into the lower
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ANGLESEA COMMUNITY ROCK CHOIR
AUSPICED BY ANGLESEA COMMUNITY HOUSE
The joy of singing By Liz Clark
Anglesea Community Rock Choir was born after Sonia Ivetac attended the Surf Coast Shire International Women's Day event in 2014 and was inspired by Louise Brown's award in the Arts and Culture category. Louise has formed choirs across Dean's Marsh and Birregurra with a focus on Anglesea Community Rock Choir performance at uplifting the community Moonlight and Mistletoe Christmas gathering 2015. through song, and helping music styles to produce an interesting groups and individuals find their and diverse repertoire. voices. Her approach is gentle and supportive, inclusive and positive, and appealed to Sonia as a way of gathering a diverse range of people together in Anglesea to sing, enjoy, and grow in musical confidence and ability as a group.
Their music ranges from contemporary rock and pop to country, gospel, children's songs, hymns and carols.
Sonia claims that she is not a singer herself, but would like to be. She believes in the mental, spiritual and physical advantages of singing and approached Louise to start a group in the local community, with some financial support from the Anglesea and District Community Bank.
Occasionally, they join with other choirs for special events under Louise's direction, although they do not see performance as their focus, rather an outcome of their enthusiasm and passion. Sonia says the choir is like a garden that is growing, producing and blooming.
Response was fairly slow, but as the group sets no boundaries, welcomes people of all ages (kids too) and abilities (you don't need to read music), it soon blossomed forth into a cohesive group which tackled a wide range of
They have high hopes for the coming year and invite newcomers to join them on Monday evenings from 6.30 at the Memorial Hall (Term 2 onwards) for an enjoyable, fun-filled and rewarding community activity.
A brilliant performance at the Anglesea Moonlight and Mistletoe event in December was a highlight of last year.
AIREYS INLET
SINGING GROUP - BLACK WITH A DASH Gabriel Fuller from Aireys Inlet exudes enthusiasm for music, for singing, for community spirit, for having fun together with other people. Having moved to Aireys in 2012 with little besides a piano, she hoped to share her passion for singing with everyone she met. Before long, she had a group of six local young mums who, although unable to read music, were keen to bring some new joy into their lives by singing together. Gabriel has had previous experience with church choirs and a wide range of music. The group began singing rounds (Row, Row, Row Your Boat style), and soon were able to both sing in tune and listen to one another and enjoy the harmonies this type of singing produces. Ears became attuned to finer sounds, and now three and a half years later, the group is singing four-part harmonies and a diversity of songs. Gabriel records each part and members learn by listening to the music. The group of 10 includes a wide range of ages, one who is also their pianist, and Gabriel's eclectic choice of music, which she seeks out from everyone and everywhere - African music, Andrews Sisters’ songs, Christmas carols, an occasional hymn, Waltzing Matilda (eastern European style), old favourites and modern songs as well. Practice begins with stretching and breathing exercises and moves into part singing and combined voices. All members look forward to their singing evening, and participate with enthusiasm and gusto. They have had a number of concerts during the year, including performances at Lorne Community Hospital, Aireys Inlet Christmas Carols and fundraisers during the year. Newcomers are always welcome.
Anglesea Community Rock Choir meets Mondays 6.30pm at Anglesea Community Hall, McMillan Street. 16
Phone Gabriel: 0411 236 898
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Bike Time By Simon Williams
Hi and welcome to bike time. It’s been a great summer for riding around our coastal haven. The road riders have been loving the Ocean Road and hopefully behaving themselves. From what I have seen, it is the usual odd bunch giving the rest of us a bad name. And from the riders’ point of view, the drivers have been mainly considerate. I have noticed recently, as we all have, that a lot of international visitors have been driving rather poorly lately . Trick is to go out early! I hope you all got out and watched a bit of the Cadel Evans Road Race or maybe saw the big bike kangaroo on the TV. Yes, we are pushing to get the ride into the town of Anglesea, but so far Cadel has not returned my calls.
A big bike kangaroo was created for the Cadel Evans Ride.
Great news that the Anglesea bike park received an upgrade before Christmas. It’s taken a little while to settle in and for everyone to adjust their “air-time”, but it seems to be going very well. I have noticed quite a few kids’ parties taking place there, which is fantastic, however parents need to be aware of potential dangers and not only give a decent instruction before letting them loose but also maintain a close eye throughout the session. So what’s going on up the top?? I spoke to Tony Smales from Surf Coast Trail group and it seems Parks Vic have signed off on tracks to be used for mountainbiking but it is taking a while. In the meantime, they have put in a car park up at Hurst Road and unless marked otherwise, tracks are free to ride. I also spoke to Scott Brain from the Scout Camp and it seems a lot of riders have been not only riding around the edges of camp but also right through where paying guests are staying. As Scott said to me, they don’t mind riders using the northern edges to link up with other tracks but the southern end is out of bounds and unauthorised track building definitely a no no! If riders don’t respect boundaries they will be forced to erect fences and nobody wants that to happen. Next time you’re down the street, check out the new pin-up boy on the poster in our shop window. I asked Ari for a tech tip and he said to keep your bikes out of the rain and put some lube on ya chain. But not too much!!! On ya bike. Simon NewsAngle | Publication of the Anglesea Community House | Community Houses are for Everyone
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LOCAL PROFILE: HELEN AND JIM TUTT
FOR THE LOVE OF ANGLESEA By Gary Robinson
At the Australia Day breakfast in Anglesea this year, the Surf Coast Shire presented its Australia Day Citizen of the Year Award to Anglesea locals Helen and Jim Tutt. The decision to award this double to our local legends is due to their broad and ongoing service to their community. Whether it be Helen’s devotion to the natural environment over some 40 years, or Jim’s years as municipal councillor, or his recent involvement with the Anglesea Resale Shed, they have shared a wonderful relationship with their community. Like many other Anglesea couples, Helen and Jim have a considerable history with the town. Helen holidayed here regularly since the late 1940s, her family renting a small bungalow in Bon Aire Ave. It was in 1956 that Helen’s parents, a Presbyterian Minister and Teacher Librarian decided to purchase a home at Anglesea. Since then, annual holidays were a continuous attraction.
