31 gippsland the lifestyle winter 2017

LATROBE CITY

Energising Victoria

ISSN 1838-8124

FOOD WINE ACCOMMODATION Brand new feature inside

REG U FEAT LAR UR PLUS ES MOR INSID E! E

1- 5 Roughead Street, Leongatha, Vic, 3953 P (03) 5662 2327 F (03) 5662 2642 E edney@dcsi.net.au www.edneysleongatha.com.au LMCT 1500

editorial winter #31 Winter brings a change of season and changes are also happening with our Latrobe Valley aplenty.

You would have to have been on another planet to not realise that closures are occurring with power and timber in the Valley, but we are determined to showcase why the Valley is still alive and kicking and it is business as usual.

Hence why we have put together an exciting feature on Latrobe City, showcasing some new and current businesses and the people that are making a difference.

Not only do we look to the future, but we also delve into the past with a historic article on Driffield, the former farming community near Morwell.

Food, Wine and Accommodation is the backbone of Gippsland, and we are proud to promote this as our new ongoing feature in the magazine. We visit some of the providers of foods that we eat and enjoy and Forge Creek Lamb near Bairnsdale is evidence why we need to support our producers at all times.

Maree and Doug Pell

Once again our writers and photographers have put together delightful features about people, places and things to see and do in Gippsland, and I would also like

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our content WGCMA: THE LANDCARE GREEN CARPET AWARDS ALICIA GARDINER: TALENT ON SHOW CURTIS AUSTRALIA: THE WATCHMAKER ADVERTISE WITH GIPPSLAND THE LIFESTYLE READER’S EMPORIUM: GALLIC BOOK REVIEWS THE HEYFIELD MUSEUM: OFFICIAL OPENING SALE CITY BAND: ANZAC DAY 2017 PARADE MAX & EV WARREN: CLOSING THE GATE ROBOTIC DAIRY STEAMRAIL VICTORIA: RELAUNCH OF THE A² 986 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF GEORGIE TRAIL SIDE REPAIRS: HOW TO CHANGE A TUBE GRASPING FOR A BIONIC FUTURE WINTER CROSSWORD PUZZLE STEVE WHITE’S CARTOON: GIPPSLAND RAIL KERRY GALEA’S WINTER HOROSCOPE ZEST: THE GLORIFICATION OF BUSY WINTER’S CANINE CORNER WHERE YOU CAN GET YOUR COPY EXCITING NEW ACTIVITIES AT DINNER PLAIN DINNER PLAIN WINTER EVENTS WINTER GUIDE TO EVENTS WINTER GUIDE TO MARKETS WINTER ARTS TRAIL PHILLIP ISLAND WINTER GUIDE TO EVENTS IN WEST GIPPSLAND ALI’S ART BRIAGOLONG & SURROUNDS WITHOUT PIER GALLERY LAUNCH AT PAYNESVILLE LIOR & GRABOWSKY AT JOHN LESLIE THEATRE, SALE

Gippsland the Lifestyle Magazine

Front Cover Image Brandy Creek Winery & Day Spa 570 Buln Buln Road, Drouin East VIC 3818 P: (03) 5625 4498 E: info@brandycreekwines.com.au W: www.brandycreekestate.com.au

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thelifestyle winter 2017

You will never be forgotten John.

Gippsland moves on!

Art is one of our focuses in this edition and we welcome Latrobe Regional Art Gallery, Without Pier Gallery, and of course our wonderful contributors Ali Fullard and Laurie Collins promoting what is great about art in winter.

Writers: Chris West, Lyn Skillern, Wendy Morriss, Stuart Hay, Lisa Maatsoo, Trevor Stow, Anthea Bloye & Brendan Black Contributors: Ali Fullard, Reader’s Emporium, Erin Miller, Kerry Galea, Laurie Collins, Craig Goodman, John Turner MAAPM, Jim Radford, Gary Jackson, Trevor Brown and Frank Butera Cartoonist: Steve White Quirky Pictures: Marguerite Sharlott Photographers: Lisa Maatsoo, Wendy Morriss, Stu Hay and Douglas Pell Advertising: Douglas Pell Editor: Maree Bradshaw Creative: Alex Smirnakos Printers: Graphic Impressions | www.gimpressions.com.au

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to mention the sad passing of John Leslie, a gentle man who gave his inspiration to the township of Sale and Gippsland in general.

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KINGBUILT HOMES MOE LATROBE CITY LATROBE REGIONAL GALLERY MORWELL LATROBE VALLEY MORE THAN VICTORIA’S CENTRE OF ENERGY NEW LOCALLY DESIGNED & BUILT ACREAGE DISPLAY PAINT PLACE GROUP OF STORES TRARALGON GARDENING TIPS WITH CRAIG GOODMAN GROW MASTER TRARALGON TRARALGON BOWLS CLUB LATROBE REGIONAL GALLERY NEW SPACE SAME PLACE MORWELL BOWLING CLUB RUSSELL NORTHE MLA MORWELL DIRECTOR MARK THEMANN LATROBE REGIONAL GALLERY VAULT KITCHEN + BAR MORWELL BOATING ON LAKE NARRACAN CRAWFORD MARINE MORWELL CONTENT-CONTENT-CONTENT IMAGE DIRECT TRARALGON LATROBE CITY BUSINESS GIFT CARD LATROBE CITY PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS LATROBE CITY BUSINESS TOURISM ASSOCIATION RECRUITMENT SERVICE SUCCESS GBS RECRUITMENT TRARALGON WINE DOWN BAR + COFFEE CORNER TRARALGON GIPPSLAND PRINTERS IS A CENTURY OLD OFFSET PRINTER GIPPSLAND PRINTERS TRARALGON HUNTING DOG TRAINER – RUSSELL WHITECHURCH EVANS PETROLEUM TRARALGON DRIFFIELD: A COMMUNITY SWITCHED OFF

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food + wine + accommodation STIC A FANTA N OF IO SELECT L NDERFU THE WO LITY HOSPITA HAS D N GIPPSLA ER TO OFF

FOCUSING ON OUR EXTRAORDINARY WINEMAKERS, OUR ABUNDANT AND WONDERFULLY DIVERSE STAYS AND OF COURSE OUR AMAZING FOOD PROVIDERS, PRODUCING FARE FROM LUSH GIPPSLAND FARMS OR CREATING DELECTABLE DISHES FOR THE TABLE. WELCOME TO GIPPSLAND THE LIFESTYLE’S FOOD – WINE ACCOMMODATION

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Gippsland the Lifestyle Magazine PO Box 862, Wonthaggi 3995 P: 0404 301 333 W: thelifestylemagazine.com.au facebook.com/lifestylegippsland

ABINGTON FARM BED & BREAKFAST Heyfield AVON RIDGE VINEYARD Maffra BASS RIVER WINERY Glen Forbes BLUE HILLS RISE Cranbourne East BRANDY CREEK WINERY Drouin East BRENT SINCLAIR CATERING Leongatha DUCK INN Willow Grove FEAST ON US Mobile Catering FISH CREEK HOTEL Fish Creek FORGE CREEK LAMB Forge Creek FOSTER SEAFOODS Foster HARMAN WINES Wattle Bank HOGGET KITCHEN Warragul INVY ESPY HOTEL Inverloch ISLAND BAY RANCH Newhaven Phillip Island LEONGATHA RSL Leongatha LITHOSTYLIS WINES Leongatha LITTLE MISS HANGRY Garfield MOO’S AT MEENIYAN Meeniyan MOUNTAIN VIEW Leongatha NEERIM SOUTH HOTEL Neerim South ONEILLS Sale PHILLIP ISLAND RSL Cowes PROM COAST FOOD CO-OP Prom Coast & Surrounds QUIRKY PICTURES RIPPLEBROOK WINERY Ripplebrook ROSE-A-LEE COTTAGE BOUTIQUE B&B Rosedale SILVERWATER RESORT PHILLIP ISLAND San Remo THE LAMB SHACK Mobile Kitchen THE ISLANDER PHILLIP ISLAND Ventnor THE PRESS CELLARS WINE MERCHANTS Warragul THE RIVERSLEIGH BOUTIQUE ACCOMMODATION THE RIVERSLEIGH WINE BAR Bairnsdale THE TINY TEAPOT CAFÉ Korumburra THE VAULT CAFÉ Morwell THREE ACES CAFÉ Cowes Phillip Island TINAMBA FOOD + WINE FESTIVAL 2017 Highlights WATERFRONT RETREAT AT WATTLE POINT WILD HONEY Sale WOLF ON MURRAY Wonthaggi

39 15 8-10 & 52 146-147 1 & 38 21 35-37 21 58 22-24 31 33 32 & 44-45 53 59 56 18-20 40-41 30 57 46-47 27 55 28-29 25 42-43 33 11 25 54 14 16 17 49 12-13 54 50-51 48 26 34

thelifestyle winter 2017

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Down

Riverside by the

Bass River Winery

By Brendan Black

The path to becoming a winemaker can often be one that follows a logical progression: develop an appreciation for the grape, study at university, then begin making wine soon afterwards. But sometimes life gets in the way.

For Frank Butera of Bass River Winery in Glen Forbes, the seed was planted but took a long time to sprout, though the end result has been worth the wait.

Born and raised in Melbourne, Frank's bricklayer father, Pat, who had grown grapes and made wine back in Calabria, bought land and built a house in Coronet Bay in the 1970s, where the family would spend most holidays.

Frank's childhood often involved "buying grapes from northern Victoria off the back of a truck", after which they'd be pressed by hand in a suburban shed, making "really good" garage wine.

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thelifestyle winter 2017

In 1983 they bought a farm at their present location on Dalyston-Glen Forbes Road, that for a long time had operated as a piggery, and on which they planted olives, lemons and many other fruits, with vines coming in 1998/9 on a large block opposite the house. The planting of more vines in 2006 on the "river block" turned out to be a case of very bad timing, as many cuttings failed to shoot due to a massive frost that year, forcing a replant in 2007.

At university, Frank studied physics, having developed a passion for sound - how it travels, how different types of rooms affect it - leading him to work as an acoustic consultant, a job he still does fulltime now. The desire to make wine kept bubbling to the surface, answered by further study at Charles Sturt University, a degree which took a while to complete due to his work commitments. To this day, Frank continues to live in Melbourne, travelling down to the farm whenever winery work needs to be done, while Pat maintains the vineyard.

The decision on which varieties to plant was informed by the two pragmatic factors of climate and commercialism, as their terroir means certain grapes such as shiraz will have a difficult time ripening. Cabernet sauvignon and merlot had been planted on the site, but due to ripening issues, both were grafted to other, more suitable varieties.

(along with pinot noir), and the lees (sediment) are used to make grappa, a particularly potent form of brandy that "isn't very popular" with Australians, most likely due to its strength.

The vineyard now grows a variety of grapes, such as several clones of pinot noir and chardonnay, pinot gris, sauvignon blanc, riesling, and soon gamay, the main grape used for the red wines of Beaujolais. Frank also desires to plant other grapes, possibly reds, or at least undertake a "fruit swap" with winemakers from warmer climes, in order to bolster their dwindling stocks of fuller-bodied reds at the cellar door.

Part of the ongoing attraction for Frank of being a winemaker is the sense of community that develops, with him now seen as a go-to person in the region. Winemakers, he feels, are generally not secretive when it comes to how they achieve certain results, as improvements within a region help that region as a whole, on many different levels. Frank is one of many attendees of the 'Pinot Massif' conference, held yearly in the Macedon Ranges, which brings together pinot noir producers from all across Victoria, to taste, discuss and better their skills and wines.

Unlike other winemakers who have moved towards unwooded chardonnay, Frank feels the variety needs some oak, and indeed all the whites see some time in barrels. The chardonnay is also part of their sparkling wine

One of the main challenges for the vineyard concerns the level of (usually excessive) rainfall, which has flow-on effects related to the use of herbicides and pesticides, and thus the ability to move towards becoming an organic vineyard.

One recent change has been the adoption of under-vine mowers, which, while being more labour-intensive, help to dramatically reduce the spraying of herbicides.

Frank's philosophy (which can seem perplexing to some) is to not do things just because that's how you've always done them, even if they have been successful. This has meant challenging himself and making tweaks, such as "messing around" with carbonic maceration, a winemaking technique primarily used to make lighter, fruitier, early-drinking wines.

Being an independent winemaker has also meant not having to answer to "suits", giving him the freedom to try things that some winemakers might be reluctant to do if commercialism is their primary concern.

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Bass River Winery

Frank's plans for the future involve expansion on several fronts, namely the vineyard, the cellar door, and the varieties grown. Pinot meunier, part of the trio of grapes used in champagne (alongside chardonnay and pinot noir), has already been planted, and Frank is considering other white varieties, such as fiano and vermentino. Keep an eye out for new releases from the Bass River range, which are some fine examples of cool-climate wines from the Gippsland region.

Frank and Steve collecting Gippsland Wine award

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Photographs courtesy of Frank Butera, Bass River Winery

Bass River Winery

Silverwater Resort: 03 5671 9300 | Address: 17 Potters Hill Road, San Remo VIC 3925 www.silverwaterresort.com.au

Set high on the hills above San Remo, this Phillip Island accommodation resort is unlike any other accommodation in Victoria.

Choose from self-contained apartments, Phillip Island's best on offer for family accommodation, with 170 one, two or three bedrooms, or hotelstyle resort rooms.

Apartments and resort rooms overlook the resort gardens, rural landscapes and the waters glistening silver across the bay.

All accommodation is beside the lakes or Village Green and most rooms face north. Ground-floor apartments and resort rooms feature garden terraces and those on the first and second levels have private balconies.

For quality resort accommodation among the full range of Phillip Island hotels and other lodgings, our apartments are unsurpassed.

EVENTS

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The Bay View Room features panoramic views of Westernport Bay and is equipped with the latest in audio visual equipment. Perfect for your next corporate or private function!

WATERMARK RESTAURANT

Dine indoors or outdoors, from gourmet breakfasts overlooking the bay right through to special dinner events. Savour the executive chef’s exciting menu, amongst the best from the entire range of Phillip Island restaurants, making the most of the region’s fresh produce.

The newest conference facility on the Victorian coast is capable of holding up to 500 people.

For enquiries please contact sales@silverwaterresort.com.au

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UNIQUE STONEGRILL DINING & MORE AT THE VAULT

Abbie Mills proprietor of the restaurant

The former ES&A Bank in Morwell is now the Vault Kitchen & Bar, a new and exciting restaurant featuring modern cuisine and a unique Stonegrill dining experience.

By Wendy Morriss

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thelifestyle winter 2017

Healthy and delicious Acai smoothie bowl

The business is owned and operated by Abbie Mills, a delightful young business woman and single mother who thoroughly enjoys working in hospitality.

“I thought when I opened the new restaurant, I needed something a bit different,” she said, “so I got in the Stonegrill system but we do have other options as well.” The Stonegrill is an interactive experience where patron’s meals are served cooking at the table on super-heated natural volcanic stones within a protective ceramic serving tray.

Bacon and eggs on sourdough

The Vault Kitchen is open Tuesday to Saturday from 7am until close, which Abbie said is when the last person leaves. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the kitchen is always open so customers can come in at any time and have a meal.

On Fridays between 4 and 6 pm, she has ‘Happy Hour’ usually with live music to encourage many of the office workers in the area to come in for an after work drink. She said people really like it and often stay for dinner as well, so Friday nights are particularly busy.

“It’s a healthy option because it’s a dry cooking method that doesn’t use any added fats or oils and it sears the food without burning,” Abbie said.

Each alternate Tuesday she is host for a group of ladies that come into the restaurant between 3 and 6 pm for coffee and cake. The group are members of the newly formed ‘Latrobe Women Creating Conversations’.

“The steaks are popular. We also have chicken, lamb and a vegetarian dish and we have seafood.

It’s a bit of a talking point at the moment so people do come in just to try it and we’ve had customers come back for it.”

Vault Kitchen is the second café business Abbie has owned. Her first was a café around the corner in Buckley Street known as Café Crema.

She opened it when she was 21 years old and operated it successfully for several years until she became a mother.

She made the decision to have the off-the-Stone menu quite small to begin with so more people would be adventurous and try it. “Some at first said oh I don’t know about that, but they tried it and then said it was fantastic. Some of the older customer’s initial comments were about not coming out to dinner and having to cook it themselves but many have given it a go and walked away quite happy. A lot of men who love steak like it because they can cook it exactly to their liking.”

The other food options on the menu include modern city fare that is fresh and healthy. The restaurant’s supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables are sourced regularly from the local Manny’s Market, meats are from a local butcher and breads are baked by a local baker. We try to use as much local produce as possible,” she said.

“Our coffee though is supplied by St Ali Coffee Roasters in Melbourne. It’s the same coffee I used in a previous business that everyone loves.”

Restaurant chefs Kylie Szeremeta and Ben Jones with Abbie

Prior to owning her first business, she worked in child care and had very little experience in hospitality. “I learnt pretty quickly and I made it work,” she said. “I sold it when my daughter was three months old. I then had some time off but decided when she went to school that I’d open something new.

“Crema was only a small café but I just loved it.

I love hospitality and although I also love being a Mum, I felt like I’d lost a part of me in a way because I had to give that up. Now I have the Vault, I feel like I’m back to being myself. I absolutely love it. It’s long hours and it’s hard work and when I go home I don’t switch off my mind keeps ticking but I think it’s worth it.

When the former business ‘Gaztronomy’ came up for sale, Abbie initially thought renovating it would be too big a task but her brother, who is a builder gave her an estimated price to get it to where she wanted and she decided to go ahead.

“I found it difficult choosing a name but I thought of it being a former bank and the vault was still there so it became Vault Kitchen & Bar.” “I didn’t know what colour scheme to go with.

Everything was maroon and the ceiling was black so the first thing we did was lighten it. The vault was painted maroon as well but I noticed there was blue underneath where a little bit of paint had chipped off so I decided to put a splash of the same colour throughout the restaurant and keep everything simple.”

The restaurant employs four full-time chefs, one part time chef, five part-time front of house and 6 casual front of house. “We have quite a few of the staff from Gaztronomy so when people come in here that were their regulars, there are some familiar faces and we still do some of the same food because the customers were happy.”

She said many people that come in are intrigued by the vault and want to go inside but it’s presently used for storage. They’ve also had people come in that used to work in the bank and customers that remember it.

On October 1st, 1970, in what was then the largest merger in Australian banking history, ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Bank Limited) merged with the ES&A (English, Scottish and Australian Bank Limited) to form the present organisation Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited. Esanda Finance was a commercial division of the bank, being an acronym of ES&A, and continues to operate as part of ANZ today.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/vaultkitchen

“My family help out with my daughter and I don’t think I could do it without them. I usually come in after the school run at about nine and Mum does the school pickup for me.”

Julia Martin front of house

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The Press Cellars in Warragul is proud to be part of the small yet stout group of independent liquor merchants who provide an oasis of quality and service to customers who are interested in a personal experience and are looking for new flavours and favourites.

The business is locally owned by Stuart and Saffron Hay and Margo Walker.

With a combined 49 years of experience in the Liquor trade between them, Stuart and Margo have a lot of expertise and considered advice to offer customers.

The store is run along traditional Merchant paths.

All stocked items have been assessed by the owners and selected on the criteria of being of excellent quality within their price range.

In typical country Merchant style the breadth of categories stocked at The Press Cellars is kaleidoscopic.

It is frequently the saviour of many a gourmet’s quest for Fondue Kirsch, Chinese cooking wine and Spanish Sherry.

If you enjoy browsing or are in need of a good drop, then The Press Cellars should be a port of call to look around and say hello.

The Press Cellars 1/80 Smith Street, Warragul, VIC 3820 Phone: 03 5623 3880

www.thepresscellars.com.au www.facebook.com/thepresscellars

WHO IS AVON RIDGE

THE WINES

THE RESTAURANT

THE WEDDING

In 2008, the Gray family who had no previous knowledge of winemaking or viticulture, but shared in a passion for consumption of wine, made a life-changing decision to breathe life back into the old run down vineyard. With the help and knowledge of winemakers Mal Stuart and Brad Mason, Avon Ridge has started to reproduce esteemed wines it once made.

Avon Ridge grows all the grapes used in the production of their wines and specialise in Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

All began with a hayshed. When the decision was made to serve the wines rather than simply selling them, a perfect location was chosen atop a slight hill. It overlooked the iconic Gippsland landscape of grapevines and the Avon River Valley’s rolling pastures. So began the task of converting a hayshed into a welcoming, relaxed destination.

Couples have come to create their dream wedding, achievements and milestones have been celebrated and families and friends have gathered to spend time together at Avon Ridge.

Today Avon Ridge is an established boutique vineyard set between the picturesque country towns of Stratford and Maffra overlooking the Avon River Valley in East Gippsland.

Over 28 year-old vines, the hand crafted award-winning wines are the product of the cool local climate, which produces fruit deep with varietal flavour and elegance. If you can’t get to the vineyard you can also find Avon Ridge wines at a variety of venues across Gippsland.

The menu, celebrating the diversity and quality of Gippsland produce and complementing the award-winning range of wines and ciders, is one reason to visit. The laid-back atmosphere with plenty of space and activities for the kids is another. The delicious menu is created using all meat, eggs and vegetables, which are locally sourced.

Guests are welcome year round to explore Avon Ridge’s intimate vineyard, enjoy the restaurant dining experience and sample highly drinkable wines and ciders, while soaking up the iconic Gippsland vista.

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East Gippsland's Ultimate

Wedding Venue

BOUTIQUE

ACCOMMODATION

&

FUNCTION

The Riversleigh is the perfect location for your Gippsland wedding. Combining a unique location with picturesque gardens, stylish period elegance, modern facilities, boutique accommodation, beauty clinic and on-site catering.

The Riversleigh simply has it all.

For information on wedding packages please visit our website www.riversleigh.com.au/weddings or call Rachel to make an appointment on 03 5152 6966

1 Nicholson Street, Bairnsdale, 3875 PH: 03 5152 6966 E: info@riversleigh.com.au W: www.riversleigh.com.au

VENUE

With the cooler weather approaching, warm yourself by the open fire and enjoy coffee and treats or a gourmet homemade delicious tasty lunch prepared by our super chef Felicity O’Byrne.

The Riversleigh’s Tapas & Wine Bar is open every Friday 5pm to 8 pm, and serves an exciting range of tapas - all scrumptious - with local Lightfoot & Sons wine or drink of your choice.

LUNCH MONDAY-FRIDAY | TAPAS FRIDAY 5-8PM | BAR - OPEN 7 DAYS

PH: 03 5152 6966

1 Nicholson Street, Bairnsdale, 3875 E: info@riversleigh.com.au W: www.riversleigh.com.au

LITHOSTYLIS WINES of South Gippsland

By Brendan Black

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Many people do whatever they can to get away from their birthplaces, sometimes never looking back. Occasionally they’ll have little reminders of what they left behind, and some will feel the pull to return to familiar lands. After travelling to the other side of the world, Dean and Dayna Roberts of Lithostylis winery returned to Gippsland, not only starting a family, but also a thriving business.

Born in Morwell, Dean spent his formative years in Yinnar before moving to Churchill, where he contemplated moving away from Gippsland.

Several years after high school, Dean and Dayna got married, bought a caravan, and moved to Adelaide to play in a band. After returning to Melbourne, Dean undertook study in viticulture, while Dayna began working as an echocardiographer (ultrasound of the heart), before they headed off to the UK, with Dean involved in two vintages at Diamond Valley winery in the Yarra Valley.

While working for a wine show in London, organising "10,000 bottles of wine on the conference floor", Dean was lucky enough to try many wines that usually don't make it to our shores. Trips to Alsace, Champagne, Burgundy and Oregon further cemented his desire to make his own wine, and when a five-acre vineyard in

Leongatha went up for sale around 2007, Dean and Dayna saw their future open up before them.

As luck would have it, the vineyard in question had been planted almost ten years earlier by Phillip Jones of renowned winery Bass Phillip. Given that vineyards are seen to reach maturity after a decade, this was an opportunity they could not pass up, and a stint at Bass Phillip allowed Dean the chance to "pick Phillip's brain".

The vineyard, just outside Leongatha, had been unused for several years, and while they set out to bring it back to scratch, Dean worked at Djinta Djinta winery in Kardella South, picking up more valuable skills. The varied and valuable on-thejob training Dean had received meant he was now quite prepared for the strains of running his own winery.

In their first vintage, 2007, wine was made from only half an acre, which steadily increased with each subsequent vintage.

Currently, the vineyard is around 90% pinot noir, using several clones, the remainder being chardonnay and small parcels of sauvignon blanc

and traminer. The site is sloped with the vines running to the northeast, resulting in the grapes ripening across the different rows, rather than along each row.

The area generally receives around 80mm of rainfall per month on average (or 900mm/year), although in March 2011, just before harvest, a record-breaking amount of 250mm was dumped, which presented a vast array of challenges to all surrounding winemakers.

From the beginning, Dean desired to make wines that would "go the distance" and benefit from careful cellaring, rather than needing to be drunk early. Of course, when you don't have the "runs on the board" of many vintages behind you, it's difficult to convince the paying public of the advantages of patience. Nevertheless, Dean persevered, and after recently opening up several of his earlier vintages, he was delighted to find that they had indeed aged gracefully, rather than poorly.

At the moment, Lithostylis produces several different wines. Their sparkling, a mix of pinot noir and chardonnay, spent four years on lees, giving it a chance to develop depth and character.

Dean's desire to create a "bubbly" was due to

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LITHOSTYLIS WINES the difficulties in always having perfectly ripe fruit for the drier, fuller-bodied offerings, and as a challenge to himself.

The 'blancs', a blend of mostly chardonnay and smaller amounts of sauvignon blanc and traminer, is aromatic and unexpected, due in part to some skin contact during fermentation (a rarity for white wines), giving it greater complexity.

In addition to the elegant, layered and extremely well-balanced 'The Obelisk' pinot noir (their "reserve" red) is a curious drop known as "pinot nouveau". Sitting somewhere between a rosĂŠ and a "normal" pinot noir, with a flavour profile much closer to the latter, the nouveau is an unfiltered, berry-fresh wine with amazing colour, designed to be drunk young, even chilled; depending on its temperature, it can taste like two completely different wines.

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thelifestyle winter 2017

Dean's hope is that other Gippsland winemakers will see pinot nouveau as a possible way to offer a product not seen anywhere else, and stamp their collective names on it.

Given the relatively young age of the Gippsland wine region, they're in a perfect position to establish themselves by doing things differently to other regions, rather than just following the rules - or needing to, in the case of many French wine regions.

Not ones to sit still, Dean and Dayna have embarked on a new venture with a local winemaker, leasing a vineyard together and creating a new brand of wine called "Dr Folk".

This line will offer aromatic but light-bodied, easy and early-drinking wines, as a complement to their fuller-bodied varieties that often benefit from a few years in the cellar.

Dean and Dayna's round-the-world travels finally brought them all the way back home, to a place they wanted to leave but which continually called back to them. Now, they couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

Photographs courtesy of Dean and Dayna Roberts Lithostylis Wines

TRUCKING AROUND GIPPSLAND TO ALL YOUR EVENTS, WE CAN CATER ANY LOCATION. We are fully self-contained and can take care of everything including attendants.

BOOK US FOR LARGE SCALE FESTIVALS - EVENTS - CORPORATE FUNCTIONS.

We also offer catering for many other occasions including birthdays, weddings and engagements.

You can find us at Markets around Gippsland and we can prepare our menu to suit your event.

Contact us today on 0447 728 547 or brent@brentsinclaircatering.com.au

When looking for a superior culinary experience from an intimate gathering to a lavish banquet choose Brent Sinclair Catering.

Relax and have the Brent Sinclair Catering team handle all the details and tailor any menu to perfectly suit your event.

Call Brent Sinclair on 0447 728 547 146 McCartin Street, Leongatha, Vic 3953 E: brent@brentsinclaircatering.com.au www.brentsinclaircatering.com.au

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Forge Creek Lamb ethically raised, grass fed lamb

By Lisa Maatsoo

The farming property known as ‘Orana’ near Paynesville in East Gippsland has been owned by the Stringer family for over 65 years. Neil and Angela Stringer are third generation family members who operate several farming enterprises based at the property. Two of these businesses are Forge Creek Lamb prime cut meat, and the more recently established food catering venture called The Lamb Shack.

The main section of the property sits wedged between Picnic Bay and Duck Bay off Lake Victoria on the Gippsland Lakes. The picturesque water views surrounding the farm create a tranquil setting for their sheep, resulting in quality lamb meat that is naturally lean and tender.

“Our mission is to produce healthy and relaxed sheep in an environmentally sustainable manner.”

Neil’s grandfather Jack Stringer purchased the land in 1950. His son Ian and his wife worked hard to transform a rundown property with significant vermin problems, into a workable business from

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where they raised their four children. Ian still resides in the home on the property, while son Neil and wife Angela now manage the farm.

pasture growth includes regular paddock rotation to maintain high levels of protein and energy in the feed for their lambs.

Since taking over operations, Neil and Angela have spent considerable time and resources replacing original infrastructure. They have used this opportunity to strategically plan improvements to enable implementation of ethical and sustainable grazing practices.

Whilst upholding sustainable values and beliefs, the operation must also be economically feasible.

Neil and Angela continue to work hard on a management plan to balance the mix of lamb products and so create a viable business model.

They are becoming well known for their quality cold cuts, however wool production is also a core part of their operation. Approximately 70% of their sheep are bred for their fine merino wool, with the other 30% produced for prime cut meat.

Planting and regenerating vegetation on the property form an important part of their environmental strategy. Approximately 10% of the natural bushland is stock excluded to protect the woodland from grazing. Ten hectares now fall under a Trust for Nature covenant which will ensure protection of the native vegetation into the future.

Dams and water courses have also been fenced off, with stock water pumped underground to water troughs in each paddock. These land management practices minimise nutrient and sediment runoff into the Gippsland Lakes from their farming operation. Management of the

Last year, 48 bales of fine merino wool were produced on the property. The 19 micron wool is transported to Melbourne and sold through the Australian Wool Exchange where it usually ends up in Italy or China. Shearing sessions during the year are staggered relative to the breed of sheep. The main clip takes place over a week in September, with a smaller second cut in February.

In an age when finding skilled and committed shearers is becoming increasingly difficult, the

Stringer family has maintained the same contract workers for the last 10 years. The shearers have become good friends, and are recognised and treated as an important part of the family shearing team. “We look after our shearers, and in return they look after us.” The Stringers do their best to ensure conditions on site are optimal for the shearing team, with sheep that are clean and ready to clip, and a cup of tea and a good meal always close by.

In a normal month, Angela delivers a trailer load of 25 fat lambs to Gordyn Abattoirs on Cobains Road near Sale. The carcasses are transported back to Bairnsdale where they are butchered

by Lachie and his team at Riviera Meats. Neil and Angela have developed a strong business relationship with Riviera Meats, as owner Keith McCubbin recognises the importance of supporting local producers.

Customers can pickup direct from Riviera Meats, or they can find Neil and Angela at the Bairnsdale and Metung Farmers’ Markets where they regularly sell their meat. Online purchase is also an option, where customers can order a

whole, half or rolled spit lamb for collection from Riviera Meats. All lamb produced and processed

by Forge Creek Lamb adheres strictly to relevant regulatory controls, including all practices enforced by the Prime Safe Victorian governing body who oversee the sale of cold cut meats.

The Lamb Shack catering project is a new venture the couple view as a value-add opportunity for their business.

Angela has taken a year break from her off-farm job as a local primary school teacher to turn this idea into reality. She worked with a company in Melbourne to design and produce the certified portable food kitchen that now travels regularly to events providing food for corporate and private functions.

Angela has four signature options on the menu, with the hero dish being the Pulled Lamb Roll, but Angela’s variety of homemade pies are also in demand. The Lamb Shack is now starting to sell some menu items in take-home satchels.

These include Oven Baked Lamb Meatball, Slow

Cooked Pulled Lamb, and Slow Cooked Lamb Shank Pies. Angela and her team have spent every weekend in February, March, and April this year travelling to local events or markets.

They now have time for a small break, before The Lamb Shack trailer will attend the Metung Food and Wine Festival over the long weekend on 10th to 12th June.

The increasing popularity of the Forge Creek lamb products are testament to the huge amount of work the Stringers have put into the farm to create such a high quality product. Whilst their farming business has the potential to grow into the future, at this point in time that’s not where Neil and Angela would like to take their business. An important part of their food philosophy is to deal with customers personally and answer all questions about their products and story.

“We pride ourselves on the Paddock to Plate experience we create for our customers.” This level of service is becoming increasingly important to the food savvy customers they attract, who have helped to create the niche market they now enjoy.

