LifeStyle Wimmera 2020, Edition 6

LifeSTYLE Life wimmera

Edition 6, 2020

‘They’re grouse’ Mick Frazer’s one-off creations INSIDE

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Lots to celebrate...

I

t was a case of touch and go during planning early in 2020 whether The Weekly Advertiser’s annual LifeStyle Wimmera magazine would get off the ground this year.

Pressures of the COVID-19 restrictions were biting hard into Wimmera communities, forcing everyone into reassessment mode and demanding dramatic project and operational changes.

The magazine has traditionally provided an annual opportunity to celebrate the culture that makes our wonderful region tick. With news bulletins filled with depressing updates, there was a brief moment when we considered whether there was anything to celebrate. But of course there was and continues to be – it only took a moment of consideration before deciding to jump into production of another edition.

A 2020 examination into the region’s sub-culture for the magazine has drawn on people who call the region home and some of the activities and inspirations that are part of everyday life.

It also revealed how some people had approached a life of lockdown.

This year’s edition is the result of the skill and effort from The Weekly Advertiser’s dedicated team of journalists, graphic designers, sub-editor, photographer and account managers.

This year’s LifeStyle magazine provides a tiny snapshot of what our region and its people are all about and we hope our publication provides readers with a renewed sense of confidence, comfort and normality.

We live in a wonderful part of the world.

9 29

30 39

57

– Dean Lawson Editor

Cover photo: Mick Frazer in his Rainbow workshop with his eclectic guitars. Story, page 7.

Editor, Dean Lawson; sub-editor, Georgia Bailey; writers, Dean Lawson, Sarah Matthews, Dylan De Jong, Andrew Dowdell, contributors; designers, Barry King, Kelly Laird; photography, Paul Carracher, Kelly Laird; advertising, Mark Sulic, Lee Meadows, Chris Thomas, Michelle Reid, Tristan Cameron, Mark Clyne.

Produced for free distribution by The Weekly Advertiser – ACE Radio Broadcasters Pty Ltd. ACN 064882 042. Printed by Newsprinters Pty Ltd, 7940 Melbourne Road, Shepparton.

Life aplenty right under our nose – pages 16, 17

A place to dip the toe this summer Our region’s recreational lakes and weir pools are a great place to unwind and enjoy swimming, fishing, boating, water-skiing or simply relaxing at the water’s edge.

Studies* show that the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline supplied recreational water contributes more than $10 million to our regional economies, supports mental and physical wellbeing and provides environmental benefits.

GWMWater supplies water to 12 recreational lakes and weir pools in our region.

Before you travel, check facilities and permitted recreational activities at our reservoirs and lakes: gwmwater.org.au/ reservoirs

Find out more by visiting gwmwater.org.au/recreational-lakes *’Wimmera Southern Mallee Socio-Economic Value of Recreational and Environmental Water' - Street Ryan reports sponsored by Wimmera Development Association, Wimmera Catchment Management Authority, GWMWater and Wimmera and southern Mallee municipal councils.

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Page 3

When

By Sarah Matthews

A

rarat native Dianne Cook met her future husband, American Matthew Harris, when they crossed paths working behind the scenes for Cirque de Soleil in Melbourne.

It was proverbial love at first sight.

They had three weeks together before Mr Harris flew back to New York to work on a production at Madison Square Garden.

Determined to discover if their ‘lightning bolt’ was the real deal, Ms Cook followed him to New York, funding her ticket with her share of winnings from a slot machine on the couple’s first date.

They enjoyed a whirlwind tour of 21 states, witnessing a NASA space shuttle launch from the dock of a lake at Cape Canaveral, kissing atop the World Trade Centre two weeks before the towers fell and riding ‘terrifying and exhilarating’ roller coasters into the night at Cedar Point, Ohio.

After three visits in the next six months, Ms Cook packed up her life in Australia and made the move a permanent one.

She and Mr Harris spent six months in New York before arriving in New Orleans with little more than ‘the clothes on our

Dianne Cook-Harris plans to create a studio, gallery and home in historic St Patrick’s Church at Willaura

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worlds collide... backs, a dream and a mortgage contract for an apartment in the French Quarter’.

Within months they eloped to Las Vegas and were married by a French celebrant in a ceremony filled with laughter.

Ms Cook-Harris had developed ‘cold feet’ while crossing the ‘desolate’ state of Texas, among the ‘dusty whirligigs and tumble weeds with nothing to see on the horizon’.

She asked her fiancé to drive her to Los Angeles airport so she could fly home, but he convinced her otherwise.

“We had a one-day honeymoon and drove the long drive back to New Orleans,” Ms Cook-Harris said.

“We started our own business the very next day, with stock consisting of some coloured, stressed, decorated vintage cowboy hats and hand-woven leather with cord macrame belts.

“We pushed a clothing rack down the middle of the street to set up at America’s oldest French market, circa 1791.

“We set up under a temporary canopy in all kinds of weather, including throughout torrential wind and rain storms and in 100 percent heat and humidity.”

A year and a half later, the couple opted for a more permanent structure, opening Oonkas Boonkas with a larger range of inventory, including clothing and jewellery.

They were ordinary people living an extraordinary life.

“The art, music and Mardi Gras and festivals play like a movie in my mind and glitter still runs through my veins,” Ms Cook-Harris said.

“Life in New Orleans was challenging, but wonderful.”

In August 2005, everything changed.

Hurricane Katrina, a category five tropical cyclone, slammed into the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1800 people and leaving millions homeless in New Orleans and along the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

At the time, it was the costliest cyclone on record and the heavy death toll attracted widespread criticism of how local, state and federal authorities responded to the storm

and its aftermath. Katrina destroyed Oonkas Boonkas and severely damaged the couple’s home.

“You would need to experience the scale of displacement, dysfunction, suffering and loss to truly understand the magnitude of the aftermath of this storm,” Ms CookHarris said.

“Our lives were changed – in a heartbeat – forever. From now on our lives would be referred to as either ‘pre-Katrina’ or ‘postKatrina’. The story of living through its recovery is a story in itself.”

The couple fled the city, with bumper-tobumper traffic moving at a snail’s pace along a highway.

“Cars had run out of fuel, school buses were on the side of the road with washing hung out blowing in the wind, and all accommodations were booked out,” Ms Cook-Harris said.

“It was surreal. It took six hours to drive just 100 miles down the road.”

A month later, after the flood water subsided, Ms Cook-Harris drove back into the deserted city with a documentary filmmaker.

“We were admitted in by the National Guard,” she said.

“The city was a ghost town and covered in grey silt. Buildings were collapsed on cars, electricity lines were down, boats were discarded in the middle of the streets – people’s day-to-day lives had been frozen in time. Grand pianos were laying half out of buildings. It presented like an exploded atom bomb aftermath. There was no sign of life, no sounds or bird life.

“The only inhabitants were freedom fighters who stayed and were in survival mode and every kind of conceivable deployed military service.

“Military helicopters circled the skies over makeshift army camps.”

Days later, Ms Cook-Harris left on the last ’50s Greyhound bus out of nearby Baton Rouge, fleeing approaching Hurricane Rita.

“A day after that I boarded the last flight out of Houston, Texas, to New York with my service dog Zogwald to meet up

with my husband,” she said. “I’ll never forget emerging from a New York subway escalator in Times Square to see all the screen billboards lit up and flashing at me.

It was such a contrast to the devastation and horror stories I had just witnessed in Louisiana.”

Difficult months followed, including a freezing New York winter with only summer clothes and without a place to stay.

Ms Cook-Harris flew to Florida to stay with friends but was chased away by yet another hurricane.

Eventually, the couple returned to New Orleans, ‘penniless’, arriving home on Ms Cook-Harris’s birthday.

They worked hard, reopening their boutique a year later.

A further year down the track, they opened a second boutique, Zogwald’s Curiosities.

“Our six-year aftermath recovery had begun,” Ms Cook-Harris said.

In 2011, the couple relocated to Melbourne, opening a boutique in Smith Street, Collingwood.

Just like everything else on their epic life adventure, there were difficulties.

“Unfortunately, Smith Street had a 40-year history of drug and alcohol-fuelled crime,” Ms Cook-Harris said.

“We couldn’t trade due to daily crime threats.”

Not one to give up, Ms Cook-Harris and her husband set about reuniting and investing in the community, working with small business traders, the police, council, outreach workers and community members, including disengaged minorities.

“They all said it couldn’t be done but by building relationships, connecting community and services together, by knowing individuals’ names, we were able to cut crime across the board by 33 and a half percent in one year,” Ms Cook-Harris said.

“We formed a committee called Smith Street Working Group, who produced Smith Street Dreaming Festival, which allowed disengaged minorities to be proud of their culture and connect with police and their community.

“This festival still runs today.”

Accolades flowed.

In 2014, in search of a quieter life, the couple closed Oonkas Boonkas in Smith Street and moved to western Victoria.

In 2015, Ms Cook-Harris went to inspect a Willaura church up for auction.

She took one look, thought ‘too much work’ and bought it anyway.

Challenge accepted.

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Mick Frazer

Born to be wild S

By Andrew Dowdell

ince Jack Nicholson got his motor running in Easy Rider, motorbikes and rock ’n’ roll have ridden together in forging modern culture.

But few, if any, have found a way to merge the cultural like between bikes and guitars like Mick Frazer.

His Rainbow business and workshop is adorned with fully functioning electric guitars crafted from Harley Davidson and other iconic vehicle parts such as dashboards, fuel tanks and exhaust pipes.

“Every one I make is different. They are all ‘one-offs’ and they’re grouse. I can see these old parts being played by actual musicians,” Mick said.

“They have all been so popular it’s unbelievable.”

A career in the motor and building industries and a love of blues and rock

music – followed by a brush with death – all conspired to transform Mick into a unique artisan.

After the second of two heart attacks, Mick was at his lowest ebb several years ago, both physically and mentally.

“I couldn’t do much recovering from the heart attack, and all these things I used to do I just had lost my confidence in doing,” he said.

Depression set in along with medication that made him feel ‘dead inside’ – until the day he glanced at a cake tin and strainer in his shed.

“That’s how it all started, I made a guitar out of a strainer and cake tin because I thought I wanted to learn to play guitar,” he said.

“But I’m no good, I still can’t even play the one with one string.”

His musical aspirations set aside, Mick used his newfound gift to make guitars to be

played by those who could shred and bring his creations to life.

“I’m not musically talented but I can still make things and I can make guitars that work,” he said.

Together with his partner Rose Slade, the 65-year-old has used the COVID lockdown to finish his other dream, a musical ‘open shop’ in Rainbow.

“I’m trying to create something up here for younger people to have somewhere to go and something to do,” he said.

“We are aiming to have it as an open shop, where young people can come and have jam sessions and learn to play guitar with older people who can actually play.

“We had just opened when the virus hit and that stopped everything, so I thought let’s clean up the shop and really get stuck into making the guitars.”

Mick has used his musician mates as road testers for his guitars and has so far resisted

lucrative offers to sell his creations. “So far I haven’t actually sold any. I’ve given away some to friends but I wanted to get a few more together before I sold them,” he said.

“It’s not about the money and the open shop is all free for people to come, but I am interested in perhaps looking at selling some in the future.”

The generous Mick is also using his talent to support a Bendigo man who lost his foot in an accident, by donating a guitar made from parts of a Harley Davidson ‘Shovelhead’ bike.

Mick said he was eager to help others, and to use his life experience to give them hope.

“Finding this new passion has helped me so much and given me a lease on life. I am off the medication and excited about when we can open the shop again,” he said.

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Page 7

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Experience the region from Stawell The historic Wimmera centre of Stawell represents the perfect jumping-off place for visitors keen to enjoy everything from a relaxing break away from it all to tackling great adventure opportunities.

The rural city is like the heart of a compass, providing ready access to attractions in all directions, depending on what motivates the holiday-maker.

Close by is the wilderness and majesty of nearby Grampians National Park and other attractive parklands with all their amazing wildlife, vistas and walking trails. There is also a lure to wonderful nearby recreation lakes and of course all the artisan producers of wine and fine food humming away in the region.

Stawell is also a launching pad for profound exploration of the broader region, which pushes into the plains country and where an ever-growing Silo Arts Trail provides a magnet to anyone keen to experience landscape-scale experiences.

If Stawell is the ideal jump-off point to regional exploration, then Stawell Grampians Gate Caravan Park in Burgh Street is the perfect place to visit and establish a headquarters.

The park environment is a delight in its own right, providing an ideal getaway for people keen to escape the ‘rat race’. As well as standard park facilities, it also has waterfront powered sites and budget to deluxe waterfront cabins ideal for people with any budget and keen to take the hard work out of your holiday equation.

The overall Silo Arts Trail involves a good drive through the Wimmera to the Mallee but, like many other regional attractions has a good section within only a short trip from Stawell.

The southernmost silo on the trail is at Rupanyup, an easy half-hour drive away. This silo features the work of Russian mural artist Julia Volchkova and the image immediately captures the visitor’s attention.

If you get to Rupanyup, you might as well keep going another mere 36 kilometres to Sheep Hills where a colourful silo painted by Adnate bursts from the landscape.

On your way, if you have an interest in pop-culture or Australian television, take note as you drive through Minyip.

If it looks vaguely familiar it is because it was the town where the famous 1980s series Flying Doctors was filmed. There are clues everywhere reflecting a time when Minyip was on the national television map, grab a bite to eat at “Emma’s Café & Garage” – Rebecca Gibney was Emma in the show.

Or perhaps you might want to mix the trip up a bit instead and head west for less than quarter of an hour from Rupanyup to Murtoa where this lakeside town is home to the impressive Murtoa Stick Shed.

Walking into the massive heritage-listed structure, which dates back to the Second World War, is aweinspiring and worth more than just a couple of photo snaps.

Again, a quick look around Murtoa and you will notice a couple of buildings that might seem familiar. That’s because some provided the backdrop for international film The Dressmaker.

If your interest is wine and other produce, your stay at Stawell Grampians Gate Caravan Park must include a trip to the historic wine village of Great Western, only 7 minutes down the Western Highway heading east towards Ararat.

Fantastic experiences await the traveller keen to

sample some of the world’s best wines and wine experiences. Make sure you compare the large and the small producers – they can vary considerably and it’s this choice that makes a visit so worthwhile.

Not into wine but love history, then a trip to Best’s and Seppelts wineries is a must, with Best’s selfguided tour of their cellars and Seppelts guided tours of their 3km of cellars.

It is hard to imagine a better end to the day than collecting a few samples from a wine tour and heading back to an outstanding caravan-park base to put the feet up and soak up the environment.

Grampians Gate husband-and-wife team Marianne and Peter Braam have poured hours into creating the perfect visitor experience of their park, which fronts Pleasant Creek, has large welcoming lawn sites and garden displays, their roses in bloom are something to see.

A wilderness setting and close proximity to both the shops, dining and natural bushland. Being on Pleasant Creek not only gives the park a pleasant ambiance but also means countless visiting native birds are everywhere and the sounds of the bush, from the chorus of frogs and crickets to the crackle and crunch of a campfire, overladen with laughter of good company, has an appeal all of its own.

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Chasing a dream

By Andrew Dowdell

G

eorgia Atkin-Smith cannot remember a time where she was not fascinated by science – but the former Horsham College student says she never envisaged that today she would be forging a stellar career as a research scientist.

Perhaps modestly describing herself as ‘a pretty mediocre student’ at school, Georgia began a Bachelor of Biotechnology and Cell Biology at La Trobe University’s Bundoora campus in Melbourne after leaving the Wimmera in 2011.

“I always had a good balance at high school. I played netball for Horsham Demons and represented Horsham College in volleyball as well as having an early interest in science, despite having no idea what kind of jobs science could lead to,” she said.

After eight years of intensive study, the 27-year-old last year became Dr Georgia Atkin-Smith, after completing a PhD which focused on cutting-edge research about cell deaths and the spread of viruses and their impacts on immune systems.

Now determined to use her knowledge to find new treatments for infectious disease

and cancer, Dr Atkin-Smith said she was equally determined to help other rural teenagers in achieving their goals.

“My advice to students in rural areas is to always follow their passions, not to do a job their parents tell them to do, or something just because they think it will earn them a lot of money,” she said.

“You have to do a thing that you love and I was lucky early on in that I knew I loved science, but even at the end of my undergraduate degree I was not sure exactly what career it could lead to.”

The scientist said she had often thought of returning to country life but the reality of her chosen career made that option unlikely, for the time being at least.

