Bendigo Magazine - Issue 58 - Autumn 2020

ISSUE 58 | AUTUMN 2020 www.bendigomagazine.com.au

finer things SIP AND SAVOUR LOCAL FLAVOURS

TRENTHAM CALLS TAKE A DAY TRIP

ISSN 1833-1289 AUD $5.95 (Inc. GST)

faerie photographer ARTIST LAUREN STARR TAKES FLIGHT

BENDIGO’S MOST COMPREHENSIVE

REAL ESTATE AGENCY RESIDENTIAL SALES | LAND SPECIALISTS | COMMERCIAL SALES RURAL & LIFESTYLE PROPERTIES | RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT | OWNERS CORPORATION MANAGEMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY MANAGEMENT | CLEARING SALES

MEET THE MANAGEMENT TEAM Craig Tweed - Principal, Darryn O’Keefe - Director, Jason Priestley - General Manager, Nathan Ludeman - Property Management Department Manager, Andrew Pearce - Director and Matt Leonard - Director

Servicing Bendigo since 1976

Tweed Sutherland P (03) 5440 9500 | E tweedsut@tsfn.com.au | www.tsfn.com.au | Find us on

SALES TEAM

CRAIG TWEED Principal – Commercial Sales – Auctioneer

DARRYN O’KEEFE Director – Residential Sales

MATT LEONARD Director – Residential Sales – Auctioneer

ANDREW PEARCE Director – Residential Sales

HELEN ASHBY Residential Sales

TOM HARROP Commercial Sales

BAWA SINGH Residential Sales

WENDY CARMAN Residential Sales

REBECCA MANCINI Residential Sales

SARAH NOBLE Residential Sales

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TEAM

NATHAN LUDEMAN Manager – Property Department Manager

YOLENA HUTTON Business Development Manager

SHELLEY EUVRARD Commercial & Owners Corporation Manager

JOE CHRISTENSEN-EATON Commercial Assistant Manager

JODI CARLYON Senior Property Manager

CASEY WYNNE Senior Property Manager

JESSICA ACQUISTO Senior Property Manager

PAULA PIANTA Senior Property Manager

JESS SPEECHLEY Senior Property Manager

EMMA BARRI Senior Property Manager

KEISHA WILLIAMS Assistant Property Manager

ANNALISE COUGHLAN Assistant Property Manager

CASEY BLAINE Assistant Property Manager

ASHLEY ASTBURY Assistant Property Manager

BRIDGET HILL Assistant Property Manager

ADMINISTRATION/FINANCE/MARKETING TEAM

JASON PRIESTLEY General Manager

MICHAEL RYAN Accountant

HAYDEN DEVANNY Assistant Accountant

JUDI LUDEMAN Sales & Legal Secretary

JANINE BLAKE Administration

JESS ELSLEY Marketing Manager

www.tsfn.com.au

HAYLEE COOMBS Marketing

STEPHANIE AXON Reception

Positioned in a quiet bushland setting, discover a place of tree-lined boulevards and native flora and fauna, where majestic parks meet with thriving wetlands, and all are just a stones throw from every home. Whether you are looking for a large home site for luxury family living or a low maintenance allotment, Viewpoint has been designed to cater for your lifestyle.

NOW SELLING | v i e w p o i n t b e n d i g o . co m . a u

SM P R IA L L C TA GE

L A N D S A L E S C A L L To m 0 4 1 7 5 3 2 8 7 1

SOLD BY

dear reader, I remember the fading days of Rechter’s Café. I’m talking the mid-1990s, sitting in a booth seat with a friend, wearing blue-and-grey Catholic College dresses and knee-high socks, with after-school cappuccinos and slabs of carrot cake while The Bangles’ Eternal Flame played on the tabletop jukebox. We’d be the only ones in the joint.

EDITOR Lauren Mitchell PHOTOGRAPHER Leon Schoots CREATIVE DIRECTOR Dustin Schilling WRITERS Geoff Hocking, Sarah Harris, John Holton, Mark Kearney, Kate O’Connor, Raelee Tuckerman and Marina Williams CONTRIBUTORS Beau Cook, Lisa Chesters and Ashley Raeburn

I remember ancient Mr Rechter behind his counter, an array of mysterious and oddly sized cigarettes under the glass top.

EVENTS PHOTOGRAPHER Ashley Taylor

I remembered this recently while scrolling through Facebook, when an image of the once-iconic Mitchell Street café caught my eye, courtesy of the Lost Bendigo and District page. Do you follow it? With 16,000 fans and daily doses of old-school Bendigo, it’s well worth the attention. I chatted with the page’s editor to bring you some of the stories behind the posts.

ADVERTISING advertising@bendigomagazine.com.au

Again with the stories! This autumn we also feature the tales of newly arrived LGBTQIA+ people to Bendigo to find out how they’ve settled in. We take a trip to nearby Trentham to meet some lovely locals, and spend time in a quirky Eaglehawk cottage.

PRINT MANAGER Nigel Quirk

PO Box 5003 Bendigo, VIC 3550 Phone: 0438 393 198

Autumn always delivers the city’s best weather. Evenings are cooler, mornings are crisp and the soft daytime sunshine makes for memorable days in the great outdoors.

We’ll be getting among it all, making memories.

LAUREN MITCHELL

ON THE COVER: We couldn't go past Bendigo artist Lauren Starr's exquisite self portrait for this season's cover. The image is a perfect metaphor for Lauren's quest to spread her creative wings.

Read about her life and work within.

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Bendigo Magazine takes all care but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials. Bendigo Magazine holds copyright to all content unless otherwise stated.

ISSN 1833-1289.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, the publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions or resultant consequences including any loss or damage arising from reliance on information in this publication.

The views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the editor or the publisher.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Heard & Co. Real Estate are very humbled to share with you the accolades received recently from RateMyAgent awards, they include;

AGENCY OF THE YEAR CITY OF BENDIGO

AGENT OF THE YEAR CITY OF BENDIGO - GREG HEARD #5 RANKED AGENT OF THE YEAR

#10 RANKED AGENT OF THE YEAR

VICTORIA - GREG HEARD

AUSTRALIA - GREG HEARD

This review platform and awards are the first of a kind in the independent review space for the Real Estate industry in Australia and New Zealand. The RateMyAgent review platform is based purely on independent reviews from both seller and buyer about their personal experience with that particular agent and agency.

1 Wills St, Bendigo | Ph: 5409 3100 | www.heardandco.com.au

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contents ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PEOPLE & LIFE

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Playing for keeps - Ruby Shirres

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Starr light, Starr bright - Lauren Starr

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Lost in Bendigo - Step back in time

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Over tea and pots - Jeannine Hendy

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The freedom to create - Jessica Leed

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FOOD, WINE & WEDDINGS

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Dail & Khaiden - Waratah Wedding & Function Centre

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Chermoula & honey roasted pumpkin - Beau Cook

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Caught on film - Martin & Laura Myles On fears and fairies - Alanah Brand Small town pride - Mark Kearney Budgies’ big break - Bendigo budgie breeders Rich history of democracy - Lisa Chesters Keeping pace with change - Sally Curtain Riding the third wave - Dr Simon Egerton Hollywood comes to Barwon Heads - Geoff Hocking

100 New kid on the block

Wine tastings - Ash Raeburn

- Trentham home

109 Tour for a cure

Erin & Nick - Sutton Grange Winery

- Live for Lily Foundation

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GALLERY OPENS IN WELLSFORD FOREST Autumn is the perfect time for a weekend drive to explore gardens and galleries – better still if you can find both in the one spot!

Wellsford Forest has just that with the recently opened The Forest Gallery sure to entice visitors for a relaxing afternoon. Guests can explore expansive gardens and later unwind with a tour of the art gallery and afternoon tea in the rustic-style café.

Internationally recognised water colour artist Terry Jarvis is the resident artist at The Forest Gallery, which he has established with Michelle Kent.

cheers to achievements

The gallery is in the heart of the Wellsford Forest, about a 15-minutes drive from Bendigo.

Celebrate the success of local businesses, artists, winemakers and more.

The Forest Gallery is at 135 Norman Road, Wellsford. Phone 0401 001 177 or 0427 680 174 to reserve a table at the café.

BEAUTY: PART OF THE EVERYDAY Leah has been part of the hair and beauty industry for more than a decade and is excited to welcome new and former clients to her own space, Lush Culture.

“I took over Salon Allura 12 months ago, changed the name and Lush Culture opened in August 2019,” says the creative director and owner.

Leah’s team includes two senior hairstylists, an apprentice hairdresser and two beauty therapists, and specialising in eyelash extensions, blondes and balayage, festival hair and makeup styling.

“At Lush Culture we aim to provide the most professional, personalised experience to suit all hair and beauty needs,” she says. “Our team has been highly trained in all services and we only use the most professional products, from Dermalogica to Olaplex.

“Our promise is to provide a passionate service tailored to the individual.”

Appointments can be made via the Lush Culture online booking system, Facebook or Instagram messaging. “Or if you would like to discuss any of our services in detail, you can give us a call,” Leah says.

Lush Culture is open late every week night and on Saturday mornings at 137 Mollison Street. To make an appointment, phone 5442 8377 or visit www.lushculture.com.au.

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“We have an idyllic setting with the house and gallery surrounded by established gardens where visitors can relax with a cuppa and enjoy our little menagerie of animals,” Terry says.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK The Bendigo branch of the National Trust is keen to hear about what life was like for people who worked within the Beehive building.

It’s calling for anyone who has a story to share, photographs or artefacts relating to the Beehive store, which operated from 1852 to 1987, to get in touch, says historian Darren Wright.

The National Trust branch will display items as part of the Australian Heritage Festival that will be held in Bendigo in April. Items will be required for display for one day only on April 19.

“The history of the Beehive store is not well documented as there has not been a book written on its operation, but we know that many locals worked and shopped there who have stories to tell,” Darren says.

In just two years, estate agent Greg Heard and business partner Justine Corradi have quickly established Heard & Co. as a go-to agency in Bendigo.

Each has a long history within the real estate and service industries and say they have built their business on a platform of personalised and professional service.

“Our humble vision is to establish an honest brand our local community can trust, which we certainly feel we are on the right path,” Justine says. “We provide outstanding commitment and dedication to obtain the very best result for our clients and it’s showing regularly throughout Bendigo.”

Independent review platform RateMyAgent has recognised Heard & Co. as the number one agency in the city, with Greg its top agent. The platform features independent reviews from sellers and buyers about

their experience in dealing with agents and agencies nationally. Out of 11,988 Victorian agents, Greg was named fifth in the state and 10th nationally.

Justine says investing in industry training is important for developing their team’s skill and knowledge base, and a key component of their business strategy. “The innovative and unique approach Heard & Co. adapts to sales is obviously just what many Bendigo homeowners have been waiting for,” she says. “We are an independent, boutique, service-based agency that offers a high level of service and this is regularly reflected in our ‘sold’ results.”

Adds Greg: “The future is bright and exciting for our company. Trust and integrity is earned over a long time. I feel the foundation we are setting is respected already.”

Contact Heard & Co. on 5409 3100 or visit www.heardandco.com.au

“It was one of the busiest department stores in Bendigo and certainly the longest to keep its doors open. It sold just about everything from haberdashery, clothing and crockery to furniture and household items. Locals were often heard to say if you cannot get it from the Beehive it wasn’t worth having it or it didn’t exist. It was a store renowned for keeping a good stock of items even if that stock was from previous decades.”

The Beehive building is subject to a planning application to Heritage Victoria for the construction of a six-storey hotel on the site in Hargreaves Mall. The Mining Exchange in Allan’s Walk and the front section on Pall Mall are also both being redeveloped and repurposed.

“These developments give the Bendigo community an opportunity to focus on the building’s history and put together a collection of items that tell the story of thisremarkable building,” Darren says.

People who can contribute items or stories can contact branch president, Peter Cox on 0447 47 3674 or email nattrustbendigo@gmail.com 11

JULIE-ANNA TOPS IN HOTEL AWARDS The Comfort Inn Julie-Anna motel is a 2019 Choice Hotels Asia-Pac Gold Award winner.

The award acknowledges the “exceptionally high” ratings guests provided after their stay at the popular property that is located opposite Lake Weeroona.

Ratings included the likelihood of re-staying, Julie-Anna’s overall service score, as well as the team’s commitment and support to all Choice Hotels programs and initiatives.

Comfort Inn Julie-Anna is owned by the Slattery and Thurgood families, who have more than 70 years’ combined hospitality experience.

The team recently celebrated their win at the Choice Hotels Asia-Pac 2020 Conference that was held in Melbourne in February.

The owners say they are proud to be recognised in the Choice Hotels awards, saying it is a reflection of their commitment to ensuring people have a memorable stay at their motel.

They were also recognised by Trip Advisor with a Certificate of Excellence 2015 to 2019 and inducted into its Hall of Fame last year for five years of high customer ratings.

Book your stay on 5442 5855.

RURAL LIFESTYLE BY THE CITY Life in a rural setting, yet minutes to a bustling city centre, is a drawcard of living in Bendigo.

Home and land developers are hearing the call and designing communities that feature large house allotments, such as those for sale at the Integra-designed Viewpoint Estate in Huntly.

Viewpoint is designed around a central green heart that provides walkways and paths through the development, more than five hectares of parklands, as well as retained native bushland.

Its planned open spaces include parks with barbecues and shade pavilions, native wetlands and a huge adventure playground. Viewpoint’s parks are irrigated so they will remain lush and green all year round.

Whether you are looking for a large home site for luxury family living or a low-maintenance allotment, Viewpoint is about choices and has been designed to suit a variety of lifestyle needs. Native vegetation is also a feature of the landscaped, tree-lined boulevards.

For homeowners wanting to further reduce their carbon footprint, Viewpoint features integrated walking and cycling trails, so residents can walk or ride to their destination.

For land sales enquiries, contact PRDnationwide Bendigo on 0417 532 871 or visit www.viewpointbendigo.com.au

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SANDHURST RIDGE ‘ONE TO WATCH’ Sandhurst Ridge in Bendigo has been named as one of 10 “dark horses” in the James Halliday Wine Companion 2020.

The book says the estate-grown reds, supplemented by wines made from grapes grown nearby in the Bendigo region, offer a “distinctive depth and power”.

The winery is owned by the Greblo brothers – Paul is the winemaker and George the viticulturist.