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Neil and Angela strongly support all local producers, which has led to Neil taking up the position of chairman on the board of the East Gippsland Food Cluster. Occasionally Neil still also engages in contract work as Project Manager for Landcare Networks. The pair are becoming increasingly busy with work required to produce their Forge Creek Lamb products. As such, they often recruit the help of their two boys aged 14 and 17.

From a young age, Angus and Darcy learned to help in the shearing shed, and they assist around the farm when needed. We also can’t forget to mention the hard working four legged staff member on the farm. Their Kelpie sheep dog Oscar (affectionally known as Ossie) is perhaps the most important team member of all.

Visit the Forge Creek website for more details on Neil and Angela’s farm. www.forgecreeklamb.com Photographs by Lisa Maatsoo Some images courtesy of Neil & Angela Stringer

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thelifestyle winter 2017

Forge Creek Lamb

FORGE CREEK LAMB & THE LAMB SHACK

Ethically and sustainably raised Lamb Paddock to Plate – Local Gippsland Product Forge Creek Lamb – Prime Lamb Cuts available online or at Bairnsdale & Metung Farmers’ Markets The Lamb Shack – Mobile kitchen

Available for private catering, events and functions in East Gippsland Phone 0458 116 165

www.forgecreeklamb.com hello@forgecreeklamb.com Forge Creek Lamb/The Lamb Shack

Quirky Pictures

by Marguerite Sharlott

enjoying The key to flock winter is to ional g re t a re to a g the re lo xp city and e and d o fo s u fabulo dation on accommo all black ’s It offer. really! it and wh e

thelifestyle winter 2017

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FRIENDS + COFFEE + FOOD

Wild Honey stands out as one of Sale's longest running and iconic cafes. Our dedicated staff aim for the very best in food, coffee and service with a friendly smile. Wild Honey has a range to please every customer.

that you can choose to your liking, it is the health kick your body desires!

With the addition of a fresh juice bar and a selection of over 30 different juices

We also provide Catering (Delivered) and Private Functions.

HOURS: Monday to Friday: 8.00am – 4.00pm Saturday: 8.00am – 2.00pm Sunday: Closed

Wild Honey invites everyone to enjoy the experience and friendly atmosphere, indoor or al fresco.

76 Cunninghame Street Sale 3850 P: (03) 5144 5001 follow us on facebook

Incredible Cuisine Experience

The perfect venue for a private party, birthday, wedding or just a relaxed dinner with friends or family.

Contact the team at Oneills hours Tuesday – Friday 12.00pm – 3.00pm | 6.00pm – 1.00am | Saturday 6.00pm – 1.00am 29 Desailly Street, Sale 3850 Phone: (03) 5144 1122 find us on Facebook and Instagram

A delicious New Collaboration

is changing South Gippsland’s

Local Food Landscape

Ask any devout locavore where to find the finest and freshest produce going, and they’ll speak of a foodie Nirvana nestled among the idyllic hills of South Gippsland… a veritable cornucopia of organically grown and locally crafted produce.

From pasture-raised chicken, pork, beef, lamb and venison to honey harvested from local hives and cheeses made in small, family managed facilities; it’s all right there. In the lush, rolling greenery bordered by what the locals affectionately call the Prom Coast.

Here, the rich soil is being lovingly nurtured back to life by a growing cohort of small farming families, who are mindful of the footprint they leave on the land they tend and the health of the animals they raise.

These small-scale, agricultural enterprises are staging a renaissance, reviving old farming traditions and giving them a twenty-first century tweak, where online platforms provide channels for direct marketing and sales.

They’re building relationships and going around ‘the middle man’ that is the soulless supermarket aisle, engaging directly with customers in meaningful dialogue that’s serving to remind folks where the food on their table comes from.

At the same time, an increasing number of consumers are looking to rekindle that most intimate of relationships we innately have with food, aware that what we eat matters. These people are consuming with a conscience.

This is the perfect synergy; between the farmer and the food lover both seeking to reconnect, and rediscover the familiar farming communities our great grandparents grew up in.

Now, a cohort of conscientious South Gippsland producers, alongside a food loving (newly established) local who wants to see our choice as consumers preserved into the future, are taking that community ideal one step further, with the creation of a food co-operative.

PCFC Co-founder, Amelia Bright and daughter Hazel of Amber Creek Farm & Sawmill Catherine Forge Photography

“This represents a movement back to the solidarity community, where farmers and consumers connect with, and support one another, and in particular, the farmer who puts the food on their table,” explains co-founder and producer Sally Ruljancich.

As a ‘local food revolutionary’, Sally knows it’s going to take a collaborative effort from both the consumer and producer to challenge the industrial farming juggernaut. So when customer Bronwyn Davis approached her with the idea of a ‘food community’ she was more than ready to talk.

“Before I came here (Fish Creek), I was a customer of Colin and Sally’s Organic Beef and Lamb,” Bronwyn says. “They were lovely to deal with and Sally felt a bit like a friend in an entirely new area when we moved here 18 months ago.”

Bronwyn began frequenting the local, Foster farmer’s market, and soon also befriended Amelia Bright from Amber Creek Farm and Sawmill. The three subsequently teamed up and have spent the last year planning and researching.

One of the things that sets the Prom Coast Food Co-op (PCFC) apart is the range of products on offer via their online ordering platform. The other is the way they operate.

PCFC Co-founder and one-half of Colin and Sally’s Organic Lamb and Beef, Sally Ruljancich / Amelle Photography

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“We haven’t established ourselves as any type of ‘entity’ as yet and we’re doing this very organically,” says Amelia. “It’s very much community-driven.”

Bronwyn says that from a consumer perspective, the PCFC provides convenience and choice, alongside the change-making act of supporting local families and sustainable farming practices.

“We want this to be a genuine competitor for the big supermarket chains,” explains Bronwyn.

“What you see now is the beginning of a much bigger picture for the co-op and the community that’s been so wonderful in supporting us.”

Indeed, the enthusiastic co-founder speaks of a world in which backyard gardeners and smallscale primary producers sell their wares right alongside one another, direct to market.

“This is ultimately about nurturing the sense of community that already exists in our beautiful part of the world,” says Bronwyn. “We’re fortunate to have that, and I would like to see it preserved into the future for the sake of my children, and their children.”

“We’ve been blown away by the incredible producers and makers who’ve got behind this, and the amount of people who are serious about supporting local, with 300 subscribers in just over a month. These are the champions of a much needed local food revolution,” says Sally.

The co-op is different to a farmer’s market in that all products are pre-purchased via an online shop front, with producers and customers converging every third Sunday of the month to deliver and collect their orders.

“This is an authentic way for people to ‘know your farmer, know your food’,” says Amelia.

Importantly, food hubs like the Prom Coast Food Co-Op are drawing attention to the issue of food miles; advocating for a much needed reduction in the immense drain on resource that comes from large scale, industrial farming enterprises.

“We hope that what we’re doing encourages others to start having these very necessary conversations,” says Amelia.

“There’s also fruit and veg from Finmaw Farm, garlic from Mirboo Farm, Fish Creek Mount of Olives oil, delicious baked goods from Oak and Swan Sourdough and new products coming soon that we’re very excited about; beautiful butter, as well as cream, milk and yoghurt in recyclable glass bottles and jars.”

The Co-Op opened its virtual doors for online orders via the Open Food Network on April 1st, with its first convergence and official launch held on 23rd April. The Co-Op meets at the Blue Tree Honey Farm in Dumbalk on the 3rd Sunday of each month between 3pm and 4.30pm.

“All are welcome to attend,” says Sally. “Whether you’ve placed an order or not, we invite the good people of South Gippsland and beyond to come and find out how the local food landscape is changing.”

To keep up with the ever-growing list of local products on offer from the Prom Coast Food Co-Op, and upcoming gatherings, follow them on Facebook and subscribe to their mailing list promcoastfoodcoop.wixsite.com/subscribe

PCFC Co-founders, Amelia Bright of Amber Creek Farm & Sawmill and Bronwyn Davis with daughter Aislinn

CONTACTS Bronwyn Davis Co-founder, Prom Coast Food Co-op M: 0400 042 011 E: bron_davis@bigpond.com Amelia Bright Co-founder, Prom Coast Food Co-op; Co-founder, Amber Creek Farm and Sawmill M: 0407 988 274 E: amber.creek.farm@hotmail.com Sally Ruljancich Co-founder, Prom Coast Food Co-op; Co-founder, Colin and Sally’s Organic Lamb and Beef M: 0404 490 035 E: sally@colinandsallys.com.au

Photos and words supplied by Prom Coast Food Co-op

“We’d love to see more of these initiatives come about in order to address community wellbeing for both farmers and consumers, by building a more resilient and inclusive local food economy.”

These three dedicated women, and the 13 other producers and makers who have thus far joined them on the journey, believe the Prom Coast Food Co-Op has great potential to leave a lasting legacy for the Gippsland community.

“A small, producer-centric initiative is vital to the vibrancy and economic diversity of regional towns like the ones we live in,” says Sally.

And let’s not forget the deliciousness! The PCFC has taken the humble veggie box a few giant leaps further, with a range of proteins from: Mirboo Pastured Poultry, PS It’s Organic (beef), Colin and Sally’s (lamb), Amber Creek Farm (pork) and Terramirra Venison.

“We also have award winning cheeses from Prom Country Cheese and Pangrazzi Cheese, locally produced honey and preserves from our co-op hosts Blue Tree Honey Farm, organic eggs from Kilmorack Farm, chemical free cleaning products from Larkrise and a gorgeous personal care range from Barany Naturals,” says Bronwyn.

PCFC Co-founders, Colin and Sally’s Organic Lamb and Beef / Amelle Photography

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moo’s at meeniyan Restaurant & Café

Savour the flavours at Moo’s at Meeniyan Restaurant & Café, which has a relaxed, fun ambiance and something for all occasions – South Gippsland’s top food, wine and service.

Hours of Trading Thursday to Monday 8.30am - 4.30pm | Dinner Friday & Saturday Nights from 6.00pm

Closed for the month of August

moo’s at meeniyan 89 Whitelaw Street, Meeniyan Vic 3956 Phone: (03) 5664 0010 | Email: eat@moosatmeeniyan.com.au visit www.moosatmeeniyan.com.au

Specialising in Local Fish

Order Your Seafood

For all

the best in fresh

Seafood

For all the best in fresh seafood, there is none better than Foster Seafoods This shop has everything for the seafood lover.

Alice and Lachie Duncan have added new lines to their business along with the freshest and best fish caught locally within Corner Inlet and Bass Strait.

On offer are freshly cooked Prawns, Moreton Bay Bugs, Crayfish, freshly opened Oysters, Mussels and a large variety of Local Fish – whole or filleted; along with our beautiful sauces.

Just give us a call or drop in. You are always welcome!

And you can be assured that the quality and service is still the best!

Crumbing: Sardine and Garfish fillets Smoking: Hot Smoked Atlantic Salmon, Chilli Mussels & Smoked Sardines all in Olive Oil Pickling: Local Scallops, Oysters with Tartare and Seafood Sauce, Home Made Chilli Sauce on the Mussels

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35 Main Street, Foster, Vic 3960 Tel/Fax: (03) 5682 2815 Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm, Saturday 8:30am - 12:00pm Contact: Alice and Lachie Duncan

thelifestyle spring 2015

HOGGET KITCHEN 6 FARRINGTON CLOSE WARRAGUL 3820 PH: 5623 2211 HOGGET.COM.AU THE THEORY

Seasonal and local produce are rigorously pursued. They are cooked with flair and care and presented in a humble manner that makes the food the focus. Always honour the ingredient.

THE LOOK

A glass wall runs the length of the restaurant and doglegs to give a panoramic view of the deck which protrudes into the bowl of the vineyard. The high ceiling gives a bright hall feeling to the open space.

The kitchen hums away quietly open to the diners. Cabinets display the carcass portions the chefs have to work with and another holds an array of well trussed charcuterie.

THE FEEL

Bright, airy and on is the vibe you get when you walk in. The tables are bare and set simply with cloth napkin and quality cutlery. A sunny day improves the feel and large bi-fold glass panels are open to let in the breeze. A simple and concise menu is offered. All in all, a sense of occasion sets in.

THE CREW

The Maitre d’ Bruno runs the floor with a controlled, easy manner. Coowner Trevor Perkins is a model of industry in the kitchen, leading his brigade by example. Bill Downie and Patrick Sullivan are the winemaking side of the partnership and provide the bulk of the wine list from their own produce and wines they import themselves. The words dream team have been bandied about!

THE SERVICE

Each time a plate hits the table it's accompanied by an explanation of its attributes. Water is always topped and you never have to go looking for a waiter.

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THE TASTE

House made bread is delicious. A serve of pork jowl is a pig lover’s fantasy with the texture of the meat and fat being so similar that the combination in your mouth is sublime and reminiscent of fois gras. An Angus porterhouse steak is simply grilled and brought to life by the house made smoked tomato sauce which is superb in its complex charred flavours and is treated like gold by the wait staff entrusted to dole it out.

THE PRICE

Ada Pinot Gris glass 12.0, Pork Jowl 20.0, Angus Porterhouse 38.0.

THE WASH

A Restaurant that sticks to its guns. Showcasing Gippsland produce with no compromise. Rush down to enjoy a true Gippy experience. P.S. I hear the breakfast is a blinder!

Review by Stuart Hay Photographs by Wendy Morriss

OPEN WEEKENDS 11.00am-5.00pm WOOD FIRED PIZZAS ON SUNDAYS LIVE MUSIC on selected days (check website for more information) WINE VARIETIES INCLUDE Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Rose, Pinot Noir & Shiraz

612 Korumburra - Inverloch Road, Wattle Bank 3995 (only a few minutes from Inverloch & Wonthaggi)

Cellar Door: 5611 3857 www.harmanwines.com.au

The moment you step through the front door of Rose-A-Lee Cottage, you’ll experience the bright, fresh feel of this delightful bed and breakfast with a mix of traditional style and modern décor.

The two large double bedrooms, bathroom with a spa bath, cosy lounge and fully equipped kitchen with all modern conveniences will make any stay comfortable. Enjoy a BBQ outside under the cover of the veranda, as you watch the sun go down with a cold beer or glass of wine.

Only two minutes walk from Rosedale’s cafes, antique shops, Tavern and restaurants.

Rose-A-Lee Cottage when booked is for your exclusive use, suitable for couples, families and executives.

Bookings are available for one night or extended stays with or without breakfast hampers (continental or full breakfast).

0438 992 614

22 Lyons Street, Rosedale 3847

www.rosealeecottage.com.au thelifestyle winter 2017

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Wolf On Murray Café fresh and delicious food using seasonal produce.

Cooked with love.

Wolf On Murray Café 1 Murray Street Wonthaggi 3��5 ph: ���� ��� ��� Wednesday to Monday 8.00am to 4.00pm Closed: Tuesday Like Us On Facebook

www.wolfonmurray.com.au

Chef Brad Sampson, Simon Duck & Chef Beau Larkman

Duck Inn

By Wendy Morriss

Simon Duck with the support and assistance of his partner Rosie Smith is the proprietor of the recently opened ‘Willow Grove Duck Inn’. Simon is also the proprietor of the hugely successful Noojee Hotel. He has a friendly, fun-loving nature, is family orientated and has the Midas touch when it comes to the business of hospitality.

The two exceedingly popular venues provide great gastronomic experiences. They both have a wonderful family-friendly atmosphere, sensational, affordable food and exceptional service provided by highly skilled, capable and caring staff.

Simon and Rosie’s lives are now constantly busy managing the two businesses with up to 30 employees across both locations and the needs of the seven children they have between them.

The beautiful bluestone building that is now home to Willow Grove Duck Inn had previously been empty for many months. “The building is six years old and during that time four people have operated businesses in it that for various reasons have failed to endure,” he said. Despite the adverse history, Simon believes Duck Inn will have continued success.

“When I first looked at the building, I saw an opportunity to create another good business, an opportunity to create more jobs for people and an opportunity to create a great place for people to come to, relax and eat great food.”

It seems the secret sauce for the success has been providing a warm, friendly atmosphere and great service.

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Simon Duck, proprietor of Noojee Hotel and Willow Grove Duck Inn

“It’s called hospitality for a reason,” he said. “What I encourage all my staff to do is to be the same as me – easy going and hospitable because that’s what people want to come to.

We also have the ability to cook really good tucker that’s loved by different people from young kids to seniors.”

While both venues have similar qualities, they are different. “They are more different that I thought they would be,” he said. “One is a hotel and the other is more like a restaurant.”

Beau Larkman experienced chef at Willow Grove Duck Inn

Brad Sampson, executive chef oversees both venues

“Initially we had a few hiccups as any new business or new venture does but we’ve mostly ironed those things out. We have support from the community and the surrounding areas and it’s all going really well.”

When asked if he was confident about the future he said absolutely. “We are going to be here for a long time. It’s a beautiful building, it’s a beautiful place and it’s perfectly set up for what we do.”

For more information visit: www.willowgroveduckinn.com.au Photographs by Wendy Morriss

Simon’s executive chef Brad Sampson oversees Noojee Hotel and the Willow Grove Duck Inn. He works in both venues and said he finds that most people expect the two to be different. “When we first opened in Willow Grove, we worked on the basis that we had a similar demographic to Noojee.

While it is similar, Duck Inn patrons want more variety and higher end food. We’ve also moved away from ordering at the bar to having table service. It’s what the venue needed and customers get more out of it.”

He said Noojee Hotel has more traditional style Aussie pub fare whereas Duck Inn has modern Australian food with a lot of Asian influence and infusions, and they are continually trying different things.

Simon who is known for the care and respect he has for children, believes being family-friendly is particularly important. “I like the fact that our venues are places people can take their families, where their kids can be kids and they can relax and enjoy the experience. Kids are kids and they are the reason we do all this stuff. Supporting our kids is why we go to work each day.”

He said it all makes Willow Grove Duck Inn a place where people can go and relax, have a nice meal and feel comfortable and warm. It also makes him happy knowing the two great businesses employ local people helping them support their children.

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thelifestyle winter 2017

A sensational tasting dish created by Brad Roast pumpkin and toasted pistachio house-made ravioli with garlic, sage and orange in beurre noisette

BRANDY CREEK RESTAURANT AND VINEYARD 570 BULN BULN ROAD, DROUIN EAST PH: 03 5625 4498 BRANDYCREEKESTATE.COM.AU

THE THEORY

A stylish refit of a Gippsland favourite. New owners have built on the excellent reputation the venue had for tapas and paella. Rooms have been added, a whisky bar is soon to open, a new winemaker has been engaged and there is now a day spa to compliment the restaurant and vineyard offerings.

THE LOOK

The decor is running along a steam punk / Moorish / Moulin Rouge vibe.

Sounds garish but it really works with a lot to look at and most corners reveal a surprising artefact or a sweet Spanish street scene frieze. Art Nouveau, Art Deco in fact just art in general. The whole place feels like an artist’s assembled piece.

THE FEEL

THE TASTE

Pork and rabbit terrine with pear chutney is a firmly packed disc of mixed meats which offers simple spiced meaty goodness, nicely complemented by a sweet pear chutney to make a refreshing and munchable start to the meal.

Caramelised lamb ribs with canary island mojo sauce. The meat falls away from the bone as you serve yourself from the ceramic dish. The fat is well rendered and tender young lamb flavour abounds. The Mojo sauce surprises with its cooling green vegetative grip that adds a savoury dimension to this rich dish. The orange blossom salad has all its bitter leaves freshness foiled by cornichons and sweet orange blossom dressing. Roasted beetroot and feta salad stands out for the fact that all the ingredients have been shredded and are thus easily combined on the fork so each mouthful is the complete package.

Whitewashed wooden floor tiles and plenty of lighting on the white walls make for a bright vibrant space. Chesterfields and the clutter of wall ornaments and interesting doors and fireplaces bring warmth, adding a home like comfort.

Raspberry cheesecake with raspberry coulis. Delicious light creamy cake with delicate raspberry flavour.

THE CREW

THE PRICE

Darshana is the GM and his 5 star hotel background comes through in the attention to detail and the integration of the businesses various units. The owners Dinushan Wanniarachchi and his wife Kumari have a Sri Lankan background and they are investing heavily in what they hope will become a marquee business for Gippsland tourism. Migar de silva of Dutch Sri Lankan heritages heads the kitchen team and his consistent quality is noted by the regulars I talked to.

THE SERVICE

Plenty of staff all decked out in uniform and on trend 3/4 apron look smart and are eager to please. Food service is well timed for casual dining with meals spaced for plenty of socialising between dishes. Efficient casual is a good summation and it is a child friendly space.

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thelifestyle winter 2017

All the flavours are direct and well done.

Pork and rabbit terrine 14.5, Lamb ribs 15.5, Orange blossom salad 14, Roasted beetroot and feta salad 14.5, Raspberry Cheesecake 13.5, Estrella beer 7.5, Glass of wine 9.0.

THE WASH

Great venue with a diverse and interesting menu, gluten free, vegan, everyone is covered. You have to love a restaurant with a bar. The old fashioned romance of retiring to the bar after a satisfying meal is just so attractive. Get down there and dine.

Review by Stuart Hay Photographs supplied by Stuart Hay + Brandy Creek

Abington Farm BED

& BREAKFAST

Abington farm offers something for everyone.

If you ride the rail trail or Blore Hill, or boat on Lake Glenmaggie, or go back in time in Walhalla, or anything else our region has to offer, Abington Farm is located right in the heart of Gippsland.

Then again, if you are just passing through, Abington Farm is only two and a half hours from the heart of the city - an ideal stop-over point for those travelling the Princes Highway to or from Melbourne.

And for those looking for a peaceful and relaxing setting, Abington Farm is a destination in itself.

Offering a quiet rural retreat, there’s opportunity to take a walk through the paddocks as well as read a book down by the river. By night you can stargaze while toasting marshmallows by an open fire.

Abington Farm has all the bases covered inside four walls as well. All units are a discreet distance apart, and they have reverse-cycle air-conditioning, spa baths, Foxtel as well as comfortable furnishings and linen. The modern Pumphouse and River House look over the meandering Rainbow Creek and the Great Dividing Range while the 120 year old barn has bucket-loads of rustic charm. And if you are looking for affordable family facilities, there’s the unique appeal of the Dairy.

Whichever one you stay in, there will be a generous breakfast provided for you to get you started the next day.

So no matter why you come, hosts Bernie and Nicola provide a welcoming atmosphere which will make you feel at home even when you are away. Even your pets are welcome.

Ring direct and save, or book 24/7 on Booking.com and Airbnb.

Group booking available.

Abington Farm BED

& BREAKFAST

56 Coughlans Lane Heyfield | Tel: (03) 5148 2430 | Email: abingtonfarm@bigpond.com

the delightful

Little Miss Hangry

By Wendy Morriss

Maddy relaxing in the front courtyard

Maddy Taylor, a demure yet energetic 24-year-old business woman admitted that when she was a young girl, she would occasionally become hangry (adj: a state of anger caused by lack of food).

Thus, it became the name of a second café business she operates in partnership with her mother Sarah Taylor in the small but bustling town of Garfield.

Maddy and Sarah opened their first café named ‘One Fine Day‘, 12 months previously in Beaconsfield, which is still operating quite successfully. “Mum and I were both working there full time,” Maddy said. “Now I run ‘Little Miss Hangry’ while Mum runs ‘One Fine Day’. I still do quite a bit for the Beaconsfield café, I’m there one day a week and Mum still does a bit at Garfield so we help each other out a lot.”

Avocado Smash

The dynamic duo opened ‘Little Miss Hangry’ late last year and since then it has become extremely popular. The beautifully renovated country cottage has seating in three separate small rooms, a lovely alfresco courtyard at the front and a large elevated deck at the back. “Mum’s the organiser and the designer,” Maddy said. “She set up everything. She’s very good at design, so the café looks great. I took over when it opened.”

The food served in ‘Little Miss Hangry’, which is breakfast and brunch, is made from basic fresh produce unusually arranged in appetising combinations that are extremely pretty on the plate. Their Avocado Smash is a delicious dish with a range of surprising flavours and a stunning look.

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thelifestyle winter 2017

The produce chosen is basic but the flavours are explosive. It consists of toasted sourdough bread topped with avocado and a second layer with quinoa, several seeds, pomegranate, feta, molasses, lemon and micro herbs.

Maddy said it’s a really nice fresh dish that a lot of people love and one that the café is known for.

She said they have tried to bring city fare to the country in both cafes and to be a little bit different using pretty food and flavours. Their chef Wayne Danks initially created a list of options while Sarah, who Maddy said is great with food, added a few ideas of her own and together they came up with a great menu. “We sat down with Wayne and went through what kind of food we wanted and we were blown away by what he cooked. He just nailed everything and he does a great job.”

Wayne said the food is very basic with simple flavours, but what they try to do is take a different approach with the ingredients and make them look really attractive on the plate. “Our mushrooms have a truffle butter that gives them a lot of flavour. Our granola with roasted pears has passionfruit pearls, which are little balls of passionfruit set into agar-agar jelly that explode with flavour when you bite into them,” he said.

“We always make sure the food looks great.

Our popularity has grown through Instagram and Facebook because people often take a photo before they eat and post it. Some customers have come in with a following of 23,000 to 30,000 Instagram fans so it’s important that everything goes out looking the same and looking good every time.”

Inside the café

Granola

He also said they aspire to have healthy meals.

“We often have people who hike to nearby Mt Cannibal come in afterwards for something nice and healthy like our Nourish Bowl or Salmon Croquet Bowl, but then our Chicken Burgers and our Crumpet dish, which is very sugary, are very popular. It isn’t exactly what the owners wanted but it is on their basic line of trends with modern food and inner city cafes.”

Fresh fruit and vegetables for both the cafes are collected from Pakenham. Freshly smoked meats are supplied by the local ‘Country Style Meats’ butcher and the beautiful breads used that have been baked in an old wood-fired scotch oven are from Garfield’s ‘Cannibal Creek Bakery’ .

The coffee is from ‘Zest Specialty Coffee Roasters’ in Berwick. “They roast all their beans and have beautiful coffee,” Maddy said. “We use the same blend in both cafes but we make it a bit stronger at Garfield because hot and strong is the way the locals like it.”

‘Little Miss Hangry’ also boasts a lovely extensive grassy area outside where Sarah has organised regular yoga sessions with a wonderful instructor.

“Every Saturday 20 to 25 women come and set up their mats for yoga and a few of them come in afterwards for coffee,” Maddy said. “It’s really good to see so many people get involved.”

She said both she and her mother became interested in starting a business after her father died. “We both thought about what we could do to open the doors for us again and decided it would be opening a café. I had worked in cafes since the age of 16 where I gained the experience

Chef Wayne Danks with Avocado Smash

Lamb Benedict

and skills I needed. For Mum, although she was very much into food, customer service was a whole new experience.

“Beaconsfield became available and it was a perfect small size for a first business so we decided to try bringing in different food and see how we go. To be honest when we opened on the first day we thought it would be pretty quiet but there were people everywhere.

Every Saturday and Sunday for months we had people lined up outside the door wanting our food and coffee. It was amazing and so rewarding.

It’s calmed down a little since but we still have a few lines because we don’t take bookings and it’s a small café that only seats 20 to 25 people.”

Maddy’s stepfather who operates Rankins Nursery in Garfield helps out as well. “He’s our handyman and gardener,” she said. “He’s also the reason we’re here. The building had previously been a café but it was sold and left empty for a long time. My Stepdad kept telling us it was a great place for a new business. It was completely empty, which meant fitting it all out from scratch.

At the time I wondered what we were getting ourselves into, but Mum came up with so many beautiful ideas and it just came together nicely.

Now it’s really lovely, it’s very popular and we can seat up to 60 people or more using all three dining areas.”

For more information Phone: (03) 5629 2180 Photographs by Wendy Morriss

Little Miss Hangry and proprietor Maddy Taylor

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ripplebrook winery

By Stuart Hay

One of the big questions for a small business is whether to stay small.

Growth is a mantra when analysing end of year figures. It takes courage to ignore the quantitative and focus solely on the qualitative. Small is beautiful when it provides for all your needs. This is a story about a little family winery that could.

When l arrive there are people sitting outside in the sun on classic lawn furniture surrounded by outdoor games equipment. Inside is a mothers group having a riotous catch up. Two staff members who couldn't be older than nineteen are enjoying their work and clearly keeping everyone happy.

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Who is responsible for this bucolic country atmosphere? Catena Raffaele joins me at a table and we talk small business.

The area under vine is seven acres. The plantings are Pinot/Chardonnay/Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot with Pinot Noir covering the greatest area and Merlot the least. All varietals are growing well. Merlot does not like the colder years, but its performance in the milder years justify its acreage. If one varietal stands out for Catena, it is the Cabernet Sauvignon which performs well year after year. I noticed eight rows of red grapes still hanging on the vine as l drove in. Catena said it was the Shiraz that hadn't developed enough flavour this year and they were leaving it on to build sugars and she will turn it into Vincotto.

Grape juice which is heat concentrated to become a thick sauce. It is a grainy and beguiling mix of sweet and sharp, which makes me fancy some slow cooked beef cheek to drizzle it over.

How did a woman with a background in shopping centre management end up acquiring a winery?

Catena's father and mother arrived from Italy in 1947 and were the classic hard working migrant parents who brought their love of home produce and preserving with them. Catena's father made wine at home and helping her father in the shed are some of her most cherished memories. Her father once copped a tongue lashing from her mother as he guided his slightly tipsy seven year old daughter back to the house from the makeshift shed winery where she had too enthusiastically sampled the day’s production.

Catena's work was becoming too stressful. Her search for job satisfaction drove her move to the country at Drouin West and the romance of running a winery and becoming a producer rather than a shepherd of consumers. She bought the winery in 2009 and approached her steep learning curve

like all good home doers. Head down bum up.

She did an online viticulture course, took advice from local winemakers and came up with her own style of vineyard management. Importantly she sees the value in eliminating chemicals and only uses copper sulphate as pest and disease control.

The winemaker for the last four years has been Phil Gray who previously produced Kouark wines.

The style of Ripplebrook wines is structured and serious. The fruit is surprisingly powerful for Gippsland with density and a mid to heavy weight. The black and red soils on the block as well as the excellent exposure are contributors to this site consistently producing ripe fruit.

Catena is optimistic about the development of the Gippsland wine region. She loves the views of the mountains and West Gippsland’s proximity to the city. The geographical size of the wine

region she feels is the major challenge to this high quality area which takes a long time to traverse.

She makes an interesting comment that the hilly beauty of Gippsland would resemble Tuscany if we had a greater density of towns and vineyards.

The other positive we both feel is that Gippsland still holds the thrill of discovery for wine lovers.

The path between vineyards is not so well beaten as in the Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula.

I ask Catena what motivates her to continue the hard work of small business. She responds quickly that it is the customers that make it worthwhile. It is a family business and Catena wants to build a strong brand with a reputation for quality so that her business will endure for her children to one day take up the reins.

That very relaxed family vibe gives her business an unpolished ma and pa style that is inclusive and thoroughly endearing, like visiting the

favourite relatives. A great example of the organic serendipitous style of this business’s development is the creation of the winery's labels.

Their intricate Moorish tile pattern was drawn by her son’s girlfriend on a graphics program. She came up to the winery the following week and drew the pattern on the kitchen blackboard as well.

There should be a bright future for a small business like Catena's as she has already addressed the issue of finding balance in life which bodes well for her finding balance in business.

Ripplebrook Winery 2755 Westernport Rd, Ripplebrook 3818 Phone: 0418 171 240 Photographs by Stuart Hay

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is a unique dining experience

By Wendy Morriss

Patrons that have enjoyed dining at West Gippsland’s Wild Dog Restaurant will love the new Hogget Kitchen that has recently taken its place. The ambience, the character, the food and style of presentation is entirely unique.

would make stock to make a sauce,” Trevor said.

“Some of the tougher cuts would be slow braised or nice loin cuts will be pan fried. Pork shoulder is good for making terrines or cured meats.

The Porchetta that we roast as a lunchtime or evening meal is the back loin of the pork rolled up and nicely seasoned.”

Trevor Perkins, the proprietor and an extraordinarily talented chef is passionate about using locally sourced seasonal produce and preparing everything for the table from scratch.

He believes in the importance of connections over food and has created a menu that is designed to be shared with family and friends.

All the meat used in Hogget Kitchen is sourced from the local area. Trevor said he talks to farmer’s who organise delivery of their grassfed Angus beef and Seaview Park rare-breed, Ryeland lamb to Radford Abattoirs in Warragul.

“Giles Abattoirs in Trafalgar once did the pork but are no longer there and there isn’t anyone else locally so the pork has to go through abattoirs in Sale or Geelong. It’s then brought back to the restaurant in its whole form.”