“I really hope to stay in research and obtain independent funding where I can run a lab of my own, but the fact is that it’s limited to cities at the moment,” she said.

“But I do think that COVID has made us realise that a lot more things are accessible and that in the future it might be possible to do more things remotely.”

Dr Atkin-Smith agreed the tyranny of distance meant many rural and remote students felt their dream careers were further from reality than young people raised in cities such as Melbourne.

“I really want to let young people growing up in rural areas and who are interested in different education or career pathways know that they can achieve their ambitions, no matter where they grow up, from towns like Horsham to the middle of nowhere,” she said.

Dr Atkin-Smith recently published a study that showed how the influenza A virus could kill vital white blood cells and then conceal itself among the dead cells ‘like a Trojan horse’ in order to assist its spread through the human body.

The research has furthered the understanding of the effects of cell death in the human body and could help develop new treatments or medicines for infectious diseases such as the flu.

The promising work completed by Dr Atkin-Smith led to her being awarded a prestigious Nancy Millis Medal after her PhD was judged to be among the top five percent of theses at La Trobe University.

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Ben defying P

By Dylan De Jong

icking up a new hobby can be an exciting progression – challenging oneself with often brand-new concepts, stimulating thought and evoking creativity.

Learning the new skill will often present a few hurdles, which can become defining moments or even stop someone in their pursuit to develop further.

For Warracknabeal’s Ben Fowler, 32, his newfound love could have been perceived as an insurmountable challenge.

The former chef has found his true calling in photography – but with one caveat – his vision is quickly deteriorating.

Ben has a hereditary condition called keratoconus, whereby the clear tissue in the front of his eyes bulges outward.

His left eye is in an advanced stage of the condition. He experiences severe clouding of vision, with the cornea taking on a translucent milky-white appearance, known as corneal hydrops.

But that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing a dream where sound eyesight would have been in his favour.

“It is harder to see things through the viewfinder of my camera and it’s especially

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hard editing – I have to sit two inches away from my monitor,” Ben said.

“What I see in my left eye is opaque and my right eye is still pretty bad, my left eye used to be my good one.

“But it’s the same with anything, when you start losing one sense you have to rely on your others a lot – for my day-to-day life, even though I can still see, I’m relying a lot on touch and memory.

“For photography it’s a lot of remembering all the theory and just trusting my instincts.”

Earlier this year, Ben borrowed a camera off a mate to try his luck in gig photography at 60 years of Wimmera Rock festival.

Bands such as old school hard rockers CROME and Warracknabeal metal headbangers Goofinger picked up on his skill and requested copies of some of the shots he took.

Positive feedback from friends and family encouraged him to keep going, snowballing his hobby into an obsession.

“People kept telling me ‘you should be a photographer’. That, coupled with starting to lose my vision, I thought, yeah – this is literally the only time I’ll be able to pick up this skill,” Ben said.

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LifeStyle 2020

the odds “I’ve now spent hours upon hours watching tutorials, reading articles, jumping into online workshops and studying different art that I admire.”

Ben quickly moved on to the realm of visual effects, exploring compositing techniques with photos of Wimmera landscapes, creeks, trees, fields and melding that together with a shot of a model or selfportrait.

In just eight months of experimenting, the artist has won prizes for his photography as part of events such as Horsham’s Art is… festival.

He has also been approached to create album artwork for various bands.

Ben’s technique of compositing several images together to create a single image allows him to explore more imaginative pieces.

“I’ve had to take up compositing artwork to create the ideas and thoughts that are in my head. I would call the style ‘transhumanism’ – the idea of humans becoming more than they are or evolving past that,” he said.

“Generally, it’s reserved for things like technological augmentation, but I want to take it in the other direction where nature takes us back.”

Ben Fowler

Ben said the idea that business and nature were often mutually exclusive concepts was a key element he wanted to explore in his art.

“I just like the idea that humans have come and ruined everything so much that the idea of nature kind of giving us a firm kicking is an interesting one,” he said.

“Nature and business are very stubborn elements and it seems only one can win out in the end.

“Combining those two is kind of like cognitive dissonance to me.”

Pushing ahead

Ben said he would continue building on his passion despite picking up the new skill amid the global COVID-19 pandemic when photo opportunities, especially with people, were far and few between.

“There’s lots of artworks I want to do from a big list that I just can’t get out to do at the moment,” he said.

“I want to sample everything photography has to offer, including wedding photography.

“I want to capture real emotion and sometimes that’s really hard to portray for the transcendental emotions like fear and mental health.

“And I think being half blind gives me a bit of a different perspective.

“I see things blurrier and more abstract rather than literal.”

Capturing moments that reflect ‘real emotions’ in a shot is a distinct driving force behind his motivation.

“It comes down to sincerity. I’m not trying to get a posed picture of someone smiling at the camera – I want to see what someone is really like,” Ben said.

“I want to see bags under the eye, I want to see imperfections, I want to see someone looking away and giving their actual smile.

“In this day and age you can just get a filter to add a smile or remove bags from your eyes, but what you get is nothing, it’s not them, it is nothing like them.

“I just feel so many people can misunderstand themselves, beautiful people with beautiful imperfections try to take it all away, but I want to show that and show that this is a real person.”

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Promise of I

By Dean Lawson

f there is anything that gets regional anglers excited, it must surely be the prospects of rain and running water.

Long-range forecasts earlier this year predicting we might get more rain than usual across the Wimmera in spring proved to be on the money. But even the suggestion that it might come courtesy of La Niña climatic conditions had anglers checking rods, reels and all other associated gear on the chance it became a reality. And of course is has, with the region experiencing more rain than it has for many years.

Running water in streams, rivers and lakes provides a spark of life for aquatic habitats, stimulating food webs from the tiniest of zooplankton to insects and macroinvertebrates and fish and birds.

Ultimately, the top-level predators such as the fish our anglers pursue get hungry, protective or fired up for some other reason as they are presented with a changing and turbulent system enriched with oxygen and nutrients.

In common fishing terms, this leads to fish going ‘on the bite’ and when word spreads about this, our piscatorial friends who might have long banished their rods to a dusty

LifeStyle 2020

goldmine

corner of the back shed emerge from the woodwork – often sporting large grins of expectation.

Wimmera-Mallee waterways represent a quintessential example of a temperate boom-and-bust environmental system.

Barometric pressure changes, indicating prospects of wet or dry weather, and food loads tend to govern levels of aquatic activity, yet neighbouring lakes can produce vastly different angling results.

And if regular wet weather is on the way, then so too are angling opportunities.

The Wimmera, Mallee and in general Grampians district have enormous freshwater fishing opportunities provided by both native and exotic target species.

The region has long been recognised for its recreational angling opportunities and subject to significant promotion and development.

Exotic English perch, redfin, which historically readily breed in regional Victorian waterways, and introduced trout have been long-term favourite target fish for many.

Redfin still rate among the best of all freshwater species when it comes to the table and trout have a reputation as a

premier sporting catch. And then there is noxious carp, which can be a nuisance or good fun, depending on your perspective.

But the choice of target species these days is much broader as authorities and communities alike have come to appreciate the benefits of native fish.

Anglers in the Wimmera today, whether casting a line in the Wimmera River or one of its distributaries or tributaries, trolling or tying to an ancient dead tree in a lake in the heart of the catchment, or making the most of recreation lakes watered via the Wimmera-Mallee Pipeline, have fish such as yellowbelly, silver perch, catfish and highly sought-after Murray cod on the target list.

Dedicated fish-release programs this year have led to hundreds of thousands of fledgling native fish, as well as traditional trout, finding new homes in Wimmera lakes and impoundments.

This year, for example, the Wimmera’s largest reservoir Rocklands has welcomed about half a million juvenile Murray cod.

The size of the release ensures a high percentage of the fish survive to adulthood and lead to a likely fishing bonanza.

Lakes Taylors, Toolondo, Bellfield,

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Wartook, Fyans, Wallace, Charlegrark, Bolac and of course the Wimmera River are the big names for fishing in the region.

But there are plenty more that also become magnets, such as lakes Green, Lascelles, Walkers, Lonsdale, Green Hill, Moora Moora and Marma and Buloke.

And of course if the hassle of chasing fish with lures and bait isn’t your thing, then when the warmer weather arrives, there are always yabbies. And boy, do people love catching yabbies – and just as many enjoy eating them.

Yabbies, like fish, enjoy nothing more than a good flush of running water. In fact, vegetation-covered dry lake beds that suddenly become inundated with water can be relative smorgasbords for these primarily vegetarian freshwater crayfish.

But is fishing in the Wimmera all about the sport and-or catching a feed?

Not necessarily, in fact just simply getting out into the great outdoors to appreciate all that our environment offers is probably the greatest appeal of all.

Regardless of whether the fish are biting, sitting out there with a view of mountains, plains or desert and absorbing nature’s great tapestry of life can be enriching enough in its own right.

Page 13

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Bring on the barbie

By Dean Lawson

I

t is an unwritten law. But anyone in the past who has frequented back-yard barbecues and gatherings at a mate’s place knows the drill all too well – barbie operation is the responsibility of the host.

That is of course unless the project has been pre-arranged based on previous experience where all in the group recognise which individual has the title of ‘best barbie cook’. Sorry boys, this person can be either male or female.

Whatever the scenario, there are plenty of people who, in having endured the drawnout COVID-19 restrictions and lack of social connectivity with mates or family friends in the past year, are unlikely to care too much.

Still, as we head into a welcome summer and hopefully the prospect of a return to daylight-saving back-yard gatherings, there is some etiquette we need to consider.

While some barbecue-food lovers are far from picky about the unidentifiable blackened samples that can sometimes come off a hotplate, others are far more meticulous in how they like their food prepared.

The old-fashioned snag or supermarket

burger presented in a couple of pieces of sauce-drenched bread don’t represent too much of a big deal or challenge, unless they’re almost burnt back to their base carbon form. But when it comes to steak – well, that’s a different story.

Rare, medium, well done? Everyone has their technique, whether it involves charming a quality cut into a delicacy with methodical timing and measured with a temperature-testing probe, or by thrusting a chop doused in beer on the end of a long fork into a raw flame.

And just how clean is the cooking plate on the ancient barbecue that has been sitting in the garage and last saw the light of day 12 months ago? And did anyone remember to clean it before putting it away?

Again, etiquette more than suggests this can’t be a last-minute afterthought, especially if the intended feast involves families and health-conscious mums, and dads for that matter.

There are of course other things to consider, especially if the barbie gathering is a bring-your-own occasion.

Is anything crumbed really that appropriate for the host’s barbecue set-up and skills? And did we mention the potential

awkwardness of the dreaded marinated offerings some of us invariably can’t resist sneaking onto the hotplate to flavour everyone else’s food?

Dear oh dear! It sounds like a minefield. And we haven’t even mentioned the salads.

But fear not. There are answers, techniques and products well at hand these days and a little bit of homework and some choice purchases can go a long way to allowing us all to take it in our stride.

Again and of course, who really cares anyway? All that really matters is getting back to enjoying a lifestyle that involves the good company and good cheer that usually come with a traditional back-yard barbie.

Yes, it’s all part of the Wimmera-Mallee lifestyle we’re keen to resume. We can almost smell those onions cooking.

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Page 15

Echidna

New Holland honeyeater

Life aplenty right F

Fungus

Lace monitor

By Dean Lawson

rom the initial engagement, when the protagonist launched a surprise attack, the aerial dogfight evolved into a dramatic display of flying skill and strategy.

Diving out of the sun, an initial attacking run generated a sudden panic that seemed to consume the sky as startled targets scattered and dived for cover.

Despite being caught unaware for a brief moment, one of the defender’s response was just as dramatic as he gathered composure, strengthened resolve and immediately went on the counter-attack.

What happened next was a series of high-speed sharpangled turns, tricky manoeuvres, dives, weaves and climbs as each adversary, gripped in an intense battle, attempted to gain a winning advantage.

The attacker obviously outgunned his target in size and firepower but his opponent fought back intensely, refusing to give an inch until a reinforcing squadron arrived. Eventually there was a stalemate as opposing forces withdrew to fight another day.

Such was the drama that unfolded in a humble Wimmera back-yard, where the prize on offer for the victor wasn’t command of a country or continent – but a nectar-rich gum tree that had come into heavy flower.

The assault from the aggressive wattle bird on a plucky

family of New Holland honeyeaters occurred time after time, day after day, in what was an impressive display of nature.

For many of us, periods of isolation and lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic have helped rekindle our observation skills – reopened our eyes to the everyday life around us that we often take for granted.

It is amazing what happens when all the work commitments and luxuries of modern life get turned upside down and we need to keep ourselves entertained without necessarily the company of others. Our televisions, digital games, music and even books can all start to get a bit tired and we feel a powerful urge to venture outside and switch into ‘observation and experience’ mode.

The ‘experience’ might involve simply getting hands dirty in the garden, the ‘observation’ is something else altogether.

It’s about zeroing in on the hoverfly buzzing above a flower, a praying mantis using its rare insect skills to move its head independently to follow your every move, a pair of rosellas checking out a prospective nesting sight, a spider sweeping across its web to capture an unsuspecting moth, or blue-tongued lizard emerging from the rose garden.

This power of curious observation is instinctive in young children and somewhere along the path of ‘growing up’ many of us inadvertently distance ourselves from its natural magnetism.

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Jacky lizard

under our nose The Weekly Advertiser graphic designer and amateur photographer Kelly Laird is an example of someone who, apart from being naturally interested in wildlife, has occasionally found herself becoming consumed in what makes the birds, animals, bugs, plants and flowers of where she lives tick.

She has used isolation and limited opportunities to travel any great distance to use her camera to capture what is naturally happening around her.

The result is a growing and stunning collection of ‘backyard’ wildlife features or moments that when put into perspective represent an amazing snapshot of the ‘other’ life in the Wimmera.

Kelly said the Wimmera was rich in life.

“We are very lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world that is filled with such amazing flora and fauna,” she said.

“I am not an expert in either of those things – or photography – but definitely appreciate discovering something new and wonderful every time I go out with my camera – across to the Grampians, Mt Arapiles, the lovely Wimmera River at Dimboola – even in my own back yard.

“Taking photos of wildlife is relaxing and it involves exercise. Bonus!

“I might only get one good picture out of 100 every time I go out, but that’s what makes it worth it.”

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Page 17

Stuart Hicks

Lifetime passion

By Andrew Dowdell

T

he Overland train from Adelaide to Melbourne has been an integral part of life for communities and thousands of people since 1887 – but few have more of a connection to the historic rail line than Kaniva’s Stuart Hicks.

Mr Hicks, 40, grew up with his father Wayne spending his working life driving trains, inspiring him to take up a position as a conductor on The Overland when he turned 18.

Over the past few years, Mr Hicks has been restoring and gathering historic items from The Overland, which feature in his growing museum at Kaniva, in the west Wimmera.

The museum, which won the imagination and financial support of Kaniva locals and fellow train enthusiasts, was slated to open in April.

But the COVID-19 crisis scuttled those hopes, leaving the bold and intensely personal project hanging in limbo.

“With the COVID crisis it has thrown everything into uncertainty, but my best hope is that we will be able to open the museum next year,” Mr Hicks said.

“People have donated money and I might

Page 18

be able to get a third railway carriage, but nobody really knows how long this situation will go on for.”

The train buff’s prized item is a 1919 wooden rail carriage, which he purchased in 2012 and has spent years restoring to its former glory.

He has also obtained another carriage dating back to 1951, as well as a rare headboard which marked the centenary of The Overland in 1987.

“Most of those headboards were just painted over after the centenary so I feel fortunate to have got hold of that one, it is a very unique piece of The Overland’s history,” he said.

“I also have glassware, linen, towels and coasters all from different periods and a bar from the 1960s.”

Mr Hicks said the Kaniva community and its tourism body were all keen to see the museum succeed, which they believed would provide a much-needed boost to the small town’s economy.

Last year, about 30 former conductors and Overland employees converged on Kaniva for a reunion, which Mr Hicks said he hoped could happen again when the COVID-19 crisis ended.

“That reunion brought back a lot of memories for them, some of them were current and former conductors who worked on The Overland,” he said.

In addition to paying tribute to the history of The Overland, Mr Hicks said he hoped his museum would rekindle interest for new commuters.

The journey, from the Keswick railway station in Adelaide to the heart of Melbourne, ran through the night when Mr Hicks first worked on The Overland.