“They have extensive experience in business, agriculture, science, conservation and development, and have not seen any reason to change their robust wine style”, states wine reviewer Campbell Mattinson in James Halliday Wine Companion 2020.

To qualify for the award, each of the 10 wineries had to receive a fivestar rating for the first time and a history of at least four fewer ratings.

Sandhurst Ridge is one of just two Victorian wineries named on the list.

The Halliday Wine Companion guide is recognised as the industry benchmark for Australian wine with reviews and ratings of regions, varietals and a curated selection of the best wines available nationally.

VINEYARD FLOURISHES BY THE LODDON Turners Crossing vineyard rests on the banks of the Loddon River on the Old Bridgewater-Serpentine road, just 50km northwest of Bendigo.

As soon as he saw the site back in 2002, Phil Bennett thought the land had the potential to be a productive and viable vineyard. And he was right. After intensive soil testing and irrigation planning, site preparation began, followed by the extensive planting and trellising of the vines.

Since then, Turners Crossing has been producing wines of outstanding quality that speak of a sense of place and provenance.

30 YEARS IN THE BUSINESS On February 7, Tweed Sutherland Director Darryn O’Keefe celebrated 30 years with Tweed Sutherland First National. Darryn has been with the company since 1990, becoming a licensed real estate agent and director in 2002.

Darryn is enthusiastic and energetic, and always displays honesty, integrity and professionalism. Darryn has had several achievements including consecutive Platinum, Diamond and Gold Awards with First National over the last 20 years. He has been named as a top 10 salesperson in Victoria and through Australia for a number of years, and has held the number one position for listings in Australia. His passion for the industry and the company is second only to his partner Hayley and three children, Riley, Mason and Jasmyn.

A combination of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier and the rare Italian variety, Picolit, the vines thrive on 42 hectares of well-drained, red sandy clay topsoil. The sub-soil is red light-to-medium clay containing limestone pebbles. The vineyard is virtually pesticide and chemical free; warm days and cool nights allow grapes to ripen during the day and the vines to recover overnight. Vines are spur-pruned and bud numbers are calculated to deliver low yields, but quality fruit.

The Turners Crossing name honours a former local publican, Thomas Turner, who purchased land at this site in 1868. Phil says the land bears the well-trodden footprints of farmers who used this passage to cross the river, from the mid-to late 1800s.

Since Turners Crossing’s first vintage, Australian wine writer James Halliday has consistently rated the wines between 91 and 96 points and has distinguished it as a 5 Star wine producer since 2007.

The Turners Crossing range of wines include its premium red wine The Crossing Shiraz, a Shiraz Viognier blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Block 25 Cabernet Shiraz blend, a Viognier single varietal white wine, Rosé made from 100 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and the rare but delightful Picolit dessert wine. These wines are all available on-line at www.turnerscrossing.com.au or at select bottle shops and retail outlets.

Darryn has a wealth of knowledge and has helped many people across Bendigo find and sell their homes. Tweed Sutherland First National are proud to have Darryn is a director and he is incredibly valuable to the team.

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SUSTAINABILITY IN ACTION For nearly two decades Mat Boyle and Anna Winneke have informally plied Castlemaine folk with recycled building materials, and in 2016 launched ‘The Salvage Yard’ as the go-to place for home renovators or those seeking something out of the ordinary for their home.

From hard-to-find hardware, large structural timbers, custommade trusses, windows and doors, landscaping features to pendant lamps and pots made from disused fire hydrants, the ‘six-acre yard’ is a visual feast for those wanting a treasure.

Owners Mat and Anna proudly say they are obsessed with “creating value out of waste”, stocking their business with recycled building and sculptural materials. When they first embarked on their sensible building campaign it was not uncommon to see heritage materials readily discarded and destined for landfill or firewood, says Mat, who worked as a registered builder for 20 years before opening the business with Anna.

“We were inspired from a love of preserving the culturally valuable waste created through demolition, and building beautiful things with it, whilst supporting the wider process of ‘reconstruction’ in our community,” he says. “We like that we are heightening the awareness and value of that cultural heritage and playing our tiny part in resource management within the building industry.”

The couple credit the Castlemaine community with giving them confidence to start a salvage yard.

“It was our community of resourceful creative thinkers always looking for a more sustainable and interesting way to build that really propelled us to open The Salvage Yard. Years later we still aim to be a place for inspiration, resources, fabrication and community.”

Find out more at thesalvageyard.com.au

BOOK RECOUNTS SPECIAL MEMORIES FROM FAMOUS FACES Bendigo artist Garry Taylor has illustrated and written a good deal of his self-published book Clothed In Memory.

The book combines celebrity with clothing and memory. It began when Garry started to write - yes, in the old-fashioned way of pen to paper - to various famous people in Australia and abroad asking them to kindly provide a piece of memory concerning clothes they once wore and still remembered.

Understandably, many letters were returned (wrong address) or answered with a definitive ‘no’.

“I was really amazed by the kindness of people and in some cases, their generosity,” Garry says. “Not only providing stories, but also relevant material such as photographs. Celebs who did not take up my offer frequently returned autographed portraits of themselves.”

He started the book more than a decade ago, which has meant many contributors died before seeing the finished book.

“I felt sad about this — wonderful people like Murray Rose, who was a swimmer and actor, the artist John Coburn and June Dally-Watkins, who spoke to me twice over the phone and she was beautiful. Both Tony Bonner and Bendigo identity Keith Lamb spoke to me whilst I scribbled notes and then composed a story out of their enthusiastic conversation.”

Not all the stories in Clothed In Memory are about high fashion.

Some celebrities related tales about all kinds of garments, including overalls, hats, sports outfits and swimming togs. “I hope everyone can find something to interest them in my book,” Garry says.

To buy Clothed In Memory, contact Garry at garry taylor35@hotmail.com

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SCHOOLS BACK A WINNER

Debra and Mitchell McAuliffe, Adele Connell and Tanya McAuliffe

Elysia Bratby, Joe Bratby and Finnigan Parker

Fletcher Stevenson and Patrick Sullivan

Ruby Sullivan, Olivia Jeffery and Lily and Ava Franklin

Jo and Wayne Denbrok, Kathie Hocking and Terry Atkinson

Leah Walter, Amie Starick, Natalie Kenely and Rebecca Doherty

Jumping castles, a water slide, foot races, picnics and more‌ it was a day of family fun at the Marong Cup on February 15.

The annual event brings together thousands of people for a day at the races at Bendigo Jockey Club to raise funds for Catholic primary schools.

eplus@eplusarchitecture.com.au

www.eplusarchitecture.com.au

Alana Hinck, Zac Hinck and Lily, Damien and Jimmy Webb

Bella Tuohey and Amber Beynon

HO HO HO, LET’S CELEBRATE!

Michael Rice, Fletcher Hendy, Hannah and Mark Michelsen, Phoebe Rice and Donna Michelsen

Claire Redmond, Josh Mitch and Leah McKay

Phil, Sally and Geoff Morison, Morgan McDermott and Jan Morison

It’s not too late to

The Bendigo Jockey Club’s Christmas Party Race Day had all the trimmings to help racegoers, big and small, celebrate the festive season.

Along with the horse racing, the entertainment included a jumping castle and face painting for the little ones, and plenty of live music acts for all ages. Even Santa popped in for a welcome visit!

start studying in 2020

Talk to one of our Course Specialists and begin studying in July at our Bendigo Campus.

Book a one on one consult latrobe.edu.au/consults

CRICOS 00115 02/20 DC36974

Brendan Kelly, Mick Easton and Mel Nicholson

caught on film

A creative couple make the move to Eaglehawk to find a sense of home and source of inspiration.

By Lauren Mitchell – Photograph by Leon Schoots Brian the black cat is asleep in the sun on a windowsill. He’s peacefully curled, not a worry in the world. Purring, purring. “Even our cats are happier here,” says Martin Myles.

It’s been just over 12 months since Martin, his wife Laura, and their two feline “kids” moved from Campbells Creek to this historic cottage in Eaglehawk.

“Occasionally I’d drive past on my way home from work and I was always intrigued by it,” Martin says. “When I saw the ‘for sale’ sign,

it all happened very quickly. We weren’t even looking to buy a house. We’d lived in the Castlemaine area for eight years and were really settled. We’d just signed a lease for another year.”

As manager of the boutique Star Cinema, Martin already had a soft spot for the township, but says now that he’s a “Borough boy”, he’s fully appreciating Eaglehawk’s charms, its community and its heritage.

“It’s so unique, the Star, and the building, it’s

just a pleasure to work there,” he says of the cinema in the historic Eaglehawk Town Hall.

“Eaglehawk is a very welcoming community.

It’s been enormously good for me as manager of The Star to move here. I want to make this my home, not just a place to live.”

A year in, the cottage certainly feels homely.

In fact, it feels like it was made for this pair, albeit 150-odd years ago.

Martin and Laura are both musicians – Martin a singer-songwriter and guitarist, Laura a cellist with the Bendigo Symphony Orchestra.

They believe that one of the previous owners of the cottage was also a musician, as one of the basement rooms was lined with baffling to create a recording studio.

“Ironically, I was planning to record another album last year. I’d been researching studios and producers, and then this place came up and all that went out the window,” Martin says.

When the time comes, he’ll now be able to make his third solo album from home.

But back to the cottage, which was actually built as a grocery store on the goldfields.

Suffice to say, it’s had several lives since then.

“The previous owners had done a lot of internal work, but they’d left a lot of the character, which is really cool,” Martin says.

“Nothing is off the shelf – it’s had a lot of love and imagination poured into it.”

Think exposed stone walls, wonky timber floors and original dado boards. Martin and Laura have embraced the cottage’s quirks.

Of the watermelon-red walls with green trim in the spare bedroom, Martin says: “We were going to change the colour then we decided, actually, we quite like it.”

The colours and the mood changes from room to room. Down a narrow flight of stairs off the entrance, Laura’s yoga room is completely calm, with indoor plants thriving in the filtered light.

The dining room is a glorious mishmash of artwork and antiques, which leads to the Great Wall of China – dainty vintage teacups hung as décor. “There’s almost nothing new, which is our style,” Martin says.

The couple has enjoyed picking up bits and pieces for the house over the past year, including the Myer Victor Supreme mint green sewing machine in the lounge room, found at the Whip Court Op Shop for just $15. “There

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are such good op shops in Bendigo,” Martin says. He also loves the Eaglehawk Recycle Yard for bargains.

For Laura, the selling point of the property was past the back door. “For me, it was the trees,” she says. “I love gardening, so it was the fact this was all established, with all this space to play.”

Laura has nurtured new vegetable gardens and Martin is making a stone cairn, using rocks foraged from over the back fence. The property has views of the Borough’s historic tailings and mullock heaps, which are slowly being reclaimed by nature. Martin says the gentle rises make for a great place to see the sunset. “You can also see the Great Stupa from up there,” he adds.

The other bonus of the location is that, at just 10-minutes’ walk from The Star, Martin can now mix business with pleasure. “It’s wonderful to see it as a manager but also as a patron as well, and to share it with our patrons,” he says.

Martin and Laura see a lot more cinema now, and they’re not the only ones. Since The Star launched a mercy campaign in late 2017, it’s gone from strength to strength.

“It wasn’t just a possibility that it could have closed, it was a reality,” Martin says. “If things didn’t change, we were going to lose it, hence the campaign. I was particularly nervous about it because I’d been manager for two years, even though I had little control over what was happening.”

Martin says the cinema was competing against streaming services like Netflix and Stan, and he believes people may have become complacent.

“There’s so many more options to see films now, which are frankly all cheaper than going to the cinema,” he says. “But when the plea went

out, people went, oh my God, we don’t want to lose The Star. It was a very humbling response.”

The cinema had from December 1, 2017, until Jan 31, 2018, to raise $30,000 to keep the doors open.

“Five days into the campaign, an anonymous donor came in with a cheque for $32,000,” Martin says. “I thought, we’re saved! And it just kept going.”

Those two months saw more than $70,000 raised, which funded new couches, new carpet in the bar, new screen curtains, and the opportunity to screen films seven days a week.

Martin says the “afterglow” has also been wonderful. Patrons are now booking their favourite couches and bringing their friends.

Martin now plans to make the cinema a known festival destination.

Last year, The Star hosted the Melbourne International Film Festival Travelling Showcase, the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival, plus partnered with Open House.

Next year the Bendigo Symphony Orchestra will present a silent film with live music, which may be a 1915 version of Alice in Wonderland. “In the future, we hope to find a film for the BSO to commission a score for, so the work is uniquely from Greater Bendigo,” Martin says.

Another big event will be this year’s inaugural Eaglehawk Film Festival.

“I’ve wanted to do this since I started in the role,” Martin says. “I want it to attract interest, obviously from Eaglehawk and Central Victoria, but also from further afield in Melbourne, and even Sydney now we have the new air link. I really want the Eaglehawk community to embrace the festival as our own.”

Plans are for films of varied eras and genres to be curated around an annual theme. It’ll be a chance for Martin to really get creative. “It makes life interesting, when you live in an interesting place,” he says.

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Athena Bourne and Cheyenne Bourne

Tayla Wolsley and Scarlett Abbott

Emily Jubber, Jaida Raco, Alexia Carmichael and Jazzmyn Bieleny

Isaac and Sharyn Bare

Mia Wilson and Jayda Howard

Tamika Mayes and Zethan Jensen

CHRISTMAS CHEER FILLS PARK Carols by Candlelight in Rosalind Park is a Christmas tradition for many, and the 49th celebration attracted a large crowd to the picturesque Bendigo landmark.

As local choirs, musicians and carollers sang some of the best-loved yuletide songs on the night, the biggest cheers were for the arrival of the ever-popular Santa Claus.

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As your Federal Member of Parliament, myFederal office and I can provide a wide range of services.

As your Federal Member of Parliament, my office and II can provide a wide range of services and support.