Trevor took over the restaurant in early March, while wine makers Patrick Sullivan and William Downie took over the winery on the same property. “I have made wine with Bill and Pat and been good friends with them for a few years, and the three of us work very closely together,” Trevor said. “They bring fruit from various vineyards around West Gippsland here to be processed and make amazing wine.”

The restaurant specialises in supporting and showcasing local West Gippsland producers through the Warragul Farmers Market, the Baw Baw Food Hub, other community food groups and local farmers including Thorpdale potato growers and Gippsland Jersey Milk. Trevor uses what’s available and in season and when it’s ready it’s put straight on the menu.

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Hogget kitchen is most known though for its own butchery of fine local organic meat. They purchase whole lamb, pork and beef bodies and break them down into different cuts of meat for the table. Trevor’s father who helps out is a butcher by trade. His brother who works with him is also a chef and another butcher is employed as well. “It’s kind of nose to tail eating,” Trevor said. “We write and print the menu each day while we work through the various cuts and every part of the animal is used. At the moment we have a brawn on the menu that is made from pig’s head and trotters and we make a really nice terrine from it as well.”

Meat is prepared in the restaurant using a range of cooking and butchering skills so each part of the animal is used for the right purpose and it’s cooked using various techniques that includes roasting, pan frying, dry aging and curing and smoking. “Every cut crosses over so the bones

At the front of the restaurant is a grand American style smoker that Trevor built eight months ago, where he slow cooks meat for six to eight hours.

“We do lamb shoulders, short ribs and brisket and it’s wonderful to have that on the menu,” he said. “People can pre-order something as a shared meal and we can put something in the smoker for them.”

The menu always has a good range of fare to choose from with some staples that stay on it, like the charcuterie – house made salami, terrine and prosciutto with olives from the restaurant estate and lovely organic tomatoes which have been in full season.

Restaurant business owner and Chef Trevor Perkins

Trevor’s American style smoker where he slow cooks meat for six to eight hours

Wine makers and winery business owners Patrick Sullivan (left) & William Downie

House butcher is Colin Kearley

Beautiful free-range Sommerlad heritage-style chicken from Mirboo North is on the menu once a month, because it’s the only time the farm slaughter. Also on the menu are Brandy Creek Quail and Alpine trout from Noojee. “We have trout all the time so we run that mid-week and we have fresh sea fish on the menu on weekends.

I have a friend living in Bairnsdale who brings it from the boats in Lakes Entrance to Morwell each week,” he said.

We churn our own plain Jersey milk ice cream using Gippsland Jersey milk and Elderslie certified organic eggs from Ellinbank. Their eggs are amazing; we bake a lemon tart and the colour of the tart is just sensational.”

The restaurant food style is food sharing almost like a family table type of arrangement where the chef cooks for you. “We usually start with some cured meats, pickles and chutneys and a few nice salads on the table. The main course might be a nice roast with roasted vegetables and delicious sides and then desserts that I have baked for that day. Fresh figs and apples are in season so I bake a really nice fig tart or fig cake and apple pie.

Hogget Kitchen also offers a wonderful selection of quality wines.

Patrick Sullivan and William Downie who now operate the winery make wine under their own names.

They are both leading wine makers in their field and produce natural wine that isn’t filtered much so it’s very unique and according to Trevor the style is amazing.

Trevor with property owner and former Wild Dog restaurant & winery business owner Gary Surman

They also import and export wine and make some premium wine for Gary Surman and his family who continue to produce Wild Dog Wines.

“What we have is not fine dining but really good produce that is cooked well and shared in a beautiful rural region,” Trevor said. “It doesn’t have to be shared; we do a really nice à la carte service as well, which could be tender steak or crumbed pork cutlets with hand cut chips and my mother’s beautiful plum Worcestershire sauce.”

Hogget Kitchen is only 3km south of Warragul and overlooks the largest and oldest vineyard in West Gippsland.

For more information Phone: (03) 5623 2211 Email: hello@hogget.com.au Photographs by Wendy Morriss

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The Revival of the Neerim South Hotel, a spur of the moment idea by three adventurous and daring folk from Warragul. Debra Bloye, Anthea Bloye and Steve Fowler sat around the dining table on a warm evening in August 2015 discussing plans for the future. Deb was running Debritz Catering at the West Gippsland Arts Centre in Warragul, Steve ran his own business, GBM Contractors and Anthea was working at Debritz Catering whilst completing her undergraduate double degree of Business (Marketing), Business (Management) at Monash University.

Deb was thirsty for an exciting new project and Steve was the man to lead the way. Anthea’s education would help them bring it all together.

And so the idea came about. Steve had worked around Neerim South for years and loved the area, Deb and Anthea also felt at home amongst the lush green paddocks and rolling hills. Kings Arms Hotel in Neerim South was up for sale.

A prime position off Main Neerim Road and a 15-minute drive to Warragul, it was ideal. Hesitant and anxious the three made the brave decision to combine their skills and experience and take a leap of faith with what was soon to be Neerim South Hotel.

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A tight timeframe followed, Debritz Catering was set to finish up at the WGAC following the annual Dance Eisteddfod on 28th September 2015 and begin trading at Neerim South Hotel on the 30th October 2015. The team was allowed a 2-week grace period to relax and rejuvenate before the new adventure was to begin. Deb and Anthea were allocated the task of gathering inspiration and ideas from pubs around Melbourne, whilst Steve was hard at work getting organised for the demolition scene that was soon to come.

Renovations of the Kings Arms Bistro were a necessity as the team wanted to create a modern and chic atmosphere with earthy tones to compliment the surrounding views. The renovations were to be completed in a short 10day timeframe by Steve and his crew at GBM Contractors, as the team didn’t want to upset the locals by closing the pub for too long.

A complete upgrade of the bistro bar, dining area, bathrooms and exterior of the building were accomplished in ten days and the results speak for themself. Immediately locals flocked to check out their much beloved pub’s transformation and the feedback was extremely positive.

“Its just what Neerim South needs” was the focal point of the responses.

A strong pub in a small town was set to have a positive flow on effect for the surrounding businesses and the team wanted to establish meaningful relationships with fellow business owners, sporting clubs and charities to complement this.

Beginning with Jindi Pig Butchers and their superior quality meat, Neerim South Hotel engaged the local owner Luke Bottom to supply them with meat and poultry.

Customers frequently comment on the flavour and quality of the cuts of eye fillet, porterhouse and rib eye. Following on with the commitment to supporting locals, Neerim South Hotel sponsors the Neerim District Cricket Club, Neerim & Neerim South Football and Netball Club and Neerim South Bowls Club. Weekly meat raffles held in the bar see funds going to the Neerim District Food Relief to support those in need, IGA in

Neerim South Hotel

By Anthea Bloye Neerim South supply fruit and vegetables to the hotel, The Little Flea Store provides vintage and handmade items perfect for staff birthday gifts and Bendigo Community Bank are always there when the hotel runs short of change.

Keeping the customers engaged and entertained at the hotel is never a problem with monthly live music on a Sunday afternoon. The hotel seeks artists from Gippsland and surrounds to showcase their talent, having the likes of Emily Murdica, Meg Doherty, Pocket Rocket, Plastered Sausage and Lily and the Drum (from South Australia) to draw a crowd on sunny afternoons on the front deck. Live screenings of the Grand Prix and AFL Grand Final are also crowd pleasers.

On a Wednesday night the local pool competition runs in the bar for those looking to get out of the house and join the fun.

Noticing a demand for affordable accommodation in the area, the team has started slowly upgrading the rooms downstairs. 6 rooms are available to stay in, all with a full ensuite, television, fridge, heaters and tea and coffee making facilities.

There is parking available in close proximity to the rooms making it accessible for all. Breakfast on

Sunday is from 8am-11am in the bistro or bar.

To sit in the bistro now after all of the hard work has been completed is a pleasure. On a chilly winter’s evening guests can relax by the fire and capture an unobstructed view of the most magnificent sunset in all of Gippsland through the tall open windows, surrounded by a warm and welcoming atmosphere with relaxing music playing in the background.

A selection of local wines from Jinks Creek, Cannibal Creek, Purple Hen and Lightfoot and Sons are on offer, or delicious barista made coffee can be purchased.

It is difficult not to relax when you are dining in the bistro; wood grain tiles line the walkway, rustic and black leather chairs surround the tables with a large communal coffee table in the centre of the room.

specials board for longer than a week at a time.

With ever changing quiche, pot pie and soup flavours and an array of mouth-watering chef specials including chicken breast and lamb rump, the hotel lures you back to try the rest.

Looking back on what has been a testing, yet rewarding 18 months, Deb, Steve and Anthea could not be more proud of the transformation and support they have received from the local community and surrounds. Sitting in the bistro enjoying a hearty meal and a glass of wine together, the three can finally relax and enjoy the results of their venture.

Photos courtesy of Neerim South Hotel

The bar is stunning with exposed brick from the original hotel, prior to it burning down, still remains and modern lights fall down to the counter. You will never see the same thing on the

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Our conference centre is available for a variety of functions. Weddings to family celebrations/ reunions, training sessions to scrapbooking/ craft groups and staff Christmas parties to yoga retreats, we have even had a funeral service and subsequent family gathering for the weekend.

Your options are limitless; we can provide the perfect setting for your group whether it is only 8 people or 60, for one day or 4 days. At the end of the event you will not only want to book your next function you will want to come back and bring the family and friends for a relaxing holiday.

lodges are a wonderful place to unwind and recap the work of the day.

All of our retreat amenities are available for your use, indoor solar heated pool, outdoor mineral spa, bikes, canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards, tennis courts and large selection of DVD’s. Even a stroll around the grounds should be part of the business of the day as our resident wildlife including birds and kangaroos can make a pleasant distraction. Our fully self-contained

Even if you are not looking at holding your event for awhile contact our staff to discuss package options. We take bookings up to 2 years in advance, so book early to avoid disappointment.

thelifestyle winter 2017

The fully stocked commercial kitchen is available for you to self-cater or our staff can provide all your catering for you. Breakfast can be a group gathering or supplied in the lodges for a quiet breakfast.

Many of our groups make their function an annual or biannual event and many participants bring family and friends back for a holiday.

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thelifestyle winter 2017

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Tony and Fleur Dawkins from Glenmaggie Wines

Maffra Cheese on display in cabinet

Truffles + fudges by Jilli from Chocodence, Metung

TINAMBA Hosts Damien Gannon and Brad Neilson of Tinamba Pub

John and Krestabelle from Picnic Point Farm

Lightfoot & Sons Wines from Gippsland Lakes District

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Dench Bakers Artisan Sourdough from Melbourne

Both young and old enjoyed music on the day

Wellington Shire Mayor Carolyn Crossley and CR Dan Clancey - Latrobe City Council

The girls from Avon Ridge vineyard east of Maffra

Solo performer Justin Rebecchi

A great selection of wines from Blue Gables Vineyard

The weather was absolutely perfect for the annual Tinamba Food and Wine Festival held on Sunday 23rd April 2017. Now in its eight year, the festival continues to grow and attract producers and visitors from the region and beyond. More than 2000 people attended the event to sample and enjoy the many different food and wine on offer.

With over 20 different stalls contributing, it was a great opportunity for local producers to showcase their products and broaden their exposure. Not only was the day a food and wine experience, but also a chance to socialise with family and friends, and share a dance in the relaxed atmosphere.

The event is run by Wines of East Gippsland, a non-profit organisation for which Tony Dawkins (Glenmaggie Wines) is the Chairperson. The Tinamba festival is one of two events the group organise per year in which they promote local wines from the region. Damien Gannon and Brad Neilson from the Tinamba Hotel continue to do an outstanding job in driving this event, but congratulations should go to all involved in organising and preparing for this great day out.

Images and words by Lisa Maatsoo The team from Nicholson River Winery enjoying their day

a great chance for friends and family to catch up

Jan Pennycuick from Alloway Olives in Munro

Marmalade by Kingfisher Citrus, Nerang

A CROWD OF OVER 2000 ATTENDED

Amnesia Blues Band had the crowd on their feet

A Gippsland Apple Cider from Avon Ridge

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WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!

By Frank Butera

Generally the winter of 2016 started cooler and wetter than recent years. Ample soil moisture meant there was plenty of water available for shoot growth when the weather warmed up during the spring. The weather also played a role in fruit set and if it was cold and wet at flowering the set was likely to have been poor.

A cooler spring in 2016 delayed budburst or the spread of it out. This generally resulted as inconsistent budburst events which results in problematic ripening.

Those buds that have burst, grow rapidly when the weather warms up leaving those that are still to burst behind. This delayed vines by two to three weeks when compared to the previous year.

The weather does play an important role in setting fruit and if the conditions are cold and wet when the flowers are out, fertilisation is not as successful as when conditions are warm and mild.

At the time of writing this article (towards the last weeks of autumn), there remained a few wine makers in the Gippsland region that continue to monitor their final red grape ferments. These late ripening varietals were picked a few weeks ago and are soon to be pressed off skins and stored in vessels for the winter period. When compared to the 2016 vintage of the exact same grapes, this fermentation process occurred 6 – 8 weeks earlier.

As an aside the 2016/17 vintage produced an outstanding crop for Gippsland. Although harvest was late, Gippsland fortunately dodged the heatwaves and flooding that occurred in other viticulture regions in Australia. However, feedback from some vineyard managers suggests that due to unforseen wind and hail events in late November and early December the yield of some varietals was up to 40% lower when compared to 2015/16 vintage.

The pace and acuteness of the 2016 growing season was a wakeup call to cool climate wine makers as a sign of earlier, shorter and more intense harvests.

The 2016 vintage was the warmest on record in terms of heat summation. In comparison the 2017

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vintage may be recognised as the polar opposite.

The 2016/17 grape growing season had late fruit set, longer and slower growing period and ultimately a later harvest date when compared to 2016.

To put it in terms of balance, vintage 2016 was unusually very early. Perhaps a result of climate change impacting the region or a shorter warmer Winter and earlier Spring or the result of an earlier harvest moon.

SO WHAT HAPPENED IN 2017?

Well the impact of a late harvest in 2017 commenced in the winter of 2016. At this point, we need understand a simple fact not often realised by non-grape growers – it takes 18 months of vine nurturing to produce grapes for harvest. The process commences in the winter prior to the previous harvest when pruning decisions and practises are underway in the vineyard. If vine damage occurs during the growing season such as the impact of hail or frost, then it’s likely that it will be 18 – 24 months before the vines fully recover.

In some vineyards, for some varietals fruit set was poor and later than previous years, however for Gippsland the grapes produced at harvest were sound. The effect of these factors was offset to an extent by good fruit and larger berries.

Another suggestion that has been discussed to understanding the timing of vintage this year is the timing of the harvest moon in 2017. The harvest moon is the full moon that occurs closest to the Autumn Equinox. In the southern hemisphere, Easter follows the harvest moon. There is some predictability as to whether the season will be early or late, based on the timing of the full moon after the Autumn Equinox.

This was an obvious relationship for the early 2016 vintage (the full moon was 23 March) and the late 2017 vintage (the full moon was on 11 April), giving us almost three weeks difference in harvest dates.

The position of the Earth and its moon relationship to the sun and the rest of the cosmos appears to influence the weather, in particular the atmospheric temperature on Earth. If grape growers use this as guide to predict vintage, 2018 will be early followed by run of later vintages and retuning to early vintages in 2021 and 2024.

Frank Butera is the wine maker at Bass River Winery.

E: frank@bassriverwinery.com

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The iconic Fish Creek Hotel (1939) is a magnificently imposing Art Deco building located in the heart of Fish Creek.

Seven comfortable upstairs bedrooms and nine motel units provide accommodation.

With the Great Southern Rail Trail and art galleries on its doorstep, award winning wineries nearby and only 25 minutes from the gates of Wilson’s Promontory, it is ideally located as your accommodation base.

Enjoy a plate of fresh handmade Gippsland pasta.

Craft Beers on Tap The Bar has TAB facilities and also provides Foxtel on a giant 100” plus HD screen to show all sports live. ◊◊◊◊◊ The Fish Creek Hotel ArtSpaces - a new exhibition space in the Art Hub of Fish Creek featuring local artists. ◊◊◊◊◊

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THE

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BAR OPEN Mon – Fri: 11.30am till late Sat – Sun: 11am till late

THE PERFECT GETAWAY Island Bay is located on Phillip Island, Victoria’s most popular tourist destination and lies in a picturesque location situated on 5 acres within a 160 acre rural property with breathtaking views in every direction of water, mangroves, wetlands or rolling fields.

Island Bay provides boutique accommodation for couples, families, sporting and corporate groups, bridal parties and all special occasions.

Island Bay is exclusive, providing accommodation for a maximum of 27 guests only. The accommodation at Island Bay comprises six contemporary studio-style, air conditioned log cabins. Every cabin has views of the Rhyll Inlet Marine Park, Churchill Island or Westernport Bay. The serenity, seclusion, exclusivity and breathtaking views at Island Bay, amongst the natural surroundings filled with wildlife; complemented by its extensive resort facilities including a Solar Heated Pool and Spa, Synthetic Grass Tennis Court, Lounge and Recreation Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Outdoor BBQ and Alfresco Dining Area, In-ground Trampoline and Children’s Play Ground. Free Wifi is available.

IDEAL SETTING FOR YOUR SPECIAL DAY Island Bay is ideally suited for a private wedding with unique breathtaking views. In the grounds we allow you to have a wedding catering up to 100 people. We also allow you to organise your own catering & equipment hire.

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LATROBE VALLEY

Latrobe City Council Library & Station Moe The Valley, long known for its energy, paper and tertiary education industries, is evolving and emerging with fantastic new commercial food enterprises, innovative activities, cultural attractions, recreational retreats and wonderful parks and gardens.

Latrobe Valley with Strzelecki Ranges to the south and the Great Dividing Range to the north was named in reference to the mighty Latrobe River that flows eastwardly through it. William Adams Brodribb, who was an early settler, named the river in 1841 in honour of Charles La Trobe, Lieutenant Governor of the Port Phillip District.

The Valley’s three major centres located within Latrobe City’s local government area are Moe to the west, Traralgon to the east and Morwell, which is central and the location of its administrative headquarters. Smaller outlying townships include Churchill, Boolarra, Glengarry, Toongabbie, Tyers, Yallourn and Yinnar.

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Latrobe Valley’s industries include power generation for around 80 per cent of Victoria’s energy needs, logging and paper mills in Maryvale near Morwell, agriculture, information technology, engineering and tertiary education through Federation University in Churchill that attracts local, interstate and international students.

dining experience with the best cold drinks for the locals.

Around the recent closing of the Hazelwood Power Station, some wonderful new Latrobe Valley hospitality, food enterprises and innovative projects have materialised.

‘ReActivate’ Latrobe Valley is a not-for-profit organisation supporting the region’s economic changes through the local food economy to build resilience and opportunity into the systems that keep everyone fed, healthy and happy. Their ‘50 Mile Farmers Market’ draws producers within a 50 mile radius to maintain a local fresh food network. It’s part of their ‘Get Stuffed Food Network’, which is about growing good food, good health and new local jobs.

Elizabeth Maskiell has opened ‘Raw Harvest Café’ in Newborough and specialises in nutritionistdesigned organic meals using only the best local and organic produce.

Tim Phillips and three of his friends have restored an old pub in their community now known as the Yallourn North Hotel, about 10 kilometres from Morwell. The popular venue offers a superb

Abbie Mills has opened her new business the ‘VAULT Kitchen & Bar’ in Morwell. She has created a concept that is her own with different city-type food and a fresh modern ambience.

Their ‘Get Sunflowered’ project has been turning the Latrobe Valley’s grey and brown areas into places of gold and green and the response

more than VICTORIA’S CENTRE for energy

By Wendy Morriss

Aerial shot of Traralgon West

Old Gippstown Moe

Walhalla Railway

Moore Street Moe has been amazing. The project is a lesson in happy-making while exploring ways to address vacancy problems in the Latrobe Valley's rapidly changing regional economy. The 2017 sunflowers were planted in January. They bloomed in March and were harvested in April.

The organisation also supports ‘Spring and Winter Festivals’. The Latrobe Valley festivals are a celebration of renewed visions for the future of the region. They are an opportunity to recognise the great things happening in Latrobe and to reconnect in local communities.

North of the Latrobe Valley region is the Mt Baw Baw ski resort, Mt St Gwinear and the unique, historic gold-mining town of Walhalla, home to the Walhalla Goldfields Railway, the Walhalla mine and the annual ‘Walhalla Vinter Ljusfest’.

Moe on the eastern side of Latrobe Valley was originally known as ‘The Mowie’ and later as ‘Little Moi’. It’s believed the town’s name came from a Kurnai (local indigenous) word meaning ‘swamp land’.

The Moe Racing Club is the largest capacity racecourse in Gippsland and schedules around fourteen race meetings a year. The two largest meetings are the GPG Mobil Moe Cup meeting in October, which is one of the largest regional race meetings outside Melbourne on the Victorian Racing calendar, and the Melbourne Cup Day meeting on the first Tuesday in November.

Gippsland Heritage Walk at Kernot Park Morwell

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LATROBE VALLEY

Traralgon Railway Reservoir Conservation Reserve

Traralgon Post Office and Court House

Commercial Street Morwell

Historical Ryan's Hotel

Park Traralgon

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Sir Paul de Strzelecki's Memorial

Vault Kitchen + Bar, Morwell

LATROBE VALLEY BUSINESS IS THRIVING Kingbuilt Homes based in Moe, started 20 years ago as a one-man enterprise and has grown to 24 full-time office staff and projects that directly employ more than 250 people. Phil King and his wife Tess credit their success in the Valley to an ethical approach, “always be honest and transparent, do the job right the first time, if it’s wrong fix it and always pay bills straight away,” Phil said.

The company has developed around efficiently providing custom designed homes and now enjoys a cast iron reputation after decades of hard work.

Morwell Doll Museum Nearby Lake Narracan, which was created in the 1950s to provide water for the Yallourn power station, is now a popular destination for water activities with a surface area spanning almost 300 hectares. It’s also a great place for swimming, picnics, walking and camping.

Old Gippstown, Gippsland’s Heritage Park in Moe is an open-air museum and reconstructed pioneer town that portrays settlement in Gippsland from the 1850s through to the 1950s.

The site covering three hectares features several National Trust classified buildings and one of the best collections of horse-drawn vehicles and farm equipment in Australia.

The town’s Edward Hunter Heritage Bush Reserve is approximately 58 hectares of remnant native vegetation with a number of walking trails ranging from 700m to approximately 5km.

Ollerton Avenue Bushland Reserve in Newborough is a 10-hectare area with more than 120 identified native flora species including orchids.

Moe Botanical Gardens bordering Narracan Creek contains magnificent exotic and native plant species making it a relaxing, pleasant recreational area with barbecue, picnic facilities and toilets.

Crawford marine, Morwell Gippsland Printers, Traralgon

Raw Harvest Newborough

GBS Recruitment, Traralgon Morwell is a vibrant centre known for its outstanding major regional art gallery and its spectacular rose gardens.

The Latrobe Regional Gallery is one of the largest public galleries in regional Victoria and a member of the Public Galleries Association of Victoria.

It houses seven gallery spaces, a sculpture courtyard and presents exhibitions and curated projects across contemporary art and design, experimental and interdisciplinary practices, curated collections of note, works by regional artists and national touring exhibitions.

Morwell Centenary Rose Garden, which is of international significance, forms the western entrance to the Morwell business area, the civic centre, art gallery and the justice precinct. The approximate number of 3000 roses are cared for by ‘Friends of the Rose Garden’, volunteers and sponsors with the support of Latrobe City Council.

Waterhole Creek Cultural Trail opposite Kernot Lake in Morwell is wonderful indigenous artwork stretching five kilometres by commissioned Gunaikurnai artist Ronald Edwards.

Its message 'Give me your hand my friend' translates to 'Gnokan Danna Murra Kor-Ki’.

Bev's amazing Wonder World of Doll's drawn from a lifetime passion is in the restored Airlie Bank Homestead situated in parkland on the banks of Waterhole Creek.

Crinigan Bushland Reserve in Morwell covering 40 hectares is home for more than 170 different plants including around 30 native orchids and native birds and fauna.

Traralgon Railway Reservoir Conservation Reserve is around 29 hectares of native bush and grassland with a lake in the centre located on the south side of Traralgon. It has picnic facilities and a gravel/boardwalk circuit around the wetland that is home to numerous bird life and native plants.

Notable, beautiful heritage buildings in Traralgon include the Post Office and Courthouse built in 1886 and Ryans Hotel boasting possibly one of the longest main bars in the country, built in 1914.

All three are in Franklin Street.

more than VICTORIA’S CENTRE for energy

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New Locally Designed & Built Acreage Display Now Open Local builder Kingbuilt has this year launched its new acreage flagship display, Amberly Manor.

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The contemporary, resort style home in Drouin was designed by their inhouse design team, offering an alternate style to the Traralgon display homes, with the same unparalleled quality.

The house incorporates a number of unique features to showcase what can be created by Kingbuilt, limited only by imagination. Stunning recycled timber posts with original hand carvings from a bridge in NSW, beautiful limestone blocks to both interior and exterior from Western Australia, maintenance-free timber-look PVC windows, geothermal heating and cooling and massive glass patio doors have become attractions in their own right.

Lochlin Wall, General Manager of Kingbuilt explains. “We manage the process of building your own home from start to finish. We work with each individual client to understand their unique needs and their budget. We then design and build the perfect home just for them, whether that’s based on an existing plan like Amberly Manor, or created from scratch.”

One of the first things that strikes you as you enter Amberly Manor, is the natural light.

An unmistakable airiness is created by the combination of high ceilings, skylights (remote controlled, of course), clerestory windows and huge glass doors opening out onto the deck with fabulous open views.

Meeting an ever-increasing demand for indoor outdoor living, the blackbutt timber deck and pergola are important features. “The deck flows directly from the open-plan indoor dining and kitchen areas,” says Mr. Wall. “You can slide the oversized doors all the way back and bring the outdoors in. It’s been designed for people who love eating outside, entertaining right throughout the year, or just enjoying a good book or glass of wine in the afternoon sun.”

In addition to the dining, living and kitchen (with walk in pantry) areas, Amberly Manor incorporates four bedrooms, two bathrooms, laundry, study, media room, activity room, oversized walk in robe to the master bedroom and ensuite, and

a double garage. “The walk in robe has been a big hit,” laughs Mr. Wall. “It’s very luxurious. It is complete with full joinery, mirror and sky light, and we hear people actually gasp when they discover it. Everyone in the office wants one in their next house too!”

With 24 full time staff and up to 250 subcontractors, Mr. Wall credits Kingbuilt’s unpinning philosophy as the reason for the company’s continuing growth within a highly competitive industry.

“There critical differentiator is that there is no risk to the customer when they build with Kingbuilt. Our core principles are honesty, transparency and trust.

These values are deeply entrenched in the culture of this business. Its reinforced by meticulous systems and processes ensuring every customer knows exactly what they are getting and exactly what it will cost.”

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Unsurprisingly, Kingbuilt’s largest customer base is those who are building their second or third home. “Many of our customers have been badly burnt by previous building experiences. We go to lengths to work out the best way to maximise their budget but perhaps more importantly, we are careful to explain what they are not getting.

We tell them the whole truth so that there can’t be any surprise costs. It’s really a pleasure to be able to build trust with our clients and create positive experiences.”

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The earthy feel of the home can be attributed to the use of raw and natural products. The warmth of the wormy chestnut floorboards throughout, blackbutt timber vanities, limestone block feature walls and fireplace, spotted gum cladding, stone kitchen tiles and reclaimed timber posts create a connectedness to nature perfectly fitting of a contemporary, rural home.

With those travelling from Melbourne in mind, Amberly Manor is immediately accessible from the freeway, and is open every day of the week from 12noon until 4pm.

If you’d like more information on this acreage display, contact Kingbuilt’s customer care specialist Umberto on 0427 030 885 or visit kingbuilthomes.com.au

Kevin Vivian Manager

TRARALGON

Kevin Vivian – Manager & Sandra Loprese – Store Assistant

your paint place group of stores Leongatha

Cowes

52 Bair Street, Leongatha Vic 3953 Tel: 5662 2941 Email: leongatha@paintplace.com.au Hours: Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5.00pm Saturday 9.00am to 12.00pm Sunday Closed Manager: Luke Watson

215 Settlement Road, Cowes Vic 3922 Tel: 5952 2522 Email: cowes@paintplace.com.au Hours: Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5.00pm Saturday 8.00am to 1.00pm Sunday 9.00am to 1.00pm Manager: David Fusinato

Traralgon

Wonthaggi

81 Argyle Street, Traralgon Vic 3844 Tel: 5176 1221 Email: traralgon@paintplace.com.au Hours: Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5.00pm Saturday 9.00am to 1.00pm Sunday Closed Manager: Kevin Vivian

5-7 Korumburra Road, Wonthaggi Vic 3995 Tel: 5672 5522 Email: wonthaggi@paintplace.com.au Hours: Monday to Friday 7:30am to 5.00pm Saturday 8.30am to 1.00pm Sunday 10.00am to12.00pm Manager: Rob Geyer

GARDENING with Q. What is the best procedure to remove plants from their pots for relocation in the garden?

A. If you’re considering moving plants that you have enjoyed for some time in pots, to a new location in the garden, there are certain practices you could follow to guarantee success. Firstly ensure the plant in the pot has been well watered to reduce any stress.

If the plant is one that can be pruned without affecting the long term shape then reduce the foliage to help minimise transplant shock.

Remove the plant from the pot and tease the roots at the bottom, sides and top of the root ball. This helps promote new feeder roots and prevents the root system growing in a spiral direction as they probably are in a pot.

CraigGoodman

Plant your specimen in the garden and stake the plant if necessary.

Water well using plant starter - a plant hormone to help the plant establish in its new environment. Once settled in over a few weeks feed your plant and watch it thrive.

Q. What are the best potted colours that you recommend for this season?

Q. I have hydrangeas in the garden, what is the best method for pruning?

A. At this time of the year your hydrangeas are probably looking poor.

Now we are in Winter hard pruning of your hydrangeas can be carried out. Go hard and prune all stems down to 25 cm or less. You can thin them out and remove any stems growing in strange directions.

As we move into Spring you will see strong healthy growth develop and as we move towards November buds and flowers will form.

Feeding is essential to maximise plant health and abundant flowering.

Q. With fruit trees, is it best to do a severe prune or just a light prune?

A. Deciduous fruit trees should be pruned over the months of June and July while they are dormant. Pruning helps control the height and width of your tree ensuring fruit is produced at a more manageable height.

Pruning also encourages the replacement of old wood maintaining healthy strong growth to produce fruit. Some fruits trees produce fruit on one year old wood while others produce on two and three year old wood.

Spray your fruit trees in Winter with lime sulphur. This helps eradicate pests and diseases that may be present over Winter on the wood. If possible spray twice over Winter to ensure the best possible control of pests and diseases helping ensure a bumper crop the following season.

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A. Brighten up your garden this Winter with some of these great Winter performing varieties of potted colour. Some of my favourites include primulas in white, pinks and mauve. Polyanthus producing vibrant colours of red, blue, yellow, pink, white to name a few.

Pansies and violas are one the most popular choices with every colour of the rainbow available. The beauty of these plants are they begin flowering while young and growing, providing many months of colour.

Many others include poppies, nemesias, Livingstone daisies, lobelia, alysium and stocks just to name a few.

Q. What vegetables do you recommend to plant in Winter?

A. There are quite a few vegetable favourites that can be grown over the Winter months.

These include, to name a few: Many bean varieties, beetroot, baby beet, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbages including mini cabbage, celery, kale, lettuce varieties, cauliflower also available in a mini form, onion such as red, brown, white, odourless, silverbeet in multi colours and traditional and of course carrots.

There is also a good selection of Winter herbs to choose from. hope this is helpful.

Craig

AT G R O W M A S T E R T R A R A L G O N I N S P I R AT I O N A W A I T S Y O U .

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Hours | Monday to Friday 9.00am - 5.30pm Saturday to Sunday 9.00am - 5.00pm 62 Argyle St, Traralgon Vic 3844 Ph: (03) 5174 2861 Em: growmastertraralgon@yahoo.com.au www.growmastertraralgon.com.au

TRARALGON BOWLS CLUB

Our bistro is open 7 days a week lunch and dinner. Ensure to book to avoid disappointment.

TRARALGON BOWLS CLUB... MORE THAN JUST A BOWLS CLUB! Join as a member from as little as $5 per year.

Phone: 5174 2156 Email: reception@traralgonbowls.com.au Cnr of Gwalia St & Liddiard Rd Traralgon Vic 3844 For more information about the Traralgon Bowls Club visit www.traralgonbowls.com.au

MORE THAN JUST A BOWLS CLUB The Traralgon Bowls Club’s fresh new mouth-watering menu is the perfect solution for any occasion. Whether it is just a night out without cooking, or a Birthday or anniversary celebration you can be assured our talented chefs will create meals to remember. The Traralgon Bowls Club has worked extremely hard on establishing a facility that can accommodate a whole range of members, guest and visitors.