While the journey took almost 13 hours, compared with just over an hour by plane or about 10 hours in a car, Mr Hicks said The Overland was a unique tourism experience.

“I actually preferred the night train to be honest, I think it’s a unique and different way to see the countryside,” he said.

“The more people who use the train, the

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more likely it is to be kept, and it is a lifeline for some of the people who live along the rail line,” he said.

“Once the train is gone it will probably never return, and that means there would be no railway passenger service to the Wimmera, where it’s been running since January 1887.”

LifeStyle 2020

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Hooked on pottery B

By Sarah Matthews

everley Grace was looking for a hobby when she stumbled across a ceramics class at Frankston Technical College in 1983.

While many of her classmates were using the experience to launch business opportunities, Mrs Grace simply fell in love with the feeling of the clay in her hands.

She was hooked.

After moving to Pomonal with her husband in 1987, Mrs Grace, now 88, used some of her long-service money to buy a kiln and pottery wheel. She created a studio, a place to unwind and forget about everyday life.

“You have to have deep concentration when you’re working,” Mrs Grace said.

“If you don’t, then you don’t control the clay and it doesn’t work. You have to give it your full attention. I love the feeling of the clay in your hands. I love turning it into shapes. It doesn’t always turn out the way you think it’s going to, but that’s okay.”

Mrs Grace stressed although she loved making things with her hands, she was no expert.

“It’s just a hobby, something I enjoy,” she said.

“I don’t do it all the time and these days, I only use the studio spasmodically.

“I only do small things now because I’m not strong enough for bigger items – and haven’t been for a long time. I enjoy making small pots and bowls and I like to work in stone because it is more durable. Some of the things I throw I look at and say, ‘that’s not very good’ and some I really like.

“Pottery isn’t hard, it just takes practice.”

In her earlier days as a potter, Mrs Grace filled cupboards with her creations.

She accumulated so many pieces she started giving them away, then selling them at the town’s market.

“I sell them cheaply – I’m told too cheaply – but if I don’t move them on then I don’t have any room to make more,” she said.

Mrs Grace has spent the past few years sharing her knowledge with Pomonal Primary School students.

“The art teacher was a friend of mine and she asked if she could bring some students to my place for a lesson,” she said.

She said the students caught on quickly.

“The kids are wonderful. You give them some clay and a bit of instruction and off they go,” she said.

“They are very creative. One made a fairy on a toadstool, another made Christmas decorations. They have wonderful imaginations and they don’t really need a lot of help.”

Mrs Grace has missed seeing the students in her studio this year, along with members of her mixed art group.

She said Pomonal was full of talented artists in a range of mediums, including painting, woodwork and felting.

“I have missed social interaction because of the virus,” she said.

While many are using restrictions on activities to throw themselves into artistic pursuits, Mrs Grace has been busy caring for her ill husband.

“I’m still obsessed with pottery, and even though I don’t have much time to do it at the moment, I don’t want to give it up,” she said.

“It’s just a hobby but it’s been a very good hobby.”

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Taking it all indoors A

By Dean Lawson

h, the man cave! The good old back shed gradually transformed into a blokey hideaway where all things masculine and too garish for the main house are proudly on display.

It’s a place where the dart board can freely hang, a home for the old television and stereo system, a beer fridge, where footy colours and sporting paraphernalia and trophies celebrating past glories can take pride of place.

It’s where you can lazily put down an electric drill and a handful of screws, not be too concerned about grubby hands from the last project and share an expletive with a mate over a cold drink without getting told off by the other half.

It’s a place where you can hang or display your growing display of indoor plants!

Er… wait just a minute there. Indoor plants?

Surely indoor plants don’t really fit into the stereotypical man-cave picture.

And if so, then hanging them in macrame potholders next to premiership posters and the dusty golf clubs is going too far. Or is it?

It seems many of us are in the grip of growing interest in indoor potted plants,

leading at times to obsessive enthusiasts to use them in all sorts of circumstances, man caves included.

It might be a reaction to the COVID-19 restrictions we’ve had to endure. Or it might just be part of a trending fashion cycle that has been occurring for hundreds of years.

Man caves, woman caves, any caves, are far from off limits to a revegetation overhaul.

Did we mention that when in reference to indoor plants, we’re talking about everything from tropical climbing wonders that droop majestically from bookshelves to drooping delicacies that soak up rays in the bathroom.

There are also the tiny succulent curiosities lined up on windowsills often forgotten in watering regimes, indestructible rubber plants that appear happy in the dark and the jungle ‘trees’ that find a home next to the couch and dominate a room.

There seems to be an indoor plant for every situation and from the number of people departing Wimmera nurseries with samples, we have been making the most of them.

It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what the motivation is but considering our obsession with gardens in general there

is obviously something primeval in the connection between people and plants – so much so that many want to bring them inside.

People have for many years spoken about the health benefits of indoor plants, be it from supposedly purifying air to having ‘calming effects on the soul’.

And in the hands of someone with a knack for and-or willingness to have a crack at interior decorating and design they are a major weapon in getting ‘the look’ right.

Keeping basic indoor plants doesn’t require any sort of university degree. Like most plants they need varying levels of light, water and food, depending on the species.

Good old Monstera deliciosa, Swiss cheese plant and tree philodendrons are favourites for dramatic visual impact, Epipremnum aureum, also known as Devils Ivy, rarely fails as a go-to plant and visually similar trailing philodendrons such as the heart-leaf scandens seem to almost thrive on neglect.

Talking of neglect, one of the more bulletproof indoor plants must be Mother-in-law’s Tongue sansevieria and let’s not forget the ever-faithful Spathiphyllum wallisii or Peace Lilly. There are all sorts of palms, such as the Kentia palm, which is native to Lord

Howe Island, or perhaps the desk-style parlour palm, and ferns such as the everpopular maidenhair or hare’s foot.

There are also many types of fig.

There are almost countless types of indoor plants readily available at regional nurseries and while some of the more finicky species can be tricky to grow, many are easy to maintain.

Let’s be honest. Caves can tend to be a bit boring. So why not brighten things up and invite in some green?

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Page 23

Brushing away negativity A

By Dylan De Jong

rt was just a hobby for Yorta Yorta woman Michelle Taylor.

But after years of struggling with her mental health, she is finding the medium of painting is helping her to emerge from a dark place.

The Horsham artist transformed her spare room into an art studio where she now spends countless hours turning ideas into works of art.

In 2018, Ms Taylor picked up a paintbrush and re-immersed herself in art at a time when her mental health was low.

Today, she is producing primarily Aboriginal dotart pieces under the name ‘Imigo Dawn’.

Her art has captured the attention of many Wimmera

residents, who are buying prints and pieces of jewellery featuring her art.

Ms Taylor said the process of creating and opening up her imagination had become a powerful tool to ignite positivity in her life.

“When I first moved here I had such crippling anxiety that I couldn’t even look up,” she said.

“If you knew me then compared with now, I wouldn’t speak to anyone I didn’t know.

“Art was more of a relief for my mental health. My mental health was all the way down and I just started painting and it started to calm me.

“It was just to soothe the savage beast of mental illness – it was shocking. But now I’m bouncing back.”

She said opening up about her mental health journey and expressing herself through painting was key to her recovery.

“I’m very open about my mental illnesses.

No one can use anything against you if you are open about it,” she said.

“Through being open, I’ve met a whole range of people who are willing to speak to me about mental health – it’s quite amazing.

“It’s been a ride, but I have better coping skills than I’ve had before.”

Ms Taylor’s art process usually involves taking abstract objects such as the formation of clouds and transforming them into landscapes, people and native Australian animals using earthy colours.

One piece titled ‘Willy-Willy Country’ involved using a painting her six-year-old nephew Blake created. Blake’s mother sent her the photo.

Ms Taylor said the photo sparked her imagination and she transformed his painting into a piece that was reminiscent of her childhood in Yorta Yorta country on the northern Victoria-New South Wales border.

“My art starts as whatever comes out of my head,” she said.

“I just remember looking at Blake’s painting and seeing more to what he had created. I remember back home when we used to ride the school bus in the summertime and there were willy-willys, or whirlwinds, forming over the landscape.

They were just fantastic to look at.”

Ms Taylor said when creating the dot-art pieces she felt a strong connection to her people.

“When I first started, I loved doing the dot art,” she said.

“It might sound corny, but it felt like I

was tapping into the ancient energy that was helping me push through the barriers, telling me to finish the piece. The whole process feels like a meditation where you can get lost in doing the dots or line work.”

Ms Taylor moved to the region more than 10 years ago and now works in administration at Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative.

“I really love Horsham. I feel like I have really been welcomed into the community,” she said.

“The Aboriginal community here is fantastic and has embraced and loves me.”

Ms Taylor said since starting a Facebook page for her artist profile Imigo Dawn, many people had shown interest in her work.

She said more than 700 people followed her page and her art was in heavy demand.

“I’m still in shock that people want to buy my stuff. It’s pretty surreal. If I ever get to the point where I only have to work a fourday week, I would consider myself to be successful,” she laughed.

“But I would never want it to be anything more than a hobby, because I do enjoy the creating side of it, I don’t want it to be business all the time.”

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Page 24

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LifeStyle 2020

Artist Michelle Taylor, right, featured in Horsham Regional Art Gallery’s 2019 NAIDOC Week exhibition, which was run in collaboration with Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative.

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Page 25

n g i n n a e e l e c d r s u ! o y l l a r o f e n o The

The One Put on your leaning C M ervice S Bookings are Essential • steam cleaning of carpets • upholstery • windows • tile & grout cleaning

agpies warbling at sunrise, robins chatting away in the trees.

This is the beautiful soundtrack we live to in regional Victoria.

But it’s one that can go unappreciated when put up against the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

While 2020 has certainly been a year of ‘unprecedented’ times, it has also given us the opportunity to be reintroduced to the many wonders of the city of Horsham.

With exercise being one of only four essential reasons to leave home under stage-three lockdown restrictions earlier in the year, the community relied on outdoor recreational spaces more than ever.

It has inspired locals to start looking for new ways to spend their time exercising, to take a break from the influx of news updates and to instead just enjoy the fresh air.

Horsham Rural City Council has ensured this is possible by highlighting many kilometres of the city’s natural beauty through wellmaintained walking trails and nature reserves.

Each of the council’s recreational spaces has something unique to offer.

So if you’re ready to start exploring but

not sure where to start, following are just three of many local gems.

Horsham’s heart

The Wimmera River is an iconic part of Horsham and its central riverside paths are a favourite among locals.

The paths take people on a journey past some of Horsham’s favourite landmarks, including Horsham Showground, Sawyer Park, Horsham War Memorial and Adventure Island, to name a few.

Even if you’re only travelling through, car parking near the riverside tracks is plentiful and free of charge.

Pull over and go for a walk along the river to stretch your legs.

There’s several playgrounds along the way so children can burn off any excess energy, and there’s public toilet facilities.

To make sure the riverside can be properly enjoyed at any time of day or night, the council has installed new overhead LED lighting between Menadue Street and Anzac Centenary Bridge as part of a ‘Safe River Linkages’ project.

This has lit up more than three kilometres of the riverside trail for evening walks, runs or rides.

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Scarlett Luciani and Alyssa Steenson with Wolfie enjoy a walk along the Yanga Track.

LifeStyle 2020

Anzac Centenary Bridge, Horsham

comfy shoes Regardless of whether you’re visiting or plan to stay, this walk is a must so you can experience the Wimmera River in its full glory.

Repurposed patch of history

In Horsham’s north on Rasmussen Road is the Police Paddock Nature Reserve.

Previously used as a holding paddock for police horses in the 1900s, it is now a natural wetlands reserve.

Sprawling across 48.5 hectares, it is the perfect spot for bush enthusiasts, walkers and cyclists.

Check the information board to see what species of birds are known frequenters to the reserve, before heading over to one of the two bird hides at the lake’s edge for the best vantage point.

Enjoy a break at the picnic table or use the accessible fishing platform to cast a line.

You can bring your dog along as well, just make sure to keep them leashed because there’s plenty of native wildlife that call the wetlands home.

The reserve also has an environmental toilet that is accessible for all, including people with limited mobility.

Police Paddock Nature Reserve is a hidden oasis and will have you easily forgetting you’re only a few minutes out of the city centre.

We’re relying on our local outdoor spaces more than ever this year.

The Horsham Rural City Council is always upgrading and tending to our nature reserves and trails, to have them ready for your next adventure.

Weathered the storm Yanga Track Nature Walk stretches for two kilometres below Horsham weir.

It replicates an important gathering place for indigenous communities, housing many native plants with deep roots in history.

Yanga Track has been impacted by some of Horsham’s biggest weather phenomena, losing countless plants and fencing in the Black Saturday bushfires, and then only six months later being washed away in a one-in200-year flood.

But dedicated volunteers and community members keep the story of the Yanga Track alive by always returning to rebuild.

Its now thriving wetlands boast a serene atmosphere and make for one of Horsham’s most popular walking tracks.

Starting at the weir boardwalk, it takes visitors on a circular route through incredible bushland.

Only a few metres away from the beginning of the trail is Weir Park, featuring a barbecue area, public bathrooms, a secure playground and an enclosed leash-free area for dogs.

Whether it’s a trip for the whole family, or you’re just looking for a moment of solitude, your visit will leave you feeling completely satisfied.

Head outdoors and see what wonders Horsham has to offer.

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IANS GRAMP

Musical seed planted

By Dylan De Jong

W

hen searching for a place to enjoy live music, people typically gravitate towards Melbourne with its reputation as the ‘music capital of Australia’.

A small town in the far reaches of Victoria’s northwest in the southern Mallee is rarely a location associated with a booming music scene.

But a musician from the community of Rainbow is aiming to change that.

Farmer and musician Ben Gosling is

helping to transform a decommissioned primary school building, at what is known as The Oasis, into a musical hub in his home town.

Just weeks before the first COVID-19 wave hit Australia, Berlin-based band The Bees made the 400-kilometre journey from Melbourne to Rainbow to play in front of an eager country crowd.

Mr Gosling also managed to attract American act

Ben Gosling

Ordinary Elephant to the town in early 2019.

Rainbow’s reputation as a go-to destination for bands started growing after the town hosted its inaugural Big Sky Festival in August 2018.

Mr Gosling has since received many requests from artists across the country who want to get a taste for performing at the venue on the fringes of Victoria’s Big Desert.

“It’s just a new experience for the bands compared with playing in the cities,” Mr Gosling said.

“Rainbow is a really friendly community – everyone makes the artists feel very welcome. They have a chat after their show, sell some CDs, hopefully make a decent income out of the night and just really enjoy themselves.”

Mr Gosling said the traction he had gained was thanks to a $350,000 small town transformation State Government grant, which enabled the community to save the town’s 120-year-old primary school from ‘certain demise’.

The town has used the grant money to revitalise the site to serve many functions, with a stage for creative performances, garden and exercise spaces, a skatepark and classrooms for a newly formed Rainbow Innovation Centre.

For Mr Gosling, the building had sentimental value, having completed his primary schooling there in the ’90s.

“We feel like we saved it – it would have left a big hole in the town if it had been knocked down,” he said.

“It was all overgrown and things were quickly falling apart. Now that things are happening and different groups are involved, people are starting to see the importance of what it can become.”

Before the pandemic, Mr Gosling and brother Andy were busy exploring the world of music while juggling farm duties.

Mr Gosling was born and raised at

Rainbow. He headed off to Bendigo in the early 2000s to study graphic design at La Trobe University.

After working in his profession for four years, life on the farm was calling him back.

He returned to the farm in 2006, about the same time as his brother.

Farmer’s sons

The brothers have since written and produced a slew of original tracks under the name Lazy Farmer’s Sons.

More than a decade on, they have gone on to play at folk festivals across the country and made regular appearances at the annual Patchewollock Music Festival.

Their music, which they describe as ‘Drought Stricken Aussie Folk’, is inspired by the harshness and isolation of the land around them and the people that make up the rural community of Rainbow. Their songs are backed by guitar, mandolin and harmonica to create a ‘haunting twist’ on the Australian bush ballad.

“My brother and I moved back to the farm at a similar time. When Andy came home, he had heaps of songs under his belt that he had written,” Mr Gosling said.

“I played music all through school. My dad Peter is a singer and songwriter as well, so there was always a guitar in the lounge room as a kid. I remember we were probably forced to have piano lessons growing up.

Looking back on it now, I really appreciate learning that skill.”

