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CHEWTON CHATCHEWTON DOMAIN SOCIETY

(INCORPORATED)Reg. No. A0034364L

P.O. Box 85, Chewton, 3451.

Published on the 1st of each month Issue 202 December, 2015.

www.chewton.net

A press release early in November started things. It an-nounced, “Chewton residents are advised that pine trees will be removed from Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park in mid-November by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP).

DELWP Murray Goldfields District Manager Paul Bates said, “The trees will be removed at the request of the community after public consultations with Member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards MP. Many local peo-ple have expressed concern about the fire risk the trees pose in this location. These trees are also non-native and residents would like to see the pines replaced with Austra-lian species. Approximately one and half hectares of pine trees will be felled by an authorised contractor in mid-November and works will take approximately one to two weeks to complete. Some of the trees will be mulched on site and the rest removed from the park. Forecasts for the summer show that Central Victoria is at above average risk of bushfire and grassfire and this dryness and risk is already evident in Castlemaine and the surrounds.”

Fuel reduction works such as tree removal, mulch-ing and track clearing on public land protect communities during the bushfire season. For more information on the tree removal, please contact Murray Goldfields District Manager Paul Bates at 5430 4444.

And then the signs went up, and the contractors moved in and a Novem-ber 16th post on Castlemainia’s Face-book page spread the word. “So it’s started..... The lovely and magical pine forest in Chewton is going. It’s quite outrageous and a great loss. These trees should not be going. What about all the other pine forests around? Will they be torn down as well? And now what will be there??? What will replace them??? Nothingness??? How lovely and shady and interesting is that? Terrible.... and as a fire risk? They are no more than any other trees...

For several days posts com-menting on “the pines” continued. 53 to date. For and against. A sample (slightly edited) follows but the com-plete list of unedited comments are all there on the Castlemainia Facebook.• The other pines are being logged

at the moment. You can see the clear cutting from the freeway. But that’s what they have been grown for. Just hope it gets replanted with natives

• A real shame. The kids loved to play there. • For those that missed the article in the paper.... http://

www.elliottmidnews.com.au/.../pines-get-the-axe/• They are an environmental weed and with all the pine

needles falling for over however long, that soil will be

Argus Flat revealed...

Argus Flat, different field of view, different century!

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trashed for a lot of native and indig-enous plants but my biggest concern will be the how many years of fallen pine needs catching alight. I’ve seen pines go up, all you guys living on that side of the road most likely will not stand a chance of getting out. Really it’s best for the community, the native wild life and plants. My only concern

is the arsenic talked about in the soil as the place will be a dust bowl thought summer. Yes, they do look awe-some but even the ones across the road from my place put me on edge on hot days.

• I like pine trees, and pine forests.• The only reason to grow a pine forest is so you can har-

vest it someday and replant. I don’t have a problem with it.

• Surely it was planted to be cut down?• The way they were planted meant that they were also

not too far from the end of their life. Some were start-ing to senesce so it’s better to remove them now before they are classed as dangerous timber as the bill will go up. These pines are economically worthless, but I can imagine people have a positive ‘feeling’ about them. In the long run it’s better to do it now as it is inevitable in the long run.

• I like the pine trees in Chewton, I see them as a point of differentiation for the town.

• They’re an environmental weed and an extraordinary fire hazard. I’ve always wondered how they were plant-ed so close to housing. The levels of oils in the needles make them extremely flammable, probably more so than eucalypts. And yes, they do look good in the right spot, and yes it will be very ugly when they’re cut down.

• I think the risk of fire from the pines would be low com-pared to the risk that is posed by the scrub and gums beside the pool/ football oval which spotted up behind the school last time a fire went through. The fires I have been to over the years in the Moonlight Flat pine planta-

From the Unconfirmed minutes of the last MAS Council Meeting…

Public Question Time.Mr Ian Braybrook: Mr Braybrook noted that the pine trees in the centre of Chewton are finally coming down and that he has been trying to get the trees taken down for ten years.Mr Braybrook advised that he was a member of Chewton’s Senior Citizens and Community Centre Committee of Management for a number of years and that the building has rising damp issues and now has fallen into disrepair. He said he has heard a rumour that the building is going to be sold.The Director of Sustainable Development advised that an audit had been undertaken on the condition of all community buildings in the Shire and agreed that this one is in a bad state; however there are no plans to sell the building.

With the “Chewton Pines” coming down at present, the focus is going to shift to the future of the land they currently occupy. It is part of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and an integral part of the the famous Forest Creek gold rush area. A couple of early photos of that area are readily available on-line - and early newspaper reports outline some of the mining activity there on Argus Flat.

Can anyone assist with an early map of that site? Other records, descriptions or photos? Later material is available in Ken McKimmie’s Chewton Then and Now and the pines have kept the former Chewton swimming pool (hole?) a secret - one that is about to be revealed.

This is a plea for for the history of this micro-area to be revealed - can anyone add to this rudimentary outline?

This newspaper capture is from the Argus on the 14/8/1857.

tion have burnt not much higher than ground level.• I lived in Canberra during the fires. Pine trees were one

of the major contributors to the absolute devastation and speed with which the fire moved. Pine trees don’t just burn in a fire, they explode. I don’t think pine planta-tions should be anywhere near populated areas, as beau-tiful as they are.

• It is a pine tree farm which is now ready for harvesting. This argument is silly - like telling a farmer he can’t harvest his canola crop because you like the colour of the field.

• It was planted by the parents as a fundraiser for the chewton school to benefit. But all that is forgotten now.

• I’m not a green hippy, and I am resident of Chewton, very close to the plantation. As I said earlier, I have enjoyed the pine forest for well over 20 years. However the majority of residents want them gone - fair enough, that is the democratic system we are lucky enough to have here. So let’s all move on, and if you are super unhappy about this or you want to help with the new planting join the local Chewton Landcare group. I’m sure they could do with more members!

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Work by volunteers has been building up over recent weeks, all aimed at having everything ship-shape for the pool opening on Friday 27. There’s nothing like an ap-proaching target date to focus everyone’s efforts. Repair-ing, labelling, training, inducting, filling, filtering, testing, painting, mowing, trimming, fine-tuning, advertising and just about every other “ing” word you can think of has been tackled with enthusiasm.

Saturday the 28th was the first weekend day of the new season so fun pool activities and face painting with Jayde was planned. The Chat was being printed by then so photographs will be in the January edition - but they are available now on chewton.net Facebook.

A BBQ kicked in from 1.30pm, and this included a poular option of gluten free lentil patties. Another memo-rable day!

The season then began in earnest. From Monday the 30th of November the Nuggets and Golden girls started, but with a slight time change this year. The Golden Girls are populating the pool from 12.30 to 1.30 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with the Nuggets there from 12.30 to 1.30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And all Nugget and Golden Girl sessions will be supervised by one of our wonderful qualified lifeguards!

Aqua Aerobics/boot camp will be on Tuesday and Thursday between 11.15 and 12.15 with the Lovely Lou-ise. Contact Louise on 0409 460 803 to book.

Yoga is not happening until after Christmas unless someone wants to take this on. If anyone is interested in this role please call Jasmine on 0417 018 417.

Chewton pool is fortunate to have NINE wonderful

Lifeguards this year and you will have the chance to get to know them during the season by meeting them at the pool and also by reading about them in coming Chewton Chats. The Lifeguard Co-ordinator is Tracie Lee Bush.

Finally, I would like to thank the wonderful people who have put in so much effort volunteering their time to do all sorts of maintenance and odd jobs in the lead up to this season. A few names must be mentioned... the ever re-liable Mr James Darling, Harry South, Fritz Hammersley, Sam Samson, Jayde Steer, Louisa Hope,Tynan Hedgan, Tracie Lee Bush, Owen Shooter, Jacob Pengalis and Rose Darling. Without the input of these wonderful volunteers in this community we would not have our amazing pool - so thank you all and apologies if I have missed anyone. There have been so many people coming and going!

Looking forward to a great season,Jasmine Samson, Pool Co-ordinator.

Let the music begin Now taking students for this

next term. If you have ever wanted your child to take piano lessons or

have thought of it for yourself, NOW is the time. I have thirty

five years of teaching experience here in Castlemaine, so if you seek lessons in a quiet and relaxed studio atmosphere

please give me a call. Christopher Whitehead

5470 6668

News splash!

The Vicswim dates are Jan 11 - 15 and 18 - 22, and times are 9am till 2pm. Each lesson goes for

45 minutes and all levels of experience are accepted.

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Chewton Pool CommitteeChewton Pool Inc held its Annual General Meeting on Sunday 8 November. The AGM was attended by Mayor Christine Henderson and supporters and volunteers and commenced with a BBQ on a classic Spring day at the pool.

Then down to business. Rose Darling spoke about the highlights and achievements of the year and the future plans to further improve the facilities.• Many thanks for the great work of the current and

outgoing committee members Helen McGeachin and Sarah Myles.

• Thankyous were recorded for:• the fundraising team• for Ian O’Halloran, Harry South, Fritz Hammers-

ley, James Darling and Vaughan Greenberg who, along with the Graeme Thomas supervised prison team from Loddon have kept the facilities and grounds maintained and operating

• Tim Christie of Tim’s Gardening for managing the waste

• Dot Bush and the fabulous kiosk volunteers• Isabel Kelly who has toiled in graphic design,

website maintenance and fundraising • and the great staff.

• 8,500 swimmers in the last season; 200 children and several adults learnt to swim and have invested in their safety and wellbeing.

• a huge program of activities last year and more com-ing this year

• greater engagement with Castlemaine Secondary Col-lege students with 30 volunteering

• assistance and partnerships with Chewton CFA, Chew-ton Primary School with Castlemaine Lions Club pro-viding funds for our family seating area project.

• conversion of all the pools to saltwater will be com-pleted for the 2016 season.

Bronwyn Dawson reported on the solid financial po-sition of pool finances. Copies of the AGM draft minutes and financial statements are available for members by con-tacting the Secretary on 0417 136 769.

The Management Committee for 2015-16 is now:Rose Darling - President, Kerry Bourke - Secretary,

Bronwyn Dawson - Treasurer supported by committee members Gloria Meltzer, Harry South,

Jenny Jarman and Frog Peck.

Dates to keep in mind are:- Great Victorian Bike Ride coming through Chewton on 5th and returning on 6th - with a Stop and Swim deal at Chewton Pool- Festive Season party Saturday 19 December commenc-ing at 4.00pm - a free event for families and all the Chew-ton community- Pool Closed Christmas Day December 25

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Media launches, Relay for Life and training in Maldon have kept Chewton CFA busy over November with members giving up their time to engage with the community and neighbouring brigades.

On Thursday the 5th of November Chewton played host to a media launch

at the Chewton Primary School. This event was a great day and was an amazing learning experience for the students who all got the chance to participate in a Fire Safe Kid’s session. Members from the brigade took both the tanker and slip-on up to the school to give students the chance to have a look at the truck and climb up on the back. Our members also had the very important duty of showing Captain Koala around the school and introducing him to all the kids.

The media launch was held as part of the activities planned for Fire Action Week, which was held during the first week of November. It acts as a timely reminder to residents in fire risk areas to prepare their properties for summer and to make a plan.

The very next day, Friday the 6th of November, some of our members embarked on an 18 hour journey to help raise money for the Cancer Council as part of the Mount Alexander Relay for Life. This is the first time Chewton Fire Brigade has entered the event and the team was able to raise almost 50% of our target. Importantly, our team successfully managed to have at least one walker on the track for the full 18 hour event which is a remarkable team effort. A huge thankyou goes out to all those members who participated in the relay and to all those who sponsored our team and helped us raise some much needed money.

Back in October members also attended an Inter-Brigade Training which was hosted by Maldon CFA for the first time. Maldon members put on a great night for all brigades in attendance, simulating a Hazardous Materials incident at the local mines in the area and showing brigades useful resources nearby, such as water points.

