Coast magazine winter 2013 online magazine

magazine

Coastal living at its best! daddy cool gary young grand designs peter maddison wonderful weddings your ultimate guide

A magazine for living, relaxing & enjoying life by the coast coast 1

Superbly located only 800 metres from the main street of Cowes and even closer to the beach, Seagrove is Phillip Island’s most sought after environmentally-sustainable address.

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Mercedes-Benz Berwick.

An experience like no other.

With one of the most extensive range of New, Approved Pre-Owned, Executive Driven and Commercial Vehicles in the country, MercedesBenz Berwick provides a world class service unlike any other.

Nestled amongst the lush green surrounds, and rolling hills of Berwick and the Dandenong Ranges, Mercedes-Benz Berwick presents a truly breathtaking alternative to test-driving your new car.

Sweeping long bends, smooth straights, and idyllic scenery immerses you, while the poise and power of your dream Mercedes-Benz lies at your feet, and in your hands. Why test drive in peak hour traffic, when a drive that many dream of exists only 30 minutes South-East of Melbourne?

From the moment you enter the beautiful showroom, the staff at Mercedes-Benz Berwick are committed to delivering a unique, attentive and enjoyable experience. The friendly and knowledgeable customer service team will get to know you, before guiding you through an impressive range of stunning Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

Enjoy a fine coffee, expertly made, while we answer any questions you may have about the car you’ve always dreamed of.

Purchasing a new Mercedes-Benz is an achievement worth congratulating. To celebrate your excellent choice, Mercedes-Benz Berwick welcomes you into the family with the infamous ‘Car Unveiling’ upon delivery.

However, your relationship with Mercedes-Benz Berwick does not end there. With many enjoyable events, such as Corporate Drive Days, Golf Days, Community and Corporate sponsorships and a state-of-the-art service & parts department open 6 days a week, your paths will no doubt cross with us again and again.

I look forward to welcoming you to our dealership so you can enjoy a Mercedes-Benz experience like no other.

Craig P. Howard Dealer Principal - Mercedes-Benz Berwick

coast 4 Mercedes-Benz Berwick 518 Princes Highway, Berwick, 1300 MBB MBB, www.mbberwick.com.au LMCT 578

grow your business. Take advantage of this offer before June 30 by visiting <insert dealership name> or find us at <insert dealership website>

$5,000 off Sprinter

$3,000 off Vito

• Full Automatic gearbox (optional)

• Powerful yet efficient EURO 5 engine

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• ADAPTIVE ESP

• ADAPTIVE ESP with Load Adaptive Control

• Rear wheel drive

• Guaranteed future value offered with

• Guaranteed future value offered with

Agility Finance programme*

Put your savings to work.

Imagine what you could do with the savings when you buy a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter or Vito? Not only do you get a class-leading van, you also get great savings to help grow your business. Take advantage of this offer before June 30 by visiting our Van Manager Brian Wilkinson and his team at MercedesBenz Berwick or find us at www.mbberwick.com.au

Agility Finance programme*

Subject to availability, vehicles must be ordered and delivered between April 6 and June 30, 2013. Offer not available in conjunction with Fleet, Government and Rental programmes. *Guaranteed Future Value is subject to vehicle return conditions and kilometre restrictions. Agility Finance is restricted to approved customers of Mercedes-Benz Financial Service Australia Pty Ltd ABN 73 074 134 517, Australian credit licence 247271 and is subject to standard credit assessment and lending criteria. Please contact an authorised Mercedes-Benz dealer for further details (including vehicle eligibility).

Winter health check.

Agility Winter is a great time for your vehicle to be in optimum condition. Ensure peace of mind and go from “A to Anywhere” this Winter without being left out in the cold. Mercedes-Benz Berwick has always prided itself on providing you and your Mercedes-Benz with protection and performance.

Mercedes-Benz Lorem ipsum dolor, Samplestreet 23, 12345 Samplecity, Tel 01234 56 78 90, Fax 01234 56 78 90, info@sampledealer.com, www.sampledealer.com While you wait enjoy a warm beverage, gourmet muffin and complimentary

$5,000 off Sprinter

$3,000 off Vito

• Full Automatic gearbox (optional) • Powerful yet efficient EURO 5 engine • ADAPTIVE ESP with Load Adaptive Control • Guaranteed future value offered with Agility Finance programme*

• Powerful yet efficient EURO 5 engine • ADAPTIVE ESP • Rear wheel drive • Guaranteed future value offered with Agility Finance programme*

paper.

MER0330 Sprinter & Vito Retail Campaign Q2 2013-HPC_V4.indd 1

King of the jungles.

King of the jungles.

all new 7-seat GL.7-seat GL. TheTheall new

16/04/13 10:06 AM

$129.00 Winter Health Check includes: All Point Brake Check, Tyre Tread and Pressure Check, Drive Belt Check, Water and Heater Hoses Check, Engine Oil Level Check, Cooling System Check, Lights and Instrument Check, Power Steering Fluid Check, Battery Check.

Approved Pre-Owned opportunities.

Over 80 Approved Pre-Owned and Executive Vehicles Available.

Command any terrain from the city to the outback in the all new Mercedes-Benz GL. With seven luxurious adult size seats you’ll have plenty of room for the entire pride. And to keep them safe, a revolutionary 360° camera provides a bird’s-eye view of your surroundings.

So take your rightful and rule yourfrom jungle in the all newcity 7-seat GL. Command anyplace terrain the to the outback in the all new Mercedeswww.mercedes-benz.com.au/gl Benz GL. With seven luxurious adult size seats you’ll have plenty of room for the entire pride. And to keep them safe, a revolutionary 360° camera provides a bird’s-eye view of your surroundings. So take your rightful place and rule your jungle in the all new 7-seat GL.

Special Offer

Choose between • 2 Years Complimentary Servicing ^ • or 2 Years Extended New Car Warranty • or $2,000 Apple Voucher with all Executive Driven and Approved Pre-Owned vehicles

www.mercedes-benz.com.au/gl <Dealer logo> <Dealer address> <Dealer phone> <Dealer LMCT>

Agility

Subject to availability, vehicles must be ordered and delivered between April 6 and June 30, 2013. Offer not available in conjunction with Fleet, Government and Rental programmes. *Guaranteed Future Value is subject to vehicle return conditions and kilometre restrictions. Agility Finance is restricted to approved customers of Mercedes-Benz Financial Service Australia Pty Ltd ABN 73 074 134 517, Australian credit licence 247271 and is subject to standard credit assessment and lending criteria. Please contact an authorised Mercedes-Benz dealer for further details (including vehicle eligibility). ^Approved Pre-Owned Special Offer and Winter Health Check is exclusive to Mercedes-Benz Berwick. Vehicles are subject to availability and only one Special Offer choice per car. Vehicles must be purchased at the advertised price to be eligible for the offer.

Mercedes-Benz

coastLMCT 5 578 Mercedes-Benz Berwick 518 Princes Highway, Berwick, 1300 MBB MBB, www.mbberwick.com.au

majestic coastal views, zero carbon homes,

www.capepatersonecovillage.com.au coast 6

affordable sustainable living

The Ecovillage will be a place where people can enjoy a strong sense of community, an active healthy lifestyle and contribute to the restoration and ecological values of the coast. The project will combine beautiful parks, ocean views and open space, walking and cycling tracks, and the light footprint solutions of modern sustainable architecture, solar energy and water sensitive design. coast 7

the coast team

Winter is well and truly here! But don’t despair, there is still an amazing array of things to enjoy by the coast. Think of the rugged beauty of the coast in winter, walking for miles to the sound of the ocean with nature as company . . . pretty special. Or how about cosying up by the fire at a local eatery with a delicious bowl of slow food? There are so many shops, galleries and festivals to discover.

Throw on your winter woollies and go forth and explore!

publisher/editor Maria Reed sub editor Anne Roussac-Hoyne

In this edition, we get outside in the fresh air with the South Coast Stars, a bubbly group of gals that have formed their own soccer team. All about fun and having a go . . . it’s a sure-fire way to keep the winter chills at bay. Another (we’ve found) is having a good laugh, and we enjoy a solid, hearty chuckle with Inverloch comedian Hayman Kent. She talks to Coast about being chosen as one of the new comics in ‘The Comedy Zone’ - a line-up of the ‘five best new comics in Australia’, in the recent International Comedy Festival in Melbourne.

words Katie Cincotta, Maria Reed Sue Webster, Sally O’Neill photo editor Warren Reed photography Warren Reed, Lucas Piera coast photography - 0414 753 739

For the musically inclined, we have a chat to musical enigma Martha Wainwright about motherhood, her new album and upcoming tour, and chew the fat with musician and RRR radio presenter Gary Young at his little piece of paradise in Kilcunda.

design Ryan Thomas print manager Nigel Quirk

Then we take to the road and discover the wonders of Wonthaggi and Leongatha, two gorgeous towns to explore in our local region.

advertising Call Kerrie on 0432 273 107 ads@coastmagazine.net

from the editor

Don’t forget, if you’re planning a wedding, don’t miss our extensive Winter Weddings guide in this edition. We give you all the tools to plan a fabulous, unique wedding by the coast.

Have a warm and snuggly winter!

Maria x

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Coast is printed in Australia under ISO 14001 Environmental Certifications. Coast magazine has chosen to print on FSC certified stock. FSC certification ensures traceability and verification of well managed forest timber, from mill to printer to you.

Phillip Island to the Prom Coast Magazine © published by Coast Media P/L. ISSN 1833-3648. The publisher is not responsible or liable for any omissions or human error in Phillip Island to the Prom Coast Magazine. Material in this publication cannot be published or reproduced without the publishers written consent. All material contained in this publication is protected by Australian Copyright regulations.

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Giving the best pricing and finest service with all Apple Mac products in our beautiful Coastal corner of Victoria.

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1300 03 MACS / 1300 03 6227 call, visit or email anytime. coast 10

contents &features

regulars

features

12.

Coast Life

24.

On a whim - Comedian Hayman Kent

17.

15 minutes of fame - Dudley Nicol

28.

Forever Young - Gary Young

19.

Arts & events guide

20.

2 Coast People - Karen Milkins-Hendry & Kirk Skinner

32.

Martha Wainwright - Music legend

47.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New

60.

Giving the best pricing and finest service 36. Grand Designs - Peter Maddison with all Apple Mac products in our beautiful Feature areas - Leongatha & Wonthaggi (68) of Victoria.

Coastal corner 42. Artist Profile - Lisa Cox

76.

Around Town (114)

100. Where to eat guide 105. Coast property

48.

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52.

Maris Moto - Dance, music & sculpture Turning point - George Pappas

All the very latest Mac releases in one place.

w : www.03.com.au / e: 122. Coast directory & stockists - Find what you need

coast@03.com.au 56. Girls kick a goal - Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soccer fb : www.facebook.com/03AppleMac tw : www.twitter.com/03AppleMac 81. Wonderful weddings - Your ultimate guide Henry Donohue - Wonthaggi legend 1300 03 MACS / 1300 104.

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coastlife winter

ice magic We are all big fans of the penguin down here at Phillip Island. The Arts centre Melbourne is hosting “On assignment with Paul Nicken” from National Geographic.

Paul will talk and show off some of the amazing images captured on assignment. A live event, not to be missed. To book call 1300 182 183 or artscentremelbourne. com.au

dazzlingdaffodils This year the Leongatha Horticultural Society is excited to announce that its annual Daffodil Festival is in its 58th year, no less. Come and be delighted and surprised by this vibrant occasion, full of colour and fun activities for all the family. From 29th to the 31st August, it is a festival not to be missed! For more information call Sandra Macdonald on 03 5662 4618 or Sue Thompson on 03 5668 6334

thekellylegend Music legend Paul Kelly is set to rock the regions again. Those clever promoters at the Lyrebird Arts Council have managed to secure this great talent for a night at the Leongatha Memorial Hall. An unmissable event! Mark it in your diary for August 28th. www.lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au

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ride on

to the rescue

The Bass Coast Cycle Challenge is a charity event that supports the RYDA program (a Rotary road safety education initiative).

It’s being held this year on Nov 16th.

It’s a great opportunity to experience a spectacular ride, enjoying the scenic views of the Bass Coast hills and the Bass coastline, finishing in the beautiful town of Inverloch. For more information www.basscoastcyclechallenge.com

Those artistic folk at the Wonthaggi (State Coal Mine) Rescue Station Arts Co-op are in a fix and need your help. Their art space has been out of action due to severe flooding, and requires over $130,000 in work to make it operational again.

President Wendy Crellin says, “We need every member possible to assist in our fundraising efforts.” You can also help by donating any ‘authentic’ Wonthaggi bricks to help with rebuilding, or buy a hypothetical brick, receive a brick certificate and have your name inscribed on their honour board. To find out more, email rescuestationarts@gmail.com, log onto www.rescuestationarts.org.au or call President Wendy Crellin on 5672 1949

in my kitchen garden Local coastal horticulturalist and ethical farmer Marcelle Nankervis tells the story of how her family embarked on a journey to turn a small farm holding on the Mornington Peninsula into a sustainable food-producing farmlet for her family of five. Seasons In My Kitchen Garden depicts the first year at their small farm in Moorooduc with practical step-bystep instructions, and indepth plant descriptions. RRP $39.95 by Hardy Grant Publishing. Available at all good bookstores.

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coastlife winter

Japanese students visit In March 2011 the Fukushima area was hit by an earthquake and tsunami that triggered a series of melt-downs at the nuclear plant. Since then, life for over 150,000 people has become a nightmare of radiation and its devastating after-effects. The Australian Conservation Foundation recently helped organise Peace Boat – a break for a group of schoolkids from across the Fukushima region, which included a trip to Phillip Island. A great time was had by all.

L

driving mentors The Bass Coast L2P Program assists disadvantaged youth (ages 16 -21) achieve the mandatory 120 hours’ driving experience necessary to attempt their probationary licence test. They are currently looking for volunteer mentor drivers.

If you wish to find out more, please contact Scott Bugbird on 0467590679 or email basscoastl2p@hotmail.com

P

ryda program

The RYDA Road Safety Project is an acronym for Rotary Youth Driver Awareness, a schoolbased road safety education program run for 16-18-year-olds. Young students from Wonthaggi, Mary MacKillop and Newhaven Colleges recently took part in this valuable, often life-saving program. www.ryda.org.au

a whole lotta rubbish The condition of Phillip Island’s beaches is about to come under scrutiny as teachers from across Australia work alongside CSIRO scientists as part of TeachWild, a national marine debris research and education program. Marine debris is largely made up of plastic, glass and fishing nets. It affects more than 270 species of animals worldwide, yet little is known about the full impact on Australian wildlife. For more information log onto earthwatch.org.au

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New Abstract Works Now Showing

“HORSE” Acrylic, pastel & crayon on canvas 180 x 150cm by Cheryl Petersen

Over 200 artworks for sale/classes & workshops also available Shop 7/8 Edward St Somerville Open 10am - 5pm 7days a week.

Phone: 5977 8724 Mobile: 0408 833 260 cheryl.petersen@bigpond.com

www.cherylpetersengalleries.com coast 15

coast 16

Dudley Nicol is a true gentleman in every sense of the word. Proving you can’t keep a good man down, this octogenarian defied his doctor’s diagnosis when he came out of a coma after a massive stroke still able to walk and talk.

as told to maria reed photo maria reed

fifteenminutesoffame Dudley: I was born in Melbourne and grew up Bacchus Marsh. My dad was working for the Lands Department at that time, helping farmers get rid of weeds and rabbits. He would catch the rabbits for the skins, and we would help him out a bit. The farmers would scratch a shallow ditch on the land and we’d go along and throw in pieces of chopped-up apple, which the rabbits would eat. The next night we’d do the same, but bait the apples. The skins were worth a couple of bob back then, which helped because it was war-time and things were pretty lean.

When I finished high school Dad suggested that I should become a clerk. I worked for 2 years at the Argus newspaper but I soon realised that I wasn’t cut out for that kind of work. I went to college and trained in management, and after that I found a job quite easily. I discovered I could work with most people. A lot of managers would tell you what to do, but as a part of my training, I was taught to ask people instead – it was to help people discover the answer themselves, and it made life much more interesting. It was all a part of getting to know people, and helping them to learn. I always believe in asking rather than telling. I had many different careers, but I was always working with people.

In 1967 I moved to Cowes on Phillip Island. I think the population back then was about 2000, and there were only four shops in the main street. There was no milk bar, no dentist, hardly a bank, but there was a dairy. The school was tiny. There were only two rooms with a handful of kids. We sent our daughters there and bought the kiosk at The Nobbies.

Back then, people came to the island to see the seals, penguins and koalas – I guess not a lot has changed. At the kiosk, we had no electricity or telephone, but we did have an old wood stove and a generator. When Prince Phillip visited Australia he came to our shop with his minders to look at the seals through our telescope. He was a nice, friendly chap. We used to take a boat over to Seal Rocks and walk with the seals. A man died there (he shows me a news clipping of a photo taken by a tourist, showing four unsuspecting rock walkers just about to

be engulfed by a freak 8-metre wave at the Nobbies). Another time, a lady fell down by the rocks and we needed to get her up the cliff to the ambulance. I still remember four chaps carrying her on a plank of wood they had found, securing her to it with their belts. They carried the plank with one hand, and the other held their pants up so they didn’t fall down.

After 9 years at The Nobbies, we moved on and bought a motel in Cowes. It was a time when the whole time-share thing started up. It was going on worldwide, and we signed up to be a part of it. During that time my wife Dot began to have headaches. X-rays showed nothing, but finally she had a scan and they discovered she had a tumour in the centre of her brain. We lost her after 9 months . . . it was a very sad time.

The girls wanted to start a new life after that, so Sandy went to England and Kerry went to Canada. All of a sudden I was a single again. I met a nice lady, Marlo Fox, and we became friends and went to the Gold Coast to start the first time-share there. After Marlo and I got married, I was asked to start a time-share in NZ. I was keen to go, but Marlo decided she wanted to stay put. We parted ways, but we’re still good friends and talk now and again.

When the industry started to weaken, my boss said, “Well, you were the first one on, so you will be the first one off.” And I had to start again. I got interested in massage and kinesiology and went to Mount Tambourine, just in from the Gold Coast – people were into that then. When I moved to the Gold Coast, it was just a country town. Later of course, it turned into a city – it just exploded. I eventually got sick of it and came back to the coast.

I have to say that what I have always enjoyed most is managing people – it’s fascinating. Humans are all so unique, and I just love meeting new ones. I think the secret to a long and happy life is being with others. I have tried to look after myself and keep moving. I’m a people person.

