Gisborne Gazette August 2025

Gisborne Gazette

Schools unite for magical musical

Following the success of 2024’s The Addams Family, Gisborne Secondary College and Kyneton High School reunite this month to present Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s acclaimed musical Into the Woods. See page 4 for story and booking details.

Rhys’s new company and knew instantly that we would be enough about Rhys as a person and agent that we trusted and honesty is second to none and he supports you tips that made a huge difference to our property. His as though he were selling his own home. Sale in 3 weeks, purchasers. Don’t look anywhere else, Rhys is the best!”

Wil and Amya as the Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood.

HOME PAGE

From the Editor's desk

Here we are shivering in our wintry days and very envious of Katrina as she makes her way north on the family ‘vancation’, See her with the Gazette at Uluru on page 36. While wrapped in my usual six layers of clothing at this time of the year, I never cease to be astonished by the people I see in the village in their shorts and T-shirts. There are some very tough locals.

This year’s combined stage production by the teachers and students of Gisborne Secondary College and Kyneton High School will be the much-loved musical Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim. This promises to be a great night’s entertainment so don’t miss it. The Mount Players’ season of A Skull in Connemara will also run this month with great community support.

It was almost Christmas in July for some local clubs and organsations as they became the recipients of very generous gifts. First among them was the Gisborne Library that will receive $457,000 for infrastructure works; next best-served will be the Gisborne Soccer Club when their main soccer pitch at Dixon Fields will be aglow with $200,000 worth of LED lighting, and the Gisborne SES have a brand new ute. As well, there are smaller grants to warm the hearts of several club treasurers.

More good news on the sporting front is that the council is currently seeking responses to the tendering of works in the next stage of the development of the New Gisborne Sporting Precinct. (See page 4) When all works are finished by the end of 2026 there will surely not be any Victorian regional area as blessed with sporting facilities as we shall be.

While local football and netball teams are heading with confidence towards the finals in September, the cricketers will be commencing their preseason training. Gisborne Cricket Club has come up with an astonishing signing for 2025-26 season. Read all about it on page 5. And while you’re on page 5, you’ll be pleased to read that the Macedon Ranges Grand Tour is set to return in October after its near death in the COVID years.

Bryan Power

MINUTE WITH MAXINE

Scott and Leonie Murray, with their two small children, moved to Gisborne in 1997. They were originally from Templestowe, and they moved to get more garden space, and to bring up their children in a regional town. They have spent the last 28 years filling their block with garden borders, vegetable beds and fruit trees.

Scott has been a teacher at Braemar College for almost 20 years, but now, with working fewer hours, he has enjoyed finding new opportunities to fill his time. They are costumed volunteers at Sovereign Hill, where Scott teaches people to find gold, and he also works on the Victorian Goldfields Railway as a conductor and station master at Castlemaine.

Gisborne Gazette PO Box 9, Gisborne 3437 www.gisbornegazette.org.au

Circulation 8000

Gazette Team

Editor: Bryan Power gisbornegazetteeditor@gmail.com 0417 140 828

Production Pip Butler 0439 816 278 pbutlerhistory@gmail.com

Photographer Chris Fleming 0417 322 944

Distribution Manager Maxine Barker 0438 711 138 maxineandpeter@bigpond.com

Advertising Maxine Barker 0438 711 138 gisbornegazetteadvertising@gmail.com

Social media Jenny Shipp

Distributors: Proudly distributed to letterboxes in Gisborne, New Gisborne, Macedon, Mt Macedon, South Gisborne and Bullengarook by more than 90 volunteers.

Where you can find the Gazette

Available online at www.gisbornegazette.org.au

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DISCLAIMER

The views expressed in the Gazette are not necessarily those of the Gazette or its management committee unless acknowledged as such. No endorsement of products or services is implied by the listing of advertisers or sponsors. Any advice offered is intended for informational purposes only. It is not meant to replace or substitute for any professional advice. While every effort is taken in printing contributions accurately, the Gisborne Gazette takes no responsibility for errors.

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Copies of the Gazette are posted to subscribers each month for an annual subscription of $37.40 to cover postage. Payment can made through direct deposit online. Please contact Maxine on 0438 711 138.

OBITUARIES

To submit an obituary for publication, please email bryanp2@bigpond.com. Please also provide a photo for publication and restrict the article to about 300 words.

If you do not receive the Gazette in your letter box, you can collect a copy at: Gisborne: Post Office, Village Shopping Centre, Priceline Chemist, Hardy's UFS Pharmacy, Gisborne Medical Centre Brantome Street, Foodworks supermarket, Hello World Travel, Gisborne Library.

Mt Macedon: The Trading Post. Macedon: Post Office; United Service Station on Black Forest Drive.

New Gisborne: Baringo Food & Wine, Station Road; Smithy's Cafe, 3 Ladd Road. Riddells Creek: Newsagency Woodend: Coles supermarket.

The Gisborne Gazette acknowledges the Wurundjeri people as the traditional custodians of the land on which we live and work. We recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community, and pay respect to elders past, present and emerging.

He has played for the Gisborne Masters football team for over 20 years. And has recently discovered the joy of playing Pickleball, and riding his bike more often. He also enjoys supporting the Gisborne Foodbank, and playing Bass in the Gisborne Church of Christ worship band. Scott has always loved reading the Gazette He said it always has a great set of local stories and activities that really showcase the town. So, he was excited to get the opportunity to begin delivering the Gazette this year as it is a great way to volunteer and to promote our town. He would encourage anyone else who wants to get more active to consider delivering our wonderful Gazette newspaper. Maxine Barker Scott and Leonie

Proofreading Lou, Sara, Caitlyn

Gisborne Gazette Community Newspaper Inc.

Murray

From SES to soccer pitch, there's a lot to celebrate this month

Hello Gisborne community, Gisborne SES has welcomed a brand-new twin cab support vehicle to their fleet, thanks to a $101,500 grant from the Volunteer Emergency Services Equipment Program, alongside support from Community Bank Gisborne & District and the CWA Gisborne Branch.

This new vehicle will boost the unit’s emergency response capabilities across the Macedon Ranges.

In more good news, Dixon Field is getting a lighting upgrade, with the installation of 150 lux LED lighting on one of the soccer pitches. The $200,000 grant comes through the Regional Community Sports Infrastructure Fund.

The lighting means that more evening games and training sessions will be possible.

The state government is also backing local sporting clubs through the latest round of Sporting Club Grants. Congratulations to Gisborne’s recipients:

Gisborne Pony Club – for new show jumping equipment, Gisborne Soccer Club – uniforms for the Under 18 Girls Team, and Gisborne Tennis Club – for first aid kit, uniforms and tennis balls.

MEMBER’S MESSAGE

And big congratulations also to the South Gisborne Tennis Club, which received $7200 through the Regional All Abilities Participation Grants Program to support a new program and a permanent all-abilities coach. Our local sporting clubs would not be what they are without the incredible locals who coach, coordinate, and support behind the scenes thank you for everything you do.

Please note that my electorate office, at Shop 14 Nexus Centre, Goode Street, Gisborne, is currently closed to the public due to ongoing building works. In the meantime, you can still contact me by emailing mary-anne.thomas@parliament.vic.gov.au or leaving a message by calling 5428 2138.

Mary-Anne Thomas MP

New chapter through upgrades at Gisborne Library

Gisborne Library will receive $457,500 to improve community infrastructure and spaces and access to vital educational services and programs.

The Library meeting space renewal will create a modern, accessible, multifunctional space.

Key upgrades include improved accessibility, upgraded technology, sustainable infrastructure, and extended hours for the Gisborne Genealogical Group.

Designs and specifications are being prepared for tender, with the hope of going to tender before the end of the year. Construction is then expected to start in 2026 and be completed by the end of June 2026.

August is Family History Month, when family history groups across Australasia will be holding special events. Locally, the Gisborne Genealogical Group will hold its annual seminar on Saturday 30 August from 9.30am to 4pm at the Uniting Church, Brantome Street. The topic this year is “Aspects of Immigration to Victoria in the 19th Century”. The morning sessions will cover the Port Phillip District (Victoria before 1851), and Clare Gervasoni will speak about the challenges for non-English speakers in colonial Victoria. In the afternoon Professor Diane Hall will look at Irish immigration, especially young single Irish women in 19th century Victoria.

Cost is $25 for the day ($20 for GGG members), which includes morning and afternoon tea. BYO lunch. Booking is essential. Contact Lorna at lorna_jackson@ bigpond.com. or call 0402 091 034. More information is available on our website, www.ggg.org.au

Our Saturday Workshop, scheduled for 2 August, has been cancelled due to other commitments. The next workshop will be on 6 September. We will, however, be holding two workshops, in conjunction with the Gisborne Library. These will be genealogy sessions on websites – Using and navigating Ancestry.com and findmypast.com They will be held on Tuesday 12 and Friday 15 August 1pm-3pm. Please book through the Gisborne Library for these workshops. Lyn Hall

BATHROOMS

With Mary-Anne Thomas, MP

SES members are happy to have the new vehicle.

Schools unite for magical musical

Following the success of 2024’s The Addams Family, Gisborne Secondary College and Kyneton High School reunite in August to present Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s acclaimed musical Into the Woods

This clever and heartfelt production intertwines beloved fairy tales Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Rapunzel with the story of a baker and his wife who must break a witch’s curse by collecting magical items.

As wishes are granted, the characters soon discover that every dream comes with a price. With themes of yearning, responsibility, and the true meaning of 'happily ever after,' the show promises wit, wonder, and unforgettable music.

More than 70 students from Years 7 to 12 are involved in every aspect of the production, from lead roles and ensemble singing to backstage crew, lighting and sound, prop and set construction, and front-of-house operations.

This collaboration showcases not only artistic talent but also teamwork, friendship and creativity of the students.

Don’t miss this wonderful showcase of what young people can achieve.

Showing 8 to 17 August at the Barcham Theatre, Gisborne Secondary College.

Tickets are available from www.trybooking.com/ DAUCG .

Local business woman named finalist for national awards

Community Bank helping leaders of tomorrow

In July, four passionate young people two from Gisborne Secondary College, one from Braemar College and one from Sacred Heart College returned from the Magic Moments Youth Leadership and Business Summit in Sydney brimming with energy and inspiration for their future.

Held over five days, the summit is a national program designed to ignite leadership potential and spark entrepreneurial thinking in young people aged 14 to 17.

For the eighth year, Community Bank Gisborne & District was proud to support local students in this opportunity. This year’s scholars were Alex Evans and Susannah Murray (Gisborne Secondary), Georgia Letson (Braemar) and Jesse Warne (Sacred Heart College).

Alex returned with a newfound sense of confidence in himself: “My favourite part was meeting many like-minded young people, making lots of new friends, and improving myself along with them... I would like to use this experience to help me make friends in new situations, be a better leader, become school captain in year 12 and become better at saving and making money

By choosing to bank with Community Bank Gisborne & District, people in our community make local support like this possible.

For all your banking needs, please contact Courtney Alexander, Business Development Manager and Mobile Lender on 5420 7210 or email gisbornemailbox@ bendigoadelaide.com.au .

Bank seeks community director p9 

Sports hub second stage out to tender

An expansion of the Macedon Ranges Sports Precinct in New Gisborne is now out to tender, with designs progressed and contractors invited to submit their proposals. The $17 million second stage will double the current indoor and outdoor offerings across the 15-hectare site either side of Barringo Road and north of Hamilton Road.

“The Sports Precinct ... has already been extremely well-utilised by pre-agreed user groups as well as new groups coming on board,” he said. “These planned upgrades will only further enhance the Sports Precinct’s ability to host key matches, training, events and more –I look forward to contracts being awarded and the first sod turning on this second stage.”

Gisborne’s Liz Reichard of Liz the Radiance Coach has been named as a finalist in the category 'One to Watch (New Idea)' in the AusMumpreneur Awards for 2025. Award winners will be announced. at the AusMumpreneur Conference on 11 and 12 August in Geelong.

On the western sports hub site, proposed upgrades include three new multi-use indoor courts; four genderneutral changerooms; additional car parking; a dedicated drop-off zone; additional offices and other public amenities.

On the eastern sports field site, proposed upgrades include a second natural turf oval to the north of the existing oval and pavilion; two outdoor netball courts; and additional car parking.

Mayor Dom Bonanno said tendering out the works was a crucial next step to enable construction on a bolstered Sports Precinct, which was already being well utilised by local user groups and sports including AFL, basketball, netball, badminton and volleyball.

To help streamline the distinctly different types of work required and to support competitive tendering, the second stage will be divided into two separate contracts: one focused on buildings and the other on ground works. It is expected that contracts will be awarded to enable construction to start late this year, with works expected to be completed by late 2026.

While there will be an increase in construction activity and workers during this time, disruptions to the public are expected to be minimal.

The Sports Precinct has attracted nearly 85,000 participants in the first 12 months of operation. A number of regional and state level tournaments have also taken place.

Flanked by Community Bank staff are students (from left): Georgia Letson, Susannah Murray, Jesse Warne and Alex Evans.

International star signs for upcoming season

Cricket coup for Gisborne

Gisborne Cricket Club has pulled off one of its most exciting signings in recent memory, securing the services of South African-born American cricketer Obus Pienaar for the upcoming season.

With an international pedigree and a proven track record of excellence, Pienaar’s arrival marks a major milestone for the club and the broader Gisborne cricketing community.

The 34-year-old right-handed batting all-rounder boasts a glittering first-class career in South Africa, having played 95 matches and scored more than 6000 runs at an average of 45.4.

His remarkable stats include 17 centuries, 28 half-centuries, and a career-best score of 221. He also holds the record for the fastest double century in South African domestic cricket a feat that highlights his explosive style at the crease.

Currently, Obus is competing in the Major League Cricket play-offs in the United States with the Washington Freedom franchise, where he has spent the past two seasons under the mentorship of Australian legend Ricky Ponting.

“We are beyond excited to welcome a cricketer of Obus’s calibre, professionalism, and global experience to our club,” said Riley Vernon for Gisborne Cricket Club.

“His presence will not only strengthen our senior squad but also inspire the next generation of Gisborne cricketers.”

Off the field, Obus brings a deep commitment to the

grassroots game. Once he and his wife and daughter settle in Gisborne in October, he will play an active role in mentoring junior players and offering one-on-one coaching—further enriching the club’s community focus.