As your Federal Member of Parliament, my office and can provide a Please don’tof hesitate to get in touch with me anytime, either at my office wide range services. wide range services. on (03) 5443of9055 or by lisa.chesters.mp@aph.gov.au Please don’t hesitate to email get inat touch with me anytime, either at my Please don’t hesitate to touch with me Please don’t hesitate to get getorin inby touch with me anytime, anytime, either either at at my my office office office on (03) 5443 9055 email at lisa.chesters.mp@aph.gov.au on (03) 5443 9055 or by email at lisa.chesters.mp@aph.gov.au on (03) 5443 9055 or by email at lisa.chesters.mp@aph.gov.au

www.lisachesters.org Authorised by L Chesters, 16 Myers Street, Bendigo www.lisachesters.org www.lisachesters.org

Adrienne Conway, Ardel Shamsullah, Andi Kuchel and Harry Conway

Jaz Fear and Clare Burmester

CROWDS WELCOME NEW YEAR Josh Cron, Tim Cron and Tanya McHugh

Millie English and Liana Rompa

Laura Daly, Melanie Daly and Nellie Skipper

Susan, Neil and Julia Patten and Matt Tait

While windy weather stopped the fireworks from lighting up the night sky at midnight on New Year’s Eve, there was still plenty of spark in Rosalind Park Families and friends gathered near the poppet head to say farewell to 2019 and hello 2020. Earlier in the evening, the 9.15pm fireworks delighted little ones.

A GIRTON EDUCATION IS...

A LAUNCHPAD FOR AN

EXCITING

FUTURE The early years at Girton Grammar School are focussed on stimulating creativity and curiosity and building a solid foundation in social as well as academic skills.

In an environment of play, laughter and learning, every child is supported in reaching their potential.

A child’s early experience at school can shape the remainder of their school journey so, at Girton, making school a safe and happy place for every child is a priority.

OPEN DAY FRIDAY MAY 1

Childhood is a brief and unique period. To find out more about how the early years are cherished, and learning and growth are nurtured, come to our Open Day, Friday May 1. For full details, see our website: girton.vic.edu.au

A S P I R E TO S TA R

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on fears and fairies A local foster carer faces her phobia of heights to show the young ones in her life that fear is no barrier to a full life.

By Lauren Mitchell – Photograph by Leon Schoots What better way to make a new house feel like home than a visit from the tooth fairy. The littlest member of Alanah Brand’s household lost a baby tooth just two weeks after moving in and, right on cue, the fairy came.

“It was her first tooth, and I thought, wow, this is a really big moment,” Alanah says.

They put the tooth under the pillow and Alanah explained it would turn into a star when the fairy flew up into the night sky.

It’s been just one of many memorable moments since Alanah became a foster carer eight months earlier. The 28-yearold is also a full-time teacher at Bendigo South East College.

“I think it’s something I always wanted to do,” she says on becoming a carer through Anglicare. “Being a teacher, you know that there’s the need. There are kids that need you. I think everybody experiences trauma in some way or another and it shapes who you are.

Everybody needs someone to look after them. To give children in need a home and a safe place, that’s what I’m trying to do.

“I started off doing respite and emergency care, so I was looking after kids predominantly after school and during the school holidays, but I’ve just started my first long-term placement.

“It has changed my life a lot, but I think it’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done. Despite the highs and lows, and there are lots of them, it’s rewarding and you have a sense of purpose. You’re making someone else’s life better and you’re helping them in their worst times. You try and make the bad time not so bad.”

Alanah is about to put herself in another challenging situation to benefit the 80,000 children, young people and families Anglicare Victoria helps each year. She is taking part in Anglicare’s fundraiser Altitude Shift 2020 on April 18, which will see her abseil 27 floors down the St James skyscraper in Melbourne’s Bourke Street.

“I’m doing this to show both the children in my care and the students at school that even when you’re afraid, you can still

complete gigantic feats,” Alanah says.

“I’m actually really scared of heights. My Anglicare case manager, Matt, told me I should do this. And I couldn’t say no because it’s for the best cause ever. So, I had to say okay, I’ll do it.

“Should I be in training? Am I supposed to train? I don’t know!

I’ve never done it before. I’m trying not to think about it. I signed Georgie, my colleague from work, up to do it with me as she loves extreme sports, so she’s totally ready.”

Alanah usually aligns herself with quieter pastimes. As an art and photography teacher, she also maintains her own creative practice. Last year she published her thesis on how social media selfies are similar to historic portraits of women.

The accompanying paintings have been exhibited locally.

This year she started a new series of portraits. “My work has always been about people and my love for people. I hope to bring out the kindness and love that people have in the paintings.”

Alanah need only look within for inspiration. When asked what qualities make a good foster carer, she says, “I think you have to be patient, persistent, loving, kind, caring, compassionate and empathetic. It’s definitely a challenging job, but these kids will also love you and depend on you. When they’re happy, it makes you happy.”

When she is at work, Alanah says she endeavours to “teach all students kindness, resilience, empathy and how they can express themselves through art”.

Alanah’s new home features some of her students’ work on the walls, plus pictures from the children she has cared for.

When her young house guest lost her first tooth, she helped her draw a picture for the fairy. “In return, I made a really little letter, in my smallest handwriting,” she says. No doubt it was a keeper.

Support Alanah’s ‘Seriously afraid of heights’ team fundraising at altitudeshift2020.everydayhero.com/au/alanah

25

Cathrine and Rechelle Mitchell

Chelsea and Andrew Wood

Louis Gibson, Mitchell Harrison, Dori Xu, Max Cowie and Lauren Vawser

Hugo, Meagan and Anthony Jenkins

Sarah and Ted McMillan and Linda Threlfall

Mark and Tilly Costello

TOURNAMENT A BIG HIT Fans of tennis were the big winners in early January when ongoing bushfire smoke forced the Apis Canberra International to shift to the Bendigo Tennis Centre.

The seven-day event attracted a strong field as players launched their Australian summer of tennis campaign, with large crowds lapping up the opportunity to see elite athletes in action.

Dayne Stone, Savannah Seales and Rhonda Stone

Hamish Combe, Gail Combe and Chelsey Combe

NEW YEAR, NEW BEGINNINGS

Arlen Derrick, Stacey Derrick, Jenny Carolan and Glenda Watts

Pippi, Marcus, Mabel, Cleo and Meg Dingle

Molly Carolan and Dee, Taye and Gage Watts

Sarah, Eliza Stark and Merle Gellermann

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Under myriad glittering lanterns at Bendigo Joss House on February 9, families gathered to celebrate the Chinese New Year and welcome the Year of the Rat. The first sign in the 12-animal cycle of the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of the Rat is considered a year of new beginnings and renewals. The traditional Lantern Festival featured performances from the Chinese Association Lion Team and Plum Blossom dancers, tea tastings and Chinese calligraphy.

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GROW YOUR CAREER AT BENDIGO HEALTH Charlie Miller has worked at Bendigo Health for around two years.

He is currently an Obstetric Gynaecologist registrar.

“Bendigo Health provides good opportunities for me here as a GP, with a large referral centre and a broad exposure to medicine that’s relevant to my training,” Charlie says.

“I have been supported through my studies and encouraged to advance my career, which is really important to me.

“Another huge drawcard is the city itself, it’s a fantastic environment to raise my young family. There’s always plenty to do.”

www.bendigohealth.org.au/careers

small town pride

Bendigo has always been home to same-sex attracted and gender-diverse people.

Mark Kearney chats with members of the LGBTQIA+ community about the reasons behind their tree-change.

By Mark Kearney - Photographer Leon Schoots When I moved to Bendigo from Melbourne in December 2015, the city was still reeling from a series of ugly protests against plans to build Bendigo’s first mosque.

These public displays of intolerance were an unsettling backdrop to my relocation.

Up until that point, I’d lived the entirety of my life in Melbourne, where being “different” – in my case, being gay – not only felt accepted but, during occasions like Pride or Midsumma, was celebrated too.

If Bendigo was so worked up about some people’s right to practise their religion, how would they act towards LGBTQIA+ community members like me?

Of course, we know now that much of the tumult from that time was the doing of people from outside our city.

Similarly, my almost-five years here have only served to debunk the myth that regional cities and towns are somehow more hostile places for queer people to build a life.

In recent times, Bendigo has even emerged as a destination of choice for many LGBTI people coming out of the cities and moving into the regions.

ALONSO NAVARRO, 33 Among them is my partner of the past three years, Alonso.

His journey to Bendigo was markedly longer than mine, moving from his native Mexico City to study community planning and development at La Trobe University.

His former home, a supercity where roughly 20 million people live, afforded him the sort of anonymity that many LGBTQIA+ people crave. He says it was more common to see public displays of affection between same-sex couples in Mexico City than it is in Bendigo.

What his move Down Under did offer, however, was a closer-knit sense of community.

“I think the LGBTQIA+ community in Bendigo knows each other better and supports each other in more meaningful and deep ways,” Alonso says.

“The support is there not only in hard times or in times like Pride, but also in everyday life.”

Despite commuting to Melbourne daily for work, it’s that sense of belonging that keeps his roots firmly planted in Bendigo.

“I feel like I come back to my safe place in the world,” he says.

29

CHRIS BUTLER, 57, AND JOHN RICHARDS, 47 Married couple Chris Butler and John Richards are two more treechangers who now call Bendigo home.

John and Chris say they were lured to Bendigo because of its vibrant cultural scene, namely the Bendigo Art Gallery.

It was only fitting that the gallery be the venue for their wedding ceremony in April 2018.

Buoyed by Bendigo’s resounding support for equality during the 2017 marriage survey (68.7 per cent of the electorate voted in favour of same-sex marriage, well above the national ‘yes’ result), John and Chris were engaged on the same morning the results were announced.

An article about their engagement in the Bendigo Advertiser elicited an equally rapturous response.

“We were stopped several times on the street by people saying ‘Congratulations!’, which was really charming and quite unexpected,” Chris remembers.

ANGELIQUE SYLVER, 20, AND ALICIA GUNSTON, 28 For some queer people, moving to Bendigo represents a broadening of their horizons, an opportunity to live as their authentic selves for the very first time.

“This time last year, before I was really out, I was wearing black trackies, black hoodie, very hidden away,” says 20-year-old Angelique, who only came out as trans after moving from her home town of Echuca.

“Bendigo people have often surprised us with their warm acceptance and welcome.”

Angelique can only recall ever seeing one same-sex couple – and no other transgender people – throughout her childhood in the riverside town.

John says Bendigo’s inclusivity is partly the inspiration behind this year’s festival, too.

But during her first year in Bendigo, she’s been able to access a range of services and supports not previously available to her.

“I wanted the idea of pride to work both ways – that the local queer community should be proud of itself, but also to show we’re proud of Bendigo,” he says.

She attends weekly meetings at headspace Bendigo for young people who identify as same-sex attracted, sex- and gender-diverse.

“I want to show Bendigo at its best. Or possibly at its shiniest!”

30

She’s also found her flock at the Rainbow Eagles, La Trobe University’s LGBTI student society.

“[The goal is] to make future LGBTQIA+ students feel welcome and like they have a home, especially with those that may not have received support before,” says Angelique, who’s the club treasurer.

She’s joined on the committee by Alicia Gunston, who moved to Bendigo last year with her then-partner.

When their relationship ended, Alicia decided to stay in town.

Originally from Mildura, the business student identifies as bisexual and says the community she’s found in Bendigo has made her feel “more confident and valid” in her sexual orientation.

Access to groups like the Eagles was vital to making sure people knew they were welcome – and not alone.

“It’s important for people to find their home,” she says.

“Thankfully, there are people in our community who have worked really hard to make Bendigo a safe, welcoming place.”

Now that’s something to take pride in.

31

April Fraser, Kelvin Mounsey, Alastair Baillie and Jeremy Harland

Dùbhghlas MacPhàdraig and Mairead NicGarraidh

Kaitlyn Read and Nathan Marks

Maggie, Amity Bradford, Nessie and Jane Johnson

Marion McNeill and Jean Buchanan

Ollie and Ruby King

ONE FOR THE BRAVE AT HEART A rousing march down View Street signalled the start of the 2020 Scots Day Out, with pipe bands, highland dancers and clans later entertaining a large crowd in Rosalind Park.

Amid a sea of tartan was the sound of bagpipes and Celtic folk music with haggis, shortbread and whisky just some of the Scottish fare readily on offer.

BSSC Alumni Keeping in touch Corrine Kinsman – Class of 2016

At Bendigo Senior Secondary College we love it when Alumni make contact and tell us about the many and varied pathways they’ve taken to discover their strengths, follow their passions in life, and forge careers both locally and abroad.

Real Estate Sales

Jesse Gollan – Class of 2006 Business owner, Barista

Grant McArthur – Class of 1994

As Alumni, there are so many ways you can be involved in the life of the college; whether it’s taking part in college events, sharing your career and life experiences with students, or supporting them through mentoring, awards and scholarships.

Journalist

You may simply want to keep up-to-date with what’s happening at the college, or network with other Alumni through our Facebook page and Alumni News on the BSSC website.

Belinda Nihill – Class of 1997 Interior Designer CON TAC T

If you’re a former student of BSSC or Bendigo High, visit our website, fill out the Alumni Q & A form, and let us know how the college helped point you towards your future. We’ll share your responses with our Alumni community and current students as a way to build a culture of aspiration.

Like to find out more?

Drop us a line... alumni@bssc.edu.au

US

Bendigo Senior Secondary College Rosalind Park, Bendigo PO Box 545, Bendigo VIC 3552

Phone 61 3 5443 1222 Fax 61 3 5441 4548 Email admin@bssc.edu.au Web www.bssc.edu.au

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Bendigo Senior Secondary College

Empowering learners for individual, community and global leadership

www.bssc.edu.au

Ada Wait, Ruby and Mekayla Reid and Emme and Liz Harrington

Elijah and Claudia Hinton

STARS SHINE AT AXEDALE

Jarrod and Nate Threlfall

Lucy and Amelia Carmody and Kaley MacRae

Kennedy Westhead and Eva Riseley

Paddy Carmody and Ryder MacRae

With deck chairs and colourful picnic rugs in hand, and snacks at the ready, families enjoyed a night under the stars at Axedale Recreation Reserve to watch the popular kids’ film The Lego Movie.

The big screen event is part of Bendigo’s popular Summer in the Parks series that offers free family-friendly activities across the region.

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E s ta b l i s h E d 1 9 8 5

Bob Keetelaar with one of his prized budgies.

34

budgies' big break The supermodels of the small parrot show scene alight in Bendigo this autumn for the 46th Australian National Budgerigar Championships.

By Sarah Harris - Photgraphy by Leon Schoots The last time budgerigars were paraded in the Ulumbarra Theatre the circumstances surrounding both venue and bird were very different.

