Beechworth is preparing to serve up a feast of mouth-watering local fare with the return of the annual Harvest Celebration on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May. Now in its 15th year, the event is a gourmet’s dream, highlighting the renowned wine and produce of this blessed region at one of the most glorious times of the year to visit.

Day One of the Harvest Celebration on Saturday 17 May will see the vignerons of the Beechworth Wine Region, including some normally closed to the public, throwing open their cellar doors to visitors. This is an opportunity for wine-lovers to visit some of the premier boutique wineries of the North East. Throughout the day and evening Beechworth’s famed restaurants and eateries will feature special menus offering fine local produce and matching wines.  A Gala Harvest Dinner at The Pines at La Trobe @ Beechworth will be an experience not to be missed.  To secure your booking, phone (03) 5720 8050.

On Sunday 18 May the Harvest Celebration showcases local produce. Huge marquees in the centre of Beechworth’s Historic & Cultural Precinct will transform the area into a giant smorgasbord all day from 10am to 5pm. Local temptations will include venison, pork and lamb, apples, pears and chestnuts, organic vegetables, preserves, jams, relishes and pickles, olive oils and table olives, bread, cakes and pastries, lavender and saffron products as well as fortified and table wines, boutique beers and cordials.

The Harvest Celebration Presentation Stage will be hosted by actor and comedian, John Walker and will feature demonstrations by talented local chefs, expert tips on cooking chestnuts, pretzel-making, the word on organic wines and having fun baking bread and pastries.

This year’s children’s program has been expanded with entertainment throughout the afternoon including the return of the popular dough-making workshops. Also back in 2008 is the Street Full of Scarecrows for the third year running. Prizes will be presented to the best scarecrows on the Presentation Stage during the afternoon.

The inaugural Beechworth Harvest Celebration was held on Mother's Day Weekend in 1994 as a one-day event aimed at showcasing the diversity and quality of food and wine being produced in the region. Fifteen years on, this now eagerly anticipated event on the Beechworth calendar has gone from strength to strength into a full weekend of activities.

For further information contact the Harvest Celebration Co-ordinator,
Cath O’Connor, phone 0428 286 556 or email info@harvestcelebration.com.au

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Indigo Shire Council welcomes the
decision of the Supreme Court

Indigo Shire Council welcomes the decision of the Supreme Court’s ruling in favour of the Macedon Ranges Shire on behalf of the community of Romsey, that the local community’s strong opposition was relevant and should be considered by VCAT.

Mayor Cr Vic Issell said “the decision is great news for communities who are whole heartedly opposed to the introduction of poker machines into their community”.

Cr Issell commented that he applauded the actions of the Macedon Ranges Shire in taking this matter to the Supreme Court with the outcome vindicating the Council’s leadership.

Cr Issell went on to say that this decision supported the right for communities and councils to determine their own position about the appropriateness of poker machines.

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Students to spin a yarn

Local school students will be jumping on their soapboxes this Easter in a new competition for the 2008 Beechworth Golden Horseshoes Festival.

Two students from Grades 5 and 6 from each school in the Beechworth area will take to the stage in Camp Street from 11:30am on Easter Saturday to tell in their own words and in their own way the legend of the golden horseshoes.

One of the organisers of the new competition, Ali Garnett, said the presentations would be in the style of the old-fashioned spruikers and storytellers.

“This is great a chance for kids to put their dramatic talents to use in a public arena, to do some research on the golden horseshoes story and develop a greater understanding of a small part of Beechworth’s history, as well as have some fun,” Ali said.

She said response to the idea had been extremely positive.

 “Both the students and the teachers are really enthusiastic about it because it fits with the curriculum and the study of history and helps kids with their public speaking skills.”

There will be a number of prizes awarded including best presentation, the funniest story, the bravest, the easiest to hear and the best costume.

“The story must be spoken, not read aloud, and storytellers are encouraged to dress the part. All the storytellers will then take part in the Grand Parade at 1pm,” Ali said.

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Easter festival showcases quilts,
stitches & bears

Beechworth’s burgeoning reputation as a hub for quilting enthusiasts will be further enhanced this Easter with the inclusion of two superb exhibitions in the 2008 Golden Horseshoes Festival program.

At the Sub-Treasury Building in the Historic & Cultural Precinct around 200 traditional and modern designs by quilters representing 10 clubs from across the North East of Victoria will be on show from Easter Saturday to Easter Monday.

