[ Random Image ]

 

July 2021

When we dare to face the cruel social and ecological realities we have been accustomed to,

courage is born and powers within us are liberated to reimagine and even, perhaps one day, rebuild a world.

(Joanna Macy, Entering the Bardo)

Welcome to the July edition of Localising Leanganook. In this edition there’s information about:

  1. Naidoc Week – Traditional Craft Workshop

  2. Repair Cafes- ‘how-to’ workshops and ‘the right to repair’

  3. Shaping our history together- a narrative to stop racism

  4. Resourceful Hepburn- Community Survey

  5. Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky concert- Local story teller & musician

  6. Castlemaine Free University- Cuba through the lens of music, history and food

  7. Newstead Arts Hub- sculpture workshop, plus art exhibition and auction

  8. Hepburn Wind, Community Energy & Australian Local Power Agency Bill

  9. Reconciliation Award for Hepburn Shire- Three Films

  10. Biodiversity and Community Grants- Hepburn & Mt Alexander shires

  11. Friends of Cornish Hill Reconciliation Week Event

  12. Natural Dyeing with Ilka White

  13. Agriculture Energy Investment Plan

  14. Wombat Forestcare- new National Parks and Reserves in our region

  15. Regional Water Storages

  16. Hepburn Wholefoods

  17. Bird of the month: Galah

  18. Castlemaine library- Heal Country, Story Time, & Cycling Together book launch

  19. Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival

  20. Words in Winter returns in August

  21. Bendigo Sustainability Group- Community Power Hub

  22. Experimental Print Prize- Castlemaine Art Museum

  23. Central Vic Climate Action

  24. An illustrated guide- how farms can reach z-net

  25. Loddon Mallee climate ready plan 2021 – seeking feedback

  26. Food for Thought- Mending, Covering Climate Now, Whanganui river, Sentience of the land, the Nightingale’s song

 

1. Naidoc Week- Traditional Craft workshop with Yarn Bark

When: Friday – 9 July 2021, 10am-12pm

Where: Yandoit Mechanics Institute and Public Hall, High St, Yandoit

What: Hepburn Shire Council NAIDOC Week activity-Traditional Craft Workshop with Yarn Bark
Other relevant details:  BYO lunch, Tea and Coffee provided. Numbers limited to 15
Cost: Free Workshop to Adults 18+
Bookings:  TryBooking https://www.trybooking.com/BSMZT
For more information: Donna Spiller – Arts, Culture and Reconciliation Officer,  dspiller@hepburn.vic.gov.au M:0417004983
COVID-19 restrictions apply. We will endeavour to work outdoors. Please bring a mask as we will move indoors if weather conditions are poor.

Yarn Bark is committed to forging deep connections between First Nations Peoples and Communities and Non – Indigenous People who live and work across these traditional lands now known as Australia. We facilitate these connections through transformational experiences that create energetic and spiritual spaces for all people to connect to the essence and heartbeat of First Nations Culture, Methodologies and way of being. Particularly through the creation of traditional craft and artefacts.
This Experience
We will provide a half day Traditional Craft and Artefact Making Experience for people throughout the Hepburn Shire to immerse themselves in the end to end process of bringing cultural artefacts to life and will leave with their own items to embrace.
This process is far more than just physically crafting, but rather involves connecting deeply to yourself, with others and the land, storytelling, deep listening and creative expression.
Safe Space
This is a safe space for all people of all cultures to participate in. Harmful, Hurtful or Discriminative behaviours will not be welcomed. This is a space of care, kindness and experiential learning where those participating are encouraged to bring their whole selves free of fear or judgement.

2. Repair Cafes, ‘how-to’ workshops and right to repair

Next Daylesford Repair Cafe

When and Where: Sunday July 18th, 1-4pm at Victoria park Pavillion (Daylesford/Ballan Rd)
What : Special darning workshop- 1.30 to 3.30pm

Say goodbye to throw away fast fashion and wear your beautifully mended clothing with pride. Local crafters Jackie and Glen will be available to give one on one lessons in darning. Invisible darning and bold decorative darning will be covered.

Bring your damaged socks, knitwear, coats or denim jeans to be repaired. Also sewing needles (large eye darning needles especially), sewing cottons, embroidery threads and knitting yarns, small sharp scissors and a darning tool such as a wooden darning mushroom, (or an orange or apple can be used).

See you then for a cosy afternoon of stitching.

Next Castlemaine Repair Cafe

When: : Sunday July 25th, 10am to 1pm, .

Where: Castlemaine Community House, 30 Templeton St

Next Bendigo Repair Cafe

When and Where: Saturday July 17th, 10am at the Old Church on the hill

What: Creative ways to mend woollen clothes

Article from The Guardian on the Right to Repair (thanks to Chris Hooper)

It should be easier for Australians to get their smartphones, tablets and other devices repaired or replaced, the Productivity Commission has found.The commission reviewed the so-called “right to repair” in Australia and received more than 300 submissions and comments. Many consumers complained that companies were making it harder and more expensive to get devices repaired by anyone other than the manufacturer. The most common issues with phones, for example, are smashed screens or the need to replace the battery, but  increasingly, companies like Apple and Samsung are making it harder for consumers to repair it themselves – or get it repaired by anyone but Apple or Samsung.