Despite all these events, our members have also attended a number of incidents, particularly in the local area. Early on Sunday the 22nd of November members were called out to a chimney fire along the Pyrenees Highway

CFA Update – December 2015in Chewton. Members from Castlemaine and Campbells Creek also turned out to the event which was quickly brought under control.

Volunteers also turned out to a grass and scrub fire on Golden Point Road on the 15th of November. The fire was started by a ride on mower and required members from Chewton, Castlemaine and Harcourt to get the fire under control.

Fires such as this should act reminders to the community to ensure you are prepared for this fire season which is already upon us. Simply having a plan and keeping an eye on the Fire Danger Ratings in coming months are good ways to help keep yourself safe over summer.

Anyone who would like any information about preparing their properties for fire season and/or making a fire plan should come down to the fire station and speak to our members. We have plenty of information to give out to the community so feel free to come down any Sunday morning after 10am.

Finally, a reminder to the community that Fire Restrictions are now in place in the Mount Alexander Shire Council!Paige Mounsey, Chewton CFA Communications Officer.

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Why does it always seem to rain when a Fire Safety ac-tivity is planned? Yep, a 21 mm. downpour in Chewton made for a dampened fire awareness session at Chewton Primary. Undeterred, there were CFA cars, Chewton fire vehicles and lots of uniforms, operational gear and even Captain Koala on display for the morning.

Classroom activities saw some children crawling low and others learning fire wisdom from Captain Koala and his helper. When one constant question answerer was asked how he had so much fire knowledge he explained he was a member of the Junior CFA – visiting Chewton School is always an eye-opening experience! And Mayor Christine Henderson was in Chewton yet again for this oc-casion.

So the morning rolled on – child-eye views of the back of the fire truck, negotiating the vertical steps up before the downside was discovered, a presentation of a fire-safe kids sign to the school, video grabs of Principal Julie Holden and Chewton CFA Captain Steve Womersley talking of fire plans and fire preparedness and photos. Lots of photos!

Eventually the visiting CFA personnel were ushered into the staff-room for a tea break. This provided an oppor-tunity for Chewton CFA’s Communication Officer Paige

Fire awareness at Chewton School

Mounsey to be presented with a Golden Pen Award! Each year, a Chewton Chat contributor is awarded a Golden Pen in recognition of their great contributions – and Paige was the recipient for 2015.

A lot of fun on the day, and one the children should remember for a long time. But it’s to be hoped the fire pre-paredness and fire safety messages are taken home! And acted upon! Summer is here and despite the overnight rain this area is very, very dry.

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Victorians who live in regional or rural areas are urged to prepare for the coming fire season. CFA Met-calfe Group Officer Ron Gartside said country residents, especially those who’ve made a tree change from the city, should familiarize themselves with their local fire risk.

“Fire Action Week is a great time to increase your understanding of the fire risk where you live,” Mr Gartside said. “Take the time to prepare your property, and talk to your family and friends about what you plan to do if a fire is nearby.”

The early November Fire Action Week was an op-portunity for Victorians to prepare for what is forecast to be a potentially long, hot and dry summer. The combina-tion of early warm weather, dry conditions and a rapid rate of grassland curing has brought on this year’s fire season earlier than usual. Victoria has already seen significant fires this year, with more than 160 fires threatening land, lives and property in the Northern Central region. CFA firefighters responded to 1,159 grass and scrub fires across the state in the months of September and October.

Chewton Fire Brigade Captain Steve Womersley encouraged community members to talk about prepared-ness. “More than 200 brigades threw open their doors to the public during November,” Mr Womersley said. “The Open Days are a great way for locals to meet with fire-fighters and to learn more about how they support their community. Hopefully this will assist residents in mak-ing informed decisions in the event of a fire. Now is the best time to understand your fire risk and get prepared, not when a fire starts.”

For those living near bush or grassland leaving early is the safest option on a high-risk fire day. For help un-derstanding your risk and how to get prepared for summer download the FireReady app or call the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667.

Adapted from a Press Pelease.

Regional Victorians told ‘know your fire risk’

Check the CCM website cartography.id.au

for a Post Office Hill Reserve map!

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Fire investigators trained to look for clues…Twenty-nine trainee bushfire investigators from the De-partment of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), CFA, Victoria Police, Parks Victoria and Tas-manian Fire Service were trained to search for clues at multiple sites of simulated bushfires in Central Victoria.

DELWP and CFA ran a joint five-day bushfire inves-tigation course that provided trainees with the skills to in-vestigate the origin and cause of bushfires. The simulated bushfires were deliberately lit by the course instructors and then extinguished so trainees could put their sleuthing skills to the test.

DELWP Statewide Fire Investigation and Training Coordinator, Les Vearing, said bushfire investigation is an important and highly skilled job so it is essential that train-ees receive practical training on a real fire ground. “Train-ees had to figure out where the fire started, what caused ignition and which way the fire spread,” Mr Vearing said. “The key to fire investigation is finding the point of origin because it usually contains the clues to show whether igni-tion was natural, an accident or deliberate. Course par-ticipants were on hands and knees looking for clues such as staining on rocks, burn patterns on trees, tyre tracks or signs that someone had been using machinery, a chainsaw or other hand tools such as angle grinders.”

For this training a number of small fires were lit in-side a previous planned burn on public land near Castle-maine. Fire crews were on site to control and extinguish the fires once the investigation had been completed.

Adapted from a Press Release.

Aircraft arrive in Bendigo to boost firefighting capability...

Two helicopters arrived in Bendigo this week in prepara-tion for an early and above average fire season forecast for this year. The aircraft will be used by the Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning (DELWP) and CFA in the event of fires in Central Victoria.

CFA Loddon Mallee Regional Agency Command-er Mark Gilmore, said, “The early arrival of the aircraft and subsequent fire bombing is a significant contributor to stopping bushfires, especially with an early and above average fire season forecast for this year. The overall opinion from fire crews is that the size and duration of fires are significantly reduced as a result of pre-determined dispatch arrangements. The flow-on effect of this is that potentially less property is lost or damaged by bushfires and having rapid response aircraft reduces the length of time firefighters were required on scene. We have had lots of feedback from the community over the last couple of years that seeing and hearing the helicopter in the sky on a bad fire day gives them more confidence and reassurance the fire is being handled by experienced crews.”

The firefighting aircraft will be based at the Bendigo airport and include:

1. Helitack 335: Bell 214B water bombing helicop-ter. Carries 2,650 litres of water in its belly tank. It can fill the tank in 40 seconds by dropping its three metre snorkel into a water source and hovering 2.5 metres above the wa-ter source.

2. Firebird 305: Airbus EC120 heli-copter. Carries the Air Attack Supervisor who oversees and coordinates the aerial tac-tical operation of the fire. Acts as a liaison between the on-the-ground firefighting and aerial water bombing.

The aircraft based in Bendigo are part of Victoria’s fleet of 47 firefighting aircraft that will be positioned across the state this summer.

Adapted from a Press Release.

Preparing for this fire-risk season......two Press Releases reveal how seriously the threat is being taken!

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convinced the “Duty Officer” should be contacted. Then tried DELWP fire number in Bendigo – and personnel and a vehicle were despatched to check out the scene.

In the meantime, a neighbour who is a member of the local Community Fireguard rang. The fire app had reported a bushfire at the Res. So things were happening but the fire was still bright in the night.

The DELWP vehicle arrived so there were more voices and the flame disappeared. A courtesy call from DELWP shortly after explained the circumstances – two cyclists travelling between Bendigo and Ballarat decided to camp for the night. And lit a fire. And apparently an-other neighbour had ap-proached them about their fire before DELWP ar-rived.

Next day, no cyclists but the remains of a camp-fire…

Lessons learnt from the first day of Fire Action Week? Don’t expect one gov-ernment agency to have a detailed or working knowledge of another department’s arrangements. And don’t expect local geographic knowledge to be well-known. Expedi-tion Pass Reservoir? Very few people apparently realise Golden Point Reservoir is a separate entity – it does make you wonder what this confusion could cause in an emer-gency situation or crisis.

Interesting start to Victoria’s Fire Action Week… and the Emergency Management Vic-toria (EMV) website sets the scene, “Victorians are being

urged to prepare for the summer fire season, which is fore-cast to be long, hot and dry across the state. Fire Action Week is an opportunity to find out more about fire risk where you live, prepare your property, and decide what you’ll do if a fire starts in your area this summer.”

And so it was, on November the 1st, as Fire Action Week kicked off there was a fire down the front – on the bank of Forest Creek just below the spillway of Expedition Pass Reservoir. Just on dark, the flame was well and truly noticeable! No cars there, but voices – and a torch (or torches) flashing around. The fire was in the Expedition Pass Reservoir reserve – part of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and an area where signage exists that excludes camping and campfires as permitted activi-ties.

What to do? Obviously it did not warrant a 000 call or even a Sunday night call to the all-volunteer Chewton CFA as Fire Restrictions hadn’t started. Tried the police number but apparently the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park isn’t their province and they aren’t aware of signage or regulations governing it. Tried the Parks Victo-ria central number and spoke to a Melbourne-based person who had no knowledge of this area, but was eventually

An unusual introduction to Fire Week

Golden Point Reservoir is shown on the attached map – and pictured as it was in October 2009.

Trenches ExcavationsLandscaping

Posthole Digger Rubbish Removal

Driveway Construction

Phone Colin on 5470 5975 or 0417 509 699

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The Diggers’ Monster Meeting is now a proud part of Chewton’s history. It is also an important part of Aus-tralia’s history – an early step in the fight for Australian democracy. The Diggers wanted to mine for gold without unreasonable licence fees. They also wanted justice and to vote and to build their homes on land locked up in the squatters’ vast runs. Their Monster Meeting kicked off the agitation for change that spread across the gold fields, through the Red Ribbon Movement in Bendigo and finally to a stockade at Ballarat 3 years later. The Monster Meet-ing was the first step on the road to Eureka.

Chewton was the centre of the early 1850s gold rush. Thousands came here to dig for gold, to work hard and hopefully make their fortune. When Governor La Trobe announced in 1851 that he would double the cost of the gold licence – from 30 shillings to 3 pounds – 15,000 Dig-gers defied him. On Monday 15 December they held Aus-tralia’s first mass protest meeting on the banks of Forest Creek. Without violence and with a united voice, they de-fied the government. They told La Trobe they would not pay – and he backed down. It was Australia’s first demon-stration of what people power can achieve.

Meet at Chewton Town Hall @ 3pm to see the Mon-ster Meeting exhibits in the Hall. Then we march to the Monster Meeting site in Golden Point Road - just like the Diggers with flags flying.

The celebration starts at 4 pm at the Monster Meet-ing site in Golden Point Rd. Hear the story of the Monster Meeting and what happened after. Listen to the music. And enjoy the free sausage sizzle and entertainment for kids and adults.

A time to remember - and you can help celebrate this proud part of Chewton’s history on Sunday 13 December.

Chewton’s history re-visited - Monster Meeting 2015SUNDAY 13 DECEMBER

COMMUNITY CIRCLE DANCING

Spend a joyful Saturday afternoon, learning a range of circle dances that are easy to pick up and are accompanied by lovely tunes

– some meditative, some, more lively.

Circle Dancing has developed from the traditional dances of many cultures and gives a feeling of connection and ‘community’.

All levels from total beginners to those who’ve danced before – there are no mistakes in Circle Dance – only variations!

When: Saturday 5th December 2015Where: Chewton Senior Citizens Hall, Main Road, Chewton

Time: 2pm – 4.30pm (tea, coffee, bikkies provided)Cost: gold coin donation

Enquiries to Judi: 0431 180 105

GOOD FOR THE BODY, GOOD FOR THE SOUL

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Margot Ryan bought land in the Chewton Bushlands because “it seemed like a good community, not far from Castlemaine and 15 minutes from public transport”.

