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New prison centre

By
Angela Crawford
-

A new medical unit and programs centre is now operating at Loddon Prison providing better services to encourage better outcomes for the increased capacity at the prison.
The $9.2 million Loddon Medical Unit and Programs Space, the Yaluk Centre, includes new consultation and treatment rooms, a pharmacy, increased space for rehabilitation programs and six new video courts.
Acting Corrections Victoria commissioner Rod Wise said the new facility was badly needed to allow the prison to provide a high standard of health and rehabilitation services for an increased number of prisoners.
“Loddon prison was opened in 1990 with a capacity then of 250 and has almost doubled in size since. The old facilities were tired and much to small and no longer fit for purpose. We are delighted to now have a fit-for-purpose facility both in the medical centre and program space. They are first-class facilities and will enable the best possible outcomes for the prisoners,” Mr Wise said.
Bendigo West MP Maree Edwards officially opened the new centre, which was funded in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget.
“By providing these better facilities along with important programs and educational opportunities we are supporting and encouraging prisoners to create the skills they need to break the cycle of re-offending and stay out of prison once they are released, Ms Edwards said.
“This new building means that program staff and service providers will be located in one place, allowing for a more holistic and collaborative approach. The new space is larger, so staff can deliver more rehabilitation programs, to more prisoners.
“It’s a fantastic new building that will contribute to better outcomes for offenders after release and ultimately a safer Victoria.”
Construction on the new facility started in July 2016. The medical unit was completed in June 2017 and the program space was completed six months later.
Prisoners are able to access primary healthcare services at the Yaluk Centre, along with a pharmacy for medication management, an Opioid Substitute Therapy Program, dental services and mental healthcare services.
The new building also includes increased space for the delivery of behaviour-based rehabilitation programs including those for drugs and alcohol, as well programs for specific offending behaviour, including family violence.
The additional space also means staff can run Koori programs at Loddon, such as the healing workshop ‘Beyond Survival’.
The six new video courts will help improve efficiency in the court system by providing more space for hearings and reducing the need for prisoners to travel for court appearances.

 

 

 

Tale of an unsung hero

By
Angela Crawford
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As Anzac Day nears, historian Ian Braybrook has been busy striving to ensure one of Castlemaine’s unsung war heroes does not become lost to the fogs of time.
The keen local researcher said it was by chance that he learnt about the incredible wartime contributions of Castlemaine’s William Robert Wadsworth, also known as Bill.
Bill was a qualified engineer at Castlemaine’s Thompson’s Foundry and during World War I became Major Wadsworth, receiving the Military Cross for gallantry, courage and leadership after sustained attack on the Hindenburg Line on July 19, 1916.
“That night, 2000 young Australians died carrying out the orders of their incompetent commanders,” Mr Braybrook said.
“Imagine a line of dead men, packed side by side, shoulder to shoulder, stretching for a kilometre and a half on your town’s main street. That’s 2000.
“One of the men who survived this slaughter was William Wadsworth of Castlemaine.”
Later in the war Bill also survived being shot in the head, and in September 1918 during the appalling Ascension Wood battles he won the Distinguished Service Order, often regarded as a close second to the Victoria Cross.
“In a most heroic action, as the more senior officers fell dead or wounded, Wadsworth took charge of the entire Battalion,” Mr Baybrook said.
“He showed a complete disregard for his own safety as he reorganised the battalion in a series of bomb attacks on the enemy.”
At war’s end, Major William Wadsworth returned to work at Thompson’s Foundry where he was made production manager and later appointed to the board.
On retirement he moved to Melbourne where he died in 1986 aged 94, and is now at rest in Springvale Cemetery.
Mr Braybrook has now handed his research into the life of Mr Wadsworth over to the Castlemaine Pioneers and Old Residents Association for posterity.
“It really is an untold story, quite remarkable,” said Mr Braybrook who has a knack for shedding light on some of history’s amazing local characters.
“It’ll be a great benefit to our records,” Castlemaine Pioneers and Old Residents Association president Graeme Barry said.

 

 

Local Historian Ian Braybrook (right) hands his research on unsung local hero Bill Wadsworth to Castlemaine Pioneers and Old Residents Association president Graeme Barry for safekeeping. Ian and Graeme are pictured here outside Thompson's Foundry where Bill Wadsworth worked last century.Castlemaine's William Wadsworth.

