Chewton Chat June 2014

T A H C N

CHEWTON DOMAIN SOCIETY (INCORPORATED)

Reg. No. A0034364L P.O. Box 85, Chewton, 3451.

O T W E H

C

www.chewton.net

Published on the 1st of each month

Issue 184

June, 2014.

Any advance on $1,134.65?

Chewton’s Bigggest Morning Tea - and ggee, wasn’t it bigg? It raised more than a ggrand!

The Biggest Morning Tea is an annual fund raising event for cancer research and this year, for the fourteenth time, Chewton took part. The Soccer Club kindly allowed us to use the Goldfields Room as the venue for the second time - and this year it became a goldmine in fund raising.

The room was full to overflowing but with good natured “squashing up” everyone fitted in and was fed. We are never sure how many guests will turn up so it was pleasing to the workers when we saw people arriving well before the starting time of 10 o’clock. If noise level is a measure of people’s enjoyment, then a very good time was had by all because the room was soon filled with chatter.

Our guest speaker this year was Julie Holden, the Principal of Chewton Primary School and she brought students Monte and Kirsty with her.

Julie spoke about the way things are done in the school today. Quite differently from how those of us who were in primary school in the 1940s and 50s were taught. And they do teach times

tables – it is just done differently. What came through very clearly was Julie’s enthusiasm for her profession and the depth of her interest in her students and their welfare.

This year we had two raffles – the usual $1.00 a ticket and the second was for a beautiful hand made quilt

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that had been donated for the occasion and that was $2.00 a ticket. Naturally this was the highly desired prize and Jill Rath of Castlemaine was very happy when her number came up!

We really appreciate the support we receive from all the local business people who always generously help by donating prizes. Our guests, too, always support the BMT but this year they were exceptionally generous and consequently $1,134.65 was raised. If you would like to add to this it is not too late – contact Marie Jones 5472 2892, Judy Cobb 5472 5118 or Barbara Dry 5472 3385 who will be pleased to accept your donation and add it to the total.

Thanks to Robyn Lewis for not only organising the use of the Goldfields Room but for her exceptional skill at drying up great piles of crockery. Glen Harrison is quite the best “washer-upper” in central Victoria and his help made the tasks in the kitchen much lighter. Glen had also made a video loop of photos and Chat reports of previous Biggest Morning Teas and these ran continuously on the big screen in the background.

Next year will be the 15th Chewton Biggest Morning Tea, so mark the 4th Thursday of May 2015 in your diary, we look forward to welcoming you once again - perhaps in the Chewton Town Hall again!

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Chewton’s school is Chewton’s future... ...and that future is looking decidedly bright!

Chewton’s Biggest Morning Tea is now just a memory – but what a memory!

As the photos taken and the impressions formed are shaken together into a Chewton Chat report there is one absolute stand-out from the morning. The guest speaker!

We have all been following the school write-ups in the Chat and reading of the school’s involvement in the life of the community. We have all had a growing awareness that there is something special going on in our school. So it was no great surprise when Barbara Dry invited principal Julie Holden to be the guest speaker at this year’s gathering.

Julie arrived with two of the Chewton pupils who had volunteered to be part of the presentation. In a vibrant school there are always things happening and both school captains were visiting the secondary school and unavailable. So Monte and Kirsty were representing Chewton School amid a noisy throng of people whose memories of

schooldays were obviously less than recent.

After a quick introduction Julie took centre-stage and a riveting journey began. Julie took us through her own educational background, her varied experiences, her philosophies and even how she came to the role of principal at Chewton. Her talk was entertaining, humorous and all the while remarkably candid. The great things about the role of a teacher were outlined, counterbalanced by an explanation of the layers of expectations teachers work under these days. Children’s learning programs were dissected and examples of individual program tailoring given.

Child-centred programs and individual goal setting came up - and the myth that times tables and phonics have been abandoned were dispelled.

Watching faces is part of a photographer’s role and as Julie spoke it was fascinating to note the concentration and interest shown around the room. It reminded me of something I’d read on the Castlemainia Facebook page a few days ago. Someone had asked for advice on school selection and one responder had said, “Chewton has a lovely school community, with caring teachers (as you would hope every school would have) PLUS a fantastic principal! Curriculum includes many great programs, in particular it’s involvement with other small schools namely cluster days.”

Chewton’s school is Chewton’s future and it is obviously in good hands – even if one child thinks of them as butterfly hands! The things children say!

John Ellis.

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Generous people support the BMT!

Each year we are amazed at the donations we receive for the Biggest Morning Tea raffle and this year was no exception. When this 2014 BMT was being planned a local resident rang to make the offer of a quilt. Her sister who loves quilting had made a “Flower Pot” designed quilt using machine stitching for the basis finished off with beautifully hand stitched applique – a stunning piece of work. It was decided that this raffle was a special one to do justice to the value of the quilt and the local community and guests responded to this special prize.

The prizes for the regular raffle meant than many people went away carrying a special gift chosen from a range of merchandise from Red Box Gifts (Chewton Post Office), hand crafted works for around the home (Dolly Pegge’s Lana Osterfield), a cookery book (Stoneman’s

Bookroom), native garden plants (the O’Hallorans), a package of beauty products (McKenzie Davey Chemists), a white cyclamen (Castlemaine Floristry), a clothing voucher (Dalrene’s of Mostyn Street), a pumpkin fresh from a garden and the ever popular coffee vouchers (Chewton General Store).

The Goldfields Soccer Club provided the venue, the CDS chairs were brought in, the delicious food was prepared and served by willing helpers, there was an extra donation from the staff at Chewton Primary School (made up from fines for those people who forgot their good manners!) and the ticket sellers had the easiest job for the day!

Donations were also given by the Chewton Senior Citizens and another generous soul making the total raised nearly double that of last year’s BMT - truly a day to remember!

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Volunteers - are we surrounded by them?

This question has been asked before, but with Volunteer Week throwing the spotlight on them again during May it’s time to ask it again. It’s time to acknowledge those who contribute in so many ways to improving the quality of life in our community. From environment to education, Senior Cits to Soccer, CDS to CFA, pool to publishing, Landcare to lots of things – volunteers provide input into so many facets of everyday life.

It’s often said volunteers are vital, they are the glue that keeps society together. And that glue in Chewton? We are surrounded by it as the photos demonstrate. The CFA, Chewton and Golden Point Landcare groups, parents and friends at Chewton Primary School, supporters of the Chewton pool, Castlemaine Goldfields F.C., Post Office Hill Action Group, St. John’s Anglican Church, Chewton Community Centre, Chewton Senior Citizens, Red Hill Social Club, the People and Places Town Hall Display and the Chewton Domain Society Management Committee are groups that we constantly read about in the Chewton Chat. Each year the Biggest Morning Tea comes to Chewton courtesy of even more volunteers. And we mustn’t forget that the Chewton Chat owes its existence to the continued input from an all-volunteer group.

And there are still more volunteer groups that are integral to Chewton’s fabric and reputation – archery, cemetery, book club are just a few that spring to mind. And no doubt there are some that have been overlooked in this listing! Talk volunteers and the word “and” just keeps popping up! It used to be said that to turn over any rock in Chewton and you’ll find a brown snake or a hippie! Perhaps that should be changed to you’ll find a volunteer!

Apologies to any group that has been overlooked but the pages of the Chewton Chat are always open for you to publicise your activities.

And there are the many Chewton people who are involved in volunteering further afield, taking their expertise and interests to other organisations.Community radio, Lions, RSPCA, Red Cross, Castlemaine Market Tourism, secondary school support programs – volunteers are everywhere!

Perhaps we need to offer a page in each Chat to recognise a volunteer or a volunteer group. The Bendigo Addy does it with a Roll of Honour mention and the Castlemaine Mail with a regular page 2 listing and several Chewtonians have graced those pages.

One in the Chat? Anyone up to writing a monthly entry as a volunteer?

The surrounding photos were all taken in the last year, and people in them are representative of many more volunteers in each of those organisations. And occasionally there’s recognition of the volunteer roles as the last photos show - local MP Lisa Chesters presenting certificates of recognition to volunteer groups at the end of 2013.

It seems we are surrounded by them - fortunately!

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And see the letter of appreciation on page 29

Know Your Neighbour Have you met Tracey Candy?

Tracey Candy was born in Melbourne. When she was nine the family moved to Chewton. Why Chewton? ‘Close friends of my parents, John and Joy Starbuck, had bought the Red Hill Hotel. My parents would come up on weekends and give them a hand working behind the bar. They loved it so much that we moved here. Dad ended up becoming president of the Chewton Football Club. My grandparents, Gladys and Ed Candy, also moved here.

They were co-founding members of the Chewton Senior Cits’ band.’

Tracey and her sister Lisa attended school in Castlemaine. ‘I went to St. Mary’s for two years, didn’t enjoy being caned by the nuns so was happy to move on to the high school. In Year 10 I went to the Tech for a year. Then we moved to Malmsbury, so I finished off school in Kyneton. The time I spent actually living in Chewton was the six years from age 9 to 15.’

Upon leaving school Tracey says she had 28 jobs in one year. This was in 1988. ‘I did everything from managing a boutique, plucking ducks, barmaid work and a stint at the Baco.’ Although she was able to get so many jobs she admits she didn’t want to do any of them, which is why they were all short-lived. ‘So I started singing, which is something I really wanted to do.

My first memories, when I was about four, are of singing ‘Georgie Girl’ with my Nana Candy teaching me the words. My father, Joe Candy, was and still is a singer in a band called Sweet Rock. I thought singing was natural, that everyone could sing. Then when I was about 20 I moved to Melbourne and joined a band there. In 1994 I moved to Port Douglas, taking five days on a bus to get there.’

Tracey decided that she wanted to do jazz singing.

‘After meeting a 74 year old jazz guitarist and hitting it off with him immediately, we played together in Port Douglas three nights a week for the next three years.’ She then moved to Byron Bay for 10 years, putting on shows and doing all sorts of singing styles with various bands.

On returning to Melbourne, Tracey appeared on TV, on the very first X Factor show on Channel 10. ‘This was a singing competition and I got to within the Top Ten in Australia.’ She was eight months pregnant at the time and now has two sons, Nick and Elvis.

She was also asked to sing the National Anthem on Channel 7 for the World Ski Aerials ‘right on the top of Mt. Buller.

The singer they had lined up to do this couldn’t get up the hill due to a blizzard and as I was already there, the producers asked me.

I had to turn up at 7am in blizzard conditions, then wait around for three hours in the snow before we finally went to air.’ She laughs and says, ‘these are my two highlights to fame.’

Moving back to this area Tracey has been living in Castlemaine for the past six years. ‘I live in Castlemaine because I can’t afford the rent in Chewton. My family are still here. I now do lots of singing gigs around town, such as the Diva shows, which started at the Fringe Festival four years ago. I don’t go looking for work, I just get asked to put on various shows. The Red Hill Hotel is a regular, every six weeks. I sing whatever I like, from the Carpenters to Shirley Bassey to Cold Chisel. I also have my own 70s disco band now and we will be opening on June 13 at the Comma.’