And at the Old Schoolhouse building in Loch Street, visitors will have the chance to see first hand a selection of precious exhibits – some more than 100 years old - from the Antique Quilt Register of the Pioneer Women’s Hut in Tumbarumba NSW. The exhibition includes quilts made of recycled blankets and scrap fabric as well as rabbit and other animal skins.

On Saturday at the Town Hall from 7:30 – 9:30pm, visitors can learn from the experts at Threads of Necessity – the Story of Quilting. From Beechworth Quilters Cottage, which attracts thousands of visitors annually from across Victoria and interstate, Yelena Elliott will talk about the history and evolution of the craft. A member of the Antique Quilt Study Group whose own designs have achieved international recognition, Yelena will show her personal collection of antique patterns, blocks and fabrics. 

Also on the bill is Anne Thoroughgood from the Pioneer Women’s Hut, regarded as one of the best and most unusual regional museums in Australia, reflecting on the ingenuity of and challenges facing early rural women.

The Burke Museum also features in this year’s Golden Horseshoes Festival program with the Easter Needlework Exhibition, a very special display of treasured items including crocheted doilies and runners, embroidered tablecloths and dressing table sets handed down to Beechworth women by their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers.

And for people of all ages, the Beechworth Town Hall will be Teddy Bear central on Easter Saturday from 10am – 4pm with displays of bears from the local community, a colouring competition and the chance to win a beautifully hand-crafted Teddy created by Stanley Bears’ Eunice Eisman. Mrs Eisman, who is known internationally for her beautifully made traditional bears, will be available for Teddy Bear provenance advice from 3 – 4pm.

For more information please contact Yelena Elliott, Anne Thoroughgood or Anne Wilson (Golden Horseshoes committee member and co-ordinator of the displays) or Sue Couttie, Tourism Officer, Indigo Shire Council, phone (03) 5728 8061 / scouttie@indigoshire.vic.gov.au

FOR FULL PROGRAM DETAILS OF THIS YEAR’S GOLDEN HORSESHOES FESTIVAL GO TO WWW.BEECHWORTHONLINE.COM.AU

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Australian Youth Band set
to bring some pizzazz to
2008 Golden Horseshoes Festival

One of the most exciting musical outfits in the country, the Australian Youth Band, is set to bring some old style razzle-dazzle to the Beechworth Golden Horseshoes Festival this Easter.

This talented bunch of more than 40 young musicians is a fully equipped American-style marching band whose energy and flair have earned them an international reputation and a packed performance schedule.

The band has been invited to form the Victorian contingent of musicians for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Orchestra - a 2008-piece ensemble performing at Olympic venues in and around Beijing throughout the Games this August, as well as in Shanghai and Tianjin. More than 20 members of the AYB will be taking part.

The AYB will be a highlight of this year’s Grand Parade through the streets of picturesque Beechworth in north-east Victoria on Easter Saturday and a perfect fit for his year’s Festival theme of History, Music & Fun!

The ensemble has a vast repertoire ranging from upbeat marching numbers to show tunes and contemporary sounds to symphonic works, performing regularly at festivals and major community and sporting events around Australia and overseas including the Beijing International Youth Festival, World Marching Band Festival – Japan, AFL, NBL and NSL finals, MCG Olympic Torch Ceremony and ANZAC Day March in Melbourne.

The Victoria Police Pipe Band and the combined Albury Pipes & Drums and The Scots School Albury Pipe Band will add further colour to the spectacular annual Golden Horseshoes Grand Parade which this year will feature guest commentators, comedian John Walker and entertainer, Mark ‘Lazy Harry’ Stephens.

A host of other bands and musicians will also appear in the Grand Parade as well as the outdoor stage on Camp Street throughout the weekend, including the sensational Melbourne-based Inka Marka playing their irresistible South American rhythms.

A highlight of the Easter weekend in Beechworth, the Golden Horseshoes Grand Parade will be an unmissable event as dozens of outlandish, colourful, historic and funny floats vie for the inaugural Beechworth Bakery Perpetual Trophy for Best Float.

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Free Public Open Day this Sunday

Visitors to Beechworth and locals re-acquainting themselves with the delights of their home town can explore free of charge the Historic & Cultural Precinct this Sunday 2 March between 10am and 2pm.

The Precinct Open Day is the first of a number of activities being planned by Indigo Shire Council during 2008 to mark the 150th anniversary of the nationally significant collection of gold era buildings known as the Historic & Cultural Precinct.

Open Day activities include the recreation of a police camp in the Police Paddocks and marching drills by the Mansfield Re-enactment Group, Precinct guides in period costume, souvenir stalls and more.