It was the early 1960s and Ronald Ryan, the last person to be legally executed by hanging in Australia, still had hope as one of the inmates of the then gaol.

Ryan, who had little education, made the most of his first stretch in prison, successfully studying up to the equivalent of the VCE before being released on parole after serving three years of an eight-year sentence for robbery.

Then regarded as a model prisoner, Ryan had benefitted from some of the progressive programs introduced by the Bendigo Training Prison Governor, Ian Grindlay.

Before pet therapy was even a thing, Grindlay recognised the value of animals in humanizing prisons. Under his watch, Bendigo was the first Victorian prison to have an aviary, which was stocked with pedigree budgerigars.

A Bendigo dentist and bird lover volunteered to teach an evening spare-time ornithology course to prisoners like Ryan, who were keen to learn.

“The aviary brightens the institution greatly,” Grindlay observed of the flock of gaol birds.

Almost 60 years on, the budgies are returning en masse to

the heritage venue for the Australian National Budgerigar Championships. About 600 of the best birds representing five states and two distinct Queensland zones will face the judges, who will determine placegetters across 28 classes.

Bendigo breeder Bob Keetelaar can attest just how hard it is to get a bird through the state shield selection process into the nationals, where it can literally come down to a single stray feather between contenders on the day.

Bob showed and bred birds for 39 years before producing his first national champion in the normal grey green class that judges deemed had it all from “magnificent face’’ to “excellent feather”.

Having won a coveted ‘logie’ at the 2019 Australian National Budgerigar Championships (ANBC) in Brisbane, Bob’s content to play steward at the hometown titles while he tweaks the genetics of his small stud in anticipation of the 2021 competition.

“There is a flecking rule coming in, which will mean birds that have little black feathers on their head will be disqualified. Some of my birds had it so I have crossed my clean-headed birds with them to try and eliminate it, which means I won’t have birds for shield selection this year,” he explains.

Like so many in the fancy, Bob first became interested in the pocket-sized parrots when he was a child.

35

Local budgerigar breeder, Peter Tyakk

“We used to have a baker that came around in a horse and cart to Pyke Street, Quarry Hill, when I was a kid and he gave me some birds one day. I started breeding them when I was about 10 years old, but then got out of them when I got interested in other types of birds,” he laughs.

Now aged 70, he’s a stalwart of the Bendigo Budgerigar Club – an organisation founded at the height of the bird boom in the 1950s.

This strong regional club boasts a flock of members aged from 12 years to over 80, including City of Greater Bendigo deputy mayor Matt Emond. Matt not only breeds budgies, but is editor of Budgie News, the voice of the Budgerigar Council of Victoria, representing some 26 clubs across the state.

The budgie is a little bird with a very big back story dating back at least two million years, based on radiometric testing of a fossilised foot bone found in a bat cave in Queensland in the 1990s.

Valued by Australia’s First People since the beginning of time, these intelligent, adaptable birds would become the world’s most popular pet bird in remarkably short order after being taken offshore by the great birdman John Gould.

It is 180 years since Gould left Australia, taking the first live specimens of Melopsittacus undulatus back to England aboard the barque Kinnear.

In his opus Birds of Australia, Gould enthused “this lovely little bird is pre-eminent for both beauty of plumage and elegance of form, which, together with its extreme cheerfulness of disposition and sprightliness of manner, render it an especial favourite”.

But even Gould was unprepared for how swiftly the cult of the budgerigar (or gidjirrigaa as the bird was known by the Gamilaraay people of the NSW Liverpool Plains, where the first exported birds were caught) would sweep England and the Continent.

From the late 1840s, budgies were by far the most common passenger on vessels returning from Australia and the trade continued to escalate with upwards of 50,000 pairs of birds landed in England in the first months of 1879.

36

Selective breeding over many decades has created a budgzilla almost double the original size, which comes in a dazzling array of colour and feather mutations, some so highly prized that a single bird can fetch as much as $6000.

The who’s who of proud owners has included the good, bad and the lovely, from Clint Eastwood and Stalin (who took two birds to the Potsdam Conference at the end of World War II) to Marilyn Monroe.

Toby the budgie used to perch on the pen of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, while John F. Kennedy’s children played with Bluebell and Maybelle in the White House.

Even the Dalai Lama had pet budgies. When the 14th Dalai Lama was enthroned in Lhasa, Tibet, in February 1940, emissaries from the leaders of other countries arrived laden with gifts for the then four-year-old. The English presented him with three rifles and an English horse saddle plus a freshly minted brick of gold, 10 bags of silver, rolls of cloth, a gold watch and chain, a picnic basket, music box, a garden hammock, a cuckoo clock, a pedal car and two pairs of budgerigars.

Though no longer as fashionable, the budgerigar represents Australia’s greatest diaspora, embedded in the vernacular, social history and popular culture both at home and abroad.

It still rules the roost among Australia’s estimated 5.5 million pet birds and in recent years there has been a revival of interest in the fancy, reflected in a 10 per cent increase in club membership as Col Flanagan, president of the Budgerigar Council of Victoria, explains.

“The humble budgerigar has been in people’s kitchens or back porches forever and for some reason membership waned for many years, but it is starting to grow again now,” says Col, one of the nation’s top budgie breeders and member of the ANBC Hall of Fame.

The BCV has been out beating the drum with a marketing and education program that is starting to yield results. It has also introduced new exhibition classes for coloured, rainbow, heritage and even bush budgies, which will allow children, hobbyists and backyard breeders a place on the show bench.

“We have also been in at high levels in the government as well, saying this is where kids learn their animal husbandry,” says Col.

Sarah Harris, a long-time contributor and former editor of Bendigo Magazine, is co-author of Budgerigar: How a brave, chatty and colourful little Aussie bird stole the world’s heart, published by Allen & Unwin on March 31. The book – written with her partner and fellow scribe Don Baker – at last opens the cage door on the incredible story of the most popular pet bird on the planet.

“We’re bringing the budgie back.”

37

Andy and Oliver Roughton

Mikai, Jason and Gracey Arscott and Belinda Arscott

Juliet and Noah Foster, Katie O’Hara and Bethany Foster

Kim Phipps, Emma and Jeff McLaughlin

Michael and Marie Halliwell.

Mel Roy and Jake Halliwell

TWILIGHT MARKET ENTERTAINS Barrack Reserve Heathcote was bustling on February 22 for the town’s Friday night market.

The community gathering featured more than 40 stalls offering local produce, enticing drops from nearby wineries, craft beer and assorted food. Musical acts and plenty of children’s activities also kept everyone entertained.

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Creek Street ChriStian College Year 11 & 12 coming soon.

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Adrian, Micky, Toby and Samantha and Jo Vassallo

Ami, Beth and Sarah Kavanagh

COMMUNITY HONOURS TRADITION Anne, Kirily and Campbell Bowen

Maisie Harrison, Madison Gilligan and Sophie Harrison

Jayd, Wayne and Shay Wignall

Trinity and Michelle Parker

One of the oldest traditions in Asian culture, the Lunar New Year is popular in Bendigo’s calendar of celebrations.

Traditionally it marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, and its honouring of rich community culture appeals to locals, who enjoyed performances from Plum Blossom Dancers, Bendigo Chinese Association Lion Team and Lion Cubs, as well as a dragon display.

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40

playing

for keeps

If music is a universal language, this gifted young violist is speaking volumes through her classical performances on stages from Amsterdam to Auckland, and Beijing to Bendigo.

By Raelee Tuckerman - Photography by AJ Taylor Ruby Shirres can hardly recall life before music became part of her daily existence, such is the impact it has had on her since she first picked up an instrument as an eight-year-old.

“We had a compulsory music program at Castlemaine Steiner School, and I was originally going to play cello but decided on the spur of the moment to play viola instead,” she says. “I didn’t even know what it was, so it was a bit of a mystery at first. But I loved it and loved playing with other people. That’s how it all started and it just kind of rolled along.

“It’s like a second language to me now and I don’t actually remember learning. It’s like it has always been part of my vocabulary.”

At just 20, the country girl who grew up in Newstead has completed several international orchestral concert tours and is in her third year at the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne – a prestigious program usually reserved for post-graduate performers – training under “amazing teacher” Caroline Henbest.

“Getting into ANAM was pretty big,” explains Ruby, who was accepted by audition straight after finishing Year 12 at Girton Grammar in 2017.

“You get lessons with incredible teachers and work with visiting artists almost every week. International performers come in and do intensive programs with us, working on lots of concerts throughout the year.

“You also get to be in a cohort of very gifted young Australian musicians, which is pretty exciting. Another unique thing about ANAM is you don’t pay anything to study there and you receive financial assistance because it’s almost impossible to work while you are there.

“I am very fortunate to have that support.”

In both years at ANAM, she has been part of an ensemble that has received the Musica Viva Prize at the academy’s Chamber Music Competition Final.

41

Ruby realised quite early that her music brought people joy and that a professional career could be an option for her, so worked tirelessly to fine-tune her technique. As well as school ensembles, she travelled to Melbourne for private tuition every weekend and attended camps and concert tours with the Australian and Melbourne Youth Orchestras.

Rehearsal was part of her daily routine. “I’d get up at 5.30am, shower and practise before breakfast…. It sounds ridiculous, I know. Now I am at a place dedicated to music and it’s all I do every day, so I don’t need to practise before breakfast anymore!”

Last year, Ruby embarked on a month-long chamber music tour of Europe and China with the AYO, culminating in a concert at the Sydney Opera House.

“We played in some amazing places – beautiful barns in the German countryside, massive new arts centres in China that seated thousands. It gave me an insight into what it would be like to be a professional touring artist – I don’t think I fully realised before.

“It was incredible, but also hard. We had a concert almost every other day in a different city and the travel and schedule was crazy... but it made for some exciting performances.”

She has also performed in New Zealand, and had lessons in Amsterdam, Berlin and Salzburg, including in January when she revisited Germany to explore future options.

“I’d like to do my undergrad in future, but I’m not sure where. You go to an institution for a teacher, rather than other aspects of the program.

I met some incredible teachers on my last trip and I’m in contact with many – I have an entire list in my bag right now of people all over the world and I’m looking for a person I connect with on many levels.

42

“My future teacher will be someone who is very inspired and knowledgeable but who also believes in my ability to succeed.”

So inspired has she been by the mentors who helped change her life, that Ruby and three colleagues are launching a touring workshop of regional Victorian schools to encourage social change, growth and education through music.

She hopes to one day combine playing professionally with teaching others at a higher level, saying she understands how difficult learning an instrument can be, especially later in life.

“At high school, I also played violin, cello and double bass. It was a way of challenging myself and it helped my appreciation of people who learn instruments, new skills or any language. The brain power required was insane and I admire anyone who starts learning music.”

Ruby says she has enjoyed immeasurable support from family, friends and music teachers and is grateful for the opportunities they have provided her.

“Music has been a huge influence on me in terms of artistically being able to express myself. It moves me so much and I see the potential for music to move others. It’s a language that helps us communicate and it has given me so many beautiful new connections, whether that is new friends I play with or people who come to concerts and say how much they loved it.

“And it has opened so many possibilities for me – last year alone, I travelled so much through music and it was very exciting to see the world through that lens.

“Music started as a hobby for me, but it’s definitely much more than that now.”

Hannah and Damian Lea

Greg Stevens

Lee McEwan and Archer Moon

Bridie Hansen and Kate Thomas

Gemma Grayson and Lily Grayson

Tarkin, Ash and Vada Hooper

NATIONAL PRIDE SHINES On a perfect summer’s day, hundreds gathered at Lake Weeroona to celebrate Australia Day. With picnic rugs aplenty on the expansive lawn lakeside and national flags proudly on display, families settled in to enjoy barbecues brimming with sizzling sausages, performances from local musicians and games, then took the time to wander through community displays and an art and craft market.

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Jayd Ingles and Lori Brown

Antoinette Johns and Graeme Johns

ALL ABOARD … FOR MUSIC Helen and Russell Wilson

Chris Harrison and Garth Ferry

Deb Allan and Patrese Hosking

David Clausen and Sandra Lockwood

History and art combine when the Blues Tram trundles its way through Bendigo.

Musicians Sherri Parry and Bill Barber were on board to entertain commuters.

The unique mobile music venue, a restored vintage W Class tram, is part of the Bendigo Blues & Roots Music Festival. After hopping on at Central Deborah Gold Mine, fans enjoyed a ride through the city centre to the Joss House before making the return journey.

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Bendigo's rich history of democracy Many of us have been stuck in traffic or diverted because a protest has closed the roads ahead of us. While it’s not something that occurs every day, protesting has been part of the Bendigo culture and identity since the Gold Rush.

By Lisa Chesters - Photograph by Leon Schoots

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This event is now known as the Red Ribbon Rebellion and is one of Australia’s most important mass protests.

It’s a great part of Bendigo’s history and is still re-enacted each year by the Bendigo Historical Society, thanks to president Jim Evans, who involves schools across the region. These re-enactments are a reminder that standing up for fairness is a part of our rich local history.

The same level of passion and conviction has been seen in modern protests. The marriage equality campaign is a prime example. The 2018 ‘Yes’ campaign saw millions of Australians reach out to friends, family members, politicians and organisations to stand up for equality.

Here in Bendigo, the ‘Bendigo Says Yes’ campaign ensured locals understood the reason to vote yes to marriage equality.

Students striking and rallies for climate change action are other recent examples of how locals have used protests to call for politicians to act and change government policy.

It is a big deal for anyone to go on strike, whether they are a student or a worker. It is part of our democracy and fabric that people take strikes to demonstrate around an ideal or value. Australians are free to gather together and speak out on the things they care about.

From winning the right to vote for women to saving the Franklin River, the power of protest has been vital in achieving positive change in Australia.

Australia’s democracy is thriving with an informed, fair and diverse public debate, strong participation by a robust civil society and a free and independent press. Our governments act in the public interest and are open and accountable to the people they serve.

We live in a country where people have the right to ask questions and share their concerns in a calm and respectful manner. Sometimes, these concerns lead to protesting and that’s okay with me.

I’ve done my fair share of protesting. It’s one of the reasons why I decided to become a member of parliament.

In our democracy, parliament is ultimately how we change laws and protesting is one way to get the attention of members of parliament.

Democracy is an integral part of our society and though it has modernised to meet demands of a contemporary and digital world, locally the concept dates back to the Red Ribbon Rebellion in the 1850s.