How does she see Chewton today? ‘It’s nice to go into the Red Hill and see people there who knew me when I was a child. Although I only lived in Chewton for six years, I feel a sense of ‘home’ here. It was a big part of my growing up, ’til the age of 15. The people are friendly, new and old. It’s a beautiful little country town.’

Tracey Candy has a gig at the Red Hill on June 20th, and again on August 2 for the pub’s 160th birthday.

Gloria Meltzer.

Next POHAG meeting

Sunday, 8th of June , Sam’s shed at 10:00am.

All welcome.

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Fryerstown

Fryerstown is looking beautiful and all the golden leaves have been blown off the poplar trees. A frost or two has stopped the roses in their tracks but the recent warmth and sun has been lovely. Black cockatoos in large flocks have been feasting on the pine cones and chuckling at us. They are one of my favourite birds. After the rain we got in April and then the sun in May, I have been extravagantly buying plants and bulbs at the Wesley Hill market and spreading mulch. Recently we have also been able burn our piles of cut coffee bush and gorse that have been sitting for some months just waiting for a cool damp day. The bush is spectacular with the hakeas and early wattles out. I have not seen them as so prolific as these photos taken in the bush at the back of our house show.

In the May Chat I quoted extensively from “The Australian Gold Diggings” edited by George Mackaness O.B.E with contemporary accounts of people on the diggings especially the Mount Alexander gold fields and in Melbourne at the time. As one writer said “Some very fortunate, but in general giving the answer “I can’t complain.” The correspondent reports good finds on the diggings in a few days or weeks and reports on the effect on Melbourne trade saying, “Several persons have returned to Melbourne, from these gold fields, nearly all of whom give very satisfactory accounts of success. One party of four in one week obtained £280 each. . . . A small dealer in Little Lonsdale-street has ten pounds weight of gold as his share of three weeks work (more than $200,000 in todays gold value).

The Geelong Intelligencer (Dec. 2) commented under the heading: “Effects on Melbourne Trade at the Time: Two men returned from Mount Alexander to Collingwood with 10 lb. of gold, the produce of one fortnight’s gold-hunting. One of the greatest wonders of the present day is the number of formerly poor men who are now daily drawing large sums of money from the local banks, in exchange for gold and cheques, the price of gold. A person of some experience, who has come down from the gold fields, declares it as his opinion that, generally speaking, the Van-Diemonian expirees are the most fortunate of

the diggers, a very large proportion of them having managed to secure a fair share of “nuggets.” Within the past week, from twenty to thirty sailors have bolted from their respective employments, and many more have notified their intention of leaving in the course of the week. Upwards of a dozen butchers’ establishments have closed up owing to the want of hands. A man named Lynford returned yesterday from Mount Alexander £300 richer than he left, after a month’s absence. The men who left the brewery of the Messrs. Murphy are doing well, and have amassed upwards of £500 each. (Wages in England in 1850 were typically14 pence per day or seven shillings per week.) The miners are coming down in large quantities to spend Christmas.” It is interesting that they did so. It shows that they did not anticipate the bonanza stopping!

One correspondent goes on: “And now having presented a pen-and-ink panorama of the progress of Australian gold diggings, taken by diggers themselves, having shewn how ounces have, grown into tons, how a chance discovery has become a staple of export, how, instead of one waterhole of treasure, great parts of the finest districts of Australia have been proved to be golden and to encourage more people to come out to join the bonanza, the question is - Who should go, and how?” Instead of seeing the loss of people to the goldfields as a disaster this correspondent sees it as a major positive ‘game changer’

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for Australia and migration – saying: “Formerly, eligible emigrants to Australia consisted only of 1st capitalists; 2nd men willing to become shepherds; 3rd able to do agricultural work; 4th a limited number of town mechanics; and 5th an unlimited number of respectable girls, of all classes, willing to make themselves useful in domestic service, and anxious to avail themselves of the large stock of good husbands to be found then and now in Australia.

At the present time, Port Phillip is short of its proper proportion of women by ten thousand. In New South Wales the deficiency is still greater. The opening up of the gold fields has enlarged this demand in an extraordinary degree. Shepherds are more needed and better paid than ever. Any man or boy, between thirteen and threescore, any one-armed pensioner, can make a shepherd; it is the easiest, laziest life in the world, rather lonely and monotonous, but a man who has a wife and a lot of children need not be lonely. But the gold revolution has opened a new trade for emigrant farmers of small capital, if prepared to undertake sheep, and not desirous to plunge into the perpetual “fair” life of gold washing. Flocks of moderate extent may be purchased or leased on very moderate terms, and managed advantageously by a Highland, a Cheviot, a South Down sheep farmer or shepherd bailiff, with a little capital, that is to say, enough to support him for one year after getting his sheep, whose family is sufficiently large and useful to do all the work, and that is not much, without hiring any labour. In an open country, from three to four youths can take charge of as many as a thousand sheep. While some of the family cultivate the garden, and plant out wheat and maize, the women and children will see to the cows, pigs, and poultry. The only difficulty will be shearing the sheep,

and that must be got over by co-operation. The German women as well as the men shear sheep, and there is no reason why English country girls should not learn to do the same. At the present time sheep are positively valueless to the capitalist. The great flock owners cannot afford to pay the price of labour; and the fourteen million sheep which exist in Australia must either be destroyed or pass into the hands of working sheep-farmers, by lease or purchase, on the plan above described. If leased, the farmer would pay either a money or a produce rent in wool. He would grow enough corn, vegetables, tobacco, mutton, pork, poultry, pigeons, and honey, for his own use, and only have to buy tea, sugar, and clothes. Many respectable men, who cannot live under free-trade prices in England would prefer this mode of life to the mines.

Then, again, in the neighbourhood of flourishing towns like Goulburn, Bathurst, Geelong, Melbourne, the concentration and activity of trade, produced by recent events, affords another fine field for family labour; hired labour will not succeed. Corn bears a good price, and vegetables, fruit, butter, cheese, a capital price, with an increasing market.

What may be done in trade it is impossible to say, no doubt a great deal; but it would not be wise to attempt advice. We know that the miners will have the best of everything, that they buy good clothes and furniture; those who can buy, sell, chop, and change, cannot fail to do well. In like manner, there is a certain demand for musical talent, portrait painting, and other luxuries.

As for digging, that is a pursuit open to all who are strong enough; gentility seems to be no bar to the exercise of their strength by members of the learned profession side by side with the refuse of the earth, Van-Diemonian expirees. Carpenters, and blacksmiths, cooks and washermen and women, make nearly as good a living as the diggers, without the hard work. They are paid in “dust,” and that is “dirt cheap.”

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He goes on: “Honest colonizers, until the gold discoveries occurred, were very cautious in recommending many of the educated, the clerk, the shop- man, the skilled mechanic class, to emigrate to Australia; but now there is no longer any cause or room for hesitation among those who are fit for a life of barter, or strong enough in mind and body to bear the hardships inevitable in a rude, transitory state of society, hardships for which they will be well paid. Provisions are cheap, and those who do not save a fortune, have only themselves to blame. To clerks, shopmen, mechanics, weavers, labourers, and fathers of large families of girls and boys, the prospect is soundly tempting.”

Again, as in the May Chat, I acknowledge the slightly strange grammar and language in these extracts but I prefer to use the actual words and grammar used at the time rather than put it into our modern terminology.

The next Fryerstown film night is on Saturday June 28 at 7.30 pm at the Mechanics Institute Hall. The film will be ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ (1940), an adaptation of Steinbeck’s novel about the desperate plight of dispossessed ‘Okies’ forced off the land in the mid-west dustbowl and searching for a new beginning in California. The desperation is replaced by the paternalistic and optimistic mood of the New Deal. $5 per person admission includes tea or coffee and cake if someone brings it. Bring a comfy chair if you wish.

Kay Thorne.

Reference: Australian Historical Monographs: The Australian Gold Diggings: where they are and how to get to them with letters from Settlers and Diggers edited by George Mackaness OBE 1956.

Photos courtesy Tim Todhunter: Yellow tailed black cockatoo (Wikipedia), hakeas in Tim and Kay’s garden and Gill’s Off to the Diggings.

Have you ever tried searching through back copies of the Chat to find an article you can vaguely remember but don’t know when it was published? There are often enquiries to the Chat that provoke such searches and they are long and timeconsuming exercises. This is especially so if the article isn’t on the front page and each copy has to be delved into.

184 editions to search now – so each search is done with dread and with a magnifying glass in one hand and a cut lunch in the other. Turning pages can be difficult in those circumstances and the inevitable accumulation of crumbs make future searches that bit harder.

But now! Glen Harrison has put all 183 Chewton Chats (up to May 2014) on a single CD. Flipping through is so much easier and on the version of Acrobat Reader the Chat uses an actual search is possible. Type in “Barbara Dry” and within seconds everything that Barbara has written or been mentioned in is listed. 48 listings beginning in December 2002 all found within seconds. Remarkable!

The earliest editions of the Chat are in a different format and Glen is working on a solution to make them searchable too. Plans are afoot to make this CD available for sale so watch this space! It will include all Chats up to this June Chat (184), it will be cheap and it will be effective!

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Chewton Senior Citizens

Did you know you don’t have to be a senior to join the Chewton Senior Citizens? If you are 55 years, or under 55 and have some disability, you can join! You don’t even have to live in Chewton to come along and join. You will be made very welcome!

We have some great times and cater for all tastes with a monthly meeting and lunch with guest speakers and trading table, mystery bus trips long and short, Bingo, Hoy and lots of other special days. We meet at the Chewton Senior Citizens Centre where the entry and car park are at the rear of the building. Come along, join us and make some new friends.

Our programme for June is...

•

• • •

Tuesday 3rd: A bus trip to Echuca/Moama. We meet at the Castlemaine Market at 8.30 a.m. and the cost is $12 for the bus and approximately $12 for lunch at a club where you can, if you wish, play the pokies.

Thursday 12th: 1.30 p.m. at the for Centre Hoy or Bingo.

Thursday 19th: 12 noon for lunch at the Centre. Cost $12. Guest speaker followed by our monthly meeting.

Thursday 26th: No activities planned for today.

Our programme for July is...

• • • •

Tuesday 1st: Echuca/Moama.

Thursday 10th: 1.30 p.m. at the Centre for Bingo.

Thursday 17th: No activities today.

Thursday 24th: 10.30 a.m. meet at the Castlemaine Market for a coach to a “Christmas in July” lunch at the Tangled Maze in Creswick.

• Thursday 31st: 12 noon for lunch at the Chinese restaurant in Castlemaine.

For more information on the above ring the Secretary Dot Pollard on 5472 3297 or President Nigel Casbolt on 5473 3357.

Soccer Report

Club’s 40th Celebrations and the World Cup! In 1974 Australia made its first ever foray to the World Cup. In the same year the Castlemaine Soccer Club was undertaking its first season with the Bendigo Soccer league.

2014 is again a World Cup year and the Socceroos are heading to Brazil. Their 3 round games against much more highly fancied opponents will be - (local time) • Saturday June 15 8 a.m. v Chile, • Thursday June 19 2 a.m. v Netherlands • Tuesday June 24 2 a.m. v Spain.