Topical art makes Blake Prize finals

By
Angela Crawford
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Kyneton artist Daniel Butterworth has been named among the 80 finalists for the 65th Blake Prize – one of Australia’s longest standing and most prestigious prizes.
His piece, titled Yes, features the artist kissing himself as his response to the recent marriage equality vote.
“I found the voting process incredibly frustrating and how backward it seemed,” he said.
“My idea was that loving yourself is no different from loving someone else. It was an important work for me and I’m proud I got it out there.”
The topical work has already received praise on social media and will be up against works selected from across the world for the coveted prize.
Finalists were carefully selected from a whopping 769 entries, a massive 30 per cent increase from 2016.
“We’re extremely excited by the number of entries this year, from so many different countries,” said Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre director Craig Donarski.
“This year’s entries came from all across the world, from Belgium, the USA, Norway, Greece, and the UK, by artists from all walks of life.”
The winner will receive $35,000, the winner of the Blake Emerging Artist Prize will also take home $6000, and the winner of the Blake Established Artist Residency will receive a one-month residency and a solo exhibition at CPAC.
The exhibition of finalists’ works will be on show at CPAC in NSW from May 12 to July 1 and will include painting, photography, sculpture, performance, installation and digital media works exploring the wider experience of religion and spirituality and all this may entail.
Daniel Butterworth has been named finalist in four artist prizes this month making it one of his most successful yet.

 

 

Daniel Butterworth, Yes, 2018, house acrylics on board.

Classic musical thriller comes to Castlemaine

By
Angela Crawford
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Local theatre troupe Three’s A Crowd are in the thick of rehearsals as they prepare to present Stephen Sondheim’s musical masterpiece Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street at Castlemaine’s Phee Broadway Theatre.
The musical classic opens on April 20, running through to April 28, with both evening and matinee performances.
The two levels of ticketing include an option that comes complete with a pre-show ale and pie – in keeping with the narrative – with the pies supplied by the Guildford General Store.
“This is a different interpretation of this show,” director Matt Sheehan says.
“Lots of people know the movie – and it’s very different to the movie, and I think just the concept of having food beforehand and being immersive in the action is a really different concept for Castlemaine and a good one to be involved in.”
The Ballad of Sweeney Todd opens in Victorian London as two men disembark at the docks and greet their native homeland.
For young Anthony the sailor after years away, there’s no place like London, but for the other, Sweeney Todd, London is a hellhole in which all the vermin of the earth are gathered.
The tale unfolds as Sweeney Todd and his landlady, Mrs Lovett, carve up the folk of London – literally stuffing victim after victim into the pies sold from Mrs Lovett’s famous pie shop, all the while allowing Sweeney to have his revenge on those who killed his wife and stole his daughter.
“It’s really intricate music and more than 80 per cent of this musical is the music itself so it’s really rich and it sets the tone of the story,” says cast member Paul Waldron who plays Anthony the sailor.
Three’s A Crowd are working with a talented and musical cast from Castlemaine, Bendigo and beyond with Peter Hunt in the key role of Sweeney Todd and Penny Larkins as Mrs Lovett.
Supported by Rebecca Morton, Briega Young, Peter Bevin, Paul Waldron, Dan Sexton, Greg Pascoe, Alice Bottomley, Maddy Tyzzer and Monique Kerr, this production is set to transform the Phee Broadway Theatre with its classic stage storyline and sweeping musical score. Tickets are at the door and on line.

 

Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street cast member Rebecca Morton (playing the beggar woman) with production director Matt Sheehan, and Paul Waldon (playing the young sailor).