Councillors Clive Goldsworthy (left) and Libby Coker (right) present Helen and Jim Tutt (both centre) with the Australia Day Citizen of the Year Award.
Both began their careers as teachers. Helen graduated in science, later adding librarian qualifications, while Jim graduated with an engineering degree. He first worked in the Ports and Harbours group, overseeing projects from Queenscliff to the South Australian border. In fact, the crane on the Lorne pier was designed and built by a team under Jim’s leadership.
After a stint in teaching, he found a dream position to apply both his engineering and education skills in the Australian Institute of Management, developing courses for engineers and other professionals in senior management. Following the award of a National Scholarship he developed similar
Helen and Jim met in Melbourne and were soon dating, so it was natural that Jim came to Anglesea. Having grown up in Brighton, he had a love of fishing and sailing, which transferred to Point Roadknight. Neighbours, Bert and Molly Baglin, had a boat in which Bert happily shared a seat with the enthusiastic young fisherman. Bert was active in the Anglesea Motor Yacht Club and consequently Jim and Helen have been members for over 40 years. Bert was also the second treasurer of ANGAIR, and he introduced Helen to the organisation. So began another 40-year connection to the aims and strategies of the energetic naturalist group, which culminated in an eight-year involvement with the organisation of the Annual Wildflower Weekend and a term as President. 18
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LOCAL PROFILE: HELEN AND JIM TUTT courses with the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce before moving to take a position in Human Resources Development with VicRoads. Meanwhile, Helen was developing her own very successful and diverse life. After a few years teaching, she took a position with Hamersley Iron as Information Officer. This was at a very exciting time in Australia’s history as it was at the very beginning of the minerals and energy boom. Helen then moved to Librarian at CSIRO, Division of Mineral Chemistry. Life in the library was happily interrupted by the arrival of son Tim in 1976. In due time, she moved back into the workforce, working in the information areas with professional bodies in the mining and energy sector, and actually led tours to Alcoa both at Point Henry and the Anglesea plant. While they were both working and living close to Helen’s parents in Melbourne, a small council depot – a clay pit for brick manufacture in its previous life – was considered as a potential park by Helen and Jim. Residents were soon on board, building most of the equipment. This initial community involvement led to a suggestion that Jim join the local council, and so began a 17year stint as a councillor in Kew. After the Kennett amalgamations, Jim threw his hat in the ring for election to the Surf Coast Shire in the late 1990s, and after failing to secure a seat in this first round, won a position in the 2004 elections. An eight-year stint followed, so when he retired in 2012, a 25-year service as a municipal councillor ended. After the death of Helen’s mum in 2003, the couple moved to Anglesea full-time in 2004. Son Tim, who learnt to sail with Rod McDonald at Point Roadknight, went on to become the winner of the National Hobie Catamaran turbo 14 championship. Tim, an environmental engineer, completed a PhD on acid drainage and the health of coal mine lakes, and so Helen and Jim have a very sound understanding via their son regarding the ecology and the biochemical mechanisms in the Anglesea River catchment, which has proved invaluable in their involvement with the Anglesea River over many years. During our interview, their love of Anglesea and surrounds is obvious. “It’s such a wonderful place to live. We really enjoy the spectrum of seasons. And the biodiversity is so very special.” Helen also squeezed in a little known fact we should all know – that the heathland is recognised as one of the foremost regions in the world for diversity in terrestrial orchids. As Jim mentioned early in this interview, if you value where you live, then it is a pleasure to give back to that place, and the community becomes further enriched from such input. Thank you Helen and Jim for your wonderful rich contributions to our town. NewsAngle | Publication of the Anglesea Community House | Community Houses are for Everyone
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Great Reads from Brought to you by Nicole and the team at Great Escape Books
Not Forgetting the Whale
Black Eyed Susans
by John Ironmonger
by Julia Heaberlin
One of the great psychological thrillers of the year. Tessa is one of the lucky ‘Susans’, the one who survived. A killer has been jailed for the last 17 years and is now on death row. However, doubts start to creep into Tessa’s mind when Black Eyed Susans are planted beneath her window, and a myriad of facts don’t add up. Is the killer still at large and will he strike again at her and her daughter? With lots of subtle twists, this is great for fans of ‘The Girl on the Train’ and ‘Before I Go to Sleep’. Review by Nicole @ Great Escape Books
Joe has bolted from his high-tech programming job and driven to a small village in Cornwall. The program forecasts a world-wide crisis that will kill millions. He washes up naked on a beach (not forgetting the whale) and is rescued and embraced by the villagers. Protective of his new family, he uses his last penny to prepare for the disaster, storing food, water and all essentials. They ride out the crisis and share and help other villages. A charming, quirky story. I loved it. Review by Sue @ Great Escape Books
The Life of Elves by Muriel Barbery
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
In this brilliantly atmospheric novel, parallel stories are told in alternating chapters of Marie Laure, a teenage French girl who has been blind since the age of six and Werner, an intelligent, perceptive and sensitive German orphan who learns to fix radios and becomes noticed by the German army. The way Doerr writes, all your senses are heightened. Each of their stories will move you in their own right, but especially when their paths cross. Doerr has created and developed characters that you care about as soon as you meet them. I loved “The Old Ladies Resistance Club”, led by Madame Manec, housekeeper, friend and caretaker to Ettiene, Marie's great uncle. The role that these people, including Marie Laure, play in the resistance is so courageous. Review by Nicole @ Great Escape Books
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Indescribably beautiful, the author of ‘The Elegance of the Hedgehog’, Muriel Barbery has drawn all the essential elements of the earth to create a world touched by magic. Maria and Clara, two girls who have never met, are touched by fey magic, with one foot in the human world and one in the world of elves. Both found abandoned - one on a doorstop of four sisters, the other outside a remote mountainside church. They are raised and hidden from the outside world by simple villagers and the priest who protect and adore them. The hamlets they live in thrive and prosper, as if touched by the quintessential goodness and grace of the girls. But darker times are looming and peace can be a fragile thing in the worlds of men. This is one of the most beautiful books I have read in a very long time. Review by Nicole @ Great Escape Books
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ANGLESEA PRIMARY SCHOOL
A Word from the Principal By Pamela Sandlant, Principal, Anglesea Primary School
April 27th will mark five years since moving to our new school building. The design, layout, comfort and space associated with the new school has enabled the school community to take a progressive step forward in delivering a 21st Century education for the children of Anglesea. At the end of last year, a group of 12 students worked on a special project as part of their curriculum program to create and produce a video that captured the essence of our school and what they liked about being a student at Anglesea Primary School. The students’ video can be accessed via the school’s website at www.angleseaps.vic.edu.au Whilst we celebrate five years in our new facilities this year, we look forward to celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Anglesea Primary School, next year. The Anglesea Primary School is committed to ensuring a connection to the community for all of our students and it is these relationships and opportunities that aid in developing our wonderful children. ANGAIR has been a major part of our school and has supported the school in the development and maintenance of the surrounding gardens. In five short years, the school gardens have flourished with their support and student learning and connection to the natural and local environment has been greatly enhanced. The volunteers from ANGAIR have contributed their time and knowledge to the benefit of all students during the past five years. The school continues to seek opportunities to connect with the community and has wonderful relationships with Anglesea Aged Care, Anglesea CFA, our local camp groups and sporting clubs, the RSL, Lions and Lioness Clubs, ANGAIR, Anglesea Community House, Anglesea and District Community Bank, local businesses and the Anglesea Kindergarten. These relationships support the rounded curriculum offered at the school and provide countless 22
ANGAIR has supported the school in development and maintenance of its gardens.