Our catering department operates 7 days a week for both lunch and dinner service, with a selection of great value meals there is sure to be something for everybody.

Having completed one of the most comprehensive kitchen refurbishments in the Valley, Traralgon Bowls Club can now provide an extensive range of meals.

To avoid disappointment at not getting a seat, we strongly encourage all customers to ring in advance and book their table.

WINNER Regional Club Bistro of the year

FINALIST Bowls Club of the year

visit www.traralgonbowls.com.au

LATROBE REGIONAL GALLERY

The future is looking exponentially brighter for the Latrobe Regional Gallery (LRG) in Morwell with a new and improved facility set to increase the profile of Gippsland in the world of visual arts.

The LRG is currently closed for renovations but is due to reopen on Saturday 15 July 2017 to herald an exciting new era, not just for the LRG but for the Latrobe Valley. Latrobe City Council’s experienced major projects team, Gallery Director Mark Themann and the highly skilled gallery staff, are driving the bold future vision of the arts in the region by providing a new art space capable of hosting international exhibitions.

Latrobe City Council’s mayor, Councillor Kellie O’Callaghan, said the new-look gallery would be a catalyst for the revitalisation of the Valley.

“Council, along with the State Government, recognises the value of the Latrobe Regional Gallery as a community asset. The renovation of the gallery space, along with its exhibition programming, will bring huge social and economic benefit to our region.”

“It’s not just about art contributing to a new positive perception of the Latrobe Valley, it’s about the framing the LRG as an asset that has appeal beyond our boundaries and capitalising on that,” Cr O’Callaghan said.

Collaborative funding for the $1.5 million project has been provided by Council and the Latrobe Valley Authority, which has committed $770,000.

The project is being managed by Council’s Major Projects Team, and the works are being completed by local contractor Waltcon Constructions.

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INTERNATIONAL AND HOME-GROWN EXHIBITIONS

“Last year, the LRG attracted a total of 22,000 visitors,” Dr Themann said.

A full program of exhibitions, international and home-grown, has been planned over the coming two years including three diverse and dynamic shows for the reopening on 15 July. ‘Bound

by Time’ brings together the works created between 2011 and 2017 by Sydney artist Denis Beaubois; ‘Presentiment’ is contemporary photobased exhibition from Morwell artist Manfred Krautschneider and, also available for viewing from mid-July, will be ‘No-one told me there’d be days like these’ by Gail Smith, winner of 2017 Dick Bishop Memorial Prize. The exhibition forms part of the artist’s ongoing research into the coping strategies in the loss of a parent and changing bonds between aging mother and the adult child.

“This year, with the programmed international exhibitions, visitor numbers are estimated to rise to 30,000. And our hope is to draw around 50,000 visitors a year once we have established our place on the arts map as a gallery of international repute. We may be a local, regional gallery, but our vision is international and if demand for our planned program converts into overnight stays, then our region can expect a welcome boost to our local accommodation and retail economy.”

In the second half of the year, LRG will host a major international exhibition: ‘MINE / The film will always be with you’, new video art from South Africa, which was last shown at the Tate Museum in London. This prestigious exhibition will make an exclusive visit to LRG for three months before continuing its journey internationally and will be followed by an exciting, exclusive-to-Australia exhibition to be announced shortly.

Gallery director Mark Themann said securing a strong ongoing series of exhibitions for the next two years, including a major project with the National Gallery of Victoria, had been a vital component in the strategy to position the LRG as a focal point for the community and to attract a wide and plentiful visitor base from around Victoria, interstate and perhaps even internationally.

“The prospects are real, the future is exciting and with continued support, this project is set to deliver many benefits for the local community who has long supported the gallery,” Cr O’Callaghan said.

FROM LOCAL GALLERY TO INTERNATIONAL ART SPACE The redesign started 12 months ago with three concept ideas. NAAU Studio in North Melbourne, delivered the preferred design and is now engaged as the architect on the project.

The primary aim of the refurbishment is to upgrade the gallery to a standard required to host major exhibitions. This involves creation of a minimalistic, clean and simple space to highlight the exhibits, and to enhance conditions for the preservation and care of the artworks, both in exhibition and in storage.

The internal reconfiguration will upgrade the current six separate spaces available for individual shows and provide a more professional space for exhibitors and an improved experience for visitors.

NEW SPACE, SAME PLACE, INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE

North Faรงade - Architects Impression

by NAAU STUDIO (2017). Image courtesy NAAU Studio

Krautschneider - Manfred Krautschneider, Terrible Beauty, 2015, archival pigment print, edition 1/5, 116 x 86 cm. Collection of the artist.

Gallery Director Dr Mark Themann.

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LATROBE REGIONAL GALLERY

Currency - Denis Beaubois, Currency release #2, 2013, a series of 280 new uncirculated 50 Euro bills with recorded serial numbers. Image courtesy of the artist.

Internal spaces will be stripped back, freeing up reception and gallery space and the new floor plan also provides greater disabled access as well as a change to the café and gift shop area.

Environmental considerations have been woven into the design, using reconditioned floorboards downstairs and sustainably-sourced timber flooring upstairs, as well as energy-efficient LED lighting throughout.

Doors and windows throughout will be more effectively insulated and sealed to reduce energy costs, but also as a dust prevention measure.

Existing storage areas will be refurbished with new shelving for more efficient and clean archive space. Climate control and security will be upgraded to ensure further protection of the artworks.

SUPPORT FOR AND BY THE GALLERY The Latrobe Regional Gallery has long supported art education and continues to support local educators, from local schools to Federation University’s Gippsland Centre for Arts and Design (GCAD). The new-look gallery will continue to run professional development programs for local artists, students and teachers and school education programs, on and off-site.

LRG is supported professionally by a number of leading bodies, providing social and cultural benefits to the region. Alongside continuous and considerable support from the Latrobe City Council, Creative Victoria continues to provide regular financial support. In addition, LRG is supported by the Public Galleries Association Victoria, the peak body for public galleries in Victoria which sets industry standards for galleries across the state. They represent over 50 art galleries and art museums in metropolitan and regional areas.

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EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN Cr O’Callaghan said the community would see a new external façade from the street, a permanent reminder of the town’s new and exciting facility.

“A new-look physical presence in Commercial Road, an understated yet professional interior, this reinvention of the Latrobe Regional Gallery will lead the way for the community’s revitalisation following mine fire, mine closure and economic uncertainty,” she said.

“From July, we will be opening the doors not just to a new gallery but to a new world of art, to the art of a new world, and most importantly to a world of possibilities.”

For more information during the renovation, phone the gallery on (03) 5128 5700 Monday to Friday between 10am to 5pm or visit www.latroberegionalgallery.com The Latrobe Regional Gallery will reopen on Monday 15 July. Opening hours will be Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm Images supplied by Latrobe Regional Gallery Portrait image of Dr Mark Themann

by Lisa Maatsoo

MORWELL BOWLING CLUB

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The Morwell Bowling Club provides wedding packages or we can tailor to suit your needs.

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OPEN SEVEN DAYS - SERVING LUNCH, DINNER, COFFEE & DRINKS RESERVATIONS OR WALK-INS ARE WELCOME Visit www.morwellbowls.com.au for news and upcoming events.

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MARK THEMANN

DIRECTOR OF LATROBE REGIONAL GALLERY

By Lisa Maatsoo

Dr Mark Themann was appointed as Director of the Latrobe Regional Gallery (LRG) in July 2015. Since joining the team, he has been working towards broadening the array of visual art presented at the gallery. He plans to make art accessible across every imaginable medium and discipline, from contemporary art to rare historical treasures. With renovations at the gallery currently underway, the refurbished space at LRG is set to showcase local, national and international exhibitions.

In his own right, Mark is an internationally recognised contemporary artist. He was born in Melbourne to German parents, and shared his early childhood between Melbourne and Germany. He obtained a Bachelor of Education at Melbourne State College (now the University of Melbourne) and completed post graduate studies in Los Angeles and Melbourne. Mark returned to Europe in his early adult years and set up base in Berlin, working across Europe and the US, he was invited to exhibit his work in over thirty six solo shows in galleries and museums including Paris, Berlin, London and New York. With this background and knowledge, Mark brings valuable experience and contacts to the creative space at LRG. Along with many others, Mark Themann believes that art is an undervalued resource that really needs to be promoted and strengthened in Australia.

“Today, most young people receive their visual education via the internet, which is consumer driven. Is that how we want our young people to be educated? By a mass of sales people, or sales platforms?”

Together with the team at LGR, Mark hopes to offer an opportunity for a different and more authentic visual art experience. With continued support for the gallery, this project is set to deliver many benefits to the Gippsland region.

For more information regarding The Latrobe Regional Gallery, please see separate feature article in this magazine, and visit www.latroberegionalgallery.com.

The LRG will re-open on Monday 15 July 2017.

Gallery Hours are: Monday to Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm.

Saturday and Sunday 11.00 am to 4.00 pm.

Photograph by Lisa Maatsoo

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03 5134 2913

www.vaultkitchen.com.au

Prepare your tastebuds and book in for a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner at VAULT Kitchen + Bar, an exciting new restaurant in Morwell featuring modern cuisine and the unique dining experience of Stonegrill.

Open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner | Tuesday to Saturday from 7am until late Fully Licensed | Friday Night Happy Hour and Live Music – 4pm to 6pm Mondays from 8am to 3pm 13-17 Church Street MORWELL 3840

LAKE NARRACAN

Lake Narracan is a popular water activities destination; only a short trip from Yallourn North, this waterway was created from the Latrobe River.

A surface area spanning nearly 300ha makes it ideal for power boating, waterskiing, jet skiing, sail boarding, sailing and fishing. Also, there are many good areas for swimming, family picnics and walking.

The Latrobe Valley Water Ski Club has its facilities at Lake Narracan. With two boat ramps, via John Field Drive, Newborough, access to this beautiful stretch of water is easy.

For this trip with Terry Raymond of Crawford Marine, we had use of the Stacer 429 Outlaw, which is the smallest in the Outlaw Range, but without doubt one of the smoothest rides I have shared. The turning manoeuvrability gives this boat

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an advantage, and it is definitely roomy on the boat as well as plenty of storage for bags, fishing gear etc.

taking the boat off the trailer, and again when we left the pier at the Ski Club, rapid acceleration is smooth and fast and very controlled.

The weather had been a little indifferent the week that we had on the water, but the conditions were ideal at Lake Narracan, in fact the waters were very calm. The EVO Advance Hull gives a superb, smooth and dry ride, and ploughs through the water easily.

I found Lake Narracan to be very interesting; hard to believe you are close to towns such as Moe, Newborough and Yallourn North, and even though at times you feel you are dwarfed by the enormous Yallourn North Power Station, the rugged bush and sheer cliffs give you a feel that you could be at the top end of Australia.

Sometimes when we go on these boat trips we encounter rough waters, and the tough 3mm plate look sides is needed, but today the water was calm and smooth, and the Mercury 60HP with its compact single overhead cam design and long piston stroke gives outboards more low end torque for excellent acceleration. Which is what I noticed when we accelerated away from the shore, after

Camping is popular at Lake Narracan Caravan Park, there are non-powered and powered sites available. Facilities include toilet and shower amenities, BBQ and laundry is also available.

Call in and inspect our range of new and pre-owned boats

BOATING SINCE 1964

71-77 Chickerell Street, Morwell 3840 P: 5134 6522 E: info@crawfordmarine F: 5134 6455 www.crawfordmarine.com.au

MEMBER

If you are into fishing, the Stacer 429 Outlaw is packed with all of your fishing essentials and with room for five, this is the perfect boat for your next fishing trip. It is equipped with front and rear casting platforms with a live bait tank, rod holders, transom step and rail and large side pockets.

The 449 Outlaw is available as a tiller steer, side console or centre console model.

I mentioned earlier about the Latrobe Valley Water Ski Club, which is regarded as one of the finest and most historical clubs in Victoria. It caters for all types of skiers whether recreational or competitive.

The club is situated in the Halls Bay area of Lake Narracan and you can find out more about the club via their website.

Visit www.latrobevalleywaterskiclub.com So thanks Terry, I had a great afternoon at Lake Narracan, and found it to be a beautiful and spectacular waterway and will definitely be taking another look at again!

Doug Pell with Terry Raymond

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LAST TIME I CHECKED, PEOPLE STILL PUNCH IN WORDS WHEN THEY ARE DOING A GOOGLE SEARCH They don't go to Google and type: “Show me results for how Barry the business owner joined the local footy club and loves to go for bush walks with his wife and kids, enjoys fishing, BBQ's ….... blah blah blah” Searchers go to Google and punch in: “Swimming lessons for children under 10” or “Best Building Inspector in Traralgon” or “Sony Plasma TV's Leongatha”.

If these are the sort of searches related to your business then your web pages must have THESE words on it. Or at least have words closely connected to those in meaning.

BE PREPARED. HERE'S THE BEST 50-60 MINUTES YOU'LL EVER SPEND FOR YOUR NEW WEBSITE 1. Break up your business into 5-7 main areas/ elements/themes. These will become the main pages of your website.

2. Write down all the types of searches people might do in Google to find those areas of your business. Be as specific as you can within 3-4 words of each search.

3. Write up 200-300 words for each page on your website where the main 'theme' of the webpage is mentioned at about 5% of the total words.

4. Find some images to go with each page.

5. Hand it to your friendly neighbourhood web developer.

Folks you would be amazed how excruciatingly difficult some business people find it in trying to do this. IF you are one of those people at the very least do step 1.

HOW TO SAVE TIME AND MONEY WHEN PAYING FOR A WEBSITE (OR BUILDING ONE YOURSELF)

www.findability.com/"http://www.findability.com/

If anything I've never been busier and that’s because of you and the other guys great work.

Dave Kelly – Gippsland Home Inspections

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This is not something we amazingly dreamt up overnight. We owe a lot of our success to one person. OK being a Google Partner helps heaps but Heather Lutze is the person who showed us the way with 'The Findability Formula'. And guess what? It isn't new. She wrote this book in 2009 and we have followed these principles in building websites, setting up awesome SEO strategies and in structuring and managing Google Adwords campaigns for the past 8 years.

If you have the time, check out Heather's website here:

By the way. IT WORKS. This is what one customer sent to us while I was in the middle of putting this article together:

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WHAT'S OUR SECRET?

Better yet, Heather very generously gives her book away for FREE!

CHECK THIS LINK OUT

OR DOES IT SAY

www.findability.com/ findabilityformuladownload"http://www.findability. com/findabilityformuladownload

“Home Inspections Gippsland, We inspect your home for your peace of mind”

If you're thinking that the content is just there to meet SEO requirements, that's only a small part of the picture. We have to ensure that spelling and grammar are up to standard – we want your business to be as professional-looking as possible in the Google space. If the first impression a potential client gets from your website is that you don't care about how you present yourself, you've lost them at the first hurdle.

I guess what I am trying to say is that none of this is guess work. We don't just 'slap a website together' and more importantly neither should you. Spend the time to work with your web developer to create an awesome online presence.

Not to belittle the important contributions of our studio staff, but a given website lives and dies by its text content, as that is what the Google search engine 'reads' when indexing a site or producing search results for a user against a specific query.

Design considerations are important, make no mistake, and the 'WOW' factor is always something we aim to deliver in all our web builds.

Without text content, though, it's just a bunch of window dressing.

Reading this, you may well be thinking about a new website. If you are (and hopefully you may wish to talk to us first!), ask yourself the question: what do I want to say about my business online?

That's the starting point for the content on your website – and you can easily expand from there.

And that is really what it's about – expanding your business online with professional, customerfocused content.

LET ME LEAVE YOU WITH THIS Does your website say: 'We do all sorts of things, so if you are anyone or knows someone who's looking for something for everything and anything for someone, then give us a call.”

Servicing Gippsland home owners and buyers from Drouin through to Bairnsdale and throughout South Gippsland, the team at Gippsland Home Inspections will deliver your detailed written report, including photographs, within 24 hours of completing the inspection.

Regular readers of this awesome magazine will note that we have probably done this whole 'content' thing to death. Folks it really is important to get content happening for your business. It not only underpins what goes on your web pages but those 5-7 main areas can go on the back of your business card, form the basis on what you talk about when you are networking and even dictates what you post on Facebook. The importance of good content is not going to go away.

For a FREE evaluation of content on your website contact our studio and we'll get you on the right track.

Ph: 1800 774 119 Em: sales@imagedirect.com.au Jim Radford Image Direct Gippsland www.imagedirect.com.au About the author. Jim's Traralgon based company is Google AdWords Certified and Google Analytics Certified & has been building websites, managing SEO & Social Media in Gippsland for the past 8 years.

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Krystal with a Latrobe City Gift Card

LATROBE CITY BUSINESS TOURISM ASSOCIATION

By Wendy Morriss

The Latrobe Valley’s LCBTA is a not-for-profit organisation committed to providing positive leadership and support, marketing Latrobe City as a regional hub, supporting tourism in Central Gippsland and integrating local business. The Association coordinates and represents all businesses, organisations and individuals involved and interested in business and tourism in the local area.

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Krystal Kosakiewicz project officer with Darren Howe, proprietor of Seymour Street Newsagency in Traralgon where the cards are purchased

Two of the Associations major and successful projects are the annual ‘People’s Choice Award’ for small business and the ‘Latrobe City Gift Card’ program.

Krystal Kosakiewicz is project officer for the Latrobe City Business Tourism Association. Her main task is coordinating the ‘People’s Choice Award’. She does book keeping and runs the ‘Latrobe City Gift Card’ Program.

“We are committee run,” she said. “We meet once a month and we liaise with Latrobe City Council, Traralgon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Advance Morwell and Moe Traders. We work with these business groups to come up with ways to promote and enhance Latrobe City.

The Association’s ‘Latrobe City Gift Card’ Program was initially rolled out in 2014 by the Traralgon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, for businesses in Traralgon. LCBTA took over the program in December 2015 and opened it up to all Latrobe City businesses.

The versatile card designed to keep money circulating in the local area, can be given as a birthday present, Christmas present, to say thankyou, as a staff reward or bonus, or as a competition prize.

People can purchase the gift cards from Seymour Street Newsagency in Traralgon, Morwell Newspower and Furniture, Beds and More in Moe. The cards can then be redeemed at almost 100 participating businesses in Latrobe City.

Recipients can even spend some of the gift card balance at one store and then spend the rest at another.

“The card is a closed loop eftpos system so it works like a Coles Myer card. I think that’s the best way to explain how it works,” Krystal said.

“Businesses put the cards through their regular eftpos machine just like any other card. I have a card that I swipe through their machines beforehand to activate them so they can accept the gift cards. The money on the cards go directly to the businesses that the recipients purchases from.”

Darren Howe, proprietor of Seymour Street Newsagency in Traralgon has been involved in the gift card project since its inception and said he was really excited when it was initiated. “It goes really well particularly Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas but we sell them all year round.

People can preload them to any amount they want and they can be for anyone. It’s great for staff bonuses and the list of shops participating grows more every year. It keeps money circulating locally and that’s what I like about it.”

Photographs by Wendy Morriss

Krystal’s role involves visiting and selling the idea to more businesses, activating the eftpos machines, keeping the website updated with a list of participating businesses and organising seasonal promotions with the businesses involved.

“Currently all the businesses that do participate are various retail outlets from cafes to clothing shops but the card system is not limited to retail. If for example a plumber wanted to sign up they could. The scheme is open to anyone in business.”

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Highlights from last year’s Gala Award Night

LATROBE CITY

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

THE LCBTA’S MAJOR ANNUAL PROJECT, THE ‘PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD’ IS ONE THAT RECOGNISES SMALL BUSINESS AND EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE WITHIN LATROBE CITY. “As the name suggests, the participating businesses are voted for by the community and whoever has the most votes in their category wins. There are 18 categories so there will be 18 winners,” Krystal said.

She said so many people get involved and it gives small businesses a chance to win something and to be rewarded by their customers. They then know they have great customer service and they are providing something that people are valuing. “It’s very different to the usual business excellence awards. Many of those require putting in submissions and there is a lot involved.

“Voting is online and members of the community can go to the site and vote for the business they want in the category that business slots into.

This year we’ve added a drop down menu in the categories to make voting easier.”

With People’s Choice Awards, businesses aren’t nominated by us. All they have to do is find a customer that is happy with their service and encourage them to jump online and vote.”

The voting season is between April 1st and May 31st, when the voting closes. The finalists are announced and notified a few days afterwards.

“We generally have three finalists in each category depending on votes. If there’s a draw then there would be four finalists. Each one is awarded a certificate that they can display in their store or shop window.”

The winners are announced and presented with a trophy at the ‘Gala Award Night’ on Tuesday July 18th at the Premiere Function Centre in Traralgon.

She said they also have a ‘Hall of Fame Award’ that goes to anyone that has won three consecutive years in the same category. They don’t participate then for another two years, which gives someone else more opportunity.

People’s Choice Awards began in 2010 with 208 businesses nominated in six different categories.

In 2015, the awards attracted nominations for 513 businesses in 14 categories and four additional categories were added in 2016.

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“The more businesses we have participating, the more we can segregate them into more defined categories.” Krystal said. “We now have ‘hairdressers and beauty’ in one, ‘cafes and bakeries’ in one and ‘restaurants’ in one etc.

Because we can split them up more, we don’t for example have hairdressers competing with restaurants. Last year we also introduced ‘homebased and mobile businesses’ category and ‘new business – established less than 12 months’ category, which gives new businesses coming into the area a bit of a boost.”

This year’s major sponsor is Latrobe City Council.

Their Digital Media Partner is TRFM radio and other sponsors are Australian Paper, Carpet Country, Cool Group, Danae Commercial Photo Video, Destination Gippsland, Gippsland Printers, Gippsland Solar, Hip Pocket Latrobe, Latrobe Valley Express, Latrobe Valley Drafting, Morwell Bowling Club, Valentina Flowers, Work Solutions Gippsland and Latrobe Valley Information Centre.

“It’s really good, it’s exciting and we all look forward to the awards night,” she said. “It’s a gala night so everyone gets dressed up and we have a great time. “ For more information visit: www.lcbta.org.au Photographs by Danae Photography, Traralgon

Last year’s People’s Choice Award winners and finalists

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RECRUITMENT SERVICE SUCCESS

GBS Recruitment based in Traralgon with offices in Sale, Melbourne and Warragul is Gippsland's foremost private recruitment agency offering permanent and temporary staff, labour hire and outplacement services across the region.

Recruitment is a challenging industry yet GBS has had staggering success and will shortly move its base office to new larger premises in Post Office Place, Traralgon.

By Wendy Morriss

Directors of GBS Recruitment Juli Halton and Rob Darby

After 23 years of producing hugely successful results for clients and candidates, Juli Halton, director and founder of the company is now taking more time away from the business and handing the day to day operating to skilled and experienced director, general manager and business partner Rob Darby.

Juli started the business in 1994 in Warragul, initially as a secretarial service and called it Gippsland Business Support. She said at the time, people kept asking her to do temporary work for them so she decided to make the business a temp agency, which was successful and it became ‘GBS Recruitment’.

In 1997, she moved the business to Traralgon where she negotiated a large company contract for casuals and from there it continued to grow.

Rob joined the company in 2011 as a senior consultant and three years later he became General Manager.

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“When Rob and I started talking two years ago about him buying into the company, the timing was perfect for me,” Juli said.

worked for a small manufacturing company in Drouin. “It took me ages to get a job because I’d worked in so many places and my resume in those days was like 37 pages long,” she said.

“After more than two decades, I was ready to move out of the business more and just do bits and pieces. It’s a really great successful company and Rob has taken it forward in leaps and bounds.”

I finally got a job and I absolutely loved it but then the company focus changed, so I decided to just leave and do something on my own. I had a background with experience in marketing, advertising and public relations, which I loved but I’d never run a business, I just gave it a go. I’d done some temp work before in Melbourne but I’d never run a temp agency. I decided to get serious about it though and put out some flyers.

Rob, who is originally from the UK and now married with two children, a house in Traralgon, and a dog, said it was the perfect time for him to become firmly entrenched in the very well networked, well run and well established private company.

A few years before starting her business, Juli moved to West Gippsland with her husband and

“The manager of 3GG radio station in Warragul saw one of my flyers and gave me my first big break. He offered me rent free space with power and phone in their sales office if I did some typing and manned the phones for their sales people.

It was great but then I had to start interviewing people and start selling myself.

Some of the skilled and amiable GBS staff working in Traralgon

My first job was a three-week secretarial position for the old Buln Buln Shire. My very first temp was Jannine and we are still friends today.

“It was all a bit of gut feel then and I had some terrific successes. People were wonderful and I discovered I had a bit of a flair for sales. When I moved the office to Traralgon I had one other staff member and now we have 15 fantastic skilled staff in our company.”

Rob worked previously in the UK and later in Australia for private companies as a specialist recruiter recruiting professionals in education, medicine and sport with high qualifications. He said at GBS, recruitment is generically across the field, which along with learning about the industries in the region, government recruitment and tenders has been a great learning experience.

“The way the company has developed has now allowed Juli to watch it from afar but whenever there is a need to discuss certain challenging situations, which we always have in recruitment, we will still talk about it at length and come to a decision together.”

Juli said there aren’t many times they disagree but when they do Rob is very calm. Rob said he sees that as part of a recruiter’s skill.

“You’ve got to see the positive in every situation and try and come to a productive outcome rather than a negative one so whatever the issue is, you’ve got to fix it. It’s what the first manager I worked with in the UK taught me – to always think outside the square and try to get round any situation.”

Juli said the industry has changed and clients now have more opportunities to source staff than just recruitment agencies. “We are up against a lot of different competition but it always comes back to the fact that we are dealing with people and that’s important. Our clients and our candidates are human and they have to match and work together.

“After all these years I still get a huge buzz when someone rings me and says that a candidate has secured a job or Rob rings to say we won that tender or we just got 30 jobs we have to fill. The thing I still love hearing the most is one of our consultants ringing someone and saying guess what – you got the job. It’s just fabulous,” she said. “Those are the things I miss.”

For more information visit: www.gbsrecruitment.com.au Photographs by Wendy Morriss

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Since 1994, GBS has provided both temporary and permanent recruitment services to a wide range of businesses across Gippsland. We deliver a tailored service to reflect the individual needs to each of our clients.

With access to candidates throughout Gippsland, nationally and internationally, combined with rapid turn-around times, we can address your recruitment needs quickly and effectively.

Specialist Consultants in Commercial and Industrial Recruitment Services.

HEAD OFFICE TRARALGON Level 1/41 Grey Street TRARALGON VIC 3844 [03] 5174 2665

IN JULY WE ARE MOVING TO Suite 2 / Level 1 7-13 Post Office Place, TRARALGON VIC 3844

GBS provides unique payroll outsourced services encompassing the management of Super, Workcover, Payroll Tax and general Payroll of your employees, freeing you up to focus on your core business operations.

WEST GIPPSLAND OFFICE 6 Endeavour Street WARRAGUL VIC 3820 [03] 5623 1883

EAST GIPPSLAND OFFICE 134 Raymond Street SALE VIC 3850 [03] 5144 2344

www.gbsrecruitment.com.au | info@gbsrecruitment.com.au

MELBOURNE OFFICE 3/43 Railway Road BLACKBURN VIC 3130

WINE DOWN BAR AT COFFEE CORNER NOW HAS MOVIE-NIGHT ON THE 2ND THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH.

With the big screen (5m x 4m) outside if the weather is fine or indoors on a big screen if it rains.

******** WELCOME DRINK, DINNER-PACK AND MOVIE JUST $25.00 ********

& WINE DOWN BAR MOVIE-NIGHT

It’s best to book with Clare on

03 5174 6955 as we are limited to 40 people and it makes it easier for us for catering. As soon as we post the movie on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/winedownbaratcoffeecorner you can secure your seat.

Drive thru or sit in for coffee, toastie and orange juice.

Mon-Wed 5.00am-5.00pm Thurs-Fri 5.00am-9.30pm Sat-Sun 6.00am-3.00pm

Great movies we have had are: “Casablanca” with Humphrey and Ingrid, “Rocky Horror” with Janet Planet, “Blues Brothers” with Mini-the-Moocher, a classic Hitchcock “Rear Window” and for June it’s “Grease”. Can you believe it “Grease” was first released as a movie 39 years ago. You can book now.

TAPAS BAR, TAPAS IS COMPLIMENTARY WITH EACH DRINK, OUTDOOR AREA WITH BIG SCREEN TV FUNCTIONS, BUSINESS PRESENTATIONS, BIRTHDAYS, ANY EXCUSE FOR A PARTY!

BOOK NOW! VISIT US AT www.facebook.com/winedownbaratcoffeecorner you can secure your seat or call Clare on 03 5174 6955

CNR OF PRINCES HWY AND CHURCH ST, TRARALGON 3844 PHONE: (03) 5176 4970 thelifestyle winter 2017

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gippsland printers Gippsland Printers is a Century old offset printer with a factory in Churchill and a business centre in Traralgon. The business began life as the Morwell Advertiser in the late 1800’s eventually splitting to focus on commercial work in the 1960’s. During the 1980’s, the business began to cement itself as a major trade supplier to the eastern seaboard of Australia specialising in multi part docket books and forms. A narrow web printing press was sourced from Germany to help make the manufacturing plant a niche market provider.

Printing is wide and varied, and today represents the largest employer group within the manufacturing sector. Nearly everywhere you look, you will see some type of printed image.

From the sign on a tradie’s van, to the business card in the console, to the Tax Invoice book in the glovebox. Print plays a big part in the day to day running of many businesses. As technology improves, some types of print disappear, and others become stronger.

Gippsland Printers recently installed the latest Konica C1070 Bizhub Digital printing press. In conjunction with the Canon IPF 750 Wide Format Printer, they can both service the short run market for posters, banners and brochures. Meanwhile, their traditional printing presses provide the trade market with some of the largest docket book runs in the country. Because the company has invested in its equipment, this can all be done inhouse and ensure that their employment remains

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Jodie Trease, Operations Manager based at Traralgon says, “I began with Gippsland Printers over 20 years ago, and feel that I have great flexibility in my client dealings simply by having access to the printing plant and knowing what I can and cannot promise. Many of my competitors outsource their work to printers outside of Gippsland and even overseas. They are simply one in a number, where I can manipulate our operations to suit a client’s request.”

localised. There are very few print plants still surviving in Gippsland that can match that power.

Troy Judkins, director of Gippsland Printers says, “I get great enjoyment from showing people around our factory. They are always surprised when they realise the size and the amount of equipment we have. Our 10,000 square feet of floorspace is filled with 2 reel fed presses, 5 sheet fed presses, 3 guillotines and a mass of support items. Our visitors understand how much is required to maintain a real offset printing factory.”

In 2011, Gippsland Printers took over the operations of LV Printers in Traralgon. LV Printers had a long and proud history, especially around Traralgon and opened up opportunity for the manufacturing plant to take on different types of work, whilst giving local businesses access to deal direct with the actual producer of their print.

Gippsland Printers are proud of their place in the Latrobe Valley. They have supported and sponsored many causes including the Big Blokes BBQ, our Relay for life team – Misprints, the People’s Choice Awards, The Latrobe Hospital Annual Ball, as well as countless smaller events, festivals, sporting clubs and happenings.

Director Peter Ceeney says, “we employ 20 local people, we live locally and we believe that we need to keep investing in our region to make it stronger and to give our kids the same opportunities that we had. Print, like many industries is experiencing transition, as technology closes some of our traditional markets. Our aim is to find new markets, find new technologies, find new processes, and offer our staff employment well into the future.”

Images and words by Gippsland Printers

HuntingDogTrainer

RUSSELL WHITECHURCH Words by Lisa Maatsoo

By Lisa Maatsoo

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Russell Whitechurch from Traralgon is considered one of Australia’s best retriever dog trainers. With his black Retriever Labradors, he has won a total of five national championships, the last three of which have been consecutive.

gun, and via a serious of commands they are directed to retrieve the birds. The sport tests the success of the handler in delivering instructions, and it assesses the dogs for their level of control, memory and agility.

The Australian Championships are held in September each year, with the 2016 event held in Young, NSW. From a starting field of approximately thirty dogs, only six successfully completed all of the tasks set over the three-day competition.

For each run at a competition, a task is set by the judge of the day. This could include either two or three birds that need to be retrieved individually, each of which could be sighted by the dog or they could be in a ‘blind’ location.

