The Croaker Vol 10 No 2 2017
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! The Croaker Volume 10. No. 2 - March 2017 Editor: Renee Wigley The Croaker is a not for profit, monthly, voluntary publication and is for general information purposes only. Alternative points of view to those expressed in opinion articles are encouraged and welcomed. Please send news, comments and queries to Renee - email: [email protected] or on-line https://www.facebook.com/thecroaker/ otwayescapes We are certainly not from the real, local stock of Smiths. Ever since arriving from WA. 28 years ago as young We have however always felt welcome. This community parents, the Smiths have been escaping to the Otways. is passionate about causes: The Arts, Landcare, climate We camped all over exploring Victoria. It was the Otways change, charities, the cooking group, festivals, and that we fell in Love with: The trees, the birds, the water… Louise’s amazing choir and percussion. I am so looking forward to the ‘Voice For The Refugees’ next year. We bought an old caravan and kept it at When I greet our guests at their Otway Escape, I tell them: the Cumberland River “We now have Koalas in our trees down on Matthews camping ground. Life Creek and Sugar Glider Possums. I tell our guests you will when camping was not hear cars but a symphony of birds. I tell them they simple. A camp oven will marvel at the brightness of the stars. I tell them to sit Christmas is precious! - sit and stare.“ Our next phase of By Christine Smith escape was to buy 20 www.otwayescapes.com.au acres of land backing onto the The Great Otway National Park in Pennyroyal. That was 25 years ago. We built a pole house weekender. I was adamant - no T.V. and no telephone. There were no laptops! We would come down to the Otways to escape the jumble of cars and the chaos of the city. In Pennyroyal we stared over eucalypts and sunsets. We marveled at the brightness of the stars. Life however is never smooth, never perfect. When we had ‘Our Family Crisis’, those priorities that we had modeled into our life suddenly became meaningless. With this family issue we decided to well and truly escape. Life seems simple when camping. We bought 200 Deans Marsh & Surrounds acres in Pennyroyal, sold out of city life, left our careers and moved permanently to the Otways. Brett built our Community SMS Master List: two-bedroom house in the middle of a paddock beside a An SMS test was completed successfully on Thursday 16th dam. We planted over 80,000 trees and established an February. The text message came from ‘DMSMSList’ and extensive garden that is now our own botanical not a phone number. If you are on the list and did not get a wonderland. text from us, please let us know by calling Deb Campbell on 52 36 3298 or emailing [email protected]. You can choose your property but being a part of this Hopefully our test will be the only SMS you get from us community is a privilege! Our wonderful neighbour says this fire season. it takes 20 years to be a local. Maybe? Vol. 10 No. 2 GOSLING CREEK WINERY Page !1 DEANS MARSH FESTIVAL - SUNDAY 26th MARCH 2017: In its 21st year the festival hopes to welcome over 3000 visitors. The Festival Working Party is to be congratulated and celebrated for all your work. The banners are up, postcards and posters distributed, the stage has been donated by Wheadons Truck Company, the Footy Shed will have local Artists exhibiting and providing demonstrations, Red Cross are back with Devonshire Tea and much more. Thanks to sponsors AKD Softwoods, The Cape Otway Light Station and King Parrot Cottages and Event Centre. The annual Dog Jump and Jack Russell Races are also back for another year, as are the Working Dog demos. Returning this year is the Top Dog Competition including prizes for ‘most like owner’, ‘best trick’, ‘best golden oldie’ and top prize ‘2017 Marsh Top Dog’. Not forgetting the Gumboot Toss, High Catch, The Deans Marsh Gift and Sheaf Toss. The rafcle ticket prizes are for accommodation at Otway Escapes, Countrywide Cottages, Hidden Valley Cabins, Port Cottage (Portarlington) and Vine Cottage (all dog friendly). Proceeds to CFA, Primary School, Hall and Memorial Reserve and the Community Cottage. Live Music & Entertainment The following bands are concirmed for the Festival: Rondo Big Band, Mountain Grey, John Waller and Lorne school band, Louise and Brendan Brown and Josh Goddard, Adam Ben Hickman, Flowers on Fire, Josh Rigg, Dada Ono (four piece - electronic indie) and Gullies from Apollo Bay. Local Harvest: Beer, Wine & Produce The Forrest Brewery will be in residence at the Footy Shed. There will be plenty of local wine for consumption and tasting. Local produce will be on offer. Market Stalls: The stall places are cilling up