The Heritage Victoria, National Estate and National Trust-listed buildings include the Courthouse where Ned Kelly and his mother Ellen famously appeared, the Telegraph Station which still operates as a centre for Telegram transmission, the Gold Warden’s Office, Chinese Cultural Centre, Powder Magazine and Burke Museum where the fascinating Cabinet of Wonders: Treasure from the Beechworth Community exhibition is currently on show.

Several of the buildings were completed in 1858. Built of local honey-coloured granite, they replaced the weatherboard structures that sprang up soon after gold was discovered in 1852. By then more than 8000 miners were camped on Beechworth’s Spring and Reid’s Creek goldfields alone, and as the population grew, so to did the need for improved services such as law and order, communications, town planning, education, goldfields management and local government.

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Huge Festival Treasure Hunt returns:
$2000 Golden Egg up for grabs at
Beechworth Golden Horseshoes 2008

The Golden Horseshoes Festival, one of the most popular annual events in regional Victoria, returns to Beechworth in exactly one month today, from Good Friday 21 to Easter Sunday 23 March.

With its 2008 theme of History, Music & Fun! the packed program, announced today by Golden Horseshoes Festival Committee Chairman, Leo Nette, includes a host of events for all ages across the Easter weekend, capped by the wildly popular Hunt for the Golden Egg on Easter Sunday.

In a new twist this year fortune hunters will turn super-sleuth as they search for clues on a special treasure map of the streets of Beechworth. The first correct entry drawn at 2pm on Easter Sunday will win the sensational grand prize donated by Beechworth Gold of an egg encased in $2000 of gold.

Other highlights of the 2008 program include:

• Free performances by the sensational Australian Youth Band, an American-style marching band which has appeared around Australia and overseas, including the Beijing International Youth Festival. AYB members will be among the 2008-strong youth band being formed worldwide to perform at the Beijing Olympics in August this year.
• The Grand Parade, featuring special guest commentators, comedian John Walker and entertainer, Lazy Harry and featuring the inaugural Beechworth Bakery Perpetual Trophy for Best Float.
• A chance for the whole family to Discover Museum Victoria.. This fantastic interactive display includes ancient fossils, dinosaur bones, exhibits from the Museum’s natural history collection as well as the real Federation Hand Bells created to mark the centenary of Federation in Victoria.
• The Easter Quilt Shows featuring dozens of exquisite modern and antique quilts
• An outdoor food court in Camp Street, this year extended to all day Saturday and Sunday
• Art Alley ‘plein air’ exhibition featuring work from artists of the four Indigo shire Arts Councils of Beechworth, Rutherglen, Yackandandah and Chiltern.
• Free outdoor stage performances by a host of talent including the irresistible rhythms of Melbourne-based South American band, Inca Marka

The 2008 program will also see the return of perennial favourites including Daniel Cameron’s famous ride through Beechworth on a horse shod with golden shoes, the huge Good Friday Fun Run and the Easter Bunny appearing on Easter Sunday laden with free chocolate eggs for children.

This year for the first time, an incorporated community committee has taken on responsibility for planning and producing the Beechworth Golden Horseshoes Festival. Mr Nette said today the event was well on track to be even bigger and better than the highly successful Festival of 2007 which attracted estimated crowds of 20,000.

For further infromation visit the Autumn events section of beechworth.com

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Charles Dickens’ writing desk
unearthed in Beechworth

Cabinets of Wonder:
Treasure from the Beechworth Community
Opens this Thursday 21 February - 30 June

Two days out from the official opening of the Cabinets of Wonder at Beechworth’s Burke Museum, an astonishing assortment of privately owned artefacts and collections from the local community are still coming to light.

A portable writing desk owned by Charles Dickens is one of the many treasures individuals and organisations have loaned to the Burke for the six-month exhibition.

An amazing collection of skulls of small native mammals, cranial instruments from the Beechworth Hospital, book marks, Egyptian artefacts, egg cups, brooches, a rock collection and a 100 year-old Chilean bird-eating spider have recently found their way into the Burke’s Cabinets of Wonder.

Burke Museum Collections Officer, Linda Peacock, says response has been overwhelming: “Once word got out about the exhibition we were inundated with offers of objects for display.. And what’s been really surprising is the variety and quality of artefacts that have come in. We could fill the entire museum with community collections alone!”

The Hon. Tim Fischer, the Patron of the Indigo Tourism Board, officially opens Cabinets of Wonder: Treasure from the Beechworth Community this Thursday 21 February. The exhibition runs until 30 June.

