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REVELLING IN THE SERENITY

Semi-retired Victorian Supreme Court Justice Lex Lasry loves getting away to his rural escape in Merrijig.

22

COMMUNITY CARE

Hundreds of dedicated staff are working tirelessly behind the scenes at Northeast Health Wangaratta.

30

IMPRESSIONS OF HABITAT

Glenrowan artist Fleur Rendell enjoys the immediacy of printmaking, inspired by home and heart.

36

WOOLSHED CREATIVES

Wooragee’s Barking Owl Distilling Company is home to handmade distilled spirits and artisan ceramics.

42 WARRA

Guy and Robyn Robertson aim to return a heritage-listed home in Wangaratta to its former glory.

52

WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD

Elizabeth and Stephen Morris from Pennyweight Winery in Beechworth clock up four decades of winemaking.

60 COUNTRY CHARM

The Yea Peppercorn Hotel is still the place to go for a warm welcome after more than 150 years.

66

BILLSON’S BREWERY

New ideas continue to spring forward at the Beechworth brewery.

72 FAMILY LEGACY

Dr Will Twycross and his family share a significant collection of rare artefacts with the public.

78

NORTH EAST WEDDINGS

84

CYCLE HIGH

The Rademaker family are the driving force behind the Highline Mountain Bike Festival in Mansfield.

90

OXLEY TOWN REBOUND

Oxley residents are working to preserve the heritage of the thriving rural community.

94

WATERSHED MOMENT

Dartmouth Dam overflowed last year for the first time since 1996, attracting thousands of visitors.

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ALWAYS A LOCAL to our eighteenth edition of North East Living magazine.

Former Beechworth resident Des Flanagan is starring in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

FAMILY legacy and a sense of place are common threads running through the stories in the Autumn/Winter edition.

In the case of Dr Will Twycross who appears on the cover, it’s in a very tangible form; the Twycross family having generously donated priceless artefacts they have collected the Melbourne Museum, so the world may enjoy them.

Stephen Morris is a fourth-generation winemaker from the well-known Morris family of Rutherglen, but at Pennyweight Winery in Beechworth, it is Stephen and Elizabeth’s son Steve who will build on what the couple has established over more than four decades.

Shannon and Narelle Rademaker adopted the “if you build it, they will come” philosophy when developing the successful being outdoors and cycling with their four children. Others in this edition have found peace in their rural homes, Justice Lex Lasry, who appears as comfortable on the bench quiet escape on a few acres in Merrijig. We also meet couple Dave and Jen Hodges from Barking inspiration in nostalgia and her Glenrowan property; and we who care for others in the community where they chose to

There is also a tour through historic property Warra in and restore the historic gem to its former glory. We hope you enjoy meeting these interesting people as much as we did.

Jeff Zeuschner | EDITOR

Jeff Zeuschner (jzeuschner@nemedia.com.au)

Anita McPherson (amcpherson@nemedia.com.au)

Jeff Zeuschner, Anita McPherson, Simone Kerwin, Steve Kelly, Emma Oliver, Ryan Malcolm, Coral Cooksley, Belinda Harrison, Kurt Hickling, Sandra Lee Photography.

Rachael Emmily Photography, McQuilton Productions, Towong Shire, Wangaratta Art Gallery, Billson’s Brewery, Yea Peppercorn Hotel, Amanda Radovic, Neil McCarthy, Lex Lasry, Guy and Robyn Robertson, Shannon and Narelle Rademaker, the Twycross family.

Mansfield’s Dr Will Twycross holding a photo album given to Will’s parents by the family of Tone Horikawa. Tone was married to John Milne, Will’s great uncle. who invented the seismograph while working in Japan.

Ian Pople, Kelly Purcell, Karlie Ellero, Kevin Spendier, Jenny Zamperoni, Leah Scott, Leah Ive. sales@nemedia.com.au

Kelly Lovell and NEM Creative team – nemcreative.com.au.

(Abbey Truelsen, Chris Febvre, Noelene Allan, Trish Sait, Rosalee O’Neil, Hannah Birthisel and Chris Stevens.)

Belinda Harrison - bharrison@nemedia.com.au

No material, artwork or photos may be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publisher. North East Living magazine takes care in compiling content but cannot accept responsibility dates however dates can change and errors may occur.

North East Living magazine is published bi-annually by North East Media Pty Ltd. Copyright © 2018

Hartley Higgins

37 Rowan St, Wangaratta Phone: (03) 5723 0100

98 High St, Mansfield Phone: (03) 5775 2115

ISSUE 18

The Spring/Summer edition of North East Living magazine is expected to hit shelves in October, 2023. For all enquiries including being involved in the next edition or where you can pick up a copy of our publication please contact the team at North East Living magazine on (03) 5723 0100 or at sales@nemedia.com.au.

Call 132 789 or visit gjgardner.com.au

Wodonga Office: 15A Stanley St, Wodonga

Wangaratta Office: 39 Reid St, Wangaratta

Semi-retired Victorian Supreme Court Justice Lex Lasry (with wife Amy and their dog Nevvie) loves getting away to his rural escape in Merrijig.

WHEN Justice Lex Lasry began the search for a “getaway” from the pace of his Melbourne-based life as a Victorian Supreme Court judge, he was keen to pursue the rural feel of he knew country life was something he’d like to seek out againand something he eventually found in Merrijig.