Gisborne Cricket Club invites the community to warmly welcome Obus and his family as they prepare for what promises to be a thrilling season ahead.

Let the countdown begin!

Brett Vernon

Gisborne Cricket Club preseason kicks off soon ►page 28

Macedon Ranges Grand Tour car classic returns

Attention all classic car owners: It’s time for a grease and oil change and to polish those chrome bumpers because the Macedon Ranges Grand Tour is making a comeback.

For 15 years, until COVID lockdowns scuppered the planned 2020 event, the Macedon Ranges Grand Tour attracted participants with over 100 classic cars to the Macedon Ranges, for a fun day of touring and taking in what the region has to offer.

A new organising committee was formed by a group of enthusiasts from the TD Automobile Club with the aim of bringing back this fun event and are proud to announce that a date has been set.

With the fantastic support of the GREAT Association, the starting flag will be dropped for the 2025 Macedon Ranges Grand Tour at 7am on Saturday 4 October, from outside the Mechanics Institute on Hamilton Street.

Entries are now open for those who are interested in participating, so book in now as spots are limited and are filling up fast. Bookings can be made via the Macedon Ranges Grand Tour website, www.macedonrangesgrandtour.com.au

Obus Pienaar with Ricky Ponting, his coach at Washington Freedom.

Gisborne Library news

It’s still winter so the Warm Winter Read event is on. Libraries across Victoria are encouraging communities to stop doom-scrolling and to cosy up with a good book. Log your reading; have fun with Book Bingo; view a range of Recommendation Book Marks; Enter competitions to win prizes. It is simple to join in the Warm Winter Read.

A Justice of the Peace is at the Gisborne Library on Thursdays from 12 noon to 2pm. No bookings required. Community groups that meet in the library are For the Love of Crochet: beginners and experts all welcome. First Monday of the month, 2 to 4pm. Seed Savers group: also first Monday of the month, from 1 to 2pm, and are looking for volunteers.

The next Family LEGO drop-in is Saturday 16 August, 10am to 12 noon. No bookings required.

Georgina

Bulk buy offers savings on hot water heat pumps

GISBORNE GOSS

Macedon Rangeswide savings of up to $950 off pre 1-July2025 prices on state of the art Reclaim Energy hot water heat pump systems are now available to help residents access this efficient, money-saving technology.

Volunteers from Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group’s GREG renewable energy project are offering a bulk buy discount on Australian Reclaim Energy hot water heat pumps of $550 for installations from now until end of November.

The saving of up to $950 comprises a bulk buy discount of $550 plus a $400 increase in the Solar Vic means-tested hot water rebate from $1000 to $1400 from 1 July, for systems with Australian-made content.

Victorian Energy Efficiency Certificate and federal Small-scale Technology Certificate rebates also apply.

Hot water represents 24% of the average home’s energy bills. Energy-efficient heat pumps reduce hot water energy use by up to 80%.

If you have rooftop solar panels, your hot water bill becomes negligible by using your hot water as an energy battery.

Find more information about this leading Australian brand of heat pump (Reclaim Energy) and complete the expression of interest form on mrsg.org.au/HeatPump-Buy or follow the accompanying QR code.

A new women’s salon will be opening soon in the Village Shopping Centre in the shop previously leased by the jewellery store.

Gisborne Library manager Sara Shaw is undertaking a secondment for 15 months at Bendigo Library. She is not leaving the organisation, just relocating for now. Trish Gauci will be Acting Manager until the end of September.

The UFS chemist that was inside Neal Street Clinic is now an IPA (independent Pharmacies Australia) chemist. Hardy's UFS is still in Brantome Street.

In a recent edition of the Gazette we reported that Total Body Health Gisborne (Shop 9a Hamilton Street) had closed. This was not actually the case as the owners of the business have rebranded it as Emerge Health and Wellness Hub and moved the clinic up to 196 Station Road, New Gisborne.

Vaccine to protect the elderly

A free vaccine is available for residents aged over 60 in public sector residential aged care services to protect them from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) .

RSV is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can affect people of all ages but can cause serious illness in older people – particularly those with heart or lung conditions or weakened immune systems. The Arexvy vaccine has been shown to reduce the severity of RSV infections, including the risk of complications such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis.

REPRINT

After a slight holdup in reprinting of fur-

copies of

Georgina Smith in the library.

Reclaim Energy hot water heat pump system

Young Shedmen do their bit

Not only do the four Young Shedmen pictured help to bring down the average age of the Men's Shed (to about 74), they also help some of us feel just a bit younger by explaining things from their perspective.

And along with learning a few trade skills, they have also tuned into our Shed philosophy of doing something for the community. They have made “gutter boards,” soon to be handed over to Gisborne Primary School.

What is a gutter board you ask? It is used in a ball game which has travelled to us from across the Tasman, to sharpen a player’s skill of throwing and catching a tennis ball. There are plenty of videos on the internet to give you the idea, although none of them show Gutter Boards as brightly decorated as these works of art crafted by Luke, Hamish, Jake and Justin.

If you would like to improve your practical skills, develop your artistic flair or just hone your conversational proficiency over a cuppa, we can help. Just turn up any Monday, Wednesday or Thursday morning with an inclination to get involved.

Rotary welcomes new exchange student

The Rotary Club of Gisborne has welcomed its new exchange student from Germany, Annina Emmenegger, for the next 12 months. Annina is one of many year 10 or 11 students who travel to a new country for a year of learning a new language and culture.

Rotary

GISBORNE

meetings and functions sharing knowledge of her home and her achievements while here with us, including a safari to another part of Australia for more experiences.

She will be hosted by three local families over the year and will attend school for the year at Braemar College, and will no doubt make lifelong friends in the process.

One of the main aims of this global program is to promote peace through friendships and understanding.

Annina will also attend many Rotary

We are in the process of approving another student from Gisborne to travel away on exchange in January for 12 months.

Students from the northern hemisphere travel from July to July and those from the southern hemisphere January to January. This enables them to continue their education in their home country on their return at the right time of the year.

Lyn Robinson

Annina (centre) welcomed by host families and representatives from Rotary Gisborne and the President and Youth Exchange chair from Rotary District 9800.

Ready to learn a new skill?

'Learn Local' at MRFEC

Thank you to everyone who filled out the Macedon Ranges Further Education Centre (MRFEC) community survey this past month. We have been blown away by the response and have really valued the insights gained.

Our aim at the centre is to offer training and courses to further adult learners’ education and engage the local community in a variety of social activities, recreational courses and workshops. Essentially, to provide opportunities to bring our community together and we feel the survey responses and suggestions have reflected just that. We will be in touch with the winner when the prize is drawn shortly.

Speaking of which, we have an incredible range of 'Learn Local' courses on offer this term. MRFEC is a Learn Local organisation where you can access subsidised training close to where you live.

Experienced tutors present the training, and we specialise in small classes averaging eight to 10. These courses include:

Horticulture (at Macedon & Mount Macedon Community House) – starts Tuesday 5 August.

Bookkeeping – starts Friday 8 August.

Business Admin Skills (Beginners) – starts Tuesday 12 August.

Barista – starts Monday 8 September.

MYOB – starts Monday 8 September.

Xero – starts Monday 15 September.

Social Media Marketing with KGMG Creative –starts Tuesday 19 August.

Come join us and learn something new while

Matt Griffiths from KGMG Creative running ‘Social Media Marketing’ at MRFEC.

meeting like-minded locals!

Head to our website www.mrfec.net.au for more information and online enrolment, call us on 03 5428 3799, email enquiries@mrfec.net.au or pop in to say hello at 12 Hamilton Street!

Caitlyn Sinclair

Lions supports those in need

During 2024-25, the Gisborne and District Lions Club distributed $27,250 to those in need as follows:

● $4,250 to students from local families in need;

● $10,000 towards drought victims in Victoria via the Lions Need for Feed program;

● $10,000 towards those adversely impacted by the floods in southern Queensland and northern NSW;

● $1000 towards the operating costs of the Licola Wilderness Village (between Glenmaggie and Jamieson) which provides a fun and safe environment for deserving young people;

● $1000 towards the operating costs of the Lions Cancer Skin Check Bus

● $1000 to the Lions Clubs International Foundation which is directed to people adversely impacted by natural disasters around the world.

Further, the following was also provided by the Lions Club:

● 60 Lions Christmas Cakes to the Gisborne Foodbank to be included in Christmas Hampers which were provided to those in need in our local community;

● Around 500 pairs of glasses collected and provided to the Lions Glasses for Sight Program; and

● Six shoe boxes of stamps collected and provided with the proceeds from their sales used by the Australian Lions Children’s Mobility Foundation to obtain walking devices that get children out of their wheelchairs and onto their feet.

These significant contributions would not have been possible without the considerable support from our local community in the Lions Club’s various fund-raising efforts. These activities are in addition to coordinating the annual Gisborne Festival.

News from Gisborne RSL

Last month Gisborne RSL was among hundreds of branch delegates to attend the Victorian RSL annual State Conference. The RSL community in Victoria stretches across 262 sub-branches and comprises more than 190,000 members.

In presenting the Annual Report, retiring president Dr Robert Webster OAM said RSL existed to serve veterans and their families and to support them during the everyday challenges of life after service. Most of this work happened at a local level, to ensure that every veteran in Victoria was respected and supported. Care ranges from urgent financial assistance to wellbeing support, from claims advocacy to community connection. "We walk alongside those who have served, and the people who stand beside them," he said.

Gisborne RSL is here to serve the veteran community and its families. ADF veterans, please do not hesitate to contact us if you need advice, help or are struggling with health problems. It is important to know that immediate and direct support is available for you and your family. For immediate crisis support, please call: Open Arms: 1800 011 046, ADF Mental Health All-Hours Support Line: 1800 628 036, Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467, Defence, Member and Family Helpline: 1800 624 608, Safe Zone Support: 1800 142 072.

RSL Gisborne is always proud to welcome new members, current and former service personnel (ADF and Allies). We need your support to ensure we sustain our range of commemorative services and welfare programs. If you’re interested, please contact our secretary via email at: admin@gisbornersl.com.au or by phone on 0487 278 681.

Darren Grevis-James President

COMMUNITY BANK

SEEKING DIRECTOR

Do you want to make a difference in the Macedon Ranges? By joining the volunteer board that operates Community Bank Gisborne & District, you can help shape the future of your community.

Macedon Ranges Community Enterprises Ltd franchisee of Bendigo Bank and a certified social enterprise — returns over 80% of profits to the community. Directors play a key role in guiding where that funding goes.

We are seeking enthusiastic, community-minded locals from Gisborne, New Gisborne, Bullengarook, Macedon and Mt Macedon, Riddells Creek and Woodend to join the team.

We would especially love to hear from people with experience in areas of accounting/finance, community engagement, youth and public health.

If you’re motivated, organised, and passionate about giving back, we would love to hear from you.

To learn more or express your interest, please visit www.ethicaljobs.com.au/members/mrceltd/boarddirector-voluntary-macedon-ranges

Alternatively, please contact the chief executive officer, Jo-Ann Irwin, via ceo@mrce.com.au or call 0456 685 334.

Gemma Gamble Macedon Ranges Community Enterprises Ltd

Tales of Sri Lanka at Gisborne CWA

There has been a Group meeting, a Daffodil Festival meeting and some Association Days to attend in the last month. It’s always interesting to catch up with members of the other branches to see what they have been up to.

Helen H stepped into the President’s chair for July in between her family commitments. We were proud to see Helen W take out 1st place in a section of the state

photography competition against thirty-three rivals.

Our country of study for the year is Sri Lanka and we were very pleased to welcome our treasurer’s granddaughter, Sophie, to our last meeting. She had been volunteering at a pre-school in Sri Lanka for a month and had photos to show us and tales of hot, humid conditions on crowded buses, but enjoyed

Family Day Care educators needed in Gisborne

Early childhood educators in Gisborne are encouraged to consider family day care as a way to combine their passion for childcare with a flexible, financially rewarding and professional home-based career.

Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health’s 'Our Village Family Childcare', is looking for educators in Gisborne to support the growing number of families looking for home-based childcare. As a family day care educator, you can set your own schedule and hours and design your own childcare programs.

You have the opportunity to care for your own children and earn an income while caring for others, aged from six weeks to 12 years.

Educators receive support from the Our Village coordination team with things such as marketing, the collection of fees and the initial set-up of your business. Our Village can also organise an assessment of your home for its suitability for family day care. Family day care offers care in a small group setting and educators can provide all-day or part-day care, evening and overnight care, casual care, respite care, before and after school care and school holiday care.

To help with the costs of becoming a family day care educator, Family Day Care Australia, in partnership with the Commonwealth Government, is offering funding for eligible new educators in selected regional areas, including Gisborne, through the Family Day Care Capability Trial.

To find out more, call Amanda Urban on 9744 9252, email amanda.urban@scchc.org.au or go to www.sunburycobaw.org.au/seeking-family-day-careeducators.

her time away working with the children.

Our next meeting is Monday 11 August at the Gisborne Secondary College at 10am. Our room at the Stadium is comfortable and the kitchen has been approved for catering purposes, so we are lucky to have these facilities at our disposal.

Coffee, Craft and Chat the following Monday 18 August at 10am.

Christine Edwards

Christine Edwards

Dental Talk Dental Talk

with Dr Jacob Chan

Manual vs rotary vs sonic toothbrushes: what’s the difference?

I walked down the dental aisle at the chemist the other day and felt genuinely overwhelmed by the range of toothbrushes and gadgets staring back at me. And I know what I’m looking at! It made me think—if I find it confusing, how must it feel for my patients? That prompted me to put together a concise breakdown of the main types of toothbrushes and how they differ, both in how they work and how to use them properly.

Manual Toothbrushes

Best for: Budget-conscious users with good brushing habits.

Technique: Using a soft-bristle brush, use gentle, circular motions at a 45° angle to the gumline. Brush each section for at least 30 seconds, totalling two full minutes. Avoid scrubbing harshly, which can damage gums and enamel.

Rotary (Oscillating)

Electric Toothbrushes

Best for: Those needing a little help with brushing consistency or dexterity Technique: Let the brush do the work. Gently guide the ro-

tating head tooth-by-tooth without scrubbing. Hold the brush on each tooth for a few seconds before moving to the next.

Sonic Toothbrushes

Best for: People looking for maximum plaque removal with minimal effort

Technique: Position the brush at the gumline and slowly move it across your teeth. No need to scrub the high-frequency vibrations create a cleaning effect that reaches beyond the bristles, even between teeth.