With its extraordinary collection of Aboriginal artefacts from the early to mid-19th century, an amazing natural history collection including an extremely rare stuffed Thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger) as well as thousands of artefacts, journals and photographs Beechworth’s historic Burke Museum could be described as a Wunderkammer (Cabinet of Wonder) in its own right.

Named in honour of the ill-fated explorer, Robert O’Hara Burke who was Police Superintendent during Beechworth’s heady gold rush days of 1854 – 1858, the Burke Museum is part of the town’s nationally significant Historic & Cultural Precinct, which this year celebrates its sesquicentenary.

For more information visit www.beechworth.com/burkemus

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2008 milestone for Beechworth Historic Precinct 

In 2008 Beechworth celebrates the sesquicentenary of its nationally significant collection of gold era buildings known as the Historic & Cultural Precinct.

Indigo Shire Council will kick off a year of activities marking the 150th milestone of the Heritage Victoria, National Estate and National Trust-listed buildings with a public Open Day on Sunday 2 March offering free access to Precinct buildings, re-enactments and stalls.

Several of the buildings, including the Courthouse where Ned Kelly and his mother Ellen famously appeared, the Telegraph Station, and Gold Warden’s Office were completed in 1858. Built of local honey-coloured granite, they replaced the weatherboard structures that sprang up soon after gold was discovered in 1852. By then more than 8000 miners were camped on Beechworth’s Spring and Reid’s Creek goldfields alone, and as the population grew, so to did the need for improved services such as law and order, communications, town planning, education, goldfields management and local government.

Still with its original furniture and fittings, the Beechworth Courthouse is the jewel in the Precinct crown. Completed in June 1858, it operated continuously as a working Court for 131 years and has been the setting for some of the most fascinating court cases in Victoria’s history.

Ned Kelly appeared there twice, including his committal hearing over the murders of Constables Lonigan and Scanlon. Ned’s mother Ellen Kelly received a three-year jail sentence for the attempted murder of Constable Fitzpatrick and Elizabeth Scott, the first woman executed in Victoria, received the death sentence in this building.

Robert O’Hara Burke the ill-fated explorer, and Police Superintendent in Beechworth from 1854-58, once sat at the bench and Justice Sir Redmond Barry presided over many trials there. Sir Isaac Isaacs started his legal career here before rising to become Australia’s first native-born Governor-General.

The Precinct also includes the Chinese Protector’s Office, the Gold Warden’s Office.

Police Stables, Police Lockup, Police Reserve, Town Hall, Robert O’Hara Burke Memorial Museum and the Powder Magazine, located a short distance from the Precinct complex.

The 150th anniversary of the Beechworth Historic & Cultural Precinct will be commemorated throughout the year.

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Dame Elisabeth Murdoch named Patron of new
Henry Handel Richardson Society

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE will be the Patron of a new Society for devotees around the world of one of Australia’s greatest authors, Henry Handel Richardson.

Established after this year’s highly successful Henry Handel Richardson Birthday Celebration at historic Lake View House in Chiltern, the Society will celebrate and promote the writings, including music, of one of the most widely read authors this country has produced.

The HHR Society of Australia is planning a number of activities including the development of a website, an annual conference tied to future Chiltern birthday celebrations, HHR tours as well as workshops and related events.

Best known for The Getting of Wisdom, which was also made into a film directed by Society member, Bruce Beresford, and the great classic trilogy The Fortunes of Richard Mahony, all Richardson’s books were published and reprinted in the USA and UK. Hollywood made a film of her first novel, Maurice Guest, in 1954 starring Elizabeth Taylor.

Inaugural President, Rex Fuge, OAM, said that the Society was long overdue: “Other authors such as Jane Austen, Samuel Johnson, Shakespeare, Dickens and Yeats have had similar Societies honouring their work for many years,. Now Richardson lovers around the world have their own forum dedicated to celebrating her work.”

Henry Handel Richardson, the pseudonym of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson was born in Melbourne on 3 January 1870 and spent some of her childhood in Chiltern at Lake View. The house features a collection of Richardson memorabilia including her original writing desk, personal bric-a-brac, photos and copies of her books.

Founding members of the Society include Professors Clive Probyn and Bruce Steele, who with Dr Meg Probyn completed last year the biggest research project on any single Australian author, The Monash University Henry Handel Richardson Project. Over 13 years, the Project produced 12 volumes comprising new and more complete editions of her six novels, a volume of translation, three volumes of her letters, a volume of her parents' letters (including letters written to and from Chiltern), and two volumes of her music. An edition of her autobiography Myself When Young is to be published.