opportunities for the students’ development and well-being. We sincerely thank all of the school’s supporters and we look forward to seeing these relationships develop into the future. Over recent years, a number of key programs have been piloted and embedded into the school’s curriculum complementing our already successful specialist art and music programs. The Bluearth Program, focusing on active living and improving children’s physical, social and emotional health, enables students to enhance their focus
Anglesea CFA works closely with the school.
and awareness of self as well as being physically active. The school’s edible garden, developed through the hard work of school families, community volunteers and our teaching staff, has successfully transitioned into the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. Each week, our Year 3 and 4 students tend the garden, learn valuable cooking skills and have a wonderful time developing their understanding of healthy eating. What a fabulous opportunity to learn new skills, try new foods and forge a foundation for future healthy habits! In 2014, the CFA project commenced at the school in collaboration with the local CFA and the University of Melbourne. The CFA and Anglesea Primary School have developed a project for the Anglesea community whereby the students of the school gain knowledge and understanding of the local environment and its link to
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ANGLESEA PRIMARY SCHOOL bushfires. In 2015, the school was awarded the State Fire Awareness Education Award for this innovative project.
throughout this project and local community groups such as ANGAIR are essential to its success. In late 2015, the Anglesea Ladies Golf community rallied their fundraising efforts and kindly donated funds to support the project.
Since moving to the new school, the Anglesea Primary School Parents Club has very successfully raised ‘much needed’ funds to support the operation of the school including the funding of two commercial grade shade structures, additional resources to support the curriculum and the contribution of funds to support some of the key extracurricular programs of the school. In 2014, a business sponsorship program was introduced at the school and has been an overwhelming success. The monetary contributions of our local businesses to our fundraising efforts via this sponsorship process have enabled these amazing outcomes given the size of our school. The Anglesea Primary School community is sincerely grateful for the sponsorship. The Parents Club is now focusing fundraising efforts on improvements to the school grounds and is working towards providing the students with natural play spaces that foster imaginative play and a connection to the natural environment. Ocean Road Landscaping (ORL) has been commissioned to undertake the development of the planning and construction of the play space. The children at Anglesea Primary School were all given the opportunity to discuss the imaginative play space during a class exercise and in turn, offer ideas to the suggestion box. This exercise created an overwhelmingly positive vibe within the school and the imaginations of the students ran wild! It is from this that the ideas for the space and inclusions has been conceptualised into the plan developed by ORL.
The school is very appreciative of all community contributions to our projects and we look forward to having some extra hands during our working bees to ensure their success.
Students and community helpers at the school planting day.
The Parents Club plans to raise the funds required for this development and will seek funding through grants, donations or similar along the way, in addition to their normal fundraising events such as the Village Fair and Barefoot Bowls Day held each year. Additional funding will be sought so that the end result will be reached sooner and with fewer limitations. The importance of connections with the community will be paramount
The staff and students at Anglesea Primary School are extremely excited about what lies ahead for them, knowing their school is going to be even more fun and enjoyable than it already is, offering learning opportunities and experiences that they will benefit so greatly from for many years to come.
A sincere thank you to all of those in our broader community who volunteer, contribute and support our school, ensuring a wonderful experience for our students and their families.
The focus of the play space is to use natural materials, sensitive to the environment. It will also include a number of areas that will be used as outdoor classrooms, offering staff and students access to unique learning environments. This space will fill the children and teachers alike with memories and experiences that will stay with them forever. NewsAngle | Publication of the Anglesea Community House | Community Houses are for Everyone
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ANGLESEA ROUNDABOUT UPDATE
What About the Roundabout? VicRoads recently held an information session at the Anglesea Bowls Club to present plans for changes to the Camp Road roundabout, in an attempt to reduce traffic queues. The aim of the meeting was for “VicRoads to seek information on the proposed design to determine if any refinements are required prior to advertising a contract for the works” and “Components of the design are subject to change following the VicRoads community consultation in February 2016”. More than 200 people attended the meeting at the Bowls Club in February, which highlights the interest in this topic. Detailed plans and computer modelling were on display, with several technical people available to answer questions. We learnt that in peak periods, traffic volumes per day typically increase from the usual 8,000 -10,000 vehicles, up to 22,000 plus and increasing. The current roundabout is designed to cope with about 700 vehicles per hour.