Joel gets a taste of political life

By
Angela Crawford
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What better way to further aspirations of a political career than to spend a few days in Canberra at the National Schools Constitutional Convention?
Joel Blanch, a year 12 Sacred Heart College student with ambitious plans for the future, was one of just 12 Victorian students who were selected to attend this year’s convention.
But it wasn’t luck that got him there.
Joel was part of a group students from his politics class who organised a local schools constitutional convention hosted by his college.
“We invited about 70 people and we explored the topic of energy policy in Australia,” Joel explained.
“Then we had the state convention at Parliament House in Melbourne and the topic was about compulsory voting and lowering the voting age.
“At the end we held a referendum and voted to lower the voting age to 16, and keep compulsory voting – but make it voluntary for people under 18.”
Joel and a handful of the participants from the state convention went on to the national convention last month in Canberra. The convention seeks to promote understanding and informed discussion among young Australians about the Australian Constitution and system of government.
The focus for this year’s event was the relevance of Section 44 of the Constitution (specifically dual citizenship as it relates to Federal Members of Parliament).
After hearing a variety of guest speakers and discussing the topic in workshop sessions, the event concluded with a soapbox session where all groups got to share the outcome of their discussions.
Joel said he was initially a little put off by the topic because the Constitution could be “a bit dry”, but he ended up finding it really interesting.
“Section 44 includes dual citizenship but also other grounds for disqualification including treason and if you’ve been to jail, bankruptcy and pecuniary interest etc.,” he said.
“We voted on proposed changes to the wording but most of us agreed that we shouldn’t have dual citizens (as Members of Parliament).
“Those changes will be sent to the Senate as a recommendation.”
Joel is interested in pursuing a career in politics.
“If you look at my reasoning purely based on logic, I would say that politics is exciting, and interaction with the community is exciting, and then there’s the more emotional side of it like making a difference,” he said.
“I want to be part off making a difference and changing the public’s perception of politicians, and personally it appeals to me to get younger people into politics.
“I’m a very stubborn person and that is something we need to see more of in politics – less of people bending to the influence of their party and losing their integrity.
“If you’re elected on views you have presented publicly you should be required to stay true to them,” he added.Joel Blanch pictured at Parliament House in Canberra for the National Schools Constitutional Convention.

Art treasure hunt

By
Angela Crawford
-

With a passion for the arts and their local community a group of professional artists and curators living in Kyneton have come together to form the arts collective Kyneton Contemporary Inc.
The collective is keen to share knowledge and expertise to bring excellent art and ideas to the region to
facilitate opportunities for artists and engage creative experiences for the local community and its visitors.
From April 14 – 22 they will present the inaugural Kyneton Contemporary Art Triennial.
Themed ‘Force Fields’, KCAT2018 is a celebration of contemporary art and the energies that resonate in place
and community.
“It is essentially an art treasure hunt with new work by 10 exciting contemporary Australian artists from right across the country hidden in unusual sites across the town of Kyneton, both indoor and outdoor,” co-director Clare Needham explains.
“Artists have spent time over the last 18 months developing their work in direct connection to the sites, people, geography, history and energy of Kyneton presenting fascinating new perspectives on the regional town.”
Some artworks can be seen for free, but most require visitors to have a KCAT pass which includes a map for navigating between works. A KCAT pass also provides entry to a jam-packed program of events complementing or as an extension of the artworks on display including participatory jogging events as well as dance and choreographed live art performances.
The whole event will be launched on Friday April 13 at 5.30pm with an official ceremony followed by an energetic celebration of local creative talent at the KCAT2018 Launch Party from 8pm at the Bluestone Theatre, Kyneton.
Music by central Vic musicians Artificial Limb and The Rev Al will be accompanied by visuals by Sean Hogan, Marc Eiden and Vaughan-based KCAT2018 artist Jessie Stanley who for the last 12 months has been artist-in-residence with the Friends of Kyneton Botanic Gardens.
Also playing at the Launch Party are award-winning Kyneton locals Zoë Barry and Jed Palmer. A powerhouse of combined talent; Jed and Zoë have composed music together for 20 years. Originally in bands together, they have since collaborated on composition commissions for film, television, ensembles and public installations. Their performances together are rare and magical; a fluid semi-improvised musical ‘conversation’ located at the intersection of their separate sonic worlds.
The KCAT2018 Launch Party on Friday April 13 is not to be missed and tickets are limited.
A KCAT party pack including a KCAT pass and Launch Party ticket can be purchased at
www.kynetoncontemporay.comZoë Barry and Jed Palmer will perform at the Launch Party for the inaugural Kyneton Contemporary Art Triennial on Friday night.

Get it right

By
Angela Crawford
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Karel and Liz Turang, Kyneton

Re. The Old Kyneton Primary School site.
Kyneton and its people need to get this right, it has a unique opportunity to showcase how it can integrate ideas so that community aspirations, history, aesthetic needs are met or reflected in the final product.
Cool head, warm heart and creative imagination are necessary ingredients required to ensure that such an asset becomes not only something we all can be proud of but also a jewel in the crown of the Macedon Ranges.
A creation that future generations will inherit with gratitude, embrace with passion and say Ahh…

Bringing the quartets to life

By
Angela Crawford
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Is for the Blind
This is the Caption