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Clean Up Australia Day
Take Action on Plastic Bottles

Indigo Shire residents could save more than $1,200 a year and the environment by turning their backs on bottled water and going back to the tap.

Clean Up Australia Chairman Ian Kiernan AO says it’s time for people to realise they’re spending around $2.50 for a litre of water that costs less than one cent when it comes out of a tap.

“Bottled water also has an environmental cost.  If people used a refillable bottle instead of buying a new one every time they wanted a drink of water, then we would help to reduce the huge amount greenhouse gases created in making and transporting them.”

Australia uses more than 300,000 barrels of oil a year to make PET bottles for bottled water.  Of the 118,000 tonnes of plastic drink bottles Australians buy in one year, only 35 per cent are recycled.  The 76,700 tonnes left behind either go to landfill or end up in our environment as rubbish.  Mr Kiernan is calling on people across the nation to join together to remove plastic bottles and other rubbish from our environment.

“Clean Up Australia Day on Sunday, 2nd March  will be a focus for community action to address not just the growing problem of plastic bottle rubbish but greenhouse gas pollution as well.”

People young and old are being urged to register as a volunteer so that they can join in on the day and make a difference in Indigo Shire.  “It’s not too late to get involved,”  “Climate change is the greatest challenge facing our and future generations.”  Mr Kiernan said “I encourage everyone to take action by registering a Clean Up Day site.  Let’s start today to save tomorrow.”

To register a site or for a list of other Clean Up Australia Day sites in your area go to www.cleanup.org.au.

Indigo Shire Council can provide support to groups that have officially registered a site.  Contact Council’s Natural Resource Management Officer Shay Simpson on 02 6028 1128.

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Golden opportunity for Indigo tourism

The Indigo Tourism Board marked its first meeting for 2008 with a tour of one of the region’s outstanding attractions, the historic Karr's Reef Goldmine near Yackandandah.

New Indigo Tourism Board Patron, former Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of Tourism Australia and now host of the new ABC Radio series, The Great Train Show, Tim Fischer, said he was delighted to discover an underground narrow gauge railway system he never knew existed, just 50 minutes from the Albury Railway Station.

“The main track runs due east to west from the entry portal, to cut through to the north south gold and quartz reef, so it might be dubbed the ‘Great Western Railway Downunder’!” he said.

Discovered outside picturesque Yackandandah in 1867 by Jas Karr, Karr’s Reef Goldmine features a hand-dug tunnel that extends 150m into the side of the hill and descends 66m underground. For 17 years the average yield was about half an ounce of gold to the ton.

Mr Fischer said he admired the precision of the miners who, working in the most primitive conditions, were able to lay an 18-inch gauge iron rail track which is still in good working order. He also marvelled at the restored ore wagons and a tiny crew and equipment car.

Yesterday’s tour was a highlight of a day-long meeting of the ITB which discussed plans for marketing initiatives in 2008, including developing the region as a major cycle tourism destination as well as assisting local festivals and events to tap into sponsorships opportunities.

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Artists bring new life to historic Beechworth schoolhouse

School’s in for a group of talented artists and artisans from the Beechworth area who have joined forces on an exciting new venture launched this month.

The Old Schoolhouse Gallery is a fascinating new showcase of jewellery, paintings, ceramics and textiles as well as second hand books and collectibles housed in the 1863 Common School in Loch Street, one of Beechworth’s many notable historic buildings.

The initiative is the brainchild of Sandra and Robert Godfrey who lovingly restored the building five years ago as an exhibition space for Sandra’s silk painting.

More recently, their idea of using the building to house a retail gallery for a variety of local artists from the Beechworth area was enthusiastically embraced and within a few short weeks The Old Schoolhouse Gallery was open for business.

“We wanted to have something for everyone to enjoy and at the same time provide encouragement for local artisans to keep creating,” Sandra Godfrey said.

Indigo Shire Mayor, Cr Vic Issell, will officially launch the co-operative venture on 25 January.

Joining forces with Sandra Godfrey are:

• Jan Clements  (felting, leather and metal)
• North East Yarns (natural coloured wool and woollen garments)
• Tania Magennis and Janine Delves (artists specialising in quirkiness and colour)
• Wendy Stephens (visual artist)
• Frances Macdonald (potter)
• Ali Rowe (textile artist)
• Robyn White (glass bead jewellery)
• Claire Shearman and Ken Young (second hand books specialising in arts, crafts and local history)
• Schoolhouse Collectables
• Judy Hawking-Burnett (paintings, jewellery and cards)

Celebrating its 145th anniversary this year, the Common School No. 36, known as the Beechworth Academy, was the town’s first school. The first Australian-born Governor General, Sir Isaac Isaacs, taught there from 1872 to 1874, and for 100 years of its history the building housed the office and press of the Ovens & Murray Advertiser.