The Castlemaine Goldfields F.C. is also celebrating its 40 years of competition with a weekend of events on the 9th and 10th August. There will be a weekend display of memorabilia at the Goldfields Room as well as an event on Saturday night at the NewNorthern which includes a launch of a book covering a history of the club. On Sunday our senior men and women will be at home and another opportunity for past club members to come and celebrate will be provided.

With a history of just 40 years as a club, 15 of those at its Chewton home, the club is seeking to reconnect with past players and club members and celebrate this milesto ne.

Robyn Lewis.

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9

le who e h t g ild y ch turin Nur in ever

child

Mid term 2 always marks National Assessment Week (NAPLAN). In a small school we are able to keep this very low key with the assessment time being close to our regular program. One of the major disadvantages of NAPLAN is that the student results do not come back until late in term 3, making the data fairly irrelevant for individual students and for reporting to parents. What the data does show is how our school is tracking overall and we are able to make comparisons to similar schools. Our school data is always very strong with our students performing at or above state trends. I am confident that is will continue to be the case in 2014.

This year we held our first Athletics carnival with the other small schools from our cluster. It has been perfect weather for practising shot put and discus as well as long jump, sprints and relay events. I have fond memories of our primary school athletic sport’s days. We all sat on picnic rugs against the fence at the showgrounds in Castlemaine. I still have my ribbons and certificates from the many events we entered. High jump was my speciality , however this has long been removed from school events as very few schools have staff sufficiently trained to correctly instruct children.

lecting program. Our aim is for children to view all food as a valuable and useable resource. Food that would normally go to waste is very eatable. Marks on the skin do not affect the quality of the fruit inside. It is also a lesson in working for others. Much of the fruit collected goes to families who do not have regular supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables. Some fruit is not suitable for people to eat, however it is a great supplement for pigs, horses and other farm animals. Sustainable living is a key priority of our school.

Alex and Emma share some P-2 artwork

In mid-May we took our Prep - 2 class to the orchards in Castlemaine for what has become our annual fruit col-

For sale at $450 ono

We have continued with more work to help make our school more energy efficient. Last week we received quotes to seal the doors and windows of the building, preventing some of the drafts that are common in an old building. The majority of the school’s energy consumption is the heating and cooling. Our school building has some very cold winter spaces that I am sure were a great challenge when the only forms of heating were the fire places. We are currently investigating the viability of installing solar panels to reduce the schools dependency on the electricity grid.

Our teachers are currently completing assessment tasks in preparation for report writing over the next few weeks. “Ahh,” I hear you say. “They will all be on school holiday again in a couple of weeks.”

Julie Holden.

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CFA Update – June 2014

POSITIONS VACANT

Pool Manager

Chewton Pool Inc is seeking a Pool Manager to work approx 4-5 hours per week on a casual basis. We are looking for an experienced supervisor with great communication and interpersonal skills and a can-do attitude. Manage a great team of staff and volunteers at our community pool.

Pool Operator

Casual, seasonal job available for 20 weeks per annum, 20 hpw to manage water quality and pool machinery at Chewton Community Pool. Experience of plant and equipment and qualification in Cert III Aquatics desirable. Training provided.

Volunteers at Chewton are set to take advantage of a quiet winter and begin a new training schedule.

Members from the brigade commenced the new schedule on May 25th starting with a combined session working with members from Castlemaine SES. The new training schedule is designed to keep our members skills up-to-date while time is more readily available.

Turnout numbers remained low during May with members attending only the one incident involving a shed fire. The fire occurred in Castlemaine and was also attended by Castlemaine and Campbells Creek fire brigades.

Chewton CFA also held meetings over May to keep everyone informed about what is happening. Our brigade is also awaiting confirmation from CFA in regards to a few new members who will hopefully be joining us soon.

The brigade would also like to thank Cate Freeman for kindly donating her unused scanner to the brigade so that it can be utilised by our members.

Lifeguards

Must be aged 16 to apply. Casual, seasonal role to supervise a safe swimming experience from December to March. 4-5 hour shifts available.

Training supplied for candidates with Bronze Medallion swimming skills.

For position descriptions and further information, contact Bronwyn on 0407 889 390 Soon to be Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Craig Lapsley (currently the Fire Commisioner) photographed with Paige at the ESF Volunteers Forum in Melbourne.

We serve a variety of delicious, handmade food.

Our specialties include A curry every day. Laksa on Sundays.

Monk Dish on Friday & Saturday.

Gluten free & Vegetarian selections REGULAR TRADING HOURS Thursday to Sunday 10am – 4.30 pm

Bold Café Gallery 146 Duke Street, Castlemaine Telephone: 54 706 038 Your Host: Onn Ho

Finally, on May 2nd and 3rd, I attended the Emergency Services Foundations (ESF) Volunteer Leadership Forum, in Melbourne, on behalf of the brigade. It was a very great event which involved a number of speakers discussing their work as volunteers and with the emergency services along with insights into leadership. Attendees also got the opportunity to tour the new Victorian Emergency Management Training Centre in Craigieburn, which is set to open soon and will hopefully be available for all services to utilise in the future. It was also a great networking event with volunteers and employees from all types of emergency services in Victoria attending.

Paige Mounsey, Chewton CFA Communications Officer.

The Anglican Parish of Castlemaine is holding a fundraiser...

CARBOOT/JUMBLE SALE

June 21st - 9AM - 1PM - Cost for sellers $15 per car or stall in hall.

In the carpark and hall of Christ Church (entry through Kennedy Street) Sellers needed - contact the Church Office (10AM - 2PM weekdays) on 54721137. After hours - Brian Stant 54724514.

11

Update on the Chewton Community Plan

We have reached the mid-point of the process for delivering Chewton’s own Community Plan.

We have now completed the Community Survey to establish priorities from 60 different actions/ideas collected over the previous six months. These ideas were grouped into themes as follows – • Theme 1: Vibrant and Healthy Community • Theme 2: Better Community Facilities • Theme 3: Thriving Local Economy • Theme 4: Building Sustainable Communities • Theme 5: Built Environment Many thanks to the 103 individuals who have completed the survey. From their responses we have learned that high priorities are – • Restoration of the Chewton Community Centre • Building/upgrading accessible public toilets • Improving local telecommunications – mobile phone and internet • Rubbish management and removal (waste collection; landfill fees; rubbish bins in park; Spring Clean-up day) • Improving the natural environment (Landcare; restoring Forest Creek environs; removing invasive species) • Improving Main Rd signage, bus services, footpaths and cycle paths and managing traffic • Supporting local business listings and creating a masterplan for central Chewton • Assisting community development by better coordinating information, common spaces and community management capacity building • Affordable rental housing for elderly residents To read a Summary of Findings, drop in at the Chewton General Store or Post Office and collect a hard copy, or go to www.chewton.net or Chewton Community Plan on Facebook. For those wishing to delve into the raw data, contact Meredith Robinson, Community Engagement Officer at Council on 5471 1781 to receive a full copy.

As we move onto the next stage, we will form teams to test priority actions for their practicality and then figure out step-by-step action plans. This work will be part of the documented Community Plan.

FOR ALL YOUR BUYING & SELLING NEEDS

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167 BARKER STREET, CASTLEMAINE 5470 5811 www.wallerrealty.com.au

12

How can you join a team? Get along to the next meeting on Wednesday 11 June at 7.00pm at Chewton Primary School. Not into meetings? Come to the Red Hill Hotel for a meal and chat on Wednesday 25 June (6.00 for dinner; 7 for discussion). A two course meal for $10 is available on that night by booking with Di Baird at the Red Hill Hotel on 5472 2317.

Can’t make the dinner? Telephone Chris Walters, Council’s Community Planner on 0409 946 711 or email c.walters@mountalexander.vic.gov.au to indicate your interest and find out how to contribute.

Remember – every one of you is an expert in your own experience and knowledge – none of us knows what you know – how about sharing?

Rose Darling, Chair, Chewton Community Planning Group.

A whitegoods solution?

Reading the Chewton Community Planning survey results that showed strong support to Lobby MASC to reduce tip fees for disposal of whitegoods/appliances brings to mind an ad that has been appearing in the Chewton Chat for many years.

Elphinstone Firewood and Scrap Metal advertises free pick up of scrap metal and whitegoods! Give Matt a call if you have whitegoods to be rid of....

• Logo designed by Morgan Williamson.

Real Estate Gossip

The frosts are already quite thick in the mornings but well worth braving the chill for the brilliant sunny days that follow. Enjoy these days of sunshine and happiness for next month’s Chat will be heralding the arrival of winter.

Properties for sale around Chewton are:

Cantwell Property Group: • Albert Street, 2 vacant parcels, allotments 8180sqm for $149,000.00 & 2973sqm for $135,000.00; • 49 Commissioners Gully Road, light and bright California bungalow on 7.5 acres, with established gardens, orchard and historic ruins, located on the fringe of the bushlands, $498,000.00; • 4 Prior St, “Amber House”, large family home in quiet rural setting of just over 2 acres (9091sqm). A charming blend of old and new, with beautifully renovated stone cottage with two storey extension creating magnificent family living. Featuring four bedrooms, plus study, two living areas, well-appointed kitchen dining room plus powder room, European style laundry heating and cooling. Also fully renovated self-contained cottage, generous bed/living, gas cooking, bathroom & European style laundry. Good shedding, park-like gardens, for sale for $859,000.00; • 72 Steele Street, 1541sqm, views and all services available, for sale at $175,000.00; • 225 Sparks Road, 58Ha undulating parcel with historic remains, $679,000.00; • 616 Pyrenees Highway, .81Ha parcel with planning permit, vaild until January 2014 to build two bedroom home. Rambling creek within the boundary, established eucalypts and gentle elevation. Mains power available. For sale at $120,000.00.

Cassidy Real Estate: • 564 Pyrenees Highway, 3 bedroom character home on 5 acres with shedding and stables, $375,000.00; • 20 Commissioners Gully Road, 3 bedroom home set on 2.8 Ha, perched high on the hill overlooking Golden Point Road. Surrounded by an immaculate garden with town water plus 2-5000 gal water tanks. A 40 x 25 shed with power and concrete flooring, and stone ruins from the gold rush era, for sale at $459,000.00.

Castlemaine Property Group: • CA129, Fryers Rd, elevated vacant lot of 1320sqm, $135,000.00; • 20 Fryers Road, artistically renovated 2 bedroom miner’s cottage with external bungalow and studio, located short stroll to the shop and post office, $299,000.00; • 3 McCay Reservoir Rd, tucked away amongst small rural lifestyle properties, this charming timber home is set atop approx 4.8Ha of predominately creek flats along a seasonal creek, elevated home with 3 bedrooms and spacious living areas, $439,000.00;

Pyrenees Highway, rare offering of 10 residential titles, with all main services available, being sold as a group in the one package. Situated in the midst of the historic gold mining village of Chewton, the allotments are only a short stroll to hotel, general store, school and sports amenities. Allotments vary in size from 244m2 to 427m2 approx, for sale at $209,000.00; • 11 Monks Hill Road, renovated 1800s cottage set on nearly 6000sqm of park like gardens and seasonal creek, $515,000.00; • 77 Pioneers Road, single bedroom log cabin set high in the Bushlands with views over Chewton and onto Castlemaine, $315,000.00.