Final Thoughts

Effective plaque removal is essential for maintaining healthy teeth and gums but just as important is avoiding damage from brushing too hard or using the wrong technique.

Overbrushing is something we see often, and it can lead to gum recession and enamel wear. Finding the right brush is a personal decision and can depend on your technique, needs, and comfort.

If you are unsure what’s best for you, have a chat with your trusted dentist we’re always there to help you.

Dementia Support Australia sessions

In partnership with Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Dementia Support Australia (DSA) will be hosting two free community information sessions to help individuals better understand and access dementia support services.

These sessions will cover an overview of Dementia Support Australia, including: Who they are and the levels of service they offer How and when to access DSA services

What’s involved in completing a referral and triage call

What to expect during a DSA telehealth or face-to-face visit

How to implement DSA’s recommendations and advice Insights into caring for someone living with dementia

There will be time for questions at the end of the session.

A session will be held on Tuesday 16 September, from 10 to 11am at Gisborne Library.

If you can't make that one, there will also be a session on Wednesday 17 September from 10 to 11am at Kyneton Library.

To register your attendance, please contact the council on 5422 0333 or email VillageConnect@mrsc. vic.gov.au

A cloud can weigh around a million tonnes.

A cloud typically has a volume of about 1km3 and a density of around 1.003kg per m3 – that's a density that is about 0.4 per cent lower than the air surrounding it (this is how they are able to float). (Source: BBC Science Focus)

Jiu-jitsu sessions engage children and foster good habits

Macedon Ranges children have shown improved wellbeing, engagement and focus, thanks to a community program based on the Japanese martial art jiu-jitsu.

Students from Holy Cross Primary in New Gisborne and Riddells Creek Primary recently participated in the program, funded by Macedon Ranges Health and facilitated by a local jiu-jitsu provider.

The sessions were more than just learning about martial arts, with the students developing discipline, self-confidence and physical fitness.

The school teachers of the students who participated in the sessions have since noticed an increase in focus, respect and enthusiasm for learning.

By combining movement with mindfulness and structure, the sport gives young people tools they can carry into every part of their day. Programs like this offer a non-traditional pathway to engagement for students who may struggle in the classroom or feel disconnected.

Macedon Ranges Health plans to support more local schools to facilitate sessions again in coming months. For more information call Macedon Ranges Health on 5428 0300.

More free mental health care coming

The State Government is expanding its network of Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals so more people can get free mental health support without needing a GP referral or Medicare card.

The closest of the new units to Gisborne will be in Castlemaine. This Local will serve patients from the shires of Macedon Ranges, Mount Alexander and Central Goldfields.

Acting as a ‘front door’ to the mental health system, the Locals offer support and treatment for people experiencing mental illness or psychological distress, including co-occurring substance use or addiction.

Support is delivered in-person, or via telehealth, and via outreach services, with a care plan designed to reflect a person’s goals and preferences. Family, carers and supporters can also be involved.

CWA Macedon Branch

After quite a busy schedule in July, August has arrived with new things to keep us active.

On 8 and 9 August our State Creative Arts Exhibition is being held at the Kyabram Town Hall. If you are looking for a winter outing to view a wonderful display of cookery, preserves, knitting, handcrafts, quilting, patchwork etc, head up to Kyabram for this exhibition. The locals will be pleased if you check out what their town has to offer while you are there.

Back at our Macedon CWA Hall we are having a Trivia Night on Saturday 23 August. This promises to be a fun night of giving our brains a workout in a party atmosphere.

There will be a Silent Auction as well to pick up a bargain or two. Please contact Valda on 0408 998 927 to get more details or book a table on TryBooking.

Our usual branch meeting is on 19 August at the Hall. You are welcome to come along at 1pm to find out about CWA.

The month ends with a Central Highlands Group Conference at our Hall to keep the branches in touch with activities in our Group and at State level.

Good to see signs of spring happening some early blossoms and daffodils starting to appear.

Like to know more about the Macedon Branch? Call Anne Fyfield on 5426 2210.

Drive Safe. Stay Aware. Arrive Alive.

I don’t like to complain about the customer service of any business but I didn’t appreciate being pushed over by the bank manager when I asked him to check my balance.

Gisborne Fire Brigade would like to remind drivers to exercise caution on our local roads. This follows recent responses by neighbouring brigades within the Macedon Ranges to serious accidents. Vigilance is required during high-risk periods, between dusk and dawn especially. Reducing speed, driving to prevailing conditions and being aware of wildlife are always crucial. Ensure you, your passengers and other road users arrive safely at the destination and avoid the fatal five which are speeding, impairment, not wearing seatbelts, fatigue and distractions.

Gisborne Fire Brigade

Jiu-jitsu instructor Andrew.

Winter to spring

Mum Life – Sorted with Katrina Wurm

August is the perfect time to start preparing for the new season. Just like you might clean out your wardrobe for warmer weather, it’s time to clean up your mindset and your routines. The shift in seasons is a great reminder that change can bring fresh opportunities, and this is the ideal time to start laying the groundwork for the months ahead. Take some time to reflect on your current routines, your goals, and your selfcare practices. What’s working well? What could use some adjustment? This is the moment to reassess and reset.

The change in season is the perfect invitation to try something different and bring new energy into your life. One way to prepare for spring is by making impactful changes to your daily routines. Consider decluttering your home and workspace to create a lighter, more organised environment. This can help you feel more in control and set the tone for a productive spring. It’s amazing how a tidy space can make a huge difference in your mindset.

As the weather warms up, take advantage of the change by spending more time outdoors. Connecting with nature can help boost your mood and energy levels. Fresh air and sunlight can also do wonders for your mental health, helping to shake off any winter blues. Start thinking about your goals for the new season. What do you want to achieve in spring? Whether it’s personal growth, career aspirations, or making time for more family activities, set clear intentions for the months ahead. By taking small steps now, you’ll set yourself up for success and feel more energised when the new season fully arrives.

RAMBLERS WALK Sunbury

Spavin Dr. Lake

Distance: approximately 5km (6km with option)

Level: Very easy

This is a great scenic walk. No special footwear is required, average runners are fine, hiking poles unnecessary.

Getting there: Drive towards Sunbury on the Riddell Road. After passing Elizabeth Drive and before Racecourse Road, turn left into McKell Avenue, then right into the service road where there is ample parking. The walk starts from here. Walk towards Racecourse Road taking the left track before Blind Creek. This track runs alongside but away from the traffic of Racecourse Road, before rejoining the road briefly to cross Kismet Creek. Take the left paved walkway, now the Kismet Creek trail, all the way to Spavin Drive Lake. The trail is well signposted.

Retrace your route to your car.

Hello from the Ramblers

The ramblers recently revis ited a walk that was last on the calendar pre-covid. Due to the time lapse and turn-over in the group, this was new to many of the 26 walkers on the day. I too had quite forgotten (the fog of covid) how attractive this walk was, and especially as we had a sunny warm day in the middle of winter. I have detailed the walk, (in Sunbury) something you may like to try.

We have been very fortunate with the weather on our Friday walks of late, enjoying crisp but sunny spells, no doubt having put this in writing, the weather gods will be planning a revenge in spades! Charles (gisramblers@gmail.com)

Residents treat their sweet tooth on National Chocolate Day

Gisborne Oaks residents were treated to a selection of sweets as part of National Chocolate Day on Monday, 7 July. Sweet smiles were seen far and wide, particularly on the faces of Angelina and Lorraine, who relished the opportunity to indulge in a range of chocolate treats.

Katrina Wurm

The picturesque Spavin Drive Lake.

Angelina and Lorraine indulge on the day.

Empower Your Home webinars

We have had great success with the Empower Your Home ‘lunch and learn’ sessions, with almost 500 people register for the eight webinars so far.

Join the upcoming August sessions. These events are brought to you by the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance Councils of Bendigo, Central Goldfields, Macedon Ranges and Pyrenees.

To register for any of the following sessions, visit mrsc.vic.gov.au/environment-events.

Solar and Batteries 101 – 4 August, 12.30-1.30pm

This session will help you understand whether a solar and or battery system is the right choice for you, how best to proceed and then optimise savings.

Learn how solar and battery systems work, how to determine what’s right for your property/context, reviewing quotes and the latest government incentives.

Led by Frank Forster from EnviroShop Newstead, a leading expert and local advocate for home electrification.

Electrify your Ride: Market Updates and Novated Leasing – 1 September, 12.30-1.15pm

The electric vehicle market is moving fast, with new electric SUVs and utes now added. Hear the latest from the market for all vehicle and bike ranges,

NEWS FROM THE COUNCIL

Burn wood heater brighter this winter

Domestic wood heaters can be a great source of warmth in our homes. However, they can be a major contributor of air pollution in our towns, if not operated correctly. Smoke from wood heaters can affect the air we breathe and the health of the community.

Tips for successful burning:

●  Have the wood heater and flue serviced each year by a professional.

●  Use only dry, seasoned and untreated wood.

●  Never burn plastics or foam, painted wood or treated timber (for example, railway sleepers or fence palings). These generate toxic fumes in addition to wood smoke air pollutants.

●  Only use small or medium pieces of wood and avoid overloading your heater, as this will starve the fire of oxygen and cause it to smoulder.

●  Wait for the fire to establish before adding extra fuel.

●  Open the air controls for a few minutes before adding fuel; then, after reloading, wait until the fire is burning well before turning the air controls down.

●  Don’t let the fire smoulder overnight. Fine particle levels can build up overnight and early morning during calm and cold conditions.

curement and tendering contract opportunities. Meet and hear from a panel of council representatives sharing information and guidance to help businesses better understand the tendering and procurement process and information about the council’s capital works program.

Afternoon tea will be provided followed by presentations from relevant council departments, plus a guest presentation by Industry Capability Network, supply chain and procurement network specialists.

To book or for more information visit mrsc.vic.gov.au/business-events, call 5421 9674 or email ecodevadmin@ mrsc.vic.gov.au

Help for gigs and musicians

as well as salary and financial options available.

Hear from the CEO of National Automotive Leasing and Salary Packaging Association (NALSPA), and the founder of Sparque – eBike experts and eBike Novated Leasing.

Health Assessments

Doing Business with Council –Free Tendering amd Procurement Information Session

Wednesday 13 August, 1.30 to 3pm Gisborne Service Centre, 40 Robertson Street Learn how to apply for council pro-

The State Government is backing local musicians, venues and festivals with a $3 million boost designed to strengthen the industry and the jobs and communities it supports. The Victorian Gig Fund will fund 136 venues across the state to stage paid gigs by local artists. Recipients include the Mount Macedon Hotel.

Greater Western Water grants support community groups

Greater Western Water’s 'Thriving Communities Grants and Sponsorship' program is supporting 28 community groups to help make community projects, events and activities happen in 2025-26.

After receiving a record number of applications this year, GWW has awarded approximately $180,000 in grants and sponsorships to groups across its service region.

Of the 28 recipients in the Macedon Ranges, locally Gisborne and District Lions Club qualified for a grant for the Lions Gisborne Festival 2025. This year the festival marks 50 years of bringing the community together in December to celebrate the festive season.

GWW’s general manager of strategy and partnerships, Kessia Thomson, said the organisation was overwhelmed by the number and quality of application.

“We’re supporting a diverse range of projects that will support positive liveability, education, sustainability and health and wellbeing outcomes for our customers

Probus enjoys Christmas in July

This month the Probus Club of Gisborne celebrated Christmas in July with a wellattended and enjoyable two-course lunch at the Victoria Hotel in Woodend. Christmas in July celebrations have been important in the club’s calendar since the club was established just over 30 years ago.

In the view of Wray Taylor, who is a very active Life Member of the club, these functions have always involved a strong sense of friendship and shared enjoyment with a special festive touch. This year’s function was no exception.

We are now looking forward to our August outing that will see us travelling by coach to the Victoria Police Museum in Docklands on Thursday 21 August.

If you have an interest in becoming a member of the club you are welcome to join us at our next meeting on Thursday 7 August in the Gisborne Community Centre at 10am, or you can contact our Vice-President, Gary Jones, on 0458 841 947 for further information.

O’Brien

Let the parade begin.

and communities across every corner of our service region.” Ms Thomson said.

Community groups can apply for up to $20,000 for community grants and up to $5000 for local community sponsorship.

How to have your say in council consultations

The council’s Your Say online hub is the go-to source for information and feedback on all council-led consultations, in addition to other external consultations the council may support.

Due to local newsletters’ editorial deadlines and the need for some consultations to be tabled and considered at council meetings, the council may not always be able to provide firm consultation dates through newsletters. However, the following are among matters are expected to be consulted on soon, if not already live: Drafts of revised key strategic council documents, such as the Council Plan, following consultation in late 2024 and throughout 2025

Kyneton Airfield leases

Woodend Racecourse

Draft Domestic Animal Management Plan

Any adjustments to dog off-leash and prohibited areas (also known as the Dog and Cat Order 2019) Review of the Affordable Housing Policy and strategy

An update to the Biodiversity Strategy.

Visit yoursay.mrsc.vic.gov.au to view current consultations, provide feedback and sign up to receive tailored alerts about future consultations as they are listed. We understand that not everyone is able to readily access digital platforms like this, or prefer hard copies –we welcome enquiries on any of our consultations and can endeavour to provide hard-copy information and survey questions on request.

Michael

Gisborne Probus Club members enjoy Christmas in July.

The weather might still be so cold, but it warms the heart to see bright jonquils popping up in local gardens.

Choir shares music and friendship in Hobart

A cheerful group of 16 choristers accompanied by pianist Anna Zuidland recently returned from an enriching tour to the Festival of Voices in Hobart.

The Gisborne Singers performed across the city, including a formal concert at the majestic St David’s Cathedral and pop-up appearances at the Hobart Library, Hadley's Hotel, and Farm Gate Market, which takes over inner-city Bathurst Street each Sunday.

The ensemble engaged in several workshops, notably a lively session with the Velvetones featuring Puttin’ on the Ritz and Sing, Sing, Sing. They also enjoyed networking opportunities with fellow artists and choirs throughout the event.

At the Singers’ Lounge, renowned composer Paul Jarman extended a warm welcome and invited the group to return in future years.

the Gisborne

Singers

The choir joined the massed voices for the festival’s closing celebration, Cheers to 20 Years, held at Hobart City Hall. They performed powerful selections including John Farnham’s You’re the Voice and Eric Bogle’s Shelter

Beyond the music, the tour fostered strong camaraderie and social connection highlighted by a reunion with former chorister Margaret Brockman, now residing in Cygnet.