Kevin Purdy, a journalist at the repair site iFixit, told Guardian Australia earlier this year a major issue preventing people from fixing their own devices was the increasing cost of parts, which often meant a repair was as expensive as a replacement. “The cost of the repair itself needs to be some reasonable fraction of the total replacement cost of the device or people just won’t bother,” he said at the time. “If it costs much more than about a third of the price of the new device, people tend to gravitate towards just buying a new one. The director of repair shop Phone Spot, Nicholas Muradian, told the Productivity Commission that Samsung parts were getting too expensive. “They make their LCD screens that are used to repair mobile devices available but at a price that is too high. That makes it hard for a consumer to justify the repair,” he said. “I am finding that for the same price I am purchasing a part for, Samsung offers the repair to the customer at the same cost. This is an indirect method of putting a stop to third-party repair.”

Manufacturers were also making it harder through software locks to prevent unauthorised repairs. Specific screws on devices that can only be unlocked by tools owned by the manufacturer are also increasingly common.

The commission’s draft report, released on Friday, found the three main sectors where it was becoming harder to get repairs were mobile phones and tablets, motor vehicles, and agricultural machinery. The report contained seven recommendations to improve the right to repair and reduce the amount of electronic waste created in Australia. The commission’s draft report recommends the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission provide a minimum expected durability for categories of household products. It also wants state and territory governments to introduce alternative dispute resolution methods for people with repair or replacement issues. The commission is also looking at whether consumer groups should be able to collect complaints about products and then lodge a “super complaint” to the ACCC. The commission’s draft report also recommends making it against the law for companies to put warranty seals – that means stickers that break when the device is opened – on their products, after discovering seals in seven out of the 30 warranties reviewed including on the PlayStation 4, washing machines, mobile phones and high-end watches.Su ch a law already exists on most products in the United States.

The commission also suggested copyright law could be amended to allow independent repairers access to information and tools. Laptop manufacturer Toshiba in 2012 used Australian copyright law to send cease and desist notices to a hobbyist repairer website hosting laptop service manuals for Toshiba products.

Despite complaints about issues with repairability, the commission found mixed evidence that manufacturers were deliberately reducing the lifecycle of their devices, to force consumers to purchase the latest models.“A lot of manufacturers will design their products to last as long as the consumer would want to keep a product,” commissioner Paul Lindwall said. “A phone is a very intensely-used product … so the battery does get a lot more use in a phone so I’m not entirely surprised they only last two years. “Replacing the battery in the phone is not easy at all, obviously, that’s a design issue, but … the evidence is often that people are swapping [the product] out before the end of life for a number of reasons.”

The national television and computer recycling scheme should also be expanded to not just be about recycling e-waste but also allowing for products to be repaired and reused, the commission said, and the annual recycling targets should include products that have been repaired or refurbished. The commission has also recommended Australia better track where its e-waste ends up through the use of GPS transmitters on e-waste collected for recycling under the scheme.

The commission is set to hand its final report to the government in October and will hold roundtable discussions in the next few months on the draft recommendations.

3. Shaping our history together- a narrative to stop racism

Shaping our history together, a narrative to stop racism is a series of workshops, including a day out on Country, to share our past history since colonisation, talk about ways to reduce racism in our communities and finding ways forward to a more inclusive and resilient future.

When: Sessions will be held weekly during term 3, starting Thursday 15th July 6.30pm and finishing at 8 pm

Where: Maldon Neighboorhood Centre.

Registration and cost: Register your interest at the Maldon Neighboorhood Centre on (03) 5475 2093.  Cost: $200 full price and $180 concession.

The sessions will be run by Aunty Marilyne Nicholls and other Dja Dja Wurrung representatives, along with Emmanuelle Dubuc who is the founder of Mirawara Outdoor Experiences Inc. Through the weekly sessions, the participants will discover Indigenous culture, especially Dja Dja Wurrung culture and talk about our common history since colonisation. The end of term will be celebrated with a field trip on the cultural landscape of the Dja Dja Wurrung people: Mt Dharrengower (Mt Tarrengower).

This project comes as a response to the Statement from the Heart, where Traditional Owners across the country, are seeking a Makarrata Commission to supervise the agreement making process between government and First Nations and truth-telling about their history (Statement from the Heart, 2017).  There cannot be reconciliation without acknowledging the continuing impact of colonisation on First Nation Peoples.  Participants will have a reading packet available and specific readings will be selected weekly to engage in deep discussions during class time.

This initiative has been sponsored by Mt Alexander Shire and Maldon District Community Bank.

4. Resourceful Hepburn- Community Survey

Resourceful Hepburn is a group of Hepburn Shire residents who have recently started their own war on waste! And they’re looking for input from the wider community to collaborate and contribute across the communities of Hepburn Shire.
In 2016-17 Australia generated about 67 million tonnes of waste, and that figure is increasing. The cost of food waste alone to the economy is estimated at $20 billion each year. Resourceful Hepburn hopes to emulate the very successful Bendigo social enterprise, the Eaglehawk Recycling Centre. Started in 1994, this enterprise continues to thrive today, operating self-sufficiently and profitably with over $1,000,000 in revenue each year. It provides local jobs (12 permanent roles), minimises the waste that ends up in landfill (more than 10,000 tonnes diverted from landfill each year), and saves the council – and therefore the community – tens of thousands of dollars each year in waste management costs.There are already a number of successful examples of community initiatives along similar line. The Daylesford Repair CafeDaylesford Community Op Shop and the Hepburn Wholefoods Collective are initiatives started by locals for locals. 
Resourceful Hepburn has invited local residents to contribute to a short survey to help understand the community’s views on waste and to help the group set a future direction. The survey closed on June 30th but you can still get involved or learn more through the Resourceful Hepburn page on Facebook where you can also track the survey results. Contact Sebastian Klein (sebastianjohnklein@gmail.com) or Helen Tobias (helen@helentobias.com) if you would like to be part of the strategy development process or just to keep informed about progress.

5. Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky concert- Local story teller & musician

 

Local storyteller/musician, Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky, is celebrating his fifty years working with Australian music and stories with a concert that gathers in material from his early days in The Bushwackers Band to now, with themes of respect for the country and Aboriginal people and their culture, poignant personal songs and hilarious yarns that you wouldn’t know are true, or not. Accompanied by Jack Norton on guitars and bouzouki. The concert is called Thank You for the Welcome.

When: Saturday 17 July, 2021, 7.30 for 8pm
Where: Maldon Vintage Machinery & Museum, Vincent St, Maldon
Cost: $30

6. Castlemaine Free University- Cuba through the lens of music, history and food

When: Monday, August 2nd, 7-9 pm

Where: Northern Arts Hotel, 359 Barker Street, Castlemaine

FREE — but the bar will be open for drinks to purchase.

Following the inspiring session in May, with Ralph Newmark, on the history of music and food in Latin America as a way to understand political, cultural, economic and social change in the region, Ralph will focus, this time, on Cuba, through the lens of music, history and food.

Dr Ralph Newmark is an historian and past Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at La Trobe University in Melbourne (ILAS, 2008–2020). A media regular, discussing Latin American affairs, he presents a 3CR radio program on the history and music of Latin America and the Caribbean. Ralph developed the concepts of ‘aural history’ and ‘tasting history’ re. the innovative use of music and food to researching and teaching history.*

*MORE on the SPEAKER

Ralph Newmark was co-editor of JILAS ~ Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies (now JILAR) for over a decade, and is a past President of the Association of Iberian and Latin American Studies of Australasia (2006–2008). A specialist in Brazilian history, especially the Getúlio Vargas era (1930s–1950s), teacher of popular subjects, publications include a chapter in Australia and Latin America: Challenges and Opportunities in the New Millennium, ANU Press, 2014. In 2012 Ralph won an Australian Government Award for his pedagogic methodologies.

For more information on Castlemaine Free University — https://anitranelson.info/cfu

July’s event

At July’s CFU event a good number of locals gathered to hear a lively presentation by Michelle Dunn about Everyday photos and social change. Michelle is founder of MDP Photography and Video, and photography education company With Camera in Hand.With photos saturating our lives more than ever via marketing and social media platforms, her talk was designed to change the way we look at photography. Michelle pulled images from the unconscious and firmly planted them in our conscious mind, showing just how much power every individual holds in creating social change. With a mission to make the photographic industry accountable for their influence, Michelle’s research study Photographers as Changemakers (2020), highlights the way photographers in Regional Victoria see the role of their images in our community. 

 

7. Newstead Arts Hub- sculpture workshop, plus art exhibition and auction

From a disused railway station to a thriving arts space. The Hub is a place where creativity and culture are celebrated. Exhibitions, events and workshops are conceived and presented by local community members. The Hub welcomes locals, artists and visitors to share in the experience of creative expression, community connection and learning.

Weaving a wild & wacky installation

Take inspiration from a mass of wild and wacky vines and flowers adorning the Hub walls, as you learn to weave and contribute your own work to this evolving installation. Jodie Goldring will lead participants through making bird sculptures out of grasses and natural materials collected by Jodie herself.

The birds we make will be added to the evolving installation throughout the weekend to create a natural habitat (of sorts!). Learn about basketry techniques and materials, and join in a journey of creative discovery. No experience needed. Book to guarantee your morning or afternoon spot at the table. Drop-ins welcome. COVID-Safe plan in place.

The installation will be on show at the Hub during August opening hours: your bird is yours to take home after that!

When:  Sat-Sun 31 July & 1 August, 10-4pm each day
Where: Newstead Arts Hub, 8A Tivey St, Newstead
Free – All welcome Gold coin donations invited!
Artist: Jodie Goldring
Viewing: Sun 1 Aug, 3pm
Drop in to see what we have created!

Book here

Hidden Away – celebrating art & community

Hidden away behind your cupboards lie the beautiful works of art you have long treasured but no longer hold a place on your wall. Tucked in the bottom of a drawer, the prints you are yet to find a home for. Or at the back of the cupboard, or under the bed, a beloved art work, that is too special for the op shop. Art that needs a new home – a place on someone else’s wall.

Hidden Away is the theme of this year’s annual art exhibition and auction. Enjoy delicious canapes and drinks while you peruse the wonderful art works up for auction. Browse through the art online in the coming weeks and come with paddle in hand to bid for your favourite pieces, or just revel in the excitement of a live auction. A night filled with people coming together to celebrate each other and support the continuation of rural community arts. Book now!