Russell’s most experienced dog called Chief came out on top, and his young pup in training Maggie finishing third. With the high level of competition, having two dogs finish in the top three was an outstanding achievement. Maggie is the daughter of Chief, and with her performances thus far, she shows great potential to succeed her mum as Russell’s champion dog.

In a bygone era, game hunting was an integral part of ensuring a family had food on the table.

Dogs were used to retrieve the fallen birds and return them in good condition for a meal. A competition started between hunters to trial who had the best retrieving dog.

Today, the spirit of this historical activity involves the simulation of duck hunting. The process of ‘marking’ requires the dog handler to fire blank shots in the direction of the fallen prey. The retriever dogs learn to follow the direction of the

The handler must guide their dog to travel via the most direct route to the bird, using a series of voice, whistle and hand commands.

Several decoys or other obstacles are included in each run to further test communication within the team of handler and dog.

The team start each run with 65 points, and for errors made, points are deducted until the task is complete. Deductions may include disobeying or incorrectly responding to commands, not collecting the birds in the tasked order, or returning the bird in a state that is not ‘fit for table’.

Whilst there is no time limit set for each run, the task must be completed in reasonable time frame. The sport can be tactical and strategic

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in many ways, with experienced handlers using wind conditions and other elements on the course to their advantage. Retriever Labradors have a natural ability to learn and respond to commands. This together with Russell’s calm personality has enabled a strong connection to develop through training, which has translated to the success of his team.

The photos featured within this article were taken at the Easter Trial held 14th to 16th April 2017 at the Heart Morass State Game Reserve near Sale.

Russell competed with both Chief and Maggie, with a rarely awarded Certificate of Merit earned

by Chief for exceptional work over the three runs completed on Easter Friday.

The event was hosted by the Gippsland Retrieving Club where Russell is actively involved. He assists in teaching and mentoring members who want to learn more about training their retriever dogs.

The club is fortunate to benefit from Russell’s extensive experience.

For the last 30 years, Russell has worked as a turbine driver at Australian Paper in Maryvale.

When not at work, his time is spent training both dogs and pigeons.

On a five acre property on the outskirts of Traralgon, he has built a loft enclosure for the 200 or so homing pigeons he trains for competition.

The birds are released up to 750 miles from home and over several days race back to their base.

HuntingDogTrainer

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An electronic pad system clocks their time and distance, which converts to a velocity value from which the birds are ranked and scored. Russell is well recognised in both sports of gun dog retrieving and pigeon racing, and he should be congratulated on the success he has consistently achieved at a national level.

Photographs by Lisa Maatsoo

TRARALGON DEPOT “By the tank or tanker full Evans delivers”

BP Service Stations Fish Creek

2 Falls Road, Fish Creek, Vic 3959 Tel/Fax: 5683 2521 Email: fishcreek@evanspetroleum.com.au

Foster

94 Main Street, Foster, Vic 3960 Tel/Fax: 5682 2008 Email: foster@evanspetroleum.com.au

Inverloch

25 Williams Street, Inverloch, Vic 3996 Tel/Fax: 5674 1442 Email: inverloch@evanspetroleum.com.au

Johnsonville

1760 Princes Highway, Johnsonville, Vic 3902 Office/Fax: 5156 4102 Workshop: 5156 4233 Email: johnsonville@evanspetroleum.com.au

Korumburra

2-8 Commercial Street, Korumburra, Vic 3950 Tel/Fax: 5655 1668 Email: korumburra@evanspetroleum.com.au

Leongatha

Evans Petroleum purchased and began operating the BP Traralgon Depot in Shakespeare Street in February of 2013 following an invitation from BP Australia to become the Authorised Distributor for fuels and Castrol Lubricants to the wider Gippsland area. This strategic shift in fuel companies fitted in extremely well with the other depots already in operation at Leongatha and Sale, giving the Evans Petroleum Group a strong coverage to provide expected service levels to the region, which has always been the focus of the company.

Backed by strong brands, the staff at the Traralgon Depot have strived to provide quality products at competitive prices coupled with the service reliability to the industrial, farming and transport customers of the Latrobe Valley and beyond, with the staff growing from three to six over the four year period.

The Traralgon Depot stocks for retail and wholesale trade the full range of BP and Castrol Lubricants, Ultimate and traditional diesel and Unleaded petrol through its 24 hour retail service, as well as a strong delivery service of BP Fuels to our wholesale customers from the rigid tankers located at the depot.

The staff is led by Depot Manager Tim Roscoe, who along with fuel delivery driver Kevin Siddle, have a long association with the BP/Castrol brands, while Shaun Ward has taken up a new role in administration at the depot using his vast knowledge of the trading area and our customers. Kevin Taylor handles the day to day deliveries of lubricants while new chums to the team, Chris Watson and Phil Weller, will be assisting with the ever increasing demand for fuel deliveries to our customer base in their driver roles.

95 Bair Street, Leongartha, Vic 3953 Tel/Fax: 5662 2440 Email: leongatha@evanspetroleum.com.au

Muddy Creek

26 Foster Road, Toora, Vic 3962 Tel/Fax: 5686 2324 Email: toora@evanspetroleum.com.au

Newmerella

5327 Princes Highway, Newmerella, Vic 3886 Tel/Fax: 5154 1601 Email: newmerella@evanspetroleum.com.au

Ridgway

106 Ridgway, Mirboo North, Vic 3871 Tel/Fax: 5668 2377 Email: mirboo@evanspetroleum.com.au

Sale

344 Raglan Street, Sale, Vic 3850 Tel: 5143 1030 Fax: 5143 2686 Email: sale@evanspetroleum.com.au

Traralgon

23-29 Shakespeare Street, Traralgon, VIC 3844 Tel: 5174 1138 Email: Tim@evanspetroleum.com.au

Ad Blue has become an in demand product to the trucking and farming market and the recent introduction of Ad Blue at the pump has been welcomed by the market which is coupled with deliveries of 1000 litre IBC’s, 200 and 10 litre drums where required. The necessity to sell VDA approved products has led us to partner with the GO Blue brand to formulate Evans Ad Blue and ensure the quality of the product we sell.

Westside

Why not call into the depot and test our customer service or contact us through the Evans Website at www.evanspetroleum.com.au and we will send a representative to see you at your site.

WESTSIDE IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED WITH A NEW BP SERVICE STATION BEING BUILT ON THIS SITE

7 Anderson Street, Leongatha, VIC 3953 Tel/Fax: 5662 2834 Email: westside@evanspetroleum.com.au

Wonthaggi

103-105 McKenzie Street, Wonthaggi, Vic 3995 Tel: 5672 3988 Fax: 5672 5229 Email: wonthaggi@evanspetroleum.com.au

Yarram

325 Commercial Street, Yarram, Vic 3971 Tel: 5182 6019 Fax: 5182 6458 Email: yarram@evanspetroleum.com.au Shaun Ward – Assistant Depot Manager

Evans Petroleum Head Office 22 Hughes Street, Leongatha Vic 3953 Tel: 5662 2217 Web: www.evanspetroleum.com.au

DRIFFIELD a community switched off

By Lyn Skillern

A drive through the Strzelecki Ranges from the Latrobe Valley to South Gippsland is that less memorable due to the loss of the rural area known as Driffield.

This community, located approximately 16 kilometres south-west of Morwell, developed in the nineteenth century and for thousands of years was the land of the Gunaikurnai people.

Their idyllic lifestyle changed forever with the coming of the Europeans in the 1840s. Little did the families of these early settlers realize that their own idyllic pastoralist lifestyle would be changed

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by the increasing demand for electricity in the industrial expansion of the twentieth century.

Following the discovery of the Gippsland plains

by Angus McMillan and Paul Strzelecki, the pastoral occupation of “Gipps Land� as it was originally called, was very swift. In 1843 the entire district was proclaimed a squatting district. This gave pastoralists the right to occupy large tracts of land for an annual licence fee of 10 pounds per run. In 1847 squatters were able to buy 640 acres of their lease and thus have greater security of tenure.

Port Albert was the port of entry to Gippsland. The squatters shipped their cattle and wool from this port and there was a valuable market for live cattle across Bass Strait in Tasmania.

The squatters gave names to their runs and many of these names remain in the Latrobe Valley today.

Edmund Hobson took up the Traralgon Run in 1844 the same year as James Rintoul occupied the Loy Yang Run. In 1847 John Reeve occupied

Scarne Run on the north bank of the Latrobe. The Merton Rush Run, which was bounded by the Latrobe and Morwell rivers and Wilderness and Narracan creeks, was taken up by Henry Scott in 1846.

The squatters’ hold on the land came to an end after the selection acts were passed in Victoria from 1862 to 1869. With the increase in population during the gold rush of the 1850s and 1860s there came a demand for more farmland to become available.

New forms of intensive agriculture were needed to further develop Victoria. Former gold miners and others could select 320 acres of land and set up small-scale enterprises such as dairy farms.

Selectors started arriving in the Latrobe Valley area in 1865 and by 1875 a railway made selection even more attractive and a Lands Office opened in Traralgon.

Gradually the squatters lost all but their 640 acres and the land was cleared, fenced, homes built and communities established. These small communities usually had a hall, a church, a tennis court and a school. Selection led to the development of most of Gippsland, it led to dairying and dairy processing and formed much of the familiar Gippsland landscape we cherish.

Samuel Vary, the last squatter to occupy Merton Rush Run, gave the name Driffield to his selection of 640 acres. Driffield was the name the town in Yorkshire from which the Vary family emigrated.

Selection brought other families to Driffield and of course there were children who needed a school.

The first Driffield school opened in November 1881 in a portable building with living quarters for the teacher. The initial attendance was 21 but this declined to 10 in 1902 and the school became a half-time school with Hazelwood Ridge. This meant the teacher spent half a week at each school.

This school was destroyed by fire in 1905 in the bushfires raging in the district that summer. It was not re-established until 1923 with classes being held in the Driffield Hall, used then as a hall, church and school. Poor enrolments caused closure again in August 1931. It reopened for the school year in 1940, first in the Driffield hall, and then in its own school building on the last site to be used for a school in March 1946.

A residence was provided in 1951. The children of Driffield performed their last Christmas concert the night before school break-up day in 1982. The school, central to the community life for 100 years, closed for good.

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Over the years the people of Driffield established a caring and cooperative community. They came together to construct tennis courts, run the CFA and help each other with harvests.

The State Electricity Commission had big plans to build a new power station in the Hazelwood area. It had been known for decades that vast deposits of brown coal existed underneath the Driffield farming area. By 1959 the Hazelwood Power Station was being built and some farms were purchased to enable the SEC to change the course of the Morwell River. Four kilometres of the river, once a vital resource for the farmers of Driffield, were diverted around the open cut through a concrete pipe. This productive land along the river flats was lost. More farmland was purchased to expand the open cut. In 1980 the SEC made plans to develop a new coalfield at Driffield and open two Loy Yang size power stations.

Photos courtesy of Leonie Pryde nee Bond

Photos courtesy of Leonie Pryde nee Bond

Photos courtesy of Leonie Pryde nee Bond

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The following letter was sent to the editor of the Latrobe Valley Express.

“Today is the last day I will see Driffield.

I no longer see the haunts of my childhood, the Wilderness Creek, the tall eucalypt by the bridge, the well cared for cattle grazing on fine pasture, my school, the Driffield Hall and the old cork tree that marked the spot where gran and granddad’s house once stood, my father’s birth place.

All gone, replaced by the construction/destruction site.

Houses have been burnt down, others left standing bereft with no windows or doors, their beautiful gardens neglected.

And for what?

Providing the rest of the state with more power, to create more harmful greenhouse gases and feed the hungry electricity grid.

My dad would say, with a quiet sigh, that’s progress.

But is it?

Driffield was a strong, vibrant, supportive community. The farms were well managed and productive, some supporting over the years up to four generations of the same families.

What value is a self sufficient supportive community?

What does it produce?

Well many of us met in October 2006 to reflect on our past and to try to imagine the devastation that was about to occu in our community.

There we were, three generations of Driffield families, many of us have left, but the legacy of an early life that provided us with the confidence and skills to make a contribution still remains A group of effective people, achieving in our chosen fields more than we would have anticipated, growing up in the safe, inclusive, supportive community where we gained knowledge and life skills from those around us.

This is what strong communities produce, well-adjusted, hard working citizens who know how to participate in all aspects of professional, family and community life.

What is more valuable, feeding the grid or strong communities?

Rest in peace Driffield and know that the community spirit we gained as we lived and worked together is still carried in our hearts and minds.”

Carol Blair (Bond) Letter to the editor Latrobe Valley Express Thursday 27 March 2008

Photos courtesy of Leonie Pryde nee Bond

This project required a massive diversion of the Morwell River and the final obliteration of Driffield and the lower reaches of the valley.

Times and governments change and the big plans were abandoned and the power stations sold to private companies.

In 2000, the owners of the privatised Hazelwood power station announced plans to extend the open cut to the west, severely affecting the farms in Driffield. The plan involved rerouting the Strzelecki Highway which went past the hall, tennis courts and school further to the west. The Morwell River was to be diverted again but this time it was to flow in a more natural environment.

Farms were purchased and the community destroyed as people left the area. Those used to seeing the tennis courts and the cream brick farmhouse behind them saw it all fall into disrepair. In 2006 the school building was moved away, the realignment of the highway began and the farmhouses destroyed.

Hazelwood has provided electricity for half a century but was the expansion into Driffield necessary? With the closure of Hazelwood in April this year we could well ask was all the destruction necessary, given that the extensive new mining developments did not occur.

Acknowledgements: The Driffield Memorial on the Strzelecki Highway.

The Latrobe Valley Heritage Study Volume 1 Leonie Pryde (nee Bond)

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WEST GIPPSLAND CATCHMENT MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY Ian and Gay Cornthwaite at their nursery.

Some people just know what they are meant to do, right from the word go.

Ian Cornthwaite started his first plant nursery when he was nine years old and by the age of 14, he was selling plants to passers-by and had a nursery sign on the roadside shed.

With initial help from his parents, Ian started a fulltime nursery at the age of 21.

“Right from my primary school days I was passionate about protecting the bush. I used to refuse to hoe out the Mountain Ash seedlings when helping my father with weeding on the farm,” Ian says.

It is no surprise then, that Ian and his wife Gay have been members of the Allambee Community Landcare Group since its inception about 20 years ago, and are also members of the Mount Worth Landcare Group.

“Ian was raised here and has lived on the property, or nearby, for 51 of his 55 years,” Gay explains.

“We helped initiate our Landcare Group in response to unreasonable logging practices among old-growth Mountain Ash forest at Allambee Reserve, and also to bring locals together with the aim of promoting environmental awareness, weed control, sustainable farming practices, and to help provide a social connect.”

Over the years, the couple has been part of numerous local Landcare projects, principally via South Gippsland Landcare Network, and have been involved in community projects, such as the Possum Hollow tennis courts rehabilitation and Mount Worth walking track repairs.

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“We have provided more than two million trees and understorey to projects overseen by organisations such as the Landcare networks, catchment management authorities, Greening Australia, Melbourne Water, Gippslandcare, shires, businesses and private landholders,” Ian says.

“We are both passionate and determined conservationists and are continuing in our longterm project of fencing off and regenerating all of our gully catchments, swampy areas, landslips and partially forested areas – about 50 acres in total.

“We have planted about 50,000 trees and understorey to date and have plans to create more strategic fencelines and incorporate additional shelterbelts as well.”

“The future of environmental awareness will continue to grow due to necessity. It does not take a genius to realise that the environmental stresses the billions of humans on this earth create are serious and have long-lasting and increasing effects,” Ian says.

Equally as passionate and dedicated is one of the founding members of the Tanjil Valley Landcare Group Martin Slate.

Martin, an organic beef producer at Fumina South has been involved with Landcare for about 27 years, starting when he became one of the founding members of the Tanjil Valley Landcare Group.

“I thought it would be good to get the community back into looking after the land, because a lot of country in our area had been cleared, and some of the steep sections never should have been,” Martin said.

“It was a case of planting some trees up and trying to restore the land back to what it was. And trying to make things a bit more sustainable. We started out with tree planting projects, planting up erosion areas and along waterways.”

However, Martin said one of the Tanjil Valley Landcare Group’s greatest achievements has been moving away from a focus on projects that centred on individual properties, to ones that have a broader benefit for the entire community.

“We’ve become involved in looking after a walking track around the Blue Rock Lake, at Willow Grove,” he said.

“We have been planting up the native vegetation around the perimeter of the walk, with the aim of attracting more birds and wildlife. And it provides another recreation option. People can go for a walk in an area where they are already swimming, boating and fishing”.

Twenty-seven years on, Martin is the longest serving Landcare member in the Tanjil Valley Group, and still has a strong belief in the organisation.

“Landcare is just the right thing to do, I think,” he said.

“It can only benefit the natural environment. Our wildlife certainly appreciate the planting of native species, and it benefits landholders with shade and shelter, which is good for livestock.

THE LANDCARE GREEN CARPET AWARDS Martin Slate, founding member of the Tanjil Valley Landcare Group.

Ian Cornthwaite dwarfed by one of the amazing shelterbelts on his property. .

“The plantings also stabilise land that has been cleared in unsuitable areas.”

Martin said Landcare has significant social benefits too: “It brings you together with like-minded people, all who are wanting to leave the place in better condition than it was in when they started out”.

“You go to meetings and listen to stories from the older people about what used to go on, and you are learning about how the land used to be, and what it needs.”

Martin believes Landcare has a good future – as long as it can attract a youthful membership to complement its more experienced members.

On 30 April Ian and Gay Cornthwaite and Martin Slate were recognised as part of the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority’s Green Carpet Landcare Awards.

Watering at Allambee Reserve

The Landcare Green Carpet Awards are held every two years to honour and celebrate local Landcare legends who have led the way in improving Gippsland’s environment. This year’s Green Carpet also coincides with the celebration of 30 years of Landcare in Victoria.

The Landcare Green Carpet Awards are funded through the Victorian Government’s Regional Landcare Program.

Photographs and references courtesy of WGCMA

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ALICIA

GARDINER Talent On Show Playing the country girl comes naturally to Thorpdale’s own Alicia Gardiner and helped launch her successful career in the Australian entertainment industry.

Words: Chris West

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Performing began as child’s play for Alicia and from an early age her first loves were singing and dancing.

Born in Melbourne, Alicia grew up on small farmlet in Thorpdale on about ten acres. She was just an infant when her family moved to the Latrobe Valley for her dad’s work at Loy Yang. Initially, they lived in Traralgon before relocating the short distance to Thorpdale.

Alicia discovered the joy of expression through sound and movement at an early age. She smiles at the memory of special times spent with her childhood friends the Hughes sisters on their nearby dairy farm.

“We would put on shows and sing to the cows with plastic tubing as a microphone,” Alicia recalls.

Those were the days of Young Talent Time and Alicia and her friends were girls who wanted to sing their hearts out and entertain just like the up and coming stars they watched on the television every week.

“My interest in performing definitely originated from those early years in Thorpdale,” Alicia comments.

“Dad was the President of the local football club and as part of their social activities they would put on revues at the clubrooms and town hall. As a young girl, I loved watching those shows. It was all a bit wild and there were really no rules!”

Dancing was Alicia’s main focus for several years after she began attending dance classes in the local hall at Thorpdale from a pre-school age. She also began singing lessons with Sharon Poole.

After reaching her teens, she then progressed to appearing in an amateur theatre show in Warragul as her interest widened.

“The director there took me under his wing and encouraged me to travel to Melbourne more often to see some professional shows and expand my horizons,” she remembers.

Alicia was about fifteen when her family moved again to Mirboo North, where her mum owned and operated a hairdressing salon. At seventeen, Alicia then made a life-changing decision when she came to Melbourne to study music. She enrolled at the Victorian College of the Arts to study classical voice and graduated with a Bachelor of Performance degree, majoring in Voice.

After arriving in Melbourne, Alicia was fortunate to receive tutelage from influential drama teacher Charles Slucki, a man who became her mentor and dear friend. She was left devastated by his sudden passing in December 2015.

“Charles was an extraordinary person who made a huge difference to so many people’s lives,” Alicia says.

“He took me under his wing when I came to Melbourne. We became close friends and his loss has left a huge gap, which I still feel today.

Every time I get a new script, I instinctively go to call him for advice like I always did. He was there for all the successes and all the failures – it’s very strange not having him here but I’m blessed for the time I did have.”

Although Alicia had set out to pursue her singing ambitions in Melbourne, drama began to take a lead role. She studied for a Bachelor of Performing Arts at Monash University, majoring in Drama, and was half way towards attaining that degree when she received an unexpected call from the ABC. “They were looking for a country girl to play alongside Ben Mendelsohn in a television miniseries called Queen Kat, Carmel and St. Jude.

It was fortunate that Charles Slucki knew the casting agent and put my name forward,” she explains.

Alicia won the lead role of Carmel McCaffrey, which allowed her the opportunity to utilise her singing talents. She has also been able to showcase her vocal ability on several other occasions throughout her career. Although acting

was to become Alicia’s focus, singing never moved completely into the shadows.

“I was in bands for about fifteen years and was involved with cappella groups and percussion ensembles,” she says.

Alicia also spent two years as a cast member in the Australian production of stage show MAMMA MIA! from 2001 to 2002.

“I played the role of Ali, a friend of Sophie, the girl getting married. Eight shows a week can be challenging but it’s just what we do! It was a fantastic experience,” she comments.

Her other stage performances include Moliere’s play Love is the Best Doctor in 2002.

Having taken a long break from the world of musical theatre, Alicia is excited to be turning back the clock in the role of ‘ROSIE’ in the new production of MAMMA MIA!, which will commence later this year.

“It’s a fantastic role – lots of big songs, lots of movement! I’m looking forward to it,” she states.

“In a beautiful twist, I’m going to be joined on stage by one of my original MAMMA MIA! cast mates – Natalie O’Donnell. We played best friends in the show back then, sixteen years ago, and our latest characters ‘DONNA’ and ‘ROSIE’ are also best friends.”

Following her breakthrough acting role on Queen Kat, Carmel and St. Jude in 1998, Alicia completed her tertiary studies in Drama and proceeded to steadily build an impressive list of television credits. She has since appeared in a number of prominent Australian programs including Halifax f.p., Redfern Now, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Jack Irish, Last Man Standing, Kath & Kim, Dogwoman, The Secret Life of Us and Offspring.

She also played ‘JANINE’, a policewoman in the recent mini series Wolf Creek, which was made for streaming service Stan.

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“It was something different for me. We filmed in some incredible places and the thing about Wolf Creek is that the characters have quite a lot of quirky elements to them. I am most interested in characters who have layers that you can peel back,” she explains.

Alicia also took on a challenging role in the 2015 film Downriver, which was directed by Grant Scicluna.

“The movie had quite heavy subject matter, but from the moment I met Grant, I knew I had to do it,” she says.

“My character was a mother whose son had been abducted. It was a harrowing role and one I was very glad to play.”

Alicia’s performances over the past two decades have established her as one of the local industry’s most dependable and versatile performers. But it is her enduring role as gossipy nurse Kim Akerholt in Offspring that has given Alicia the most recognition and raised her profile amongst mainstream audiences.

“Before I auditioned I had read the script and thought it was a bit wacky with all the flashbacks.

I don’t think I’d read anything like it but I absolutely loved it,” she recalls.

Unlike many others in her profession, Alicia has been fortunate to have been able to find enough regular acting work to sustain a steady income stream throughout her career.

“I’ve just chipped away for the past twenty years really,” she suggests modestly.

“Yes, there has been quieter times when the phone hasn’t rung constantly, but I’ve never had to go and get another type of job. I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

Alicia is managed by Jacinta Waters and Michael Topple at Creative Representation who also represent this year’s Gold Logie winner Samuel Johnson amongst many other notable and talented performers.

“We are great friends as well as professional colleagues,” she says.

The seventh season of the award-winning comedy/drama is presently in production in Melbourne and will soon be aired on the Ten network. Nurse Kim has been a mainstay of the show since the first series.

Having shown she is equally capable in comedy and drama, Alicia is keen to push herself to take on new challenges.

“I have a really great time playing Kim. It’s great fun on the set,” Alicia says.

“One of the beauties of this job is that you don’t know what is around the next corner.”

“I’ve got friends who are nurses and they often jokingly say that’s exactly what they’re like at work, sitting behind a desk enjoying a cup of coffee but then, at any given moment, things turn and they are delivering babies and saving lives.

This role, despite the humour behind it, has really given me a greater appreciation of the incredible work that nurses do. I am in awe of them.”

Alicia is happy to offer some words of wisdom to any aspiring actors.

Kim has become a multi-faceted character as the show has progressed. She can be mischievous and funny, forthright and direct, but she also has a soft side where she is loving, supportive and at times shows vulnerability herself. Alicia appreciates the freedom she has to add her own touches to the role.

“When I started in series one, Kim wasn’t flushed out as a character as much as she is now. That’s just evolved over time,” she explains.

Alicia believes the key to Offspring’s success has been the writing, which she describes as incredible, and the ability of the producers to connect the right ensemble.

“If I think something’s not playing right, we can talk about it and if necessary put things in or take things out. It’s ok for me to improvise ... sometimes!” she notes.

Even to land the nurse Kim role, Alicia had to improvise her way through an audition.

“Kate Dennis (director) and Imogen Banks (producer) asked me to improvise quite a bit in the first audition. They wanted to see how far I could take it and I can tell you I really went out there. We all ended up in hysterics,” she laughs.

Alicia says that when the opportunity on Offspring came up she knew the show had something different, but had no idea it was going to be as big as it has ended up.

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“I don’t ever want to get bored,” she insists.

“The advice I would give is that you have to put yourself out there and be prepared to take risks,” she says.

“Amateur theatre is a great breeding ground for performers in rural areas and there’s even a lot to be said for doing work experience at local TV stations for those pursuing acting, or newspapers in the case of writers.

There are still opportunities to get involved and find a pathway.”

Alicia says acting can be summarised in very simple terms.

“It is about listening and responding to other people. We represent day to day life,” she says.

“We try to relate to other people and get our skills from life experiences. The key is to allow yourself to let go, whether it’s through the comedy or through the drama. Fear can be one of an actor’s greatest enemies.

“It fascinates me when people make a fuss that I’m on television. It’s lovely and a testament to my work but deep down I am thinking ‘I’m a Thorpy girl’ – I truly am as proud of that as I am about anything else.”

In her spare time away from acting, Alicia loves to travel with her two young children. They recently returned from three months in France and Spain and have more travel planned for later this year.

She appears to have found a great balance in her life.

“I have some of the best friends in the world and I’m really lucky to work with a great ensemble and crew on Offspring. We’ve all been together for so long. Quite a few of us have had babies along the way too – Offspring’s offspring!”

Although she has made her career in Melbourne, Alicia still considers Gippsland home.

“I make a point of trying to get back once a month. I just have to do it,” she states.

“Once I drive past Warragul, it’s like I can take this big exhale and suddenly I feel grounded and home again. Having grown up on the land, I feel like I know every tree and blade of grass. A big part of every visit home is seeing all my friends in Gippsland. They are the salt of the earth.”

Alicia hopes to buy a house in the area within the next couple of years.

“It will be a place for me to chill out,” she says.

“I travel a lot, but to me this is still the most beautiful part of the world. I love Meeniyan and the little towns through there – such a beautiful part of the world. But I almost don’t want to share the secret with anyone! I want to keep it to myself! I have wild fantasies of running a bed and breakfast back home, or an arts studio, or something like that.”

As impressive as Alicia’s achievements are to date, it is likely that after twenty years as a performer she is only now reaching her prime and that the best is yet to come. There are still many more lines to be added to her story.

“If I wrote my own life down, it would be completely unbelievable,” she laughs.

Far from being an overnight success, Alicia has worked hard to earn her stripes in an industry that is not for those who expect an easy ride and aren’t prepared to do the hard yards.

“I have experienced recognition to a certain level since I started working in television – but being part of a success such as Offspring is something different. The audience demographic is huge so we get to meet all sorts of people who love the show,” she says.

Now with her musical talents to again come to the fore in the Australian tour of MAMMA MIA! and more episodes of Offspring soon to be aired, Alicia Gardiner is going to be seen and heard a lot more in 2017.

Footnote: Season 7 of Offspring will air on Network Ten in the coming months.

Tickets for the Australian tour of MAMMA MIA! can be purchased online at mammamiathemusical.com.au for your chance to see Alicia in the role of ‘ROSIE’.

Images courtesy of Network Ten Melbourne

A I R E C I ALARDIN G

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THE WATCH MAKER

A long held ambition realised Curtis Australia

By Trevor Brown

All ideas for new pieces tend to start with a lot of detailed research and then a series of rough sketches. All along Curtis wanted to coordinate their watch designs with their jewellery and pen collections, offering customers the opportunity to build a collection of complementary pieces. The Curtis 'Myst' Collection is a good example of a suite of diamond jewellery, luxury pens and hand crafted watches that come together to form a whole range.

Curtis watches always start life as a drawing Making jewellery for over 40 years, jeweller Glenn Curtis has always loved his craft with a very real passion. One of his long held wishes is to create gold and gem set watches for his Curtis Australia luxury brand.

Already well known internationally for beautiful ranges of diamond set jewellery and hand crafted silver and gold pens, the company creates everything in house from their Bairnsdale studio.

With a grandfather and great grandfather both involved in the watch making trade, Glenn always felt a powerful desire to continue a family tradition, and at the same time, fulfil a strong personal ambition.

There is a great tradition of watch making in Australia, with Handley's one of the best known and largest companies. Based in Melbourne, this business started in the 1920's and was producing watch cases right up until the 60's for brands such as Rolex and Movado. Glenn was further inspired to pursue his own watches again after meeting a customer who had worked at Handley's, describing the factory as a hive of activity, having over 100 staff in its heyday.

One of the most important considerations for Curtis when designing watches was the need to be unique. Glenn and his team conducted a lot of research into this very crowded market, determined to set themselves apart. Because jewellers have a specific skill set it was always going to be interesting to see how they went about designing and crafting their watch ideas. Curtis saw an opportunity to create strikingly different designs, using hand skills that have won internationally recognised awards, including a coveted 'Best of the Best' award from the prestigious Robb Report magazine for their pen making expertise.

Turning the recess for the watch crystal is an exacting process

Early Curtis watch ideas date back to 2009

Sketches for a watch collection at Curtis started back in 2009, which gives you an idea of how long things can take to gel into reality. Looking back at those early, more conventional designs reinforced the thought that Curtis watches really needed a different look and feel. Most watches are machine made but Curtis wanted to adopt a hand crafted approach to emphasise the craftsmanship going into each and every watch. After a 'blank canvas' approach to design, months and months of prototyping took place, and we're now seeing hand crafted solid gold and even gem set watches emerge from the Curtis studio. The philosophy can be described as 'jewellery that tells the time'.

The other important task was to build a dedicated room for watch making, and gather very specialised tools and equipment for the Swiss trained watch maker Curtis have recruited to their team of internationally experienced designers and jewellers.

Some of these tools are quite remarkable, and include milling machines, specialised hand tools and calibration tools. The room also has to be spotlessly clean, dust free and fitted with special benches and lighting. Watch makers work with their forearms supported on special rests fitted to their benches, better to hold themselves perfectly still when assembling very delicate parts.

About 14 years ago they formed Curtis Australia, now a recognised luxury brand creating fine jewellery and hand crafted writing instruments sold around the world.

Their work in this area has won several international awards including a coveted 'Best of the Best' Award from the world's most read luxury magazine, the Robb Report, where they were up against such rivals as Cartier.

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The attention to detail in a Curtis watch is astonishing, right down to hand crafting the tiny solid gold screws needed to secure the watch case back. Drawn by hand from solid gold wire, the screw is heated to form a ball before being formed into a countersunk head. Even the screw slot is hand cut, as are the minuscule fine gold threads.

Every solid gold watch case must be made ready for the Swiss movement

It's this level of detail, coupled with striking designs and a jeweller's approach that is sure to set Curtis watches apart and see a long held dream become glittering reality.

Curtis: The Watch Maker Part 1

Glenn Curtis has been a jeweller for over 40 years. A Fellow and past Secretary of the Gold & Silversmiths Guild of Australia, Glenn has owned and run jewellery stores in East Gippsland since the 1990's, along with his wife Heather.

This unusual gum leaf ring in different colour golds is a beautiful example of a hand crafted ring

Having tackled the exacting techniques and tight tolerances needed to make pens, some jewellery and pen making skills learnt could be brought over onto watches. A good example of this is the fitting of the sapphire crystal (watch glass) into the solid gold case – it needs to be pressed in with a small hand press and requires a tolerance of 0.03mm to fit exactly. There's no glue involved, just a sense of feeling and those very exacting dimensions.

Glenn was also invited as the only overseas based expert to judge the inaugural Rio Tinto Diamonds

Global Jewellery Design Competition held in New York, something he modestly describes as reflective of the high standards of Australian jewellers in the international landscape.