Although all gigs have dried up in 2020 due to restrictions to indoor and outdoor gatherings, Mr Gosling is eager to build on Rainbow’s reputation as a live-music destination when restrictions ease.

He said the support he had received from the community inspired him to continue running events.

“I love Rainbow. If you want to organise an event, someone will bring in a front-end loader at the drop of a hat and they’ll just do it,” he said.

“People are just willing to make stuff happen. It’s such a friendly and strong community.”

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Page 29

The

By Andrew Dowdell

H

olly McKechnie’s phone has been ringing off the hook – and a stable of 65 horses doesn’t run itself, even when one of the yard is the people’s favourite for the Melbourne Cup. McKechnie’s partner is Horsham trainer Paul Preusker, who prepares the lightly raced Surprise Baby at the couple’s stables just outside the Wimmera centre.

Surprise Baby was bought cheap several years ago and despite racing just 13 times, is one of the favourites for the Melbourne Cup on November 3.

“It has certainly been a busy time but I am not complaining at all – you wish for a horse like this every day of the week, so it is very exciting,” McKechnie said.

“There’s something about this horse that has captured the imagination of people and he seems to be a real favourite for the general public.”

McKechnie said the possibilities were endless for Surprise Baby.

“I think it’s the rags to riches thing, he was bought for very little money by a group of loyal owners who have really deserved the success they are getting now,” she said.

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self-effacing ‘lackey’ “He is a very lightly-raced horse so we don’t know what he’s capable of, but we do know he will run the distance in the cup.”

McKechnie, who obtained a trainer’s licence during the winter, was adamant that her partner Paul was calling the shots in his stable at McKenzie Creek.

“I am certainly not a co-trainer, I am more that lackey who does whatever I’m told,” she laughed.

“And that is okay for me, I am learning off Paul all the time, every day we are always learning and that’s the key to success.”

The self-effacing ‘lackey’ is Preusker’s stable spokeswoman and runs the expanding team of about 65 racehorses through their paces at the McKenzie Creek property just out of Horsham.

Known for his excellent strike rate of winners to starters and ability to target key races with his runners, Preusker has risen through the ranks of the Victorian trainers’ premiership over recent seasons.

McKechnie, a successful jockey for many years throughout Victoria and South Australia, has been partners with Preusker on and off the track throughout their careers.

LifeStyle 2020

Her riding career ended several years ago after a series of falls, including one at Bordertown which left her with damage to her ankle.

Surprising year

The task of maintaining a successful stable, complicated by COVID-19 and its implications, has proven a challenge for McKechnie in the 2020 season.

But compared with most, the year for Preusker and McKechnie has been bright, mostly because of the Surprise Baby adventure.

But the stable also produced a number of other winners, including Rupture, which was awarded the prestigious Horse of the Year award for the Country Racing Victoria 2019-2020 season.

“He is a definite favourite of mine, I loved him winning. Every time he won we would receive a nice wine or vodka from the owners, so that was always a nice bonus too,” McKechnie said.

The energetic McKechnie said in addition to being a mum, she was kept busy by the constant bookwork, including updates for owners and nominations, as well as the dayto-day running of the stable.

“I just try to relieve the pressure on Paul as much as I can,” she said.

“He is amazing in the way that he is always learning. That’s not to say that he hasn’t stuck to tried and true methods, but if there is something to be learnt he will be up all hours of the night researching it,” she said.

Star jockey Craig Williams, who jumped off the 2019 Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare to snare the ride on Surprise Baby, has been driving in and out of Horsham for dawn workouts with the cup hopeful over the past few months.

McKechnie said Williams and Horsham Racing Club officials had worked hard to ensure he could ride Surprise Baby during workouts on its quest for the cup.

“We have known each other and been very close for many years, and Craig is the consummate professional, so in that sense he is doing his homework,” McKechnie said.

“So in the sense that he has enough

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belief in the horse to commit his time to ride him, that is humbling for the horse to be considered in that way by a jockey like Craig.”

Williams, the reigning Victorian jockey of the year, has worn a helmet camera and streamed Surprise Baby’s workouts on his own website.

McKechnie said Williams’ innovative online videos were proof that he and Preusker were destined to be at the forefront of Victorian racing for years to come.

But after a career spanning more than 20 years in and out of the saddle, McKechnie is just enjoying the ride along with Surprise Baby and her owners while it lasts.

Surprise Baby has raced just 13 times for almost $1-million in prizemoney, including the 2019 Adelaide Cup. Paul Preusker

Page 31

Recreational water LAKE ALBACUTYA

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www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au

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No – caravan park only

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No – caravan park only

Yes

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Taylors Lake#

Yes

Yes

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Lake Toolondo#

Yes

Yes

Yes

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No – caravan park only

Yes

Yes

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Lake Wartook#

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

Green Lake, Horsham#

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

Beulah Weir Pool*

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes – camping areas only

Yes

Yes

Yes

Brim Weir Pool*

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes – camping areas only

Yes

Yes

Yes

Warracknabeal Weir Pool*

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Donald ‘Foletti’ Caravan Park Lake*

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes – on leads

Lake Lascelles*

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Lake Marma*

Yes

Yes

Yes – but no jet skis

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Walkers Lake*

Yes

Yes

Yes - but no jet skis

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

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Lake Bellfield#

Yes

No

Lake Fyans#

Yes

Lake Lonsdale#

Dock Lake^

EMPTY

Pine Lake

NOT IN SERVICE

Natimuk Lake^

EMPTY

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Yes

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Lake Hindmarsh

LOW LEVEL

Yes

No

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Yes

Yes

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Lake Albacutya^

EMPTY

Batyo Catyo

LOW LEVEL

Green Hill Lake

Yes

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Lake Buloke^

EMPTY

# GWMWater storage. *Supplied by the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline. ^Lakes empty at time of printing.

Some conditions might be subject to change.

To keep up-to-date with permitted activities and to view current water levels at GWMWater’s reservoirs and lakes, visit gwmwater.org.au/reservoirs

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Page 32

mm

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LAKE BELLFIELD

Yellowbelly

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Page 33

Recreational water LAKE ALBACUTYA

Jeparit

LAKE HINDMARSH

wimmera

DOCK LAKE GREEN LAKE

LAKE WALLACE LAKE TOOLONDO

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Stawell Diversion Weir

Wannon Diversion Weirs

www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au

Toilet

Dogs allowed

No

Yes

No – caravan park only

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No – caravan park only

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes – camping areas only

No

Yes

Yes

Moora Moora Reservoir#

Yes

No

No

No

Yes – camping areas only

No

No

No

Rocklands Reservoir#

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes – camping areas only

Yes

Yes

Yes

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Yes

Yes

Yes

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Yes – camping areas only

No

Yes

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Yes

Yes

Yes

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No – caravan park only

Yes

Yes

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No

Yes

No

No

Yes

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Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

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Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

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Yes

Yes

Yes

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Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes – camping areas only

Yes

Yes

Yes

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Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

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Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes – on leads

Lake Lascelles*

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

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Yes

Yes

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Yes

No

Yes

Yes

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Yes

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Yes

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LOW LEVEL

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Yes

Yes

Yes

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EMPTY

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LOW LEVEL

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Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

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EMPTY

# GWMWater storage. *Supplied by the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline. ^Lakes empty at time of printing.

Some conditions might be subject to change.

To keep up-to-date with permitted activities and to view current water levels at GWMWater’s reservoirs and lakes, visit gwmwater.org.au/reservoirs

Bulk Meats – Old Fashioned Smoked Smallgoods fya

Yabbies Trout

Caravan Park

LAKE FYANS

ns

Murray cod

Page 32

mm

wi

LAKE BELLFIELD

Yellowbelly

Camping permitted

er

iv ar er

MOORA MOORA

Silver perch

Boat ramp

Swimming

Glenorchy Weir

LAKE LONSDALE

ROCKLANDS

Catfish

WALKERS LAKE

Distribution Heads

river

Redfin

DONALD CARAVAN PARK LAKE

Huddlestons Weir

glenelg

Weirs

yarria

Warracknabeal Weir Pool

Horsham

LAKE BULOKE

CR

Brim Weir Pool

Dimboola

NATIMUK LAKE

EEK

Beulah Weir Pool

mbiack

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LAKE LASCELLES

Power boats Water skiing allowed & jet skis

Water Body

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GREEN HILL LAKE

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*Map not to scale riv

er

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Page 33

SUNNYSIDE LUTHERAN RETIREMENT VILLAGE 6 Trinity Drive, Horsham (off Culliver Street)

Sunnyside Lutheran Retirement Village provides two types of aged care accommodation for people with different needs to choose for their own particular needs.

While being a project of Lutheran Church, there is no requirement for religious affiliation but rather an awareness that we are a Christian organisation where kind, compassionate, inclusive and respectful care is provided to enable residents to live an enriching life of independence within a welcoming community.

Trinity Manor

Independent Living Units

Trinity Manor is 24-hour residential care support service where all residents can enjoy the space and privacy of their own room and private ensuite within the homely environment of our 75-bed facility. Residents are encouraged to personalise their own rooms to suit their unique personalities, from photographs, a favourite armchair, or other treasured pieces of furniture. While we help each resident to build social relationships through a range of day-to-day activities, residents are also strongly encouraged to continue their own hobbies and leisure interests and exercise programs. Our focus is enabling each resident to live the life that they choose. Onsite facilities and services include cosy sitting areas, a central dining area, library, chapel and services of worship, hairdresser, a men’s group, laundry service, newspaper delivery, dementia specific care along with a range of allied health services. Secure spacious gardens and pleasant outdoor settings surround Trinity Manor. We are close to the local hospital and bowls club with easy access to the Horsham township CBD and scenic locations, such as the Wimmera River walking trail.

If you are considering entry to the assured comfort and wellbeing of Trinity Manor, we would welcome your enquiry by providing further information to assist and support you with your decision. More information is available upon request.

Our 66 Independent Living Units offer a friendly community ambience that is centred around making your retirement enjoyable, rewarding, and peaceful. Each of these 2-bedroom low maintenance units offers comfortable onsite independent living with a garage where rates, building insurance and the provision of maintenance are supplied as negotiated through a licence to occupy agreement. These units are designed to ensure peace of mind in a community where our Operations Manager is able to offer a personalised service to assist with resident needs. While these units are targeted at independent living, residents may also arrange their own access to a range of local community services to meet their individual needs, such as meals on wheels or other in-home personal support services. All units are located close to Horsham’s scenic Wimmera River, the local hospital, medical and dental clinics, sporting clubs and the town centre for ease of access. A public transport stop is also located at the front entry to the Village. Our Independent Living Unit residents also have access to a magnificent onsite community centre that boasts a spacious lounge, large dining area, a 65-seat chapel, meeting room and a functional kitchen.

If you are considering an enjoyable, rewarding, and peaceful retirement with us, further details and information are available upon request.

For further information on the residential options at Sunnyside Lutheran Retirement Village please contact our office:

Ph 03 5382 0034

Investigating a lifestyle C

By Dylan De Jong

rime investigation amid the broadacre fields and the quiet streets in the Wimmera is a far cry from Victoria Police Melbourne headquarters.

But leaving the city life behind to pursue a lifestyle change out in the country is exactly what Senior Detective Sergeant Duane Hagger was seeking.

Detective Hagger joined Horsham Police Station’s Criminal Investigation Unit in late November 2019.

He leads a team of four detective senior constables who investigate burglaries, deceptions, serious assaults and any crime of a ‘serious nature’.

After nearly a year on the job, Detective Hagger said the modest country life was growing on him.

“I always wanted to do a stint of country policing, my whole life I’ve worked in the city,” he said.

“Two years ago I was toying with the idea – I thought I wouldn’t mind giving it a crack in the country so at the end of my career I look back on all the different experiences I’ve had in the force.

“So far, I’m enjoying the country life.”

Detective Hagger said the ‘police incident area’ his team investigated covered the expanses of the Wimmera.

“The distance we cover here is huge. Our area of response can go all the way to the South Australian border and across to as far as Ararat,” he said.

“Crime scenes might be incidents where there’s a series of livestock thefts or similar crimes. The remoteness of that type of offending has its challenges because there’s a lot less potential of witnesses, so we have to rely on other methods of investigation to identify suspects.”

Prior to signing himself up to the force nearly 20 years ago, Detective Hagger was working in a machinery maintenance job.

A family member, a fellow police officer, suggested he might make a good fit in the force. That was enough motivation for him to pursue the job.

It wasn’t long before he started walking the beat as a uniformed police officer at Footscray, in 2001.

Since then, he has shifted between Geelong and Melbourne, where he worked in a divisional band and later a sexual offence and child abuse investigation team before he was promoted to sergeant at

Melbourne North Police Station. “I didn’t might have charged in the past and see really see myself as a police member initially, they’re working, that gives you a fair bit but I gave it a shot and 20 years later I’m of satisfaction knowing that, yes they’ve still here enjoying the job and trying to been held accountable for their actions, contribute in the best way I can,” he said. but they’ve had some selfReaping the rewards of seeing others turn reflection and seen that their lives around from a continual cycle of wasn’t the way to go crime is a big part of what inspires him in and they’ve turned it his work. around,” he said.

“You might have a cohort of offenders “The best part is who commit offences for a variety of they’ll usually say g’day different reasons that might stem from to you or give you a wave substance abuse, or they might come from a when you see them low socio-economic background or just have down the street. a lack of opportunity which causes them to “They might turn to a life of crime,” he said. say their life was “There might be a chance there to make spiralling out some changes and help them recognise of control – opportunities to develop a skill or engage in and if they get some training. They then wouldn’t have to to the point resort to crime and might obtain meaningful of turning and lawful employment. their life “We need to break that cycle of crime and around, show people there are places and services that’s a they can engage with.” pretty good Detective Hagger said he enjoyed seeing result.” an individual growing and building a life Senior Detective after that cycle.

Sergeant Duane Hagger “When you see someone that you

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Andrew said his business was continuing to grow and was having a lot of success. ALK Property Maintenance has everything you need within the one business.

“Our workers have a Working With Children Check and we provide reliable guaranteed work,” he said.

“With the broad range of our enthusiastic staff we have all home and business renovation skills covered.”

Andrew can also provide clients with recommendations on materials and products available including interior design ideas.

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Page 35

Making dreams happen

By Sarah Matthews

A

s a child, Emma Coburn was captivated by a box of postcards her mother had collated from family members traversing the

globe.

Emma would pore over images from faraway destinations, dreaming that one day, she too would travel to the most magical of places.

At the top of her to-do list was, of course, the happiest place on earth.

“My mum’s aunties and uncles had sent us postcodes from various places, particularly from Disneyland and California, and I remember seeing them and thinking I wanted to go there one day,” Emma said.

Emma was well and truly bitten by the travel bug from a young age.

While Disneyland was her number-one goal, her first international experience came

courtesy of a student exchange program in high school.

In year nine or 10, Emma started looking into opportunities to head abroad.

She got her wish, spending the summer between years 11 and 12 living with a host family in Nice in the south of France.

Emma loved the experience. While it was daunting being away from her family and travelling alone, she revelled in the chance to immerse herself in another culture, speak another language and feel ‘like a grown up’.

After graduating high school, Emma had no desire to follow her friends to university.

A bit of a homebody, she was content to remain living in Ararat, but she also wanted adventure.

“Dad was listening to the radio at work one day and he heard about a travel expo in Melbourne,” Emma said.

“He drove me down to it and that’s when

I found out about Camp America. I signed up there and then.”

Emma had the time of her life at Camp Winding Gap in North Carolina.

She made lifelong friends from across the globe, including England, Ireland, Malta and Germany.

“We just had our 20-year reunion, online.

It was hard to find a time to suit everyone, but so good to catch up,” Emma said.

“Travel really does give you an opportunity to meet the most interesting people and forge lifelong relationships.”

Emma finally made it to Disneyland in 2004 and years later, considers the United States like a second home.

She was supposed to spend a month in Arizona with friends in June before the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the world’s travel plans.

Emma has been harder hit than many by

the shutdown of Australia’s travel industry, both internationally and domestically.

In 2019, she launched Eat Pray Love Travel from her home in Ararat, which she shares with her husband, James, and their children, Lani, 14, Dexter, 7 and Pia, 3.

After planning trips for friends, family members and work colleagues ‘for fun’, Emma decided to turn her passion into a business.

“When I was a Telstra business manager, I organised everyone else’s travel, from A to Z. I thought, this isn’t really what I want to be doing, so I looked into doing my Certificate III in Travel and Tourism,” Emma said.