The Red Ribbon Rebellion is one of the most prominent displays of democracy in the history of Bendigo and Australia. It was active on the Bendigo goldfields, where diggers demanded a licence fee reduction, from 30 shillings to 10 shillings.

The Anti-Gold-Licence Association formed and drew up a petition, making a number of demands including a reduced licence fee, improved law and order, the right to vote and the right to buy land. The petition was signed by diggers right across the region and was presented to Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe during the Great Meetings of August 1853, which were part of the Red Ribbon Movement.

After the demands were initially rejected, around 10,000 diggers wearing red ribbons rallied at Camp Hill in Bendigo, which caused the Commissioner to waive the licence fee for a month.

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keeping pace with change For Bendigo’s newest leader Sally Curtain, life is about learning, gaining experience and having a willingness to step outside your comfort zone.

Photograph by AJ Taylor Just months into her tenure as CEO of Bendigo TAFE, life for Sally Curtain is already at full throttle – and she’s embracing the pace.

Under her watch the major education provider has ticked off some milestones — introducing a major IT project that will improve students’ experience while studying, and overseeing the start of construction on a $60 million build that will not only revitalise Bendigo TAFE’s city campus but also transform the neighbouring central business district. While the build is one of the biggest transformation projects to be undertaken in the region, both activities are people centric and reaffirm not only TAFE’s commitment to the region, but also her own, she says.

“I’m a believer that having the best experience in everything you do is a pathway to success. When I accepted this role I was excited and I still am. Bendigo is a beautiful and thriving city that has a wonderful people culture. I’m thoroughly enjoying getting out and meeting people and exploring the region.”

With two teenagers — one in school and the other a third-year carpentry apprentice —moving to Central Victoria from Melbourne is not on the cards nor is it needed. When not on Bendigo’s three campuses (the city, BTEC and Charleston Road), technology ensures Sally is present and engaged with staff, industry and community leaders on a daily basis. As CEO of Bendigo TAFE, Sally is also head of Kangan Institute in Melbourne. Both organisations form major education provider Bendigo Kangan Institute, with senior executive Claire Rasmussen, chief academic officer, based full-time in Bendigo.

“I have the best of both worlds, working in a collaborative and invigorating environment where I can help many committed people

make a difference to the lives of students, their families and industry across major parts of Victoria,” Sally says. “I feel like a student who has walked into a welcoming environment where I feel supported and know that I belong – and that’s what I want people to experience when they work, study or engage with us. We are a community within a wider community.”

Leading major transformation programs is not new to Sally. She has held executive roles in the Department of Justice (she was a key figure in setting up the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission), VicRoads and at Victoria’s largest council, City of Casey.

Family and balance is important to her. Each morning she rises early to take her two beagles for a walk with husband Matthew.

Being active is important to her, and she isn’t fazed to pair sneakers with work wear. “You can move quicker,” she says, striding through the city campus. She describes herself as positive, curious by nature with a thirst for knowledge. “I make it my business to keep learning and keep moving, exposing myself to new ways and avoiding the status quo. Change brings resistance, but chipping away and bringing along people for the journey and delivering on promises has the power to change culture and improve communities.”

Being future oriented, Sally says progress doesn’t mean taking unnecessary risks.

“It has taken a lot of effort by a lot of people to keep advancing Bendigo TAFE and it’s fantastic to be able to help the 140-year-old education staple keep evolving. A great foundation has been laid for this amazing campus revitalisation project, and it really is a privilege to take the reins and keep moving onwards and upwards.”

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riding the third wave An ambitious IT expert is making his mark on Bendigo, using new technology to educate the next generation and solve some of the city’s most pressing issues.

So what’s next for this bold innovator?

By Kate O’Connor - Photography by Leon Schoots When people ask why he chose to launch Australia’s first course specialising in the Internet of Things in a regional city like Bendigo, Dr Simon Egerton gently counters, “Well, why not?”.

“Some people, particularly in Australia, have this perception that highly innovative, cutting-edge technologies and ideas only happen in big capital cities – and that’s just not the case. We have proof of that here.”

As the head of La Trobe University’s Technology and Innovation Lab, Simon is in a good position to assert that.

In 2018 he partnered with the City of Greater Bendigo to roll out an Internet of Things (IoT) network. This quickly led to the installation of high-tech sensors all over the city recording real-time temperatures – also known as the “clever weather” project.

Simon says the sophisticated open-source IoT network is already being well utilised, and likely to become a platform for countless other local government, business and community projects in the future.

“Council now has people counters in their parks and open spaces, so they’re able to gather real-time usage stats. So the technology is already helping them make planning decisions and manage their budget more efficiently, which is a really great outcome.”

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Born in the UK, Simon completed a PhD in artificial intelligence at the University of Essex, before securing his first industry role with a company that develops embedded systems for a whole range of endusers – from aerospace and mining, to scientific operations.

“I was there as a software and hardware developer. After a few years, I decided to pack up and go to Malaysia; I thought I’d travel for a year, and ended up staying for 12!”

When he eventually moved to Bendigo in 2017, Simon straight away noticed the city’s strong appetite for technology and innovation.

“One of the first things that I did when I came here was just talk to people – talked to local industry, talked to council, just trying to identify what common themes were important to the community here. And one thing that came across very strongly was the idea of innovation and entrepreneurship, and I saw that as a route to increasing the prosperity of the local community.”

A year or so later, Simon picked up on another strong theme that was starting to resonate both locally and around the world – “smart cities”.

“Smart industry, smart construction, smart health, smart agriculture, future hospitals, future farms… it seemed to underpin a lot of discussions.

“There was an idea emerging around technology leading innovation and entrepreneurship, and I thought, ‘What kind of technology would link these common themes together?’ And then the idea of having small embedded devices collecting information, helping people carry out tasks within the environment, seemed to emerge – and collectively that becomes the IoT.” Simon says Bendigo is an ideal place to roll out new technologies like the IoT. “If you look at the top industries that can benefit from the IoT, you’ve got mining, you’ve got agriculture and you’ve got health. On our doorstep are mining, agriculture and health.

“The way Bendigo is set up is also very conducive to speaking to all the key players in those sectors to help build linkages and projects, and to contribute to their industries. So it’s an ideal combination of the right industries in the one location – and they’re all accessible and all their

THE INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT) EXPLAINED Because of its enormous potential, the IoT is often described as the “third wave of the internet” – with the first being tethered devices in the 1990s, and later, mobile devices. A giant network of connected “things” – including mobile phones, weather stations, appliances and electronic devices – it enables users to connect in and gather data on just about anything.

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doors are open.”

Once he’d established the city’s IoT network, Simon set his sights on educating the next generation of experts in the field.

“When I started looking into the IoT industry more deeply, I found that there’s a global shortage of experts.

“The technology is in demand by all types of industry at the moment, like mining, healthcare, manufacturing, agriculture, transport and local government, among others.

“But, because it’s still emerging, there’s a big skills gap being felt around the world. As a university we can play a role in educating people in this technology, which will bring new expertise into the space.”

Simon’s response was to develop a masters degree that aims to produce flexible, career-ready graduates. The result, La Trobe University’s Master of Internet of Things, launches in Bendigo this month.

“The reaction to this course has been 100 per cent positive. People I spoke to can’t wait to see students here, they can’t wait to see them go out into the community to work on projects – it’s all been extremely positive.”

So what’s his long-term vision for this forward-looking regional city?

Simon is ever optimistic, and ready to harness the opportunities.

“The vision is to establish Bendigo as a centre of excellence for IoT research and development.

“This means building up the team, of course, but the big gamechanger for us is the students; once they start flowing in, we then have significantly more capacity to get to work on projects that will make a real difference to local people and businesses – to work on solutions and explore how technology can be of commercial benefit to them.

“I think it’s quite fortuitous how the government is encouraging students to study in the regions through their policy changes – like the Destination Australia scholarships, and extended work visa for international students coming to regional areas.

“That all creates a synergy and enables us to bring top talent into Bendigo and into this masters degree. So I think it’s all coming together at the right time.”

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JENKIN HOUSE TOPS IN POOL House pride was on the line as Girton Grammar School hosted its annual senior swimming carnival at Faith Leech Aquatic Centre.

More than 900 students and staff donned the colours of the school’s Aherne, Frew, Jenkin, Jones, Millward and Riley houses to cheer on swimmers. Even though storms brought an early halt to the carnival, Jenkin House claimed the most points in the pool.

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ANNUAL FEAST A TRADITION Judy and Barry Doye and Val and Wayne Pattison

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For many in Bendigo, celebrating Chinese New Year brings its own tradition of getting together to enjoy good conversation and a sumptuous banquet dinner at the Malayan Orchid.

Topping off a night filled with food and laughter was a special blessing performed by the Bendigo Chinese Association lion teams.

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Starr light, Starr bright A Bendigo photographer’s creative life continues to twinkle.

By Lauren Mitchell – Photographic artworks by Lauren Starr Lauren Starr’s Instagram account is brimming with quotes to keep.

Like this one from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: “For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing…”

It’s appropriate to find it here, now, for Lauren is poised for change.

For the past five years, the local artist has photographed some of the city’s newest arrivals. Her pictures of babies, siblings, mums and dads have captured hearts and imaginations with their ethereal 56

air of fantasy. Think newborns slumbering in crescent moons and children posing with feathered wings.

However, the mum-of-two and local primary school teacher is set to put aside the portrait commissions for now to focus on her fine art photography.

The signs directing her ahead have been there for a little while, gently nudging. Last year Lauren’s work featured in the local group exhibition, Natural Selections, plus she won a number of awards

Photograph by Leon Schoots

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through the Australian Institute of Professional Photography. One piece was chosen to hang in the water birthing suite at St John of God. It features a mother holding a newborn to her breast. They’re in a timber boat, gently floating towards a setting sun, the sky a perfect pink.

When Lauren chose to pursue photography just five years ago, she started with a short RMIT course, but considers herself largely selftaught. Through YouTube tutorials, workshops and countless hours experimenting with Photoshop, she found techniques to express her dream-like style. Each of her pictures is made by layering up to 30 original photographs.

“It’s pretty liberating,” Lauren says. “I was always that kid with the overactive imagination. I’d put salt in the bath believing I could turn into a mermaid. I read a lot of fantasy and classical literature. That imagination and inspiration has found a home in photography and Photoshop. When I photograph something, I don’t see the scene as it is, I see it as it could be.”

At first Lauren expressed her creativity through her baby portraits, and there was no shortage of Bendigo families happy for their little ones to be portrayed as fairy folk. “But very quickly I found fine art photography, which was a genre I hadn’t heard of before, and I started combining that with my baby photography,” she says.

Lauren’s home studio features some of her works. There’s a person curled up among the roots of a tree, a rabbit and child in a field of flowers, a classical-art-inspired portrait. Look closely at many and you may recognise Lauren’s face.

“With the more adult themes, I’ll use myself as a model,” she says.

“It’s just easier than asking someone else to pose for me. I’ll have the tripod and the timer. I’d look ridiculous if the neighbours ever came over. I was in here the other week taking self-portraits in full Victorian costume… Generally people don’t recognise that it’s me in the end photograph.”

Another image shows a familiar scene with a faerie twist; Lauren has placed a babe on the breast of an Alexandra Fountain goddess.

“That was inspired by the big uproar a couple of years ago at the Marketplace when a mother was shamed for breastfeeding in public. It struck me that our very public, iconic fountain had ladies with bare breasts. So I wanted to create some artwork that advocated for normalising breastfeeding.”

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This year, Lauren will take even more inspiration from the city.

“Bendigo, I find, is a really good city to be in and to be inspired by because it’s got all these gothic buildings, where you have to wonder about their stories. I like to imagine Bendigo like it was in the 1850s, the 1920s… and so the current series I’m working on will bring some of old Bendigo back to life.”

The work that has cemented Lauren’s new-found conviction to take her art more seriously was one she made in January this year, in response to the bushfire crisis.

“We go to Batemans Bay every year and have done for 35 years and I always photograph the kangaroos there, but we couldn’t go this year because of the bushfires,” she says. “So I went through my photos instead.” Lauren created an image of a family unit of kangaroos, standing among burnt bushland with a battered suitcase beside.

She called it Displaced.

“I wanted to show what was happening to the animals. I just imagined them all with no home and no food; a bit like refugees in their own back yard. My heart just went out to all the animals and people in the firing line.”

Although many people found the image sad, it garnered a huge response. Lauren made another three fire-inspired pictures, incorporating birds and koalas into the works. She was then gifted a stall at the Moonlight Market and sold the images there and online, with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to Wildlife Victoria.

“I’ve really seen the power of art to move people,” she says on the reaction to that series. “I love the sense of connection it creates. I might not know them or even meet them but when people are drawn to my artwork, it forges a bond of like-mindedness. What I do might mean something to somebody.

“It’s given me the confidence to take myself a little bit more seriously as an artist.” www.laurenstarr.com.au - Instagram @laurenstarrartist 60

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FANS SCORE AT MUSIC FUNDRAISER For 10 years the Blues & Roots Music Festival has given a lot to Central Victorians, and hundreds of fans were keen to give back by attending the event’s summer showcase fundraiser at the Rifle Brigade Hotel in March.

Proceeds from the showcase fund the predominantly free November festival.

With the hotel carpark and balcony filled to the brim, Bendigo’s music scene is well placed to score another captivating festival of blues and roots music.

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The Plaza Theatre (1936). Photograph

by Lyle Fowler (1891-1969) courtesy of the State Library Victoria.

lost in Bendigo

One of the city’s most popular social media accounts is democratising history and “bringing back the memories”, writes one loyal follower.

By Lauren Mitchell The word ‘Velvets’ has a special place in the hearts of Bendigonians over a certain age. When the Lost Bendigo and District Facebook page shared a photo of the former nightclub on the corner of High and Short streets, it dredged up 259 memories, committed to comments.

“Velvets, an ‘80s icon, midnight dance of the desperate,” wrote Matthew. “Great venue, much dollars donated here along with valuable brain cells and mitochondrial damage. When all doors close, head to Velvets.”

And this one from Justin: “I saw Stevie Wright from the Easybeats there around ’87-88. He had about half of AC/DC as his backing band. There was about six people there…”

The rest makes for equally entertaining reading. No wonder the local page of historic relics has amassed a following of 16,000 and counting. For editor Michael Purdon, it’s a daily job keeping up with the content.