Before she could start building, Margot had to have seven acres of pine trees cleared from her land in order to improve the aspect from her home, and particularly to make the home as safe from fire as possible.

Margot moved into her new home on a north facing slope of the land just before last Christmas. “My son Jeremy and I built my house, a kit home, but completing it was very labour intensive. We managed to build it ourselves in less than ten months. I have built a home that is about as fire proof as you can get a home to be.”

Margot’s independence, her love of the bush and her concerns for fire safety have all grown from a life spent with her family making their homes in some of the more exotic locations around Melbourne.

Shortly after she was married, Margot and her husband decided to buy land at Strathewen, a settlement in the valley below Kinglake. They did all the building themselves. The first structure was a shed in which the family lived until they had eventually completed their mud brick home. “It took ages to build, squirrelling stuff over the years, bluestones, doors, Baltic pine flooring – and all the time making mud bricks”. Once the home was finished, they eventually decided to do it all again! “We got sick of having a mortgage, so we bought another partially built house in Strathewen and again got stuck into making the mud bricks, this time with two sons old enough to pitch in as well. We became so good at it that we were making over1000 bricks a day with the aid of a tractor – driven by my son. The finished house was beautiful and we lived there till we moved to Eltham for the sake of the boys education”.

While in Eltham, Margot and her family developed a mountain bike business with very diverse activities including taking secondary school students for up to 5-day mountain bike treks, orienteering events, and bike education in primary schools. Margot found the time to complete a specialist nursing course in Neuroscience at the Austin Hospital and worked there for many years in their neurological ward. Later Margot worked as a community neurological nurse based at Bethlehem Hospital in Glenhuntly.

After selling the mountain bike business the family moved to Williamstown for three years then on to Sorrento with a beautiful home near the surf beach and glorious coastline, but Margot felt the lack of community.

Thence to Castlemaine and Chewton, but not before the tragedy that was Saturday 7th February 2009. The family visited just 14 days after the fire that had swept from East Kilmore, across the ridges, and through the Strathewen valley destroying all in its path. “There were no trees at all, they had all gone. There was simply silence, no birds, no insects. Cars had been reduced to

molten metal, no rubber to be seen.” Of the two homes built by the Ryans only the mud brick walls remained standing, the timber uprights reduced to ashes, the insides gutted, the roof a twisted heap on the ground. Only six houses escaped destruction in the Strathewen fire. Forty people died in the valley.

Throughout 2014 Margot says that building her Chewton house was her all consuming passion. “And this year my passion has been setting up the garden. It’s only now that I have more time to get involved in the community”.

Right from the start she became a member of the Bushlands Association, the Chewton Domain Society and the Castlemaine U3A. Having been in choirs all her life, just two weeks after arriving Margot was a member of the Chatwarblers. Also soon after arriving Margot met Gloria Meltzer who gave her a copy of the Chewton Welcome Kit. “I thought the Welcome Kit a beautiful idea and have recently been assisting with updating the kit. It has been an eye opener to discover the diversity of activities and people in this area”.

Margot says she loves living here for many reasons. “In the bushlands there’s a real feeling of camaraderie. We are all on solar, we’re dependent on the rain, we are off the grid so that is a connecting thing. I love country life. I enjoy so much being part of a small community. Now instead of the roar of the surf I have the croak of the frogs to lull me to sleep.” Gloria Meltzer.

Know Your NeighbourHave you met Margot Ryan?

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November has had some very hot days, some total fire ban days and some rain which has come as a great relief. The hot days have resulted in the need for deadheading the roses, which have been my pride and joy this year. The flowers in the bush this year did not seem as spectacular as usual and the early hot weather has deterred my longer bush walks. The birds’ nesting season also seems to have been cut a bit short this year. Galahs and pardalotes have been very active outside the back door raising their families. Today is a lovely sunny morning, not too hot, and I have been watching the birds in our large birdbath. First the blue and red rosellas came down and used the pool and flying in and out and splashing around in ones and twos. When they had left, the magpies started gathering on the ground and one pair literally ran straight down the hill into the bath. After they had had their turn, the Eastern rosellas started to gather in the surrounding trees ready to take their turn when the magpies had finished. They all kept me watching from our back windows for about an hour. A nice occupation on a lovely morning!

The celebration of the Centenary of the opening of the old Fryerstown school on its present site on Saturday 14th November was a great occasion with our Federal Member Lisa Chesters, Mary Anne Thomas, our State member and our Mayor, Christine Henderson all participating in the event. About 100 people came, including Ian Kent (Head Teacher in 1961) and many who attended the school and others who had been there when it was operating as a School Camp after 1973. Any celebration in the days when the school was originally opened in 1915 included marching accompanied by the local town band. For the Centenary celebration, therefore, it was decided that as the local band has long since disbanded the Thompson Foundry Band should be invited to play for this occasion. They were fantastic and had my toes tapping away in time and, I noticed, most other people were also enjoying their performance! I had forgotten just how good it is to hear a good band playing. Margaret Callister and Rae McPhee rang the big brass bell and led the young children of the town to re-enact the march and raising of the flag on the restored school flagpole, which triggered some nostalgia in all of those present who remembered marching into classroom at the call of the school bell. Following this, Lisa Chesters spoke of the importance of community involvement; Margaret Callister told some great stories

of students’ lives being changed by experiences during the era when the school was a camp, and Christine Henderson performed the second ceremony of the day by launching Paul Gahan’s book ‘Celebrating Fryerstown Past & Present - A Photographic Essay’. Finally Lisa Chesters and Tim Todhunter, Chair of the Committee, cut the ‘birthday cake’ and invited everyone to a traditional cup of tea or coffee, cakes and biscuits and to share their memories. I have asked Paul to write an account of the compiling and publishing of the book, which follows:

Fryerstown

Above: Flag Raising by students, Ian Kent ex Head Teacher centre. Below: Thompson’s Foundry Band.

Opp. page: Past students of the school L-R Henry Miller, Patricia Cole, Jennifer Barrett, Margaret Rodda (sitting) Jill Hamblin, Margaret Miller and Julie Cole. Margaret

Callister talking about the school camp experiences . Photos by Maz Williams.

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Hi Kay,You asked me to write and give your readers the

opportunity to know how this new book “Celebrating Fryerstown past & present” came into existence.

The book is a hard cover journal, 120 pages in length, and has over 250 black and white as well as colour photographs, old and modern. It’s chock full of stories of the past and present reflecting the town’s history and modern arrangements. It is very much a personal documentation of the lives and time of its residents. Indeed it is more than that and I’ll come to this soon.

We published a first edition of 150 wondering what we would do with all the left overs. All copies were a sell out within days of its release! Now we are waiting for a second run of an extra 200 copies for the Christmas market and the annual Fryerstown Antique Fair.

I rarely miss the opportunity to be at the Saturday morning Wesley Hill Market. It is the regular meeting place for the people of Castlemaine and Chewton and its surrounding communities. I enjoy a coffee or a chai under a tent with friends. One fateful day I was tapped on the shoulder by Tim Todhunter who asked me whether I would take sound recordings of conversations of some of the longstanding residents of Fryerstown. It seemed uncomplicated enough. That was three years ago. Fairly soon I was able to file away quite a volume of these conversations, and I was struck by the diversity and depth of experiences of our long time residents and the colour and texture of their lives.

I’ve had a healthy interest in photography since childhood and as a child had a passion for natural history. In 1965 at the age of 16, I established a magazine for children called The Junior Naturalist. It was typed up each month by my girlfriend’s mother on the latest in technology for the time. Probably an old Remington typewriter that punched wax stencils ready for a Gestetner ink machine. I started printing the magazine out monthly from the office of Carey Baptist Grammar School in Kew. Each month these were posted out to members of the Junior Naturalist Club, somewhere around sixty copies each month of six to eight pages. I built up a team of fellow teenage writers, many who now are eminent scientists in their fields, geologists, biologists and the like.

So there I was, sixty years later a retired school Art Teacher, and a bundle of files that spoke of extraordinary social history of a Victorian bush town. In addition to these files I was given access to some wonderful

early photographs that had recently been discovered as part of an early collection of glass slides that were put together by perhaps one of the most prominent of Fryerstown occupants of the late 1800s and early 1900s.

In the early 1850s George Levi Carter, a boot maker, came to Fryerstown from Bristol, bringing with him the tools of trade to make boots for the miners. There still stands today, in the centre of Fryerstown, the building where George Carter started his business. He rose to become what some would call the “Grandfather of Fryerstown”, so much was he involved in the running of the lately emerged gold rush town. He was a lay preacher in the local Methodist Church, a magistrate in the Fryerstown Court House and one of the original trustees for the local cemetery. In short, he was a very important person in this frontier Victorian town whose mining activities were avidly studied by the stock market back in London.

George Carter was also both an amateur astronomer and an apt photographer. His photographic glass plates were passed on to his eldest grandson, George Stanley Carter, who had them printed in Fryerstown in the 1960s and 70s. These negatives sat in a cupboard until recently, when they were jointly acquired by Catriona and Robert Bruce with Glenda and Chris Athey of Fryerstown, with the

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support of the Castlemaine Historical Society. Catriona Bruce is the great granddaughter of George Levi Carter.

George Levi Carter’s negatives are to reside finally in the State Library of Victoria’s La Trobe Picture collection, where they will be preserved. The Athey and Bruce families, with the sanction of the Castlemaine Historical Society, kindly loaned the use of these images in order for me to reintroduce them, in the form of a book, to today’s residents of Fryerstown.

For many nights over the last few years I have worked with amateur photographer Ian Bock who was recently given an OAM for his work with photography and photography clubs throughout Victoria to enhance some of Carter’s early images that we selected for the book. Our object was not to turn the images into modern “critical finished products” but to bring out the best product that we could without destroying their antique value. They had to always look like old photographs.

Many photographers, story tellers and history buffs have joined with me to give birth to this new book on Fryerstown. In addition to Ian Bock, Julie Millowick and Julie Hough along with Marion Williams and Chris Derzsy have supported the publication with their exciting professional work. John Landy has written for us a wonderful scientific discourse on the smaller creatures and plants of Fryerstown in their seasons, including superbly presented photographs. Haridas Fairchild, Chris McAuliffe and Alison Dwyer excite with enchanting story lines. A few of my own photographs and stories are here as well. History buffs Kay Thorne, Ken James and Chris Theyer add further to all of the above with their authoritative historical narratives.

Kay Thorne you know well, as she a researcher and writer of Fryerstown stories for the monthly prize-winning Chewton Chat. Janobai Smith has been our long suffering but faithful and talented proof-reader for this book.

Dear Chewton Chat readers, give our pressing of a second edition more than a casual glance. It is my hope that you also will be excited by these narratives and images. They have been given to you by your near neighbours. This project is not just another history book as such, but a celebration of our town of Fryerstown, through the medium of image and story.

It has been my pleasure to support this array of

Photos: Mayor Christine Henderson, Mary Anne Thomas (State MP) and Lisa Chesters (Federal MP);

Maz Williams, Julie Millowick, Julie Hough, Paul Gahan, John Landy, Ian Bock, Chris Derzsy with

the Mayor and Lisa Chesters and, lastly, Paul Gahan with his book (photo by Ian Bock OAM).

talented people in bringing you this publication. When you see it on sale, it will then be the second limited edition of “Celebrating Fryerstown Past & Present: A Photographic Essay.” Paul Gahan.

Copies of the 2nd edition of the book will be available for sale at the Chai tent at the Wesley Hill Market on the Saturdays of the 12th and 19th December at $30.00. It can also be viewed at the Tonks Bros Second Hand Centre at 55 Templeton St, Castlemaine from the 7th December.