“It’s funny, because when I look back, Mum said to me when I finished high school I should become a travel agent.

“I said, ‘no thanks Mum, I’ll be right’.

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“Twenty years later, here I am. And I love it.”

Emma established Eat Pray Love Travel and had it ‘running nicely’.

Before February this year, about 90 percent of her work was international.

“Then the pandemic happened and I’ve spent the past six months cancelling, refunding and crediting holidays,” she said.

“There are a lot of changes in the industry and there is still a lot of unknown. It’s a waiting game. It’s a bit depressing, but in the long-term scheme of things, I’m hopeful.”

Emma is an advocate of group tours and had been busy planning international escapes to Ireland and the United States.

In 2018, Emma organised a girls trip to Oahu, Hawaii, with three of her sisters, their mother, Emma’s godmother and two friends.

“They are all still raving about it,” Emma said.

“I think that holiday really helped it sink in that this was something I wanted to do

for myself and that I could turn this passion into a business.

“Hopefully next year, group tours will be able to go ahead again.

“I’m also hoping we might be able to take a family trip somewhere in Australia by Christmas. We are all going stir-crazy not being able to go anywhere. I really feel for people in Melbourne.”

While Emma has travelled to several countries, one of her most memorable trips was closer to home.

“I’m one of eight kids, so growing up, we didn’t go on many holidays and if we did, we didn’t go far,” Emma said.

“A few years ago, I organised Mum’s first holiday to Queensland. It was a family holiday and you should have seen the look on her face when we got there.

“It was always a dream of hers to take us kids to the theme parks.

“That was a special thing to be part of.

I absolutely love making people’s dreams happen – and it’s a bonus if I get to go, too.”

‘

My mum’s aunties and uncles had sent us postcodes from various places, particularly from Disneyland and California, and I remember seeing them and thinking I wanted to go there one day

’

– Emma Coburn

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Page 37

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Your hearing is special – So see a Specialist.

Tim Rayner Audiology recently celebrated 30 years of practice. In September 1990 small steps into private practice were undertaken by the founder Tim Rayner. He was appointed Chief Audiologist for the Warrnambool Base Hospital in 1990.

Initially the private practice supported an ENT specialist in Mount Gambier and it became clear that this clinic continued to grow, so Tim opened his Warrnambool clinic in 1991. Having spent 10 years with Warrnambool Base Hospital, Tim moved to full-time private practice in May 2000 and established the Newton Cottage Consulting Rooms.

The practice has now grown to five Audiologists and an additional five regional clinics in Hamilton, Portland, Timboon, Terang and at 28 Dooen Road in Horsham.

They now provide the highest level of local hearing health care though these centres. Tim is very proud of the facilities and the team that provides Audiological services. There’s over 50 years of clinical experience between the team of Audiologists and a 30-year history that has allowed them to develop who they are and what they provide. Locally owned and operated - and trusted hearing health care.

SERVICES The clinic has a full range of services including neonatal testing for newborn infants, diagnosing deaf children, paediatric testing, adult testing, consultant work for Ear, Nose and Throat Specialists, balance and vestibular function testing, tinnitus management and aural rehabilitation by means of hearing aids. Tim Rayner Audiology is contracted to the Federal Government under the Department of Health to provide free and subsidised services to pensioners and Veterans Affairs.

We provide hearing aids to private patients. One popular service has been wax management. The team are all qualified in terms of wax management via means of suction and also direct microscopy. Tim and his team are very proud to have developed such a quality clinic that services all. Tim Rayner Audiology continues to develop and grow.

Work & Pre employment testing Regular monitoring assessments

SUPPORT All staff, including our very experienced administration team across all sites, have noticed a significant closeness to our patients, over the difficult time that COVID-19 has presented. We have worked through all manner of issues to make sure that we support and connect with each and every one of our patients.

The clinic has over 2,000 hearing aid patients which it supports. It is so important for people to realise that their hearing aid program is not only the supply of a device, but it is a program of support, follow up and check-ups. Support is provided via a full hearing aid program, throughout the life of the hearing aids.

We have forged so many close relationships with our patients. We are very grateful that our patients allow us into their lives, to understand who they are and what they really need and we look forward to continuing to look after our patients for many years to come.

The strong 30-year history has enabled us to build on this and be in a position where we are always going to be available to help our patients. As the COVID-19 situation does eventually subside and we come out of the other side, we look forward to catching up with all our patients for some celebration functions to mark our 30 year anniversary.

CONTINUING EDUCATION Tim Rayner continues to be a strong hearing healthcare advocate. He serves on the Audiology Australia National Competencies and Standards working party.

He also is an industry representative for University of Melbourne - Master Audiology course evaluation and redevelopment. All Audiologists continue with our inhouse education program and therefore continue to provide the highest possible standard of hearing care.

During 2020, the Trans-Tasman online conference for Audiologists was held and all of our Audiologists have had up to 40 hours of online education. It is important for all Audiologists and staff to continue to learn and develop their skills. We are here for all patients during these difficult times and also again well into the future

and continuing our fine locally owned and operated clinic well into the future.

Let us listen, so we can look after you.

NEW HEARING AID TECHNOLOGY Despite being a year full of difficulties, 2020 has been very much a year of innovation for hearing technology and manufacturers throughout the world. Our two major suppliers, Widex (WS Audiology) and Phonak (Sonova) have both released brand new ranges of hearing aids which are extremely promising.

The Widex Moment hearing aid, was released in April 2020 and has really provided a clearer and more adaptive to the environment sound. The hearing aid learns how a patient likes their sound and then adapts by machine learning/artificial intelligence to the patient’s preferences. Although early days, we really believe that these hearing aids will provide a significant advantage for patients in groups and crowds.

Phonak Paradise hearing aid, just released in September 2020. Phonak have worked on the issue of speech perception in background noise using a new program called “Speech Enhancement”. Amazingly, some of these new models have motion sensor technology inside them that allows the hearing aid to understand whether a patient is moving, walking or standing still in different group environments. This enables sound to be more tailored to their needs.

We continue to educate our staff, to develop and change and adapt to newer ways. Now really is a time when things are changing, and hearing aids are becoming more than just a listening device, they are a communication system that enables today’s needs of mobile technology. Televisions, iPads and multimedia can be directly inputted into the patient’s hearing aids. Tim said, “these latest advancements have been extremely pleasing to see and have made the world, for people who are hearing impaired, a more positive place. Come and try the new technology and discuss what is right for your situation. Individual situations require individual answers.”

Five qualified Specialist Audiologists to cater for your needs

Assessments for Divers & Pilots Hearing rehab Tinnitus management Ear plugs for swimmers & musicians Supply of Otovent kits and balloons Wax management by ear cleaning with curette or suction systems Hearing Aid prescriptions & repairs We can also provide free hearing aids and services to eligible pensioners and veterans through the Australian Government Hearing Services program.

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Without hesitation...

A

By Dylan De Jong

set of bright yellow fire-resistant overalls are never too far out of reach for Wimmera teacher and father Cameron Whelan.

His students at Horsham College might not even be aware that his Country Fire Authority emergency pager is always at the ready as he stands teaching at the front of the classroom.

As a full-time teacher, one would think time would be a limited factor in life – but without hesitation Mr Whelan will always jump at an opportunity to lend a helping hand.

The Warracknabeal Fire Brigade captain is eager to help those around him and he barely misses a beat.

His self-sacrificing nature was reflected earlier this year when asked to help with the on-the-ground efforts during the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires, on two occasions.

The memory of bushfires might seem a lifetime ago through the thick of a global COVID-19 pandemic.

But Mr Whelan still vividly remembers burning embers floating across the sky, a dense

Cameron Whelan with his sons Declan, 15, and Harrison, 11.

LifeStyle 2020

smoke-haze washing the landscape and the almost palpable anxiety of fire-affected communities.

He was among two firefighters from the Warracknabeal brigade who found themselves boots on the ground at Batemans Bay late last year.

Fire crews were assisting with asset protection, implementing containment lines, clearing trees and ensuring people were safe from flames that were engulfing the landscape.

“That was an absolute eye opener,” Mr Whelan said.

“Up there timber was as far as the eye could see, and as far as the eye could see had been burnt – it was just on a different scale.”

Just one month later, Mr Whelan was called on again to make a 600-kilometre journey to fire-devastated Walwa.

He joined a strike team of 20 CFA firefighters, predominately from the region’s District 17, to assist.

Before the team arrived, the town of 200 had been left without power and

telecommunications. Residents stuck it out for a week, alone, to defend the town from flames that were encroaching from each side with a single fire truck and a ute with a tank on the back.

Mr Whelan said after a five-day deployment, strike force members found it hard to leave because of the relationships they had formed and knowing the road to recovery would be far longer lasting for the community.

“When the pressure is on and you’ve got the fight on, it’s pure focus,” he said.

“Afterwards, when you have the ability to stop and look and take it all in, you go through a range of emotions.”

Empathy

On returning home, a Wimmera committee consisting of Warracknabeal residents and members of the strike team formed the Wimmera-Walwa Bushfire Recovery Appeal.

The appeal led to more than $90,000 being donated to the small Upper Murray community.

“I think one of the biggest things this year for me was empathy,” Mr Whelan said.

“Usually when you go in for a fire fight, you get in, do your job and you might meet the locals and spend a few minutes with them, but because we were in the community for such a long time, you actually made more of a connection.”

Mr Whelan said it was also hard to forget the devastation of livestock that was lost.

Authorities estimate more than 70,000 sheep and cattle across Australia perished in the fires.

“Growing up on a farm, you have that connection and you know the value of stock. When you see the poor cattle or sheep that’s either been burnt or they’re still alive and haven’t got anything to eat, I think personally that’s one of the things that hits me hardest,” he said.

Growing up in central Victoria on a farm at Dunluce, near Maryborough, Mr Whelan was always exposed to the CFA. At 16, after seeing his father’s involvement in the fire brigade, he decided he wanted to give it a go.

But throughout his time, he never expected to become a leader.

He now oversees a brigade of more than 32 operational firefighters.

“In incidents sometimes there’s a spilt-second decision and you’ve just got to make it and go with it. It’s in those moments you’ll find things can go wrong,” Mr Whelan said.

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“Knowing you’ve got a good team behind you certainly gives you confidence.

“It was never a goal to become a fire captain. I’m just very lucky that right through my experience in the CFA I’ve had some amazing mentors as captains.”

Life on the farm ended for Mr Whelan when wool prices hit ‘rock bottom’ in the ’90s.

His father encouraged him to jump into a trade and he started an apprenticeship as a diesel fitter and turner with the Australian Defence Force to earn a bit of extra money.

Later, Mr Whelan found himself in the Wimmera, in early spring 2000, seeking a pre-harvest job at GrainCorp so he could save up enough money to travel overseas.

But something kept him here.

“I was just looking to get a few extra dollars in my pocket and go, but work with GrainCorp just kept on going, so I stayed for a few years,” he said.

“I found I actually really enjoyed the lifestyle and the climate here in the Wimmera, so I decided to have a look around for other careers and teaching was always something I enjoyed, especially in the defence industry where I was in Bendigo.

“It was going to be an option where I could further my trade and stay in the region.”

After a three-year teaching degree at La Trobe University in Bendigo, Mr Whelan moved on to teach technology classes at Birchip P-12 and later Horsham College.

He said during his time in classrooms his love for the job only grew stronger.

“I’m getting so much more from my job when helping others, especially those less fortunate,” he said.

“That’s where I’m at in my career – supporting students and families in that welfare and engagement side of things.”

Mr Whelan said his desire to help others was something he carried into all aspects of his life.

“It’s like any organisation you’re with, regardless if it is the CFA or you work for the local op-shop, it’s about what you put in,” he said.

“When you love something and you have a passion for something regardless of what it is, you can add value to that by helping someone else.

“The reward is that growth in that person.

I think that is the true meaning of why I do what I do.

“I’ve had great mentors and people who have influenced my life and I just want to try to do the same to others who might not be as fortunate. If you see an opportunity that is going to help someone else, why wouldn’t you give it a go?

“Just with a smile while walking up the street, you might make somebody’s day.”

Mr Whelan said he was proud of his sons Declan, 15, and Harrison, 11, who were eager to get more involved in volunteering with the CFA. Page 39

What’s trending

By Robyn Creek Interior decorator

W

ith the world in turmoil and isolation, we have all been seeking comfort in the sanctuary of our own homes.

This year seems to be the time to update our homes with the money we would usually spend on travel and entertainment instead going into making our homes more comfortable.

People continue to replicate bright and airy spaces with the use of white and neutral paint colours, but darker elements in cabinetry, flooring and carpets are definitely very popular.

Black-handled tap fittings and blind hardware are following the trends from Melbourne.

The use of warm greys and natural textures, often a feature of timber and stone, are giving our homes a lot more diversity and allowing for the introduction of individual styles.

Demand for ceiling-to-floor sheers and roller blinds continues to be huge and if you have been watching the new ‘The Block’ television series this has become clearly

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evident. With all the resources on hand with social media and design shows flooding our senses, we are continually being driven and inspired to create more individuality to our designed spaces.

Create an oasis Indoor plants are trending strongly, providing us our own garden oasis inside as well as outside our homes.

Fully enclosed outdoor entertaining areas with the use of ‘Ziptrak’ mesh blinds are extending the use of these quintessential parts of Australian life for longer periods of the year.

And home automation is definitely on the rise with more homes opting for the ease of remote or hands-free technology charging towards being the new normal.

This includes lighting, blinds, security, watering systems and so on.

It’s about creating our own levels of luxury, comfort and style to endure the tough times we have been experiencing so we can enjoy the simple life.

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Page 41

Nature leads the way

By Andrew Dowdell

H

uman visitors have been scarce because of the COVID crisis but for the thousands of migratory birds flocking to Little Desert Nature Lodge it is life as normal.

An influx of birds during the past months has been unmatched by the other usual visitors who fly into Australia – overseas tourists.

Since taking over the west Wimmera getaway and wildlife sanctuary just over a year ago, Christa Farinha and her family have been lucky to open at all, let alone benefit from the lucrative international tourist market.

“We usually have bird watchers who come here from America, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, but obviously they cannot travel here this year,” Mrs Farinha said.

With overseas travel out of the equation for the foreseeable future, Mrs Farinha said she hoped Australians would turn towards hidden local gems such as the sprawling nature lodge at Winiam, near Nhill.

“I think we are all struggling to get back some semblance of normality, and I think it is really important just to enjoy nature

George the emu

and the beauty it provides. The wildflowers are in bloom everywhere, there are a lot of rare wild orchids here and in the reserve adjacent, and we have access gates and bird hides with lists of the species that have been seen there,” she said.

One vantage point alone featured 12 different species of honeyeaters while the elusive Mallee fowl are there for the keen eye to see.

The Farinha family bought the lodge, opened in 1969 by Wimpey and Jean Reichelt, in June last year.

The family hopes to turn the 117-hectare park into a modern retreat with a focus on wellness activities such as yoga, art and meditation.

“When we had the opportunity to open in June after the first lockdown period it was like starting all over again, and then we were only open for two-and-a-half weeks before the latest lockdown,” Mrs Farinha said.

Mrs Farinha, who runs the business along with her husband Daniel and daughters Michelle and Danielle, said the uncertainty did nothing to diminish her enthusiasm to attract visitors.

The family, who came to the Wimmera from South Africa 20 years ago, said they

felt privileged to live among such natural beauty at the wildlife sanctuary and bush retreat.

Mrs Farinha said the statewide lockdowns had scuttled their hopes to have the nature lodge back on the tourism map by now, but the hiatus had allowed other work to progress.

“We have been doing a lot of maintenance and cleaning of facilities and we’ve also done a lot of work to clear hazards for the fire season,” she said.

“We had not had that many bookings to the end of September – I think people were at first a bit reluctant to venture out.”

Mrs Farinha said trying to foster a stronger relationship with education institutes from primary school to university remained a key part of their revival plan.

She said the family had been grateful for the support of Nhill community during the difficult lockdown period, as they juggled taking the reins of the Little Desert tourist spot along with Farinha Motors at Nhill.

“People have been fantastic, they really have. It has been even harder than we first thought, but we are determined and would love to have people come and experience what we get to each day,” she said.

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Little Desert Nature Lodge’s Michelle and Christa Farinha are grateful for the support of Nhill community during the difficult lockdown period.