When and Where:  Sat 24 July, 5.30-8pm at Newstead Arts Hub

8. Hepburn Wind, Community Energy & Australian Local Power Agency Bill

The independent Member for Indi, Helen Haines,  is championing community energy. Earlier this year her team put the Australian Local Power Agency Bill 2021 to Parliament which has now been referred to the Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy to undertake a Parliamentary Inquiry and report.

Hepburn Wind encourages supporters to make a submission highlighting the benefits this bill could have for community energy and renewables – make a submission here.

What does the Bill put forward? The Australian Local Power Agency Bill 2021 calls for the introduction of the Australian Local Power Agency (ALPA) that would create regional hubs to support community energy development. The ALPA would extend the government’s energy underwriting scheme to support locally-owned renewable energy projects and implement a new requirement that large renewable energy projects offer the local community a chance to co-invest. In addition to these functions the ALPA would share information, knowledge and resources to help community energy projects get up and running and liaise between ARENA and the CEFC.

Why does the Bill matter? Should this Bill go through it would be a game-changer for renewables and community energy. The Australian Local Power Agency would help to unlock community-driven energy across the country and ensure that income from large scale renewables is shared more equitably within host communities.

How can I support this Bill? It’s easy and will take only two minutes of your time. MP Helen Haines has set up a portal on her website where you can make a submission online here. Or you can submit directly to the Standing Committee via the Australian Federal Government website here. Create your submission now to support the Australian Local Power Agency Bill 2021

9. Reconciliation Award for Hepburn Shire- Three Films

Hepburn Shire recently received a Highly Commended Award for the film series ‘Peaks Wetlands and Rivers’ at the HART Awards (Helping Achieve Reconciliation Together) in the Local Government category.

The three films take viewers on a journey of truth telling across the landscape with Djaara Elder Uncle Rick Nelson and Professor Barry Golding. Haven’t seen the films yet? Watch them here. The project was an initiative of Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan Advisory Committee.

 

10. Biodiversity and Community Grants- Hepburn & Mt Alexander shires

Seven groups will share in $24,000 of funding as part of Hepburn shire’s annual biodiversity grants. Funds will go towards restoration of wetland areas to improve habitat for the Bright-eyed Brown Butterfly (pictured), revegetation along Creswick Creek, a pilot project to introduce biodiversity and cultural awareness training, a fox control project in North Drummond, training in weed control and chemical use, woody weed control in Wattle Flat and renewal of the biodiversity of the Quarry Street Reserve in Trentham.

Hepburn Shire’s community grants round 1 for 2021/22 opens on July 1st and closes on July 29th. Community groups and organisations have the opportunity to apply for funding on a quarterly basis. This includes local not-for-profit groups and organisations within the Hepburn Shire, who are incorporated with an ABN, or have an auspicing agent.To be eligible community projects must meet the following criteria: (1) Be a new or one-off event or program, or a new initiative for an existing event (excluding Category E. Charitable Purposes); (2) Be conducted within the Hepburn Shire to the benefit of its residents. For more information, including grant guidelines, visit the council website at  www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/community-grants-program.To discuss your application, or for more information, contact Michelle Whyte, Coordinator Community Partnerships, on 5321 6496 or mwhyte@hepburn.vic.gov.au.

Mt Alexander Shire’s 2021 Community Grants – Round 2 will open on Monday 19 July 2021. Anyone who has an idea for a community based project, program or initiative is encouraged to apply. Our Community Grants provide support to new, innovative and emerging local community development projects and initiatives that align with Council’s strategic objectives. The Program is made up of two funding streams: Small Grants up to $3,000 and Partnership Grants up to $10,000. See the guidelines below for further information.If you would like to know more about the grants program, want to know if you are eligible or wish to discuss project ideas or the application process, contact a member of the Community Partnerships Team on 5471 1700 or email grants@mountalexander.vic.gov.au.

Dates for the 2021 Community Grants – Round 2:
OPENS – Monday 19 July 12am; CLOSES – Monday 9 August 4pm

11. Friends of Cornish Hill Reconciliation Week Event

Silence was broken on Thursday 27 May when school staff and students from Yandoit, Bullarto and the Dharma primary schools gathered at the Daylesford Community Park for the Friends of Cornish Hill’s final one day workshop. The workshop was named Bu-Ka Lo-Wurru, meaning breaking the silence. Being the first day of Reconciliation week, this gave everyone an opportunity to honour the Dja Dja Wurrung people. Believing that reconciliation is a journey for all Australians, the Friends of Cornish Hill wanted to recognise this day, to make a difference in moving forward and to break the silence which surrounds the history of loss for all First Nations people.

A Welcome to Country and Smoking ceremony was conducted by highly respected Dja Dja Elder Aunty Marilyne Nicholls after which the students worked through three rotations each with a different activity. The activities included creating simple string and stick mobiles, discussion about the plants and animals that call Cornish Hill home as well as making models of some of these animals made from straw and bound with wool. For the final activity, each student creating their own symbol of recognition being a clay handprint made from a slurry of clay gathered from Cornish Hill.

From Principal of the Dharma School Jen Willis: “What an absolute delight it has been for the children of the Dharma School to participate in such engaging and rich learning experiences with the Friends of Cornish Hill. The environmental, cultural and peer learning programs that they have experienced have been such a valuable addition to their experiential learning. We are so grateful for such a meaningful community offering.”