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In March 2015, VicRoads presented a variety of possible design options to improve the roundabout, and sought community feedback. At last month’s meeting, VicRoads presented its preferred design, which included:
Duplicating the Great Ocean Road approaches to the Camp Road roundabout for 60 -70 metres;
Duplicating lanes of the existing roundabout;
New pedestrian traffic lights on the Great Ocean Road at the existing crossing location (near the public toilets);
Responses to the proposed design were mixed and in light of subsequent community feedback, VicRoads is currently reviewing its plan for the roundabout development. For more information, please contact VicRoads Project Engineer, Stephen Mc Garrigle on: Phone: 5225 2562 Email: greatoceanroad@roads.vic.gov.au
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HEALTH & WELLBEING
Choose your Complementary Therapy - Part 2 By Emily Lens
A wide range of treatments exists under the umbrella term of ‘complementary therapy’. Each treatment has its own unique theory and practice. In the previous issue of NewsAngle, Emily explored Bowen Therapy — now she looks at Craniosacral Therapy and Ayurvedic Medicine. Craniosacral Therapy The History In the 1970s the late osteopath John Upledger started to expand on some of the earlier observations made by another osteopath, William Sutherland, who noticed the potential for mobility in the cranial sutures, or joins, when examining a discarded skull. Through further research at Michigan State University, Upledger argued that small movements of the cranial bones could be attributed to cerebrospinal fluid pressure or arterial pressure, and developed simple techniques that the non-osteopath could learn. A craniosacral therapist is classified as a body worker – not an osteopath – who gently manipulates the bones and sutures in the head to achieve balance and relieve tension in the body. The Benefits Craniosacral therapy is about allowing the body to work with its own resources. It is a hands-on healing technique, whereby therapists gently mobilise and release the craniosacral system, which includes the soft tissue of the head (cranium), the spine down to its tail end (the sacral area) and the pelvis. It focuses on the cerebrospinal fluid, which is produced and absorbed by the body and in particular, the irregularities in the flow of this fluid. The movement of spinal fluid within and around the central nervous system is believed to create a vital body
rhythm, equally important to health and wellbeing as the beating of the heart or the breath. This therapy may be of benefit in many areas, including hyperactivity, cerebral palsy and dyslexia. It helps to boost general well-being, reduce stress, balance problems, headaches, improve quality of sleep, increase energy and enhance the functioning of all the body's organs. It is a non-intrusive therapy that works with the entire structure, physiology, mind and spirit. What to Expect For a treatment, clients usually lay on a massage table and the therapist works through light clothing. It is a very gentle and profoundly relaxing procedure that lasts between 40 to 60 minutes.
Ayurvedic Medicine The History Ayurveda is a complex system of traditional medicine native to the Indian subcontinent that has roots stretching back 5000 years. Much of the philosophy behind Ayurveda can be found in two classical Sanskrit encyclopedias of medicine thought to have been produced in the third or fourth century BC. The name itself means ‘life-knowledge’ in Sanskrit. In India today, ayurvedic medicine practitioners work side-by-side with orthodox doctors.
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Ayurveda incorporates eight healing categories ranging from treatment of diseases to aphrodisiacs. It also classifies five different bodily substances as belonging to fire, earth, water, air and essence, and stresses the need to balance the three elemental substances of vata (wind), pitta (bile) and kapha (phlegm). The Benefits The goal of ayurveda is to maintain the health of a healthy person and heal the illness of a sick person. As a science of self-healing, ayurveda encompasses diet and nutrition, lifestyle, exercise, rest and relaxation, meditation, breathing exercises, and medicinal herbs, along with cleansing and rejuvenation programs for healing body, mind and spirit. What to Expect With prevention held so highly in ayurevedic medicine, it’s common for people to be treated before showing signs of illness. For this reason, a patient often keeps in regular touch with their practitioner, who monitors their diet, physical activity, hobbies, personal habits and domestic life, then makes suggestions where they see fit. When illness occurs, the practitioner draws from a wide variety of remedies and techniques, including around 8000 different healing medicines. Emily Lens holds a current professional membership with Bowtech and the Bowen Association Australia. 25
HISTORY SPOT
The Early Telegraph Line Saw Many Changes in its Time By Jan Morris, President Anglesea and District Historical Society, from the research of Lindsay Braden
O
LD TELEGRAPH ROAD, south-west of Winchelsea, reminds us of a decision to take a submarine cable to Tasmania via Cape Otway and King Island.
Restructured 3 insulator poles (which included a trunk service to the Lorne PO) crossing Big Hill Creek 1922.
The line came from Melbourne via Geelong and Winchelsea to the coast at Moggs Creek. Thence to Cape Otway via Lorne and connected with a new submarine cable to Stanley in Tasmania. This 1859 link (constructed with great difficulty) was only capable of Morse Code messages. It failed in 1861! The Cape Otway Telegraph Station then acted as Lloyd’s Signal Station, forwarding shipping information to Melbourne. During 1892, part of the original inland line was re-routed at Moggs Creek, to make a telephone connection between Cape Otway, Lorne and the Aireys Lighthouse. This lasted until the Commonwealth Government converted the Split Point Lighthouse to automatic control in 1919, making no need for the connection to continue. Meanwhile back at Apollo Bay, an updated submarine cable capable of telephone communication was laid in 1935.
Clarkes circa 1910 bridle track followed the old single insulator Telegraph poles.
1936
The course for the line from Melbourne was changed to inland from Winchelsea to Birregurra, south-west to Forrest, then along the old route to Apollo Bay. Siemens Bros cable steamer Faraday laid the line across Bass Strait, via King Island to Tasmania. This set-up lasted until 1963. ‘In these days of modern telecommunication, the outdated underwater cables are remembered at the Apollo Bay Old Telegraph Station Museum.’ L.B.
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The second underwater cable being joined in Tasmania during 1936.
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YOUTH IN ACTION
A Bright Future for ‘Children of the Sun’ Local band Children of the Sun has been wowing audiences across the Surf Coast, with recent gigs at the Aireys Inlet Open Mic Music Festival and Nightjar Market, as well as a tour up the east coast to Byron Bay. Band member Matt Bourke tells us a little about their growing success. By Matt Bourke
Children of the Sun is a four-piece indie/folk/rock band from the Surf Coast, featuring Ebony de Lima, Immanuel Dreessens, Rory Walker and Matt Bourke. The diversity between the song-writing styles of the individual members creates a unique and memorable experience for listeners. Children of the Sun formed in the summer of 2014/2015. The band writes all original music, performing frequently across the Surf Coast, Geelong and Melbourne. They recorded their debut EP titled ‘Ando’ in July 2015 at Green Lady Studios in Aireys Inlet, with local music gurus Jackie Morrison and Peter Walker. The EP turned out to be quite a success, with local tradies knowing all the words to the songs, as the CD was played on rotation around worksites all over the Surf Coast. As well as local success, Children of the Sun has recently expanded its audience interstate. With the well-received release of their debut EP in the early months of 2015, Children of the Sun set out on their first ever tour up the east coast of Australia. This tour saw the band play multiple shows in Aireys Inlet, Geelong, Melbourne, Bright, Sydney and Byron Bay. They were lucky enough to lock in a show at ‘Woody’s Surf Shack’ the night before Splendour in the Grass, Byron Bay. This show was a milestone for Children of the Sun at the time, playing to a sold-out venue of over 500 people. This was a great way to end their east coast tour. The band came back as a tighter unit, returning with brand new songs. Upon returning from Byron Bay, Children of the Sun hit the road once again, kicking off the Pub Crawl Tour in September.