Sadly it looks as though we have to conclude the monthly showing of old 16mm films by projector in the Burke and Wills Mechanics Institute Hall because the National Film Library is ceasing hiring them out because of the fragile nature of the old celluloid material and there is not enough enthusiasm here to continue, using DVDs. We will miss the company of other ‘old film’ buffs and sharing the delicious cakes and biscuits that have been part of the evening’s entertainment over the last ten years.

Don’t forget the Fryerstown Antique Fair – Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th January 2016!

I wish you all a very happy and safe Festive Season, with peace, harmony and time for reflection.

Kay Thorne.

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Cr Christine Henderson was elected by fellow Councillors to be the Mayor of Mount Alexander Shire Council for the next Mayoral period. Cr Henderson has been in the May-oral role since November 2014 and this will extend until Council elections are held in October 2016. Cr Hender-son is in her second term as elected representative of the Coliban Ward and has been a Councillor since December 2008.

She has lived in Taradale since 1982, after arriving with her husband and young family. Since then, she has experienced the challenge of fire, flood and drought in our towns and has watched the population grow in numbers and diversity since amalgamation in 1994.

Cr Sharon Telford has been elected as Deputy May-or. Councillor Telford, elected in October 2012, is serving her first term as representative of the Tarrengower Ward. Both councillors are active members of a number of com-munity groups and committees.

As representative for Coliban Ward (map below) Christine represents most of the Chewton area – and is a regular and welcome visitor here. Listening Posts, book launches, CFA events, Chewton Chat celebrations are con-tinually drawing her here – amongst other Shire wide du-ties like last Friday’s Relay for Life. And she reads the Chewton Chat as well as contributing to it!

Taken from a Press Release.

Cr Henderson re-elected as Mayor

Please support our advertisersWithout them there would be no Chat!

And the confusing boundary between Coliban Ward (below the black line) and Calder Ward (above the

black line) as it passes through Chewton!

A caption that just can’t be resisted...Mayor and Bear!

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Nurturing the whole child

in every child

The last few weeks of the year just fly by and looking at our calendar, I start to wonder how we will fit everything in before the end of the year. The new preps have already spent two sessions at our school and our departing grade 6 students are all heading to the Castlemaine Secondary College next year and have spent several sessions learning the ropes.

Each year our school supports the Orphfunds 1DAY appeal where funds are raised to build and equip schools in Africa. This year our student leaders have organised an out of uniform day complete with coloured hair, frozen orange juice cups and pencil bags to be sent in the next shipping container. The children will each make a bag and fill it with stationery to give to a child at the school in Kenya.

Our school will also be represented at the Castlemaine Climate Change Rally. One of our big projects this year has been to build a sustainable cubby. This was not as straight forward as we initially thought - so we still have 1000 bottles that require filling. We are hopeful that there will be some keen bottle fillers there on the day who can help out. Some of our children will also be involved in the planning of ‘Climate Games’ so look out for us at the Rally.

Children planning and preparing for the Climate Change Rally with Mandy from MASH.

One of this year’s highlights was our annual school camp at Boomerang Holiday Ranch. Connor, like many of our

students, was on a horse for the very first time.

Our annual sleepover has become somewhat of a tradition at our school with this being the final night of the school year. In my first year there was Scott, Patsy and me with 19 children. This year we will have 55 children all hopefully getting some sleep. Santa often comes to visit first thing the next morning and most of our families very then kindly take children home after breakfast leaving the staff to do the final clean-up before the holidays.

Thursday the 17th of Dec is our awards night and we invite members of the Chewton community to join us as we present the Frank Carpenter Trust Award to a grade 6 student and our Integrity Award that is open to any child at our school. Please join us at 6 p.m. for the awards, followed by a picnic in the school grounds. Before then there are reports to write, the 2016 planning to complete, new jobs to advertise and lots more teaching to do.

Julie Holden.

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Solar panels Morgan visited Chew-

ton Primary School on Friday the 6th of November 2015. On that day he taught us about our Solar Panels and how to check how much our solar pan-els are producing. Our solar panels can produce up to 4800 W, W mean-ing watts. Watts are a unit of mea-surement for electricity! Now when we walk past, going to art, maybe mu-sic or even to the toilet we can check how much energy our solar panels are producing.

We also learnt not to touch any buttons we weren’t supposed to, and that Morgan has an awesome mous-tache!

We have 8 Solar Panels in to-tal and get 600 W from each Solar Panel. To get our maximum of 4800 W we need to have a cold but sunny day, and Morgan commented, “To get 4800 Watts you’ll probably need a day where the temperature is about -1 De-grees!” Solar Panels get their energy from the sun, solar meaning sun.

By Nathan and Octavius.

St. John’sDecember

The period approximately 4 weeks before Christmas Day is known as Advent in the Anglican Church. It is supposed to be a period of quiet reflection of the past year in preparation for Christ-mas. This doesn’t fit in well with the frantic activity everyone usually has at this time. If possible, however, we are encouraged to stop and reflect for a few minutes each day. Our church had a quiet afternoon at St John’s on the 28th November to signal the beginning of this festival.

There is a short service of Evening Prayer at Christ Church, Monday to Friday at 5pm taken by parishioners and of course there is always the beautiful labyrinth to be walked in contemplation in Christ Church grounds.

Services for December are Saturday at 6pm on the 5th and 12th. The service on Saturday 19th will be the annual Carols and Lessons Service at 6pm, followed by drinks and nibbles. On Christmas Day the service will be at 8 am at St. John’s. Everyone is welcome. There won’t be a service on Saturday the 26th.

The Christmas Day service will be the last con-ducted in the Parish by Father Des Benfield who has been our Locum Priest.

December services at St. John’s

Everyone welcome...December 5 at 6pmDecember 12 at 6 pm

December 19 Carols and Lessons at 6 pmDecember 25 Christmas Service at 8am

No Gender December marks a time to make

a stand against the gendered marketing of toys to children.

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already set in cement by then.The evening rolled on and the brazier made its last

appearance for 2015. Fire restrictions for this area mean that the brazier warmth is over until some way into 2016. But it has been worth its weight in gold for many MoBQs this year. Essential even!

Christmas is the theme for December’s MoBQ. Pre-sumably this means anyone called Noel or Mary is in with a head start – particularly if they are wearing stockings. But to be in the competition you need to be present (?) at the hotplate on De-cember 5th. And no sledging allowed – or should that be aloud? And hopefully it will be a fine night with no sign at all of rain dear. Aaah Christmas - a time for punishment.

And remember, as Sophocles was reported as writing, “One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life – and that word is barbecue!”

November, MoBQ – only a couple of the BBQers sported facial hair so November and MoBQ can be kept apart for this report.

A smallish gathering at the BBQ on the hill covered the hotplate with the usual variety of local ingredients. “Not everything that can be barbecued counts; and not everything that counts can be barbecued,” Albert Einstein was once reputed to have stated. You could always count on Albert to say something quotable. But this situation was spiced up when a bundle of chips arrived and were made available for general consumption. The hotplate was temporarily abandoned as people transmogrified into chip-chasing seagulls.

The MoBQ theme was colourful shirts and there were some blinders. But on closer inspection, many were well-known due to previous appearances. The local Op Shops didn’t fare very well in the lead up to this com-munity barbecue! Even Mo’s bright number had the same cards on it as last year – no shuffling had taken place in the intervening period so it was easily trumped!

But Rob had a newie and he took off the male prize – to his obvious delight. Being the only loud-shirted lady, Carolyn took out the ladies award. But she was favoured by fortune because hot competition arrived just seconds after the prize was handed over. This led to a series of What If conversations breaking out – but the result was

Community Christmas calendared! Dec 5th...Coming?

The Chewton Domain Society and the Chewton Chat wish all Chat readers a great and safe

festive season - and a ripper 2016!

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Poe try

Corner

Crimson RosellasWild birds abound* around our house Awaken every dormant mouse. “Thank God I’m deaf.” reflects a louse. Upon a noisy Christmas.

Plum pudding’s made; the goose is fat, Cook is busy (watch out cat!) Stockings hung - Where’s Santa’s hat? The joys of country Christmas.

For Ash by David Watson Xmas 2014.* I know, I know! Birds don’t “a-bound” they “a-fly”.

Last man standing (a victory song)When all the fighting has finished When the battle’s been fought The good guys think they’ve won It’s odd how the villain Escapes all the killin’ While his colleagues may drop He just floats to the top There he isThe last man standing.

When all the trouble is over When they’ve picked up the bat And the ball and gone home I’ve escaped all the harm By some magical charm. It’s been lots of fun And I’m still number one Here I amThe last man standing.

You may grumble and curse You may say it’s not fair.It was all for the worse And I really don’t care. You may think it’s perverse: It’s the same everywhere.

Now that the fighting has finishedThe good guys won the battleBut I won the warI reached for the skiesKicked some headsGouged some eyes,Broke some vows, told some lies,But I won the prize.Here I amThe last man standing.

by David Watson.

YOUR TURN NOW?The Chewton Chat welcomes contributions

to Poetry Corner each month; just as news, articles, letters, photographs

and ideas are welcomed. Email to goldenpoint2@bigpond.com

or leave in the Chat box at the Chewton General Store.

We take this opportunity to wish everyone joy, peace, health and happy eating for the festive season. Your host Onn Ho and all the staff at Bold Café.

CHRISTMAS TRADING – Closed from 22nd December 2015 Reopening Saturday 2nd Jan 2016

Laksa on Sundays and Mondays, A curry every day Monk Dish on Friday & Saturday

Vegetarian & Gluten free selections

Normal Trading Hours FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY

10am – 4.00 pm 146 Duke Street, Castlemaine

Telephone: 54 706 038 Your Host: Onn Ho

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NEWSFLASH...Here at the Chat, we’ve decided to add a regular arts section, ART CHAT. This is where you will find arts related stories happening in Chewton and surrounding areas, keeping everyone up to date on what’s happening in the creative industries in our region.

ART CHAT will feature advertisements, editorial, and reviews and a new column of small classified style ads called What’s On? - a listing of, not surprisingly, what’s on in the arts in our region. These will be paid listings of up to 50 words. To make this a reality, we need you the creators, the performers, the arts organisations, the galleries to keep us up to date with what’s happening at your place.

Reviews of arts events will be a regular feature of ART CHAT and those exhibitions and/or performances will be chosen at the discretion of the Chewton Chat.

Advertising in the Chat is very affordable. The What’s On? listings are $5 and display ads start at $10. If you would like your arts event listed in the What’s On? column, please send your information in no more than 50 words to chewtonartchat@gmail.com by 15th of the month for inclusion in the following edition. Payment for your listing will be discussed when you place it.

In next month’s Chat, the first to place a 110 x 90mm display ad ($20) will win an editorial article in the arts section in the next issue. Ads will need to be sent in no later than 10th December to allow time for our correspondent to meet you and write the editorial. Anyone who places a display advertisement of any size for an arts related event will be added to the What’s On? section for free.

Porcelain bowls by Valissa Butterworth

Eddie Ho wearing an apron by Anna Gaul

A bo ld new ga l le ry on Chewton ’s edge

Eddie Ho (half of the brilliant pair that owns and runs The Bold Café) has just launched her newest project, The Bold Gallery. Tucked away in a tiny yet perfectly formed space between the café and The Green Folly Nursery, the gallery is showcasing the work of four artists as well as Eddie herself in the inaugural exhibition.

Titled Eat Art, the exhibition features a delicious (literally) array of edible art from Nicole Dubbeld, as well as colourful utilitarian porcelain forms from Valissa Butterworth, amazing aprons from costumier, Anna Gaul, fantasy light catchers by Eddie and covetable wooden sculptures by Sholto Turner.