Photo: Friends of Cornish Hill

12. Natural Dyeing with Ilka White

  

Where: Castlemaine Community House ,30 Templeton Street Castlemaine

What: Discover some of nature’s hidden sources of colour! For thousands of years plants have been used to dye fibre and fabric and a beautiful natural palette is still available today without the need for harmful chemicals. Local weeds or kitchen off-cuts can offer you harmonious hues in a range of values and intensity. This hands-on workshop introduces a selection of local colour possibilities, as well as discussing fibre types, mordanting options and dye safety. A resist technique will also be used to produce patterned cloth.

Cost: $125

13. Agriculture Energy Investment Plan

The Victorian Government’s Agriculture Energy Investment Plan (AEIP) has been extended to help more Victorian farmers improve their energy efficiency and overall productivity. Applications for free on-farm energy assessments are now open until 15 July 2021. They are eligible for farms which spend more than $8000 per year on energy costs. The On-Farm Energy Assessments analyse on-farm energy use (electricity, gas and diesel) and identify opportunities to:  make energy savings;  improve output volumes per energy unit; and to convert to renewable energy sources.
For more information on the program, eligibility and application process visit the link below or attached guidelines.
https://agriculture.vic.gov.au/support-andresources/funds-grants-programs/agriculture-energyinvestment-plan/on-farm-energy-assessments.

14. Wombat Forestcare- new National Parks and Reserves in our region

A collaboration of over 40 groups, coordinated by local community conservation group Wombat Forestcare, called on the Andrews Government to create and implement new parks for Victoria, through a series of full page adds in six papers across key regional centres of Bendigo, Ballarat, Castlemaine, Moorabool, Daylesford, Macedon.

As a result of this community campaign and the work of many groups Victoria’s central west will have 65,106 hectares of new National Parks further protecting the area’s unique environment.  The new National Parks and reserves will protect habitat for rare and threatened species. New National Parks will be created by linking existing state forests, parks and reserves. The largest will bring together Lerderderg State Park and much of the existing Wombat State Forest to create a new national park covering more than 44,000 hectares between Daylesford and Bacchus Marsh. A 15,000-hectare Pyrenees National Park will be created northwest of Avoca, and a 5282-hectare Mount Buangor National Park will double the size of the existing State Park north of Buangor. New conservation parks covering 5246 hectares in areas with a high biodiversity value have also been created to protect precious flora and fauna. A further 7560 hectares are being added to expand existing nature and bushland reserves. Regional parks will be expanded by 27,735 hectares.

If you’re interested to learn more about the creatures that call Wombat State forest home and those communities caring for it, check out the publications, videos and photographs supplied by dedicated volunteers at Wombat Forestcare at  https://www.wombatforestcare.org.au/

You can also subscribe to Wombat Forestcare’s newsletter- here’s their March 2021 newsletter: http://www.wombatforestcare.org.au/newsletters/WombatForestcareNewsletter55_March_21.pdf

15. Regional Water Storages

Percentage water storage figures in our region, as of June 24th, 2021:  (with thanks to North Central Catchment Management Authority)

Cairn Curran Res-  38.05; Tullaroop Res 39.10;

Laanecoorie Res 38.13; Newlyn Res 77.67;

Hepburns Lagoon 71.59;  Lake Eppalock 35.43

Upper Coliban Res 88.40; Lauriston Res 92.80;  Malmsbury Res 23.6

16. Hepburn Wholefoods

July is Engagement Month at Hepburn Wholefoods, and its also our one-year anniversary in our new space! After a year of establishing, and settling in, it’s time to engage more with our members generally, and our volunteers, and seek your ideas into our future direction. So for the month of July there will be some social get-togethers, as well as member consultation into our future direction.

Wholefoods Happy Hour
Thursday 1st of July ~ 5 – 6pm
Thursday 15th of July ~ 5 – 6pm

Mulled wine and nibbles ~ come and connect, say hello, have a lovely time!

Soup Saturday
Saturday 3rd of July ~ 1 3pm
Soup made from our gorgeous produce ~ come and connect and enjoy some delicious soup.

Soup Saturday & Working Bee
Saturday 17th of July  ~ 1 – 3pm
Soup made from our gorgeous produce ~ come and connect, enjoy some delicious soup and have a potter in the garden / help out with jobs if it takes your fancy!

PLEASE RSVP for catering purposes to Beverly on hello@hepburnwholefoods.org.au

Member Consultation: For the whole of July, in the shop space there will be a ‘polling booth” (you can’t miss it) with the opportunity for you to give us some feedback. If you won’t be in the shop, don’t worry – we will be sending out a survey too, so keep an eye out for this, as we need as many of you as possible to have your say.

Wicking Bed Workshop – Saturday 10th of July ~ 2-4pm (Free)

Wicking beds use significantly less water than standard garden beds through a unique irrigation style – from underneath! This “on-tap” water supply supports your veggies in striving for their best, by having access to moisture on a consistent basis. This session will cover the science and logistics of building a wicking bed, including:

  • How wicking beds work and what they offer, including water and labour savings & easy vegetable gardening
  • When wicking beds are great option, and when they might not be
  • Q and A session for all your wicking bed plant growing questions

Located at Daylesford Lawn Tennis Club, 66a West Street, Daylesford. Enter via Perrins Street.
For all enquiries please email members@hepburnwholefoods.org.au

17. Bird of the month: Galah

Bird of the month is a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one special local bird species.

Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla)

Recently I had the absolute pleasure of visiting Nature Foundation’s property, Witchelina Nature Reserve, near Marree in South Australia and I highly recommend making the effort to visit. Whilst there I saw desert birds that Victorians get very excited about because their ranges don’t extend this far south. These are birds we rarely see and birds we commonly see, like the Galah. This bird is either overlooked or labelled a destroyer of crops, but lights up in clear desert light showing off the most stunning pink face and body.

Cockatoos are known to be very intelligent the world over, and this includes the Galah. They have readily adapted to altered habitats such as farmland, particularly cropping, with accompanying water sources. I saw them at Witchelina utilising open woodland and mallee, with the exception of the driest areas. They can often be seen in mixed flocks with both Corella species and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, feeding on any area of open ground.

However, Galahs have also learned to utilise tall forests and coastal areas, a seemingly far cry from their original dry interior ranges. Interestingly, while the Galah was known rarely in Tasmania, there is now an expanded breeding population. In another example of the ability of this species to move vast distances, in 1966 in response to drought, a flock of Galahs moved from inland areas to Maroochydore in Queensland, where they now reside and breed. Its wide distribution and abundance positions the Galah as perhaps the most successful member of the cockatoo family.

Female Galah with her pink eye (photo by Jane Rusden)

Due to their adaptability, Galahs have landed in the crosshairs of parties with grievances towards them. This is an extra sad dilemma as they form permanent pair bonds for the life of a bird and have complex social structures. They will often use the same nest in a tree hollow year after year, rearing young who remain dependent for several months in the nest, then another month in a creche, still being feed by their parents. On a lighter note, studies have shown their love of what humans call mischief. Galahs can undo bindings on grain bags for a free feed, will play and swing on wires, roll down inclines and play with objects using their feet, while lying on their backs. To bathe they love to hang upside down with their wings out, in the rain. No wonder the slang for a person being a bit of a goof is ‘you’re a Galah!’

To listen to the call of the Galah, visit Graeme Chapman’s website – click here

Written and illustrated by Jane Rusden and Damian Kelly for this article

Initially posted by Connecting Country on 23 June, 2021 – https://connectingcountry.org.au/

18. Castlemaine library- Heal Country, Story Time, & Cycling Together book launch

Heal Country

NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to come together to celebrate the rich history, diverse cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the oldest continuing cultures on the planet. This year’s theme – Heal Country! – calls for all of us to continue to seek greater protections for our lands, our waters, our sacred sites and our cultural heritage from exploitation, desecration and destruction. Read more about this year’s theme.

“Aboriginal people just didn’t wander around the country with nothing much to do but hunt and gather. They had strict rules and protocols on things they could do and not do and places they could go and not go. One place you could not go was into a neighbouring groups area without first participating in a Tanderrum Ceremony, or the Welcome to Country Ceremony.” Dja Dja Wurrung Elder Uncle Rick Nelson talks about the meaning of smoking ceremonies and the importance of sharing Aboriginal culture with non-Indigenous people. Check out the short video here.

For more information on Indigenous culture, resources and more community events, visit our First Nations webpage.

Recommended reading If you’d like to read more about Indigenous culture or read some amazing titles from First Nations authors, the library has an extensive range – both physical and digital. Here’s some  on our website. Don’t hesitate to ask for suggestions from library staff.

Storytimes are back for Term 3

Storytimes are back in session from Monday 12 July. Nurture your child’s listening and learning skills in these fun-filled sessions of stories and rhymes for children up to 5 years. Pick up a Storytime card next time you’re in the library, or view session times online.

Baby Rhyme Time for ages 0-1 – Tuesdays 10:30-11am
Toddler Time for ages 1-3 – Mondays 10:30-11am
Story Time for ages 3-5 – Fridays 10:30-11:15a

Trace Balla: Cycling Together book launch

A story about closing the link between menstrual cycles and poverty cycles. Join us as local award-winning author/illustrator Trace Balla launches her new graphic novel about girlhood – with all proceeds from book sales going to a worthy charity. Trace’s brother Mark Balla founded Operation Toilets to support girls’ education by providing access to toilets in schools in India and Africa. Inspired by his project, Trace travelled with him in India to make this book.

Special guests: Jane Bennett – Menstrual Educator; Mark Balla – CEO of Operation Toilets; Trace Balla – author/illustrator

Book sales and signings. Book your tickets here.

When: Saturday 24 July, 11am-12pm at Castlemaine Library

19. Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival

When: Saturday July 24th and Sunday July 25th, 2021

Screenings: Theatre Royal, Castlemaine

8 films over two days, including:

MY NAME IS GULPILIL– “David Gulpilil , the great Australian actor is a mesmerising, electrifying presence. Leaping off the big screen he changed Australian screen representation forever”.

CHINA’S THREE DREAMS“In the 1970s, we had three dreams: a watch, a wireless and a bicycle”. What are the dreams of the Chinese people today?

MAXIMA– “One woman’s fight against corporate greed. An indigenous woman from the Peruvian Andes who cannot read or write, stands up to the largest gold producer in the world, US-based Newmont Mining Corporation.”