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June

July

Youth Advocacy Group Info Session When: 13 June Where: Cnr Baillieu Street and McBride Avenue, Wonthaggi Who: 1300 BCOAST (226 278)

Modern Art for beginners When: 13th and 14th July Where: Cheryl Petersen Gallery, 7/8 Edward St, Sommerville Who: www.cherylpetersengalleries.com

Lyrebird Arts Council presents Martha Wainwright When: 16 June Where: Leongatha Memorial Hall Who: www.lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au

Clairy Brown & The Bangin’ Rackettes When: 20th July Where: Meeniyan Town Hall Who: www.lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au

Foster and Allen When: 21 June, 7.00pm Where: 96 Graham Street, Wonthaggi Who: www.abpresents.com.au Timber & Tiles – exhibition by Heather Fahnle & John Carlson When: June 29 – Aug 4 Where: Café Lugano, 71 Thompson Ave, Cowes Who: www.fahnle.com.au Landcare planting When: 29th June Where: 215 McDowells Rd, Woolamai Who: Anna Spiden rogerlee3@gmail.com Winter Kingdom (school holiday program) When: 29th June to 5th July Where: Phillip Island Nature Park Nobbies Centre Who: www.penguins.org.au Kongwak Market When: every Sunday Where: Kongwak General store Who: Jane 0417 142 478

Landcare planting When: 27th July Where: Cnr Densley Rd & Woolamai Turnbull Rd, Woolamai Who: Pricilla Alderton rogerlee3@gmail.com

Kongwak Market When: every Sunday Where: Kongwak General store Who: Jane 0417 142 478 Inverloch Farmers Market When: Last Sunday of the month Where: The Glade, Inverloch Foreshore Who: www.vicfarmersmarkets.org.au

August Landcare planting When: 10th August Where: 1910 Loch/Wonthaggi Rd, Ryanston Who: Jenny & Roger Lee rogerlee3@gmail.com Lyrebird Arts Council presents Paul Kelly When: 28 Aug Where: Leongatha Memorial Hall Who: www.lyrebirdartscouncil.com.au Daffodil festival & floral show When: 29th - 31st August Where: Leongatha Memorial Hall (& open garden venues) Who: Sandra Macdonald 03 5662 4618 Pirelli Race Series When: 31st August Where: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Who: www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au Kongwak Market When: every Sunday Where: Kongwak General store Who: Jane 0417 142 478 Inverloch Farmers Market When: Last Sunday of the month Where: The Glade, Inverloch Foreshore Who: www.vicfarmersmarkets.org.au

Inverloch Farmers Market When: Last Sunday of the month Where: The Glade, Inverloch Foreshore Who: www.vicfarmersmarkets.org.au

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as told to maria reed photo lucas piera

Karen Milkins-Hendry and Kirk Skinner grew up on the same street in Wonthaggi. Their successful professional careers led them in different directions, but the long-time friends have found themselves back together as director and musical director of the Wonthaggi Theatre Group, working on their current production, ‘13’.

Karen: The Skinners lived across the road from us – that’s how I first met Kirk. He was the naughty boy around town, like a force of nature. As a teacher now, I look back on Kirk when he was young and realise he was probably incredibly intelligent and bored. If he was in school now we would find something to stimulate his mind.

Wonthaggi High was great and I had an amazing group of close-knit friends. When I went to school there was a big push to get girls into maths and science – so that’s naturally where I went. I did a very traditional physics/chemistry/two maths and English curriculum in Year 12, then went off to Melbourne Uni to do science. When I got there I thought everyone would be like me. I was walking around in a brighteyed, bushy-tailed state, going past everyone like … ‘Hi, I’m Karen from Wonthaggi,’ in my thongs, stretch Faberge jeans and a pink windcheater (she laughs).

I graduated with a Dip Ed and became a maths and chemistry teacher.

I never really thought of coming back to the coast. I loved the urban lifestyle and the choice of options there. At that stage I hadn’t really experienced what a place by the coast can offer an older person.

I worked at a school in Melbourne for a couple of years, and then followed a man back to the coast. The relationship finished, but a new relationship blossomed . . . a job at Newhaven College. The people, the students and the opportunities were great: I just grew with the college.

coast 20

I had really supportive principals, and it will always be a treasured part of my history – all 22 years of it.

Midway through my work there I met a crazy, zany lady called Anne Holt who was in drama, and she had a huge community of reverence and love about her. She did some work with Lyric Theatre (and so did I), and she suggested I should do some drama at school. When she left to be head of Drama at Xavier College, she said, ‘Well, now you can be head of Drama here’. I was a bit lost for words as I was a maths teacher.

But she spoke to the principal and I had four amazing years there in the Drama department. I wrote shows with my brother, Peter; he wrote the music and I wrote the scripts. Anne made me believe in myself.

In the meantime I met my husband Tad and got involved in the Wonthaggi Theatre Group. Jenny Churchill invited me to come and audition for a play. I directed when I had my daughter Jaz, and then I didn’t do any theatre for ages. The year I turned 40 I thought, ‘Right, I want to get back into it,’ and approached the company with the idea of doing a musical. They said yes, and the rest is history.

I finished up at Newhaven College. I think I missed Kirk by about 6 months as he had moved back to the area and started teaching music there. I bumped into him when I was doing Little Shop of Horrors at WTG and asked him if he could give us a hand with our singing. He’d

production people to have a lot of faith in you, but there are times when you feel vulnerable.

Tad (my husband) is the other integral part of this team.

He does the most amazing sets. I feel as if theatre was my driving passion, and Tad was dragged along as my husband and Kirk as my friend. Now I feel like I’m between these two creative and amazing souls. They both really respect each other. They bounce off each other, and we are a creative trio – it’s really quite fascinating. We all feel very lucky. We often say that to each other. It’s been really nice as everything is purely voluntary, everyone is passionate and involved and we all feed off that.

Kirk: I lived across the road from Karen and we knew each other quite well. After Grade 5 we lost touch as I went off to boarding school, joined the navy and then went to university. I got a scholarship and studied music and performance. I went teaching for a few years and then studied opera conducting at Covent Garden. I was studying with a Romanian conductor who’d just come back from working with Leonard Bernstein in America. I was a musical theatre freak, so that was kind of fantastic. I ended up doing my honours degree in musical theatre.

come near the end of the production and help fine-tune our singing.

One day he said, ‘I’m always coming in and doing damage control (she laughs). We need to do a project together.’ He suggested Les Miserables.

I said, ‘I’m not ready to do Andrew Lloyd Webber’, and he replied, ‘It’s not written by Andrew Lloyd Webber!’ That was my famous faux pas. I was thinking, ‘I’m getting a bit worldly and have a grip on the dramatic world . . . I just had no idea.

Kirk had done a professional South-East Asian tour of Les Mis, and he just knew it inside out. That was a turning point – for us …the group …everyone. We went up so many levels. The community still drops in now to talk about the show, which is really beautiful. Everything just magically came together. Having Kirk’s knowledge and professionalism made it all possible. Since Les Mis, we have been working together at the WTG. I’m director and Kirk is the musical director.

Kirk is a very hard taskmaster. There’s a famous saying in our theatre group: ‘You’ve been Kirked’. He is very demanding and exacting, but he’s very consistent with that, so people are okay about it. He is very uncompromising about talking or distractions during rehearsals – that’s one thing. But he has mellowed so much since Les Mis. I have yet to be Kirked - thank goodness. There is a lot of trust in our relationship. I guess I always feel like I’m a maths teacher masquerading as a drama person. Sometimes that’s like a get-out clause. You want the cast and

When I came back to Australia I hit the amateur circuit pretty hard. I was about 23 when I directed my first musical with one of the really big theatre companies. I worked with the Festival, Clock and Whitehorse Theatre Companies for the next ten years or so. In the mid 90s I’d been looking for a bit of commercial work, and someone said, ’You really need to get some lessons with someone in the industry . . . so they can see you.’ I kind of thumbed my nose at that because I thought, ‘I’ve got a graduate diploma from Covent Garden with one of the world’s best conductors.’ At that stage, most of the conductors in Australia were just pianists that were also conducting.

There was really only one who was a qualified conductor, and that was Peter Casey. He was doing Cats at that time in Melbourne and I thought, ‘Yeah, I don’t mind having a few lessons from him.’ He said, ‘You don’t need lessons: you need to be conducting a show!’ (he laughs). I said, ‘I know, but who do you have to sleep with to do that?!’

He said he could give me a matinee or two, and that led to good feedback from the company and the orchestra.

Then there was a series of events: he went off to Korea, someone got sick, someone’s wife had a baby and it was as simple as that. Right place, right time. On Wednesday there was no opening, and on Friday there was!

I was teaching at the time and doing matinees. I juggled it for a few months and then it all became too much. I had to make a choice. I’d been teaching for 15 years, but it was something that I really want to do, so I moved into musicals. I did the Australian tour and then I did some work with the Queensland Theatre Company and picked up the Australasian tour of Les Miserables. Later on I >

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became a locum conductor for the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation in London, and came back to Oz in 2001.

A friend of mine was the choreographer of the Australian State Schools Spectacular, and he told me that they needed a music consultant, so I became the musical director for the next show. I spent the next 9 1/2 years in that role, as well as doing commercial shows here and there.

In late 2007 I was at home at the family farm at Woolamai and someone mentioned that the Wonny theatre group was doing a show.

I caught up with Karen. We were chatting, and I said, ‘If you ever need a hand with the music side of things, give me a call.’ From there we rekindled our friendship. The group was progressing well, but I thought they needed a big project and should look at operating at a more professional level. They did Little Shop of Horrors which was great, and then Singing in the Rain, which I call Singing down the Drain, because it is such a massive show, and so difficult to stage. Unless you are a big amateur theatre company with a massive infrastructure, it’s just about impossible. The company pulled it off, but it was a threehour marathon!

I told Karen we needed to do a show that would bring people out of the woodwork and bring performers to the company. I suggested Les Mis. Our friendship is based on humour and the strengths we have in

our own areas. What we don’t know doesn’t really matter as we can figure it out together. I came in with the attitude, ‘This is how we put on a professional show’, and even if it didn’t work, I wanted people to know we were undertaking something serious. We raised the bar on so many levels and the sets were amazing.

It was probably hard for Karen as I knew the show inside out and backwards, but we had a great collaboration. The great thing is: yes, we are colleagues, but we are also really great friends. We do bounce off each other. We’re doing 13 at the moment, and I am totally out of my depth. We have 39 teenagers aged from 10 to 16. I’m absolutely out of my comfort zone, but it’s good to challenge yourself. I’m finding it very different and I’m floundering, but Karen knows the show backwards.

We have a great company of people at WTG, but sometimes we laugh that it is a bit of a Karen, Tad and Kirk Show. People often joke about the three of us . . . like Tad and I being Karen’s two husbands. We’re always doing things together. Tad won an award recently. He had a speech prepared and said, ‘I’d like to thank my best friend and wife; I mean my wife… and my best friend, Kirk.’ It all came out wrong and everyone thought it was hysterical! Tad always talks about it as the night he came out . . . it was very funny!

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Out on a whim words katie cincotta photos lucas piera

If she wasn’t such a shy, laidback gal from Gippsland, you’d imagine Hayman Kent might have been the girl to envy back in high school.

She’s tall, with a sleek strawberry blonde bob, adorable dimples, a sexy lisp and a lyric soprano voice that can stretch from middle C to high D. She’s just completed her music degree with a major in Classical Voice at Melbourne University, having boarded on campus at Parkville, which seems a bit quaint until you realise how hard it would be to hang with the hipsters in Fitzroy if you needed to sing at the top of your voice even on hangover Sundays. “Well, it’s hard to practise opera if you’re in a share house,” she says.

So, musical studies complete, is she pacing the boards with supreme poise and corseted lace as a vocalist? Nope, not close enough. The 22-year-old has taken a slapstick side-step. Admittedly she’s still on stage, but it’s guffaws not applause she’s after, having taken a whimsical detour into comedy. “I saw a poster in a café window in Melbourne for a comedy sketch-writing workshop. At the end of the week I did a gig, and got hooked.”

She’s fairly relaxed about the dramatic transition from soprano to stand-up comic, confident she may just have found her calling the long way around. In school productions, Hayman always played the silly character. At home, she was the family larrikin, the youngest of thee children who grew up on a farm in Inverloch. “You know, I was the youngest child always seeking attention. I didn’t know that I wanted to do comedy, but once I started doing it I realised that was what had been missing.”

In 2012, she performed as a finalist at RAW Comedy – the discovery forum for new stand-up comics. She says it’s important for a comic to develop a unique style and signature, especially starting out. “You want to have some sort of uniqueness to you, but rather than develop a character I’ve played more to characteristics like my nervousness, my height, my name.”

Hayman’s own comic inspirations include female comedians such as Americans Maria Bamford, Celia Pacquola and Felicity Ward – who she describes as a having a ‘peculiar’ bent which resonates with her own quirky stand-up style.

When I come to see her perform live she’s night 12 into a 22-show run for Melbourne’s month-long comedy fest. Catwalk tall, but not quite confident enough to unfurl her swan neck completely, she fronts up to a tiny, dusty room at Trades Hall in a blue polka dot frock and leather boots – one of five young comics billed as rising stars in ‘The Comedy Zone’ at the 2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Hayman towers over the microphone, her short skirt and lanky frame used for comic effect – a clever contrast of Shirley Temple charm>

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spliced with smart-girl wit. While a lot of comedians expose the worst parts of themselves in their comedy – like addictions, dysfunctional families and rebellious streaks – this textbook student and daughter has found a way to mock her nerdy ‘good girl’ credentials. In her Comedy Zone spot, she uses a love of the library, her ‘excessively long’ stature and an aversion to swearing as part of her ‘coming of age’ appeal. “I’m kind of like the anti-comedian,” she giggles, with her quick succession of squeaky soft ‘yeah, yeahs’, a trademark little acknowledgement of agreement that she likes to use in conversation.

it over and over again during a three-hour gabfest at Hamer Hall which left most of the audience with sore stomach muscles by the night’s end).

While the child of two police officers from Inverloch (who divorced when she was five) has used her own life experiences to build a base for her comedy, she says the magic is really in the craft of storytelling – especially if you can master the ‘call back’. That’s that surprising joke that comes around at the end, right where it started from, used by some of the best in the business like Billy Connolly (who I personally watched do

Like many creatives trying to make a living, Hayman headed to the coast over summer, and worked the bar at Inverloch’s Esplanade Hotel.

She has two Jack Russells – Pog and Polly – who live on the farm with her mother. “There’s so much that’s good about the city but it’s lovely to have the option to escape down here.” Time to ruminate perhaps, which is often what’s demanded of writers – even the funny ones.

“The best shows I’ve seen are where the performers have a narrative, but then they seamlessly go off on tangents which weave back into the narrative… and you didn’t even know you’d left. I haven’t mastered it yet, but what people love about human nature is familiarity. They love to be able to say, ‘I get that’ …‘I’m in on the joke’.”

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Forever Young

words sally o’neill photos lucas piera

Gary Young feels like Elvis when he’s on the beach at Kilcunda.

Yet unlike Mr Presley, this rock legend describes himself as a pretty laidback guy and seems untouched by fame or the rock’n’roll lifestyle …

Gary Young was born in New York and moved to Australia with his family when he was five. He has no recollection of the Big Apple: “… not even when people try to jolt my memory.”

His first memories come into focus in Melbourne where, he recalls, his American family was viewed with some suspicion. “Dad wore the latest snappy American suits. Most Australian guys were still wearing Robert Menzies-style double-breasted numbers,” recalls Gary. “He had an American accent, wore glasses and a hat and would stride home from work with his newspaper under his arm – so all the neighbourhood kids thought he was Clark Kent! I was the new kid on the block – but it was, ‘Don’t go near the new kid… his dad is Superman’!”

Apart from some superhero, mistaken identity, Gary settled into a normal childhood. Both his parents were musical and he loved delving through their extensive record collection, which was largely jazzinspired. He started playing music with the kids next door and admits he would have been a jazz drummer if he hadn’t discovered rock’n’roll.

Unfortunately, his father thought it was the devil’s music.

School-leavers in the early sixties didn’t have to look far to find work and Gary landed himself a respectable job at Allen’s Music as a sheet music clerk. But after eight months, he received an offer to join a really happening pop group. He got the gig, chucked in the job and went on the road drumming with Bobby and Laurie and the Rondells. “It was one of those sixties long-haired beat groups with a couple of numberone hits.” His parents were not impressed.

His love for music grew as quickly as his Beatles-style hair but he knew that the pure pop he was playing had a limited life – he wanted some “real music”. He wanted soul.

Through the late sixties, Gary made a name for himself playing soul music five to seven nights a week with bands like The Ram Jam Big Band. He played drums and sang backing vocals and experienced the fame of being a part of some hit records. But, in the early 1970s, gigs started folding due to a dispute which arose between record companies and radio stations who wanted to be paid for playing Australian music – the record companies refused.

Gary thought he’d better go and get a real job, and found one as a storeman- packer. “I didn’t know what the job involved but I was pretty sure I could store and pack stuff,” he recalls. It was a fateful move. A few months later, Ross Wilson came to work at the same factory. “Ross had just returned from the classic hippie trip of those days through Europe and India. He was starting a new band and needed a drummer.” Once again, Gary got the gig.

Sons of the Vegetal Mother was all about the macrobiotic food Ross had discovered in India. “I couldn’t ever remember the name of the band – I used to write it down so when people asked me, I knew what it was called,” he laughs. The ten-piece band took off, but having so many members made it cumbersome. >

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At a hippie festival in South Australia, one band didn’t show, so Ross offered to fill the gap. “Four of us guys performed and did a lot of doowop stuff and people loved it. We thought we should pursue the lineup because a four-piece is way easier than ten.” Daddy Cool was born.

They recorded Eagle Rock and the rest, as they say, is history. For the next two years, Daddy Cool travelled the world, and Gary still gets a kick when he hears the iconic tune. “There was no doubt we were lucky, and Ross was a talented songwriter. As soon as I heard him playing the riff for Eagle Rock on the guitar, I knew it would be great. But I never thought I’d still be hearing it 40 years later!”

Despite the fame and rock’n’roll lifestyle, Gary seems to have kept his feet firmly on the ground. “We took the band seriously, but we didn’t

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take life too seriously. I’ve heard stories of rock musicians playing to 10 -20,000 people and then going back to their hotel alone and turning to drugs or committing suicide – that was never Daddy Cool. When we finished a show, whether playing to 10,000 people or 200, we’d go back to the hotel and take the party home with us – there was no way we’d go back and be depressed. We’d have half the audience with us rocking on!”

Daddy Cool ended amicably and Gary moved on to more success with Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons playing gigs like Montreux Jazz Festival.

Daddy Cool and Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

Unfortunately I get interested in stuff and go gung-ho and then lose interest. So I have scuba tanks and weights lying around the house – the worst was horses…

Gary has realised his two life ambitions: to be a drummer in a rock ’n’roll band – tick – and to be a radio disc jockey – double tick. For 25 years he worked at 3RRR, and for 23 of those years he hosted ‘The Chicken Mary Show’ every Monday afternoon. When he gave it away a few years ago, he was thrilled with the calls and emails he received from around the world.

Apart from music, Gary is a frenetic hobbyist. “Unfortunately I get interested in stuff and go gung-ho and then lose interest. So I have scuba tanks and weights lying around the house – the worst was horses…”

And of course there is love in his life with his wife Angie. “I was playing a gig in Collingwood. I was lugging in the drums and there was a lady

there who I thought looked pretty hot … We started playing and I was posing away, twirling my drumsticks to get her attention! During the first break, taking courage from being in the band, I walked over and said hello and it went from there - that was 22 years ago . . . ” Now Gary limits his touring to short stints (he just finished a short tour with Elvis Costello) and to his holiday house in the seaside hamlet of Kilcunda. “I love the wind and the geology and the fact that, because the beach is quite treacherous, you don’t see a lot of people – in fact often there’s no one there. I feel like Elvis Presley did when he used to hire out a whole movie theatre just so he could watch a movie in peace,” laughs Gary.