Lost Bendigo and District was the first regional page of its kind started by Geoff Allemande, who went on to publish Lost pages for other historic regional Victorian towns, with the aim of democratising the past.

Soon after it launched, Michael started chiming in with historical titbits and was soon asked to become the editor. He’s the perfect person for the job, too. He’s a dates man, good on details and happy to go the extra mile to help others share their memories and photographs of old-school Bendigo.

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The Plaza Theatre (1936). Photograph

by Lyle Fowler (1891-1969) courtesy of the State Library Victoria.

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The Plaza Theatre (1936). Photograph

by Lyle Fowler (1891-1969) courtesy of the State Library Victoria.

Recently, Michael collected 14 boxes of photographs taken by the late John Bailey, gifted to him by John’s family to share via Lost Bendigo.

but I became more interested in the movies. I worked as a lolly boy at the Plaza Theatre. From there my interest in movies grew and I became an assistant projectionist at the Plaza, from 1959 to ‘62.

Michael says John covered just about every community event from the early 1970s to the 1990s, particularly the Bendigo Easter Procession. His photographs are now being enjoyed liberally.

“After I left there, I went to the Golden Drive-In, just past St Aidan’s Orphanage – it’s all housing there now. I got my projectionist licence in ‘62 and worked there until ‘66, when I went to run the Plaza.

“The biggest hits we’ve had was for a recent post featuring John’s photos of marching girls,” Michael says.

“That got up to 23,000 views, but the average is five or six thousand per post.”

“You could hear the jingle of their medals as they were coming down the road,” commented Christine.

And this one from Sue: “I marched in the Eaglehawk Bluettes back in the early ‘70s.” According to commenters, there was also the EJs, the Sunbeams, the Imperials and, hilariously, the Toranas… yep, it was the ‘70s!

Back in those days, life for Michael was all about the movies.

“I grew up in Bendigo, after we moved here when I was three,” he says, giving his own personal potted history. “My dad was a railway worker on the steam trains.

I went to school at the Bendigo East State School from 1949 to 1956, then I attended the Bendigo Junior Technical College.

“I was going to join my dad at the railways

The Chinese Dragon, Bendigo Easter Fair (circa 1941). Courtesy of the State Library Victoria.

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Easter Monday Fair, Bendigo (circa 1906). Courtesy of the State Library Victoria.

“The building is still there and if you look up you can still see the word ‘Plaza’ at the top. It was built in 1934 and closed in 1975, when the Twin Cinema was opened. It seated 1200 people, upstairs and downstairs. I’ve got lots of photos of it in my collection and they’ve been on Lost, too.

a Yankee who found the largest gold nugget at Hill End” and then invested the windfall into buying the world’s best cameras. The lucky American spent his time travelling and taking photos. His Bendigo shots show wide dirt boulevards, horses and carts, and many buildings still beloved.

“I loved showing the movies, looking through the porthole and seeing the crowd come in and then the smiles on their faces as they were coming back out.”

Michael says anything regarding Cohns drinks, Gillies pies or Easter in Bendigo garners warm and enthusiastic responses, as did a recent photo of the late Mr Rechter behind the counter of Rechter’s Café, which once characterised Mitchell Street. The followers just loved it.

In 1970, Michael got an offer to be the projectionist at Shepparton’s Twilight Drive-In. “We made the big move and I’ve lived there ever since,” he says, adding he’ll always stay connected to Bendigo through his love of its history and, now, this page.

Another regular contributor to the page is Bendigo’s Geoff Cartwright, who restores historic photos. This year the page has shared some beautiful examples of Geoff’s work, including photographs of Bendigo from the 1870s, taken off big glass plate negatives from the State Library.

“It’s all been really good,” says Michael. “It amazes me, when you see other pages, people swear like anything. I’ve hidden comments before, but I’ve never banned anyone from the page. There was one recently, the person was happy about something, but they had to drop the magic word in for some reason.”

“Quite often they’re better than the originals when Geoff’s finished with them,” Michael says. “You can actually read the names on the shops.”

Michael says the page has connected many people, old school and work mates, and people who’ve moved overseas. “They’ll comment, ‘oh, you’re making me homesick’,” he says. “They’ll say, ‘I just feel like a Gillies pie now’. Or, ‘I left in 1969, do they still have the Easter procession?’ Or, ‘What’s that monstrosity in the middle of town?’ which is a comment on the Bendigo Bank building.”

The originals were taken by the American and Australasian Photographic Company, which Michael explains was “founded by

Some things found, some things lost, but not forgotten, thanks to the work of Michael and his fellow local history lovers.

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Ag Art

2000-2020

Living Arts Space exhibition

MARCH 7 - MAY 30, 2020 This year marks 20 years of the Elmore Field Days Ag Art Wear Contest, which has challenged artists to create wearable art using only materials found in an agricultural setting.

This exhibition will showcase the winners of the 2019 Ag Art Wear Competition alongside highlights from the last 20 years and a selection of works from decorative metal artist, David Dawson.

Find us on

BENDIGO VISITOR CENTRE Open 9am to 5pm daily (except Christmas Day) 51-67 Pall Mall, Bendigo • 03 5434 6060 • tourism@bendigo.vic.gov.au www.bendigoregion.com.au • #Explore Bendigo • Find us on

over tea and pots

Jeannine Hendy finds the time and space to experiment with time-honoured traditions in Trentham.

By Lauren Mitchell – Photography by Amy Doak The company Lysaght and Co. was founded in 1880 and went on to pioneer Mini Orb, a corrugated wall cladding product that’s helped characterise the country’s farming landscape. Think shearing sheds, machinery sheds and water tanks. It’s also been used to memorable effect in Jeannine Hendy’s home and pottery in pretty Trentham.

“I wanted the brands out,” Jeannine says of the Lysaght stamps here and there on her steel studio walls. The space harks back to a childhood spent mucking around in wood and tractor sheds. In fact, much of what Jeannine pursues here is a nod to her past.

The ceramic artist grew up on a farm at Reedy Flat near Ensay, on the Great Alpine Road. It’s a place with hot summers and ice crisp winters – much like Trentham.

“I had a beautiful childhood,” she says. “It was a very rural childhood and I was very much connected to the natural world.”

Part and parcel of that was learning to be resourceful. “If we needed something, we either had to make it or grow it,” she says.

Jeannine remembers discovering you could make your own teapots, mugs, plates and 68

bowls, on visits to one of Melbourne’s iconic suburbs of the arts.

“In the late 1970s, my family would visit The Potter’s Cottage at Warrandyte when we went to see my grandparents. Even as an eight-year-old child I remember that as the most thrilling thing. The smell of the clay, the earth. Growing up on the farm, that resonated with me.” However, it would take another 40-odd years before Jeannine would sit behind a potter’s wheel. When she did, the results were profound.

Jeannine was a theatre nurse in a busy private Melbourne hospital, working long, stressful hours, when her family gently nudged her towards a pottery class. “My eldest daughter said, ‘Mum, there’s a pottery class starting in Carlton next week, you should go’. They always knew I loved pots. Always. So off I went on the Wednesday and the minute I sat down at the wheel and started, I had a light bulb moment. It’s a rare thing that doesn’t happen much in life.”

The wheel forming classes at Carlton Arts Centre were spent making “ugly wobbly things” and being encouraged by the tutor,

“a gentle soul”. It was enough for Jeannine to know she craved a knowledge of the chemistry, technology and design behind the craft, so she joined the final cohort of students to study a Diploma of Ceramics at Ballarat TAFE. After graduation, she won an Excellence in Ceramics Tertiary Student Award in 2013, through Stonehouse Gallery in Warrandyte.

The accolade gave the new artist confidence to establish her own pottery at the home she and husband Eric were building in Trentham.

During the years spent studying, Jeannine and Eric started building the house they’d designed in a new housing estate, where the homes were far from the cookie-cutter designs of project builders. It was a chance for the couple to establish a property that reflected their creativity in the country setting they both craved.

“Eric’s a country boy from the Charlton region,” Jeannine says. “We were living in Melbourne and he didn’t like being cooped up in a unit, he needed space. Every time we visited family we’d take the long way

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home and after a couple of years of driving back tracks we discovered this block. It was a beautiful spring day. We stopped in Trentham and the leaves on the elm trees were starting to come out.”

The beautiful studio attached to the house was designed as a quiet making space with views of the garden, and a showroom for visitors. “It’s a great source of inspiration to watch the world out there. I like that quiet moodiness,” Jeannine says.

She describes waking at 5.30am in the cooler months to light the wood heater. Later, she plays Vivaldi while the wheel turns and the pots emerge. Lately she’s been experimenting with form over function, crafting vessels to “hold space and surface”. The colours in these vase-like objects reflect the dampness, the moss and tonal shifts of Trentham’s forests. Slips of clay from a nearby creek deem some pieces truly local.

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pick them up. Each cup is very tactile, very personal, very individual.”

Which brings us to the serious matter of tea… “No decision on the farm was ever made without a pot of tea, and we always drank out of china cups. The ritual of tea was a comforting thing and valuable thing,” Jeannine says, leading us from the studio into the warmth of her north-facing, sun-drenched kitchen. Exposed aggregate block walls carry on the edgy, utilitarian feel, while a central timber bench out of a Brunswick button factory brings the quirk.

Shelves and surfaces around the room feature yet more pottery. Many of them are glorious rejects from the studio, and many form Jeannine’s collection of other potters’ work. Teapots of all shapes and sizes sit on top of an antique dresser. Generous platters on the table hold the last of the season’s tomato crop.

The rest of this artist’s space reveals soaring ceilings, sky and garden views, paintings, more pots and the flourishing foliage of very happy indoor plants. Despite its lofty heights the home feels grounded, in garden, earth and clay.

“Experiences always play a significant role in what I’m making,” Jeannine says. “The recent bushfires and a return trip to the family farm, travelling through burnt forest, will no doubt have an impact. I continue to ask, what do I make? Why do I make it? And what does it say?”

Jeannine’s most recent functional work is simple yet contemporary, “allowing surface designs and treatments to evolve”.

A long-awaited trip to Japan in 2019 has influenced some new approaches. “Most recently I have developed a strong emphasis of material and texture, exploring different clays and slips,” she says.

The studio walls feature pale plywood shelves of hand-thrown cups, each one different. “I make lots of them because they’re personal objects. A lot of people like them with no handles because they like to hold them in both hands. I like my work to be very tactile – they have a nice feel when you 71

Jodie and Kirby Black and Luke and Liz Shelton

Marie Colvin, Sonya Browne, Liz Harrington and Lisa Maud

Stella, Jason and Veronica Murphy

Sam Mackrill, Sheyenne Taiki and Hamish Strawhorn

Tate, Craig and Darcy Kanzamar

Stewart Grieves, Beau Grieves and Thomas Kerr

FAMILY FUN AT AXEDALE The Axedale Quick Shear scored a trifecta of beautiful weather, top entertainment and a fantastic crowd at its family fun day.

The sure-fire highlight of the annual community fundraiser was, without a doubt, the popular Quick Shear competition.

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Chris Corr, Nicola Dunnicliff-Wells and Clare Dullard

Colin and Trevor Tully

SPORTS STARS SHINE The region’s sporting elite put their glam foot forward for the Bendigo Sports Star of the Year.

Emily Kearns, Jaclyn Wilson and Jazy Roberts

Ruby Conti and Alessia McCaig

The awards night celebrates sporting achievements of local athletes, with Will Kelly (water skiing) and Lee Schraner (lawn bowls)Â joint winners for 2019-20.

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the freedom to create

When an injury robbed this BSSC alumna of a career in dance, she turned to her other great passion – words.

By John Holton - Photgraphy by Leon Schoots When Jessica Leed was still in primary school, Saturday mornings meant a trip to the Bendigo Library with her dad to borrow her 10 books for the week. Saturday afternoons were spent blissfully lost in those fictional worlds.

developed even further as a VET Dance student at Bendigo Senior Secondary College in 2007. Along with 20 other dance students, she was part of the Rock Eisteddfod at Rod Laver Arena, where BSSC finished fourth overall.

There seems a certain serendipity that I’ve arranged to meet Jessica at the Bendigo Library on a Saturday morning to discuss her newly released first novel, Nine Years. It’s clear from the get go that her love of books and reading has never waned.

“It’s one of the many great memories I have of my time at BSSC,” Jessica says. “I came from Victory Christian College, which was a tiny school at the time. I remember thinking the facilities at Senior were amazing, particularly the science building… and the cafeteria. We didn’t have one of those at Victory.

“Often those 10 books wouldn’t get me through the week,” Jessica reminisces with a smile. “I loved writing short stories, too. I had a school friend at the time who was into writing as well – we’d have play dates where we just sat around and wrote stories.

“I loved it when they were read aloud in class.”

While her love of the written word blossomed, another passion also fought for attention.

Jessica began dancing as a seven-year-old at Bendigo’s Old Fire Station, before moving on to the Donna Lierse School of Dance, where the talents of so many young Bendigo dancers were fostered.

“I just loved dancing in the Bendigo Competitions and in concerts at The Capital theatre,” she says. “From the age of 12, I knew I wanted to dance professionally – to be a classical ballet dancer.”

Jessica’s ambition to be on the big stage

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“I loved how the timetable gave us so much time for private study and hanging out with friends. I met so many amazing people over those two years.”

Jessica’s drive to become a professional dancer saw her try out for the Australian Ballet School and Victorian College of the Arts, but it was a scholarship to the Spectrum Dance School that took her to Melbourne and kick-started her dance career. She eventually gained a place at the National Theatre Ballet School and was in her second year when she was struck down by a tragic injury.

“I’d just been offered a contract to tour with the musical Cats and was on top of the world,” Jessica remembers. “The condition is called posterior compartment syndrome and affected both my calves. It meant I could no longer do pointe work without severe pain.

“I was absolutely devastated – I was forced to rethink my whole future.”

Not wanting to leave the world of dance, Jessica became a teacher with The Australian Academy of Dance, working with students in prestigious schools such as Lauriston Girls’ and Melbourne Grammar.

“It was a great experience,” she says, “but deep down I knew what I really wanted was to become a school teacher. I loved being around young people.”

Jessica did the first year of her education degree at ACU, before completing it online, organising all her own teaching placements in Bendigo at Girton Grammar, Creek Street, Holy Rosary and her old alma mater, Victory.