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Page 43

Patchewollock

Artist: Fintan Magee

Sea Lake

Artist: DRAPL and The Zookeeper

Lascelles

Albacutya

Artist: Rone

Artist: Kitt Bennett HOPETOUN

Nullawil

Rosebery

Kaniva

Artist: Smug

Artist: Kaff-eine

Brim

Artist: Guido van Helten

Sheep Hills

Kaniva

WARRACKNABEAL

Artist: David Lee Pereira

NHILL

Sheep Hills

Lascelles

Artist: Adnate

MINYIP

Goroke

Artist: Geoffrey Carran

Rupanyup HORSHAM

Artist: Julia Volchkova

STAWELL

Goroke

Brim

Page 44

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LifeStyle 2020

Art on the grandest scale T

By Dean Lawson

he world’s largest outdoor gallery continues to grow as grain silos and prominent buildings across the Wimmera-Mallee transform into landscape-scale art.

The region remains the national hot bed for regional and rural mural artworks and the visitor-drawing power of these striking landmarks is also on an upward trend.

Yarriambiack Shire’s north-south Silo Art Trail provides the backbone of the state’s silo-art movement and evolution. Its consistent expansion provides visitors with a primary motivation to explore or rekindle a connection with the vastness of a large part of western Victoria.

The beauty of the silo trail is that it criss-crosses the region, which means many Wimmera-Mallee centres, towns and villages can act as jump-off points for visitors keen to soak up a unique visitor experience.

People keen to combine art with wilderness and outback experiences are now

spoilt for choice. For visitors travelling from Melbourne, the silo trail provides a logical extension to the attractions of Grampians National Park.

Stawell, in the shadows of the mountain range, is only a short drive to the southernmost silo artwork – a creation by Russian artist Julia Volchkova celebrating the town’s youth and love of sport in the east Wimmera wheatbelt town of Rupanyup.

A little drive further on, Sheep Hills farmland erupts in a burst of colour courtesy of artist Adnate’s storytelling images of Aboriginal Australians.

For travellers starting the trail from the north, the official jump-off point is at Patchewollock where a Fintan Magee work examining a farming personality overlooks the Mallee town.

But the area is loaded with alternatives where art-silo trekkers can begin their journeys.

At Nullawil, artist Smug has captured the essence of a farmer’s best friend and a collaboration between ‘DRAPL’ and ‘The

Zookeper’ reflects on the isolation of outback Victoria at Sea Lake.

At Lascelles, artist Rone has created a grand-scale artistic study of a generational farming family and at Rosebery the work of ‘Kaff-eine’ tells a story of the region’s past, present and future.

Artwork on silos at Brim provided the launching pad for the overall trail and the iconic image of multigenerational farmers by Guido van Helten remains a key attraction.

The appeal of the silo trail has also opened a door of appreciation for some of the Wimmera-Mallee’s hidden gems such as the Little and Big deserts and terminal-lake wilderness areas and recreation lakes.

The evolutionary join-the-dots silo-art project across the Wimmera-Mallee appears far from finished.

Other destinations are joining the procession of art unfolding across the

region’s farming vista. Largescale silo murals at Goroke and Kaniva in the west Wimmera have joined the growing list, with New Zealand-born local Geoffrey Carran, who specialises in depicting birds, diving into the Goroke project earlier this year and Melbourne artist David Lee Pereira commissioned for the job at Kaniva.

Melbourne artist Kitt Bennett is also scheduled to start work on a silo at Albacutya, north of Rainbow, in November in what represents the first Hindmarsh Shire addition to the Silo Art Trail.

An augmented reality aspect of the project will be available through a Wimmera Mallee Tourism app.

People can also see landscape-scale artworks at places such as Woomelang, Beulah and Dimboola. The list keeps growing, adding a unique dimension to the attractions of regional Victoria.

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Page 45

LOVE outdoor living? PATI-OH!!

A well-designed living area can create a sense of character that captivates, inspires and even perhaps makes people never want to leave.

The ability to breathe new life into an otherwise basic space might be a challenge, especially to the untrained eye.

But this is the focus of Wimmera business Western Outdoor Creations.

Business owner Matthew Pope has worked in the design and construction industry for more than 20 years and has a strong focus on livening up back-yard spaces with custom-designed patios and decks.

Mr Pope said his crew of dedicated workers could help design a ‘stand-out’ outdoor area to create an entertainer’s dream.

“Our goal is to create an outdoor area to extend your living space to make your house more of a home,” he said.

“My background in landscaping spanning 23 years allows me to bring more creative ideas to the table.”

Western Outdoor Creations specialises in patios, decks and sheds to ensure your outdoor living space is completed to a high standard to add value to your home.

Staff also obtain permits for patios and sheds along with installations.

Mr Pope said every site he had worked on in the past 20 years presented new and exciting challenges to design beautiful and unique back-yard spaces.

“I like to design and create an entertaining area for the family to enjoy by extending the house and making it more liveable,” he said.

“I like doing something different and creative and providing that ‘wow factor’ when people walk into your back-yard.”

Mr Pope said custom-made patios would be designed to suit both the property and the customer’s lifestyle.

“We like to make the customer feel at home with us,” he said.

“Our patios are all Colorbond steel and we work with the customer to create a patio to their liking.

“Our decking system can be done with either wood or structural steel, which is great for bushfire-prone areas.”

Mr Pope said his team was committed to quality from initial design and layout to the completion phase of the project.

“We cover most of Western Victoria,” he said.

“Once someone wants a patio or deck from us, we go to their house, measure up and work with them to generate ideas and designs.

Matthew Pope, owner

“We can arrange the whole process from permit stage through to completion.”

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In times of stress P

By Ebony Jordan

eriods of high stress require more protein intake to prevent muscle loss.

Protein contains amino acids which make up the chemicals your brain needs to regulate your thoughts and feelings.

High physical and mental stress causes a higher nutrient demand to make these mood-boosting chemicals.

Protein can also keep you feeling fuller for longer, balances your blood-sugar, prevents sugar cravings and overeating, helps you maintain a healthy weight and prevents weight gain, creates immune cells to fight infection, and supports healthy thyroid function.

Protein mighty be the missing link your body needs.

Are you eating enough protein?

As a farming community we are surrounded by quality dietary sources of protein.

You do not have to travel far to find some of Australia’s best-quality proteins grown right in our back yard.

Our paddocks are full of pulses, even our grains are graded by their protein content.

Locally we farm beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, sheep, cattle, chickens, eggs, turkey and pork; all great sources of protein.

One thing all doctors and naturopaths agree on is that eating vegetables is good for you. Plant sources of protein also contain fibre, disease-fighting antioxidants and a host of important and essential vitamins and minerals. And fresh certainly is best; studies show legumes straight from the silo, soaked and cooked at home contains 50 percent more magnesium and 20 percent more fibre than canned varieties.

How much do we need?

Protein is dubbed ‘the building blocks of life’.

A 76-kilogram person is made up of about 12 kilograms of protein. Nearly half of this protein is present as skeletal muscle, while the other makes up tissues such as blood, skin and hair. We are made of protein.

Nutrition Australia recommends 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

This calculation was formulated by the United States of America during the Second World War to work out military rations.

America incorporated this number into

its dietary guidelines, from which Nutrition Australia based its guidelines.

Intake requirements are different for everybody, depending on your age and health status. As a good rule of thumb, it is recommended to consume one gram of protein for every kilogram of body weight. For example, a 70-kilogram person would require about 70 grams of protein each day.

Spread out your intake

You do not need to eat an entire cow. Your body can only process so much in a single sitting.

A recent study from the University of Texas found consuming 90 grams of protein in one meal provides the same benefit as 30 grams. Your fuel tank is only one size – fill it more and the rest will spillover. But the quality of your fuel will allow you to run harder for longer. A palmsize serve of a combination of protein-rich plant and animal dietary sources in every meal will benefit your mental, emotional and physical health.

Shop locally and choose quality over quantity.

• Ebony Jordan, right, is a naturopath at Des Lardner’s Organic, Horsham.

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Page 47

Emerging from the “

By Dylan De Jong

T

hree gallons of standard fuel to the mile, two gallons of racing oil – that’s what makes it smoke – 12 gallons of pure water and 12 26-ounce bottles of driver fuel.”

These are the words late Ararat man Eric ‘Whirley’ Wilson used to describe his highly-modified 1927 Dodge Flying 4, more affectionately known as The Southern Cloud.

The eye-grabbing contraption looks like it could only be conjured out of the imagination of novelist and screenwriter Roald Dahl from his 1968 classic Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

But tracking back the history of the vehicle, one will find The Southern Cloud’s humble beginnings started in a High Street garage at Ararat in the early 1950s. Before long, the car would go on to wow crowds in car parades at Melbourne’s Moomba Festival and Ararat’s inaugural Golden Gateway Festival more than 60 years ago.

For Whirley’s son Mathew Wilson, the car holds a special place in his heart – so much so he would like to see it memorialised at Ararat’s Langi Morgala Museum.

“I was eight when I first went to Moomba and I remember the delight you would see on people’s faces when they saw the car, they didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or run,” he said.

“But the amazement on people’s faces was incredible.

“It started out as a basic silver car and every year Dad would add something to it.”

Whirley, a qualified mechanic, used his welding skills to set about adding dozens of propellers and all the eccentric bells and whirligigs that made the vehicle what it is today.

Mr Wilson said his father’s affinity for propellers emerged from a chance occurrence.

“Dad and his brothers lived at Camperdown when Charles Kingsford Smith crashed his aeroplane – he got it bogged in a paddock and Dad, his brothers and his mates helped him push it out,” he recalled.

“That’s where Dad’s love of aeroplanes came from.”

Mr Wilson said it was not uncommon for Whirley to improvise if the car was experiencing mechanical troubles.

“The radiator came about because he

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Page 48

was going to put it in a procession, but the radiator was leaking, so on the very morning of the procession he dragged the old radiator off and replaced it with a 12-gallon drum,” he said.

“Dad would just improvise, he was from the era where you couldn’t go to Repco and just buy something new, you had to make do.”

Whirley entered The Southern Cloud in Moomba up to 10 times, winning prizes on many occasions.

Mr Wilson said Whirley was known by those who knew him as a selfless community figure who just wanted to make people smile.

“He was a bit of a larrikin,” he laughed.

“When he was a kid, he used to run around like a whirlwind, that’s how he got the nickname Whirley, because he never stood still.

“He was always helping people out. I remember when he had the garage, people would come in with their car broken down and Dad would not only fix it for them, but he would take them home, give them tea and a bed and charge them nothing.

“That’s just the sort of bloke he was.

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LifeStyle 2020

smoke “This vehicle is part of Ararat’s history.

Dad was a bit of a living legend in Ararat and everyone knew who he was – he was very community orientated.”

Ararat Lions Club president Bob Sanders said the club would continue a push to have the vehicle featured in the Ararat museum.

“We’ve got it on our books to help get it into the museum – we think it’s part of Ararat history and it needs to be kept,” he said.

“I think it could be a rather good attraction at the museum. This is a good part of history because it shows what someone did to entertain other people and to entertain himself.”

Whirley was a long-term member of Ararat Lions Cub and became a life member before he died in 2017.

Left, Mathew Wilson shows off his father Whirley’s pride and joy, The Southern Cloud modified Dodge. Mr Wilson hopes the iconic vehicle can be memorialised in Ararat.

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Page 49

How is your knowledge?

1. The famous Four’n Twenty pie, which has an iconic association with Australian Rules Football and is now a product of parent company Patties Foods, was created in what country Victorian centre?

What is the difference between a mule and a hinny?

2. The Kangaroo Island koala population, decimated by bushfires, is considered one of the few in Australia free of what debilitating bacterial disease?

7. True or false? Concrete used by ancient Romans is stronger than the concrete of today.

3. Name the four teams that historically make up Kowree-Naracoorte-Tatiara Football League club Kaniva-Leeor United.

6. Is it true or false that Horsham had a tram service between 1885 and 1927?

8. Saint Valentine is considered the unofficial patron saint of love. But he is also considered by

9. Notable Australian poet John Shaw Neilson was born in Penola, South Australia, and spent much of his childhood in Nhill district after his family moved from what other west Wimmera town?

10. True or false? Similar to its eight legs, the huntsman spider we occasionally see sneaking across our bedroom walls has eight eyes.

11. Researchers monitoring the health of waterways take particular note in their samples of creatures they can see with a naked eye that don’t have backbones. What is the academic term they use to describe these animals?

4. The venom of what Australian snake is generally considered the most toxic in the world?

5. Mules and hinnies are the resulting offspring of mating donkeys with horses.

12. Great Britain’s Queen Victoria was the last monarch of what royal house?

13. What narrow but

historically and internationally significant strait or waterway that forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia was in Classical Antiquity known as the Hellespont?

14. Which Australian bird is the largest member of the kingfisher family?

many to be the patron saint of what profession that exists in the Wimmera?

15. What Wimmera footballer, who started his career at Nhill, played 23 games for VFL-AFL club Richmond during the 196566 seasons, coached a 1975 premiership with Ararat in Wimmera league and also forged a reputation as a prominent regional swimming instructor?

A snapshot from the archives of The Weekly Advertiser’s regular quiz can be found below. Enjoy.

16. If you were using your zygomaticus major muscle, which of the following would you probably be doing? A. Typing.

B. Smiling. C. Digesting. D. Standing on tip-toe.

17. What Kaniva export, now 59, established a strong-man reputation in 148 games with AFL club Essendon before further continuing a stellar playing career with Brisbane?

18. People afflicted with cold sores agonise over the condition. Is it bacteria or viruses that cause cold sores?

19. In which Victorian national park do you find an area known as Summerday Valley?

20. The donkey ‘Duffy’ was the important companion of what famous Australian who might well have had direct involvement with people from the Wimmera?

21. What colourful geographical siblings have always welcomed and farewelled Western Highway travellers to and from Stawell?

22. If you look hard enough in parts of the Wimmera you might stumble across an antechinus? What is an antechinus?

23. Sideroxylon is a type of what found naturally in parts of the Wimmera?

24. What village, about 32 kilometres east of Stawell, emerged from the gold Malakoff Lead and shares its name with a town on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast?

25. What is the two-syllable name of the rural locality between Dimboola and Warracknabeal starting with ‘K’, that supposedly initially referred to a waterhole, became the name of a regional parish and was at one time home to separate Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Victoria and Australia churches?

Answers: 1. Bendigo. Leslie Thompson McClure created the pie, initially called the Dad and Dave Pie. At the time production involved about 50 pies a day. Exposure at the Royal Melbourne Agricultural Show increased demand and a factory in Melbourne. The brand changed ownership several times. Four’n Twenty production is now at Bairnsdale at a plant that can produce 21,000 pies an hour. 2. Chlamydia. Chlamydia in koalas can cause serious illness, infertility and death. 3. Kaniva, Federals, Serviceton and Lillimur. Kaniva and Federals merged to form Kaniva and Districts in 1948 and Serviceton and Lillimur merged to form Leeor in 1950. Kaniva and Leeor merged after the 1997 season to become Kaniva-Leeor United Cougars. 4. The inland taipan. It is a relatively reclusive and shy snake but the toxicity of its venom means one bite is considered strong enough to kill at least 100 adult men or 250,000 mice. The venom of the eastern brown snake, common in the Wimmera, is also in the top three. 5. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. A hinny is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey. 6. True. A horse-drawn tramway between Horsham and McKenzie Creek opened in 1885. Use of the line, used for transporting road-making materials, firewood and people from McKenzie Creek, ceased operation in 1927. It was dismantled in 1934. 7. False. While considered concrete masters, ancient Roman concrete did not include steel reinforcement so technically has less tensile strength. 8. Beekeeping. 9. Minimay. 10. True. They have two rows of four. 11. Macro invertebrates. These animals are of particular interest to scientists because their presence and lack of presence is usually reflective of waterway health. 12. House of Hanover. 13. Dardanelles, also known as Strait of Canakkale. It is in north-western Turkey and the target of an unsuccessful Allied campaign. 14. The laughing kookaburra is the largest member of the kingfisher family. 15.

Wilf Dickeson. 16. B. The zygomaticus major muscle is in your cheeks and pulls the corners of your mouth up when you smile. 17. Roger Merrett. He made his debut in 1978, was a dual Bombers premiership player and represented both Victoria and Queensland. 18. Virus. Cold sores are the result of herpes simplex virus. 19. Grampians National Park. The popular area is visited by tour operators running rock-climbing activities. It is also listed as a Special Protection Area. 20. Private John Simpson Kilpatrick, known as Simpson and his Donkey.