This local tour saw the group playing over 10 big shows around the Surf Coast, Geelong and Melbourne. This tour was a great opportunity to test the water with brand new songs, and expand their music to greater audiences all over Victoria. The band sold out of the ‘Ando’ EP just recently, at the Nightjar Market in Geelong, performing to a crowd of over 800 people. In January this year, the group recorded a single titled ‘Bang Bang’ at Isaac Barter’s home studio in Highton. This single is currently being mixed and mastered, but the song is coming along swimmingly!
If you would like to check out Children of the Sun or to keep up-to-date with upcoming gigs and news, check out their website at www.facebook.com/ childrenofthesunband
TEEN READS … WHAT I’M READING RIGHT NOW Zeroes This book is fast-paced and a great story. It follows the lives of six different characters, who each have a unique ability or power. But they’re known as ‘Zeroes’ rather than heroes. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who liked reading books like Divergent or Monument 13.
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Jesse Stapleton, Age 13 27
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AIREYS INLET PRIMARY SCHOOL
Aireys Children off to a Flying Start Welcome to your first year at school ... Greta, Molly, Ruby, Harry, Sophia, Luke, Eric, Malia, Quincy, Charlie, Eve, Matty, Hannah, William, Zoe, Linnet, Maggie and Jude. You have all made a fantastic start to your school life, and we all love having you and your families here as part of our Aireys school community. We can tell by your smiles that you all love being here too.
Thanks Ranger James Recently we were lucky enough to have a visit from Ranger James from Parks Victoria. He spent the whole day with us, teaching us all about the fascinating marine animals that live in or visit our own Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary and the other many marine habitats along our coast. We measured out the lengths of some of the ocean’s larger species on the deck. The deck was just big enough to fit a humpback whale, a regular visitor to our area. However, there was no way known that there’d be enough space for a blue whale! The whole school building might be JUST long enough! James taught us about the many different habitats and ecosystems that exist in our temperate waters. We were fascinated to learn about how much each part of each ecosystem depends on each other part of their ecosystem for survival! He also reminded us that we all need to share the responsibility of protecting these fragile habitats so that they can continue to thrive. We can all do something to make a difference, even by just making sure that each time we visit the beach we TAKE THREE - a local initiative to encourage every person to remove three pieces of rubbish.
The new ‘Foundation’ students at Aireys Inlet primary school.
Grade 6 Leaders Head to the Big Smoke Early in Term 1, students from Grade 6 took a trip by train to Melbourne to participate in the annual GRIP Student Leadership Conference at the Melbourne Conference and Convention Centre. The training was practical and interactive, covering topics such as ‘How to grow as a Leader’, ‘Bye Bye to Bullying’, ‘People to Influence’ and ‘Traffic-Light Leadership’, which was about what we can start, continue and stop at school in our leadership role this year. It was a great day out and valuable experience for the grade 6 students who attended.
We are all really looking forward to the next visit from Ranger James. In fact, we can’t wait!
Grade 6 students in Melbourne at the GRIP Leadership Conference. NewsAngle | Publication of the Anglesea Community House | Community Houses are for Everyone
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Beautiful Bellbrae By Janine Keith
The name conjures images of rolling green hills, the broad Spring Creek Valley, of views and beauty everywhere. Not so long ago however, you would have to spell out the word or correct its use – no, not Belmont, not Belgrave, Bellbrae, outside of Torquay, on the Great Ocean Road. What changes have happened to little Bellbrae since those earlier days! In 1954, when my husband Max’s family arrived here to farm, Bellbrae was still a rural community with mostly small, mixed family farms. Before them there had been the larger sheep properties – Gundrys on Ironbark Station and Bells on Addiscott. In the 1950s and ‘60s, the last Bell in the area, Miss Bell as she was known to all, could still be seen walking the district. She lived alone, in a slab hut without power, under the cypress trees at the Bellbrae Reserve. Locals would sometimes give her a lift or drop off groceries. When the Keith family arrived in 1954, there was a formed track inside their boundary along the Great Ocean Road where Miss Bell walked back and forth to the Ironbark Basin. In 1954, Max’s father Andy Keith, drove a herd of cattle to Bellbrae to stock their new farm. Alone on horseback, with a dog and stockwhip. he moved them from a farm at Grovedale, across the Torquay and Anglesea Roads to where Bellbrae Estate Winery is now. If a good, peaceful feeling lingers around the cellar door there – and I think it does – it might be because for many years gentle cows with names like Cherry, Bess and Daisy were hand-milked there twice daily. Milk was separated, butter was churned and a vegetable garden flourished right on that site.
Children have attended the same local primary school at Bellbrae since 1861. For most of its life it was a one room, composite class with an open fire in winter and a resident teacher. The first Bellbrae Hall was on Spring Creek next to the old tennis courts. It was rebuilt on its present site by volunteer labour of the local community, on land donated by farmer Eric Bufton. On weekends and days free from farming work, they built together in great community efforts and working bees – they even built their own table-tennis tables. The church too, was rebuilt by volunteers and the local community. Roads were mostly gravel in the 1950s and even up until the 1980s. In the ‘50s Gundry’s Road was only partly formed and beyond Wonkey’s Gully it continued as a wood-cutter’s track.