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as told to maria reed photos supplied

Martha Wainwright

Martha Wainwright is a Canadian-American folk-rock singer-songwriter. The daughter of American folk singer and actor Loudon Wainwright III, sister to musician Rufus Wainwright and daughter to Canadian folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle, she talks to Coast about life, love and her current album.

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What’s going on in your life at the moment?

I’ve been doing a lot of touring and promoting of my new record Come home to Mama, alongside juggling home life and motherhood. It’s my first record since having my son Arcangelo, so it’s a bit of a different reality – but a fun one. I’m really lucky. I think a lot of female artists have had to choose between motherhood and a musical career because working in the music industry is not that compatible with being a mother. It’s tough. I think it’s a bit of conspiracy, you know. It’s still a man’s world and everything is geared a certain way. I consider myself lucky as Brad (my husband) plays bass, so he comes out on the road; my cousin and my aunt come too, so we can take our son Arc with us.

We have the best of both worlds at present. We can still tour and we don’t have to leave anyone behind . . . so it works. I want to figure out a way to keep that going because it’s really important to all of us. I know that it will be a challenge, but I think it’s really important to find a way.

Would you tell us about your upcoming show?

I’m coming to Australia with two New York musicians (on bass and drums) and a keyboardist from Australia. It will be a band show with an emphasis on the new record Come home to Mama, mixed with some old songs, a couple of Edith Piaf tunes, and some solo stuff which will be more folksy.

As a talented musician in your own right, is there any advice you would have given your teenage self?

I was a pretty good teenager all up… a bit of an ‘old soul’. I always listened to adults when I was younger. That was one thing I was good at . . . and I was always open to the idea that people could teach me things. I got a lot of good advice and confidence from women in particular – they told me I was beautiful and talented (she laughs), and that I shouldn’t worry about my body image. Of course I did worry – I thought I was fat, and I went out with all the wrong boys, but I tried to listen. If I was talking to my teenage self now, I would say, ‘Think more highly of yourself.’

What does love mean to you?

Love is such an important part of life. There are so many different kinds of love. They may resemble each other, but they are different – and you need all of them. When you lose someone – in my case, my mum – you need much more love from everybody else. You have to learn how to accept and receive that love. Letting the love in is the most important thing. I find one of the hardest things as a mum is not having my own mother here for her advice and guidance. That’s hard. I try and think of what she might have done or the advice she may have given me. I wish I had been nicer and kinder to her when she was alive. That was the biggest lesson . . . I thought I had more time.

Has motherhood changed you as a musician?

A memorable musical moment?

It’s certainly been an interesting experience having my son around in the sense that, up to now I’ve never really cared that much what people think (which is probably why I’ve never been terribly successful). Now I have an audience member that I really care about and I want him to think highly of me. I want him to think of his mum as being a great artist, not mediocre or uninteresting – or worse . . . a failure. I did a gig in Michigan recently. They’ve got a great university where I went for lunch and I was listening to some kids talking (they were obviously in science or technology . . . maybe they were grad students), but they were just so charming and brilliant. I was thinking to myself, ‘God, I really hope Arcangelo doesn’t take up the guitar . . . I’d really like him to go to uni,’ (she laughs). I won’t be sending him to any arty schools, that’s for sure! My mum was the same way. She sent me to a girls’ school in uniform. She figured she could provide the artsy element, and school could provide the discipline we needed. But in the end, the pull of music was too strong.

Do you consider growing up in such a musical family a blessing or a curse?

I accept that I was born into my family and hope it was a blessing. I think that when I was younger, I was frustrated as everyone around me was so talented and getting so much attention. I thought, ‘No one is going to give me any attention . . . there’s just no room left (and no one would be interested in me)’. But I do feel blessed in regard to the level of true artistry that surrounded me when I was living with both my parents and my brother. The freedom I had growing up, the encouragement to listen to my inner voice and be connected to this truth, were very powerful gifts. I probably wouldn’t be doing this if it weren’t for my family.

When I first started singing with my older brother Rufus. He had asked me to sing backup for him a couple of years before he released his first album. We were teenagers, and he was a very disciplined person. He demanded such a high standard of work and practice, and I remember the sound and vibration of our two voices together in harmony… it was very gratifying. It was my first experience of music as work, and that was amazing. It gave back, as art can, by doing something . . . it was very powerful.

Was there any sibling rivalry?

Well, he was my older brother and he knew what he wanted to do. He started writing songs before me, so the roles were… well, we weren’t on a level playing field… and we never will be, in a sense. Later, that became harder for me to accept, but certainly, as young adults in those earlier stages, I was happy to sing backup and be a support. You know, he was ready to fly, and as a sister I was there to help him, but later on it got more complicated. Were so different stylistically, and that’s always been a help.

If you weren’t a musician, what would you be?

Music is such a natural and normal thing for me, as it’s always been around me. It’s not something I have to do on a daily basis, or that I need to do. I guess I like to do a lot of things. You know, I am that classic female multi-tasker. I’ll paint the house, cook, write, fix something, pick up Arc from school, do some home schooling, write music . . . I pretty much do everything. I was brought up the same way in a matriarchal household. It makes it difficult to have a single focus, and I certainly envy people that do have more of that focus. I’m doing what I want to do. Obviously being able to sing and play shows is very freeing. It’s very satisfying and I don’t feel boxed in. >

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Can you tell us about your new album?

Come home to Mama is very emotional, (sometimes) angry and aggressive, but it’s also quite an upbeat album. It’s not morbid. It comes from a reaction to my mother’s death. There’s loneliness, fear and anger, but also a strength and tone to it – a bit like my first album, I guess.

I’m known for a certain kind of attitude and style that I’ve always had in my albums. Even though there is some subject matter that is a little difficult, like marriage, and the difficulty of staying together, the spirit of it is trying to stay, work through and continue. Being able to sing about difficult things is quite cathartic.

Can you describe the process of making this album?

A lot of these songs came out of me quite quickly. My son was born very prematurely and it was a difficult and emotional time. When he came home and was growing and in good shape, I could go upstairs to write for a few hours every day, and stuff came out pretty quickly. It felt good to make this record and not abandon what I have done with the last 15 years of my life . . . to continue on. I loved doing this record. It was a cathartic process and I knew my mother would have wanted me to do a record of my own songs. I worked with a female producer (Yuka Honda) on this record and she was very sweet. I had never consciously thought that much about working with other women, but for this album it was just so blatantly important. It made a huge difference to work with her and be nurtured by her . . . she’s just brilliant. That was very poignant.

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GRAND DESIGNS words sally o’neill photos lucas piera

The host of Australia’s Grand Designs series Peter Maddison talks surfing, swimming and the benefits of tinned food…

The architecture of Peter Maddison’s life didn’t quite happen by design, but his love of surfing and nature has provided the solid foundation for a fulfilling life that just keeps on getting better.

Life took a new turn for Peter in 2010 when he got the gig hosting the Australian series of Grand Designs. His own successful architectural firm was already the basis of a full workload with its twelve employees and impressive client list, but he has made it all work – somehow. Peter seems as amazed about that as he is about getting the role in the first place.“ The Grand Designs gig has been a wonderful breath of fresh air in the later part of my career and has transformed my life,” he admits.

Peter received a random email requesting a bio and mugshot, which would lead to consideration for the role of hosting the Australian series – the only franchise outside of England. “I sent an older shot so I looked a lot younger and I think that worked!” he laughs. One screen test led to another and then he was offered the role, which involves over 160 filming days a year. “I spent three months deciding if I would take it.” He did, and hasn’t looked back.

These days Peter is spinning around the country filming some of Australia’s best architect-designed buildings … a far cry from the simple shelters of his youth.

That was a time when he would hitch a ride down to Phillip Island after school on a Friday night “with one can of baked beans, one of date pudding, my wetsuit and surfboard”.

He and his mates would sleep anywhere. “I’ve spent many nights under cars in my boardcover, or on the beach – wherever we could find a bolthole, we’d just slip in!” In 1972 he bought a secondhand Holden station wagon. “That was just absolute luxury. I had my own sound system and thought that’s all I needed for life.”

Growing up in the bayside suburb of Parkdale, Peter started surfing from the age of eight in Port Phillip Bay on his brother’s 12-foot Olsen Mal. “I’d wear my footy jumper and my mother’s Ansell rubber gloves to keep warm,” he recalls. It was the 1960s and surfing was just evolving. “I didn’t have the natural ability for footy or cricket and was looking for something in my life.”

In 1968 he went on a surfing trip to Inverloch with the Oke family. “It was an absolute adventure.” From then on he was hooked, and made it his mission to hitchhike to Phillip Island to catch a wave as often as possible.

“Phillip Island was a bit of a frontier land. New breaks were being discovered; there were no roads or paths; you’d just drive across paddocks. I loved all the hairbrained guys I went with who were all on a brotherhood search for a good wave.”

This spirit of camaraderie and adventure in an idyllic island location has stayed with Peter throughout his life.

Moving with the surfing brotherhood was a mixture of excitement and danger.>

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“It was the Wild West: the roads were unsealed, you didn’t have to wear seatbelts, you could drink and drive and some really mad things happened. I look back now and wonder how I survived. I’m lucky I did – some didn’t. There were accidents and worse. Drugs were a culture and present in the background most of the time.”

Many Island surfers in those days, like Peter, were city boys from the Bayside suburbs who formed a tight-knit group. They mixed with the locals – most of them farmers and many of them characters. “Even then the Island had a sense of history. When you crossed that bridge it was like an escape from the shackles of conformity and society.”

He joined the Phillip Island Board Riders Club a few years after its establishment in 1963 and went on to become the Club’s youngest president when he was 19 . . . which he describes as a real buzz.

Caught up in the surfing scene, he failed his final year of school and found work as a real estate clerk. It was a role he couldn’t identify with. A training course presented by an architect changed his direction. “It led me to dream that I could become an architect one day. I repeated HSC and worked very hard and got into RMIT – it was a new beginning and a fresh start.”

Australia. He believes that we must “embrace change and not fear the future” and sees the Australian ‘have-a-go’ spirit as a unique attribute.

In his spare time, Peter enjoys surfing, his recently purchased Phillip Island beach house, swimming (he’s a Brighton Ice-berger), running and bike riding. His passion for nature, which is inextricably linked with his addiction to surfing, forms the basis of his life philosophy. “Nature is a great leveller… it is very humbling. We are but a speck passing by, so it’s important not to get caught up in a sense of grandeur, but fully understand that we are here one minute and gone the next and it’s very important to give hope to the next generation.”

From an early age surfing changed Peter’s mental attitude, guided his life choices and gave him confidence with other people. “For me, surfing always results in a physical reaction, and always releases stress. I’ve been surfing for decades yet I still get all excited as I’m putting my wetsuit on. I get all shaky and always run into the surf. That sense of excitement and burst of adrenalin has not faded, and when I come out, the feeling of euphoria and peace is still the same.” There’s just nothing better in the world than standing under an outdoor shower after a long surf and just pissing into the wind!”

The building blocks began to fall into place as he established his own architectural firm, met the woman of his dreams, married and had three children – Finn, Woody and Ruby. Now his role with Grand Designs is the icing on the cake.

Three series consisting of 30 one-hour episodes are in the can, with series Four and Five under way, then there’s the quarterly magazine and the Grand Designs handbook coming out later this year, not to mention the speaking engagements…

“The production team encourages me to be myself and I’m lucky to be in a country where people are doing fantastic things in the realm of home design. The show is not scripted, so I just talk spontaneously.” Peter is constantly inspired by the Aussie spirit of the owners/designers - and their creations.

“With each project I have seen, the people are trying to understand the environment they are in and to build something that is meaningful. Not all get it right, but those who do create a piece of magic – a moment in history. Like a fine piece of music that has resonance, the building touches other people.” His great hope with the show is to bring the importance of architecture to broader

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believed that people could live in a painting. I could walk my fingers over the canvas and imagine what it would be like to live in that home.â&#x20AC;?

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a colorful life words maria reed photos lucas piera

The art of Lisa Cox is as vibrant and colourful as the artist herself. This petite dynamo greets me at a vivid red door of her studio set amongst towering gums on a sunny hillside on the Mornington Peninsula.

Lisa’s studio was converted from an old garage. “We took the rollerdoor out, popped in some glass doors, and voilà . . . my studio. A creative at heart, Lisa says, “I’ve always been a real Pisces. I was a dreamer, very creative and in a world of my own,” she smiles. Growing up she remembers a painting of a house that hung on the wall at home. “I believed that people could live in a painting. I could walk my fingers over the canvas and imagine what it would be like to live in that home.”

much; I was very much into my own little world.” It seems ironic that the little girl who didn’t like school went on to become a teacher and never really left . . . until recently. “ When I was primary teaching we’d do crazy things like pretend outside the classroom was all water, and we’d have to swim everywhere. Schooling has become a lot more rigid these days and I just don’t love it like I used to. At some point in life, if you’re not loving what you’re doing, it’s worth considering a change. Don’t get me wrong: I still love the kids, but it’s all changed.”

She grew up in the bayside suburbs in a creative family. Her mother painted and her father was in fashion. “My dad’s uncle, Roy Opie, was a painter and founding member of Montsalvat - an artists’ colony formed in the 1940s in Eltham. He painted with Picasso, but, like a true artist, he was broke and considered a bit eccentric in his time.” Sadly he met with an untimely end when he was hit by an ambulance.

Since she embarked on her career as a commercial artist she has immersed herself in a world of colour. “If you didn’t love painting, you just wouldn’t do it. I love it and get lost in it,” she smiles. Her most cherished works of art – her children Sam, Tillie and Tessa – are all great supporters of their mum’s talent, along with her husband Nigel.

“Once the kids are off to school, I turn up the music, get into the studio and start creating.” She gets very absorbed in the process and actually manages to dance while she does it. “Nigel will come home and turn down the music and I think. . . ‘You’re so old!’ (she laughs). I love to listen to loud music while I paint, and 9 times out of 10, >

As a child everyone would joke about losing Lisa . . . she was so little.

“I was always a one-man show, I guess. I liked just having one best friend and we’d make up imaginary games. I didn’t like school all that

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I can’t believe it when the work day is over and it’s time to pick up the kids.”

Her paintings pop with colour and personality, and give a feeling of warmth and happiness. Like her hair colour, her paintings change with her mood. “I love fashion and so many colours are dictated by it.

It’s hard to say what inspires me, but music has always been a huge influence.” She points out a beautiful piece called It’s Friday I’m in Love.

“The Cure was a bit of a focus then, I believe,” she laughs. A girl seems to appear frequently in her canvasses and she is often asked if it is her. “I don’t think so. Each time she seems to turn out a little differently. I’ll be painting, then suddenly I connect with her, like… helloooo! There you are! A dog started making an appearance in my paintings soon after we’d lost our little dog. Obviously, life influences art,” she reflects.

Lisa’s work is sought after. She is frequently commissioned to create bespoke pieces, and is represented in Melbourne, Sydney, QLD, WA, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. “As an artist, you have to keep evolving.

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I couldn’t remain the same; I can’t imagine how bored I’d get. If you keep changing you’re ahead of the game.” Lisa walks me through her studio and points out some of the new, cutting-edge resin works she has been creating. Some resemble cell-like formations. She laughs, “Well, this one is called DNA.” Working with resins and ink requires speed and concentration as the resin dries rather rapidly. In one, a kaleidoscope of coloured disks is arranged thoughtfully across a pristine white background, creating a fascinating composition. “This work is quite heavy, but hung properly, it makes a statement in a room,” says Lisa.

While her resin pieces seem to appeal to an adult audience, her paintings are more whimsical and they are often commissioned. “I like to visit people in their own environment, particularly if it is a family with young children. I like to let people know that I was a teacher and I loved spending time with kids, and not only because I was taller than them,” she giggles. “I think the people who’ve commissioned me love their families and family life – they’ve always been wonderful.”

“One day, I fear, I will get caught dancing around in my pjamas to very loud music – and someone will get to have a good laugh! But, as an artist, I have to be able to express what I’m feeling at the time.”

Her process involves working on multiple pieces at one time. “I do a lot of layering with paints and resins. As thick paint takes so long to dry, I have to give it time, and the layers add depth. I’m too impatient to watch paint dry. When someone asks me how long it takes to paint a picture, I ask, ‘How long is a piece of string?’” Lisa loves to introduce mixed media into her paintings with paper, fabric – even old negatives. “I think the whole resin series came about while I was waiting for things to dry. I would experiment with colouring the resin and making shapes. I like to do a variety of things, and I get bored easily if I do not keep exploring ideas and pushing the boundaries.”

She has also produced a range of stylish bags screen-printed with her work. “It’s wearable art,” she winks.

As a busy mum of three, (I spot a chalkboard on the wall chock-full of notes about kids’ extra-curricular activities), how on earth does she find time to be a commercial artist? “Well, you have to be disciplined and use your time thoughtfully, as with any profession.” After the kids are dropped to school, and her husband has gone to work, she will flick on the music and get straight to it. “One day, I fear, I will get caught dancing around in my pajamas to very loud music – and someone will get to have a good laugh! But, as an artist, I have to be able to express what I’m feeling at the time.”

If you would like to see Lisa’s new work, see her upcoming show at Manyung Gallery in Mt Eliza in August,. To contact the artist for a personal commission, find out more at www.lisacoxartist.com

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Commissions available

Lisa Cox Art mb.0412 136 286

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Paintings to Inspire, Cherish and Decorate your Home. info@lisacoxartist.com

www.lisacoxartist.com

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words maria reed photos supplied

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maris motu What would you expect to emerge when you combine the talents of a theatre performer, a sculptor and a composer? An extraordinary artistic performance called Maris Motu [Latin: movement of the sea] Maris Motu was the brainchild of three creative souls, Nancy Sposato, Mark Finsterer and Jordan Crugnale. As relative newcomers to the Inverloch coast, they were drawn together by their shared artistic aspirations. Jordan recalls, “We’d seen Nancy perform in a company called Strange Fruit, and when we met here in Inverloch, we compared home-made limoncello recipes and Italian parental stories and that was that!”

Mark adds, “A few months later we were pulling into the supermarket car park and saw Nance and said, ‘Hey, do you wanna do a show?’ They hit it off creatively and embarked on a project to feature as a part of the Creative Gippsland festival.

Working collaboratively, they began to create a loose idea for a theme, which came together quite organically. Nancy says, “I was walking down by the ocean and I remember seeing driftwood that had gathered in an inlet in such a formation that it looked like it might start to dance at any moment. The movement of the water and wood became a starting point for me.” Jordan added a sculptural element to the show with stark white-painted ti-tree branches that were carefully lit and framed in a large glass window that provided a backdrop for the performance, and suspended wire sculptures that spoke of the sea.

“I’ve had a reoccurring dream since we’ve moved to the coast,” says Nancy. “A tsunami is coming, and I can see it and I’m filled with fear initially, but eventually there is acceptance and surrender as it washes over me. I actually start to enjoy the sensation of floating and swirling about, and that all started to come out in the improvisation.” She used this metaphor for so many aspects of life – fighting, surrender, going with the flow – as a basis for their performance.