Kilpatrick was a hero medic who with his adopted donkey carried wounded men from the battlefield while under fire at Gallipoli during the First World War. He was shot through the heart doing his work six weeks short of his 23rd birthday. Soldiers from the Wimmera were among forces that stormed the Gallipoli beaches. 21. Sisters Rocks. The granite boulders, south-east of Stawell, have a history of being covered in graffiti. 22. An antechinus is a small dasyurid mouse-like marsupial endemic to Australia. 23. Gum tree. Its common name is ironbark. Stawell is among centres renowned for its ironbarks. It has various sub-species, ranging from tall to small trees and flowering in a broad range of colours. As its name suggests, it has distinctive rough, furrowed bark. 24. Landsborough. In 2011 it had a population of 256 but in 1862, it was home to between 8000 and 9000 people. 25. Katyil.

Page 50

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LifeStyle 2020

Solve the crossword.

Each answer has four letters.

ACROSS 1 Sham 5 Acreage 6 Fizzles out 7 Rational

2

2

5 2

26

2 22

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

I+L L×O F×T E+L P+T E÷F R÷I I+H X×F B÷F O÷I L+M H÷F

2

3

4

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

W N U F U N C A T G D A E

Apron Asia Bell Cats Drily Empire Followed Fox

5 6 7

M Y H T P O H Y S E W A R

W A Y P N S D B O I S D S

D R I L Y A N E H F A E K

E C I D C E W T P O I W F

Fun Hostile Ice Icy Ink International Law Lump

P M N G E S L M E R E O T

C O P O G N U L I L X L C

W A P I R L B P O B E L L

Maiden Mere Moan Pad Purse Rings Rulers Sad

1

2

3

4

5

11

6

7

13 14 16

17

15

18

19

20

21

22 23 24 28

8

25

26

27

30

29 31

32

DOWN 1 Openings 2 Egg-shaped 3 Made more liquid 4 Yield 5 Part of the eye 6 Fruit 7 Consume 8 Apprehensive uncertainty 11 Keen 14 Limiting mark 15 Region 16 Confirm 17 Numeral 18 Copies 20 Treacherous act 21 Anaesthetic 22 Delight 24 Remaining 25 Lyric poems 26 Fish 27 Refuse 29 Frozen formation

ACROSS 1 Virtuous 4 City fortresses 9 Snake 10 Chime 12 Calls in question 13 Acknowledges rank 14 Threaten 16 Reveres 19 Dry 20 Golfing aids 22 Make a hole in 23 Standards of perfection 24 Found the place of 28 Full of life 30 Certain 31 Criminal 32 Components 33 Fleet

8

12

10

P I O S H E A D G D K F V

707

9 10

R N T I R P E A A W B O M

Season Thy Tyre Want Wriggled Yellow

Ordinary Crossword

1255

A toaZnumber have a number valueare Letters ALetters to Z have value. Some shown Some in the are right handincells.

Create remaining shown the right hand cells values clues values in centre cells.

Createusing remaining using clues in centre cells

F×Q N+P N+V I+S S+S Y-V B+T P+E L+F R+X T+V J-H A-D

1

DOWN 1 In things 2 Opera solo 3 Eager 4 Let up

© Puzzler Media Ltd

ALFAKODO Alfakodo A B C D E F G H I J K L M

005

D N T P S E A S L Y C I U

33

© Ken Egan - AK1255

Solutions

All the blank cells must be filled in using numbers from 1 to 9. Each number can only appear once in each row, column and in the nine 3x3 blocks.

© Ken Egan - AK1255 © Ken Egan - AK1255

G A P S

SUDOKU

O O D C V I P E D E A L A L U T E G T E N E R A P R I D N P E D E A L S E N I M A T C S L E M E N

L E F T N T I R I S

T A D E P A S P U T L M E N A R E S T T E E T R A E O C A T S U D E L O N N A S

D E N V Y

E T H E R

L S U E S P C E N S E

ORDINARY CROSSWORD

K L L M M

T+V J-H J-H A-D A-D

X Y Y Z Z

X K K K E J O H E Z M D R

D N T P S E A S L Y C I U

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

M Y H T P O H Y S E W A R

W A Y P N S D B O I S D S

D R I L Y A N E H F A E K

WORD FIND

© Ken Egan - AK1255 © Ken Egan - AK1255

O÷I L+M L+M H÷F H÷F

W N U F U N C A T G D A E

E C I D C E W T P O I W F

P M N G E S L M E R E O T

C O P O G N U L I L X L C

W A P I R L B P O B E L L

R N T I R P E A A W B O M

P I O S H E A D G D K F V

MINI CROSS ACROSS: 1 Fake, 5 Area, 6 Dies, 7 Sane.

DOWN: 1 Fads, 2 Aria, 3 Keen, 4 Ease.

1 3 2 3 1

5 4 1 5 2

1 2 3 4 1

3 4 1 5 2

SUGURU

1 2 3 4 1

8 18 11

V A L I D A T E

8

5 25 16 7

ALFAKODO

4 24 10 13 15 6

Z

M M 17 17

U V W X Y

L L 1 1

T

J K J K 23 21 23 21

N O P Q R S

I I 3 3

26 14 20 9 12 2 19 22 3 23 21 1 17

G H G H 19 22 19 22

K L M

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Exploring opportunities

By Andrew Dowdell

G

rant Schubert has treasured memories of his childhood and early career around Horsham – but the father-of-three says a ‘seachange’ 13 years ago remains one of his best life choices.

Now a successful real estate agent and fledgling holiday park operator, Mr Schubert said he had never lost touch with his roots and has encouraged Wimmera residents to invest in the coastal region across the border he now calls home.

Mr Schubert, now 44, grew up at Laharum, then Horsham, and in his early adulthood forged a thriving catering business based in Horsham but known throughout the Wimmera and surrounding regions.

About 14 years ago, the young businessman, his wife Kate and then-baby daughter Ruby uprooted the family home – literally – and later accepted a job offer with Elders Real Estate at the seaside holiday town of Robe on the coast of southeast South Australia.

“We sold the catering business and then we moved the house we owned from Baillie Street in Horsham onto a Baker Builders truck and over to Robe as a holiday house,” he recalled.

Over the next few years, the Schubert family grew with the birth of two more daughters, Meg and Tilly, while wife Kate continued her career in education across the border at Robe Primary School.

Mr Schubert said the Robe community had embraced his young family from the outset.

“The community and town really opened its arms to us as a family from the time we arrived here, and we are ever so thankful for that,” he said.

“It is like raising a family in a bubble here, it really is a very tight-knit community and there is virtually no crime.”

Working stints with Elders in its Kingston, Lucindale, Millicent and Naracoorte offices, Mr Schubert has developed strong contacts and a client base over a vast tract of land

Page 52

across western Victoria and the southeast of South Australia.

But he said Robe and its rugged coastline won him over from the start.

“Robe is such a beautiful area,” he said.

“Growing up in Horsham is very similar in terms of lifestyle and a close-knit community, and I can say it has been one of the best decisions that we have made, both financially and as a family.”

High hopes

The Schuberts have bought land at Wrights Bay, a popular fishing area north of Robe, as well as a caravan park and camping ground which they have started renovating with high hopes for the future.

“The camping ground has been there for years, and dozens of families go there each year for holidays, but until recently there were two

long-drop toilets and it was pretty basic in terms of facilities,” he said.

“I am going to reinvent this area over the next few years and I am very excited by the project.

“Anyone who knows me will tell you I can’t sit still, I’ve always got to have something on the go and have always been very self-motivated.”

While the COVID-19 crisis has wreaked havoc on businesses across Australia, Mr Schubert said it had the opposite impact on his business.

“Robe experienced 200 percent growth over June and July this year in nearly all businesses, and listings in the Robe, Kingston and Beachport areas are at an alltime low such is the demand,” he said.

Mr Schubert said he was eager to use his Wimmera connections to encourage people to consider investing across the South Australian border.

“Without a doubt, there is already a strong foothold of people here from western Victoria and the Wimmera and I am open and willing for people to contact me and see what we have to offer over here in terms of rural land, investment properties and holiday homes,” he said.

Mr Schubert has been judged the numberone rural agent for Elders across Australia for the past two years and was the top rural agent in SA and the Northern Territory in the four years prior.

And with so many exciting projects on the go, the energetic father has no intention of taking his foot off the pedal.

Kate and Grant Schubert with their daughters, from left, Meg, Tilly and Ruby

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LifeStyle 2020

Lyndon Carter

In pursuit of the ‘pinnies’

By Andrew Dowdell

G

enerations of Australians have fond memories of playing arcade pinball machines, which have become one of this year’s most sought-after collectables.

That renewed interest has sparked optimism in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown for Lyndon Carter, who with his father Simon, runs the Australian Pinball Museum at Nhill.

The Australian Pinball Museum usually attracts an array of visitors as varied as the collection of vintage and rare ‘pinnies’ themselves.

“It has become a mecca for pinball enthusiasts and there has been a big resurgence this year in people wanting to have a machine at home, especially in their man caves,” Lyndon said.

“When a lot of industries have taken a hit, pinball prices have gone through the roof

and almost doubled – maybe because people have been stuck at home.”

The museum is a walk and play through pinball history, with 46 machines on display including an iconic KISS machine and other rarities gathered over decades.

“I grew up with them because my parents ran an arcade business in Adelaide, so for me they were as normal a part of life as a television,” Lyndon said.

“Then about 10 years ago I began to develop more of an interest in them. They have been such an important and fun part of so many people’s lives.”

Lyndon’s enthusiasm to share his passion is evident by the free entry for visitors who want to browse the collection, many of whom have stayed vivid in his memory.

“My favourite was a guy in his 90s who came in. He hadn’t played a game since the 1940s and he loved playing them all,” he said.

“We have lots of other visitors who say they haven’t seen a pinball machine from the 1970s for so long and it brings back lots of great memories for them.”

The museum had been hosting monthly tournaments for enthusiasts with a competitive edge and will resume the competitions when Victoria returns to ‘COVID normal’.

“We have our regulars and people from Adelaide and Melbourne. We had a couple who flew from Brisbane to Melbourne then hired a car to drive here to play the machines all weekend,” Lyndon said.

“There is nothing like this in Australia.

We have the largest selection of pinball machines to play in Australia. There are bigger ones in America, because of course the US does everything bigger.”

Despite the lucrative dollars on offer, the Carters have no plans to sell any of their unique collection.

“We haven’t sold any and we will keep as many as we can. We can always use parts from ones in storage to keep the museum ones running so that people can come along and relive their youth or discover pinball for the first time,” Lyndon said.

He said the museum officially opened in 2016 after he and his father decided their unique collection might help attract travellers to stop at Nhill.

“I’ve missed all the people coming by from Australia and all around the world, and I get a thrill from the joy they bring to so many people,” he said.

“It’s a bucket-list thing for some people and others are international tourists who stumble upon us, but with the ban on overseas travel we won’t have them for some time.”

The Australian Pinball Museum is part of the Carters’ Oasis Motel, which they bought when they moved to the Wimmera in 2008.

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LifeStyle 2020

Mountain’s majesty opens I

By Dean Lawson

t is hard to describe that feeling when staring towards a distant horizon from a rugged sandstone escarpment in Grampians National Park.

There is an immediate sense of nature’s grandeur combined with a feeling of insignificance as you soak up the magnitude and magnificence of such a vista.

From a lofty vantage position, the mountain ranges’ giant slabs of tilted rock, shaped from ancient times of upheaval, become clearly evident.

Looking north to south through a spring haze, the rise on the western flanks of ‘the Gramps’ are smooth and gradual, but on the other side they burst forward, jagged and harsh.

In the distance they loom dark and forbidding.

At the base of mighty walls of rocks bleached in ashen charcoals to cream and vibrant ochre, and pock-marked with gnarls, drip lines and hollows, sprawls a flotsam of Australian dryland wilderness.

Looking down at the carpet of eucalyptus green, interspersed with sticks of grey, occasional blackened scars of past fires break the subtle colour flow, a reminder of the

potentially tempestuous nature of this part of the world.

Sun breaking through scattered cloud reflects brightly from shallow pools created from sporadic showers.

There is a slight scent of sweet native blossom in the air and breaking the isolation is the nondescript hum of nature – a mix of bird song, insect calls and the rustle of millions of leaves agitated by a southwesterly breeze that has brushed the area with its erosive pallet since time began.

The mountain range, in the heart of western Victoria, holds a special place for many who have long enjoyed escaping to and-or feeding off its richness.

It is a part of Australia that more people from around the world will soon become more familiar as they come to recognise the lure of a $30-million adventure tourism project.

Grampians Peaks Trail, which provides visitors with a 13-day opportunity to trek and camp from one end of the Grampians to the other, is set to modify the park’s already burgeoning reputation as a tourist destination.

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constructed trail and series of campsite accommodation modules and hubs inside the national park, is likely to be a must-do for people around the world.

Grampians Tourism chief executive Marc Sleeman said work on much of the trail would be finished by the end of the year, with expectations that 2021 would be a boom year in interest.

“I think walking the trail will become a must-do thing for 2021. As people pencil in wilderness-holiday options, Grampians Peaks Trail, as part of Icon Walks of Victoria, will find its way to the top of the to-do list,” he said.

“What people can expect apart from simply walking the peaks trail, will be an intimate experience.

“It highlights the dramatic peaks and panoramic views of the Grampians, while at the same time providing visitors with connections to an ancient landscape.

“It will provide insight into the rich culture of the Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali people who have walked these trails for millennia.

“And of course this is combined with outstanding state-of-the-art adventure-trail facilities.

“Construction of the trails and tracks has been nothing short of impressive. It is quite amazing and some of the stonemasonry is incredible.

“Globally, there is little doubt Grampians Peaks Trail will be recognised as one of the best walks in the world.”

The trail has been a collaborative project subject to several years of planning and involving millions of dollars in state and federal government funding.

Grampians National Park, part of an area also known as Gariwerd, covers 167,219 square kilometres and is made up of a series of sandstone ranges.

It is home to one of the largest collections of historic rock-art sites in southern Australia and vast examples of southeast Australian plants, animals and eco-systems. It also abounds in wildflower displays in late winter and spring.

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Page 55

It’s all about expression T

By Dean Lawson

across the Wimmera and in some cases reignited healthy individual pursuits and expression.

If there has been any winner to emerge from our enforced isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic it could be the discovery or rediscovery of artistic and creative skills.

Many people, frustrated with the metronome of life becoming askew, have reached out and seized everything from paint brushes, pencils and clay to timber and twine, to spanners and shifters, to drums and guitars, to fruit trees and secateurs, to oven mitts and baking trays.

If times weren’t unusual enough, we’re seeing people supposedly lacking any artistic bent creatively pursuing all sorts of homemade works, products and projects.

The seclusive environment we’ve been forced into has, it seems, unearthed a

fresh crop of artisans who might never have believed they could create a painting, ceramic pot or piece of macrame wall art, design a garden, invent a fishing lure, play a ballad, produce a mouth-watering dish, invent a new tool or bring an ancient piece of machinery back to life.

As one person put it in pursuing this enforced directional change: ‘It was a good diversion, but it’s also been good for the brain’.

A high percentage of us, missing our fix of community sport or other indulgences, have been content to dive deeply into the world of television or computer entertainment.

Some have embraced more exercise, some less exercise and others, who managed to keep their jobs or maintain livelihoods, have thrown themselves at their work.

But it’s been the surprisingly high levels of previously unlocked individual creativity,

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perhaps recognised but put aside as irrelevant in the past, or never realised at all, that has caught many by surprise.

The great revelation from communities working through the pain of the pandemic is that regardless of what we might have previously believed, we have enormous scope for expression and creativity – most, if not all of us.

Our region has long been a melting pot for wonderful art, craft and ingenuity. And again, we can’t but wonder whether a silver lining amid all the disasters that have come with COVID-19 will be an expansion of this quality.

Lifestyle ideals are based on meeting the needs of a myriad of personalities and healthy individual expression helps foster personality.

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here are many exercises, diets and programs to help us deal with stress and boy have we needed them in the past year.

Staying relaxed and measured while keeping the body and mind active and in tune with the world has been tough as we’ve endured months of uncertainty.

Overall, it’s been our lifestyle and what we’ve come to expect from the benefits of a modern society, that has copped a battering.

Circumstances have provided time to ponder over and consider some of the simple pleasures and in many cases this has involved zeroing in on long-lost passions – some of them dating back to when we were children and free of the burden of adulthood.