The old locals still talked about “native cats” – quolls – about koalas and bandicoots in the local bush. There were eroded tracks and waterwashes through our paddocks along the creek, where an old Cobb and Co track, it was said, once wandered along the gullies en route to Anglesea. When I first came to live in Bellbrae, the winters were wet and the gullies flowed. I’ve had to have my car pulled home by tractor more than once along Gundry’s Road. Spring Creek would regularly run over its banks, pulling down fences and isolating stock. Vickery’s Road was often closed as the creek flooded its bridges. A neighbour’s entire bridge once washed up in our paddock from a kilometre back along the creek. Hard to believe it at the moment! One very wet spring we watched kids with surfboards paddle with the fast flowing current of the flooded creek through paddocks, over the top of submerged fences and on to Torquay. Many of the family farms are gone now, although the primary school, the church and the cemetery still flourish. These memories belong to another time but Bellbrae today is still beautiful and still valued. Together with a new community it faces different challenges and adventures.
The Great Ocean Road was busy in the ‘50s, not just with cars but also with people. Farmers’ wives sometimes wheeled their children in prams along it; one used to be accompanied by a pet pig. Gangs of kids walked to Bellbrae Primary School along it, some four kilometres each way and usually after hand-milking cows and feeding calves at home before leaving for school each morning. 30
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TWITCHERS’ CORNER By Kaye Traynor
GREY BUTCHERBIRD Cracticus torquatus The sound of the Grey Butcherbird is a familiar one here in Anglesea. Its territorial call is a mellow piping carolling call often performed as a duet, with two adults singing alternately. By contrast, when the bird is showing aggression, it makes a sound much less musical, with squawking and harsh notes. Our Butcherbird has black, white and grey plumage. The head is hooded black except for a small white patch in front of the eye, and the wings are black with large areas of white on them. The back is medium grey, the rump white and the tail is black with white tips. The underparts are white, and this extends to the side of the neck to form a white collar. Grey Butcherbirds can be found in most areas of the continent including Tasmania. They frequent open woodlands, forests and coastal and inland scrub areas, also commonly found in roadsides, golf courses, parks and gardens. They are very efficient predators and feed on small reptiles and larger insects, nesting birds and small mammals such as mice. They will also eat berries and seeds. The name Butcherbird is derived from their habit of wedging food in the fork of a tree or impaling it on a thorn where it will be eaten at a later time. Grey Butcherbirds are highly territorial and remain in the same location throughout the year. Nesting takes place between July and January. The nest is an untidy, shallow cup of twigs and lined with dry grasses, built in the fork of a tree between 2–10 m above the ground. The female incubates the three or five eggs but both parents feed the young and may be assisted in this task by offspring from the previous year.
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THE DOG BLOG
Dashin’ Dog Fashion … it’s for real! By Doc Dufous
Have you ever seen a dog in lycra? Don’t laugh! I’m serious. I’m appalled at the gear dogs get out in these days. Just recently, I headed into town for a romp at the dog park and was astounded at the ‘fashion’ some poor pooches were sporting. I’m sure the owners have something to do with it. What are they thinking? Take ‘Bonnie’ for example. I’ve known Bonnie for some years. She’s an old dog who definitely doesn’t take kindly to new tricks, but low and behold, there she was strutting her stuff around the park like the Queen of Sheba. She just pranced straight past me with her nose in the air. Who would’ve thought? I’ve heard of Fashions on the Field but, really, who wants to see Fashions in the Park?
raincoats and parkas, to waterproof boots! You can even find wedding attire, party dresses, casual wear, sports team gear, costumes and fancy footwear. I know you’re probably wondering whether I ever like to dress up as a doctor but, like I told you last time, I’m not actually a doctor. I’m a dog. Despite the name. Apparently some dogs don’t like dressing up. Can you believe it?
And I meant what I said about dogs in lycra. Remember when people who rode bikes just wore t-shirts and shorts. Then I must have blinked cause suddenly all the cyclists out there were dressed in lycra from top to toe. Well, it’s coming this way guys. Don’t be surprised if the next time you’re barking at cyclists on the Great Ocean Road, there’s a little schnauzer in spandex or a labradoodle in lycra.
Maybe next time you’re having a fashion makeover, you could take your canine companion along for an updated winter wardrobe!
I tell ya, fashion has gone to the dogs. At least I know my canine mates down here on the coast have more sense. I’ll just have to close my eyes when I head up to the big smoke.
Concerned by the looming threat of poodles in ponchos, kelpies in cardigans, beagles in bloomers, and even terriers in tiaras, I decided to undertake some research to find out what really does go on in the world of dog fashion. You’re not going to believe it! There are actually dog fashion shows out there – but of course they don’t strut the catwalk, they dance down the ‘dog walk’. Apparently, dog fashion has evolved from fancy boutique collars and handknit sweaters of decades gone by (I wouldn’t mind a hand-knit sweater in the thick of winter, mind you). Now your pooch can enjoy a range of fashionable outdoor wear, from 32
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Surfcoast Shire News
Police Beat
By Ward Councillor Margot Smith
The ongoing health of the Anglesea River has been a conversation topic for many years and this has heightened with the ceasing of the Alcoa operations and the subsequent impact on the flow of the river. Recognising the unknown nature of this change, the State Government commissioned a report to forecast the likely impacts late last year, and the report was the topic for the January ‘Anglesea Futures’ meeting. They also negotiated with Alcoa for it to continue to discharge four mega-litres of water into the river on a daily basis, and this arrangement ceases at the end of March. What the report clarified was that if there is insufficient water in the channels in Coogoorah Park, the acid sulphate soils in this area will be activated, increasing the acid content of the river, more frequently and for longer periods. The activation of the acid sulphate in the soil occurs when the soils dry and are later exposed to water, so keeping the soil under water manages this activation. The key point was to maintain a certain water level. A clear message received by the community was that doing nothing and allowing nature to take its course is not an option. The river channels in Coogoorah Park were created after the 1983 fires to put out the ongoing peat fires many weeks after the fire. The continued discharge from Alcoa has maintained the water levels through these channels. Over this summer you may have noticed that the river was reasonably high as a result of the managed flow. It was switched off at one stage to avoid flooding, but the level was higher than needed to manage this soil issue. The view presented to the meeting was that there would need to be a flow of between 0.75 to 1 mega litre per day over summer months, as the water level is impacted both by rainfall and evaporation. During winter it is forecast that the flow would be sufficient. What is clear is that we need to measure and maintain the water levels. We will continue to have acid events impacting from upstream flows but we do need to manage the lower level soils. A solution to this issue needs to be in place for summer 2016/17.