She now teaches full-time, making the achievement of publishing her first novel even more impressive.

The first draft of Nine Years was written four years ago, then put in the proverbial writer’s bottom drawer until Jessica revisited it in October 2018 and began rewriting and adding chapters. Inspired by best-selling author Karen Kingsbury, she completed an online creative writing course through Liberty University in Virginia and was able to bring that learning to the editing process.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky with the authors I’ve met who have been so generous with their time and advice,” Jessica says. “I learnt a lot from Karen’s writing course and Australian author Tess Woods (of Love at First Flight fame) has also been a great support in promoting my book.”

Going down the non-traditional, selfpublishing route has been a steep learning curve for Jessica, but a rewarding one as well. She designed the cover of Nine Years herself, based around a photograph taken by her father, and published the book with print-on-demand publisher, IngramSpark.

“It means the book is available through all the major online booksellers such as Amazon, Booktopia, Barnes and Noble, and The Book Depository,” Jessica says.

“So far it’s sold almost 3000 copies across paperback, hardback and kindle, which is really pleasing.”

Though she lives in Melbourne, Bendigo still plays a big part in Jessica’s world. It’s not only the inspiration for the fictional town of Aringdale in Nine Years, but also the place she retreats to for the serious business of writing.

Her parents own a three-acre property on the outskirts of Bendigo with a gazebo. It’s where Jessica wrote most of Nine Years and will soon begin the sequel.

“For me, it’s the place where I can find the peace and the space I need to write; get into the rhythm of writing 400 words a day.

“The beauty of writing is to escape all those things we can’t control – the freedom to create different worlds in your head and form your own realities.”

Nine Years is available at all major online booksellers. Look out for Here I Stand in early 2021.

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TIME FOR TOOL SCHOOL

Amelia Hunt and Jacquelene Hunt

Glenda Stevenson and Tamar Pankhurst

Heather Pascoe and Denise McKean

Jen Rogers and Jo Coughlan

Jessica Somerville and Sue Edgar

Naomi Mannes, Hayley Johnson-Stride and Teal Annett-McClellan

A group of women upped their skills recently at a special workshop at Hume & Iser Mitre 10.

Organisers say the booked-out event focused on how to complete small jobs around the home and being confident in using small power tools. The patching plaster session proved particularly popular!

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Xavier, Rick, Sam and Zane Loomes

Glenn Cornell and Kane Nelson

Craig Frauenfelder, Shane Stradbroo , Terry Welch and Jake Stradbrook

Jacob Smith, Jack Neylon and Kellan Smith

FISHING CLASSIC HAULS IN CROWDS The second annual Strathfieldsaye Fishing Classic reeled in a good crowd, with many eager to test their skills on the water.

Jaida, Darren and Jye Tuohey

Rodney Barty and Neil Mitchell

Massive prizes were up for grabs as the fishing faithful pulled in reddies, yellow belly, Murray cod and even the odd dreaded carp.

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Hollywood comes to Barwon Heads We have been spending a lot of time in Geelong lately. Grandchild sitting. Now I think about it, we have always spent quite a lot of time in the City by the Bay. Words and illustration by Geoff Hocking

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I guess it was always the case for residents of Central Victoria; to take their holidays along the coast from Queenscliff to Lorne, and all spots in between. It was a lot easier to get to than the camping grounds on the other side of the bay favoured by Melburnians.

And so it was, that we were there in 1959 when Hollywood came to Barwon Heads.

My parents had rented a caravan for two weeks in the Barwon Heads Caravan Park.

The park is still there. The entrance is adjacent to the Barwon Heads Hotel, and it runs along the cliff-top above the beachshack that Diver-Dan made famous in the first series of the popular television series Sea Change.

Barwon Heads is a very safe beach for families. The mouth of the Barwon River is wide and shallow, with broad sandy beaches and calm waters. The only gentle movement ebbs and flows, with the incoming and outgoing tide. That is why we were there.

We were all far too young for the “wild and dangerous” ocean beaches along the coast, at Torquay and Bells.

One day we watched as Hollywood superstars Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner were spotted, there among the cameras and lights and gaffers and whatever else was needed by the outdoor crew who were making the film version of Nevil Shute’s end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it novel On The Beach. In a top-down Austin-Healey, Ava Gardner drove out and came back, and drove out again, several times, until the director had the shot he needed for the closing sequence of his film.

On The Beach is set in the city of Melbourne and the bayside beaches, following nuclear war in the Northern Hemisphere. As a radioactive cloud wraps itself around the globe, Australia is the last continent to be threatened. Gregory Peck, in command of US Navy submarine 623, is searching for survivors and is in Melbourne at the end of his journey.

a nuclear scientist named Julian, played

by Fred Astaire, though feeling somewhat responsible for the state they were in, drove to win.

As one commentator wryly observed at the time: “If you wanted to make a movie about the end of the world, then Melbourne was the best place to do it. It was already dead.”

This film is most poignant. Its background music repeats the theme of Waltzing Matilda, and towards its end when citizens of Melbourne head into the Yarra Valley for one last picnic to disport themselves in the river and get drunk from long-neck bottles cooled by the flowing water, they join together and sing. The words of our unofficial national anthem have never sounded so mournful, so comforting and so beautiful – all at once.

This comment is appropriate to the scenes shown at the conclusion of the movie as the camera settles on an empty Swanston Street, a tram stood still in its tracks, and pans down onto the deserted steps of the State Library, above which hangs a banner that bears the words “There Is Still Time Brother”, a plea for repentance in the face of certain doom.

I had another look at this film recently, and while it is pretty tedious compared to today’s standards of vigorous film-making, the concept is still as frightening as its message is relevant to today’s concerns about climate change – there is still time, but, brother, we need to do something quickly about it.

I had always remembered the car race sequence in the film, which was to be the last ever Grand Prix at Phillip Island. While petrol had run out across the land, some owners of classic vehicles had kept enough for one last hurrah. With certain death from radioactive poisoning a promise for the future, the race drivers raced with abandon, not caring whether or not they crashed and burnt on the island track. Only one,

Just after he mounted his prize plaque on the bonnet of his Ferrari, he sealed off his garage doors, turned on the motor and sat back down into the driver’s seat. He was not going anywhere, anymore.

Observing Hollywood in action was about the most exciting thing to happen in the life of a 10-year old boy on holidays at Barwon Heads with his mum and dad, apart from the evening stroll into the shopping strip to buy a chocolate milkshake from the milk bar with a two-shilling piece saved from his pocket money. I usually saved enough for a milkshake every day of the holidays.

Apart from occasionally staying with Mum’s relatives in Geelong, spending our days in the water at Eastern Beach with Eskimo Pies and ice-cold cordial bought from the beachside shop, we rarely went much further than Queenscliff or Ocean Grove. Surf culture would have to wait until we were teens and in charge of our own transport. It was then that we took ourselves off to the more lively camping grounds, where we rose late, lay on the sand for most of the afternoon and got ready for the fun and frolicking that happened after dark.

The local surf-lifesaving clubs ran dances in their clubrooms and we disported ourselves doing the Surfer Stomp from Torquay to Lorne – the centre of beatnik cool.

The shopping strips today are now very groovy and the houses expensive. DiverDan’s beach hut has been transformed into a bijou café/restaurant, the Barwon Heads Hotel is pretty smicko and Torquay boasts the architectural imposition of the massive RACV Resort. The ARAB is still there in Lorne but is no longer the haunt of beach bums and beatniks, but of hipsters and the bourgeoisies dressed in loafers and collarupturned polo shirts.

I know it’s not the end of the world, but sometimes it feels like it.

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Claire Rasmussen, Janelle Arena, Gideon Perrott, Mayor Cr Margaret O’Rourke and Sally Curtain

Gemma Skirving, Brittany Maskall and Kirilee Kennedy

Jacobie Welsh and Maddi and Riley Durham

Joel Handcock and Michael McIvor

Ross Hay, Hannah and William and Jackie Hay

Sue, Jemma and Hannah Mills

APPLAUSE FOR STUDENT SUCCESS The top achievers from Bendigo TAFE’s Class of 2019 were recognised for their educational efforts at an Industry Excellence Awards Ceremony at All Seasons on February 12.

Thirty-two students received awards, with their families, teachers, industry and community leaders attending the celebration.

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Alexia Boyd, Eliza Boyd, Neiks Doble and Keely Lowry

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David Tineo, Chloe Blackley and Dylan Conroy

Jenna Wilson, Kate Poppa and Tony Pati

CHEERS TO GOOD BEERS A chance to meet the brewers and taste beers from across the nation was an offer too good to refuse for visitors to the Bendigo Craft Beer and Cider Festival.

Lauree Hartley, Alicia Riordan and Renee Walter

Malani Ferguson, Caleb, Paul and Karen Etheredge and Kristy and Ben Harris

More than 100 beers and ciders were on tap, with lots of food, music and festival games adding to the fun day out.

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Dail and Khaiden

A lovingly planned wedding was perfectly executed in leafy Huntly, complete with something old, something new, something borrowed… you know the rest!

Photography by Samantha Elizabeth Photography Tell us about the wedding proposal...

“I had just got my first full-time job as a graduate teacher and Khaiden organised a romantic weekend away,” Dail says.

“He said it was to celebrate getting my new job. He organised a little cabin that overlooked a lake in Daylesford and a spa day. He proposed when it was just us with no phones, no reception, just us to enjoy it.

It was perfect.”

The couple met through mutual friends seven years ago and spent two-and-a-half of those planning their wedding.

“I still get goosebumps even talking about it,” Dail says. “The one comment we have had from the guests was there was just so much love in one day and that is the absolute truth. This day wouldn’t have been possible without the love and support of our family and friends. Our families helped so much with the planning of the wedding to ensure it was everything we wanted.”

Waratah Weddings and Function Centre in Huntly provided a beautiful bush setting for the day. “Carol and Greg were a pleasure to work with,” Dail says. “Nothing was

too difficult. They made sure our day was perfect and whatever we wanted, they were happy to make it happen.”

Samantha Elizabeth took the photographs, Dustin Schilling shot the video and Two Sisters Catering ensured “the food was amazing”.

Dail’s dress was from Fifi and Edga Bridal, while Demi Ryan Makeup and Flaunt It Hair took care of the rest.

“On our big day, I made sure I had something old, something new and something blue,” Dail says. “My something old was my nan’s 83

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beautiful diamond ring that she gifted me on my special day, something new was my wedding dress and something blue was a beautiful handkerchief that was my greatgrandmother’s. This was very special for me.

“The whole day will forever be a lasting memory, a day we will never, ever forget.

Having the time with our parents on our special day is something we will forever treasure. Having all our closest friends there with us on our special day was such a highlight also. We honestly were so surrounded with such love and happiness on our day and it couldn’t have felt better.”

After the wedding, Dail and Khaiden honeymooned in Vanuatu. “We stayed in an overwater bungalow, over the ocean. We ate lots of food, went on little day adventures together, relaxed and spent quality time together.”

“Life together as husband and wife is amazing,” Dail says. “I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together and continue this journey by each other’s side.”

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chermoula & honey roasted pumpkin

By Beau Cook - Photography by Leon Schoots

Oh good gourd, you’re going to love this dish, perfect for entertaining this autumn.

A warming autumn dish to help use up some of those home-grown pumpkins. I used Jap pumpkin but any variety will work.

If you are not a fan of too much spice, I suggest using some chilli jam instead.

Ingredients:

Method:

• 1/4 (500g) Jap pumpkin cut into 4 large wedges

1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees C.

• 1 heaped tbl chermoula spice paste • 2 tbl olive oil • 1 tbl honey • 1 tbl balsamic vinegar • 1/2 cup labne • 1 lemon cheek • Handful roasted/crushed hazelnuts • 2 big handfuls fresh rocket • Sea salt flakes

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2. Toss pumpkin wedges with chermoula, oil, honey and balsamic, then spread out on a large tray lined with baking paper and roast for 20 mins.

3. To serve, spread the labne over a large plate or dish, layer rocket and pumpkin, pouring over any remaining marinade from the roasting tray.

4. Top with hazelnuts, lemon juice and generous sprinkle of sea salt.

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MADISON DRAWS IN CROWDS

Ben McCulloch, Xavier Cross and Josh McCulloch

Coen Fitzgerald, Bryce Vanderwal, Megan Scholz and Sebastian Baird

Edward and Maree Barkla and Jenny and Phil Sawyer

Daniel Young and Paul Etheredge

Kathryn Moss, John O’Neil and Elise Andrews

Rani and Jo Madden, Amy Hartley and Brad Madden

A packed crowd filled the Tom Flood Sports Centre for the 2020 Bendigo International Madison.

There was plenty of cheering for myriad cycling stars across the three-day event, with Conor Leahy and Josh Duffy outpacing their rivals to win the major cycling race.

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ANCIENT WAYS ON SHOW With the support of a sunny day, The Lost & Rare Trades Fair attracted thousands to the Bendigo Racecourse.

Attendees learnt from more than 150 makers who are pursuing careers in lost arts, rare trades and forgotten crafts. Trade skills in metal, glass, leather, wood, clay, decorative arts and textiles were on show.

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a toast to autumn

Make Mandurang Valley, Sandhurst Ridge and Turners Crossing wines household names for at-home entertaining this season.

By Ashley Raeburn - Photograph by Leon Schoots

TURNERS CROSSING, ROSÉ 2019.

It’s hard to think about the emergence of Bendigo as an esteemed wine region over the past 30 years without mentioning the name Turners Crossing. The winery has become synonymous with exceptional quality Shiraz, Cabernet and more recently, the classic white grape, Viognier. The recently-released latest vintages show that we’ll continue to enjoy Turners Crossing for many more years to come.

Rosé is just perfect to drink over the autumn months, and this example is a winner! Produced for 100 per cent Cabernet, is shows off a beautiful pale salmon colour in the glass. Classical aromas of freshly-ripened strawberries and cream on the nose lead into a creamy, textural palate. Seductive and smooth, flavours of strawberry, raspberry and the slightest hint of caramel come to the fore. There is enough acidity to help provide an elegant clean finish. Perfect with a charcuterie plate with friends over the Easter period.

MANDURANG VALLEY, GRENACHE, SHIRAZ, MONASTRELL 2018.

SANDHURST RIDGE, RESERVE SHIRAZ 2013.

