A memorial service celebrating Rod’s life will be held at the Daylesford Town Hall on Thursday 8 June at 1pm.  Members of the community are welcome to attend.

Hepburn Shire Councillors and staff are saddened by the news that former Mayor and Councillor, Rod May, has passed away as result of injuries sustained during a road accident last week.  Rod is the brother of current Councillor, Greg May.

CEO Aaron van Egmond said that Rod May will be remembered for his contribution to his small community of Blampied and wider shire, particularly during his terms as a Hepburn Shire Councillor.

“Our thoughts and sympathies are with his daughters, family and friends at this very difficult time,” said Mr van Egmond.

Mayor Cr Sebastian Klein said Rod May stood tall in his vision for sustainability, community and agriculture.

“His contribution to municipal and community life over the decades of his life is unmistakable.   Among his colleagues here at our Council and among our communities, he will be sorely, and sadly missed. To his family, we send our warmest thoughts and condolences. We share your grief,” said Cr Klein.

Hepburn Shire Council proudly celebrated National Reconciliation Week and the landmark decisions that were made in 1967 and 1992.  Members of the community gathered for a Dja Dja Wurrung smoking ceremony and cultural exhibition at the Daylesford Museum.

In 1967, over 90 per cent of Australians voted to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise them in the national census.

In 1992, the High Court of Australia ruled in Mabo v Queensland that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a special relationship with the Australian land that existed before European colonisation and still exists today. This decision led to the 1993 Native Title Act.

The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2017 is “Let’s take the next steps.” Council is in the process of developing a Reconciliation Action Plan that will help promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture.  We are seeking to take the next steps to promote reconciliation with our Traditional Owners, the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans, and our local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members.

Has your community completed a community plan? Is there a high priority project in your town for which you would like to seek Council support?

Applications for Council’s Community Planning Implementation Fund are open and we are accepting Expressions of Interest from community groups! Please refer to the expression of interest Form below to assess your group’s eligibility and desire to apply. In addition, you may also refer to the Community Planning Strategy for further information on the process of having a project supported by Council. The Community Planning Strategy states, “the Fund provides $5,000 towards the implementation of a community project that will completed in the year following the application to the Fund (total funds available $10,000 per annum).”

The expression of interest closes on 23 June 2017.  Contact Nate Perry at nperry@hepburn.vic.gov.au for any enquiries.

Application Form – Community Planning Implementation Fund – Round 2 16/17

BE EMPOWERED! SECURE OUR ENERGY FUTURE, HELP OUR ENVIRONMENT AND HAVE YOUR SAY.

Throughout June, Council is holding workshops to explore how your community could lead the way to become carbon neutral, including local renewable energy or energy efficiency solutions at a business, individual and community level.

The opportunities include the potential for each community to become renewable energy self-sufficient, reduce carbon emissions and energy costs, while also creating local job opportunities.

At the workshops we will discuss what carbon neutrality could look like for your township (including any current projects) and the benefits, barriers and opportunities of new carbon neutral projects proposed by the community.

The ideas and outcomes generated from each workshop will be circulated across the Shire to stimulate further conversations within the community and encourage residents to get on board and get involved.

A second round of workshops will be held in August/September to review each community’s ideas and to identify what tools and resources will be needed to develop an action plan or roadmap that bring these ideas to fruition. Guest speakers will also be present to share their project experiences and the key lessons learnt.

Council will be on hand for the duration of the project in a facilitation, advisory and advocacy role, and will also talk about some of its Towards Zero Emissions projects.

The workshops are open to all Hepburn Shire residents, businesses, organisations and community groups. We are asking people to register for the workshops as it will help inform the workshop agenda and provide us with an understanding of community project ideas and needs.

Register by COB Wednesday 31 May 2017. We would also appreciate it if you could circulate this invitation to your networks and those people in your community who would be interested in attending.

The workshops will be held on the following dates and will run from 7 to 9pm.

• Creswick: Wednesday 7 June – Doug Lindsay Reserve
• Trentham: Thursday 8 June – Trentham Neighbourhood Centre
• Daylesford: Wednesday 14 June – Senior Citizens Rooms, Daylesford Town Hall
• Clunes:     Thursday 15 June – The Esmond Room, The Warehouse

Can’t attend?

If you can’t attend, we would still like to hear from you.  Just fill out the contact details section of the registration form (above), complete the short survey and hit submit. Or jump onto the OurSay Forum to have your say.

For further enquiries, please contact John van Rooden at jvanrooden@hepburn.vic.gov.au or on 03 5321 6125.