By Sergeant Kevin Warburton Officer in Charge Anglesea Police Station
In recent years, Victoria Police along with the Surf Coast Shire and other agencies, have strengthened their relationships by preparing plans around how we would respond to emergencies in our region. Christmas Day 2015 saw these agencies work side-by-side as we activated our response to the Wye River fire and the expected threat to Lorne. Most of us were enjoying our Christmas lunch when the phones starting ringing. We headed to Lorne to assist our Lorne colleagues. As evening approached, the call came from the Incident Controller to activate an evacuation. In consultation with VicPol, it was decided that the Lorne Community should be evacuated due to the threat that the fire posed to the town. The evacuation was conducted over a period of about five hours until we decided that the weather was unfavorable and the conditions were unsuitable for our teams to continue. The teams were made up of Police members and SES volunteers who did an amazing job given the conditions in which they were working. Whilst the evacuation was under way, the Surf Coast Shire activated the Relief Centre at Torquay. Whilst this is a very short version of the events of Christmas Day, it is pleasing to acknowledge the cooperation between the agencies and the excellent work done by those involved. It is reassuring to know that although our emergency management efforts will always improve, the planning in recent years by all the stakeholders and the community will see us in good shape as we continue to improve our response to and recovery from emergencies. Our thoughts are with our friends down the coast who lost properties and fortunately we had no fatalities. Anglesea Police 52633468 or if urgent 000 Kevin Warburton, Sergeant
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NEWS FROM THE COMMUNITY GARDENS
Summer Training Series By Terrence Hoffmann
Three training events were held at community gardens across the Surf Coast Shire over summer. The idea began with a training needs survey at Community Garden 3231 in Aireys Inlet. The three most demanded topics were framed and speakers found who could talk about those issues. Managing your garden for successful production was the first event and was lead by Andrew Laidlaw (Garden expert Saturdays ABC Radio 774 and the Landscape Architect at the Melbourne Botanical Gardens). Held at Danawa Community Garden in Torquay on 24 January, the event attracted more than 60 people from as far afield as Geelong and Anakie. Andrew spoke about a range of basic factors that effect the success of a garden. The soil, water availability and choice of plants to grow was the basis of his message. He illustrated this by describing a project he was doing in Gaza, building a new parkland that incorporated a Children’s and a Community Garden. All this on eight acres of desert-like soil with little available water. Not easy but possible if all the factors were in alignment. Lack of water could be managed with water capture strategies and good watering practice.
Combined with the right selection of plants, the whole could be made to work. He made us think again of what we were doing in our gardens. Raising crops from seed gathering to harvesting was the second event and was delivered by Mike Robinson-Koss (Director of Otway Greening in Deans Marsh). Held at Anglesea Community Garden on 17 February, the event also attracted more than 60 people. Mike spoke about seed gathering for his native plant nursery as well as about varieties of native foods. He told many interesting stories about gathering native seeds and the ways that he needed to deal with genetic variations in order to ensure that the plants grew strongly and had the right attributes to survive. He also spoke about propagation methods and how to simply manage this process. The idea that planting a seed and watering it was all that was needed was clearly too simple. Raising seedlings meant paying close attention to the plants as well as managing any predators. An engaging speaker, Mike left us wanting more. His examples of native foods that grow locally was a real eye-opener and showed those attending what new things may be grown in our gardens. Improving the soil was the final event in the series and was delivered by Andrew Lucas from Geelong Compost. Held at Community Garden 3231 on 26 February, the event attracted more than 30 people. Andrew gave us some insights into improving soil, the role of compost, how some additives were useful for some crops but not others and something of the chemistry involved in the managing of soils for growing food. He spoke about how to increase the water retention of soil and common mistakes made when altering soil composition. Andrew is a very knowledgeable speaker with much to tell us about what we are doing. He makes compost on an industrial scale, mostly for farmers who use very large quantities when they move from chemical to organic soil improvement. His compost is now available locally in smaller quantities that suit home gardeners. Plans are afoot to continue the series next summer. Keep an eye out for posters at the community gardens. If you wish to contact the speakers to buy their products, try: Mike Robinson-Koss (trees@otwaygreening.com.au) Andrew Lucas (info@geelongcompost.com.au)
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FireLines
Tech Angle
By Terry McKnight
By Chris Dos
At the time of writing this article, I am reminded how changeable the weather in summer is.
At the start of the new school year I was approached by a concerned parent asking me about an extra (and quite large) fee on top of their normal internet bill.
At the moment it is 18o overcast with light drizzle. But by next week it may be 300 with a strong north wind. Since December, the Anglesea brigade has attended 20 call-outs, 13 primary calls and seven support calls to Aireys Inlet and Torquay. The Anglesea Fire Brigade has played a role in two major fires so far this summer. The first sent crews to the Jamieson Track fire pre-Christmas and also crews on Christmas Day. These crews were stationed at Separation Creek where they played a major role in saving many houses. At the Dereel fire, Anglesea was part of strike team 0703 and also provided a strike team leader for that team.
On the local front, the brigade is commencing a junior brigade for children in year six at primary school.
They had recently purchased an iPad for their son to use at school and couldn’t understand how they had gone so far over their monthly allocation of data.
It seemed to me that the most likely reason was the iPad's desire to back up every bit of data to the iCloud on a regular basis. Most people create an Apple id when they are setting up their new device (this counts for iPhones as well) so the user can access the App Store and fill their educational device with games about killing zombies and other essential learning material. What some people don’t realise is that this also creates a “free” iCloud account that is used to back up the contents of the device and is turned ON by default.
These juniors will meet once a month at the fire station to learn fire behavior, fire suppression, and fire equipment skills. The aim is to educate and possibly recruit new members from this junior brigade.
I say “free” because although you don’t pay for this service, you do pay for the transfer of data to the cloud and if you don’t have an unlimited internet plan you can chew through your monthly allocation very quickly.
On the membership side, the brigade has trained four new members and has another four to start their minimum skills early this year.
And if, like my father-in-law, this happens while you are travelling and using your phone to connect to the internet the cost can run into the hundreds of dollars.
Again, I would like to remind residents to review and practice their fire plans and to keep aware of warnings and information put out by the CFA. Fires can start at any time regardless of the weather as we have seen in the recent Dereel fire.
What to do?