Sholto is also responsible for some fantastical tendril-like forms especially made to hold some of Nicole’s superbly decorated cupcakes – a wondrous marriage of metal and baked goods! But wait, there’s more: Sholto has

Questions about Art Chat?chewtonartchat@gmail.com

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Nicole Dubbeld has a long association with The Bold Café, working with them to make some of the best cakes around. Her work is everywhere in the exhibition without dominating the space: tiny edible landscapes are captured inside glass jars; the aforementioned cupcakes reach out to the viewer on the end of Sholto’s amazing stems and whisper “eat me….”; healthy looking loaves of bread incongruously sprout decorated biscuits; a line of small jars hold a collection of pastel coloured treats and the large metal tree makes a wonderful showcase for what look like miniature wedding cakes. This girl has a way with sugar! One cake features unbelievably fine sugar lace, while another is dominated by a large realistically rendered rose. Watch out for more of her creations popping up at weddings and special occasions as she is going into business soon.

Valissa Butterworth’s coloured and textured porcelain vessels in spring brights and moody neutrals are things you would never want to hide inside a cupboard. They would look amazing full of fruit salad or daisies, but also sit happily empty on a shelf as sculptural objects.

Anna Gaul is costumier to the Victorian Ballet Company and has recently completed costumes for Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, but for this exhibition, she has gone all domestic with a range of beautifully designed and made one-of-a-kind embroidered and appliquéd denim aprons.

Eddie’s plan for a multi-sensory experiential exhibition conceptually connects the gallery space with the café. The surprisingly accessible prices combined with the varied but well integrated artworks make for an exhibition not to be missed. Open 10.30am – 3pm Saturdays and Sundays until Christmas.

Beverley Bloxham

also re-purposed glass light fittings into hanging gardens of air plants; fashioned copper into sinuous triffidish blooms sprouting more air plants; made a twirling metal tree whose blooms are more of Nicole’s sweet work and tiny bamboo cones, again especially created to hold sweet treats for visitors.

But it is Sholto’s wooden sculptures that really captured my heart. Superbly crafted from yellow pine, oregon, baltic pine and monterey cypress, the three pieces exude quality of craftsmanship and the confidence of an artist at one with his medium. Fish Exposed is just that – a large fish skeleton floating like a very elegant trophy above a concrete sea. Dog Boathouse 1 and 2 are quirky and playful. In one, a wooden dog sits on an ark-like vessel with too many bones in his mouth, and the other features another dog on another ark protecting a pile of bones from a bird, both sitting on gently undulating wooden waves.

Dog Boathouse 1 (detail)

by Sholto Turner

40 Lyttleton Street (P.O. Box 632) Castlemaine 3450Ph: (03) 5472 4622 Fax: (03) 5472 4315

Email: shop@castlemaineofficesupplies.com.auProps: Andrew & Sue Thomas

STATIONERY IS OUR BUSINESS

Call in and see Andrew, Sue and Lindafor that “special” service

PROUD TO SUPPORT THE CHEWTON CHAT

Castlemaine OffiCe supplies

ABN 99 464 754 995

A busy life?Work - Open 9.00 Mon-Fri 9.30 SatRest - Close 5.15 Mon-Fri 12.00 SatPlay - Closed Sunday and P/Holidays

We’d love to see you to put a face to your purchase!

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what’s on? This is the new column where you can advertise what’s happening at your gallery, theatre, or studio: anything arts related can be advertised here. It’s very affordable: up to 50 words for $5.

If you would like your arts event listed in the what’s on? column, please send your information in no more than 50 words to chewtonartchat@gmail.com by 15th of the month for inclusion in the following edition of he Chewton Chat.

Anyone placing a paid display ad in The Chewton Chat gets their event listed in what’s on? for free. Castlemaine Art Gallery is currently showing David Moore’s exhibition, Glimpses of Chewton - works painted in and around the town of Chewton. The exhibition ends on 31 December 2015. 14 Lyttleton St, Castlemaine. 03 5472 2292

Lot 19 is showing an exhibition of drawings & video by Geoff Crosby. Open weekends 12 noon - 6pm until December 6. Lot19, Langslow St, Castlemaine.

0427 724 149 markanstey19@gmail.com

New album release from Bush Gothic: The Natural Selection Australian Songbook available from their concert at the Old Castlemaine Gaol on Sunday 6 December at 2pm. Tickets: $30 / $25. Bookings: www.bushgothic.com.au

Contact Tracy Routledge 0412 223 221

A review of the MONSTER MEETING BOOK

This timely update of the miners’ struggles for democracy on the Victorian goldfields is welcomed for the very valid placement of the Forest Creek (Chewton) Monster Meetings as a forerunner to the battles at Eureka. It thus represents Forest Creek monster meetings as the true beginnings of white democracy in Australia. Jan Wositzky and Pat Healy have presented extensive and carefully researched evidence of resistance to the iniquities of the gold licence and the fear, by Governor Latrobe for example, of the enormous disruption to society of men, women and not a few children leaving their legitimate toil to find gold.

The Mt. Alexander events were not, Wositzky states, the work of politicised Irishmen newly arrived in the colony and thirsting for battle against the same oppressive state that they experienced at home. Rather it was, initially anyway, existing residents of Forest Creek objecting only to an increase in the licence fee. This however began to change as speakers at the various meetings “who sound to be socially and politically educated, were harnessing the licence issue to the Chartist and European ideas of class inequality.” This politicisation developed in scope as the various authorities refused to compromise and eventually reaped the whirlwind at Eureka.

This is a very readable document bringing an immediacy to the daily thoughts and actions of the

JUST

RELEASED

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New album release from Bush Gothic: darker,

stranger Australian folkDefiantly modern, achingly old, Bush Gothic sing and

play what they like - there is no schism between classical and contemporary music and there is no hesitation in using Australian folk songs for artistic and cultural exploration.

Their Natural Selection Australian Song Book was first conceived when the band members were artists in residence at the historic Fryerstown School in Victoria, site of the 1853 gold rush. Songs of criminal women and convict men, treachery and transportation, dragged out of the songbooks, ripped apart, then lovingly put back together again as a reminder that history never leaves us.

The Natural Selection Australian Songbook will be available from the Bush Gothic concert at the Old Castlemaine Gaol on Sunday 6 December at 2pm. Tickets: $30/$25.

Bookings: www.bushgothic.com.au Contact Tracy Routledge 0412 223 221

Government and the miners - and the sense of outrage felt by both sides as their perceived rights were challenged or denied, on the one hand born to rule, on the other ruled unfairly. It is a document about democracy or otherwise for the male white settlers.

Whilst in no way a criticism of this work which is limited to events amongst whites on the goldfields I could not help but notice an unstated subtext of horror perpetrated upon the Aboriginal owners of the land. For example the Argus, Saturday 30 August, 1851 speaking of the diggers: “They (the Diggers) interfere with no rights, clash with no interests, impede no progress, injure none great or small….”

Aboriginal owners were simply invisible, the injury done to them likewise. It would seem therefore that the Diggers were at one and the same time oppressed by the existing powers of the Governors and oppressors of those whose land they occupied in their quest for gold. One could draw parallels to the current greed for fracking on the valuable pasture land of farmers.

An uncritical worship of the Digger’s fight for their democracy can only lead to a distortion of our history. As poor men and women they were forced to pay an iniquitous tax. But there was a movement amongst those who struck gold and became wealthy to pay no tax. As we see on page 131 of the document a certain Mr. Lineham exorts the Diggers to pay no tax at all “even though he were obtaining twenty pound weight of gold per day.” The poor pay tax, the rich avoid it. Nothing has changed.

Read this interesting and valuable work, it is a fine addition to the history of our area since colonisation, and as such a correction and recognition of the struggle of the Forest Creek Diggers for democracy.

Vaughan Greenberg.

3 Cheers for the Argus &c. Speakers on dray at Monster Meeting, artist unknown

(Rex Nan Kivell Collection T2249, National Library of Australia)

Buda Historic Home and GardenA property of national significance.

Home of the noted Gold and Silversmith ERNEST LEVINY and his family from 1863 to 1981, featuring authentic furnishings, arts and crafts collection, significant heritage garden and grounds.

Nursery selling drought-hardy plants, many propagated from the garden. Open hours Wed - Sat 12noon to 5pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm. Groups by appointment.

42 Hunter Street, Castlemaine 3450, T/F: (03) 5472 1032 E: admin@budacastlemaine.org

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Go to the Castlemaine Gallery for some Glimpses of Chewton!

David Moore’s paintings are in the Stoneman Gallery and they make a stunning display. That seemed to be the consensus reached in conversations as people wandered around taking in the exhibition. This is “an exhibition of works painted in and around the town of Chewton” by David Moore who is described as, “Local artist David Moore is one of Australia’s foremost painters and was a recipient of the A.M.E Bale Residential Scholarship and the Norman Kaye award. He teaches painting in Melbourne, and is represented by Chrysalis Galleries in Melbourne.”

Numbers in the gallery kept growing as everyone in the packed room was formally welcomed to the event. Gallery Director Jennifer Kalionis thanked David for sharing his talents and invited Morag Fraser to perform the opening. Morag is well-known as a writer, newspaper columnist and as an experienced literary commentator. She spoke of the surreal experience of driving through Chewton and observing the “lumpy” landscape – then entering the gallery to see David’s images from that very landscape. She pointed out David’s preference to paint either early or late in the day to take advantage of the light offered during those times drawing attention to features in the paintings exhibited.

A great exhibition that runs through till the 31st of December – so there will be lots of opportunities to get glimpses of Chewton in Castlemaine!

Opening scenes including Gallery Director Jennifer Kalionis thanking David, and

Morag Fraser officially opening the exhibition

Newstead Live! 2016

January 22nd to 25th.

Tickets on sale now.

More detail on www.newsteadlive.com

25

Logo designed

by Morgan

Williamson.

Real Estate GossipCollating the information for this report always pushes me ahead in time, I am already thinking December and the festive season looms. This is the last opportunity to wish good cheer for all, and a joyful start to 2016. Properties for sale around Chewton are listed as follows:Cantwell Real Estate:• 50A Fryers Road, 1982sqm vacant site with panoramic

views, located on the fringe of town, $145,000.00;• 28 Albert Street, 674sqm vacant site with north-

eastern views to the Castlemaine Diggings Heritage Park, services available, $159,000.00;

• 41 Gallway Street, 2 bedroom mud brick with stone facing home in peaceful setting not far from the centre of town on 5.26 hectares of box iron bark trees. Trust for Nature protected adjoining Crown land. Well set up for off grid living with organic vegetable garden. Additional architecturally designed plans for an 8.5 energy rated dwelling by local Architect Geoff Crosby available upon negotiation, $399,000.00;

• Lots 1 & 2 Archers Road, each lot measures 1600 – 1700 sqm, spectacular views and planning permits for a dwelling on each, $185,000.00 each lot;

• 59 Pitman Street, environmentally sustainable, yet elegant, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom contemporary designed home on 2000sqms in a quiet end of street location. Orchard and vegetable gardens. For sale at $595,000.00;

• 14 Church Street, elevated 1050 sqm lot with northern views to Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, services to front boundary, $160,000.00;

• 562 Pyrenees Highway, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms with multiple indoor and outdoor living areas. Multiple shedding on 2 hectares. $695,000.00;

• 1/72 Steele Street, north facing vacant allotment of approximately 2234sqm. Backing onto state forest but with services available. $190,000.00;

• 225 Sparks Road, 58 hectares on the edge of the Bushland for sale at $579,000.00.

Cassidy Real Estate:• 7 Manchester Street, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1860s

red brick cottage, renovated and extended and set on 1.5 hectares with cottage gardens, $725,000.00;.