Nancy has a colourful history in the area of physical theatre and the performing arts. She studied at the Victorian College of the Arts where she experimented with the ideas of Jerzy Grotowski, Butoh and Bodyweather, a Japanese movement form which was about practising in the landscape and letting that affect the body. She spent time honing her craft, training in the desert, and then came back to work with Strange Fruit and improvisation group Melbourne Playback.

The mother of two young boys says: “I’m off to China next week with

Strange Fruit. I will miss my boys like crazy, but I think it is good that they know their mum is creative and doing something she loves. It’s important to be a good role model.” Then she adds, “I’ll probably cry all the way to Macau, but sometimes you have to do these things.” She wants to create more work regionally because “Inverloch is such an inspiring environment, but I do crave more arts and cultural expression.

Maris Motu helps me fulfil my creative side and it would be great if it encouraged others in the community.”

Mark and Jordan made the move from Melbourne to the coast over two years ago. Mark studied composition in Italy with Italian composer Franco Donatoni and played music around the traps in Melbourne. He is both a guitarist and composer. His music incorporates electronic processing including loops; he constantly seeks to move the music forward while maintaining its connection with the original motivating idea. “I love country, blues and jazz – it’s an eclectic mix, and I love improvisation as it encourages you to explore outside of one strict genre. I’m trying to find the balance between improv, composition, texture and form,” he smiles.

Jordan adds the sculptural element to the performance and draws inspiration from found objects and her surrounds. “I’ve worked in the arts, health, education sector for years – since last century,” she laughs.

She travelled through Mexico and Guatemala, and that became a catalyst for going back to school to study sculpture and printmaking.

“That was 2003, and now we have two living sculptures (our kids) so we decided to move to the coast. I grew up in WA and I always wanted to move back to the sea. It’s a great life for kids and there is more space and time to just be.” Jordan is currently working on a Polyglot project called Expecting Something, a creative arts program for young mothers in the Latrobe Valley. We will take over Morwell in October with street art that will lead you to our exhibition in the gallery there. She also works in a drop-in centre in Melbourne and was recently elected as a local councillor for Inverloch. She finds working on Maris Motu a great creative focus. “ We had never worked together before, and we had quite an eclectic array of influences and expression. Coming together and collaborating was a much-needed artistic kick-start for me…I love a deadline. This>

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quote from the ever-inspiring social analyst Hugh Mackay recently landed on me and says it all: ‘The more you look at the ills of contemporary society – alienation, fragmentation, isolation, depression – the more compelling the need for community participation in the arts seems. What better way of fostering a sense of community, promoting mental health and wellbeing, and reducing the pressures of a competitive, materialistic society than by encouraging widespread participation in the arts?’“Let’s saturate the Bass Coast with everything arts – public sculpture, art trails, performances, local film festivals…the lot.”

Mark and Nancy began improvising together and never really knew where the performance or music would lead. Nancy reflects, “I moved and Mark played, and whatever happened, happened. It was pretty spontaneous”. Filming each session allowed them to pick and choose movements, music and ideas to explore further. During this period things were fluid and constantly changing. Mark says, “Nancy had a thing going on in her mind that was developing while we were working on it and she would say, ‘This is in the under-water bit’, and I’m thinking, ‘Now which bit was that?’ So I started writing notes.

“Sometimes it felt like the dance was leading the music, but at others the music led the movement.” In terms of the narrative, Mark feels it was

mainly coming from Nancy, “but in a collaborative process, she would be going on a journey and I would follow that, then the music would take over and lead. There was a constant ebb and flow. It was a pretty interesting process.” Nancy reflects, “for a long time it was a silent process, and then text started to be introduced, so we started to get a loose sense of a narrative which was quite dream-like.”

As well as being responsible for the creation of sculptures and lighting to set the mood and atmosphere of the performance, Jordan became the informal director of the show. Nancy points out that, “as Mark and I were in the space performing, we needed someone outside of the space as an observer, in a sense, feeding in. Jordan has a great visual sense, graphic eye and a deep sensibility. When you are so involved in your performance you can’t really access how it’s going, and in the end you need the audience to make that final step. It’s in the relationship with the audience that you get clarity around what you’ve created.”

On the night of the performance, you could feel the energy in the room. It felt quite theatrical and as the performers entered the space and magic happened. I don’t think the audience anticipated that it would progress to that place.” People felt energized and inspired by the performance. Nancy laughs, “I felt energized too. There are a lot of nerves and fear before the show, but having been through that process enough times you begin to understand it. It really felt like we touched on something special to start with. The performance linked it all together and it was amazing. A gift, “she smiles.

Footnote: Maris Motu has recently moved into another stage of development. To witness their progress and for future performance dates, go to www.facebook.com/Maris Motu. Nancy Sposato runs Creativity and Movement workshops for children and adults in Inverloch. More information at www.facbook.com/Creativity Inverloch. Mark Finsterer is performing at Kongwak Market 8th September. Jordan Crugnale can be contacted on 0448 082 802 for all things inspiring.

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words maria reed photos warren reed

turningpoint When I meet George today, just a year on from this crisis, it is hard to believe that I am talking to the same person. He is a beaming, fit and healthy 34-year-old (now 35 kilos lighter) who just exudes positive energy. Literally bouncing with each step he takes, his enthusiasm for life and health is infectious.

of his job kept him away from his family for long periods of time. This left raising their two boys to George’s mum, Mary. “She did an amazing job as my brother and I were little terrors. She wrapped us in cotton wool to protect us. She was doing the best she could, but it made it harder for us to find our way in real life.”

“I look back and remember how sad I was,” he reflects. “I was treating myself terribly: eating all the wrong foods, no exercise . . . I did nothing for myself. I thought I was doing the right thing by everyone else, but I wasn’t. My wife was unhappy and my health started to spiral downwards. I just neglected myself until it all came to a head. Ten years of anxiety attacks, depression, not looking after myself. Fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, cholesterol problems, operations and a weakened immune system… you name it, I had it.

A sensitive child, George thrived at San Remo kinder and primary school. He says, “My school had 40 kids and there were only 2 boys in my grade, the rest were girls.” George was like a teddy bear for the girls and they’d dress him up, acting like big sisters. The transition from primary to high school, however, wasn’t an easy one. “I had massive anxiety attacks from a young age.” He struggled to adapt and didn’t go to school often in the first few months. “I was a short, chubby Greek kid and I was being bullied.” He soon figured out that his personality and humour were his tickets to being accepted. “I wasn’t the fittest or strongest kid. All the guys at school were doing footy, riding motorbikes or surfing, and I wasn’t allowed out after 5, should the dew on the grass cause me to catch the flu,” he laughs. He became the school joker.

He was a far cry from the sensitive little boy who grew up in San Remo in the nurturing arms of his loving mother. “I was born into an awesome family. I had the best parents you could ever ask for,” he beams.

However, George’s father was a local shark fisherman and the demands

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Suffering chronic pain and depression, and 35 kilos overweight, George Pappas had hit rock bottom. It was a turning point for the San Remo father of two. The rude slap of his marriage ending − and the realisation that his life and health were in jeopardy − helped him find the strength and courage to make a change to his life that would lead him to becoming the best version of himself he could possibly be.

The serious side was that doctors had marked him as being prone to depression from a young age. Despite the first year and a half being very tough for George, he made some ‘very cool’ friends that helped pull him out of the abyss. “I started doing some hobbies that led me outdoors, and then I began to trim down and got into basketball. I got fit, came to life and found my confidence. All through school I relied on my personality to get through.” George treated school as a social rather than a learning institution. “I never really connected to anything: I was always floating. I was a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, but master of none.

Because I had so much trouble trying to figure out how to be, how to fit in, I never really found my passion.”

He scraped through Year 12 and moved to Melbourne at 17. “That was a wake-up call. I was staying with a big Greek family and worked nights at a nightclub.” By his own admission, he was mixing with the wrong crowd. “I was a little country boy seeing the bright lights of the city for the first time – but it didn’t last long.” He studied public relations and legal studies, but nothing clicked. He was burnt out and came home.

“I’d lost my way completely. I was overweight and I did nothing for about 6 months other than eat… and I became depressed.”

His father stopped fishing and George and his family started a seafood company with a shop-front, factory and import/export business. “It was a great job: I learnt and experienced so much, doing high-level business all over the world. It was really challenging but then I realised I still had a safety net, working with my family.” The business was eventually sold and George worked with his best friend, building cooling towers on mine sites. “We worked all over Australia and made great money, but again, there was that safety net.”

Not long after, George met his wife Kate, bought a house and had two lovely children. “I bought the house through doing a lot of hard work but I started to question why I was feeling so lost. I felt like a passenger in my own life. I’d never really chosen anything for myself as I thought my goals were unattainable.” Music had been a big part of his life to date; he was playing gigs at the pub, managing bands and a recording studio, and even had a promising career as a solo artist in the hip hop industry. “Sadly I never stuck at anything because I was always questioning myself and could not find my real passion. I was always looking outwards. To this point I had never stopped to look inside and listen to my inner voice.” >

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“When you live outwardly and worry about what people say or think, or rely on others for your happiness, it just doesn’t work. Once I stopped worrying about other people and put that effort into myself, I found all the other stuff immediately became better.”

“I had two beautiful kids, but my wife was unhappy and I was struggling.”

He had hit rock bottom. An epiphany came in a comment from a close friend. He said ‘Mate, you can’t complain. You’re the one that did this!” It stopped George in his tracks. “When you break down that sentence, the truth is there. Forever I made excuses and blamed other people or things. I had a real victim mentality.” Then came a moment of clarity. “I looked to the future and saw a sick, miserable, overweight, depressed person who had given up on life.” That was when he accepted responsibility for his life and decided to change. “I was 32 years old, and it was a powerful moment.”

He realised that knowledge was key to making these changes in his life. “I had the information and the tools to make my life better.” He started to learn about health and fitness, realising that the brain needs to be exercised in the same way as the body. “I wrote a list of all the things that needed to change in my life and started on one thing – acquiring knowledge. Then I started acting on the things I learnt, and experimented. What works for one doesn’t work for all, but you can modify. There is no magical solution to being fit and healthy. It’s like a jigsaw of diet, thought and exercise, and it’s about finding out what works for you.”

He began reading and looked deep into his heart in an effort to connect with his true self. He actively sought the help of a psychologist to clear the years of negative thought patterns that crowded his mind. “He was amazing. He said, ‘George, you’ve got to stop looking over your shoulder, stop being the victim, pick yourself up . . . you are more capable than you know!” He felt empowered to take that one step forward which leads to another, and the momentum built from there. “When you live outwardly and worry about what people say or think, or rely on others for your happiness, it just doesn’t work. Once I stopped worrying about other people and put that effort into myself, I found all the other stuff immediately became better.” He noticed synchronicity and opportunities began to emerge. “Suddenly my children were appreciating me more, my friends, my family – things just began to flourish.”

George cut sugar from his diet, and took to walking as a low-impact and meditative activity. “Thinking about your problems whilst doing a bilateral movement (like walking) redistributes them into the correct pigeon holes, so to speak. Sitting on the couch, eating chocolate, thinking about your problems… not so great.” Then he connected with nature. “At night-time, when the kids had gone to bed, I’d go out for a walk, sometimes for 2 hours. I’d rug up, walk and think. We are lucky that we live in such a beautiful environment for walking.” After three months, the walks turned into jogs. “I’m naturally strong. At the start, I could only do 7 push-ups, 20 sit-ups, 3 pull-ups and a little bit of bike riding. Now I’m looking for someone to challenge me. That’s how fit you can get.”

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The physical work began improving his mental state and the

momentum made him feel unstoppable. “The whole mind/ body/ spirit thing was kicking in and I felt I could do anything.”

He began learning on his own and quickly progressed to school to study personal training. “Your mental language is so important. I never thought of myself as fit or athletic, but that’s rubbish. You can be anything you want to be. I was a depressed, overweight, divorced father of two, and now I am a fit and happy personal trainer and fitness instructor that can slam dunk at 34!” he enthuses. “Without the backdrop of my past life, the present makes no sense. I want everyone to know they can have an amazing, vital life.” George has finally found his passion as a motivator and role model.

“Finally after all these years I have found myself, and I am healthy, strong and happy. I’m proud of being a good role model to my kids, and I’m delighted to be sharing my journey and what I have learnt with other people. It not only helps others but it keeps me learning and evolving. For the first time in fifteen years I am not on any pain medication. I feel like a 20-year-old. I am so excited. I want to run through a crowd of strangers, grab them by the cheeks and say, ‘This is so easy. It’s no secret… follow me!

xtreme burn George has created a 1/2hr exercise program called Xtreme Burn.

He has also started a blog at facebook.com/healthladder that is a forum to discuss ideas and share health and fitness tips. When asked what participants in his class can expect, George laughs, “I am like a good, infectious disease. People who come to my class are going to be hearing positive language. People may say, ‘I can’t do that, I’m so scared, I haven’t exercised for years . . . but it’s all just fear. I can guarantee you will be around like-minded people who are at the same point in their journey as you are.

From the moment you join a class you become part of a tribe, a family, and you will be included and supported on your journey.

For those who are just starting and have a more basic level of fitness, I’ve modified the program significantly. The workout, due to its flexibility, adaptability, time-efficiency and results, is one of the best fitness programs you can undertake, and I’ll be there to support you at all times. Come and try it. The first step is the biggest one.”

For more information www.facebook.com/healthladder www.youtube.com/healthladder

Footnote: We were so moved by George’s personal story that we decided to get motivated and try out an Xtreme Burn session with the man himself. We let go of the fear and excuses, and discovered a fun, supportive and positive exercise environment.

We’re looking forward to our next session . . .

WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT FAST?

30 minute group exercise class designed with simple body weight movements using high intensity interval training & more. Lose weight in your sleep and get healthier!

WHO?

Xtreme Burn is for everyone, beginners, intermediate & advanced.

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High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the most time efficient form of exercise!

CALL

0415 071 873

For class times and locations head over to: www.facebook.com/xtremeburn Follow the fitness journey with my new YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/healthladder

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words sue webster photos warren reed & lucas piera

girls kick a goal coast 56

Fun, fitness and all the free mud baths you could ever want . . . with an offer like that, what’s keeping you from playing women’s soccer? Last year saw the birth of the region’s newest women’s soccer side – and of the 20 gals who signed up for the South Coast Stars,17 had never played before.

Coach Leonie Gilbert says, “It was fantastic. We had a lot of laughs but we were always losing. The majority of our girls had never played before and didn’t even know the rules. But now we’ve got a blend of girls, and those who have played a season can help the others. Now they can think tactics whereas last year it was, ‘This is the ball and this is how you kick it’. These days they’re asking questions and it’s brilliant.

They’re not going to win the World Cup but they’re really into it: they’re so motivating.”

She can afford to laugh now: her side recently chalked up a win against the far-more-experienced Phillip Island girls. “Don’t ask me what the score was . . . I forget … and it wasn’t really important. Having a laugh is the main thing.”

Laughter is a big component of the game for Leonie. “It’s all based on enjoyment, fun and fitness, and if we win it’s a bonus,” said the former netballer who is on maternity leave from her job as a physical education/health and religious studies teacher at Mary MacKillop College in Leongatha.

At 37, she has been playing soccer for 10 years, most recently with her home team at Ashburton in Melbourne. About four years ago she did the sea-change and shifted to Inverloch. When the women’s soccer side came together last year, she shifted from player to coach. Her husband Patrick coaches the senior men’s side and their seven-year-old James plays. Only two-year-old Lachlan is not yet ready to don the Stars’ redand-yellow kit. >

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“But the real aim is to laugh. The girls laugh a lot. And I mean a lot!”

A couple of juniors came up with the idea of the kit colours. “Red and yellow because we’re close to the sea and affiliated with the surf lifesaving traditional colours. They’re great colours and they really stand out,” Leonie said. And so do some of the young players: one boy has already been picked for the regional Gippsland team.

Juniors are a big part of the club’s development. Girls and boys play together in mixed teams at junior level. The club now involves more than 100 players and is keenly awaiting the completion of drainage works at Thompson Reserve to give them a permanent home ground.

Government funding, aided by a donation from the Bendigo Bank, has paid for the works. In the meantime, the club plays home matches at Outtrim and trains at assorted ovals between Inverloch and Wonthaggi.

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“Initially, there was a group of guys playing indoor regularly,” Leonie says.

“They got together and decided to start a club in the area, kicking off with juniors two years ago and then adding the senior side that Patrick coaches.

“The club is very family-orientated: its’ all about participation and family involvement. Originally there was no women’s team, but there’s an amazing group of strong committee members, and they’re the ones who got the women’s side going.”

Word of mouth attracted the first group of players. Leonie says: “We have women of all fitness levels and all shapes and sizes, and we cover the whole spectrum.” A 53-year-old newcomer was among last year’s starters, and this year’s squad has a fair proportion of 40-plus

gals. “Some have joined because they’re new to the area and want to meet people, or because their kids or partners were playing. The team includes a hairdresser, a yoga teacher, a writer, a speech pathologist, a naturopath, an ambulance officer, some babysitters and a couple of primary school teachers ... it’s a very broad mix,” says Leonie.

“It’s a brilliant game, especially for women. You can go all the way through to the top. You can go overseas to play, you can get scholarships and you can make money from it if you ever wanted to.

Even though I love netball, its scope is much more limited.”

But it’s also played outside, in winter on the windy south coast and depending on the season - often in the mud. Why would you submit yourself to that? “You do it because you think that people are relying on you,” explains Leonie. “If it wasn’t for that I’d be saying ‘No way! Look at that weather!’”

Women players are as tough as the blokes, and just as aggressive, she says. “The only difference is in their questions. Because our players are new to the sport they ask different questions and look at the game differently from men who might have been playing since they were juniors.

“The girls who have played for longer can do all the ball tricks. They’re dribbling through players and taking shots at goals. The improvement has been incredible. Now they understand what their roles are. It’s been incredible to watch that progress and share the growth.”

The call is out for more women, especially young women, to join the club, which trains on Wednesdays from 6.30 to 8pm. Leonie says: “Your fitness really improves across the season. We play 45-minute halves … that’s 90-minute games, although you can sub players on and off. But the real aim is to laugh. The girls laugh a lot. And I mean a lot!”

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Leongatha live and love

models hair and makeup by Hair Bairs Leongatha

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food by the Rusty Windmill

Leongatha, like many regional areas by the coast, is going through a renaissance. With sea and tree-changers continuing to beat a path to this vibrant area in the foothills of the Strzeleckis, it is also becoming ever more attractive to day-trippers and weekenders.

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cafe & pantry The Rusty Windmill is set amongst Gippslandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rolling hills; the food philosophy is all about local and handmade, the old fashioned way. Our transformed country cottage is relaxed with comfortable dĂŠcor, including the rear courtyard, which is also designed to make customers feel right at home. And not forgetting our pantry stocked with delectable products jams, sauces, cordial and much more made by The Rusty Windmill team.