RAISE THE BAR– “How controversial can one basketball team of eight-year-old girls be? Very! This is a story of 8–13-year-old girls, who wanted to change the paradigm in women’s basketball in Iceland. But it could happen anywhere.”

For more information and tickets: https://cdocff.com.au/

20. Words in Winter returns in August

When: August 19th to 22nd, 2021

Where: Daylesford

Words in Winter is an annual literary and arts festival held in August each year in the Hepburn Shire and surrounding districts. Words in Winter is a celebration of words, stories and ideas in all their forms shared by locals and visiting presenters through readings, poetry, theatre, music, talks, workshops, visiting authors, and exhibitions. Find out more about the festival here. 

More program details will be included in Localising Leanganook’s August edition.

21. Bendigo Sustainability Group- Community Power Hub

Bendigo Sustainability Group have applied for funding under the Victorian Government’s Community Power Hub (CPH) program to run CPH Loddon Mallee. If successful they expect to be employing or contracting someone in each of the following areas, around Mildura, Swan Hill, Bendigo and the Macedon Ranges/Mount Alexander Shires with one of the 4 as Project Manager.

The work will involve establishing community investment in renewable energy projects, in particular some or all of the following: project management, community engagement, project feasibility analysis, tendering for and commissioning of projects (probably mostly up to 100kW solar rooftop projects, some possibly with batteries).  The positions are likely to be from part-time to full-time and be for about 12 months.

If the submission is successful, they will need to appoint and get the project moving quickly so if there any questions, thoughts or you are interested in applying please contact: Colin Lambie, Bendigo Sustainability Group, PO Box 1362, Bendigo 3552, Tele 0417 561 903

22.  Experimental Print Prize- Castlemaine Art Museum

Castlemaine Art Museum is pleased to announce the second Experimental Print Prize. Established in 2019, the biennial, non-acquisitive prize is open to artists resident in Victoria. Through the generous support of an anonymous local donor, three prizes are offered: $10,000, $5,000 and $3,000 for an emerging artist.

There is a strong tradition of printmaking in Victoria and the EPP seeks to foster new directions in the field through both the exhibition of shortlisted artists and awarding of prizes. Unique amongst printmaking prizes, EPP recognises that experimentation and risk are essential to art.

Entries are invited from artists using innovative approaches to traditional printmaking processes such as intaglio, relief, planographic, digital processes and photography (if included within the printmaking process). Experimentation may include challenging and redefining concepts of printmaking; crossing traditional boundaries between media; pushing the limits of medium and process; engaging with new tools, techniques and materials; artists’ books and three dimensional work will be accepted. Established through to early career artists are encouraged to apply.

Writing on the inaugural EPP for Imprint Magazine, Viva Hall stated, “The prize is a varied and exciting example of diversity within print. Being a non-acquisitive prize with an emphasis on experimentation gives room for artists to push themselves and their practices.”

EXHIBITION
The official exhibition opening of the shortlisted artists and announcement of winners will be held on 13 November, 2021.
An exhibition of shortlisted works will be held at Castlemaine Art Museum, 14 Lyttleton Street, Castlemaine, Victoria, from 13 November – 28 February 2022.
Selected artists will be asked to provide a short biography and artist statement.

Entry fee $35.00

IMPORTANT DATES
Entries Open: 28 May 2021
Entries close: 12 September 2021
Shortlisting: September
Notification by email of selection: 10 October 2021
Selected entries to be delivered to the Castlemaine Art Museum between: 21-24 October 2021, between 12.00pm and 5.00pm
Exhibition dates: 13 November 2021 – 28 February 2022
Official opening and announcement of prizes: 13 November 2021
Collection of works: 4-7 March 2022

23. Central Vic Climate Action

A couple of wins in the climate change battle:-
(1)  In a landmark ruling, a Dutch Court has held the Royal Dutch Shell Company liable for its contributions to climate change, claiming its operations undermined basic guaranteed human rights. This could have far reaching consequences for other oil companies and climate-justice organisations are working to ensure this. For more information:
(2) AGL has sued Greenpeace for claiming that the company was the dirtiest polluter in Australia and AGL lost.
A letter to the editor by Trevor Scott published in the Bendigo Advertiser and the Midland Express.

‘Recently over 20,000 attended School Strike for Climate in Melbourne, indicating that Australians are not prepared to wait for government action on climate change. Also, the International Energy Agency, long time supporter of  fossil fuels, has recently stated that to keep GHG emissions at safe levels, there must be no new coal mines or gasfields, or expansion of  any existing ones. But Labor politicians,  Joel Fitzgibbon and Meryl Swanson, whose seats are in the Hunter Valley, heart of the NSW coal country, believe that the rapid phasing out of coal will be politically disastrous for their Party. In a recent newspaper article about coal miners, it says “Labor cannot win the next election without an appeal to these workers”. Meanwhile the LNP government has found $90 – 100 billion to fund the Job Keeper and Job Seeker Schemes, and is about to commit $600 million of taxpayer funds to the “gas-led recovery”, but cannot find $10 billion to build the Star of the South, a fully viable, off-shore wind project that will generate 2.2 GW of renewable power and could be operating in 6-10 years. Right here is a great opportunity for Labor to go to the next election with a plan to transition from fossil fuel to renewable-generated electricity. 

