Hepburn Shire Council is currently working with our community in Dean, Mollogghip and Newlyn to develop Community Plans. If you live or work in these localities we’d love to know what you think is important for the future of your town.

If you live in:

Dean your survey is now open here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DeanCommunityPlan

Mollongghip your survey is now open here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MollongghipCommunityPlan

Newlyn your survey is now open here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NewlynCommunityPlan

Hepburn Shire Council supports communities in identifying their vision and priorities through community planning. Community planning empowers communities to make decisions and act on what is important for them now and in the future. Communities have an opportunity to present their community plan to Councillors and to apply for funding to make their aspirations happen. To learn more about Community Plans in Hepburn go to: https://www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/community-planning/

There are other ways to be involved including drop in sessions and via phone or email. Contact kgerritsen@hepburn.vic.gov.au or 5321 6126.

Council has recently been involved in a number of initiatives aimed at advancing reconciliation in our organisation and communities including:

• July 2015 – Daylesford Town Hall flag raising and NAIDOC celebration day

• August 2015 – Installation of interpretive signage recognising Dja Dja Wurrung culture at Hepburn Spring Mineral Reserve

• March 2016 – Dja Dja Wurrung Welcome to Country and information about upcoming Reconciliation Action Plan project at all staff meeting

• April 2016 – Creswick community are welcomed to country and experience smoking ceremony at Creswick Hub opening. The Aboriginal flag is now flying permanently at Creswick Hub

• April 2016 – Land Cultures event is held in Daylesford. Council supported this event hosted by Hepburn Relocalisation Network and featuring talks by Bruce Pascoe. Dja Dja Wurrung Elders welcomed over 300 people to country for the evening event and a smoking ceremony was held in the laneway beside the Town Hall. If you missed it Hepburn Community Radio have a podcast of the event here: https://soundcloud.com/hrn-522934863/land-cultures-bruce-pascoe-david-holmgren

• April 2016 – Council Staff participate in a tour of sites in Hepburn Regional Park hosted by the Dhelkunya Dja Land Management Board

Over the last year staff from Council’s Planning, Home and Community Care and Community Development and Executive Teams and our Councillors have undertaken training and development activities to increase our knowledge and capacity to meet Council’s obligations for maintaining and managing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage locally.

How can you get involved?

We welcome all members of our community to come and participate in NAIDOC activities this year.  If you are an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander living in Hepburn Shire we’d love to hear from you to be a part of developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).  The Hepburn Shire RAP aims to further recognise the unique relationship of Dja Dja Wurrung People to their traditional Country and respond to our local community needs for further reconciliation activities. The RAP Project will begin in June 2016.

What is a Reconciliation Action Plan?

The Reconciliation Action Plan is a three year business plan outlining what an organisation will do within its sphere of influence to contribute to reconciliation. The plan is based around three key areas of action:

– Relationships
– Respect
– Opportunities.

For more information, or to register your interest in being involved, please contact Council’s Community and Cultural Development Officer kgerritsen@hepburn.vic.gov.au or 5321 6126

Images: Dja Dja Wurrung Elders and Hepburn Shire Councillors at the Daylesford Town Hall flag raising and NAIDOC celebration day (July 2015), Dja Dja Wurrung Smoking Ceremony, Creswick Hub (April 2016), Dja Dja Wurrung Park Victoria Ranger Team Leader, Trent Nelson talking about culture on country at Hepburn Springs Mineral Reserve (April 2016), Dja Dja Wurrung Smoking Ceremony, Daylesford Town Hall (July 2015)

Over the coming months Council will commence one of the largest plantings of new street trees in Trentham since its establishment. The Parks and Open Space team will plant around 190 street trees over the coming months in Market and Albert Streets. The location and species of the trees were determined as part of the Streetscapes Planning and Design project. There was significant community consultation as part of this project. The species of trees are in keeping with existing streetscapes and heritage of Trentham.

Further streetscape projects to be rolled out in Trentham over the next year will include works at the intersection of Market and High Street and formalising some car parking.

A Community Information session will be held to discuss detailed plans for these projects.

Following extensive consultation and design through the Your Main Street project Council adopted the Trentham Plan in January 2015.

Funding of $60,000 has been allocated in the current budget, with a further amount of $200,000 included in Council’s proposed 2016-17 budget.

Further details on Streetscape Projects can be found in the Major Projects tab.

Thank you to all our wonderful volunteers on National Volunteer Week. You help make Hepburn Shire a better place to live, work and visit.

Councillors & staff at Hepburn Shire Council

Interested in volunteering?  Visit www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/volunteers

Council wish to inform motorists of a change to traffic conditions at the intersection of Central Springs Road and Frazer Street in Daylesford. Traffic on Central Springs Road will have right of way, which means that motorists travelling on Frazer Street will be required to give way to Central Springs Road traffic.

Warning signs on all 4 approaches will be displayed to notify the change to traffic conditions. This change has been made after discussions with the Daylesford Police. This intersection has been the scene of several accidents and these improvements will make the intersection safer for motorists.