MAY 29, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
School site backflip By Serena Seyfort The Kyneton community has had a win in the long-running battle over the former Kyneton Primary School site. In a major backflip, the state government announced last Wednesday that the property would “remain in public hands” – after working towards selling it for months. Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas revealed the government would keep the old school, just hours before Macedon Ranges council was due to decide whether it would buy any of the Baynton Street site. The government’s decision comes after more than a year of community campaigning to support owning and governing the site. Kyneton Town Square Reference Group has been one of the main community groups driving the campaign. Group member Rob Bakes said it was “good news” that the state had moved away from selling the property, but it was only “a part-win”. “The big thing we have to achieve is that the government allows the community to run the site,” he said. “They haven’t shown any sign of letting the community take control.” The state government said it had appointed the Loddon Campaspe Regional Partnership to work with the community and the council to oversee the future of the site. Prior to the announcement, the council was preparing to consider a report recommending it adopt the Kyneton Primary School Master Plan and purchase the “eastern lots of the site”. The report took into account community feedback on the draft master plan that proposed both council and private ownership scenarios. The draft master plan was drawn up using a $65,000 contribution from the state government. The council has now moved that its chief executive brief councillors on the state’s proposal for the site by July 31. At a community forum organised by the Kyneton Town Square Reference Group on May 6, about 200 residents heard Liberal candidate for Macedon, Amanda Millar, declare that, if elected, her party would keep the school site as government land. Ms Millar received a petition from the Kyneton Square Reference Group, signed by 2300 residents, which Opposition Leader Matthew Guy tabled in the Legislative Assembly on May 9.
Black is back in Ballan Ballan’s Black Nite Black Lite festival began with a few women toiling away in a broom closet. Now thousands of visitors are expected to flock to this year’s edition of the winter solstice celebration, in which artists, schools and community groups transform 30 shop windows with colourful, fluorescent paint lit up with black UV lights. The week-long free and town-wide celebration, which will run from June 17, will include light shows, food and entertainment along Inglis Street, musical art installations and an interactive show on opening night. Organiser Sarah Peckham said workshops, run by Wombat Regional Arts Network, started last week to help get the town dressed up for the festivities. She said the festival’s genesis came from a workshop that experimented with an old can of glow-in-the-dark paint in a broom closet. “I bought a black lite and we took it into a store room, along with some high-visibility fluro paint that I’d bought, we shut the door and everything just looked spectacular under black light,” she said. “Tennis balls in the store room and our white paper – everything was jumping out at us.” She said organisers expected about 200 visitors last year – and drew more than 1000. Ms Peckham said the festival involved the whole town – from its youngest to its oldest members. “A whole lot of people have put together a lot of unbelievably wonderful things for visitors to enjoy,” she said. “It’s just one of those amazing, magic things.” Details: wombatarts.org/black-nite.html Sarah Peckham and Carmel Hunter are ready for Black Nite Black Lite. (Marco De Luca)
Esther Lauaki