The Gisborne Singers’ experience in Hobart marks another proud chapter in the choir's journey of choral excellence, musical growth, community engagement and lasting friendship.

Entries open for Daffodil Festival

Art Prize

The Kyneton Daffodil & Arts Festival announces that entries are now open for the 2025 Kyneton Daffodil Art Prize. Held as part of the region’s much-loved springtime celebration, the Art Prize welcomes artists from across Australia to showcase their creativity in this nationally recognised exhibition.

This year’s competition features a $1000 Grand Prize for the best artwork incorporating a daffodil. Each category winner will also receive a $250 cash prize, with categories including:

Esther Rose Memorial Watercolour Prize, Oil Painting, Acrylic Painting, Works on Paper, Photography, Other Medium/Sculpture.

While the overall prize requires a daffodil to be featured in the artwork, all entries daffodil or not remain eligible for their respective category awards. The competition is open to all Australian artists aged 16 and over, with a maximum of four entries per person. Both 2D and 3D artworks are accepted.

The entry deadline is 29 August.

The exhibition will be held at the Old Auction House, 52-56 Mollison Street, Kyneton, and run for the full duration of the festival, 5 to 14 September Winners are announced at the Festival opening on 5 September.

To enter, visit:

kynetondaffodilandartsfestival.com.au/art-competition

The touring party performing at Elizabeth Street Mall in Hobart.

Kitty Skeen

Tia Alysse’s 2024 overall winner.

Mount Players happenings

A dark Irish comedy with skeletons that should stay buried…but where’s the fun in that?

The Mount Players' next production, A Skull In Connemara by Martin McDonagh, runs from 15 to 31 August. If you are lucky you may still get a ticket!

Synopsis: Featuring dark deeds and daft locals, this razor-sharp dark comedy is set in a quiet Irish village where the dead do not always stay buried and neither do the secrets. Each year, gravedigger Mick Dowd is tasked with clearing out old graves to make space for the newly departed. But this year, something or someone hits a little too close to home.

With biting wit and a mounting sense of unease, the play spirals into a hilariously macabre investigation of small-town gossip, suspicion, and the skeletons we all try to keep buried. A comedy six feet deep!

To book tickets go to www.themountplayers.com or call 5426 1892 for assistance.

See you at the theatre!

Karen Hunt

Australian Chamber Choir returns to Macedon CRAFT CORNER

The eagerly awaited return to Macedon of the Australian Chamber Choir is fast approaching. The choir will present Renaissance Requiem, a program that features an emotional work by a local Victorian composer.

Dianne Gome (director of music at the Church of the Resurrection) writes:

The performance will feature Missa pro defunctis (Requiem) by Victorian composer Gordon Kerry. This substantial work was inspired and informed by the emotive Requiem of Spanish Renaissance composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. Harsh dissonance is omitted in this work in favour of themes of consolation and light. For audiences it is a very accessible work.

The seven sections of the Requiem will be interpolated with motets, anthems and secular songs from the 16th and early 17th centuries, including treasures from the English choral

tradition, Another early work (having its Australian premiere) is the stunning Ego flos campi by Italian nun, Raffaella Aleotti.

This concert will be an experience of hope and light, in keeping with our difficult and anxious times. Don’t miss it.

The performance will be presented on Saturday 9 August at 3pm at the Church of the Resurrection, Macedon, and will be followed by hospitality and an opportunity to meet this outstanding and much-loved Australian choir.

Bookings are essential: www.auschoir.org (Don’t forget, a two-concert subscription at up to 20% discount is still available).

Looking forward to your company on 9 August.

Winston Deason, Secretary, Friends of Music at Resurrection Inc. gregandwinston@bigpond.com

with Mary-Beth O'Brien

Hello happy crocheters. I hope you are somewhere cosy surrounded by mountains of a favourite wool supplies and new patterns to keep you company through these chilly months.

On 14 July I enjoyed the Annual Finders Keepers market at the Exhibition Building in Carlton Gardens. What an incredible experience, with over 200 stalls all providing an enviable range of ‘mindfully made’ items, including pottery of every size and shape imaginable, stylish affordable jewellery, original lush clothing and awesome accessories stalls. Food stalls and a live music stage also included.

With only two crochet providers Slow Intentions and Little Cotton Ears and two wool stalls Wool

to Yarn and Bendigo Woollen Mills I thought there could be more on offer in the crochet department. I made some good investments but mostly enjoyed my chats with the makers, all of whom were incredibly hospitable and eager to talk about the creative process. There are some really crafty people at the Finders Keepers who are able to bring those ideas to fruition for the public to feast their eyes on.

To keep in mind: The Sunbury Agricultural Show 11 October. Homecraft schedule welcomes items in the Crochet section.

The ‘Crochet and Conversation’ group meets at 2pm on the first Monday of the month at the Gisborne Library. All levels are welcome, with beginners being provided assistance and advice offered to more advanced crocheters.

Bring a crochet hook, wool and imagination.

The cast of The Skull of Connemara rehearsing a scene: Brett Whittingham, Ruben Cameron, Dawn Bamforth and Tanya Rich.

Photo by Karlana Santamaria

Another Vision at The Gallery

Michael Howes’ exhibition,

Another Vision, in August in The Gallery’s Focus Room, is one man’s journey from photography to painting.

Michael discovered a love for photography at 10 years of age when he was given a Kodak Brownie Starlet. This passion stayed with him through to the digital era. His subjects changed from focusing on distant and scenic images to those in the foreground. He now focuses largely on the details of objects: in some cases, he uses extreme cropping to create abstracted images. Michael then began his journey into painting.

In 2020 Michael found himself yearning to branch out from photography, for a new creative challenge that allowed both spontaneity and a meditative process. He turned to cold wax medium (mixed with oil paints), and acrylics which are fast drying but when using cold wax processes, the longer curing time and thicker nature of that medium to each layer gives the artwork depth.

This exhibition also features some of the abstract images Michael has created over the past few years using photography.

Another Vision opens on Monday 4 August until Sunday 31 August 2025. Meet the artist at his opening on

Sunday 10 August at 2pm.

The Gallery is at 684 Mt Macedon Road, Mt. Macedon next to the Trading Post. It is open Friday to Tuesday from 10am to 4pm.

Sue Anson 0413 581 632

Travel tales from photographers

The Macedon Ranges Photographic Society have held ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ presentations on club nights. Andrea Enever spoke on 'Travel and Photography': All manner of equipment and information tips, covering things to consider that may impact what gear you need, whether it be a trip overseas or into the city for a day.

Greg McMillian covered his Icelandic adventures, sharing travel tips about Iceland and focusing on the process of selecting travel photos to be used in printed books. We saw images grouped in various ways, themes, colour palettes and thought about which images, backgrounds or borders work together to cohesively produce a printed book. A great segue to our photobook workshop the following week.

Monday 4 August is our AGM and our competition judging night. From September we return to our normal meeting schedule. The first and second Mondays of the month. Social chats start at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. Jubilee Hall, Macedon. For more information, please email info@macedon-ranges-photography.org.au

Sue Steward

Acrylic with cold wax medium

Photography lighting practice: Fred Orford.

FOR THE GREEN THUMBS

Soup, sandwiches, and rare bulbs

In mid-winter most Macedon Ranges gardens are dormant, however spring is around the corner when the daffodils and other early spring bulbs are popping up through the brown leaves lying on the ground from deciduous trees.

July is when the Garden Club meet indoors for a delicious lunch of soup, sandwiches and desserts. With over 50 members attending, we were joined by Jane Tonkin from Tonkins Rare Bulbs and Perennials. Their business was established back in the 1960s and is currently run by Jane and Shirley Tonkin in the Dandenong Ranges. With a particular love for cool climate woodlands and a keen appreciation of something special for a warmer spot, there are rare bulbs for any area of the garden or as a burst of colour in a pot.

These rare bulbs were originally sourced from the Caucasus region, Nepal, China and parts of Africa. Many of the bulbs were available for sale to members, especially summer and autumn-flowering bulbs.

If you enjoy the pleasures of gardening and like to visit gardens, new members are welcome. or more information please contact Edwina on 0407 576 545.

Beware: magpie season will not be far away

What a sight, to see a male magpie building a nest for his beloved.

He has thought it through down to the last detail by choosing a place up high between the Jolly Miller Cafe and the Gisborne Bakery so morsels will be a plenty when the chicks arrive.

The nest is up high on the power line cables above the pedestrian crossing in Brantome Street.

After I took the photo, she arrived to check out the nest.

Magpie nest in the power lines, snapped in Brantome Street on 24 July.

Volunteering at Daly Nature Reserve

Recently the Friends of Daly Nature Reserve were requested to supply statistics about our volunteering hours to Landcare Victoria. Thank goodness we keep regular records.

We are mostly known for our monthly working bees, our twice a year school nature walks and our not too formal Annual General Meetings.

Over the past 13 years we have worked behind the

There was loud applause and cries of “We love you Brendan” from the students as Principal Brendan Nolan walked into his final assembly at Bullengarook Special ist School on 24 April.

viewed by a panel of six students about his career and time at the school and then three students spoke warmly about their relationship with Brendan and made presen tations to him.

Maxine Barker

scenes, holding monthly committee meetings and working alongside the Shire environment team on future plans. We have had the pleasure of showing various groups around the reserve including Melbourne University undergraduates, and we have assisted students of Gisborne Primary School to grow plants from seed.

Every three months we photograph the reserve from a number of prime positions to monitor seasonal changes. We are an active group and our voluntary hours do

mount up. The bonus is we have become good friends, all keen to work together to ensure Daly Nature Reserve is preserved for our community to enjoy, as Dr Ulick L. Daly wished. At working bees we work in groups and find time to end with a cuppa and chat.

The next working bee is Tuesday 12 August; sign-in 9.30am at the scout hall, Howey Street. Newcomers are very welcome. Enquiries to dalynaturereserve@gmail. com. Friends of Daly Nature Reserve

school.

Brendan Nolan listens as students speak warmly about him.

Vet Talk Vet Talk

Watery eyes

I’ve been travelling through France so I’m sending in a picture of my favourite travel companion, a donkey named Aisha.

As you can hopefully see, she and her buddy have watery eyes and this happens (whether in donkeys or dogs or cats) when the tears which are usually successful in protecting us from irritation, overflow and cause excessive moisture pooling.

Here it is the heat of summer, and this has occurred on the skin in the corners of the eyes, where flies love to land, with resulting irritation and a rash, then secondary infection. It is not hard to manage though.

with Dr Caitlin Retchford Veterinarian

Some attention to the environment, keeping the area clean and dry, a fly veil, and a little protective ointment and Aisha is ready to see out the new day, making hay while the sun shines. Think of it for next summer, which will eventually come around to Gisborne. caitlinthevet@gmail.com

Winter news from Macedon Ranges Obedience Dog Club

Winter is definitely here but of course that doesn’t stop us from meeting on a Sunday morning (we make sure we are rugged up in our winter woolies). Regular attendance is the best way to get your dog into a routine, socialise (dogs and humans) and help produce a wellbehaved furry family member.

In July we had seven new members join us. Welcome aboard! If you have been thinking about joining we would love to see you. Don’t let the cold weather deter you!

On 18 May, we had our Mock Trial Fun Day. Awards were given for each grade 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th...as well as some Highly Commended awards. This was a great chance for members to get some personal feedback on their progress.

Well done to everyone who attended.

Whilst we may have forgotten the nice warm nights we experienced for our twilight classes over the summer months, we have not forgotten that we were able to raise funds and donate to some charity organisations that do great work to support animals in their local communities.

Thank you to our instructors who donated their time to make this happen.

If you are interested in joining us, we look forward to seeing you.

Details can be found on the website at www.macedonrangesdogclub.org.au or contact us via our Facebook page, or email info@macedonrangesdogclub .org.au and a representative from the club will contact you.

Loretto Fraser Instructor/committee member

Enjoy our café, salon and meals twice as much

Book two weeks of quality respite and get one of those weeks for free*

To enjoy this extraordinary offer, please book before 31st August 2025 and complete your respite stay before 30th September 2025 * Subject to availability and having an aged care assessment.

Aisha the French donkey.

MACEDON MAIL

We’re into the final month of winter, and it’s nice to see some spring bulbs starting to appear.

Thanks to Bernie for reporting that for the period 18 June to 18 July, Macedon recorded 86mm rain.

There have been some recent changes in Victoria Street. The Lazy Baker is currently closed. The cafe on the corner, previously 40 Street, has recently been leased. New tenants are renovating and will soon be opening it as a cafe/restaurant.

Recently the Macedon Football Netball Club held a Ladies Day which was very well attended and a great time was had by all. The event raised nearly $4000 for the Breast Cancer Network.

As the season starts to wrap up, the women’s senior football team remains at the top of the table having been the dominant team throughout the season. The women’s finals series starts in the next couple of weeks and the grand final will be played on 16 August.

Congratulations to Anna and Lachlan on the arrival of Arlo’s little brother Ziggy on 29 June.

We were saddened to hear of the sudden death of Peter Reeves on Friday 13 June. Peter became a likeable character at the Post Office over many years. He is greatly missed. Condolences to his family.

Joan Bunting, a long-time resident of Macedon, passed away peacefully on 1 July. Our love and thoughts to Jenny and family.

Have a great August and stay warm!

If you have anything you would like included in next month’s column, please pop into the Post Office.

The team at Macedon Post Office

Old pilots keep in touch

Up to 12 former pilots who live locally get together in the work shed on the

morning to have a cuppa, talk about old times and solve the world’s

were Jim Lindsay

Emirates), Tony

and

Ulysses: winter riding keeps us charged

The best way to keep your motorcycle charged over winter, is by riding it occasionally. It is also good for your mental health to get what sunshine and social contact you can during these cooler months.

You can always rug up warmly and join the conversation in Brantome Street, Gisborne, at our Saturday morning Tyre-Kick, or join us for a ride into the picturesque surrounding district for the day.

The branch recently celebrated the winter solstice at The Plough restaurant in Myrniong. This was well attended and very much enjoyed by all.

With warm fires and conversation to match, great meals and a monster raffle to mark the occasion.

There is joy to be had in braving the elements and joining a winter ride.