Is for the Blind

Regarded by many critics as the great last work of acclaimed 20th century poet T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets is about to be brought to life in Castlemaine in a very literal sense this Sunday.
Four Quartets is a set of four poems which Eliot published over a six-year period and this Sunday the work will be transformed into live performance featuring physical movement, voice and cello by the Wander-Light Eurythmy Company.
“It takes you into language like nothing else, not even Shakespeare,” says Wander-Light’s Castlemaine-based eurythmist Mark Neill.
“He works with the sounds in a way even Shakespeare hasn’t achieved I believe.”
Neill studied with European eurythmy master Else Klink in Germany receiving a diploma to teach and perform the art of eurythmy which employs dynamic movement and gesture as an embodiment of the spoken word.
The local eurythmist has toured Australia many times, performing classics such as Hamlet, King Lear and Richard III, as well as many fairytales and legends.
Delivering the vocal aspect of this Sunday’s performance, Melbourne’s Dennis Coard has many decades’ experience as a professional actor in theatre, film and television.
And accomplished musician Gotthard Killian, who spends a lot of time in both Switzerland and Melbourne, is cellist for this Sunday’s performance which also has tour dates in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Armidale and Europe.
“For me the music matters,” Killian says.
Considered by many to represent a masterpiece of the Western canon, the Four Quartets are four interlinked meditations with the common theme being humanity’s relationship with time, the universe and the divine.
“It creates space within the language. It creates a virtual inner space,” says the cellist when asked what it is he most enjoys about performing Eliot’s Four Quartets.
Sunday’s ticketed performance takes place at 7pm at Castlemaine’s Anglican Hall on the corner of Forest and Kennedy Streets with tickets available at the Railway Station Cafe – or at the door.

Callum a real champion

By
Angela Crawford
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Callum is Amazing

For the last three Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday appeals, young Callum Judd has been watching progress from his hospital bed.
This year the brave seven-year-old joined his family to actually be involved in the collection with the volunteers from the Woodend CFA.
Callum suffers from neuroblastoma, which is the most common solid tumour of childhood. It is almost exclusively a childhood cancer occurring most commonly between the ages of 0-5 years.
Callum’s diagnosis is terminal, and he may only have a short time ahead. This year he was able to join his mother Claire, uncle Malcolm (who is 4th lieutenant with Woodend CFA), aunt Katie and cousins Aaron and Riley.
Officer in Charge at Woodend Mike Dornau said Callum was presented with a Woodend CFA cap and made an honorary member of the brigade.
“The amazing Callum jumped on the Woodend pumper and hopped on and off the truck with his mates, to collect a fantastic total of more than $610,” Mike said.
“The only problem was that he asked uncle Mal to sound the siren a little too often.
“The brilliant effort was cut short when the pumper was called to a smoke alarm activated at Woodend Aged Care.”
Mike said that by that stage, Callum was pretty exhausted and needed a break anyway.
“Callum, we were so honoured and inspired to have you share the day with us and wish you all the best in the time you have left,” Mike said.
“Mate, you are always welcome at the Woodend CFA, and we are sure the Good Friday Appeal will really appreciate your efforts in the collection this year.”

Callum Judd (centre) with his cousins Aaron and Riley.

Local efforts impress

By
Angela Crawford
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Wood-GFA-Image
Wood-GFA-Image

Young people today can come under a lot of criticism, but the youth of the region made an invaluable and fantastic contribution to this year’s record-breaking Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal collection.
More than $18M was raised this year across the state, with local contributions impressive across the region.
In the Kyneton district more than $31,500 was raised by volunteer collectors, local clubs, fire brigades and local businesses.
The Castlemaine Fire Brigade and community volunteers collected $15,778.
With help of 57 cubs and scouts, Gisborne firefighters and junior brigade members took to the streets to raise $13,676.
Family and friends and Woodend CFA volunteers made up the bulk of the more than 40 collectors in Woodend to raise a near record $13,135. Appeal coordinators from all districts congratulated all of their volunteers on an incredible contribution.

Kyneton Lions Club members transport the takings from the RCH appeal to the bank.
Kyneton Lions Club members transport the takings from the RCH appeal to the bank.
Young volunteers from the Kyneton community helped collect for the appeal.
Young volunteers from the Kyneton community helped collect for the appeal.
SONY DSC
SONY DSC
Gisbus once again donated their buses to help ferry the collectors around town. Photo: Lt Bevan Moody
Gisbus once again donated their buses to help ferry the collectors around town. Photo: Lt Bevan Moody

Barrier placement questioned

By
Angela Crawford
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A ute carrying another ute on a trailer crashed into two sets of wire rope barriers on the Calder Freeway at Taradale before flipping and landing in a gully. Photo: IET Systems