An important part of the work at Curtis Australia involves the local community, for who Glenn likes nothing more than creating custom made diamond jewellery and remodelling much loved pieces. Curtis Australia is based in a large purpose built jewellery studio in Bairnsdale, and also has an office in Melbourne's CBD, a convenient location to meet with clients from around the world.

You can see more of their stunning work at www.curtisaustralia.com 03 5152 1089

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s w e i v e Book R Gallic Books was founded by Francophiles Jane Aitken and Pilar Webb and has been publishing the best of French writing translated into English for about 10 years. They kicked off their publishing career with a translation of the successful Victor Legris detective series written by two sisters under the pen name: Claude Izner. In 2008 Gallic books took a punt on Muriel Barbery’s second novel, “The Elegance of the Hedgehog”. The gamble paid off with the book staying on the bestseller lists for weeks. Since then Gallic Books has branched out to publishing an eclectic selection of best writing from around the world under their Aardvark Bureau imprint. Which over all makes for some very interesting reading.

“The Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery Renee is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building. To her self-important employers and neighbours, Renee is an uncultured, honest, reliable cleaner and caretaker. But Renee is probably more knowledgeable and cultured than any of them.

Because she is of a servant class though, she keeps this to herself.

Meanwhile, several floors up, privileged twelve-yearold Paloma is determined to avoid the pampered and

empty future laid out for her by her parents.

As the story unfolds through the thoughts of Renee and Paloma, you soon come to realise that the main purpose of the book is not the story, but a philosophical and sociological discussion.

“Hector and the Search for Happiness” by Francois Lelord Francois Lelord, once a psychiatrist himself, uses this simply written little story to reflect on happiness.

The main character, like the author, is a psychiatrist.

Hector is a very good psychiatrist; he likes to take good care of his patients. But he notices that a certain group of his patients, who seem to have everything - career success, money, family, friends - are not happy. Their dissatisfaction with life really begins to worry him. So when one of his patients comments on

how tired he is looking and suggests that he might need a holiday, Hector decides to take a trip around the world to learn what makes people happy—and sad. As he travels from Paris to China to Africa to the United States, he lists his observations about the people he meets. That way, if there is a secret to happiness, he reasons, he is sure to find it.

“The Hurlyburly's Husband” by Jean Teule If you like historical fiction and you would like to know what it was really like to live back in 17th Century France, then try “The Hurlyburly's Husband”. The story is focused on a real historical figure, the Marquis of Montespan. Franciose, his wife, is probably better known because she became one of Louis XIV's mistresses a few years into their marriage. But unlike many other husbands of the

day, he was not happy about this and wanted his wife back.

What follows is a quirky, hilarious and touching story of a man who refuses to accept the position he finds himself in. He's not your typical hero, but his all consuming and blind love for his wife leads him to openly defy the King. Which of course means trouble for him, his family and close friends.

“When the Professor Got Stuck in the Snow” by Dan Rhodes This is one of the newer books published by Gallic Books under the Aardvark Bureau imprint.

How funny you find this book will depend on your point of view. But I can tell you that the real joke doesn’t come until near the end. So, stick with it!

Without spoiling the plot for you… the Professor who gets Stuck in the Snow is Richard Dawkins on his way to give a lecture to the Women’s Institute

in a small village called ‘Upper Bottom’. But with a blizzard setting in, Dawkins and his assistant Smee, find themselves stuck in a nearby village with no accommodation available to them except that offered by the local vicar and his wife. Although Dawkins promises to be cordial, Smee secretly relishes the upcoming fireworks.

Gallic books offer a different read and perhaps sometimes a new perspective given that many of them have been translated. Maybe give them a try. Andrea

Reader's Emporium 121 Franklin St Traralgon Victoria 3844 Ph 03 5176 4620 ~ www.readersemporium.com.au

"Ideas Worth Sharing" thelifestyle winter 2017

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TIM BULL MP GIVES OPENING SPEECH

Ron Lancaster with the Plaque of recognition

THE HEYFIELD MUSEUM On Easter Saturday 15th April 2017, the new Heyfield Museum was officially opened by Member for East Gippsland, Tim Bull MP. A crowd of over 200 people including locals and interested visitors gathered in Temple Street to witness the official proceedings.

The official cutting of the ribbon

In attendance for the event were Cr Malcolm Hole and Cr Carolyn Crossley (Mayor) from Wellington Shire Council. The day marked an important milestone for the Heyfield & District Historical Society It was also significant for the many volunteers who helped on the project, and the Heyfield community at large who have all supported the development over the last 12 months.

President Gerald with Merryn & Jane

The crowd of around 200 people starting to gather outside the museum

HISTORICAL SOCIETY MEMBERS: Louise Hill-Coleman (Vice President), Jane McInnes (Treasurer), Gerald Molphy (President & Merryn Stevenson (Secretary)

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Merryn Stevenson Project Coordinator

The official group with plaque

Inside the Heyfield museum

On Easter Saturday 15th April 2017, the new Heyfield Museum was officially opened by Member for East Gippsland, Tim Bull MP. Cr Malcolm Hole Speech

The project involved purchase and refurbishment of the original Heyfield post office building in Temple Street, which had been un-used and vacant for many years. Works included a complete new internal fit-out, minor maintenance to the exterior of the building, site and landscaping work to the rear of the block. The project has enabled the local museum to move into a new premise, having outgrown their previous space which was also no longer fit for purpose. It is planned that the new museum will display local historical artifacts on a revolving basis, with the theme for the official opening day centred on the local timber industry.

In early 2016, the Heyfield & District Historical Society launched their own hugely successful crowd funding exercise to raise community funds for the venture. The Victorian Government also contributed financial support towards the project. The Historical Society committee managed the project, led by Project Coordinator Merryn Stevenson. Wherever possible, local contractors, suppliers, and materials were used. The project is a credit to the Heyfield community, and is proof that the strong spirit of this small town is still alive and well.

Heyfield Museum, 7 Temple street, open Sundays 11.00am – 3.00pm Photographs and words by Lisa Maatsoo

Plenty of interest inside The Heyfield Museum

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SALE CITY BAND

By Lisa Maatsoo

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It started out a rainy and overcast day this year for Anzac Day proceedings. The Sale City Band conducted their first performance of the day at the Stratford service. They then moved on to march down Raymond Street marking commencement of the mid-morning service in Sale. Anzac Day is one of up to 30 events that the Sale City Band attend each year. Their musical skills are often on show for public celebrations such as Australia Day and Christmas Carols in December.

They also perform at numerous charity events.

The band perform at their own annual concert each year held in October in the Esso BHP Billiton Wellington Entertainment Centre in Sale.

The Sale City Band has a long history in the region having been established in 1871 by a group of enthusiastic local musicians. Band president Mike Riley has done a sensational job in documenting a comprehensive history of the band. The detailed information can be found on the website www. salecityband.com.au. There have been many name changes over the years, but the heart of the band has remained the same - to perform to the best of its ability for the public to enjoy.

The senior brass band currently consists of around 30 players of varying ages. The beauty of the band lies in the shared passion of members to co-create music for the pleasure of others.

Quite often there are families of musicians who join the band, which adds to the uniqueness of this community band. Over the years, the Sale City Band has received success at various eisteddfods and competitions.

The band is currently lead by musical director Caroline Monck. She was appointed to the position in January 2016, and is the first female musical director the band has seen in its 146 year history. Caroline is a graduate from the Victoria College of the Arts, who lives in Sale and works as a music teacher at Maffra Primary School.

The senior band rehearse every Monday night in their hall building in Foster Street Sale. On Tuesday nights a training opportunity exists through the Sale Brass Academy. The Academy consists of players aged from 10 to 80, and offers musical education for beginners up to advanced level.

The Academy is a training ground for musicians who feed into the senior band when ready. The senior band members are encouraged to act as mentors for the younger players.

This year an exciting opportunity exists for members of the Sale City Band as they have an overseas trip planned to Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean. The island nation has a permanent population of approximately 110,000 people spread over 33 islands. The connection lies with previous musical director of the Sale band, Hugh Davies, the Sale Bandmaster for 32 years from 1984 until 2015. Hugh was sent by the RAAF to Kiribati in 1978 to form the Kiribati Police Brass Band. Over the years he and his Kiribati wife, Teote, have returned frequently to Kiribati helping maintain a strong relationship between the two bands. The Kirabati Police Commissioner has invited the Sale team to visit and join in with the nation’s annual Independence Day celebrations.

Seventeen band members and supporters will first fly to Fiji enroute to Tarawa Atoll which is the main island within the nation. The Sale band will mentor the local Police Brass Band and visit schools to share their music skills. The group will depart on the 2nd of July 2017, and return two weeks later after what is sure to be a once in a lifetime experience.

Photographs by Lisa Maatsoo

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It’s the end of an era for robotic dairy farming pioneers Max & Evelyn Warren, who have sold their farm at Winnindoo in search of a future full of new possibilities in retirement.

Closing the Gate Words: Chris West

From as young as he can remember, Max Warren has known nothing but a farming life. The boy who wanted to be a pilot never got to pursue his dream and ultimately chose to build his future on the land. Although Max may not have got his wings, he has never been afraid to aim high.

Max’s father Tom was a returned soldier and together his mum Sylvia, his two elder sisters Faye and Elva, moved from Orbost to Denison near Heyfield when Max was only one year old to dairy farm on a soldier settlement allotment.

When reaching school age, Max attended Heyfield Primary before progressing to Sale Tech.

At the age of fifteen, his parents invited him to help out on another farm they had purchased next door to their own.

“So it was then I became a dairy farmer,” Max reflects.

The responsibility of farm work was wasn’t exactly what Max thought it would be at first and he found the process of milking cows back then to be a chore that was too labour intensive for his liking.

“I thought I’d be just driving tractors for much of the time and I soon realised that there was much more to it than that. It didn’t take me long to work out that milking cows was something I really didn’t enjoy in those days,” he says.

For Max to succeed as a dairy farmer, he would have to learn to love the farming life. And succeed he did. With Max and his two younger brothers Keith and Wayne willing to become the next generation of farmers in the Warren family, his parents had the confidence to expand their operation and moved to a property they purchased in nearby Winnindoo.

From the age of about twenty, Max started buying land to grow the business further with his brothers.

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“Keith and I teamed together to continue the expansion, while Wayne went back to Denison and started buying farms around the area there,” he says.

In the 1980s Max and Keith decided to progress into building rotary dairies and acquired further farms in the area for this purpose. Life was good. Away from the farm he played guitar and saxophone for enjoyment and had a passion for driving nice cars. Max married at the age of 28, but tragically just six weeks later his wife Julie was killed in a car accident at an intersection right next to the Winnindoo property.

“I spent the next ten years floundering while getting my life back together,” he admits.

In the mid 1990s Max found love again with Evelyn, who became his second wife. The couple met on a social bus trip to Albury/Wodonga organised by a local badminton association and it did not take long for them to begin their enduring relationship.

“I was a fair bit younger and a lot more romantic then,” Max says with a grin.

“I’d never heard of it and thought it would be a joke,” Max remembers.

Born in Scotland, Evelyn came to Australia at the age of six and grew up in Morwell. In marrying Max, she knew she would have to embrace a whole new way of life. Evelyn had previously worked in clerical roles for National Australia Bank for nearly nine years and Armaguard for twenty years. Dairy farming was something very different and provided much for her to learn.

“But the video showed this Dutch farmer overseeing the milking of about fifty cows. He was just sitting back smoking a cigar and having a drink while the cows are getting milked in a machine. I was knocked out by it. This was exactly what I thought life should be like.”

“Picking up all the aspects of farming was just something I had to do,” she says.

Max and Evelyn have become an inseparable team over more than two decades together. But it hasn’t been without facing more than their share of challenges and setbacks along the way.

“Not quite twelve months after we got married, Max suffered a heart attack at the age of forty five.

It was a huge scare for us and really knocked him about,” Evelyn recalls.

“He and Keith had split their partnership and gone their separate ways a year before I met Max. At the time his heart attack hit, Max still had dreams of further expansion and doing a lot more things, so to be pulled back by his health and not be physically as strong as before was difficult for him to accept,” she explains.

To aid his recovery, Max reassessed his diet and lifestyle.

“I was a person who never really knew how to relax properly,” he confesses.

Having adjusted his lifestyle and regained his health following the heart attack, Max continued to operate the dairy farming business with Evelyn and was always on the lookout for ways to enhance their operation.

In the mid 1990s, Max gained inspiration from meeting Richard Loth from On Farm Electronics who at that time was involved with automatic irrigation systems. Over dinner at the Tinamba Hotel, they discussed possible ways of making life easier in farming through technology. From this discussion, Richard and Max developed an Auto ID system that identified the cows when they came on to the rotary.

“The Auto ID system we developed involved putting a transponder in the cow’s ear that registers with a reader in the rotary and is tagged so it comes up on a computer screen. It was a fairly basic system that could retrofit for any normal dairy. Of course, it has since become mandatory for every cow to have a transponder in the ear,” Max notes.

The system enabled identification of the cows to be better monitored and reduce the risk of duplication of feeding while on the rotary which can occur through human error. Overfeeding not only costs money, but also can lead to granular overload and cause cows to die.

But Max was soon to stumble across the most significant discovery for his business. While attending a machinery information night at Maffra, the local dealer for Lely drew his attention to a video presentation on automatic milking using robot technology, an innovation that had originated from Holland and had only been available in Europe for about five years at that time.

Max and Evelyn made two fact-finding trips to Holland to see the robot technology first hand.

The first visit was on a tour organised by Lely.

“At the first dairy we went into I was watching the cows walking into the machines and thinking how incredible it was. They go in voluntarily and like it,” Max says.

A major setback that Max and Evelyn had to overcome was the onset of several years of drought, which began just over six months after commencing the robotic dairy.

“That had significant impacts for both Lely in regards to their plans to expand robotic farming in Australia and of course put enormous pressure on Evelyn and I in maintaining the viability of our own venture here,” Max states.

“Keeping everything going on both properties through the drought was a very big challenge for us.”

“It might have been a bit slower than the rotary system, but it could go all day and all night. The cows just walk in themselves, the cups go on and the machine would always find the teets.

According to Max and Evelyn, the main advantage of the robotic system is the lifestyle benefits that ensue as a result of not needing a hands-on presence. With the robots able to operate 24 hours a day without physical supervision, Max and Evelyn were able to go into town or devote time elsewhere while other farmers were busy milking their cows.

“I looked at several different dairies and was quite inspired. I couldn’t believe I was that far behind in my thinking that what we were doing at home with rotary was great. Automatic milking was a whole new concept and I really liked the idea of doing something different,” he adds.

Somewhat ironically though, the robotic system generated a lot of interest with other people and attracted many visitors to the farm which created a bit of an unexpected distraction. Not that the Warrens are complaining about that imposition on their time.

The substantial cost of the robots was the main factor that prevented Max and Evelyn from proceeding straight away.

“Our attitude has been to keep an open gate to visitors since day one,” Evelyn says.

“We came back from the first trip and faced up to the economic reality. As fantastic as the idea was, the numbers didn’t really weigh up for us at the time,” Max states.

It wasn’t until after the second trip to Europe that the Warrens decided to bite the bullet and invest in the technology.

As Evelyn explains, an offer in the form of a guarantee from Lely helped reduce the initial financial risk and convince them to purchase four robot machines.

“The company said if we couldn’t get it to work as a viable proposition within a year, they’d take the robots back and refund our money. At the end of the day you only live once, so we decided to give it a go,” she says.

It was in Max’s nature to take the plunge. He has never been afraid to step out of his comfort zone.

“Sometimes, doing nothing is the safest way in life, but as Evelyn has always reminded me, I was never going to do that,” he remarks.

The robots were delivered to Max and Evelyn’s property at Winnindoo in early 2001 and were operational by March. Their cows took to the robotic system very quickly. Within three days, two hundred cows were milking through the machines and the number soon increased to three hundred.

As they established the robotic dairy, the Warrens continued to also run their rotary dairy on adjacent farmland just up the road. Looking back, both Max and Evelyn admit to being greenhorns with the new venture during its infancy.

“Being the first people in Australia to implement the robotic system, there was nobody else here with experience to helps us. We were on a steep learning curve, but as time went on we improved things,” Evelyn says.

“We wanted people to see the robotic dairy and be able to experience it. If we can help someone else, then that’s great.”

There have been doubters who were sceptical about the robotic technology and the Warren’s business has been subject to its share of rumour, scaremongering and misinformation over the years. At times, Max and Evelyn have been exposed to the political side of the industry, but in the main their trailblazing journey down the robotic dairy pathway has been a positive experience.

Sixteen years on from when the Warrens turned their machines on, automatic milking is still very much in the minority in Australia despite the cost of the robots having reduced over the years.

“New Zealand started using the technology a few months after we started,” Max says.

Domestically in Australia, the take up has been sporadic at best, although is on the increase in Tasmania. Closer to home in Gippsland, the nearest robotic dairies to the Warrens are around Warragul where there are five in operation.

Evelyn believes things are changing, albeit very slowly.

“We’re still on our own down here, but it may not always be that way,” she suggests.

“The agricultural college at Dookie now has Lely robots, so that will help with the education and understanding of the system for the next generation of people coming into the industry.”

The Warrens ceased operations on their rotary dairy in 2009 and concentrated their efforts on the robotic dairy. Their robots have been upgraded over the years as new features have become available.

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Closing the Gate Over recent years, Max and Evelyn have been gradually planning for their retirement. At first, they tried to phase out their operation by entering into a share farming arrangement with external partners.

Evelyn also acknowledges the contribution made to their operation by local identity Bill Jackson.

“Bill was a great friend and motivator to both Max and myself on our journey,” she says.

“He came to us in the guise of organising some structure into our haphazard tourism logistics at the farm. Not only did he end up organising that, but Bill also became our Lely technician for a few years and Max’s greatest confidante.”

Max has appreciated the simple pleasures that the robotic dairy has brought into their life.

“With share farming, we supply the property while they supply the cows and do the work. The costs are shared,” Evelyn explains.

“Things like seeing a cow in springtime with a big udder full of milk coming in and getting milked by itself, which is just wonderful,” he says.

“We tried it three times in two years, but none of the people worked out.”

“We’ve also enjoyed seeing the delight and fascination on the faces of people of all ages, the young and the old, who have come here as visitors to see the dairy in action over many years.”

After the share farming option proved unsuccessful, Max and Evelyn turned off the robots in May last year and with the milk price dropping and retirement beckoning they subsequently reached the decision to put their property on the market. They recently found a buyer and have sold the farm, but the consortium that purchased the property did not want the robots. This has forced the Warrens to search separately for a buyer or buyers for the machines.

Having closed the gate on their property, Evelyn says that she and Max have mixed emotions.

“While there is a touch of sadness that what we’ve been able to build here is not continuing, overall we look back on the venture into robotic dairy farming as having been a great thing for us,” she states.

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The immediate plan for Max and Evelyn as they begin retirement is to travel. They have purchased a caravan and will already be making their way up the east coast of Australia as this edition of the magazine is published. It is their intention to visit daughter Shelley and her husband Trinity and three grandchildren – twin boys Jay and Ky and their younger sister Elle - who live inland from Rockhampton.

“Shelley, Trinity and the kids moved away seven years ago and the boys Jay and Ky are now twelve and Elle is eleven. We are really looking forward to seeing and spending more time with them. Max also has a cousin Billy and family at Ballina whom he would like to visit,” Evelyn says.

With their furniture placed into storage, the Warrens have put no timeframe on their travels.

They could be gone for as little as three months or might just as easily be away on the road for as long as the next five years.

Although Max is unsure what they will do when the travelling finishes, he is sure he won’t just while away his days sitting on a beach. He’s too impatient for that and his mind needs stimulation.

“I always get something in my head that I have to explore. But I’m pretty certain I’ll end up working with robots somewhere in some capacity,” he suggests.

“The technology still astounds me.

If I could spend the rest of my life just helping other people get set up in automatic milking, then that would be a great thing to do.”

Max is appreciative of the support he and Evelyn have received over the years from the local Heyfield community and is proud of the legacy that their hard work and perseverance will leave behind for others to follow.

“It’s been an emotional journey and something that Evelyn and I have done together,” he says.

“We were the first in the world to introduce robotic milking into a 365-day grazing system, starting with two-way grazing then progressing to threeway grazing, which was developed on our farm in conjunction with Lely and is now used extensively throughout the world in automatic systems.

Whatever happens in the future, we can be proud to say that it all started right here with us.”

Photographs courtesy of Max and Evelyn Warren

Available at

WONTHAGGI NEWSPOWER & LOTTO ‘Feel Good Paper’ Double A Quality Copy Paper a proud platinum partner of National Breast Cancer Foundation

✯✯✯ On Saturday the 13th of May, 2017, Steamrail Victoria celebrated the relaunch of steam locomotive A2 986 with a special tour to Warragul and Traralgon.

This was the first time in 54 years that A2 986 operated a revenue service.

Photo taken by Doug Pell of Gippsland the Lifestyle showing the train “stretching her legs” on the slight rise from Traralgon Railway station.

Gippsland the Lifestyle would like to thank Steamrail Victoria For placing our photograph in their album of best photographs honouring the locomotive.

AWARDED GNS Victorian Newsagents Competition Best AA Paper Display

31 Murray Street, Wonthaggi Vic 3995 Tel: 5672 1256 Monday to Friday 6.30am to 5.30pm Saturday 6.30am to 2.30pm | Sunday Closed

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A Day in the life of

Georgie

My Labrador “Adderslott Georgie Anna � or Georgie as she is known, is a 2 year old black Labrador bitch. She's my hunting dog. We go training most nights and we hunt ducks, rabbits and quail. She is a very good hunting dog: driven, intelligent and super keen.

by Trevor Stow

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Georgie doing what she does best.

It's hard work getting up the bank with a large wood duck.

Geoff Johnston has a successful morning on MacLeod's Morass. This nice teal was bound for Geoff's dinner plate that evening.

Geoff Johnston receives a teal from Georgie.

Of course she is also my wife’s pet as well. That means that she lives inside the house, is fed the best dry food that Shirley can buy and lays on the couch with Shirley each night as together they watch Midsummer Murders with Inspector Barnaby. I leave for work each morning fairly early and that is Georgie’s queue to hop up on the bed and take my place.

Not a bad job being a dog in our family!

It is a little different on duck opening morning.

Georgie has spotted me getting the shotgun out of the safe. She really likes that spot on the bed beside Shirley but she likes going hunting a whole lot better. Needless to say Georgie has her own cushioned bed in the rear of the 4WD where she happily rides along.

We arrive at MacLeod’s Morass at 6 am which gives us a good hour to get organised, tow our gear out to the hide and get set up ready for the 7.10am opening. Georgie splashes out beside me, wades through the black muddy water that surrounds my hide and then climbs up onto the platform to await proceedings.

The hide is surrounded by Juncus Reed that hides us from the ducks. By 7am it is quite light and by 7.10 it is well and truly full light. This year the sky was clear with little or no wind. This is not ideal for the opening as the ducks can see us easily and after a few shots they will often depart for the middle of a lake out of harm’s way. Anyhow, there are quite a few hunters on the swamp and they keep the birds moving.

A mob of about 6 teal flare past me and I bring one down. Georgie has not seen it land and, as it is obviously dead, there is no hurry to retrieve it.

My mate Geoff is situated about 100 metres away and I can hear him claim teal also. The shooting is fairly short lived as the ducks depart the swamp for quieter places.

This is Georgie’s chance to get into the action. I line her up with a floating bird about 100 metres away and send her to retrieve. She soon returns with the teal. We clean up the other birds on the water and head back to the car. Georgie is happy to be back on dry land and takes the opportunity to have a roll in the long green grass surrounding the swamp.

Duck shooting is more than killing birds. It includes all the preparation of erecting or repairing a hide.

It includes going out with your mates before opening checking out bird numbers and water levels. It also includes talking to other hunters about where they intend to shoot so that everyone gets a safe spot and a good chance of success.

It is a real “male bonding” experience that dates back decades and the tradition continues today.

Following a successful hunt the birds are treated with respect, being plucked, breasted or stored for future consumption.

In our case this first hour or so is just the start of the day. We loaded Georgie into the car and headed home for some bacon and eggs for us, and a dog biscuit for Georgie. This is a nice time to relax for an hour and re-charge the batteries. Following breakfast we headed back out around the area to check out some dams that normally hold ducks.

Our first dam was a ripper. There were several hundred teal sitting on it. Hardy and I positioned ourselves beneath the dam wall and Geoff drove to the other end of the dam where he put up the ducks. They did not all rise at once but came in several waves giving us good shooting.

Some of the downed birds landed on dry land but others fell into the water. This was right up Georgie’s alley. She loves retrieving and picked up all the birds, brought them back to us and delivered them into our hands undamaged. She has a really “soft” mouth.

We moved onto another dam where there was a huge number of wood ducks. This is a cropping area and wood ducks are very destructive to the crops. They are in such big numbers that the farmers are glad to be rid of them. These ducks must have been paid a visit by other shooters earlier in the day as they immediately took off when they saw our vehicle even though it was about 500 meters away. They headed for parts unknown.

Our final dam for the day was a small dam situated in a grassy gully. I parked the car some distance away and bid Georgie to heel. The three of us, and Georgie proceeded to walk up to the dam wall where we each nailed a woody or two. Georgie was busy retrieving them when Geoff looked up and saw the mob returning.

When ducks frequent a particular water for a long period of time they are often reluctant to leave.

These ducks were obviously keen to return home.

That suited us fine as we bagged a couple more.

By this time it was 1pm. We had enjoyed a great day’s hunting. Georgie had done some great work and she was ready for a break so we packed up and headed home. Anybody who likes a feed of natural, grass fed ducks can do worse than get out the slow cooker, add some bacon and vegies and enjoy a lovely meal of duck.

Photographs by Trevor Stow

Looking out from my hide on opening morning.

It's a beautiful place to be with your best mate Georgie.

Geoff puts out his decoys.

Note the Tow Along used to cart his gear.

It does not get much more Australian than this. Hunter with his dog on the duck swamp on opening morning.

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Trail side repairs

By Gary Jackson

How to change a tube Amongst your kit of tools and

Punctured tyres are the most common mechanical problem cyclists face when spares you should be carrying out riding. However, it need not spoil the fun. Carrying the correct spares and are the following: tools, and following these steps means you can quickly be on your way. If you HAND PUMP need any further assistance with learning to change a tube on your bike, SPARE TUBE IN THE CORRECT or to get the right tools, see your friendly Gippsland bicycle store.

SIZE FOR YOUR BIKE

TYRE LEVERS

You’ll notice that I haven’t shown how to remove the wheel from the bike. There are a number of variations on bikes and their wheel attachment systems, so rather than take up half the magazine explaining the method for each one, the best thing to do is take your own bike to your favourite Gippsland bicycle store and have them show you how to remove and replace both the front and rear wheels.

What follows is a step by step guide as to the best method for changing a tube.

1.

2.

Fully deflate the tyre: Open the tube’s valve and squeeze all of the remaining air from the tyre until it is completely flat.

4.

Using the tyre levers from your tool kit, gently work one side of the tyre over the rim to expose the inner tube.

5.

Using your fingers, gently feel around the inside of the tyre for the cause of the puncture. It could be a thorn or a piece of glass, so you need to be careful not to hurt yourself. As you are doing this, look at the tread area of the tyre to spot any thorns or glass. If you do find any sharp objects, remove them from the tyre so they don’t puncture your new tube.

Fit one half of the tyre back onto the rim paying attention to any rotation direction arrows that may be printed on the side of the tyre.

8.

3.

Remove the tube from the tyre, then remove the tyre completely off the wheel.

6.

Take your replacement tube and pump some air into it until it takes it’s round shape. This is a very important step and helps the tube to tuck into the tyre nice and straight in the next step.

9.

7.

Starting by inserting the valve into the rim, tuck the tube into the tyre and rim, ensuring it is sitting straight and not twisted.

Happy riding!

Gary Jackson // Riviera Cycles Bairnsdale

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Using your hands only, push the second side of the tyre onto the rim being careful not to catch the tube between the side of the tyre and the rim. Avoid using tyre levers for this step if you can as it is easy to pinch your new tube with the end of the tyre lever.

Half inflate the tyre, then stop to check that the tyre is sitting straight and even on the wheel all the way around on both sides. If you find it sitting crooked, push the sides of the tyre by hand until it is sitting straight. When you are satisfied that it is straight, fully inflate the tyre to a firm pressure. Most hand pumps you would use on the side of the trail do not have a pressure gauge so you will need to inflate the tyre firm enough to support your weight and check the pressure with a gauge when you can. Use the pressure rating printed on the side of the tyre as a guide, but have a play with different pressures to see what you prefer. To a point, softer pressures give a smoother ride without sacrificing rolling resistance.

OVER

21

Years of

Riviera Cycles

Bairnsdale

Gary and Lisa Jackson love cycling. They love the freedom of pedaling a quiet country road, the exhilaration of descending an off-road trail, the sense of achievement felt from conquering a big climb, and since 1995, they have been sharing that love of cycling with the people of East Gippsland.

SALES

WE HAVE THE MOST UP-TO-DATE BRANDS AVAILABLE.

EXPERT REPAIRS

WE TAKE PRIDE IN AND GUARANTEE THE QUALITY OF OUR REPAIRS.

DEMONSTRATION BIKES

WE HAVE A SMALL FLEET OF THE LATEST BIKES TO SHOWCASE NEW MODELS FROM OUR MAJOR SUPPLIERS.

ACCESSORIES & COMPONENTS

WE STOCK THE MOST CURRENT CYCLING ACCESSORIES AND COMPONENTS.

Come and see our exciting 2017 range at RIVIERA CYCLES BAIRNSDALE

Opening hours Monday - Friday: 9am to 5.30pm Saturday: 9am to 1pm Sunday: Closed

193 Main Street, Bairnsdale, 3875 Phone: 03 5152 1886 www.rivieracycles.com.au

GRASPING FOR A BIONIC FUTURE

MIND

CONTROLLED

BIONIC

LIMBS

By John Turner B.Social Welfare, Master International & Community Development, MAICD, MAAPM If in 1974 you were in your teens or older you will probably remember the TV series “Six Million Dollar Man”. You know the one, it always began with the lines:

“Steve Austin, astronaut, a man barely alive.

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him, we have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’s first Bionic man” In the field of science and technology fact often follows fiction and so it is with Bionics. Fast forward from 1974 some four decades and we are on the cusp of achieving something truly wonderful in the field of bionic limbs. A range of technologies is coming together which will revolutionise prosthetics, give hope to millions of physically damaged persons and could eventually give rise to the first technically ‘enhanced’ individuals.

Back in May 2008 researchers at the University of Pittsburgh in the USA watched as a mechanical robotic arm reached out and turned a black knob.

As the knob turned, a monkey placed its mouth on a straw in expectation of the drink that had just been released. What is remarkable about this event is that the monkey was controlling the robotic arm simply by its thoughts. Since 2008 there has been a truly breathtaking advance in the science and technology that allows a person to control artificial limbs and computers simply by thinking the required thoughts.

At the John Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, engineers have successfully developed a prosthetic arm that has 26 joints and can lift and curl up to 20kgms and is controlled with the person’s mind.

One recipient of the experimental device is a Mr Les Baugh who lost both arms at the shoulder when he was a teenager. The implantation surgery performed on Les Baugh is complex, it involves ‘remapping’ the nerves from his severed arms to an implanted device that allows brain signals to be sent to the prosthetic arms. The hope is that over time as the remapped nerves grow deeper Mr Baugh will feel sensations and ‘texture’ from the arms just like a normal arm.

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This is achieved by having over 100 miniature sensors in each arm linked by sophisticated intelligent software.

In another breakthrough in 2011, the company Össur based in Reykjavik in Iceland and which is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of artificial limbs, began selling the world’s first commercially available bionic leg. The new bionic leg represented a tremendous breakthrough because it is imbued with machine intelligence. It is in fact, a robot, with sensors that detect its environment, gauges a person’s intentions and processes the data to determine the angle of the carbon-fibre foot as it swings forward.

All this has become possible because of simultaneous advances in science and technology.

Our better understanding of brain function and plasticity; an improved knowledge of the nervous system; breakthroughs in the manufacturing of more powerful and smaller microprocessors; the development of longer lasting batteries; improved software that can mimic neural networks and finally the use of stronger and lighter production materials for the limbs themselves.

Research is also being focussed on the implantation of titanium implants into bone to achieve a boneimplant continuity and to find a way of enabling the body’s soft tissue to grow over the implanted prosthesis. This is the ‘holy grail’ for the people working in this field of science, to have a truly bionic limb that has full sensory capabilities, that is controlled instinctively by unconscious thought and has the appearance and feel of a human limb.

