Local News
New Hepburn Shire Council Sworn In but Challenges Await
At a ceremony this week, Don Henderson, Brian Hood, Lesley Hewitt, Tony Clark, Tim Drylie, Pat Hockey and Shirley Cornish were sworn in as Councillors. The new Council faces challenges including the uneven distribution of Councillors across the Shire and a substantial budget deficit.
Live4Life Improving the Lives of Local Young People
The Live4Life initiative at Daylesford College has reached its 6-month milestone. The program is a community wide mental health initiative that offers Mental Health First Aid education to students, teachers, and community members.
Cameron Stewart to Speak on US Election at Wombat Post AGM
Cameron Stewart, who is the Chief International Correspondent to The Australian and who has covered the last three US presidential elections will be the guest speaker at the The Wombat Post AGM on December 4th.
Council and Emergency Services Prepare for the Upcoming Fire Danger Period
The Fire Danger Period will begin at 1:00 am on Monday, November 25. Council, the Country Fire Authority (CFA), the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and Transport Victoria, will be working together to mitigate bushfire risks and ensure all preventative measures are taken to manage the safety of the region and community.
Daylesford Community Church Pop-Up Cafรฉ
The Daylesford Community Church welcomes community members to their Pop-up Cafรฉ every Thursday from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. Drop in and share in the community-building initiative.
Safe Places Homes Making Headway but Affordable Housing is Still a Huge Problem
Safe Place Homes is a small group of Hepburn Shire community members who are committed to finding workable ways to end homelessness in the Shire and to ease the burden of unaffordable housing for those who have a home but are under extreme financial pressure. In their five years of operation, they have made considerable policy progress and are close to providing physical accommodation.
Donkey Voters Swing Council Election
The “Donkey Vote” may have played a significant role in the outcome of the recent council election. Tony Clark certainly benefited from a donkey vote and Cameron Stone may have missed out on being elected.
Council Attempts to Economise with Changes to Swimming Pool Operations
Council will introduce some changes to aquatics operations in the 2024/2025 season in order to ease pressure on the council budget. Outside school holidays, the pool will open only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Hours of operation will also be reduced.
Four Megawatts of Rooftop Solar Added in Hepburn Shire Last Year
The most recent Z-NET electricity audit for FY2023 showed significant gains in rooftop solar across the Shire, with 4MW of new solar installed in the year, bringing the total installed solar to 20.1MW, anย increase of 20% over the year.
Hepburn Shire Council Election Results
Four previous councillors and three new councillors have been elected to the Hepburn Shire Council but the distribution of councillors under the new single electorate system is very uneven with Creswick councillors dominating the new Council.