If residents require information on bush fire plans or any other fire related questions, contact the Community Safety Coordinator at the Anglesea Fire Station on 0447 635 131.
It is easy to use iTunes (on Mac or PC) to back up your important data to your home computer. This allows you to control what is saved and when. To disable automatic iCloud backups, navigate to: Settings > iCloud and turn OFF iCloud drive and, most importantly, Backup. Although you may receive a scary message along the lines of “all your iCloud data will be deleted!” it should prevent a far more nasty surprise the next time you receive your internet bill.
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Finding a fix for Summer TV Signal
Write Angles By Melva Stott
Television Woes
By Tom Radtke, Anglesea resident
Ho! Hum! It's summertime in Anglesea and our television viewing once more includes re-runs of that old familiar program … No Signal. It keeps us in the dark, has no plot, and no dialogue. So it's back to the 'Last of the Summer Wine' DVDs until some boffin can get a reliable signal through to us. In the meantime, who wants to join the campaign for The Return of Analogue?
Very Cocky! We all know that we shouldn't feed the native birds as they come to rely on us instead of finding natural food; and are left stranded when we go away on holidays. But there's a cockatoo in town who doesn't know the rules … he's been helping himself to human food. His favourite breakfast is a cheese and bacon roll that he nicks from the rack at the bakery every morning!
Golden Gathering
Sick of poor TV signal during the warmer spells of summer? Let's do something about it... I'm writing this as an Anglesea resident, but this is a broader issue across our communities. I've been in contact with a couple of folk in Council and Government and thought I'd share what I’ve learnt ...
The Issue In various parts of our region, we suffer from regular and prolonged loss of signal over a range of TV channels. This problem arises particularly during the warmer spells in summer and is related to cross signal interference, for example, from Latrobe Valley, which uses the same channels. Our TV frequencies interact with those from other regions under various atmospheric conditions and cause our signal strength to drop and channel reception to scramble with this "interference". The interference affects the input signal to our digital towers, just as it did in the analogue days. So even though you may have installed the latest aerial technology, and a modern TV system, the signal from the digital tower may be already scrambled and therefore what is transmitted by the towers is already a scrambled signal.
What could be done?
As we go to press, there have been some Seniors celebrating milestones. For Jan and Dave Morris, it was their golden wedding and everyone was invited to wear 60s gear. There were old gurus, hippies, flower children, caftans, safari suits, peace signs and headbands. I think the whole town might have been kept awake by 60s music - there was a lot of twisting going on as almost forgotten manoeuvres came pouring back! I met Jan at Geelong Teachers' College 56 years ago. During the celebrations Jan and Dave renewed their vows … so I think they've signed up for another 50 years!
More Memories The next day I was celebrating clocking up three-quarters of a century with my family and friends. Some of those friends I met 35 years ago when I was living in Torquay and joined the Anglesea Entertainers. They were the good old days when we wrote our own scripts, our children often took parts, and we performed at dinner shows where local groups catered for us to earn cash for their organisations. Lots of good memories were revived by the 12 'old' members who still enjoy the camaraderie and enjoy the chance to get together for mini-reunions.
I've been advised by Surf Coast Shire Council that the issue is the responsibility of the Federal Government and Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA), however, the Surf Coast Shire is able to play an advocacy role. TX Australia is the company that installed the antenna at Anglesea on behalf of the television stations. The VIC Engineering Manager - Danny Dutton and ACMA (Ray Contreras) have been contacted by Council about the issue of interference with television reception in Anglesea from the black spot tower. Apollo Bay has the same issue (with Latrobe Valley interference) which Sarah Henderson MP has taken up on behalf of these residents. The situation occurs mainly during the hotter months and certain atmospheric conditions. The ACMA has not done anything (in Anglesea) as they have only received a low number of complaints from residents and no political pressure. If they receive details on how severely the community is impacted, and if this issue were impacting a large enough number of residents, they will investigate. Ideally if Latrobe Valley and Anglesea were allocated different channels this situation could be rectified.
Keep smiling, everyone.
Residents and television technicians should contact the ACMA - Community Wide Television Interference (department responsible) via email on ies@acma.gov.au or ring 1300 850 115 to voice their complaints.
Melva Stott
The more complaints, the better chance for resolution.
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Across the Bar
A Publican’s Tales By Monique Dill, The Aireys Pub Venue Manager
Rod Bardin
These days, you’ll find Rod Bardin in his garden harvesting his home-grown tomatoes, or less than a pace behind his daughter hiking the Aireys perimeter. A retired plasterer, Rob has been connected to Aireys Inlet for years. Car travel in those days involved a different experience. With an average of four blowouts a trip, they needed to carry several spare tyres and tubes. After passing the Urquhart’s Bluff toll, they would often arrive in Aireys Inlet having seen no other car on the road. This trip was always a big adventure. He has fond memories of finding it difficult to walk after so many hours of swimming in the ocean and describes the joy brought by these trips to Aireys Inlet.
Rod Bardin
Born in Kew, it took Rod only three weeks to manage his first visit to the top of Aireys Lighthouse thanks to his grandfather, one of the lightkeepers at the time.
The first block of land Rod bought in the 1960s is still the land he walks, plants and lives on today. Rod built on the property in 1989. With wife Margaret, son Craig and
other appreciated local tradesmen, they came together to get the job done. It was the hardest and best time of his life he reckons! With Rod and Margaret’s children now residing in Aireys Inlet, they are happy this place is home. Rod’s connection with the Aireys Pub has been pretty consistent over the years. Perhaps gone are the days with the famous wild lock-ins after closing hours, but Rob, Margaret and family still regularly frequent the pub for a Sunday lunch. Rumour has it there is a party in the coming weeks celebrating the mighty 80 milestone. Cheers to you Rod and Happy Birthday.
Rod’s grandfather was from Jersey in the Channel Islands. He came to Australia by working as a rigger on sailing ships. In 1888, he found himself in Williamstown for some recovery time after falling from a ship’s scaffolding and breaking his hip. With Geelong being the Lightkeepers Headquarters, he soon found a job using his sailing background, and began to service many lighthouses down our coast. He worked in this job while raising a family for a good 20 years. When Rod was a child, his family would camp for holidays in the flats of Aireys Inlet once known as Noble’s Paddock. 38
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www.azplumbing.com.au Email: azplumbing@bigpond.com
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