Open 7 days 8am-4pm Phone: 5662 5878 coast 62

45 McCartin st Leongatha

www.facebook.com/therustywindmill

outfit by Shan’s Lingerie and Leisure Leongatha

model on location at the Rusty Windmill - hair and makeup by Hair Bairs Leongatha

“Leongatha comes alive with a burst of colour and vibrancy in late August, with the annual Daffodil Festival.” annual daffodil festival is a highlight

Located in the rich green fields of South Gippsland, Leongatha has long been famous for its dairy country, but now there is so much more on offer here. The bustling town centre, only 130kms from Melbourne, offers a variety of shopping experiences and dining options. New businesses are enlivening the town centre, adding a definite excitement to the town. A good example of this is the Rusty Windmill Café and Pantry on McCartin Street. Fast becoming a hot favourite amongst the local set and visitors, its homemade muffins are simply to die for!

Take a stroll around town and enjoy the fresh country air and hospitality while perusing the shops on offer. You will be enchanted by the Old

Post Office (built in 1887), the Courthouse & Mechanics Institute (1912) and Memorial Hall (1925), all within easy walking distance of each other.

Leongatha comes alive with a burst of colour and vibrancy in late August, with the annual Daffodil Festival. In its 58th year, it is renowned as the best show of its kind in Victoria. This year the Leongatha Horticultural Society, with the help of the Chamber of Commerce, will reinvigorate the event by adding Festival Saturday, which will feature the town band, a sidewalk art show, Apex BBQ, food network and a host of kids’ activities. Regular features include vintage cars, window displays, woodworkers, gem society and Mushroom Gallery art displays and a free bus for visiting the open gardens of the region.>

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Shan’s Lingerie & Leisure

TOP BRANDS:

Including Playtex, Fayrform, Loveable, Bagoraz, Kalisson, Eaden, Triumph, Finelines, Elle, Berlie, Bendon, Bellissima, Tani, Black Pepper, Hedrena & more.

• Swimwear sizes 10-26 Chlorine proof Fine lingerie • Bridal • Maternity • Sports • Corsetry Mastectomy • Swimwear • Sleepwear • Leisurewear

26 Bair Street, Leongatha Tel (03) 5662 2454

Leongatha’s 57th FESTIVAL Leongatha Memorial Hall & CBD

29–31 August Show Hours: Thursday, August 29, 2 - 5 Friday, August 30, 9 - 5 | Saturday, August 31, 9 - 4 Admission $5 includes Open Gardens Friday & Saturday 10 - 4

Exhibit Categories:

Daffodils – Other Bulbs – Cut Flowers Camellias - Cut Shrubs & Trees Australian Plants – Floral Art Pot plants – Fruit & Vegetables + School Student & Photography

For further information

Sandra 5662 4618 samimac04@gmail.com Sue 5668 6334 wilkur@activ8.net.au

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Hair Bairs Leongatha use Youngblood cosmetics and Smiink lashes

“Take a stroll around town and enjoy the fresh country air and hospitality while perusing the shops on offer.” catching up with friends at the Rusty Windmill

Gorgeous creations by Denis A Hawkins

Leongatha marks the start of the Great Southern Rail Trail, a popular walking, cycling and horse-riding trail. Beginning just south of the Leongatha railway station, it covers much of the distance south-east to Foster, passing through several small towns which offer attractions such as eateries, wineries, galleries and antique shops. Spectacular views of Wilson’s Promontory National Park can be enjoyed from the trail close to Foster. You will be delighted by this spectacular region. If you are planning more than a daytrip, check out www.promcountry.com.au for an extensive range of accommodation options.

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1 Roughead Street, Leongatha VIC 3953 T 5662 2327 F 5662 2642 E edney@dcsi.net.au W www.edneysleongatha.com.au

Leongatha at a glance Edney’s Leongatha Melding professionalism and a friendly atmosphere, Edney’s Leongatha is there to help with all your motoring needs. Whether you require advice on the purchase of your brand-new car, servicing, or spare parts and accessories, trained and friendly team members are on hand to assist. Specialising in Nissan, Hyundai and Yamaha.

1 Roughead St, Leongatha www.edneysleongatha.com.au or call 5662 2327 Rusty Windmill Café & Pantry With exposed timbers, rustic brick walls and a funky, vintage vibe, the Rusty Windmill Café and Pantry is developing a big following in Leongatha. Taking slow food to the next level, the café offers delicious, old-fashioned, home-style creations to tempt the tastebuds.

A range of delicious home-made goods are also available from their pantry Open 7 days a week at 45 McCartin St, Leongatha 03 5662 5878 www.facebook.com/therustywindmill

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2013 Daffodil and Floral Festival (organised by the Leongatha Horticultural Society) Opens Thursday 29th August at 2pm at the Leongatha Memorial Hall (entry $5). Open gardens on Friday & Saturday 10-4pm. Many other attractions from Thursday to Saturday.

For more information call Sandra Macdonald on 03 5662 4618 or Sue Thompson on 03 5668 6334 Shan’s Lingerie & Leisure Shan’s Lingerie and Leisure offers an extensive range of lingerie, sleepwear, leisurewear, swimwear and accessories. With a range of top brands and labels (more than we can possibly mention), and over 23 years in the business, Shirleyanne and her friendly team of qualified fitters take care of all your needs, including prosthesis fittings.

26 Bair Street, Leongatha Call 03 5662 2454 Denis Hawkins For over 40 years, Denis A Hawkins has been designing & hand crafting fine jewellery for clients worldwide. He specialises in unique, quality, custom-made items of jewellery

created to your specifications. Denis takes you through each stage of your design, creating a unique, handcrafted creation that will be admired forever.

3 Lyon St, Leongatha www.denisahawkins. com.au or Call 5662 3142 Hair Bairs Hair Bairs are the hair specialists in Leongatha.

Why not pamper yourself with a ladies’ lunch and relaxing hair or makeup appointment?

With 7 professional stylists on hand to make you look and feel fabulous, how could you resist? They use Youngblood cosmetics and Smiink lashes. Meet the team at 29 Bair St, Leongatha VIC 3953 or call 03 5662 4777 YMCA South Gippsland SPLASH South Gippsland SPLASH is the premier health and recreational facility in South Gippsland.

Whilst the state-of-the-art facilities speak for themselves, their commitment is to provide quality programs and services to the South Gippsland community and visitors. www.sgsplash.ymca.org.au

Limited edition art prints + coast stock library images

Quality accommodation

QUEST Phillip Island

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Located in the vibrant, holiday township of Cowes, Quest Phillip Island is a short stroll to local shops, restaurants and beaches and within a short travelling distance to Phillip Island’s many attractions including the Penguin Parade, surf beaches and Grand Prix Circuit.

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Quest Oceanic features one, two and three bedroom, fully self contained apartments.

The apartments feature quality furnishings and fittings, dvd players, stereos, full kitchen, laundry facilities with large balconies and onsite under cover secure parking for one car.

Phone: 03 5952 2644 www.warrenreedphotography.com.au www.coastmagazine.net

questphillipisland@bigpond.com.au www.questphillipisland.com.au www.questoceanic.com.au

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Wonthaggi

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a regional gem

featurearea

Only 135km from Melbourne, Wonthaggi is a vibrant township with a colourful history. In 1909, a variety of nationalities were drawn to the area to work in its black coal-mines. What started out as a mere tent city became a vibrant boom town in the 59-year life of the mine. Operations closed in 1968, with over 17 million tonnes of coal having been taken from the maze of shafts and tunnels.>

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Open 7 days Sushi Store opening in June.

New improved car park with two exits and new turning lanes.

Casual leasing available.

Tenants Include For Leasing/Franchise enquiries: Fabio Mandarano 0418 587 452 Lloyd Williams 0407 934 517

www.wonthaggiplaza.com.au PMS REFLEX BLUE C Background

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OR you’re covered with your local Bass Coast Daikin experts.

Don’t sweat another Summer or freeze another Winter Contact the expert team at Bass Coast Refrigeration and enjoy a perfect climate all year round.

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“Wonthaggi boasts some of the region’s most picturesque ‘green pockets’. It’s worth spending some time to explore the surrounding natural areas including the Rail Trail, Wonthaggi Wetlands and Coastal Reserve.”

More recently, the township boomed yet again with an influx of workers to build the controversial desalination plant just outside Wonthaggi. The workers may have left, but the friendly, bustling town continues to thrive as a busy service and commercial center, with a wide range of shops, pubs, eateries, galleries, and sporting and recreational facilities.

Wonthaggi boasts some of the region’s most picturesque ‘green pockets’. It’s worth spending some time to explore the surrounding natural areas including the Rail Trail, Wonthaggi Wetlands and Coastal Reserve. In spring, the native heathland comes alive with wildflowers.

Only a short drive up the road are stunning beaches at Harmer’s Haven and Cape Paterson. Bunurong Marine National Park protects these waters and snorkelling, surfing and diving opportunities abound.

The region is well catered-for with regular festivals and events. The Bass Coast Agricultural Show is an annual highlight for visitors and locals with all the fun of the fair, including animal exhibits, rides, and cookery, craft and flower competitions. The Gung Ho Multicultural Festival is a lively day that showcases the culture, food and dance of the diversity of nationalities that live in the Bass Coast region, while the yearly favourite Carols by Candlelight unites family and friends in the goodwill of the Christmas season.>

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home is where the heart is...

A sanctuary located near the heart of Wonthaggi, the new Heartlands estate will be a most sought after address.

PBE Real Estate Wonthaggi is delighted to announce that allotments in the new “Heartlands Estate” in Wonthaggi are now selling.

Adjoining picturesque Wonthaggi wetlands and bordered by the Rail Trail and Guide Park, it is easy to see why this estate is creating so much interest. Extensive and well thought out planning has been considered in the layout of this new CBD Estate with walking link and access to the new Wonthaggi Plaza. Being centrally located to the main shopping and business area, health facilities, entertainment, schools and public transport – all are easily accessible, all within walking distance.

If location counts to you – look no further. Heartlands Wonthaggi is position perfect. A stand-alone estate in a peaceful haven, it is the ideal opportunity

FOR SALE

to purchase in a residential estate like no other. Setting a new benchmark in quality and location, it is attracting significant interest from local builders and the community.

Only 50 home-sites are available at varying sizes, ranging from approximately 300m2 to 1000m2. You will appreciate the fully landscaped estate, and for those who enjoy privacy and nature, the estate adjoins the Rail Trail, Wetlands and is close to Wonthaggi Golf Course. All services are connected including underground power, street lighting, sealed pavements, drainage and the National Broadband Network.

With prices starting from just $155,000, it could be the site of your new dream home. With titles expected to be available from August/September, it won’t be long before we see houses under construction. An inspection of the Estate will confirm and reinforce interested purchasers on the benefits of this unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase land so close to the town centre.

For more information, please contact PBE Real Estate, Wonthaggi on 5672 1833.

• Premiere 50 lot residential estate • Prime lifestyle location • Rail trail directly connecting to Wonthaggi CBD • Adjoins Wonthaggi plaza & wetlands reserve • National broadband network • Natural gas available

Be one of the first to experience the tranquility of this beautiful sanctuary.

Phone. 5672 1833 38-40 Mc Bride Avenue, Wonthaggi

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www.pberealestate.com.au

wonthaggi at a glance: Heartlands Estate A brand new estate located within walking distance of the city centre.

For more information contact PBE Real Estate on 5672 1833 PBE Real Estate Established in 1970, PBE Real Estate has strategically placed offices throughout South Gippsland. Each office is independently and locally owned - all with the same mission.To deliver results that meet or exceed expectations.

Wonthaggi Plaza A brand new plaza in the heart of Wonthaggi, The Plaza offers all your favourite stores, with new additions to come, including a brand new Sushi store. For more information www.wonthaggiplaza.com.au

Wonthaggi is a town on the move, with strong growth predicted as many discover the region’s livability and affordability. There is a wide range of housing types available, from the most modern to heritage properties and cute little miners’ cottages. There are also larger bush and rural blocks available on the outskirts of town.

Heartlands Wonthaggi is a vibrant, new estate attracting attention due to its excellent location and unique placement. New business is being attracted to the area: the recently-constructed Wonthaggi Plaza is proof of this, and complements the range of retailers around town. Whatever your tastes, you will find something to love about Wonthaggi, a gem in the Bass Coast region.

Bass Coast Airconditioning The expert team at Bass Coast Airconditioning will create the perfect environment for your home or business, all year round. Call 5672 4069 Wonthaggi Visitor Information Centre For information on local events, free maps and brochures and tickets to local attractions. Contact them on woninfo@basscoast.vic.gov.au

Wonthaggi Visitor Information Centre

Visit our friendly staff and volunteers at the Wonthaggi Visitor Information Centre for: Information on local events and activities,tickets to local attractions & free maps and brochures

We also have available for sale

• Local History Publications • Local Produce such as jams and olive oils • Brand new range of Wonthaggi Souvenirs

Contact Us

Tel: 1300 854 334 Email: woninfo@basscoast.vic.gov.au Corner of McKenzie and Bent Streets, Wonthaggi VIC 3995

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On PHILLIP ISLAND the ANZAC SPIRIT LIVES ON Experience the National Vietnam Veterans Museum

When you visit Phillip Island, don’t miss the National Vietnam Veterans Museum An authentic insight into the veterans’ part in Australia’s longest war.

A huge collection of images, artefacts, memorabilia, aircraft, helicopters and vehicles Child friendly, wheelchair access, holographic light and sound show, and the Nui Dat Cafe.

25 Veterans Drive, Newhaven, Phillip Island Ph: 5956 6400

www.vietnamvetsmuseum.org for visit and Museum information.

Priceline Pharmacy Cowes Now stocking your favourite brands

Priceline Pharmacy Cowes 24 Thompson Avenue Tel: 03 5952 2061

Trading Hours: Mon - Fri: 8.30am-6.00pm Sat: 8.30am-5.30pm Sun: 9.00am-5.30pm coast 74

It’s a Boy! Congratulation s to Ziggy & Susannah baby William Wong bor on n 4/3/13

FICTION

FICTION

NON-FICTION

YOUNG ADULT

“A Tap on the Window”

“The Shadow Year”

“Dark Paradise”

“The Drowning” When Carl opens his eyes on the banks of a cold lake, his brother is being zipped into a body bag. And a shivering girl is being helped nearby.

What happened in the water? He can’t remember. All he knows is that he must find out – before the truth comes back to drown him. . .

by Linwood Barclay

by Hannah Richell

by Robert Macklin

When Cal Weaver stops at a red light while driving home on a rainy night, he ignores the bedraggled teen girl trying to hitch a lift, even when she starts tapping on his window.

When she asks “Aren’t you Scott’s dad?” he realises she’s one of his son’s classmates and he can’t ignore her.

On a sultry summer’s day, five friends stumble upon an abandoned lakeside cottage deep in the English countryside. For Kat and her friends, it offers an escape – a chance to drop out, with lazy summer days by the lake. As the seasons change, tensions arise, and when an unexpected visitor appears at their door, the cottage’s romantic aura is shattered forever ... Three decades later, Lila arrives at the same remote location. With her marriage in crisis, she finds solace in renovating the tumbledown house, but she wonders about the previous inhabitants. Why did they leave in such a hurry, and most disturbing of all, why can’t she shake the feeling that someone is watching her?

‘I have to tell you: Satan lives here.’

Norfolk Island resident to the author.

Over the next 24 hours Cal will find out. When Claire asks to stop at a restroom on the way home, he’s happy to oblige. But the girl who gets back in the car seems nervous.

He starts to really worry the next morning when the police cruiser turns up at his door and asks him if he gave a lift to a girl the previous night… a girl who has now been found brutally murdered.

by Rachel Ward

Remote South Pacific islands are supposed to be idyllic, and from a distance, Norfolk Island looks a peaceful, beautiful place lush with tall pines. But look closer, and you will discover that, for all of the 220 years we have known it, Norfolk’s story has been one of darkness, pain, rage and horror. Long-buried bones and axes hint at violence before Captain Cook arrived and claimed the island for England. And then the horror truly began. From its earliest days, the isolation of life on this extinct volcano took its toll. Robert Macklin tells the vivid, bewitching story of how a unique lifestyle and culture evolved amongst the island’s two thousand inhabitants.

Exploring the issues of blood ties, jealousy, love and redemption, this is a dark psychological drama for the 16+ young adult reader from the author of “Numbers”.

Proudly independent ...a book is a place

Over 10 years experience in the book trade • Life-long love affair with books We can help find that special book for yourself or to give as a gift • Don’t forget our famous special tables 40a Thompson Ave Cowes

Phone. 03 5952 1444

Email. lois.turnthepage@bigpond.com

www.turnthepagebookshop.com.au

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aroundtown Stone garden opening at San Remo Primary School

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advertising feature

Building a better life

When Andrew Busana was growing up in South Dudley, there were only eight houses in his street. “South Dudley had gravel roads, no sewer, open drains and really minimal standards,” says Andrew. “We still had an outhouse. As a kid, going out there in winter, it was freezing and there were spiders and even monsters!”

Andrew still has family who live in South Dudley and he says he is proud of being involved in the scheme which upgraded the roads and drainage. “Knowing what it was like and what it is now, the area has been completely transformed,” says Andrew. “I like what has been achieved for that community.”

The upgrade to South Dudley in 2011 was the result of a $2.7 million special charge scheme. Council uses these schemes to help fund upgrades of more than 120km of unmade urban roads in Bass Coast.

And they involve a contribution from the property owners who directly benefit from the upgrade.

For Council’s Project Engineer, Kim Wong, working on special charge schemes like South Dudley or the Wonthaggi Town Entrance, is an opportunity to transform his new home.

have technical knowledge, it is not all about concrete, bitumen and Australian Design standards,” says Kim. Andrew agrees: “As civil engineers, we want to increase liveability and raise living standards in an area. There is creativity involved and you get to invest something of yourself in a project.”

Both men say that after working on the concept, getting to physically see the final product is amazing. “For most people, it is always the visual impact that has the greatest effect,” says Andrew.

“There is often an initial uproar when we talk to residents about a special charge scheme. No one likes to get people to pay for things, but the same people who object can end up thinking it’s a great investment.”

Unlike Andrew, a born and bred local, Kim moved from Malaysia to Tasmania to finish his degree before a graduate engineer post brought him to Wonthaggi. After falling for the lifestyle, Kim decided to stay and make it home.

Council has compiled a list of areas to approach for special charge schemes. Working at the current rate, it will take five decades to work through and it is a leap of faith between the concept drawings and the finished product. The local connections of the team helps people put trust in them.

“Back in Malaysia it is always busy with lots of traffic on the go,” explains Kim. “Here it is different, we are closer to the beach and people are friendlier. When I first got here, the entrance to Wonthaggi was pretty ordinary. Now it looks bright and nice.”

“It’s not just about our team,” says Kim. “We work with the community and with other areas of Council, from planning through to talking to the parks and gardens team about landscaping.”

For Andrew and Kim, using their engineering skills to make an investment in their community, has been rewarding. “While we

“People know you understand what their lifestyle and expectations are,” says Andrew. “It’s not just the Australian Standards that we are adhering to; it’s our own community standards.”

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fire & water Kilcunda and Bass football clubs are enjoying their home ground advantage... with a little help from their local Bendigo Community Bank branch.

Past president Luke Hill couldn’t be happier sitting high and dry at the Kilcunda/Bass Recreation Reserve. For many years their local footy oval was underwater. The situation became so dire; in fact, they could no longer train on at their own grounds. Luke reflects, “the juniors had to train on the netball courts, and the seniors had to go off to Pakenham and Kooweerup. We were in a pretty poor state and the grounds were quite unsafe.”