The Old Schoolhouse Gallery, 17 Loch St, Beechworth.
Phone (03) 5725 1342. Email wandanagallery@bigpond.com
Open seven days a week from 10am to 4pm.

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International recognition for Beechworth quilter

Beechworth quilter, Yelena Elliott, has become the first international designer to feature in You’re Invited, the prestigious American publication for the quilting sorority produced by Blackbird Design.

Blackbird chiefs, Barb Adams and Alma Allen, whose company also supplies designs for the US fabric giant, Moda, handpicked the exquisite work In Mollie’s Garden, on their visit to Australia last year.

The subject of a major feature in the latest edition of the quarterly journal, the work was also exhibited this year at the world’s biggest annual celebration of quilting, the Houston Quilt Fair.

Mrs Elliott took up quilting 13 years ago after completing a Fashion Technology course at Albury TAFE. She drew inspiration for In Mollie’s Garden from memories of her grandmother, Marie (Mollie) Bloxsom, whose beautiful garden in Albury featured the latticework, red roses, magnolia blooms and blue sage represented in the quilt. Serendipitously, she included an affectionate nod to Mollie’s daily battle with foraging blackbirds, making the work a natural choice for Blackbird Design.

In Mollie’s Garden is now on display alongside other original Mill Lane Designs by Yelena Elliott at the Beechworth Quilters Cottage, the business she co-owns and runs with her aunt, Leonie.

The Beechworth Quilters Cottage was recently relaunched and expanded, reflecting the steady growth in quilting as a leisure pursuit in Australia.

Busloads of enthusiasts from across Victoria and NSW are regular visitors to the Cottage and both Yelena and Leonie are in constant demand as tutors for quilters of all ages. They present regular workshops and quilting retreats, including a weekly group project, which is currently replicating a quilt from 1863.

The Blackbird Design publication featuring the story of and pattern for In Mollie’s Garden has just been released in Australia.

Yelena Elliott is available for interview. Contact (03) 5728 2399.
More information at www.beechworthquilterscottage.com.au

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The Inaugural Rutherglen Farmers’ Market

Sunday Dec 9, 2007 – 9.00am to 12.30pm
Lions Park, Rutherglen
2nd Sunday of every month run by Rutherglen Lions Club

The Rutherglen Farmers' Market is set to kick off on Sunday, December 9 with over 20 local and regional producers offering an extensive range of goods for sale.  ‘Fresh is Best’, so with that in mind a diverse range of products have been assembled by market organisers that will include Rutherglen-grown tomatoes, fresh vegetables from Albury, fresh stone fruit, berries and oranges from Cobram, fresh cherries from Chiltern and fresh peaches from the banks of the Murray.

Other delicacies available will include local extra virgin olive oils, olives, tepenades and dukhas, local honeys, free range eggs, cheeses, freshly baked cakes & cookies, Christmas puddings, local sauces, relishes, chutneys and pickles, Emu oil creams, local marmalades, Rutherglen Lamb, North East Venison, almond & honey products and so much more.  An absolute feast for the taste buds!

The Market will operate monthly on the 2nd Sunday of every month in the Lions Park, Rutherglen.  The park is adjacent to the Rutherglen roundabout, behind Jasper’s Liberty service station and provides plenty of shade and amenities for people to enjoy the fun atmosphere of a local market.  The Rutherglen Lions Club will be assisting with the running and operation of the Market and funds generated by the Market will be used locally for projects within the community.

The Market will provide an environment for farmers and food producers to sell high-quality, farm-origin and associated value-added food products directly to consumers. The emphasis is on freshness, quality and value for money, Buying locally means you can ask how the food is produced and grown and at the same time customer feedback is appreciated by the producer.  Buying locally also reduces food kilometres and the stages in the food chain from paddock to plate. It puts money back into the local rural economy thereby sustaining and creating jobs.

Future dates for 2008 are Jan13, Feb 10, Mar 9, Apr 13, May 11, Jun 8, Jul 13, Aug 10, Sep 14, Oct 12, Nov 9 & Dec 14.

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Burke Museum on the hunt for hidden collections as
Cabinet of Curiosities comes to town

Beechworth’s Burke Museum is on a treasure hunt for weird and wonderful local collections to showcase in the Cabinet of Curiosities, on loan from the National Museum of Australia from January to June next year as part of a national tour.