You don’t have to ride far to find an eatery with a fire

burning, and hot soup or the like on the menu. Come and join us.!

Please contact us at Seccaterri@gmail.com .

Brantome Street Tyre-Kick. Photo by Ken Hager

property of David Flentje each Wednesday

problems. Gathered around the fire last month

(TAA,

Wilson (TAA), Leo Moras (TAA), Neville Hunter (TAA), Rex Bennet (Air Cargo), David Flentje (TAA)

Graeme Pope (Ansett).

Matthew Dridan

CROSSWORD quiz

Flora and fauna

Scientific name for the human species, Homo… 17 Five of these on a $1 coin 18 Tallest land animal

19 The only bear that does not hibernate

20 Animal on the Peugeot badge

1 Two-horned pachyderms

2 Animal depicted in the constellation Aquila

3 Flower associated with the English civil war 4 Another name for Deadly Nightshade 5 Flower named in honour of Leonhardt Fuchs

Laurel leaf used in cooking 8 Venomous snake, the Inland…

World's largest flower

Largest feline, the Siberian…

Flower named after Joseph Banks

Spice from the crocus flower

1. What is the antonym of antonym?

2. On which island is the US base of Guantanamo Bay?

3. Which Australian city was the subject of an attack by Japanese mini submarines?

4. How many wickets need to be taken with consecutive balls for a hat trick?

5.  In which board game do we find a library, a gun, and Professor Plum?

6. Which is the most common colour found on national flags?

7. With an atomic number of 8 and an atomic symbol of O is which important gas?

8.  In which human organs would we find nephrons?

9. From which part of the tree do we get the spice cinnamon?

10. Dawn Fraser has won a total of how many Olympic gold medals?

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Holy Cross hosts Ubuntu Africa

Last month, Holy Cross Primary School was privileged to welcome Ubuntu Africa, a group of gifted young performers from Uganda and Kenya, for the final stop on their Australian tour.

The Ubuntu performers, affectionately known as ‘The Bunties,’ were hosted by our families who, after a quick scramble to find coats and beanies, braved the single-digit daytime temperatures and treated our guests to the unique sights of

the Macedon Ranges. Over three days we were able to share the full Holy Cross experience, including a lunchtime soccer match, visits to our classrooms for cross-cultural geography lessons and even feeding our sheep and Highland cows.

The highlight of the visit was the whole school drumming and dance workshops, with the vibrant rhythms and songs of East Africa resonating throughout the school.

This was followed by an evening

GISBORNE SECONDARY COLLEGE

Term 2 at Gisborne Secondary College saw a number of highlights, including the introduction of Family Kitchen Workshops where families were invited to come along to an evening wonton-making class. We look forward to the next round of workshops in August when we will learn to make pasta.

Our Year 11 Personal Development students participated in a Healthy Schools’ Program run by Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health. The program aims to promote a healthy lifestyle by focusing on healthy eating and having an active lifestyle.

To celebrate the new downball and pickleball courts painted throughout the school, the Year 11s ran a downball tournament for the Year 7 students. The event also included corn on the cob cooked on a barbecue and pedal-powered smoothie bikes, with students making their own smoothies on the stationary blender bikes.

The painting of the new courts and provision of

performance with our Holy Cross choir, with ticket sales from the show going towards funding the education of the next generation of African Children’s Choir performers.

Hosting Ubuntu was an incredibly rich experience that went beyond simply fund-raising. It was a chance to embody what it means to be part of the Holy Cross community by meeting real people, hearing their stories and building meaningful connections.

Eloise Meyer

equipment was only possible due to the generous funding received from Healthy Loddon Campaspe, and the in-school support for the project from Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health.

In the final week of term, we had the pleasure of welcoming Grade 5 students and teachers from our local primary schools to spend a day experiencing secondary schooling.

We offer this experience to all Grade 5 students, whether they’re planning on coming to Gisborne Secondary College or not, as we see ourselves playing an important role in supporting the broader transition process from primary to secondary school for young students and families in our community.

Looking ahead as I write, we are holding our 2026 Course Advising and Subject Expo Evening on 31 July.

This event is targeted at students and families of current students from Year 8, 9 and 10 in 2025 and any prospective families and students for 2026 entry to Year 10, 11 or 12.

For more information and to RSVP for the evening, please visit forms.office.com/r/Z9DVyNT0h6

Susanne Tzamouranis, Community Liaison

Ubuntu performers Eric and Emmanuel visiting 6A.

From winter chill to speaking skill

As we prepared for this year's winter solstice celebrations, our young people showed their dedication to co-creating and leading ideas on this community event. Table arrangements, food preparations, hanging lights, crafting and building saw many opportunities for ideas to flow.

Our young people took to the stage to show off some dancing skills, drama skills and MC talents while the GVL community filled their bellies with some warm jacket potatoes with a delicious range of toppings, mulled apple cider and hot chocolate.

Across the session, our Debating Project team watched and learnt what a debate looks like, what the idea behind a debate is, how we build on knowledge but also how we change learnt knowledge.

Over the weeks they built their own ideas and arguments, extended on these, rewrote and even changed ideas completely. In the final week, they took to the stage. Their goal was to persuade the audience that the Old Castlemaine Gaol was a good place for GVL's second campus. A sense of accomplishment and confidence beamed from our team, and it turns out that while many originally thought it may not have been the best choice, the majority are now 'team Castlemaine'. Bec – Explorations and Discovery Guide

St Brigid’s Primary 'Mini Vinnies' update

Recently at St Brigid’s Primary School, the 'Mini Vinnies' ran a food drive in which they encouraged students to bring non-perishable food and sanitary items to school.

We put tubs in every classroom for the donations and even made a friendly competition to see which class could collect the most items.

The purpose of this event was to raise awareness of the less fortunate in and around our community and make them feel equal. We will donate all items brought in to an organisation called Foodbank, and hope that we can help others with our items.

This year we have collected 905 donations altogether and one of the senior classes won the competition with 321 items at the end of the four-week period.

On Wednesday 2 July, the Mini Vinnies held a hot chocolate stall to warm up the community in the morning. The hot chocolates were delicious and we were able to accommodate those with dietary requirements.

Students welcomed families at the gates with a fun and exciting chant encouraging them to get a hot chocolate with yummy marshmallows. We proudly raised $412 and $200 in profit. All funds raised will go towards our next project: homelessness help-packs for those in need.

Eleni Schneider, Year 6

Tweaking some natural beauty with Milla, Abby, Esther and Ivy.

Michelle and Emily Beven enjoying a hot chocolate.

St Brigid’s Primary School donated goods ready for collection.

Gosford launch for Gisborne artist

John Power’s real-time generative artwork Wander and Dwell was viewed by a large and appreciative audience at its launch at Gosford Regional Gallery on 27 June.

Presented on a LED curved wall of six by 2.5 metres in the new Gosford immersive gallery that Power also designed, Wander and Dwell leads the viewer on a journey through a constantly changing imagined landscape based on the topography of Gosford with its land, lakes and sea.

Many people spoke of being transfixed of being unable to take their eyes off the screen; feeling that they were the lens moving through each moment of freshly revealed scenery.

The synchronised real-time element was also noted with delight: as dusk fell outside the gallery the screen landscape darkened and stars appeared as they did at the same time in the sky above Gosford.

On a smaller screen, a work named Coenosarcoid is part of a series that explores the use of public screens as a generative field.

It was captioned: “The biomorphic branching nature of the work and constant transition of colour reflects the contemporary relationship between data, computation and nature.”

John, in speaking about his work, noted that until recently generative art using large screens had been confined to metropolitan areas. However, in future, more regional galleries will gain access to the infrastructure that will enable the communities they serve to experience this new and exciting form of art.

Local Hero nominations open

Nominations have opened for the 2025 Local Hero Award which will be presented at the Gisborne Community Carols at Dixon Field on Sunday 7 December.

If you know of someone who has dedicated much to the Macedon Ranges community in a voluntary capacity and deserves recognition, please nominate them, and let us know their community contributions. Last year’s local hero was awarded to Ian Arnel from Riddells Creek for his volunteering with the RSL, Legacy, Lions and Scouts.

We look forward to celebrating another Local Hero at this year’s Carols. Please send nominations by 14 November to gisbornelocalhero@gmail.com or contact Bronwyn Tacey on 0417 028 605 for further information.

Gisborne Community Carols Committee

Free service opens to resolve rental disputes

Renters and landlords across Victoria now have the option of using a free and fast service to help resolve disputes.

The new Rental Dispute Resolution Victoria (RDRV) service is a digital-friendly service established by the State Government that can be easily accessed and used online, via www.rdrv.vic. gov.au There is also a regional office in Bendigo, while the headquarters are in King Street in the Melbourne CBD.

RDRV will help renters and landlords settle disputes over bonds, compensation, repairs and rent increases in a more informal setting, freeing up VCAT to deal with other cases.

The free service will give renters a fairer go without the barrier of expensive legal fees or an intimidating VCAT hearing.

Anyone involved in a residential tenancy dispute can access the free service by calling 1300 01 7378, jumping online, or attending RDRV in person.

RDRV has skilled resolution experts who will work to bring parties together and resolve rental disputes quickly and avoid a formal hearing. They will oversee each case from start to finish.

More than 60 per cent of disputes are expected to be able to be resolved through RDRV. It’s all about guiding parties to the fastest and best result, reducing time, stress and cost, and reducing the need for lawyers.

My new colleagues are so much fun, they write names on all the food in the fridge. Yesterday, I ate a yoghurt named ‘Susan’; how cute is that?

Left: John Power stands beside his artwork 'Wander and Dwell' in Gosford.

John with the work 'Coenosarcoid'.

COUNCILLOR'S COLUMN

An indelible part of Gisborne community

With Cr Alison Joseph Obituary

Following Council's meeting of 23 July a very large number of documents are going out for consultation: the Domestic Animal Management Plan, changes to offleash dog areas, the Road Management Plan and our Integrated Strategic Planning documents (which include the 'Shaping the Ranges' Council Plan), Asset Plan and Finance Plan.

Out for consultation are also the renewal of leases for the Kyneton Airfield hangars, and the Woodend Racecourse Reserve Master Plan. The Woodend Racecourse Reserve includes the Woodend Grasslands Reserve, one of the most important reserves of remnant indigenous grassland in the area. The Master Plan proposes the increased use of the Reserve for sport, with the inclusion of a rectangular pitch and associated access and carparking.

I would encourage everyone to read these documents and make submissions. Your submissions do count!

At the last meeting, the council also supported the development of an AI policy and directed the CEO to prepare a report to outline strategies designed to improve community satisfaction. Councillors also agreed to explore opportunities for implementing an 'Innovation Committee' to act as an investigatory and advisory committee of Council. The idea is to have a committee of councillors that the community can provide suggestions to and receive feedback from. The hope is that it will facilitate change that will better deliver for the community. The councillors are yet to decide this committee’s terms of reference.

I believe the above initiatives demonstrate a genuine commitment from the Council to improve the community’s satisfaction with council services.

The council also continues to raise its concern about the significant financial impact on the community of the Emergency Services and Volunteer Fund that is being imposed by the State Government, and which will be collected for the State Government via Council’s rate notices.

Glenys Mary Quaife 1943 - 2025

Glenys's eulogy, delivered by her niece, Kelly Baugh, celebrated a life lived fully, richly, and generously.

Glenys’s love, kindness, and strong spirit touched all who knew her. Though we mourn her passing, we give thanks for the legacy she leaves in her family, her friends, and her cherished Gisborne.

Glenys was born on 16 August 1943 at Woodend Hospital to parents, Harry (Barney) and Phylis Morrison, and a beloved little sister to Irene. Their family home in Calthorpe Street, Gisborne, was soon blessed again with the arrival of her brother, Mervyn, completing their family.

Her early education began at Gisborne Primary School, before she transferred to St Brigid’s when it reopened with the return of the nuns. Alongside childhood friends Mel Kays (nee Gardiner), Joyce Smallacombe (nee Higgins) and Barry Young, Glenys entered grade 1 at St Brigids and journeyed through her school years finishing at Grade 8, which many did at that time.

Glenys’s working life was one of adaptability and an entrepreneurial spirit. She started at the age of 14 as a telephonist at the Gisborne Telephone Exchange, and when it was automated, Glenys trained as a florist and founded Alkira Florist in 1971 in the Sewell Arcade in Gisborne.

Her creativity and business acumen saw the shop flourish and expand into fruit and vegetables and relocate to Hamilton Street. The business would later evolve into Gisborne Travel and Florist, a highly successful business she nurtured for an extraordinary 54 years until she had a serious fall requiring hospitalisation and rehabilitation.

In 1966, Glenys married Arthur Quaife at St

Glenys Quaife

Brigid’s, and together they built their home at 14 Fisher Street, Gisborne. Then followed the arrival of Glenys’s pride and joy, their son, Brendan, in March 1970 at the Gisborne Bush Nursing Hospital. Brendan and wife Lisa later blessed Glenys with her treasured granddaughters, Shayla, Hannah, and Alyssa (who all spoke lovingly of the lives they shared with their Nan). And through Shayla, Glenys gained two adored great-grandsons, Tatum and River. Glenys was a proud mother and Nan and cherished every moment shared with her beloved grandchildren.

Glenys’s commitment to Gisborne extended far beyond her businesses. Her contribution to the community was profound, serving on numerous committees and organisations including the Mardi Gras, which later became known as the Gisborne Festival (Glenys and Sharon Black were fantastic organisers, adding the famous “Wheelbarrow Raffle” floats, stallholders, bands, and fireworks to the event.) Others included the Gisborne Fountain Committee, Business Association, Rotary, Cemetery Trust, Aquatic Centre and Euchre Club, to name but a few. She brought people together and worked tirelessly to make Gisborne a better place for all.

Glenys’s home in Fisher St was a place where her door was always open to family and friends.

Today, as we remember Glenys a generous and independent woman, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister and friend we know she will be deeply missed and forever remembered.

Work is ongoing to fit out the Scout Hut that has taken such a community effort, but is in good shape.

Report from 1st New Gisborne Scouts

We’ve certainly packed a lot of Scouting into the first half of 2025. The school holidays have been a time to catch our breath.

Joeys are excited about the September “Kangaree”, a gathering of over 1200 Joey Scouts from across Victoria for a weekend of fun, friendship, and discovery.

Meanwhile, Cub Scouts are busy fund-raising for their 2026 Cuboree. You’ll see us at Bunnings in Sunbury with a 16 August barbecue.