Naturally the workers in coal mines and coal-fired power stations are concerned for their jobs, but under the Just Transition Plan, no jobs would be lost and, most importantly, we would have a safe climate now and into the future.’

Trevor Scott (Castlemaine)   Photo: The Guardian

24. An illustrated guide- how farms can reach z-net

A Hepburn Wind Community Energy initiative with a  Brenna Quinlan illustration:

25. Loddon Mallee Climate Ready Plan 2021 – seeking feedback

Adapt Loddon Mallee is keen to hear feedback from the community on their recently drafted Climate Ready Plan, which aims to ensure the Loddon Mallee region is climate-ready, thriving and prosperous. The ADAPT Loddon Mallee network brings together people from all walks of life across the region to learn, share knowledge, and build networks to support communities in becoming climate-ready.

There is no doubt climate change is one of the greatest challenges ever faced by society, natural landscapes, and our native plants and animals. Despite the efforts of governments, community groups and individuals, it is certain we will experience a trend of warmer and drier conditions here in central Victoria, with erratic and unstable weather patterns. Adapting to these changes and providing resilient landscapes and communities is a vital step in being climate-ready.

Adapt Loddon Mallee is inviting feedback on their draft Climate Ready Plan for our region. Read on for details from Adapt Loddon Mallee about how to provide feedback on the draft plan.

Photo by Connecting Country

What is ADAPT Loddon Mallee?

Climate change impacts are already being felt in communities across the region. The pressure is being felt in sectors like local water, food production, and health and wellbeing. While it is important that we all take steps to reduce our emissions to mitigate against further future climate impacts, such as embracing renewable energy, we also need to reduce our current and future vulnerability by taking adaptation action. The ADAPT Loddon Mallee network brings together people from all walks of life across the region to learn, share knowledge, and build networks to support communities in becoming climate ready. Adapting to climate change involves taking practical actions to manage current impacts and future risks to build resilient communities and systems across the region. Successful adaptation is a shared responsibility. Individuals, communities, businesses and governments at all levels have a part to play. The challenge is too big to anyone to act alone – to ensure thriving communities in the future we need to work together.

ADAPT Loddon Mallee will focus on the following areas under three categories identified in the 2018 Regional Gap Analysis:

  • People: Traditional Owners, youth, elderly, and volunteers.
  • Places: Small townships, rural cities, places of natural and cultural significance.
  • Sectors: Agriculture, biodiversity (flora and fauna), manufacturing, tourism, and health and human services.

Climate Ready Plan: ADAPT Loddon Mallee want to hear from you on what’s important in climate change adaptation in the Loddon Mallee region for the next five years.To read the draft plan and provide comments – click here

Posted by Connecting Country, 10 June, 2021 – https://connectingcountry.org.au/

26. Food for Thought

26.1  In a breaking world mending takes on more meaning

In a Breaking World, Mending Takes on More Meaning

26.2  Covering Climate Now -website

From individual journalists and nonprofit newsrooms to national television networks and global wire services, our partners hail from more than 50 countries.

Home

26.3 The Whanganui river gains personhood in NZ

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/05/a-journey-down-was-mighty-martuwarra-raging-river-and-sacred-ancestor

Traditional owners watched closely when, in 2017, the Whanganui River in Aotearoa (New Zealand) was granted personhood by an act of parliament, the first river in the world to be recognised as an indivisible and living being. Poelina’s research takes that idea even further – extending the legal protections of the Fitzroy to recognise its authority as a living ancestral being.

26.4 An extended meditation on the sentience of the land

https://emergencemagazine.org/film/utuqaq/

As four researchers embark on an expedition to drill ice cores in the Arctic in subzero temperatures, the presence of these visitors is witnessed by Utuqaq—ice that lasts year after year. With a memory that extends millions of years into the past and a present form that shapeshifts in intricate patterns over the surface of the vast white landscape, this beautiful and vital Arctic ice is facing an increasingly uncertain future as the world warms.

Narrated through the Kalaallisut language of West Greenland—a melodic language that holds an understanding of spirits and presences that roam the land—Utuqaq observes the scientists drilling into the ice and asks, “What do they want?”

In this extended meditation on the sentience of the land, the film de-centers the human perspective and rests in the deep and boundless silence of the ice.

26.5 The Nightingale’s Song

Hearing musicians and birds in collaboration, it’s a sensation like no other and it’s quite a transformative experience. I’ve created this concert—but I think of it more as a ceremony for the birds that allows people to have an experience with nature that we don’t often have permission to have…it opens up all those boundaries. Every spring, Sam Lee—acclaimed folk singer, conservationist, and song collector—leads groups of people into the forest at nightfall to sing with the nightingales. In this concert-turned-ceremony, music flows between human and bird as they encounter each other through song.

In this interview, conversation, song, and the music of nightingales are woven together as Sam speaks with executive editor Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee about the transformative experience of collaborating with nightingales, the stories of ancestors passed through folk music, and the space for communion that is opened with silence. Sam’s recent book, The Nightingale: Notes on a Songbird, speaks to his decade of singing to and with this bird. As Britain’s population of nightingales continues to decline, Sam hopes that music might offer the bird a path back into cultural consciousness.

The Nightingale’s Song

Scroll to top