The club applied for a government grant to help the situation (back in 2011), but were unsuccessful without any existing funds behind them. This is where the Bendigo Community Bank Branch stepped in to lend a helping hand. “They supported us with a grant of $60,000 to kick-start our drainage works fund,” says Luke. With their own savings and the grant from the Bendigo, they managed to leverage funds from the government and were successful with their next grant application of $60,000. Luke smiles, “without the Bendigo, the project just wouldn’t have gone ahead.” They’ve been proud sponsors of the club for the last 6 years, and they were there to support our club when the new grounds reopened in April. “It’s made a huge difference,” says Luke. “It was a enormous project costing over 200K, and it means we’ll be up and running this winter.”

Speaking from his personal experience he says, “All our clubs from the footy club, cricket club and the local netball club - we all bank with the Bendigo community Bank. We’ve experienced first hand the difference they make in their local community.”

Michelle Fulwell is good at putting out fires. With over 12 years as a member of the Grantville CFA; the last 2 as an active fire fighter, she knows the direct benefits of community action and support. “Our local Bendigo Community Bank has helped our division so much over the years. We’ve bought nozzles, power tools, radio’s, traffic wands, office equipment and uniforms.” She says, “Having the support from the Bendigo makes an enormous difference to a small brigade like ours.”

The CFA is supplied with basic hoses and nozzles, but with the support from the bank they have been able to purchase special water saving nozzles that save up to 75% of water, meaning their tankers can service many more fires over a longer period of time.

Michelle reflects, “Grantville-Kernot fire brigade has two tankers, and our dilemma is - over summer our (larger) 3000 litre tanker spends most of its time defending fires in the rest of the state, whilst our small tanker is left to look after our whole region.” It is with this in mind that the local branch is looking to raise funds to buy another tanker to protect the region . . . at a hefty $400,000 price tag. Their local Bendigo Community Bank Branch stepped in yet again and gave them a $10,000 grant to kick off their truck fund. Michelle beams, “the 10,000 grant was contingent on us raising funds from the community, and the Bendigo actually helped us set up the fundraising (with an account, an appeal and posters). We raised $10,000 ourselves – so we’ve got 20,000 to date.” She goes on to say, “they help in so many ways, even those which are intangible. The funds certainly help, but their ongoing support gives everyone at the brigade a boost and makes our job even more worthwhile.”

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Wonderful Weddings

Your wedding will be an occasion to remember for the rest of your life. Planning your big day is an event in itself, and we’ve done all the legwork by searching out the region’s best wedding services and suppliers. Read on to create your own ‘happily ever after!’ . . .

lens to life photography

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Artisan and seller of Traditional & Contemporary Jewellery

LEONGATHA STUDIO & SHOWROOM 3 Lyon Street, Leongatha | Tel. (03) 5662 3142 www.denisahawkins.com.au | denisa10@bigpond.com

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KOONWARRA STUDIO & GALLERY 11 Swan Road, Koonwarra Village | Tel. 0428 685 282

weddings at

Churchill Island

Churchill Island Heritage Farm is the perfect wedding venue for couples looking to celebrate their special day with elegance and tranquil country charm.

Something old, something new Create memories for a lifetime with a wedding day at your own island escape â&#x20AC;&#x201C; easily accessible and only 90 minutes from Melbourne.

Arrive by horse and carriage led by the majestic resident Clydesdale horses, and take your vows in the sprawling cottage gardens beneath the towering Norfolk pine. Set on 57 hectares, the island has ample room for marquees and can cater for small or large groups â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from intimate gatherings to large celebrations.

Boasting numerous historic buildings dating back to the 1800s, and several rustic barns, Churchill Island Heritage Farm creates the perfect backdrop for stunning wedding photos. For those wanting a more natural setting, take the walk beneath the ancient archway of Moonah trees or head for the sandy shores overlooking Western Port Bay. Facilities on site and ample free parking available.

To book your special day or find out more, contact us on: Ph: 5951 2802 or Email: info@penguins.org.au coast 83

Weddings | Venues & Receptions

Churchill Island

RACV

Wyndam Torquay

For an intimate wedding your family and friends will be talking about for years to come, Churchill Island Heritage Farm is the venue you’ve been looking for. This historic homestead brings together everything you need in the one great setting: ceremony, photographic locations and a stunning reception. We have a range of options available and welcome the opportunity to create the wedding of your dreams!

Set in a stunning natural environment with breathtaking ocean views, this is the perfect location to celebrate your special day. The RACV Inverloch Resort is a leisurely two-hour drive from Melbourne and only five kilometres from Inverloch. The Resort’s experienced team will ensure your wedding day is what you’ve always dreamed of. www.racv.com.au/inverloch call 03 5674 0000

Wyndham Resort Torquay’s magnificent beach location coupled with contemporary design, lighting and furnishings makes for the perfect wedding venue. Our beautiful garden ceremony area overlooks Zeally Bay and is the ideal location to exchange your vows. www.wyndhamtorquay.com.au call 0352611500

penguins.org.au/attractions/churchill-island

call 03 5951 2802

Silverwater Resort Manna Gum Just minutes from the centre of Inverloch, and only 90 minutes from Melbourne, Broadbeach Resort, with its beautiful Manna Gum Restaurant, is a stunning venue for your special day. Broadbeach is also home to hairdressers, a manicurist, massage therapist, and fully-equipped gym to pamper you. Your guests will enjoy the friendly atmosphere, relaxing by the cosy fire or sipping a glass of champagne on the deck in summer, whilst experiencing high quality and personalised service. The management invites you to discuss your wedding requirements with their function coordinator. www.manna-gum.com.au call 03 5674 1199

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With spectacular views over the bay, Silverwater Resort is the ideal venue for your wedding. Offering onsite ceremony options, seated receptions for up to 120 people, cocktail functions for up to 200 people, and 170 spacious modern apartments, you need not leave the resort! Find time… to celebrate at Silverwater Resort! www.silverwaterresort.com.au call 03 5671 9300

Beach Weddings Looking to say ‘I do’ on a beautiful beach by the coast? Informal weddings do not require a permit. A small table and seating for the elderly is permitted, but the wedding should not interfere with the normal use of the area. Confetti and alcohol are not allowed on our local beaches and foreshores. For bookings, contact Bass Coast Shire Council on 1300 BCOAST (226 278) www.basscoast.vic.gov.au

Brand new facilities unveiled at RACV Inverloch Resort

From a cosy pre-dinner drink to the perfect wedding venue, RACV Inverloch Resortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new facilities have got it covered.

The finishing touches are now complete on spectacular new facilities at the award-winning RACV Inverloch Resort on the South Gippsland Coast. The resort has just completed a major expansion including the development of a new lounge bar, a new conference and wedding centre, two executive boardrooms, and an enlarged restaurant.

All these new facilities feature one of the more distinctive aspects of being at RACV Inverloch Resort: floor-to-ceiling windows with views spanning the wetlands, Andersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Inlet and the Bass Coast. Winner of the 2012 Victorian Tourism Award for Best Deluxe Accommodation, for the third time in four years, and recipient of a Certificate of Excellence for 2013 from TripAdvisor RACV Inverloch Resort is sure to impress.

The new Zenith Lounge is the perfect place to relax for a pre or after-dinner drink or simply sit and have a cup of coffee. It provides an appealing environment to enjoy locally sourced food and beverage while taking in the wonderful and ever changing Bass Coast views.

Comfy armchairs and large couches, a gas log fire, large screen television, and all the required comforts ensure you can simply sit back and relax.

The new conference and wedding centre, features an impressive 250seat grand ballroom. For weddings, the ceremony and the reception now irrespective of the weather can be held onsite, offering you and your guests the complete bridal experience. For conferencing and events, the ballroom can be divided into two spaces, three different ways, ensuring the perfect venue to accommodate large scale events through to intimate meetings.

The new facilities complement the wide variety of accommodation at the resort, which includes contemporary ocean-view rooms in the main lodge, two and three bedroom villas, two bedroom deluxe cabins, and 32 caravan sites (12 with ensuites). Plus, if you are an RACV member you can enjoy discounts of at least 25% off full accommodation rates, all year round. There is something for every one of the 2 million member and their guests, however everyone is welcome and encouraged to visit the resort.

It is truly a resort unrivalled by any other in Gippsland.

To find out more call 5674 0000 or visit racv.com.au/resorts

The adjoining Radius Restaurant can now seat up to 150 people. Under the leadership of new Executive Chef, Rohan McCullagh diners can enjoy the excellent a la carte menu featuring local produce and matched to an extensive wine list, including many local Gippsland wines.

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Slow-cooked Asian curries, Contemporary Australian fare, Indoor & alfresco dining, Coffee & cake all day.

Weddings & Functions, Fully licensed.

Available for private & corporate functions.

For enquiries & reservations call: 5674 1199 5 Lindsey Close, Inverloch www.manna-gum.com.au

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Weddings | Accommodation

RACV Resort Inverloch

Quest Phillip Island

This beautiful Bass Coast establishment offers a mix of terrific accommodation options which include premium ocean view rooms with uninterrupted 180-degree coastal views, luxurious and modern ocean view rooms, and stylish eco-villas for families and groups requiring that little extra comfort and space.

In addition, a caravan park featuring 32 sites, including 12 with private modern ensuites, is set among beautiful native bushland. www.racv.com.au call 03 5674 0000

Quest Phillip Island offers one, two and threebedroom modern apartments, all including separate lounge and dining areas. The perfect location for couples, families or wedding groups. Only 90 minutes from Melbourne. www.questphillipisland.com.au call 5952 2644

Ramada Resort Cowes Situated two hours’ drive from Melbourne, Ramada Resort Phillip Island is close to a variety of natural wildlife experiences, popular tourist attractions, swimming and surfing beaches, and breathtaking rugged beauty. www.ramadaphillipisland.com.au call 03 5952 8000

Wyndam Torquay

Silverwater Resort Set high on the hills above San Remo, this Phillip Island resort is unlike any other in Victoria. Find time to soak up the Bass Coast’s natural beauty from your base at this leading Phillip Island accommodation venue. www.silverwaterresort.com.au all 1800 033 403

Ideally positioned opposite Zeally Bay Beach at the gateway to the Great Ocean Road, Wyndham Resort Torquay is the most romantic holiday destination on Victoria’s Surf Coast. With sweeping panoramic ocean views and stunning grounds, this spectacular Victorian resort located less than two hours’ drive from Melbourne beckons fun-seekers, families and hopeless romantics alike. www.wyndhamtorquay.com.au call 0352611500

Prom Accommodation For a honeymoon that’s close to nature, look no further than Wilson’s Prom Holiday Accommodation www.promcountry.com.au

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Get the perfect ring & jewellery for your wedding.

Handmade, Well made, Australian made Gallery will be closed for annual holiday from 28 July and reopen on the 4 September Unique Jewellery | Watches | Repairs | Classes | Rethreading | Commissions | Ear Piercing

Shop 3 - Bridgeview Arcade San Remo

phone. 5678 5788

Regular Classes & Exhibitions visit:

www.goldsmithsgallery.com.au

Personalised ceremonies for all those significant moments of life • • • •

Weddings Namings Renewal of vows Funerals

Mona J. (Jenny) Milkins

CIVIL CELEBRANT

Servicing all areas 18 Hunter Street Wonthaggi Vic 3995 P: 03 5672 3123 M: 0439 320 099 Email: jenny_milkins@hotmail.com

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Weddings | Jewellers

Denis Hawkins For over 40 years Denis A Hawkins has been designing and hand-crafting fine jewellery for clients worldwide. Let Denis create unique wedding rings that are made especially for the two of you. He is a master craftsman in the setting of diamonds and other precious gems including grain setting, channel and bezel setting, and gypsy and flush-type hammer settings. Denis believes in quality first, using only first-grade diamonds and gemstones, and has his own internationally acclaimed gem cutter and polisher. www.denisahawkins.com.au 3 Lyon St, Leongatha call 5662 3142

Goldsmith’s Gallery The Goldsmith’s Gallery can enhance your special day by designing and making jewellery for your entire wedding party, as well as wedding rings for the bride and groom. Each ring that Bronwyn creates and sells comes with a free annual clean and polish. Unusual designs are her speciality. If you want something different that will last a lifetime, then have it handmade and well made. Gallery will be closed for annual holidays from the 28th of July to the 3rd of September. www.goldsmithsgallery.com.au Marine Parade - Bridgeview Arcade, San Remo Call 5678 5788

Lacy Jewellery Studio Whether traditional or modern, Lacy engagement rings and wedding bands offer the enduring beauty every bride or groom is searching for. Led by an expert, manufacturing jeweller Philip Lacy, staff will assist you through each step in choosing the perfect rings. Phillip says, “If you come to me for a wedding ring, you’ll get it tailor-made. It’s very rare that there will be something perfect on the shelf.” www.lacyjewellery.com.au 132 Whitelaw St, Meeniyan Call 5664 0055

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Courtesy of Bride2BePhotography.com’

Courtesy of Bride2BePhotography.com

CS Photography

Weddings • Deb Balls • Wine Tours • Corporate Travel We have a range of vehicles from 6, 8, 10, 12 seater luxury Limousines, late model Chrysler Limos & Sedans and People movers to suit your transport needs.

Call 1300 48 11 88 or visit our website www.chauffeurdrive.com.au

Receive $100 off your booking for a Facebook Like!

Leading Gippsland Decoraters

For Hire

Chair covers, sashes, table runners, glass vases, centre pieces, table clothes, roof canopy, fairy lights, wall draping, ceremony, red & white carpet, wooden folding chairs. Full Wedding packages available or DIY. Call Mary or Joanne Cox. 0412 705 862 or 5674 5523 | monsviewpark@bigpond.com | www.monsviewweddings.vpweb.com.au

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Weddings | Photos, Transport & Music

Lens to Life

Baker Boys

Lens to Life is a small, exclusive studio that approaches your wedding day in a professional manner, ensuring spontaneity and a relaxed atmosphere to encourage unprompted reactions and an un-staged appearance to your photos. Lucas and his team of photographers will exhibit their extensive range of designer album options, and discuss your personal photography requirements so that together you can create your individual wedding day story.

Call 0414 343 104 www.lenstolife.com.au

The Baker Boys band has years of experience, and advises that choosing the right band for your wedding can transform it into a truly spectacular party! A really great band will fill the dance floor faster than a DJ – there is something about live music that just inspires people to get up out of their seats! Make sure the band matches the “look and feel” you are creating for your wedding. Baker Boys provides a free Demo CD and can also organise music for your ceremony as well as your reception – this will save you hassle and a great deal of expense. Remember, make sure your band has the flexibility to cater for a broad range of musical tastes – not just your own!

Call 0438 301 313 www.bakerboysband.com.au

Chauffeur Drive Chauffeur Drive is local to Gippsland and operates all over the region from Mornington to Phillip Island and Lakes Entrance. For a chauffeured car and fabulous stretched limousine experience, choose from a range of vehicles including 6, 8, 10, and 12 seater luxury limousines, a variety of late-model Chrysler limos, sedans and people-movers to suit your transport needs. Chauffeur Drive continues to provide the level of service that saw it voted as a top operator in the ABIA (Australian Bridal Institute Australia) Awards in 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013. Call us for offers and cars available locally to you on 1300 48 11 88 www.chauffeurdrive.com.au

Monsview Creative Weddings Gippsland’s leading wedding decorator, Monsview Creative Weddings, takes the stress out of creating your perfect day. With many years’ decorating experience and an artistic eye, Monsview can transform your venue into your dream! They offer full wedding packages that include set up (and pack up), travelling and insurance. Let their team create a wedding that reflects your personality and style. Make an appointment for a free consultation to discuss your ideas. Monsview Creative Weddings are uniquely positioned to create your perfect wedding for much less than you may expect, or you can just hire the equipment and do it yourself. For more information. www.monsviewweddings.vpweb.com.au like us on Facebook (monsview creative weddings)

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hAIR BAIRS We provide a full range of hairstyling Service Including weddings and debs

Facial waxing Brow & lash tinting Make up for all occasions

Genna Wills Photography

To arrange an appointment call us on 56624777 or come in and see our friendly staff

29 Bair St Leongatha

Your Style Store Bridesmaids • Mother of the bride & groom • Event Wear • Everyday Fashion & Accessories • Sizes 8–24

Phone. 5655 2663

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107 Commercial St, Korumburra

Mon-Tue 9am-5pm Wed, Thur, Fri 9am-5:30pm Sat 9am-12:30pm

Weddings | Fashion, Hair & Beauty

© Gemma Wills

Your Style Store

Sketa

Hair Bairs

Your Style Store has a reputation for providing a great selection of wedding and event wear, but that’s not all. They also stock everyday fashion such as tops, pants, jeans and knitwear. Popular brands include Gordon Smith, Jump, Yarra Trail and Black Pepper.

Your Style Store staff, Jenni, Chris and Taryn, all pride themselves on their honest, friendly customer service. Pop into the Korumburra store and let the team guide you through the latest fashion trends. They’ll help you find the perfect outfit . . . whatever the event!

Australian designed and made, Sketa fashion house creates limited editions for that individual look. From mother-of-the-bride to guests, their gorgeous designs will have you covered for the big day! 71 Main St, Mornington and 42 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento.

For the perfect look on your wedding day, look no further than Hair Bairs - the hair specialists in Leongatha. With 7 professional stylists on hand to make you look and feel fabulous, your hair and makeup will be gorgeous and stress free. We can also assist your attendants and guests with stylish wedding makeup and hair. We choose Youngblood, a beautiful, full mineral makeup, along with Smiink lashes to create the perfect look. We work with our clients to co-ordinate booking times to fit with your requirements.

Our professional, friendly team will pamper you with nibbles and music to help you relax and enjoy the experience. For an unforgettable experience on your special day, treat yourself to Hair Bairs Leongatha.

107 Commercial Street, Korumburra Call 03 5655 2663

Sarsaparilla

Pop in to speak to them at 29 Bair St, Leongatha VIC 3953 or call 03 5662 4777

Sarsaparilla Boutique offers a stunning range of the latest denim fashions (think honeymoon/holidays) for the groovy set.

Check them out at 42b Thompson Avenue, Cowes or like them on www.facebook.com/ sarsaparillaboutique

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Weddings | Celebrants, Health & Relaxation

Mark Dayman Photography

Jenny Milkins

Annette Maier

Sharon Jackson

Jenny Milkins will ensure your ceremony is as unique and individual as you are. If you select a church wedding, the priest or minister will assist you with planning. Other locations require a civil celebrant to make it all official.

“A civil marriage ceremony allows you the freedom to personalise your proceedings and also offers more flexibility in regard to the time, date and place,” says civil celebrant, Mona J. (Jenny) Milkins. Have a good talk with your celebrant to ensure you can add all your own personal touches.

Call Jenny Milkins 0439 320 099

Annette Maier believes in the magic of love: that’s why she became a civil celebrant. Creating distinctive ceremonies for weddings, renewals of vows, commitments, namings and funerals, she has a passion and drive for excellence. If you are looking for a local celebrant who is friendly, experienced, caring . . . look no further. Annette will deliver a professional ceremony that is remembered for all the right reasons.