We will soon begin fitting out our Scout Hut with toilet and kitchen facilities, lighting, shelving and insulation. Generous donations of money and services have brought us closer to equipping the “Hut” for future generations of Scouts. We are deeply grateful.

All donations are tax-deductible when made via Scouts Victoria (marked for New Gisborne). Donations also welcome through GoFundMe (search for “New Gisborne”).

Contributions large or small, will en-

able us to create a safe, functional, and inspiring space for young people to learn and grow.

Scouting offers proven programs for young people and leadership opportunities for parents. We meet Wednesdays, 6.30 to 8pm, at the Church of Christ in Saunders Road. Venturers meet on Fridays. Contact Group Leader Russell Barker 0400 297 025 or russell@jeem. com.au. For Venturers call Tracey on 0407 098 032.

John Frearson

Guides tackle school holiday challenges

Members and leaders of Gisborne Lightning Girl Guides have enjoyed a winter break over the school holidays and look forward to undertaking more badge work in term 3.

The girls have been given two challenges to complete at home over the holidays having a screen-free day and cooking for their families.

We will review how they coped with these challenges when we return on Thursday 24 July.

Deb Fleming

Next term we have several new girls coming for a trial to learn about what we do at Girl Guides in Gisborne.

For information on Guiding, refer to the Girl Guides Victoria website: www.guidesvic.org.au .

Driving down power bills with neighbourhood batteries

The State Government has opened Round 3 of the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program, backed by $6.6 million to install more neighbourhood-scale batteries across Victoria.

Neighbourhood batteries return power into the hands of local communities – giving them a secure energy supply by soaking up cheap and clean renewable energy when it is plentiful and dispatching it when it is needed most.

The program is already delivering 90 neighbourhood batteries across the state, helping more Victorian fami-

lies and community organisations to lower their bills.

The third round of the program will bring the total number of batteries to over 100, with up to $400,000 in grant funding available per battery, and participating organisations able to apply for multiple batteries as part of a project.

Not-for-profit organisations, local government authorities, co-operatives, educational institutions, public entities, private sector businesses and agencies across Victoria are invited to apply.

The batteries are expected to slash electricity bills by

$200 a year and reduce the amount of electricity needed during peak demand, easing pressure on the local electricity grid.

The batteries can also provide up to five hours of back-up power for essential services such as lights and emergency systems in each building.

Applications opened on 15 July.

For more information visit energy.vic.gov.au/grants/ and follow the prompts from 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program Grants.

Jokes & riddles

What was the highest mountain before Mt. Everest was discovered? Mt Everest.

Doctor, Doctor, I keep thinking I’m a bridge.

Good heavens! What came over you? Two cars, a truck and a bus.

Our house is so damp, when Dad set a mouse trap he caught a sardine.

How does Moses make his tea? Hebrews it.

I once drove to Western Australia in six days. It took five days to get there and a day to refold the maps.

What did the dentist say to the golfer?

“You’ve got a hole in one.”

Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

What is the hardest thing about learning to ride a bicycle? The ground.

What kind of a house weighs the least?

A lighthouse.

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Artwork: Eliza Ransome

Can you find 10 differences between the pictures? You might enjoy colouring in the pictures when you have found them all, and brightening up the winter scene.

KIDS' quiz

1. Who is the King’s representative in Australia?

2. In which city is the cartoon series Bluey set?

3. On which Australian coin would you find an Echidna?

4. Which is the largest organ inside the human body?

5. In Monopoly how many houses must go on a property before you can build a hotel?

6. What kind of tree grows from an acorn?

7. Jacaranda trees have flowers of what colour?

8. Skoda makes what sort of product?

9. Caterpillars become what sort of insect?

10. Which AFL team are known as The Blues?

Answers p39

You're never too young to learn some skills: this young player was spotted at Macedon Tennis Club.

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Local McEwen sporting star

The Federal Member for McEwen, Rob Mitchell, welcomed young athlete Elijah Marshall to the McEwen electorate office recently to congratulate him on his successful application for federal government funding to keep chasing his sporting dreams.

Elijah Marshall (15) of Gisborne, who competed at the 2025 Australian Junior Athletics Championships in WA in April received a Local Sporting Champions Grant to assist with competition costs. This grant program provides financial assistance of $500-$1000 for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 participating in state, national or international championships.

Elijah attends Braemar College and is also a member of the Essendon Athletics Club.

His passion began at his local Little Athletics club and he is now competing at a national level in both 800m and 1500m disciplines. While training in Essendon on Tuesdays and Saturdays, he commits to a daily self- managed training schedule which incorporates playing footy for Woodend Football Club on the wing, giving himself plenty of opportunity to run.

Gisborne Cricket Club preseason to kick off soon

Gisborne Cricket Club is gearing up for an exciting season, with senior men’s preseason training set to kick off on Sunday, 4 August.

Dates for junior girls, boys and women’s training will be announced shortly, so stay tuned to our social media channels and website for updates.

Online registrations are now open for all junior and senior teams, including men’s, women’s, girls’ and boys’ competitions. Keep an eye out for our Club Registration Day in early August registering early helps ensure apparel is delivered in time for round one.

We’re also putting the call out for junior coaches. Expressions of interest are welcome from anyone keen to help guide the next generation of cricketers.

Gisborne Cricket Club prides itself on being a welcoming, inclusive and family-friendly club open to players of all abilities and backgrounds. Whether you’re a seasoned cricketer or just starting out, there is a place for you at GCC.

If you are interested in partnering with the club through sponsorship, we would love to hear from you.

For more information, visit our website or follow us on social media, or contact president Greg Hall on 0438 846 318 or secretary Andrew Francis on 0400 213 988.

Let’s make this season one to remember.

Brett Vernon

Gisborne’s Elijah Marshall with Rob Mitchell – Federal Member for McEwen.

Congratulations to Claire Oakley of Macedon who shot 70 goals for Macedon against Melton South in July.

Finals loom for local footballers and netballers

The countdown is on for September action as teams from Gisborne, the Gisborne Giants and Macedon push themselves to be well-placed by the end of the home and away seasons.

Gisborne Football Netball Club netballers are flying all teams will play finals. A Grade is currently third, A Reserve second, B Grade and B Reserve are topping their ladders undefeated and the Under 17s are fourth.

The footballer are well-placed but the club must face powerhouse club Sandhurst twice in the last four rounds. The Seniors, currently in second place, should hold a finals’ berth. The Reserves have had a tough year and will not make it but the Under 18s should not fall below fourth place.

In the Riddell League the Gisborne Giants Under19.5s will fly the flag for their club. They are third on the ladder now.

With four rounds to go, Macedon Seniors, Reserves and Under 19.5 footballers, with some hard-fought wins, should be there in September. Their champion women’s team is already the minor premier and it is difficult to see them not going back to back in 2025.

The D grade and Under 19 netballers will miss the finals but A, B and C teams will be there with high hopes.

Brothers in training

Macedon Cricket Club inducts Life Members

Quinton Houston, 11 (above), and Maverick Houston, 13 (left), are training for the Victorian Short Course Country Championships in Bendigo on 9 and 10 August.

A unanimous decision at the AGM resulted in the induction of three new Life Members to the Macedon Cricket Club: Rob Belcher, Steve Harrison and Rudy Jaros.

The nominees were put forward following consultation with current life members and consideration of the significant on and off-field achievements of the inductees.

It is with great pleasure that the club congratulates the inductees. All have exemplified the spirit of the Macedon Cricket Club through countless hours and many years of tireless and outstanding commitment to the advancement of our club. They join a very special group of people. We will officially celebrate the achievements of these three outstanding servants at a function early in the coming season, with further details to be announced soon. In the meantime, please join us in congratulating our newest Life Members.

The club is actively recruiting at the moment in the lead-up to the '25-26 season. The club is looking to build on the solid foundations set in recent years. The future is certainly bright for the Macedon Cricket Club.

Nathan Aikman

Gisborne Thunder swimmers

Petanque club doings

Mt Macedon Petanque Club continues to play and practise through winter.

At the last Golden Boule event on 21 June, Mt Macedon travelled to Ballarat and the result was a draw.

The next Golden Boule event will have happened by the time we go to print, when the club travels up the road to play Woodend Hanging Rock on 19 July.

The club continues on its success at interstate level, with this time four members being selected for the Victorian side to play in Adelaide in September. Rhonda Shears, June Hunter, Terry Hunter and Alison Kinghorn have all been selected into the 14-member squad.

In the absence of the state coach due to prior commitments, Lindsay Kinghorn has agreed to coach the team in Adelaide.

If you’re interested in coming to have a look at this unique game, the club plays just behind the Ampol Service Station in Gisborne. Playdays are Wednesdays from 1-4pm and on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10am till 1pm. For enquiries please go to www.mtmaceonpetanque.org or our Facebook page.

Alison Kinghorn

Table Tennis Association welcomes new players

Come and join our super friendly association as we welcome new, current and past players to our upcoming Winter Spring competitions for all ages and skill levels.

A come-and-try practice evening is scheduled for 20 August, from 7.30pm to 9.30pm. Competition pennants start on 27 August from 7.30pm onwards.

Group and one-on-one coaching sessions are available. We play at Macedon Community Centre, Waterfalls Road. For more information please call or email Stan Thomas on 0437 508 338, Kay Thomas on 0407 508 333, email sthomas@gisbornects.com.au

Achievement and empathy

Cooler days and quality golf

at the Mt Macedon Golf Club brings with it brisk mornings (with a corresponding increase in some regulars spending more time under the blankets) and also beautiful clear winter days that are perfect for golf.

Even with the colder weather there has been no decrease in the quality of golf that is being played.

A large field competed for the June Monthly Medal which was won by Darren Mantynen with a brilliant net

64 by one shot from Ian Flannery who returned a net 65. Gross winner for the day was Matthew Willis.

The Wednesday Mug of the Month was dominated by Jeremy Clarke who returned a 7 better than handicap Stableford score of 43. Runner up, a mere 10 points back, was Marcus Ward with 33 points.

Members are reminded of the upcoming AGM which will be followed by the Bluey Russell Trophy with a shotgun start at the completion of the meeting.

Winter

Taylah Chamra played her 100th game for Macedon Netball Club on 12 July.

Three Giants Netball Club players proudly display armbands the teams wore on 12 July to show support for people with cerebral palsy. Earlier that week Tate Kemp, who lives with the condition, spoke at the club.

Sean Bassett

SPORT IN PICTURES

They're aiming high in Gisborne's football and netball teams.

Pictures on this and the following page by

Copies may be obtained at minimal cost from

C grade, Macedon v Riddell, 5 July

Gisborne v Eaglehawk

Reserves, Gisborne Giants v Lancefield, 12 July

Seniors, Macedon v Riddell, 5 July

B grade, Gisborne v Eaglehawk, 5 July

B grade: Gisborne Giants v Lancefield, 12 July

Under 19, Gisborne Giants v Lancefield, 12 July

Under 15, Gisborne Rookies v Lancefield, 6 July

Chris Fleming.

Maddisons, Hamilton Street, Gisborne.

Under 16, Gisborne Bulldogs v Super Roos, 28 June 

B grade, Giants v Lancefield, 12 July

Seniors, Gisborne v Eaglehawk, 5 July

B grade, Gisborne Giants v Melton Central, 28 June

Under 17, Macedon v Macedon, 29 June

Seniors, Gisborne Giants v Melton Central, 29 June

Gisborne & Mount Macedon Districts Historical Society

Gisborne Court House  4 Hamilton Street

Open Wednesdays 10am to 4pm  Phone 5428 1450 e: history@gisbornemountmacedon.org.au www.gisbornemountmacedon.org.au

The Macedon Butter Factory

The factory as it was

Details of the butter factory were published in the Kyneton Observer on 3 October 1893.

Edited by Robin Godfrey

“The factory, which stands in Mr. D.T. Davies’ nursery, within about a mile of the Macedon railway station, is in a well-located position with the greater part of Mount Macedon towering behind.

Admirers of the picturesque would be delighted with the brilliant masses of flowers to be seen in the nursery, which surround the building. Prize cattle, poultry and pigs are also located in the nearby enclosures.

The factory is located above Mr. Davies’ private residence. The building is of brick, painted white to deter the sun’s warmth and splendidly finished with an iron roof. The dimensions are 14 metres in length by 8 metres in width. The lofty and well-built building is divided into three compartments the roof over which is lined beneath with varnished pine woodwork.

The first compartment, on the western end of the building, is a kind of annex, which is open towards the south. The second compartment contains an undershot water wheel which powers the butter production equipment.

The Macedon Butter Factory opened in September 1893 and is thought to have closed a decade later. The building still exists, on what is now ‘Dreamsthorpe’, Macedon.

Undershot water wheel which may have been similar to that installed in the Macedon Butter Factory. At Macedon the water was afterwards directed down into the owner’s garden.

The butter-working equipment, of separator, churn and other milk processing equipment, is contained in the third compartment. The floor of each compartment is of cement, with well-planned drainage. An iron verandah surrounds the whole building.

The most remarkable piece of equipment is a 380-litre Alexandrine cream separator which, when in full working order, revolves at a rate of 7000 rpm. In another corner of the room there is a large 230kg concussion churn.

The milk is first received in a 1140-litre vat with a steam jacket to raise the temperature of the milk to the

proper temperature. A Don cream cooler in another corner of the room performs the functions indicated by its’ title. The skim-milk and butter-milk are taken away by a rotary pump.

The butter-milk goes on to feed the pigs, while the skim-milk passes into a receptacle from which it is returned to the raw milk suppliers. A large wooden trough is installed in another part of the room, in which all the necessary washing up is done, steam being the heating medium, and the cans are steamed by a sparge pipe [pipe with holes] arranged for the purpose. A steam generator in the partially open annex supplies the steam.

In the processing equipment room there is a large double-armed butter worker machine capable of working 50-kilo at a time. The motive power for all this machinery is a 4.5-kW water-wheel, manufactured by D. Richardson, Footscray. The water by which the wheel is turned flows through pipes from a reservoir just north of the building. As the reservoir is fed by springs (Turritable Creek) there is a constant supply all the year round. Mr. [David] Richardson, who is present for the official opening, explained the working of the water-wheel. He stated that it is an ingenious piece of mechanism, and the cost of erecting the water-wheel with the necessary drains, pipes, etc, was no more than would be incurred, alternatively, by installing a 4.5-kW steam engine.