Mandurang Valley Wines has certainly come a long way since its first vines were planted in 1976.

Sandhurst Ridge has established itself as one of Bendigo’s premier wineries, becoming known for hand-crafted and distinctively-local wines, including Shiraz and Cabernet, and some lesser-known varietals such as Nebbiolo, reflecting the winemakers’ Italian heritage. Family owned and operated, the cellar door is always worth a visit with plenty of museum-release wines available in addition to current releases.

Visitors to the area are also well looked after with two luxury cottages perfect for a weekend getaway.

Wes and Pamela Vine are now assisted by son Steve, daughter-in-law Jacqui and grandchildren Tristan and Oliver (who has just released his first wine, a cracking Malbec so make sure you check it out!). The range of wines produced are of outstanding quality, providing excellent examples of varietal characteristics. Do yourself a favour and spend an afternoon at the cellar door, enjoying the regularly-changing art exhibitions, beautiful gardens, a tasty bite to eat and, of course, sampling some of the region’s finest wines.

This new blend from the team at Mandurang Valley comes from the delicious pairing of Grenache, Shiraz and Monastrell. This blend is typical of the wines from the Rhone Valley in the south of France and delivers all the qualities expected, with just a little Aussie twist to it. The nose delivers plenty of raspberry and white pepper spice aromas, which continue into an elegant palate that is quite soft with a fine, silky tannin structure. Flavours of blackberry and dark cherry are complimented with more savoury spice and subtle hints of oak that lead to a rounded finish. Definitely a winner for the autumn months, it makes for a delicious pairing with roasted chicken with rosemary and sage stuffing.

Here we see the benefits of ageing-quality wine. Now seven years old, there is still an elegant nose of delicate red fruit leading into a supple, rich palate. The tannins have softened off over time, however the wine remains impeccably balanced. Jam-packed with powerful fruit nuances of satsuma blood plum and black cherry, combined with underlying touches of white pepper and the use of quality oak in the maturation process. With a lengthy, persistent fruit-driven finish, we are rally starting to see the best of this fantastic wine.

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Erin and Nick

October in Bendigo will always hold a special place in the hearts of Erin and Nick, who met during the month’s premier event, then trumped it with their wedding.

Photography by Paige Cartwright Tell us about the wedding proposal…

friends.”

“I planned a weekend away on the Mornington Peninsula for Nick’s birthday in 2018,” Erin says. “After we arrived, I was preparing a cheese platter when I turned around to find Nick on one knee with a ring. He was so nervous he couldn’t get the words out and I was so emotional I could barely say yes! It was awesome. We then had a wonderful weekend of exploring wineries and visiting the hot springs, plus sharing the great news with family and

The couple had met in October 2013, at the Bendigo Cup, when Erin got Nick’s attention after backing the winning horse. Their wedding was likewise a local affair, with a ceremony and reception at Sutton Grange Winery in October 2019.

“It was important to us to make sure our suppliers were local businesses – everyone we dealt with made us feel like family. It was really special,” Erin says. “We have

some awesome and creative people in Bendigo.”

Those people included celebrant Kylie Stevenson, of The Wedding Woman, musicians The Grinners and Warren Randall, photographer Paige Cartwright and videographer Paper Lion Co. The flowers and Erin’s dress were from Poppy’s Bridal, the suits from Grant Rule Menswear and rings from Stearns Showcase Jewellers.

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“Nick’s friend Warren played acoustic music after the ceremony, before the band started, which was special,” Erin says. “It was also really nice to have Nick’s sister Chimere make the cake.

“For us, it was all about having our loved ones in the same room to celebrate. Half of our guests travelled from Brisbane (where I’m from), so it was so special that everyone made the effort to be there for us. The night was full of laughs, dancing and having our favourite people together, so it’s something we’ll never forget.”

Erin and Nick relaxed in Bali for a week after the wedding but are also planning a larger honeymoon in Italy and Spain this year. Erin says life as husband and wife is lovely. “We have so many things to look forward to and lots of things we want to achieve. It’s really nice to know that we are in it together.”

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new kid on the block

With a striking exterior of contemporary black matt cladding and rough-sawn blue gum timber, this new-build is at home in the brooding landscape of Trentham.

By Marina Williams - Photography by Leon Schoots

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Of his latest design, architect Lucas Hodgens doesn’t pull any punches. “This home is not pretending to be something it’s not.

Let’s be honest, Trentham has dark and moody overtones with a brooding presence, which is reflected beautifully in the clean, structural lines of the home’s exterior – it is definitely making its presence felt and known on its corner block,” says the principal of e+ architecture.

With a striking exterior of simple, clean lines, the new-build features a mix of contemporary black matt cladding and rough-sawn blue gum timber, which nicely delineates the functionality of the 290sqm home.

“The house is really just three simple pitch roof pavilions with interlocking sections that feature timber that flows through on the inside. When you’re within a flat-roof linking section, the interior is also lined with timber. So you’ve got this mix of traditional weatherboard cottage-type architecture and some contemporary stuff,” Lucas says.

Of the three pavilions, there’s one for the owners, retirees Cynthia and Ian, another for the open-plan living quarters of kitchen, living, study and dining space and a third for the guest suite, garage and laundry.

“It was a very clean, simple brief from the owners,” he adds. “Create almost a contemporary version of their previous home but on a single level.” Making the process even easier was the owners were returning clients, which was a first for Lucas. As with the first time, the clients knew what they wanted.

“Having a return client is interesting as you sort of already know each other inside out because you’ve already gone through the same process of understanding likes, dislikes and what to expect.”

Adding to the familiarity was builder Allan Bell, who constructed the owners’ previous home 10 years earlier. Other specialist contractors 101

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upping the design factor on the home included Lacey Joinery, Inside Story, Mel Ogden Landscapes and Wild Facades.

“They all contributed to the design, which was critical to the proposal. There is quality in the build and the home definitely responds to its site.”

All internal timber work, such as the bespoke cabinetry featured in the bathrooms, study and kitchen, ceiling beams and interior walls, features Australian hardwood. Rough-sawn blue gum is used on the exterior to give contrast against the matte black tin profile that clads the living spaces within the pavilions.

“We also have a lot of sheds and rural buildings surrounding the home, so we wanted to make sure it wasn’t a brick-veneer suburban home.”

With lashings of timber giving the home warmth, other “honest materials” also dominate inside — polished concrete (with inslab heating) for flooring, brushed stainless steel on the kitchen benchtops and large-format porcelain tiles on bathroom walls and 104

floors. The double-glazed tilt-turn uPVC windows used throughout the home were imported from Germany. “They were carefully selected because of the quality of their seals — Trentham is super cold.” The cooler climate negated the need for air-conditioning but ceiling fans can be switched on to circulate air regardless of the season.

“When the sun hits the floors in winter the heat radiates back into the air inside.”

Even though the owners were building to downsize, storage is big.

It’s a must in any home, Lucas says. “Any opportunity, we’ll get storage in. We treat it in two ways – either make it a feature or craft a piece of furniture, such as the island bench, which has drawers on both sides.”

With interior walls mainly white, design considerations had to respond to the owners’ existing artworks, which “really played off our building style, even right down to the landscape”.

Outside, a large water feature with massive rock stepping stones

links the courtyard, barbecue and fire area to various garden beds, including a thriving “food” area.

With an emphasis on a need for outdoor-indoor living, the placement of the private outdoor space wasn’t going to fit the traditional rules of design as the home’s position on a corner allotment left it exposed to the neighbourhood.

“It’s completely backwards to the way we would normally design to get the most of the afternoon sun,” Lucas says. “We did a little bit of a pros and cons list around that, and the determination was that there was so little sunny days here in Trentham it wouldn’t make that much of a difference. Our preference was to have a really nice private outdoor space that was hidden from the street, so the owners could easily access the barbecue and outdoor living spaces.

The large windows would allow the light to flow through to these areas.”

The flip of design is also a win for Trentham, scoring a house with simple lines that complements the natural beauty of its countrytown setting.

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tour for a cure

Three Bendigo mates are part of a pedal pack embarking on an epic bike ride to raise funds for childhood cancer research, inspired by the memory of a brave little girl and her mum.

By Raelee Tuckerman - Photography by Leon Schoots Lily Hester’s beaming smile lit up the room and warmed the soul of everyone she met, as did the strength of her courage and the generosity of her heart. Even during her 13-month fight against a rare form of liver cancer – through operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatment – Lily’s first thoughts were always about the wellbeing of others.

“When she was having chemo, she was at school with another little girl who had a blood infection that took both of her legs,” recalls dad Aaron, a former Bendigo boy who retains strong ties to his old home town. “Lil wanted to raise money for Laura to get prosthetic legs, so she asked people to bake cakes and cookies and sold them, raising about $450.

“Another time, about 10 days before she passed away, I was crying in her room and she said, ‘it’s okay, Daddy, don’t cry, hop into bed and cuddle with me’. She put her arms around me and wanted to comfort me. That just typifies the type of beautiful person she was.”

Nine-year-old Lily lost her battle in August 2014, but her legacy is bringing hope to others through the Live for Lily Foundation, set up by mum Sianne and Aaron to raise vital research funding for the Children’s Cancer Institute.

As well as a gala Butterfly Ball at Crown Palladium every June, the foundation organises an epic charity bike ride following a different route every year: 1000 gruelling kilometres in a week, across myriad mountain peaks, to test riders physically and mentally.

Tragically, Sianne was diagnosed with breast cancer three months after her daughter’s death and passed away in May 2016, weeks after determinedly completing the inaugural ride from Penola, South Australia, to Melbourne as a support crew member, despite being gravely ill and undergoing chemotherapy along the way.

This year’s fifth Ride for Lily starts in Canberra on March 29 and ends in Melbourne on April 4, weaving through the Snowy Mountains and Victoria’s alpine region.

Among the 20-odd cyclists gearing up for the challenge are Bendigo trio Jason Harvey, Matt Hargreaves and Adrian Martins – all longterm friends of Aaron. Adrian grew up in the house next door to him in Golden Square; Jason played junior squad basketball with him; and Matt worked part-time at McDonald’s, where young Aaron was his crew trainer.

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All have taken part in previous rides and have been in training – often up and down Mount Alexander and surrounds – to prepare for the inevitable pain they will suffer along the way.

“Aaron was adamant he wanted the ride to be challenging and raise money for the cause,” says Jason, “but he wanted it to hurt because that’s what Lily went through during treatment.

“As his mates, we adopt the same cause and that’s why we are always chasing mountains. In Tasmania last year, we might have gone from A to B, but we zigzagged via C, D, E, F and G just to chase some hurt.”

Matt adds: “And it does hurt. It’s not an easy ride. But it’s nothing compared to what Lily endured – Sianne, too – that’s what gets you out of bed every day. That, and the feeling when you roll into towns and the support crew and kids are there shaking tins, the Live for Lily banners are set up and sometimes the main street is full of people cheering your arrival.”

Phil Martins is Adrian’s brother, Aaron’s lifelong best friend and a director of the Live for Lily Foundation. He says the Hester family’s experience has a profound effect on everyone who hears their story, with many people eager to lend support by volunteering their time, attending the ball, joining the ride, sponsoring a cyclist or making a standalone donation.

“One of the cornerstones of the foundation is that we are all volunteers,” he says. “None of us get paid, so every donated dollar that comes in goes to the Children’s Cancer Institute and we really promote what that money goes towards.”

finding the best drug to fight that individual cancer, and getting that off to the doctor so the child is treated in the best way, rather than just dosing them with chemotherapy that may not be effective and has lots of side effects.

“If that type of personalised medicine program had been around when Lily was alive, who knows… but it’s now having a huge effect right around Australia.”

The foundation has donated more than $1 million to the institute over the past four years. Their ride is open to anyone who registers the previous year and raises a minimum $5000, and the cyclist with the highest donation tally receives the Sianne Hester Inspirational Award and a special pink jersey in honour of the mum who never stopped trying to find a cure.

“Sianne threw herself into researching a way of beating Lily’s cancer, spending every waking moment trying to find a clinic and engaging in a lot of positive thoughts,” recalls Aaron. “But it didn’t matter where we turned, nothing bore fruit.”

He describes the period as one of the most stressful and harrowing times imaginable. “You come out the end battered and bruised and a totally different person. Our ordeal reminded me of everything that is harsh about the world – losing someone you love so much takes a lot of your soul and I think a part of me, of us, of our family died with Lily.”

But immersing himself in the foundation, and taking up cycling, has been cathartic.

Phil has toured the institute’s Sydney facility with a group of fellow riders to see the research first-hand, including the landmark Zero Childhood Cancer project that offers targeted drug therapy tailored to combat a child’s individual tumour.

“The foundation came to fruition about nine months after Lily passed away. We were just trying to exist and find our new place in the world with our two boys when a friend of mine said he wanted to go and do a charity ride, something positive to help us re-engage in life.

“It’s really quite mind-blowing. They have a turnaround time of about nine weeks from getting a cancer cell from a child to analysing it,

“He wanted to know where the money should be donated to, and I put it out to my circle of friends, including mates from Bendigo,

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to see if they wanted to come along. We then looked at creating the foundation because we wanted to put every cent into research and ensure it wasn’t gobbled up in administration costs or used in a way we didn’t see fit.

“Friends in business helped us and a director from Clayton Utz set it up pro bono. But it really all came from that one initial conversation about doing a ride.”

Aaron recently moved to Montreal in Canada for two years to make a fresh start with sons Ollie and Archie and wife Katie, who he married in December. He is grateful to friends who have stepped up in his absence to maintain the foundation and organise the major events.

“The ride is very special to my heart because it is how I got back engaged in life and with my friends,” he says. “It’s something Sianne and I started and it’s also how I met Katie, who was a rider from Sydney to Melbourne in 2017.”

Aaron is confident his girls would be thrilled to learn their memory lives on in a manner that contributes to helping other families facing a childhood cancer diagnosis.

“I think they would both be very proud of what they initiated or inspired – Sianne’s tenacious attitude and dogged determination in the early stages of establishing the foundation and Lily for her inspiration in how she went about her fight. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve thought about her when I’m out training or riding – and that allows me to keep going.”

For more information about the Live for Lily Foundation, or to donate to one of the Bendigo cyclists, visit liveforlily.org.au/ride-2020/ or the organisation’s Facebook page. Tickets for the Butterfly Ball at Crown on June 13 available on the website from April 6.

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