The placement of wire rope safety barriers along the Calder Freeway has once again been questioned following a spectacular crash at Taradale on Saturday afternoon.
A driver and passenger – two men from Bendigo – miraculously escaped injury when their twin-cab ute and trailer glanced the centre wire rope barriers before bouncing sideways across the traffic into the kerbside barrier, which they say acted like a trip and flipped the vehicle over the top and down a gully.
SES Castlemaine controller Paul Fitzpatrick said the driver lost control in wet conditions in a 110km/h zone at about 1pm on Saturday.
A local CFA captain on the scene also claimed the centre barriers had been installed too close to the roadway, stating specifications required them to be a minimum of four metres from the carriageway.
Elphinstone captain Andrew Chapman said the distance between barriers and carriageway was about two metres along this stretch of road.
“In days gone by when we had an accident like that one the Calder we had plenty of room to move traffic around the scene and keep it flowing, whereas Saturday we probably had a two-kilometre line of traffic held up because we simply haven’t got the room to move now that we’ve got those barriers in there,” Mr Chapman said. “VicRoads say that ideally cars would hit the barrier on an angle between five and 25 degrees and no more than 100 kilometres an hour, but the speed limit along there is 110km/h and you cannot have a car hit it between five and 25 degrees every time there’s an accident.
“I believe that it’s a only a matter of time before someone is injured or killed because of the way the barriers are currently installed.”
Mr Chapman said everyone he talked to agreed the barriers should have been installed in a single row along the centre of the median, rather than in two rows along either side.
“VicRoads’ shows data that the wire rope barriers save lives, and they probably do, but they’re also going to cost lives,” he said.
“The VicRoads data is that they prevent run-off-road crashes and head-on crashes but the fact is that in a decade there hasn’t been one head-on smash on the new Calder Freeway.”
VicRoads’ Safe System Road Infrastructure Program director Bryan Sherritt said the centreline flexible safety barriers were designed to prevent vehicles from crossing onto the wrong side of the road and hitting oncoming traffic, or roadside trees and other hazards.
“There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the rollout of flexible safety barriers, and that’s why we are continuing to work with CFA Regional Command, who unequivocally support the roll out of flexible safety barriers, to make sure that any issues raisedby local brigades are addressed,” Mr Sherritt said.

A ute carrying another ute on a trailer crashed into two sets of wire rope barriers on the Calder Freeway at Taradale before flipping and landing in a gully. Photo: IET Systems

Unique partnership – Students launch youth mental health initiative

By
Angela Crawford
-

Chain Reaction – Your Choices Matter is the theme chosen for the award-winning Live4Life program in the Macedon Ranges for the next 12 months.
The unique youth mental health promotion strategy, a partnership between the shire council, local secondary schools and key community agencies, has been operating locally since 2010. In that time more than 6500 students and 800 parents and teachers have received mental health education and support.
“Council is very proud of the wonderful achievements of this program and the opportunity it provides for young people to come together in support of mental health awareness,” Cr Janet Pearce stated in officially launching the Live4Life initiative at Sacred Heart College in Kyneton last week.
SHC principal Craig Holmes initially extended a warm welcome to the large number of year eight students and others from participating schools, and Cr Pearce welcomed and thanked guests, sponsors and supporters of the event.
She said she was pleased to celebrate council’s commitment to young people in the area, and to launch the 2018 initiative.
Cr Pearce emphasised the importance of being there and supporting one another, with more than 4500 year eight students and more than 2000 older students having participated in Live4Life in the past nine years.
“This is not possible without partnerships,” Cr Pearce said, acknowledging the excellent cooperation
between the schools, Victoria Police, Macedon Ranges Health and Cobaw Community Health, service clubs and business sponsors and supporters.
Cr Pearce also commended the dedicated Live4Life Crew members who work so hard each year, and who organised the launch program interspersed with entertainment and inspiration.
Current Macedon Ranges Young Citizen of the Year, Laura Crozier (a year 11 student at Gisborne Secondary College) summarised how she had been enthused and guided by Live4Life, and had gained the confidence to help other young people.
Kyle Hayes, who had also benefited from Live4Life involvement, provided some tips on how young people could help one another through some difficult times.
The background to the Chain Reaction – Your Choices Matter theme was briefly outlined as well.
Live4Life has a busy time ahead, and will be involved in the inaugural Puka Up Cup activities at the Riddell versus Macedon football and netball matches at Riddell on Saturday.

Live4Life crew members celebrate the 2018 launch of the program at Kyneton last week. Photo: Ties Urie Photography

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