There is good road access into the factory, and ex-

cellent accommodation is provided for producers getting in with their milk. Mr. Davies stated that he was prepared to pay three pence per gallon for the milk.

All the preparation for the grand opening being completed, a bottle of champagne was broken by Mr. Davies’ little daughter on the small fly-wheel, connected with the separator. All the machinery was set in motion, and the factory was formally opened. The machinery for the factory as well as the creameries was supplied by the well-known confectionery manufacturing firm of Robinson and Co., Melbourne.”

The Butter Factory today

By Robin Godfrey

In May this year, the current owners of Dreamthorpe, Dani and John Balmford, invited the author to inspect the renovations they had undertaken with the old Butter Factory; which, after the passing of 132 years, still stands where it was originally built in Macedon. The following account is of the tour of the building and the story of its renovation as related by the property owners that day.

In 1983, ‘Dreamthorpe’ was subdivided into two parts. The northern part contained the coach house and Continued next page

The original white-painted brick Butter Factory.

The Macedon Butter Factory

from previous page

Butter Factory buildings. The house and the remainder of its outbuildings were on the southern portion of the subdivision.

Dani and John Balmford purchased the northern subdivision and began to renovate the coach house as their home. The Butter Factory building had previously been emptied of its machinery and was at this time an empty shell. It too was set upon by the new owners to be renovated as their visitors’ accommodation.

The original milk-receival annex at the western end of the building has had its southern opening closed off and has been converted into an ensuite and utilities area. The central compartment, where the water wheel was once installed, is now a comfortable bedroom with a double bed standing upon the same foundation that originally supported the belt-driven shafting extending from the water-wheel.

The main butter processing compartment at the eastern end has been transformed into a lounge room with an incorporated open office area. The windows in the northern wall are from the original building. The identical windows which were in the southern wall have been replaced with three high-bay glazed openings, the central one having glazed double doors. Two additional and similar high-bay glazed openings with glazed double doors have been installed in the eastern external brick wall on each side of the large fireplace.

The ceiling is the original lining of varnished pine woodwork. Original exposed timber trusses continue to support the roof of the building. A brick wall dividing the central and eastern rooms is the original wall and a 40-

Historical Happenings

The Gisborne & Mount Macedon Districts Historical Society will proudly show the recently made film The Gardens of late 19th Century Mount Macedon at the General Meeting to be held in the Gisborne Court House on Sunday 10 August at 2pm. Afternoon tea will be provided and all are welcome to attend this free event.

A new heritage display has recently been mounted in the stables at the rear of the Court House, open free of charge from 10am to 2pm daily October is History Month, when the Historical Society will be celebrating Victoria’s living history, 1950-2000, in the form of an exhibition. Do you remember the excitement around the introduction of the decimal currency in 1966? Did you know that Australia’s first connection to the internet took place in Victoria in 1989 at the University of Melbourne? Though historical societies often focus on preserving older stories, recent history holds equal importance in understanding our journey, as this period brought unprecedented technological, social and cultural changes that continue to shape our daily lives.

If any readers have articles that would be suitable for this exhibit, we would welcome them on loan.

Volunteers needed

New volunteers are needed to carry on the work of the society. If you have an interest in local history and are able to donate a couple of hours of your time on Wednesdays between 10am and 4pm, please pop in to meet the team where you will be made most welcome.

by-40cm opening (which used to provide passage for the drive shafting from the water-wheel to the processing machinery) has been sealed by brickwork.

An iron verandah that once surrounded the butter factory had long been removed when the Balmfords took ownership. The white-paint on the external brick walls

which had been weathered for 90 years was removed by sand blasting to reveal the warm hand-made bricks.

Many thanks are extended to Dani and John Balmford for generously allowing a tour of the 132-year-old Butter Factory which they have converted into delightful and comfortable accommodation for their visiting guests.

Old cooks gather to ‘stir the pot’

Way back in 2007 in Gisborne, Cobaw Community Health ran a six-week cooking course for old blokes. Ten of them, suitably apronned, assembled in the kitchen of the Gisborne Masonic Hall under the direction of Cockney chef Brian Pickup and over the following six weeks learned a number of basic recipes and enjoyed each other’s company immensely. The course concluded with a Christmas luncheon we prepared for our wives.

After the course, it was agreed to continue our Tuesday morning get-togethers as coffee mornings (all that cooking had exhausted us) and the meetings have continued at various venues for more than 18 years.

Of the original 10 members, only Kevin Gossip, Eric Thornton and Bryan Power remain, but with each departure over the years a replacement has been found.

The renovated building today.

Here is the current group at their recent weekly meeting at Canteena: Bryan Power, John Henry, Chris Antoniou, Chris Dixon, Kevin Gossip, John Power, Tony Woodgate and Jim Lindsay. Absent: John Goode and Eric Thornton.

The sea captain of Bullengarook

They always called him ‘Captain’, though his ship had long since been berthed and his sails stowed for good. In the hills around Bullengarook, where he had his farm, the title stuck half in jest, half in awe most likely. Because before the farm, there was the voyage: 15,000 nautical miles in a timber vessel, chasing the ghost of Captain Cook.

Today, Cook’s voyage is rightly acknowledged as precipitating a catastrophe among the indigenous peoples of Australia, but back in 1965, when Captain (Harry) Gordon Keeble had his dream of embarking on a last huge adventure on the open seas, the ghost of Captain Cook was still largely honoured.

Keeble’s dream took shape in 1962, when he began outfitting a 30-metre, three-masted ship modelled on Cook’s ‘Endeavour’. He called it the ‘New Endeavour’, and it would carry him from Portsmouth to Botany Bay, retracing Cook’s 1770 route to Australia.

Preparing for the trip, Captain Keeble lined up an all-amateur crew made up of teachers, accountants, dentists, an architect, a chemist and a farmer’s son all occupations better suited to land than sea. Perhaps he thought this would be fitting preparation for managing the temperamental beef cattle he would later live amongst at Bullengarook.

Three of this variable crew were women, two of them teachers.

Keeble stood alone as a professional sailor. Born on the English Channel at Hythe, Kent, the sea was in his blood. At the age of 16, he joined the Merchant Navy, then attended the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. During World War II he served in the Royal Navy, reaching the rank of Captain. At the end of the war, one of the vessels under his command was an American LST (Landing Ship, Tank), which he returned from England to the US.

In 1965, Keeble set sail for the eight-month voyage to Sydney. His trip captured headlines in both Britain and Australia, and he had to weather a few problems, including having to tip out a stowaway before they got very far. But they made it without too many headaches.

Keeble’s wife, Kristin, was Australian-born, and it was on her family’s farm that the Keebles would eventually settle. Celebrations of the ship’s successful arrival in March 1866 were cut abruptly short when Kristin met Keeble in Sydney with the tragic news that

their baby, their first, had died of cot death (SIDS) just a couple of days prior to his arriv al. He had not met his infant son, who had been born while he was on the voy age.

After a few years chartering around the Great Barrier Reef, Captain Keeble traded the salt air for the scents of the country, the family settling on a hill at Bullengarook where their seven children grew up.

Around Gisborne, the Captain was often spotted in typical English country attire, his speech marked by deep, melodious vowels and the unmistakable polish of an English gentleman.

Captain Keeble died at his Bullengarook property in 2007, aged 85. His obituary included the words:

“Gordon had an intense zest for life. In addition to his love of the sea, he was fascinated by the natural world in all its beauty and splendour. For all his life, he showed an abiding curiosity about the people, fauna and flora of the many places his travels had taken him.”

And: “He was a man who could make dreams come true.”

He certainly made his own dream, of an epic sailing trip from England to Australia, come true.

The farm at Bullengarook remains in Keeble family hands.

Pip Butler

Captain Keeble’s ‘New Endeavour’ on the way to Australia.

Captain Gordon Keeble. Picture courtesy ‘Tales of Old Gisborne,’ Eddie and Peter Gardiner.

Right: Captain Keeble at the helm in 1965.

Left: The three female crew members, two of whom were teachers.

WHAT’S ON THIS MONTH

Gazette at Large

Relay for Life 2026

One Day, One night, One Community, One Fight

RELAY

One Day, One night, One Community, One Fight

What is church for?

If you’ve ever driven past one of our churches on a winter morning—Sunday or even Wednesday in Gisborne—you’ve probably seen the car parks slowly fill and people quietly slip inside. It’s easy to think, “Oh, church is on,” but have you ever stopped to wonder why?

RELAY FOR LIFE

Church isn’t just a relic of the past. At its heart, it’s a gathering of people - imperfect, hopeful, and hungry for meaning. It’s a space to hear ancient words that still speak, to receive bread and wine as signs of grace, and to name what’s broken in us and in the world.

Macedon Ranges/Lancefield Saturday 8 November 2025, 11am – 9pm Lancefield Recreation Reserve 69 Chauncey Street, Lancefield 3435

Register NOW!

FOR LIFE

Macedon Ranges/Lancefield Saturday 8 November 2025, 11am – 9pm Lancefield Recreation Reserve

69 Chauncey Street, Lancefield 3435

Register at at www. relayforlife.org.au/ event/lancefield2025

www.relayforlife.org.au/event/lancefield-2025

It’s also where we laugh, sing, mark life’s milestones, and sit in sacred stillness. You don’t need to have it all together. You don’t need to have the answers. Church isn’t about performing - it’s about being. There’s a beautiful hymn that says, “Come as you are,” and that’s the invitation God gives.

To keep up to date join us on Facebook @Lancefield/Macedon Ranges 'Relay For Life'

In the hustle of Macedon Ranges life, maybe you’ve found yourself wondering, “Is there more to life than this?” Come and see. Church might be just the place to begin that journey.

If you can’t relay on the day but would still love to help out or join the committee, contact Grant White, Community Giving Coordinator at grant.white@cancervic.org.au or scan the QR Code

If you can’t relay on the day but would still like to help out or join the committee, contact Grant White at grant.white@ cancervic.org.au

As the apostle Paul writes, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7, ESV).

to register for Committee EOI

Our doors are open. You are warmly welcome - Sundays at 9am and Wednesdays at10 am in Gisborne, Sundays at 11 am in Macedon. Come and experience God’s love anew.

With every blessing to you for the month ahead.

Burial site at Gisborne hospital: the legacy of Muriel Daly

In 1993, a large funeral service in Gisborne was delayed while mourners waited for one final attendee: Rupert Murdoch, who was running late. Mourners stood around in front of the hospital in Hamilton Street, where the service was being held, chatting casually while they waited.

The big car carrying Murdoch finally arrived. He was there because he absolutely could not miss the funeral of his former governess, Muriel Kimpton, affectionately known as ‘Kimpy’ to Rupert and his siblings.

Muriel Kimpton had been live-in governess to the children of Keith and Elisabeth Murdoch at various Toorak residences for their childhood years. The family were all very fond of Kimpy.

In 1955, she married Gisborne doctor Ulick Lord Daly, becoming his second wife following the death of his first, Bertha, two years earlier.

to register for Committee EOI

The couple lived at ‘Eblana,’ beside what is now Daly Nature Reserve.

Muriel Daly threw herself into community life. Alongside her husband, she hosted charity events at Eblana and was active on local committees including the Mechanics Institute Committee. Her big passion, however, was raising funds for a hospital in Gisborne, and together the Dalys were instrumental in making it a reality. The hospital was erected in 1958 on land

donated by the Dixon family. Muriel continued her work with the hospital after Dr Daly’s death in 1976.

She was made a life governor in 1991 in recognition of her contribution.

Her devotion was so deep that she requested her ashes be buried within the hospital grounds.

When she died in 1993, her ashes were interred at the front of the hospital. A Manchurian pear tree was planted and a memorial plaque installed to mark her final resting place.

The plaque has been removed by Benetas, who now owns the site, and given to the Men’s Shed for safekeeping along with other plaques retrieved from the hospital.

There are no plans to replant the tree, which will be removed in the building works.

The memorial plaque placed where Muriel Daly’s ashes were interred, and the tree planted in her honour at the same spot.

Fr. Scott

Where we used to dump our rubbish

Tales of old Gisborne

by Peter and Eddie Gardiner

Eddie:

The first Gisborne tip was in a creek wash which ran around the south-east side of Gardiner Reserve. In the early days the football ground was called the Island Reserve because it was an island surrounded by Jackson Creek.

When I first started playing footy in 1957 it was not uncommon for rusty pieces of tin to work their way up through the ground, over near the scoreboard.

The later tip of the 1940s and 50s was at the end of Neal Street, roughly opposite the Ambulance Station. It too was in a cutoff from the creek. Gradually more of it opened up until it took up the whole block north of Robertson Street from Neal Street to Goode Street.

It was exactly what it the name said it was, a “tip”, and all that entailed: paper, tins, flies, rats and no fence. It was still there well into the 1960s.

It’s hard to contemplate now. The tip was open to anybody and anything and there were no rules.

Peter: As kids we’d load up our billy carts with rubbish and wheel it to the tip. Then we’d load up with good stuff to take home.

Eddie: One day a farmer from Bullengarook came with a load and found that his trailer had a puncture. He disconnected the trailer and drove home to get a spare. When he returned the trailer was gone. A local had tak-

en it presuming it had been dumped. The farmer got his trailer back eventually amid laughter and without bloodshed!

The tip was closed in the 1960s and a replacement

The numbers of existence don’t quite cover it

What is the algorithm of the heart? Indeed, is there such a thing? I don’t mean the mathematics behind the unceasing pump that sends blood streaming through the body, though this is the source of a life, and without it a life is not. The heart is the prime example of the mechanics of existence. A person’s assembly kit is an algorithm in action, that is the DNA.

But what of the algorithms of the other chambers of the heart? Those, and I write of course figuratively, that produce tears of sorrow and joy; that generate the waves of emotion; that build the towers of our beliefs.

They differ from pure calculus because they are not immutable. There are two strands; the algorithms of what matters spiritually; these can form the bedrock on which a life is built, core foundational creeds that are the base for a life of honesty and integrity; and there are the algorithms that when they change, so do we. It is here that one immutable law of physics

REFLECTIONS

can be warped – Isaac Newton’s Third Law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The algorithm of love would say that for every one of its actions, be it word or touch, from one to another, the reaction cannot, must not, be an opposite one. If we cannot have faith in this equation of what it means to be human, then life is merely subdivision. Of course, the dark wraiths of war and hatred test the strength of that. Sending love in return to those aiming to kill and maim you has never worked. Jesus made a mistake there in understanding the human.