The museum is keen to hear from any individuals or local organisations with a distinctive, bizarre, ornamental, sentimental or just plain ordinary collection of objects small enough to fit into one of the 35 drawers of the Cabinet. 

Burke Museum Collections Officer, Linda Peacock, said the exhibition would provide a fascinating insight into the nature of collecting as well as the community from which the collections will be drawn.

“The items maybe as everyday as a collection of ballet shoes from a local dance company or decks of cards from a local Euchre club. The Cabinet of Curiosities is very much about reflecting the interests and concerns of the community and offering local people the chance to involve themselves directly in the process of curating their own exhibition.”

She said that one of the more unsettling inclusions would be a collection of contraband seized from former inmates of the historic Beechworth Prison. Mostly homemade weapons, these sinister objects are remarkable for their simplicity and sheer ingenuity.

The Cabinet of Curiosities was originally developed for a major exhibition at the National Museum in Canberra. An eccentric pyramid of 35 drawers jutting out at odd angles, it was inspired by the original Wunderkammers - Cabinets of Wonder or wonder-rooms, whose intriguing collections belonged to those aristocrats, monarchs or merchants who could afford to create and maintain them. They were usually made from exotic and expensive materials and often filled with contents and ornamental details intended to reflect the entire cosmos on a miniature scale.

In the 17th Century a Cabinet of Curiosities could contain specimens collected during exploration and trading voyages such as preserved animals, tusks, skeletons, botanical and cultural artefacts.

The Cabinet of Curiosities arrives in Beechworth in January after a successful season at the Albury Library Museum, and ahead of a tour to the Tasmanian Museum and Gallery in Hobart  (July – December 2008) and the Pioneer Museum in Zeehan, Tasmania (January – July 2009).

For more information about including a collection in the
Cabinet of Curiosities exhibition in Beechworth, contact
Linda Peacock, Burke Museum, phone (03) 5728 8067

Cabinet of Curiosities
Where: Robert O’Hara Burke Memorial Museum
Address: Loch St, Beechworth
Dates: January – June 2008

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Indigo Shire appoints new CEO

The Mayor, Cr Peter Graham OAM, has announced that Council has unanimously agreed to appoint Mr Brendan McGrath, currently the General Manager Community and Recreation at Mitchell Shire Council, as the new Chief Executive Officer of Indigo Shire Council.

Cr Graham said that Council selected Mr McGrath after an exhaustive process facilitated by FM Consulting, with 30 applicants expressing their initial interest in the position.

Cr Graham indicated that the whole Council was delighted with the appointment and look forward Mr McGrath commencing with the Shire by late January.

Mr McGrath has also been in the role of Acting Chief Executive Officer and Acting General Manager Corporate Services in his time at Mitchell Shire.  Prior to obtaining the General Manager’s position he was the Recreation and Leisure Manager with Mitchell Shire.

He has also worked in private industry with the Lancemore Group and Leisure Management and Marketing and also with the YMCA.  In these roles he has had close associations with Council operations in a number of municipalities in managing municipal swimming pools and recreation facilities.

He has tertiary qualifications as a Batchelor of Applied Science and is proposing to recommence his Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management.

Cr Graham said that this wide range of experience and his current experience as part of the Senior Management Team at Mitchell Shire will be easily translated to the CEO’s role at Indigo Shire.  Councillors and staff are looking forward to Mr McGrath commencing soon after current CEO Mr John Costello vacates the position.

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New book a child’s view of Beechworth’s history

A delightful new book for children, which rediscovers the history of Beechworth, was officially launched by eminent historian and author, Ian Jones, on Saturday, 20 October at the Historic Courthouse.

Carole O’Neill, a Beechworth resident and lecturer in children’s literature at LaTrobe, is the author of Ride Through Time, which tells the story of Lucy, a small girl with a very big imagination.

Beautifully illustrated by Wagga Wagga artist Liz Main, Ride Through Time follows Lucy’s journey around the historic town on a bicycle, imagining the past as she visits Beechworth’s familiar buildings, landmarks and landscapes.

Carole worked with children from St Joseph’s Primary School in Beechworth in each step of the book-writing process. Lucy, the girl in the story, is a Beechworth girl as is her Gran.

In Ride Through Time, Lucy has been influenced by her grandmother who delights in story-telling. The grandmother asks Lucy to open her eyes and ears to the history around – ‘Use your imagination, Lucy and you will be able to hear their stories’ – so Lucy sets out on a ride through time, to discover the lively history of the beautiful town of Beechworth.