Keogh Real Estate: • 53 Eureka Street, 3 bedroom western cedar home with outdoor entertaining area, on 4000sqm surrounded by Diggings Heritage Park and Crown land, $395,000.00.

Stuart Real Estate: • 142 Main Road, solid 3 bedroom clad home with art deco influence on a large allotment in Town Centre.

Polished floors, air-conditioning and gas heating. This property has a 3 bay Colorbond garage with workshop, outdoor areas and north facing yard with delightful views over the Diggings to the north, for sale at $345,000.00.

Waller Realty: • 6 Fryers Road, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, craftsman built stone home, located in the heart of town, extensive landscaping and plenty of vehicle storage, $720,000.00; • 103 Golden Point Road, renovated 3 bedroom home with self-contained unit, no neighbours and views across Forest Creek, $469,00000; • 7 Railway Street, fully renovated 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home on large allotment of 1120sqm, lovely shade trees and vege garden, $385,000.00; • 107 Whitehorse Gully Rd, 2 or 3 bedroom home on nearly 1 hectare, surrounded by established European gardens and historic remains, for sale at $479,000.00; • 9 Church Street, 1371sqm lot, dotted with gums, in the heart of town and adjacent to historic church, $155,000.00.

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

Lynne Williamson.

13

Tony Cordy elected to replace Tim Barber...

Tony Cordy (right) has been elected as a Mount Alexander Shire Councillor to fill the Calder Ward vacancy, following the resignation of Tim Barber. This election result follows a postal by-election conducted by the Victorian Electoral Commission on Saturday 17 May 2014 to fill the extraordinary vacancy.

Councillors congratulate Mr Cordy on his election and look forward to supporting him in his role as a Mount Alexander Shire Councillor.

Taken from a Press Release.

...and the by-election count

With an enrolment of 2086 there were 1579 (75.70% of the total enrolment) votes to count. Of these only 1529 were formal, and the 50 informal votes comprised 3.17% of the total votes.

Candidate, First votes and Percentages were:

• • • • • • •

YERMAN, Irene 172 BRAYBROOK, Ian 176 HEATH, David 234 CORDY, Anthony Glenn 352 KEOGH, Ben 82 PETRUSMA, Dave 358 WEBB, Jake 155

11.25% 11.51% 15.30% 23.02% 5.36% 23.41% 10.14%

After a full distribution of preferences, the result was

CORDY, Anthony Glenn PETRUSMA, Dave

806 52.71% 723 47.29%

From the Victorian Electoral Commission website.

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Councillor’s Chat

As you will be aware I was elected to the Mount Alexander Shire Council as the Councillor for the Calder Ward on the 17th of May. On behalf of the candidates I would like to thank all of those that participated in the election. With seven candidates the election was very competitive and I feel very fortunate to be elected to council.

My first week as a councillor has gone very quickly with the counting and declaration of the poll on Saturday 17th May and my first official duties on Tuesday. On Tuesday I met some of the council executive staff and attended a briefing on issues that will go before council this week. Some of the issues before council at present are quite complex and council will be working very hard to make the best possible decisions. Please be assured that while serving on Council I will do my best to make decisions that are in the best interest of the community.

Many of you will know that I operate a farming property to the North West of Harcourt. It is a sheep farm with the main emphasis on wool production. I have been a member of Landcare for many years and more recently I have been working with Connecting Country to control woody weeds on our farming property.

Some further information about me.

• I am married with three adult daughters.

• For the past five years I have commuted to Melbourne on the early train.

• I am interested in cars and have a 1923 Ford truck waiting on restoration.

• I have played the drums in bands for many years.

• With an Engineering background I do most of the maintenance on my own vehicles and farm machinery.

Priorities for me during my time on Council.

• Maintain and develop sporting and recreation facilities.

• Improve services for older members of the community.

• Work for responsible use of Council Resources and funds.

• Maintain and protect significant historic buildings.

• Encourage development and retention of local jobs.

• Support the use of local trade’s people and contractors.

• Care for the environment.

• Support the performing and visual arts.

Thanks again for your support and please feel free to contact me to discuss any issues that you feel Council should be addressing.

Best regards AG (Tony) Cordy.

15

and now the June MoBQ can’t be capped...

The brazier was well alight and warmed by the time the Mo-less MoBQ in May was ready to start. No sign of smoke! Rob had done well, and the cool season barbeques were off to a flying (and comfortable) start.

A smallish but very sociable group gathered at the appointed time. The warmth of the fire was almost matched by the heat of the hotplate – both spots proving to be popular places to stand around. The usual array of food was on show – but was complemented this month by pair of vegetable covered gumboots. It is occasionally said that barbecued food is as tough as old boots but this was a new take on that theme. And, apparently, the boots are very warm! (and available locally from Printz Plumbing!)

It was good to see the Chewton Domain Society has installed a BBQ cleaning aid in the shelter – wipes designed and manufactured to clean the cooling hotplate so the next user doesn’t face the difficult and unpleasant task of starting with a baked-on mess to clean up. The Chewton

BBQ in the park hosts a surprising number of events during the course of a normal week.

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

You name it we’ve probably got it.

At your convenience...

Sprout bread now available Wednesdays, Fridays and weekends!

Advertising in the Chat?

Call 5472 2892

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

...it’s your store Chewton!

Next Chewton Community Planning meeting is Wednesday 11 June at 7.00pm at Chewton Primary School.

Not into meetings? Come to the Red Hill Hotel for a meal and chat on Wednesday 25 June (6.00 for dinner; 7 for discussion).

A two course meal for $10 is available on that night by booking with Di Baird at the Red Hill Hotel on 5472 2317.

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Captives

A political calling out

He came across the ocean and landed on their shore, Looked at all the scenery he’d never seen before; But his head was spinning madly and his barefoot feet were sore, So he boarded ship and sailed away to be seen nevermore.

P o e t r y

It was the strangest evening as the sea breezes did sing, And somewhere in the distance heard bells of freedom ring.

He came and went with most he had but left one single thing: A crudely written sign that said “I’ve claimed this for my King”.

They’ve waited and they’ve waited through pouring rains and sun; They’ve waited in the mornings long after days were done.

Sometimes numbers were waning, sometimes was only one; Though they’ve waited and waited no more boats did ever come.

C o r n e r

They once held the dinners just near the landing site, Music played and people danced throughout most of the night.

Oft’ they’d read the yellow words from the sign that stands upright, But one and all will tell you, now, freedom’s but a fading light.

There been funerals, there been newborns as the tides ran high and low, Everyone has got a name though there be not one you know.

If you’re ever passing by won’t you stop and say “hello”?

They’ll make you feel most welcome and they’ll never let you go!

Daniel Larson.

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Not “I’m sorry that you were offended” Not “I regret the mistakes of the past” Not a mealy-mouthed lack of compassion Just a single word, straight from the heart.

A man who will rat on a promise Because it’s not part of the “core” A man who would rewrite our history To hide a deep national flaw Is a man for whom morals and ethics Are high sounding words, and no more.

Should such a man stay as our leader?

Next election perhaps we’ll say “NO!” Say “Sorry” Great Leader, and mean it.

Or give someone decent a go.

David Watson.

ANZAC Day parade One man marching The only one left.

The band plays grandly, He marches erect.

He alone remains To represent so many.

I wonder if next year Will there still be any.

One man marching Accompanied by ghosts.

The shadows of his comrades Where once there was a host.

People cheer and clap As he marches by, Tears fill many eyes, Ah well, that’s war, they cry.

Young brave men Cut down in their prime.

How many lives are wasted?

It happens every time.

Wars do end.

We’re resolution bound.

Why is it not before the war That resolution’s found?

Rae Hawkins ©April 2014

Insomnia In the Lancet some medical chap writes Half the stuff in one’s pillow is dust mites So the crunch in my head As they lunch on my bed Is the reason I can’t get to sleep nights.

David Watson.

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Chatting about the arts with Phil & Debbie Hall Well, the merry month of May began brightly enough with Kim Salmon beginning his residency at the Bridge Hotel.

Kim Salmon @ the Bridge

This, for us, was followed by performances at the Theatre Royal by local artists to wish a fond farewell to David Stretch, as his successful tenure at this hallowed venue comes to an end.

The rest of the month seemed to be swallowed in the gloom and doom of the Government’s austere budget pronouncements. Knowing that this government came to power without an Arts Policy could only mean substantial cuts – especially when there were no promises to be broken. Just as the local arts sector were beginning to get their heads around what the cuts would mean for us, we got a visit from the Hon Mark Dreyfus, Shadow Attorney General and Shadow Minister for the Arts.

Lisa Chesters, our local Federal MP, invited Mr Dreyfus to spend a couple of days in our region to help us become “a hot-house for the arts and further develop a robust cultural economy”. After spending some time with the board of the Castlemaine State Festival, for whom funding has become critical with the latest budget cuts, it was off to Lot 19.

Mark Dreyfus & Helen Bodycomb @ Lot19

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With a room full of artists, our host Mark Anstey asked the other Mark to join local artist Helen Bodycomb in a mutual portrait drawing session as Lisa Chesters addressed the audience. This immediately brought a lighter feel to the room, considering the subject matter being addressed. With a $110 million cut to arts funding and $80 million of that impacting the Australian Arts Council, particularly its discretionary spending, the Government had certainly dealt our sector a significant pugilistic blow.

Mark in his talk outlined his understanding of the detail in these latest budget cuts, promised to lobby cross bench senators for their support and ask some tough questions of the government in the Senate this week. He also outlined what Labor had done for the arts sector previously, including over $200 million of extra funding. His disappointment with this Government’s negative counter approach with George Brandis as Attorney General and Minister for the Arts was palpable.

It seems now that our only recourse is to fight on a local level and with whatever numbers can be mustered in the Senate to improve the outlook for arts funding. Of course, under this government the “High Arts” are still relatively safe, if you can afford to see them. Perhaps the more reasonable and enlightened heads in this country may prevail again eventually. Chalk and cheese – swings and roundabouts.

On a more positive note “Deathtrap” has begun in Chewton and I can’t wait to see the Cathouse Players once again strut their stuff on Gala Night. The Village Winter Festival is back - a festival we enjoyed very much last year. And a brand new Jazz Festival begins in the hopefully more joyous month of June!

Explore Local Art and Design @ Castlemaine Artists Market on Sunday 8th June This month, the Castlemaine Artists Market will celebrate its 8th birthday. Started by the then Theatre Royal management - Sarah Burdekin and David Stretch - the Artists Market showcases a large range of handmade items. The chance to meet the local artists and designers behind the wares only adds to the memorable experience of this fun and quirky market. With new stalls each

month, the market provides a treat for the senses as you explore the care and skill presented in the works available for sale.