“I’ve always liked the mountain area, and we came looking house we’re in now was the second house we looked at, set on environment,” he said. place to get away and have some space around you.” to serve as a reserve judge, enjoys the time he’s able to spend in the region, indulging in his love of music and drumming, when he can on his road bike, and even recently enjoying a spin found in Merrijig with wife Amy and their beloved border collie Nevvie (short for Neville) is the ideal escape from the world of law, in which Lex became ensconced after graduating from

Following his university graduation, he practised law as predominantly as a defence barrister, until his appointment to >>

Prior to that appointment, he had acted in a number of high

Lex’s interest in social justice issues goes well beyond the death penalty. He is also taking a keen interest in the debate about an Indigenous voice to Parliament: “I’m not involved in it, but I really believe in it and would like to see it happen. I’d also love the war in Ukraine to stop, and I’d like people across the world to have enough to eat. And I’d like governments to provide much more in the way of resources to divert young people from using methylamphetamine…all sorts of things.” wine festivals in the area,” he said.

Perhaps on some level it was this desire for social justice that prompted a young Lex Lasry to pursue a career in law, but despite his father having operated a one-man practice in Healesville, and later in Brighton, he says it was never a certainty - particularly considering his early performance at university.

“I did law at Monash and thought, ‘That’ll get a job’, and I when I discovered courts and cases that I really enjoyed it. to be a criminal lawyer. I’m not sure I realised at the time that if you’re a criminal lawyer, you’re not going to make a lot of money, but that was where my interest lay,” he said.

Having carved out a distinguished career, Lex says he is which sees him perform locally and in Melbourne behind the drums, he does often wonder what it would have been like to follow a path like that of his friend and former schoolmate, rocker Ross Wilson.

“I do spend some time thinking who I’d swap with if I could, and what I could have done instead of this. We did a gig in Brunswick where Ross was playing, and I looked at him and his career and thought if I could swap with him, I would,” he said.

Mind you, with a drum kit set up at the Merrijig house and the chance for regular gigs with local band Fat Max, the North in addition to performing with his Melbourne-based band, The Lex Pistols.

“The band up here includes some friends of mine, Derek Council), and Rolf Koren, who is a percussion teacher (at Benalla P-12 College).”

“Music has always been a big part of my life, right from the blues; I like the rhythm of blues, and the songs I grew up with in

In fact, he has a couple picked out which could be played back-to-back at any future celebration of his life: he’d love the AC/DC’s ‘Highway to Hell’.

For now, though, he’s enjoying the chance to retreat to Merrijig whenever possible: “I regard this as home, much more than Melbourne now.”

Northeast Health Wangaratta is more than a hospital; with hundreds of dedicated staff (like midwife Danielle Flanigan) working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure every patient gets the best possible care.

ONE of the people who make operations run smoothly at mainstay on his operations list is gastrointestinal surgery, emergencies, meaning anything must be rescheduled. As is the case with GPs there is a regional shortage of surgeons across Australia and with many of the current workforce near the end surgeons who for a long time have been succession planning, with a couple more surgeons coming through.

“Because we’re a training hospital, a lot of the registrars who come here love the area and love the collegiate unit, so there is

“The hospital has always been a well sought-after rotation for surgery, and accredited trainees come from the Royal Melbourne and Western hospitals, and it’s always ranked highly a junior registrar because it gives you good experience and DR student, worked for 12 months, and fell in love with the place.

“I moved up here with my girlfriend who is now my wife and we just loved the sense of freedom, the outdoor lifestyle and

David and wife Lauren both love bushwalking and hiking in the Warby Range and in the valley, spending time cycling, and they’re also making the most of the inland waterways having physician - his area of expertise is infectious diseases - and he is the medical lead for the hospital in the ‘home’ program. This includes looking after people on intravenous antibiotics, with chronic wounds or other problems who are being cared for at home, along with medical and surgical patients who have infection control - a much bigger issue in the time of COVIDand he also has an outpatient clinic.

“When people hear infectious diseases they often think of David said.

Unfortunately there is more drug resistance around than expertise enables patients to be managed locally with more specialised and challenging-to-use antibiotics than might otherwise be provided.

“What I love about the speciality is that I get to treat people across the whole spectrum - I’ve had some quite young

“Anyone can break a bone and we get to treat some very

David helped the hospital with advice on infection control and the management of COVID-positive patients during the height of the pandemic during a busy and stressful time for everyone in the sector. But he said it gave him an opportunity to work more in the administrative space of the hospital than someone normally would in the early stages of their career. David views the organisation as an easy place to work, because when he’s on the wards he’s working with a through the door.

“That’s not necessarily true of everywhere I’ve worked >>

ONE of the people behind the 800-plus meals being served the food is supersized, as to make one casserole on a daily a chicken stir fry, Kim would have to order up to 50kg of chicken meals is almost military-like, otherwise patients go hungry, or it on time delays a patient from the emergency department from the next line, you get an idea of why Kim would be entitled and corporate operations, overseeing the people and culture environmental, engineering, education, research and security services plus procurement and contracts, management and Hill where I did my apprenticeship and I loved it up there in the increasingly I found kitchen work really challenging especially in Kim got into the administration of large kitchens in rural Victoria challenges include years of changing levels of safety restrictions, across with the feeling that everybody looks after each other

Post-COVID the hospital plans to further engage and retain opens its new beds from the redevelopment, which means a