• 97 Pyrenees Highway, 2 bedroom, 2 living areas and plenty of period features. Large allotment of 1500sqm with workshops and room for several cars. For sale at $515,000.00;

• 29 Mount View Road, 2 bedroom stone home nestled in 6 acres of the Bushlands, offering views over Chewton itself, $359,000.00.

Castlemaine Property Group:• 160 Main Road, central village location, 4 bedroom

residence constructed during the goldrush, north facing rear yard overlooking the creek flats below, for

sale at $368,000.00;• 23 Archers Road, light filled contemporary home

designed around environmentally principles, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, with professionally designed gardens and spectacular views, $740,000.00;

• 77 Pioneers Road, single bedroom log cabin set high in the Bushlands with views over Chewton and onto Castlemaine, $295,000.00.

Keogh Real Estate:• 4 Pitman Street, 2 bedroom weatherboard with detached

bungalow set on 1200sqm. Plenty of shedding, land to spare and attractive views towards Golden Point. For sale at $345,000.00 (UNDER CONTRACT);

• 576 Pyrenees Highway, 2 bedroom weatherboard with character, set on 3 ½ acres of land with a meandering seasonal creek, plenty of outbuildings, reduced to $295,000.00 (UNDER CONTRACT).

Waller Realty: • 184 Goldspeck Road, 2 separate mudbrick homes,

off grid and bursting with character. Located high in the bushlands, on over 2 hectares, with dam and bushlands. For sale at $425,000.00;

• 107 Sinnett Street, interesting vacant parcel of 2711sqm with some services connected, for sale at $195,000.00;

• 6 Baker Street, charming early goldrush miners hut sympathetically restored and extended, 3 bedrooms and a north facing verandah, located in the heart of town, $355,000.00;

• 16 Main Road, 1 acre of views over the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. With a sealed road frontage and the walking track into Castlemaine at rear. Connected to the reticulated sewerage system and with all other services available. For sale at $250,000.00;

• 218 Golden Point Road, extended miners cottage which has retained the heritage character, 3 bedrooms, 3 living areas, adjacent to Castlemaine Diggings, Forest Creek and The Res, for sale at $459,000.00.

Lynne Williamson.

NICK HASLAM

167 BARKER STREET, CASTLEMAINE 5470 5811

Thinking of selling? Want to know what your property is worth?

Call Nick for an obligation free market appraisal. www.wallerrealty.com.au

M: 0418 322 789 E: nick@wallerrealty.com.au

FOR ALL YOUR BUYING & SELLING NEEDS

MAINfm can be heard on 94.9 MHz on the FM band

or with the TuneInRadio app on your smartphone, or use the Listen Live page to stream over the internet.

www. http://mainfm.net/

26

11 o’clock, 11th day of 11th month, 2015 saw a small gathering at the Soldiers’ Memorial Gate at the cor-ner of Fryers Road and the Pyrenees

Highway. A flag was already flying at half-mast and Max Lesser was proclaiming his role as flag monitor and in the minutes leading up to eleven o’clock Bettie Exon set the scene by calling people together and reading a prayer.

Against the usual backdrop of highway traffic guest speaker Pat Mudford read some diverting pieces she had uncovered during her war research. Even during the death and destruction of years of world war there are recorded instances of amusement and irony.

Eleven o’clock ticked over and the minute’s silence began, the flag was raised by the monitor and conversation reverted to introductions and topics Chewton – town hall floor work, pines, coffee etc.

11.10 and the flying flag was the sole reminder an-other Remembrance Day gathering had taken place at the Gate. The next booking for this site is for somewhat ear-lier on the 25th day of April 2016.

Eleven, eleven, eleven, fifteen.Remembrance Day 2015 Chewton...

On Remembrance Day we wear a poppy and take a moment to remember all wars and all who have been touched by war in its various ways. For those who lost their life in war, for those who waited for someone who didn’t come back and for those who returned wounded or damaged – we take time to remember.

My anecdote celebrates the life of Jack Absolom Pearce and his war story.

Jack Absolom Pearce was a wanderer, a showman and a larrikin. He left home at an early age, equipped only with a proficiency in clog-dancing, a boyish love of the circus and a desire to fend for himself.

Jack Absolom Pearce was born in London in 1853, a significant time in the history of wars, as it heralded the commencement of the Crimean War, a war immortalised in Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade”.

As a young man Jack made a living performing. He toured with companies and circuses, or sometimes danced for pennies at fashionable seaside resorts. At the age of 28 he decided to venture further afield. He presented to the military authorities at Aldershot as a volunteer only to be rejected because it was discovered that he had placed thick slices of potato under his heels to reach the required height. A kindly soldier advised him to try his luck in Wales so he set out walking to Cardiff where he was accepted and drafted into the 41st Welsh Regiment.

The Regiment immediately attended the Zululand Campaign in South Africa and in 1881 the Regiment was sent on to Mauritius. Here he received a nasty head wound and was discharged in Durban. He returned again to a showman’s life, wandering about South Africa in the days of diamonds and gold.

ADVERTISEMENT

Authorised by M Edwards, 8 Panton Street, Golden Square.This material has been produced by Maree Edwards MP using her Parliament’s Electorate Office & Communications budget.

Listening Post held in Castlemaine last Friday of the Month 10am to 2pm.Please phone for appointment.

8 Panton Street, Golden Square VIC 3555P: 5444 4125

@mareeedwardsmp mareeedwardsmp

www.mareeedwards.com.au

Five Flags Hotel

155 Main RdCampbells Creek

54721010

* Open 7 days for Lunch and Dinner

* Monday to Friday $15.00 lunch menu available

*Sunday Roast

*Warm cosy fires

*Tab and Keno

*Drive through bottleshop

Deadline for January Chat is early!December 15th

Don’t miss out!

27

At the same time, discontent against British rule from the Boers, the Dutch Afrikaners, led to the outbreak of the First Anglo-Boer War. Once more, Jack Absolom Pearce found himself back in the ranks of the 41st Welsh Regiment.

In 1885 the wanderer set sail for Western Australia.Continuing his wandering ways he travelled widely practising all sorts of itinerant amusements. The following year in Ballarat he met and married a young woman who had run away from home to join the circus.

When the second Boer War broke out in 1899 he hurried back to rejoin his old Regiment and served again with the 41st Welsh Regiment. It was his fourth campaign.

For the next 12 years Jack Absolom Pearce, the showman, worked for Wirths Circus and Fitzgerald Brothers Circus, eventually settling in Busselton Western Australia.

Then came the Great War of 1914 - 18. Now 63 years old, Jack presented for enlistment - the stumbling block, his age.

At the recruitment office in Perth the question of age arose. He muttered 44 and was accepted. His enlistment papers for the newly formed 44th Battalion AIF, dated 24January 1916, note his age as 44 2/12 years.

The aged veteran attended to the battalion’s mail deliveries, and served in France for 2 years. The end came after the taking of Messines in June 1917. He had heard that one of his soldier sons was nearby. He set out to find him and had not travelled far when a shell burst in his path. The flash affected his vision and he was sent out of the line blinded. Treatment began, and was continued after his return to Western Australia. Eventually his sight was restored.

The oldest soldier at age 63, his 5th campaign was

over. But the larrikin in him still prevailed. With tales to tell of wartime billets and front line incidents, he now exhibited his trained pigeons for charity and donned his medals for Anzac Days Parades. At age 77 he was in the paper over a dispute. “You don’t like him do you? The Judge admonished. “No Your Honor,” Jack replied. “I don’t like him or his dog. It bit me.”

At age 88, charged with being drunk in the street on Christmas Eve, the kindly Judge cautioned him. “Thank you sir,” Jack exclaimed gratefully.

Jack Absolom Pearce, a veteran of 5 wars, injured twice, and “mentioned in dispatches” in South Africa, had a final war story. On Tuesday 30 July 1940, at the age of 84 he presented 13 working pigeons to the Defence Department. The birds were of a Belgian strain and were the 3rd generation of carrier pigeon which Mr Pearce brought aboard a hospital ship at a Belgian port during WW1, and had smuggled home.

Jack Absolom Pearce died in Western Australia in 1945 age 92. An extract from ‘Bk2 By Kangaroo Hill – Untitled’ - an

unpublished manuscript by Patricia Mudford

Coffee, Teas, Milk, Newspapers, Magazines, Fresh Bread, Soft Drinks, Groceries, DVDs and more...

You name it we’ve probably got it. At your convenience...

Sprout bread now availableWednesdays, Fridays and weekends!

Hours 7:30 - 5:30 Mon-Fri 8:00 - 4:00 Sat-Sun

...it’s your store Chewton!

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Chewton Domain Society

Chewton Town HallAre you looking for a place for an afternoon tea,

a celebration, an exhibition, a meeting, a conference, a concert, a food preparation space?

The Chewton Town Hall offers a beautifully restored space available for a variety of events and uses.

(Because of the age of the building universal access is limited)

To discuss what you might need, what we can offer and the costs of hiring all or part of the hall...

contact Bettie on 5472 3892 or goldenpoint2@bigpond.com

Correspondence received from FRRR (Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal) acknowledged the successful acquittal of the $3,000 grant received for the town hall’s lighting and hanging system. The installation of these facilities have been of great benefit for the hall and for the users of the hall in recent months. Thanks FRRR!

Other correspondence received included an order form for the Pam Baragwanath and Ken James book These Walls Speak Volumes – a history of the Mechanics Institutes of Victoria. A copy is to be purchased for the People and Places Collection in the town hall, as is a copy of the recently launched Celebrating Fryerstown Past & Present - A Photographic Essay. There was also information regarding a new round of Federal Program Small Grants for Volunteers and this is to be followed up in terms of the town hall kitchen requirements.

The treasurer’s report showed the balance at 8.11.2015 was $31,204.24 with accounts for payment totalling $908.65 – mainly for Chewton Chat printing costs. Committed funds are $12,623.27, comprising Heritage Architect fees,concreting work, town hall steps handrails that have been ordered, landscaping, future air-conditioning and monies held for the Chewton Community Plan and a Banker’s Undertaking associated with the recent town hall works. The available balance is thus $17,672.32.

It was reported that there are now 162 CDS members with one new member. Moved Marie, seconded Bettie that Beverley’s application be accepted. Carried.

Pat Healy tabled the new Monster Meeting Book – How Eureka Began with the 1851 Forest Creek Monster Meeting of Diggers written by Jan Wositzky and edited by Pat. This book was published by the CDS. Pat has offered to set up the Monster Meeting display in the Chewton Town Hall in the last week of November. On Sunday 13th December the book will be for sale as will MM CDs for $20 each. Parks Victoria will organise the dray for the Sunday 13th celebration at the MM site, and will provide a BBQ at the event. Little information to promote the Monster Meeting is available to the public so a suggestion was made to produce a flyer. This was agreed to and Beverley Bloxham will be requested to assist with the graphic design.

It was reported a copy of the newly launched Chewton Bushlands book A Dream Realised had been presented as a donation to the People and Places collection.

The town hall progress was discussed and its closure while the floor is being re-sanded was reported. The floor has been an ongoing issue along with the render on external walls , the front door handrails and the final landscaping which is to be done in November.

The stocks of the very popular John Veeken designed Chewton Visitor’s Guide and Heritage Map are low again. 20,000 copies have been printed and distributed! Quotes for another reprint will be sought after the guide has been checked for any necessary changes.

The next CDS Management Committee Meeting will be on Monday December 21st of 2015 at 7.15 p.m. in the Chewton Town Hall.

Exploring Chewton A visitor’s guide and heritage map

This popular flyer was launched by the Chewton Domain Society on the 14th June 2006 to give locals and visitors a taste of the history of our colourful past and what our town has to offer now. The first print was for 5,000 copies with many people thinking that this was a very ambitious number - but here we are nearly ten years later ready for the 5th printing – 25,000 copies!