The question that these scientific advances pose for us are both ethical and social. How much of a human being can be replaced and still be considered human? With other advances in, artificial intelligence, genetics and 3D printing it may be possible to combine technologies to grow organs artificially and enhance them bionically not just to restore a person’s lost abilities such as sight and motor function but to dramatically enhance them.

The higher the sophistication of the technology the greater the cost and while these costs are sure to come down dramatically it may nevertheless limit the most advanced ‘enhancements’ to those who can afford it. Thus it may create a new source of inequality and though this may seem somewhat far-fetched, perhaps even different races or classes of humans could develop based on an integration of technology with the human body.

The “Six Million Dollar Man” may have been fantasy in 1974 but it is looking increasingly likely that very soon it will be the case that

“… we have the technology.

We have the capability to make the world’s first Bionic man”.

References: Cott, Emma (2015) ‘Robotica Episode 3: Prosthetic Limbs, Controlled by Thought in New York Times

https://nyti.ms/1AI9NG6 Hewett, John (2014) “The future of permanent fully integrated prosthetic limbs and bionic implants”

www.extremetech.com Brumfiel, Geoff (2013) “The Insane and Exciting Future of the Bionic Body” in Smithsonian.com

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation the-insane-and-exciting-future-of-the-bionic-body Messina, John (2010) “Advanced Robotic Arm Controlled by Monkey’s Thoughts”

https://phys.org/news/2010-06-advancedrobotic-arm-monkeys-thoughts.html Sofge, Eric (2012) “Re-engineering the human” in Popular Mechanics

http://www.popularmechanics.co.za/tech re-engineering-the-human/

WONTHAGGI MEDICAL GROUP

Accredited Providers of High Quality Medical Services to the Bass Coast Community

YOUR LOCAL GENERAL PRACTICE FOR • Medical Services for the whole family • Obstetrics - Pregnancy Management/Birth • Palliative Care • Aged Care • Vascular Health Assessments • General Health Assessments • Healthy Kids Check

• Immunisation • Diabetes Management, Education and Risk Assessment • Asthma Management & Education • GP Management Plans • Chronic Disease Management - Team Care Arrangements • Skin Checks and Lesion Removal • Travel Health Advice

OPENING HOURS 42 Murray Street, Wonthaggi

8.30am - 6.00pm Mon - Fri 9.00am - 12.00pm Sat

25 A'Beckett Street, Inverloch

9.00am - 5.00pm Mon - Fri

Consulting Suites, Wonthaggi Hospital 2/1524 Bass Highway, Grantville

9.00am - 8.00pm Mon - Fri 9.00am - 4.30pm Mon - Fri early closing 1.00pm Wednesday

Holiday Season

MOO’S is closed on CHRISTMAS DAY & BOXING DAY Then OPEN 7 Days a Week until the end of January

Tel: 5672 1333 For Appointments and After Hours www.wonthaggimedical.com.au

Steve White, Cartoonist

ISSUE 31 WINTER CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS

DOWN

1. Spike (5) 3. Check (5) 5. Denial (3) 7. Puzzle (7) 9. Anguish (3) 10. Course (4) 12. Parody (4) 13. Cast (3) 15. Direction (3) 16. Lizards (7) 18. Fleece (3) 19. Embers (3) 21. Banner (5) 23. Container (5) 25. While (2) 26. Sauté (3) 27. Bewilder (9)

1. Immaculacy (6) 2. Munch (4) 3. Bonfire (4) 4. Relegate (6) 6. Back When (3) 7. Transit (7) 8. Alternative (9) 11. Notable (5) 12. Moisten (5) 14. Agency (6) 15. Damage (4) 17. Greek Alphabet (3) 20. Insidious (3) 22. UN Body (Initials) (3) 24. Exist (3)

issue 30 AUTUMN puzzle Answers

GET THINKING 126

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WINTER JUNE, JULY & AUGUST

SUN SIGN ASTROLOGY Forecast with Kerry Galea ARIES 21 MARCH – 19 APRIL There are changes around you with long term consequences, so allow yourself to think before speaking, and to plan before taking action. Be cautious and careful. Mid-season is the time to look after the house and the family and you can feel rushed or pushed, so only do what is absolutely necessary.

Soon there is a time of celebrations, intense creativity, or a time when young people dominate your life. Other people and their issues will easily lead you back to the duties of life, but keep one foot firmly in the world of creative play, and enjoy new experiences.

LIBRA 23 SEP – 22 OCT

TAURUS 20 APRIL – 20 MAY

SCORPIO 23 OCT – 21 NOV Are you blaming yourself for everything that happens? Is more going out than coming in? Self-worth, and financial worth are both important resources. The more you learn about both, the better off personally, emotionally and financially, you will be in the long term. Mid-season is a time to learn, to explore, to travel, and to reach greater self-understanding. Ignore it and the result is restlessness.

Late-season, a new perspective is needed in your job, or in a role you have within an organisation. It will start a whole new cycle of activity but must be based on practical logic and strategies.

They say that money is the root of all evil. Not so; but you need to get on top of all money issues. Can you do it better? Yes you can… as there are choices and savings to be had by negotiating and bargaining. Mid-season it's the time to be heard and have your opinions valued. Have they ever listened? Are they going to listen now? Who are the ones that are listening? Value them. Later in the season, younger people will need encouragement. Don’t challenge authorities, instead keep talking diplomatically until they see your point but be prepared to see theirs.

GEMINI 21 MAY – 20 JUNE You say yes, they say no. You say no, they say yes. It will take the calmest of you to manage this without drama, but being calm can be a “choice”. Look after your valuables and how you value yourself, but mostly focus on earning ability, money and debts and look closely at which one needs to be corrected; for it needs correcting soon! Later in the season its time to use your practised negotiation skills to balance the tension between taking a risk and breaking taboos. This breaks through inner barriers to grow a talent that can lead to inner transformation.

CANCER 21 JUNE – 22 JULY

You will soon stop feeling stuck and start to feel the need to take urgent action; so use the energy supplied to enhance your future. The past belongs in the past. Changes are possible that bring benefits especially when you stand up to be counted in your own unique way. Be passionate and trust in yourself. The ones that matter will help you to shine.

Late-season, you are entering a time that you are attracting whatever is on your mind. So, have a very careful look at what your mind spends its time on… and change it to something you want!

LEO 23 JULY – 22 AUG

To break, or to make, social rules is the question this month.

I suggest you do both, so break those that do not serve the community and make those that do. There is also a deep need for some peace and quiet, so seek out your favourite peaceful place and notice everything… but think of nothing.

Late-season is a high-energy time, so have a new goal or idea to make use of the restlessness and heightened emotions. Communication will be slowed, but the universe has a good reason for it, so pay attention and be disciplined towards learning.

VIRGO 23 AUG – 22 SEP Expending too much energy at work, or in the public arena, means you have nothing left in the reserve once you reach home, but plan your escape and look forward to some decent relaxation time in the future. Inspiration comes from a very unique and individual person, or group. Later in the season people can take your words the wrong way or they will simply not listen. Yes, frustrating, especially when you try to make decisions, so be prepared to adapt. There will be consequences of overspending, making risky decisions or allowing people to borrow from you.

At first; we don’t know that we don’t know. Right now, you are discovering that you know that you don’t know. Soon you will know that you know. As they say, “once you have the knowledge you have the power”, and this idea can change your life. Learning is simply achieved by asking questions. Mid-season is the time to revise and rewrite your numerous “roles” in the style of your choosing. Late-season your actual home may need fixing or family members need help and there are benefits at work. The season’s aim is to focus on successes, so that they grow.

SAGITTARIUS 22 NOV – 21 DEC This is a huge creative time. Other people may try and push you, but take it as fast as you want. This is also a perfect month for celebrations, so enjoy the opportunities offered.

Mid-season, there are hidden agendas, so put on your detective hat and seek out and uncover lurking secrets.

Also, be aware of any sudden loss or expenditure of money.

You already know that you want to do more, see more, know more. So why not take a course, learn something new, search for meaning, ask questions, or explore a different culture?

CAPRICORN 22 DEC – 19 JAN

The theme of increasing duty and responsibility is prominent. Perhaps its weighing you down or perhaps you are answering the call with aplomb and grace. Take time out and spend it at home or with family and while it promises peace, it may yet add more jobs to your load. Say “No” occasionally; for you are allowed to rest! Other people seem to be more energised than you are so ask for help. Later in the season you really need to rest, but be quick, for the world is calling you to come out and..…guess what….. work!

AQUARIUS 20 JAN – 18 FEB While it may feel like it, you are not being blocked, merely asked to go slower and make better plans. Your ideas are running wild but they are darn good ones and deserve the commitment, time and effort needed to bring them into fruition. Mid-season is a time of responsibility and service.

This includes responsibility for yourself. Soldiering on for others is not helping them, least of all you. Late-season, your awareness of others, their needs, their desires and their energy is reaching a peak. What has it meant for you? Are you doing things differently to how you want to?

PISCES 19 FEB – 20 MARCH Conserve energy at work so you can use it at home. This is a perfect time to do some renovations, undertake rebuilding or have a golly good clean out of anything not wanted.

That includes family dramas as well as family rubbish.

Mid-season is simply about being creative, being daring, celebrating the moment, and letting life be as much fun as you can make it. Late-season, details matter and you will need lists to make sure things are organised. Not only for yourself but for others. Thank goodness for that increased creativity, as it is making you adaptable.

KERRY GALEA ASTROLOGY Palmistry and Ancient Moon Gardening Email: kerry@kerrygalea.com.au Web: www.kerrygalea.com Web: www.ancientmoongardening.com

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the Glorification of Busy Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things Robert Brault If we are honest we ALL know someone who is “crazy busy”, someone who is “so busy I can’t stop now”, someone who is “so busy and stressed”, someone who is “so busy there are just not enough hours in the day” and someone who is “so busy they simply can’t fit it in”!

If we are ALL honest perhaps we too may be guilty of these statements from time to time or a lot of the time!

When did we all start deciding that being "busy" is a good thing, something to be proud of or glorified? It appears that we have become a society addicted to habitual busyness taking the term “multitasking” to a whole new level. It's as if we feel people are judging our worth or success by the level of "busyness" we project.

The sad reality of the glorification of busy, and this desire for competitive busyness, is that it leaves people stressed, burnt out, disconnected and encourages a misuse of time and diminished productivity.

Over the past few years, I’ve made a conscious effort to negate the use of words like “busy” or “lack of time” from my vocabulary and life in general. The funny thing is that my regular clients also now know not to use them in a session with me either!!

WHY?

I HAVE SEVERAL REASONS FOR THIS…

1 I firmly believe that when we truly and deeply wish to be, do, or have something specific, no amount of busyness or shortage of time will stop us from achieving this desire. If we are using busyness or lack of time as the excuse for not achieving, I would then challenge our level of desire for the

outcome. Ask yourself, is this what I really desire or am I just doing it because my husband / wife / mum or friend wants me too?

2

When I hear how busy someone is constantly, I will begin to question their effective use of time. Is social media taking up more of their day than they’d like to admit? Do they jump from task to task before completing one? Do they need to turn off social media and email notifications?

For example: Did you know that it takes an average of 64 seconds to recover your train of thought after checking an email or text message. Imagine then, if you are checking every 5 minutes - this equates to a whopping 8.5 hours per week that I would deem ineffective use of time!!

Effective use of time begins with effective planning, make a list of three important things you'd like to complete for the day, and set small, attainable goals towards achieving them. And if you are feeling overwhelmed with your current commitments learn how to say "no" before taking anything more on.

I encourage you to also bust the busyness, clear the calendars and when asked “How are you?” perhaps your response might be something other than “crazy busy”.

Do you have a question or a topic you would like Erin to write about?

Send me an email at erin@zestholisticcoaching.com

Erin Miller from Zest Holistic Coaching is a Holistic Life Coach, NLP Practitioner, Healer and Writer. Her aim is to live life with a sense of excitement, anticipation and energy!

Her passion and purpose is to help and guide others to also find their true calling and zest for life!

Contact me on 0418 328 441 or erin@zestholisticcoaching.com

3

When our minds are full and pre-occupied with all this busyness we can’t possibly practise being mindful, present or in the now. When there is an absence of balance between the past, present and future; this is where we become more susceptible to the stress, burnout and disconnection I mentioned earlier - ultimately leading to mental illness, depression and disease.

For me personally, limiting the glorification of busy in my own life and the way in which I was using it as an excuse has made me more accountable and aware of how I use my time, in turn leading to greater productivity, connection and mindful presence.

For further information please call 0418 328 441 or visit my website

www.zestholisticcoaching.com thelifestyle winter 2017

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Lucy

Charlie

Tess

Missy Moo

CORNER Zac

George

Chloe

Benno

Peppi

Lucky

Diesel

Gracie

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Please email Gippsland The Lifestyle thelifestyle@dcsi.net.au if you would like to place a photo of your dog in Canine Corner * SIncere gratitude & respect to Dr. Robin of Animal Eye Care, Malvern for restoring Benson's eyesight from complete blindness

where you can get your copy GIPPSLAND LIFESTYLE OUTLETS

EVANS PETROLEUM OUTLETS

Bairnsdale newsXpress 21 Bailey St Bairnsdale Stow's Authorised 212 Main Street Berwick Newsagency 29-31 High Street Boolarra Store & Newsagency 9 Tarwin Street Bunyip IGA 2-6 Main Street Bunyip Newsagency Shop 2, 2-6 Main Street Cape Paterson The Cape Store 2-4 Market Place Churchill Newsagency Hazelwood Village Shopping Centre Clyde Shopping on Clyde Tattslotto, 280 Berwick-Cranbourne Road Cowes Newsagency 44-46 Thompson Avenue Dalyston General Store 4213 Bass Highway Drouin Newsagency 93 Princes Way Fish Creek Alison Lester 1 Falls Road Foster Newsagency 52 Main Street Garfield Licensed Post Office 77 Main Street Glengarry General Store Main Street Golden Beach Blue Water Fish & Chips Gormandale General Store 13 Main Road Heyfield IGA 18-22 George Street Inverloch FoodWorks 10-12 Reilly Street Inverloch Newsagency 10 A'Beckett Street Jindivick General Store 1055 Jacksons Track Johnsonville Black Stump Princes Highway Korumburra Michael's Supa IGA 1 South Railway Cres Lakes Entrance Lamanna's Newsagency 24 Myer Street Lakes Entrance Newspower 297 Esplanade Lang Lang IGA 32 Main Street Leongatha Michael's Supa IGA Cnr Church & Bruce Sts Loch Sport General Store 2-4 Government Road Maffra newsXpress 144 Johnson Street Mallacoota Authorised Newsagency & Lotto 14 Allan Drive Mallacoota FoodWorks 48-50 Maurice Avenue Marlo General Store 14-16 Argyle Parade Metung Village Store 62 Metung Road Mirboo North Newsagency 52 Ridgway Moe Nextra Lotto 87 Albert Street Morwell Card Alley Shop 33 Mid Valley Shopping Centre Morwell Newsagency 174-176 Commercial Road Neerim Junction General Store Main Road Neerim South IGA147 Main Road Newborough Newsagency 30 Rutherglen Road Newhaven IGA 8/10 Forrest Drive Newry General Store 44 Main Street Omeo Post Office 155 Day Avenue Orbost FoodWorks 70-78 Nicholson Street Pakenham Newsagency 99-101 Main Street Paynesville Newsagency 65a The Esplanade Rosedale Newsagency 1 Prince Street Sale Lord's Authorised Newsagency 248 Raymond Street Sale Newsagency 308-310 Raymond Street San Remo IGA 135 Main Parade Stratford IGA 67 Tyers Street Swan Reach General Store 2025 Princes Highway Swifts Creek General Store Great Alpine Road Tarwin Lower IGA 45 River Drive Thorpdale Post Office 24-26 Station Street Tinamba General Store Maffra-Rosedale Road Toora FoodWorks 66 Stanley Street Tooradin IGA 104 South Gippsland Hwy Trafalgar IGA 5 McCrorey Street Trafalgar Newsagency 97 Princes Hwy Traralgon Newsagency & Lotto 51-55 Franklin Street Traralgon Newsagency 70 Seymour Street Ventnor The Anchorage Caravan Park Ventnor Road Venus Bay General Store 139 Jupiter Blvd Walhalla Museum Walhalla Road Warragul Newsagency & Officesmart 43 Victoria Street Welshpool Supermarket 18 Main Street Willow Grove General Store 8 Main Road Wonthaggi Newsagency 31 Murray Street Yallourn North Supermarket 42-44 North Road Yanakie General Store 3640 Meeniyan-Promontory Road Yarragon Penny Worth O’ Lollies 1/101 Princes Hwy Yarram newsXpress 195-197 Commercial Road Yinnar General Store 44 Main Street

Fish Creek 2 Falls Road Foster 94 Main Street Inverloch 25 Williams Street Johnsonville 1760 Princes Highway Korumburra 2-8 Commercial Street Leongatha 7 Anderson Street Leongatha 95 Bair Street Mirboo North 106 Ridgway Newmerella 5327 Princes Highway Sale 344-350 Raglan Street Toora 26 Foster Road Wonthaggi 103-105 McKenzie Street Yarram 325 Commercial Street

Gippsland the Lifestyle Magazine is published quarterly.

This magazine is distributed throughout Victoria. All photographs in this publication are copyright to Gippsland the Lifestyle, and if any are used in other publications or used in a commercial sense, you are liable to prosecution. Permission to use any photos in the publication must be obtained by contacting Headlites Pty Ltd via email to: thelifetyle@dcsi.net.au Disclaimer: Headlites Pty Ltd has the discretion to add or remove words or photos that are deemed unsuitable for the magazine. Gippsland the Lifestyle MagazineŠHeadlites Pty Ltd 2017. Headlites Pty Ltd is not responsible or liable for any inaccuracies, omissions, nor use of information contained within these pages, offering no warranties, either expressed or implied with respect to any material contained within the pages.

Material in this magazine cannot be published or reproduced without Headlites Pty Ltd's written consent. Failure to heed to this could result in prosecution. The opinions and views expressed within this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers.

WONTHAGGI NEWSPOWER & LOTTO

31 Murray Street, Wonthaggi Vic 3995 Tel: 5672 1256 Monday to Friday 6.30am to 5.30pm Saturday 6.30am to 2.30pm | Sunday Closed

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EXCITING NEW ACTIVITIES COMING TO DINNER PLAIN THIS WINTER

A TRIP TO THE SNOW JUST GOT EVEN BETTER, WITH DINNER PLAIN SET TO HOST TWO NEW EXCITING ACTIVITIES THIS WINTER: ICE SKATING AND ALPINE LASER SKIRMISH.

For the first time ever, Dinner Plain will offer winter visitors the opportunity to go ice skating in the snow. A pop-up rink will operate in the village centre during the school holidays between July 8 and 16. Ice skates and penguins (to help young children learn to skate) are available at the rink.

Dinner Plain Alpine Village is not only one of the most beautiful alpine villages, but it is also one of the most affordable snow escapes you can have.

There is the free Pea Shooter Toboggan Slope, and access to free cross country ski trails and snowshoe walks.

“We’re excited to be adding ice skating to our list of activities these July school holidays and the response has already been explosive,” said Alia Parker, Marketing and Events Officer for Dinner Plain.

“Cross country skiing and snow shoeing are easy and affordable ways to get out and enjoy the snow because you don’t need a Lift Pass. But if the downhill rush is more your style, Dinner Plain is a wonderful place to learn to ski, with a gentle beginner ski slope and easy-to-use poma lift,” Ms Parker said.

On top of that, laser skirmish is making its outdoor snow debut. Run by Great Alpine Adventures out of Crisps Hut in Dinner Plain – where you’ll also find Howling Husky Sled Dog Tours – grab some friends and get ready for an action-packed frolic in the snow.

Adding to the fun, this year all Dinner Plain lift passes on the beginner ski slope include access to the Tube Slide, which is normally $19 for a session.

“We’ve made sure there is no shortage of fun to be had on the mountain this winter as we continue to build our reputation as the most visitor-friendly snow destination around,” Ms Parker said.

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“And for a serious downhill rush, we’re located only 10km from Mount Hotham, with regular shuttle bus services between the two villages.”

Sitting 1580 metres above sea level, Dinner Plain is the highest permanently inhabited freehold village in Australia. Founded 31 years ago, this village – which establishes a unique Australianalpine style of architecture influenced by the stone, wood and corrugated iron cattlemen’s huts of the High Country, and painted only in colours found in the trunks of snow gums – Dinner Plain nestles harmoniously into the surrounding Alpine National Park and State Forest.

The village is also very accessible, allowing you to drive right up and park at their chalet.

Furthermore, everything in the village is within walking distance from your accommodation.

Because Dinner Plain is a freehold village, you never have to pay an entry fee to visit. If you’re approaching from Bright, you don’t need to pay the Mount Hotham Resort Entry Fee to come here – just continue to drive through Hotham Resort without stopping (you will only need to pay if you would like to stop).

Helping you out, snow chains – if needed – are available on either side of the mountain, with Hoys Skis in either Omeo or Harrietville able to hire and fit them for you.

For more information, go to visitdinnerplain.com

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events AUSTRALIA’S HIGHEST FREEHOLD VILLAGE Dinner Plain Alpine Village, sitting 1580 metres above sea level, is the highest permanently inhabited freehold village in Australia. Founded 31 years ago, this village – which establishes a unique Australian- alpine style of architecture influenced by the stone, wood and corrugated iron cattlemen’s huts of the High Country, and painted only in colours found in the trunks of snow gums – Dinner Plain nestles harmoniously into the surrounding Alpine National Park and State Forest. The village is also very accessible, allowing you to drive right up and park at their chalet. Furthermore, everything in the village is within walking distance from your accommodation.

NO RESORT ENTRY

WINTER ACTIVITIES HOWLING HUSKY SLED DOG TOURS

Dinner Plain’s ever popular sled dogs are back again in 2017, with a number of tour packages available around Dinner Plain and Mount Hotham.

When: Where: Time:

June 10 to Oct 1 Meet at Crisps Hut at the front of Dinner Plain From 9am to 4pm. Bookings essential| ph: 0488 040 308

Because Dinner Plain is a freehold village, you never have to pay an entry fee to visit. And if you’re approaching from Bright, you don’t need to pay the Mount Hotham Resort Entry Fee to come here – just continue to drive through Hotham Resort without stopping (you will need to pay if you would like to stop).

WHAT’S NEW THIS WINTER ICE SKATING

For the first time ever, Dinner Plain will offer winter visitors the opportunity to go ice skating in the snow! A pop-up ice skating rink will operate in the village centre during the July school holidays. Ice skates and penguins (to help young children learn to skate) are available at the rink.

When: Where: Time:

Saturday 8 July to Sunday 16 July Dinner Plain Snowgum Tennis Courts 12pm – 8pm (eight 45 min sessions per day starting on the hour. Last session starts 7pm) Contact: visitdinnerplain.com

ALPINE LASER SKIRMISH

Play laser skirmish in the snow! This new activity by Great Alpine Adventures (founders of Howling Husky Sled Dog Tours) gets you out and rolling in the snow. Three people per team.

When: Where: Time:

All year (even in the snow!)

Meet at Crisps Hut at the front of Dinner Plain From 9am to 4pm. Bookings essential| ph: 0488 040 308

FREE TUBING WITH ALL DP LIFT PASSES

This year, all Dinner Plain lift passes include the tube slide.

FREE ACTIVITIES TOBOGGANING AT PEA SHOOTER

The Pea Shooter Toboggan Run at the base of Scrubbers End (just past the ski slope) is free to use. BYO toboggan, or rent one from one of our ski hire shops.

SNOW SHOEING AND CROSS COUNTRY SKIING

LEARN TO SKI

With a gentle slope and easy-to-use poma lift, the beginners ski slope on Scrubbers End at Dinner Plain is one of the easiest and most affordable places to learn to ski. Lift passes are available from the base of the slope, Alpine Life ski shop in Dinner Plain or online from Hotham Sports www.mthotham.com.au/lessons-gear/snowsports-lessons/ dinnerplainsnowsports.asp Group lessons are available on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 10am – 12.30pm. Private lessons are also available at any time. To book, please call: ph: 03 5759 4450.

NIGHT SKIING

Ski under the stars, as the Cobungra Platter Ski Slope lights up every Wednesday and Saturday night during peak season.

Lift tickets are only $10 between 6pm and 9pm.

SNOW TUBING

The Dinner Plain tube slide is open every day during winter.

Tickets are just $19 for a session, or included with all Dinner Plain lift passes.

ONSEN RETREAT & SPA

Soak in the 39°C outdoor hot pool, enjoy an Onsen Signature Massage, body treatment, facial or get active in the lap pool and gym. Open every day during winter.

GEAR HIRE Dinner Plain has three ski hire shops – Hoys Skis, Alpine Life (formerly Salomon Concept) and Snow Monkey – providing sales and hire of all your snow necessities, from skis, snowboards, toboggans, clothing and snow chains.

Dinner Plain has a variety of cross country ski trails around the village that are free to use. BYO skis or snow shoes, or rent them from Hoys Skis, Dinner Plain.

RESTAURANTS, BARS & CAFES

SNOW PLAY

Blizzard Brewing Company – Australia’s highest brewery (5 Cattle Pen Dr, Dinner Plain)

There’s nothing quite like building your first snow man. With each chalet coming with its own yard, there is plenty of space to build and dress up your own snowman.

BREWERY

RESTAURANTS

Stones Throw (dinner) and Cobungra Burger Bar (lunch) at Hotel High Plains, Element at Ramada, Alphutte Pizza & Wine Bar, Dinner Plain Hotel

CAFES

Mountain Kitchen Café (village centre) and Café Play (at the base of the ski slope)

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Your EVENTS Guide to JUNE 2017

50TH TRARALGON MARATHON AUSTRALIA’S OLDEST MARATHON Date: June 4 Time: 7am – 1pm Location: Traralgon Recreation Reserve Contact: Benjamin Bailey 0411 400 919 BAW BAW POETRY GROUP Date: June 8 Time: 7pm – 9pm Location: Middels Bar & Restaurant Drouin Contact: Lilly Rhymer 0467 607 842 Email: lillibits@gmail.com BAIRNSDALE STREET HARVEST Date: June 8 Time: 11am – 2pm Location: Organic Centre, 14 Mackean St 2017 TANJIL VALLEY ART SHOW Date: June 9 – 12 Time: 10am – 4pm Location: Old Hill End School, Paynters Road, Hill End Contact: Arlene, Liz or Di 5635 4272 Email: bowley@dcsi.net.au SING FROM THE HEART WITH THE BEGGARS Date: June 9 Time: 11am Location: Narracan Public Hall, Connections Rd Contact: 5624 2456 West Gippsland Arts Centre Warragul

PAYNESVILLE MARITIME MUSEUM Date: June 11 Time: 9am – 12.30pm Location: Raymond Street Contact: 5156 6582

LATROBE CITY SAUNA SAIL

It’s Still On!! The water might be cold but the competition’s not. Hosted by the Latrobe Valley Yacht Club. The event caters for elite sailors, experienced competitors, beginners and juniors.

The Sauna Sail has been run at Hazelwood Pondage for over 40 years. It attracts sailors from across SE Australia with many countries national champions and international representatives taking part.

Date: Time: Location: Contact:

June 11 – 13 Sun & Tues 1pm & Mon 10am Hazelwood Pondage, Yinnar Rd, Yinnar Commodore Geoff Conway 0418 318 900

BAIRNSDALE ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES FAIR Date: June 10 – 12 Time: 10am – 4pm Location: Lucknow Hall, Omeo Hwy Contact: 0475 871 272

ROCKWIZ LIVE! TWENTYSEVENTEEN Date: June 15 Time: 8pm Location: Kernot Hall, Morwell Contact: 5176 3333 Latrobe Performing Arts

SNOW SEASON OPENING BLACK TIE Date: June 10 Time: 7pm Location: Ramada Dinner Plain Contact: Bookings – 0407 097 973 More Info: visitdinnerplain.com

MAYORAL FUNDRAISER CONCERT WINTER VIBES Raising Funds for the local Hospital in the Home program Date: June 16 Time: 6.30pm for 7pm start Location: Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre Contact: 5624 2456 West Gippsland Arts Centre Warragul

WILD GAME DINNER Date: June 10 Time: 6.30pm – 10pm Location: Jacican Food Studio, Mirboo North Contact: Jacinta Hicken on 5668 2475 WINTER ARTS TRAIL Date: June 10 Time: 9am Location: 895 Phillip Island Rd, Phillip Island Contact: Maxine Sando 5952 1004 Phillip Island RSL DINNER PLAIN SEASON OPENING FIREWORKS Date: June 11 Time: 6pm Location: Dinner Plain Village Centre FREE More Info: visitdinnerplain.com LOCH VILLAGE FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL Date: June 11 Time: 10am – 3pm Location: Victoria Road & Railway Station Reserve, Loch Contact: Kathryn Patience on 0447 725 383

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COOKING CLASSES - MACARONS Date: June 17 & August 26 Time: 2pm – 5pm Location: Jacican Food Studio, Mirboo North Contact: Jacinta Hicken on 5668 2475 SALE GALLERY EXHIBITIONS • Bohemians in the Bush • The Kenneth Jack View Date: June 17 – August 27 Time: M-F 10am-5pm Weekend 12-4pm Location: Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale Contact: 5142 3500 MEET YOUR LOCAL FARMER MINI MARKET Date: June 17 Time: 10am Location: Corinella Contact: Iain Ritchie 5678 0777

METUNG MUSO’S OPEN MIC & JAM SESSION Date: June 18 Time: 2pm – 6pm Location: Metung Hotel, Main St Contact: 0438 562 175 SALE TURF CLUB MAFFRA CUP Date: June 18 Time: Gates Open: 11.30am Location: Sale Racecourse Contact: 5144 2962 SAFETY FROM THE WORD GO! SMART DRIVING FOR THE OVER 55’S Interactive seminar Date: June 19 and 20 Time: 9.30am – 1.30pm Location: 19th – Meeniyan Rec Reserve Football Club Rooms 20th – Korumburra Showgrounds Contact: John Ernst or Dana Hughes on 5662 9200 BRITISH INVASION British Invasion, a concert of supernova proportions featuring tribute acts of the incredible talents of Rob Caudill as Rod Stewart, Lance Strauss as Elton John and Jeff Duff as David Bowie.

Date: June 22 Time: 8pm Location: Esso BHP Billiton Wellington Entertainment Centre Contact: 03 5143 3200 DARGO WINTER CHRISTMAS LUNCH Date: June 22 Time: 12 noon Location: Dargo River Inn Contact: 5140 1246 GIPPSLAND GROOVERS CLUB MOE 2017 Non-Profit organisation run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities to make new friends Date: June 23 Time: 7pm – 10 pm Location: Moe RSL, 63 Albert St Contact: 0458 691 543 MORWELL CENTENARY OF ANZAC CONCERT 2107 Featuring The Royal Australian Navy Band and Victoria Police Pipe Band in a themed event to honour the Centenary of ANZAC Date: June 28 Time: 7.30pm Location: Kernot Hall, Princes Drive Morwell Contact: Thomas Quinn on 0417 567 291

WINTER JULY 2017

MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL ROADSHOW 2017 Freshest and funniest from Australia’s largest comedy festival Date: July 6 Time: 8pm Location: Latrobe Performing Arts Centre Contact: 5176 3333 Email: boxoffice@latrobe.vic.gov.au PROM COAST FILM SOCIETY SEASON 2017 MONTHLY FILM: GOLDSTONE (2016 AUST. CRIME THRILLER) Date: July 7 Time: 8pm Location: Fish Creek Hall, Falls Rd Contact: Catherine McGlead on 0407 543 371 ISLAND WHALE FESTIVAL Celebrate the arrival of these beautiful creatures as our coastal waters play host to the annual migration of Humpback and Southern Right whales.

Date: July 7 – 9 Location: Cowes Cultural Centre Contact: Kim Storey on 0409 250 895 RAINBOW ROOM – CELEBRITY RED CARPET NIGHT Celebrity fancy dress theme + drag show & dance party Date: July 8 Time: 9pm – 2am Location: Upstairs, Ryans Hotel, Franklin St Traralgon Contact: facebook/gippslandrainbowcollective Email: gippslandrainbowcollective@live.com POP-UP ICE SKATING Date: July 8 – 16 Time: 6pm Location: Dinner Plain Village Centre More Info: visitdinnerplain.com

OLIVER! Date: Time: Location: Contact:

COAL CREEK BEARD FESTIVAL AND 3RD HERITAGE CRAFT DAY Join Coal Creek for their 1st ever Beard Festival – Prizes for the best beards!