Castlemaine Artists Market is based on a strong commitment to things that are individually handmade and objects of beauty or artistic intent made with skill and care.

Changes are afoot, in the coming months the market will be finding a new home, allowing it to grow and flourish in our thriving artistic community.

Join us on Sunday June 8 as we celebrate our 8th birthday with a jam-packed market.

You’ll find jewellery, clothing, sculpture, fine art home wares and more.

For more information please contact Jane Goodrich on 0437 186 711 or market@theatreroyal.info. New stallholder applications are welcome.

Winter Village Festival Returns Saturday June 21st 2014, Midday to midnight.

The second Winter Village Festival will return to the village green of Victory Park on June 21st, opening midday and continuing late into the evening.

The Winter festival appears like a old time gypsy carnivale and aims to celebrate Winter by bringing the community together in a warm, festive and theatrical village atmosphere with a programming esthetic that is populist, accessible, quirky, and littered with the familiar and the exotic - folks you know personally and things you never knew existed.

This festival will feature theatre shows for children and adults, a shadow play, roving performers, storytelling, caravan installations, a fire hearth, a marathon reading of Charlotte’s web, great music, stalls selling winter woollies, hot soup, roasted chestnuts, mulled wine… and much more. It’s $10 entry and free for kids. Add to the theatre, come dressed in your wintery finest….

To find out more go to: http://www.thevillagefestival.com.au/news/

All that jazz – Castlemaine Jazz Festival June 7th – 8th Queen’s Birthday weekend Jazz musicians and aficionados from across the state are tuning up for the inaugural Castlemaine Jazz Festival.

More than 50 groups have registered to play across seven venues. These include The NewNorthern, meticulously renovated by Nicholas Dattner of classic furniture fame, and the Public Inn, another historic pub building now noted for its fine dining.

This will be an inclusive event that allows everyone to enjoy jazz in all its diversity, from traditional New Orleans style to bebop, ballads, Latin and contemporary.

Tickets give access to all program events in all venues for one day or both days. There really will be something for everyone – or even everything for someone!

The not-for-profit festival is run by volunteers, and musicians are contributing a small registration fee as well as their talents. Bendigo Regional Tourism and Mount Alexander Shire have provided seed funding for this first event, and several businesses have become festival partners.

Tickets can be purchased online, with concessions for under-18s and free entry for accompanied children under 12. Visit the website www.castlemainejazzfestival. com.au which also has information on bands, programming and venues.

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

If you have any arts news, events, exhibitions, opportunities or if you are a local artist wanting to showcase your work or get involved with arts initiatives in the Chewton Community please contact us on 54725396 or email debbie@otterycottage.com

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Community newspaper news

Apart from the Chewton Chat there are more than 200 communityowned newspapers published across Victoria. Like the Chewton Chat, many of them belong to the Community newspaper association of Victoria (CNAV) and show the CNAV logo on their publications. From About Town (Stanhope) to the Winchelsea Star, there are mastheads such as Bunyip & District Community News, Carisbrook Mercury, Churchill & District News, Dargo Bush Bulletin, Drouin West Chronicle, The Drum (Yarram), Flowerdale Flyer, The French Island Pinnacle, Goornong Guide, Great Gisborne Gazette, The Koo Wee Rup Blackfish, Kyneton Connect, Landsborough & District News, Linton News, Lismore News, Loch Sport Link Newsletter, Lockington Community News, Lorne Independent, Malmsbury Mail, Mallacoota Mouth, Mirboo North Times, Mountain Monthly (Kinglake area), The New Woodend Star, Newstead Echo, Noojee & District News, The Otway Light, Seaspray Times, Somers Paper Nautilus, Springdale Messenger, Stratford Town Crier, Tallangatta Herald, Tatura Area Community Bulletin, Thomson Times, Thorpdale Community News, Traf News (Trafalgar), Village Bell (Upper Beaconsfield), Waranga News, The Welcome Record (Dunolly), Whittlesea Town Crier, Woady Yaloak Herald, Yackity Yak (Yackandanda) and the Yinnar South Newsletter. And there are city ones too, like the Bayswater Buzz, Boronia/The Basin Community News, Flemington Kensington News, North & West Melbourne News, RowvilleLysterfield Community News, Studfield/Wantirna Community News and Warrandyte Diary.

Some of these papers are monthly like the Chat, others are weekly or fortnightly and some three-monthly.

Most are all volunteer operations like the Chat whilst a few employ full-time and/or part-time staff. Possibly the latest one in production is Harcourt’s The Core which is only 5 editions old.

CNAV runs an annual conference where representatives of many of these papers get together. This year the conference will be down the Calder at WestWaters in Caroline Springs on Saturday October 11th. Guest speakers, workshops, discussion groups and great people make for a lively day – which is then followed by the Community

20

Newspaper Annual Awards Dinner. The Chat will be entering these again – and has very good record of achievements in winning past awards.

If anyone is interested in hearing more about the CNAV conference in October please let me know so I can pass on information as planning continues. Some papers have groups of delegates to represent them – the Chat has relied on one representative each year since 2007!

This is building to be a big year for CNAV and community newspapers. As many community newspapers are moving into the digital age, so too is CNAV. A new website is underway, Facebook and Twitter are also utilised.

And one of our major campaigns of the last few years has been to have state government advertising made available our members – and this has started in a small way. You will have noticed the full page fire messages over summer, and the Victoria on the Move ad is in this Chat. These are a boost for the budget of the Chewton Chat that relies totally on donations and advertising to break even. Don’t break even and the Chat will cease – and that’s the reality for every community newspaper. In a recent letter to CNAV from the Victorian Premier he states, “I have asked that this matter be resolved with a positive solution around more consistent advertising in CNAV publications. I look forward to hearing about an agreed outcome for all involved.” A very promising position to take – and it should help make the 2014 CNAV conference an occasion not to be missed.

If you are involved or interested in the Chewton Chat do give consideration to coming to the conference and get a global perspective of the community newspaper world.

John Ellis.

Facebook activity

The Chewton.net Facebook page is producing regular activity now – 40 views of the Biggest Morning Tea article in a morning, and the occasional 60 and 70 showing up on other posts. Facebook allows extra photos to be posted that are possible in the Chat – and they are in colour! Have a look at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chewtonnet/288889464550308 and keep up with Chewton news before the Chat comes out.

But the surprise of this month is the monstermeet-

ing1851 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MonsterMeeting1851 ! The most recent posting included a gallery of photos of the 2007 celebration – and 191 views were recorded in a day. More than 200 now which makes it viral in Chewton terms! Previous postings have only been scoring 20 to 30 views so what caused this rush?

As far as one can see there’s no blatant typos, everyone seems to be fully dressed and there’s no obvious wardrobe malfunctions! Perhaps it was the Castlemaine Theatre Company’s participation that year. Postings of more celebrations will take place in coming weeks – as the old photos are retrieved.

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21

Chewton Domain Society

Correspondence tabled at the CDS May meeting included a letter unfortunately advising that the GVESHO grants that have been available for a number of years are no longer available. The CDS had been a beneficiary of this federally funded program that provided financial support to assist with administrative expenses. GVESHO is no longer available for financial support. A MAS Heritage Awards pamphlet was also received, advising nominations for Heritage Awards are now being asked for. The CDs position is that it would be preferable to wait till the Chewton Town Hall restoration has been completed before entering this award.

Correspondence out included a CDS response to a MASC letter about the public toilets behind the town hall.

The CDS is accepting the offer of a Memorandum of Understanding about the cleaning and maintenance of this public toilet in Cribbes St, and is also requesting support for cleaning the BBQ as a public service to the community.

Pat Healy is to attend the MAS Meeting re. the Thematic History Project as the CDS representative.

The treasurer’s report showed a balance of $34,698.74 with $18,975.00 of that already committed by way of grants received for specific projects, and funds allocated for the town hall painting. Accounts for payment totalled $6,681.63 The restoration continues, with a removalist hired to return the heavy kitchen and other furniture to the town hall. White goods for the kitchen upgrade have been supplied by Tonks and is funded by a variation allowed in the Grants for Volunteers computer program. A paper detailing the grants that the CDS has received, applied for, been successful with and still need to be acquitted was tabled.

CDS membership is currently 82 member, which includes one new membership. A membership mailout is planned for early in July, including the increased membership cost of $10 decided at the 2013 AGM. The People and Places report included a presentation

by Elaine of a CD about the Monster Meeting , asking how the CD could be used – perhaps put in the P&P Collection but not for sale?? Glen opened the town hall as part of the Heritage Festival and had 11 people through. He also explained about the CD compilation he is doing where the Chewton Chats will be searchable. These may be available for sale in the near future.

A discussion about the Chewton Community Planning process took place covering where the planning process is currently placed, the survey and the analysis of the

22

results and what kind of model could be used to get to the next stage. Information was provided by Rose Darling (Chair of the Chewton Community Planning Working Party) and Pat Healy (who had the responsibility of analysing the survey results).

The CDS Management Committee then made an offer of support as an auspicing body to the Chewton Community Planning Working Party similar to that made to the Chewton Pool when it was setting itself up to manage the pool on behalf of the community. This support would be on a temporary basis and that it would be reviewed after 12 months (or earlier if needed) with regular reports being made to the CDS committee on the CCP Working Party progress and the plan. Rose is to take this offer to the CCP Working Party for its consideration. Meanwhile, results of the survey are to be put on the Chewton website.

Helen and Marie did a power point presentation to the Lions Club about the Chewton Town Hall and acknowledged the donation made by the group. An official Lions Club pen was presented to the CDS Secretary.

Glen then gave an on-screen demonstration of the work he has done so far on the searchable computer program for the Chewton Chat – brilliant!

The meeting closed at 8.15 p.m. The next CDS Management Committee meeting is on the 17th of June at 7 p.m. in the George Archer Pavilion.

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Chewton Town Hall opened for inspection

More pines fall…

As part of the National Trust Heritage Festival the Mount Alexander Heritage Advisory Committee offered an opportunity to visit current and former municipal buildings through the shire, including town halls and shire offices.

Seven properties were open for inspection on Saturday 10 May, including some little known or perhaps already forgotten, such as the former Campbells Creek Road Board Chambers. The well-known and certainly not forgotten Chewton Town Hall was also one of the properties open.

Built in 1858 this building became the Chewton Town Hall in December of 1860. On the 2nd of May 1916 the borough of Chewton became part of Metcalfe Shire and the building reverted to other community uses. In 2013, after 155 years of accommodating all sorts of events and all sorts of people, the current restoration work began.

This open day was an opportunity to see inside the building and see what has been going on inside.

Thus it was Glen Harrison who was the volunteer sitting inside the empty town hall, with the front door open to welcome visitors – but the door was also letting in a very cold breeze! This in a hall that as yet has no heating reinstated! By 2 p.m. Glen reported, “I have been here for more than 3 hours now and have had some lovely people come through the town hall, some almost local and others from afar. It is cold and wet outside but only cold inside so I consider myself fortunate to be here. I’m looking forward to a very hot coffee (not for the coffee of course - it’s for the hot water I wish was here so I could run my hands under it!) but I might just go home to my fire.”