Carole is an experienced educationist who over the years has developed a focus on early childhood. She has taught in education as a visual and performing arts specialist and as a primary school teacher.She has been involved in the training of pre-school, primary and secondary teachers at both Melbourne University and La Trobe University’s Albury/ Wodonga Campus.

Carole and her husband, Peter, moved to Beechworth from Melbourne in 2002. Their tree change was especially unique as they moved into the beautiful old 1880’s homestead called Finches that they run as a B & B. The house has an important role in the book. It was very early in the piece that Carole became interested in the history of the house and her discoveries led to further exploration of Beechworth.

Carole has a passion and professional interest in children’s picture books and the process of learning. “Picture books are for everyone”, she says. Her adult university students are often treated to a ‘story’ before they begin their lecture.

It was observations of children reactions to Beechworth buildings made Carole aware that frequently we pass by experiences and indicators without being aware of their full significance. From these observations arose the concept of the book Ride Through Time.

“I wanted children to explore my favourite place, Beechworth, and share my joy in discovery,” Carole says. “The book takes the reader through an imaginative, historical journey. The book has many uses. It can be a tour guide to the richness and heritage of Beechworth, a delightful learning tool to teachers and parents or just a relaxing pastime in story-telling.”

To obtain a copy of Ride Through Time, please call (03) 5728 2655 or email C.O'Neill@latrobe.edu.au Carole O’Neill.
For more information visit Finches of Beechworth

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Indigo shire calls on residents
to adopt their street trees

Despite a welcome few millimetres of rain this week, with no end to the drought in sight the Indigo Shire Council is calling on its citizens to adopt any trees on nature strips adjacent or adjoining their property and to water and mulch them whenever they tend to their own gardens.

According to Mayor Peter Graham OAM, hundreds of street trees have been planted on public land and roadsides in towns throughout the Shire over the past ten years.

“These trees improve the ambiance and image of the local streetscapes.  They create a sense of place and provide a distinctive character to an area and unfortunately, many of these trees will be at risk as we enter this second year of drought.

“Whilst Council’s outdoors teams monitor our many street plantings, given the drier than average winter and looming prospect of severe water restrictions over another long, hot and dry summer, we’re seeking the publics assistance in caring for any trees in front of their property.

“Keeping our street trees alive over what is expected to be another harsh summer is a simple way we can streetscapes looking smart,” Cr Graham said.

“Council will try its hardest to keep all our street trees alive and we’ll continue with our tree maintenance schedule, but that little extra bit of help from residents may be what it takes to make all the difference over the coming summer months.”

For further comment - Clint McWilliam, Superintendent of Works 0428 265 793

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Indigo scoops Tidy Town Awards!

Indigo Shire towns scooped the awards pool at the 25th Annual Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns Regional Awards held in Rutherglen last week.

Beechworth was named the overall North East Regional Sustainable Community – Tidy Towns winner and will now go on to represent the North East region at the state finals to be announced on 6 October.

Nine other Indigo Shire town projects were recognised ascategory winners and will advance to the state finals:

1. Community Pride: Rutherglen – RSL Park
2. Heritage & Culture:  Chiltern – Chiltern Railway Station
3. Environmental Innovation:    Beechworth – Beechworth Vignerons Association
4. Zero Waste Award: Beechworth – Public Place Recycling project
5. Biodiversity & Conservation: Beechworth – Wildlife Corridor Project
6. Community Government Partnership: Beechworth – Waste Oil Recycling Project
7. Young Leaders:  Beechworth – Spring Creek Revegetation Project
8. Proud School: Rutherglen – St Mary’s Primary School

Indigo Shire Mayor Cr Peter Graham said the awards highlighted the wonderful environmental and sustainability projects underway in Indigo Shire. He paid tribute to the businesses, community groups and volunteers who have shown great dedication and community spirit.

“The Tidy Towns annual awards are an important part in recognising the value of the hundreds of volunteers who provide support to local communities throughout rural Victoria,” Cr Graham said.

“It is wonderful to receive recognition across so many categories and we are particularly thrilled Beechworth will contest the overall Victorian Tidy Towns award.”

Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria Chief Executive Officer Wendy Jones said, “The power of local communities working together can achieve great community and environmental benefits for all to enjoy and benefit from, and this was definitely highlighted during this year’s judging.

“The Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns judges found it very hard to split this year’s category winners, which highlighted the dedication those communities who participated in this year’s program have towards their communities, environment and sustainability.”

The 25th Annual Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns awards are supported by Sustainability Victoria, the Packaging Stewardship Forum – AFGC “Do the Right Thing” Program and Cartridge World.