Date: August 6 Time: 10am – 4pm Location: Coal Creek Community Park & Museum Korumburra Contact: 03 5655 1811 July 21 – 23 and 28 Fri & Sat 7.30pm | Sat & Sun 1.30pm Latrobe Performing Arts Centre, Traralgon Box Office 5176 3333

DARGO WINTER FESTIVAL Art & Craft Exhibition, Camp Oven Demo, Live Music and Auction at Hotel Sausage sizzle both days Date: July 22 – 23 Time: 10am – 3pm Location: Dargo Community Hall and Dargo Hotel Contact: Rosalie Campbell on 5140 1314 GIPPSLAND GROOVERS CLUB MOE 2017 Non-Profit organisation run by people with disabilities for people with disabilities to make new friends Date: July 23 and August 18 Time: 7pm – 10 pm Location: Morwell Bowling Club, Hazelwood Rd Contact: Glenn Van Dord on 0458 691 543

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE PRESENTED

BY BELL SHAKESPEARE Date: July 15 Time: 8pm Location: Esso BHP Billiton Wellington Entertainment Centre Contact: Box Office 5143 3200

SPRING IS SOUTH GIPPSLAND – POP UP EXPO Date: July 27 Time: 11am – 4pm Location: Leongatha Email: contact@springissouthgippsland.com.au

SALE CHALLENGE BOWL Date: July 17 Location: Sale Golf Club, Longford Contact: Jenny O’Neill 0414 521 665 or 5149 7160

AUGUST 2017

EUROSONG Date: July 21 – 22 and 27 – 29 Time: 8pm Location: Esso BHP Billiton Wellington Entertainment Centre Contact: Box Office 5143 3200

PROM COAST FILM SOCIETY SEASON 2017 MONTHLY FILM: MUSTANG (2015 INTERNATIONALLY CO-PRODUCED DRAMA) Date: August 4 Time: 8pm Location: Fish Creek Hall, Falls Rd Contact: Catherine McGlead on 0407 543 371

SEE MORE EVENTS ON If you require your event to be promoted please email Gippsland the Lifestyle thelifestyle@dcsi.net.au

AUGUST 2017

COAL CREEK PAGE LAURIE’S PAGE WINTER IN WEST GIPPSLAND ALI’S ART PAGE DINNER PLAIN

YARRAM EISTEDDFOD 2017 Date: August 7 – 14 Location: Regent Theatre More Info: Judy Stephens on 0409 953 004 HOTEL CALIFORNIA, THE BEST OF THE EAGLES Date: August 11 Time: 8pm Location: Esso BHP Billiton Wellington Entertainment Centre Contact: Box Office 5143 3200 CURRY IN A UN-HURRY ANNUAL SEASON DINNER Six course dining experience Date: August 12 Time: 6.30pm – 10.30pm Location: Jacican Food Studio, Mirboo North Contact: Jacinta Hicken on 5668 2475

SLED DOG CHALLENGE Date: August 12 – 13 Time: 9am – 1pm Location: Dinner Plain Village Centre FREE More Info: visitdinnerplain.com

CIRQUE AFRICA Date: August 24 Time: 7.30pm Location: Latrobe Performing Arts Centre, Traralgon Contact: Box Office 5176 3333

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Your Market Guide to WINTER BAIRNSDALE FARMERS’ MARKET

1st Saturday of every month – 8am-12noon Location Bairnsdale Secondary College Oval, McKean Street Contact John 5156 9342 or Ian 5152 3698

BERWICK AKOONAH PARK MARKET

KONGWAK MARKET

PAKENHAM COMMUNITY MARKET

KOONWARRA FARMERS' MARKET

PAYNESVILLE LIONS CLUB MARKET

Every Sunday – 10am-3pm Location Korumburra Road, Kongwak Contact Jane 0417 142 478

Every Sunday – 8am-1.30pm Location Akoonah Park, cnr High & Cardinia Sts, Berwick Contact Gary Maker (03) 9796 1455

1st Saturday of the month – 8.30am-12.30pm Location Memorial Park off Koala Drive (Held in adjoining Halls on wet days) Contact Rod 0408 619 182

BRIAGOLONG FARMERS & ARTISTS MARKET

KOOWEE COMMUNITY MARKET

“By Land or by Hand” Sunday 26 November from 9am-2pm (biannually) Location Cnr Forbes & Avon Streets Contact Em: briagmarket@gmail.com or their Facebook page

BRUTHEN VILLAGE MARKET

3rd Saturday of month – 9am-1pm Location Mechanics Hall, Main Street Contact 0432 188 295

CHURCHILL ISLAND FARMERS’ MARKET & CRAFT MARKET 4th Saturday of month - 8am-1pm Location Samuel Amess Drive, Churchill Island off Phillip Island Contact Peter Arnold 5664 0096

COAL CREEK COMMUNITY PARK & MUSEUM FARMERS’ MARKET

and craft market 2nd Saturday of month - 8am-12.30pm Location Coal Creek Community Park and Museum Car Park, Silkstone Rd, Korumburra Contact 5655 1811 FREE Entry/Ample Parking

COWES ISLAND CRAFT MARKET

2nd Saturday of month - 9am-2pm Location St Phillips Parish Hall and grounds, Thompson Ave, Cowes Contact Monica 0412 710 276 or 5678 8784

COWES MARKET ON CHAPEL (VARIETY) 4th Saturday of month – 8.30am-2pm Location Uniting Church, Chapel St, Cowes Contact Darlene 0428 603 043

DROUIN CRAFT & PRODUCE MARKET

3rd Saturday of month - 8am-12.30pm Location Civic Park, Civic Place, Drouin Contact John 0419 428 564 Drouin Rotary Club

FARMERS’ MARKET @ THE OLD CHEESE FACTORY

2nd Saturday of month – 8am-12.30pm Location The Old Cheese Factory, 34 Homestead Road, Berwick Contact Market Manager: Geoff Rankin 0407 968 841

FOSTER PROM COUNTRY FARMERS’ MARKET 3rd Saturday of month - 8am-12pm Location Foster War Memorial Arts Centre Main Street, Foster Contact Catherine McGlead 0407 543 371

GRANTVILLE COMMUNITY MARKET

4th Sunday of month - 8am-2pm Location Grantville Recreation Reserve Contact Pat 5997 6221 & check Facebook for updates

HEYFIELD COMMUNITY MARKET

1st Saturday of month – 8am-1pm Location John Greaves Memorial Park, Temple Street Contact 5148 3408 or 5148 2394

INVERLOCH COMMUNITY FARMERS' MARKET Last Sunday of the month – 8am-1pm The Glade, Opposite Inlet Hotel, Inverloch Contact Lions Club: 0491 102 856

INVERLOCH FARMERS’ MARKET 3rd Sunday of the month – 8am-1pm The Glade, Opposite Inlet Hotel, Inverloch Contact Peter Arnold 0439 364 760

JOHNSONVILLE COMMUNITY MARKET 1st Saturday of month – 8am-12pm Location Johnsonville Hall, Princes Highway Contact Perry 5156 4162

JUMBUNNA BUSH MARKET

1st Sunday of the month – 8.30am-1pm Location Public Hall, Cruickshanks Road Contact Dawn Wylie 5657 3253

2nd Sunday of the month - 9am-2.30pm Location Koo Wee Rup Community Centre Cochrane Park Cnr Rossiter Rd & Sybella Ave Koo Wee Rup Contact ADMIN 9796 5744

LAKES ENTRANCE SURF CLUB FORESHORE MARKET

1st Sunday of the month – 9am-3pm Location Near the Rotunda - Foreshore, Lakes Entrance Contact Tom Morris 0407 098 805 or 5153 1916

LATROBE COUNTRY MARKET

Every Sunday - 8.30am-1.30pm Location Latrobe Road, Morwell (near Holmes Road) Contact 0449 294 453

LOCH PUBLIC HALL WINTER MARKET 2nd Sunday of the month (May-Sept only) Location Public Hall, Smith Street Contact 0407 362 736

LOCH SPORT COMMUNITY HOUSE Sunday 11 June – 8am-2pm Location Loch Sport Community Hall Contact Mandy Johnson 5146 0145

LONGWARRY FIRE BRIGADE MARKET 1st Sunday of the month - 8am-1pm Location Longwarry Fire Station, Bennett St Contact Janine 5629 9636 or 0419 158 946

LUCKNOW MARKET

4th Sunday of the month - 8.30am-1pm Location Howitt Park, Princes Highway, East Bairnsdale Contact 0432 602 007

MAFFRA VARIETY & FARMERS’ MARKET 1st Sunday of month - 9am-1pm Location Main St/Johnson St, Maffra Contact Rob 0419 869 114

MALLACOOTA ARTISANS MARKET

1st Saturday of month – 9am - 1pm (except January) Location Mallacoota Mudbrick Pavilion, Maurice Ave Contact Leah 0467 856 236

MEENIYAN MID WEEK MARKET

3rd Thursday of month – 10am-2pm Location Whitelaw Street Contact Tracey Robertson 0402 995 063

METUNG FARMERS’ MARKET

2nd Saturday of month - 8am-12.30pm Location Village Green in Metung Contact Tracey O’Brien 0409 233 648

MIRBOO NORTH COUNTRY MARKET Last Saturday of month – 8am-2pm Location Baromi Park, 49 Ridgway Contact Bev Cook 5668 1688

50 MILE FARMER’S MARKET 2nd Saturday of month – Location Tarwin Street, Morwell Contact 0487 380 529

NEERIM DISTRICT ALLEY MARKET

4th Sunday of month – 9am-1pm Location 147 Main Neerim Road, Neerim South Contact 0409 090 725

NOWA NOWA FARMERS MARKET

3rd Sunday of month – 8am-1pm Location Mingling Waters Caravan Park Contact 0409 233 648

OLD GIPPSTOWN HERITAGE PARK MARKET 3rd Saturday of month – 9am-2pm Location Lloyd Street, Moe Contact 5127 3082

3rd Sunday of month – 8am-1pm Location Pakenham Football Club, Toomuc Reserve Contact Noel 0422 822 688 2nd Sunday of month - 8.30am-1pm Location Gilsenan Reserve Contact Lions Club 0400 327 526

PAYNESVILLE FARMERS MARKET 4th Saturday of month – 8.30am-1pm Location Foreshore by playground Contact 0473 149 409

PORT ALBERT MAKE IT, BAKE IT, GROW IT 4th Sunday of month - 10am-2pm Location Victoria Street Contact 0437 247 242

ROSEDALE COMMUNITY MARKET 2nd Sunday of month - 7.30am-1.00pm Location Prince Street Reserve Contact 0438 222 339

SALE PRODUCERS’ MARKET

3rd Saturday of month - 8am-1pm Location Sale Showgrounds enter from Maffra Rd Contact Cate 0404 840 128 (Craft) or Karen 0429 344 675 (Produce)

SALE CHARITY VARIETY MARKET

3rd Sunday of month - 7am-1pm Location Thomson River Canal Reserve Contact 5144 1258

SAN REMO CUPPA & CHAT MARKET

2nd Friday of month - Bric-a-brac, cakes & jams 9am-1pm 2nd Saturday of month - Sausage Sizzle 9am-12pm Location St. Augustine’s Anglican Church, Marine Parade Contact Roma Caulfield 5678 5386

STRATFORD VARIETY & FARMERS MARKET 4th Sunday of month - 9am-1pm Location McMillan Street, Stratford Contact Rob 0419 869 114

TARWIN LOWER MARKET

Public Holiday Monday -12 June - 8.30am-2pm Location Tarwin Lower Memorial Hall, Riverside Drive Contact Anita 5663 7345

TARWIN LOWER LOCAL MARKET

2nd Saturday of month 3pm - 7pm Location Tarwin Lower Primary School, School Road Contact 0410 466 260

TOORA COMMUNITY MARKET

2nd Saturday of month - 7.30-1pm Location Former Bonlac Store, Jetty Road, Toora Contact 5686 2690

TRAFALGAR ARTS MARKET

1st Saturday of month – 9am-1pm Location Trafalgar Public Hall, Contingent Street Contact Wendy Hitchins 0407 710 180

TRARALGON FARMERS’ MARKET

4th Saturday of month - 8am-1pm Location Kay Street Gardens Contact 0409 232 715 Traralgon Lions Club

WARRAGUL FARMERS MARKET 3rd Saturday of month – 8.30am-1pm Location 1 Civic Place, Warragul Contact 0435 757 047

WONTHAGGI MAKE IT BAKE IT MARKET 2nd Sunday of month, rain, hail or shine 9am-1pm Location McBride Avenue, Wonthaggi Contact Leah 0427 587 104

WONTHAGGI ROTARY MARKET

2nd Sunday of month - 8am-1pm Location Apex Park, Murray St, Wonthaggi Contact Heather 0457 591 223

YARRAGON COMMUNITY CRAFT & PRODUCE MARKET

4th Saturday of month – 9am-1pm Location Yarragon Public Hall, Campbell St Contact Alison Butterworth 5634 2209

YARRAM VARIETY MARKET

1st Sunday of month - 8am-1pm Location Guide & Scout Hall, Yarram Contact 5182 5679

If you require your event to be promoted please email Gippsland the Lifestyle thelifestyle@dcsi.net.au

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EXPLORE THE 2017 WINTER ARTS TRAIL! San Remo & Phillip Island Tourism & Business Associations invite you to take up the challenge to explore the 2017 Winter Arts Trail commencing Saturday 10th June through until Sunday 18th June 2017.

By taking the trail, one lucky person could go home with a stunning mosaic from Heather Fahnle from Mosaics by the Bay – the piece is called Pink Lips and is valued at over $500.

The Winter Arts Trail connects local businesses with local artists from across Bass Coast so that local residents and visitors alike can experience the beautiful Bass Coast region in either a 2D or 3D format.

To win this amazing sculpture, which is on show at the Langford Jones Homes display at Phillip Island Road, Surf Beach, a minimum of 10 businesses must be visited over the exhibition period in order to identify the displayed artwork.

Scattered across the Island to San Remo are over 30 different artworks from oils, pastels and watercolour paintings through to sculpture in all types of media situated within local businesses including major sponsor Langford Jones Homes and supporting sponsors – Phillip Island RSL, Phillip Island Nature Park and Destination Phillip Island.

Write these details onto the entry form which is included in the Winter Arts Map and drop into either the Cowes or Newhaven Visitor Information Centre by 5pm Sunday 18th June.

The lucky winner will be drawn on Monday 19th June 2017.

The Artist’s Society of Phillip Island has assisted PITBA with the co-ordination of the artworks and all works are for sale. If anyone is interested, they can liaise directly with the artist, whose details are available from the participating business.

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west gippsland

winter in

Winter is a time of snow, rain, cold and wind… thought you might have forgotten! Anyway, there is quite a bit on even though there are several popular venues such as the Latrobe Regional Gallery and the West Gippsland Arts Centre, closed for renovations. It should all be better in the long run but it makes it a bit light on in some of the shires and cities. However the city of Casey has a Winter Arts Festival on which is very comprehensive.

At the Red Tree Gallery Jindivick in June is a show of paintings from one of my ex students Justin Crawford with his first show Wild. Justin’s paintings are really very impressive and this is not your usual art exhibition. In July there is a fantastic (or phantastic!) photography exhibition by Nicole Emanuel and her theme is horses and other animals. August sees the Warragul Camera Club bring their interclub competition to the gallery, so there will be lots of interesting photography to see. That’s enough shameless self-promotion, let’s look further afield.

JUNE

On Saturday June 3rd is Cockatoo Market on the Saturday and Pakenham Market and if you are down Sale way, Sale Performing Arts Centre has You and I (Michael Cormack and Rachael Beck) performing an evening of musical theatre. www.wellington.vic.gov.au At Traralgon on Sunday, Australia’s oldest marathon turns 50 (not sure if only 50 year olds can go in it or it’s 50 km… nah just kidding).

I won’t be there but I am sure there are plenty who will be! www.traralgonmarathon.org.au Also on Sunday 4th is the Longwarry Market (the first Sunday of the month) and the City of Casey has begun a Winter arts festival with a whole range of activities at different times and places. (Only a brief few are mentioned below.) www.casey.vic.gov.au The second weekend 10th and 11th (which is Queen’s Birthday weekend) has the Tanjil Valley Art Show on at the former Hill End school (10 to 4 with a gold coin entry). This is a wonderful reason to explore along the road from Noojee to Willow Grove and you don’t need to be a 4 wheel drive to appreciate the beautiful area.

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Also on this weekend, is the opening of the Mt Baw Baw ski season and all sorts of things are planned, including fireworks on Saturday night… surely something special. www.mountbawbaw.com.au

Walhalla Railway Art Show is also on over this weekend.

June 11th is the Loch Food and Wine Festival.

A great reason to visit a charming and delightful village. (Mind you nearly all villages around the area are charming and delightful!)

Mornington Peninsula holds its Winter Wine Weekend on this weekend in June every year and there are 2 parts: a Winter Wine Fest - Saturday only (ticketed event) at Red Hill Showground and Cellar Door activities and events - all Weekend at 48 participating Cellar Doors. This may not be quite West Gippsland but it seems worthy of a bit of travel! www.mpva.com.au/events/detail/WinterWine-Weekend

with

LAURIE COLLINS JULY

July sees the first weekend (1st and 2nd) with two great shows for the kids at the Cardinia Cultural Centre. Saturday has “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” at 11am and 2pm and Sunday has Lah Lah Having Fun at 10am. www.cardinia.vic.gov.au Casey has The Big Freeze Winter Family Festival from 9.00am - 5.30pm at 352 Princes Highway, Fountain Gate 3805.

The weekend of the 8th and 9th is the Yarragon Book Fair. This is always a popular annual event and books are a fine way to spend a Winter’s day.…and in Casey more art including a scratchboard demo as part of their Winter arts festival. At Moorooduc is the Muddy Hell Kids Peninsula Obstacle Racing Course (facebook).

Sunday also sees the popular Craft Markets of Australia return to Lardner Park. www.lardnerpark.com.au/events/

Saturday June 17th has the Warragul Farmers Market, Drouin Farmers Market and new exhibitions open at Sale. This includes Bohemians in the Bush which explores the stories and art of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Gippsland, revealing the work of many artists who are comparatively little known today and the Kenneth Jack View has a retrospective of this Australian artist. www.wellington.vic.gov.au In Casey is the Ceramic Birds Workshop with Jessie McLennan from 2.00pm - 5.00pm at the Old Cheese Factory Berwick. www.casey.vic.gov.au Also in Casey at the Cranbourne Racing Centre is a sale of second hand and new horse gear from 1.00pm.

Saturday June 24th there are lots to do in different venues in Casey with dyeing, painting reflections and basketmaking all occurring.

The weekend of the 15th and 16th is busy in Casey with their Winter Arts Festival continuing with a Strip Art Show 10.00am - 4.00pm at 2 Cardinia Street, Berwick and a workshop Introduction to Linocut: Gift Tags and Cards 10.00am 3.00pm - 125 Shelton Road, Pakenham.

Sunday July 16th has Star Search for a Cause Vocal Competition Heats 7.30pm - 9.30pm Arthur Wren Hall, 16-20 Stuart Avenue, Hampton Park.

Saturday 22nd has Transformation - A Contemporary Painting Exhibition 1.30pm 7.00pm at Arbourlea Family and Community Centre, 75 Wheelers Park Drive, Cranbourne North. www.casey.vic.gov.au Sunday 23rd Peppermint Ridge Farm is offering a lunch and a tour and taste experience designed to highlight the flavour of Australian bush food. www.peppermintridgefarm.com.au

Sunday 25th can be a fairly busy day with a poetry reading and interaction at the Red Tree Gallery Jindivick at 2.00 PM and Robyn Rinehart is doing an Ipad painting demonstration at the Station Gallery Yarragon. www.bawbawartsalliance.org.au

On Sunday 30th of July Lynne Bickhoff is demonstrating how she creates her wonderful modern landscape paintings at the Station Gallery Yarragon and at Cranbourne The Vicar of Dibley is being performed by the BATS theatre group 1.00pm - 3.00pm Brunt Street, Cranbourne. www.casey.vic.gov.au

On Sunday evening (7.30) Wesley of Warragul presents two of Australia’s finest Guitarists (Slava and Leonard Grigoryan) and you can book through the new booking system at the WGAC. www.wgac.com.au

West Gippsland Music and Drama Eisteddfod is on a variety of dates through the end of July and into August. www.wge.org.au

AUGUST

In August I think Walhalla Vinter Ljusfest is on again until the last Sunday with all sorts of highlights like the light train and night time tours. Well worth booking in for any weekend in August www.visitwalhalla.com

Sunday 6th Casey’s Winter Arts Festival continues with: Scriptwriting, Casting and Directing with Mainly Mondays Productions 9.00am - 12.30pm 65 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne East, Chimera - An Eclectic Art Exhibition 12.00pm - 9.00pm at The Old Cheese Factory, 34 Homestead Road, Berwick and Star Search

for a Cause Vocal Competition Grand Final 7.30pm - 9.30pm 352 Princes Highway, Fountain Gate 3805.

Sunday August 13th Cranbourne Chorale presents ‘Four Seasons in One Day’ from 2.00pm - 4.30pm at 3 New Holland Drive, Cranbourne.

Saturday 19th has Communing with Nature at the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne and this is such a special facility that anytime is a good time to visit this amazing Australian Garden.

On Saturday August 26th is a series of Open Studios in Casey including the amazing Janet Matthews and this would be worth putting in your diaries not to miss -10am to 4pm. www.casey.vic.gov.au

There are tons more things to do, markets, art shows, natural features and attractions so save on firewood by not being home and get out there amongst it.

Check out any of the websites above and Facebook has an amazing range of events although they have yet to learn how to put them in order!

Good on ya Happy Winter

Laurie Sculpture Garden & Red Tree Gallery

www.lauriecollins.com.au

Set in Jindivick’s rolling green hills discover an acre of recycled metal sculptures and browse the gallery space hosting the work of contemporary artists and Laurie’s small stories sculptures. Call in anytime, no cost and see the studio (amongst the metal chaos!)

RED TREE GALLERY EXHIBITIONS COMING UP AT THE RED TREE GALLERY JINDIVICK OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS ARE A RANGE OF SHOWS AND ACTIVITIES.

WINTER EXHIBITIONS At the Red Tree Gallery Jindivick in JUNE is a show of paintings from one of my ex-students Justin Crawford with his first show Wild. Justin’s paintings are really very impressive and this is not your usual art exhibition.

In JULY there is a fantastic (or phantastic!) photography exhibition by Nicole Emanuel and her theme is horses and other animals.

AUGUST sees the Warragul Camera Club bring their interclub competition to the gallery, so there will be lots of interesting photography to see.

420 Main Jindivick Road, Jindivick VIC 3818 Phone 5628 5224 Email lcollins@dcsi.net.au thelifestyle winter 2017

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ALI'S ART

By Ali Fullard

KENNETH JACK (1924- 2006) RECORDING OUR LANDSCAPE Photos courtesy of David Jack Woodcutters perspex

The Australian landscape with its distinctive iconography has been the catalyst and inspiration for many artists. June sees two exhibitions running concurrently, showcasing the works of one of Australia’s well known landscape artists, Kenneth Jack.

Jack is one of Australia’s finest and most admired landscape artists. His work chronicles and celebrates the immense variety of the Australian continent and architecture, past and present.

His travelling exhibition “The Kenneth Jack View” assembled by his son David, will be showing at the Gippsland Art Gallery in Sale. Ken has a connection with the Gippsland Gallery as he was one of the first artists who exhibited at Sale Gallery in the 1960s, and had works acquired for the collection. These works are from the family’s private collection and reveal the intellectual and artistic challenges that he faced. Ken’s works from the gallery’s own collection will also be displayed.

At the same time Briagolong Art Gallery will host an exhibition “Gippsland and Beyond” featuring smaller works, depicting scenes from Ken’s visits to Gippsland over the decades. Many of these works have not been viewed or been available for sale before. The exhibition will comprise of drawings, prints, watercolours, oils and mixed media. Books exploring his Drawings, Prints and Paintings will be available for sale.

Fascinated by the history of Australia, he was intent on capturing accurately our history before it vanished. He travelled extensively all over the continent to achieve this aim. Many school holidays were spent camping with family and friends, visiting inland Australia to record our disappearing buildings, man’s endeavors and changing landscape. Later years saw him travel overseas, sketching and drawing whenever possible.

His first love was drawing. Early childhood drawings already display his innate draftsmanship and keen sense of observation. He drew constantly as a child and sold his first water colours at school. At 13 he won first prize at Melbourne’s Royal Show and in his final high school year got the State’s top drawing marks. At 18 he joined the RAAF drawing maps and doing lettering. He also attended evening classes.

In 1944, he was sent as a corporal to the Pacific War Zone, where in his spare time he made 500 drawings and paintings documenting all aspects of life at war. These now reside in the Canberra War Memorial Archives.

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BRIAGOLONG & SURROUNDS

“I work across a range of media inspired by the natural world and dramatic landscape of the Gippsland region.”

P r i n t s | D r a w i n g s | Wa t e r c o l o u r s Mixed Media | Digital images | Original cards

A 20-year teaching career in schools and Caulfield Institute of Technology (now Monash University) followed on his return. At the end of his career in 1968 he was appointed Deputy Head of the Art School and after retiring embarked on a career as a fulltime artist. His work ethic was admirable, rising early each morning and into the studio, often returning again at night to continue with any issues in his work. He was always strongly supported in his work by his wife Betty.

There were many influences on his development as an artist, as he explored techniques and styles. Rembrandt, Turner, the Cubists, Classical Modernism, Cezanne, Russell Drysdale are some of the artists whose characteristics can be seen as he developed his own style and techniques. The music and genius of Mozart also inspired his work. A chance meeting in the Flinders Ranges with the artist Lloyd Rees led to a lifetime friendship and mentoring from Rees.

Open: By Appointment | All Welcome 75 Landy Lane Briagolong 3860 Ph. 0427327494 | Email alifullard@bigpond.com

Ken is often thought of as using a realistic style to express himself. However, on closer inspection the works evoke a deeper emotional interpretation of the subject. The colours used, on closer examination also are not an accurate description of the subject, but a colour which will heighten or magnify the essence of the subject or the viewer’s response to the subject. His “poetical sensitivity” was described by artist Lloyd Rees as “The Element of Mood”.

His fixed belief was that good drawing has been and always will be the basis of all paintings whether traditional or abstract.

The exhibitions display Ken’s many innovations experimenting with techniques in all types of media and reveal his journey exploring abstraction in the 1950s and 1960s and ultimate return to his “romantic realism”.

Ken was admitted to the Royal Watercolour Society in London in 1977, a rare achievement for an Australian painter. In 1981, he became the president of the Victorian Watercolour Society and Patron from 1981. Ken was honoured for his services to art in 1982 with an MBE and in 1987 with an AM. He has been a member of the Australian Watercolour Institute since 1955. He was Foundation Vice President of Australian Guild of Realist Artists 1974-81 and made an Honorary Life member in 1989.

Gallery is open 11.00 am- 4.00pm Saturday and Sunday Cnr Forbes and Avon Sts Contact 03 51 455 439 or 0424 327 494 briagolongartgallery@gmail.com briagolongartgallery.com facebook.com/briagolongartgallery

As his son David states, “His approach to his painting was unrelenting, in integrity and quality. Ken’s was a conspicuous life, his legacy is on our walls, on our bookshelves, in our renewed vision of Australia through his oeuvre and in our hearts.”

The Kenneth Jack View Gippsland Art Gallery June 17th to August 27th. Opening 6.00pm Friday 16th June.

Opening address will be by Harold Farey, who helped establish Gippsland Gallery. www.gippslandartgallery.com facebook.com/gippslandartgallery

Kenneth Jack “Gippsland and Beyond” Briagolong Art Gallery June 17th to July 23rd. Opening 2.00pm Saturday 17th June. Opening address by Anton Vardy, Director Gippsland Gallery.

BRIAGOLONG ART GALLERY

Cnr Forbes and Avon Streets, Briagolong 3860 Open Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4pm or by appointment Contact 03 51 455 439 or 0427 327 494 | Email briagolongartgallery@gmail.com | Web briagolongartgallery.com Find us on Facebook | facebook.com/briagolongartgallery

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Opening of

without pier

Ga ller y in Pa ynesvi l le Leon Gardiner, Stephen Green, Jill Green & Director, Terry Earle

Leon Gardiner in partnership with Terry Earle, Director of Without Pier Gallery, announced the formal opening of the first regional outlet of the highly regarded Without Pier Gallery in Paynesville recently. At a function in the Community Centre Terry spoke of the vision and plans for Paynesville’s Without Pier.

Located in shared premises at Gippsland Lakes Escapes opposite the Raymond Island Ferry mainland terminal, the gallery was set up in March and is currently showing a range of paintings, linocuts, hand blown and slumped glass and steel sculptures. Exhibitions will change regularly.

Artists currently featured are painters Zoe Ellenberg, Robyn Rankin, William Linford, Stewart Westle, Conchita Carambano, Dana Dion and Jane Flowers with glass by James McMurtrie, Eamonn Vereker and Marlene Abela. The steel garden sculpture is by Andrew Kasper.

Terry opened Without Pier Gallery in Sandringham in the City of Bayside Melbourne in 1995. The gallery represents over 100 Australian artists, and has established an outstanding reputation for promoting emerging and established Australian and Indigenous artists. It relocated to bright, light filled spacious premises in Bay Road Cheltenham in 2006.

The origin of the name relates back to Sandringham, the gallery’s original location. There is no pier in Sandringham.

As the gallery sought to establish on outstanding reputation for ‘without peer’ art merchandise, the name and spelling Without Pier was adopted. Now the gallery is ranked in the top 20 commercial galleries in Victoria.

Terry, a former banker, is passionate in supporting and promoting Australian artists. This new venture will be the first regional beachhead gallery for Without Pier - all the services provided in Melbourne will

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be available to Gippsland residents and visitors, with the Internet providing clients the full range of Without Pier’s extensive stable of artists and art works.

This new venture aims to bring some of Australia’s outstanding contemporary artists to Paynesville and encourage the development of artists in the region.

Terry said he is keen to explore pop up opportunities in Gippsland and focus on supporting local festivals with art shows.

Without Pier has excellent experience in running regional art shows having been involved with the Mansfield Easter Art Show over several years and runs an annual summer exhibition at the Victoria Parks’ Coolart Wetlands Homestead in Somers each January. The gallery owns special display panels that can be shipped in to selected locations and assembled to present art shows in a gallery like manner.

Leon said, ‘our aim is also to create opportunities for emerging and established local artists to present themselves to Without Pier with a view to joining the gallery’s stable of artists in Melbourne or participate in regional art shows locally as they evolve.’

Leon Gardiner is a ‘Gippy Resident’, originally from Thorpdale. He is an architect with a corporate business background with a passion for art. He plans to reside on Raymond Island in 2018. Meantime the gallery will operate under the umbrella of Gippsland Lakes Escapes with support from Leon and the main gallery in Cheltenham.

Enquiries: Terry Earle | Director | Without Pier Gallery 320 Bay Rd Cheltenham 3192 9583 7577 | 0419 541 892 www.withoutpier.com.au

LIOR & GRABOWSKY Saturday August 26 at 8.00pm John Leslie Theatre, Sale This world class music highlight of the year concert will be one of the first outings for a collaboration of two of Australia’s most respected artists.

Singer/songwriter and ARIA award winning Lior shot to the public’s attention following his 2005 debut album Autumn Flow, which became one of the most successful independent releases in Australian history. A swag of accolades followed, including three Aria nominations (including Best Male Artist), as well as Triple J’s prestigious ‘J Award’ nomination for Album of the Year. Lior is writing and recording his fifth studio album.

Paul Grabowsky who performed at The Wedge twice in 2016 with his quartet and with Kate Ceberano is an acclaimed composer, pianist and polymath who has received numerous awards in his illustrious 40 year career. He has won four ARIA awards, two Helpmann awards, several Bell Awards and a Deadly award. He was the Sydney Myer Performing Artist of the Year in 2000, and received the Melbourne Prize for Music in 2007. He regularly performs with his trio, quartet and sextet, mainly performing his own compositions.

Together they will be reinventing some of Lior’s most cherished songs as well as bringing their own individual voices to this special show.

A night of expert musicianship that is not to be missed.

For more information contact Esso BHP Billiton Wellington Entertainment Centre.

Visit: www.ebbwec.co.au

Phone: 03 5143 3200

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blue

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Remember Blue Hills Rise is only a 50 minute drive to Melbourne, and close to the Dandenong Ranges and the door step to Phillip Island and the Gippsland region.

Call David & Rikki today to kick off the retirement you have worked towards Blue Hills Rise 240 Berwick-Cranbourne Road Cranbourne East 3977

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Open 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, or via appointments on the weekend.

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