At the close of business there had been 11 people through, and Glen said they’d all seemed to be quite impressed with what has been accomplished so far.

More of the pines along the main street have been felled by the SES. This story of the pines being cleared on privately-owned land was in the May Chat under the heading Pining for the past.

...and others start Some pines go and others come. Just a few kilometres north of Chewton, in the Welsh Village area, thousands upon thousands of pines are establishing themselves without interference. An impending fire hazard?

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The Welsh Village re-populated for a day!

After the town hall opening on Saturday a google search for articles related to the Mount Alexander Heritage Advisory Committee’s offer of the opportunity to visit current and former municipal buildings led, obscurely, to an intriguing site called Hiking Fiasco. Amid the many stories of successful hikes and epic failures on the site a visit to the Welsh Village on October 15, 2011 was detailed.

In the “History of The Welsh Village” Valerie Hill describes the Welsh Village as “located in Golden Gully, which is one of a series of small gullies near Castlemaine that yielded large quantities of gold during the Australian gold rush.” She goes on to say the Welsh Village appears to be a recent title given to the settlement, although the Welsh nationality of its early inhabitants is supported by contemporary documentation.

An 1859 Department of Mines map shows that a number of claims were included within twenty acres held by the Nimrod Reef Mining Company in Golden Gully and the structural remains of the village are located within this area. The 1864 rate book for the Borough of Chewton contains 17 entries for Golden Gully, indicating that the

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gully was inhabited at this time. The stone from which the village remains are made appears to have come from subterranean mining, so their construction would probably coincide with these operations. The Welsh settlers who established this settlement arrived in Australia from southern Wales in the early years of the gold rush. Glorified reports of easily gained earnings were featured in the Welsh press and these encouraged significant numbers of Welsh people to come to Australia. The Welsh-born population of Victoria in 1851 was 377, and rose to 6614 in 1871. The whole Valerie Hill article is available at http://www.ashadocs. org/aha/16/16_04_Hill.pdf Thus, on a recent sunny Sunday morning, the Welsh Village was calling. The walk into Golden Gully from Donkey Gully (Welsh Street) is over the ridge between the gullies, past evidence of early mining activities. Mines and piles of excavated rock are all around, along with a few open tunnels. There’s also a sheer slate face that is occasionally used for abseiling activities. And the remains of a “chimney pot” sitting on top of a “hill chimney”. The view from this rise is a bonus but is now being reduced by an invasion of pine trees. Down into Golden Gully past more shafts, some fenced, others open, some showing evidence of failing capping, some holding water – imagine living and raising children in a landscape like this! In Golden Gully the residential remains invite both exploration and imagination. Housing, paths, tracks, landscaping and the occasional garden remnants are easily accessible – one popular feature is a huge rosemary bush.

A quiet deserted village in the bush? Not on this Sunday! Like Bourke Street someone remarked. Four or five groups wandering around – families, children, cameras, conversations and a largish group from the Victorian Mountain Tramping Club who chose this spot for a morning tea break. They’d walked in from the Garfield Wheel, and as they agreed to a photo one of their members assured me they were the Junior Division of their club!

The Welsh Village is full of surprises (and holes!)

– and the Hiking Fiasco’s description and photos of the 2011 visit are worth a look at http://www.hikingfiasco. com/search/label/Castlemaine From time to time the fear of pine tree fire hazards is raised in Chewton. The Welsh Village is only a few kilometres to the north of Chewton and thousands upon thousands of pine trees are now populating the landscape.

Perhaps this is where Chewton’s real fire hazard is emerging?

FOBIF Walk on Mount Alexander

Starting and finishing at the Oak Forest, Doug Ralph led the group of about 20 around the western flanks of Mt Alexander, taking in 2 or 3 disused granite quarries. Doug related some interesting stories from the history of these quarries, and Prof. Julian Hollis gave us a brief synopsis of his current geological research into a mineralogical relationship between the granite of Mt Alexander and volcanic rocks which have been drawn from deep in the crust and ejected at Mt Franklin.

Along the way we came across Echidna diggings and eventually caught one of the perpetrators in the act. Many birds were about, including Australian Raven, Magpie, Crimson Rosella, Currawongs, Galahs, Red Wattlebird, Superb Blue Wrens, Grey Shrike-thrush, White-eared Honeyeater and Thornbills.

It was a balmy autumn day, and although a relatively tough walk (some of it was off track) it was enjoyed by all who participated.

In the Oak Forest there were many examples of Fly Agaric fungi, (Amanita muscaria) like this one complete with footstool.

At the lunch stop, a large slab of granite was completely covered with Moss and Lichen. Such bio-crusts considerably accelerate the weathering and breakdown of rocks.

Noel Young contributed this account of the walk and the photos, which were taken from the FOBIF website.

St. John’s in June • Sunday 8th June 9.15 Holy Communion for the Feast of Pentecost with The Revd. Heather Vander Reest.

• Sunday 23rd June 9.15 Morning Prayer

Next FOBIF Walk

A Mystery Geology Walk will be held on 15 June. On this walk, we will look at the effects of gold-mining activities. We will consider how can we adequately preserve these relics in our parks and reserves, so that they may continue to fascinate future generations. Also look at whether alluvial gold panning and metal detecting should be permitted. Destination to be revealed on the day. For more information contact Julian Hollis on 5470 5002.

Post Office Hill Action Group

Actions which have taken place recently on Post Office Hill include….

• Work done by DEPI on Block 1 to clear a maintenance track from Railway Street arcing easterly then south to Mitchell Street. This will give better access for management and emergency vehicles, as well as for contractors involved with control of gorse and other woody weeds. Very interesting geological and historical features have been exposed which add to the fascination of the area.

• Removal of some of the guards from past plantings.

• Casting of helichrysum seeds which were collected locally.

• Grooming on Block 3 behind the properties fronting Church Street to gain control of gorse as well as create a buffer zone. Further weed control is planned to take place in the future.

• And the nesting boxes which the pupils made have been installed in the vicinity of the school. GPS recordings of the boxes will be done with the pupils along with establishing a monitoring program.

Allotment numbers have been changed and gazetted recently which means that the licence granted to POHAG 7 years ago will need to be updated.

The next meeting of POHAG will be on Sunday, 8th of June in Sam’s shed at 10:00am. All welcome.

Ian O’Halloran.

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Mrs Fanny Finch: Chewton’s first business woman?

by Marjorie Theobald Most historians are not interested in the presence of women on the early goldfields. They prefer a swashbuckling, macho version of alluvial mining, a world in which men enjoyed a kind of gypsy freedom unencumbered by women or the clergy. At the time, however, women were rather hard to miss. As early as December 1851, Governor Charles La Trobe, who rode on horseback from Melbourne to see the diggings for himself, was astonished at the number of women and children already at Mount Alexander.

By the time of the Eureka Royal Commission in early 1855, women and children represented one quarter of the population on all the fields.

Far from being discouraged, women were welcomed to the gold fields. Argus reporter Daniel Bunce in his tent/ office on Forest Creek wrote in March 1853: It is gratifying to observe a large number of respectable Females, who, there is little doubt, will have a beneficial effect in ameliorating and softening the tone of society at Forest Creek, and the diggings generally.

They were also welcome for more pragmatic reasons. Diggers without women were commonly observed to ‘wallow in filth and misery’. The ubiquitous mutton chops were eaten with fingers straight from the frying pan, damper was sometimes attempted with mixed success, fruit and vegetables were known only by repute and a great deal of sly grog of dubious quality was consumed. I do not want to glamorise the life of women on the gold fields.

They kept house in the bitter cold of winter and the heat and dust of summer in the most primitive of conditions, gave birth to babies in tents, and lost children to the depredations of inadequate drinking water and non-existent sanitation. The Pennyweight Cemetery at Moonlight Flat is a silent witness to their anguish as children were buried in alien ground. And women on the gold fields were, in the absence of an official safety net, one man’s heartbeat away from destitution. Yet they were not deterred.

Among the early arrivals was Fanny Finch. She was born Frances Cecilia Jackson in London in about 1825.

She was a woman of colour, presumably of the ethnic minority of African people in Georgian England, and this would have made her an object of curiosity on the gold fields. By 1844 she was in South Australia with her hus-

band Joseph Finch, as in that year the pair were tried for cashing a cheque which did not belong to them. At least two children, John and Fanny, were born in Adelaide; several more were born, and died, on the Victorian gold fields.

Fanny’s first business venture was a boarding house and restaurant in the principal market place on Forest Creek, Post Office Hill Square. Bryce Ross’s business directory, published in May 1852, listed thirty-five businesses round the square, among them Fanny Finch’s boarding house.

Most recollections of Fanny are of the ‘nudge-nudgewink-wink’ variety, implying that she was a common prostitute and sly-grogger, thus damning her boarding house by implication. There are still historians in Castlemaine who speak in this way whenever her name is mentioned.

It is therefore surprising to come across this description of her Forest Creek boarding house in a letter to the Mount Alexander Mail in December 1855: Mrs Finch has … acquired great credit for the manner in which she conducted her restaurant at Forest Creek … at that time was the only one in which [indecipherable] … could get respectable accommodation. It was frequented by not only officials of the camp but by the [indecipherable] of the private world, the employees of the Port Phillip Mining Company, and all respectable diggers whose business brought them from any distance; and she has had the charge of the gold deposits to the amount of several thousand pounds for various persons, who speak highly of her probity, and attention to their interest and comfort.

But my interest in Fanny Finch was first kindled when I found that she was one of two women who tried to vote, unsuccessfully, in the first municipal elections of 1856. When I went in search of her I found that she made several attempts to establish other legitimate businesses, all of which left behind evidence in rates books, advertisements, court records and business directories. In November 1854 she opened a bathing establishment with refreshment rooms and reading room attached (with the latest periodicals) in Templeton Street, Castlemaine. A year later she opened a dining and refreshment tent next to the Victoria Hotel in Urquhart Street. By now a note of desperation had crept into her advertisements, as she

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publicly asked her creditors to allow her a little more time.

Cross referencing to the court records reveals that she had recently been fined £50 (a considerable sum in those days) for selling liquor to two policemen without a license.

I suspect that the notoriously corrupt police had it in for Fanny. In October 1855 she was again in court and fined heavily for the same offence. This time she wrote to the press to protest. I am still trying to track down this letter, but its contents may be inferred from the letter of support quoted above. The writer, signing him/herself ‘A Constant Reader’, continued: Mrs Finch has a family to maintain and provide for, and should be allowed to use every legitimate means of doing so as well as any other person. That she is not permitted to do so is obvious from her letter.

Means have been taken to entrap her into a violation of the law, and even if they had not been successful a row was to have been got up in her tent for the purpose of indicting her for keeping a disorderly house.

I was in hopes that these unwarrantable and unlawful measures promoted by the authorities, which for a long time have given so much disgust to the diggings community, had ceased, but, it seems, to gain an object of their own, or to vent their vicious inclinations, the law, which is made to protect individual and general interests, is prostituted to in order to satisfy the vindictive feelings of these mercenaries.