John Veeken Graphics produced the flyer, which has now had four editions - the last print run funded by Bettie Exon.

It is now available at the Chewton Town Hall, Chewton General Store, Chewton Post Office, the Tourist Information board at the entrance to Chewton and the Castlemaine Market Building. The staff at the Market Building comment on how popular the flyer is because people can drive round the various sights and get a feel for the history and how the town has evolved - it’s not just a lot of old buildings.

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Golden Point LandcareThe last event for 2015 was a working bee to remove a newly emerging weed, Mullein, in an area along Forest Creek. By removing the seed heads from this vigorously growing plant we are hoping that the follow up work next year will be minimal.

Mullein is an erect biennial herb 0.5 to 2.5 m high, commonly 1 to 2 m, forming a basal rosette up to 60 cm in diameter in the first year and producing a single upright flowering stem in the second year. It produces hundreds of seeds per plant so can quickly take over an area. Stock tend not to eat it and it easily out competes native plants because of its vigorous growth and seed base.

The traditional native grass identification and seed collection workshop held in December has been deferred till next year. Grasses can be identified quite easily by their seed heads but because of the dry weather and very hungry kangaroos these native grasses have been heavily grazed resulting in very few seed heads.

Work is continuing through the valley with weed control, some new steps and slat bridges (for when the creek flows again) and organizing the Forest Creek Track walking posts and interpretive signs.

For more information contact Jennifer Pryce on 0423 900 590 or j.pryce@bigpond.com

POHAGGrooming up Church Street was another step forward for POHAG - then there was this message...

I am very pleased to inform you that your project listed below has been selected for funding for this initiative Delivering Habitat for Phascogales on Post Office Hill for the amount of $4,460.

We look forward to working in partnership with you for the conservation of Victoria’s threatened species.

Yours sincerely, Dionne Eagleson Acting Director Environment and Community Programs,

Biodiversity DivisionSam’s eagle eye and canny observations reap a reward

for POHAG! These things and more will be discussed at the next meeting...

POHAG meeting13th December

10 a.m. Chewton Town Hall.

Chewton Landcare

Several morning working bees have been held in the Wattle Valley section of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. Work has continued removing gorse and blackberry from amongst the wattles. Many weeds were also removed from a nearby mound, revealing a large rabbit warren.

There are two more working bees at the same site beside Fryers Road in the pipeline - Friday December 11th from 9.30am to 11.30am and Friday January15th from 9.30am to 11.30am.Please bring gloves because the gorse is intense, loppers, clippers, pruning saw, rake and mattock and remember a hat, water, and sun block.

Please also tell your friends and neighbours and encourage them to join us all. For further details contact Maggie McLeod (Secretary) 0428 396 733.

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Cup Moths are forest insects and at times have been responsible for severe damage to Eucalypts in Victoria. Sometimes they also become pests on garden trees, especially fruit trees such as apricots, apples and cherries. Their name comes from the cup shaped cocoons made by the caterpillars when they pupate.

Cup moths belong to a small group of moths that have unusual slug-like caterpillars with clusters of spines on their bodies that are often beautifully marked and coloured. The spines can inflict a sharp and painful sting, rather like a nettle and the caterpillars are often known as ‘stingers’.

Young caterpillars feed by skeletonising the leaves while older caterpillars eat the whole leaf often leaving only the midrib.

It is the caterpillar (larval) stage that causes the damage. Many leaves are completely or partially eaten and many more are cut off and fall to the ground. Caterpillars are usually present in small numbers but sporadic outbreaks may cause severe damage with trees completely defoliated over a large area. However, unless attacks occur over 3-4 successive years the trees usually recover. These attacks coupled with the very dry weather though may have a more serious effect on the health and survival of the trees.

Cup Moth caterpillars are very susceptible to viral diseases and sometimes entire populations are killed. Viral disease is the most common natural control of Cup Moth caterpillars. Outbreaks of disease usually occur when weather conditions are warm and humid and when there is overcrowding and shortage of food. Affected caterpillars stop feeding and the body swells with the body contents liquefying and the skin eventually splits and releases the contents over the leaves. Other caterpillars can then become infected.

Natural predators can include parasites, wasps, flies and occasionally, birds.

Have you ever noticed the scar tree beside Golden Point Road between Dunstans Flat and the track to the slate quarry? According to Wikipedia, “scarred trees are trees which have had bark removed by indigenous Australians for the creation of bark canoes, shelters, shields and containers, such as coolamons. They are among the easiest to find archaeological sites in Australia.

Bark was removed by making deep cuts in a tree with a stone axe. The area of bark removed is typically regular in shape, often with parallel sides and slightly pointed or rounded ends, and the scar usually stops above ground level. Australian native Eucalypt species such as box and red gum were commonly used, and the scars remain in trees that are often over 200 years old. It can be rectangular, square, diamond, etc.

Scarred trees are significant evidence of Aboriginal occupation and can provide information on Aboriginal activities in the area that they are located.”

The scarred tree in Melbourne’s Fitzroy Gardens is a reminder that the Wurundjeri Aboriginal people lived in the area before European settlement of Melbourne. The tree had been dead for many years and without warning in the early 1980s it collapsed. Restoration work was undertaken to preserve the tree stump and it has been re-erected at its original location. All Aboriginal cultural sites are protected by law.

Cup moths Local scar tree

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With the arrival of warmer weather and increased European wasp activity, Victorians are being urged not to create illegal homemade wasp baits

A number of recipes outlining how to use veterinary chemicals to create illegal baits have recently been published online. Statewide Chemicals Specialist Steven Field from the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) said the use of illegal baits posed an unacceptable risk to other animals, the environment and people.

“Anyone providing advice to another person outlining how to create and use these illegal baits may be providing false and misleading information,” Mr Field said. “It’s dangerous for people to be providing instructions on how to create and use these illegal baits.”

Mr Field said providing information that leads to someone committing an offence was considered to be ‘providing false and misleading information’ and was an offence under the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Control of Use) Act 1992. “The maximum penalty for an individual for this offence is $7,500,” he said. “We are urging people concerned about wasps not to put their health and that of their community at risk by making and using these baits. The instructions currently being circulated have not been assessed by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) and therefore pose an unacceptable risk to the person creating the bait and the public.”

Mr Field encouraged people concerned about European wasps to use products registered for their control or to engage a licensed contractor. A searchable database of registered products is available at the APVMA website at www.apvma.gov.au

Warning on European wasp baits Bird warsIt’s not the size of the dog in fight - it’s the size of the fight in the dog.

That’s an old expression, and apparently is true for birds too as photographer Marion Williams has recorded.

Specialising in Brick, Stone, Granite and Slate

www.marcushoustonbricklaying.com

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Flood Management PlanMount Alexander Shire Council has adopted a Flood Management Plan for Castlemaine, Campbells Creek and Chewton. The communities have been affected by flooding from Barkers Creek, Forest Creek and Campbells Creek on four occasions in recent years, including September 2010, November 2010, major flooding in January 2011 and another major flash flood in February 2012.

The objectives of the flood plan were to determine flood levels and extents for a range of magnitude flood events and identify potential mitigation options to reduce flood risk and future damage.

“We now have great evidence of how floods occur in these areas, with clear recommendations on how to respond to minimise the impact of flooding and protect lives and assets,” said Jason Taylor, Director Sustainable Development, Mount Alexander Shire Council.

Council has committed $80,000 towards the functional design of levees, with State and Commonwealth funding the remaining $160,000.

1860 weather woes...Early observations of our weather are hard to come by, but this report in the Mount Alexander Mail on the 17th of February 1860 shows our weather has been the subject of speculation for a long time. Couldn’t cross Forest Creek for a week? Hard to believe when it currently looks like the photo below! No sign of a current either.

“The design work will commence this financial year and will include more community consultation, focused on specific levees,” said Mr Taylor.

The plan provides different mitigation options with total cost estimates for capital and maintenance works ranging from $1.4 million to $3.5 million. There is potential to attract significant State and Federal Government funding for the construction of flood protection infrastructure. Funding submissions will be developed once functional designs are complete.

The plan was developed by the NCCMA (North Central Catchment Management Authority) in partnership with Council and the Castlemaine, Campbells Creek and Chewton Flood Management Plan Steering Committee.

“Community input has been invaluable throughout the development of this plan, and nearby property owners, occupiers and the broader community will have the opportunity to further influence functional designs,” Mr. Taylor said.

The Flood Management Plan 2015 is available on the policies, plans and strategies section of council’s website.

Wesley HillCommunity Market

Every Saturday7.30am – 1.00pm

An old fashioned Country MarketOpposite the Albion Hotel

New stallholders always welcome.Call the Market Manager

0418 117 953

Rain?

Run-off?

33

TOWN HALL EXHIBITION ROSTERSATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS (& most Public Holidays) 1pm to 4pm SCHOOL HOLIDAYS WEEKDAYS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

We need friendly people with an appreciation of Chew-ton’s history, who are prepared to give 3 hours one Satur-day or Sunday each month. Please ring Allan Dry 54723385 or Elaine Appleton 54722498 if you would like to be part of the team.

Mount Alexander Mail - Wednesday 8 December 1915Mr W. R. Williams, of the Castlemaine Coach Factory, is giving another instance of what can be produced at his works. He is building to the order of Mr Jones, the first motor cab for use in this district, and by Christmas it will be running between Castlemaine and Chewton. It is being built on an improved model, being low on the wheels, so that ladies have no difficulty in entering or leaving it. It will carry nine passengers comfortably, is light, easy run-ning and embraces all the most modern ideas. It is indeed creditable to any town that such a vehicle can be turned out by its tradesmen, and Mr Williams is to be congratulated on his enterprise as well as his workmanship.

The Age - Wednesday 29 December 1915MAN LOSES HIS FOUR SONS.

Mr. John Barnes, a miner, of Specimen Hill, Chewton, has been bereaved of four fine stalwart sons at the Dardanelles. A few weeks ago he was informed that three sons had been killed in action, and yesterday he was informed by the De-fence department that his fourth son, Private John Barnes, who enlisted in Western Australia, had been killed in ac-tion at Gallipoli. Much sympathy has been expressed lo-cally for the father.Mount Alexander Mail – Thursday 30 December 1915

CHEWTON.The Christmas holidays passed very quietly in Chewton. Two parties of carollers on Christmas Eve sang and played through the township. The Church of England held a garden fete and concert in the afternoon and evening of Christmas day, and the shade of the great trees in Purches’s garden was very acceptable. Ice-cream, cool drinks and afternoon tea was provided, and altogether the fete was a very enjoyable affair. A large number of former residents as usual revisited Chewton for the holidays. On Boxing Day the sports went shooting and fishing with varied luck, while a large number of others went to the Castlemaine Gardens.

Chewton - 100 years ago... ? Dictionary definitions of histrionics make intersting reading. For example, dictionary.reference.com gives us...1. dramatic representation; theatricals; acting.

2. behavior or speech for effect, as insincere or exaggerated expression of an emotion; dramatics; operatics:and uses the example Cut out the histrionics—we know you’re not really mad. So what are we to make of this?

Mount Alexander Mail 8 September 1870

December, 2015Saturday 5 RoseSunday 6 JoanSaturday 12 CLOSED (FUNCTION)Sunday 13 AllanSaturday 19 FrankSunday 20 Elaine

CLOSED CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR WEEK-ENDS

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From an October 4th post on Maine Memories Facebook (slightly edited)….Thank you for this. I am very excited to be here after this group was recommended to me. I scrolled down and saw that you have my grandparents’ old shop and that some people remember them and bought from them. Their names were Penn Symon and Edith Anne Yates, and their daughter Jean, sometimes helped out. The shop was a Mixed Business along the Pyrenees Highway, Chewton in 1962-4. I don’t know exactly when it was sold. I hope someone can enlighten me regarding the owners.