Call 0408 703 327 www.celebrant4u.com.au

Your wedding day should be a day to treasure for eternity. Whoever you choose for your sacred ceremony, be sure they feel right for you. A warm, friendly and sincere individual, celebrant Sharon Jackson has a unique ability to put your personal story into heartfelt words for your special ceremony. She connects with love, awareness of self and of others. Your ceremony is exactly that . . . yours, and it can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose.

She is happy to create the whole ceremony for you with your valued input. Available for weddings, funerals, commitment, naming and renewal ceremonies.

Call 0413 019 189 www.seekthesoul33.wix.com/soulceremonies

24/7 Gym

Xtreme Burn George Pappas has designed a workout program for the entire body (in a half-hour program) to have you fit and fantastic on your wedding day. But more than that, George believes in fitness, happiness and health for life. For more information www.facebook.com/xtremeburn

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YMCA More than just a health club, the YMCA will have you looking and feeling your best for your wedding day. Taking a holistic approach, they believe in a well-rounded program of health and nutrition, mental and physical health to be your very best. For more information www.basscoast.ymca.org.au call YMCA Bass Coast 03 5952 2811

Trim down for your big day! Now in San Remo, at 24/7 Gym you can work out in your own time and come and go as you please.

Memberships start from $15 per week plus a one-off joining fee. www.my247gym.com call 03 5678 5533

cassie’s big day healthy and happy A wedding day is one of the most anticipated events in life and Phillip Island YMCA member Cassie Dunk made up her mind that hers would be extra special.

Cassie recently married Shannon Dunk, the man of her dreams, in a beautiful wedding in the coastal town of Austinmer in New South Wales. The couple met while they were working at the snow fields in Jindabyne and initially lived in Sydney before moving and settling at Phillip Island due to work opportunities.

Cassie joined the YMCA Phillip Island when she first moved to the Island just over 12 months ago so that she could stay active and to meet new people. “It was difficult moving to a new place and not knowing anyone,” she said. “Joining the gym was the best thing I could do and straight away I made some great new friends”.

About five months out from Cassie’s big day, she decided to set herself some goals to tone up and get into better shape. Although already active, Cassie decided to increase her gym visits and changed her exercise regime to include the YMAX class, which she attended

twice per week. “The class is so varied and each week it is different so I was always challenged,” said Cassie. “I also started Personal Training once a week which meant I could focus on specific areas”.

Cassie combined increased exercise with a change to her diet to include more fresh fruit and vegetables and less pre-prepared food.

Cassie reached her goal and that resulted in her dress size needing to be altered only two days out from the wedding. Her body shape changed and she also lost eight kilograms, which was an unexpected bonus.

After her wedding, Cassie has remained motivated and continues to train three to four times per week. She says she feels great and is now planning the next chapter of her life by starting a family. “Joining the YMCA Phillip Island and exercising has been the best thing for me and I am healthier and happier because of it,” she said.

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MUSIC TO FILL THE DANCE FLOOR!

MORE THAN YOUR TYPICAL ‘WEDDING BAND’

With regular showcase performances and a free demo CD you can see and hear them live before booking them.

Choose between 3 – 14 full time professional musicians who play Top 40, Classic Rock & Funk, 80s, Swing Jazz and more...

Pricing from $1000 - $5000, depending on band size.

Call 0438 301 313 or email info@bakerboysband.com.au for more information

JAZZ | FUNK | BLUES | ROCK | ACOUSTIC

celebrant4u.com.au Annette Maier

WWW.BAKERBOYSBAND.COM.AU

Sharon Jackson CIVIL CELEBRANT

Friendly, experienced, professional Civil Celebrant Together we will turn your dreams into reality Weddings, Renewals, Commitments, Namings & Funerals

• Call 0408 703 327 • www.celebrant4u.com.au annette@celebrant4u.com.au

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Sacred ceremonies for all ocasions - tailored specifically to your needs. Specialising in Weddings & Funerals Weddings • Commitment Ceremonies • Name Giving Ceremonies Renewal of Vows • Memorial Services + more Australia wide; Call 0413 019 189 seekthesoul33@gmail.com www.seekthesoul33.wix.com/soulceremonies

wedding checklist Your Coast Wedding Timeline and Checklist To plan your perfect wedding by the coast.

Wedding Planning Top Priority • • • • •

Set a date.

Determine your budget and size of wedding.

Select and book your ceremony and reception venues.

Notify interstate and international guests.

Start your health, beauty and fitness regime.

6–12 Months Before...

Ceremony - Book your celebrant, priest or chaplain.

Reception - Confirm venue, entertainment and catering. Make a first-draft guest list.

Bridal Party – Choose your bridesmaids, groomsmen and MC. Clothes – Research outfits for bride, groom and bridal party.

Memories - Book your photographer and videographer.

Transport – Research and book.

Honeymoon – Arrange leave from work, make sure your passports are up to date; select a destination.

3–6 Months Before Flowers - Select florist and order wedding and reception flowers.

You - Engage hairdresser and makeup artist. Keep up your exercise program.

Invites - Finalise guest list; design and order invitations, placecards and thank-you cards. Send invites 6-8 weeks before - don’t forget maps and accommodation options for visiting guests.

Legals - Complete and submit your ‘Notice of Intention to Marry’ Jewellery - Finalise your wedding rings and any other gifts.

Wedding Night - Book your accommodation.

Cake – Select and order your wedding cake.

Reception - Finalise menu, running-sheet, floor plan and seating arrangements.

Ceremony - Finalise order of service, vows and music.

1 Month Before Jewellery - Pick up rings and have other jewellery cleaned.

The Day - Finalise schedule, task list and speeches.

Party – Have separate hens’ and bucks’ nights or one big party!

You – Finalise hair, make-up and beauty appointments.

Gifts – For wedding party and each other.

Clothes - Final fittings and pick-up details for outfits, including shoes and lingerie!

2 Weeks Before You - Schedule relaxation, final beauty treatments and lots of sleep.

Ceremony – Rehearsals

The Night Before Clothes - Lay out clothes and jewellery.

You – Relax …sleep – you’ve got to look great for your big day

On The Day Eat a hearty breakfast, take it easy on the champers – and enjoy yourself! It’s your special day!!

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Coast Wedding Directory Accommodation Harryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on the Esplanade Call 5952 6226 www.harrysrestaurant.com.au

Goldsmithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gallery Call 5678 5788 San Remo www.goldsmithsgallery.com.au

Quest Phillip Island Call 5952 2644 www.questphillipisland.com.au

Make-up, Hair and Beauty

RACV Resort Inverloch Call 5674 0000 www.racv.com.au/inverloch Silverwater Resort San Remo Call 5671 9300 www.silverwaterresort.com.au Wyndam Torquay Call 52611500 www.wyndhamtorquay.com.au

Hair Bairs Call 5662 4777 29 Bair St, Leongatha VIC 3953 Amcal Cowes Pharmacy Cowes Call 5952 2061 San Remo Pharmacy Call 5678 5202

Ramada Resort Phillip Island Call 5952 8000 www.ramadaphillipisland.com.au

Music

Prom Country Accommodation www.promcountry.com.au has over 110 places to stay.

Baker Boys www.bakerboysband.com.au

Celebrants

Photography

Jenny Milkins Call 0439 320 099 jenny_milkins@hotmail.com

Lens to Life Call 0414 343 104 www.lenstolife.com.au

Annette Maier Call 0408 703 327 www.celebrant4u.com.au Sharon Jackson Call 0413 019 189 www.seekthesoul33.wix.com/soulceremonies

Transport Chauffeur Drive Gippsland & Melbourne Call 1300 48 11 88 www.chauffeurdrive.com.au

Fashion Your Style Store Call 5655 2663 107 Commercial Street, Korumburra Sarsaparilla 42 Thompson Av, Cowes www.facebook.com/sarsaparillaboutique Sketa Mornington Call 5976 3311 & Sorrento Call 5984 0927

Health and Relaxation YMCA Bass Coast Call 5952 2811 www.basscoast.ymca.org.au Xtreme Burn, www.facebook.com/xtremeburn 24/7 Gym Call 5678 5533 www.my247gym.com

Jewellers Denis A. Hawkins Call 5662 3142 Leongatha www.denisahawkins.com.au Lacy Jewellery Studio & Gallery Call 5664 0055 Meeniyan www.lacyjewellery.com.au

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Venues & Receptions Bass Coast Shire Council Halls, reserves and beaches www.basscoast.vic.gov.au Churchill Island, Phillip Island Call 5951 2802 www.penguins.org.au/attractions/churchill-island Manna Gum, Inverloch Call 5674 1199 www.manna-gum.com.au RACV Resort, Inverloch Call 5674 0000 www.racv.com.au Silverwater Resort, San Remo Call 1800 033 403 www.silverwaterresort.com.au Wyndam Torquay Call 52611500 www.wyndhamtorquay.com.au

Wedding Planners/Services Monsview Creative Weddings www.monsviewweddings.vpweb.com.au

Like coast on Facebook & win!

For your chance to go in the draw to win a signed, Warren Reed - Limited Edition framed art print.

Valued at $795.00. Frame size is 125cm x 93cm. Log onto www.coastmagazine.net and click like to go into the draw.

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photo: Terminus Flinders Hotel

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Champions Cafe

Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Back Beach Road Phone 5952 2710 Racing good food!

Chocolate Factory 930 Phillip Island Rd Newhaven, Phillip Island Phone 5956 6600 For chocolate lovers

RACV Resort

70 Cape Paterson-Inverloch Road Inverloch Phone 5674 0000 Contemporary cuisine

Silverwater Resort

Phillip Island Tourist Rd, San Remo Phone 5671 9300 Contemporary dining in Watermark @ Silverwater Resort

Terminus @ Flinders Hotel Churchill Island

Off the coast of Phillip Island Phone 5956 7834 Fresh produce and great coffee

Harry’s on the Esplanade 17 The Esplanade Cowes Phone 5952 6226 Delicious cuisine

Cnr Cook and Wood St, Flinders Call 5989 0201 Fine, fresh and local food

The Rusty Windmill 45 McCartin St Leongatha Phone 5662 5878 Wholesome, homemade fare

Manna Gum

Trulli Pizza

Nobbies Centre

Youki’s

5 Lindsey Close, Inverloch Phone 5674 1199 Contemporary cuisine

Nobbies Centre, Phillip Island Phone 5951 2816 Meals & functions with ocean views

106 Whitelaw St Meeniyan Phone 5664 7397 Homemade rustic Italian fare

97 Church St Cowes Phone 5952 3339 Licensed Japanese tapas bar

Let’s eat! coast 101

Slow cooked winter specials Local fresh produce with seafood straight from the boat, Island grazed beef and lamb and in-house bakery. Accommodation available.

Waterfront dining with panoramic bay views 17 The Esplanade Cowes, Vic.

Ph (03) 5952 6226

www.harrysrestaurant.com.au

Youkiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s www.youkis.com.au

Takeaway dinner is now available from our restaurant!

Open Tuesday-Saturday. Closed Sunday & Monday. Phone orders: 5952 3339/5:30pmâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;9pm.

Enjoy authentic Japenese home cooking with friendly service!

Cowes Sushi Shop now open 7 days. Open: 10am until sold out Wonthaggi Sushi Shop open 6 days (Sunday Closed) coast 102

Morrocan Seafood tagine with Harisa croutons

Award winning chef Pierre Kodja from the Terminus restaurant at the Flinders Hotel creates mouth-watering dishes to tempt the fussiest palettes. To experience excellence in dining, take advantage of their hot winter special menu, only available on the weekends at the Flinders hotel during the month of June ( in celebration of the “put Victoria on your table” campaign).

2 courses for $35 dollars and a selection of wines for only $7.

Flinders Hotel - Terminus restaurant Cook Street, Flinders

Flinders Hotel Functions & Conferences: The Mornington Peninsula is one of Australia’s most popular touring destinations, & Flinders with its cliff top location, antique outlets, cafes, food stores, & this refurbished iconic hotel, is leading the way as a food & beverage destination. The Flinders Hotel brings together not only the best of the Mornington Peninsula, but the world, with its restaurant Terminus (awarded One Hat, The Age Good Food Guide 2013), The Deck bistro, Peninsula events space & Quarters boutique accommodation.

For Bookings or an enquiry for your next meeting conference party and special occasion contact Philippa Romaneix or email promaneix@f lindershotel.com.au Phone: 03 5989 0201 www.f lindeshotel.com.au info@f lindershotel.com.au

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Sustainable design, Smart living

Ecolivâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s factory built modular homes use fewer resources and energy to ensure minimal site disturbance right from the start. Our transportable designs allow you to adapt, change or add to your home with ease by simply arranging predetermined modules in a variety of configurations. Each home configuration features 7 star thermal performance rating for affordable, comfortable and sustainable living.

Standard inclusions: 3 Solar Hot Water 3 Solar Electricity 3 Energy efficient lighting 3 Electricity usage meter 3 Maximum star rated appliances

3 10,000 litre water tank configuration 3 Water saving plumbing fittings 3 Double glazed windows 3 No VOC Ecolour paints 3 Renewable plantation timber

3 EarthWool insulation 3 Boral Enviro plasterboard 3 Green First Laminex joinery 3 100% wool carpet 3 Reconstituted Ceasarstone benches

Visit our display home at 332 White Road Wonthaggi Ph. 5672 5196

www.ecoliv.com.au coast 104

Your dedicated lifestyle property & building guide

kane worthy constructions

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Multi Award Winning Building Designer of Contemporary Sustainable Homes.

332 White Rd. Wonthaggi Tel. (03) 5672 5196 Level 2, 75 Chapel St. Cowes Tel. (03) 5952 6868

www.beaumontconcepts.com.au

CONTEMPORARY NEW BUILD HOMES

STRESS FREE BUILDING - HIGH STANDARDS OF WORKMANSHIP - EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION

Phone. 0419 312 297

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kane@kaneworthy.com.au

www.kaneworthy.com.au

You are invitedâ&#x20AC;Ś

to Woolamaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Address.

OW N D N LA G N I L L E S

Churchill Island

For your own Private Inspection contact Greg Price on 5952 5711 or email gregprice@alexscott.com.au

Newhaven

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Phil

lip Is

While best endeavours have been used to provide information in this publication that is true and accurate all entities accept no responsibility and disclaim all liability in respect to any errors or inaccuracies it may contain. Prospective purchasers should make their own inquiries to verify the information contained herein.

land

Roa

d

Airpor port

Melbourne 90 Mins San Remo

Alex Scott and Staff - Cowes 113a Thompson Ave Cowes 3922

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Domestic • Commercial • Wardrobes • Creative Storage Wardrobe Sliding Doors • Toilet Petitions • Shop Fit Outs

tel: 03 5956 7415

fax: 03 5956 7885

mob: 0419 596 893

28 boys home road, newhaven, phillip island, info@southcoastkitchens.com.au

- Rough-sawn feature posts & beams - Solid timber flooring & decking -Lining & cladding - New & recycled timbers - Installation service - Delivery all areas

9:30-2:30 Mon-Fri other times by appointment welcome 24 The Concourse, Cowes coast 108

Phone: 5952 3232 www.tjstimber.com.au

The original Coldon Homes office

Henry Donohue

Softly spoken, with a cheeky grin, Henry Donohue is a Wonthaggi legend.

Eighth in a family of 10 children, Henry Donohue was born and raised in Wonthaggi, his parents having arrived in the town seven years before, in 1922.

With a large family, a father who worked in the coalmines and tough economic times, there was little extravagance known in the home. Regardless of this, Henry’s memories of these times were of a close and loving family that got by with the ingenuity that many Australians demonstrated at the time. Catching rabbits and eels, growing vegetables in the garden, and mending rather than throwing out were the order of the day.

By his own admission Henry was a bit of a ratbag. “I’d be in anything that was going” was his recollection of his childhood years. “I delighted in mischief, and found plenty of scope for it in the busy, sprawling streets of Wonthaggi.” His mischievous nature combined with his own (and his teacher’s) estimations that he was only an average student seemed to foreshadow limited opportunities in a tough mining town.

His parents, however, and the nuns at St Joseph’s Catholic school, had bigger plans for Henry. He was awarded a bursary by the school to continue his studies at Xavier College, with an eye to entering the priesthood. His family, particularly his mother, had to sacrifice much for this opportunity, something young Henry was acutely aware of.

His first day at his new school was a revelation of the workings of a strange and different world. Groups of boys were standing around, many renewing friendships from the preparatory schools they had come from. One boy came over to Henry who was standing apart from the group, slapped him on the back and enquired as to what his father did. Replying that he was a coalminer, the boy promptly told the others: “Donohue’s father owns a coalmine”. Henry tried to correct the story, but he was ignored in the bustle of the new school year. It was only later that it became evident that Henry was from a different background, but by then the difference in financial and social status mattered less.

For the first two years at Xavier, Henry boarded with a family who were caretakers of a 12-storey city building on Queen Street, between Bourke and Collins streets. “I was a young lad from a small country town,” he recalls “and it was near unbelievable.” He’d sit high over the streets of Melbourne, looking down on the bustle of the town from his favourite vantage point, and only occasionally looking back to the books he was meant to be studying.

After three years in Melbourne, Henry returned to Wonthaggi. “I was just like any other lad who had just left school,” he recalled. “Talk of the priesthood had long faded away, as had my own dreams of becoming a fighter pilot.” After this realisation, Henry sought a living in what were rather tough times. For four >

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I was just like any other lad who had just left school, talk of the priesthood had long faded away, as had my own dreams of becoming a fighter pilot. paperwork changed hands, no signatures were asked for or given, yet none of these verbal agreements fell through.”

Henry and Bill honed their skills in both building and business, steadily growing the company. 15 houses were built in 1966-67, 25 in the following year, and in late 1969 they constructed their 100th house.

During the building boom of the seventies, demand on Phillip Island was such that it was no longer practical to build complete homes in the factory. Their building system had to change. Bill and Henry were quick to respond and reworked the way homes were constructed.

Wall frames, roof trusses and cupboards were all prefabricated in the factory then transported to the site.

There was a constant throughout the heyday of the business: a mutual respect and complete trust between the two founding partners. Henry speaks fondly of Bill.

His strong faith, ethics in business and influence in his life had a profound effect on Henry. Bill Collins passed in 1996. Recalls Henry, “On one of my final visits to Bill shortly before he died I asked if he would like me to say a few words at his funeral. He replied, ‘Yes, mate, but don’t be too generous’.” years he pursued a career in herd testing. Each spring Henry would visit 26 different properties, testing milk for butterfat content in the evening and then again the following morning. This meant staying at a lot of different farms, helping out where possible and becoming part of the farming community, and participating in parties and local dances. At one particular farm a steady relationship developed with a young lady by the name of Iris Francis, who soon became Iris Donohue. But the role of herd tester was unsuitable for a married man, because providing overnight accommodation for two was difficult, so Henry began casting about for another job. He gravitated to transporting houses, and eventually made his way into the building trade, partnering with Bill Collins, who also gave half his surname to the Coldon Homes trademark.