This inner exploration has manifested itself in many different ways for individuals

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LifeStyle 2020

Home away from home

By Dylan De Jong

M

ore than 15,000 kilometres of separation from friends and family has not stopped Canadian expat Scott Robinson setting up a life in the Wimmera.

The 31-year-old took the plunge to move to Australia in 2016 for a ‘muchneeded’ change from his home’s harsh and bitter winters.

Although it was only meant to be a short trip, his plans quickly changed.

“I was 26 when I decided I wanted to move. It took me about a year to save enough money and say goodbye to friends and family for what I thought would just be a one or two-year stint,” he said.

“But four years on and I’m still here.”

Scott said he was keen to share the key differences between life in the ‘icy’ north compared with being amid the sparse agricultural fields of the Wimmera-Mallee.

He said the region actually bore similarities to his home town in Ontario, where he was living near the United States border in Canada’s largest wine growing region, Niagara.

“I grew up 45 minutes away from Niagara Falls and there was nothing but vineyards and farmland in between,” he said.

“But it would get down to negative 25 degrees sometimes in the coldest parts of winter and snowed almost all winter.

“That was actually one of the main reasons why I left Canada – I was just so sick of the winters.”

But how did he end up in the Wimmera?

When Scott first landed in Australia, he found himself in a predicament all too familiar to the backpacker community. ‘Should I go to Sydney or Melbourne?’. And on hearing of Melbourne’s renowned coffee culture, it was enough to lure him to Victoria.

“I spent my first year in Melbourne just exploring the city and making friends. I did a bit of travel, travelled the Great Ocean Road and went to Sydney for a weekend as well,” he said.

“I met my partner Patrick fairly quickly on arriving here in Australia and we fell in love.

“When Patrick finished his university degree, he started looking for work in his career and after 12 months he finally found his job opportunity in Horsham.

“I thought, I’m going to stick around and started looking online for things I could do in Horsham as well.”

They moved to Horsham in 2017 and Scott started working with service provider Uniting Wimmera in administration and reception and wasted little time getting involved in the community.

Welcoming

In the past year, Scott took up the head position in LGBTIQ advocacy group Wimmera Pride Project and supports youth mental-health organisation headspace Horsham.

“We definitely found it very welcoming moving to Horsham, it probably took us about a year to develop some strong friendships with some of the residents here,” he said.

“The pride project was another way for us to make friends and really involve ourselves. We also found Horsham Arts Council was really beneficial for us to make friends and get a sense of community here.

“The pride project was something I didn’t have when I was growing up, a positive LGBTIQ community group that I could have really found beneficial as a young person.

“I’ve really been able to build myself up here, build a friendship group, a career here and just be able to be myself and do what I want to do.”

With a background in design and animation, Scott has been able to use his

skills to help promote positive mental health strategies across the region with headspace.

“I actually have a degree in video game design and animation and these skills translate to logo design. I’ve been pretty satisfied to be able to use those skills for headspace and promote positive mental health,” he said.

“The concept of mental health being real and it being an important part of our daily lives has really expanded over the past decade.

“Being aware of strategies and things going on in your mind and just being able to help others – it’s something I could really have used as a young person, in my teens and into my 20s.”

It’s likely to be a while before Scott will be able to see his family and friends back home due to COVID-19 restrictions on international travel.

But he said he looked forward to when he could see them again.

“I definitely miss friends and family back home – the time difference makes it really hard to communicate with people, but that’s just one of the sacrifices I’ve made moving over here,” he said.

Scott Robinson, right, and his partner Patrick Quaine

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From humble beginnings I

By Andrew Dowdell

t’s a long way from Horsham’s Firebrace Street to Hollywood Boulevard, Kaniva oval to the MCG and from Jeparit to The Lodge – but the Wimmera has produced some of our nation’s most successful people.

This list of Wimmera exports is by no means exhaustive but proves that nothing is beyond reach for young people with big dreams.

The people who have started from humble beginnings in rural and regional communities and have gone on to influence various aspects of society are an eclectic mix. They range from political figureheads to Australian sporting icons and from champions of popular culture to leaders in health research.

This year’s LifeStyle Wimmera magazine profiles a snapshot of just some of the region’s famous exports.

Sir Robert Menzies

Born Jeparit, 20-12-1894 Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister was born the fourth of five children to Jeparit storekeeper James and Kate Menzies in 1894.

Alistair Clarkson

Picture: Hawthorn Football Club

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After becoming a well-known barrister at a young age, Menzies followed the lead of his lay-preacher father and became involved in politics in the late 1920s.

He played a key role in creating the Liberal Party of Australia and was twice Prime Minister, from 1939 to 1942, then from 1949 to 1966.

Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Robert was influential in expanding immigration, bolstering ties with both England and the United States.

He died from a heart attack in 1978.

Nick Cave

Born Warracknabeal, 22-9-1957 Australia’s king of the alternative music scene for decades, Nick Cave spent his early years in the Wimmera before studying art in Melbourne.

Since becoming an underground culture icon in the early ’80s fronting rock band The Birthday Party, Cave has worked with music royalty such as Kylie Minogue and PJ Harvey while playing nearly every instrument possible in a range of guises including Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Cave is an author and created the dark but critically acclaimed 2005 film The Proposition. He lives in Los Angeles.

Portia de Rossi

Born Horsham, 31-1-1973 Entering the world as Amanda Lee Rogers, ‘Portia’ lost her father when she was nine. Leaving Horsham, she grew up in Geelong.

Teenage model Amanda boldly changed her name to Portia de Rossi when she was 15 and had her first break acting in the 1994 film Sirens alongside Elle McPherson.

Hollywood beckoned and de Rossi has appeared in films and on the small screen in Ally McBeal in the 1990s and in comedy series Arrested Development.

Now aged 47, de Rossi is married to American talk-show megastar Ellen de Generes and is known for her philanthropy.

Alastair Clarkson

Born Kaniva, 27-4-1968 Those who saw a young Alastair Clarkson darting around Kaniva oval in the late 1970s might have picked he would forge a career at footy’s highest level.

However, even the determined and fierce competitor himself probably could not have predicted he would become arguably the game’s greatest coach.

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LifeStyle 2020

in the Wimmera Nick Cave teacher, Clarkson kicked the winning goal in his debut VFL match for North Melbourne and played 143 games for the Roos and then Melbourne.

He worked his way through coaching ranks to be appointed Hawthorn senior coach in 2005. He steered the Hawks to four flags, including three in a row, and has been named All Australian coach four times.

Janet Powell

Born Nhill, 29-9-1942 Janet McDonald went to school in her home town, then to Ballarat for university, before returning to Nhill High School as a teacher.

By this time married and known as Janet Powell, the community-minded teacher became involved in the Australian Democrats political party, which developed into the third force of Australian politics.

Powell became a Senator in the late 1980s and became the party’s third leader in July 1990.

She was ousted in a party coup in August 1991 and later joined the Australian Greens.

Honoured in the 2012 Queen’s Birthday list for services to the community, Powell died on September 30, 2013.

John Cade

Born Murtoa, 18-1-1912 Responsible for discovering a breakthrough treatment for the mentalhealth condition that became known as bipolar disorder, John Cade was the son of Murtoa general practitioner David.

After observing the effects on his father, who left the Wimmera to serve in the First World War, John Cade became a psychiatrist who helped pioneer research into the mental-health problems associated with war service.

Like his father, John Cade went to war.

He was a prisoner of war in the notorious Changi Prison from February 1942 to the end of the Second World War in September 1945.

Upon his return to Australia, Dr Cade found that lithium carbonate worked as a mood stabiliser for sufferers of ‘shell shock’, or manic depression.

Dr Cade’s discovery gave doctors treating acute sufferers an option other than the extreme lobotomy and electroconvulsive therapy.

Lithium treatment was later the topic of fierce debate, but Dr Cade’s revolutionary discovery changed modern medicine across

the world. He died in Fitzroy in November 1980 but his name lives on through fellowships, lectures and educational facilities named in his honour.

James Scobie Born in or near Ararat, 18-7-1860 James Scobie went from humble beginnings around Ararat to become one of Australian racing’s greatest trainers – still revered alongside Bart Cummings and other legends of the sport.

Scobie left school at 12 and worked his way from stable boy to metropolitan winning jockey in the space of eight years.

His stellar riding career was a mere entrée for his meteoric rise to the top of Australian training ranks.

Scobie clinched the big bucks of rich owners and built a racing empire which saw him claim almost every feature race on the calendar.

He trained the winners of four Melbourne Cups and eight times won the Victoria Derby. He died in 1940 and in 2001 was posthumously inducted into the Racing Victoria’s Hall of Fame.

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• $35 Christmas Party Dinner Menu Choices: MAINS CHOICES: OAST OF THE DAY served with Gravy and Chips R GRILLED OR BEER BATTERED FISH OF THE DAY served with salad or veg VEGETARIAN HOKKIEN NOODLE STIR FRY (vegetarian) MUSHROOM PIE (vegan) DESSERT CHOICES: • CHRISTMAS PUDDING • BRANDY SNAP ROLLS

• $65 Christmas Party Dinner Menu Choices:

MAINS CHOICES: DRY AGED SCOTCH FILLET OR PORTERHOUSE STEAK cooked to your

liking, served with mushroom, diane, peppercorn, garlic or red wine sauce.

Served with vegetables or salad and chips ALL-AUSTRALIAN CATCH Line-caught gummy shark, pan-seared Australian scallops, fresh oysters (natural or kilpatrick), Australian king prawns, salt ’n pepper calamari FILLED CHICKEN BREAST with ham, semi-dried tomatoes and goats cheese

DESSERT CHOICES: • CHRISTMAS PUDDING • KAHLUA CHEESECAKE

• $89 Christmas Party Dinner Menu Choices:

ENTREE CHOICES: 2 X AUSTRALIAN KING PRAWNS & 4 FRESH OYSTERS (natural or kilpatrick) DUCK SPRING ROLLS served in Asian dipping sauce MAINS CHOICES: FRESHLY CAUGHT CRAYFISH FROM ROBE S.A. (approx. 250g) served

James Scobie

Now on the menu by pre-order •Dry Aged Wagyu Rib Eye 400g 9+ marbling score, $160 •Freshly Caught Crayfish from Robe S.A. $65

Christmas Lunch $85 per person • $75 children 10-15 years $30 children 5-9 years • FREE – Children under 5 years

Publican’s Present: FREE beer, wine or soft drink on arrival!

ENTREE SELECTION: • 4 x NATURAL OR KILPATRICK OYSTERS • PRAWN COCKTAIL WITH 4 JUMBO QLD KING PRAWNS • 2 X OYSTERS plus 2 JUMBO QLD KING PRAWNS • GARLIC PRAWNS served with

• GARLIC BREAD option with cheese

• PUMPKIN SOUP • AUSTRALIAN SALT ’N PEPPER CALAMARI • DUCK SPRING ROLLS

rice

MAIN SELECTION: • ROAST OPTIONS – Pork, beef or turkey

• LINE-CAUGHT GUMMY SHARK from Robe S.A. • AUSTRALIAN BARRAMUNDI – grilled or beer-battered

• MUSHROOM PIE (vegetarian or vegan options)

• FILLED CHICKEN BREAST with

ham, goats cheese, pesto, finished with a creamy white sauce

• GRILLED LAMB BACKSTRAP Cooked medium rare on mash potato with red wine jus

DESSERT SELECTION: • CHRISTMAS PUDDING • BRANDY SNAP ROLLS

Check out our Facebook page for daily specials or royalhotelhorsham.com.au

with salad

DRY AGED SCOTCH FILLET OR PORTERHOUSE STEAK served with a sauce of your choice, chips and vegetables or salad FILLED CHICKEN BREAST with ham, semi-dried tomatoes and goats cheese

DESSERT CHOICES: CHRISTMAS PUDDING • BRANDY SNAP ROLLS • • KAHLUA CHEESECAKE

Royal Hotel Horsham, 132 Firebrace St • 5382 1255 LifeStyle 2020

Janet Powell

www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au

ROY 132 538

HORSHAM Page 61

Rob Gersch

Hindmarsh opportunity Travel Near, Travel Far, Travel Smart.

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Yes! Emma Coburn Independent Travel Agent P: 0419 157 841 E: emma.coburn@ eatpraylovetravel.com.au Page 62

T

By Andrew Dowdell

he tyranny of distance and a lower traditional tourism profile could work in favour of Hindmarsh Shire Council in its bid to attract visitors post-COVID, mayor Rob Gersch believes.

As strict restrictions on contact and travel begin to ease across Victoria, regional areas such as Hindmarsh Shire are eyeing tourist dollars for financial respite.

Cr Gersch, a lifetime resident and active community member of Nhill, said he believed Hindmarsh Shire could woo visitors away from iconic attractions such as the Grampians and Great Ocean Road.

“What we are going to have is people being tied up at home for so long that when the restrictions are lifted, they will be like a dog off a chain looking for somewhere to go,” he said.

“Last time the restrictions were lifted we went up to Halls Gap and I think everyone had the same idea, because it was so busy you basically couldn’t move.”

Cr Gersch said all Victorians would be acutely aware of the need to stop a third wave of COVID-19 infections and would likely seek destinations to avoid hordes of strangers.

While Hindmarsh Shire might lack traditional drawcard tourist spots, Cr Gersch said the rugged beauty and laid-back pace of his region would be attractive. This would especially be the case for Melbourne residents eager to breathe in fresh air away from the urban area.

“For someone who might live in towns or the city to just camp in our national parks or the Little Desert lodge would be an

www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au

experience they might not have had before,” he said.

“I suppose for someone like myself who has lived in a town or region for so long you can take a lot of things for granted.

“For example, we have one of the three areas in Victoria with the clearest skies and the greatest number of stars visible from earth, and a lot of people would not have seen that in their lives.”

While some traditional holiday spots such as lakes Hindmarsh and Albacutya have been dry for years, Cr Gersch said the towns of Rainbow and Jeparit – the birthplace of Sir Robert Menzies – remained popular destinations especially for older travellers.

He said residents of rural and remote Victoria would also welcome visitors for the human contact as well as a financial lifeline.

“We have had no football or netball, people couldn’t go to their local pub for a meal or drink and that is a real problem in terms of mental health, especially for young people,” he said.

While eagerly anticipating life and travel to return to normal, Cr Gersch said he sympathised with the State Government and health officials tasked with avoiding another wave of infections.

“It is not an easy job for them. For example, Nhill is on the main highway and if there was suddenly open travel again there’s a potential for the virus to spread again – it is a really hard balancing act,” he said.

Now 78, Cr Gersch said he was often asked why he had never moved away from the region for larger centres.

“My answer is always three words.

Quality of life,” he said.

LifeStyle 2020

E R U T N E ADV

t s e g r a l s ’ a r e The Wimm

Store

ms & Firear Ammo

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ra’s e m m i The W ing store fish t s e w ne Over 1000 lures in stock plus a truck-load of rods and reels

Reels & s d o R

From water to land, we’ll get you hooked!

Buy from the guys who actually shoot

27 Hamilton Hwy, Horsham Email: jashooting@bigpond.com www.jashootingsupplies.com.au

Licence No.: 833-520-20F

Ph: 5382 2248

Enjoy the Great Outdoors with Barbeques Galore Horsham Outdoor Living Collection SIX WAYS TO MASTER YOUR GRILLING GAME WHEN YOU FIRE UP YOUR TRAEGER, you ignite the power to grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise, and BBQ – you’re the master of all trades.

From baby back ribs to wood-fired pizza, smoky mac & cheese and even homemade apple pie, anything you can cook up in your head, you can cook up on your Traeger.

GRILL

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Come and see our extensive new season’s outdo or living on displa y

ROAST

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Jette

Contempo

For that extra cushioning, try the Jette. Stylish comfort with UV resistant textile chairs in complimentary charcoal, and a slick aluminium slat table top finish.

The name says it all. Freshen up your outdoor space with the stylish and bold Contempo From the sophisticated quality brushed aluminium and upscale mixed grey wicker, to the lush high-quality cushions, the Contempo will star in your entertaining for years to come.

Larache

Cruz

Topped with stylish glass or slatted aluminium, and constructed from sturdy frames, the Larache range is tough enough to withstand any weather.

Co-ordinate your furniture to your outdoor landscape with the natural charm of timber. Its classic feel and warmth make it an easy choice to enhance any space.

Ph: 5382 1541 58 Darlot St, Horsham

Step Outside and Live