A great deal has been said about Mrs Finch, but I believe I state correctly when I say that war is declared against her for not acceding to the infamous wishes and proposals made by one of the camp officials, and which has been followed up without success by the subordinates as a matter of course, for these gentry make a point of imitating those above them in rank in all of their vices and folly.

It is high time such proceedings were stopped, and individuals allowed to live unmolested by them.

I trust that you will spare a corner in your valuable journal for the above remarks, and also hope that other persons will corroborate my statement of facts, that the persecuted party may no longer be under a stigma as public opinion, biased by the police report, may tend to injure her business and family.

The internecine warfare between Fanny and the authorities continued unabated. In February 1856 she was again raided and again she attempted to rally public sup-

port by writing to the Mail. It is impossible to over-emphasise the importance of this letter. Few women ever wrote to the newspapers and letters from working-class women were rare indeed.

Sir – I have no doubt that you will not allow an oppressed woman to be treated with such cruelty I have experienced a few days since. I am a woman of but few words, and plain spoken; and, therefore, if any mistake be made, I hope it will be placed, not to my fault, but to my want of sufficient power to express myself more fluently. Whatever my position may be, I have worked hard to keep my poor daughters in a good school and given them such an education as I myself have not got. Imagine, Sir, the Sheriff, then, sending down the bailiff to seize my goods, and after exposing me – almost ruining me – quietly saying that he had mistaken me for a person of another name.

Surely, Sir, there must be some protection for a woman endeavouring to support her children in decency: but for a Sheriff’s officer, under mistake, to destroy one’s credit, and have a thing of the kind thrown in the face of my family, is unheard of. I believe there is some remedy for the uncalled-for intrusion: and if the Sheriff or his officer do not, in your next paper, make an ample apology for the way they have acted, I shall be forced to apply to my lawyer for redress. I am, Sir, yours, Frances Finch.

Unsurprisingly, no apology was forthcoming.

The silence which surrounded prostitution on the gold fields is eerie. Perhaps this was a matter of Victorian prudery or perhaps their presence and the service they offered was so commonplace as to make comment unnecessary – as with the women who followed army encampments and large-scale construction sites such as canals, roads and railways. As the word prostitute was rarely used in public discourse, it is necessary to crack the code: abandoned character; incorrigible termagant; of free and easy virtue; consorting with the Chinese; inhabiting a den of iniquity, of the lowest type; no visible means of support. Those old enough to remember the charge of ‘keeping a disorderly house’ will have no difficulty with the term ‘keeping a disorderly tent’. In the Castlemaine Court of Petty Sessions for 1852 there were 151 convictions for keeping a disorderly tent, a brothel which was often combined with the illegal sale of alcohol, or sly grogging as it was known. Although those charged were often

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men, women, by definition, must have been involved. I do not want to imply that prostitution on the goldfields as an honourable profession. The women endured the status of outcasts, bully-boy police who were corrupt almost to a man, the condescension of the courts, the risk of venereal disease, the ever-present threat of violence and, in most cases, abject poverty.

The evidence that Fanny was a prostitute or ran a brothel consists more of innuendo than of hard facts, as she was never convicted of that offence, although she was several times convicted of sly grogging. The only public imputation came in the Castlemaine Police Court in December 1858 when Elizabeth Higgins was charged with vagrancy. The arresting officer, Sergeant Robinson, testified that she had been ‘knocking about the public houses and taking men to haunts of prostitutes – Mrs Finch’s and Mrs Blossman’s.’ If Fanny Finch sometimes sold her own body and traded in other women she should not be defined in this one-dimensional way. Against the odds and across the years she insists on being heard for what she was; a woman involved in a precarious battle for survival in a crude, male-dominated world. She was a coloured woman at the bottom of the heap, a wife and mother, a breadwinner, a business woman, and a fighter against injustice.

So what became of Fanny Finch? By December 1860 she was insolvent. She was admitted to the Castlemaine Hospital in 1861 where she was treated for syphilis. To the admissions officer she gave her marital status as widowed.

She continued to appear in the Castlemaine rate books running her boarding house and restaurant until 1863. In that year the registrar recorded the death of a woman named Frances Finch, aged thirty-eight, with the family name of Jackson and a mother named Cecilia. Among the roll call of heroes and villains on the gold fields we should note the short and turbulent life of Frances Cecilia Jackson Finch.

For further detail on sources email Marjorie at mrtheo@netspace.net.au

Chewton - 100 years ago...

Bendigonian - Tuesday 16 June 1914 On Sunday the workmen of the Water Supply department of the district, under Mr. Schrieber, the district engineer made the connection with the new Golden Point Reservoir, which is to supply Chewton and Castlemaine with pure water when the Expedition Pass Reservoir, through flood waters flowing into it, is in a muddy condition. To do this, the Chewton and Castlemaine supply had to be cut off for the day.

Mount. Alexander Mail - Tuesday 30 June 1914

FEELING AT CHEWTON. SENTENCE DENOUNCED.

The main topic of conversation in this borough just now is the sentence passed on Charles Sanger at Taradale by the local Justices of the Peace (writes our Chewton correspondent), and on all sides the sentence is denounced as out of all proportion to the - shall I say - crime of the accused. If the Bench at Taradale thought he was guilty of crimes to entitle him to such a sentence, why, it is everywhere asked, did they not send him up to be tried before a judge and jury? Whatever Charles Sanger is, or whatever he has done, he is entitled to a trial by the usual means provided by the law. Petty robberies have taken place all round the district, and have all been credited to Sanger, but supposition is not proof.

SES Floodsafe

As part of Floodsafe the State Emergency Service has prepared a local flood guide for Castlemaine. Part of it reads:

Your Local Flood Information

The Mount Alexander Shire is located within the catchments of two river systems, the Loddon and Campaspe Rivers. The Campaspe River begins to the south of the Shire in the ranges around Trentham and flows north through the eastern areas of the Shire. The Coliban River also flows north through the eastern part of the Shire joining the Reservoir at Lake Eppalock. There are numerous creeks that feed both of these rivers within the eastern part of the Shire.

Castlemaine can experience riverine flooding from three creek systems in the township; Campbells Creek, Barkers Creek and Forest Creek. Castlemaine is likely to experience flash flooding from heavy rainfall occurring over a short period of time. Historically flash flooding has occurred so quickly that there may be no time for a warning. It is important for residents to be aware of the potential for future flash flooding and plan for it.

A Flood and Drainage Management Plan is being developed by the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA). There is currently no flood warning system for Castlemaine.

Information on being flood prepared, what to do during a flood and for the recovery afterwards is available at

www.ses.vic.gov.au

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Golden Point Landcare

Our recent meeting was held on another not so sunny Sunday, May 25th in Ellery Park.

• In 2000, Golden Point Landcare celebrated the Olympic year with a community planting on roadside land at the corner of Golden Point Road and the Pyrenees Highway, Chewton. Selected Acacia species were planted to celebrate the greens and gold’s of Australia’s aspiring teams. Over the intervening years the planting has matured and is now predominately of an age and looking increasingly bedraggled. We have forwarded a letter to council suggesting the total removal of the copse of the remaining live shrubs and the dead wood. This would allow council mowing crews improved access to manage the existing grassland in this area and result in a more open vista into the historically significant landscape that this intersection borders.

• The Sustainability and Environment Round-table hosted by MAS meets again in June. These council supported meetings will bring together representatives from interested organisations for discussion and interaction on relevant local issues for our natural and built environments. Golden Point Landcare will be among other local environment groups attending.

• GPL was among 18 local Landcare and Friends of groups represented at a recent meeting held to discuss possible local projects using the federal government’s ‘Green Army’. Concerns regarding the structure and implementation of the projects has resulted in no local

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organisations submitting proposals for Round 1 funding and a letter to this effect has been forwarded to the lower house and senators by the our local Landcare facilitator on behalf of attending organisations.

Golden Point Rd continues to be a busy and important wildlife corridor and we urge all drivers to exercise caution especially on dawn and dusk, to reduce wildlife injury and fatalities along all local roads.

This year Golden Point Landcare will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the year of the 25th anniversary of the National Landcare movement, making us one of the longer established groups in the movement. Landcare Week in early September will be a focus for a celebration and preparations are underway. We would love to hear your stories of local involvement in planting days, workshops or other events. Contact 0423 900 590 if you hold images or stories you can share.

Upcoming dates for the diary include a working bee in Ellery Park, Chewton on National Tree Day, Sunday July 27th, and we will also be at Wesley Hill Market on Saturday morning, June 28th with a Landcare stall.

Our AGM will be held on Sunday August 28th, at a venue to be confirmed.

If you would like to be kept up to date with things Landcare locally feel free to join our emailing list (contact us on 0423 900 590) or consider subscribing to Mount Alexander Landcare E-Newsletter by contacting max@cconnectingcountry.org.au.

Our next meeting will be in June on Sunday 22nd in Ellery Park next to the Town Hall at 10.00am. Hope you can join us.

Jennifer Pryce.

Huge clearing sale

103 Golden Point Road, Chewton Machinery, tools, antiques, collectables and more June 7, 8 and 9, 9 am – 4 pm or until sold out! No early callers!

A letter of appreciation

Recently I received a letter from a local resident who wanted to write and thank young Riley, the lad who comes up from Melbourne each year to play the bugle at our Anzac Day service here in Chewton. Not only did this resident want to thank him but wished to congratulate him on the continued effort made by Riley and his family as part of this tradition. After checking with the family to get permission to pass on their contact details, I’m sure by now that the thank you letter has been written.

It made me think that we do have lovely locals who appreciate what a lot of volunteers (and volunteer hours) are needed for one simple service once a year. And we know that just about everyone around here volunteers for causes in so many different ways and should all get a pat on the back – Chewton would be lost without them ….

Yours etc.

Bettie L. Exon, Anzac Day Memorial Group Member

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The ankle bone’s connected to the backbone - Health Hints for June

It was one of those netball injuries. A badly twisted ankle that no amount of vitamin filled oranges at quarter time was going to help. I wasn’t able to limp home, just wrap it up with Mum’s newly knitted poncho which were the ‘rave’ back then and wait for the family to come and carry me to the car. That’s how it’s always been since then, the ‘ol netball ankle, crunch crunch. The injury I’ve labelled to most chiropractors I visited over the years. There always seemed to be a certain amount of numbness through the whole leg, sometimes worse than others. I always had this nagging feeling throughout my stomach meridian on the left side right through to the foot.

It wasn’t till I visited my Chinese Professor a little while ago when I said, “Prof. why do I always feel this numb sensation through my leg which runs through the stomach meridian?” Prof. quipped back in his heavy Chinese accent. “That not come from your stomach chi, that come from your back.” There began a whole new routine of self-care massages. I have been doing them now for about a month as I’m lying in bed in the morning. I turn on my side and gently push and prod at my lower back, along where the spinal nerves run. I search for sore spots, numb spots and changes in temperature. I work with the hip bones and the sit bones and though I don’t press too hard, I can easily feel channels releasing and new energy flowing into the spine and the whole leg. And guess what?