Being a little older and more experienced, Bill was initially reluctant to work with the young and enthusiastic pup, knocking back his first approach. “There was a bit more talk and discussion,” recalls Henry; “finally Bill cautiously agreed to give it a go.” They constructed a few houses in open paddocks to trial a new idea involving ready-built houses before eventually developing their first factory, which opened in 1966. This was the former dining room from the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games village, bought at auction and moved to Wonthaggi.

Henry recalls the early days as a far cry from modern business practice. “Our business functioned in a rather haphazard fashion. Neither of us knew anything about administration, and we had to learn as the business grew. There was no such thing as a formal contract between us and prospective clients. No

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Those that know Henry speak of a tough but fair man. Self-deprecating at times, and modest in dress and manner, his influence in the region often goes unheralded. Over 6,000 houses have been created by Coldon, most of which are still loved and lived in to this day. Some may appear quite modest compared to the McMansions of the outer suburbs, but each was built to standards that have ensured a long life, and examples include schools, a post office, the very ‘modern’ Wonthaggi Catholic Church and a scattering of commercial buildings.

Henry is still happily married to the love of his life, Iris. With a strong family of four children and many grandchildren actively involved in their lives, there are plenty of stories to share with anyone who sits still long enough to listen.

Henry is not one to ever pump his own tyres; however he is very happy to tell the world of the success of others, particularly the exploits and talents of his grandchildren. He freely expresses how blessed he has been in life, acknowledging the strength and love he draws from his family. His son, Keith, followed Henry into the family business.

If you ask Henry the secret of the success of his business, he will refer to the many who worked with him. According to Henry, others showed him how to be successful. Essentially, the thousands of homes that bear half his name have a whole lot of his DNA in them. Like Henry, they are solid, dependable and trustworthy.

Environmentally friendly rammed earth builders with over 30 years experience in Melbourne and regional areas.

Phone. 03 9551 5149 Environmental building solutions

info@olnee.com.au

www.olneerammedearth.com.au

New Website Now Live

Gippsland Sales & Display Centre

Phillip Island Sales & Display Centre

Open 7 days (closed public holidays) Mon-Fri â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8am-5pm Sat-Sun â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1pm-4pm

Open Thu to Mon & public holidays 11am to 4:30pm (Closed Tue & Wed)

Cape Paterson Rd (Next to Mitre 10) Wonthaggi Phone. 5672 1999

36 Phillip Island Tourist Rd, Newhaven Phone. 5956 7992

www.coldonhomes.com.au coast 111

Builders of Distinctive, Designer Homes Phone. 03 5672 2466

www.tsconstructions.com.au

admin@tsconstructions.com.au

Where Experience Counts South Gippsland Homes has a solid reputation known for utilizing local contractors, tradepersons, businesses and suppliers. Clients are granted personalised service and individual attention with no hidden extras

Call 5674 2670, admin@southgippslandhomes.com.au

www.southgippslandhomes.com.au coast 112

Coastal Refrigeration & Airconditioning we don’t just install, we look after you . . .

Servicing Phillip Island & surrounding areas

Commercial & Domestic Refrigeration & Airconditioning Sales, Installation & service of all major brands.

Rick North is a fully qualified refrigeration & airconditioning technician with over 20 years experience in the trade. Coastal Refrigeration and Airconditioning provide professional before and after sales services.

Shop 2/65A Back Beach Road, San Remo 5678 5190 After hours commercial breakdown coastalrefrigandaircon@bigpond.com

ARC Authorisation No: AU22840 www.coastalrefrigandaircon.com.au

Speak to Garry & Gill 7 days a week.

9.2 star energy rating based on a Melbourne location and optimum orientation.

As calculated by ‘Enviro Sustainable Solutions.

Setting, orientation and location may affect the energy efficiency rating and Eeach plan needs to be assessed individually.

Images may depict landscaping and upgraded fixtures, features or finishes which are not included in the prices stated. For availability and pricing of these items please discuss with your new home consultant.

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DISPLAY HOME Open every weekend 44 Boardwalk Boulevard, Shearwater Estate, Cowes

NEW DESIGN CENTRE

25 YEARS STRONG 20,000 + Homes Worldwide

Open Mon – Fri 8.30am – 5pm Open Sat 8.30am – 5pm Open Sun 9.30am – 5pm 1/219 Settlement Rd Cowes, Phillip Island, Vic 3922

5952 2150

VISIT gjgardnerbasscoast.com.au

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aroundtown

A recent gathering at the Celia Rosser Gallery in Fish Creek - showing off the originals of “The Banksia’s” - in association with Monash Universities Museum of Art.

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Visit Langford Jones Homes Display Centres: Phillip Island and Wonthaggi.

NEW SEA QUEST DISPLAY AT COWES NOW OPEN

www.langfordjoneshomes.com.au

Melbourne: 03 9579 2277 Email: sales@ljhomes.com.au

LJ0094

MIKE GIBBINS BUILDERS

CUSTOM BUILT HOMES HERITAGE LISTED HOMES RENOVATIONS + EXTENSIONS 25 YEARS BUILDING EXPERIENCE

tel. 0438 594 697 michael.gibbons@bigpond.com

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Inaugral camp for aboriginal children with disabilities Interchange Central Gippsland (and friends) hosted an inaugural Aboriginal Family Camp recently at Coonwarra Farm Resort â&#x20AC;&#x201C; designed for children attending a special development school in Gippsland. The objective of the 2-day camp was to provide a fun and family oriented weekend in a safe and supported, culturally sensitive atmosphere. A great time was had by all and the event was considered a huge success.

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ART STUDIO & GALLERY

ANNETTE SPINKS

Artfusion Sculpture and Glass Studio Gallery Steel Sculpture Fused Glass

www.coastmagazine.net

Now Open

Open Thur to Mon 10:30amâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;5pm 9 Anderson Rise, Anderson, VIC Andrew 0407 368 538 Marlene 0439 368 538

Online Gallery www.annettespinks.com.au Enquiries & commissions 0418 555 222

www.artfusionstudioandgallery.com

60 Dixon St Inverloch coast 116

OrphFund Shop

www.orphfund.org

Photography & Crafts from around the world

All purchases help raise vital funds for Orphfunds projects, benefiting street children and orphans

Tiles & Timber

Enjoy fine wine by the glass or choose your favourite bottle to have with your BYO food, in the cosy wine lounge or al fresco soaking up the magic of Mordialloc.

Ask our staff for a tasting to help you choose the perfect wine to take home and enjoy.

Open 7 days 622 Main St, Mordialloc Call 9580 6521 www.mordycellardoor.com.au

Ursula Theinert

an exhibition by

Heather Fahnle & John Carlson THEINERT GALLERY Gallery Visits by Appointment 0439 699 241 www.ursulatheinert.com.au

9am-3pm daily

Heather Fahnle works in her garden studio in Ventnor from where she also teaches mosaic workshops. call Heather on 0417 562 625 or email heather@fahnle.com.au www.fahnle.com.au art space

june 29-aug 4

www.wernertheinert.com.au

at Cafe Lugano 71 Thompson Ave Cowes 3922 5952 5636

Werner Theinert coast 117

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the

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A nursery that will suprise and delight every garden lover

Inspiring Inspiring Inspiring Inspiring Inspiring Inspiring island landscape + design

• Rare & unusual plants • Antique furniture • Garden tools • Garden wares • Unique pots • Landscape design consultancy available 10am - 4 pm wed to sun

Matt Crooks . Smiths Beach . Phillip Island. 0419 356 222 t. 5952 3838 e. info@islandlandscaping.com.au www.islandlandscaping.com.au

1070 Jacksons Track, Jindivick Ph: 5628 5316 or 0417 056 110

www.jindivickcountrygardener.com.au

SUNDAY

from 10 am - Inside & Out LIVE MUSIC FROM 11AM

• My 24/7 Gym. Memberships less than $15.00 per week plus joining fee. Unlimited entry, 24 hours a day, no contracts.

• Special 7, 14 and 28 day passes available.

Kongwak Gallery is now a treasure trove of pre-loved, retro, vintage & more...

Main Street, KONGWAK, Victoria (only 10 minutes from Inverloch) For more info call Jane on 0417 142 478

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• With cardio - pin loaded and free weight areas, My 24/7 Gym is perfect for the serious and casual gym user.

Visit our website for more information on staffed hours and membership options.

Call: 03 5678 5533 www.my247gym.com Shop 11, Bridgeview Complex 157-159 Marine Parade, San Remo

ANTIQUE & DECOR GALLERY

Wilsons Prom HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

ANTIQUES / / ARTIFACTS / / DECOR / / BEADS

Eagles Nest Inverloch

www.promcountry.com.au

Over 20 years experience. Private restoration available. Antiques to contemporary.

The Antique gallery is located between the Inverloch Motel and Inverloch Nursery.

Open Fri-Sun 10am-5pm. Public & School Holidays or by appointment.

RESTORED FURNITURE FROM EUROPE & CHINA

37 Powlett Street, Inverloch Tel/Fax (03) 5674 3982 Email ljrestore@live.com.au

90 places to stay. Book online or phone the property.

Availability calendar and secure online bookings.

Properties are located in and around South Gippsland and on the way to the Prom...

• • • • • •

Fish Creek Foster Grand Ridge Road Inverloch Kilcunda Koonwarra

• • • • • •

Korumburra Leongatha Meeniyan Port Albert Port Welshpool Sandy Point

• • • • • •

Tarra Bulga Toora Venus Bay Walkerville Waratah Bay Yanakie

Celebrating 10 years 2003-2013

New & Gently Used Quality Goods For a unique shopping experience for giftware that will add flair and a finishing touch to every home

Winter Trading Hours 1st June -31st August. Thurs-Sun 10am to 5pm Open From the 1st September Thurs –Sat 9am-5pm. Sun 10am-5pm

26 Bridge St, Korumburra, 3950 Ph: 5658 1866

Cheeki Stainless Steel Bottles Queen B Beeswax Candles Mind, Body & Spirit CD’s Himalayan Salt Lamps Japanese Incense Silver Jewellery Oracle Cards Inspiration Cards Body Jewellery Bric-a-brac, Books Hats, Bags, Scarves Black Ice Sunglasses Gemstones: Tumbled, Specimens & Jewellery Bella Donna Harmony Balls Clothing for Ladies, Men & Kids San Marco Wildflower Jewellery 31 Main Street Foster Ph: 5682 1381 Weekdays 10am-5pm Sat 9:30am-4pm Sun 10am-4pm Closed Tuesdays from 30th April to Melbourne Cup Day AUGUST open Thursday, Friday & Saturday ONLY

wwwmainstreetrevelations.com.au

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L&J TUDDIN restorations

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Trulli Pizza

WOODFIRE

Kids Wanted

PIZZERIA

Trulli Pizza specialises in homemade, rustic Italian fare made from family recipes and locally produced ingredients.

Kids of the Coast are back, but with a difference!

The 3rd Edition will feature stunning, fine-art conceptual photography of the children of Bass Coast.

Proceeds from the nomination fee & book sales donated to ‘Beau Vernon Fund’. If you would like to have your child or children featured in this book - or to find out more, call 5956 6728

Now offering fresh pasta. Large pre-orders as well as on and off premises catering available. Please call to inquire.

Call 03 5664 7397

106 Whitelaw Street, Meeniyan (Sth Gipps Hwy)

Hours:Wed- Sun: 5-9pm (closed Mon & Tues)

Quality Framing at very Competitive Prices All your picture framing needs

www.coastmagazine.net

Huge selection of frames, professional & helpful advice Gallery of local artworks and framed prints

Ph: 5674 1333

Mob: 0409 809 855

Shop K / 10 A’Beckett St Inverloch framedinverloch@bigpond.com

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LIMITED SPOTS SO CALL NOW TO REGISTER!

Call 5956 6728 www.lenstolife.com.au

Wonthaggi Visitor Information Centre

40 mins from Cowes Victoria’s State Coal Mine Daily Tours adventure adventure Daily Tours underground underground Garden Street, Wonthaggi Victoria’s State Coal Mine

Visit our friendly staff and volunteers at the Wonthaggi Visitor Information Centre for:

Victoria’s State Coal Mine Garden Street, Wonthaggi www.statecoalmine.com.au Daily Tours Daily Tours www.statecoalmine.com.au Garden Street, Wonthaggi 13 1963 Garden Street, Wonthaggi www.statecoalmine.com.au 13 1963 www.statecoalmine.com.au 13 1963 40 mins from Cowes

Information on local events and activities,tickets to local attractions & free maps and brochures

13 1963

We also have available for sale

• Local History Publications • Local Produce such as jams and olive oils • Brand new range of Wonthaggi Souvenirs

Contact Us

Tel: 1300 854 334 Email: woninfo@basscoast.vic.gov.au Corner of McKenzie and Bent Streets, Wonthaggi VIC 3995

adventure adventure underground underground Victoria’s Coal Mine adventureState underground 40 mins from Cowes Victoria’s State Coal Mine

Victoria’s State Coal Mine 40 mins from Cowes

Daily Tours Dailymeals Tours Light in the Cafe & Daily Tours Garden Street, Wonthaggi Garden Street, Wonthaggi Garden Street, Wonthaggi www.statecoalmine.com.au www.statecoalmine.com.au www.statecoalmine.com.au phone 13 19 63 13 1963 13 1963

VAN STEENSEL TIMBERS BUILDING MATERIALS & WATER TANKS

Distributors for South Gippsland

“FUEL BY THE TANK OR TANKER FULL” DEPOTS

LEONGATHA SALE TRARALGON

PH. PH. PH.

5662 2217 5143 1030 5174 1138

FRIENDLY & EXPERT ADVICE HUGE RANGE OF WATER TANKS • TIMBER • HARDWARE

• PAINTS • TOOLS

CNR. CORINELLA TURN OFF & BASS HWY, GRANTVILLE (03)56788552

coast directory www.coastmagazine.net

adventure adventure underground underground Victoria’s State Coal Mine

FISH CREEK, FOSTER, INVERLOCH, KORUMBURRA, LEONGATHA, MIRBOO NTH, TOORA, WONTHAGGI & YARRAM Lubricants 5662 2217

www.evanspetroleum.com.au

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directory Accommodation

Gardens and Green

www.promcountry.com.au 119 Island Landscape & Design 118 Quest 67 Jindivick Country Gardener 118 RACV Resort 16&80 Silverwater Resort 86 Government Ramada Resort Phillip Island 40 Bass Coast Shire Council 76 Wyndham Resort Torquay 40

Hair, Health and Beauty

Antiques L&J Tuddin Antiques

119

Artists and Galleries Annette Spinks ArtFusion Gallery Artwork by Lisa Cox Cheryl Petersen Galleries Goldsmiths Gallery Mosaics on the Bay Theinart Gallery

116 116 46 15 90 117 117

Automotive Edney’s Leongatha Mercedes Berwick Lexus of Brighton

66 4 22

Builders and Designers Beaumont Concepts 106 Coldon Homes 111 Ecoliv 104 GJ Gardener 113 Kane Worthy Contructions 106 Langford Jones 115 Metricon 18 Mike Gibbins Builders 115 Olnee Contructions 111 South Coast Kitchens 108 South Gippsland Homes 112 TS Contructions 112

Entertainment Baker Boys Kongwak Market Turn the Page

90 118 75

Fashion Sarsaparilla 124 Sketa 35 Shan’s Lingerie 64 Your Style Store 92

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My 24/7 Gym 118 Priceline Pharmacy Cowes 74 San Remo Pharmacy 46 Xtreme Burn 55 YMCA 95

Homewares Framed at Inverloch Main St Revelations Mookah Studios Southern Bazaar The Old Corner Post Office

120 119 34 26 119

Surfing

Stockists

Archysurf 38 Tree to Sea 38

Balnarring Newsagent Bass General Store Beaumaris News Berwick Newsagency Blairgowrie Newsagency Black Rock Newsagency Corinella General Store Coronet Bay General Store Cape Woolamai Bottlo Cowes Mobil Cowes Newsagent Cranbourne Newsagency Dalyston General Store Dumbalk Store Fish Creek Newsagency Fish Creek BP Flinders General Store Foster Newsagent Frankston Newsagency Grantville Newsagent Hampton Newsagency Hastings Newsagency Inverloch BP Inverloch Newsagent Inverloch Foodworks Kilcunda General Store Koonwarra Store Koo Wee Rup News Korumburra Newsagent Lang Lang News Leongatha Newsagent Loch - Hard Loch Cafe Meeniyan Newsagent Mirboo North Newsagent Middle Brighton News Mornington Newsagent Mt Martha Newsagent Mt Eliza Newsagency Newhaven Newsagency Pakenham Newsagency Pearcedale Newsagency Rhyll General Store Silverleaves General Store Newhaven Newsagent Smiths Beach Store Red Hill General Store Sandringham Newsagency Sandy Point General Store San Remo Foodworks San Remo Newsagent San Remo - Freedom Fuels Sorrento Newsagency Tarwin Lower Supermarket Tooradin Newsagent Tyabb Newsagency Venus Bay Store Ventnor Store Wilsons Prom - Tidal River Store Wonthaggi Newsagent Wonthaggi Ritchies IGA Wonthaggi - Mezza Luna Cafe Wonthaggi BP Yanakie Store

Tourism & Travel Amaze n Things 23 Daffodil Festival Leongatha 64 Inverloch Farmers Market 121 Phillip Island Chocolate Factory 51 Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit 59 Vietnam Vets Museum 74 Wonthaggi State Coal Mine 121 Wonthaggi Visitor Info 73&121

Trades & Hardware Bass Coast Refrigeration Coastal Refrigeration Evans Petroleum TJ’s Timber Van Steensels Timbers

70 113 121 108 121

Wineries

Jewellery Denis A Hawkins 82 Goldsmiths Gallery 88 Lacy Jewellery Studio & Gallery 9

Mordialloc Cellars

117

Weddings Professional Services Bendigo Bank Lens to Life Warren Reed Photography Zero 3

78 120 67 10

Property & Retirement Alex Scott Phillip Island Eco Village Heartlands Estate Seagrove Estate Wonthaggi Plaza Woolamai House

123 6 72 2 70 107

Restaurants & Cafes Flinders Hotel 103 Harry’s on the Esplanade 102 Manna Gum Inverloch 86 The Rusty Windmill 62 Trulli Pizza 120 Youki’s 102

Celebrant 4 u 98 Chauffeur Drive 90 Churchill Island 83 Jenny Milkins 88 Hair Bairs 92 Lens to Life 120 Monsview Creative Weddings 90 Sharon Jackson Celebrant 98 YMCA 95

f r Om Th e mOunTAi nS TO T he SeA

CLASSIC GOOD SERVICE Since 1886

Seasons come and go but some things never change. One of those things is the commitment to exemplary service from every Alex Scott and Staff team. We are especially proud of building great relationships and contributing to the success of our region during this time. This Winter we invite you to put your trust in our classic good service when it comes to all things related to real estate in our community.

Melbourne (03) 9526 8611

Inverloch (03) 5674 1111

Leongatha (03) 5662 0922

Venus Bay (03) 5663 7111

Berwick (03) 9707 2000

Korumburra (03) 5655 1133

Pakenham (03) 5941 1111

Warragul (03) 5623 4744

Grantville (03) 5678 8433

Lang Lang (03) 5997 5599

Phillip Island (03) 5952 2633

Wonthaggi (03) 5672 1911

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42 Thompson Ave, Cowes. Phone 5952 1143