Share your ideas on how we could make Calembeen Park a better place for locals and visitors?

Council is gathering ideas for how to improve the Calembeen Park and want to hear from the community. Whether you have ideas about how the area is currently working and could be improved or just want to share your thoughts on what makes the park special and what shouldn’t change, we want to hear from you.

Come along to an open community session at Calembeen Park to share your ideas on how the park could be improved.

Wednesday 24 May – between 2.00pm and 4.00pm

Saturday 27 May – between 10.00am and 12.00pm

Meet at the BBQ shelter near the entrance.

Any queries please contact Paulette Pleasance on

5321 6142 or ppleasance@hepburn.vic.gov.au

Click here for more information on the project aims 

Click here to download a short questionaire

We are getting active in the youth social media space again after the launch of our Instagram page.  The page will be a place for our shire’s young people (we like to call them the Teen Squad) to share ideas and information about events.  We’re hoping that the possibility of winning an Apple iPad will encourage our young people to follow the page and spread the word.

You can view (and follow) the page at https://www.instagram.com/hepburn_teensquad/?hl=en

In accordance with section 54 of the Road Management Act 2004, Council gives notice that it intends to revise its Road Management Plan.

The proposed amendments are to ensure that the standards in relation to, and the priorities to be given to, the inspection, maintenance and repair of the roads and footpaths and the classes of road to which the Road Management Plan applies to, are safe, efficient and appropriate for use by the community served by the Council.

Click here for a copy of the revised Road Management Plan (Version 5) 2017.  Copies can also be inspected at Council’s offices in Daylesford, Clunes and Creswick, and libraries in Daylesford and Trentham until Thursday 4 June 2017.

Any person may make a written submission to Council on any proposal contained in the Road Management Plan and must be received by Council before 5.00pm on Thursday 1 June 2017. Submissions should be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Hepburn Shire Council and submitted by post to PO Box 21, Daylesford 3460 or email to shire@hepburn.vic.gov.au.

At the Council meeting scheduled for 6.00pm on Tuesday 20 June 2017 to be held in the Daylesford Senior Citizens’ Room, Council will formally meet to consider and determine the adoptions of the Road Management Plan (Version 5) 2017.

In April of 2017, 10 emerging young leaders from the Hepburn Shire were nominated and selected for the Western Bulldogs Leadership Project, where the students will undertake a variety of development workshops over the next 6 months. The students will have the opportunity to put together and deliver a community project based on the wants and needs of young people in the Hepburn Shire.

The Western Bulldogs Leadership Project is proudly supported and sponsored by the Hepburn Shire Council. We would like to thank Adam Moedt, Jenna Browne and the team at the Western Bulldogs for their continued support and commitment to the project. We look forward to seeing what our young leaders will achieve in the coming months.

From left: Cr Don Henderson, Kayleb, Maddie, Erin, Mayor Cr Sebastian Klein, Keenen, Oscar, Rachael (Hepburn Shire Council) and Cr Kate Redwood AM. (Absent: Chloe, Briony, Angie, Kelly and Abbey)

Following a thorough consultation, stakeholder engagement process and working with a project reference group, a Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens Master Plan has been developed that provides guidance for day to day operations, identifies improvement and development opportunities and compliments the Conservation Management Plan for the gardens.  The development of a Master Plan also responds to the recommendation made in the 2007 Conservation Management Plan and Council engaged Laidlaw & Laidlaw Design to develop the Master Plan.

The Master Plan was adopted at the Council meeting held on 21 March 2017.

Downloads:

Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens Master Plan

Master Plan Central Area – Image

Master Plan Entire Area – Image

At the meeting on 21 March 2017, Council resolved to support the construction of a space in the upstairs area of The Rex to facilitate the continued operation of the Daylesford Cinema in a new Community Theatre that is also available for Council and other community uses.

Mayor, Cr Sebastian Klein, said “It’s great to find a result that pleases the community, while simultaneously improving on the objectives of the Hepburn Hub project for the entire municipality.  I look forward to resolving a design that meets all of the goals of the project.”

CEO Aaron van Egmond said the new proposal is a win for both Council and the community.

“Incorporating a Community Theatre into The Rex facility, and the proposal to have a social enterprise café, will make this a true community building.  The future of the Daylesford Cinema now has certainty and we will be creating a usable community space.”

“The Daylesford Cinema will have non-exclusive use of the Community Theatre, enabling Council and the community to use the facility for events around the schedule of movie screenings.”

The library will now be located on the ground floor of The Rex, providing better access to the public.

“We believe this is good way forward, and one which balances the needs of the community and Council,” said Mr van Egmond.