I would love any information about the history of this shop as it meant so much to me. As a child I stayed there in a bedroom on the top right of the picture and I would look out at night at the Peters Ice Cream cone over the verandah. Out the back was a cobblestone courtyard with Bakery and on the left of that a room with French leadlight doors filled with antiques. Down the back was a derelict goldmine and I was never allowed to go near it on account of an earlier accident there. Does anyone know about this mine?

Also my grandparents mentioned one of the bakers had been killed in what I think was a motor accident. The interior had not been renovated when they lived there, which fascinated me. It was called Manchester House. Interestingly my grandfather’s father migrated from Manchester but that doesn’t appear to have anything to do with the name. I know it was originally called Penney’s Bakery. It was very sad to see the verandah taken off. If anyone remembers my grandparents I would love to hear from you. I still have a cousin living in the area.

There are two more photos on the Facebook page.

From FacebookAren’t there some super groups and super people in this area? Identifying a community need is one thing, but we are fortunate in having people who put their hands up and do something about it. Friends of Castlemaine Library (FOCAL) are aware of the family pressures that build when an adult is imprisoned and have come up with a plan to address this...

Help support prisoners connect with their kids through ‘Read-Along Dads.’ Public support is being sought through a crowdfunder to raise vital funds to continue a powerful program connecting dads in prison with their kids, by creating a recording of them reading a book for their child.

The Crowdfunder is at https://www.chuffed.org/project/readalongdads ‘Read-Along Dads’ was founded by a group of local

residents in Castlemaine which is near the Loddon Prison. Loddon is home to hundreds of low and medium-security prisoners from all across Victoria.

Friends of Castlemaine Library (FOCAL), wanted to help the men keep in touch with their children while they were separated. They also wanted to help the children through this difficult time - and promote literacy skills.

Both the audio recording and a copy of the book itself are sent to the child who can listen to their parent’s voice while reading along. Already the program has involved more than 300 prisoners and their kids and the feedback from prisoners has been overwhelmingly positive.

One prisoner who has participated in the project said, “It’s hard to explain the feeling I get out of it when I know that at night I’m the last voice he hears before he goes to bed”.

However, recently the number of prisoners has doubled with the completion of new facilities, and FOCAL is struggling to find the funds to buy the books and keep recording, let alone involve the hundreds more prisoners and their children. So the group is turning to the community to help donate to continue the program.

The crowdfunder will run from November 12th to Christmas and has a target of raising $30,000. Just a $60 donation provides kids with the gift of their dad reading them a story.

https://www.chuffed.org/project/readalongdads

Read-along-dads

LICENSED FOR ROADWORTHY

VEHICLE TESTINGPetrol and Gas

Ring 5472 3469Main Road, Chewton

CHEWTON GARAGE

Tapes to CDLorna Burton has transferred the People and Places talking tapes of Chewton to CD. Lorna is pictured handing the CDs to Elaine Appleton while standing next to her tape converter.

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FIELD NATSVISITORS ARE WELCOME AT CLUB

MEETINGS AND EXCURSIONSFri Dec 11th: Meeting:

Members’ night and break-upBAP supper

Ordinary membership: Single $30, Family $40, Pensioner or student: Single $25, Family $30. Subscription includes postage of the monthly

newsletter, Castlemaine Naturalist.General meetings - (second Friday of each month, except January) are held in the Uniting Church (UCA) Hall (enter from Lyttleton St.) at 7.30 pm. Field Trips - (Saturday following the general meeting) leave from the car park opposite Cas-tle Motel, Duke Street at 1.30pm sharp unless stated otherwise. BYO afternoon tea. Outdoor excursions are likely to be cancelled in extreme weather conditions. There are NO excursions on total fire ban days.CASTLEMAINE FIELD NATURALISTS,

PO BOX 324, CASTLEMAINE 3450http://castlemainefnc.wordpress.com/

The Chewton Chat is published by the Chewton Domain Society. A subcommittee of John Ellis (Ed.),Bettie Exon, Gloria Meltzer, Debbie Hall, Phil Hall and Glen Harrison is responsible for the publication. Many volunteers help with production and circulation. It is circulated on the first of each month, necessitating a deadline of about the 22nd of the month before. Material can be left at the Chewton General Store, with any of the sub-committee members, sent by e-mail to goldenpoint2@bigpond.com or by calling 5472 2892.

Contributions of ideas, news items, articles, and letters are always welcome; as are advertisements that help meet monthly production costs. Circulation is via the Chewton General Store, Chewton Pet Supplies, Chewton Post Office, Chewton Service Station, Red Hill Hotel, Castle Au-tomotive Enterprises and Tourist Information Board, as well as the Bold Cafe, Castlemaine Library, Market Building, CHIRP, CIC, Castlemaine Copy Centre, Castlemaine Office Supplies and Castlemaine Art Gallery and Museum. Mt. Alexander Hospital Residential receives monthly copies too. Whilst copies are free, there are donation tins at many collection points and donations can be mailed to the CDS address below. Subscriptions for mailed copies can be arranged. Circulation is now 700. A full colour Chewton Chat can also be downloaded each month from www.issuu.com - as can some earlier issues. Email subscriptions are also available by contacting goldenpoint2@bigpond.com

The CDS can be contacted through PO Box 85, Chewton, 3451. The Chewton Chat wishes to advise that the views or remarks expressed in this publication are not necessarily the views of the editor,

the management team or the Chewton Domain Society and no endorsement of service is implied by the listing of advertisers, sponsors or contributors.

Local Innovations in Aged CareMount Alexander is leading the way in introducing exciting innovations to the way aged care is delivered both in the community and in residential facilities.

Montessori for Dementia is a new and exciting way to support people living with dementia and the frail elderly. It is a model of care based on the educational philosophies of Dr. Maria Montessori and has the potential to change the lives of people in residential care and in their own homes. The Montessori approach requires us to change all we thought we knew about delivering quality aged care services. It provides a framework for supporting independence, high self-esteem and dignity for people as they age. Montessori for dementia looks at the person’s skills, abilities and interests and provides meaningful activities, roles and cues to support them.

The result is that people living with dementia and the frail elderly are happier and have more meaningful lives, are involved in purposeful activities as well as having the opportunity to maintain, and even relearn every day skills. This has a positive ripple effect for their families and others involved in their care.

Montessori is a whole community approach. It requires families, volunteers, staff and managers to work together to create a culture change in aged care services.

The Mount Alexander Aged Care collaborative is committed to this change. Castlemaine Health, Maldon Hospital, Castlemaine District Community Health and Mount Alexander Shire Council are working in partnership with Alzheimer’s Australia to shape a Montessori community across aged care services in the shire. Currently there is extensive training and workshopping being rolled out across the services to embed Montessori principles in to practice.

Our aim is for Mount Alexander Shire to be an inclusive community for older people where they can enjoy a happy, dignified and meaningful old age regardless of their need for care. To find out more about the Montessori project please visit our crowdfunding campaign at https://www.chuffed.org/project/help-us-unlock-the-secret-to-aged-care-happiness

We would love you to be part of the change.

Tarrengower Cactus Warriors in recessFor those who read last month’s field day notification, we apologise for the change of plan. The Cactus Warriors are taking a break over summer due to heat, snakes and the risk of fires. The first monthly field day for 2016 will be on Sunday 24 April 2016 and will be announced in the Chewton Chat closer to that date. We hope everyone has a safe and happy summer. Frances Wade 5476 2623 / 0409 959 170

Considering advertising in the Chat?Call: 5472 2892

or email: goldenpoint2@bigpond.com

Are you interested in

PLAYING THE BLUES?

You are invited to a monthly Jam Session at Elphinstone

This is a non-professional, informal get-together

of people who want to make some noise and have some fun!

If you are into blues music and sing or play an instrument

you are welcome!

For more information: Email: cpatrick@impulse.net.au

36

Until recently, the term El Nino was little known by most Australians, indeed the term was better known in Peru than here. This month I have heard references on both radio and television to the source of much of our current weather patterns.

On commencing today’s report, I first turned to the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) website to see the latest discussion on El Nino. The phenomenon of warmer-than-usual tropical Pacific Ocean sea surface tempera-tures has been reinforced by a similar event in the Indian Ocean, known as the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), in which the Indian Ocean is similarly warmed. The cur-rent El Nino event has been warming the Pacific Ocean sea surface for six-months and is expected to remain un-til summer is well with us. However, BoM records show that the El Nino influence on rainfall in south and east-ern Australia tends to diminish from November onwards into summer. There is some chance therefore, that we may experience more rain during the summer months. This news leads me to recall the only January rainfall that kept us marooned in our property for twenty-four hours, following a 100 millimetre rainfall day.

No doubt we all remember the two days early in November, when we received some thirty or forty mil-limetres of rain in two days. Melbourne flooded, but we just enjoyed the settling of the dust and the filling of our tanks and reservoirs again. My total for the month was

Brown and yellow are the new grass colours39.5 millimetres, received entirely within three days. My current annual total is just 249.5 millimetres whilst the lowest annual total recorded since 2000 (Keith kept records from 2000) has been 338 millimetres. Clearly unusually low.

I am often asked how much of this phenomenon is El Nino, and how much ‘climate change’. I am not em-barrassed to say I don’t know, no-one else seems to have a reliable handle on it either. I am not a climate sceptic, I believe the science; but I suspect that such a signifi-cantly lower total is more El Nino than ‘climate change’.

Turning now to temperature, we have experienced a warm November. The highest daily high temperature was 37 degrees C., with an average of almost 27 degrees C. and a mode of 28 degrees C. No 40-degree days yet, but with summer still to come that is hardly surprising. In total, we have had twenty-six days above 20 degrees C, of which seven of them were 30 degrees or above.

Turning to the overnight temperatures. The over-night average was 12 degrees which was also the month’s mode. I have recorded one overnight of seventeen de-grees and two of sixteen degrees Celsius. The lowest overnight was 7 degrees C., a temperature that occurred the days just prior to the rain storms that brought the rain. For the most part ‘good-sleeping-weather’. A quick inspection of the temperature records reveals only very little difference from recent years. John Leavesley.

Calendar of EventsDec 5th Service, 6 p.m., St John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Dec 5th MoBQ (Chewton Community BBQ), 6 p.m., Ellery Park (BYO everything!).Dec 5/6th Great Victorian Bike Ride.Dec 8th MAS Council meeting, 7.30 p.m., Civic Centre, Castlemaine.Dec 11th Chewton Landcare working bee, 9.30 – 11.30 a.m., Fryers Road (see p. 29).Dec 12th Service 6 p.m., St John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Dec 13th POHAG meeting 10 a.m., Chewton Town Hall.Dec 13th Monster Meeting celebration starting at 3 p.m. (see p. 10).Dec 15th Chewton Chat deadline.Dec 17th Chewton Primary School Awards Night, 6 p.m. Chewton School.Dec 18th Term 4 ends.Dec 19th Chewton Pool Party 4 p.m. (see p 4).Dec 19th Carols and Lessons, 6 p.m., St John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Dec 21st Chewton Domain Society Man .Comm. Mtg., 7.15 p.m., Chewton Town Hall.Dec 24th MAS Council Offices close at 12 noon, re-open 4th Jan at 8.30 a.m.Dec 25th Christmas Day.Dec 25th Service, 8 a.m., St John’s Anglican Church, Chewton.Dec 26th Boxing Day.Dec 30th Folding the January Chewton Chat, 2.30 p.m., Chewton Town Hall (Wednesday!).Jan 1st New Year’s Day.Jan 15th Chewton Landcare working bee, 9.30 – 11.30 a.m., Fryers Road (see p. 29).Jan 22/24th Fryerstown Antique Fair.Jan 22/25th Newstead Live (details on www.newsteadlive.com).Jan 26th Australia Day.