fast and if you are interested in a stall you can cind more information at http://deansmarsh.org.au/ Kids Activities: Bendigo Bank has provided a grant to establish an Art Wall that will display works of art produced by the Deans Marsh Primary School students. The theme for the exhibition is dogs. There will be a children’s activity area where children can design and make their own pencil cases, create a feathered headband to wear (the Cottage is accepting feathers if you have some please drop them off at 10 Pennyroyal Valley Road, Deans Marsh) and face- painting for kids. YAN YAN GURT WEST FARM and BAMBRA AGROFORESTRY FARM OPEN DAY: Yan Yan Gurt West Farm will be hosting a tour of the property on Sunday 12th March, including our Bush Food and Flower forest, Historic Woolshed built in 1888 with antique Ferrier wool press and a working dog display. Also a tour of an Earthen (Cob) Cottage, using natural building techniques and a walk around the farm learning about tree growing and sustainable land use and design. If you wish to see a Specialised Agroforestry Farm, Rowan Reid’s farm in Bambra is open in the morning. Rowan is growing everything from walnuts, oaks (with trufcles), Californian Redwoods, lots of fruit trees and many species of eucalypts for timber, bushfood, seed and other products while they also provide shelter, erosion control, cire protection and beauticication. Look on the website for tour tickets - agroforestry.org.au The tour tickets are $40 each or if you do both $70. Bambra Agroforestry Farm, 10am - 12.30pm. Yan Yan Gurt West Farm, 1.30pm - 4pm. Lorne Community Hospital at the DEANS MARSH FESTIVAL: Het Ramp from the Lorne Community Hospital will again be at The Deans Marsh Festival to chat about the Hospital services with members of the community. Look for a white marquee near the children’s activities and face painting. Het says: ‘I love checking peoples blood pressure and having a chat about what the Hospital can do to support the community. We enjoy a great day. I am never sure whether to have Tahli’s delicious Chai, or scones with jam and cream and a cuppa in the hall, so I always do both! See you there.’ Het Ramp Health Promotion Coordinator Lorne Community Hospital Vol. 10 No. 2 GOSLING CREEK WINERY Page !2 DEANS MARSH DOG TRIALS: INCREASING HAZARDS ON THE DEANS MARSH-LORNE ROAD: We had a wonderfully successful weekend at the trials, competitors coming from all over Victoria, Recreational cyclists are increasingly appearing on rural NSW, SA, QLD and WA. The Open contest for the roads. A good example is the Deans Marsh-Lorne road. Due top dogs was closely contested with 4 points the to the shortage of affordable housing and high price of rental difference between John Tuddenham placing 1st accommodation in Lorne, people are moving further out and and Maurie Burke placing 2nd. commuting. So car, commercial and heavy vehicle trafcic is also increasing. The Trailers all commented on the wonderful friendly community atmosphere and said it was In recent months the condition of this road has deteriorated. one of the best-organised trials they attend, Cyclists ride on roads with no formal teaching or having to including the great surroundings and beautifully pass a test. kept grounds. However there is an urgent need for educating all rural road The judge Mr Colin Reid commented on the users. Weather conditions around Benwerrin can change in wonderful sportsmanship of the competitors and moments, resulting in visibility being reduced to around 100 the great organisation of the trials. Around 400 metres. There has already been one potential serious incident spectators turned up over the three days with on a tight bend between the school bus, a semi-trailer and two many commenting on what a wonderful spectacle bicycles riding in opposite direction. the trials present. Yet cyclists generally disobey Vic Road rules as regards rear Mark Fagan and Jill Stewart the organisers would reclectors, white and red lights and reclective clothing. like to thank all those from the community, the Meetings have taken place with Vic Roads, Victorian Western Trailers and the judge who helped on the weekend. Region Police and Geelong Highway Patrol. Also a big thank you to our sponsors: The next step is to lobby such organisations as Bicycle Herds Livestock, Laurie & Marie Millard, Dog Pro, Victoria and the RACV to come on board. By this letter we ask King Parrot Cottages, Otway Greening Nursery, other concerned residents to contact the authors below to Outback Trading, Colac Co Op, Birregurra Lions register their support for this campaign. Club, Deans Marsh Store, Jules & Kath Marotta, Jim Juliet Beatty, Deans Marsh – Ph. 0419151961 [email protected] Gannon & family, Deans Marsh Cricket Club.