With this day to day practice, no crunching sounds any more when I turn the ankle. I’m now testing this practice on other areas of the back that I can reach. The benefits include better energy flow to the lower organs and gut because those spinal nerves are connected to the stomach, the bowel and the kidneys. Best of all I don’t feel like some old lady who creaks when I walk or turn suddenly.

Self-care is a good way to go because you have a direct experience with levels of pain or discomfort when you work on yourself and you begin to have a direct understanding of how nerve pathways connect and channels of flow move. If you’re at all concerned you may be doing any harm, then talk it through with your local back specialist or GP. If you are feeling areas of heat or severe discomfort then it’s probably inflamed and you will need to exercise guided caution as to how to proceed.

When talking to a local nurse friend of mine this week, she lamented that we all seem to have lost some level of self-care which was part and parcel of previous generational experience. Recipes for health were handed down from tried and true formulas from grandparent’s medicine cabinets or found in the herbal garden outside.

With Autumn here, it’s a good time to protect the lung according to Chinese Medicine and with a coughing teenager in the house, it’s become all too obvious. Those bronchial coughs can be hard to shake. An added benefit of massaging the back means it’s stretching through the upper chest where the lung and its channels connect. Keep in mind that to boost the lung you should always work

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with the large intestine, considered to be the twin organ.

I’m taking a great remedy now which I’ll tell you about in next month’s column, but keep it moving with some soluble fibre. You can make an incredible difference to your own health with a little help from yourself. Just remember the song, ‘Your knee bone’s connected to your free bone” .

Thea O’Brien.

Have your say about the Play Space Strategy...

Council has developed a draft Play Space Strategy to provide a 10-year plan for managing and developing local play spaces and is seeking community input on the strategy.

The Play Space Strategy provides a framework for determining where play spaces will be located, the type of play elements and environments that will be considered, and for renewing and upgrading play spaces. It also establishes Council’s aspirations for play spaces as exciting and inspirational places where the community comes together, and where children have fun and learn new things.

Play spaces have been classified as local, district or municipal level play spaces according to the role they will play within the play space network. The classification of a play space takes into account the size of the population it caters for, the number of alternative play opportunities nearby and the role of the play space in providing for tourism or other economic development opportunities.

Community feedback will inform and influence the decisions made by Council in the development of play spaces. To get involved and view the Strategy, go to the Your Input section of http://www.mountalexander.vic.gov. au/ Hard copies of the strategy will also be available in the Customer Service Centre at the Civic Centre, the Castlemaine Library and the Castlemaine and Maldon Visitor Information Centres. Council must receive your feedback about the Play Space Strategy by 5.00pm on Friday 6 June 2014. For more information contact Ros Young, Recreation Services Team Leader at Mount Alexander Shire Council, on (03) 5471 1787. Taken from a Press Release.

Castlemaine CWA

Hello Chewton Chatters, Now the Beanie Affair is over, cooking classes continue on the second Wednesday of the month. Hilarious fun, cheap and you learn a lot! Sewing at Ray Bradfield each Thursday. You are all welcome.

Bring your own items. Need any help? Learn to sew!

Looking forward our now renowned CWA High Tea which will once again occur in October on the 26th. This year the theme is RETRO! Finally, on November 8th CWA launch themselves onto the stage again with the outrageous FOLLIES. Watch this space. Enquiries: cwacastlemaine@gmail.com Suzanne Ingleton CMC, President, Castlemaine Branch CWA. PO Box 19, Castlemaine, 3450.

14th June World Blood Donor Day World Blood Donor Day is a reminder of the importance of blood donation. 1 in 3 people will need blood in their lifetime, while just 1 in 30 people currently donate.

Five Flags Hotel Campbells Creek

FIELD NATS

VISITORS ARE WELCOME AT CLUB MEETINGS AND EXCURSIONS Sat June 7th Excursion:

Blackwood fungi - leaving 9.15 am Fri June 13th: Meeting - Geoff Park.

Ordinary membership: Single $30, Family $40, Pensioner or student: Single $25, Family $30.

Subscription includes postage of the monthly newsletter, Castlemaine Naturalist.

General meetings - (second Friday of each month, except January) are held in the Uniting Church (UCA) Hall (enter from Lyttleton St.) at 7.30 pm.

Field Trips - (Saturday following the general meeting) leave from the car park opposite Castle Motel, Duke Street at 1.30pm sharp unless stated otherwise. BYO afternoon tea. Outdoor excursions are likely to be cancelled in extreme weather conditions. There are NO excursions on total fire ban days.

CASTLEMAINE FIELD NATURALISTS, PO BOX 324, CASTLEMAINE 3450 Website: http://home.vicnet.net.au/~cfnc

Vocal Nosh

a good sing & good food in convivial company

Sunday 1st June Newstead Community Centre led this month by Fay White Theme: Rhythm and Syncopation - and not forgetting World Environment Day

* Sunday Roast * New Spring menu

* Cool, shady beer garden * Pubtab and Keno * Drive through bottleshop Open everyday for lunch and dinner

5472 1010

• 6.00 - 7.00 pm Vocal entrée - warm up/easy stuff • 7.00 - 7.30 pm Food - Hearty soup, crusty bread, fresh fruit • 7.30 - 8.30 pm Musical main-course – Delicious harmonies Songs in the folk style, mostly a cappella - no prior musical experience necessary - no need to read music Singing for the pleasure of it Bookings by email: faywhite.music@westnet.com.au or phone Fay 5461 5471

The Chewton Chat is published by the Chewton Domain Society. A subcommittee of John Ellis (Ed.),Bettie Exon, Gloria Meltzer, Debbie Hall, Phil Hall and Glen Harrison is responsible for the publication. Many volunteers help with production and circulation. It is circulated on the first of each month, necessitating a deadline of about the 22nd of the month before. Material can be left at the Chewton General Store, with any of the sub-committee members, sent by e-mail to goldenpoint2@bigpond.com or by calling 5472 2892.

Contributions of ideas, news items, articles, and letters are always welcome; as are advertisements that help meet monthly production costs. Circulation is via the Chewton General Store, Chewton Pet Supplies, Chewton Post Office, East End Servo, Red Hill Hotel, Castle Automotive Enterprises and Tourist Information Board, as well as the Bold Cafe, Castlemaine Library, Market Building, CHIRP, CIC, Castlemaine Copy Centre, Castlemaine Camera Shop and Castlemaine Office Supplies. Mt. Alexander Hospital Residential receives monthly copies too.

Whilst copies are free, there are donation tins at many collection points and donations can be mailed to the CDS address below. Subscriptions for mailed copies can be arranged. Circulation is now 800. A full colour Chewton Chat can also be downloaded each month from www.chewton.net - as can earlier issues. The CDS can be contacted through PO Box 85, Chewton, 3451; or the Chewton Town Hall 5470 6131 (when open). The Chewton Chat wishes to advise that the views or remarks expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of the editor, the management team or the Chewton Domain Society and no endorsement of service is implied by the listing of advertisers, sponsors or contributors.

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And now it’s Autumn again!

Is it only me that loves to complain about the weather?

As I write this there is fog over the Bushlands, the temperature is in the low teens and it is decidedly chilly outside. Only our two-year old dog seems to enjoy the cool and the water in the creek; five minutes running around and he’s into the creek to cool down!!

We seem to have had an endless Indian summer with enough rain to refill the tanks and provide the last of the tomatoes with the moisture needed to keep them going whilst they go yellowy-pink. They are not however of the best quality – ok for the kitchen if not the dining room table.

The daily high temperatures were topped by 22.5 degrees Celsius in the middle of the month. This was accompanied by a week of 20 degrees or more, supplemented by almost as many high teens. The month’s average was 16.7 degrees C., and this compares with last month of 21.7 degrees C. The mode was 19.5 degrees C. Cooling off, but done rather nicely.

The low end of the spectrum however was an average 6.5 degrees C compared with 11.5 degrees C for last month. Our highest low was 12.5 degrees on two occasions, and occurred in the later half of the month.

Considering the mode however is a good example of statistical nonsense. The mode for the month was 4 degrees Celsius, with this temperature being recorded

June 3rd June 7th June 7th June 8th June 8th June 9th June 10th June 11th June 12th June 15th June 17th June 19th June 22nd June23rd June 23rd June 24th

June 25th

June 27th June 28th

June 30th

on four occasions. Later in the month we experienced a series of three mornings of 11.5 degrees, and of course the two of 12.5 degrees has already been mentioned.

Still, there it is, the best of statistics to us all.

To the rain. May has seen us receiving some 59 millimetres. Some 18 mls got us under way at the end of April, but a 30 millimetre downpour in the later part of the month of May was a great help, especially as we have had a few good follow-up falls in single digit quantities.

So far this year I have recorded some 141 millimetres (most of which has arrived in the last two months). We have had thirty-four rain days (34), with a highest fall of 30 millimetres. That means that we have just about caught up with our lower summer falls. Our winter rains are the most consistent, so we should see a bit more to come now.

Time now to think about the winter brassicas. Having been away for a few weeks on “El Nino hunting duty”, I am once again behind in my veggie organisation. I have now taken down all my mid-summer fire precautions and made it ready for deployment again in December. The fire pump needs a service, and whilst little grass has been mowed, so does the ride-on. There is plenty of wood to chop up for the winter, so I am not going to have any trouble finding something to do.

John Leavesley.

Calendar of Events

Senior Cits (SC) Trip to Echuca/Moama, 8.30 a.m., Castlemaine Market (see page 9).

Huge clearing sale, 9 a.m., 103 Golden Point Road (also 8th and 9th till sold out).

MoBQ, 6 p.m., Ellery Park BBQ (see page 16 – and wear a hat!)

Holy Communion, 9.15 a.m., St. John’s Anglican Church, Chewton (see page 25).

POHAG meeting, 10 a.m., Sam’s Shed. All welcome!

Queen’s Birthday public holiday MAS Council meeting, 7.30 p.m., C’maine Civic Centre.

Chewton Community Planning, 7 p.m., Chewton Primary School.

SC Hoy or Bingo, 1.30 p.m., Chewton Senior Citizens Centre (see page 9).

Mystery Geology (FOBIF) walk, 9.30 a.m., contact Julian Hollis on 5470 5002.

CDS Management Committee meeting, 7 p.m., George Archer Pavilion.

SC lunch, 12 noon, Chewton Senior Citizens Centre (see page 9).

Golden Point Landcare meeting, 10 a.m., Ellery Park (see page 29).

Morning Prayer, 9.15 a.m., St. John’s Anglican Church, Chewton (see page 25).

Deadline for the July Chewton Chat.

MAS Council meeting, 7.30 p.m., C’maine Civic Centre.

Chewton Community Planning dinner/discussion, 6 p.m., Red Hill Hotel (book on 5472 2317, see page 12).

School term ends.

Fryerstown Films (Grapes of Wrath), 7.30 p.m., Fryerstown Hall (see page 8).

Folding the Chewton Chat (Monday), 2.30 p.m., Chewton General Store.

Specialising in Brick, Stone, Granite and Slate

www.marcushoustonbricklaying.com

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