Type in what is an algorithm to a search engine and

this is the answer: a set of instructions to achieve a result or solve a problem. Its partner in numbers, the logarithm, simplifies calculations.

The rise and accommodation of artificial intelligence into life cannot be rewound. Its phenomenal speed of calculation is altering how society does business with itself, and how people will react because of the information it can shoot out at the tap of a keyboard.

But there is no AI answer to this, what was the first hope? Or to this, what will be the last hope? It’s true that humankind is no saint as to living by the light of commonsense and intelligence. Stupidity is as much a player in history as any other element.

Yet a life is kindled, nurtured, is busy being born throughout its days, because of a spiritual algorithm that cannot be erased. It is the song of the heart, indefinable.

The land in the foreground was part of the old tip.

opened in Hobbs Road, Bullengarook. Kerbside rubbish collection operated by Ron Vosper started about the same time with one bin. Now there are four!

Warwick McFadyen

THE CHURCHES

Mark the diary for Quilt and Craft Show

The St Andrews Presbyterian Gisborne Craft Group are again hosting a Quilt and Craft Show in the church and hall in October. Our hard work is coming to fruition with our efforts to be displayed at the Quilt and Craft Show on Saturday 4 October, from 9.30am to 3pm.

A large selection of quilts will be displayed. Some of the quilters will be available to talk to about their work and where the quilts will be donated following the show. The hall will also display the other crafts the ladies of the group take part in.

Soup and Devonshire teas will be available in the hall. Entry and refreshments are free, however donations will be gratefully accepted for the Gisborne Foodbank.

We meet on the first and third Thursdays at the church hall, 9.30am to 3pm. Bring your craft project and machine etc and your lunch for the amount of time that suits you. If you do not have a current project you would like to work on, we have quilt kits available to make gifted quilts. Even if you don’t sew, we encourage other crafts and have people willing to assist and teach a new skill if you choose.

We welcome you to come and “check us out”, have a coffee and a chat to see if we have something you would like to participate in.

For information, please contact Marsha on 0428 843 959 or Marion 0448 887 657.

Antique IHS window restored

Mount Macedon Uniting

Church

The IHS window in the Mount Macedon Uniting Church lounge has been restored to its former glory. The timber frame had rotted and the leadlight glass was very fragile.

The window was donated for the rebuilding of the church after Ash Wednesday by the Merbein Uniting congregation. Originally installed in the Merbein Presbyterian church in the early 1900s, the Presbyterian church was unused after the Methodist and Presbyterian congregations combined in 1977, with formation of the Uniting Church using the newer Methodist church buildings.

People often ask what “IHS” in this window, and on altars, vestments, windows, and tombstones in many Christian churches, means.

IHS is a Christogram, a symbol for Jesus’ name. In Greek, IHS iota eta sigma are the first three letters in the name Jesus (ΙΗΣΟΥΣ). As Christianity spread to non-Greek speaking people, different meanings were associated with the IHS Christogram. In Latin, it means Iesus Hominum Salvator, “Jesus Savior of Mankind.”

In early Christianity, IHS was a secret symbol used to help identify fellow Christians. In the 1400s, people started putting this symbol on their doorways to identify their dwelling as a Christian home.

In 1541 St Ignatius adopted the monogram for his newly founded order, the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).

Now, this symbol permeates Christian art and worship. Unfortunately, 40-plus years since rebuilding, serious restoration challenges are emerging for the Mount Macedon church, particularly the poor-quality slate roof. Neil Tweddle 0488 001 336

Ageing in church

Gisborne Uniting Church

One of the frequently used phrases by government agencies and others engaging with older people is ‘ageing in place.’ There are plenty of hurrahs for efforts to make this possible. Of course, what these official bodies mean is ageing in your own home.

For many older people it can also include ageing within your own community and ageing in your own church. There is no question that the over-65s are the largest demographic in our churches, at least in the Anglo congregations.

There are three areas that make for happy and healthy ageing physical, social and spiritual. It’s not a boastful stretch to say that these are the needs that congregations try to provide. The physical side particularly relates to making church premises safe and to feeding, if not the 5000, at least those in need of food plus the fellowship which eating together can bring. Post-church coffee hour (or more) is a chance for conversation and care. In this Gisborne congregation there is weekly giving of groceries to a Uniting agency providing for refugees and asylum seekers.

Churches also provide space and time for social contacts. Sharing experiences can make growing older a less isolating experience. And although there can be some hostility, even in Australia, to DEI diversity, equality and inclusion these are exactly the features we need to accord with our Christian values and which make for a happy community.

Finally, with ageing often comes musing on the questions of life and death. For church attendees this can mean acknowledging a power beyond ourselves and our much-loved planet.

And now for an event at the Gisborne Uniting Church (and open to one and all) on Tuesday 5 August which will help us all understand the highly complex, infuriating business of applying for aged care support. Raelene Thompson, a Riddell resident with a previous stellar career in the Commonwealth Public Service, particularly in matters around ageing, and now chair of Uniting AgeWell, will be our expert. Starting at 10.30am. Janet Wood

2025 BAPTISM

Baptism is available all year round on the fourth Sunday of each month.

Enquiries to gisborne@cam.org.au or 5428 2591

Parish Secretary: Tammie Dalgleish

Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 9am to 5pm

Parish website: www.melbcatholic.org/s/gisborne

Normal weekend services

Saturday 6pm St Brigid’s.

Sunday 8am St Ambrose.

Sunday 9:30am St Patrick’s.

Sunday 11am St Brigid’s.

Everyone welcome! Tammie

Parish Priest: Fr. Vincent Nguyen

St Brigid’s Parish Gisborne

Restored IHS window

WHAT'S ON

REGULAR MEETINGS

AUGUST 1925

Extract from Shire Council Meeting. Public Works Dept. stated it had been decided to delete the conditions of the grant for providing work for the unemployed which required contributions from local residents. It was only necessary now to contribute £ for £ of the money provided by the Government.

Gisborne Gazette 7 August 1925

The well-known Upper Macedon [Mount Macedon] guest house “Penryn”, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jukes, narrowly escaped being burnt down last Saturday night. Retiring for the night, they had left a small fire burning in the sitting room and a spark from this evidently ignited the carpet, burning the carpet, chairs and the floor. Mr. Jukes and some visitors were awakened by the crackling of the burning wood and although the fire had got a good hold, plenty of water soon had the blaze under control.

Gisborne Gazette 14 August 1925

Gisborne Anglers’ Ball. On Wednesday night, 12th inst., a grand ball in aid of the Angler’s Club was held in the Mechanics Hall, Gisborne. The ball was advertised in advance as the “The Dance of the Season” and it certainly proved itself to be so. No fewer than 180 patrons attended, representing places as far distant as Kyneton, Lancefield, Sydenham, Melton and Sunbury. The hall was decorated in an elaborate manner but that was not to be wondered at considering that it was in the hands of two such adepts in the art of embellishment as Messrs. Walter Smith and ‘Dick’ Gardiner. The ball was not concluded till 3.30a.m.

Gisborne Note – Those in the Gisborne electric lighting area, whose lights go out occasionally as they did on Tuesday 11 inst., are apt to blame our Electrical Engineer Mr. [Walter] Cole, or put it down to the failings of the new plant. They may however dismiss any such theory from their minds. The plant now supplying consumers is the very next thing to perfection and no blame can be attributed to Mr. Cole or his plant. The trouble was caused by some boys kicking a football into the street lines and getting it entangled, causing darkness to reign till it was released.

Gisborne Gazette 21 August 1925

Gisborne Higher Elementary School. A meeting of subscribers and ratepayers representing Upper Macedon, Macedon, Riddell and New Gisborne was held at the New Gisborne hotel on Thurs., 25th, at 8p.m. The meeting was called with the object of having the project for the formation of a Higher Elementary School in the district – which was originally proposed and started in 1921 – explained and to ascertain why the program decided upon by the original committee was not given effect to.

Gisborne Gazette – 28 August 1925

If your group is missing from this list, please email gisbornegazetteeditor@gmail.com with details.

ADULT RIDING CLUB (Gis) 2nd Saturday Robertson Res, Sth Gis. ADULT RIDING CLUB (Bullengarook) 2nd Saturday Rec Reserve AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 3rd Saturday 10am Woodend RSL. www.mrarc.org.au

BADMINTON Tues 8.30pm & Thurs 9.30am, Macedon Community Centre, macedonrangesbadminton@ gmail.com or David 0419 589 425 BOTANIC GARDENS working bee first & last Thurs every month 9.30am-11am email infogisbotgard@gmail.com BREAST CANCER SUPPORT GROUP 1st & 3rd Tues 10.30am, Canteena, Gisborne. Enquiries, call Lesley 0484 691 226 BUSHWALKING CLUB Various locations 0402 088 491 or secretary@gisbornebwc.org.au

CANASTA CLUB Macedon and Mt Macedon Community House Wednesdays 2pm CAR CLUB (Mac Ranges & District Motor Club 1st Wednesday, 8pm, Steam Park, New Gisb. secretary@mradmc.com.au

CARERS GROUP (Mac Ranges) 2nd & 4th Thurs, 1pm Woodend RSL Cherry 5420 7132 (Note: 4th Thurs carers only) COMMUNITY GARDEN Wed 9.30am Church of Christ (Facebook for updates)

CROCHET & CONVERSATIONS 1st Mon 2.30pm Gisborne Library

CROQUET CLUB Mon, Wed & Sat AM Dixon Field Terry 0493 463 357

CWA GISBORNE 2nd Monday 10am Gis Secondary College CWA MACEDON 3rd Tues 1pm & 7pm 5426 2210 662 Mt Macedon Rd

DALY RESERVE WORKING BEE 2nd Tues 9.30am Scout Hall, Daly Res dalynaturereserve@gmail.com

FILM SOCIETY 2nd Wed Norma Richardson Hall, Woodend 0402 299 153 or 0407 012 140

FLY FISHING CLUB 4th Wed 7.30pm MRFEC Gisborne info@calderflyfishing.com.au

FRIENDS of JACKSONS CREEK working bees 3rd Sun 10-noon

GARDEN CLUB 2nd Wed various venues Jeanette 5420 7303

GENEALOGY GROUP 4th Thurs 7.30 Family Hist Rm, Library

GIRL GUIDES Thursdays 5pm Gis Scout Hall

GISBORNE SINGERS Wed 7.30pm Gisborne Uniting Church

HISTORICAL SOCIETY open Wed 10am-4pm Court House

LANDCARE: Gisborne Landcare working bee every 4th Sat, place to be confirmed each month, gisbornelandcare@gmail.com

LIBRARY: TODDLERS’ STORY TIME 10.30am Mon, Wed, Thurs; BABIES GROUP Fri 10.30am 5428 3962

LIONS CLUB (Gisb) 1st Thurs of month, 7.30pm 247 Station Rd

MARTIAL ARTS Thurs from 6pm St Brigid’s Hall; gisborne@junseikan.com.au

MASONIC LODGE 2nd Thurs 7pm Masonic Hall Aitken St MASTERS AFL Wed 6.30pm all year round Sankey Reserve

Baringo Film Club

Screening times: 3pm Wednesday, 7pm Friday, 3pm Saturday

Please note there will be no screenings on Wed 30 July or Friday 1 August (the cinema is not available to us on these dates

OBEDIENCE DOG CLUB Sun 9am Riddell Rec Res macedonrangesdogclub.org.au

PARKRUN Dixon Field every Sat 8am start at pavilion Tom 0408 691 826

PETANQUE 2nd & 4th Sat 10am behind Ampol service station, Station Rd, Gisborne 0439 887 178

PHOENIX ART & CRAFTS 1st Thursday phoenixmrac.com

PHOTOGRAPHIC SOC 1st & 2nd Mon 7pm Jubilee Hall, Macedon macedon-ranges-photography.org.au

PICKLEBALL Monday 6.30pm & Wed 10.15am, Macedon Community Centre, macedonrangesbadminton@gmail.com or David 0419 589 425

PONY CLUB Bullengarook 1st Sunday Rec Reserve

PONY CLUB Gisborne 1st Sunday Robertson Reserve

PROBUS 1st Thurs 10am Susan 0419 530 041 Gisborne Community Centre hall

RAMBLERS Fridays 9.15am Tennis Club Dixon Field

ROTARY CLUB Gisborne 1st & 3rd Tues 7pm Telegraph Hotel (email gisbornerotary@gmail.com for confirmation of venue)

RUNNING GROUP Tues & Thurs 9am, 6pm, Sun 8am Gisborne Aquatic Centre Craig 0417 775 785

RSL Gis Bowling Club For dates & times contact secretary, admin@gisbornersl.com.au or call 0487 278 681

SENIOR CITS (Macedon) Tues 11am Tony Clarke Res macedonseniors@gmail.com

SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCERS Thurs 1-3 Buffalo Stadium Woodend, 0409 166 783

SPINNERS & FIBRE GROUP Wed 12.30 Rec Reserve Bullengarook. Kerrie 0406 719 557

SUPPORT AFTER SUICIDE 2nd Mon each month, even if public holiday, 7-8.30pm Newham Mechanics (1292 Rochford Rd)

TABLE TENNIS Wed 7.30pm Tony Clarke Res, Macedon Stan 0437 508 338

THUNDER SWIMMING CLUB 2nd Sat 5pm Gisborne Aquatic Centre Peter 0402 088 491 TOY LIBRARY gisbornetoylibrary@yahoo.com.au Sat 9.30-11am 71 Robertson St

ULYSSES GROUP 3rd Tues 6pm Sunbur y FC secretary@mrub.org.au

VINTAGE MACHINERY Working bees 1st Sun of month, 8.30am Steam Park; meetings last Friday of month 7pm Steam Park 0419 393 023

WRITERS (Scribes & Scribblers) 2nd Tues 10am-12 Riddell Neighbourhood House 5428 7836

YOUNG VOICES Thursdays 4.15-5.45pm House of the Rock, New Gisborne; yvmacedon.org.au or sdggome@patash.com.au

crossword answers

ACROSS

AUGUST

Date Film

Aug 2 The Critic (UK drama) 6-9 Touch (Iceland/Japan) 13-16 Best in Show (US comedy) 20-23 Freud’s Last Session (UK drama) 27-30 Lee (UK documentary drama) www.baringofilmclub.com